AFS Oak Leaves Fall 2010

oakleaves Fall 2010

Essentially AFS Across the Years Report on Gifts Summary Alumni Events Class Notes

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in this issue

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Life at AFS:

Six Month Scrapbook

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24

Alumni Events

Essentially AFS

22

Annual Report Summary

27

Class Notes

32

In Memoriam

Oak Leaves is a publication of the AFS Development and Communications Offices.

Richard F. Nourie Debbie Stauffer Jon Harris Judy Hill Gabrielle Giddings Anna Stiegel

Head of School Associate Head of School Assistant Head for Institutional Advancement Director of Communications, Editor Assistant Director of Development Director of Alumni Affairs

Peapod Design Michal Kudelski

Publication Design Cover Photo

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letter from the

head of school As always, I was eager to see the class of ’57 when they returned to campus for a self-initiated mini-reunion this last October. I particularly love seeing this group since they are such a lively bunch and they truly enjoy each other’s company.

This accomplished class includes environmental and political activists, a still-practicing actress, writers and teachers, and as a group they are widely travelled and widely read. As Susan Salesky Rudin ’57 has observed, they don’t brag about their children and grandchildren when they see each other nor go through a litany of family news. They are interested in each other and in the world around them and it is truly fun to spend time with them.

The class was magical. Mary Lynn had chosen “Moon in the Window” to share with the group, a poem by Dorianne Laux she had discovered while bringing a group of her students to the Dodge Poetry Festival:

Moon in the Window I wish I could say I was the kind of child who watched the moon from her window, would turn toward it and wonder.

I never wondered. I read. Dark signs that crawled toward the edge of the page.

It took me years to grow a heart from paper and glue. All I had was a flashlight, bright as the moon,

The impetus for the reunion was an upcoming visit to the U.S. by their French classmate Gaby Tubach, who had spent a year at AFS when she was in high school.

Gaby has visited often and kept close ties to her AFS friends over the years.

Susan and I had talked about what might make for a meaningful experience at school that day. Susan had powerful memories of English teacher Miss Bickley, a legend among AFS alums from the 1950s to the 1980s, and thought her classmates would be interested in how English is taught today at AFS. So we planned for the group to have an English class experience that day, taught by current English department chair Mary Lynn Ellis and her Upper School colleagues.

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OAK LEAVES SPRING

2010

a white hole blazing beneath the sheets.

Mary Lynn led the group through an exercise called “exploding a poem,” where the class spent time doing a free-write about key words or phrases that drew their attention. This was followed by a rich discussion of themes of innocence, desperation, light and dark, childhood, family secrets and more.

It was a beautiful device for closely looking at the words and images of the poem and hearing the full range of voices of the “students” in the class. Mary Lynn and the faculty skillfully led the trains of thought, connecting ideas, developing points and

sharing their own insights. The class of ’57, for its part, was intellectually alive and wonderfully able to challenge each other, push deeper and change their thinking over the course of the discussion.

For me, it was striking and gratifying how it drew together a quintessential experience of AFS from 1957 with that of AFS in the moment today. When I look back at our history, I see a school that has indeed grown and changed tremendously over the past five decades. Yet it has done so not as a gradual disconnection from its past but more from a continual, powerful focus on creating daily communities of spirit and values, of intellect and of deep relationships.

“When I look back at our history, I see a school that has indeed grown…Yet it has done so not as a gradual disconnection from its past but more from a continual, powerful focus on creating daily communities of spirit and values, of intellect and of deep relationships.”

The life of our school is one sincerely focused in the present, in a full exploration of what it means to learn, to think, to create, to connect and to find meaning. This is what the class of ’57 experienced in their time at AFS and what AFS students and teachers experience every day in 2010.

We see in our alumni that this rich, humane, generous daily experience of learning and living together in this way leads to lives of adventure, deep respect for others, independent thinking, growth and values for creating a deeper sense of common good in our world. Those of us who are part of this school community share this incredibly valuable legacy.

English Department Chair Mary Lynn Ellis led the class of ’57 in an English class experience.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Oak Leaves, where we’ve pulled together reminiscences from several decades of AFS alumni on topics as various as school lunch and Quaker values. Sitting down to read the page proofs recently I felt the same sense of continuity and connection I experienced so powerfully on that October day with the class of 1957.

Rich Nourie Head of School

The group participated in an exercise called “exploding the poem.”

3

life at AFS:

month scrapbook Now firmly embedded in AFS tradition, Medieval Feast transforms two adjoining classrooms into a Great Hall from the 1300s for a day, complete with banners, stained glass and heraldic shields. This special day caps an in-depth sixth grade unit on medieval life and includes a wedding ceremony, poetry reading, a splendid feast and puppet shows.

This was Russell Shaw’s last appearance as Geoffrey Chaucer. In June he left AFS to become Head of School at the Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.

Science Night

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Pride and Prejudice

For the Upper School spring play, theater director Megan Hollinger chose Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, delighting audiences with lively wit, intricate quadrilles and exquisite period costumes.

LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

»

At Science Night, students from every division shared the results of longterm science projects with visiting family and friends. Students showcased their work with models, Power Point presentations, videos and traditional poster boards.

Arbor Day

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»

»

Medieval Feast

On April 30 the School community gathered once more on Smith Field to celebrate the blessings of spring and reaffirm the School’s commitment to caring for the earth. This was Lower School Music Teacher Deb Pizzi’s last Arbor Day at AFS, since she left the School in June to live with her husband in the south of France. Deb is much missed!

may » EGIS For eighth graders, May 13 was the culmination of a yearlong adventure in learning as they presented their Eighth Grade Independent Study projects, which ranged from learning to ride a unicycle to building a rocket to conducting a choir.

Roos FSL Champions Our AFS Varsity Softball team defeated Shipley 5-2 on May 22 to win the Friends Schools League championship.

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Golf Champ

AFS junior Michael Amole carded a 7-under par 63 during the Friends Schools League 18-hole championship match on May 19 at Philmont Country Club’s South Course. Not only did Michael shatter the Friends Schools League championship record by 7 strokes, but he also tied the Philmont course record. AFS’s team finished 2nd in the championship match behind George School, who was the only team to defeat the 10-2 Kangaroos this season.

