Holland Hall’s Dutch Athletic Hall of Fame will induct its newest honorees on Friday, May 8 at the Doubletree Hotel Warren Place.  Six former athletic greats, a dedicated coach, and a team that won three straight conference championships make up the eighth group to be recognized since the Hall of Fame began in 2007.

The Dutch Athletic Hall of Fame was established to recognize individuals and teams that brought honor to themselves, their school, and their community through their athletic achievements.

The Dutch Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2015 includes six individual inductees.  Julie Yeabower ’77, Tulsa, was a three-sport athlete in field hockey, soccer and softball.  Karen Ham ’88, Tulsa, excelled in field hockey, basketball and track and field.  David Todd ’91, San Francisco, made his mark in football, basketball and track and field.  Two-sport phenom Trent Tucker ’93, Tulsa, will be honored for his contributions in cross country and tennis.  Derek Matheson ’95, Owasso, Okla., starred on the football and baseball fields and the basketball court.  Roy Johnson ’74, Birmingham, Ala., a soccer and baseball athlete at Holland Hall, will receive a special award for his lifetime contributions to athletics as a journalist, broadcaster, and philanthropist.

Coach Ed Hooker will be posthumously honored for his 25 years of dedicated service to Holland Hall, both on and off the athletic fields.  Hooker coached football, baseball and golf during his time leading the Dutch.

One of Holland Hall’s most impressive championship teams will also be recognized, the 2003 – 2005 boys golf team, which one 3 straight conference championships.  Players on the team were:

            Class of 2003 – John Chadwick, U.K., Shannon Begnel, Edmond, Okla.

            Class of 2005 – Daris Schell, posthumously, Jack Yandell, San Francisco, Spencer Fielding, Dallas, Sam Herrin, Denver, Terence Begnel, Midland, Texas, Scott Allen, Tulsa, Rob Lawley, Dallas, Ryan Darrow, Tulsa.

            Class of 2006 – Steven Berklacy II, Oklahoma City, Kyle Spencer, Houston.

            Class of 2008 – Jeff Klappenbach, Edmond, Okla., Ben Von Drehle, Denver.

            Coach – Sparky Grober, Tulsa. 

“The Hall of Fame seeks to recognize and honor the great athletes who brought recognition to Holland Hall,” says Steve Heldebrand, Holland Hall athletic director, “and to showcase to our current student athletes these motivating influences.”

The Dutch Athletic Hall of Fame will take place on Friday, March 8, at 6 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Warren Place, 6110 S. Yale Ave.  A reception for inductees, families and friends will follow the ceremony.  For tickets, please contact Christy Utter, director of alumni relations, at 918.879.4745 or cutter@hollandhall.org.

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The Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, Daisy Troop 411 Robotics Team Supergirls, will be honored guests at the 2015 White House Science Fair.

Hosted by President Obama, the Fair will feature innovative projects, designs, and experiments from students all across America.

The White House will be live streaming the Science Fair at whitehouse.gov/science-fair, tune in on Monday, March 23 to see what incredible inventions some of America’s youngest scientists and engineers bring to the White House.

They are led by Holland Hall parent and alumna Suzanne Dodson and Holland Hall Upper School mathematics teacher Cathy Rose.

Check the team out on NBC, Tulsa World and the Girl Scout Blog.

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Holland Hall fourth and fifth graders showed off their Wacky Wonder Works projects during the Tulsa Engineering Challenge at Tulsa Technology Center on Friday, March 6. The competition ranged from4-12 grades including hundreds of students. Holland Hall students competed in the 4-6 grade division. The engineering challenge showcases various projects from ping pong ball launchers to rubber band powered cars. 

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The statistics are sobering.  Five percent of women in college are raped every year.  One in four college women have survived rape or attempted rape in their lifetime.  While the numbers should be a wake-up call; the effect on the individual lives can be devastating.

On April 6 Holland Hall will be holding a day of assemblies, workshops, and a presentation to parents and community members aimed to prepare students for dealing with sexual violence on college campuses.  The day will be led by Dr. John Foubert, professor of higher education and student affairs at Oklahoma State University and a national expert on sexual violence.  

