Eagles’ icon, winning Super Bowl coach and two-time NFL Coach of the Year, Dick Vermeil spent Tuesday morning at Church Farm School touring the campus and speaking to the student body, to whom he talked much as he would to a young football team.  Mr. Vermeil, who during his distinguished career coached the Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs, spoke to the students about defining their futures, finding good mentors, and caring about themselves and others.  He stressed the importance of integrity which, he said, can be built up over a life time and lost in seconds.

Afterwards, students and teachers alike approached Mr. Vermeil to take pictures and extend the conversation.   

The Church Farm School Choir, directed by Gary Gress, opened the May 19^th game against the Cincinnati Reds.    The Griffins must have brought good luck with them from Exton, for the Phillies came from behind in the ninth inning to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 with back to back homers.   Clink on this link to hear the choir.

The Phillie Phanatic got into the act.    

Track and field team members celebrated their victories at the BAL Championships.

Congratulations to the CFS Track and Field team for their excellent weekend at the BAL Championships!  The Griffins finished first among Constitution Division foes, earning another League title!  According to Athletic Director Greg Thompson, “CFS has served notice to Holy Ghost Prep that we are looking to end their run of 19 straight 1^st place finishes.”   The CFS Track and Field Team heads to Coatesville High School  on Friday and Saturday, May 17^th and 18^th in pursuit of a District Championship! 

Armond Owens ’13 was named the MVP of the BAL Track and Field Championships.

Coach Tony Wrice was named BAL Coach of the Year, and Armond Owens ’13 was named MVP of the meet, winning four championships!  (100m, 400m, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay).

Let the race begin!  Ms. Heerschap gives the signal.

Wednesday night, April 30 was perfect, and the third annual Tour de CFS was spirited and sparkling. According to French teacher Stephanie Heerschap, “French Night began 4 years ago when we were preparing for a Cinco de Mayo dinner for the Spanish students, and my French students said 'Why can't we do anything for French?' So Claudia Rose-Muir and I put our heads together to do a French dinner, and the rest is history. It's always a night for feasting, laughter, and fun!" 

Later, some little guys had their chance as well!

2013 winners this year, who get to put their names on the Trophies, were Rekwaun Watson for the 11/12 race, Kareem Homes for the 9/10 race, and David Glackin for the 7/8 race.  

Mlynue Reeves prepares to throw the discus. 

Mlynue Reeves broke the CFS discus record in winning the gold medal at the Unionville Invitational on Saturday.  Mlynue threw 148’ to eclipse the old record of 144’, set in 1988 by Aaron Wakefield.    On another note, all CFS varsity teams are giving strong performances in their first spring seasons as part of the Bicentennial Athletic League. 

Team building exercises included moving a water bottle into a trash can and following hand written directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Students cheered together at the end of the games. 

CFS Middle School students hosted middle school girls from Linden Hall, an all-girls boarding school in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on April 20.  Together, the students worked on team-building activities, leadership, communication and collaboration, but also had fun at a “mini-carnival” after dinner, where they could earn tickets for a raffle at the end of the evening.  In addition, the students decorated pots and planted seedlings for Earth Day, played soccer and basketball, and participated in a limbo contest!  

According to Cottage Faculty Member and English teacher Jenna Irrgang, who spearheaded the project, “Students from both schools had a wonderful time, and we look forward to each of our social events with Linden Hall throughout the school year.”

Head of School Ned Sherrill’s commentary was carried in the Delaware County Daily Times on Monday, April 22 heralding Earth Day and CFS’s own Solar Celebration Friday, April 26 at 4:00 p.m. on the north side of the campus in front of the solar array.  All are invited to the celebration.  The Honorable Carol Aichele, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will speak.  State congressional members The Honorable Andy Dinniman (19^th District Senator) and The Honorable Duane Milne (167^th Legislative District) will also make remarks along with Keith Choper, West Whiteland Township Supervisor.   

Click here to read the DELCO Times article.

Gary Gress, CFS Music Director will join Dr. Terry Klinefelter on Monday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre (MWAT) at West Chester University for a special concert.  She and Mr. Gress will play solo pieces as well as duets and a piece for two pianos.  In a concert earlier this year in the Chapel of the Atonement, CFS guests had an opportunity to witness Mr. Gress’s considerable expertise with four-hand music when he teamed up with concert pianist Hugh Sung for an Evening of Music with Dueling Pianos.    

Also, on Friday April 19^th, at 6:30-7:30 Mr. Gress and Dr. Klinefelter will give a free concert at the Calliope Music Store, 4 East Lancaster Avenue, in Ardmore.  For more information, visit the store’s website at www.calliopemusicstore.com.

Mr. Broadrup, Mr. Korb and Ms. Hughes, along with the students wave goodbye to their partners at the Escuela Secundaria Técnica in Mexico at the conclusion of their videoconference. 

