PresidentKim Bailey

President-Elect Shaida Horner

SecretaryElliott Turner

TreasurerMickey Kangur

AssistantTreasurerBeth Probst

NominatingJennifer Grosswald

CHAIRS

AuctionRobi Brath (C)Dianne Neal-Blixt (C) Nancy Osborn (C)

BookFairSusie Tickle (C) Jennifer Grosswald (AC)

CostumeRoomPatti Parker (C)

Ea$yMoneyEllen Bassett

GardeningAnna Reilly (C) Elizabeth Henderson (AC)

GraduationBonnie Murphy, 9th (C) Susan Conger, 8th

HospitalityElizabeth Hollan

LibraryDawn Dickenson, Lower Robin Woodard, Upper

MatterhornJennifer Redd-Lovette, Editor Martin Tucker, Photographer Jill Painter, Designer

Matterhornthe

Racing for the Roses: What’sNew at the Auction

Summit School’s Parents’ Association Newsletter

February2011

OFFICERS 2010-2011 Summit Auction Chairs Robi Brath, Dianne Neal-Blixt and Nancy Osborn have been working since summer to make this Auction the best ever. The Kentucky Derby theme has inspired tons of creativity and now we’re in the home stretch to get ready for the big party on March19! Some highlights:• The party is casual with a Kentucky Derby theme. (Hint: Derby hats!)• The ticket price is lower this year! The Auction Committee made the decision to lower ticket prices this year because they want, well, every Summit parent, Summit friends, alumni and grandparent to be there. The price is now $95 per person – a lot less than in previous years.• Childcare is available. If you’re worried about finding a babysitter – stop! Register your child to be part of a fun Summit spend-the-night party. • The Auction Catalogue is totally online.• Now the whole world can bid on some of our items! Thanks to BiddingforGood.com, anyone with a computer can bid on a select group of Auction Items from March 10-18. • TheBoardofTrusteeshasofferedtotreatallstaffandfaculty to the Auction! • Parents can bid on new “GradeBaskets,”filled with all sorts of unique and interesting items. Each grade has a unique theme.• FlikCatering will be creating an incredible Kentucky Derby inspired meal with delicious wines and incredible desserts.• Mint Juleps will abound! Come sip a mint julep, admire the gorgeous decorations and see your friends. • Golden Tickets! Purchase a golden ticket for $50 and you could win an auction item that’s worth much more.

TheSummittMatterhorn is

brought to you by Frank L. Blum

Construction Company and The

Phoenix Company.

Going once…going twice… it’sAUCTION time! I’m so excited about our Auction this year – not because of

the online catalog that will be available to everyone, or the

fabulous vacation homes in Europe, or the new class ‘theme’

baskets (in addition to the always

outstanding class projects) but because

the Auction chairs have created an event

in which EVERYONE can participate. The

ticket price is substantially lower, the

attire is casual and there is a sleepover

option for families with young children!

This issue of The Matterhorn highlights many of the special

projects and volunteer efforts that will ensure the Auction is

fun for everyone. Please plan on joining the Summit community

for a relaxed evening of good food and spirited fundraising.

Hats Off to You, we look forward to seeing you there!

- Kim Bailey Spivey, President

Summit Board Members say “Hats Off to Teachers and Staff”

New! Bid on a Basket!

Corporate Sponsors

Dinner & Drinks at the Derby For the first time, all grades are creating baskets

to be auctioned off at this year’s event! Stephanie Maynard and Angela Winterle have worked with a representative from each grade to create basket themes and accompanying wish lists.

All families have been invited to participate by contributing items to their children’s class baskets, and the response has been impressive. Baskets include items from candy to a Blu-ray player. Every gift helps make the grade’s basket unique and loaded with goodies of all sizes and value.

The Solicitations team thought this would be a fun and easy way for all parents to participate while making the 2011 Auction even better! Hats off to all who contributed to these new auction additions!

Jrk: Baking: Sprinkles, Mixes and more!

