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Hi Hunter,

Happy snow day. Hope you guys had a great weekend all together. We were in CT skiing which was fun but so crazy cold.

Thank you for agreeing to speak with Sidwell about Olivia's application to next year's 7th grade class. I recognize how busy you are and appreciate you making the time to chime in with Bryan. Below is some logistical information and some background on why Olivia is a good fit for Sidwell. Let me know if this is helpful and/or you need some additional information. Again, huge thank you!

Background Info

- Olivia is in 6th grade at Sheridan School where she has attended school since kindergarten. (Sheridan is a K-8th school.)
- Last Friday Robert Hoopes kindly spoke to Jacquie Wilson who handles Middle School admissions and Chris Buccini sent in a letter and emailed Bryan about Olivia.
- We are not applying to any other schools. If Olivia is not accepted, she'll happily continue at Sheridan for two more years and then apply to various high schools.

Why Sidwell?

Olivia choose to apply to Sidwell for two reasons. First and most importantly, Olivia (and her parents) want a Quaker education. As you know, there is a deep and long history of Quakerism and Quaker education in my family, e.g., I attended Quaker school for 12 years, as did my brothers, my dad was on the board at Wilmington Friends School, my paternal grandparents were leaders at Haverford Meeting House. There is a unique way that a Quaker education combines rigorous learning and a sense of purpose/community/justice that is meaningful for all of us. Olivia, though she often grumbles, likes going to Meeting and First Day school on Sundays, and she is excited about going to a Quaker school.

The second reason Olivia applied to Sidwell is because she is game for something more. Game is a good way to describe Olivia - she is always ready to try something new. She is excited by a bigger class, more sport opportunities and just a wider landscape.

Why Olivia?

I am, of course, horribly biased but here is my elevator pitch on why Olivia would be a welcome addition to Sidwell's classroom. Olivia is funny, smart and tenacious. Her humor makes her easy to be around and a relaxed leader among her peers. She is not crafting a cure for cancer, but she is smart and interested in the world. She likes all of our travel to new places, is always reading a novel, and does well academically at Sheridan. Finally, she loves her sports. If you ask her what she wants to do on a Saturday afternoon, it is shoot hoops with her dad. Olivia works hard at her tennis and horse-back riding all year and then also plays a sports each season, soccer, basketball or softball. It is a big part of who she is.

Just in case you want to read more :) below is an excerpt from our parent essay that speaks to why a Quaker school and Olivia's strengths.

OK, you are wonderful. Thank you and talk soon.
Louisa


> From Olivia's Application
> 1. What do you hope your child will gain by attending a Quaker school? Is there a Quaker value that particularly resonates with your family and why?
>
>
> I have always liked the phrase “walk with purpose” and believe when tweaked slightly to read “learning with purpose” it describes perfectly a Quaker education. I want my daughter to learn in an environment that connects knowledge to a wider purpose than simply becoming smarter or better read. I believe that with a Quaker education, Olivia will both do rigorous learning and ask herself at every turn, “why I am learning this,” “what am I going to do with this information” and “how does this fit in this interconnected world.”
>
> Our enthusiasm for a Quaker education for Olivia is quite personal. I spent twelve years and graduated from Wilmington Friends School and believe the values I absorbed there about community, social and economic justice, and service truly shaped me and continue to influence me in both small and big ways. I want the same for my daughter.
>
> 3. What important aspects of your child’s life would you like to share with the Admissions Committee?
>
> I would like the Committee to have a sense of who Olivia is and why I think she would be a welcome addition to the Sidwell community. Olivia has a real sense of joy about the world that is fueled by a great sense of humor and notable bravery. It is a combination of both levity and strength.
>
> Olivia’s sense of humor makes her fun to be around, ready to smile at the silly, find an offbeat pun or giggle with her sister. When I watch Olivia with her peers, I often see that her buoyancy puts her friends at ease and she leads them in finding ways to reconcile opposing views, whether it is on the rules of Four Square or on a classroom debate project. Her sense of humor also makes her flexible. For instance, we often travel to new places and Olivia will dig into the local food specialties. We also camp frequently and it is Olivia who won’t complain about the rainy campsite, but instead find a way to save the s’mores.
>
> Coupled with Olivia’s sense of humor is a stalwart bravery. She is just game for new experiences. She heads off to summer camp in the wilds of Maine for four weeks without knowing anyone there, and is fairly perfunctory when I drop her off at the airport. She is a horseback rider and continually pushing herself to do more fence jumping in the ring. When asked if she wants to join the school’s varsity basketball team rather than remain with her sixth grade classmates on JV, Olivia is eager to join a more challenging team. I counsel her that To Kill a Mocking Bird, while wonderful, may be a bit sophisticated, Olivia listens and decides to dive into the novel. She isn’t reckless, but has this strong sense of self and isn’t put off by possible failure.
>
> One final note is that Olivia is very proud and enthusiastic about her sports. She plays soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and softball in the spring. Some of her teams are affiliated with Sheridan and others are community-based leagues. At the same time, each week she is taking riding lessons and tennis lessons down at Haynes Point. If there is a lull on a Saturday afternoon, she is asking her dad to shoot hoops with her in our driveway. While it is only January, Olivia is already thinking about the softball season and the new league rules that allow players to fast pitch and steal bases. Olivia loves the challenge and the camaraderie on her various sports teams.
>


