Week of April 15, 2020

2020-21 MLWGS SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL  

Looking for student and parent volunteers! The MLWGS School Advisory Council (SAC) currently has both student and parent openings for the 2020-2021 school year. To learn more about the SAC, please visit THIS LINK.

Students must be rising juniors, have no honor code violations, a minimum GPA of 3.3, show a demonstrated commitment to MLWGS, and be willing to serve a 2-year term. If interested, please contact Mr. Dan Brown who will send you an application. Any parent PTSA member may be on SAC (except for current PTSA Board members); parents serve a 3-year term. If you are interested in becoming a parent member, would like to nominate someone, or would like to learn more, please contact Karen Townsend. SAC is requesting to receive all expressions of interest no later than Friday, April 17.

SENIOR SURVEY IS OPEN

The senior survey is now available on Naviance and must be completed by 

May 6 as a part of the official check-out process. This survey will give the senior counselors information about each student’s post-graduation plans, which is critical so that we know where to send your transcript in June. We still plan to recognize seniors in some way for the scholarships you have received (even if you are turning them down in some cases), so the survey will ask you for that information as well. We find this information helpful so that we can stay abreast of institutions’ awarding trends. To access the survey, students should go to Naviance and click the senior survey link under “About Me.” When completed, select “Save and Finish.” If a student changes his/her college decision or receives a scholarship after submitting the form, please notify his/her senior counselor by e-mail. Please contact Dr. Loving if you have any questions.

ATTENTION JUNIORS: COLLEGE APPLICATION BOOT CAMP

Registration for College Application Boot Camp is open as of April 16! Emails with instructions were sent to juniors and parents at the start of registration.

The mission of College Boot Camp is to provide rising seniors the space and time to complete their Common Application and/or Coalition Application (and/or other application of their choice) before the start of the school year. Boot Camp will be held from August 24-26, 2020. Morning (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) and afternoon (1-4 p.m.) sessions will be offered. College Boot Camp is an optional fee-based workshop led by the senior counselors. The cost of Boot Camp is $55 and this fee will not be collected until August. Fee waivers are available if paying for Boot Camp would be an obstacle. Please email Kierstin Streitel with any questions or to request a fee waiver. Registration will close on May 31. Registration operates on a “first come, first served” basis, so if you are interested in attending, please register as soon as possible.

The MLWGS Senior Counselors will provide a structured curriculum over three, three-hour sessions with specific tips and personal assistance at every step. College Boot Camp is designed to walk students through each section of the Common Application and/or Coalition Application and provide them with the resources to complete each section during the program. A guest speaker will address the essay specifically, and the students should leave the Boot Camp with their Common App primary essay (or other essay of their choice) in a completed draft form. There will be some group discussion, peer editing, quiet individual work time, and one-on-one consultations. The Boot Camp will also touch on college-specific supplements and popular institutional applications. Topics can be adjusted based on the needs of the group.

We are very hopeful that we will be able to come together as a group for Boot Camp in August; however, if that is not the case, we will be making adjustments in order to still provide Boot Camp via video conference, etc. In the event that we need to switch formats, the cost of the program will be lowered. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

We can't wait to see you all again in person!

MLWGS Senior Counselors

GRASP ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

Class of 2020 high school seniors have been dealt a major blow by the upheaval of traditional senior year events caused by the COVID-19 impact. For many of these seniors, college plans that once seemed certain are now in limbo, in part, because of the current financial uncertainty of their lives. Figuring out the next steps to achieve their college goals is daunting but doable, and GRASP (www.grasp4va.org), a Virginia career/college access non-profit organization, is available NOW to provide assistance, hope and encouragement needed to ensure career and college access for all, especially during these uncertain times.

GRASP services, which are free of charge, include assistance with FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completion, assistance with understanding financial aid award letters, as well as assistance with the process for requesting Professional Judgement for financial aid adjustments if the family income situation has changed. Despite today’s obstacles, GRASP is available and ready to provide hope and to guide students to the educational paths that will allow them to forge fulfilling lives.

Although the COVID-19 virus has disrupted in-person GRASP services, our FAFSA/financial aid services are available by email (pfeyerabend@grasp4va.org) and by phone (804-527-7741). For students who have already worked with a GRASP advisor this academic year, invitations are being sent to participate in a texting option for assistance. Please contact us if you need assistance with your post-secondary education plans. There is hope for your future!

DRAGONS WIN SABR ANALYTICS FOR A FOURTH TIME

For the fourth year in a row, a team representing MLWGS garnered first-place honors at the SABR Analytics Diamond Dollars Case Competition in Phoenix, AZ. This contest pits students from colleges across the country against each other in an analytic major league baseball operations decision — the type of decision a team’s general manager and staff face over the course of a season. The first-place team consisted of MLWGS alums Tom Blue (’19), Nicolas Ferree (’19), Dom Gammino (’19) and David Winters (’19).

This competition was held on March 13-15, 2020.

Congratulations to Mr. Benesh, team sponsor, for your dedication to this program.

