Tandem Friends School News

7th Graders Read to Cale Pen Pals

12/20/2018

Our 7th graders have been communicating with Kindergarten-aged pen pals at nearby Cale Elementary School. This week, they visited to read to their pen pals.

8th Graders Share Food with IRC Families

12/20/2018

In the Middle School, like 7th graders did in November, 8th graders raised $10 apiece by doing chores at home (from babysitting to cleaning around the house and yard work), then brought in the money they earned to purchase items for the holiday dinners for six International Rescue Committee families from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Students took a culturally appropriate shopping list provided by the IRC and shopped as a grade, then put together and delivered those baskets (they were given $50 to spend for each basket) to the IRC. The students bought food for the same six IRC families served by the 7th graders in November.

Local TV station NBC29 was there to cover the story - check it out here.

One Act Plays in Rehearsal

12/20/2018

Tandem will present a series of four one-act plays in late January; they are currently in rehearsal. The plays involve 25 Upper School and 8th grade students, with Perry Medlin serving as producer and director of one play. There are three student directors making their directorial debuts and one student-written play. The David Ives play Words, Words, Words will be directed by senior Charlie Kennedy and features three actors. The David Ives play Sure Thing will be directed by senior Charlie Schuyler and features two actors. A play written by senior Abri Robert-Kedes, entitled She Doodles to Forget, will be directed by senior Olivia Childers and features five actors. Drama teacher Perry Medlin will direct This is a Test, by Stephen Gregg, a play that features fourteen actors. It should be a delightful series of one acts, to be presented January 24-26. Watch for details.

Winter Concert on December 19

12/18/2018

The annual Winter Concert will be held on Wednesday, December 19 at 7pm in the Community Hall. It's a wonderful evening full of great music from our Jazz Ensemble, Rock Band, Middle School Bands, Quaker Notes and more. Don't miss it - it's a terrific, uplifting music tradition and it's free! You won't want to miss it.

7th Grade Scientists Learning About Cells

12/7/2018

The 7th graders are learning about the parts of the cell, how each part functions, and how those parts work together to produce important proteins like insulin and hemoglobin. A cell is like a factory with many distinct parts working together. They used that analogy and theater to help reinforce their understanding of how cells work. Students each played an important role, which included ribosomes, the nucleus, vacuole, and chloroplast just to name a few. There were hats and costumes involved as well.

Ben Cole (TFS '08) Speaks about Life as a Professional Actor

12/5/2018

Tandem alum Ben Cole (TFS '08), who was an active and avid theatre participant during his seven years at Tandem, spoke about his life as an actor at Speaker Series. He received a BFA from The Harrt School and has been auditioning and working as an actor since his graduation from college. He spoke about what it takes to become an actor, the difficult choices it sometimes presents, and the fulfillment he finds in his work. Ben has been a member of The National Players (the country's longest running touring theater company out of Olney, MD) for two seasons and also serves as the group's road manager and technical director. He and fellow cast mate Josh Bierman led a terrific workshop for our Public Speaking class. Ben and The National Players were in town to present their dynamic production of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' at The Paramount, Our entire junior class, which reads Miller's play each year, attended the performance.

Matt Glattfelder (TFS '12) of Sigora Solar Speaks about Nuclear Energy

12/5/2018

The November 14 Speaker Series brought Tandem alum Matt Glattfelder (TFS '12), who works for Sigora Solar in Charlottesville. Matt studied engineering at University of Wisconsin with a focus on nuclear energy. He spoke about carbon free energy and why we need nuclear power, and gave plenty of mathematical explanations as he answered many questions from students and faculty alike. Matt's favorite Tandem memories? Ganongathon, RENT, and Open Mics.

Tandem Students Selected for All-District Band

12/4/2018

All four Tandem musicians who auditioned last weekend for All-District Band were selected out of hundreds of auditionees (in blind auditions). Congratulations to Leah Gunnoe (10th grade, flute), Anne Marie Morrison (8th grade, flute), Lada Dmytriyeva (8th grade, clarinet) and Emi Murphy (7th grade, flute) will be auditioning for All-District band for District 13 this Saturday, December 8. They will get to spend Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2 rehearsing with different conductors and will perform a concert on the afternoon of February 2 - watch for details about time and place.

5th Grade Presents A Midsummer Night's Dream in Oz

12/3/2018

Don't miss the annual Shakesperean fun as our 5th grade presents A Midsummer Night's Dream in Oz. With the usual witty insight and hilarity of the original script, this one's twist lands us in Oz, smack in the middle of Almira Gulch's Shakespearean dream. Who could resist Munchkin fairies, Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow in Midsummer roles? There will be one performance only on Friday, December 7 at 7pm. Tickets are free and can be reserved by calling the front desk at 296-1303 x348. Don't miss it!

