Term 2020-2021 | Issue 5 | February/March 2021
Steve Says…
Dear Students,
We’re getting ready for our return to campus, and we’re at once excited and nervous. We’re excited for what I hope are obvious reasons: we’re a people school, and the promise of seeing so many of you again in-person has us happily expectant. But we’re jittery too; not because we’re worried about safety (we feel very confident about our mitigation plan and our ability to keep us all healthy and safe). We’re nervous, rather, because we want this new and temporary model, i.e., “hybrid learning,” to work for all students.
Teachers are conscientious people, and they’re happiest when their students are learning and thriving academically and emotionally. We know it’s all about you, the students, and we’re energized to solve yet another puzzle, in this year of puzzles, and make this final quarter of the year a time of continued growth and happiness.
We’ll see you, literally, after spring break. Enjoy!
In Exciting College News… As promised, more college acceptances have come in. Congratulations to all of our talented seniors! Here is the list to date:
Bryn Mawr College Christopher Newport University Cleveland Institute of Art College for Creative Studies Cornell University Dean University Duke University Emerson College Endicott College George Mason University Gettysburg College Goucher College Guilford College Harvard University Lynn University McDaniel College Parson’s School of Design Purdue University Quinnipiac University Roanoke College Richmond University Rochester Institute of Technology Savannah College of Art & Design Stanford University University of California-Irvine University of Delaware University of Lynchburg University of Mary Washington University of Texas at Austin University of Mary Washington Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Tech Washington College
30th Anniversary Celebration Thank you for making The New School’s Virtual 30th Anniversary Celebration such a success!
The evening was filled with walks down memory lane, catching up with old friends and teachers, and a sense of everyone sharing a special connection.
We are truly grateful for everyone who was able to share this special evening with us. You are what made all of the planning and changing course because of the pandemic worthwhile.
And because of everyone’s generous donations through ticket sales, raffle ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations, $16,895 was raised to support students and teachers through The New School Fund!
Thank you again for all of your support, and for being part of The New School family.
For everyone who attended, if you haven’t already, we’d greatly appreciate if you could give us your feedback about the event in this quick survey: https://forms.gle/NHS4FacuVPPutEEg7
Want to relive part of the evening? Weren’t able to attend and want to catch up on what you missed? Videos that debuted during the event are now available to watch on The New School’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32zn407jpdPo32cD-0euZA).
These links will take you directly to specific videos:
What The New School Means to Me: https://youtu.be/fS5MEC86sIg
New School Performances: https://youtu.be/ZJvvKweHA2I
30th Anniversary Slideshow: https://youtu.be/MbySDU5DFko (More photos can be found at https://nsnva.smugmug.com/30th-Anniversary-Celebration)
Get Your 30th Anniversary T-Shirt! 
30th Anniversary t-shirts (designed by Senior Alex Passin) are on sale now!
Shirts are $20 ($8 shipping charges will apply if you live out of the area).
They come in sizes S-XXL.
The first round of purchases will be ready for pickup in the main office or for shipping in early April.
Get your shirts today!: https://www.givecampus.com/vqox1m
(It’s a little small in the picture, but under the image the shirt says “Celebrating 30 years of inspired learning.”)
New School Student Internship Opportunity Offering an exciting opportunity for New School students! I am looking for a team of interns to work alongside me during the 2021-2022 school year. Interns will help with development, marketing, and event planning & community engagement for The New School.
Interns will receive community service hours. For students who have fulfilled their community service requirements, this internship will be a strong addition to college applications and resumes.
Any 6th – 11th grade student interested in graphic design, photography, writing, and/or event planning & community engagement is encouraged to apply.
Students can read through this job description to learn more: Development & Marketing Internship Description/Application Process
All students are eligible to apply, as long as they speak with their advisor and get permission.
Email me at nandreano@newschoolva.com to let me know you are interested. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 14th.
I’m looking forward to collaborating with an amazing new group of student interns next year!
Noelle
Noelle Andreano Director of Development & Community Engagement
AP Psychology in a Pandemic I never thought my first year teaching AP Psychology would happen during a pandemic via virtual learning, but we’ve made it work!
I’m super proud of my psychology students as they have chugged steadily through a veritable mountain of content in advance of their spring exam, while also preparing to participate in the upcoming New School Science Fest – always a highlight of the year. I’ve had classes run experiments with human subjects before, including gathering a number of New School faculty children together for some fun cognitive tasks, but my AP students have wisely stuck to socially distanced online data collection methods this year. We have projects looking at: memory (both long term and working), distraction and focus, habituation to sound, a burgeoning phenomenon known as ASMR, the impact of video games on mood, cultural identity (through the lenses of individualism vs collectivism), confidence in young women (via a comparison of single-gender vs mixed gender schools), and even two projects exploring the impact of the pandemic on our lives using different methodologies and variables.
A lot of these studies require active participation from our student body and faculty via surveys, so if you’ve received any survey links, please take some time to respond before you relax into your spring break – the AP Psych class is truly grateful for the help as they aim for validity in their science practice!
By Jenny Fey
Stream Clean Up Enrichment Led by Diana, students had fun on a recent enrichment Wednesday cleaning up a nearby stream! 
Science Fest Our New School Science Fest entries will be viewed alongside Quarter 3 Exhibitions on April 15th. Prizes will be announced at the beginning of Quarter 4!
Contact Rachel Lewis at rlewis@newschoolva.com or any members of the science department if you have any questions. Virtual Gallery Walk Our New School artists have been hard at work this quarter under the tutelage of Nataliya! 
Harper Solinger 
Ash Johnson 
Alex Passin 
Nathan Jones 
Yanzhi Zang
New School Bonus Programs The New School participates in bonus programs that generate donations for the school when you do your everyday shopping online. They are easy to sign up for, and can have a big impact for students and teachers.
Increase the Impact of Your Donation Many corporations offer matching gift programs for employees and their families. This is a great opportunity to increase your gift in support of The New School. You can check with your employer’s human resources department to find out if they offer matching gifts. This information can also often be found in the list of benefits provided to you by your employer. Please let us know what you need from us in order to process a match through your organization. Contact our Director of Development & Community Engagement, Noelle Andreano, at nandreano@newschoolva.com with any questions.
Our Contact Information Info and Contact
Why are we sending you this newsletter? One of the distinguishing features of our school is our sense of community. This newsletter is one more way to build and maintain that community among our current students, parents, faculty, and alumni. We hope you like it! Please send feedback to info@newschoolva.com Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for weekly updates and photos of what’s happening in our school community! |
