GWCS and Resilience

EDUCATIONAL SHAKE-UPS:
THAT’S WHAT WE DO…

HOW GWCS ADJUSTED TO COVID PROTOCOLS AND STAYED FOCUSED ON STUDENTS

ARTICLE IN INTERACT MAGAZINE BY: WENDI SHUMARD, FORMER GWCS ENGLISH, MATH, AND FRENCH TEACHER FROM 2012-2018

One of the greatest compliments GWCS receives is the number of students and former staff who return ‘home’ to GWCS to visit, to work, and to express their gratitude for their time as a Coyote.

Click on the button below to read an article published in InterACT Magazine written by a former GWCS teacher, Wendi Shumard. Currently teaching in Bucharest, Romania - ShuShu (as she was lovingly called by her GWCS students) was reflecting on how difficult the last few years had been for educators and students and became curious about how GWCS “had weathered the storm”. Knowing full-well that GWCS is a close community with a student-centered curriculum, she wondered what changes were made to have remote and social-distanced learning during the ongoing pandemic, and how those changes affected the focus on “whole child education”. She reached out to Ms. Warden for an interview which resulted in the article linked below recently published in InterACT Magazine, with this issue focusing on stories of resilience. Ms. Shumard used GWCS as her example of a resilient, student focused education program.

ABOUT MS. SHUMARD:

Ms. Shumard came to GWCS from an inner-city high school in Baltimore in 2012. She had previously taught at Leysin American School, a Swiss boarding school, where she returned every summer during her years with GWCS. In 2018, Ms. Shumard left GWCS to teach at BELS in Erzurum, Turkey, then to a small school on the island of Curacao, Dutch Antiles, and since 2019 has been teaching at Verita International School in Bucharest, Romania. Wow! What’s next for ShuShu? She and a few other educators are in the process of opening a student and philanthropy centered international school serving underserved/refugee populations.

Interact Magazine
A School Rubric Publication
Volume 3 / Issue 3
Stories of Resilience
Educational Shakeups:
That’s What We Do

SHUMARD’S ARTICLE ABOUT GWCS BEGINS ON PAGE 12

GW Community School
InterACT Magazine
Ms. Wendi Shumard
12.2.2021

Howling Halloween Hoopla

GWCS celebrates Halloween all week long. This year included pumpkin carving, spooky waffle breakfast, scary movies after school, and culminated in Howling Halloween Hoopla. The Hoopla is usually an outdoor event with dangling donuts, outdoor games, and a costume contest. But the weather was a bit drippy so new indoor activities were initiated. It was a spookalishess day filled with a TON of sweets. Students went trick-or-treating at different classrooms and participated in a variety of activities including a pumpkin ring toss, Halloween skee ball, Goldie's Spooky Stories, guess how many skittles, face painting, shopping at G&CO, costume contest, and more! Leading into Thanksgiving, we are thankful for opportunities like this to play and be silly as a community.

Costume Contest Winners:

  • Most Original - Dakota

  • Funniest - Evan & Alex R. (a tie!)

  • Scariest - Jack C.

Skittle Jar Winners:

  • Riggs & Ava

Valuable ContributionS:

  • Gray & Mom - G&CO Jewelry Stand

  • Jack C - Waffle Breakfast Fundraiser

Special Thanks to Our Tireless Halloween Event Planners & Executers Extraordinaire!

GW Community School
Howling Halloween Hoopla
October 25-29, 2021
Ms. Julia Kohler

Camp Coyote 2021-2022

The first, most treacherous part of Camp Coyote 2021 was getting to it.  Hosted this year at Camp Wilson in Pohick Bay Park, when we say “backwoods” we mean that it was so remote it couldn’t exist on any map (except Google Maps - nothing escapes Google), and with all of our provisions packed away between van, car, and coupe we drove away from the safety of 9001 Braddock Rd into the great unknown.

The Great Unknown this year happened to include everyone, because after 2020 we figured what better way to bond than to survive in the elements for an overnight together, as a wild pack of coyotes?   Scavenging together, suffering through light morsels of burgers, hot dogs, not dogs, juice boxes, and occasionally the wild banana.    

Starting on our arrival, we knew it would be a perilous evening - the bathrooms weren’t even visible from our campsite and worse!  Minimal cell reception.   And then forced fun activities? For some, it was almost too much to bear (although sadly no bears to be seen).  

However, when prompted with “take what you need”, and offered a roll of priceless TP, our coyotes took to heart that this would be the formative first trip of the 2021-2022 academic year.  Their chance to share a personal fact with each precious piece of bog roll was a heavy burden, but somehow they persevered and brought us a little bit closer together.  