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Roo Fest

Our fourth annual Roo Fest, held on May 9, brought carnival attractions, festive food and musical entertainment to campus, including the Jazz Band, the Upper School chorus and Head of School Rich Nourie’s band The Reckless Amateurs. Alumni Day was also held on May 9.

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6

LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

commencement On June 11 family and friends gathered in the Grove to honor the 61 members of the Class of 2010.

Student speakers Christina Schorsch and Shane Bernard talked about what they had learned during their years at AFS, and Anita Sheares introduced Keynote Speaker Gaye Burpee ‘65, Deputy Regional Director Catholic Relief Services, who spoke powerfully about her experiences in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, where she oversees relief and development programs, helping to develop sustainable agriculture and setting up successful microfinance programs. Alex Coll and Emilia Silebi shared the honor of presenting the Class Gift, this year a planned foursquare court outside the Muller Lobby and a cash gift to the Vision in Action Campaign for faculty salaries.

7

Shakefest In what has become a cherished annual tradition at Abington Friends School, Middle Schoolers gathered on June 7 in a shady outdoor spot to act out pieces from the Shakespeare plays they read during the spring (A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the 6th grade, Julius Caesar for 7th and Romeo and Juliet for 8th grade).

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Golf Outing

The third annual Hank Faulkner Memorial Golf Outing held on August 30 at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club raised over $10,000 for tuition assistance, a significant amount of money for an incredibly worthy cause!

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LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

august

»

Field Day

Book Fair

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Field Day 2010 dawned fair and fine and the whites and the blues enjoyed a sporting day of friendly competition. Students from PreK to 12th grade joined in the athletic fun. For the first year in memory, neither the seniors nor the faculty won the Tug of Conflict. The rope broke, sending our teams flying. A few bruises, but no broken bones.

Halloween

»

For the second year, the Book Fair took place in the Faulkner Library, with plenty of additional entertainment in the Stewart Lobby where the ritual human chess match took place and the Upper School Jazz Band played.

A chilly morning, but the crowds still turned out for the annual AFS Halloween Parade. We had cupcakes, rubiks cubes, tacos, Rocky and more, not to mention the usual adorable assemblage of scarecrows, starfish and skeletons from the Lower School.

october

9

essentially

AFS

Through the years AFS has changed and changed again, but remained essentially true to its core vision.

W

hen a school has been around as long as Abington Friends, change is a given. For more than 300 years, AFS has stood on this same ground (more or less) while adapting throughout the centuries to meet the needs of its families.

From a single room in the Meeting House to a small Quaker primary school, AFS transformed into a K-12 boarding school that morphed into an all-girls college prep school before returning to co-education, moving to entirely new facilities and growing to its current size of roughly 700 students in four divisions. How many “different” schools is that? Quite a few. But while change may seem to be our constant theme at AFS, there are threads of continuity that over the years have stitched together and held fast the essential qualities of an AFS education.

This sense of continuity over time, and amid great change, was underscored for us recently when we decided on a “Then and Now” theme for this fall’s Oak Leaves. As soon as we put out the word to our alumni that we were in search of memories about various aspects of school life, emails came

flooding in, filled with reminiscences from the 1940s to the 2000s. What struck us as we read about Miss Bickley and field hockey, ice cream sandwiches and student council were the commonalities among our students’ experiences over the years.

No, you can’t get lunch in the cafeteria for 40 cents anymore, and poodle skirts and bobby socks have given way to other fashions, but over and over we heard our alumni speak about the close sense of community they enjoyed at AFS, the meaningful relationships they had with their teachers, the enduring significance of Quaker values in their lives, the ways they felt better prepared for college than their peers and the myriad opportunities they had to develop their own voice and create their own path.

As we embark this year on a new round of strategic planning for the school, we offer you this glimpse of life at AFS over the last 50 years or so and remind ourselves that like any great school, Abington Friends will continue to grow and change, but our core values and our commitment to readying young people for lives of purpose and meaning in a learning community that is joyful, energetic and ambitious will remain.

After all, it’s been going strong for more than 300 years.

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Learning Leadership Student government at Abington Friends has surely gone through many incarnations over the years.

Only recently did The School adopt a true Quaker decision making process that now informs all aspects of student government.

The orientation toward consensus rather than voting by simple majority, seems to have been the AFS student’s natural modus operandi years before this change, though.

Just as the School has always sought to develop the power of our students’ own voices, AFS has also offered opportunities for collaboration and respectful dialogue and honed the skills necessary for taking effective action in the world.

Molly McDonald Foley ’92 Student Council Member, Now a pharmaceutical sales representative and a marathon runner “I think that leadership is intrinsic. I don’t think it’s anything you can teach, but I do think the AFS community really allowed for it to develop. In my experience you can do anything you set your mind to. My mother’s choice in my education also was a part of that in fitting my personality to the school. I was tri captain in my senior year. I did everything because I wanted to. AFS drew it out because they enabled you to lead how you saw fit and gave you every opportunity under the sun to do it. People always said, ‘Molly will do it,’ and I did, because I loved it.

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ESSENTIALLY AFS

Student Council at that time wasn’t a large part of school. In fact it was a very small group, only maybe 10 of us. There was no voting. Everything was by consensus. There would be debates and if we couldn’t decide, we’d take it up at the next meeting. If we needed counsel our faculty advisor would weigh in, if we were stuck. It was all very topical, whatever was pressing at that moment, right down to what we were allowed to wear or not. At one point we staged a walkout. We just up and left the campus and it was in the paper—a bunch of seniors leaving in the middle of the day! We were so angry. Now I can’t even remember what it was about. My mother was so angry!

I wanted to be a part of everything. I loved every opportunity. I think a lot of that was because of the size of the school. There were 52 students in my graduating class. Also because of the faculty leadership. The adults really respected the kids and valued what we had to say. I was able to be a part of so many things but at the same time focus on my education. I was able to be well rounded. I was able to have dialogue and conversation and present myself well and that made a huge difference when I was interviewing for college. Over anything I could learn in math, science or English, that was the biggest thing I learned, the ability to be a valuable and contributing member of a community.

