Wakefield School has several unique opportunities for our students, generally made possible through relationships developed with our faculty, parents, trustees and alumni of Wakefield. Two special ones are:
Cheetah Conservation Fund/CRC/Smithsonian
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Wakefield School is working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia, Africa, the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, VA and the Smithsonian Institute in a one-of-a-kind wildlife conservation/management effort. Dr. Laurie Marker, Executive Director of the CCF, visited Wakefield School in the Fall 2007 bringing Kuzo, a male cheetah, and then again in the Fall 2009 bringing Roe (a young male cheetah) and Rees (an Anatolian shepherd dog) for our students to view/touch.
Amanda Gonczi, one of Wakefield’s Middle and Upper School science teachers, has been in Namibia this summer to set up the program. Students from Wakefield will have the opportunity to visit the CCF in Namibia or the CRC to work hand-in-hand with scientists on conservation efforts of cheetahs. This opportunity offers our students the potential for senior thesis topics in areas of cheetah management, predator/prey management, Namibian culture, and others we have yet to uncover.
For more information on the Cheetah Conservation Fund, please visit their website. For more information on the CRC in Front Royal, please visit their website. For more information on the Smithsonian endangered species concervation efforts, please visit their website.
Alexander Talbot Rice Academy Scholarship
Wakefield students have a unique opportunity to work with Alexander Talbot Rice, a world renowned classical artist. Mr. Talbot Rice has established a scholarship opportunity for up to five students from Virginia to be selected for studying classical art techniques in Europe and Asia. Mr. Talbot Rice is providing this opportunity so that children with artistic talents can study at the centers of expertise and in different cultures.
The first competition was held in the Spring 2010 and was open to all students in the area. Over 75 submissions were reviewed and 5 winners selected. Click here to read an article about the competition and winners from the local paper.
For more information on Mr. Talbot Rice and his accomplishments, please visit his website. For more information on this collaboration, please contact Mrs. Christine Mulligan, Fine Arts Department Chair.