TMI News Room

Susannah Wright receiving a copy of the Oxford Classical Dictionary for earning a gold medal for four consecutive years.

The 2012-2013 school year was a banner year for TMI Latin students. More than half of our Latin students received some sort of national recognition for their performance on the National Latin Exam.

Moreover, two students scored perfect papers: 7th grader, Ethan Arellano, and junior, Susannah Wright. Susannah also received the Maureen O’Donnell Award and received a copy of the Oxford Classical Dictionary because she earned a gold medal for four consecutive years.

The 2012-2013 National Latin Exam results follow:

GOLD MEDAL AWARDEES

Susannah Wright, Latin IV prose
Christopher Clark, Latin II
Grace Westerman, Latin II
Aidan Read, Latin II
Elizabeth Holmes, Latin I
Madison Herrera, Latin I
Matthew Perz, Latin I

SILVER MEDAL AWARDEES

Jonathan Clark, Latin IV prose
Garrett Riesz, Latin III
William Gaines, Latin II
Jessica Corley, Latin II
Samantha Hobbs, Latin II
Christopher Nash, Latin II
Armando Merlo, Latin I
Juan Pablo Martinez, Latin I
Victoria Flener, Latin I
Alexandra Prado, Latin I

MAGNA CUM LAUDE

Gabriela Font, Latin III
Isabel Miller, Latin III
Nicholas Anthony, Latin III
Eleanore Cole, Latin II
Dillon Basse, Latin II
Erick Gomez, Latin I
Osman Sharaf, Latin I
Blake Grossman, Latin I

CUM LAUDE

Andres Suarez-Domit, Latin II
Ashley McCutcheon, Latin II
Zachary Evers, Latin II
Tyler Cliffe, Latin I
Berenice Quintanilla, Latin I

7th grade OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Ethan Arellano
Hope Westerman
Jacob Saenger
Peter Fera

7th grade ACHIEVEMENT

Ally Kotopoulos
Thomas Anderson
Jacob Carter
Brooke Kotopoulos
Tanner Waltrip
Emmie Walsh
Marielle Fis

The National Latin Exam is offered under the joint sponsorship of the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League. More than 149,000 Latin students from all fifty states participated this past year, as did students from thirteen foreign countries, including Australia, Mexico, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. This year for the first time, students from Bulgaria and Mozambique also took the NLE.

TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas has announced Cadet of the Semester awards for two members of the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets, the school’s JROTC program.

Junior Brooks Freeland was named Upper School Cadet of the Semester, and seventh-grader Eloise Owen was named Middle School Cadet of the Semester.

Cadet of the Semester honorees are chosen from those who already have received Cadet of the Month distinctions during the current school year. These awards are made by a Cadet Selection Board of cadet officers who interview, score and select the Cadets of the Month and Cadets of the Semester. Honorees are chosen based on appearance and wearing of the uniform, Corps knowledge and how they present themselves to the board. To qualify for Cadet of the Month, TMI cadets are nominated by their company commanders on the basis of outstanding results of a monthly inspection. Monthly and semester honorees also are eligible for the Cadet of the Year award, to be announced at the end of the school year.

Seeley Stephens, a junior at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, receives. a National YoungArts Foundation award presented by TMI headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., during daily chapel, May 10. Stephens’ award is in the category of voice performance.

Seeley Stephens, a junior at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, won a 2013 award in Voice Performance from the National YoungArts Foundation, a Miami-based organization that provides recognition and scholarships to talented young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts. Out of 20,000 applicants in this year’s competition, which includes auditions, she qualified in the top four percent.

“It’s unusual for high-school students to receive the award in their junior year, so it’s especially prestigious for Seeley to achieve it this year,” said TMI Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., as he presented the award to Stephens during daily chapel services May 10.

Besides the plaque, certificate and scholarship award, Stephens’ name will be sent to colleges, universities and professional schools that have expressed interest in identifying exceptional young artists.