“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of Dr. Foubert’s reputation come to Holland Hall to help prepare our students and parents for issues they will need to be aware of in college,” says Frances Fondren, head of the upper school.  “By creating awareness and sharing information we can hopefully protect our students in the next phase of their lives and empower them to enter college feeling more equipped to negotiate the current landscape.

The day of discussions and workshops will culminate in a presentation to parents and interested adults.  Entitled “Sexual Violence on College Campuses: What Pre-College Parents Need to Know,” Foubert will address how to protect children from rape now and in the future, the nature of sexual violence, how it tends to occur, and how to help a survivor if it does happen.  Discussion points will also touch upon what should be taught to daughters, to sons, and other necessary steps students may take to protect themselves and others. The evening address, to be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Branch Theater of the Walter Arts Center is free and open to the public.  Due to the nature of the discussion, it is offered to adults only.

“We are a college preparatory school,” says Fondren.  “We strive everyday to get our students ready academically, socially, and morally.  I believe it is important to address these issues proactively even though the conversations may make us uncomfortable.  This day is just another way we are demonstrating how much we care about our students and their welfare.

Foubert is the author of nine books, including “The Men’s and Women’s Programs: Ending Rape through Peer Education.”  He appears in the media frequently on the topic of sexual assault, including being on CNN, C-Span, and NPR, and being featured in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Time Magazine.  

A graduate of The College of William and Mary, Foubert earned his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.  He is the national president of One in Four and principal of John D. Foubert, LLC Consulting.

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Holland Hall is pleased to announce that longtime Primary and Middle School Chaplain Bert Bibens, has accepted our offer to become our next Primary School Head, effective July 1, 2015.

In response to the nationally published opportunity statement and after interviewing six semifinalists on campus, three finalists were selected to move forward in the process. The three finalists spent an intensive two days with faculty, students, administrators, and parents.  The field was strong and each finalist demonstrated varying skill sets and experiences with independent schools.  The total field included internal candidates, like Mr. Bibens, as well as rising stars, current division heads, and a sitting head of school. 

While Mr. Bibens’ responsibilities will focus on the day-to-day operations of the Mary K. Chapman Primary School, he will also work collaboratively to advance our One School approach, including cohesive curriculum integration across all school branches.  In concert with the Branch Heads and Assistant Head of School Richard Hart, he will oversee student assessment data to identify needs and implement strategies to grow areas of strength while addressing areas for improvement. He will also collaboratively work to oversee all matters regarding the Primary School, including professional development, faculty and student culture, and parent programming focused on primary school issues.

 A beloved 22-year member of the faculty and alumni parent, Mr. Bibens’ experience extends well beyond Holland Hall.  Prior to arriving here in 1993, he served in youth ministry and educational director capacities at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City and at Trinity Episcopal here in Tulsa, where he still serves as a deacon.  He also taught 5th and 6th graders while coaching several sports.  A graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a Master of Education in Elementary Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma, Mr. Bibens also has extensive leadership experience, including founding and leading the Summer Leadership Academy for talented urban students from Tulsa and co-chairing the Oklahoma Diocese’s Bishop Search Committee. Having led chapel exercises and taught religious education over the last 22 years, he already knows every primary and middle school student and faculty member here at Holland Hall!

In response to news of the appointment, Mr. Bibens shared, “Holland Hall has been a second home for me and my family over the past 22 years.  I love this place and all of its people and cherish the opportunity to lead the Mary K. Chapman Primary School forward as we continue to embrace this 21st century, with all of its challenges, intricacies and promise.  Since I’ve spent my entire career as an educator, I’m excited to expand my role at the school beyond ministry and teaching religion and into forging an even more positive culture focused on relationships, academic excellence, and our students.”

A passage from his statement of educational philosophy that resonated with the search committee spoke clearly to our mission-driven focus on developing lifelong learners.  He wrote, “It would be my hope, that all educators would strive to be as animated as possible, while remaining true to their own personality types … the attention of a student is difficult to earn, and even more difficult to keep.  A sense of humor also serves an educator well, both in being able to laugh along with the students, as well as showing that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously.  Finally, I would expect all, who consider themselves teachers, to never end their own pursuit of learning and growth.  We preach it to our students … we must live it out in our own lives.”

“I would like to thank the members of the Primary School Head Search Committee,” stated Head of School J.P. Culley, “and their leader Richard Hart: Andrea Turner, Paula Jackson, Patrice Cardiel, Sangeeta Panicker, Meredith Andrews, Brian Underwood and Ryan Myers, as well as Pam Herman, for their unwavering dedication to the process and for continuing to illuminate everything that is special about Holland Hall. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Bibens to his new position and wishing him well in the years to come!”

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Rachel Wenger, a junior at Holland Hall, received a 2015 Princeton Book Award from the Princeton Book Club of Tulsa.  Greater Tulsa area high schools are invited annually to nominate two juniors  and two sophomores to be considered for the Award.  Rachel was one of four Tulsa area students, two sophomores and two juniors, selected for the honor.

“Rachel was nominated because she is an excellent student and an involved member of the Holland Hall community,” said Ronda Cooper, college counselor.  Students nominated must be in the top ten percent of their class, demonstrate strength of character, leadership qualities, creativity, and extraordinary talent in a specific area. The students then complete an application process that includes a personal essay.

Winning the award was quite exciting for Rachel.  “My essay was entirely about my art and how it reflects who I am as a person,” she stated.  “It was wonderful to see that the judges enjoyed hearing about the artistic side of my life at Holland Hall and how it has influenced the person I am today.”  Rachel is quite an accomplished artist in ceramics.

The purpose of the Princeton Book Awards is to recognize outstanding high school students, to raise the visibility of Princeton within a community and to spread the awareness of the University among exceptionally talented potential applicants, high school counselors, administrators and faculty.

“Winning this award,” added Cooper, “will put Rachel on the radar of the Princeton alumni group in Tulsa and many colleges and universities.  She will have wonderful opportunities as she moves through the college admission process.”
Rachel Wegner is not yet sure where she plans to go to college, but hopes to continue her Spanish and art studies once she gets there.  “Holland Hall has prepared me for my future in countless ways.  From managing my time to writing essays, Holland Hall has taught me skills that will help me in the future.  The most important thing I have learned here is how to balance my class work without giving up other activities I love, such as my art or riding.”

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Congratulations to all students for an outstanding academic year and, specifically, to the following students whose performance has placed them on one of the Honor Rolls for the 2014-2015 School Year. There are two Honor Rolls for students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The ‘A’ Honor Roll is comprised of students who have earned an ‘A’ in each core academic subject. The ‘A/B’ Honor Roll is comprised of students who earned an ‘A’ in the majority of their core academic subjects.

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Evan Shrestha is representing Holland Hall and the state of Oklahoma at the 2015 National Youth Science Camp^® (NYSC). According to 2015.nysc.org, The National Youth Science Camp is a residential science education program for young scientists the summer after they graduate from high school. Students from around the country are challenged academically in exciting lectures and hands-on studies, and have voluntary opportunities to participate in an outdoor adventure program, gain a new and deep appreciation for the great outdoors, and establish friendships that last a lifetime.

Congratulations Evan and welcome to the 2015 National Youth Science Camp!

To read the full article and learn more about the 2015 NYSC, click here

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The Holland Hall Alumni Association and its board are pleased to announced Ken Levit ’83 as the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award winner and Micah Fitzerman-Blue ’01 as the 2015 Young Alumni Achievement Award winner.

“We are honored to recognize Ken and Micah for our association’s most prestigious awards,” said Christy Utter, Director of Alumni Relations at Holland Hall. “They perfectly embody everything the awards stand for, and their continued dedication to the communities they serve makes them all the more deserving.”

Ken Levit is the Executive Director of the George Kaiser Foundation. Prior to his role as executive director, Levit served as President of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, Special Counsel to George Tenet, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and he practiced corporate law at the firm of Crowe and Dunlevy in Tulsa. He earned his law degree from Yale University in 1994 and his undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1987. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed on an alumnus/a of Holland Hall. It recognizes an alumna or alumnus who demonstrates exceptional service on a local, state or national level, exhibits a high degree of character and integrity, demonstrates exceptional accomplishment in his or her profession, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and career(s) have honored the legacy of excellence at Holland Hall.

Micah Fitzerman-Blue is a writer and co-producer of Transparent, which won the 2015 Golden Globe for best comedy. His first feature, “The Motel Life”, starring Dakota Fanning, won best screenplay and the audience award at its premier at the Rome Film Festival. He is the co-founder of Bureau of Trade, a men’s lifestyle startup acquired by eBay in 2013. He earned his history and literature degree from Harvard University in 2006. The Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes the alumnus or alumna from the last 15 years who has made a significant mark on his or her university or community, and who excels in their profession or pursuit of education.
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Barnard Commons at Holland Hall. Tickets are $20/person.

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Holland Hall Seniors Liam Carey and Declan Kiely took home 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the age 16-18 Poetry category in the Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL) 2015 Young People’s Creative Writing Contest. Eighth grader Marta Almazovaite won 1st place in Poetry and 2nd place in Informal Essay in the 13-15 age division. Winners were selected out of more than 600 entries and honored in an award ceremony on Friday, August 28 at the Hardesty Regional Library. Please visit the following links to read their winning entries. Congratulations, Liam, Declan and Marta!

To learn more about the contest and other teen resources at TCCL, click here.

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Holland Hall senior Lizzie Adelson was recently featured in Sidelines Magazine in an article that highlighted both her track and field and horse show successes. The article says, “In the world of track and field, Lizzie is the best high-school high jumper in the state of Oklahoma and has set an all-time record…In the world of horses and show jumping, Lizzie is at the barn 10 hours per week and is on the road showing 20 weekends a year.” After setting high jumping records in the SEC and USATF Youth National Championship and continuing to balance track and field with her school work and horse shows, Lizzie has begun her senior year thinking about college and competing in track and field. Her record-setting high jumping has caught the attention of several college track and field coaches and she is weighing her options as she considers track teams and academics. As well, Lizzie has shadowed both large and small animal veterinarians and said, “I like the sciences so I think it would be cool to be a vet. I’m also doing research in a chemistry lab at Tulsa University this summer.” To read the full article, please visit Sidelines Magazine’s website.

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Holland Hall is proud to welcome local artist Christopher Westfall as our 2015 ARTworks artist-in-residence. ARTworks kicks off on Sunday, October 18 at 5:30pm with the exclusive Artist Reception. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to meet the artist, preview the exhibit and be the first to purchase original paintings. Tickets and Patron levels are still available. The remainder of the week will consist of student workshops with the artist held in all three branches and conclude with a Patron workshop. The exhibit will be on display and is open to the public October 19 – November 24, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm.

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Oct. 26 – 29 is Fill The Bin week! 
It’s the last push to bring in your donations for special class participation prizes.

What can you donate?
Books, toys, games, puzzles, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, computer game.

The points during October WILL be counted for the final prizes at the conclusion of the Book Fair.
For the month of October, any donation made to the Book Fair and point slips completed will be recorded for grade level prizes, Which Include:

Primary School
Dutch Day to any class that achieves 100% participation. 
Sno-cones will be awarded to each child in the grade with the highest participation percentage, regardless of whether or not they have 100%.

Middle School
Dutch Day to any class that achieves 100% participation. 
$2 Book Fair voucher per child in the grade with the highest participation percentage, regardless of whether or not they have 100%.
Upper School
Chick-fil-A breakfast for the grade that donates the most books during the Book Drive “Fill The Bin” FTB week (last week in October)

For more Book Fair Information Click Here!

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Holland Hall will be participating in a new initiative called the INDEX Parent Loyalty Survey. Our school is a member of INDEX, a benchmarking group of fifty day schools across the country that are similar in mission, size, and other characteristics. INDEX provides its member schools with benchmarking data, comparative research, and information to aid in planning and decision-making. It is an invaluable resource for Holland Hall.

Currently, over twenty INDEX schools will be participating in this pilot program to benchmark parent feedback; this methodology has been widely used and has the advantage of being succinct, clear, and concise. The online survey will be distributed November 9-13 and should take less than five minutes to complete; given that the survey is very short—four questions—we are hopeful to have a strong return rate.

While we will review the data internally, the overall aggregated results will be shared with INDEX for benchmarking and comparative analysis. Given that it is a pilot, the group will reflect in the spring on the process and will decide how best to move forward.

If you have any questions about the survey, the benchmarking group, or the process, please contact J.P. Culley, Head of School. Thank you in advance for your time and participation.

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Youth Culture & Substance Use: Where are We Now?

Please join our Director of Counseling & Wellness, Ryan Myers, as we continue our efforts towards informing and educating our community on the realities of the world students live in today.

We will be discussing Holland Hall’s comprehensive approach to drug and alcohol education, social norming theory, and other relevant aspects of youth culture pertaining to this topic as well as information we gained from the results of the FCD survey that was conducted in the fall of 2014.

When: January 7, 2016 at 6:30 pm
Where: Holliman Gallery
Speaker: Ryan Myers, LPC (Director of Counseling & Wellness)

Questions? Contact Katie Johnson at (918)879-4738 or kjohnson@hollandhall.org.

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Holland Hall will host its last PACE event of the year on Thursday, March 3 at 6:30pm in the Holliman Gallery. Parents will have the opportunity to learn about “Life in the Digital Age: Technology & Youth Culture,” presented by Cassie Gray, Primary and Middle School Counselor; Justin Butler, 4th and 5th Grade Dean of Students; and Brian Thompson, 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Dean of Students, as well as a student panel.

Parents were given the opportunity via grade coordinator emails to submit topics they would like to have covered in the talk, and the panel will address these questions and concerns.

When: Thursday, March 3 at 6:30pm
Where: Holliman Gallery
Speakers: Cassie Gray, ​School Counselor for Primary-6th Grade
Justin Butler, 4th and 5th Grade Dean of Students
Brian Thompson, 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Dean of Students

Questions? Contact Katie Johnson at (918) 879-4738 or kjohnson@hollandhall.org.

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Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 6pm at The Tulsa Historical Society.


We’ll go back in time and experience a cast of characters that includes Founders of Holland Hall, Notorious City Leaders, and Tulsa’s Finest Entertainers from the 1920s. Membership in the Schureman Circle Giving Society is open to all parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends who make a gift of $1,000 or more in the current fiscal year to the Holland Hall Annual Fund. For more information about the Schureman Circle Giving Society, please contact Monica Champ, Director of the Annual Fund, at 918-879-4766 or mchamp@hollandhall.org.

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Evening of the Arts & Intrigue
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Dear Holland Hall Families,

As we approach the end of the 2015-2016 academic year and plan for celebrating the many contributions of Holland Hall’s Class of 2016, I also want to make you aware of campus construction scheduled to be completed this summer.

Planning for the new dining and wellness building that will be situated between the Middle School Flint-Williams Gymnasium and the Walter Arts Center (WAC) is moving along quickly. As a result, this summer we will install a new road west of the Walter Upper School building that will solve traffic circulation and parking patterns prior to construction of the new building. This road was first envisioned in the Campus Master Plan. Please see the rendering to help visualize where the construction will take place. Additional parking will also be developed behind the Upper School gym this summer.

Because this is a new road and access to the south side of the Upper School will still be available next to the WAC, we foresee few inconveniences resulting from the work this summer. As is always the case, great care will be taken to ensure construction unfolds safely, minimizing accident possibilities and environmental impact.

Should you have any questions, I hope you will be in touch.

All the best,

JP Culley
Head of School

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We are proud to recognize graduates of the Holland Hall Class of 2016! This class features 73 graduates attending 41 different colleges and universities across 19 states. 74% of the graduating class received scholarship awards totally over $6 million. Congratulations graduates!

In addition to our Senior graduates, 83 8th Graders graduated from Middle School, ready to become the next Freshman class, and 45 3rd Graders transitioned from the Primary to the Middle School in the traditional bridge crossing ceremony. We look forward to welcoming these new classes into the Upper and Middle Schools next year.

Watch the live stream video of Commencement »

View photos of Commencement »

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