Headmaster's Notes
Dr. Vincent M. Stumpo, Headmaster
Happy New Year to all Members of our Linden Hall Community:

The end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 bring much good news to share. First, we are encouraged by the ongoing campus restoration projects which are improving the quality of life for our students. Of course, our ability to complete the projects on our Major Gifts List depends on the generosity of the donations we receive from each of you. Therefore, I encourage you to contact June Stine (717-626-8512) to discuss how you may assist our Historic Campus Restoration program.

The ongoing effort to improve the academic program and implement a 21st century curriculum is gaining significant traction. Though early in the Admission season, we are seeing a noticeable increase in both the number and the quality of applicants to Linden Hall. We are also excited to announce that we have offered Headmaster Scholarships to two extremely talented young applicants and have already received confirmation that they will be attending Linden Hall in the fall 2008. In addition, this year's Senior Class has recorded the highest SAT scores in the history of the school, a figure that will place Linden Hall at or near the top of all schools in Lancaster County. We are encouraged by the good news from Admission and congratulate the excellent work of our Class of 2008, their teachers, and their advisors.

The Finance Committee of the Board recently reviewed our mid-year financial statement which found the school deficit-free for all of 2007. I share this with you to assure you that we value the financial sacrifice that our families make to enroll their daughters at Linden Hall and that we are committed to honoring that sacrifice by being exceptional stewards of their tuition dollars.

Because of the excellent work done here during the last 18 months, we felt it appropriate to unveil a major marketing campaign to share the good news throughout the Middle Atlantic area. Beginning this January, we have launched a series of television and radio ads targeting Lancaster County and the major urban areas of Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and Wilmington, DE. That campaign will continue through January and February in most of the areas mentioned.

All of this excellent news could not come at a more important time. Various academic organizations report that schools in the USA are facing a significant decrease in school-age children beginning now and continuing for the foreseeable future. Consequently, private and independent schools in the United States will all be competing for a shrinking group of potential students. For Linden Hall to remain competitive, it must continue on its path of academic excellence and remain true to its commitment to complete the Historic Restoration of the campus. With regard to the academic program, I can assure you that the faculty and administration are energized by the recent successes we have had and remain committed to further academic growth in the future. With regard to the Historic Restoration Program, I will once again ask each member of the Linden Hall community to contact June Stine and discuss how you may assist. Most certainly, our girls deserve an academic program of excellence and an historic campus of distinction. With your help, we intend to deliver both.

On that note, I wish you all the best in 2008.

Alumnae Announcements
Missy Anderson '73, Director of Alumnae Affairs
Headmaster Stumpo has taught the Linden Hall family many life lessons since arriving on this campus. Whether he is delivering a message in chapel, speaking during an assembly, or just chatting with the students in a small group setting, he has insightful words to articulate. One of his life lessons struck a cord with me recently and helped me a great deal in a decision that I made. His lesson was about leaving a comfort zone and remaining where we are just to be content with what we have. Thinking outside of the box and daring to go to the unexpected world outside of what we are used to can be daunting.

I have been offered that opportunity and have chosen to leave my comfort zone at Linden Hall to pursue a position as Senior Development Officer of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the Lancaster General Hospital to begin my duties on February 4, 2008.

I have had the rare opportunity to work with the most loving and caring individuals who give 100% of themselves every day to nurture our students. How fortunate I have been to get to know the alumnae of this school. I have made hundreds of new friends and have gotten to share their joys and sorrows as they pass through life. The opportunities at this position have been so vast and rewarding that I will never forget what this school has taught me, not only as an alumna, but as an employee. I feel privileged to have had this experience.

The most important thing that I leave with you is my thanks for giving me nine years at this school that I love so dearly. We have an incredible faculty, staff, and administration, led by a man who is firmly committed to the mission of our school. Dr. Stumpo has strengthened the academic program, enhanced our marketing and promotion efforts, and maximized the use of our website to include French, Spanish, Korean, and Japanese languages for international appeal. These are just highlights of his endeavors. Because I will remain an active alumna and volunteer, I will be able to see first hand what he plans to do next. I support Dr. Stumpo and his mission to the fullest extent.

I am leaving my position here, but what remains are my loyalty, spirit, and true gratitude. My wishes are extended to you and your family for a happy and healthy 2008.

Advancement Announcements
June Stine, Director of Advancement
The Advancement Office is pleased to announce that Susan Hall ’94 and Sara Friedman ’97 have offered to help the Advancement Office transition easily and smoothly until a new Assistant Director of Advancement is hired. We are pleased that two of our own alumnae will continue Missy Anderson’s fine work. All of us at the school wish Missy well as she begins a new chapter of her life at the School of Nursing and Health Sciences of Lancaster General Hospital.

