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WOODLAWN ALUMNI

COME SEE THE DIFFERENCE

OUR ALUMNI

Class of 2017

Send corrections and updates to Rainie Hutchinson at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

<< Class of 2016
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Erica Rose '17

Erica Rose '17

Virginia Tech '21
AP Scholar
Erica Rose '17
Virginia Tech '21
Phoebe Klett '17

Phoebe Klett '17

Duke University '21
AP Scholar
Phoebe Klett '17
Duke University '21
Jake Johnson '17

Jake Johnson '17

St. Louis University '21
AP Scholar
Male Athlete of the Year
Jake Johnson '17
St. Louis University '21
Ansley Earle '17

Ansley Earle '17

Savannah College of Art and Design '21
AP Scholar
Creative Arts Award
Ansley Earle '17
Savannah College of Art and Design '21
Amelia Woodall '17

Amelia Woodall '17

UNC Chapel Hill '21
AP Scholar with Distinction
Magna Cum Laude
Service Learning Award

Published January 2016

I'm sitting in a 9th grade biology class when suddenly a senior from the AP biology class runs into the classroom and interrupts our lesson.

“We have a problem,” she says. And just like that, our entire class rushes outside to see a staged murder.

The ninth-grade students are learning about DNA forensics, and the AP biology class wants to help us with a lab. The AP students, much like the rest of Woodlawn’s students, are creative and engaged learners. They take the lesson into their hands and guide us. We complete the lab by interviewing “witnesses,” as well as collecting and testing DNA samples, just as a real forensic scientist would.

Academic adventures like this make the Woodlawn School experience unique.

This is my sixth year attending Woodlawn. I’ve experienced more hands-on learning than I could’ve expected. The academics at Woodlawn School challenge the learner beyond just mastering the materials. The teachers here work hard to connect their classes to other classes and to events in the real world.

I’m a junior now, and I’m researching colleges. I’m thinking about studying ecology or environmental biology. This being said, understanding, as well as being in nature, will help me tremendously in preparing for this path. Nature and the outdoors are large parts of Woodlawn’s philosophy, and that’s one of the many reasons why Woodlawn is such a good fit for me. The various ecosystems on Woodlawn’s campus allow teachers to take their classes down to the wetlands or up to the gardens for hands-on learning experiences.

We occasionally have class, like Spanish, outside on the patio. One time, we were learning about informal tú commands, and our Profe made us play “Simón Dice,” the Spanish version of “Simon Says.” She taught us how to form the commands, then we participated in an activity that required us to think while having fun.

I’ve had the opportunity to engage in many extracurricular activities. This is my fifth year playing for Woodlawn’s volleyball team and will be my second year running track for the upper school. I began playing volleyball in seventh grade at Woodlawn. My coaches taught me the fundamentals of the sport, all while encouraging fair play and sportsmanship. During my sophomore volleyball season, we played one entire game only speaking in Spanish, and we won! It challenged us to use some vocabulary we learned in the classroom and to actually speak the language. The athletics and extracurriculars at Woodlawn are more examples of where learning takes place outside of the classroom.

A gym or track may not be the most conventional classroom, but what I’ve learned from all the different sports teams, clubs, and groups has helped me become a contributing member of society. Woodlawn is a friendly environment, and the determination of the teachers will help you achieve your goals. Challenging yourself outside of the classroom helps you learn who you are.

One thing that concerned me initially was the size of Woodlawn’s student body. Yes, Woodlawn is a very small school, but to me, that’s one of its best features. The current junior class has 17 students. I’ve gone to school with many of them my entire time at Woodlawn. I’ve never bonded more with any group of people in my whole life. They’re like my second family.

The teachers at Woodlawn strongly encourage students from all grades to mix. Students participate in events that range from a game of Quidditch to a round of trivia. These events promote a close-knit community.

Woodlawn’s student body is one of the most friendly, diverse, and accepting groups of people that I know. I’m very lucky to go to school where this much interaction takes place, inside and outside of the classroom.

