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 6 a.m. on the morning of Saturday May 12th was the perfect weather to start a day of bike riding. Mr. McGee and 12 other riders began their 120 mile journey as the sun was just peaking over the horizon on the Delaware River.
Upon making a 20 mile wrong turn and touring more of the South Jersey countryside than he ever would have planned, exchange student Jay Cho '14 credited his school mates for motivating him to finish.
"I can't believe I just rode 70 miles!" said Cho. "I'm proud of myself and I'm proud of the crew team for getting me in good shape, so I could finish."  | |
A group of 50 mile riders at the Springfield rest stop.
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100 people raising $33,000 is no small feat. We should be proud of our accomplishments: increasing rider participation, creating a website to enable on-line donations and, most importantly, raising $13,000 more than in 2011!
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Young students who rode 1 and 8 miles celebrate with Mr. McGee
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"Supporting a student who could not otherwise afford Doane is where it all starts, but it is really an investment in strong, ethical leadership for our community and for the world." says John McGee. "Our children are our future." Next year marks the 5th anniversary of Ride Onward. No doubt, the event will continue to grow. Every person with a connection to Doane Academy should keep this cause among his or her worthwhile charities. Celebrating 175 Years! Founder's Day 2012 - a Milestone in the History of St. Mary's Hall and Doane Academy Those privy enough to witness the restoration process of the Chapel of the Holy Innocents could hardly believe the transformation that took place in the final days leading up to May 4th.
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Guests filled the pews for the chapel service.
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Over 150 returning alumni and visitors witnessed the result - a completely restored chapel and pipe organ in the spirit of the original design 175 years ago. "The alumni were thrilled to see the chapel," said Development Director Kathleen Keays ('88). "It is a visible and tangible sign that the school is on its way to greatness." The former students shared their love and stories of Saint Mary's Hall-Doane Academy over the weekend. Patricia Lix ('45) flew in from California for the event. She showed off her Bishop Matthews Cross that she received at her graduation. Current seniors Paige Parker, Allie Woodard and Mary Brodowski marveled that she has worn it every day since. Lix continues to support the school by participating in Ride Onward on her stationary bike every year. The classes of 1957 celebrated their 55th reunion and pledged $20,000 to the school. The class of 2012 mirrored their spirit and is pledging $10,000 themselves. Alumni from the class of 1962 celebrated the weekend as well, marking their 50th reunion.  | |
Alice Fisk accepts the community service award from Mr. McGee.
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Alice Fisk ('61) and her brothers John and Edward Collins received the G.W. Doane Community Service Award in recognition of their contributions to the school in the past twelve years. The family was honored at the Gala and there will be a new window in the chapel installed in their honor. "The Fisk/Collins family has shown unwavering support and enthusiasm," said Headmaster John McGee. "They believed in us when no one else did." |
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 Doane Goes Global Spanish and Latin studies classes take to the skies, traveling to Guatemala and Italy over spring break. Italy
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A jubilant group photo in front of the Colosseaum.
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Mrs. Nancy Ginsberg teaches that standing in the Colosseaum is more than just a photo-op. She and 19 of her students took to the pavement of the ancient cities like Rome, Pompeii and Naples, exploring first-hand what they've been studying all year.
Students immersed themselves fully in the history and culture, from making a pizza in a pizza shop, to walking in a village Easter procession, to touring St. Peter's Basilica. The group teamed up with EF tours and had native Italian tour guides for the week long trip.  An Italian village Easter Processional. |
"The trip is a way for the students to expand their horizons and experience being out of their comfort zones while learning the course content," said Mrs. Ginsberg.
"I didn't expect so much art," said Allie Woodard '12. "The time, thought and money that went into these places made my head hurt. I would have loved more time to explore and study them, especially the Vatican."
This was the first international trip for Latin Studies in over a decade. A trip for next year is already in the works.
Guatemala
Thirteen juniors and seniors spent their spring vacation swinging hammers, distributing donations and comforting undernourished children in the blazing heat of the equatorial sun.
 | | The students spent entire days working on the porch construction. |
The teens are studying Spanish language and culture with Spanish teacher, Ms. Alyssa Jerdon. The group teamed up with Hearts in Motion, an Indiana based non-profit, to perform community service in Guatemala, while immersing themselves in another language and culture. 2012 marks the second year that Ms. Jerdon has led the high school students on this trip.