I felt very prepared in terms of life, decision making, confidence.”

Maddie Durbin ’12 11th Grade Student Agenda Committee Clerk “I’m the oldest child in my family, so I guess a leadership role came easily to me. I love how AFS encourages students to find their own way, to start their own clubs, to take action when they see something that needs to be done.

My only other leadership experience was when I served as vice president of a community choir I sang in several years ago. In that role I found myself stepping in for others, telling others what needed to be done and following up on things others promised to do, but didn’t. Looking back on that time, I can’t believe I saw that as leadership.

At AFS it’s completely different. Leadership is much more about listening and encouraging others to participate and to work together to seek solutions. I barely speak at agenda meetings. I see my job as more of a listener who makes sure that everyone is heard.”

Dress code?

What dress code?

“I think our mothers maintained the code. We wore dresses, of course, or skirts with blouses, and twin sweater sets were our great joy.”

Margine McVey Holland ’41 “Dresses were to be worn below the knee, and pants were unacceptable. Penny loafers were popular, with pennies in the slot across the tongue. I don’t think they had to define the barring of slacks or any shorter trousers. Jeans were just getting started and we would have been behind that curve. No sneakers. We were the Happy Days crowd in felt skirts with poodles appliquéd on them and crinolines underneath.”

Liz Cole ’57 “The only time there was a perceived problem was when one of the girls was told her sweater was too tight. Tangee lipstick was all that was allowed until probably junior or senior year.

For sports, we had AFS blue tunics with bloomers underneath. Everyone would have the tunic starched and ironed to perfection before a big game.”

Evelyn Doane ’52 “What comes to my mind, immediately, about dressing during my year at AFS is the sport outfit we had: some kind of short and very wide blue skirt with a wide bloomer underneath. I’ve never seen anything like that ever since in my now long life afterwards.”

Christiane Trzmiel ’67 (French exchange student) “In the Triangle Building, we wore skirts or dresses every day. There were the straight kids, who wore demure Ladybug fashions, classic cardigans and A-lines, and the hip kids, who wore funky clothes that hinted of hippies. In the new building, which hadn’t quite been completed when we moved in, we were allowed to wear pants. This was a thrill. Mostly we wore jeans, tight bellbottoms. When the building was finished, I suppose they didn’t think they could retract the rule about pants, so we kept wearing them.”

Jenny French ’69

“I had transferred from a private school that had a uniform until 6th grade and then in the middle school an extremely restricted dress code. The freedom I experienced in wearing absolutely anything I chose was refreshing and inspiring. In my four years of high school, I never repeated an outfit. My desire to express myself was never criticized or harnessed. When the idle threat to institute a dress code was suggested, I was the ardent opposition on the teacher/student committee. But that was also the great thing about AFS—the sense of community and its application in problem solving. This hotly debated topic was discussed with students and not dictated.”

Jeanie Engelbach ’86 “I went to AFS during the ’80s and discovering our individuality of thought and expression was highly encouraged. I could come to school with big hair, way too much make-up and pumps one day and sweats the next.”

Wendy Goldberg ’86 “There was some debate about Bart Simpson t-shirts when I was in Middle School and there was an annual controversy about shorts being too short come warm weather in the spring and early summer. I always thought that it was odd that hats were banned when one of the stories we learned about William Penn was his refusal to remove his hat in court!”

Jon Makler ’95 “No spaghetti strap tank tops (you would have to wear a big AFS gym shirt from Cathy Tench’s office if you broke this rule) and shorts and skirts longer than your finger tips.”

Jane Esslinger ’07

Pride and Prejudice: Take Two What goes around comes around.

At least in theater. Eventually. In March of 1954, Abington Friends School proudly welcomed audiences to the Triangle Building for a performance of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The sets were ornate, the costumes magnificent, the director—Miss Bickley— most demanding and the actors, including the brooding Mr. Darcy, all female. Fast-forward more than half a century and once again AFS delighted audiences with this classic tale of hubris, love and misunderstanding. This time the director was Upper School Theater Teacher Megan Hollinger and the cast—most of whom had seen at least one of the movie versions—featured a full complement of young men and women. We tracked down Mr. Darcy from 1954 and chatted with two of our current thespians about the joys and challenges of acting at AFS.

Jane Schmitz ’55, Mr. Darcy, 1954 “I think I got the part because I was the tallest girl in the class. My acting ability was not outstanding, and I tended to get the giggles at inopportune moments. Colin Firth I was not.

I somewhat resented always playing male parts (in eighth grade I was ‘mike the doorman’ to rave reviews in a Christmas play that featured dances from The Nutcracker).

In my senior year, I refused to try out for the male lead, and instead auditioned for several of the female parts. I was not chosen. So much for my dramatic career.

But back to Pride and Prejudice. Miss Bickley directed, and was quite strict with her stage directions and interpretations. She always exhorted us to ‘speak out.’ I wore my riding boots and a white cravat, and had my hair pulled tightly back in a rubber band. Jessica Stephen was Elizabeth, Diane Schaeffer ’54 was Mrs. Bennett , Joan Oppenheimer ’56 was Mr. Collins, and Carolyn Parry ’56 was Mr. Bennett. Shirley Pearson ’57 was Lydia, Ann Fry ’55 was Jane.”

Nicolas Armer ’12, Mr. Darcy, 2010 “My junior year was the first year I took acting.

I really was nervous. I was a junior and I was a rooky but I figured I had nothing to lose. As soon as I auditioned I went online and looked

up every script and every clip available in case I got a part.

What I liked about the experience was the commitment. Every day from 3:30 to 5 no matter how hard your day was, you’d be at rehearsal. It was something I loved doing.

I got to have fun for two hours, and every minute of it was a new experience.

I thought it would be difficult to penetrate the AFS acting world, but it wasn’t. The School’s stars Ben Schrager and Susanne Collins were basically legends to me. But there wasn’t any resentment from them.

They all loved their parts, and I loved mine.

Megan is the best director I could have had.

