News

2025

  • Alumni Arts Showcase

    On March 1st, alumni, past faculty, current students, teachers, and parents gathered for the first ever Alumni Arts Showcase.

    The setting of Community Hall was fitting for this meeting of past, present, and future. The space has long been the center of performance at Tandem. It’s the place where we gather for Morning Meeting, Meeting for Worship, open mics, concerts, and plays. The Community Hall is also getting a well-deserved revamp. In true Tandem fashion, the project began with a student. Current senior Sawyer Ruday reached out to Peter Gaines (Director of Major Giving) to learn about philanthropy to raise money to improve the Community Hall. So far, we have raised nearly $110,000 toward an overall goal of $150,000! Thanks to this initiative, that night the stage was lit with new, state of the art, environmentally friendly, LED theater lights!

    Between songs and poems, performers shared stories and memories about their experiences at Tandem and how this place has shaped them. Ephraim Firdyiwek ‘04 shared an acoustic set of originals and covers. Angus Murdoch ‘86 jammed alongside his son, current TFS junior, Will. (Will can often be found playing his cello on the back porch of the main building or a bench around campus).

    Members of the cast of Mamma Mia!, this year’s spring musical, had us singing along to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” Middle school theater teacher Edwina Herring is comfortable on the stage. It’s her classroom after all, but Edwina brought her customary openness to the Alumni Arts Showcase, sharing a series of poems and an acapella rendition of “The Greatest Love of All.”

    Emma Johnson ‘19 read from her college thesis, a long poem titled “Litterfoot.” Jay Pun ‘99 introduced us to a new instrument, the phin, a traditional lute from Thailand, and told us tales of his musical education at Tandem in the 90s. 

    In a testament to the powerful and enduring relationships forged between students and teachers at Tandem,  Miller Oberman ‘97 and Charlotte Matthews (past faculty) gave a reading “in tandem.” They shared moving tributes about what they had taught one another about writing, learning, and life. Miller read from his poetry collection Impossible Things, and Charlotte read from her latest collection of essays Everything in its Brilliance. 

    Thank you to all who came to share their voices and talents and to all who came to listen and be together again. If you’re interested in learning more and getting involved, you can find out more about the Community Hall Campaign by clicking here or reaching out to Peter Gaines (pgaines@tandemfs.org).
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  • The Long View: The Rise of Tandem XC Issue 1

    The Long View: The Rise of Tandem XC

    You may not think of Tandem, our alma mater, as an athletic powerhouse. Yet for a school of our size, we’ve had some incredible triumphs in sports. Back in the early 2010s, girls soccer was the dominant program at Tandem. They were on a 3-year state championship winning streak. Yet, with a small pool of students there’s always an ebb and flow, a rise and fall. When one program is big and popular, it draws students away from others. The dominant program today, whether you believe it or not, is cross country.

    This all started with history teacher, Jason Farr, and former head of school, Andy Jones-Wilkins. 
    Jason and Andy were both competitive ultrarunners and they started going on runs together. Andy remembers, “We would spend time just kind of running and talking about stuff.” One of the things they talked about was a vision for what cross country could be at Tandem.

    Jason remembers, “We both agreed that, of all the sports, cross country was a perfect Tandem sport.” He says, “At most schools the cross country kids are kind of quirky and good students and that’s like most Tandem kids: quirky, good students, and willing to work hard.”

    Running also embodies the Quaker tenet of Simplicity. Andy believed that the program could work and grow without a lot of tending. The thought was, Andy says, “to develop an anchor program with a sport where it didn’t matter if you had a lot of kids or a few kids. You didn’t need a lot of equipment. You didn’t need a fancy facility. You didn’t need a whole lot of skills. You didn’t need to have grown up coming through a pipeline of youth soccer or basketball or anything else.”

    On a hot summer day in 2013, Andy called Jason to his office in the Main Building. He wanted to ask Jason if he’d like to be the new cross country coach after Joe Doherty, (MS Math/Science teacher), the current coach, was leaving.

    Jason says, remembering that day in Andy’s office, “I was very brazen and confident and I said ‘Give me ten years, I can win a state championship.’ Andy kind of laughed at that and said, ‘I LOVE IT!’”

    Maybe it was the heat or Andy’s exuberance, but Jason had some experience to back him up. Though he grew up in Tennessee playing football and didn’t get into running until college, Jason later worked under a great high school cross country coach in Asheville, North Carolina, Steve Carpenter. Jason says, “I learned a lot when I was in Asheville. That was one reason I had so much confidence.” Steve shared with Jason, but he also knew what an opportunity it was so Jason says he “watched and observed and absorbed everything I could.” 
    What Jason saw is that Steve’s system worked. “He took kids through a lot of psychological work, and just got a lot out of them.” In Asheville, Jason learned that developing a great team is less about perfecting strategy and more about building a culture. He calls this “one of the secrets of coaching running.” That really it all comes down to, as Jason says, “getting kids to believe that they can do hard things.”

    Ultimately, getting kids to believe they can do hard things isn’t about physical training or even sports necessarily. It’s mental. In truth, so much of running is. Jason admits “Not every coach can do that and I don’t do it with every kid, but I think we’ve built a culture where now the kids help each other.”

    How did they get there? How do you build a culture?

    Part 1: The Early Days

    In the early days of Jason’s tenure as cross country coach, the focus was on getting kids to join the team and making running fun. Tandem XC was full of fun. For as much as running can be mentally and physically grueling, the team made up for it with ample amounts of silliness.

    Noah Tinsley ’18 shares, “I think the team had a really cool vibe. It’s a cool sport because it really combines team effort and individuals trying to do their thing.” Noah also remembers one race, “There was this puddle and I remember going and laying in the puddle” after the race. “Felt really good,” he says.

    I began running cross country with Andy when I was in 6th grade. In 8th grade, I joined the Varsity squad and being a part of this team had a huge impact on my Tandem experience. There was no shame in cross country. We talked about it all, all the gross, nasty, weird parts of pushing your body to the limits of what it could do.
    Another muddy memory comes from Pearl Outlaw ’15: “I went on a summer run and it ended up being super rainy and muddy and basically we just embraced it. We were running in the rain, and we were covered in mud, and we jumped in the lake over at the development. We took this photo when we got back and we’re just all smiling, covered in mud.”

    Tandem XC May, 2014

    I think this image captures what cross country was in those days. Not pretty or perfect, but fun, everyone embracing the messiness and getting down in the mud.

    Pearl remembers the toughness, grit, and wildness of the team in the first few years with Jason coaching. Alec Simon ‘16 “forgot his shoes one day and we were running hill sprints, and so he ran hill sprints in bare feet. His feet were black and blue and grass stained. We would do anything for Jason. We were like ‘Okay, Jason, whatever you say!’”

    Perhaps it sounds a bit cultish, buying into the extreme, and willing to do anything for your “guru.” But it was also a safe and warm place, where everyone’s individual goals were just as important as any collective mission.

    Pearl Outlaw is one of the great Tandem XC legends. She represents what the team was, and is, at its core, as well as how being a part of something special can change your life.

    Growing up, Pearl says that sports “didn’t feel super comfortable for me. They were very intimidating.” But she knew she wanted to continue participating in athletics and “cross country just seemed the most welcoming and comfortable.”

    Pearl remembers, “I didn’t see myself as a runner at all before that.” Being a part of the cross country team was different than any other sport she had tried. “I remember immediately feeling so comfortable and just not judged.”

    This is the consistent message I heard, and what I remember from being a part of the team myself. In many ways it’s part of what makes Tandem special, its unique, good energy. But that special Tandem feeling became concentrated, for many, on the cross country team.

    Pearl says, “While I was running, my vision was changing, too. Now, I’m nearly completely blind, but back then I could still run, and I would pretty much just follow whoever was in front of me.” She remembers one race her senior year, the meet before states, where the course was mostly through open grass fields. As it was getting dark “I started to realize like ‘oh, my gosh I can’t see where I’m going.’ And I don’t know what people around me were thinking because I kept saying that to the spectators, and I think they were just confused. But no one was doing anything. I was like ‘I can’t see!’ Literally I can’t see the trail.’”

    A little further along the course she found Jason and the boys’ team, on a cool down run after their race and then she found Emma Passino ‘17. Emma and Pearl grabbed each other and they “held hands basically for the rest of the race and ran together because I had lost my way,” Pearl says with a sarcastic chuckle.

    If you asked Jason, he would say this is what Tandem XC is all about. Not a state title, but moments like these, when people come together to support one another. At the end of every season, Jason holds a party to celebrate and acknowledge that year’s group of runners. It’s an important part of the culture, celebrating milestones, accomplishments, and setting goals for the future.

    Before we ever won any titles, he created awards to honor the values of the team: courage, tenacity, kindness. He named an award after Pearl, called the ‘Pearl Outlaw Courage Award.’ It’s a high honor in the name of an incredible and inspiring athlete.

    Pearl Outlaw, September 2014

    For Pearl, who now competes as a professional rower, Jason’s ability to recognize and lift up every runner is an essential component of a great team. She says, “any team that I’ve been on, the best ones are where no matter if you’re the fastest on the team or the back of the pack, you still feel like the coach believes in you and is invested in you. I think Jason was really able to do that,” says Pearl. “You just felt like he cared about every single person on the team and how they did, no matter where they were in their running.”

    Even though Pearl has reached incredible heights in her athletic career, rowing for the United States in three world championships, she’s still finding new ways to challenge herself. This year she switched from flatwater rowing, in rivers and streams, to coastal rowing, off beaches and in the ocean. Pearl says, “I just did my first world championship with them in September and we were the first para-team basically in the sport that had competed at world championships.”

    Her running days came back in use in coastal rowing. One of the events involves sprinting down the beach into the water and jumping into the boat. One day, Pearl says “we were practicing that, and I did my first sprint into the water, and I think I face planted in a wave or something, but from that moment on I was like ‘this is awesome! This is amazing!’”

    It’s that attitude, getting knocked down by a wave and thinking ‘I can’t wait to do that again,’ that Jason hopes to cultivate as an essential, courageous, and joyful part of the cross country team.
    Reminiscing about the old days running cross country, Pearl is smiling. She remembers “I think it was cross country first” where “I started seeing myself as an athlete...and feeling like even with my eyesight I could really do anything.”

    The one bad memory, Pearl says, is of the cross country page of the yearbook from her senior year which only had photos of the boys running; none of the girls were represented. I went back and looked. The title reads “Varsity Cross Country” and we see Jason and the boys, but none of the girls on the team.
     
    TFS Yearbook 2016
    This oversight marks an issue that the cross country team has faced for some time and is still working through. It’s been one of the only co-ed sports at Tandem, and boys and girls practicing together has been one of the things that makes the team unique and special. But often the focus and the spotlight has been on the boys. This is something Jason is aware of and has been trying to remedy, shifting his focus in recent years to the development of the girls team.

    I remember at the end-of-season party in my senior year, Jason handed out bricks that were painted green with silver writing that read “TANDEM XC.” He gave a brick to each of the girls and told us that we were the foundation. This literally heavy-handed metaphor made me laugh, but I also felt hopeful that we would grow. I still have my brick. Since then, the girls team has faced hurdles, growing and then falling in numbers again during the pandemic. Now, it’s on the rise with a strong group of runners, many of them sophomores and freshman, poised to flourish.

    Jason says, “We had six girls on the team last year and 18 boys, and that’s my big goal now; I want to build the girl’s program to the same level.”

    The cross country team faces a unique challenge as it seeks to hold both teams under one umbrella of coaches and resources. Still, Jason’s distinct style and approach help him to connect to all kinds of runners.
    A characteristic of Jason’s coaching style is the use of mantras to develop mental confidence. He drills the team with these repetitive phrases and metaphors. They’re often funny, but Jason explains that “running is 90 percent mental and the other 10 percent is in your head.”

    The value in these mantras he says, “is that there comes a point in every race or hard workout where you’re full of doubt. Doubt will creep in because you’re pushing your body to its maximum…you’re asking your body to do something right on the edge of what’s possible.”

    Oftentimes cramps, that pinch in the side, are neuromuscular. “Mantras are just ways to trick that neuromuscular pathway, by making the “pain cave” a happy place that you want to visit. It normalizes the suffering.” But pain is a tricky thing. It’s important to attend to, not hide from, because ignoring pain can lead to injury.

    The “pain-cave” is one of Jason’s most famous mantras. I remember him drawing it on the white board in the Field House. You journey into and through this painful place, but there is another side, something to be found by making it through. Noah Tinsley remembers, “I think Jason kind of portrayed it in a funny context, like ‘oh yeah they’re in the pain cave,’ but everyone knows it’s a very real thing. It wasn’t a thing to be avoided. It’s just gonna happen.”