7th Graders Delving into Historical Fiction

12/3/2018

For the past two weeks, students in 7th Grade English classes have been presenting a culmination of their individual and group work emerging from an array of historical fiction and nonfiction titles: In the Shadow of Liberty [nonfiction], Fever 1793, Sacajawea, and Woods Runner. If you have an opportunity, ask a 7th grader about this, because the breadth and variety of their historical knowledge is impressive. You might be interested to hear about the chaotic beginning of The Revolutionary War as it affected everyday citizens literally caught in the crossfire, about the disastrous strategies implemented by Benjamin Rush and like-minded peers during the yellow fever outbreak of 1793, about Joseph Bruchac's reclamation of Sacajawea's perspective on the Lewis and Clark expedition using Native American oral accounts and legends, or about Kenneth Davis' project to explore the lives of five enslaved people owned by famous American "founding fathers." The presentations emerging from this study were incredibly informative and included amazing visuals and correlative research. Bravo to the 7th grade for all of their hard work, and special thanks to Tucker, Peter, Maria and Anne who devoted their time as "discussion leaders" to get the students started.

National Players Actors Lead Public Speaking Workshop

11/30/2018

Tandem alum Ben Cole (TFS '08) and Josh Bierman of The National Players Touring Company led a terrific workshop for our Public Speaking class. The workshop, called The Noise Within: Discovering Your Voice, led students through vocal exercises and warmups as well as some engaging activities to help them discover ways to use voice and body together to speak powerfully and purposefully. The National Players, the country's longest running touring theater company out of Olney, MD (in their 70th year!), was in town to present their dynamic production of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' at The Paramount yesterday, Our entire junior class, which reads Miller's play each year, attended the performance. Ben has been touring with the company for several years and was also a Speaker Series guest to share his life as a professional actor. Ben was an active and avid theatre participant during his seven years at Tandem and has been working as an actor since his graduation from college. He has been a member of The National Players for two seasons and also serves as the group's road manager and technical director.

Varsity and JV Boys Defeat Covenant

11/30/2018

It was a terrific week for boys basketball at Tandem, with our boys teams beating two major cross-town rivals at home, STAB and Covenant. In their opening home game, our varsity boys took on and defeated STAB's varsity team, leading for almost the entire game and fighting off a last quarter rally by STAB to win in a nail-biter finish of 69-68. The gym was filled to overflowing. Last night, both JV and varsity teams defeated Covenant. The JV won in a close matchup by one point with a shallow bench. The varsity kept a strong lead throughout their game, defeating Covenant 70-49. What a great start to the season! The girls team lost their season opener to Stuart Hall last night, but during this rebuilding year, coach Gordon says they just keep getting better. Check out some news footage on the recent games using the links below and check the website calendar for upcoming games.

Covenant Game
STAB game

Varsity Basketball Team Defeats STAB

11/28/2018

The Tandem varsity boys basketball team won Tuesday's home non-conference game against cross-town rival STAB's varsity team by a score of 69-68. The Badgers led for most of the game, fighting off a last-quarter effort by STAB to take the lead. It was a great display of the season to come and a full house in the Badger den! Check out news footage here.

6th Graders Study World Religions

11/16/2018

As part of their study of world religions, our 6th graders visit local places of worship. They visited a local synagogue and looked at the Torah up close. More educational visits to local places of worship are pending. The next week they visited a local mosque. They will also visit a local Christian church to round off their exposure to world religions.

Thanksgiving Service - Students Donate and Deliver Thanksgiving Baskets to Local Families and Visit Day Care Students

11/16/2018

Tandem students helped provide Thanksgiving dinner to 22 local families in need. In the Upper School, each Advisory group put together a box with a turkey, stuffing, mashed potato mix, gravy, canned yams, canned vegetables, canned fruit, dinner rolls, drink mix, cranberry sauce, milk, and bagged salad and salad dressing. The baskets were delivered to a local church for distribution.

In the Middle School, 7th graders raised $10 apiece by doing chores at home (from babysitting to cleaning around the house and yard work), then brought in the money they earned to purchase items for the dinners for six International Rescue Committee families from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Students took a culturally appropriate shopping list provided by the IRC and shopped as a grade, then put together and delivered those baskets to the IRC. The 8th grade will be doing the same thing in December and will be creating meal baskets for the same six IRC families.

On another service note this week, Middle School students went to Barrett Day Care to share booklets made during their visit to Cale Elementary School several weeks ago.

All-Conference Honors for Fall Sports

11/15/2018

Tandem's fall sports teams had terrific seasons, with volleyball and soccer clinching regular season second place in the conference and both teams making it to the tournament championship finals. The cross country boys team clinched first place in the conference and fifth place in the state. Mason Love was the top runner in the conference and fourth place runner in the state.