Even at audition she would make you feel totally relaxed. The whole time she was really supportive. I watched both movie versions and got to compare. But Megan always said, ‘Don’t try and be Colin Firth. You are your own character.’ That really helped me and brought up my confidence.

Walking onstage for the first time on opening night was weird. My heart was flying like a hummingbird. I was really freaked out and I was scared that when I started talking my voice would be high pitched and quivering, but it wasn’t, it was calm. As I got further into the scenes I got more relaxed. Still, it was scary doing little things like holding a wine glass. I was scared to death I would drop it. You start realizing how much can go wrong.

I would definitely say AFS has helped me start new things. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t do something just because I was afraid of it. My only regret is that I didn’t try theater earlier.”

Yusra Aziz ’12, Miss Bingley, 2010 “When you’re doing theater there are so many ways you bond with the other grades.

Even after the play is done you still find yourself talking to students in other grades.

I’m a person who likes to take what we learn at AFS and develop it as a thing you can use

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ESSENTIALLY AFS

in your daily life and so, for example, in theater Megan does a really great job encouraging us to use our voices, so I think theater encouraged me to speak louder.

I love acting. Megan does such a good job teaching us how to use past emotions in order to get that right emotion at that exact part. In terms of Miss Bingley, first of all, this was a very tough play. The accents weren’t a huge difficulty but there were a lot of elements to it, including choreography of dances and scene changes.

When we’re rehearsing with Megan she has notes for us every time. If something isn’t working she’ll give us another way to do it.

There are so many details that she thinks about. It’s like her heart and soul are in these plays. If it’s not going well, you can tell it from her face. Sometimes Megan’s notes are really pleasant and sometimes they’re not, but in the end its always constructive criticism.”

“The best part of the day!”

“Milk was 8 cents. Pretzel sticks were a penny a piece. So you could buy your milk and pretzels for a dime. For 40 cents I could buy a tuna fish sandwich, an ice cream sandwich, two pretzels and a carton of milk.”

Barbara Schnur ’55 “My all-time favorite dessert (still to this day!) was fresh bananas with chocolate pudding and I’ve never been in a cafeteria since that served this special treat, probably because it has to be made that day or the bananas would turn brown.”

Bonnie Schorsch ’75 “Lunch was always the best part of the day! Mrs. Hall (Mr. Hall’s wife) was in charge of the cafeteria, and the tuna fish sandwiches were amazing with the tomato soup!”

Candi Castle Mangel ’83 “Pizza was what we all looked forward to, but I think overall, the food was pretty good.

However, I was on a Twinkie diet at the time, so I am the wrong person to ask. John Allen, the history teacher, was a major mentor to many of us. He had a huge sofa in his classroom and a coffee machine which was on offer to any of the students. He used to take his with chocolate milk!”

Kristina West ’85 “The crew was very nice back then. They used to give me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sometimes if I stopped by on my free period after the lunch rush. The thing I remember most was that we had to walk from the Upper School to the “Old Cafeteria” via a narrow asphalt path and brave the elements to get to lunch every day. Teachers sometimes sat with us. My wrestling coach Mike Ortiz was usually there, and Science teacher John Tazewell.

Other teachers would eat there too, and the students always liked to sit with them.”

Chris Cantley ’86 “I have a really distinct memory of the thrill of entering the Lower School cafeteria by the back stairs once I ‘graduated’ to Middle School. My all-time favorite food memory of Lower School was a time when we lost power and the ice cream had to be eaten before it all melted.”

Jon Makler ’95 “I always looked forward to Pretzel Tuesdays, which was something that Reese Willis did to raise money for community service activities. Gotta love Philly soft pretzels! I also remember fondly learning how to shoot carrot bombs at other tables. Yes, it got messy sometimes.”

Maryrose Myrtetus ’05

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Ready for College “When I got to Duke they gave us a placement exam. I placed in third year French and found I was reading the same books I was reading in the second year of high school at AFS. It was sort of boring to go through the same thing and read the same books all over again. I was extremely well prepared for college and for a demanding college, too.”

Barbara Schnur ’55 “When I transferred to Boston University as a junior, I was in a suite of seven girls who were having a non-stop good time chatting, cracking gum, and playing music on different stations. I couldn’t study in the middle of that and without hesitation knew I would be guided to a solution, which was to request a transfer to another room. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to land in an honor dorm, a converted Georgian mansion with a roommate who was as delightful as she was a serious student, and a group of us in the house became fast friends, exploring Boston’s cultural and historic gifts. At Abington Friends, I learned to be quiet and listen for guidance I needed and developed the confidence to take action in resolving problems. I believe we all gained a seriousness of purpose about our education, especially as seniors, that came across to the residence advisor I appealed to over 50 years ago.”

Sigrid Gilbert ’57 “When I arrived at college, I remember feeling much better prepared regarding my study habits than my peers who had attended public schools. I was used to spending many hours each night studying, whereas my new friends were not. They found the adjustment hard. I had learned self-discipline at AFS and was able to cope with the academic demands of college from the very beginning. I was able to stay focused on my studies as my first priority and put social interests and temptations as my second priority. AFS was instrumental in my success in college.”

Judy Tompkins Steel ’60

“I was a freshman at Temple University, Ambler, in a Comp 50 writing class. A few classes into the semester the professor told us that we would have to write an argumentative essay. I was busy taking notes when a classmate’s hand shot up with the question, ‘What’s an argumentative essay?’ I couldn’t believe my ears. Because AFS values the ability to write so highly I had written a number of essays during my four years in Upper School, never mind all the years before. In my mind, an argumentative essay was one of the basics. I had a hard time comprehending that someone didn’t know what it was.”

Cherine Morsi ’00 “I was definitely well prepared for college when I graduated from AFS. I remember finding my freshman year at Vassar College surprisingly manageable and even easy at times. I specifically remember taking one of my first Religion 101 essays to the college’s writing center. There, the writing tutor told me about common mistakes freshmen make in their papers. When she read my paper, she told me that I really didn’t have any of those common errors and that it was much stronger than many essays she saw in the writing center, regardless of year.