Susan, who is currently our part-time Advancement Assistant, will increase her hours with the office and expand her duties helping with all aspects of our database entry, correspondence, and alumnae support. Sara, who is currently the Chair of the 2008 Alumnae Reunion, will move into Missy’s office and expand her reunion duties, help oversee the auction event with Chair Cindy Boscov, and help with the Annual Fund.

The school will be doing a national search to find the best person to fill the position and hopefully by this summer we will have an announcement for all of you.

Auction Update
Missy Anderson '73, Director of Alumnae Affairs
The second annual silent and live auction will be held Saturday, April 12, 2008, at the Anne Brossman Sweigart Sports and Fitness Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m. “Roots & Wings” is our theme this year, and the Phyllis Stadler Lyon ’52 gymnasium will be transformed into springtime in a garden setting.

Please join us for a light buffet supper, refreshments, and incredible desserts, to enjoy an entertaining evening to raise funds for the Historic Renovation Fund.

We are currently accepting donations for our auction: i.e., vacation getaways, artwork, antiques, autographed celebrity items, gift certificates, sporting events, gift baskets, or cooking lessons.

Please contact the Advancement Office at Linden Hall, 717-626-8512, or email Susan Hall for more information.

Help us reach our goal to raise $30,000! Thank you in advance for your help.

College Counseling News
Susan Kirkland, Director of College Counseling
Eleven out of our twenty-three seniors have received a college acceptance letter at this point in time, and those fortunate students are happy and very relieved! The spirit of the entire class remains positive and encouraging as everyone waits for the remaining decision letters to arrive.

Juniors are meeting individually with me to review PSAT results, discuss college criteria, create initial college lists, and plan testing schedules. It’s an exciting time for students, and most of the girls are ready to look toward the future.

Final review of the PLAN results has occurred, and the students in grades nine and ten who took the test did a good job. The department heads have received item analyses for the appropriate sections of the test, and they will be incorporating remedial work into the classroom, as necessary.

The College Counseling Office always welcomes your interest, so please contact me at any time with questions or comments.

Academic Update
Sally Watkins, Academic Dean
Our holiday break went all too quickly, but we are all re-energized and ready to inspire our girls as winter sets in. The Academic Council, consisting of Department Heads, Dr. Stumpo, Mrs. Lavery, and me, met and has proposed a revision to the daily schedule for next year. We will meet further to make a decision.

I have already begun the process of gathering information for our Middle States Evaluation scheduled to occur in the fall of 2008 with visitation from the team in the fall of 2009. The size of the team has been reduced considerably since we were last evaluated ten years ago; now it will consist of only five members rather than the ten or more as in the past. The manual and forms for the self-study are on-line for me to access; the manual is over 300 pages long! Two members of our own faculty and/or administration will be registered to attend an in-service program this summer in Philadelphia to prepare for the visitation and self-study.

Middle School Messages
Sally Watkins, Middle School Dean
Our Middle School students returned from the holiday break excited to see their friends and to learn about what everyone did over vacation—the overwhelming answer was to catch up on sleep! By now, everyone has readjusted to the academic atmosphere and is busy with our day-to-day obligations.

The Middle School Day Lounge is under renovation; the girls have moved their books and other belongings into a vacant classroom and have accepted this temporary inconvenience with their usual good humor and cooperative spirit. Painting should begin this week, and since the girls had input into paint colors, carpet selection, and furniture choices, they are excited to see a finished product. The tentative date for completion is mid-February.

As part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, our eighth grade students in Mrs. Snyder-Hess’s and Mr. Trani’s English classes took a written spelling test to determine a winner from Linden Hall. We are proud that Ariel Silbert will represent us in the county-wide competition that will take place on February 20. Knowing how conscientious Ariel is, we are certain that she will do us all proud!

Our Middle Schoolers continue to be cooperative and welcoming to new students who joined us after the holiday break. These girls will quickly become adjusted to life at Linden Hall. Our talented fledgling thespians are busily rehearsing for the MS play under Mr. Foreman’s guidance; our athletes are involved in basketball practice and games; Blue and White will break up the long winter months!

The sixth grade English class is embarking on a unit on poetry. The girls will be reading poetry in the literature book, as well as poems that they enjoy and would like the class to read. The girls are excited about reading their favorite poets. We will be exploring lyric poetry, narrative poetry, the Haiku, as well as the limerick. Our poetry unit will lead us to the study of sound devices and figurative language. The girls will also have the opportunity to write poems. As always, we will continue our grammar, spelling, and writing components. The seventh graders are busy writing personal narratives. After the first draft, the girls will peer-edit and then craft and revise their essays. In grammar they are beginning a unit on punctuation, and they should continue to read independently. The next literature unit will be mythology. In eighth grade the Holocaust is the focus of the next literature unit. The class watched a video to set the proper tone for the class reading of the drama version of The Diary of Anne Frank. Their own diary entries will reflect a reader-response to the ideas and emotions found in the drama.