MW WINS GOVERNOR'S CHALLENGE 

The Virginia Governor’s Challenge is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their economic literacy while competing with other students across the state. Teams of three to four students in two divisions complete online exams that may qualify them for exciting championship competition.

Due to school closings, the in-person state championship event was canceled. Winners were determined using the online competition scores only.

VIRGINIA STATE WINNER IN THE DAVID RICARDO DIVISION

Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond City, Teacher: Allison Anthony

Students: Ronit Jain (Henrico '22), Michael Kish (Henrico '22), Abhay Duggirala (Henrico '22), Sam Lichtman (Henrico '22)

DOE Region #1 Winner

Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond City, Teacher: Allison Anthony

Students: Ronit Jain, Michael Kish, Abhay Duggirala, Sam Lichtman

Week of March 21, 2018

ATHLETIC BOOSTERS MEETING


The March meeting of the Board of Directors of the Maggie Walker Athletic Boosters Club will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 in room 105. In addition to officers and directors, the meeting is open to Athletic Boosters members and those interested in supporting Maggie Walker athletics. All spring varsity teams are expected to have a parent representative present at the meeting. Also, if you are interested in serving as an officer or director for the 2018-19 school year, please contact Athletic Boosters President Rich Schweiker at dukeschweikers@aol.com.

MLWGS PTSA MEETING

Our next meeting is Monday, March 26 at 8 a.m. in room 153

At our March General PTSA meeting, the Counseling department will lead a presentation about college prep and the application process. Our Senior counselors, Rachel Loving and Kierstin Streitel, will provide an overview, discuss timeliness, and answer questions. MLWGS parent Stacy Price will also join us to discuss her experience from an Admissions office perspective, having worked in Admissions at the University of Richmond. This program is open to all Maggie Walker parents, but is especially geared toward our Freshman and Sophomore parents who may be wondering how they can support their students and help them plan accordingly to achieve their college goals. We hope to see you there on Monday morning!





ORCHESTRA NEWS


Maggie Walker Chamber Orchestra earned straight Superior ratings for program of highest level of difficulty for the second year in a row at the District I Orchestra Assessment Festival.

Congratulations to the Chamber Orchestra for earning the highest rating of Superior from each of four judges at the District 1 Orchestra Assessment Festival Thursday, March 8 at Short Pump Middle School. The performance consisted of Overture to Idomeneo by Mozart, Reflexions by Carold Nunez, and a sight reading component where the ensemble was evaluated on their ability to perform a piece of music on the very first run-through with no prior rehearsal. Maggie Walker was one of only two schools from District 1 performing music at the hardest level of difficulty to earn straight Superior ratings.




SABR ANALYTICS COMPETITION



By winning the college-level SABR Analytics Competition again this year, MLWGS – still the only high school ever to compete in this program – is now the first school to boast winning teams in back-to-back years. 

Only one other school (NYU) has equaled the feat of winning twice. Our winning team consists of Matthew Haines (Hanover ’18), Aditya Kannoth (Henrico ’18), David Winters (Hanover ’19), Reid Jesselson (Henrico ’18), and Yug Rao (Henrico ’18). Also pictured, Vince Gennaro- president of SABR.

The SABR Analytics Diamond Dollars Case Competition pits students from colleges across the country against each other in an analytic major league baseball operations decision — the type of decision a team’s general manager and staff faces over the course of a season. The teams presented their analysis and recommendations to a panel of judges that included MLB front office executives on Friday, March 9, in Phoenix, AZ.

In this year’s competition, twenty-three teams were asked to evaluate the relationship between launch angle and exit velocity of batted balls. The winning MLWGS team created their own metric (RAP – Runs Added per Play) which they used in a simulation that they ran thousands of times in Python. The competition divided teams into four divisions, and the Maggie Walker team took first place in their division, defeating teams from Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo, NYU, University of Alabama, and St. John Fisher.




NEWS FROM OUR LIBRARIAN


An article I wrote about teaching students to seek contrasting viewpoints was published in the EBSCOpost.  Read the article here Teaching Students to Seek Contrasting Viewpoints

Wendy DeGroat




The Foundation will soon begin discussions with the school administration about the level of enhancement grant support we can provide in 2018-19 school year. This number is dependent on our fundraising this fiscal year, and it's always our hope to be able to raise that number based on an increase in fundraising revenue. Increased utilization of enhancement funding this year means we've been able to do a lot for MLWGS teachers and students, but it also means 91% of that funding has been spoken for with three months still remaining in the school year. We need your help to do more next year.

So far this year, the Foundation's 2017-18 Annual Fund Campaign has raised $257,042 which is 77% of our $330,000 goal. 30% of current parents have donated a total of $58,157. In our strongest fundraising years, parent participation has reached 70%. Class of 2019 parents are just over halfway there! Here is the parent participation by class as of March 15:

Senior: 27%
Junior: 36%
Sophomore: 27%
Freshmen: 30%


Make your gift today to enrich the MLWGS experience for all students.