“When I arrived at Vassar, I had strong critical reading and writing skills because of my education at AFS. These skills made the academic transition very smooth. AFS taught me how to write well. I took some worksheets from Mary Lynn’s class with me to college.

They hung above my desk for four years and provided guidance when I hit a writer’s block or needed to critically review something.

Similarly, lessons I learned in Andrew Bickford’s classes (what a thesis statement is, how to write a 5 paragraph essay in 1 hour) were invaluable in college and now in the working world. I would not have been nearly as well prepared (or gotten into Vassar, most likely) had I not gone to AFS. When I transferred to AFS in 10th grade, I had never written an essay over two pages and I didn’t know how to formulate a written argument.

AFS changed everything.”

Maryrose Myrtetus ’05

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ESSENTIALLY AFS

My Experience as an Exchange Student at AFS

Reflections by Gaby Tubach ’57

views different from mine, appreciation of diversity and openness to change. It had a significant impact on specific interests I would pursue later and prepared me for a more constructive role in my adult life. It definitely inspired my life-long commitment to learning and thanks to AFS I have enjoyed lasting friendships.

Favorite Teachers

In April 1956 I was informed that I had been selected through an exchange program sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and would be an exchange student at Abington Friends School during the academic year 1956-1957. At the time I was in the eleventh grade at the Collège de Jeunes Filles in Sélestat, France.

I sailed on August 20 aboard the “Arosa Star” from Le Havre, Normandy, and after a fiveday boat trip I arrived at Montreal, Canada where the family I was to stay with picked me up. I stayed with the Parrys who lived in Dresher, in a two-story big white house out in the country about five miles from Abington Friends School. My parents were quite happy that I would not live in a big city!

The premises of AFS made me think of a huge family mansion on an extensive ground rather than a regular school. It was a place where teachers and students met to work together in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

I was thrilled to visit the US and I thought it was a privilege to be an exchange student.

I was excited to meet my classmates and delighted by their friendly attitude, enhanced by the open and supportive attitude of Headmaster and faculty. I felt I could easily fit in and make friends.

In the beginning I had some trouble with spoken English although my basic knowledge of the language was fair.

Classmates and teachers, however, showed

much understanding and patience and communication in English improved quickly as practice increased. We became such a good group and I greatly appreciated the experience I was living. As a class we were a busy group and it was much fun.

The Collège de Jeunes Filles in Sélestat was structured to develop good academic knowledge and enable students to be successful in testing programs with a view to being granted the diploma, which would give access to college. Class discussion and participation were not stimulated. In the early ’50s there was no such thing as extra-curricular activities in French high schools and concern for community service was not nurtured.

My favorite teacher was Miss Bickley. I truly enjoyed her teaching and her culture. She was deeply human and really kind. She has had a strong and lasting impact on me.

My second favorite teacher was Miss Huey.

Through her determination and patience she succeeded in turning me into a fully enthusiastic student in Banking, a subject I first had a hard time with, and which I ended up enjoying greatly.

I also liked Mrs. Wolff for her open and warm personality. She was relaxed and I was fond of American History. I felt grateful to Miss Ritz when she accepted me as an alto in the Glee Club and gave me an opportunity to enjoy chorus work.

Favorite Memories At AFS I felt that the educational program went far beyond academic knowledge and requirements. It was structured to develop good study habits, encourage the exchange of ideas and critical thinking. Students were active participants in the learning process; participation and contribution to class discussion were highly valued.

The terrific surprise birthday party when I turned 17. It was the most fabulous birthday party ever.

My year as an exchange student at AFS was definitely a most valuable experience and I have been so fortunate to be provided such an incredibly amazing and challenging education.

My weekend work camp on urban problems remains an amazingly rich awareness raising experience.

I feel it shaped my life in a most positive way. I gained a better insight into the US way of thinking and doing. It fostered understanding of different cultural patterns and countries, respect for opinions and

Sitting in the Meeting House for worship: these silent moments of reflection and thoughtful sharing were most inspiring and contributed to my spiritual growth.

The “Outward Bound 1957”, Arbor Day, May pole dance and Commencement.

The wonderful relationship we had with our teachers and more generally the spirit of AFS, which nurtured us, will remain forever.

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Which Quaker value do you value most?

“Community is the first description of my experience that jumps out at me. Our class returns to the School quite often and as recently as a short month ago. I feel the sense of community each time I return. Then it was a cocoon; structured but relaxed, no boys, few decisions to make, everybody knowing everybody. Today it remains a safe and welcoming place but with a more intense search for understanding, wisdom and new possibilities.”

Liz Cobourn Cole ’57 “For me, the belief in equality, that we are all God’s children and all have an inner light, has influenced me both in my personal and professional life. Professionally, it means in my practice as a certified nurse-midwife that all my patients deserve the same quality of care from me and the same respect. It is up to me to see the light in each of them and to make sure I treat them all from my giving center. It is often hard to continue steadily on, not judging and not condemning. I try to rest in the strength of my belief that we are all struggling equally, and as a health-care provider, it behooves me to be gentle with every single one of us. My favorite quote of George Fox, which is on my kitchen wall, is this; ‘Walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.’”

Retta Thompson Clews ’61 “Those Quaker values sound so delicious just to read, and although I like them all together—like a good soup, that shares its flavors better than they taste alone—I guess community has figured more in my life than the others. I’ve found community in so many places: at Earlham, where I started my college experience… at Temple University, where I worked for so many years; at Weaver’s Way Co-op, where my family has been a member since the early ’80s; at the Philadelphia Folksong Society, and—coming full circle—back at AFS with my son’s recent education there.”

Jenny French ’69

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ESSENTIALLY AFS

“Peace and Equality. These values affect how you deal with people in your everyday life and how you feel you should be treated. It was also the two main values I instilled in my daughter when raising her. Peace and equality if practiced by all would make the world a better place.”

Amy Goldbloom ’72 “Equality has been a guiding force in my character for as long as I can recall. I give AFS credit for my desire/need to volunteer and improve the life of someone else, and that I experienced throughout my AFS education. Community service had a large impact on my growth at AFS. This led me to my mentor position at the Lower East Side Girls Club in New York. People commend me on my sense of volunteerism, which in truth seems inadequate compared to what I should do. It’s easy to write a check or serve on a committee, but reaching out, growing, sharing and learning is the essence of the Quaker value.”

