Supporting Students

Listen to the Latest Quadpod for a Taste of Fall at Baylor!

November 2, 2023 12:36 PM

Updated November 2, 2023 12:37 PM

Welcome to the latest episode of "The Quadpod," a student-produced podcast highlighting life at Baylor. This episode was created in the spirit of peak fall season.

Welcome to the latest episode of "The Quadpod," a student-produced podcast highlighting life at Baylor.

Listen here, or simply search for the Baylor Quadpod online or wherever you get your podcasts.

On this episode, in the spirit of this peak fall season, students highlight some of the special events and transformational experiences happening on campus right now. First, senior Karen Hori sits down with the community service special events coordinator, Aashi Patel, also a senior, to learn more about the program’s special Trunk or Treat night on campus. Just after, Hori and senior Alana Zavala take you to the event itself to hear what the night means for the young scholars who are invited to attend.

Next, senior Blake Bogo sits down with Baylor’s social media specialist Molly Glascock Smith '12 to discuss the heighted spirit in Heywood Stadium and how she’s helped bring a more awareness of campus life to the broader world through Baylor’s social media accounts. Then, senior Vincent McClure polls the student body on their favorite dress up themes at this season’s home football games.

Next, senior Aly Johnston speaks with two peak performers of this year’s outstanding girls' soccer state championship team, seniors Jada Cooper and Elizabeth Stophel, about how their leadership helped the team return to championship heights.

And finally, we’ll join senior Jahslyn Rose Bush and Baylor Trustee David Knox '02, to hear about his transformational years at Baylor and how it propelled him towards a bright future. This episode is hosted by junior Tate Harrison and senior Anya Wiisanen '24.

Students who work on each episode of The Quadpod are guided by the expertise of Mike Kelly, Baylor's director of applied humanities. Each episode is Inspired by the many converging paths on campus where faculty, staff, students, alumni and families meet, and features stories from all angles, told by many voices.

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Sign Up Today for Winter Camps!

November 2, 2023 12:34 PM

Updated November 2, 2023 12:37 PM

Get your holiday season started by enrolling your kids in the Baylor Walkabout or Raider Day camp sessions.

We are bringing summer camp fun to the winter! Get your holiday season started by enrolling your kids in the Baylor Walkabout or Raider Day camp sessions. They will enjoy getting out of the house and participating in fun activities while you get some of that last minute shopping done!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

2023 Winter Walkabout
Campers will enjoy the thrills of climbing, caving, and hiking at some amazing local spots!

Dates: Dec. 18-20, 2023
Ages: 8-12
Times: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Cost: $310

2023 Winter Raiders
Get ready for three days of frosty fun with Baylor's Winter Raiders camp! Campers will have an unforgettable winter adventure with their favorite camp counselors as they compete in snowball battles and other winter games.

Dates: Dec. 20 - 22, 2023
Ages: 5- 11
Times: 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $235

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Tim Laramore ’99 Leads Conservation Effort

November 2, 2023 12:30 PM

Updated November 2, 2023 12:38 PM

The grand opening for the 200-acre Walden’s Ridge Park took place on Sept. 30.

In his leadership position as the volunteer executive director for the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy (NCCC), English instructor and Walkabout leader Tim Laramore ’99 was taking a closer look at various pieces of land when a thought occurred to him.

“There was this 117-acre property on the side of Signal Mountain. As I was walking around, I saw old roadbeds and boulders, and I thought I should get some other people out to see it,” he recalls.

Laramore invited NCCC board members, people from the climbing community, and the Southeast regional director Land Trust for Tennessee (LTT), and things picked up from there. “We thought if we got mountain bikers and climbers involved, then this could potentially be a really cool park.”

Seven years later, a grand opening for the 200-acre Walden’s Ridge Park took place on Sept. 30. Accessed just off the W-Road winding up Signal Mountain, the park features world class mountain bike trails and bouldering locations, along with trails for runners and hikers and scenic views of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Valley. Joining Laramore at the grand opening were fellow alumni Mayor Tim Kelly ’85, along with Bruz Clark ’77, president and CEO of the Lyndhurst Foundation and Riverview Foundation.

