THIS IS SURRATTS FOUNDATION E-NOTICE 2008-11 OF NOVEMBER 1, 2008

Hello Hornets:

Here are some items that may be of interest:

1.  2008 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN CONTINUES.  The Foundation's 2008 Annual Campaign is continuing.  This is the informal campaign we undertake each year to refresh the Foundation's treasury so it can grant the annual scholarships and fund the other on-going activities of the Foundation.  Remember: the Foundation has no overhead, so every dollar contributed goes directly toward the support of a Foundation activity.  And no contribution is too small (or too large) to make a positive difference.

Please consider showing your support for the Foundation by joining those generous donors listed below who already have contributed to this year's campaign.  (A donor form is reprinted below, and is available on the Foundation's web site at www.surrattsville.org.)

2.   INSPIRATIONAL SURRATTS TEACHERS, CON'T.  We received these interesting emails commending beloved faculty member Dutch Anderson in response to our items on inspirational Surratts teachers:

"Dear Henry, Leonard Anderson -- or "Dutch" as he likes to be called -- and I just talked the other day.  I am going to print off the recent e-Notice to send to him.  He was the most memorable teacher I had because he did go the extra mile.   He would take groups of out to authentic cuisine restaurants like the old AV's in downtown DC to experience other cultural food and to meet authentic citizens from other countries.  He also took us all the way through Tchaikovsky's Overture of 1812 and gave us the true meaning of the history behind that piece.  I volunteered to be his teacher's aide my senior year because of his charisma and the love of history he instilled in me.  We have stayed in touch over the years and always will.  He would love to have students write or call him and he is always interested in catching dinner or a play with his former students.  He also tries to make all the reunions if students keep him posted.  (He does not have the Internet).  His address is:
 
Dutch Anderson
4600 Duke St #1316
Alexandria VA 22034-2510
Phone: 703-370-9689
 
He would love to hear from his former students.  It help keeps him young and he is so interesting....still!   Elizabeth Gleisberg May (78)"

"Henry:  I was reading the e-Notice I received today with all the wonderful memories students have of Leonard Anderson, the history teacher from Surrattsville.   I have to say he was one of my favorites and he made history for me something that I was not interested in into something I loved learning because of how he taught it.  He was a wonderful teacher and I sure hope he has been able to continue teaching today.  Any student that gets him for a teacher is certainly lucky to have him.  Is there any way I can contact him?  I would love to hear from him. Thanks for sharing,  Chrissy Weberling-Welch (87)

[Ed. Note:  We'd like to include additional recollections about inspirational Surratts teachers and administrators in future e-Notices.]

3.  WOODSTOCK GENERATION.  We received these memories in response to our item in the last e-Notice about Woodstock, Hair and related 60's phenomena:

"Hi Henry:  I read about the Woodstock Arts and Music festival with a smile on my face. I was too young to attend the original (and very sure my mom would not have allowed me anywhere near it!) but  I watched the TV reports with fascination. I was very conservative as a young adult and could only imagine what propelled these young people to put their daily lives aside to join this enormous block party! (All the time admittedly envious!)  Now, 40 years later I find myself living  and teaching 1 hour from the famous party site.  Your readers might be interested to know that Woodstock did not actually take place in Woodstock, but in a place called Bethel.  Recently a museum was built on the site to honor a part of history and it's actually very interesting. Concerts are held on the old farm's land and many people travel  there to reminisce.  The town of Woodstock is a delightful place to visit as well and will definitely take you back in time to a generation where voices were heard, people were evolving and peace, love and understanding were on the forefront of young minds.  (Okay, a few other things too -- lol!)  When I travel the New York State Thruway north, I am reminded of the time when thousands sat bumper to bumper on a journey into history and my young mind sat glued to the television wondering . Even though I did not participate at that time, I frequently take old friends to visit a place that had an influence on all of us. Whatever your perspective on Woodstock, if you are ever in NY, I urge you to make it a part of your journey; it's one you won't forget.  If you look me up- I'll be glad to give you a tour!  Until then, give peace a chance. Gretchen Wallace Masiello (73)"

"Henry: My Mom took me to see Hair as a graduation gift.  I remember worrying over whether she was offended when they all got nude at the end.  I, of course, thought it was totally cool.  Both the play and my Mom for taking me.  I also remember when I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar with David Venables.  As for Woodstock, I remember Dana Wickline and I finally talked her older brother (Wick) into taking us just to be told by our parents we were too young and couldn't go.  Now that was a heart break, and after all that hard work convincing Wick (who I suspect always knew the parents would veto it).  Debbie Long (71)"

4.  100 YEARS OF SURRATTS HISTORY (Con't).  Here's the latest installment in our continuing celebration of the 100th birthday of the School.  It is absolutely fascinating, and is from an undated, unsigned document from the Surratts House archives (written by a Surratts grad from either the late nineteen teens or early 1920s who returned to Surratts to teach after college).

