Students Selected to 77th Round Table
Fifteen Baylor seniors have been selected for the school’s 77th Round Table. Founded in 1942, the prestigious literary discussion group emphasizes independent thought and lively debate. Selection to Round Table is among Baylor’s highest honors. Round Table members for 2018-19 are (back row, left to right): Kristopher Kennedy (president), Lily Zabel, Wiley Pippenger, Olivia Bettis, Miles Kadrie, (middle row) Kate Padilla, Izzy Boyd, Andrew Pace, Jeremy Brien, Sophie Wisenbaker (vice-president), (front row) Dawson Brown, Charlsey Newman, Sydney Sutherland, Jenna Azzouz, and Elizabeth Hayslett (secretary). English instructor Heather Ott serves as the group’s faculty adviser.
Honor Council Members Elected
In May of 1916, the Baylor student body unanimously adopted the Honor Code and established the Honor Council. Members of Baylor’s 103rd Honor Council, pictured above are (front row, left to right) seniors Brinley Garrison, Kristopher Kennedy (vice chair), Olivia Bettis (secretary), Alex Robinson (chair), and Jonyca Jiao; (second row) juniors Connor Duffy, Ridley Browder, Lea Hunter, and Leah Kessler; (back row) freshmen Brett Cooper and Couriyah Stegall; and sophomores Emrick Garrett, Frances Brantley, and Erica Wu.
Student Leadership Board Members Named
Congratulations to the 2018-19 Student Leadership Board members that include (front row, left to right) seniors Maddie Reap, Merrit Newton, Willa Pitts, Franny Pettway, Dillan Desai, and Liz Li, (second row) juniors Saad Mohammad, Kate King, Rachel Kleban, Claire Austin, Lauren Hill, and Christian Martin, (back row) sophomores Steven Yao, Barry Yang, Olivia Joyner, and Haley Rice; and freshmen Spratt Allison, and Kendyl Baker. Not pictured are seniors Wiley Pippenger and Genna Baker and sophomore Starr Hinton.
Twelve Seniors Earn National Merit Honors
Baylor seniors (pictured above left, left to right) Jack Holcombe, Jackson Collette, Lingham “Isabella” Kong, and Ryker von Klar have been named semifinalists in the 64th National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
The students were chosen based on their performance, as juniors, on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and are among the 16,000 highest scorers nationwide of the 1.6 million students who took the test, which evaluates critical reading, math, and writing skills. These academically talented students will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring.
In addition, eight Baylor seniors have been named NMSC Commended Students. Earning this honor are (pictured above right, left to right) Greyson Linderman, Lexie Edwards, Olivia Bettis, Lily Zabel, Elizabeth Hayslett, Miles Kadrie, (not pictured) Jeremy Brien, and Andrew Pace. This group placed among the top 50,000 scorers nationwide who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Nationally, they join some 34,000 Commended Students throughout the U.S. who are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.
Ryker von Klar Earns Perfect ACT Score
Baylor senior Ryker von Klar earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT, one of the entrance exams used by colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The ACT is a measure of a high school student’s readiness for college and provides colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare applicants. Only 0.136%, fewer than 14 out of 10,000 students taking the ACT, make a 36.
Baylor Players Present The Government Inspector
The Baylor Players presented The Government Inspector, a hilarious Russian farce adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Nikolai Gogol, for their fall production. The cast and crew included over 60 Baylor students. Baylor Fine Arts Chair Beth Gumnick directed the production and, technical director Garrett Walsh, along with his wife, Emily, supervised set design, tech crew, and costuming.
Baylor Dance Presents Emerging Choreographers
Baylor Dance presented the annual Emerging Choreography Concert in November, a program dedicated to presenting original work by emerging and student choreographers. Seniors Liz Li and Cecilia Rodriguez, junior Macie Lane, and sophomore Emma Sofia Griffin presented original pieces that were adjudicated by outside dance professionals who give constructive feedback to the choreographers. The students with the highest marks will have their pieces included in the annual Vervé concert Jan. 30-Feb. 2. Other highlights included the Baylor Dance Collective featuring alumni dancers, pieces by the choreographic studies arts elective class taught by Elizabeth Roemer ’05, a tap piece by seniors Lily Zabel and Cecilia Rodriguez, and a piece by Brie Timmons ’12 titled Voiceless.
Twelve Earn Spots in All-East Honor Choirs
Twelve Concert Choir members earned spots, by competitive audition, in the East Tennessee Vocal Association All-East Honor Choirs and represented Baylor at the ETVA honors event at Maryville College in November. Seated, left to right, are seniors Lexie Edwards, Erik Fong, Riley Grove, Charlie Smith, and junior Charlotte Wang. Standing, left to right, are sophomores Creighton Arrington, Patrick Stultz, Dana Mays and freshmen Kara Anne Smith, Sharnima Jones, Hunter Herndon, and Owen Seymour.
In addition, Wang attended the High School Composition Intensive (HSCI) at the Boston Conservatory at the Berklee College of Music this summer, composing pieces for string quartet, wind trio, and piano. As part of the HSCI, her string quartet work, Eerie, was performed by a professional Boston chamber ensemble. One of Wang’s choral works, A Gust of Wind, will be premiered by the Baylor Concert Choir in the spring.
Baylor juniors Maxime Werk and Sophie Workinger (pictured left to right with dance instructor Cathy Pettway) performed in “Silver: The Dance of Aging” concert and fundraiser for Morning Pointe of Chattanooga, which assists families and patients suffering from the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Along with the Kentucky Ballet, Tennessee Ballet, and Chattanooga Ballet, the dancers performed a piece of choreography to spread awareness about Alzheimer’s.
Seventh grader Gabe Daugherty (left) was a featured soloist in the Lee University Chorale’s performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms in October. Eighth grader Alexander Moyer (right) was chosen by audition to the inaugural Tennessee Junior High Honor Choir in Murfreesboro.
Members of the 2018-19 Eighth Grade Literary Society have been announced. New members are (front row, left to right) Owen McDaniel, Charlie Cushman, Sidney Kiner, Catherine Campbell, Evelyn Stein, Ally Creswell, (back row) Amy Cohen, faculty sponsor; Spencer Chinery, Jack Tipps, Timothy George, Abby Todd, Sophia Baleeiro, and Lauren Callihan, Library Director.
Middle School students collected over 1,300 pounds of frozen turkeys for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank in the 16th annual Turkey Train in November. The turkeys are distributed to needy families over the holidays. The event is organized by the sixth-grade adviser group of English instructor Amy Cohen. Pictured with a Food Bank representative are (back row, left to right) Luke Waldrep, Gabriel Costilow, Reed Martin, Mercer Murphy, (front row) Lane Cooper, Ivey Vance, Maddie Winchester, Frances Eischeid, Ava Gallien, Betsy Williams, Maelynn Adams-Cook, and Boo Mathews.
