Week of April 23, 2012
From the Head of School
When GOD, your God, ushers you into the land he promised through your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you, you're going to walk into large, bustling cities you didn't build, well-furnished houses you didn't buy, come upon wells you didn't dig, vineyards and olive orchards you didn't plant. When you take it all in and settle down, pleased and content, make sure you don't forget how you got there…
Deuteronomy 6: 10-12 (The Message)
Today is Founder’s Day at Salem Academy, and there will be a lot of talk during this 240th celebration about our very first teacher, Sister Elisabeth Oesterlein. It’s important for us to remember our roots, because it’s important to remember how and why we got to where we are. But since we’ll hear about Sister “O” today, I thought I’d take a minute to look back a little farther…back to the very beginnings of the Moravian faith. In other words, why was Elisabeth Oesterlein hired to teach girls in the first place? After all, in most places at the time, girls weren’t supposed to receive a formal education!
According to Frances Griffin, who wrote the history of Salem Academy, from the beginning, the Moravians have always held education in “high regard.” Indeed, in her book, Less Time for Meddling; A History of Salem Academy and College 1772-1866, she writes; “(The Moravians) believed, that in the Scriptures lay the supreme law under which all men and women must live and work. Unless one could read the Word for himself (or herself), how could he fully comprehend its teachings, much less dedicate his life to them.” And yet, unlike many others in society at the time, for the Moravians this notion of understanding God’s will for their lives was not limited only to the men. So they looked to the “father of modern education,” John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) to state their case.
Comenius had all sorts of revolutionary ideas about education – children should be taught in their native language German rather than in Latin, textbooks should include illustrations to make them easier to understand, and all sorts of other crazy ideas! Of course, one of his most radical ideas was that of educating women. Here’s what he had to say:
“No reason can be shown why the female sex…should be kept from a knowledge of languages and wisdom. For they are also human beings, and image of God, as we are; they are also partakers of the mercy and the kingdom of the future life; in their minds they are equally gifted to acquire wisdom; indeed, in gentleness of understanding they are often more endowed than we. The Lord God likewise employs them sometimes in large affairs (to manage people, lands, estates, and even whole kingdoms; also to give special advice to kings and princes; also to practice the art of medicine and to care for fellow human beings; even to function as prophets and to aid priests and bishops in giving instruction and chastisement).Why then should we merely dismiss them with the ABC and drive them away from books: Are we afraid of their meddling? The more we introduce them to mental occupations, the less time they will find for meddling, which comes from emptiness of mind.”
I thank God for John Amos Comenius, the Moravians, Sister Elisabeth Oesterlein, and all of the amazing women and men that have built, bought, dug, and planted for so many years, so that we might stand on their shoulders today and say; “Happy 240th Birthday Salem Academy.” May we never forget how…or why…we got here!
God bless, and happy Founders Day!
Karl J. Sjolund
Head of School
Soccer Stars
The Salem Academy soccer team played Westchester yesterday at home for the senior day game. The Sabers pulled out a victory over Westchester, a fitting way to send our seniors off! Go, Sabers!
SSAT Pre-Test
On May 2, the freshman class will take part in a pre-test for the SSAT. The SSAT is the admissions test that Salem (and many other independent schools) require for admission. SSAT has asked member schools to help with a pre-test to calibrate new questions for the test. The freshmen will take two 45 minute sections of the pre-test. The pre-test will not affect their grades nor will the test scores be used in any other way than by SSAT to inform the way they score the SSAT. Salem will be compensated for our participation in this pre-test and the money will go to the freshman class fund. Please see the attached PDF for more information. If you have questions, please contact Lucia Higgins.
