A joyful place to learn, create, and excel

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 careers@wheelerschool.org 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 the link in our bio.🔗

“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 was the “CBS Mornings” television studio! @cbsmornings

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 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 @cbsmornings segment at the 🔗 in our bio.