Stephens, 16, appears regularly in professional dinner-theater revues and made it to the “Hollywood Week” round of this year’s “American Idol” singing competition on FOX TV.

The TMI community showcased the Fine Arts during the second annual Fine Arts Celebration Week, May 6-10. Students showcased their artwork in Frost Athletic Center and performed in chapel, the Alkek Theater, and the amphitheater throughout the week.

Below, sophomore Scotty Boyd performs the piano theme from Game of Thrones.

Below, Alfredo Sandoval performs a guitar solo in All Saints Chapel.

TMI eighth grader, Elizabeth Holmes, qualified for the Texas Age Group Swimming Championships (TAGS) in long course for the 200 meter breaststroke. TAGS is one of the premiere 14 and under state championship meets in the country. The TAGS time standards are updated each year based on the previous year’s final results. Typically, fewer than 30 swimmers in the state of Texas qualify for any one event each season. The meet will be held at UT-Austin at the end of July.

Elizabeth’s qualifying time for the 200 meter breaststroke was only 0.43 seconds from the qualifying time for the Texas Senior Circuit Sectionals meet. The Texas Senior Circuit seeks to provide the next level of competition above age-group swimming for those competitors seeking national-level accomplishments. Swimmers of all ages compete at one level to insure the best possible competition for those striving to compete in the United States Swimming Inc. senior and junior level championship meets.

The TMI Middle School Baseball team celebrates winning its second straight ISAL Championship on May 4 at San Antonio Christian Schools. The Panthers finished their season with a 12-0 record.

The middle-school baseball team from TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas won its second straight Independent Schools Athletic League (ISAL) Division I Baseball Championship with a 10-9 win over San Antonio Christian Schools (SACS) on May 4 at SACS.

TMI clinched the title with a “tremendous effort by the entire team,” said Coach Troy Eason. Seventh-grader Cole Babic was the winning pitcher, and eighth-grader Dominic Mazziotta hit a game-winning triple.

The undefeated Panthers finished their season with a 12-0 record.

Two seniors at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas have been selected to serve on staff at Texas Boys State, to be held June 9-14 on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Garrett Notzon and Stephen Santos, who were participants in Boys State 2012, will be counselors at this year’s annual conference, sponsored by the American Legion, Department of Texas.

Both boys are members of the National Honor Society and of the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets, of which Notzon is a company commander, and Santos is executive officer. Next fall, Notzon will attend Texas A&M University, Mays Business School; and Santos will be a freshman at Notre Dame University.

American Legion Boys State is a selective educational program of government instruction for high school students. It is a participatory program where each student becomes a part of the operation of his local, county, and state government.

Lincoln Abbott, a freshman at TMI, displays the medals and trophies he won in a Houston bagpiping competition.

Lincoln Abbott, a freshman at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, received two first places for bagpiping in the 2/4 March and Piobaireachd (extended art music) junior competitions at the Houston Celtic Festival and Highland Games, held April 27 at the Houston Farm and Ranch Club.

His judges were Bob Worrall, who has judged the World Pipe Band Competition in Glasgow, Scotland; and Ken Eller, a 15-time winner of the North American Pipe Band Championships.

Abbott will attend piping camp this summer and will resume competition in the fall.

The varsity lacrosse team from TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas won several state and district awards from the Texas High School Lacrosse League for outstanding play during the 2013 season.

The lacrosse team from TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas has been recognized with multiple honors from the Texas High School Lacrosse league for the 2013 season.

Senior Jose De Alba has been selected as an Academic All American, an honor awarded to only four players within the league who combine academic excellence with outstanding play. At TMI, he is a member of the National Honor Society; earlier this year, he was featured as a Scholar Athlete of the Week by KSAT-TV. De Alba plans to attend Princeton University in the fall, where he will study international relations and political science.