Kindergarten: Loads of Lego Fun

First Grade: Blockbuster Fun! Family Movie Night

Second Grade: Books, books and more books

Third Grade: Family Game Night

Fourth Grade: Backyard Fun: Picnic and BBQ

Fifth: I Scream, You Scream, The Fifth Grade Screams for Ice Cream

Sixth: Wine from Around the World

Seventh: March Madness

Eighth: Date Night

Ninth: Gift Card Goodies

Summit parents, Scottie and David Neill, are Corporate Solicitations Chairs and we are so thankful to our incredible sponsors. These businesses help us take great leaps in our fundraising efforts. We are certainly grateful for the generosity of these companies:Winner’sCircleSponsors($5,000)PMG Research, Inc.Flow LexusMercedes-Benz of Winston SalemRunfortheRosesSponsors($2,500)BB&TThe Budd GroupDeutsche Bank Alex. BrownKilpatrick Townsend and Stockton LLPBB&T Capital PartnersWomble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLCFirst TennesseeRockTennJockeyClubSponsors($1,000)The Phoenix CompanyFrank L. Blum Construction Co.

Village Tavern Inc.Hanesbrands Inc.

Grace Broughton and Janet Jones chair the Food Committee and their job is to create a divine menu that reflects the Kentucky Derby theme. Flik Catering was hired to cater the event and has truly been inventive in working with the budget.

Recently, Grace and Janet had an opportunity to sit down with Auction Chairs Robi, Dianne and Nancy and do what the Food Committee was designed to do: taste the food!

Grace reports that the menu created by the Flik team was incredible and really suits the Kentucky Derby.

The group also sampled and chose several wines for the evening. Not a bad day’s work!

Hats off to our drink sponsors, Summit parents, Sarah LeRoy (Piedmont Distillers) and Melanie and Todd Barbee (R. H. Barringer Distributing Co.)

Here’s a true story. When Robi, Dianne and Nancy started planning the Auction they envisioned the Athletic Center filled with staff members, teachers, parents, grandparents, faculty, and alums having a great time. Then a little dose of reality set in. After the kick-off party in October, the three women noticed something very important – there were just a couple of staff members at the party… and no teachers. Something just didn’t feel right.

The Auction Chairs weren’t sure what to do – they couldn’t have an Auction to celebrate the Summit community without the teachers and staff ! So guess what – the Summit 2010-2011 Board of Trustees recently decided to personally contribute the funds needed to

cover the cost of all the teachers and staff ’s attendance at the auction. An invitation was delivered asking them to please come to the auction on March 19th.

This was an unprecedented and incredibly generous move – so big thanks to the Board of Trustees. Going forward – here are a couple of things you can do:

1) Tell the teachers and staff how much you hope to see them at the Auction! It might help to promise them that we won’t go on and on about the problems our little darling is having in math, social studies, Chinese, science, reading…you get the picture.

2) Think about volunteering to help out with bid sheets, cashier functions or greeting

guests at the Auction. We will probably need some “substitutes” for the employees that used to work at the Auction.

3) Please thank board members for their wonderful generosity.

SpecialThankyoutotheBoardMembers:

Marie Arcuri, Kim Bailey, Charlotte Broughton, Jimmy Broughton, Ben Carson, Mark Conger, Matt Cullinan, Ida Davis, Jennifer Grosswald, Parker Grubbs, Charles Hauser, Bill Hollan, Michael Hough, Susan Mann, Jim Martin, Rob Moore, Dianne Neal-Blixt, Emily Neese, Ernie Osborn, Karen Pranikoff, Jim Ruffin, Phil Thomas, Alex Turner and Bonnie Zades

Decorating Chairs get Creative, Look for VolunteersSally Corpening and Ginny Thomas are moms with a vision. Serving as the Decorations Committee Chairs, this pair is well known for their incredible creativity and ability to transform a room on a shoe-string budget. With only a few weeks left to prepare for the Auction, Sally and Ginny say the Decorations Committee is racing to the finish line and they’re looking for volunteers to help create the unique look they’ve designed for the Auction’s Kentucky Derby theme.

Without giving away too many secrets, Sally says that, “Our vision is running for red roses, shining silver and mint juleps, burlap and crisp white. Simple and casually elegant.” She also says they have lots of creative minds working to transform the gym. Shannon Hanson is helping us create actual horse busts for our concession stand (to be turned into a horse stall) and fencing while Summit’s engineers: duWayne Amen, Doug Johnson and Billy Stoltz are helping create a pair of gigantic burlap chandeliers for the gym. You aren’t going to want to miss seeing any of this!

Volunteers are definitely needed. Sally says, “We are working on site at Summit in the Athletic Center to create the Kentucky Derby decorations. Everyone is invited to come help.”

WanttohelpSallyandGinny?