All Conference honors were awarded as follows to Tandem athletes: Soccer 1st Team honors went to senior Conor Shillue, and sophomores Josh Warren and Jake Connelly; Volleyball 1st Team honors went to sophomore Julia Dailey and 8th grader Anna Warren, 2nd Team went to senior Maya Goldstein and Honorable Mention went to sophomore Stella Lane; Cross Country 1st Team honors went to seniors Charlie Kennedy and Luka van der Pluijm, junior Meredith Frazee and sophomore Mason Love; Coach of the Year honors were given to Jason Farr.

Tandem Alum's Art for the Heart Project Helps Homeless

11/13/2018

Tandem alum Emma Hitchcock (TFS '18) is featured in a UVAToday online article about her Art for the Heart project. Emma, now a first-year student at UVA, won the TomTom Founders Festival entrepreneurial pitch competition's social innovation category last year. She and her project partner, Zadie Lacy, earned the top prize, along with a spot in UVA's startup incubator iLab. Check out what they have done with their project since the festival here.

Tandem Student Interviews Khzir Kahn

11/13/2018

In September, the Tandem community experienced a very powerful Speaker Series today as Khzir Khan, the Pakistani American lawyer and Gold Star father who, with his wife Ghazala, received international attention following their speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, spoke to us. Tandem senior and student senate president Jeremy Odrich intervied Mr. Kahn. Jeremy's Five Questions with Khzir Kahn appeared in the recent edition of Tandem Times, the student run digital newspaper. Read Jeremy's interview here.

Art Beltrone of the Vietnam Graffiti Project at Speaker's Series

11/9/2018

Today's Speaker Series brought us Art Beltrone and the Vietnam Graffiti Project, which was formed after Art discovered graffiti artifacts left by soldiers aboard the General Nelson M. Walker, a Vietnam War troop transport ship.

Blue Ridge Day

11/7/2018

One day each fall the entire school enjoys a walk in the woods and then fun fall-themed activities back on campus. Blue Ridge Day is an annual tradition at Tandem Friends.

Alia Stewart-Silver (TFS '06) at Speaker's Series

11/2/2018

Tandem alum Alia Stewart-Silver (TFS '06) joined us for Speaker Series and spoke in depth about connections. She stressed that by being genuinely open and attempting to make connections with other people, we can bring about true positive change in the world.

Cross Country Conference Champions

11/2/2018

We’re really proud of our first-ever DAC championship boys cross country team! In the DAC2 championship meet on November 1 at Foxcroft School, our boys finished first, winning by over twenty points. Our girls team finished 6th, their highest year-end finish ever. In the actual race, Tandem's Mason Love finished first, Charlie Kennedy finished third with his best-ever time, and Luka van der Pluijm finished fourth. Meredith Frazee finished 13th in the girls race.

As for All-Conference honors, Mason was named Runner of the Year, Meridith earned All Conference status for the 4th year in a row, and Tandem coach Jason Farr was named Coach of the Year. The Badger runners compete at Fork Union Military Academy on Saturday, November 8 for the state championship race.

Spirit Week

11/2/2018

What a wonderful and spirit-lifting week it was! In between busy academics came the wonderful My Fair Lady production, five days of fun Spirit Week celebration, Halloween costumes and pumpkin carving, and athletics successes galore. Check out Spirit Week, Halloween and Pumpkin Carving photos below. What a creative and playful community we have here at Tandem Friends!

Chris Andrews of Let's Talk at Speaker's Series

10/26/2018

Our Speaker Series guest was the inspirational Chris Andrews, who chose to combat his cell phone addiction by walking across the USA without a phone. He walked 3200 miles from Washington, DC to Los Angeles in 210 days, chronicling over 10,000 face-to-face conversations along the way. His Let's Talk initiative inspires others to examine their relationship with technology and reclaim and celebrate life beyond the screen. Here's a short video of his journey. And here's to a weekend of great conversations that Chris has inspired us all to have with each other!

Monica Johnson (TFS '04) Strongman Nationals

10/26/2018

Tandem alum (TFS '04) and counselor Monica Johnson competited in this year's Strongman nationals. She finished 5th overall in the heavyweight division with the following event results: two reps on the 210 lbs axle press, no reps on the 115 lbs CBD but cleaned it, carried 515 lbs frame in 9.12 seconds (1st place in the event), 10 reps on the 475 DL (only 9 counted but got 2nd in the event), and finished the medley in 3rd with a time of 27.19 seconds. Since the top three got their pro cards, Monica is technically considered the second strongest amateur in Strongman Corporation. Wow! Next stop? The Arnold World Championships in March in Columbus Ohio!