Jeannie Engelbach ’86 “Quaker philosophy has motivated and shaped me a great deal. Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship are all qualities, but the inner peace to do what is right and follow a strong character is what stands out the most. Society of Friends is essential and symbolic, one I wish the world gravitated towards more.”

Gary Carter, Jr. ’87

“I am constantly reminded of the many ways Quaker education has shaped my life, even 18 years after graduating. Being a part of Abington Friends School gave me a sense of community that I have yet to capture anywhere else. In our daily lives we are all a part of a community, both at home and at work, but it’s difficult to replicate what you feel as part of a Quaker school. I felt uplifted by the teaching staff and challenged to achieve my full potential. I felt at home around my peers there and part of a bigger, extended family.”

Sarah Caldwell ’92, Anchor/Reporter, WBAL-TV Baltimore, MD “Most activities that take up my time these days are inspired by Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship. Well, perhaps not simplicity, since I’m always wired to a computer and a smart phone, running from appointment to appointment. But the spirit of simplicity is with me. I am now a lawyer working on behalf of poor people in Philadelphia who have criminal records and are being denied employment. In middle school and high school, worrying how my jeans were folded or making the best mix tape for a girl I liked, I didn’t comprehend the impact Quaker ideas could have on the outside world. But I take a little of AFS with me in every client I help, and all the work I do.”

Matt Pillischer ’96

“I didn’t realize how much Quaker values shaped my life until I found myself teaching at another Quaker independent school. I spent 15 years at AFS, so I feel as though everything I do was somehow influenced by those values. I learned during my time at AFS the importance of taking care of my community through Stewardship and Equality. They were such an integral part of my education at AFS, I don’t think I even realized they were Quaker values.”

Cherine Morsi ’00

Meet Three Thode Athletes The name Ed Thode will be familiar to anybody who attended Abington Friends during the 1970s. An administrator, coach and creator of AFS’s Middle School program, Ed Thode was a vital member of the community until his sudden death in 1979. The Thode gym was named in his honor, and in 1983 the Thode Athletic Award was established to keep his spirit and devotion to the school alive.

According to Athletic Director Jeff Bond, The Thode Athlete is “that member of each varsity team who, in the consensus of the players and coaches, best represents the team and the school. To be named a Thode Athlete is one of the highest honors a student can receive at AFS.” Since the Thode Athletic Award program began, the lineup of sports for which our students are honored has evolved. As former field hockey (among many other sports) coach Carol Palmer remembers, “As more and more girls became interested in soccer, the decision was made to switch from field hockey to soccer, since the school could not field two big varsity teams.” In its day, though, field hockey was huge at AFS and the girls’ team had a remarkable record of achievement.

Here, three Thode Athletes talk about what it means to be so honored, and how the AFS athletics program has helped shape their lives.

Kathy Alter Hazen ’84, Thode Athlete for Field Hockey, 1984 Kathy came to AFS in fifth grade from public school. Always athletic by nature, Kathy played hockey, lacrosse and basketball in Middle School (as well as kickball and waffle ball in the backyards of her Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood) but by ninth grade field hockey had become her sport.

“I was too short for basketball and didn’t really like lacrosse. Our coaches were Debbie Stauffer and Carol Palmer. It was competitive and we played our hardest. We were definitely expected to give it everything we had.

20

ESSENTIALLY AFS

athletics. Self-esteem, too, and a sense of accomplishment.

Playing field hockey at AFS is definitely among my happiest memories. There came a point, though, where all the girls wanted to play soccer. There was a girl who was a year or two below me, Kristine Munholland, who wanted to play soccer and there was no girls’ soccer at that time so they allowed her to play on the boys’ team. Here was a girl who wanted to play soccer and there was no such thing, and they found a way for her to do it.”

Carol and Debbie were tough coaches. They expected us to be in shape and to run too much, but they were fun too. They had a sense of humor and could get silly with the rest of the team. It was fun and it was serious all wrapped up in one. Sometimes in practices we’d goof off. We were kids.

They could tolerate that. But at the same time we had to be serious.

Jake Segal ’11, Thode Athlete for Wrestling, 2010 Jake Segal started at AFS in the middle of ninth grade, transferring from Germantown Friends School.

Morristown Friends and George School both had pretty good teams. Those are the two that stick in my head. I mainly played left half-back defense.

“When I started wrestling in ninth grade things really changed for me. My first year I went 0 for 16 and even though I lost every match my teammates were still appreciative that I was a part of the team. They didn’t look down on me. The next year I went 5 and 8 and last year I was 20 and 10 or something.

Being named a Thode Athlete? I think it was kind of a big deal. It’s always good to be recognized, especially in your senior year as you go off to college. I think confidence and aggressiveness, that competitive part of me was really developed through taking part in

Last year in the beginning of the year I was going into the season and hadn’t done that well the year before. I went in with low expectations. I remember a tournament at Germantown Academy that year. I went 4 and 1 and got third place. The match that

resonated with me most was one that clinched third. It was tied until I scored with a minute left and then just wrestled defensively and was able to hold him off just long enough. I was euphoric. When I drove home with my mom I didn’t take my medal off till I got in the shower. That was really nice.

Even early on when I wasn’t winning, it never occurred to me that I could give up. I wanted to find a sport that I’d be good at and where there was a real team bond. I transferred to AFS in the middle of my freshman year and wrestling was the stability I had through that transition. Ever since my first season I’ve never considered dropping it. The practices have been difficult, but you get out what you put in.

Last year my friend Ely Manstein and I were the first two kids ever to place at States for AFS. I feel like our wrestling program has been improving every year. This year we’re going to have the biggest team we’ve ever had and we’re looking to make the playoffs.

Being a Thode Athlete along with Ely was great. We’ve had a lot of achievements together. It was nice to get recognition from my teammates, as was captainship. It’s just really nice to feel like I was a leader on the team and to be recognized for it.

