Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 564 5 The Orme School is coming back to life in so many wonderful ways, and our guiding principles are resurfacing once again. In this last year, thanks to significant enrollment growth and a phenomenal Annual Fund, we balanced the budget and improved our surroundings while creating new programs and opportunities to prepare students for college and life. To achieve these ends, an entrepreneurial spirit and renewed commitment to Excellence, Tradition and Character have taken root. The word ‘regeneration,’ defined as a new birth and/or restoration of things, captures this spirit and promise. A perfect illustration is the events surrounding our Fine Arts Festival. The Art Club even chose Regeneration as this year’s theme for the 48th Dorothy Swain Lewis Fine Arts Festival. A month prior to the Festival, a concerted effort was made by the Morton Vrang Orme Memorial Chapel Board (consisting of School and Ranch officials and Jessup Family representatives) to find a way to repair the boiler for the Chapel and nearby classrooms, while the facilities crew spruced up those classrooms with donated track lighting, removing stained ceiling tiles and applying a fresh coat of paint to the walls. It was decided that these rejuvenated and heated classrooms could serve as the perfect location for the Festival Gallery Opening and student art display for Grandparents Day. The Festival began with a Vespers talk by Charlie Orme IV in the newly heated Chapel. Charlie spoke of Dot Lewis, his experience as an artist, and the creative impulse that exists in all of us. The return of several notable artists and the introduction of a few new ones eager to share their creative talents and passions led to a very successful Festival. The production of one-act drama performances and a fashion show were wonderful additions to this year’s Festival. Students, faculty and the artists themselves exercised their skills and imaginations in ways Dot would have been proud. After the Festival, it was decided to form an Orme Arts Advisory Committee (OAAC) to start planning for next year’s Festival, while also looking to make the 50th Anniversary an extra special celebration. The committee is additionally exploring funding needed to cement the traditions of a vibrant Orme arts program for generations to come. Also on the agenda is the restoration of the mosaics that caught the eye of so many gallery visitors, and the conversion of the entire building into the Dorothy Swain Lewis Art Center. Once fully restored, the Dorothy Swain Lewis Art Center will further centralize the academic core of our campus. EXCELLENCE Letter from the Head of School One of the classrooms is already designated as the space for a new Advanced Placement (AP) Art History course, but the others can be easily converted into studio spaces. Another agenda item of OAAC is to explore the establishment of an artist-in-residence program. The OAAC could be a model for Board support and collaboration to preserve other great Orme traditions. Orme is not only on the cusp of a renaissance in the arts, it is ready to launch a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiative. STEM programing is intended to prepare students for the ever-changing world through integrated, project based and experiential learning. Orme has always stressed critical thinking, collaboration, exploring current issues and hands on learning experiences. Technology, however, will play an increasing role in all our traditional math and science courses with a STEM curriculum. Utilizing the computer and cutting edge software in Algebra I and Geometry; teaching Physics as if preparing students to become tomorrow’s engineers; and solving real life problems using statistical analysis will be the focus to a greater degree than in years past. We will be offering Robotics as an after school activity, Introductory and Advanced Computer Science and AP Biology next year as part of the new STEM curriculum. On top of the addition last year of Plant Science and AP Chemistry, we will have a first class mathematics and science program. Restoration of the arts, mathematics and science (and the other hallmarks of a rigorous college preparatory curriculum) would not be complete without an excellent faculty. Great strides have been made towards building the most credentialed, caring and collaborative faculty Orme students have enjoyed in years. Next fall the faculty, consisting of both Orme’s veteran and newest members, will have more advanced degrees and will have attended more top tier colleges and universities (MIT, Harvey Mudd, Swarthmore and Vanderbilt to name a few). With the elimination of the old model of having a separate teaching faculty from the residential faculty, Orme faculty can teach and model excellence and character in ways that once made Orme great. The faculty in their roles as classroom teachers, coaches and facilitators of co-curricular and residential programing are already having a very positive impact. We have a robust array of course offerings, sports, clubs and activities for a small boarding school. As a result, SAT and AP scores are on the rise and graduates are reporting high levels of preparedness. In addition, we are attracting and retaining qualified students who enjoy the close-knit and supportive environment. Students are also experiencing what the Southwest has to offer with our focus on Weekend Culture Credits. Trips to Phoenix for ethnic dining, museums, galleries, performances, shopping and athletic events have increased. There were more camping, climbing, hiking and skiing trips than in recent years. With the purchase of inflatable kayaks, we hope to explore the Verde River like never before. We launched a Senior Caravan to Mexico prior to graduation that included cultural and community service opportunities. Next year, we are planning a mini Caravan for the fall and an extended Caravan for the spring, which both extends our outdoor education programing while maintaining the Caravan tradition. Under new leadership, the “In this last year, thanks to significant enrollment growth and a phenomenal Annual Fund, we balanced the budget and improved our surroundings while creating new programs and opportunities to prepare students for college and life.” Bruce Sanborn