8th Grade Presents Into the Woods

10/23/2018

The Tandem Friends 8th grade presents Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical Into the Woods November 15 through 18 in the Community Hall at Tandem Friends School. Performances are at 7pm November 15 through 17, with a 2pm matinee on Sunday, November 18. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Reservations can be made by calling 434-296-1303 x0, or tickets can be purchased at the box office thirty minutes before a performance.

Upper School Presents My Fair Lady

10/23/2018

The Tandem Friends Upper School Drama department presents the beloved Lerner and Loewe musical My Fair Lady October 25 through 28 in the Community Hall at Tandem Friends School. Performances are at 7pm October 25 through 27, with a 2pm matinee on Sunday, October 28. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Reservations can be made by calling 434-296-1303 x0, or tickets can be purchased at the box office thirty minutes before a performance.

Young Filmmakers

10/19/2018

Film Festival hosts a Young Filmmakers Academy in association with its event, inviting young filmmakers from local schools to participate in a collaborative filmmaking project with Light House Studio. This year, a large group of Tandem Middle Schoolers participated in the free academy, working together to create the short film Aunt Caroline. The students received recognition in Morning Meeting this week, and their film will be shown on Saturday, November 3 at UVA's Culbreth Theatre as part of the film festival's free Family Day events. More info here.

TFS Celebrates International Pronouns Day

10/17/2018

As part of our Tandem Friends School mission of equity and inclusion, Tandem participated in the inaugural International Pronouns Day on October 17. The intention of the day was to raise awareness about the inclusive practice of personal pronoun sharing. Tandem Friends School's participation was an opportunity for awareness-raising about this practice within our school community and the greater Charlottesville community and builds on practices already in use here at Tandem. Check out some photos of the day.

Lena Lewis of Charlottesville Climate Collaborative at Speaker's Series

10/12/2018

Today's Speaker Series featured former Tandem science teacher Lena Lewis, now Program Manager for Charlottesville Climate Collaborative's Better Business and Home Energy Challenges, talking about her hands-on experience with climate change research in Canada. It was great to welcome Lena back as she encouraged Tandem in our Better Business energy challenge, and challenged the entire community to participate in the Home Energy Challenge - details here.

Middle School Service Day

10/11/2018

Wednesday's "Brown Day" allowed our Middle Schoolers to share their best selves by serving all over Charlottesville.

Tandem 9th and 12th Graders Work with ReinventEd Labs

10/11/2018

While sophomores and juniors took (and recovered from) the PSAT on Wednesday, 9th and 12th graders worked with visiting consultants from ReinventEd Labs to re-envision school. There was a 9th grade morning session focused on different ways we 'know' things and how we 'see' things in pieces. The afternoon session involved 9th and 12th grade group work during which they deconstructed high school by taking classic components of school and asking questions like 'what was that designed to do?' and 'what would school be like without it?'. They then prototyped an idea based on their discussions. Sophomores and seniors spent some time revisiting trip themes and planned spring service activities accordingly.

Pini Kalnite of the IIHS at Speaker's Series

10/5/2018

Today's Speaker Series brought Tandem parent Pini Kalnite, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who spoke about the research of the IIHS and how they produce and disseminate footage about their work and car safety for a variety of media outlets.

Tandem Featured in Bloom Magazine on Critical Thinking

10/5/2018

There's a nice article about building critical thinking skills in young people in October's Charlottesville Family's Bloom Magazine - it quotes several of our teachers and features some Tandem students in photos. Check it out beginning on page 40.

Khzir Kahn at Speaker's Series

9/21/2018

We experienced a very powerful Speaker Series today as Khzir Khan, the Pakistani American lawyer and Gold Star father who, with his wife Ghazala, received international attention following their speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, spoke to us. Khan has since written two books, An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice and This is Our Constitution, a book about the Constitution for Middle Schoolers. Khan spoke passionately to our young people as future leaders who are empowered to make a difference in the world and stressed the importance of two concepts/practices - fairness and civility - that should dictate how we treat others. He strongly encouraged all of us to read and appreciate our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence.

Tandem Faculty Teaching at UVA Upward Bound Program

7/25/2018

Two Tandem Friends teachers are involved in UVA's five-week long Upward Bound program this summer, where they are teaching and helping fifty Central Virginia high school students to understand the benefits of and pursue a college education. The residential program for students who may be at risk of not attending college. Tandem PE teacher and coach Avis Fields and history teacher Melissa Winder are both teaching English to students in the Upward Bound program, and seem to be getting as much out of the program as the students are. What they are doing is making a real difference and we're proud of them for sharing their teaching talents and compassion all year long.

Read more here.

Retirement Party for Three Longtime Tandem Educators

6/15/2018

On Saturday, June 9, over 200 Tandem community members gathered on the quad to celebrate and bid farewell to three beloved teachers/adminstrators who, combined, served Tandem Friends for almost 100 years: Pru Huddleston (Upper School Art), Steve Ganong (Upper School Math), and Tom O'Connor (MS Director and math teacher). Alumni and current students, current and past parents, current and former faculty and staff, and friends and family alike enjoyed visiting over barbeque and bluegrass on the quad. The rain even held off to provide a lovely summer evening.