Wrestling is what I love and everybody in school knows that. I’m very passionate about it. I do everything I can for it to improve our program. I feel I have a stake in our program and I feel we’re really on the upswing. It’s put me in a position where I try to set an example, but I also understand I’m not the best person on the team. What I use to set an example is my attitude, and it’s helped me in all other aspects of my life too.”

Megan Watson ’11, Thode Athlete, Girls’ Soccer 2010

would watch the older girls and see how they were. They helped mold me.

An AFS student since her freshman year, Megan Watson has been playing sports since she was little, though she kept her sports involvement outside of school until she began Upper School. At AFS Megan started out playing soccer and in her junior year picked up lacrosse as well. Megan also dances outside of school.

During my time in high school I went from being a forward to defense. At first I thought it was a bad thing, but now I cherish it.

Because you’re the last one there, you know you’re one of the strongest people. Being a leader and being there for the girls is something I really want to do to help others.

This year being a senior and having my name called to get a letter, that hit me hard.

“I enjoyed starting off with preseason practice during the summer. Being new in high school is not the easiest thing, and it helped me to get to know kids in older grades. In some high schools you wouldn’t get freshmen being friends with seniors.

I’m not a quiet person but I was definitely intimidated coming into a new school. I

Being named a Thode Athlete, that was unexpected. It felt really good because I can be really hard on myself. So knowing that other people look up to me and that my team is there for me really meant something. So getting the Thode? I’ve never been so happy.”

21

Abington Friends School

annual report of gifts We’re saving trees and expense by publishing the Annual Report online. This is one of the many ways we are honoring stewardship at AFS.

Annual Fund Highlights

Dear Friends,

In 2009-2010, we raised $426,745.95

I hope you have an opportunity to visit our new website. The home page underscores effectively, I think, our unique vision for education. The tagline – a different school of thought – is provocative and invites close scrutiny of what makes AFS special. And when I reflect on the past year from a development perspective, I believe that our community is fully supportive of this bold mission. I thank you for your generosity and your stewardship.

Let me review the highlights briefly. We are now in our last year of our Vision in Action campaign, and we are very close to completing the effort to raise $3M for two key initiatives; to increase our faculty salaries and to enhance those programs that augment our academic program. The salary increases went into effect this year and the faculty is most appreciative of that tangible support. We raised over $425,000 in the Annual Fund last year and I was particularly pleased with how many parents participated by making a gift. The Friends of AFS Athletics Committee recommended a short list of priority projects and funds were secured for the renovation of the Thode Gym and both the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, much needed improvements.

Finally, our tuition assistance program was supplemented by about $15,000 from The Hank Faulkner Golf Outing and substantial contributions through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (PAEITC) program. PAEITC provides a tax credit to businesses that pay Pennsylvania’s corporate income tax for contributions that give private-school scholarships to eligible children. A Pennsylvania business may direct up to $300,000 of its Pennsylvania state tax dollars directly to AFS’s scholarship program for tax credit. A great deal for everyone.

While we are very pleased with the philanthropic support for AFS, we will not be complacent in our efforts to encourage more support for our school. We live in sophisticated times, and there are many very ingenious ways to support AFS. For example, some people may want to help by simply including the School in a bequest.

Others may consider making a donation and, in return, receive a fixed annuity payment each year for life. Others may want to consider setting up something like a charitable lead trust that allows someone to make a donation now while reducing the tax burden for their heirs. If any of these instruments are appealing, I would be happy to talk to you as they can be set up very easily.

153 alumni, parents and friends gave to the Annual Fund for the first time 649 donors made repeat gifts to the Annual Fund $459.86 was the average gift per donor 85 donors gave gifts equal to or more than $1000 61% of our parents contributed to the Annual Fund

Our deepest thanks to our 928 Annual Fund donors for making 2009-2010 such a successful year.

Vision in Action Highlights Capital Funds Pledged: $1.6M Annual Fund raised in last two years: $893K

What we’ve accomplished so far with your help: Increased faculty salaries The ECCO program is flourishing Our school counselor for the MS and US is in his second year Supported faculty summer fellowships for travel and research

If you have not been to campus recently I hope you will consider visiting soon. There is a lot to see every day and I trust that you will be especially pleased to see for yourself how the school lives out its mission to be a different school of thought.

We have much to give thanks for and for all of us in the Development Office, please know that we appreciate every dollar of your support!

Total FY 09-10 Contributions to AFS Jon M. Harris Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement

$1,531,113

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alumni events

The Class of 1980 On May 8 seven members of the “might-y Class of Eight-y”, plus two intrepid spouses, gathered for dinner at Marco Polo in Elkins Park to celebrate Part I of our 30th reunion. Steve Dansy, Jennifer Heacock Brooks, Susan Greene, Sandy Marcus Lieberman, Cynthia Russell Hyland, Libby Hutchison Johnson and John Traub had a terrific time reminiscing, catching up on what we’ve been doing all these years, and regaling each other with tales of senior year mischief (long past the statute of limitations). And once again, continuing an ’80 reunion tradition, we closed down the restaurant while trading memories.

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The Class of 1960 gathered for a luncheon in the John Barnes Room of the Abington Meeting House on Friday, May 7, 2010 to celebrate their 50th Reunion. Eighteen classmates journeyed from all over to return to campus: Georgia, New Mexico, Washington and even Mexico. Some had not seen each other since graduation. Those in attendance were: Peggy Werden Bishop, Bonnie Fisher Brackin, Carolyn Davenport Chapman, Donna Cooper, Elizabeth Lamb Creighton, Sara Knobelauch Dean, Maru Nadal Filloy, Joyce Greenawalt Fleming, Ellen Lowenthal Goldstein, Joyce Leonard Johnson, Susan Sions Kershbaum, Peggy Lees, Wendy Wyatt Loos, Sandra Hampton Poust, Judy Tompkins Steel, Jacqueline Armour Sutton, Ginger Hamilton Swenson-Bishop and Gail Thomas. Special thanks to Peggy Werden Bishop for planning a wonderful weekend and to Susan Sions Kershbaum for hosting an impromptu dinner on May 7, 2010.

The Class of 1985 had a weekend of events to choose from for their 25th Reunion.