Panthers named to the league’s all-state honor team are: Garrick Cantrell, attack; De Alba, goalie; Dylan Hodge, midfield/face-off; and Chuy Suday, defense. TMI players named to all-district for San Antonio Division II are: GW Bodden, attack; Alex Graham, defense and Markell Henderson, midfield. Jonathan “JAC” Clark and Connor McMillian received Honorable Mention for defense and attack, respectively.

TMI’s Head Lacrosse Coach John Beck was named San Antonio District Coach of the Year, an award that honors coaches who exemplify the ideals of the game and recognizes coaching performance and contribution.

“We are thrilled to see that Coach Beck has been named San Antonio District 2013 Coach of the Year,” said TMI Athletic Director Becky Geyer. “He’s an outstanding leader and a first-class lacrosse coach. TMI grabbed four out of 12 All State positions, the highest number among any of the schools. We are very proud of the TMI lacrosse program and their passion to play and to grow the sport of lacrosse.”

On Monday, April 22, Father Nate blessed the new Sanctus Bell in All Saints Chapel. The bell was made possible by a gift from the Lynch family; watch the video below as TMI 6th grader Bridget Lynch rings the bell for the first time after its blessing.

Members of TMI’s Middle School tennis team – Ana Paula Velasco, left, Erick Gomez, Alec Neiman, Mary Kagan and Alex Rodriguez – celebrate their district championship win at the April 15 ISAL tournament at McFarlin Tennis Center.

The Middle School tennis team from TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas won the Independent Schools Athletic League (ISAL) tournament held April 15 at McFarlin Tennis Center in San Pedro Park.

The Panthers won the overall team award for an accumulation of won matches, while eighth-grader Humberto Lobo won the gold medal in A level singles, and eighth-grader Pauline Wholey won the silver medal in B level singles.

The tournament was the final contest of the league’s tennis season. The Independent Schools Athletic League (ISAL) is comprised of 19 schools in San Antonio and the surrounding area.

TMI juniors who qualified for the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program are recognized in daily chapel, April 18. From left, they are: Morgan Garbett, Taylor Devlin, Susannah Wright, Jonathan “JAC” Clark, Chad Wisnowski and Berkeley Brown. Qualifiers may go on to further levels in the competition.

Six juniors from TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas have met requirements to enter the 2014 National Merit Scholarship competition. Berkeley E. Brown, Jonathan “JAC” Clark, Taylor Devlin, Morgan Garbett, Chase Wisnowski and Susannah Wright were recognized in daily chapel, Thursday, April 18, for their achievement.

These students are among the 50,000 highest-scoring participants of some 1.5 million who took the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). From these qualifiers, about 16,000 will be named National Merit semifinalists, representing the top scorers in each state, and approximately 34,000 others will be named Commended Students in September.

Twelve members of the TMI Latin Club competed at the Texas State Junior Classical League’s yearly tournament at Marcus High School in Flower Mound Texas on April 12-13. Ethan Arellano’s achievement was recognized with a 2nd Place ribbon for Decathlon, Magna cum Laude for Pentathlon and a 7th place certificate for Mythology. Juan Pablo Martinez Cordeiro’s achievement was recognized with a 3rd Place ribbon for Roman History, Maxima cum Laude for Pentathlon, and an 8th Place certificate for Greek History. Other TMI students who won awards at the tournament were:

Victoria Flener: Roman Life 1/2B: 8th place
Borna Havijandi: Vocabulary 1/2A: 6th place, Roman Life 1/2A: 9th place
Madison Herrera: Reading Comprehension I 1/2B: 9th place, Pentathlon 1/2B: Magna cum Laude
Royya Osouli: Mythology 1/2B: 10th place, Greek Life and Literature 1/2B: 10th place
Mathew Perz: Latin Derivatives 1/2B: 8th place, Pentathlon 1/2B: Magna cum Laude
Alexandra Prado: Pentathlon 1/2B: Summa cum Laude, Vocabulary 1/2B: 6th place
Jacob Saenger: Reading Comprehension I 1/2A: 7th place, Pentathlon 1/2A: Maxima cum Laude
Hope Westerman: Mottoes 1/2A: 10th place, Latin Derivatives 1/2B: 6th place

Congratulations to all who attended for their efforts and accomplishments!