An informational tent about each of the retirees honored their impact on the community, with an art tent for Pru, a Ganongathon tent for Steve, and a grab an instrument and play tent for Tom. Guests could create art or written word messages for Pru, Steve and Tom. There were photo collages of alums through the years, a table of Tandem t-shirts, yearbooks and other memorabilia for the taking, and little-known facts about each retiree on display around campus.

It was a low-key, casual gathering that allowed many to come by, catch up, and say thanks! We're not sure yet what a Tandem Friends without Pru, Steve and Tom will feel like, but it was a lovely sendoff for three very deserving, dedicated, and loved faculty members.

Check out a photo slideshow of the evening here. Many thanks to alum and staff member Mary Lyman-Bias and her crew for creating such a magical evening.

Tandem Junior Named Bronfman Fellow

6/12/2018

Tandem Friends junior Hannah B. has been selected as a recipient of a Bronfman Fellowship (a program founded by Edgar M. Bronfman, formerly Seagram Company CEO and a visionary Jewish philanthropist). Only 26 high school juniors in the country were chosen this year (out of two hundred twenty applicants) for this five-week, all-expenses-paid fellowship to Israel. According to the Bronfman press release, fellows in the program will "participate in a transformative five-week program of study and travel in Israel, followed by a rigorous year of programming centered around pluralism, social responsibility and Jewish texts. They also interact with a group of Israeli peers who were chosen through a parallel selection process as part of the Israeli Fellowship, Amitei Bronfman. The new class of Fellows will join a vibrant alumni network that includes some of today’s most exciting Jewish writers, thinkers and leaders."

Hannah is a member of Charlottesville’s Congregation Beth Israel. Her brother Elie (TFS' 18) is a Bronfman alum ('17). Congratulations, Hannah!

Celebrating Three Community Members

5/11/2018

On Saturday, June 9, the Tandem Friends community will gather to celebrate educators Steve Ganong (math), Pru Huddleston (visual arts) and Tom O'Connor (math and administration) and their many collective years of devotion and dedication to the Tandem Friends community as they retire. There will be barbeque and bluegrass on the quad, fun and games, and more as we celebrate each of them uniquely. Please RSVP to Mary at 434-296-1303 x0.

Spring All-Conference Honors Announced

5/11/2018

The Delaney Athletic Conference just announced spring All-Conference honors and eight Tandem varsity athletes were named. In boys lacrosse, seniors Noah Tinsley and Fisher Brodie, junior Logan Ratzlaff and freshman Jake Connelly were named First Team. Junior Mike Cao was named to Second Team. In girls soccer, senior Laila Whynott, sophomore Olivia Bullock and freshman Olivia Bowers were all named to First Team. Way to go, spring athletes!

Mother's Day Music Festival Sure to Please

5/4/2018

It's time for the annual Mother's Day Music Festival. Spend the afternoon of Saturday, May 12 watching fantastic live music and enjoying exciting activities with great people at our beloved annual festival! On Saturday, May 12th from 2 PM to 7 PM, we invite you to bring your friends and family to enjoy some of Charlottesville’s best local music to celebrate Mother’s Day. We'll be on the quad out back.

MDMF is a wonderful tradition which has attracted many artists such as Dave Matthews and David Wax Museum!

This year's band lineup includes:

Kendall Street Company
John D’earth with an array of brilliant musicians
Harli and the House of Juniper
Patient 0
Canine Blind
Bent Mountain Trio
Tandem Middle School Band
Tandem Rock Band
Tandem Jazz Band

Food by South Fork BBQ and Chef Lisa's Catering available for purchase. Exciting vendors with great gifts for moms and fun activities for all ages.

Admission fee $10 - moms, as always, get in free. Children under 10 get in free as well. Proceeds will benefit the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE).

National Latin Exam Success

4/27/2018

Latin students from 8th graders to seniors sat the National Latin Exam in March. About 150,000 students from around the world take the exam each year, which covers Latin language, Roman culture, history and mythology. Prizes were awarded to the following:

Honors: Granger B. (level 1), Olivia C. (level 1), Delilah T. (level 5), Kiwii Z. (level 5)
High Honors: Nathan S. (level 3), Lucy C. (level 5)
Silver Medal: Charlie A. (level 1), Julia B. (level 1), Josh W. (level 3), Noah T. (level 5)
Gold Medal: Maisie F. (level 1), Olivia B. (level 2), Sophie S.
(level 2 ), Sophie F. ( level 2), Meridith F. (level 3)
Sophie F. also achieved a perfect score on her exam!