Laramore said Chattanooga’s topography makes it a premier outdoor location but it’s the drive of organizations willing to come together for a common cause that is the differentiator when compared to other communities. “We have the cliffs, the creeks, the crags, and the slopes and so many places with trailheads,” he said. “But we are also somewhat saturated with conservation-minded organizations. That is what puts us on the map.”

Although collaborative in nature, seeing the park come to fruition was a long process with challenges at every turn. “I had no idea what it took to build a park,” admits Laramore. “We ran up against a continuous series of obstacles and setbacks and then figured out how to overcome them. One of the gratifying moments is certainly when I went out there at one point and was feeling like I was pushing a stone up a hill to get it all done. And then I saw the trail builders on site and the machines pulling together and I realized that it was actually going to happen.”

Throughout the process Laramore says he learned how to how to get through the labyrinth of survey requirements for certain grants. He became well-versed in local politics and how to move a number of initiatives through the county commission for approval. An avid outdoors person in his own right, he still discovered there was a lot to learn about trail building and “what it takes to build quality trail so it will be the same in ten years as it is today.”

“No one in the project had any experience in doing this, and there were plenty of times we were wondering if was going to come to fruition,” he adds. “The collaboration was successful just because most of the people who do these activities have a natural determination. Climbers, mountain bikers, hikers and kayakers don’t necessarily want the easy thing, so it’s the nature of their passions. I think we had people who were not daunted by setbacks and challenges – they are challenged by them. That is what made it happen.”

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Madison Jacobi Joins Baylor Varsity Swim Team and Baylor Swim Club

October 20, 2023 11:23 AM

Updated October 20, 2023 11:23 AM

Baylor School and the Baylor Swim Club is pleased to announce that Madison Jacobi has been named an assistant coach for the Baylor School varsity team and the senior group of the Baylor Swim Club.

Baylor School and the Baylor Swim Club is pleased to announce that Madison Jacobi, previously the head coach for Harrison High School, has been named an assistant coach for the Baylor School varsity team and the senior group of the Baylor Swim Club.

“Madison is a tremendous addition to Baylor School and the Baylor Swim Club. She brings a wealth of experience both in the pool as an All-American athlete during her time at Florida State University as well as her tenure as a head coach,” said Director of Competitive Swimming and Head Coach Payton Brooks. “She embodies our motto here at Baylor - Magnanimitas or 'Greatness of Spirit.' We believe she will play a great role in helping us build upon the rich traditions of our program.”

Jacobi, while working as a special education teacher, also served as the head coach for Harrison High School Swimming and Diving. In 2021, the Harrison Boys team won the County Championship Title for the first time in over 20 years. In the fall of 2021, Madison became the first female swimmer inducted into the Harrison Sports Hall of Fame.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Jacobi began coaching at Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club while pursuing her master’s degree. Jacobi coached swimmers from the novice level to the senior level, including multiple state champions, Junior National qualifiers, and Olympic Trials qualifiers. Madison finished coaching at ATAC in December of 2017 after graduating with her Master’s of Special Education.

As a member of the Florida State University swim team, Jacobi was a three-time member of the ACC Championship team and a two-time member of the NCAA Championship team, competing in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle,1650 freestyle, and the 800 freestyle relay each year. In 2013, Jacobi was a part of the All-American Honorable Mention 800 Freestyle Relay with a 16^th place finish. In 2014, she earned an individual All-American Honorable Mention in the 1650.

While at Florida State, she received the Freshman of the Year Award (2013), Most Valuable Swimmer (2014), Hardest Worker Award (2014), and was a Team Captain (2015-2016 season).

In 2014, Jacobi received the Femina Perfecta Award – an award established to honor the “complete woman” who embodies the Florida State motto of Vires (strength), Artes (knowledge), and Mores (tradition). This award is presented annually to one woman from each of Florida State’s athletic teams and is voted on by their teammates.

Jacobi set four school records that still stand today in the 500 freestyle (4:37.77), 1000 freestyle (9:40.82), the 1650 freestyle (16:01.09), and as a member of the 800 freestyle relay (7:06.56 – 1:44.63 split). She was a two-time Georgia High School state champion and the Cobb County swimmer of the year. She still holds the 500 Freestyle record at Harrison High School with a 4:49.13.