Suddenly, it was every human for themselves!  Train wreck, a fast-paced game where every round culminates in the jostling into an often-misshapen circle, singling out the last person who couldn’t quite make it into the shape in time.

With nightfall steadily approaching, we built our fire for the evening and it was left ignored, most choosing instead to huddle their camp chairs around a lantern precariously perched on top of a rock.  With darkness came the departure of some, and the intrepid remaining few ventured down the long dark path that led to the bay for a midnight hike along with Mr. Torres and Ms. N-O. 

Morning came too soon thereafter, with our pack being gently woken up by the sound of trees rustling, birds chirping, and Boy Scouts screeching far earlier than the quiet hours of 10 pm-7 am allowed for.  A successful camp out once again. 

GW Community School
Camp Coyote
Friday, September 24, 2021
Ms. Nunez-Oliver



GW-Palooza 2021

The GW-PALOOZA was a massive hit! David Andrew Smith performed a wide range of songs from Britney Spears' Baby One More Time, to Train's Marry Me. At least twenty brave individuals participated in multiple rounds of Capture the Flag with a fun twist - using water balloons to tag! Gamers got soaked, but were thankful since it was a hot, sunny day! The Food Trucks hit the spot! Uncle Fred's BBQ Smoke Shack served delicious freshly smoked pork, brisket, chicken and vegetarian sausages! Two Smooth Dudes served a variety of healthy vegan, vegetarian, and meat lovers tots, wraps, and salads! The Italian Tater Tots were a fan favorite! C & C Frozen Treats helped all cool down with Italian Ice and ice-cream- Black Cherry Italian Ice came highly recommended. Some of the 2020 seniors participated in the fun and their long-awaited quilts were laid out on tables for all to sign! Besides music, games, quilt signing, and good company we also had art stations, shout out to Goldie for being the best canvas, and Gray generously setup a stand to sell their merchandise of handmade jewelry and crystals. What an excellent way to celebrate the end of the school year!! Thanks to all who helped put on the show- it was a blast!

GW Community School
GW-Palooza 2021
Julia Kohler
June 2, 2021

GWCS Prom in Review...

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In the early days, GWCS did not have a Prom mainly because the typical public school Senior Proms did not fit the coyote vibe. But then we realized, we can do Prom coyote style! An evening of fun for everyone - not just seniors. An evening of music and dancing, of course, but fun dancing, silly dancing, line dancing, dancing games and, speaking of games… card games, poker games, limbo, magic tricks and epic games of liar's dice! Whatever moved the coyote spirit became part of the GWCS Prom. In spring 2020 we were not able to have a Prom because of Covid-19 but this year, 2021, students had demonstrated all year that they could have fun even with pandemic restrictions. Before GWCS Prom planning commenced, to our surprise and delight, Kathleen and Frank Aschmann, proposed a very thoughtful and generous offer. They planned (with Ms. Kohler as the concierge) and donated the best GWCS Prom yet! Students received formal invitations and R.S.V.P. cards. On Saturday, May 30, 2021, GWCS coyotes gathered at the Mount Vernon Country Club dressed to the nines (as they say) and were treated to a scrumptious sit-down dinner and a live DJ. What followed can only be explained as the release of the coyote spirit. Fun, laughter, silliness, and friendship abounded in every direction. The photos are reminiscent of a masked ball but you can see the smile in their eyes. Thank you for your kindness and generosity Mr. & Mrs. Aschmann. And thank you GWCS students for simply being true to your coyote spirit.

THANK YOU MR. & MRS. ASCHMANN

“Prom was very fun. 10/10 would attend again.” ~ Eva

“Thank you, Mr., and Ms. Aschmann for hosting an amazing prom. I loved the music and the food. I really enjoyed myself. I enjoyed Eva, Maddie, and Jonathan dancing and keeping the party up. I am sure everyone enjoyed themselves, especially during this time in a pandemic and the prom definitely helped.” Sincerely, Jana

"Thank you to Alfred and the Aschmann’ s for letting us go to the Mount Vernon Country Club and having our prom there! We all had an amazing time and the food was great too!" ~ Kevin

“Thank you very much to the Aschmann’ s for the wonderful event, the venue was beautiful and we had such a great time there. It truly was a fun experience since we've not been able to get together for a prom in two years.” Thank you, Davis

“Thank you, Alfred and Mrs. and Mr. Aschmann for sponsoring and hosting such a lovely extravagant prom. It was our best prom yet! From a 5-Star venue, 3 course meal, DJ, and wait staff it was truly a night to remember. Students and staff had fun dancing, taking pictures, playing cards and liars dice, and participating in the end of the night games like Coke vs Pepsi, Musical Chairs, The Limbo, The Train, and more! Thank you for your generosity!” ~ Ms. Kohler

GW Community School
GWCS Prom in Review
May 29, 2021


Theatre Revival

TWO SHORT PLAYS ON ETHEREAL PLANES

Theatre.

