Help Nathan help others.
Lower School student Nathan Irving set a new year’s goal to complete a community service project and is asking for your help. During the month of February, Nathan will be collecting gently used clothing for the needy. All sizes and types can be placed into the designated boxes located on each floor of the school or directly to Nathan in room 207. Let’s help Nathan help others. Donate today! – Mrs. Nehlig
Go Lions!
After a tough loss earlier this week with a last second three-point shot resulting in a 31-30 defeat to New Hanover, the Lewis Lions rallied back to win in their next game against the Immaculate Conception School of Spotswood. The two schools played hard against one another hurling the game into overtime. After a close battle and some excellent defense in the final seconds of the game, Lewis was victorious with a score of 25-24. After a suspenseful week of close calls and heart stopping plays, the Lewis Lions are proud to have a winning record of 3 and 2. The Lewis Lions will play the Waldorf School on Monday 1/28 at Whiteley Gymnasium; tip-off is at 3:45 PM. Please come out and support our players as they face what was seemingly their biggest rival from last basketball season! – Coach Fonder
Bound for Greatness: One dyslexic girl’s journey from kindergarten to the university of her dreams
Summertime in Germany. A young girl hikes up the road in a small Bavarian village with her grandmother and grandfather to visit the local farmer. The girl listens to her grandmother chuckling over small talk with the farmer as he pours milk into her pail. It is a charming, joyful slice of life most people may never experience, but Lewis student Stephanie Rahtz spent her childhood summers this way. Over a decade later, she is preparing to attend American University in Washington, DC. She knows more about the world, and herself, than she ever imagined.
Upper School student Stephanie Rahtz is a dual citizen of Germany and the United States, and has attended The Lewis School since kindergarten. Before finding Lewis, she was having trouble following directions and staying on target. “I was reversing b and d when I began to write, but I fixed that here,” said Stephanie. Now in her final year as a Lewis School student, Stephanie identifies as a poet and a writer. She realizes that perhaps her ear for poetry “could actually be a product of [her] dyslexia.”
Stephanie began the process of applying to college by taking an ACT prep course followed by completing the test at Lewis with a proctor. “The familiarity of the test format made it less stressful and it helped that I was in a familiar classroom alone while taking the test,” Stephanie recalled. She then continued through the college application process with her heart and mind set on American University. “Lewis was beside me throughout the application process,” said Stephanie, “from the initial interview to the submission of the application.”
The education at Lewis was what was the most helpful to Stephanie: comprehension, analysis, and sequencing. They all came together and, with the diminished anxiety that comes with understanding and comfort, Stephanie succeeded. She is also grateful for the supportive, nurturing environment at Lewis. “It has given me the foundation to build who I am,” she said.
Stephanie’s work at Lewis is not yet complete. Her goal for her final year is to use her strong verbal vocabulary in her written work. “I love big words,” she said with a smile, “I am working on using them effectively in my writing.” Stephanie has spent her formative years in a school filled with students who learn differently. She now has her sights set on an even larger goal as she embarks upon the new chapter in her life: “to become comfortable in the world of non-dyslexic students.”
Stephanie offers advice to students beginning to think about college: “stay true to your voice, but listen to guidance and to your teachers. And do you work!” As for advice to herself as she prepares for this exciting new path? Quite simply: “Keep going.”
Stephanie will major in Area Studies with a focus on German language, culture and politics. Her goal for her future beyond college is to use her voice in the European Union. When reflecting on why she would be an asset in international politics, Stephanie explains, “I am an insider and an outsider in both of my countries. I understand each culture from the perspective of the other. This is who I am, and I love this about myself.”
The young girl gleefully listening to her grandmother on those warm mornings in Germany will now actively use her voice to inspire, inform and unify through her work both in America and abroad.
Teachers in Perfect Harmony
Tonight is the night. The audience will be waiting in Yale’s Marquand Chapel at four o’clock whether she is ready or not, though of course she will be. She’s been practicing since she was a four year old girl in Ireland, sitting with the same piano teacher her mother had when she was a child. Her confidence, along with years of study and rehearsal, helps her relax and conserve the energy she’ll need to conduct her orchestra in just a few short hours. She decides to bake scones.
On the other side of the world, another musician is preparing for the concert of a lifetime. She has just flown across the world to perform for an audience of 10,000. To get herself ready, the diligent musician is warming up the reeds she made for her oboe. After the pieces are perfectly fitted and ready, it’s practice, practice, practice until show time. Confident and methodical, she’s prepared to give it all she’s got.
These two musicians, each incredibly disciplined and inspired, yet distinct in their approach to the craft, are music teachers at The Lewis School.
Hannah Carr
Hannah Carr grew up in Ireland and plays piano and organ. Leading up to a performance, you will likely find Ms. Carr indulging in some rest and rejuvenation, a tradition that dates back to her degree recital at the Yale Institute for Sacred Music. “I prepared by baking scones for the reception,” she said. “I think it is often better to relax before something like that, whenever possible.” Today Ms. Carr counts the Yale recital as one of her proudest achievements.
Dr. Marie Trudeau is also a trained pianist, in addition to playing oboe, English horn and baroque oboe. Her knowledge and appreciation for her instruments began when she was ten years old. Unlike Ms. Carr, Dr. Trudeau was raised in a home without much music. “I had to discover it myself,” said Dr. Trudeau. She joined the school band playing the oboe and loved it from the start. The student-turned-professional musician recently returned from a whirlwind trip to perform in China. “The city spent $140,000,000 to light up the buildings in the background,” she said about the event. “The audience wanted pictures and selfies with us after.” To Dr. Trudeau, this experience was the most memorable of her career thus far.
Dr. Marie Trudeau
Dr. Trudeau prepares for a performance by making reeds for her instrument. “I have to make my own mouthpieces for oboe,” she said. “It’s the most difficult part about the instrument and requires several hours each week. I warm up slowly and practice the parts. Making sure I’m solid in my own sound and part makes the entire orchestra better, like a team.”
Ms. Carr and Dr. Trudeau joined Lewis in the Fall of 2017 and the Spring of 2018, respectively. Along with teaching music during the day and leading choir after school, they have conducted and contributed to several performances in their time at Lewis.
“I want my students to discover that there is more to music than what they hear on the radio,” said Dr. Trudeau. “I want them to get a full perspective of what music has given to humanity in a broader historical context.” Ms. Carr is eager to teach the students the importance of studying and practicing. “The process can often be more enjoyable than the product,” she said. In order to be a successful music student, “a love of music is most important,” according to Ms. Carr. Dr. Trudeau echoes that same sentiment, advising students to “listen often and to a lot of music!”
Both teachers see the potential in their students. “Every student at The Lewis School has music ability,” said Dr. Trudeau. “I’ve seen it! And they inspire me every day.” One such student is Sammy Kravitz, who will join Ms. Carr’s beloved womens’ choir when they perform in Hoboken, New Jersey mid-December. Sammy will join as the choir’s professional musician.
When they are not practicing, teaching or performing, Ms. Carr loves to cook, paint, and relax with her new baby. You might find Dr. Trudeau at the beach, exercising or spending time with her two orange cats.
Two musicians, both with nearly a lifetime of exposure and practice, each incredibly disciplined and inspired, yet uniquely distinct in their approach to the craft. Their journeys have led them both to The Lewis School where they are like two separate notes working together to create a beautiful harmony for their students.
