December 21, 2023

We have enjoyed a season of holiday performances across all divisions. Congratulations to the many student performers who entertained us over the past two weeks as we finish the semester. View more photos.

From the Head's Desk

Dear Park Tudor Community,

As I sit down to write my final PT Times column of 2023, I have just returned from the SK-2 Holiday Concert. What a delightful way to finish off the term! Looking back, this is just one of many highlights – from thrilling triumphs on the athletic field to delightful performances on the stage, from impressive academic achievements to amazing extra-curricular experiences here and abroad. And this doesn’t even include all of the festive gatherings we’ve hosted over the course of the term. 

And while these all have surely been memorable, I have been most profoundly impacted by the countless meaningful moments I have witnessed every day. Over the course of my first months at Park Tudor, I have had the pleasure of visiting a wide variety of classes in every discipline and across all four divisions. Seeing our dedicated faculty at work, I am continually struck by their ability to engage and connect with our students and, no less importantly, by the genuine curiosity and joy that suffuses the campus. It’s no wonder that our alumni are eager to visit with their former teachers or to join us for off-campus events like the one I attended a few weeks ago at Purdue. Tomorrow evening offers one more opportunity to connect before we head off for the holidays, as we welcome young alums back for the girls and boys basketball games.

And if you thought the fall was great, we have so many things to look forward to after winter break – Trivia Night on January 27, the second half of the winter sports season, the Model UN trip to the Hague, the Fine Arts trip to New York, the Middle School Spelling Bee, the Lower School Living History Museum, and so much more. Twenty twenty-four promises to be an exciting year!

As we close out 2023, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone in our community for all you do to help make PT such a special place. I hope that you have a wonderful winter break and a happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Chris Front

Four Park Tudor Juniors Named Rising Stars of Indiana

Four members of the class of 2025 have been named Rising Stars of Indiana by the Indiana Association of School Principals. Each Indiana school was invited to recognize up to four students currently in the 11th grade, based on their academic achievement. Congratulations to:

Emily Hackwelder

Aashiv Jain

Daniel Liu

Mischa Mallbris

The full list of Rising Stars of Indiana is available here.

Private Lessons in Percussion Begin in January

We are excited to announce that Colin Oakley will begin offering private lessons in percussion beginning in January.

Colin joined Park Tudor three years ago as our Drumline Instructor. A lifelong percussion student with more than 20 years of experience, Colin is dedicated to helping students realize their potential by tailoring lessons to each individual’s needs. Through decades of educational study, live performance, international touring, and studio session work, Colin has mastered a litany of styles on drum sets, orchestral percussion, and rudimental snare drum. His tenure as a percussionist is multifaceted; beginning with drum set lessons in fifth grade, Colin moved on to study symphonic and marching percussion in high school and jazz at the collegiate level at DePauw University, all the while performing live locally, regionally, and internationally with a host of bands. Drawing directly from his experience, Colin has taught professionally for more than seven years as an instructor at the School of Rock; drumline instructor and substitute teacher at Park Tudor; and private drum instructor through his studio, granting him a nuanced lens through which he views teaching. Colin is an eager educator who delights in his students' progress and savors the joy of learning and teaching.

Sports News

Girls Basketball: The girls basketball team traveled to Greenwood Christian Academy on Saturday to take on the Cougars in a PAAC Conference matchup, winning 41-28 to move to 5-4 for the season. The team will be in action tomorrow evening hosting the Rebels from Randolph Southern High School; the JV game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity will play at 6:00 p.m. 

Boys Basketball: The boys basketball team traveled to Culver Academies on Friday evening to take on the Eagles. The Panthers took an early lead and never looked back, earning a 68-44 victory. This win puts the team at 4-1 for the season. The team will host the Crusaders from Scecina Memorial High School tomorrow evening; the JV game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and the varsity will play at 7:30 pm. Mark your calendars for Friday, January 19, when we will host the ever-popular 2nd Grade Slam Dunk Show at halftime of the varsity game.

Swimming and Diving: The swimming and diving team had two individual winners in their respective events at the Marion County meet, earning them the status of All-Marion County. Freshman Abi Paton finished first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 58.53, and sophomore Simone Hall secured first position in the 11 dive with a score of 498.0. Both are new Park Tudor school records. Additionally, Grace DePowell finished sixth in the 200 freestyle, Kate DePowell finished third in the consolation heat, and Kate Weigand finished fourth in the consolation heat. Evan Li led the boys team with a sixth-place finish in the 50-freestyle consolation heat, while Kai Paredes was seventh overall in the 100 backstroke and third in the consolation heat of the 100 freestyle. The boys and girls swimming and diving teams are scheduled to participate in the PAAC conference meet on January 6 at 1:00 p.m. at Ball State University.