On April 11^th, Dr. Rob Broadrup, along with faculty and staff members from the language, math and art departments, participated in a videoconference with the Church Farm School’s Monarch Sister Schools Partnership sister school, Escuela Secundaria Técnica,” in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.  Ms. Diahann Hughes, CFS Foreign Language Department Chair, translated the conversation, although many of the CFS students were fluent enough to participate in the exchange in both languages.

The Monarch Sister School Program involves CFS students, who are researching native plants and creating a butterfly garden with the goal of recreating native habitats for the threatened Monarch population along its migratory “flyway” between Mexico and Canada. CFS and Escuela students discussed in Spanish how both groups are creating habitats for the butterflies.  Mr. Kevin Korb of the CFS art department described the design for the garden he and his students are preparing this spring.

The Bel Cantos from Agnes Irwin School joined the CFS Choir and the CFS Singers for the two schools’ annual Combined Choral Concert.  Directors were Gary Gress and Murray Savar respectively.  The concert, held in the Chapel of the Atonement on April 10^th, featured individual and combined presentations.  The CFS Choir led with “Brothers Sing On!” and the CFS Singers brought down the house with “I Dreamed a Dream.”  The Bel Cantos’ “King of Anything and “The Power of Women” were also great crowd pleasers.  The combined choirs closed the evening with three selections including a powerful “America the Beautiful.”

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Po Sung Kim sang with the All East Chorus in Hartford, Connecticut, and Mr. Gress photographed him after the concert. 

On Sunday, April 7, Po Sung Kim joined approximately 360 of the best high school choral singers, representing every state between Maryland and Maine, who participated in the All East Honors Chorus Festival.  The students rehearsed together for three days to present an inspiring and memorable concert in Hartford, Connecticut.

Po Sung has been working towards this event since September of 2011, pursuing through the District, Regional and Pennsylvania All State levels, competing mostly against students from very large music programs.  According to CFS Music Director Gary Gress, “It was interesting to note that at the All East Concert, there were only a handful of other private schools represented, including the likes of Deerfield Academy, Tabor Academy, and Avon Old Farms School.”

Mr. Gress also notes that this is a worthy achievement for Po Sung, whose discipline is unswerving.  He is only the second singer in CFS history to reach this level!

All are warmly invited to attend a celebration at Church Farm School on Friday, April 26th at 4:00 p.m.dedicating our new solar array that harvests “clean and green” energy to power its campus. The 1.1 megawatt solar installation on 5 acres of school land ushers in a new era of harnessing nature’s abundance at the school and returns CFS to a leadership role in offering environmentally responsible and sustainable programs.  Contact  Suzette Baird (610) 363-5383 or sbaird@gocfs.net for more information about the celebration.

Coach Tony Wrice congratulates Anodofa on setting a new school record. 

The CFS track team, led by Coaches Tony Wrice, Tom DiSante, and John Kistler, excelled at the Pennsylvania Track Classic on Saturday, March 31.  More than 30 schools participated, almost all of whom were AAA and AAAA schools.  

Aondofa Anyam earned gold in the high jump, re-setting his school record!  He cleared 6’5”, eclipsing his mark of 6’4” from last spring.  The prior record was 6’3”, set by distinguished alum and Lehigh Basketball great Dozie Mbonu in 1988.  In addition, the 4x100 relay team finished 3^rd out of 21 schools in 44.23. 

Aondofa Anyam made his record jump at the Pennsylvania Track Classic on Saturday at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. 

Other individual honors included Mlynue Reeves, who finished 5^th in the discus and 7^th in the shot put.  Kemarni Munroe finished 8^th in the shot put.  Some of the schools CFS surpassed were Norristown HS, Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS, Great Valley HS, Penn Wood HS, and West Chester East HS, just to name a few. 

Peter Corrado received a warm welcome on Tuesday, April 2^nd as The Church Farm School’s new Director of Development.   A graduate of Iona College, Mr. Corrado has also earned a Masters in Science Educational Administration in Independent Schools from the University of Pennsylvania and certification as a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy from the American College in Bryn Mawr. 

Most recently, Mr. Corrado has served as Vice President of Institutional Development of The Wistar Institute, a prestigious research facility in West Philadelphia, where he is responsible for all areas of fundraising.  He has overseen a major capital campaign, established a Leadership Council and created several successful annual events including a major gala and a President’s Award, which is presented to a cancer survivor.  In prior positions, Mr. Corrado was President of various chapters of the Arthritis Foundation, including the Florida Chapter, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter, and Delaware Chapter.  Early in his career, he worked for the American Red Cross and Media Providence Friends School.