Ethan Arellano

Juan Pablo Martinez Cordeiro

Last week, fourteen 7th and 8th grade TMI students attended the Global Classrooms Middle School Model UN Conference in New York City, where they joined over 1,500 students from the United States and abroad to devise solutions to real-world issues. Representing Chile, TMI’s delegates stood for the country’s interests as they experienced the functioning of the United Nations.

Seventh grade students Haddie Hill and Eloise Owen earned Honorable Mention for their contribution to their committee. The students were joined by faculty sponsors Ms. Mari O’Connell and Mrs. Cathleen Hickey, along with four parent chaperones Pete Fera, Anna Floyd, Holly Baker Hill, and Scott Kercheville.

Photo by TMI Parent, Dr. Holly Baker Hill

TMI Boys State nominees Jake Fox, left, and Steele Sessions are congratulated by Headmaster John W. Cooper, right, and Assistant Commandant Maj. Joe Claburn. Both students are members of the school’s optional Corps of Cadets.

Two students from TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas were nominated to attend Texas Boys State 2013, to be held June 9-14 on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Juniors Jake Fox and Steele Sessions, both first sergeants in the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets (JROTC), will be sponsored by American Legion Post 593 in Converse, of which TMI’s assistant commandant, retired Army Maj. Joe Claburn is an active member.

Requirements for school nominees include strong academic performance, leadership skills, community involvement and excellence in public speaking.

American Legion Boys State is a selective educational program of government instruction for high school students. It is a participatory program where each student becomes a part of the operation of his local, county, and state government.

Lincoln Abbott, a freshman at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, was named Piper of the Day for his division at the San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival, held April 6 at the Helotes Fairgrounds.

Bagpiper Lincoln Abbott, a freshman at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, was named Piper of the Day for his division at the San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival, held April 6 at the Helotes Fairgrounds.

He received this honor for his outstanding performances in all three Grade IV Junior piping competitions. Abbott earned two first places (Strathspey/Reel and 2/4 March) and one second place (Piobaireachd, extended art music). As Piper of the Day, he was presented with a custom-embroidered carrying bag for his instrument’s chanter (the recorder-like part on which the piper creates the melody).

Abbott will compete next in the Houston Highland Games and Celtic Festival, to be held April 27-28 at the Houston Farm and Ranch Club.

Berkeley Brown won the girls’ singles tournament, and the doubles pairs of Daniel Charlton/Rodrigo Zurita and Victor Martinez/Eduardo Orozco placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, in boys’ doubles. These 5 players all qualify for state. All members of the District team, including Keely Gomez, Aidan Christopherson, Elsa Goettsch, Emilee Bassett, Stefany Kiesz, Daniel Wholey, and Truett Bloxsom, won matches at the tournament and contributed to the 1st place team finish. Great job Panthers!

TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas has awarded nearly $70,000 in merit scholarships for the 2013-2014 school year to returning students in Middle and Upper School. Funds for the named awards were donated by alumni, former parents and other friends of the school, including a former headmaster and former bishop of the Diocese of West Texas.

“TMI has been blessed with so many donors who make it possible for students to continue their education here,” said Alex Hernandez, director of financial aid and merit scholarships. “It’s wonderful that they have thought of TMI for their gifts that go on benefiting generations of students.”

The school’s merit scholarships recognize students for academic achievement, leadership and community involvement. Awards are determined by a committee including representatives of the Four Pillars of a TMI education: Academics, Athletics, Military and Spirituality.