On Feb 11, 2015, at 7:00 AM, Hunter Biden wrote:

> Perfect- on my cell- 202-552-9396
>
> RHB
> 202.333.1880
>
> On Feb 10, 2015, at 6:24 PM, Louisa Terrell <louisa.terrell@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thanks - Will call you at 11:30, ok?
>>
>> Mobile 202.360.3624
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Feb 10, 2015, at 4:19 PM, Hunter Biden <hbiden@rosemontseneca.com> wrote:
>>
>>> tomorrow anytime btw 10 and 1:30- sorry we keep missing each other
>>> R. Hunter Biden
>>> Rosemont Seneca Partners
>>> Washington D.C.
>>> 202-333-1880
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Feb 10, 2015, at 2:45 PM, Louisa Terrell <louisa.terrell@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Talk this week? Just let me know any open slots and I will make anything work.
>>>> So appreciate it.
>>>> Louisa
>>>>
>>>> Louisa Terrell
>>>> 202.360.3624
>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 20, 2015, at 8:24 PM, Hunter Biden <hbiden@rosemontseneca.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes- 202-552-9396
>>>>>
>>>>> RHB
>>>>> 202.333.1880
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Jan 20, 2015, at 8:22 PM, Louisa Terrell <louisa.terrell@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Perfect. Call your mobile?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Jan 20, 2015, at 8:07 PM, Hunter Biden <hbiden@rosemontseneca.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> How about tmrw afternoon around 4:30?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> RHB
>>>>>>> 202.333.1880
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Jan 20, 2015, at 11:09 AM, Louisa Terrell <louisa.terrell@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hey you,
>>>>>>>> Anytime this week works for a call. Just let me know what works on your end. I will make myself available.
>>>>>>>> Thanks so very much.
>>>>>>>> Louisa
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Jan 16, 2015, at 1:22 PM, Hunter Biden wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Anytime- let me know what works for you and we will put it on schedule.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> RHB
>>>>>>>>> 202.333.1880
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On Jan 16, 2015, at 1:12 PM, Louisa Terrell <louisa.terrell@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hey Hunter,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Happy New Year! Hope you had a great holiday with the family. We had two weeks in India which was fantastic. I did not want to come back! I wanted to reach out because we completed Olivia's application to 7th grade to Sidwell (epic!) and now I am trying to figure out best next steps. I sent a note to Bernie so I could get in touch with Chris to get his advice and I will ping Robert Hoopes too. Do you have two minutes in the next week or so to chat about this? I promise to be short and sweet, I know how busy you are.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Number two on my list is that I am making moves and headed over to the FCC to work for Chairman Wheeler, should be good stuff. And last on my list is that I wanted to send a note to your sweet brother. His public release on ending his term was so great, and I wanted to just congratulate him and let him know I was thinking of him. But I have like six phone numbers and three email addresses and I don't know which one is best.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> OK, I hope you have a good long weekend. We are headed to Vermont (you remember the good old days of skiing on ice!) later today and then back early Monday.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hope to talk soon.
>>>>>>>>>> xxoo
>>>>>>>>>> Louisa
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On Nov 8, 2014, at 12:43 PM, Hunter Biden wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Lets talk Monday.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> RHB
>>>>>>>>>>> 202.333.1880
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Nov 7, 2014, at 10:18 AM, Louisa Terrell <louisa.terrell@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Hey Hunter,
>>>>>>>>>>>> Hope you are doing ok.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> While Tuesday was a good day in NJ, it was a small bright spot in an otherwise grim day. I am kinda still in denial. It is so not going to be pretty here…
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> So I am spending time on other work:) Like kid stuff. My oldest is thinking about changing schools. Can we talk Sidwell for a few minutes? I think it is out of our league on several fronts, but want to get your advice. Promise to be short and sweet. Let me know if there is a good time to grab you.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Louisa
>>>>>>>>
>>>