Senior Tori Carter-Johnston Awarded Emily Couric Leadership Forum Merit Scholarship

4/26/2018

Tandem Friends senior Tori Carter-Johnston, the Tandem Friends school nominee for The Emily Couric Leadership Scholarship Award, was recently awarded with $10,000 in scholarships from The Emily Couric Leadership Forum. At an awards luncheon at The Omni Hotel on April 25, the ten local honorees (one from each local high school) were celebrated and the final winners announced. All nominees received a $5,000 college scholarship and one nominee received the $30,000 top award. Tori and one other honoree also received a $5,000 Merit Scholarship for their impressive leadership and vision. Tandem guests who attended the luncheon to celebrate Tori included her parents, Roxanne Carter-Johnston and Cory Johnston, Head of School Whitney Thompson, Upper School Director Peter Gaines, Diversity Director Gordon Fields, and teacher Tucker Winter.

Tori was honored for her commitment to and leadership around diversity issues and hopes to pursue a career in politics. She will be attending Howard University in the fall. Here is local news footage of the awards luncheon. Congratulations, Tori!

Senior Emma Hitchcock Wins Tom Tom Youth Summit Prize

4/12/2018

Big congratulations to Tandem Friends senior Emma Hitchcock, whose Art for the Heart project won the top prize in the Tom Tom Youth Summit’s Social Innovation category in a competition at The Paramount yesterday. There were two main categories in the Youth Summit: Social Innovation and Business Innovation. Emma, who partnered with senior Zadie Lacey from Monticello High School, won the Grand Prize in their category with their Art for the Heart project, which provides art therapy sessions to area homeless women. They received a $100 microgrant and the opportunity to participate in the Summer i-lab program at UVA for two weeks to further develop their project/idea. There were six other Social Innovation pitches competing, and many more that did not make the cut to present in the finals.

Check out a news pieceon the Summit: http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/Day-three-of-Tom-Tom-kicks-off-with-Youth-Summit-479424813.html

Students Raise Money for Oglala Lakota College Scholarship

4/11/2018

On Friday, March 30 and Saturday, April 1, two Tandem student groups ran fundraising sports events to support the Oglala Lakota College Scholarship that our Upper Schoolers help fund each year. These two events brought in $900, which, along with other funds raised during the year, will be put towards one student's annual tuition.

On Friday, senior Kalina Zizulka headed up the second annual Serve it Up! fundraising match, with the varsity girls volleyball team taking on a team of Upper School boys in a competitive matchup. The girls defeated the boys in four straight sets, and admissions fees and concessions sales raised almost $400 for the cause.

On Saturday, junior Harriet Caplin led the Tandem Fencing Club in hosting a competition-based fundraiser in the gym in which fencers collected pledges per touch. There were 22 fencers from Tandem, Renaissance, Buford, and the homeschool community to help raise over $500 during the day-long competition.

Our juniors spend a week in the Badlands of South Dakota each fall, experiencing the land and culture of the Oglala Sioux, visiting Pine Ridge Reservation and Wounded Knee, studying local geology, and grounding their year of American Studies through immersion in the heartland. After a visit to the Oglala Lakota campus, students several years ago decided to dedicate fundraising efforts each year to meet the needs of one area student.

Tandem Tag Sale 2018 Happening April 21-22

3/30/2018

This year's Tandem Friends Tag Sale has moved to the spring and is rapidly approaching. Actual sale dates are Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 in the Tandem gym. Donations are still being accepted, and will be accepted during the week of April 15-20. Actual sale hours are Saturday from 7:30am-4pm ($2 Early Bird fee, 7:30-8:30am) and Sunday from 10am-3pm. All items are half off all day on Sunday, and there is a special $3/bag (bags provided) sale from 12:30-3pm.

Tandem's well-known Tag Sale offers EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN! Clothes, boutique of high-end items, accessories, shoes, collectibles, toys and games, books, knick-knacks, electronics, furniture, housewares, linens, sports equipment, and more!

Sale location in the gym on campus at 279 Tandem Lane (22902), across from Monticello High School. For more info call 434-296-1303 or check out our Facebook Event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/166507860719425/

6th Grade Presents Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.

3/29/2018

The Tandem 6th grade presents Fiddler on the Roof Jr., with performances on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 at 7pm in the Community Hall. Reserve tickets at the front desk, and pay at the door - $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors.

Based on Sholom Aleichem's stories and characters, this beloved musical tells the life-affirming story of Tevye, a poor milkman who struggles with the oppression of turn-of-the century czarist Russia. Love, pride, faith and community guide him through his journey, as he tries to balance the old traditions with changing times. Tandem's 6th grade will delight us with their commitment to this story as they sing, dance and act their way into the hearts of our own community.

