News

Braeden Thomson '20 Graduates from Cornell University

7/23/2024

Shoutout to Braeden Thomson '20. He recently graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, concentrating in ocean science. He also majored in Environment and Sustainability with a concentration in Environmental Biology and Applied Ecology.

As an undergraduate, Braeden engaged in several lines of research with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In Hawaii, he connected sound and spatial ecology in the Palila, helping to shape approaches for conserving this critically-endangered honeycreeper species. He also earned an honors distinction for completing a senior thesis on the oxidative physiology of black-throated blue warblers, a small songbird common to Eastern North America. In addition to research, Braeden was a teaching assistant for field ornithology and oceanography courses.

Braeden took a gap semester in spring 2022 to pursue some extra-scholastic endeavors. In March of that year, he traveled through Europe, volunteering at a refugee camp on the Ukrainian border. From April through mid-August he hiked from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail to raise money and awareness for the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

This summer, he's spending his time at Shoals Marine Lab in the Gulf of Maine deciding what area of research he wants to pursue in graduate school.

Way to go Braeden!

Bren Coakley Graduates From East Carolina University

7/23/2024

Congratulations to Bren Coakley '20. She graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing with a minor in Fashion Merchandising. Bren is currently job searching while enjoying some summer family activities and looking forward to starting her new career.

Way to go, Bren!

Grace Georgo '18 Begins Career with Tennessee Attorney General

7/23/2024

Congratulations, Grace Georgo ’18! She’s working as a law clerk at the U.S. Attorney's Office where she’s responsible for working on legal projects with attorneys from both the criminal and civil divisions.

This July, she’ll begin working for the Tennessee Attorney General in the law enforcement and special prosecutions division. This division represents the state and various state agencies—including the state’s law enforcement agencies—defending civil rights cases, tort claims, and the constitutionality of state statutes. It also handles a limited number of criminal prosecutions.

This fall she’ll also enter her final year at Vanderbilt Law School. Way to go, Grace!

Kelly Tiblier '04 Graduates from Liberty University

7/23/2024

Shoutout to Kelly Tiblier '04! She recently graduated with her doctorate in Education with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University!

Way to go, Kelly!

Ray Tahhan '20 Featured in Old Dominion University Publication

7/23/2024

Congratulations, Ray Tahhan '20. Ray recently graduated from Old Dominion University with his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in pre-health.

Ray was named a College of Sciences Scholar and he reflects on his time at ODU, his service to the community and the school, his work in the lab on antibodies and vaccines and what his next chapter looks like.

“That was super interesting and super fun, mostly because I got to dive into some of the immunology behind it," he said of his work....I think if students have the opportunity to do research at the undergraduate level in the sciences, they should. It's super beneficial, and it can only help you build practical skills early on, and for me it was a no brainer, and I loved it.”

Ray will be attending Eastern Virginia Medical School's Medical Doctor's Program this fall. Read the article here.

Way to go, Ray!

Seth Smith '20 Spends Summer as Merchandising Intern at Dollar Tree Corporate

7/23/2024

Shoutout to Seth Smith '20! He's a senior majoring in Management and Economics at Old Dominion University. He's also spent his summer as a merchandising intern at Dollar Tree Corporate.

"It has been an eye-opening experience to observe the inner workings of a Fortune 500 company that generates billions of dollars annually," said Smith. "My team is responsible for researching, selecting and managing many of the products customers see in the over 8,000 Dollar Tree stores nationwide, as well as identifying trends and opportunities in the market."

The internship will conclude the second week of August and is his fifth internship during his undergraduate career and his second experience with a Fortune 500 company.

"I've interned with Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP), The Breeden Company/Breeden Construction, and the newly founded ODU Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office," said Smith. "I've gained a plethora of knowledge from every internship I've completed. If there's one piece thing I've learned throughout my undergraduate journey, it's that internships shape the trajectory of where you go in life, especially in business and when you're in college. I've arguably learned more outside of the classroom by engaging in experiential learning opportunities (including internships or LEAP when I was at Collegiate) than I ever have in a lecture hall."

Post-graduation from ODU, Seth plans to apply to the University of Virginia for his master's degree.

AP Environmental Science Students Study Ecosystems, Culture, Fisheries in Tangier Island

7/11/2024

AP Environmental Science, APES, students spent three days with Dr. Frank Thomson and Mrs. Sarah Babkov in Port Isobel/Tangier Island studying the ecosystems, culture, fisheries and economics of the largest estuary in the United States.