    In the early days, the team made t-shirts that said “It’s Supposed to Hurt.” But Jason avoids some of that rhetoric now. “In the beginning,” he says, “it was a matter of distinguishing between jogging and racing. To actually race, it’s going to be painful, and you have to know that and prepare for it.”
    Here’s Noah again: “You can extrapolate that in a life way. You’re going to end up in other pain caves and that’s not a bad thing if you’re in the pain cave. It’s just good to say ‘I know that I’m here, and I know there’s something waiting for me if I go through this properly.’ I feel like the worst pain cave is if you just kind of avoid the pain.”

    The truth is, despite their strangeness, the mantras seem to work, and they become a part of the fabric and the language of the team. A key lesson from cross country for Noah, he says, was “the idea of separating your mind and your body, and being able to trust your body beyond what your mind thinks of it.”
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  • Who Is She But The One: Kate Bollinger ‘16

    Who Is She But The One?
    Kate Bollinger ‘16


    Stories, Los Angeles–I’m sitting in a trendy combination bookstore and coffeehouse in L.A. when a girl walks by me. I notice her long blonde hair and cute shoes. Just as I’m having the thought, ‘those are cute boots,’ she turns on her heels and looks right at me, as if some magnet or wave pushed her in my direction. It’s Kate Bollinger. 

    We recognize each other and get to talking. I had reached out to Kate earlier in the summer hoping to find a time to interview her. I never expected we would bump into each other in a city on the other side of the country from Charlottesville. We talk about how alien L.A. feels. How different it is from Virginia and the East Coast. Yet, a chance meeting like this can make the world feel really small. 

    There must be some magical Tandem connection that carries across space and time. On an Antarctic cruise ship out at sea, two passengers, Dylan McAuley ‘14 and Ariel Shaker-Brown ‘07, discovered they both went to Tandem.

    You may remember Kate performing at open mics or Tandemonium. Since graduating from Tandem in 2016, she’s had incredible success as a musical artist. She currently has over two million monthly listeners on Spotify and has toured with artists like Faye Webster and Liz Phair. 
    In September, we spoke about her memories of Tandem and the evolution of her sound, just a few weeks before the release of her first album, Songs From A Thousand Frames of Mind.

    [This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

    EJ: Growing up in a family of musicians, singing on your mom’s children’s albums and being exposed to lots of different kinds of music from your older brothers, it seems that your entry to music was quite natural and organic. Still, we all benefit from guidance and mentorship. You wrote your first song at 8 and your brother later gave you a songwriting notebook with a “guide to songwriting” written inside. Who have been some of your greatest teachers (you can think of “teacher” as broadly as you’d like)?

    KB: I was trying to think of who outside my family have been my greatest teachers. One of the earliest people who I would put on this list is this guy, Gene Ausborn. I went to Young Writers Workshop at Sweetbriar, I think when I was 14 or 15, and Gene was the songwriting teacher that year. He has a band called We Are Star Children.

    I remember he met with everybody individually, all of the young songwriters. He was so enthusiastic about what I was doing, and he was the first person to be like “You rock. You’re a rock star.” And I was like ‘what?!’ Cause I was a 14 year old girl, really insecure in some ways probably, and it was just really amazing to have somebody who I admired say that at that time. I feel like that gave me a lot of courage to keep doing and sharing what I was doing.

    After the camp was over…he emailed me and asked me to be first of three for a show that his band was playing. That was my first-ever show, and this kind of leads me into the next person who I consider to be a teacher of mine.

    I got asked to do this show, and the second band on the bill was the Extroadinaires. This guy Jay Purdy who was the front man of the Extroadinaires—they were a Charlottesville band, but then after high school I guess a lot of the guys in the band moved to Philly, and so I kind of consider them a Philly band even though they have Charlottesville ties. They were like my favorite band of all time growing up, because my oldest brother played violin on one of their albums, and so my dad and I got really into them and would listen to their CD in the car all the time. 

    And they just serendipitously were the second, they were the band opening for Gene’s band. So I got this email asking ‘will you open?’ and I was like ‘oh my god, this is my favorite band ever!’  These people are like famous superstars! So that was really exciting, and I met Jay from that show and he was really enthusiastic about my songs and said ‘you should come to Philly, and we’ll be your backing band and we’ll record an EP for you.’ Both of my brothers lived in Philly at the time. I don’t know, that’s a crazy thing to say, and I’m sure some people would say that and not really mean it, but he completely meant it. I went to Philly, and I stayed with my brother and recorded my first EP…At that point I was probably 16 or 17. And that was really exciting and crazy to me, and I think gave me some confidence at the time.

    And then, Jason (Farr) from Tandem. He’s one of my favorite teachers, like literal teachers, that I ever had. He was just really supportive. You know he was my history teacher, but he was really supportive of me in general and of my music.

    I guess the thing a lot of these people share is they gave me a lot of confidence to keep doing what I was doing and made me feel believed in. I was having an existential crisis my senior year, and I would go into [Jason’s] classroom and just cry and talk to him and he was super understanding. 

    And then, I had a professor, Lisa Spaar, who’s a poet at UVA. She is just amazing as a person and a poet, and when I was at UVA I was in the Poetry program and I felt like she was my mentor. She might have even been assigned as my mentor. Anyway, she was really encouraging, and then I had this realization while I was at UVA that it was hard to be in the Poetry program and take my music seriously, because writing poems every week for class and also trying to write songs sort of exhausted the same part of me. I felt like I couldn’t do both well enough at the same time. So I decided to leave the Poetry program and switch to Cinematography, which is what I studied, and she was really supportive of that even though she was my poetry professor. That meant a lot to me.

    The last person that I wrote down is Matt White, my friend from Richmond. I met him during the Pandemic when I was living in Richmond, and we just became really fast friends and started writing songs together, like every week or every few weeks. We would just get together and talk for 2 or 3 hours and then write a song. And a lot of the stuff I was going through at that time reminded him of what he had been going through 10 years before, especially stuff with the music industry and band dynamics, and just a lot of things that I had never been exposed to up until that point and was having a lot of trouble with. He just became a really good friend.

    Anytime anything happens with music, or the industry, or whatever, that I’m confused about or feel upset about, I pretty much text or call him immediately.

    EJ: It’s curious to me, too, about the poetry…It makes sense that it would drain from the same kind of source but I wonder, did you ever think about, were your poems also songs? Could they work in both ways, or were they sort of separate in your mind?

    KB: I think I can do that a little bit more now. Sometimes I’ll write something and I’ll work it into a song, but at the time it was completely separate, but sort of using the same muscle. But I couldn’t take a poem and be like ‘oh, this works as a song, too.’

    EJ: You’ve described what you create as an amalgamation of your influences. Being given Tragic Kingdom and the Lizzie Mcguire soundtrack as CDs for Christmas captures that pretty perfectly. There was always this melding of genres and also melding of experiences: the pop enthusiasm of girlhood with an infusion of “cool.” Who are your current inspirations? 

    KB: I’ve been getting back into a lot of the Elephant 6 bands like Of Montreal, the Apples in Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel, a  lot of those ‘90s bands both on a musical level and the visual style that a lot of them had at the time. 

    They have a sort of ‘60s-inspired feel but done in this ‘90s way that I really like, and then they also had a lot of attention to detail with every part of the project which I really appreciate, every piece of the record feels homemade kind of. So, I love those bands.

    I’ve been getting into Laura Nyro in the last year, and I love her. And then R. Stevie Moore, I’ve been really into and he’s the–I think people call him “the godfather of home recording”-and that’s made me want to get back into recording myself.

    EJ: Something that’s really appealing about you as an artist is your clear and attentive aesthetic. You have a recognizable visual identity, but your style also evolves and changes as you do. As well as being a musician, you are also clearly a very visual artist, and it makes sense that you’ve described conceiving of songs as visual ideas in your head. 

    In your recent work, I’m particularly struck by the use of color. The colors convey so much emotion and also help to tell the story. I’m noticing lots of bright, primary colors that evoke a dreamy ‘60s ambiance (à la Les Demoiselles de Rochefort), but that also feel deeply connected to childhood. 

    A childlike approach to creativity comes through in your music videos as well. It’s reminiscent of growing up in the digital age when so much of play is tied up in video, making silly videos with friends, a creative process without guilt, doubt, hesitation. The characters in your music videos are these archetypal heroes and villains. There’s lots of crime and violence, but then they also seem to come straight out of fairy tales and children’s books. What were the music videos you loved most as a kid? Whose videos do you love today?

    KB: Well, this just popped into my head, I think for the videos more recent influences of mine haven’t been other music videos. For example, this video that I’m working on now, or that I’m starting to work on, the idea is, I know I want it to be sort of like a ‘60s girls marching band kind of feel, and so I’ve been listening to the song and watching found footage on Youtube of marching bands. So that’s been something that’s helpful to me. Rather than watching other music videos, usually I’ll just find the thing that I’m influenced by, and then I’ll mute the video and watch it with the song and that leads to other ideas.

    I think pretty much anything can be a good music video. I remember I was at this bar on tour and there was like some nature documentary playing, but then there was music in the bar and I was like this is amazing together. I like videos that are also edited like a short film that has music behind it, not edited totally like a music video.

    Then, with the childlike thing... Of course, a lot of great art is disturbing on some level or makes you think about things in some new way, but the art that I like the most–going back to the Elephant 6 thing–a lot of that art feels like art from children’s books. It feels very comforting to look at and it’s inspiring…I feel like a lot of people think that art needs to be this disturbing thing, but I like art that makes you feel a sense of comfort. Or, at least personally, that’s kind of what I want the stuff that I make to be like.

    As a kid I loved Gwen Stefani, and she has a lot of cool music videos. There’s one, I forget if it’s Gwen Stefani or No Doubt, but the song is “It’s My Life,” and she’s like killing all of these men, and it’s violent—like you said something about how some of my videos are violent—but it’s done in this sort of silly way, and it makes it fun and funny. So I think maybe that video is what put the idea in my head. 

    EJ: What brought you to Tandem? Tell me about your Tandem experience. Do any stories or memories come to mind? 

    KB: I transferred to Tandem part way through my 10th grade year. I just was so bored and uninspired at Monticello, and I was walking across the street every day to Tandem, after school to hang out with Phoebe (Schuyler '16) cause she and I became friends in middle school and were really close friends. And so my mom would pick me up every day from Tandem pretty much anyway, and then Ali (Abdel-Rahman '16), who I was friends with from Monticello, had transferred a year before me, he was like “why don’t you just go here? Like you should just go here” and I was like “yeah, yeah I should.” So I applied and I got in, and we were waiting to hear about financial aid and we got it, and I remember my mom texted me while I was at school and was like “we got it! You can go to Tandem!” I was so excited and I told all my friends at Monticello that I was transferring to Tandem so that I could ‘focus on my music’ which is so funny cause, I mean, maybe I thought that was true, but I don’t know, that seems like a really serious thing to say for a high schooler, I guess.

    So I started going to Tandem. I still think of 10th grade as one of the best years of my life. It was so fun and exciting and I loved everyone, all the kids and the teachers. Some of the memories that stick out the most to me are like Spring Day obviously was so awesome to me. 

    There was one day, I think this was senior year or maybe junior year, where some of the teachers gave Phoebe and Carson and maybe Eli or somebody else, some money to go down the street to buy a new couch for the senior lounge from Goodwill. So we took Pheobe’s dad’s truck and drove to Goodwill and bought this couch that had a pull-out bed, and we brought it back, and it was a secret that it was a pull-out bed. The next day we pulled out the bed and we were all piled on the bed and a teacher came in and they were like, “mm mm no, that’s not gonna work.” 

    My memories from Tandem are a lot of antics, just like getting up to a lot of really ridiculous, fun stuff. That doesn’t sound like it would be really important, but it was just such a fun and inspiring part of my life, and it was important that there was sort of like this absurdity. There were so many things that were kind of ridiculous about it and it’s cool talking to you because I feel like it’s hard to explain Tandem to people who didn’t go there.

    There was Nura—oh my god, I haven’t said her name in so long it feels wrong kind of—she had a poetry class one year that I took. Do you remember her office upstairs in the main building? It was like in there and it just, I don’t know how to describe it but I have this really strong feeling associated with Tandem that’s kind of hard to describe. 

    Kate performing for Tandemonium at Cville Coffee in 2014

    EJ: I have this very clear image of you in my mind from when I was in 8th or 9th grade. You’re sitting on stage bent over your guitar wearing big Doc Martins and singing softly and angelically. My friends and I were totally enamored with you. We found your music on SoundCloud and thought you were the coolest person to ever exist. Aside from your talent, you seemed to have a real sense of yourself and your voice, and a courage to share that without fear. I wonder if we were some of your earliest, secret fans. What’s your relationship like to your fans today? Do you have a listener in mind when you’re creating?

    KB: That’s so nice. It’s funny seeing that because I’ve had that experience and had that experience a lot when I was younger. Older girls are like the coolest thing that could ever exist when you’re a young girl. You don’t think that other people are having that experience, too, when you’re older than them.