The cohort spent most of the week working on their main project, building a new deck for the local nutrition center. During their time away from the project, the students distributed donations they had brought with them - 32 duffle bags of clothing and school supplies, totaling over 1600 pounds of goods (all of the checked baggage allowed and then some). They also spent an afternoon staffing the nutrition center where they helped serve lunch and spent time with the children being served.
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Doane students standing with the school children of La Linea after handing out school supplies and donations.
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"One moment really put things into perspective for me," said Kierra Coleman '12, "We were complaining about the dust and bumpy ride on our trip to Las Nubes [a mountain village] to distribute school supplies. I just thought, this is nothing compared to what these people go through on a daily basis; they have to walk up this mountain."
A Special Meaning
This trip took on an unexpectedly deeper meaning for Ms. Jerdon and the entire group. Her younger brother, Ian, died in a car accident just weeks before the group's departure. Ian would have been a chaperone on the trip.
The students took it upon themselves to support Ms. Jerdon and memorialize Ian on the trip. They carried an engraved stone in their backpacks all the way from New Jersey to place in the deck of the nutrition center. The deck itself became a tribute to Ian, an avid musician. His name, a guitar and music notes are now an artistic piece of the deck.
"Those kids did an amazing job," said Ms. Jerdon, "they helped me and my family begin to heal."
Jerdon is returning to Guatemala this August with her parents, close family and friends. They will continue work on the nutrition center; completing the service project her brother never had the opportunity to start.
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Education and Environmentalism
Students design, dig native plant rain garden.
Mr. Michael Russell's Engineering and Mechanics students applied their classroom lessons to solve a real-world dilemma.
Stormwater runoff can pollute our waterways and cause erosion. The erosion has been a particular problem at the east end of the science building. A Native Plant rain garden is a way to solve this problem and to encourage biodiversity within an area.
Ms. Bonnie Smith, the Discovery teacher proposed the construction of such a garden on our school campus. Under the direction of Mike Haberland, Environmental and Resource Management Agent of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Ms. Smith's vision became a reality.
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Mr. Russell and Ms. Smith supervise as students prepare the rain garden for native plants.
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The students used the New Jersey Native Rain Garden manual as their textbook. They studied the purpose of rain gardens, surveyed land use around campus and drew up designs.
Meanwhile, Ms. Smith gathered plants for the garden, lower school students tended to them during discovery classes and a group of upper school girls with an interest in botany designed the layout of the garden.
In the end, more than 40 people had a hand in bringing our native plant rain garden into existence. Mr. Heupel (P Ashley '11 and Tyler '14) donated a day of labor to digging out the area with a backhoe. Plants and new topsoil were complements of local organizations and volunteers came out for hours of labor intensive work to finish the garden.
"The garden is doing its job!" said Ms. Smith a week after the garden was completed. "It was full of water from last night's rain and it is already completely drained."
Evidence of the same heavy rain was still present on roads and other areas of campus for the next few days.
The garden is on the bridge side of the science building.
 | | A dedicated group of students and parents spent an entire Saturday digging and planting until the garden was complete. |
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Seventh Graders Host Empty Bowls Dinner
Students raise over $900 for local soup kitchen.
The seventh grade class hosted more than 200 people for the Empty Bowls Charity Dinner on April 24th.
Empty Bowls is a grass roots movement to raise awareness of world hunger.
Under art teacher Ms. Amanda Smith, students made ceramic bowls in their art classes. The Doane community was invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. Families, teachers and friends donated the food for the evening.
Guests bought a bowl for a five dollar donation and ate their meal from that bowl. In exchange for the donation, they keep the bowls as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.
"This was one of the most successful, well organized events that we've hosted," said Dr. Pam McCormick. "Amanda and the students did an amazing job orchestrating this fundraiser."
The money they raised was donated to Ladle of Love, here in Burlington.
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Young Alumna named Charles O. Thompson Scholar
Stephanie Piscitelli ('11), a freshman at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been named a Charles O. Thompson Scholar for the 2011-2012 academic year. Piscitelli is majoring in biomedical engineering.
Named in honor of the first president of WPI, this honor recognizes outstanding performance by first-year students. To be eligible for membership, students must receive all A's and B's (with a minimum of six A's) in their academic subjects during their first three terms at WPI.
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Spartan Athletics
Lady Spartans end season with winning records.
Click team name to go to their website. Updated as of May 22nd. Veteran Coach, Sean Yackel, and his team have a lot to celebrate this season. Team captains, Mary Brodowski '12, Rachel Willinger '12, and Alexa Smith-Rommel '13 led by example to propel the team into the Penn Jersey League Championships.
