Wheeler School

We’re almost at the end of a great week here at Wheeler, and we’re wrapping it up with a beautiful shot of last night’s double rainbow over the Hope Building, captured by senior Sky L. ’27. 🌈

“I was walking out of the gym from Volleyball practice, ready to go home,” says Sky, “when I heard people really excited about something, so I went to look and saw how beautiful the sky looked with the double rainbow. I had to capture it because it felt like a rare moment we were lucky to see. It made me feel happy and appreciative, and I felt like it was a special moment for our team.” 🌅

And now, we’re heading into the weekend with Friday Night Lights! Good luck to our Varsity Field Hockey and Varsity Girls Soccer as they take the field tonight at Wheeler Farm. Both games start at 4:30pm. 🏑⚽

Nursery Teachers Ashley Kenner P’28, P’33 and Matt Silveira noticed early on that the children in this year’s Mockingbird class have a keen eye for spotting creatures 👀 in the forest. On nearly every trail adventure, Mockingbirds can be found turning over logs 🪵, digging in damp soil, or searching high and low in hopes of finding living things.

From finding salamanders 🦎 at Fire Pond to watching turtles 🐢 sunbathe at Wheeler Pond, Mockingbirds captured the many moments and conversations sparked on the trail and began creating a catalog-style classroom book titled “Mockingbird Forest Book.”

Each student designed their own page and recalled their observations through a co-writing process with Ms. Kenner and Mr. Silveira. For example, Ethan described a moment when he found a worm: “I am holding a worm. I am not being rough. I am being gentle. I found it under a rock. I moved it and it was heavy.”

Other Mockingbirds were eager to contribute what they already knew about their animals, like Livy, who recalled, “Sometimes frogs are green or gray. Some toads look like frogs.”

After completing their first set of pages in their forest book, Mockingbirds and their teachers shared a few excerpts from their creation at the Nest’s first community meeting of the year. They also led four other classrooms in an animal guessing game, putting their growing knowledge of the farm’s forest to the test! 🌳🌲

The Hamilton Institute presents its fifth annual Learning Differences Seminar with Dr. Gregory Fabiano, who will deliver the keynote address, “New Directions in Intervention and Treatment for Children with ADHD,” on October 15.

Dr. Fabiano will share newly studied, research-supported approaches for supporting children with ADHD, followed by a Q&A and conversation about how to put these approaches into practice.

He’ll also discuss the latest innovations in treatment, including positive behavior supports in the classroom, effective parenting strategies, and a broader shift from a symptom-based, deficit model toward approaches that promote academic and social-emotional skill development. Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies to help every child build the skills they need to thrive.

Educators, parents, caregivers, clinicians, and individuals with ADHD are encouraged to attend!

You can learn more about the seminar and RSVP through the link bit.ly/FifthLDS. And if you’d like to hear from Dr. Fabiano before then, he was recently the featured guest on the inaugural episode of the all-new “Unlocking Unique Minds” Podcast (listen via https://bit.ly/4hXCAJH).

As Dyslexia Awareness Month begins, we’re looking forward to sharing more upcoming events and program activities from the Hamilton Institute. ♥️

In a special moment on the soccer pitch today at Wheeler Farm, Head of School Mark Anderson P’27 watched his oldest child, Stella, coach her Friends Academy Middle School squad to a 1-1 tie against the Warriors.

“Stella is a teaching fellow at Friends Academy, teaching Middle School English and coaching soccer,” Mr. Anderson shared along with this dad and daughter selfie.

“After many years of watching Stella play sports, I was proud to see her on the sideline coaching her students/players and passing along her love of the game.” Friends Academy

The Wheeler Family Association hosted several Morning Coffees ☕ in September, bringing parents and guardians together over a warm beverage, tasty pastries, and good conversation.💬✨

But the sessions were special for more than just coffee and sweet treats, parent volunteer Jessica Ling P’29 told us.