    It is funny to remember that there are people I don’t know who are listening and hearing the songs. It’s kind of easy for me to forget about that sometimes, and that makes it easier for me to just share things without feeling self-conscious about it. But I think it can also at times make what I’m doing feel really self-centered because I have no way of seeing if my music is having an impact on anyone. So I don’t know, I guess it’s kind of a good thing and a bad thing that I don’t really see the response. It’s weird with social media. It can feel like when you’re releasing something that nothing is happening in real life. 

    I got a P.O. box and I’m making this songbook zine thing. I’m working with a designer right now to finish the book and then we’re gonna get it printed. And there’s a song on the album called “Postcard from a Cloud,” and in that chapter I’m gonna have my P.O. box and tell people that they can send me letters if they want to. And that to me feels like I really want to be connected to people, but I want it to be in a more tangible way than just a DM or something, so I’m gonna try to do that and see how it goes.

    EJ: That’s a great idea. I love that. Do you feel it when you’re touring or performing, that connection?

    KB: Definitely, like some people will talk to me when I’m at the merch table and that’s really nice. It is kind of like I go the whole year without knowing—seeing numbers and knowing that people are listening—but not knowing who they are, so it’s nice to talk to people.

    It is weird cause the more people who are listening online, I don’t really feel–like nothing is different with me—you know what I mean? So it’s weird.

    EJ: Returning to those early Sound Cloud tracks, like “Wolves,” “etch a sketch,” and “magnet poems,” I was struck by how your vocal style has changed over the past decade. On those songs, your voice is still light and ethereal, but it has this kind of lispy lilt to it that feels very of that moment in time, mid-2010s twee. “Wolves” is the song I most remember loving and listening to over and over again. (There must’ve been something about wolf songs going around then, or I was just really into them, Phosphorescent, Blitzen Trapper). 

    The mood of those early songs is also really different from your stuff in the past 5 years, more sad and wistful, not as peppy or upbeat. Clearly some of that is about the passage of time, culture has shifted and you’ve grown up. But instrumentation also seems to play an important role. When it’s just you, your voice and a guitar there’s more space and it becomes more austere and melancholic, as opposed to full and atmospheric when there’s a band backing you or a lot of production. I noticed a similar contrast between the live vs. recorded versions of “Lady in the Darkest Hour” and how different the mood feels in those performances. 

    How do you think about the contrast in sound between the solo artist and the frontman, the voice more as instrument that blends with others rather than center stage? After doing some solo touring and authoring tracks like “Running” (and now “Lonely” and “Sweet Devil”) where your voice is much more in the foreground, are you considering a shift back or in a new direction? 

    KB: When I was in high school, I was just recording stuff on Garage Band and making those really kind of simple recordings and uploading them to Soundcloud and Band Camp, and then I met this guy John at UVA who was recording other local artists and bands, and he started recording me. We made this EP, this like two-song thing. I think that was the first song that I ever put on Spotify. And from there, he and I were just making tons of stuff together, and I was releasing it under my name. In retrospect, I’m like that was a band pretty much, or not a band, it was like a duo project because we were writing a lot of stuff together. 

    I feel like I tried everything over the last 5 years, and now I’m kind of starting to figure out what feels, what is natural to me, I guess. The stuff that I’m writing now, obviously it doesn’t have the same moodiness, cause I was a teenager. But the stuff that I’m making now feels in some ways like my early stuff–just guitar, vocals, and I’m recording on Garage Band again. 

    At some point I want to not work with a producer. I just want to work with an engineer or try to record myself and just put out some more sort of primitive recordings. Some of the songs on the record that are like that, “Lonely” for example, feel a little bit more true to me or something with the minimal production.

    EJ: After graduating from Tandem, you went to UVA and kept developing your music on the side. How did you make the transition from being a college student with a passion for music that was separate from career aspirations into a musician in full force? 

    In “Yards/Gardens” you describe a fear of being left behind and contrast your experience with that of your peers and friends who have taken a more traditional journey and now have “occupations” and “yards.” 

    What’s so compelling to me about you as an artist and what’s been so inspiring watching you grow is your perseverance and steadiness. You just keep going, keep making, don’t seem to stall or lose your way. Since committing to this path, have there been moments of doubt? 

    KB: Obviously, I am constantly working on stuff, but I do feel like with a lot of the Spotify stuff there’s a certain amount of luck and timing involved. I started releasing songs on Spotify, and then the stuff that I was making with John that was a little bit more like pop and beat driven, that music started to have more traction on the internet than my singer-songwriter material and it started to take off a little bit more. 

    I think in 2019, I got an email from these managers, these guys Eric and Tony, and we started talking over the internet. They were based in L.A., and they started managing me and then over the next few years we kind of assembled a team of people together, and, eventually, a couple years ago, got a record deal when I was living in Richmond. 

    Having a label definitely made the transition a lot easier just from a funding perspective. There was less of a dire need to find an adult job or something. And that sort of gave me this confidence that I could be doing music. But I definitely had a lot of doubts at times. Now, I feel like I’m falling in love with making music again and I’m doing it on my own, like I’m just recording on Garage Band and it’s been so fun. But for years I was feeling really bogged down by the music industry side of things and the business stuff. All the stuff that’s not really actually related to songwriting or music at all. 

    And then also I’ve had doubts because I’m also so much more of a songwriter than a performer. I like writing songs and I really like working on projects, and I like making this book and conceptualizing music videos, and assembling a group of people that I know to do different things for the video, and shooting the video, and editing. I love doing all of that stuff, but I don’t like some of what comes with being a public-facing musician. So, I don’t know. 

    But at the same time I haven’t felt enough doubt—I feel like the music industry is so, kind of, unpredictable. I was listening to this one interview with Liz Phair, and I think Snail Mail. And Liz was saying with touring if you’re getting opportunities to tour, you just have to do them because your music career is like a huge truck and when it stops going it’s really hard to get it to start again. So I’ve kind of had that in the back of my mind when I’ve had doubts, like at some point I’m not even gonna have the option to be like “maybe I’m not going to do this.” I just need to keep going with it and figure out what I want kind of along the way.

    I will say, that’s what I love doing, and I feel so lucky and grateful that that’s what I get to do so I wouldn’t want to paint the wrong picture about it. I feel so grateful to be doing this.

    EJ: What’s been different about approaching the album project as opposed to the EP? What I notice is the very conscious aesthetic and creative package. It feels like we’re going to receive something that has been put together with care and that all the pieces come together in a thoughtful way. 

    KB: In high school I would make a song and I would upload it to the internet immediately with like no time in between. And I kind of continued to do that, after I met John; we would make something and I would just put it out immediately, kind of without giving it a second thought. 

    With the album, it took longer to make and so I’ve had to sit on things. I’ve had to make decisions I guess, more intentionally, and so it feels like something that I’ll like for a longer period of time because of that. I think the whole process has felt more intentional, and it feels like a more realized thing than some of my previous stuff which feels a little bit more stream of consciousness. 

    I wrote this recently for another interview that I was writing answers to, and I think it’s true: the album feels like it represents a longer period of my life, whereas the previous things I put out, like the singles and the EPs, feel like tiny moments in my life.

    I am really happy with how it turned out, and I think it is the kind of album I wanted to make.  My idea going into it was that it would kind of feel like a mixtape, like a mixtape you would make for your friend, or like a playlist now, lots of different genres, and styles, and eras, and whatever. That was sort of what I wanted to do, and I feel like it’s turned out that way.

    EJ: What does Tandem mean to you today?

    KB: I mean it feels like a core part of who I am, definitely. 

    Some people, I feel like they can remember full scenes in their head, and I’m not that way at all. It’s like a kind of foggy image and then a feeling. A lot of my memories of Tandem are kind of that way. I’m like looking at an image with a veil over it or something but it feels–it’s like this whimsical dream in my memory. It was so special and I’m such a nostalgic person, so I feel really sentimental about it.




    After the release of her debut album, Songs From A Thousand Frames of Mind, in late September, Kate headed out on tour with her band. One of her early venues was in Charlottesville. 

    The Southern, Charlottesville—The show is crawling with Tandemites. Kate looks out at the crowd on stage and muses that this feels like a high school, college, and family reunion rolled into one. I’m standing near the back next to a group of older women who seem to be having a blast. At one point, Kate has to restart a song, because she could hear her mom’s voice and it threw her off. Watching Kate now, hearing her again live, I remember the feeling of watching her years before, the tender, sweetness of her voice that sends out this sense of comfort and warmth. 


    But I also see for the first time, I think I see her clearer now, without the haze of young girl mania and fascination. I see her discomfort being on stage, performing. I see the Kate who would rather be writing songs and making art with her friends. The Kate who is holding on and trying to figure out what she wants along the way. 

    Still, being in this room full of love and community, I’m grateful to her for bringing us together in this way. Her voice brought us to this room, to find one another again, to dance, to be moved, to remember. 
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  • Middle School Debate Club Competes in Local Tournament

    The Middle School Debate Club competed in a tournament with Charlottesville Debate League last Saturday. Our teams did very well, with more than one team winning all three of their preliminary rounds. We didn't have any Tandem teams in the final round debate, but our "moving up" 8th graders made Tandem proud! Middle School Debate Club is facilitated by Middle School teacher Emily Kinser, along with UVA student debate teachers. Well done, debaters!
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  • Middle School Spanish Students

    In 5th grade Spanish we have been talking about pets in our lives and learned how to use phrases like "I want / yo quiero" and "I have / you tengo" to talk about them. Students then learned phrases that describe the Secret Life of Pets film trailer and were able to answer questions in Spanish as we watched the shenanigans pets get into when their owners leave their homes. They used their bodies to help them remember words through gestures and also translation and drawing to help convey a meaning related to the topic of pets and the movie trailer.
     
    In 8th grade Spanish for our "Entre mundos" unit, Between Worlds, we have been discussing how different cultures throughout Latin America and Spain have influenced one another as well as in the US. Students learned about the Columbian Exchange and foods that originate in Europe and the Americas that were exchanged during Columbus' voyages. We explored how foods throughout Latin America can differ and vary but also use common ingredients that originate from the Americas, such as corn. After practicing how to order in a restaurant, we went to El tío restaurante y tienda where they had a variety of cuisines from Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico as well as a small grocery store downstairs with items found in Spanish-speaking countries and communities. As they were connecting and eating together, students shared their opinions on what they enjoyed and also got to try something new, such as  maranon, a cashew drink common in El Salvador and other Central American countries.
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  • 10th Graders Enjoy Neuroscience Lessons from UVA Grad Students

    The 10th grade integrated program is currently tackling the essential question of "Why do we do what we do?" In science class, students have been exploring this question through topics in Neuroscience, including questions about the subjectivity of human perception and the varying levels of control we have over our nervous system. On Thursday, graduate students from the UVA Neuroscience department came to visit the 10th grade science classes to share some of their work and their lab equipment. Students were able to engage with demos to help them learn more about how the brain sends motor signals to our muscles via electricity, and they also had the option to see some real brains, intact and in cross sections. There was even a tiny mouse brain in a test tube!
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  • Senior Project Night Completes Yearlong Project Process

    On Wednesday, April 16, there was an audible and collective sigh of relief coming from our Class of 2025 as their Senior Project Night came to a close. This capstone event put the final checkmark in the completion box for their Senior Projects, as students first introduced their projects to the audience individually, then left to set up in a space in the Math/Science Building. Attendees strolled through the top-floor classrooms to learn about each project by asking questions of each senior. Seniors did a wonderful job presenting their topics and sharing both their passion and their knowledge. Congratulations, Class of 2025, on a well done season of projects!
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #32

    Our track team has had a very busy week, with a highly successful meet on Saturday at the Gus Lacy Invitational, one at Monticello high School and a meet at Woodberry Forest School (see details below) - notably Hayes B set a new school record (9:43 in the 3200), and we had an epic throwers relay. The Lacrosse team plays today at CHS at 5:30pm. 

    Patience and Consistency Leads to Outstanding Track and Field Performances!

    You have to experience success in order to gain confidence. Fresh off his state-qualifying performance in the 1600 Meters at Monticello, and with the wind at his back, Miles confidently went right to the front of the 3200 Meters at Woodberry. He led the first quarter mile, before dropping back behind the leaders. Miles let his competition set the pace, and forced them to break the wind. He sat right on their shoulders - patiently waiting for the right time to make his move. His pack of four runners came through the mile in a blazing 5:16, and then Miles got faster. Some of his competition dropped off - Miles was calm and in control of his stride. Hayes, shouting words of encouragement on the backstretch, told me that he knew Miles would win. His words proved to be prophetic. With a lap to go, Miles picked up speed. He went from third to first, and it wasn't close, because he ran his last 400 meters in :67 seconds, and his last mile in 5:04! Miles' first place, a new PR and an epic kick highlighted a special day for the Tandem Track and Field team tonight! The 3200 Meters also featured new PR's for Peter W (11:21), Will (12:08), Eloise (13:34) and Sadie (15:06!).
     