“We are very pleased that an individual with the depth of Peter’s experience will head up our Development Office,” says Mr. Sherrill, adding that, “His broad background and significant successes will be critical to tackling the tremendous fundraising challenges that face CFS in the coming years as we begin to implement the new Campus Master Plan.”    Mr. Sherrill also expressed his gratitude to Chair of the Development Committee Steve Darby and Director of Finance and Operations Neil Fanelli for their assistance in the search for a new Development Director.

CFS Director of Admissions Bart Bronk has announced that he will resign at the end of June and move to Grosse Pointe, Michigan to join the University Liggett School as Associate Dean of Faculty.  According to Mr. Bronk, “This is an exciting opportunity that will not only allow me to serve in an academic leadership capacity at a leading school, but also to teach, which will be a particular joy.”  University Liggett School is a co-educational school serving students in grades Pre-K through 12.

CFS Head of School Ned Sherrill has already begun to assemble a search committee to assist him in the important task of selecting the school’s next Director of Admission, acknowledging that Mr. Bronk leaves a special legacy of success to follow.

“We are exceedingly grateful to Bart for everything he has contributed to advancing our mission, particularly in admissions,” said Mr. Sherrill.  “Every current student can attribute his presence here to Bart’s work and advocacy.  Now, this new venture will allow him to improve upon his significant skills at another excellent independent school.  We are most supportive of him and understand that, as Bart himself said to the boys this morning, ‘…the path to learning and growth is one that sometimes veers away from the comfortable, away from the familiar, even away from those we love and care about.’”   

A 1996 graduate of CFS and later the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Bronk worked at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for eight years after college rising to the position of Director of Institutional Giving and Government Relations.  He returned to his alma mater at Mr. Shreiner’s invitation in 2007.  While serving as a CFS administrator, he completed an M.S. Ed. in the Educational Leadership Program at UPenn.

CFS wishes the entire Bronk family Godspeed.

CFS Head of School Rev. Ned Sherrill announced today that Mr. Brian Serbin has been appointed Director of Residential Life to succeed Mr. Charles “Chuck” Watterson.  In making the announcement, Mr. Sherrill noted that several wonderfully qualified candidates from within the school community had been part of the search process and thanked each of them for their continuing dedication to the welfare of all CFS students.   

Mr. Sherrill added that, “I am very pleased to appoint Brian Serbin to this important and challenging role. He has been an outstanding cottage parent and more recently a full-time classroom teacher.  He understands many facets of a boy’s life at CFS and looks for each one of them to find success here.  Intensely dedicated to our boys, he brings a similar amount of enthusiasm and vision to residential life as Chuck Watterson, who leaves a wonderful legacy of service to Church Farm School and its residential program.  This is an exciting time for all of us and we look to a smooth and productive transition as we reach for the future.”

Director of Student Life Randy Noll adds that, “Brian is a seasoned professional and wonderful educator who cares deeply about the school, its students and its mission.”  His six years as a cottage faculty member, teacher and coach have uniquely prepared him for all aspects of the role of Residence Life Director. Over that time he has earned the respect and affection of both the CFS student body and its adult community. I’m excited for both Brian and the school

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Serbin says, “I’m very excited to be able to serve the boys in a greater capacity as Director of Residential Life. I have extremely big shoes to fill with Mr. Watterson moving on, and while it will be impossible to replace everything he means to CFS, I look forward to continuing his work in serving the best interests of the boys and CFS community. I’m truly honored to be given the opportunity to serve a great mission and collaborate with an extraordinary group of caring professionals.

Mr. Serbin will assume his new duties on July 1.  Mr. Watterson, who has served Church Farm School for the past 18 years, will move to California at the end of the school year. 

Read the wonderful article by Rosemary McDonough of the Main Line Times here!

The CFS Varsity basketball team, coached by Marc Turner, won three times over the break, including the District One Championship at Villanova on March 2!  There, CFS defeated Gospel of Grace Christian, and is now 3-time District 1 Champion!  CFS also defeated New Hope Academy in the 1^st round of the PIAA tournament, then Mahanoy Area in the 2^nd round, a thrilling comeback after trailing throughout the game.  In the quarterfinals, CFS fell to Roberts Vaux High School, the #1 ranked team in PA, 68-64. 

According to CFS Athletic Director Greg Thompson, “It was a tough loss, for sure, but a remarkable effort by our squad.  And another fantastic season for the CFS Basketball program.”  He also expressed, “Huge thanks to all who supported our team over the break,” adding, “We had great crowds at the District game as well as all three state games.”

According to Athletic Director Greg Thompson, CFS advances to the State Tournament, and will play New Hope Academy from York, the #3 seed out of District 3.  We will play this Friday, 3/8, at Colonial Elementary just behind Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. P-W’s gym is located at Colonial Elementary School, just behind Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School.  The address is 230 Flourtown Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA.  It’s probably a 45 minute drive from CFS on a Friday evening, due to traffic.”  Ticket sales will open at 4:00 for the 5:00 game, warm-ups begin at 4:40.  All tickets are $6; buying tickets at the gate will not be a problem, for there will be plenty of seats.  