The three-day trip was the last field experience for the group, which spent the year getting out of the classroom and traversing throughout Hampton Roads and the state studying what they learned in their class and books firsthand.

Summer Strength & Conditioning Begins June 10

5/29/2024

Summer Strength and Conditioning is back, Oaks! Sessions will begin on June 10, 2024, under the tutelage of Coach Matt Talley, and will continue through Thursday, Aug. 1. Sessions will be held Monday through Thursday daily in the Watt-Baker Gymnasium.

- 9-10 a.m. varsity/JV athletes and young alumni
- 10-11 a.m. middle School athletes, families and faculty
Please note that there will be not be training on June 19 and July 4.

We would love to see you there, Oaks!

Questions? Contact Coach Jon Hall at jhall@norfolkcollegiate.org.

MS Conference Spreads Words of Kindness, Inclusivity

5/6/2024

Middle school students attended an in-school Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice conference on Feb. 28, 2024. The conference was titled, “Building a Community of Belonging,” and featured guest speaker Jason Mundy, the director of diversity, equity and engagement at Durham Academy. Mr. Mundy is also the former head of Norfolk Collegiate’s upper school and middle school.

Mr. Mundy’s message was, “I’m just a middle schooler; what difference can I make?” It was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence. The conference opened with an address from Head of School Scott Kennedy, Head of the Middle School Chris Tillson, Director of Diversity and Inclusion (DEI) Dr. Nefertiti Makeda, and a special video produced by the Middle School Allies DEI Club and upper school students who attended a National Association of Independent Schools Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

“I thought the conference was amazing, it taught valuable lessons for everyone,” said Laci B. ’28, who serves as the Allies Club vice president. “My goal (for the conference) was to get everyone to try to be kinder and to see things from a different perspective, while our goal for the conference was to share what our club was about and to teach everyone to be more of a kind inclusive person.”

Allies President Taylor B. ’28 agreed. “The conference was very educational, and I especially loved our guest speaker, Mr. Mundy. He was truly amazing and discussed some great points. I’m super excited about what the middle school will improve and make it even more exciting next year,” she said.

Norfolk Collegiate Presents "The Drowsy Chaperone"

4/8/2024

Norfolk Collegiate is proud to present “The Drowsy Chaperone” at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, in the Hackney Theater in the Meredith Center for the Arts. Our amazing student performers will be accompanied by a professional orchestra provided in partnership with Tidewater Winds.

Winner of five Tony Awards, "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another.

Why all the awards??

With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and "The Drowsy Chaperone" begins as the man in the chair provides hilarious commentary. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and a delirious chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.

The play is open to the public and will be performed live. Admission is $5 for students and $15 for regular admission and cash and card are accepted.

For more information, please email Mr. Hoyle at bhoyle@norfolkcollegiate.org or Ms. Gondek at mgondek@norfolkcollegiate.org.

We hope you can join us for this wonderful event!

Women speak about Military Careers During Women's History Month

4/5/2024

Upper school students heard from a panel of women in the military as part of the school’s recognition of Women’s History Month on March 29, 2024. This year’s theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”

Susan Moore, upper school Math and middle and upper school Design Thinking & Computing teacher kicked off the event and spoke about her time in the United States Coast Guard Academy and the Coast Guard.

The panel included Cmdr. Veronica Anderson, U.S. Navy; Cmdr. Brittany Laird, U.S. Navy; YN1 Mackenzie Williams, U.S. Navy; and Cmdr. Amanda Harris, U.S. Coast Guard. Each spoke about their journey in the Armed Forces and at the end, answered questions from the students.

Mary Faber, an Award-Winning Actor, Singer and Puppeteer Speaks with Students

3/28/2024

Middle and upper school performing arts students joined Mary Faber, an award-winning actor, singer and puppeteer for an informal session on what it’s like to live a life in the performing arts.

Faber's career reflects her range of talent, from being the lead in “Boss Baby: Back in the Crib” on Netflix to being on Broadway, starring in shows like “Avenue Q,” “American Idiot,” and “How to Succeed in Business” with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. Her TV roles include Ashley on HBO’s “The Brink,” Macy in Jim Carrey’s “Kidding” on Showtime, and as fan favorite Sweetums lobbyist Kathryn Pinewood on “Parks and Recreation.”

Faber, aunt to Thomas W. ’25, spoke about her career and answered a range of student questions.

“Most of what I do is voiceover and I love it,” said Faber who also does a lot of work as session singer and as an ADR.

When asked what her favorite role has been, “Parks and Rec. was my most favorite on-camera role. She (Kathryn Pinewood) was an evil lobbyist,” Faber said, and was a lot of fun to play.