The Decorations Committee will meet on Mondays from 8:30 am - noon and Tuesdays from 1:00 - 3:00 now until March 19 in the Aerobics room in the Athletic Center.

Invitations are OutElliott Turner had the big task this year of working on the invitations for the Auction. As part of the Auction Publicity Team (with Shannon Wilson and Ellen Bassett), Elliott’s job was to create a fun invitation that would highlight this year’s Kentucky Derby Theme. Fortunately, she had some help. Merv Huber, the online marketing director at Churchill Downs in Kentucky (where the real Derby is held every year), told Elliott that she could use artwork from the Derby itself! Summit parent, John Baicy, owner of Immedia Print, a local print shop, worked with Elliott to complete the design and get the whole invitation printed. Get those invitations up on the bulletin board, get your babysitter (or send your children to the overnight party!) and get ready for a great night!

Summit Board Members say “Hats Off to Teachers and Staff”

Summit’s Auction is Going Online!

Grandparent Valentines a Big Success

With a tight economy and a slim budget, this year’s Auction Chairs knew they needed to come up with some creative ideas in order to build excitement and make the auction a success. One big change (and a major breakthrough) is that the auction items will be available online through BiddingforGood.com. Robi, Dianne and Nancy wanted to open the Auction up and put items up for bid online so the extended Summit family – and the entire world – can bid on them.

Chair Robi says, “Bidders can bid on travel packages, unique experience and other wonderful items. We think this will really create a lot of excitement and anticipation for our event.”

According to BiddingforGood, the company is the “leader in online charity auctions” and they have “successfully helped schools and non profits across the United State increase their fundraising revenue.” The company has already run more than 10,000 auctions and raised more than $100 million for charity.

You’ll certainly be hearing more about this exciting development in the next couple of weeks leading up to the big night!

Grandparent Valentine Chair, Kathy Blackard, says that the Grandparent Valentine has been a big success. If you’re not familiar with the Grandparent Valentine – this is a letter that mails to grandparents of Summit students. Grandparents are asked to give a donation and fill out a Valentine which is then mailed to the students in time for Valentine’s Day. Kathy says, “The mailings went out following the Winter break and to date we have collected $15,700 in donations from generous grandparents.” Artwork from 4th grader Nancy Walker White was a big hit. If your child received a Valentine from a grandparent, please be sure to tell your parents and in-laws thank you for supporting Summit! Donations are still coming in now. Great job, Kathy!

Class ProjectsClass Projects Chair, Elizabeth Hollan, has been painting, gluing, outlining, coordinating, emailing, taking pictures and spending lots of hours at school. Elizabeth and parent volunteers from every single grade have been coordinating all of the incredible class projects which will be auctioned off at the party on March 19. Elizabeth says, “All of the projects are underway and some are finished! We have had some very supportive parents as well as staff and teachers working hard to deliver really great creations.” Elizabeth says that every grade level is creating a little something different: Early Childhood classes are painting nightstands while first and third graders have been using mosaic tile to decorate garden benches and mirrors. Elizabeth says, “We will also have painted chests, storage containers, and pottery place settings. We will debut some exciting new projects this year as well.”

One of the biggest things you’ll see with the student projects this year is the great variety of student-made art. Elizabeth reports that there will be “old favorites like painted furniture, but also new and exciting things like canvas tipis and metal art animals!” Ninth grade students have put together a really fantastic pair of projects using hand carved printing blocks.

Elizabeth points out, “We are very lucky to have had special help this year from women who are both artists and Summit parents, Monica Salinas and Elizabeth Henderson!” Thank you to ALL of the parents who have been working on the class projects.

Wanttotakehomeyourchild’sclassroomproject?You may need stamina and nerves of steel to take home these popular items. The class projects are part of the Live Auction and you’ll have to watch for your child’s item to go ‘up on the block.’ Get in there and have fun. Ten years from now you’ll be glad you had the winning bid!

MayFrolicsShannon Hanson (C) Mary Lynn Sullivan (C) Colby Murphy (AC) Meredith Welch (AC)

NewFamiliesLouisa Petersen (C)

P.A.OfficeSupp.Pam Bond

Parents’ForumNicola Kerner

SchoolPicturesStephanie Maynard Anna Singer

SchoolStore Betsy Wisenbaker (C) Katie Grubbs (AC)

SummitGreenJill Miller

VolunteerCoordinatorKim Bailey

WrappingPaperMary Martha Douglas (C) Mary Jo Gray (AC)

More School News

News headlines each week can overwhelm us.