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Alexa Smith-Rommel heads to first on a base hit.
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On May 12th the Spartans had a big 14 -1 win over public school, Paulsboro High in the Palmyra Tournament. It was the team's first tournament win in five years. A disappointing loss to Girard College ended their run in the Penn Jersey League, but their excellent record qualified them for the NJSAA state playoffs, beginning next week. This is the first year the team has quailified for the playoffs. They are currently seeded fourth in the state. Best of luck, girls! Varsity Men's Baseball (5 - 10)
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Team captains (l-r) Brian Strauss '12, Brett Keays '13, Noah Foerst '12 and Zachary Burr '12
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The Spartan Baseball team controlled its own destiny in terms of a Penn Jersey playoff birth. They returned to the playoffs after missing them the last two seasons. The team played strong but ultimately lost in a semifinal game to Life Center 4-0.
Season highlights include wins over public schools Medford Tech and Westampton Tech and a key Penn Jersey win over Mercy Vocational.
Consistent pitching from aces Trent Eastman '15 and Chris Scott '14 have kept the team in almost every game. Center Fielder, Zack Burr '12 leads the team in batting average hitting at a .529 clip.
The squad is enjoying its new home park in Burlington Township and has a home record of 4-1. Varsity Baseball will travel to Moorestown Friends for a Non Public B sate playoff game May 24th at 3:45 p.m.
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Closing pitcher, Campbell Mason '17 on the mound.
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The squad of sixth through eighth graders hailed three wins in an undefeated season. "The whole team played great," said Coach Jim Fine (P '17, '19 and '23). "They are one of the best teams I've ever coached." Team standouts include the captains, Dana Fine '17 and Madelyn Miller '17. Pitcher Leah Simpson '16 was recognized by her coach for most improved player this season. As a current eighth grader, Leah will move up to the high school team for the 2013 season. The middle school team continues to serve as a strong feeder program for the winning varsity team.
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Team members clean the boats in preparation to take them in the water.
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The only high school team on the Delaware continues practicing in the water. Families and friends are invited to watch Friday practices, as the team departs from Oneida Boat Club up-river in Burlington and rows south past the school. NOTE: There is no practice, Friday May 25th.
Coaches Colleen McCormick and Chance Van Sciver led Doane's biggest team to date through safety, skill building and endurance drills.
Danielle Costa, a current Crew coach at Oxford University, revisited the crew team during a May practice. Ms. Costa, a former English teacher and Crew coach here at Doane, ran the team through a vigorous workout on the windy Delaware river, and was pleased with the results.
Liz Baldwin ('10) is volunteering with the coaching team for the remainder of the year. A Division III rower at Stockton State College, and formerly at Hofstra University, Liz brings her competitive experience and excellent skills training to Doane's Crew.
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The To-Doane List
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
May 24 -Lower School Spring Band/Choral Concert 7:00p.m.
May 25 -Community Service Day
-Grandparents' Day -Bishop Doane's Birthday -Cardboard Boat Races
May 28
-Memorial Day (No School)
May 29
-All School Piano & Strings Recital 7:00 p.m.
May 30
-Athletic Banquet 5:30 p.m.
May 31
-Lower School Drama Presentation 2:30 p.m.
-Upper School Spring Band/Chroal Concert 7:00 p.m.
June 1
-Registration due for summer programs
June 4-6
-Final Exams
June 7
-Closing Ceremonies for grades preK-8.
-No school for grades 9-12
June 8
-Faculty in-service day (no school for students)
-Class night
June 9 -Commencement Ceremony Download Year-At-A-Glance |
Student Spotlight
Highlighting the accomplishments of Doane students and young alumni in the community.
 Paige Parker '12 was featured in the April 9th edition of The Chronicle of the Horse. Parker dominated the junior division, winning three awards at the Gulf Coast Winter Classics Series in Gulfport, Miss. Read the article here.
Jay Yang '14, pictured with freeholder Mary Ann O'Brien, showcased his art at the Teen Arts Festival Reception in the Smithville Mansion Annex Gallery this April. His untitled piece was selected at the Teen Arts Festival held earlier in the year. He received an arts scholarship from Burlington County College.