Career Day
Salem Academy's annual Career Day will be on Wednesday, May 2. Students will get the chance to meet and speak with women in a number of fields. This year's keynote speaker will be Ragan Folan, CEO of Old Salem Museums and Gardens. She will be joined by: Caroline Brown, Pediatrician, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center; Jenna Fariss, Actuary; Valene Franco, Attorney, Legal Aid; Sally Gant, Director of Education and Special Programs, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA); Liz Hansen, Physician Assistant (Pathology); Katy Hites, Pastry Chef, Dewey’s Wedding Cake Boutique; Liz May, Production Manager at Hanes Brands Theatre, CEO and Artist Relations Director for Sound Lizzard Productions, Owner and Artist Relations Director for Realizzation Records, Owner and Licensing Agent of Coda Publishing, President of Habitat Nexus; Kasey McWhorter, Senior Engineer, S&ME; Angel Mitchell, Nurse, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center; Mary Hilliard Moran, BB&T Small Business Underwriting Manager; Jamie Rogers Southern, Event/Wedding Planning, BOOKMARKS Assistant Director; Linda Thorup, Executive Vice President, HAYDENdesign; Karen Walker, General Manager, Lucky 32 Restaurant.
Freshman Cookout
Physics teacher Paul Allen and his wife, Kathy, will host an end-of-year party for the freshman class at their home in Clemmons on Friday, May 11, 5-8 PM. Plans include a cookout, a bonfire, a variety of outdoor games, swimming and canoeing in the lake - a great time to "chill" before final exams. There is likely to be a need for transportation - please contact Mr. Allen if you are willing to drive to and/or from school: paul.allen@salem.edu.
Parents' Excellence Fund Connect-a-thon Coming Soon
What is the PEF Connect-a-thon?
Current parents volunteer to call, send personal emails or write letters to other current parents to encourage them to give to the Parents Excellence Fund. Peer to peer solicitation is one of the most successful ways to raise money, which makes these events so successful. Connect-a-thon combines a social gathering for current parents with a fundraising aspect that allows volunteers to solicit based on their comfort level (phone calls, email, letters).
Who does the PEF Connect-a-thon solicit?
The first round will be for current parents who have not made a gift to the Parents Excellence Fund in the 2012 fiscal year (ends June 30). Depending on time, parents of recent Academy graduates may also be contacted.
When and where is the PEF Connect-a-thon?
It is tentatively scheduled for May of 2012, with a specific date and location to be announced. If you are interested in hosting a Connect-a-thon, please contact Shelley Hindmon as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about Connect-a-thon or would be interested in hosting or donating food and/or drinks, please contact:
Shelley Hindmon
Assistant Director of Annual Giving
Shelley.hindmon@salem.edu
336-917-5598
Salem C.H.I.C.S. Racing to Beat Cancer
Registration is open for the Salem Academy & College C.H.I.C.S. (Creating Hope in Cancer Survival) Race for the Cure team. The registration fee is $35 (includes a Race for the Cure t-shirt). C.H.I.C.S. shirts are also available for $8 with proceeds benefiting the Triad affiliate of the Komen Foundation. Salem will once again host the breast cancer awareness event on May 5. This year's team is running/walking in honor of Salem alumna Mischa Gipson Sell C'96 who recently lost her battle with breast cancer at age 37. Click here to sign up for the team.
Alumnae Luncheon
The Salem Academy Alumnae Board is excited to invite the Class of 2012 to their first alumnae luncheon on Friday May 11. This will be a special event during which we welcome the seniors into Salem's alumnae association and invite them to make their first gift to the Academy. Please encourage your daughter to bring a donation of any amount; the Alumnae Board will match the gift if there is 100% participation!
Parent Association Tips
- The Association is seeking parents to fill the roles of Hospitality Chair and Co-President for the 2012-13 school year. If anyone is interested, please email Parents.Association@salem.edu
CO-PRESIDENT ELECT. The Co-President Elect shall perform duties assigned by the President, shall perform the duties of the President when the President is absent, and shall assume the duties of the office of President at the expiration of the President’s term or earlier, if the office of President should become vacant.
CHAIR OF HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE. The Chair of Hospitality shall coordinate refreshment-related activities and events working with the Dean of Students, and shall recruit participants to provide food and supervise the set up and clean-up of each event.
- Reminder: SAT deadline to register for the June 2 exam without a late penalty is May 8. You can also register for SAT subject tests that are required by a number of colleges. For more information visit the College Board website at http://sat.collegeboard.org/home
- Final exams are just around the corner (May 19). Provide encouragement to your girls, help them to get needed rest in preparation and provide thoughtful ways to manage the stress like snacks, phone calls etc.