"Surrattsville High School, As I Remember It.   I was the youngest of four children.  When I was old enough to enter first grade, my sister and one of my brothers were high school students and my second brother was in the fourth or fifth grade.  So we all went to school together at the new Surrattsville High School (1910 version).  We lived on a farm in the Camp Springs area, which was a good five miles from the school.  My father provided a horse that was steady and sturdy for us to drive to school.  Four of us could squeeze into the "Cozy Cab" or closed buggy, and one of the boys did the driving and tended the horse giving it water and feed, and unhitching and hitching it at our arrival and departure.  We endured cold and inclement weather and bad roads in those days.  My mother heated bricks and wrapped them in burlap to keep our feet warm, and lap robes were tucked around our legs.  Five miles on a cold day was a long journey for a first grader, so my record of attendance that first year was not too good; I was absent almost as much as I was present.

My first teacher was Miss Celeste Young, a most attractive beginning teacher, who insisted that I write with my right hand and reinforced her insistence with a few taps of the ruler, although I was quite obviously left-handed.  At the first opportunity she moved into the higher grades and Mrs. Elizabeth Van Ness Duvall took over the primary grades.  She was trained in the use of Ward's Rational System of teaching reading (a phonetic approach) which worked well with all of us.  She used flashcards and we all hissed and puttered in concert each day.  We sat in double desks and had a lot of seatwork to keep us busy.  If at the end of the day, we could truthfully say we had been quiet workers, we received a merit card.  When we had earned five of these cards we could trade the smaller ones in on a larger one.  If by chance we could ever earn four of the larger ones, these could be exchanged for a certificate which became ours to keep.  Being a talkative six year old, I didn't have many merits to display when I completed first grade.

Mrs. Duvall let us dramatize stories and I vividly recall being chosen to play "Goldilocks" because of my long blonde hair, for I was a cottonhead then.  As I think back over my educational experiences, I owe a lot to Mrs. Duvall.  She gave me a good foundation in the 3-Rs, which stood by me as I continued my education.  She was a motherly person, middle-aged, and a most capable and conscientious teacher.  We became fast friends, and when I graduated from Towson State Normal School in 1923, one of my most treasured momentos was a note from her.

Mr. Eugene S. Burroughs was the principal at Surrattsville.  To me as a primary pupil, he seemed to be a giant of a man.  He taught in the assembly room separated from our classroom by a cloakroom.  I can remember his deep, booming voice, and on occasion when he would sneeze, the window would rattle!  Later he became Superintendent of Schools for the County and Mr. F. Bernard Gwynn became the new principal."

(Ed. Note: To be continued next month.)

5.  POSSIBLE 2010 EVENTS.  As previously noted, the Foundation Board is considering whether to hold any form of "All Classes/Faculty/Staff" events in 2010, either similar to those held in 2000 and 2005, or different in scope.  If you would like to volunteer to work on a committee to consider this question, please send me an email at hsmith@smithdowney.com

6.  FASHIONABLE ALUMNI BUMPER STICKERS/WINDOW DECALS AVAILABLE.  As previously noted, the Foundation is now making "Surrattsville Alumni" bumper sticker/window decals available.  (A sample is found at http://www.surrattsville.org/photos/index.shtml.    Note that the actual size is 4" x 4" rather than the size shown on the web site, and they have a white background and green lettering.)

These stickers/decals are of the "static peel-off" variety, so they have "repositional adhesive backing," and attach, and detach, easily from bumpers and windows with no muss or fuss.  The suggested donation for the decals is $2.50.  If you'd like to show your Hornet pride by displaying one on your vehicle, please send your donation and your mailing address to Henry Smith at 815 Stoneleigh Road, Baltimore, MD 21212, and we'll mail a decal to you.

7.  CLASS OF 64 PLANS REUNION.  The Class of 64 is planning a 45th reunion in February 2009, in the form of a three night cruise to the Bahamas!  The Class reports that "all are welcome to join us."  For details, contact Jaime Seaman (64) at Steprepp@aol.com or 954-316-7498. 