Fires burn. Rivers flood. Violence breaks out.Children are hungry. People get sick.

How can we solve the problems in ourworld?With ideas. Where do ideas come from? People who care. People who are well educated. People who can think of solutions and then put them into action. We need to be inventors at all times. Inspiring Learning teaches us to think about what we do each day and how to educate this generation of children.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. He had an original idea. According to Time, Facebook has linked a twelfth of humanity into a country that would be twice the size of the U.S. The article says, “Facebook wants to populate the wilderness, tame the howling mob, and turn the lonely antisocial world of random chance into a

friendly world, a serendipitous world.” Recent news reports suggest that the protests in Egypt were fueled by communication that took place via Facebook.

During the interview, Zuckerberg muses on the founding of Facebook; he wonders how a group of college kids came up with an idea that has taken off and changed the way people connect with each other. He says, “I guess it probably turns out, other people didn’t care as much as we did.”

We can be the people who care. Maybe we can help each other launch ideas. Maybe there is a Mark Zuckerberg among us right now.

JoinUs.Evening Session Tuesday,March8,7pmto8:30 in the Dining Hall Academic Rigor in the 21st Century: Seven Skills for Learning and Achievement or Lunchtime Learning, ThursdayMarch 17,Noonto1:30. Life 2.0: Technology in Our Children’s Lives – Where it is and Where It’s Headed

Have you ever wondered who created the magnificent mosaic works around the Summit campus? Wonder no longer, as Monica Weber is the artist responsible for the vision and execution of the quixotic treasures. Monica and her family have been part of the Summit community since 2002. Her eldest son, Ricardo Salinas, graduated in 2010 and Alex Salinas is a current 7th grade student.

WhydoyouvolunteeratSummit?Summit School has given my children a lot and I want to give back and express my gratitude. It has been a pleasure to volunteer at Summit. Parents are generous with their time and ideas…things just seem to flow. I feel so fortunate our children have had the Summit experience.

Wheredoyougetyourideas?Weeding out ideas is a far bigger issue than finding ideas! Color and pattern are everywhere. Things that inspire me are fabrics, architecture with patterns of movement and rhythm. Even the foliage has color and order.

ForthepastseveralAuctionsyouhavebeenveryinvolvedinclassprojectsandeveryonelovesyourartisticguidanceandvisionarydirection.AreyouinvolvedintheprojectsfortheupcomingAuction?Yes, I’m working with a delightful group of enthusiastic and dedicated parents to help design and guide them through the creation of mosaics for the 1st grade benches and the 3rd grade mirrors.What’stheappealoftheclassprojects?Working with the children! Mosaic art is forgiving enough that even the youngest children can really make wonderful artworks. I particularly enjoy getting the kids to realize that they can do much more than

they thought, and seeing their surprise and pride when they admire their collective creations! I also enjoy helping, in my own way, to raise money for the school.

Throughoutthecampustherearemosaicworksyouhavecreated.CanyougiveabitofbackgroundontheStinnettRiver(intheLowerSchoolplayground)andthebenchesinDr.Adams’Garden.The Stinnett River changed my artistic life. I was a traditional painter for 20 years until I saw the Stinnett River and explored the shard mosaic medium in 2005. It was transformational for me and led me down a new artistic path. I work almost exclusively in mosaics now, which illustrates how Summit can change and shape the lives not only of its students, but also of their families! Unfortunately, the river suffered structural problems a year ago and a considerable part of the coral reef mosaic had to be removed to fix the structure. However, most of it was removed in large pieces and I hope to use them to create a mosaic mural somewhere at school, which would be a fun example of double-recycled art, since the original mosaic was already created with donated leftover tile. In 2009, Summit presented me with an opportunity to work with sculptor Duncan Lewis (son of former Head Doug Lewis) on the benches for Dr. Adam’s Garden. He created the bench sculptures and I did the mosaic surface, which required 36,000 pieces of tile and many late evenings to ensure the benches were finished for the dedication ceremony. The challenges of this project triggered yet another creative growth-spurt in my mosaic career and I truly enjoyed every second of it.Want to know more about Monica and her artistic influences? Her website monicaweber.com explores her history and portfolio. Thanks for all you do for Summit Monica!

Inspiring Learning Series Continues

Mark Zuckerberg Among Us?

Monica Weber