She graduated in 2016 with a B.A. in psychology. She and her husband, Colin, married in April, 2023.

“I am extremely grateful to the staff at Baylor School and Baylor Swim Club for the opportunity to be here on deck. Baylor has such a long-standing tradition of greatness at all levels and I am looking forward to working with and learning from the coaches here while supporting the swimmers, as they continue their success," said Jacobi.

She will be filling the vacancy left from the promotion of Rudy Aguilar to head age group and Middle School coach for the Swim Club.

“I am excited to promote Rudy to the head age group/middle school coach. With this promotion comes leadership responsibilities and the crucial role of developing our young athletes,” Brooks said. “He came to our program this past May and has made an immediate impact with our athletes and the culture of our pool deck with an unmatched passion and energy for the sport of swimming.”

Adding both Rudy Aguilar and Madison Jacobi to the swim staff this year will continue to build upon the positive momentum of the program and legacy that is Baylor Swimming.

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Howalt Hall Dedication Marks New Era for Boarding at Baylor

September 20, 2023 8:40 AM

Updated October 16, 2023 4:36 PM

In preparation for an expansion of its boarding enrollment in the coming years, Baylor School dedicated the new Howalt Hall dormitory on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Baylor Board Chair Alexis Guerry Bogo '89 celebrates with Head of School Chris Angel '89, Trustee Chip Howalt '85, and his wife, Cindy Howalt

In preparation for an expansion of its boarding enrollment in the coming years, Baylor School dedicated the new Howalt Hall dormitory on Wednesday, Sept. 20, ushering in a new era for the school's boarding program.

The event comes on the heels of opening the 2023-24 school year with a record enrollment of 220 boarding students from 19 countries and 26 states. The school’s total enrollment for grades 6-12 is 1,080.

Since 2017, applications for Baylor’s boarding program have increased significantly and in 2022, the school outlined plans to increase boarding enrollment to 250 students in the coming years. “The number of students in the Residential Life program for the 2022-23 school year was limited to 200 boarders due to current program and facility resources, said Head of School Chris Angel ’89. “With the start of the 2023-24 academic year we are celebrating our 131st year as a college preparatory school and have opened with record boarding enrollment. We are excited to be in a position of growth.”

Baylor School Trustee Chip Howalt ’85 and his wife, Cindy, made the lead gift to support the growth of Baylor’s boarding program through on-campus renovations and new faculty town homes and apartments. Howalt Hall, which originally opened in the fall of 1954 as Lupton Annex and contained a combination of classrooms and faculty apartments, is now home to 23 boarding students and two faculty families.

Howalt is president and COO at Textile Rubber Chemical Company in Dalton, Ga. and attended Baylor as a boarding student from 1983 to 1985.

In addition to increasing the dormitory capacity, the construction of seven new townhomes is underway to accommodate an increase in the number of faculty living on campus to support the number of students living on campus. “As we grow our boarding enrollment it is critically important to provide the best possible dorm faculty support for students in our Residential Life program,” said Angel.

Howalt Hall is one of seven dorms on campus and the first to be built since 2009. "Throughout history, this community has also benefited from the contributions of individuals and families who deeply valued their Baylor experience," Angel said in his remarks at the ribbon cutting. "This rich tradition of giving back and paving the way for current and future students is quite possibly as characteristic to Baylor School as is our beautiful campus, our dedicated faculty, and our unmatched school spirit. The family names on our dormitories and other buildings and fields – and even classrooms-- represent some of the most supreme feelings of gratitude and most significant acts of generosity in our school’s history."

**Baylor School Trustee Chip Howalt ’85 and his wife, Cindy, made the lead gift in the campaign to grow Baylor's boarding program to 250.**

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Are you ready for some football? The Red Raiders will compete against McCallie for the Tennessee state championship title on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. in Finley Stadium.

Baylor Board Chair Alexis Guerry Bogo '89 celebrates with Head of School Chris Angel '89, Trustee Chip Howalt '85, and his wife, Cindy Howalt

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