She also encouraged students to try improvisation.

“Improve education isn’t just for people who want to be superstars,” she said, “improv is really great way to learn how to interact.”

Mottinger Named 'Ballin' in the Classroom' Teacher in Local Radio Contest

3/26/2024

Students in Nicole Mottinger’s second grade class were surprised yesterday when 𝟵𝟯.𝟳 𝗕𝗢𝗕 𝗙𝗠 Morning Guy Eric and Julianne Worden surprised their teacher and the students with tickets to this Saturday’s Harlem Globetrotters game at the Chartway Arena.

The tickets were part of the Ballin’ in the Classroom contest and our very own Mrs. Mottinger was the winner! The contest called on Hampton Roads to nominate “a teacher who knows how to dribble, dunk, and teach; a teacher that is ‘Ballin’ in the Classroom.’” The contest was looking for a teacher who “makes learning come alive by incorporating sports and physical fitness in the classroom.”

As a result of the contest, Mrs. Mottinger’s class will get to see the game and they’ll be honored on the court by the Globetrotters this Saturday.

“When I found out that my class and I had won the Ballin' in the Classroom contest, I was beyond excited for my students and myself,” said Nicole Mottinger. “I am so proud of my second graders. They show commitment and interest in fitness inside and outside of the classroom every day, and I enjoy helping them reach their fitness goals by running alongside them in the Shamrock Final Mile and helping to coach Girls on the Run.”

Shoutout to our families who helped with the nomination process, including Kat Taylor, who said, “Ms. Mottinger is a dedicated, fun and loving teacher! She pushes her students to make and meet their personal goals for both mental and physical fitness. She is a leader with the Girls on the Run program at school, and with the school's participation in the Shamrock Marathon Final Mile run.”

Mrs. Mottinger was elated to be honored on Tuesday.

“I’m very appreciative to my families who nominated me and the class for this amazing opportunity,” she said. “I can't wait to cheer on our Harlem Globetrotters with my fellow Oaks!”

MARCH 2024

Students attend community Diversity Dialogue Day

3/20/2024

Several upper school students participated in the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities’ Diversity Dialogue Day at Old Dominion University. The one-day event brings together students from public and private schools. With the help of trained facilitators, the program works to increase the students’ understanding of what prejudice is, decrease stereotypic attitudes and develop an expanded awareness of discrimination and its harmful effects on individuals and groups. It also works to expose students to diverse perspectives and create connections between peers.

Students learned about the LISTEN Model which emphasizes:

LOOK: Look at the person speaking and make good eye contact

INQUIRE: Ask open-ended questions

SUMMARIZE: Reflect your understanding of what the person is saying

TAKE NOTES: Write down or make mental notes about what the other person is saying

ENCOURAGE: Use positive nonverbal and verbal cues to encourage the person to say more

NEUTRALIZE: Try to stay positive and avoid bias

The goal was to have students leave feeling an increased sense of personal empowerment and recognize the positive impact they can have on their own school and communities.

Winter Student-Athletes Honored in Ceremony

3/14/2024

Collegiate's winter athletic season student-athletes were honored on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in front of their peers during the Middle and Upper School Winter Athletic Awards program. The winter season saw student-athletes take on swimming, cheer, wrestling and basketball in the longest season for our Oaks, beginning Nov. 6, 2023, and ending on March 1, 2024, with our last basketball game.

Standout student-athletes were awarded plaques describing their role on their respective teams, including the following awards: Most Valuable Players; Most Improved Players; Team Manager and OAK Award, which honors the impressive attributes in the student to which it’s awarded. “O” stands for overachiever, “A” stands for attitude and “K” stands for knowledge. This is also the first year that the Outstanding Teammate Award is being “given to the athlete who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to their team embodying sportsmanship, character and spirit,” said Director of Athletics Jon Hall.

Natalia '24 Heads to Poetry Out Loud Regional 2024 Competition

2/9/2024

Natalia '24 Heads to Poetry Out Loud Regional 2024 Competition

Good luck, Natalia C. ’24! She is competing in the regional Poetry Out Loud competition tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. The competition will have the top three from each semi-final round moving on to the state competition in Richmond.

Natalia, Chloe S. ’24, Izzy R. ’24 and Sophie H. ’26 competed for a chance to represent Norfolk Collegiate in this year’s regional Poetry Out Loud competition in December 2023, each reciting from the Poetry Out Loud anthology.

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition that encourages students to learn about and memorize great poetry. The goal of the competition is to help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about literary history while exploring contemporary life.