The 6/7 social studies class, Women in US History, has been split into two sections: one, taught by Mrs. Conlin, that continues at the same pace as before, and another, taught by Dr. Smith, that will proceed at an Honors level with a slightly more rapid pace and with more detail. It is an exciting opportunity, one of the strengths of a close-knit school like Linden Hall, to be able to focus on the needs of individual students in a truly small group setting. In SS 8, Global Studies, students have begun studying the geography and cultures of Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America. The students conclude each unit with a presentation on how a particular piece of art reflects a crisis within the continent, and, to better understand the connection between art and culture, the students are making imitations of their chosen art objects. Each piece includes a museum tag on which the student explains the original and what changes she has made. In Honors Global Studies, students in this class have also moved to studying the geography and cultures of Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America. In addition to their regular class work, the students have presented information on the plague in Europe and WWII in Asia. Instead of the art projects, the girls are working on group presentations.

In pre-algebra, students are investigating ratios, rates, and proportions. After learning how to measure angles using protractors, students will apply their knowledge of proportions to similar and congruent figures and to scale drawings. We will end the chapter by discussing probability and odds and the counting principle.

Easel, Film, and Clay
Nora Workman, Art Department Chairperson
Linden Hall students participated in Lancaster Museum “Trees Galore” exhibition and fund raiser for the fifth year running. The museum provides six trees for six schools in the county desiring to participate. The Linden Hall decorations have been so well received over the years that we have had the honor of being awarded a tree to decorate each year. This year the exhibit ran from mid-November until mid-December, so students were very busy making tree decorations around Halloween. The theme for our tree this year was “Dream Catchers”.

The Photography and Art students submitted entries to the regional Scholastic Arts Competition on the 5th of January, and now they anxiously await news of any recognition and awards they might receive. A total of 83 photographs and 35 works of art, including one art portfolio, were submitted this year. Compared to other schools in the county, both independent and public, our number of entries is small, yet our students are usually well represented, and we expect the same to be true again this year. We will have the results for you in the next eBulletin along with information about when you will be able to see the works submitted as well as work created since entries were due.

Gracenotes
Biba Benjamin, Music Director
I'm happy to report that one of our eleventh graders, Bee-Ah Kang, has been accepted to the Pennsylvania Academy of Music in downtown Lancaster, PA, where she is studying violin privately with Simon Maurer.

Many of our students who are taking private music lessons have been playing during Linden Hall's weekly chapel service. They have been doing a wonderful job, and I couldn't be prouder!

Upcoming musical events in the spring will include our second Parents’ Weekend Concert as well as a student recital. Among the instruments featured will be piano, voice, violin, cello, guitar, flute, and clarinet.

On the Boards
Dennis Foreman, Drama Director
Rehearsals continue for our Middle School production of Charlotte's Web.  Eighteen students are involved in this full-length adaptation by Joseph Robinette.  Savannah Thorpe serves as the narrator for this production with Sera Park in the title role and Olivia Gibney as Wilbur the pig.  The production will run for one performance on Saturday, February 16th at 7:00 pm.  There is no cost for this production, and the entire school family and community are invited.

Casting has been completed for our Upper School spring production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.  Described as "an improbable farce," Blithe Spirit is the kind of sophisticated comedy that only Coward could write.  Charles and Ruth Condomine (Jonathan Towles and Abby Milnor-Sweetser) host a dinner party/seance so that author Charles can "get the goods" on the eccentric medium Madame Arcati (Diana Egnatz).  When Charles' first wife, Elvira (Bekah Reed), materializes to only Charles, mayhem ensues!  Blithe Spirit will be presented as part of our Parents' Weekend in the spring.  Other cast members include Lulu Wang and Kristen Andersen.

Between the Lines
Linda Mummert, Athletic Director
The Equestrian Team earned reserved champion status at the competitions at Grier School on January 25 and 26. They will be preparing for the zone championships at Linden Hall on March 29-30.

The Varsity Basketball Team is heading down the final stretch of the most challenging schedule in the school history. The awards dinner will be held at ABS after the final home contest on February 12.

Middle School Basketball will also celebrate the end of their season with an awards party in February.

New Linden Hall mascot has made her debut and will be named in a contest to be held soon.

