Robinson Moore
Assistant Head of School
Dear Alumni & Friends:
On and around the Quad, all eyes are on the girls’ basketball team, which won the first round of the New England Tournament, besting Governor’s at home before a packed house on Wednesday. Legendary teacher and coach Donna Mastrangelo had her girls wound up for the victory, and LA’s Spartan Nation showed up in costume to chant, cheer, rollercoaster, and generally go wild the whole game, living up to their mantra #BringtheRowdy.
In the closing seconds, when it became apparent LA had secured the victory, the ecstatic fans broke out the school song, "On an Elm Tree Shaded Hillside." I got goose bumps! What a fantastic way to end a long, hard winter; take a break from exams, and remind ourselves that Lawrence Academy school spirit is alive and well and living in Groton. The hoopsters move on to the semi-finals against Tilton School tomorrow (at Tilton, 2:00 p.m.).
As always happens this time of year, the days get lighter and the schedule gets brighter. On Monday we start Winterim. Every student and faculty member will be involved in a two-week, experiential project. LA started Winterim in 1971 under the leadership of Headmaster Ben Williams in order to, and I quote from Douglas Frank’s The History of Lawrence Academy at Groton 1792–1992, “give students, faculty, and friends of the Academy an opportunity to study in depth a variety of subjects rarely found in a secondary school curriculum.”
I am pleased to report that Winterim has thrived for the past 45 years and has become, as the Winterim catalogue states, “the centerpiece of Lawrence Academy’s commitment to experiential education -- learning in the concrete and physical world of activity as a complement to learning in the vicarious and symbol-filled world of traditional classrooms.” I am looking forward to traveling with my colleague Khalid Bashir and 16 students to the Dominican Republic for service learning and community service. The next Elm Tree will be coming to you from there.
With warm regards,
Robinson Moore
Assistant Head of School
BTW: Our Communications Department, under the leadership of John Bishop, has been setting records with followers of Lawrence Academy on social media. We are up to over 10,000 on Facebook, and we have a strong presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. I hope readers will join in and help LA by following, liking, and sharing posts. With that in mind, here are some links to some of our most popular postings for your viewing pleasure:
And, beyond Omnibus, our most popular (and timely) YouTube video to date: Spartan POV: Varsity Girls' BBall Practice.
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