    Alexander blitzed off the line as he started his 400 meter race! What seemed like just a moment later, as he rounded the final curve, there was nobody between Alexander and the finish line! Alexander won his heat of the 400 meters in a new PR time of 1:01 - with Van also earning a two second PR of 1:02! They finished 1st and 2nd in their heat! Sean (1:15) and Lennon (1:16) made their debuts in the event! Fletcher ran the 400 for the first time this season, finishing in 1:18, while Dhruvi earned a PR for the second day in a row - 1:22!
     
    Riley and Muriel placed first and second in their heat of the 100 meters! Maeve (16.25), Riley (16.44) and Muriel (17.08) all ran the 100 for the first time this season - and what a success! On the boys side, Nari is back! He shot out of the blocks and finished in a rocket fast time of 12.55, while Aiden ran a new PR of 12.51! Eli (13.5) made his debut in the event and Nico (14.3) dropped a full second off his previous best! In the 200, our four Badgers finished within one second of one another. Aiden (25.7), Nari (26.1), Ian (26'4") and Rey 26'9" all competed at a high level against tough competition! On the girls side, it was Victoria's new PR of :40 (her fastest pace yet!), while Maeve earned a new PR of 34.6 with Ana close behind in 35.4!
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  • 2025 Golden Apple Winner Announced

    Tandem is proud to announce that Upper School history teacher Melissa Winder has been named our 2025 recipient of a Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching. Melissa began teaching 9th and 10th grade history at Tandem since 2016, has worked with the Learning Resource Center and is also a coach for our cross country and track teams at the varsity and Middle School levels. Melissa brings great energy to her interactive and engaging teaching, as well as an amazing sense of humor and fun in learning to her work with history students. She is responsible for bringing the annual Peeping into History projects to campus each year (history dioramas made with Peeps candies). Check out a CBS-19 report about this year's nominees.

    Golden Apple Awards are presented each year by sponsor Richard L. Nunley (Better Living Building Supply and Cabinetry) to honor outstanding teachers in our community's schools. The awards are presented to teachers from both public and private schools (VAIS members) in Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville. One winner is selected from each school, based upon parent and student nominations, which were solicited via form all winter. In addition to receiving a Golden Apple, each recipient also earns a grant of $500, which can be used for classroom materials or to support professional development. Golden Apple Award recipients will be honored in person in a ceremony in May. Congratulations, Melissa!
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  • Science Olympiad Scores Great Results at State Tournament

    The state tournament at UVA on March 29 was fantastic and the TFS state team represented us very well with great character, excellent preparation, and a determination to show everyone that they should not be underestimated. We had a day of well-earned successes, heartbreaking disappointments, and jubilant surprises culminating in a historic performance for the TFSSO program. I am thrilled to share that TFSSO earned a program record of 4 state medals last night, including its first state medals in test-only events. Eli C and Will M earned 5th place in Ecology. Ty B and Will Mh earned 6th place in Entomology. Oscar D and Jack M earned 6th place in Wind Power. John B and Owen S earned 1st place in Robot Tour. John and Will became the first in program history to earn two state medals over the course of their TFSSO career, with Will earning his two this year. Further, TFSSO earned its first state tournament gold medal in program history thanks to the effort of John, Owen, and a 9-year old VEXiq robot. Finally, I am excited to share that the TFSSO state team earned 14th place overall, the highest team place ever earned by TFSSO at the state tournament, and earned a score very close to the 11th, 12th, and 13th place teams. Incredible!
     
    I want to shout out the 7th place performance in Helicopter (Mary R and Addie T; 9th in Codebusters (Eli C, Mary R, Sawyer R), 11th in Forensics (Maggie W, Sofia S), and 10th in Optics (Luna B, Addie T). TFSSO placed in the top 50% in a third of the offered events. 
     
    Here is the full breakdown of the performance by the TFSSO state team in each event. Green highlight events are medals and yellow are top 50% performance without medals.

    • Air Trajectory - 13 (Ty B, Will M)
    • Anatomy & Physiology - 13 (Emma P, Maggie W)
    • Astronomy - 22 (John B, Owen S)
    • Bungee Drop - 21 (Mary R, Bailey W)
    • Chemistry Lab - 20 (Owen S, Addie T)
    • Codebusters - 9 (Eli C, Mary R, Sawyer R)
    • Disease Detectives - 15 (Emma P, Sawyer R)
    • Dynamic Planet - 17 (Oscar D, Jack M)
    • Ecology - 5 (Eli C, Will M)
    • Electric Vehicle - 16 (Owen S, Bailey W)
    • Entomology - 6 (Ty B, Will M)
    • Experimental Design - 15 (Mary R, Sofia S, Maggie W)
    • Forensics - 11 (Sofia S, Maggie W)
    • Fossils - 20 (John B, Ty B)
    • Geologic Mapping - 21 (Oscar D, Jack M)
    • Helicopter - 7 (Mary R, Addie T)
    • Materials Science - 20 (Luna B, Sofia S)
    • Microbe Mission - 23 (Emma P, Sawyer R)
    • Optics - 10 (Luna B, Addie T)
    • Robot Tour - 1 (John B, Owen S)
    • Tower - 16 (Ty B, Eli C)
    • Wind Power - 6 (Oscar D, Jack M)
    • Write It Do It - 21 (Luna B, Bailey W)
    Here is a link to a folder of state tournament photos and videos. A big shout out to the parents that volunteered on behalf of TFSSO and those who came out to support us to watch events, provide snacks, and cheer for us at the award ceremony. Never have we had such support and energy at a state tournament.
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  • Tandem Scholars Earn Impressive National Latin Exam Results

    Tandem Friends Latin students of teacher Tim Brannelly earned some wonderful results on the 2025 National Latin Exam (NLE), including six gold medals. In Latin 2 (Intermediate Latin), Maeve A earned Summa cum laude results (gold medal, "with highest praise"); Vivian T and Ana S-G earned Maxima cum laude results (silver medal, "with maximal praise"); Henry A and Grace M earned Magna cum laude results ("with very great praise"); and, Ella W and Asher H earned Cum laude results ("with praise"). In Latin 4, Ty B, John B, and Owen S received Summa cum laude recognition and Elijah M received Magna cum laude recognition. 8th grade Latin 1 students also took the exam as well with the following results: Grayson L and Henry R earned Summa cum laude results; Nora B, Elodie K, and Riley G earned Maxima cum laude results; Eli H, Bela J-T, Emory B, Sylvia D, and Hattie H earned Magna cum laude results; and, Duncan H-L, Madeline R-S, Lennon L, and Henry H earned Cum laude results. Gratulationes, Latin scholars!
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #31

    You might recall the howling winds and bitter cold on December 4th. Most folks arrived at school in heavy coats, gloves, scarves and hats - and shivered when it was time to go outside to get to their next class. Only four degrees, it was not a day that the average athlete was outside training...despite the weather, the lobby of the field house was buzzing with bundled up Tandem runners - and then off they went in large groups into the dreary, cold Charlottesville darkness. Cross Country ended in early November - but our athletes are so committed to their craft that they kept showing up. Our distance runners logged heavy mileage, while the sprinters worked on technique and power. By the time the first official practice came around, our athletes were in midseason form - they have been locked in to their training - and it paid off at Woodberry on Friday afternoon!
     
    The 25-26 Tandem Track and Field team has excellent leadership - seniors who have been on the team for many years and lots of athletes that are brand new to the sport. Ana is one of many athletes taking on Track and Field for the first time. For the past month, she has been learning throwing technique, working on her strength and speed while also perfecting her release. With confidence, she stepped into the Woodberry throwing circle, took a deep breath, and pulled the discus behind her. Rearing back, she let the discus fly - high and far into the distance. Ana's throw traveled 37'7" - a new personal record for her and also a Tandem School Record! Congratulations, Ana - way to hit the ground running!  
     
    It was quite a day for the Badger throwers! Toby increased his Shot Put PR by over three feet - his new mark of 25'11.5" is a tribute to his work ethic! Levie (25'8"), Henry (25'1.25"), Ian (23'7.75") and Alex (21'3.5") all established new PR's as well!
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  • Two Upper School Families Visit Exchange Students in France

    Last fall, Monticello High School was seeking local families to host students from Besançon, France (our sister city) for a learning exchange program; two Tandem Upper School families signed up. Both had a great time with their students, and over this recent Spring Break, sophomores Ginger K and Elisabeth S and their families travelled to Besançon to tour and visit with their exchange student friends and their families. Ginger and Elisabeth even got to spend an afternoon at school, the Lycee Claude Nicolas Ledoux, with their French friends. The timing also happened to be perfect to catch Charlottesville High School drama students in Besançon over their Spring Break sharing a performance of their production of A Chorus Line with local students and families. The trip was a wonderful adventure, a great cultural experience, a reminder of the importance and value of international student exchange programs, and an example of the good things that can happen when we open up our homes and our hearts.
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #30

    The Badgers head into Spring Break with a successful start to the season - Varsity Soccer had big wins on the road and at home, Middle School Soccer is 1-1-1, Lacrosse is off to an impressive 3-1 record and Ultimate and Track and Field are both competing today, with Ultimate playing at Darden Towe Park and the Track and Field team at nearby Woodberry Forest School. 
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  • March Madness Vocab Tourney Declares Winners

    The annual March Madness Heads Up Tournament was held in 7th and 8th grade English this week with teacher Carolyn Warhaftig. Using teams of two, competing pairs move through the brackets like in basketball. Similar to "Heads Up," students must give their partner a definition and the partner must guess the word from the class list of over 50 vocabulary words. The most correct words in a minute wins. Teams play several rounds to get to the Final Four! After a lively couple of final rounds this week, the champion teams for each grade were declared.  Congratulations to our final four teams (eventual champs in bold): 7th grade: Julian S + Finn E, Dev F + Aurelia, Zoey T + Henry F, Jackson L + Quinten S; 8th grade: Libby E + Sydney G, Peter D + Lila L, Lennon L + Emory B, Sophie M + Levie F! If you're wondering how you would do, check out some of the words - 7th grade words included euphemism, ostensibly, pejorative, and nascent; 8th grade words included pernicious, taciturn, ignominious, and castigate.
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  • Spanish Students Write and Act Out a Story Together

    In 5th grade Spanish with teacher Victoria Bryant, the class created their first original story together, integrating vocabulary that they learned from the story Jorge quiere una coca. Each student had the opportunity to answer a question in Spanish about different parts of the story and they wove together a tale about Noah the yellow, brown, and purple puma who searched the world (and universe) for the Sol de Janeiro perfume. After creating a comic strip of their story, they got into groups and had the opportunity to act it out for each other. 
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  • Tandem Senior Named Emily Couric Scholarship Finalist

    We’re proud to share that Tandem Friends senior Mary Raffinan was named Tandem's finalist for The Emily Couric Leadership Scholarship Award given annually by The Emily Couric Leadership Forum. The eleven local leadership award finalists (one from each local high school) will be honored in person on April 10 at the annual awards luncheon. All finalists will receive an $18,000 scholarship, and two larger scholarships are awarded as well, the Leadership Award, and a Merit Award.

    Mary came to Tandem in 6th grade. She is involved in every mentoring program, has been a key organizer of Tandem’s diversity clubs and councils and represented Tandem at a national student diversity leadership conference. She has served for multiple years as a student senate leader, and was captain on the varsity volleyball team this year. Mary was recognized for her contributions to school life with the Head of School Award last year, and was named a National Merit Commended Scholar. Her work in Science Olympiad has earned her multiple medals in state competition. This year, she took on leadership of Geeky Girls, which offers free weekend science workshops for local girls to encourage their participation in the sciences. She plans to study engineering, using her skills to create with innovation and improve the global community, just as she has done here at Tandem. Congratulations, Mary!
     
    Watch this video of Mary shared by The Emily Couric Leadership Forum. 