Friends Council Students Host Upper School Teach-In Day

3/16/2018

On Thursday, March 15, the Upper School held its annual "teach-in" day, led by students in the Friends Council and facilitator Steve Ganong. This year's theme centered on the criminal justice system. They screened the documentary film 13th and enjoyed a panel discussion that included local professionals: Andre Hakes, local lawyer, partner at Tucker Griffin Barnes PC and Tandem parent; Josh Bowers, professor of criminal law at UVA, former public defender and Tandem parent; Nicole Snyder, Fountain Fund; Ross Carew, Offender Aid and Restoration, Charlottesville. There were student-led query groups in which they took time to process the morning's information. After lunch, students chose two of the following to attend: viewing and discussing the documentary Concrete, Steel, and Paint; viewing and discussing the documentary The Return; a workshop on Putting Together the Pieces of the Prison Industrial Complex; the New Jim Crow workshop looking at the war on drugs; a workshop on How To Talk It Out: Negotiation at the Peace Mat; and a reading/writing workshop based on the prison writings of Jimmy Santiago Baca. This full day ended with a Meeting for Worship.

Students Participate in ENOUGH National School Walkout

3/15/2018

On March 14, Tandem Friends students participated in the ENOUGH National School Walkout. Those who chose to participate (we had about 230 community members join in) walked out of class at 10am. We gathered on Tandem's front lawn in powerful silence for 17 minutes, both to honor each of the 17 killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and to call on Congress to "pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship." Students returned to classes afterwards. This national student-led walkout was held exactly one month after the Florida school shooting. Tandem Friends completely supports all students who wish to participate in this action. Check out a Daily Progress report on local school participation here.

Tandem Juniors Partner with Montpelier to Study Race and History

3/15/2018

James Madison's Montpelier recently hosted our 11th grade class for a day long educational experience. Montpelier created a customized experience for Tandem that complemented our curriculum, and offered new ways to explore race, culture, and history through the lens of the Constitution and America's founding. The program is part of Montpelier's drive to educate and engage students and they have just created a website page about their educational programs that features Tandem juniors - read more about it, hear about Tandem's experience there, and see photos of and quotes from our students on their website here. (Tandem Friends students appear about halfway through the site information.) Junior Miriam Skadron also wrote a piece on their Montpelier experience in the recent issue of the student newspaper, Tandem Times. Check it out here.

Students Take 'Peeps' into History

3/14/2018

Tandem's 9th and 10th grade history students were given a creative challenge by teacher Melissa Winder - to create a diorama depicting a famous historical event with marshmallow Peeps. This is the second annual Peeping into History project. The dioramas are currently on display in the Blue room. Check out these amazing tableaux.

7th Grade Produces their Original Cafe 007: Community, Comedy, Compassion and Culture

3/6/2018

It's time for our annual 7th grade production of Cafe 007 - an original show of creative collaborations from our theatrical 7th grade class! Cafe 007 is filled with original skits, poetry, music, dance and more - woven together by the Quaker testimony of Community and three other alliterative themes - this year's additional themes are Comedy, Compassion and Culture. The entire show is created and performed by all of our amazing 7th graders!

Don't miss Cafe 007: Community, Comedy, Compassion and Culture - performances are on Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24 at 7pm in the Community Hall. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students/seniors. Reservations can be made by calling the Front Desk at 434-296-1303 x348. Tickets can be purchased at the door; the box office opens thirty minutes before each performance.

Senior Project Presentations Get Underway

3/6/2018

The 2018 Senior Project presentation season begins soon! Between March 12 and March 27, seniors will be presenting their projects during Community Time (12:50 to 1:30pm) to the Senior Project Committee and the Upper School community. Parents, family members, and technical advisors are all warmly invited to attend! See website calendar for presentation dates. The Senior Project is a five-month, independent study project in which each senior explores, in detail, a self-chosen subject area. This process is exciting and serious. The project process, along with the final product, is a graduation requirement and includes a research paper component, an extensive journal, a formal individual presentation to the Senior Project Committee and a class presentation to the community.

Tandem Friends, FCE and Other Quaker Schools Unite to Support Student Activism on Gun Control

3/6/2018

Tandem Friends School is proud to join The Friends Council on Education and Friends (Quaker) Schools across the country in a statement of support for student-initiated acts of civic engagement around current issues of gun control and school safety, for the support of students from Stoneman Douglas High School, and in the pursuit of making schools places of peace and safety.

Tandem Friends Head of School Whitney Thompson joined with heads from over fifty other Friends Schools in America to call on public officials to "heed the call of students across the country and take action to address the multi-layered problem of gun violence...to urge our country’s leaders to listen deeply and carefully to our young people."

Please take a moment to read the complete statement here.