Human’s most noble endeavor.

Masks be damned, GWCS thespians put on an amazing show with their faces half-covered.

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Mere Mortals

Written by David Ives
Performed by GWCS Theatre
May 2021

Did you doubt that Lonny was the peaceful one?  That Evan was the frazzled one?  That Lauren was impatient?  That Dakota was chill?  That Jay was hiding a secret?  That Luther was about to throw himself off of a steel girder, fifty stories in the sky from the sheer frustration of listening to his colleague’s deluded ideas of grandeur?  No.  No, you did not.  The acting was superb and the evening was sublime!

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The Philadelphia

Written by David Ives
Performed by GWCS Theatre
May 2021

GWCS theatre performed four nights in a row last week and each night was amazing! Two Short Plays on Ethereal Planes. The cast did two David Ives’ plays, ‘Mere Mortals,’ and ‘The Philadelphia.’  Enthusiastically Emceed by Theatre Co-Director Mr. Robbins. Intermission spotlighted the GWCS Music Club, featuring Sr. Torres, Evan and Luther, followed by a game of Eva Jeopardy hosted by Eva, then Jonathan Scinto playing piano, and finally Kurt Vonnegut Jr. pretending to be Mr. Goldie.

After cancelling ‘Metromaniacs’ last spring and skipping the fall season (both due to Covid-19) it was exhilarating to have the GWCS players back on stage with sold out shows. 

Special thanks to the backstage and front door crews: Gray, Alfred, Kevin, Gabe, Jana, and Grace.

Special, special thanks to the families who fed us!  Delicious meals were delivered before each show last week, Monday thru Thursday (and the leftovers lived on!).

Plans are already in the works for the fall performance!  Are you planning to read for a part??????

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GW Community School
Theatre Revival
May 21, 2021
Richard Goldie
Theatre Co-Director

Our Hanging Garden

THE SCIENCE LAB GOT REALLY DIRTY THIS WEEK…

IT WAS GREAT!

Ms. Kohler’s AP Environmental Science and Biology classes recycled 2-liter soda bottles by painting them and turning them into planters then filled them with a variety of herbs for the new outdoor hanging garden. Students will create infographics on the care and uses of their chosen herbs, and will use this new knowledge to care for and enjoy their plants. As a bonus, students will be able to take their new plant friend home with them at the end of the school year.

GW Community School
Our Hanging Garden
April 30, 2021

They're Back... Coyote Cagers!

Varsity basketball returns to GWCS (at least for one game), and it felt great!

After getting permission to begin having outdoor practices in the middle of March, basketball diehards (lead by Alfred and Kevin) began showing up at Kings Park at 7:30 AM to work on their skills.  Sure, some of those mornings were right around freezing, some of those mornings were a little bit wet, and some of those mornings were only attended by two or three players, but all of those mornings were productively spent working on building a team.  The hope of playing any varsity games this year dwindled with each passing week.  Suddenly, with a few more amendments to the county health board protocol, it was time to schedule a game.  One of our old rivals, the Yeshiva School in Maryland was also looking to squeeze-in a game or two before the school year was over.

On Wednesday, April 28, we drove our team of eight players, in three vans, to Silver Spring to start (and for all-we-know) end our 2021 season.  After getting off to a slow start, we outscored Yeshiva in the second and third quarters to make it close, but then lost a competitive game as Yeshiva pulled-away in the end.  The last score of the game was a three pointer by Evan and the (tiny, tiny) crowd went wild!

Thanks go out to everyone who participated in what has been, the weirdest and shortest season of all time.  Thanks to Goldie and Connelly for coaching-up a storm.  Thanks to The Aschmann’s and Mr. Mestraud for driving us to Maryland (and helping to manage the team).  Thanks to Mr. Campbell for coming to the game and shouting encouragement throughout.  Thanks to Gabe the Intern for helping with the coaching and the rebounding.  Thanks to Kevin and Alfred for providing their reliable leadership.  Thanks to Grayson, Jay, Matthew, Evan, Jana, and Ryan for rounding out the roster, attending practices and playing hard in the game Wednesday night.  Also, thanks to everyone else around school for asking us about practice, wishing us luck before the game, and believing us on Thursday morning when we said that we were ‘so close’ to winning that one, and only, game.