“I think what makes these gatherings meaningful is that they give parents a chance to build their own community while their children are building theirs,” she shared. “Sometimes all it takes is coffee, pastries, and a little time together to turn a group of parents into a community.”

Jessica also noted that, while it can sometimes be challenging to meet other parents outside of school events, “having a casual coffee together gives parents a chance to put faces to names andshare experiences.”

Scroll through to hear what inspired Jessica to join the Wheeler Family Association, along with some of the lovely moments from this month’s gatherings. 💜💛

Some of our Middle School students are partnering with NASA on an out-of-this world research project – literally!

“I discovered the Growing Beyond Earth project last year when I was looking for ways to incorporate my students’ interests in space into our 6th-grade Photosynthesis Matter and Energy Cycling unit,” says Science Teacher Jamarya Jackson. “When I read the overview, I just knew Wheeler students would love to be a part of it, so I applied! I found out over the summer our classroom was selected to participate, serving as the first and only research site in Rhode Island, and joining over 500 schools globally.

“Growing Beyond Earth is a classroom-based citizen science project led by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden that supports NASA research,” Ms. Jackson continues. “Using a growing chamber analogous to the growing systems on the ISS, students will test cultivars’ compatibility for long term space flights. This year’s project is contributing to NASA’s Moon Base mission. The project is divided into two parts: the first, a prescribed experiment designed by the Space Crop Production team at NASA, and the second part is a completely student-designed experiment which they present to NASA scientists in April.

“When I announced the project to students, they were thrilled and immediately began brainstorming for their student-designed portion of the experiment. Ahead of our kickoff Zoom call with NASA scientists, Dr. Gioia Massa and Trent Smith, the kids submitted impressive questions ranging from “How can I work at NASA?” to “Can we grow vegetables that need to be cooked?” The students were truly entranced throughout the call [which happened last week], excitedly jotting down their ideas and wonders.”

Following last week’s call, several of Ms. Jackson’s students assembled the project’s growing chamber and set up their data portal today.

“The initiative is a wonderful way for our students to showcase the research and experimental design skills we develop all year long and to reaffirm their identities as scientists,” Ms. Jackson says. NASA Fairchild Garden

This month, we are excited to spotlight Wheeler alumnus and producer Sean Weiner ’01. Sean’s latest film, “Union County,” recently premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and earned strong critical acclaim for its realistic look at the opioid crisis in rural Ohio.

Sean is a co-founder and co-director of UFO (Untitled Filmmaker Org), a nonprofit that supports filmmakers at various stages during their careers when they’re typically under-resourced. He’s also an assistant professor in Film & Media Studies at Purchase College. His own work includes films selected for inclusion at Sundance, Berlinale, and SXSW.

“Union County” tells the story of brothers Cody (Will Poulter) and Jack Parsons (Noah Centineo), who are each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a pocket of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. With the support of a tireless counselor, Annette Deao (a counselor in real life who plays a version of herself in the film), the brothers work toward a brighter, sober future.

“For years, the film industry has used extractive storytelling tactics to enter new communities and tell their stories,” Sean shared. Director Adam Meeks’ approach, Sean said, “defied that. “Instead, his was one of curiosity and deep collaboration. With ‘Union County,’ the goal was to co-create a narrative with a community, not merely about it. That values-driven philosophy resonated with me, and felt especially sensitive when telling a story of addiction and recovery."

Read the full story about Sean’s career in film, his longtime creative partnership with Adam, and the story behind “Union County” (and watch the trailer!) by clicking 🔗 here: https://bit.ly/4AAnrW6

Cece S. ’30 is reaching new heights, with the help of her horse, on the national equestrian stage! Earlier this month, she was one of the top competitors for two weeks running (or riding?) at the Old Salem Farm Horse Show in North Salem, New York.