Watch out business world—the Griffins are coming! According to Chris Mazzoli, CFS DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) Sponsor, “We had a tremendous time at DECA States last week and are proud of our award winning students.  Adam Centeno and Rock Ward qualified for national competition with a fourth place finish in Hospitality Services.  Mike Lee received third place and took 2 medallions in Logistics.  Jesse Lee won a fantastic third place in Public Speaking, and Rus Murphy took a medallion in Business Finance.  Finally Paul Ogunleye received a medallion in Principles of Marketing. 

Director of Athletics Greg Thompson and Chris Lopez’13 check in with Head Nurse Carol Forbes at the beginning of the donation process. 

Spearheaded by Head Nurse Carol Forbes, the annual CFS Blood Drive collected 41 pints of blood yesterday, an amazing total considering our small community.  According to Ms. Forbes, “The drive is always so successful because faculty, administrators and students step up and contribute every year.”  She adds that, “The American Red Cross representatives and Volunteers are always amazed at how mannerly and polite our students are.  One student even shook their hands and thanked them for coming!”

Aaron Dirkes’13 and John Ceschan cheerfully bleed for CFS.

Attorney Joel Freeman describes the hazards of distracted driving to CFS students.

On Friday, February 15^th, Philadelphia attorney Joel Feldman and his wife Diane, whose daughter Casey was killed by a distracted driver in 2009, presented a powerful program to upper school students on the tragic consequences of driving while texting, eating, reading, arguing, using a cell phone, etc.   The somber mood lifted a little when Director of Residential Life Chuck Watterson and student Elijah Freeman’14 engaged in a bit role playing that illustrated how common distracted driving is and how dangerous it can be. 

Director of Residential Life Chuck Watterson and Elijah Peterson’14 act out a common distracted driving situation. 

The tragedy was further brought home when Cottage Faculty member Jenna Irrgang told the students that Casey had been a long-time friend, and that the accident had affected her deeply as well.    Mr. and Mrs. Feldman have created the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation to raise national awareness of the consequences of distracted driving and support causes that Casey cared about.  They have made presentations in school throughout the country, and are training others in the legal community to do this work as well. 

Fred Amoyaw’13 and Claudia Rose-Muir toast each other at the beginning of the elegant etiquette dinner.

On Valentines Eve, prefects from each of the campus’ ten cottages gathered with a number of faculty members for an elegant seven course dinner hosted by Claudia Rose-Muir and cottage faculty member Zachary Roberts. The dinner was more than just an elaborate escape from the usual dinner fare. The dinner was designed to be a learning experience in the art of formal dining with an emphasis on making a positive impression upon the host as well as the other guests.  Between each course, Mr. Roberts explained the layout of each place setting, the order and use of the utensils, how to approach difficult foods at the table, and the difference between European and American styles of eating.  By the night’s end, students and faculty alike were discussing when the next “Etiquette Dinner” would take place at CFS.

On Sunday, February 10, Gary Gress and the Upper School Choir boarded a bus for Washington, DC where students had the great experience of singing in the magnificent Washington National Cathedral.  Along with 200 other high school students representing Episcopal schools from Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, the choir sang Te Deum in B flat by Stanford, Ave Maria by Rachmaninoff, and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B minor by Noble.  Staff and students alike agreed that the experience of singing in this incredible setting with perfect acoustics was unparalleled.

Dr. Rardin worked with CFS Choir Members on Friday, January 5^th.  According to CFS Music Director Gary Gress, “This unique learning experience truly inspired our students.”

CFS Choir members had the exceptional opportunity to work with renowned choral conductor, Dr. Paul Rardin this past Friday during the school day. The students experienced his energetic style that engaged them in the foundations of choral singing, while also challenging them to take their knowledge, abilities and performance standard to new levels. Dr. Rardin is head of the Choral Department at Temple University, having also served as a choral faculty member at Towson State University and Michigan University.

Head of School Ned Sherrill introduced CFS Athletic Director Greg Thompson while guests Mike Cappelletti and John Kirwin looked on. 

On January 22, CFS directors and their friends attended a unique program designed to familiarize new friends with the School.  Mr. Sherrill welcomed twenty-two guests who heard talks by Director of Athletics Greg Thompson and Varsity Basketball Coach Marc Turner about the athletic program at CFS. Following dinner all walked over to the Gymnasium for a vigorous CFS vs. Devon Prep basketball game, which CFS won 59-41.  As of 1/22, CFS is 11-5 overall, and 7-1 in the Bicentennial Athletic League.