    The Emily Couric Leadership Forum "established the Emily Couric Leadership Scholarship to be awarded annually to a senior girl attending any high school in Charlottesville or Albemarle. The goal is to acknowledge and encourage young women in leadership roles in government and the community. Each school is asked to nominate a senior girl who demonstrates leadership in her school and the community. A selection committee comprised of community leaders interviews the nominees and makes the final selection." The Emily Couric Leadership Forum itself honors the memory of State Senator Emily Couric, who modeled a strong commitment to learning and service. Her many contributions to the community encouraged all women to "adopt an active role in government, public issues, and policy debates affecting their communities, and to inspire young women to pursue activities which will enable them to become effective leaders." The group has awarded over $1.85M to young women since the scholarships began in 2001, and will award $250,000 this year.
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  • Middle School Girls Excel in GEM Tournament

    Last weekend, six Tandem Middle School girls, with math teacher Elizabeth Larson as their faculty mentor, participated in Village School's 14th Annual Girls Excelling in Math (GEM) Tournament. Area schools can register teams of four girls to compete in either the lower division (grades 4 through 6) or upper division (grades 6 through 8) tournament, where participants will complete a team and an individual paper-pencil math event, and a team hands-on challenge. Tandem's upper division team (8th grader Eloise H and 7th grader Aislin W, plus two girls from Regents) won 1st place in engineering, and the lower division team (5th graders Willa S and April A, and 6th graders Mae T, and Aggie H) won 2nd place in engineering. Congratulations to our GEM winners who really can 'Solve Like a Girl.'
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  • Middle Schoolers Earn High Marks in Regional Science Fair

    On Thursday, March 20, seven Tandem 7th & 8th graders, with science teacher Anne Deane as their chaperone/mentor, took six science projects to join over 140 middle school projects (300 projects total) from all over the region (including some Richmond schools) to compete in the 45th Annual Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair held at UVA's North Fork Discovery Park. Our seven participants were: 8th graders Bela J-T, Jon D, Riley G, Muriel K, and Elodie K; and 7th graders Fred D and Charlie F. Tandem brought projects entered in three categories: chemistry, computer science, and behavioral science. The project boards were eye-catching and professional (see photos), and students did an impressive job presenting their projects to a series of judges. Topics included: 'Why is food texture important?', 'Are expensive lip products better?', 'Does AI show gender and racial bias?', 'Which wood burns hottest the fastest?', 'What malware scam are Middle Schoolers most likely to fall for?', and 'Testing the efficiency of steel vs aluminum in metal-air batteries'. Several projects won awards, but everyone did an outstanding job over several months to get ready. Awards received were:
    • 1st Place in Computer Science to Riley G
    • 3rd Place in Chemistry to Jon D
    • Honorable Mention in Chemistry to Muriel K
    • Honorable Mention for Best of Show to Charlie F and Fred D.
    Congratulations to these Middle School scientists for representing Tandem so well at the Regional Science Fair.
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #29

    Spring Sports are off to an awesome start! Lacrosse is now 3-0, with big wins this week over CHS and AHS! Girls Varsity Soccer won a 1-0 thriller against Quantico, and MS Soccer is also undefeated at 1-0-1. 

    Girls Varsity Soccer Wins on the Road!

    Tessa has spent the last seven months working on her Senior Project. As a youth soccer coach, she has done extensive research on the beautiful game - focusing on the best way to give feedback, the most effective drills and the best in-game strategies. She spent much of the fall and winter coaching a U15 soccer team. When the season began, I asked her if "Tessa Time" would be making a return for the spring. For those unfamiliar, "Tessa Time" occurs when Tessa gets into a zone - and dominates the game. For example, 15 consecutive service aces in volleyball or 5 consecutive baskets in basketball (both of which actually happened).
     
    The Badgers led 2-1 at halftime in a hard-fought, competitive game on the road - far away at King Abdullah Academy. Seeking a change in momentum, Coach Nemanja inserted Kaylee, Madeline and Bella into the lineup. They chased King Abdullah's striker, forcing her into the middle of the field, where Lili came way out of her position in the goal and kicked the ball back to midfield! Elisabeth made a smooth pass off one touch to Golden, who alertly played the ball ahead to Tessa. With nothing but green grass in front of her, Tessa got into the box, was one on one with the goalie, and fired a laser into the corner of the net!
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  • 5th Graders Create Panamanian Mola Art

    In 5th grade Spanish this semester, students with teacher Victoria Bryant learned about the tradition of the Panamanian mola, a style of art that originates from the Guna people of Panama; molas are typically handmade textiles that are part of women's clothing, often depicting animals. They also learned about different animals found in Panama and how to write sentences in Spanish to describe their own paper mola, giving their animals a name, where they are from, and expressing the colors they picked.
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  • Class of 2025 Senior Project Presentations Underway

    The Class of 2025 began presenting their Senior Projects to the community this week, a culmination of a year-long project that began when school started, and for some, even before that. Our Senior Project process consists of many elements, including (to list just a few) a detailed journal, a research paper, and the culminating public presentation. Seniors will be presenting their Senior Projects during Community Time (12:50-1:30) on seven different school days beginning March 17 (March 17, 18, 20, 24, 25, 27 and 28), with four to five seniors presenting each day. Click here to see that schedule. Family members are welcome to attend. Juniors are required to attend presentations each day, and to fill out critique forms, and other Upper Schoolers can attend. Middle Schoolers are invited to attend a couple of presentations in the Community Hall as well. Here is a list of this year's Senior Project topics: 

    • Car photography
    • Nature photography
    • Coaching (two projects)
    • Medical Deep Dive
    • Photojournalism
    • Singing
    • Ceramics
    • Auto Repair
    • Cyber security intern
    • Piano (two projects)
    • App Development
    • Italian Cooking
    • Woodworking 
    • Painting
    • Mushroom Foraging
    • Fashion Design
    • American Sign Language
    • Filmmaking
    • Writing a Novel
    • Screenplay Writing
    • Designing a Skatepark
    • Fire Dancing
    • Rock Climbing
    • Poster Design
    • Knitting
    • Grilling & Smoking Meats
    • Pitching
    • Game Design
    • Gardening & Flower Arranging
    • Dirt Bike Maintenance
    The final project element is Senior Project Night, when all seniors share their presentation work in an evening celebration of their projects, attended by the community on Wednesday, April 16 at 6pm, starting in the Pavilion. Way to go seniors!
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  • Students 'Peeping" into History

    9th grade world history students accepted the annual extra credit creative challenge by teacher Melissa Winder to create a diorama depicting a famous historical event using marshmallow Peeps, an Easter candy favorite. Some students even work the name Peeps into the titles of their creative works. We always look forward to these colorful and fun history tableaux. Check out this year's projects, which include the 'Hindenpeep' Disaster, Hannibal Crossing the Alps in the 2nd 'Peepnic' War, Amelia 'Peephart,' the Moon Landing, the 'Colopeepum" and 'Gladipeepers,' the Wright Brothers, Abbey Road, the Boston 'Peep' Party, 'Peep-tanic', the Last Supper, Jackie Robinson, and 'Peeps' in the Boat! They are on display in the Alling Room.
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #28

    Congratulations to varsity boys basketball player Sean T, a junior, who was named to VISAA's All-State First Team this week. Way to go, Sean! Sean's honor was announced during the varsity team's evening banquet held on Wednesday night. At the banquet, the coaches, players and player families celebrated season highlights and outcomes, and each player received an award from the coaches (ranging from Rookie of the Year to Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year, and so many more). It was a great finale to a phenomenal season for this team! Check out some photos.

    Spring season is officially underway, as games began this week on our fields and on the road. The varsity girls soccer team led off with an away matchup on Wednesday, followed by Middle School girls at home last night. Three teams (varsity LAX, varsity girls soccer and Ultimate Frisbee) are on the road playing today. Go, Badgers!! 

    Defensive-Minded Badgers Win Their Home Opener!

    With two weeks of skill building and conditioning behind them, the Middle School Girls Badgers took the field for the first time this afternoon. Cypress, Aggie, Clara, Emma, Zaina, Sunrise and Emma all made their Tandem Soccer debut! Our sixth grade proved to be critical to Tandem's success! Nearly half the student body was outside on the front fields to witness the action. The Tandem students and an enthusiastic crowd on the hill were treated to a tight battle, with little margin for error.  
     
    About halfway through the first half, Bryn alertly cut off her opponent, clearing the ball ahead to Sam in the midfield. With a quick pass to Hadley, the ball began its path up the pitch, heading towards the box.  Positioned on the right side of the field, Annie picked up where she left off during basketball season - she made her way towards the goal. Despite multiple defenders in the box, and a talented goalie, Annie dribbled away from the opponent, created some space, and fired a shot past the outstretched arms of Waldorf's goalie. With 14:00 to go in the opening period, Tandem took a 1-0 lead.
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  • UVA LAX Coach Visits 5th Grade

    In 5th grade, we studied the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and in the process we were reading an NPR article about the 2023 Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team in the World Cup. There was a picture of the head coach, Lars Tiffany, and 5th grader James W realized that he knew Coach Lars because he worked with his dad at UVA. So I reached out to James' dad, who put me in touch with Coach Lars. Coach Lars came in to talk about the Haudenosaunee and lacrosse, the history of the sport, his upbringing in New York next to the Onadaga nation, the traditional lacrosse stick that he brought (his father had it made for him) and his family's relationship with the Onadaga nation. It was so cool!! Coach Lars also led the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team in 2018 as well. His traditional lacrosse stick, which has been used in world games but is not allowed in college play, is made of white oak aged for nine months before being shaped and having the strings added. 
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  • 6th Graders Take on Medieval Life

    6th grade students with Sarah Donelson have been learning about Medieval times on every level. In addition to studying facts and vocab and more, they also got creative. Students built models of castles, making sure to include major components. They also created their own versions of illuminated manuscripts. Check out their creations.
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  • April 11-18, 2025

    This Week at Tandem - 4/18/25

    It was a busy, sometimes windy week at Tandem with lots going on as we settle into spring and steam through our final quarter. We held an Admissions Information Session on Monday. Our Tandem Earth club had a bake sale and is working on rain barrels to water the garden. We were glad to have parents on campus on Wednesday morning to meet with FCE visitors, who were impressed by our students, our school  and our community. We welcomed parents of seniors to Senior Project Night, where we celebrated the masterful work of our seniors on their year-long work. On Thursday, our Big and Little Badgers enjoyed lunch, outdoor activities and popsicles together during lunch. Our track team participated in three meets this week with great success (details and photos below) and our Quiz Bowl team is competing this weekend. 

    In the Middle School, 5th graders are reading Hello, Universe. The 6th grade is studying the explorer Ibn Battuta who extensively explored the medieval Muslim world. 7th graders are working on their African American leader elevator pitches. 8th graders finished a unit on the periodic table and 8th grade Spanish students got to enjoy lunch out at Los tios (see details and photos below).

    In the Upper School, 9th graders are hard at work on their TED Talks about the meaning of life. Sophomores were busy giving Sophomore Seminar presentations this week during their World Literature classes. In precalc, students are working on graphing trig functions. Juniors are wrapping up Mimic essays for The Things They Carried. Seniors completed the last phase of their Senior Projects last night as they showcased their work on Senior Project Night (details and photos below). Final details are getting worked out for the Mother’s Day Music Festival on May 10 and the Upper School prom on May 17.

    This week’s Upper School Speaker Series guest was Tandem parent Dr. Kristen Jordan (parent of Upper Schoolers Ian and Julia), who serves as Deputy Director of the Biological Technologies Office for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
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  • March Mammal Madness Hits 5th & 6th Grades

    March Mammal Madness is underway in 5th and 6th grade science classes! Christina and Nemanja's classes have been learning about ecology, the study of how living things interact with one another and with their environment. Students are researching March Mammal Madness animals and using the information learned to make their brackets. They will all be entered in the tournament through Arizona State University. The first round is next week! To learn more about March Mammal Madness, which pits animals against each other like teams in the NCAA tourney, click here (you can download your own bracket but hurry - the wild card round is on March 10). You can also follow the educational fun on the March Mammal Madness Facebook page. Check out their classroom bracket. Some Upper School classes will be following March Mammal Madness as well.
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  • Tandem Junior Helps Coordinate Local Food Drive

    Every year, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank School Food Drive takes place in March, pitting local schools against one another to see who can bring in the most food donations. Tandem junior Sofia S is one of the local student coordinators for the drive. This week, she and a fellow student coordinator from Albemarle High School, were interviewed by local TV and radio stations about the project. You may see and hear those ads soon. The drive continues through March 21 -  donation bins are located in the Math Science Lobby, Main Building Lobby, and Community Hall Lobby. No glass please! Check out Sofia's poster outlining the most-needed food items. Let's go Badger food drive donors! Check out photos from the interviews!
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #27

    We had a very successful first week of spring sports practices! Games are coming next week and the kids are all off to a great start. All games and practices are on the website calendar and the weather seems to be cooperating. Let's go, Badgers!
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  • 7th & 8th Graders Visit Washington, DC

    Early Thursday morning, Tandem 7th and 8th graders and their faculty chaperones boarded two coach buses to head to Washington, DC for the day to visit museums that support their current units of study. 7th graders, who have been studying Civil Rights, visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 8th graders, who have been learning about the Holocaust, visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Both grades had some extra time on the National Mall and managed a visit to the National Museum of Natural History It was a great trip for all and many valuable links to their lessons were created. We're lucky our students are so close to so many wonderful museums and educational opportunities.
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  • Upper School Students Plan and Run Great Teach-In Day