As her mom, Lynn-Marie ’93, P’30 describes it, “Cece rode in the Junior Jumper 1.10m division. In show jumping, riders take their horse over a course of fences, and they’re judged on clearing the jumps cleanly and quickly. The ‘1.10m’ means the fences are about 3’7” tall. She was Reserve Champion both weeks, which means she had the second-highest point total in the division. She also won the Classic both weeks. The Classic is the division’s feature class of the week, and it’s usually the biggest and most competitive one! I’m so proud of her back to back wins!“

Cece has been competing in equestrian events for about four years. “What I love most about riding is being around horses every day and seeing how truly amazing these animals are,” she says. “Riding lets me be my competitive self while doing something I love, but it has given me far more than ribbons. It has taught me resilience, because every rider falls, has bad rounds, and has to get back on and try again. It has taught me responsibility and it has taught me that trust and teamwork take a while to build.”

It also takes a lot of travel. For example, she’ll soon compete at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, which is one of the largest and most prestigious horse shows in the world.

“It’s a huge commitment of time and energy,” her mom says. “Cece commutes between Rhode Island and Wellington throughout the winter circuit while staying fully committed to her classes and responsibilities at Wheeler. Balancing both takes a lot of discipline and planning. We’re grateful for the support from Wheeler that helps make it possible.”

Good luck to Cece at the Winter Equestrian Festival, and wherever her competitive riding takes her into the future!

Wheeler is hiring! We’re looking to fill the following positions:

🟣 Associate Head of School for Academics and Operations
🟡 Head of Upper School
🟣 Lower School & Hamilton School Day Substitute Teacher
🟡 Early Childhood Substitute Teacher
🟣 After School Teacher
🟡 After School Enrichment Instructor
🟣 Head Middle School Boys Lacrosse Coach
🟡 Head Middle School Girls Lacrosse Coach
🟣 Head Varsity Girls Lacrosse Coach

If you are interested in joining the Wheeler community, you can send your resume and cover letter to [email protected] with the title of the position you’re applying for in the subject line.

For more information about these roles and why you might want to work at Wheeler, follow this link 🔗: https://www.wheelerschool.org/about-wheeler/careers-at-wheeler/

“I love dogs, and I believe that life is better with a dog in the room,” says Middle School History Teacher Becca Hunsicker. Earlier this month, that room turned out to be the “CBS Mornings” television studio!

But first, a bit of (barking) background: Ms. Hunsicker has been raising guide dogs since she was a middle school student herself and involved in her local 4-H club. “I really enjoyed being a part of a group of kids who all had a shared love of puppies and a shared purpose,” she says.
“It's the perfect service project. People often ask how I can give the puppy back after caring for and loving them for over a year. While it's always a bittersweet moment, I say goodbye with immense pride in my now-grown dog and know that he or she is going to be a valuable partner for a visually impaired person.”

Ms. Hunsicker and a friend are currently raising a puppy named Gayle. “Gayle is named after Gayle King, one of the hosts of ‘CBS Mornings,’” she explains. “When our Gayle was a baby, she was on the show. Now that Gayle is a year old, she and two of her siblings, Nate and Tony, also named after the show’s hosts, were invited back for an update.” And this time, Ms. Hunsicker was with her!

“The experience was exciting and a little nerve wracking!” she says. “It was fun to see behind the scenes of live TV, and I saw that it involves a whole army of people who work very efficiently to make the experience seamless for the viewer.”

Closer to campus, Wheeler middle schoolers also get the chance to learn about Ms. Hunsicker’s work with guide dogs – and it’s always a hands-on lesson!

“As a 7th-grade teacher, I participate in AGILE, where students choose from a variety of mini-courses for a three-day period. For the past few years, I've taught a class called ‘Service Dogs’ which explores the history of service dogs, the role of raiser families, characteristics required for service dogs, and training protocols. The highlight is always when students get to meet a Guiding Eyes puppy, see the puppy's emerging skills, and give the puppy lots of hugs!”

Thanks to Ms. Hunsicker and Gayle for sharing their story! You can watch their “CBS Mornings” segment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9LGYbIy_I0