Varsity Boys Head to State Tournament

2/27/2018

Tandem's varsity boys basketball team qualified for play in the VISAA division 2 state tournament - the first time our boys team will play in a state matchup. Ranked #12 in their division, the boys will play #5 seed Life Christian Academy on Tuesday, February 27 at 6pm in Petersburg at Richard Bland College (8311 Halifax Road, Petersburg, VA 23805). Note that the game is not being played at Life Christian Academy. We will be live streaming it on our Facebook page, so help us cheer on the Badgers one way or another!! If the boys win in the first round, they will play Carlisle School in Martinsville on Wednesday night at 7pm.

Check a pre-game TV interview here...

Both of our varsity teams played great basketball in the DAC Tournament Championship games held at Highland School on February 24. The girls lost to Chelsea Academy in a tough, close game. The boys played Quantico right after, winning the tournament championship 79-65 and securing both the regular season and tournament championships. Senior Latrell Winkey scored 38 points in the game and was named co-player of the year for the conference.

Check out a DAC Championship Games photo slideshow here...

Basketball All-Conference Honors Announced

2/23/2018

The Delaney Athletic Conference announced all-conference basketball honors for this season for DAC Division 2 athletes and Tandem received many nods. On our girls team, Tori Carter-Johnston and Stella Lane were named First Team and Lilah Hassell and Emma Hitchcock were named Second Team. On the boys team, Latrell Winkey and Jalen Anderson were named First Team, Logan Ratzlaff and Jacob Rice were named Second Team and Matthew McCullough received Honorable Mention. Boys coach Robert Jordan was named Coach of the Year. Senior guard Latrell Winkey was named Co-Player of the Year. What a great year for Badger basketball!

Senior Evelyn Brown Balances Life at Tandem

2/23/2018

Senior Evelyn Brown was chosen to be profiled in this week's C-ville Weekly article about students who manage to balance academics with other passions. Evelyn clearly shows that Tandem students can succeed on all three fronts of academics, arts and athletics. She's taking three APs, playing in the championship conference basketball game tomorrow, and playing Meg March in next week's musical production of Little Women!

Read the article here.

Upper School Presents the Musical Little Women

2/20/2018

The Tandem Friends Upper School Drama department presents the musical Little Women March 1 through 4 in the Community Hall at Tandem Friends School. Performances are at 7pm March 1 through 3, with a 2pm matinee on Sunday, March 4. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Reservations can be made by calling 434-296-1303 x0, or tickets can be purchased at the box office thirty minutes before a performance.

Based on Louisa May Alcott's American classic, set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the musical Little Women tells a story of love and family that stands the test of time. With music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee, the show features twenty songs. You can't go wrong with beloved characters like Marmee and the March girls (Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy), Laurie, Mr. Brooke, and Professor Bhaer, and Aunt March.

Tandem's production is directed and choreographed by Perry Medlin. The musical director is Kristin Baltes and the costume designer is Bruce Young. Poster original artwork is by student Hannah Bashkow (TFS '19).

Students Advance to State Level in Science Olympiad Competition

2/1/2018

In the regional competition on Saturday, January 27, Joe Xie and Ben Chen won a 1st place medal in the Hovercraft event as well as a 6th place medal in Towers. Max Benzian, Noah Tinsley, Jonathan Scholl, Nathan Stevenson, and Matthew McCullough had strong showings in the Helicopters, Mousetrap Vehicle, and Thermodynamics events. Nineteen high school teams from ten high schools in the region met at local Charlottesville High School to compete in the Virginia Science Olympiad Regional Tournament. Tandem's Upper School team performed well enough to advance to the state-level tournament with a final overall place of 6th, based on the performance of each school's top performing team. Joe Xie and Ben Chen won a 1st place medal in the Hovercraft event as well as a 6th place medal in the Towers event. Max Benzian, Noah Tinsley, Jonathan Scholl, Nathan Stevenson, and Matthew McCullough had strong showings in the Helicopters, Mousetrap Vehicle, and Thermodynamics events but came up just short of earning a medal.

Students Attend 2018 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference

2/1/2018

On Thursday, February 1, seven Tandem Friends School students (four juniors and three seniors) and two faculty advisors headed to Durham, NC for the 19th annual Quaker Youth Leadership Conference (QYLC), a gathering of students and teachers from Quaker secondary schools across the world. QYLC serves to embolden the Quaker values in young leaders and encourages them to work collaboratively and with intent to solve the world's social, political, and environmental issues. Since 1999, QYLC has been guided by a contemporary theme and hosted by a different Quaker school. This year's gathering is being held at Carolina Friends School, with help from nearby New Garden Friends School. The theme is Growing Communities through Service and Storytelling.

Varsity Basketball Players Profiled

1/17/2018

Check out this great news piece on basketball players Latrell Winkey and Jalen Anderson done by the Newsplex sports team as they focused on our winning, high-scoring team. Go Badgers!

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