In Tandem Page 2

Q: What's going on with all the new construction at Tandem? Where is the new building located?

A: Come to reunion and find out!

Okay seriously, picture yourself standing on the back porch at Tandem having just convinced your history teacher that it is too beautiful outside to have class in the Alling room today. You face the back lawn deciding where the class should reconvene. The new Community Hall is at your left, built into the terraces of the lawn and covered in windows. You follow a brick path towards the old smoking tree, hang right and enter through double doors. Through the long windows at your right you can see the "new building." Gone is the tire swing and yes a little of the spacious lawn is now occupied by brick and concrete, but there is still plenty of room for frisbee in the spring and snow people in the winter.

As for rest of the construction, unfortunately we have very little control over that. There are two projects currently underway that threaten to disturb Tandem's scenic view as well as destroy a little bit of mother nature's beautiful creation. First, the county is building a new road that will connect Route 20 South to Avon Street Extended. This construction is already underway with tree burning and bulldozers on the driveway becoming a daily part of the Tandem scene. The new road will hug the Tandem property (see facing page), create a shorter driveway, and a new entrance several hundred feet south of the current turn-off.

Second, Monticello High School will soon be cropping up on the Tandem skyline. This new high school will sit somewhere between Tandem and Piedmont Virginia Community College (Those walks you may have taken over to PVCC, no more!). Construction has been underway for several months .

It's not the isolated hilltop school it used to be, but Tandem does have a couple of things going in its favor. The vice-president of S.L. Williamson Co., the subcontractor for the new road, is Blair Williamson '84, an alumna and member of the Board of Trustees. Hopefully she will help to balance Tandem's interests with the county's throughout the construction process. Second, Tandem fought to keep the land that runs adjacent to the road on the north side of the property. This allows Tandem to landscape this area, providing a buffer from the encroaching road.

It's sad to see much of the free space go. Hopefully, Tandem will be able to landscape and utilize what still remains in the best way possible.


Q: Why does Tandem ask for donations from college students who don't have any money (paraphrased from a recent alumni letter)?

A: Consider changing your perspective on giving. Alumni giving is, of course, not the major source of funds for Tandem. Much of the work of fundraising and development involves writing grant proposals and asking large foundations to provide support to the school. When grant foundations evaluate proposals they take a long look at who gives to the school: parents, faculty, and alumni. What better testimony is there to the value of a school than the continued support of its alumni? What matters is that a sizable percentage of alumni give. That means that the important thing is giving, not how much you give. In all honesty, writing a check for five dollars, one dollar, taping a quarter to an envelope and mailing it to Tandem is a huge contribution when currently too few alumni give at all.

Up on the hill...

• The performance space in Tandem's new Community Hall was initiated in late January with the winter drama performance of Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros." Larry Goldstein directed a performance with a strong cast and superb lighting and sound effects.

• The blue room is no longer the place of groggy morning meetings, boisterous open meetings, and cramped speaker presentations. It has been transformed into a "silent place for quiet study," in the words of one student. The addition of couches and lamps creates a homey atmosphere and has preserved the room as the very special place that it will always be for many former and current students.

• The Friends Council on Education recently amended their membership requirements by adding a third criterion to the membership process. This allows Tandem to gain membership via a "self-study" process. Never before in the history of the Society of Friends has this type of enrollment process been undertaken. Tandem is the first school to ever convert to a Friends School. The Spiritual Life Committee at Tandem is composed of faculty and students and is working together to help guide the community through the self-study process. The questions are to help guide everyone through the exploration of our community. Many people feel that Tandem is already a Friends School in spirit. The Tandem community will prepare a document which will be given to the Friends Council for their use during their next visit to the school. The Committee hopes that the study will help the school grow closer to understanding itself as well as Quaker beliefs (taken from "The Hilltop" newsletter, February 1997).

Christmas party Photos: Top: "Old pals" Jason Ivy '89 and Tom O'Connor talk over cider. Bottom: Students and faculty sing carols for party guests.

Going once ... going twice ... SOLD!

On Saturday, March 15, Tandem held an auction to raise funds for the construction of a new e house. Nearly 200 attended the event which raised $30,000 in the course of the evening! Wine was provided by Jefferson Vineyards and food from the C&O and several other local restaurants. The auctioned items ran the gamut from a week at a vacation home in Costa Rica donated by the Dale family, to classic Tandem t-shirts donated by Greg Smith '85, to pet care and dinners at local eateries. Among the evening's highlights:

A live bidding war was held with the winner deciding the fate of Tandem's gingko tree. Would it be chopped down or not? Tandem alumni should be happy to know that the winner bid $4,000 to keep the tree right where it is.

Rey Barry, father of Brooke and Apple Plotnick ('91 and '95 respectively) bid $900 for the old green and white "Tandem School" sign that was replaced by "Tandem Friends School" last year. He requested that the sign hang at Tandem and be auctioned off every year.

At left: Trevor Stewart '96 and Alison Hormel Webb '74 share the holiday cheer at the Tandem Party this winter.

Tandem Alumni Council

Since the last newsletter, the alumni council has grown dramatically. Several new people expressed an interest and joined in response to alumni mailings. Though still a pretty inactive group July through May, the June meeting is the place where all council business gets hammered out. This year, look for a new emphasis on active participation from the council. Hopefully a greater understanding of the goals and mission of the council will come from the June business meeting. If you have any questions or concerns about alumni or about Tandem, these are the people you should contact.

1974 Brian Shaw 6076 Sequoia Dr. Fresno, CA 93711-1257 1980 Todd Shelton 1725 New Hampshire Ave. #402 Washington D.C. 20009 1983 Margaret McNett 1721 Fantasia Circle Herndon, VA 22070 1984 Heather Burns 2010 Meadowbrook Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 1984 Daphne Latham 405 Hedge St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 1985 Katherine Donnelley 33 Winslow St., 1st floor Somerville, MA 02144 1987 Heather Miller Poosson 19 Copely Hill, #B15 Charlottesville, VA 22903 1988 Craig O'Brien 1605 Concord Dr. Charlottesville, VA 22901 1988 Meredith Cole 1545 18th St. N.W., #217 Washington, D.C. 20036 1988 Daniel Kaufman 220 South Street, #3 Charlottesville, VA 22902 1989 Jason Ivey Rt. 1 Box 173 Free Union, VA 22940 1990 Mara Gibson 111 Highgate Ave. Buffalo, NY, 14214

1991 Brooke Plotnick 1561 Dairy Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 1992 Rebekah Saxon 225-3 Collonade Dr. Charlottesville, VA 22903 1992 Corey Lloyd 406 Hedge Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 1993 Elizabeth Bain P.O. Box 176 Batesville, VA 22924 1993 Anna Galloway RISD - 641, 2 College St. Providence, RI 02903 1996 Shonin Anacker 11 B Mobile Ln. Charlottesville, VA 22903 Above: Susan Carr '83 and Andrea Mahalick Bunce '83 at the Tandem holiday party.

Alumni scoot in for a shot with John and Elizabeth Howard at the Tandem holiday party.

Come to the next reunion and see fabulous pictures like this!

Alumni Affairs Tandem Friends School 279 Tandem Lane Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 296-1303

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