- Graduation is May 26. Seniors will need white dresses. The freshman class provides refreshments.
- Junior students should be working on their college plans. The questionnaire provided by Ms. Walker should be completed by the student and a meeting scheduled with her to discuss the process. A folder of helpful information was provided to all juniors before the February break.
- It’s not too early to start lining up your Jan Term internships. Discuss ideas with your daughter and have your daughter make contacts as soon as possible in order to have the required paperwork done in time
DADS Dash Outing
The Salem Academy DADs group will host an outing to the Winston-Salem Dash game on Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 p.m. at BB&T Field. Prior to the game, the Salem Spirit ensemble will sing the national anthem. The Dash will play the Myrtle Beach Pelicans that night.
Jan Term Trip 2013
Still interested in going on the Jan Term Trip to England, Scotland Ireland and Wales? You still have time to sign up. This is going to be an amazing trip and the cost is an incredible deal. If you still want to go just go to: www.eftours.com and put in our tour number 1077346.
To enroll you will need to pay $95. You can arrange for payments to be made monthly or you can pay all at once. Whatever works best for you. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!!
Please contact me if you have any questions at kerry.lawson@salem.edu or 336-917-5508.
Come explore around the British Isles with us!!
Moms in Prayer
New for 2012, a Moms in Prayer group has formed at Salem Academy. Moms in Prayer is a non-denominational group that prays for the school, staff, teachers and students. Please join us as we kick off the new year every Wednesday at 8:15 in the chapel of Salem Academy. Attendees can pray or participate silently and enjoy the peace of a quiet moment in the little chapel. We will leave a prayer box in the mail room for any teachers or students who want to write down a specific prayer request. We will collect the prayer requests from the box every Wednesday morning.
Shop at Food Lion and Earn Money for Salem
Dear Parents, Faculty and Friends,
Thank you for supporting our school through the Food Lion MVP Rewards program.
Salem Academy is participating in the new Food Lion Classroom Rewards program to earn much needed funding for our school. We need your help and support to maximize our fundraising effort. We are encouraging you to shop at your local Food Lion store and every time you shop, Salem Academywill earn a share of the program funds donated by Food Lion based on what you purchase.
If you haven’t already linked your MVP Card to support our school, please follow the steps below.
1. Go to www.foodlion.com
2. Click on Community Outreach
3. Click on MVP Rewards
4. Click Register your MVP Card
5. Click on the arrow that says, “Shoppers register here”
Once on the MVP Shopper Registration page, enter your MVP Card number (all 12 digits), your contact information and link it to our school. Our code is 214297.
Purchases of only the following brands will help earn cash for our school: Food Lion Brand, Healthy Accents, Home 360, Nature’s Place, On the Go Bistro, Smart Option, Taste of Inspirations, Butchers Brand Beef and Holly Farms Poultry.
Help our school earn even more by shopping on double points day! All Food Lion brand product purchases will receive double credit on the 10th of each month.
For more information on how you can help, please contact:Megan RatleySalem AcademyPhone: 336-721-2664Email address: megan.ratley@salem.edu
Food Lion is a banner of Food Lion LLC, a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG).
Link Your Harris Teeter VIC Card and Support Salem
Beginning August 1, Salem Academy proudly continued in Harris Teeter's Together In Education program to help raise funds for our school. It's easy and it's FREE. Simply give the cashier our code, 5509, and your VIC card when you check out and your card will be linked for the entire school year. That's it! You only have to link your VIC card once each school year. Once your card is linked, Salem Academy will receive a percentage of your Harris Teeter brand (Harris Teeter, Premier Selection, H.T. Traders, Harris Teeter Naturals, Your Pet, Hunter Farms, Highland Crest and More Value) purchases credited back to our account. This program does not interfere with your VIC savings or cost you any money!
For those of you who participated last year, don't forget to re-link your VIC card to our account code next time you are shopping at Harris Teeter!