Students participate yearly at school, regional, state and national levels. This year, Natalia, Chloe, Izzy and Sophie delivered poignant renditions of the top picks. Two of Natalia’s selections were “All This and More” by Mary Karr and “Mr. Darcy” by Victoria Chang.

“Poetry is such an interesting form of writing,” Natalia said of why she is drawn to the form of expression. As for why she selected “Mr. Darcy,” she said, “It was a lot of fun to work out a poem with no punctuation.”

Tomorrow’s competition will have the top three from each semi-final round moving to the state competition in Richmond.

Good luck, Natalia!

Kellan H. '30 Takes Home Top Honors in 2024 Middle School Spelling Bee

1/18/2024

This year’s middle school spelling bee saw 32 students face off for the first-place honors, competing in 18 rounds and spelling 300 words. The word “gorilla” landed Kellan H. ’30 with the title of Norfolk Collegiate spelling bee champion.

Third place was awarded to Jonas E. ’28 and second place went to Grace O. ’29.

Words like “amphitheater,” “gastritis,” “Oman,” and “bunion” were delivered to the students by the moderator Mr. Evan Benedict ’04 and the students calmly asked for definitions and usages in sentences before tackling their words.

Middle School English Teacher and coordinator of this year’s bee Chrisy Cooper said the event was fantastic. It was evident the students were looking forward to competing against their classmates.

Kellan will next compete in The WHRO Public Media Spelling Bee on Saturday, Feb. 10. Good luck, Kellan!

Oak Delivery Mail System Bustling With Letters

1/17/2024

Norfolk Collegiate’s youngest Oaks have been keeping their new Oak Delivery Mail System busy and their fourth grade postal workers are loving it!

The newest addition to the lower school is not only improving our Oak’s writing skills, but it’s also improving their communication, thanks to the genius of our lower school Science Teacher Melissa Economou.

“This system will allow students to authentically write and address letters to friends and/or adults in the lower school no matter what grade,” said Economou. “Fourth grade students will be responsible for checking and delivering the mail.”

Norfolk Collegiate Takes Home First Place in Robert S. Sergeant Forensics Tournament Upper Division

12/15/2023

Shoutout to Norfolk Collegiate’s Upper Division Forensics Team for winning first place in the Robert S. Sergeant Forensics Tournament on Dec. 11, 2023.

These talented Oaks comprise our Grades 7 & 8 Forensics Team and their hard work and dedication paid off when they competed in the tournament alongside students from Cape Henry Collegiate, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Virginia Beach Friends School and The Williams School.

The group competed in storytelling, poetry, prose, speech and original oratory and took home several honors for their efforts, including:

Grace O. ’29 – First Place in Girls Prose for “Fish in a Tree”
Landon T. ’29 - Third Place in Boys Prose for “Greenlights”
Bea D. ’29 - Second Place in Girls Poetry for “The Singing Mermaid”
Blake C. ’29 - First Place in Boys Poetry for “The Circus Ship”
Taylor N. ’28 - First Place in Coed Original Oratory for “The System is Rigged”
Mary Walsh M. ’29 – Second Place in Coed Original Oratory for “Individual Sports Don't Always Serve Well”
June R. ’28 - First Place in Coed Speech for Taylor Swift's NYU Commencement Speech
Eliza V. ’29 - Third Place in Coed Speech for Reese Witherspoon's Glamour Woman of the Year Award
Samuel R. ’29 - First Place in Boys Storytelling for “Storm is Coming”
Colton N. ’29 - Third Place in Boys Storytelling for “Bedhead”
Mollie A. ’28 - Robert S. Sergeant Award Winner

Way to go, Oaks!

Faculty, Students Attend Flagship People of Color Conference

12/8/2023

We are proud to share that we sent one of the largest groups in the school's history to the National Association of Independent School's People of Color Conference in St. Louis, from Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 2023.

This year's theme was "Gateways to Freedom: A Confluence of Truth, Knowledge, Joy, and Power" and it encouraged attendees to converge from different paths to a common journey of truth, knowledge, joy and power. Attendees left feeling inspired and eager to cultivate joy, the theme of this year's initiatives.

In addition to hosting faculty, staff and administrators, the conference also hosted students for the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Collegiate's student attendees served as peer facilitators and they're eager to put their conference skills into action. They will work with Dr. Nefertiti Makeda as mentors for a middle school conference during LEAP Term using the leadership skills they acquired at the SDLC.

To learn more about the conference, please contact Dr. Makeda at nmakeda@norfolkcollegiate.org.