    On Thursday, March 6, fourteen Upper School students ran a 'teach-in' day for the Upper School based largely on their work earlier this year with Toni Graves Williamson, a nationally known diversity practitioner and consultant now serving as Director of Equity and Inclusion at Friends Select School in Philadelphia. Students worked with Williamson in person in October and remotely with her later in the winter to plan and execute this teach-in day. They first did some identity work to think about safe spaces and how people see them, then had some hard conversations about race, identity, and social economics. The students then came up with a teach-in day theme, planned what workshops they wanted to have, and planned how the day would flow. Their full day began with breaking the Upper School into smaller 'family groups' for some morning ice breakers and self identity work. They then watched the film Life in a Day (2010), created on July 25, 2020, when 'the world came together to tell the story of a single day on Earth.' The filmmakers received over 300,000 videos from 192 countries, resulting in a film "about love, death, heartbreak, and hope that looks beyond geography and circumstance to explore what connects us as humans." Family groups met again after the film to debrief. The afternoon was spent in workshops, conceived and run by the student planners with one faculty mentor. Students got to sign up for two of the following workshops (teach-in students in charge of each workshop are listed below as well):
    • American Dream + Privilege: How do your different identities give you an advantage or disadvantage compared to people with different ones? - Mary R, Chloe B
    • Representation in Media: How are different identities represented in the media? - Henry A, Alanah R
    • Primarily White Institutions + Identity: How do we embrace everyone’s different identities in a predominately white space/school/community? - Sin F, Jack M
    • History of Tandem: How does the history of the property affect our community? - Marley B, Tessa D
    • Feminism: What does it mean to be a feminist? - Elisabeth S, Nina I
    • Differing Perspectives: How do you keep your own beliefs/identity/perspective when surrounded by people who have different beliefs/identities/perspectives? - Kavi M, Sofia S
    • Socioeconomics: How do money and social class complicate or support the ways we function in community? - Beatrice G, Esme W
    After the workshops, the day ended with a Meeting for Sharing that allowed students to share a takeaway. It was a great day of learning, thinking about identity and belonging, sharing and connecting. Well done, student teachers!
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  • Tandem Spirit in the Limelight

    Saturday night's Alumni Arts Showcase was a tribute to Tandem's past, present, and future. It was a lovely and quintessentially Tandem event. We welcomed alumni from across the decades at Tandem, as well as several beloved retired and past faculty. Miller Oberman '97 & Charlotte Matthews (past faculty) read their writing "in Tandem," a tribute to the powerful relationships between students and faculty forged here. Between songs with his trio, Jay Pun '99 shared stories from the 90s and the unique musical education he received at Tandem. Angus Murdoch '86 performed music with his son Will, a current junior, and the cast of this year's spring musical, Mamma Mia!, shared a sneak preview. Ephraim Firdyiwek '04 played some lovely songs. Emma Johnson '19 shared her poetry and Middle School drama teacher Edwina Herring shared poetry and a song. Senior Sawyer Ruday '25 spent the last year learning about philanthropy to raise money to improve the Community Hall as a performance space. We celebrated what has endured at Tandem under the new lights and enjoyed the new sound system! Visit https://www.tandemfs.org/alumni/alumni-arts-showcase-2025 to learn more about how you can help with this ongoing Community Hall upgrade project.
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  • 2nd Trimester Production of Cafe 007 a Hit

    The second trimester 7th grade drama class presented its self-written performance of Cafe 007 Part 2 (aka Showtime at Cafe 007) to the entire Middle School today. Directed by Edwina Herring, the show contained skits written and rehearsed by the cast members over the course of the trimester. Skits included a Family Feud game, Triassic Experience, a cafe skit, Impress to Dress, Whose Line is it Anyway, a magician, an original song shared by Fred, a police lineup that ended in a song and so much more. The show began with impressive performances by the 7th grade music class and 5th grade music class, both led by music teacher Cam Pampus. It was a great performance by both the cast and the musicians. Check out some photos here and watch for more photos next week.
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  • 8th Graders Lead Discussions of Wiesel's 'Night'

    Our 8the graders, with teacher Carolyn Warhaftig, have been reading and annotating Elie Wiesel's Night, a classic novel of the Holocaust that serves as witness to this horrific event in history. In class today, students worked in small groups, leading and then critiquing their own engaging discussions about the novel. As they do with all of their in-class reads, students carefully annotate the text (check out the post-it notes!).
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #26

    It was an epic week of basketball at both the conference and state levels. Please take the time to read the feature article at the top of the Friday Letter celebrating our varsity boys basketball team's accomplishments. And then there's more below about the other two games they played - the state tournament first round win against Kenston Forest School, and the GPAC finals matchup against King Abdullah Academy hosted by Tandem in the Badger Den (click on the headline above to see photos from that game). Spring sports officially begin on Monday! See you on the fields!

    Badgers Advance: Big First Round State Tournament Win!

    Tied at thirty-eight after three quarters, Sin had seen enough. He took a lot of contact tonight, but still gathered up the energy to beat his man into the lane, draw the help defender in and kick the ball out to Amir. While the defense scrambled to get out to Amir (13 points on 75% shooting from downtown) Sin relocated to the top of the key. Amir wrote the check, and Sin cashed it in - three of his twelve in the final period! 
     
    The next time down, it was Amir’s turn, hitting a corner three as deep as Lake Anna! On the ensuing possession, Kenston Forest brought the ball down the right side, and worked it inside to their top scorer. They didn’t see Shaan, who deflected and stole the ball away. Shaan got the ball ahead to Sin, who returned the favor when he saw Shaan open in the corner. Shaan drilled the three, Tandem led by 8, and the Badger crowd of seven people (which was louder than Kenston Forest's crowd the whole game) was on their feet! The home team called timeout, they really needed to regroup.
     
    Kenston Forest was able to cut it to five on an inside layup with a questionable foul call. They came out in a press, but once Tandem broke it, Sin intelligently held the ball just inside half court as the seconds ticked away. There were under three minutes left to go and Kenston Forest began to panic. They rushed towards Sin and he responded with a slick crossover, taking the ball to the rim and scoring with ease. Now facing a seven point deficit, Kenston Forest tried to get the ball into the corner for a three, but they had to get it over Quis... not an easy task. They threw it too hard and it went out of bounds. On the other end, Mason assisted Tre as he put his finishing touches on the game, hitting a corner three off the bench to give Tandem a ten point lead!
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  • Winter All-Conference Basketball Honors

    We're proud to announce the Varsity basketball team members who were selected to receive All-Conference honors by the Greater Piedmont Athletic Conference (GPAC). In boys basketball. the boys finished their conference season with a record of 8-2, then continued in post-season play, hosting the finals and finishing as tournament runners-up (see The Week in Review above). All-Conference honors were announced following that game:
    • All-Conference Player of the Year - Sean T (22.3 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG)
    • 1st Team - Sin F, Sean T
    • 2nd Team - Quis T
    • Honorable Mention - Amir G, senior
    In Varsity Girls basketball, senior Tessa D received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.
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  • Meet Our New Director of Development

    Please join us in welcoming Tiffany Norman, our new Director of Development, to the Tandem Friends community. Tiffany brings over 15 years of experience, most recently serving for almost four years as Director of Development for the local non-profit Building Goodness Foundation, where she oversaw the fundraising efforts, organized and ran all donor-related events, and managed volunteers and the donor database. 

    Tiffany came to Charlottesville from Texas, where she received her BA in Government and Spanish (she is bi-lingual) from The University of Texas at Austin. She worked for the Texas Classroom Teachers Association for nine years as Special Projects and Scholarship Program Coordinator, and served as Chief of Staff for a Texas state representative for two years. 

    Tiffany brings a strong sense of joy and enthusiasm to her new role, and is excited to connect to Tandem students and families and experience life on campus (she has already attended several school events and visited student classes). Stop by her office (just outside the Blue Room in the Main Building) to say hello and share your favorite things about Tandem. Welcome, Tiffany!   
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  • Spanish Class Gets Inspiration from Local Artist

    In 8th grade Spanish, students have been exploring the history of Spain through the historical fiction novel, Agentes secretos y el mural de Picasso. They  also discovered art from the Spanish-speaking world during a class gallery walk and took inspiration from a variety of styles to create their own. This week, local artist Chicho Lorenzo, originally from Madrid, Spain, visited the class and was interviewed by students in Spanish using questions they created on their own. He spoke to them about "inspiración mutua", mutual inspiration, and how everyone in the world has a unique thing to offer as well as how we influence one another all the time through the way we live our lives and our creations. He also spoke about art being a way to create any reality that we can imagine and a way of processing our day-to-day lives. You can see Chicho's influence and creations throughout the Charlottesville community in murals around town. The class took a picture together with the prompt: what pose represents your unique offering to the world? 
     
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  • Winter All-Conference Basketball Honors

    We're proud to announce the Varsity basketball team members who were selected to receive All-Conference honors by the Greater Piedmont Athletic Conference (GPAC). In boys basketball. the boys finished their conference season with a record of 8-2, they continued in post-season play, hosting the finals and finishing as tournament runners-up. All-Conference honors were announced following that game:
    • All-Conference Player of the Year - Sean T (22.3 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG)
    • 1st Team - Sin F, Sean T
    • 2nd Team - Quis T
    • Honorable Mention - Amir G, senior
    In Varsity Girls basketball, senior Tessa D received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.
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  • Two Tandem Teachers and Tandem Honored in Ultimate Go-To Guide

    We're proud to share that Charlottesville Family Magazine's 2025 Ultimate Go-To Guide named Tandem Upper School history teacher Jason Farr as Best High School Teacher in the Charlottesville area. Jason is also the successful coach of our state champion varsity cross country team and our varsity track team. He has been teaching at Tandem since 2011. Middle School Spanish teacher Victoria Bryant was honored as third in the Best Middle School Teacher category. Victoria has been teaching at Tandem since 2020. Winners are chosen by online public vote. In addition to honors for our teachers, Tandem Friends School tied for second place as Best Private School - High School & College Prep. Thanks to all who voted! Check out the full issue here (all of these honors are located on page 22) - congratulate our winners when you see them.
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  • Students and Teachers Take to Google Meet as Snow Cancels On Campus Learning

    We're proud of our faculty and students for doing such an amazing job of quickly and seamlessly moving to online classes and checkins via Google Meet as snow cancelled on-campus classes. There were checkins and 20-minute classes held in the morning hours. Students then completed homework assigned on their own from home in the afternoon. It hearkened back to our pandemic days of remote learning, in a good way. Check out some screenshots of some of Thursdays classes! There were math problems being solved, art projects going on, and so much more.
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #25

    There were two big games on Tuesday night! Our varsity girls played a great last game of the season against St. Michael's and honored seniors Tess and Emma. The varsity boys team then took on Wakefield in the GPAC tourney semifinals, beating them 58-51 to advance to the finals. Read about those games below in detail - check out a video of Senior Night for the girls here. Check out a video montage from the boys game shared on Instagram by friend of Tandem Boo Agee. 

    The Badger varsity boys basketball journey continues this evening at 5:30pm when our Badgers will host the GPAC Conference Championships in the Badger Den. The fan dress theme is Tandem gear so put on your green and head to the gym. Please join us for what promises to be an unforgettable night of basketball for this magical team! Pack the Den! 

    Varsity Boys Basketball - 2/18/25
     
    For two long hours, nobody said a word. The drive home from The Plains, Virginia is a long and painful one after a loss. While the Badgers had won in overtime against Wakefield at home in December, the January overtime loss on the road was devastating. The Badgers were up three with five seconds to go in regulation, Wakefield made a deep three, and Tandem lost in the extra period. The team ambled into the locker room, angry and frustrated. It was a long, quiet ride home. 
     
    That team and this team - the PLAYOFF BADGERS - are not the same. Tandem Varsity Boys Basketball has come together as a team and as a result, they have dominated GPAC play. Following that game at Wakefield, the team won at home against Quantico (Seamus, Anthony, Tre and Mason all had multiple baskets, and Derion had 14!). Then they won again the next day at home against King Abdullah Academy 59-50. The following week, they had road wins at Fredericksburg Academy (62-50) and Quantico (59-40), and of course the dominant Senior Night win over #1 seeded RMA 72-51.
     
    Today was not a school day, but that did not stop the Tandem community from creating an excellent home court advantage this evening! Thank you so much for bringing the energy that makes this school so special. The players fed off of it - Sin had that look in his eyes tonight. He did not have to watch his first shot go through the basket - he knew. The Badgers scored first and led 3-0, but Wakefield matched on their next possession with a three of their own. Defensively, Wakefield's entire game plan was to double-team Sean and force other players to shoot. Amir was happy to oblige. Picking up right where he left off on Senior Night, Amir had eight in the first quarter. First, he split the top of the zone and came to a jump stop five feet from the basket - pushing a floater just over the front of the rim. Moments later, after Shaan got one of his nine rebounds on the night, Amir took the ball to the basket, right down the middle of the lane. He drew the contact but played right through it, cashing in for an old fashioned three-point play.  Wakefield adjusted their defense by giving Amir space once he caught the ball. Turns out he's a walking bucket from the outside, too! Amir took one look at the defender and let the orange fly - like Sin, he didn't watch it go in.  Instead, he turned to the crowd and let out a roar - the Badgers earned a convincing 12-5 lead early in the game!
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #24

    We managed to get a few practices and a game in before the snow came, but missed several practices and some varsity games as well this week. There was an exciting double header in the Badger Den last night that led to our boys team getting a bye in the first round of the GPAC and hosting the semifinal matchup. Check out news from recent games below and watch for updates on the calendar about GPAC game dates, times and locations and a rescheduling of Senior Night for the varsity girls. Don't miss the GPAC semifinal matchup on Wednesday at 5:30pm. Go, Badgers!