We are still calling around the league to see if any more games might be possible.  It seems like the answer is ‘probably not.’  Regardless, we will continue to practice every morning, we will watch the video, and we will relish the memory of playing in that one game.  Why?  Because having a little basketball in your life is infinitely better than none-at-all.

Go Coyotes!

GW Community School
They’re Back… Coyote Cagers!
April 28, 2021


Shamrock Shenanigans

Ms. Kohler’s Personal Finance class planned and implemented a day of shamrock shenanigans! They took orders for shamrock shakes from McDonalds and delivered them at the start of lunch. Proceeds went into the bucket of fundraising earnings earmarked for critter care, lab supplies, and a spring concert event! They also supplied a shamrock backdrop and accessories for shamrocky photos. As part of this year’s new tradition called “Hump Day - Lunch Day”, Tacos Mixtos food truck was in the lot. And just to keep things warm and cozy, there was a spontaneous firepit gathering. One of the many benefits of a small school - spontaneity!

GW Community School
Shamrock Shenanigans
March 17, 2021

Senior Celebration

GWCS CLASS OF 2021 SURPRISE SENIOR CELEBRATION…

Thursday, March 4th marked 100 days until graduation for the GWCS Class of 2021 and we celebrated our seniors all day long! Here’s a glimpse of the whole day of events via a slideshow:

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED CREATE A DAY OF CELEBRATION FOR OUR SENIORS:

  • Baby photos provided by all of our seniors’ parents

  • Chris Michael’s virtual and surprise in-person magic shows discovered and scheduled by Ms. Kohler

  • Decorating the school: Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Scinto, Ms. Spiegel

  • Underclassmen Secret Keepers & Helpers: Jay, Sophia, Xander, Garrett, Maddie, Jack C.

  • Baby Face Guessing Wall created by Mrs. Scinto, Ms. Spiegel, and Mrs. Aschmann

  • Classroom Events provided by all teachers including: poker, arts & crafts, ping-pong, movies, D&D, basketball, create task hackathon, and liar dice.

  • Senior T-Shirts designed and purchased by Ms. Warden

  • Morning Muffins provided by Mrs. Aschmann

  • Graduation Cap & Gown Measurements taken by Mrs. Libby

  • Sliders Food Truck scheduled by Ms. Spiegel

  • Scoops2U Ice cream sundaes for teachers and seniors compliments of Mrs. McAleese


GW Community School
Surprise Senior Celebration
March 4, 2021

North Pole Spirit Day

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GW Community School has been very fortunate to be able to safely open to in-person classes this school year and at the same time offer remote classes so that each of our families could make the choice that best fits their needs. We have a had a great year so far and although we’re not playing basketball, hosting dances, or going on our usual school trips, we are finding creative ways to connect and keep our spirits up.

Usually we organize a ‘School Spirit Week’ that takes place the week of Homecoming. Although we did not have a homecoming basketball game or a homecoming dance this fall, we did enjoy a really successful Coyote Spirit Week. It was then that we realized that we have way too much school spirit to limit it to just one week, therefore we expanded Spirit Day to be a monthly event! In January, with the help of parent volunteer Daphne Rappaport, we enjoyed our first ever North Pole Spirit Day! Students and teachers were encouraged to wear their warmest winter gear for ‘cool’ pics in front of a snowy backdrop. We had a students vs. teachers snowball fight with soft, fluffy, fake snowballs. We gobbled up cool treats including Klondike bars and pink Snowball cupcakes. We pretended we were in the North Pole even though it was close to 50 degrees out.

At the time, we acknowledged and were sensitive to the fact that this may have been our only opportunity to breakout our fun snowman building attire as Virginia hadn’t seen nearly as much snow as we used to! Since North Pole Sprit Day, Virginia has had a number of snowy days! Did we cause this change? Should we consider organizing a ‘Tropical Island’ spirit day soon to test our powers? For now - enjoy the snow. Your welcome.

GW Community School
January 27, 2021
North Pole Spirit Day

Grinch Fundraiser Success

Thanks go out to GWCS senior Jonathan S. (who, by definition, is the opposite of a Grinch) for organizing a very merry Grinch Fundraiser Party! After school on Tuesday, December 15th the party started off with Dr. Cox reading ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ followed by a viewing of ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’ (2018) accompanied by pizza and treats. The event was all tied up with a bow with Mr. Goldie reading ‘Hope for the Flowers’. Thank you to all who contributed to this fundraiser either by paying the admissions price and participating or by making donations. All proceeds ($324.00) will be given to The Capital Area Food Bank.

GW Community School
Grinch Fundraiser Party
December 18, 2020