Blue & White schedules will be finalized by February 1. The week will begin on Friday, February 15 with planning and practice sessions, and the competitions will take place Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the week of February 18.

Spring seasons will begin in March.

All information regarding athletic programs including practice locations and times as well as contests and results can be located on the Linden Hall Sports Calendar. Go to this site and sign up for instant notification of changes by email alerts. It is simple... just a click away!

Student Council Corner
Judy Conlin, Student Council Advisor
The Student Council was pleased with the enthusiasm of the girls during the annual Holiday Gift Exchange Party. The chorus led us all in song,and the kitchen staff provided a wonderful table of food for all of us to enjoy. It was nice to get together for a short time before we all took off for different parts of the world.

Click on images to see larger version.

The Council is now busy working on International Night. This is a night when girls have the opportunity to share their traditions and culture with the rest of the school. There will be both a fashion show and a talent presentation. We will see dance presentations, hear music from around the world, and see wonderful pictures of places both near and far. There will also be wonderful desserts to taste. We are hoping to make this a memorable and elegant night. Please note that the date of International Night has been changed to March 9.

Anne Stevens Visits Linden Hall
June Stine, Director of Advancement

Click on images to see larger version.

On Friday, January 11, 2008, Linden Hall hosted Anne Stevens, Chairman, President, and CEO of Carpenter Technology Corporation, who spoke to the student body about the “Possibilities and Responsibilities” each girl will face in the future. In addition to addressing the girls, Mrs. Stevens toured the campus and had lunch with Dr. Stumpo, science teacher Dr. Heather Pasewicz, and five student council leaders: Rachel Boscov, Caiti Geraghty, Diana Egnatz, Marta Williams, and Karen Jensen.

Anne Stevens was appointed Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carpenter Technology Corporation on November 1, 2006. Carpenter Technology Corporation (NYSE: CRS) produces and distributes specialty alloys, including stainless steel, titanium alloys, super alloys, and various engineered products. Stevens is the first female CEO in the company’s 117-year history.

Previously, Mrs. Stevens was Executive Vice President, Ford Motor Company; and Chief Operating Officer, The Americas. In this position she had overall responsibility for leading Ford’s core operations in The Americas, including product development, manufacturing, and purchasing. In this role, Stevens became the first female executive vice-president in company history.

She was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She completed graduate work at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and received an honorary Doctorate degree in Communications Sciences from Central Michigan University, an honorary Doctorate degree in Business Science from Cleary University, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Albright College.

Mrs. Stevens serves on the Lockheed Martin board of directors. She is a member of the executive advisory board of the Juran Center for Leadership in Quality at the University of Minnesota.

In 2000, Mrs. Stevens received the prestigious Shingo Leadership award and later was appointed to the Shingo Prize Board of Governors. In 2003 she received the Eli Whitney Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. She was named a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2004 and also was honored with a distinguished service citation from the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Mrs. Stevens has been named four times to Fortune magazine's list of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” and was named by Automotive News as a 2005 “Leading Woman in the North American Automotive Industry.” In 2006, she received the 360 Leadership Award from Wf 360, LLC.

Linden Hall was most fortunate to have her visit our campus, converse with students, and present her ideas to our student body. We also thank Mr. and Mrs. Jim Boscov for initiating Mrs. Stevens’ invitation to LH.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Headmaster's Notes
Admission Update, New Advertising Campaign, Historic Restoration Campaign, and Financial Review

Alumnae Announcements
Missy Anderson '73 is moving on as Senior Development Officer of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the Lancaster General Hospital.

Advancement Announcements
Susan Hall ’94 and Sara Friedman ’97 help the Advancement Office transition.

Auction Update
Donations are still being accepted.

College Counseling News
College Acceptances, PSAT Results, and PLAN Analysis

Academic Update
Looking ahead to our Middle States Self-study

Middle School Messages
Day lounge renovations, Scripps National Spelling Bee, welcoming new students, and classroom updates

Easel, Film, and Clay
Trees Galore Exhibit and Scholastic Arts Competition Submissions

Gracenotes
Student Performances

On the Boards
Charlotte's Web and Blithe Spirit

Between the Lines
Basketball awards ceremonies being planned, IEA zone championships at Linden Hall!

Student Council Corner
Angel-Mortal Party and International Night

Student's Soapbox
Regina Reyes
Class of 2009

Anne Stevens Visits Linden Hall

PLEASE NOTE:

Password protection is now in place on the alumnae and parent sections of the Linden Hall website. We do this for the protection of your personal information. When you go to www.lindenhall.org and click on one of the password protected sections at the bottom of the page, you will be taken to a login page. On that page is a link that you can use to register on our website. It is easy and takes only seconds!

UPCOMING EVENTS: