A joyful place to learn, create, and excel

📖 ✨A love of reading (and a little friendly competition!) was on full display at the 38th annual Battle of the Books, held this past Friday at Lincoln School.

Fourth-graders from Wheeler joined peers from Lincoln School, Gordon School, Moses Brown, and Providence Country Day School for the game show–style event, answering questions based on a list of 30 books. The titles, selected by librarians from each school, anchor this annual reading initiative.

Over the winter and spring, students read from the list and engaged with the books through in-class activities, building both their understanding and excitement along the way.

The day itself featured a mix of thoughtful and fast-paced moments, from the final “ultimate questions” in each round, to two-part question bonus rounds, which offered the chance to earn extra points. Each school also brought its own personality through book-inspired cheers!

🎉At the end of the competition, students celebrated their efforts with a well-earned reward: a pizza 🍕 and cupcake 🧁 party at a local playground.

Thank you to @lincoln1884, @mosesbrownschool, @gordonschool, and @provcountryday for making this annual tradition such an engaging and memorable experience for our students! 💫

We’re a school where students of all ages get to interact with and learn from one another, whether in the classroom, the Chazan Gallery, or the ceramics studio.

Those interactions are pretty powerful – and so is our founding story, where artist and educator Mary C. Wheeler decided to create a high-quality school for girls more than a century ago, when they didn’t have access to the same educational opportunities as boys. Miss Wheeler’s story was the subject of a recent show at Chazan, curated by Wheeler Archivist Bob Martin P’05, P’10.

Teacher Bonnie Calderón P’35, P’39’s kindergarten class visited that exhibition, just as they do with many of the gallery’s shows. “This last visit was special on many levels, but especially because it featured work from our founder,” she says. “We first read ‘Mary Wants to Draw,’ the picture book Mr. Martin created about her life and legacy. We then went to the gallery and made observations about her drawings and paintings, as well as the other works of featured art. The kindergarteners were very eager to learn more about the spaces where Miss Wheeler created art with some of her earliest students!

“Impromptu we left the gallery and went up to the Upper School Visual Arts wing in search of Mr. Martin so we could say hello and thank him for making the book and exhibit. We didn’t catch him, but we were invited to take a walk through the original art studio that led us to Mr. Ferbert and his ceramics students. He invited us in and a very welcoming Upper Schooler gave us a demo on the clay wheel.

“The kindergarteners were so captivated by all of it. It is always such a joy to see the big kids interact with the little ones. They really rise to the occasion and so many of them are so intuitively great with little kids.

“I am so appreciative of opportunities to connect with colleagues and students cross-divisionally. It’s very important to me to instill an awareness of Mary C. Wheeler’s identity and legacy in our early childhood program. The fact that she was an artist is such an important piece of our collective Wheeler history, amongst many other incredible parts of her story. I feel grateful to be part of it all.”

“When I see the progress of some of these students that started out with almost no experience in playing in a band and how far they’ve come, it’s quite inspiring,” shared Director of Jazz Studies Francisco Pais Cardoso a few days after the Upper School Spring Jazz Concert.

The show, held last Friday, featured a range of performances by musicians of all levels, from emerging players to advanced ensembles performing sophisticated works. Performances included Upper School Ensemble 1 and 2, Advanced Ensemble, and Jazz Performance.

“I’m also very proud of my senior musicians and the way they carried themselves and were able to play such complex repertoire with the nuance of real artists,” Mr. Cardoso added. “The level of maturity and music proficiency is remarkable. I was particularly touched by the students’ speeches and how much the jazz program meant to them here at Wheeler.”

That sentiment was echoed by seniors like Annalise H. ’26, who shared, “My time in the Wheeler jazz program was incredibly memorable, and I really appreciate the opportunity it provided to learn a new side of music.”

As he wished the absolute best for Annalise, Peter Kennedy ’26, and Odysseas Pavlides ’26, Mr. Cardoso noted, “I know that they will do great things. We will be here with our doors open to welcome them back anytime.”

He also expressed appreciation for his colleagues, adding, “As an educator, my purpose is to continue to motivate, inspire, and challenge students to reach their full potential and to use jazz as a powerful form of expressing their feelings through their instruments. I feel extremely blessed to do what I do on a daily basis, and I want to thank Mr. [Mark] Anderson, Ms. [Neeltje] Henneman, Mr. [Chris] Capaldi, Mr. [David] Schiano, and the Performing Arts team for providing support for this event and helping ensure it was a success.”

With 🎓 Commencement on the horizon, the Upper School came together last week for the Senior Assembly, honoring the Class of 2026 🎊. “Lifers” and classmates alike took turns at the podium, sharing memories that sparked plenty of laughter and nostalgia. A slideshow of moments from their time at Wheeler added to the reflection, capturing just how far they’ve come.

The following day, the Upper School gathered once again for an assembly recognizing Council co-heads Joy F. ’26 and Philip D. ’26 for their dynamic leadership throughout the year (stay tuned as we announce next year’s co-heads in a future post).

Afterward, the Class of 2026 headed to East Campus to mark their last day of classes with lunch, laughter, and time together—soaking in these final moments before graduation. 💜💛