Student Standouts: Mitchell-Day ’22, Britt ’23, Carpenter ’23, Koontz ’24, Li ’24, Weaver ’23, Ray ’23, Noonan ’22, Student Investment Committee, Boys Basketball, Field Hockey Stars, and Girls Swimming & Diving
Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.
Brandon Mitchell-Day '22 Scores 1,000th Point in MICDS Basketball Career
A huge congratulations to Brandon Mitchell-Day ’22 for scoring his 1,000th point in MICDS basketball at the Fort Zumwalt West game recently! Mitchell-Day has become extremely versatile over his four years as a starting player for the Boys Basketball team. Check out the feature in West Newsmagazine which highlights Brandon’s milestone accomplishment with quotes from him and Head Coach Travis Wallace. Congratulations, Brandon!
Five Rams Showcase Teapots in Exhibition
Five MICDS students are participating in the 18th biennial high school teapot exhibition at Spiritas Gallery at Ladue Horton Watkins High School from January 21 through March 25 Check out the creations by the following MICDS Upper Schoolers!
- Mady Britt ’23 – Tiny Teapot
- Zoe Carpenter ’23 – Leopard Print
- Addison Koontz ’24 – Plant-style Teapot
- Rachel Li ’24 – Turtle Teapot
- Dominic Weaver ’23– Black Bamboo Handle Teapot
Two Runners Make Big River All-Metro Cross Country Team
Alum John Sedgwick '05 Inspires Investment Committee
Student Summary by Philip Ralph ’23:
On Monday, January 31, the MICDS Student Investment Committee was happy to host Mr. John Sedgwick, Class of 2005. Sedgwick, the Managing Member of Parkland Group Industries, LLC, gave our committee insight into his professional career as well as advice about moving onto college and then potentially the financial industry. He shared his work experience from right out of college, where he worked with Goldman Sachs at a job that had similar roles to what we do in our investment committee. He, along with a team, was in charge of advising large families, like the Waltons, with their investment portfolios. However, he soon switched his work as he found a passion within the financial industry. Sedgwick decided to join a holding company that bought small manufacturing businesses, and from here, he grew passionate about buying and then operating small businesses. So, he began his career working with public equity, like the MICDS Investment committee, but then proceeded to work with these small companies.
Mr. Sedgwick then shared what he did or did not do throughout his journey through college and into the professional field that he was either proud of or would change. He encouraged three main things that he did and was glad about. These included reading as much as possible in college, developing an accounting background no matter your financial specialization, and finding a passion that sets you apart from those around you. On the flip side, some advice he gave about something he did but regretted was how “putting all your eggs in one basket” when it comes to college can be a slippery slope. Instead, he advised the group to be open-minded in their college selection process to avoid mounting pressure that could lead to disappointment. This advice is very relevant for all of our members and isn’t always vocalized.
Another piece of advice he gave was that the college you go to will greatly impact where you begin to work, which is something I had never considered, so this was very interesting to hear. We then continued with an array of questions ranging from investment research and internships to rewarding parts of the job. Some answers I would highlight include three concepts new to me. Sedgwick introduced the circle of competence, a wedding cake analogy, and the “airport test.” The circle of competence refers to your knowledge within the industry. For example, if you are versed in STEM, it is smart to invest or work with companies revolving around STEM. This seems pretty obvious, but it was interesting when we discussed applying your circle of competence to your investment portfolio and how that could lead to more success. Next, we discussed the wedding cake analogy. Essentially, the wedding cake represents tiers of involvement with a company. The base is working for that company, followed by owning stock to control the level below, and lastly, the top layer is employing managers or advisors to pick the company you want to have stock in. We then discussed where you would like to fit into the wedding cake and how determining that can help determine the career path you follow.
Finally, on the topic of internships and jobs, Sedgwick talked about both setting yourself apart and finding the best fit. He presented the “airport test” which simply means if you were stuck at an airport for a couple of hours with a prospective coworker, what would you do? Determining whether you interact or stick to your phone can say a lot about how good of a fit the job you are interviewing or applying for is. Overall, Mr. Sedgwick’s presentation was fantastic as the group not only learned about his specific career path, which overlapped with a lot the committee does, but we also gained more personalized and specific answers to inquiries generated by the group. Thank you, Mr. Sedgwick!
Victorious Boys Basketball Team
The Boys Basketball team defeated the Alton High Redbirds in Godfrey on Saturday. Check out this recap in The Telegraph that notes the Rams‘ seventh successive victory. Way to go, Rams!
Nine Rams Make 2021 NFHCA High School National Academic Squad
On Monday, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced the 2021 NFHCA High School National Academic Squad, on which we have nine members. Congratulations to Brecken Calcari ’22, Aishani Chakraborty ’22, Caroline Cooper ’22, Anna Lochhead ’22, Kate Oliver ’22, Kendall Curry ’23, Henley Danforth ’23, Erica Engelhardt ’23, and Marina Lea-Bernstein ’23! According to the NFHCA website, „The High School National Academic Squad program, sponsored by OPA Winning Teams, recognizes those high school seniors and juniors who have achieved a minimum cumulative, unweighted grade-point average of 3.50 out of 4.0 — or the equivalent — through the first quarter of the 2021-22 school year, and were nominated by their NFHCA member coach.“
Engelhardt and Oliver are also Scholars of Distinction, which the website describes as „seniors and juniors who have achieved a minimum cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.9 out of 4.0 — or the equivalent — through the first quarter of the 2021-22 school year have been recognized as Scholars of Distinction.“ Congratulations, field hockey stars!
Girls Swimming & Diving Wins Conference Championship
The Girls Swimming & Diving team rallied to catch Westminster Christian Academy to take the conference meet and championship. The meet came down to the 400m Free Relay, and the Rams dominated, winning by nearly 20 seconds. The final standings at the top were MICDS at 533 and WCA at 525. Way to go, conference champs!