Abi Paton and Simone Hall

Free diving lesson: Do you already know how to swim and want to try diving? Now is your chance as Park Tudor divers Simone and Zara Hall and the Indianapolis Diving Club are hosting a FREE diving lesson on Wednesday, January 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ben Davis High School Aquatic Center. The lesson will last 1 hour. Click here to register. If you have any questions, please email bendavisswimming@gmail.com.

Fifth Grade Garage Sale Raises $3500 for Charity

Congratulations to the fifth grade class on planning, arranging, and running their annual Garage Sale on Friday. With the support of the entire Lower School, they raised $3500, which will be donated to four local charities.

Students in the News

* The Winter Sports Club, organized and led by sophomores Issy Wallace and Elizabeth Pasquesi, enjoyed a break from exams with some skating last week at the Skadium in Carmel. Future plans include skiing at Perfect North, trying out the niche sport of curling, and tobogganing. Interested Upper School students should reach out to Issy or Elizabeth for more details. Let it snow!

Southern Studies Class Returns for Summer 2024

Park Tudor is pleased to announce that Upper School students will again have the opportunity to take Southern Studies, an accredited, cross-curricular, team-taught elective in June 2024. Students in this seminar will engage in a philosophical enquiry of how environment and place work to shape identity, culture, and the interpretation of history. They will be challenged to look at the South through the lenses of history, literature, music, art and architecture, and foodways. Students will spend two weeks in classroom study followed by one week traveling to several Southern states in order to connect experientially with the landscape, geography and environment of the South. 

This year, our travels will focus on both the Upper and Deep South, with visits to locations (tentatively) in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Students will be asked to examine the ways the history and colonial economies of these regions created the social and cultural values that we associate with a particular Southern way of life. Highlights are likely to include visits to Ashland, the former estate of Henry Clay; Chattanooga, Tennessee; New Echota, Georgia, the capital of the Cherokee Nation; the many historical sites of Atlanta, including the King Center; the Tuskegee University; and Montgomery, Alabama. 

The class is reading- and writing-intensive, and students will also complete an interdisciplinary project such as a photo journal, a travelogue, or a writing portfolio as their final assessment. A call-out meeting for interested students will be held in January; it will be announced at school and in the PT Times.

Est. 1902 LockerShop End-of-Semester Sale - Last Day Tomorrow!

Just in time for holiday shopping, the Est. 1902 LockerShop is offering an additional 50% off all clearance items this week. The shop is closed today, but will be open tomorrow (Friday), 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Extra 50% discount available on in-store purchases only.

Lower School Uniform Pop-up Shop January 18-19, 2024

LS Uniform Pop-up Shop

January 18-19, 2024

Lower School Lobby

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

If you would like to donate any old uniforms, you can drop them off to Ellen Todd at the Lower School front desk any time.

Parents, WE NEED YOU to help us reach 100% parent giving to the Annual Fund

Every year, we invite Park Tudor parents to help prepare our students for what’s next by making a tax-deductible gift to the school’s Annual Fund. Regardless of gift size, collectively, your support goes to work immediately to support our students and faculty across all divisions and our beautiful campus. Help us reach 100% parent support for the 2023-24 Annual Fund by making your gift today!

You can learn more about ways to give and why gifts to the Annual Fund matter here.

PTPA Update: Parent Coffee Social on Friday, January 19, 2024 and Volunteer Opportunities

PTPA Parent Coffee Social

Friday, January 19

7:30-9:00 a.m.

Multipurpose Room/Gershman Family Terrace

Irsay Family Sports Center for Health and Wellness

RSVP Here

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit parktudor.org/volunteer to sign up for our parent opportunities. We recently added a new sign-up form for spring 2024 volunteers in the Lower School Library.

PTPA Quicklinks

Exam Make-Up Day, Grades 9-12

Thursday, December 21

Winter Break 

Friday, December 22, 2023-Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

Monday, January 15, 2024

LS Uniform Pop-up Shop

January 18-19, 2024

Lower School Lobby

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 

PTPA Parent Coffee Social

Friday, January 19

7:30-9:00 a.m.

Gershman Family Terrace

Irsay Family Sports Center for Health and Wellness

RSVP Here

PT Booster Club Trivia Night

Saturday, January 27

This event has sold out. Please contact Morgan Johnson at mpjohnson@parktudor.org if you wish to be added to the waitlist.