Elda Perez '13 won first place in the East Coast Classic Weightlifting Competition in Moorestown NJ. She beat out 38 other contestants with her personal record 268 pounds in the snatch and clean and jerk lifts. Elda qualified for the School-age Weightlifting National Championships to be held in Michigan this June. Antony Haines '12 passed his Emergency Medical Training course and State exam last summer. Since then he has volunteered almost every Saturday evening at his local station riding in the ambulance under supervision. He has put in at least 150 hours of volunteer time. In April, he received a promotion to staff status which allows him to ride unsupervised. .
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Doane Summer Programs
 Spend your summer at Doane!
Weekly programs designed for students grades K-12.
Field trips, guest visitors and more!
Registration is Due June 1st.
Click HERE for complete information.
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5th and 6th Grade Battle of the Books Team Takes Second Place
Congratulations to the fifth and sixth grade Battle of The Books team! The team missed first place by only two points in this county wide tournament. The students spent many hours preparing for the tournament with Mrs. Silcox and Mrs. Majane.
The team members were:
Gokulraj Harikumar
Eva Kozlowski
Robert Minton
Samuel Robinson
Rose Van Sciver
Christian Wisniewski
Donovan McClellan
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Cum Laude Induction
 | | Dr. Paradis welcomes the new inductees to the society. They are (l-r) Kaitlin Stoneburner '12, Antony Haines '12, Emily Curci '13, and Elise Paulson '13. |
Four students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society this spring. They were nominated and accepted by current members of the society and headmaster, John McGee. Membership is based on scholastic achievement. The students join Jessica Petkevis '12, inducted in the Spring of 2011. |
Celebrating Poetry
Month
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Mr. Corra read his favorite poem, Casey at Bat
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Lower school students got in the spirit of Poetry Month this April. Students wrote, read and even memorized poems to present to classmates and teachers.
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Seniors Learn Value of Young Alumni Giving at Annual Breakfast
 | | S.O.G. Executive member, George Mesthos '05, hands out Doane blankets to the class of 2012. |
The Society of Graduates breakfast in early April was another milestone for Doane's senior class as they progress on their way to becoming alumni. Students learned the benefits and responsibilities that come along with being a Doane graduate. Seniors dressed to impress as they breakfasted and conversed with Doane alumni who attended the event. Society of Graduates officers passed out Doane blankets to the students to be used in dorm rooms, apartments, and their own homes in the years to come.
Society of Graduates executive committee member and chair of the young alumni drive, Mr. George Mesthos '05, encouraged the students to be active supporters of the school, even as young and recent graduates. He challenged the class to reach 100% participation by each contributing $18.37 their first year. The financial contribution symbolizes the year the school opened, 1837.
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Introducing the new Mrs. Farina!  Third Grade teacher, Meghan Hadalski was married to R.J. Farina on April 14th in Lansdale P.A. Congratulations to the happy couple!
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U.S. History Classes Visit Gettysburg
 History students took to the road early in the morning of May 17th.
Students toured the battlefield and local historic places of interest. The trip was organized and guided by Doane's own civil war expert, Dr. Paradis.
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Experimenting with Social Media
 What would your life be like without facebook?
Students in Ran Holeman's English class decided to investigate that question using themselves at the test subjects.
The month long investigation revealed that in many cases, students prioritized their online lives over their real-world passions and goals.
With time and space to refocus on these interests, they discovered their social networking activities were far less important to them than they had suspected.
The students plan to use this wake-up call to balance their lives more effectively between the world waiting beyond their doors and the world waiting inside their computer screens.
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Lower School Students Get Outside for Lessons in Teambuilding and Trust
 Upper Elementary students went to Camp Ockanickon, in Medford on April 27th for a day of team building and nature exploration. The students learned how to build a fire, got silly with team building games and even crossed a swamp. |
Second Graders Bake Sale 
Ms. Rusinko's second grade class hosted a bake sale during lunch on May 22nd. The class raised more than $500! All of the money raised will be donated to the American Cancer Society in memory of Evan Vasile's mother, Carol Vasile.
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Prom 2012
 The class of 2013 hosted this year's prom at the Burlington Country Club. Glittering lights, romantic candles and flora set the ambiance for the enchanted forest theme. Mr. Russell even got in the spirit of the evening by showing off his dance moves. Brian Strauss '12 and Mary Brodowski '12 were crowned prom king and queen. |
Doane
Quick Links
About
Doane Academy, est. 1837, is an independent Episcopal college preparatory school serving students PreK - 12. We are located on the Delaware River in Burlington, NJ, next to the Burlington-Bristol Bridge.
Right Onward 350 Riverbank Burlington, NJ 08016 (609) 386-3500 info@doaneacademy.org |
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