Dale Hits the 2,000 Mark in Basketball Match-Up Against Quantico

Saturday, February 17th, was a record-breaking day for senior Patrick Dale, who scored his 2000th point during WCDS’s 51-33 Delaney Athletic Conference victory over Quantico. Dale, who is captain of the Owls’ varsity basketball team, entered the contest with 1,988 points, and the home crowd went wild when, midway through the game’s third quarter, he completed a three-point play after an offensive rebound to reach this epic milestone in his basketball career.

Patrick, a two-time First-Team All Conference selection, scored 20 points in the Saturday contest, following up on the heels of 37 points he accumulated in the Owls’ 72-32 victory over Fredericksburg Academy the previous week. The 6’3” forward has averaged 22.4 points per game this season to go along with his 11.2 rebound average for the Owls.

In congratulating Mr. Dale on reaching this high point in his extracurricular basketball career, Head of School Kathleen Grove noted, “Over the past several years, Patrick has been an inspiration as a varsity athlete, both on and off the court. This young man has garnered award after award for academic excellence, while balancing a schedule that includes the demands associated with playing two varsity sports and extensive community service as a Key Club officer and student government leader.” Mrs. Grove went on to say, “At least as important as these achievements, Patrick consistently conducts himself with integrity and exhibits kindness to the many younger students for whom he is a role model. We are extremely proud of Patrick and congratulate him on this impressive athletic achievement.”

According to WCDS Athletic Director Kenney, “even before Patrick reached his 2,000 point mark, he had built a reputation throughout Northern Virginia for being an outstanding athlete, both in varsity basketball and in varsity soccer. This is certainly a great way to wrap up his high school career.” Kenney continued, “During the last season, out of twelve schools in the Northern Virginia area, Dale was the leading scorer, racking up at least 24 points per game. We will miss Patrick on the court next year and wish him well in his college endeavors.”

Throughout his high school years, Mr. Dale has earned numerous athletic awards, including “Most Valuable Player” two years in a row and the “Coach’s Award” for varsity basketball, the “Coach’s Award” for varsity soccer, and the school-wide “WCDS Sports Award” in 2004.

Junior Classical League Team Places First

At the January 31st WCDS assembly, head of school Kathleen Grove congratulated the seventh grade students for their outstanding performance at Berryville’s Classical Cottage Certamen (a competition among Junior Classical League students in the subjects of Latin, Roman history and culture, and Greek and Roman mythology). The team, which won First Place in the Level I Amateur Division, was comprised of John Morgan Christoph, Jessica Coello, Alex Hinton, Carina Klosson, Dylan Marchi, Steven Marsh, Will Mullany, and Ryan Ochoa. The students, in turn, presented Mrs. Grove with the impressive trophy they had been awarded for their efforts.

Young Scientists Recognized

Feb. 1st - Upon the conclusion of last week’s lower school science fair, the judges recognized three students from grades four, five, and six for their exemplary science projects: Maeve Dale for Stain, Stain, Go Away -- which detergent gets mustard out the best? Lily Lauben for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Pop – a search for longer lasting soap bubbles; Ixel Ochoa for Find It! -- using the scientific method to put a hamster through a maze; Alex Foster for To Clean or Not to Clean, – a comparison of cleaning properties of various fruit juices on coins; Sam Nolan for A Frictional Race Story – a test of friction and 3 surfaces; Rachel Paulisch for Green Thumb—The Effects of Water Drainage on the Growth of Plants -- a test of three speeds of water drainage; Rachel DuMez for Do X! – a comparison of timed multiplication tests with and without practice; Makenzie Magaro for Baking Soda=NaHCO3 – a comparison of the effects of differing amounts of baking soda in a recipe; and Hannah Tufts for Market Them Sweet – a comparison of sweetness of apples from different markets.