Amelia is currently a junior at UNC Chapel Hill.

Amelia Woodall '17
UNC Chapel Hill '21
Quinn Schneider '17

Quinn Schneider '17

US Naval Academy '21
AP Scholar
Magna Cum Laude
Male Athlete of the Year
Trailblazer Award
Quinn Schneider '17
US Naval Academy '21
Kelsie Milburn '17

Kelsie Milburn '17

Vassar College '21
Achievement in the Humanities
AP Scholar with Distinction
Lifelong Learning Award
Summa Cum Laude
Kelsie Milburn '17
Vassar College '21
Zachery Lorch '17

Zachery Lorch '17

US Air Force Academy '21
Achievement in the Sciences
AP Scholar with Honor
Magna Cum Laude
Male Athlete of the Year

 

I’ve been swimming since I was in the first grade, so it only felt natural that I should try to convince four of my Woodlawn friends to start the first-ever Woodlawn varsity swim team. And so we did. Despite my years of competitive swimming, I’d never actually led a team. But Coach Jackie tossed me my brand new Woodlawn swim cap and said, “you’re going to be the captain.” I can still remember clearly thinking, “Man, I’m so glad to be wearing this green swim cap emblazoned with the bold white “W”.” That was then. Fast forward two years: we have 15 members swimming on our “tiny” but mighty team and just last year we ranked first of all 1A schools in swimming.It makes you wonder how we did it — how did we grow this team and how did we become the best swim team of 1A schools? Was it skill? I believe it to be something else entirely. Students who go to Woodlawn understand something I like to call “coachability”. It’s the ability to be corrected, learn from mistakes, and always be ready to try something different. And this carries into the classroom as well. The student-teacher relationship here is unmatched. It’s not atypical to hear conversations between student and teacher during our lunch hour about the African water crisis or how to create a black hole that won’t de-atomize the Earth. Woodlawn gives every student freedoms, responsibilities, and trust. And this allows us to grow and affect those around us.This year, along with two of my classmates, we’re building the Woodlawn Outdoors Education Program (WOE). With supervision from Mr. Van Amburgh, we are constructing a low ropes course program for the school along with an entire curriculum for an outdoor training experience. I could never have dreamed of doing something like this anywhere else.This is my last year at Woodlawn. I’m looking for ways to make an impact—whether it be the ropes course, a Ga-Ga pit (we built one of those my sophomore year), or contributing to our swim team’s accolades. Woodlawn has given me a drive to be the best I can be. It’s truly different from anywhere else. The people here are here to help you be the best you can be.

Zach is currently a junior at the US Air Force Academy.

 

Zachery Lorch '17
US Air Force Academy '21
Claire Stutzman '17

Claire Stutzman '17

Vassar College '21
Female Athlete of the Year
Magna Cum Laude
National AP Scholar
National Merit Semifinalist
Summa Cum Laude
Claire Stutzman '17
Vassar College '21
Austen Castellano '17

Austen Castellano '17

Austen Castellano '17
Matt Childers '17

Matt Childers '17

Matt Childers '17
Kate Cummings '17

Kate Cummings '17

Kate Cummings '17
James Gartner '17

James Gartner '17

James Gartner '17
Lanie Johnson '17

Lanie Johnson '17

Lanie Johnson '17
Eliza Johnston '17

Eliza Johnston '17

Eliza Johnston '17
Claire Lazes '17

Claire Lazes '17

Claire Lazes '17
Rachel Neal '17

Rachel Neal '17

Rachel Neal '17

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135 Woodlawn school loop, mooresville, nc 28115
704.895.8653

THE WOODLAWN EXPERIENCE

Get an inside look at the Woodlawn Way and our
Project Based Learning approach.

Woodlawn is a private school providing a project based learning curriculum for early explorers preschool, lower, middle, and upper school academics. Our historic 61-acre campus is located just north of Charlotte, NC in beautiful Mooresville, and within driving distance of Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, North Mecklenburg, and Concord.

Woodlawn School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, or national, ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

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