This year’s recipients are: Lincoln Abbott, Alan G. Oppenheimer Memorial Scholarship Fund; Alec Bassett, J. David Oppenheimer; Nelson Black, Ewing-Halsell Foundation Scholarship; Philip Blair, D. Ormsby Charitable Foundation Scholarship; Kendall Bohne, Ralph A. Nichols Memorial Scholarship; Naomi Chalk, Helen and Everett H. Jones Scholarship; Steven Constantin, Nichols; Jessica Corley, Nichols; James Fox, William W. Davis Jr. ’69 Memorial Scholarship; Morgan Garbett, Jones; Markell Henderson, Jones; Brianna Hernandez, Nichols; Elizabeth Holmes, Ormsby; Emily Limmer, Caroline Kampmann Memorial Scholarship; Gerardo Martinez, Scott Andrew Nall TMI Memorial Scholarship; Juan Martinez, Lt. Gen. William H. Schneider Memorial; Sarah McCafferty, Kampmann; Jonathon Medina, A. Oppenheimer; Joshua Meza, T.M. Wilson and Ben M. Franks Charitable Trust Scholarship; Austin Miller, Schneider; Eduardo Orozco, J. David Oppenheimer ’67 Scholarship; Moramay Orquin, Halsell; Jessica Overmeyer, Jones; Christopher Perez, Howell Family Scholarship; Natalie Ribble, Ormsby; Steele Sessions, Howell; Benjamin Smith, A. Oppenheimer; William Sowell, J.D. Oppenheimer; Ana Paula Velasco, Schneider; JuliaGrace Walker, Schneider; and Grace Westerman, Ormsby.

Previously this year, TMI announced two new recipients of the Alkek Scholarships – two four-year, full-tuition awards for rising ninth-graders – and later this spring, the school will announce a new recipient of the Robert B. Taylor ’39 Scholarship, a four-year award for a rising ninth grader.

For more information about merit scholarships and financial aid at TMI, visit www.tmi-sa.org and click on Admission.

This past weekend, March 28-30, TMI sent five teams to the FIRST Alamo Regional Championship at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.  This was TMI’s first year to qualify for the FTC championship and the first year TMI had to qualify for the FLL championship.

Upper School Rookie FTC team 6219 had a great competition, winning four of their five qualifying matches. They ended up 5th in their division and just missed out being an alliance captain. Many lessons were learned this season, they had an outstanding season and great competitions, and will come back as strong competitors next season.

Upper School FTC Team 6221 competed well in the qualifying rounds and were chosen for a semi-final alliance along with Brandeis, the teams’ practicing partner. Their semi-finals competition ended early, but the team had a great showing at the competition, learned many lessons, and will have a lot to build on next year in FTC!

Middle School Team 12605 consisted of 6 eighth graders and 1 seventh grader. Three members of the team competed last year in the championship and this team was our only non-rookie team. They competed very well in all 3 interviews and in their robot runs, and won an award for their robot. Team 12605 – 5 Guys, 2 Girls and a Robot had a simple, yet efficient robot design that could accomplish many tasks with their super-box attachment. The judges liked the design and gave them the award for Strategy and Innovation.

Middle School Team 12607 had 6 seventh graders who had never competed in FLL before. They had great interviews and improved their robot scores from their qualifier. Team 12607 – Mean Bots won their award for their project – The Forget Me Not bracelet. They designed this bracelet for seniors with forgetfulness or memory loss. The bracelet has a transmitter that sends out RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) signals to 4 of the seniors favorite items (glasses, remote, purse, wallet, keys, etc) that are tagged with an ID sensor. The bracelet signals the senior when they are within 3 feet of their item, so the item can be found. The FLL judges thought their idea was great and awarded them with the Innovation Solution trophy.

Middle School Team 12607 – Don’t Try This at Home also had 6 rookie seventh graders. This team had consistently high scores in all three of their interviews, with a near perfect score in their Design and Core Value interviews, and had great robot runs. With almost perfect scores in two interviews and a 2nd place trophy from their qualifier, this team has many accomplishments to be proud of this season.

