Knightly News

After more than a decade of curiosity, exploration and innovation, LAUNCH (Leading Academic Understanding by Nurturing Creative Habits) continues to break records. This year, LAUNCH Day became LAUNCH week to accommodate a record 24 Thesis and 14 ESTAAR presenters. This year’s sizable number of ESTAAR students infused the week with numerous science-related presentations. In addition, social studies, government and entrepreneurship students joined the effort with a dedicated showcase in the QUEST Center in Foster Hall.

Each year, Episcopal LAUNCH participants inspire their peers, families and teachers with their knowledge and TEDx-style presentations. Such a successful program is a testament to the strength of the Episcopal community and the school’s goal to nurture critical thinkers ready to lead purposeful and meaningful lives.

A LAUNCH Legacy

Thesis Director Katie Sutcliffe has nurtured LAUNCH students since the program’s inception in 2014. LAUNCH 2026 was her last at the helm, and next year, she will transition into a new role to support the creation of Episcopal’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The initiative is a major component of the school’s strategic plan and includes the Academic Resource Center. Sutcliffe says the change won’t take her far from the Thesis and LAUNCH program she’s come to love. “I’ll be Thesis and LAUNCH’s biggest cheerleader and will support the programs from this new role,” she says.

When Sutcliffe reflects on the evolution of LAUNCH, she points out that the original group comprised 15 Thesis students, one entrepreneurship student and an AP art showcase. Since that time, ESTAAR students have become a big part of the program, and there have been talent shows, dance lessons, community art projects, musical performances, slam poetry, dad joke battles, snowball trucks, hosts in space suits, and much more. “I will, of course, always remember the first LAUNCH in 2014 because I stood on the VPAC stage holding my first child, 3-month-old Lydia (who is now in 6th grade) and welcomed everyone to the inaugural event,” says Sutcliffe. “That year, Mr. Engholm even shaved his beard after losing a challenge as part of a LAUNCH promotional activity. Each subsequent LAUNCH has taken on an identity and life of its own, and I especially love seeing the students take ownership over the day.”

After all these years and all the adventures in teaching, Sutcliffe says LAUNCH has had a lasting impact on her. “LAUNCH has helped me really confirm what matters to me most as a teacher,” she says. “I believe that students thrive the most when the stakes of their learning become ‘real.’ When there is more than a grade in the gradebook as a motivation, I find that students are willing to step up in profound ways. Every student and every message matters, and I learn something and see things a little more complexly because of these thoughtful and brave students.”

Sutcliffe appreciates the community that is formed during the two-year Thesis process. “I’m really proud that LAUNCH has developed a culture of positivity and support and that year after year, the presenters feel safe to share their ideas and the audience is open to learning and being inspired,” she says. Looking forward, she offers the following advice to future Thesis students. “Be ready to rethink your initial thoughts. That is what research and critical thinking is all about. Start by opening up in the Seminar course and learning from the lived experiences of others. In order to be a good researcher, you need to first be an open-minded and curious person. And take healthy risks! Afterall, that is how LAUNCH was created!”

LAUNCHING into the Future

As Sutcliffe transitions to her new role, Upper School English teachers Melissa Easley and Dr. Jason Hanks will lead Thesis and LAUNCH into the future. Dr. Hanks has been involved with Thesis for three years now and views the experience like the Camino de Santiago. “We are on a journey together,” he says. “The first part is like the Pyrenees Mountains; we are starting to know each other, building community, and learning to learn together. The middle part is like the Meseta: you walk alone, but you also need the guidance of an advisor and the support you have built with your community as you are challenged mentally. The final part of the camino is a challenge to your spirit. This challenge culminates at Santiago de Compostela. For us in Thesis, the cathedral is LAUNCH.”

Hanks most enjoys the journey with the students, and he hopes they understand that the camino is the point. “The journey, the meals, the disappointments, the failures, the frustrations, the conversations, the creativity, and the fun along The Way…that was it, not LAUNCH Day,” he says. “LAUNCH Day is the right of passage and celebration of The Way.”

Hanks will be joined by Melissa Easley in guiding the next generation of LAUNCH participants. “The Thesis program, to me, is about practicing the habits of mind that make a person a thinker for life: sitting with uncertainty, revising assumptions, discovering that the first question is rarely the last,” she says. “And, at the same time, we often end at the beginning, looking again with new eyes, revisioning. I come to the program as a writer and a teacher who has spent years watching ideas, mine and others, take shape and grow roots. My philosophy is grounded, always, in process over product and in the belief that doing genuine and sustained work from personal inquiry is one of the most affirming experiences a young person can have.”

Easley says she is humbled and inspired by Sutcliffe and the work she has done. “I will continue to honor the vision and artistry of those who came before me while, of course, infusing the program with my perspective, experience, and strengths as a life long learner and teacher,” she says. “Dr. Hanks will be an excellent teammate, and we make a great team already. So, I’m approaching this with open ears, eyes, and a very open heart.” Next year, Easley will teach Seminar, the first year of the Thesis program, and prepare those students for their own LAUNCH Day two years from now.

LAUNCH is a signature event on the Episcopal calendar and showcases student excellence and community strength. Thank you to everyone who makes the experience a reality.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s presenters. Please also share a message in the comments section below with Mrs. Sutcliffe as she moves into a new role.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.