Ben Mishkin gambles big on St. John’s College
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
CWA’s college counselors work closely with students to identify a list of schools that may be a good fit for them and then help them craft applications to each school. The advice they give every student is different, but it’s a pretty safe bet that they always tell students they should never, under any circumstances, apply to just one school. “The thing was, there was only one school I wanted to go to,” says senior Ben Mishkin. “So I figured, why apply anywhere else? I think I just about gave everybody heart attacks, especially my parents, my college counselor (Katie Ryan) and my advisor (Wes Wesby).” Ben gambled big and he came up a winner. The one and only school to which he applied is St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and he got in. Read the rest of this entry »
At the end of every school year, CWA administrators recognize faculty and staff members as they celebrate the completion of their fifth, tenth and fifteenth years at Charles Wright. At today’s employee recognition event, 25 faculty members will be recognized as they reach major milestones in their careers. A total of 14 faculty and staff members are finishing their fifth year on campus. Six others are finishing ten years. Richard Kalustian, a Middle School science and math teacher, has reached 15 years. Helen Bingham Rowles, now teaching fifth grade, is celebrating 20 years. Phyllis Kriese has been at the receptionist’s desk in the Upper School for 30 years. Lower School music teacher Judy Herrington has been teaching here for 35 years. Steve Daniels, the eighth grade earth science teacher, is completing a remarkable 40th year at CWA.
This evening CWA Headmaster Rob Camner emailed faculty, staff and board members to share the sad news that Bob Minnerly, his predecessor, passed away today. Minnerly served as CWA’s Headmaster from 1986 to 1996.
“When I was younger I wanted to go away to college. Then I realized that if I was from any other part of the country, I would want to come here,” says CWA senior Susan Blyler. “I like the attitude of people in the Northwest, the vibe and the culture.” That’s the main reason that after ten years at Charles Wright, while her classmates fan out across the country, next fall Susan will be moving across town to attend Pacific Lutheran University. 
In April, CWA sent six teams and 82 athletes to the world’s largest youth Ultimate tournament. Spring Reign was held in Burlington with 40 middle school and 40 high school teams from around the United States and Canada. CWA won the middle school division, winning six straight games and outscoring their opponents 75-27. They also won the “C” division title. CWA finished fourth in the high school division after two close semifinal games. The Tarriers were also voted the Ultimate Spirit award winners by the other high school teams. 
Charles Wright Middle School students recently competed in the Washington Science Teachers Association’s 40th Annual Science and Engineering Contest. After four months of work with advisor Steve Daniels, they placed in the top three in five events against competitors from other Western Washington schools. 
A Charles Wright Tarrier since the age of four, student body president and captain of the boys golf team, senior Chris Panagiotu has received a lot of advice about the college admissions process. It turned out that the very best piece of advice came from a fellow student: “You should look at Oregon.” 
CWA senior Bura Mwangi knows that getting into college isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. As she searched for schools that would be a good fit for her, she carefully considered her long term objectives. Her goals are to study business, graduate in the top ten percent of her class, go on to graduate school, and one day own and operate her own restaurant. It’s an ambitious plan but Bura’s life up until this point has been all about making short term sacrifices to achieve long -term goals, so she’s well prepared to make those plans. 
The vegetable gardens at Charles Wright, carefully maintained through the winter by faculty and students, are growing quickly this spring. To support the gardens, the school is hosting an Edible and Ornamental Plant Sale on Friday, May 21. The sale will be set up outside the Lower School Commons and run from 2 to 4pm. All proceeds support the school garden programs. Many of the plants that will be for sale are seedlings the students have cultivated this spring. They’ve all been grown chemical-free (organically, but not organic certified).
CWA only gathers the entire student body under one roof twice year. In December, students and teachers gather in the Wight Gym for the annual holiday assembly. Again, in April, they gather for Founders Day, a celebration of the school’s history and purpose. Last week Chaplain Mike Moffitt led the community in a Founders Day assembly focused on the school’s ethos of excellence, a key phrase in the school’s mission statement.