    Badgers Dominate Previously Undefeated RMA, Clinch Playoff Bye on Senior Night - 2/13/25

    Varsity Boys Basketball
    Back on January 17th, the Boys Varsity Basketball team travelled to Front Royal, Virginia to take on Randolph Macon Academy. With five players 6'4" or taller, RMA has a strong, intimidating team. They beat the Badgers 55-47 that night and have dominated the GPAC ever since. Coming into this evening's game, RMA had an 8-0 record in the conference, and a 16-1 record overall. 
     
    Things have changed since that cold Friday evening in January. The Tandem Badgers have a new identity - they are a squad that plays with a true connection, confidence, joy and an intensity - particularly on defense. They've been battle tested - taking on the defending state champions, and have put together an impressive five game win streak. Oh, and one more thing... Sean didn't play in that game in Front Royal.
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  • 5th Graders Create Social Justice Posters

    Fifth graders began Black History Month reading books from English teacher Carolena Saunder’s diverse library. They selected one civil rights activist or social change event to study, designing a teaching poster and sharing their learning in an oral presentation with the class.
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  • Science Olympiad Teams Earn Incredible Results

    We are so proud of the accomplishments of Tandem’s Science Olympiad (TFSSO) team. Tandem hosted its first-ever Regional Science Olympiad on campus on Saturday and Tandem’s two teams (TFS Obsidian and TFS Emerald, two full 15-person teams, most in school history) turned in historic performances. Every Tandem participant earned a medal, every event earned a Tandem participant a medal, and both Tandem teams earned a record number of regional gold medals. TFS Obsidian matched the previous TFS record of two gold and TFS Emerald set a new TFS record of 8, which represents half of the total events run at the tournament. As a whole school, TFS won 10 of 16 events. Finally, and most excitingly, TFS Emerald earned a team score of 32, which was a low enough team score for TFS to win the entire tournament and earn a 1st place regional trophy! Incredible!
     
    Nine teams representing six area schools registered and competed in the tournament. Medals were awarded to 1st-4th place in each event and trophies were awarded to 1st-3rd place for overall school performance (those three schools also qualified to compete in the state tournament at UVA on Saturday, March 29). Overall, TFS Obsidian earned 10 total regional medals, an amazing accomplishment for such a young team, many of whom were in their first year of TFSSO and the majority of whom are in 10th grade. TFS Emerald, our team of 11th and 12th grade students with multiple years of experience, earned a school record of 16 total regional medals, which represents earning a medal in every event (details below in Read More).
     
    The TFS Emerald team score (32) was significantly ahead of the second place team (Albemarle HS/53) and the third place team (Rock Ridge HS/ 55). Additionally, TFS Obsidian had a team score of 67, which was largely due to non-participation in two events. Tandem, Albemarle HS, and Rock Ridge HS earned the first qualifying spots for the state tournament. Each school will be permitted to send one 15-person team to the state tournament, so it will be an exciting opportunity for a rematch. Here is the final finishing order for the tournament::
    • 1st - Tandem Friends School Emerald
    • 2nd - Albemarle High School
    • 3rd - Rock Ridge High School Phoenix Fission
    • 4th - Tandem Friends School Obsydian
    • 5th - Rock Ridge High School Dynamic Discoverers
    • 6th - Rock Ridge High School Newton's Knights
    • 7th - Varina High School Blue Devils
    • 8th - Miller School of Albemarle
    • 9th - Waynesboro High School Little Giants
    On to the state tournament!  Many thanks and congratulations to our Science Olympiad coaches, Alex Siragy and Casey Reed, for their hard work and dedication, and thanks to Jocelyn, Todd, our maintenance staff, and all of the VASO judges, officials and volunteers who made this event possible.
     
    Check out photos from the tournament. Click on Read More to see the full breakdown of our teams' results by event. 
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  • Student Letter to the Editor Published

    We’re proud of senior and co-editor of The Tandem Times student newspaper, Eli L, whose powerful letter to the editor of The Daily Progress about gender-affirming care was published. Click here to read it (the original title was changed from Protest at the Hospital to its current one). Well said, Eli!
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  • Tandem Game Night Fun AND Beneficial

    We’re proud of our community of current and past parents, faculty/staff and current and past trustees for raising over $10,000 in 24-hours for Tandem financial aid as part of last Friday’s Game Night. The fun-spirited guests in attendance enjoyed plenty of delicious food and drinks. Tables were decorated with colorful games to play, and each guest received a colorful lei that determined their Game Night team placement. The first and most anticipated event was Trivia, with our wild and witty hosts Trefor Davies (emcee) and Melissa Winder (scorekeeper). Teams chose from Jeopardy style categories that included Texting with Teens, Tandem History, ___ & Recreation, Tandem Bands, Cross Streets, Muic/Staff, Random Tandem and Keanu Reeves. The questions were sometimes challenging and sometimes silly, the scoring was random, and the game was charged with good-natured rivalry between tables. There was a fun ball-tossing game, a challenging toilet paper derby race, and the final event was the Oreo on the forehead game, where competitors place an Oreo on their foreheads and try to get it into their mouths without touching or dropping the cookie. Parent Jay Scott successfully defended his Oreo title from last year, so start practicing at home to challenge his threepeat next year! In between all of the fun and games, we heard from parent Catherine McCall about supporting financial aid at Tandem, and during a short break, over $4,000 was donated, with online giving links shared widely. The Tandem community came through that night and over the weekend to raise $10,751 for financial aid. Wow! This year’s Game Night was another big success, generating laughter and fun for all in attendance, and important financial aid revenue to help other students enjoy a Tandem Friends education. Click here or on the headline to see more photos of a silly but seriously important evening. If you’d still like to make a donation, it’s not too late - simply click here. 
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #23

    Coach Sam Wins His 50th Varsity Basketball Game!

    Sean scored 19, Sin 18 and Quis 12 as the 24-25 Tandem Varsity Boys Basketball Badgers earned a historic victory on Friday night - Coach Sam Dale's 50th win as the Head Coach of our Boys Varsity program. The Ville recently recognized Sam as the #5 up and coming coach in the Charlottesville area, but for my money, Sam is in a class of his own. The hard-work, commitment, time, attention and love that goes into every facet of Sam's day has put him in a position to be consistently successful. We are incredibly lucky to have him at Tandem! It was special to see how hyped up the players were to celebrate Sam's accomplishment - this squad is truly a special team. 

    Middle School Boys Basketball Wraps Up Strong Season! - 2/7/25

    Throughout the season, the Middle School Boys basketball team has arrived at the gym focused and ready to play. It's a team with a high basketball IQ, led by a strong backcourt of Trenton and Jayceon, who always put their teammates in a position to succeed. 

    The Badgers had a true veteran presence this year - five eighth graders - and each player gave the team an edge. The size and technical ability of our forwards and centers gave other teams fits - Mason, Peter (season high 5 points), Eli (who had a season high 8) and Levie - plus Grayson on the wing - made it nearly impossible for opponents to get into the paint. Dalin, only a 7th grader, was also a force to be reckoned with on the block!

    The team improved throughout the season; we saw Aven and Ryan gain confidence offensively - being in the right place at the right time and holding their follow through as their shots went towards the net! Elias did the same - he had an exciting shot in the paint yesterday as well!
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  • Middle School Musicians Accepted into VA Junior Regional Orchestra

    Middle School music teacher Cameron Pampus shared the exciting news that two of our Middle School students were recently accepted into the Virginia Junior Regional Orchestra. Adele H (7th Grade - Cello) and Nora B (8th Grade - Violin 1) both passed successfully and will participate in the festival at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, VA on March 14 - 15th. Student auditionees had to prepare a piece of music, as well as play scales, and play an unfamiliar piece by sight in a blind audition. Congratulations, Adele and Nora!
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  • QYLC Great Experience for Tandem Attendees

    In addition to what's published on the QYLC site about the event, I can say Tandem students were courageous and vulnerable, and represented Tandem really well. They all got on stage and danced along with the Afro-Brazilian band of Carolina Friends School music teacher Caique Vidal (so did some of the teachers!). Eleana P's workshop filled every slot, and there was a strong encouragement among the other teachers for Tandem to host QYLC in the near future. Our group spent time working at the Durham Bike Co-op, where we cleaned and repaired almost twenty bikes to be donated to local school kids, learned about the displacement and revival of the Hayti community of Durham, and visited a local farm dedicated to ending food deserts in marginalized communities in central North Carolina.
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  • Science Olympiad Team Shines at Virginia Tech

    Last weekend, Tandem's Science Olympiad team competed in the Virginia Tech Invitational Science Olympiad tournament. Medals were awarded to 1st-5th place in each event and trophies were awarded to 1st-5th place overall school performance. 18 teams representing 11 schools from across Virginia & North Carolina as well as Indiana (Northridge HS) competed in this tournament, which was completely hosted and run by members of the Science Olympiad at Virginia Tech student group. The level of competition ranged from teams fielding participants in only a few events to national-level teams making for quite an experience! Events were administered at the state tournament rules level, which was a step above both the Flint Hill Invitational and the official VASO regional tournament to be held at TFS. This gave our teams an excellent chance to examine their readiness for the state tournament and see how they compare to some very competitive schools at a higher level of difficulty. Further, it gave us a sneak peek at next week's tournament as the team from Albemarle High School participated in this tournament. I am delighted to share that TFS earned medals in 8 official events at this tournament, with TFS Emerald (formerly Badger Force 1) earning medals in 5 events and TFS Obsidian (formerly Badger Force 2) earning medals in 3 events. In addition to the 23 official events, VT students ran 2 unofficial events for fun - Disney Trivia (a test on Disney animated movies) and Hokie Hunt (a team scavenger hunt). Excitingly, Sawyer R and Maggie W on TFS Emerald earned 1st place in Disney Trivia and TFS Obsidian earned 4th place in Hokie Hunt, with a big shout out to the effort of Hayes B, Henry C, and Nati Y! Finally, I am thrilled to share that thanks to the overall team score of TFS Emerald in official events, TFS earned a 5th place trophy! The other teams earning trophies for 1st-4th place were Northridge HS (1st), Lake Braddock SS (2nd), Blacksburg HS (3rd), and McLean HS (4th). This fantastic team performance also earned our students the pleasure of tossing me into the hotel pool, making for a fun and memorable experience. Due to QYLC and other conflicts, some students needed to assist in events that they are not normally assigned to. Following are Tandem's teams that earned a medal: Ecology-TFS Obsidian (Otis H, Nati Y): 5; Entomology-TFS Obsidian (Jack J, Nati Y): 4; Forensics-TFS Emerald (Emma P*, Maggie W): 5; Fossils-TFS Obsidian (Kavi M, Nati Y): 3; Helicopter-TFS Emerald (Mary R, Addie T): 3; Robot Tour-TFS Emerald (John B, Owen S): 3; Tower-TFS Emerald (Ty B, Eli C): 4; Wind Power-TFS Emerald (Oscar D, Jack M): 5. Check out some photos, and this is a link to the pool toss video.
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  • 5th & 6th Grade Social Studies Indigenous and Medieval Life

    With teacher Sarah Donelson as their guide, 5th and 6th grade social studies students are learning about other civilizations. 5th grade is finishing their unit on Indigenous urbanization, having studied Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, and Cahokia peoples. For their final project, they could choose to create a postage stamp showing daily life in Cahokia or write an essay comparing Cahokia and Tenochtitlan. 6th graders are learning about life in Medieval Europe. They studied about Viking Runes and tried their hands at writing their names and cracking a runic puzzle. 
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #22

    What a week for our teams both on the road and in the Badger Den! Lots of game details in the writeups below (be sure to click on Read More to see it all) as our Middle School teams prepare for their final games and our varsity teams look ahead to post-season play.

    Benches Deliver in Badger Battle vs Quantico - 1/31/25
    With a tenacious spirit, the Varsity Girls opened the game last night on a 16-2 run, including 14 points in the opening quarter!! Contributions came from everywhere - Tessa (8 points) had a steal and score right off the bat, and Ginger had a steal on the press and got the ball to Juli, who finished with a career high 6 points on the day! Maya scored off a screen, she had 6 as well, and Madeline was dominant! She had two buckets off post moves in the opening period, and also assisted Juli! Sophie and Ginger both earned trips to the line and both scored in the first half, and Tandem was on a roll! The back line of Victoria, Catriona and Madeline was hard to penetrate, and Quantico struggled to get in the paint. They had only three in the first quarter!
     
    Quantico finished the half on a run of their own, and the Badgers led 20-14 at the break. Tessa scored early in the third to keep the Tandem momentum going, and the Badgers held Quantico without a field goal in the period! Annie was tough as nails - a big part of our defensive prowess - forcing the opposing guards to dribble with their weak hand or to take tough shots - and Quantico scored only two points on free throws. Tandem extended their lead to 23-16.
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  • French Students Make Croque Monsieur

    Sonia Brandon's French 4 students have been studying Francophone food traditions and made croque monsieurs in class on Monday. A croque monsieur is a delicious French ham and cheese sandwich made with gruyere, parmesan, ham and a simple béchamel sauce, toasted. Bon appetit!
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  • Science Olympiad In Back to Back Competitions

    Tandem's Science Olympiad team(s) headed to Blacksburg this afternoon for the Science Olympiad 2025 Virginia Tech Invitational (Division C). Tadem's students will be competing in build and test events alike throughout the day on February 1. Students will also get to enjoy university lab tours, connect with VT students and programs, and meet the Hokie Bird (school mascot!). Tandem's Science Olympiad faculty sponsor is Upper School science teacher Alex Siragy. On February 8, our Science Olympiad team will do something no other Tandem team has done - host a Science Olympiad competition on Tandem's campus. See details above. Go, Badger scientists and engineers!
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  • Tandem Heads to Quaker Youth Leadership Conference

    Eight Upper Schoolers will be representing Tandem at this year's 2025 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference (held January 30-February 1), an annual gathering/summit which connects students from Quaker schools all over the world through talks, activities and workshops. This year's in-person conference is being held at Carolina Friends School in Durham, NC. Tandem's student delegation includes seniors Emory G and Elena P, juniors Sofia S and Beatrice G, sophomores Elisabeth S, Talia P and Lucy L, and freshman Emory S; teachers Jason Farr and Casey Reed are attending as faculty sponsors. 

    This year's theme is "Reconnecting to our Roots: Quakerism and the Environment!" and all activities, workshops and speakers will focus around it. Participants will enjoy small group work, community adventures and service involving environmental groups and nearby farms, experiential learning, workshops (topics may include Climate Change, Community Gardens, Farms, Sustainable Agriculture, Food Insecurity, Renewable Energy Advocacy, Environmental Racism, Public Transportation Access, Sustainable Art), speakers including Afro-Brazilian singer/songwriter Caique Vidal, a talent show, meetings for worship and more. Tandem's group spent the morning on Friday volunteering at Bike Durham, fixing up bikes that can be put back into the community for low cost. Students will learn about, visit and hold a Meeting for Worship in the Hayti Heritage Center. We look forward to hearing more details about their activities and workshops. Tandem students always return from QYLC fueled with ideas and information that will help inspire and guide our community. Tandem hosted QYLC in 2007 and 2015.
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  • 5th Grade Declaration of Human Rights

    Tandem 5th graders have collaboratively developed an aspirational Declaration of Human Rights during their study of social change activists across time and place. They worked on it with teacher Carolena Saunders. Check it out!
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #21

    This week was an exciting one for Tandem! On Wednesday, four of our teams were in action - both the Middle School teams won at Charlottesville Day School, avenging losses earlier in the season. The Varsity Girls amassed their highest point total of the season, and the Varsity Boys defeated Fredericksburg Academy to improve their league record to 3-1. Go Badgers! Check out some photos taken at the varsity games against Fredericksburg Academy.

    Varsity Badgers Deliver Excellent Effort in the Den! - 1/23/25

    On the first possession, Fredericksburg Academy hit a three to take the lead. Their bench erupted with enthusiasm. That energy changed over the course of the game, because for the next thirty-one minutes, Tandem controlled every facet of the game. Without Sean in the middle, the Badgers played a patient, cerebral style of basketball. Their execution against FA's zone involved lots of down screens, cutting and passing. On some occasions, Tandem would take over a minute off the clock just moving the ball around. As a result, they held their opponent to only 7 points in the first quarter and only TWO POINTS in the second quarter. Tandem led 19-9 at the half.
     
    Quis tallied double-digit rebounds, ripping the ball off the rim and pushing it up the floor. Amir settled the team down into their offensive sets, swinging the ball to Sean on one wing, cutting through, and having Tre'Sean curl around to replace him at the point. Tre'Sean played mistake-free basketball - efficient passing and no turnovers.
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  • 8th Graders Hold Inspiring Job Fair

    8th graders just completed a great Job Fair project. With English teacher Carolyn Warhaftig as their guide, students were asked to select a job that interested them from a list of professional positions and then, with Carolyn's help, found an adult in that job to interview via a teacher-initiated Google Meet. Students conducted their interviews, then they performed their own additional research on the profession to fill out details like salary, educational requirements, interviewee's background, etc. With the information uncovered in their job interviews and research, 8th graders then set up and ran a job fair for 7th graders. Each student set up a desk with an informative flyer they created to depict the position they researched and provide details about what the job entailed. Jobs featured included a wide range, such as: college coach, mental health therapist, firefighter, nurse, lawyer, research scientist, professional athlete, semiconductor engineer, cyber security, plumber, architect, wildlife biologist, sports team outfitter, veterinarian, writer, artist, doctor, investment banker, librarian, civil engineer, TV producer, video game designer and many more. 7th graders came through to visit each 'booth' and ask questions as if they were seeking employment and learned much along the way! Check out photos of 8th graders and their 'job booths'.
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  • Tandem's Model UN Takes on Philadelphia

    Tandem's Upper School Model United Nations group, consisting of 23 Upper Schoolers and teachers Melissa Winder and Alex Siragy, left on Thursday for Philadelphia to take on the41st annual Ivy League Model UN Conference or ILMUNC. Students will stay at and attend all conference events at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown Hotel from January 23rd-26th. They will participate in their first committee session Thursday night, then have two sessions Friday night, two sessions on Saturday, and one on Sunday. It's a busy schedule - read more about the event here. In addition to their many working conference sessions, delegates will have some fun late evening activities to enjoy with the delegates from other participating schools, including a festival and a dance. They also had some fun activity options on Friday morning. Following is the list of TFS students attending, their current grade and their committee assignments:
    • Eli L (12th) -  Disarmament and International Security Committee 
    • Sawyer R (12th) - Disarmament and International Security Committee 
    • Eli C (11th) - United Nations Development Program 
    • Oscar D (11th)- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization 
    • Hudson L (11th) - World Intellectual Property Organization 
    • Kavi M (11th) - United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization 
    • Elijah M (11th) - African Union 
    • Will M (11th) - World Intellectual Property Organization 
    • Lucie Q (11th) - Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee 
    • Cora R (11th) - Legal Committee
    • Owen S (11th) - African Union 
    • Gabriel S (11th) - United Nations Environment Program 
    • Sofia S (11th) - United Nations Environment Program 
    • Alex S (11th) - World Health Organization 
    • Hayes B (10th) - Economic and Financial Committee 
    • Victoria D (10th) - Legal Committee
    • Fletcher L (10th) - Economic and Financial Committee 
    • Lucy L (10th) - United Nations Human Rights Council 
    • Madeline M (10th) - Special Political and Decolonization Committee 
    • Talia P (10th) - Special Political and Decolonization Committee 
    • Alanah R (10th) - Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee 
    • Elisabeth S (10th) - United Nations Human Rights Council 
    Good luck, Tandem Model UN delegates!
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  • Upper School Cast of Musical Mamma Mia! Announced

    Following two days of auditions and some callbacks, Director/Producer Ronda Hewitt is thrilled to announce the cast of the spring musical, Mamma Mia!, a wonderful show filled with the amazing songs of ABBA. Rehearsals begin on January 21 and performances will be held March 21-23. Congratulations to the following cast members:
    • Donna Sheridan - Cora R
    • Sophie Sheridan - Zella L
    • Tanya Cresham-Leigh - Elena P
    • Rosie Mulligan - Evelyn G
    • Sam Carmichael - Jack N
    • Harry Bright - Hudson L
    • Bill Austin - Otis H
    • Sky - Jude G
    • Pepper - Fletcher L
    • Ali - Luci Q
    • Lisa - Bailey W
    • Eddie - Eli C
    • Father Alexandrios - Sawyer R
    • Featured Ensemble who are dynamic singers, dancers, and actors with comedic chops (in alphabetical order): Henry A, Georgia C, Emory G, Nina I, Toby I, Zeke L, Talia P, Norah S, Alex S
    • Production Staff: Production Stage Manager - Alex G; Music Director - Tara Scott; Choreographer - Robin Hyer; Assistant Director - Eli L; Director & Producer - Ronda Hewitt 
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  • Sophomores Spend Day at UVA Library

    This week, Tandem sophomores spent a day at the newly renamed Shannon Library with teachers Robert Schuster, Casey Reed and Melissa Winder, all teachers on the 9/10 team who will support them throughout their research process. Students enjoyed a class on using databases, and conducted a lot of research across the UVA Library collections for Sophomore Seminar. Students worked really hard all day and were excited about doing their topics due diligence! For the next three months, they will each dive into deep learning about their chosen topics, developing their skills as researchers, writers, and presenters. Check out some photos!
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  • This Week in Sports - Week #20

    Badgers Elevate Level of Play, Excel in the Den! - 1/16/25

    In order to be truly prepared, one has to put in the work when nobody is watching.  The key moments are when a player is on their own before or after practice, during break times, or in the evenings.  Behind the scenes, Sophie has put a lot of work into her jumpshot. Focusing on her footwork, follow through and with great attention to detail, Sophie's shot has dramatically improved. Tonight, in front of an enthusiastic crowd, she put it all together.  
     
    Raquel set a screen for Sophie on the block.  Sophie set up the screen - faking one way and cutting the other, curling off Raquel's shoulders and catching the ball in the foul line.  There was no wasted motion, she had her knees bent and let the ball fly, holding her follow through as if she was reaching for the cookie on the top shelf.  Swish!  Sophie scored the first of two field goals on the night, and later earned a trip to the line as well, attacking the basket with purpose!
     
    The Badgers came out on fire this evening, scoring nine points in the opening stanza.  Annie got a basket after Zuri won the tip off, and was a threat to score everytime she got the ball.  Her aggressiveness has been unleashed - Annie can get around any defender - just a little shake of the hips, a quick step, and Annie is off to the races.  She scored in the half court, in transition, and tallied a bucket in all four quarters - ten points in all.  
     
    The Badgers had a ten point lead at the half, and used the opportunity to run through their offense.  The team did not force any shots, but when they got open and it was a high percentage opportunity, the Badgers went to work. Zuri made a key lay-up, Malena had several rebounds, and Raquel set up Hadley with beautiful passing for a big second half.  Hadley went to the foul line, beat her defender in transition and scored in the paint. What an effort!
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  • Young Alumni Panel Shares Insights with Upper Schoolers

    We are always so thankful for the generosity of young Tandem alumni willing to share their time and wisdom with our current Upper Schoolers. The Young Alumni College Panel is an annual event of almost 20 years that brings current alumni college students in to share wisdom and answer questions about their college experience with Upper Schoolers. Sometimes they share what it's like to go to college far from home. Some talk about college-level sports. Some chose small schools and some are attending large universities. From what it's like to live in a dorm to how they made the leap from high school classes to college lectures, they have stories to tell about life after Tandem and plenty of great advice to give. Thanks to this year's wonderful alumni panel members, who shared their stories on January 13: Dylan Peifer (2022), Sophie Passino (2022), Devin Malhotra (2023), Anna Warren (2023), Jacob Camarata (2023), Talia Smith (2023). We love having them return to campus to tell their stories.
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  • Will M. and Hudson L. at a Tandem Earth meeting

    Tandem Earth

    Tandem Earth is getting ready for Lobby Day in January, when they'll go to Richmond to speak to their representatives about environmental issues, from clean water and wildlife conservation to good governance and climate.
     
    This Fall, they organized a trash clean up, and a bake sale to raise funds after Hurricane Helene. Tandem Earth also helped prepare a clothing swap for our end-of-semester festivities to mitigate clothing waste in our community.
     
    Club President, Junior Will M. shares what the club means to him: "The environment has always been super important to me. Last year I really started trying to get involved in activism, and this has been a big part of that. I think Tandem Earth is really important to me, and that I can try to help my community be better on environmental issues and help myself do better as well."
     
    Another member of Tandem Earth, Hudson L. says, "I joined at the start of this year, and I feel like I haven't been doing enough to help the Tandem community and help the environment at large, and I feel like this is a way to put myself out there and try to bring change to the school and the wider area."
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  • Alumni Holiday Gathering Brings Alums of All Ages Together

    This year's Alumni Holiday Party, held December 21 at Kardinal Hall, brought together a great group of alums and current and former faculty/staff. The evening was lots of fun and full of conversation, laughter, catching up, and delicious snacks and beverages. It was a special treat to have former Head of School Paul Perkinson join us. Thanks to all who came out to enjoy some Badger AND holiday spirit! Check out photos from the evening by clicking on the headline.
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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