Thank you to all the parents who showed up to support and help out at the competitions this past weekend. Thank you to Dr. Waddington for the countless hours you gave to the FTC teams practicing and at the all-day qualifiers and championship. Thank you John Brady, FTC and FLL Mentor, for your time and support throughout the season at practices and competitions.

FIRST is a program that has a lot to offer in the way of teaching kids about real life and the value in working with other people. There are 7 core values of FIRST, but in our world of ‘we gotta win and the best at everything’ world we live in, perhaps we all could benefit from a reminder from the FIRST core value of – WHAT WE DISCOVER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT WE WIN.

Congratulations, Panther Robotics!

FIRST Core Values:

• We are a team.
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
• We know our coaches and mentors don’t have all the answers; we learn together.
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
• We share our experiences with others.
• We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do.
• We have FUN!

Submitted by TMI Parent and FLL Coach, Betsy Westerman

TMI Tennis took 2 of 4 titles at the pre-district tournament held at Lost Creek Country Club on Saturday, March 23, by winning the girls’ singles and boys’ doubles draws! Berkeley Brown won pre-district in girls singles by defeating Caroline Lane of Regents 6-1, 6-1 in the final, and the dynamic duo of Daniel Charlton and Rodrigo Zurita won the boys doubles title 6-4, 6-4 by defeating Xavier Castro/Holden Carpenter of SACS. Great job Panthers!

Boys’ singles
Round of 32 Daniel Wholey def. BYE
Round of 16 Daniel Wholey def. Allen Yeung (SMBA) 6-2, 6-0
Round of 8 Daniel Wholey def. by Colin Hartman (St. Joseph’s) 3-6, 1-6
Round of 32 Truett Bloxsom def. BYE
Round of 16 Truett Bloxsom def. by Victor Camillo (3) (SACS) 2-6, 2-6
Consolation Quarterfinals Truett Bloxsom def. Christian Garcia (HC) 8-0
Consolation Semifinals Truett Bloxsom def. by David Du (St. Joseph’s) 0-8

Boys’ Doubles
Round of 16 Daniel Charlton/Rodrigo Zurita def. Mickle/Mickle (SMB) 6-0, 6-1
Round of 8 Daniel Charlton/Rodrigo Zurita def. Leslie/Russell (SACS) 6-4, 6-3
Semifinals Daniel Charlton/Rodrigo Zurita def. Deleon/Rasmussen (IWA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Finals Daniel Charlton/Rodrigo Zurita def. Carpenter/Castro (SACS) 6-4, 6-4
Round of 16 Joshua Chen/Chase Wisnowski def. by Fowler/Nix (HP) 3-6, 5-7
Consolation 1st Round Joshua Chen/Chase Wisnowski def. by Ortiz/Spangler
(Savio) 5-8

Girls Singles
Round of 16 Berkeley Brown def. Abby Nichols (Regents) 6-1, 6-0
Round of 8 Berkeley Brown def. Isabella Gall (Savio) 6-1, 6-0
Semifinals Berkeley Brown def. Catherine Larkam (HP) 6-1, 6-0
Finals Berkeley Brown def. Caroline Lane (Regents) 6-1, 6-1
Round of 16 Keely Gomez def. Kassandra Nieto (HC) 6-0, 6-0
Round of 8 Keely Gomez def. by Allison Meskill (Savio) 2-6, 6-3, 5-7

Girls’ Doubles
Round of 16 Aidan Christopherson/Elsa Goettsch def. Levinson/Walters (Regents) 6-0, 6-1
Round of 8 Aidan Christopherson/Elsa Goettsch def. by Espy/Robertson (3) (SACS) 5-7, 1-6

“An overall outstanding team effort. We have not taken two out of four titles anytime in recent memory! Furthermore, this was achieved with the district having doubled in size with more schools. Go Panthers!!!” – Coach S. Landkamer