8.  CLASS OF 59 PLANS REUNION.  The Class of 59 is beginning its planning for its 50 year reunion on June 6 and 7, 2009.  Please contact Laura Owens at chubby041@yahoo.com if you have any information on 59 grads or members of their families.

9.  CLASS OF 84 CONSIDERING REUNION.  Class of 84 grads that are interested in working on, and/or attending, a 25 year reunion are asked to contact Gary Stallings at gstallings@yahoo.com or Debbie O'Clair MacKenzie at debbiemackenzie45@yahoo.com.

10.  SURRATTS PTSA SPONSORS INNOVATIVE PROGRAM.  We just received this interesting press release from the very active Surratts PTSA.

"Surrattsville High School PTSA Announces "Men of Surratts" Program -- Please join the Surrattsville High School PTSA for our kick-off of the "Men of Surratts" Program.  We are asking all fathers, male guardians, male teachers, and other male roles to attend our first Men Of Surratts Kick-off Meeting at 7:00 p.m. on October 13 in the SHS multi-purpose room.

Also, the SHS PTSA is inviting all fathers, male guardians, and other male role models in the lives of SHS students to visit their child's classroom between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. on Monday October 13, 2008.

We will recruit men to get actively involved with the students, the school community and encourage their on-going participation in positive activities that contributes to the safety of the students, faculty, families and community.
 
Through presentations and workshops at Surrattsville High School and other youth functions, this program teaches young people about making responsible choices, taking preventive actions and strategies to reduce violence.
 
Through this program, Men of Surratts will identify the needs of young people in the community and develop the model to fill in the gaps in services provided to youth. The biggest gap identified was the need for a comprehensive plan or model to provide services to youth that would build self-esteem, increase positive hopes of the future and decrease the negative perceptions the community often shares about them. 

We hope to coordinate Men of Surratts with a county-wide outreach program focused towards reaching residents, young males in particular, and providing information on a variety of educational, social and economic services, while developing a strong employment agenda creating job training that is relevant in today's global e-commerce, offshore and service economy.  

The  PGCPS Department of Family and Community Outreach is suggesting six easy ways men can become involved in a child's education:

-Observe your child's classroom
-Participate in at least one Parent-Teacher Conference and/or Individual Learning Plan (ILP) meeting.  Attend at least one extra curricular (non-sporting) event this school year
-Join and participate in your child's school or any school's formal parent organization (PTA/PTSA/PTO)
-Assist a student with their homework assignments
-Volunteer at least seven hours this year at your student's school

Sincerely, The Surrattsville High School PTSA"


I hope this e-Notice finds you well and enjoying the start to the holiday season!

All the best, Henry Smith (71), hsmith@smithdowney.com



MANY THANKS TO THESE DONORS TO THE FOUNDATION'S 2008 CAMPAIGN!

Steve Profilet (71)
Chuck Teubner (64)
Pat Becker Oles (71)
Janet Goddard Sullivan (54)
Vivian Bounds Edelen (Former Faculty; 1938-1942)
Linda Dorsey Blum (66)
Vicky Simontacchi Young (57)
Sally Weingarten (77)
Bill Harris (71)
Ellen Talbert-Miller (61 and Former Faculty), In Memory of Harrison (Bo) Waite (70)
Denise Hope (72), In Memory of Robin Danielson (72)
Nancy Miller (67), In Memory of Virginia Mitchel McLaughlin (64)
Bob Marr (71)
Deborah Cox Marr (72)
Donna Rae Sturtevant Smith (70)
Henry Smith (71)
Judy Gordon Mentlik (65), To Celebrate the Marriages of Nancy Oursler Maynard (65) and Larry Schillings (65), and Marion Thompson (65) and John Restifo (65)
Helen Bovbjerg Niedung (54)
Jeanine Carroll Maclary (73), In Memory of James R. Carroll, Jr.
Chris and Merry Chovan Romine (65), To Celebrate the 98th Birthday of Laura Chovan (Former Faculty)
Paul Monaghan (59)
Nancy Oursler Schillings (65), to honor Best Friends in the Class of 65
Tom Travis (72)
Sally Travis (72)
Coach Lew Jenkins (Former Faculty)
Carrie Jessee Loftus (69), In Memory of Robert "Bobby" Jessee (71)
Dave Weber (65)
Millie Biedenkapp (Former Principal)
Joan Penn Revis (61)
Homer Revis (56)
Brenda Karnes (Former Faculty), In Memory of Lillian Holland
Anne Noyes (Former Faculty), In Memory of Lillian Holland
Reynaud Smith (72)