The Class of 1995 met at the Drake’s Tavern in Jenkintown for their 15th Reunion on Saturday, May 8. Pictured in attendance are, left to right: Lauren Robinson, Josh Anish, Lauren Fisher Rosenfeld, Julie Faulkner, Juliet Koczak, Jennifer Hurvitz Burbine.

Special thanks to Josh Anish for organizing this reunion.

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Some gathered for drinks on Friday, May 7 at Solaris Grille in Chestnut Hill. Others came to AFS with their families for the May 8 Alumni Weekend festivities, with the all-school carnival.

Pictured here are Christie Michener Robbins, Lisa Reeves Jones, Jacqueline Fletman Grant and Howard Delfiner, who came out to Drake’s Tavern on the evening of Saturday, May 8, 2010. Special thanks to Lisa Reeves Jones for coordinating their reunion.

The Class of 1990 celebrated their 20th reunion on May 22, 2010, organized by Debbie Toll Gruelle. The class met at the home of Robert Toll— Deb’s father—in Solebury. Pictured left to right are: Jeff Epstein, Will Swenson, Kaci Bishop, Nelson Diaz, Joe Kuffler, Justin Smith, Beth Vogel, Jarred Kirsch, Deb Toll Gruelle, Stuart Rubin, Lydia Barrett, Stacey Schneider Fliegelman, Adam Kaplan, Tara Ford Thies, Robin Gary, Ben Gealt, Danielle Thomas-Kraft, Jodi Metter Wiseman, Robert Konick, Kristin Tomko, Maggie Lockwood.

Not pictured: Steve Morgan.

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The Class of 1955 celebrated their 55th reunion at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club on April 23, 2010. Pictured at the luncheon are (L to R): D.J. Miller Brosius, Barbara Danehower Schnur, Jane Jordan Schmitz, Carol Young Frisby, Sandra Albertson McMillan and Joan DePaul West.

Special thanks to Barbara Danehower Schnur for organizing this reunion.

Alumni Baseball and Softball Games » On May 27, alumni baseball and softball players joined current studentathletes, faculty members and coaches on the fields for friendly, pick-up games of baseball and softball. Those in attendance were: David Contosta ’09, Jeff Ellis ’08, David Fields ’91, Jenny B. Hammond ’86, David Holin ’09, Jeff Israel ’08, John Lee ’05, Keith Lee (’05), Ben Lockman ’05, Max Manstein ’08, Cherine Morsi ’00, Jake Perch ’05, Mike Pizzi ’06, Marc Thompson ’88, Gavin White ’06.

Special thanks to Michele Lockman (parent of Ryan ’01 and Ben ’05) for organizing the barbeque this year.

26

ALUMNI EVENTS

What have you been up to?

We’d like to know!

classnotes

In the coming months we’ll roll out new features that will allow you to update your address online, find classmates and submit class notes through a portal just for AFS alumni.

1946

1960

1977

Elaine Kates Coate shares, “I’m still alive!”

Margaret (Peggy) Lees writes, “Recently retired after a 43-year career teaching kindergarten, first and second grades, I’m also a certified K-12 Reading Specialist. (I) enjoy vacationing at my home in Sea Pines, Hilton Head, SC.”

Clifford Hudis writes, “I continue to serve as Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. I was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2009 and I am an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. My research is focused on the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.”

1949 Jane Martin Von Bosse shares, “Just hanging in there! (I) spend my time taking care of the daily chores, reading and painting in watercolors–mostly Chinese brushpaintinglandscapes. Don’t get around like I used to!”

1952

61 50th Reunion

Deborah Smith Onken wrote The Family Self Help Book: Exercises in Family Synthesis. It can be found on Amazon.com. She is a licensed psychologist, psychosynthesis analyst and trainer with individuals, marriages and families, taught 25 years at Washington University in St. Louis, lectured in Europe and USA, and is the director of the Family Synthesis Institute.

CLA SS CHA I RS Bonnie DrumondGross ’61: bdgross@comcast.net Lynn Wilkinson ’61: lynnwilkinson@hotmail.com Glenna Renger Bingham ’61: binghamtwins@hughes.net Barb Reeder ’61: reeder.b@gmail.com Susan Pohe Plotts ’61: susanplotts@gmail.com

1958

1962

Suellen Fisher Newman shares, “I am the mother of five and the grandmother of seven and happily married. I am the founder and director of a small coeducational independent school in Hoboken, NJ. Please read more about the Hudson School at www.thehudsonschool.org.”

Susan Mertz Allen writes, “We are enjoying our active retirement. We play golf, travel and love being with our grandchildren (three grandsons and one granddaughter ranging in age from 1 to 5 years). Life is good!”

1971 Sandra Haines Cushman writes, “I have retired from our family business and spend my days with my horses. Our eldest daughter and her husband are taking over the business, and our granddaughter Laura lives and works in London.”

86 25th Reunion CLA SS CHA I R Jenny Hammond ’86: jennyhammond86@gmail.com Jennifer Bornholdt Hammond writes, “In late August, I moved to Western Massachusetts to start working at Deerfield Academy as their Associate Director of Alumni Relations. I already have the AFS Alumni Weekend in my calendar and hope you do too (25th Reunion - yikes!).

See you then!”

Jeanie Engleback writes, “Although I still keep in touch with many of my classmates through Facebook and my businesses, photojeanie and apartmentjeanie, it would be awesome if EVERYONE was able to attend our 25th (hard to believe) reunion!”

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1994 Melissa Osorio Siegrist and her husband Billy happily announce the birth of their son, William Emmanuel Siegrist, on December 11, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz and was 21 inches long. The family lives in Manhattan.

Jamie Bromberg Tretola writes, “My husband Stephen and I just had our second child who was born on September 3, 2010.

His name is Daniel Robert. His two-year-old sister Alyssa is a very proud big sister!”

2000 1997

Jacqueline Oldynski Covone shares, “My husband Anthony and I welcomed our baby boy Logan into our lives on January 25, 2010.”

Jocelyn Faulkner Casey shares the news that William Faulkner Casey was born Sept 14, 2010 to Jocelyn and her husband James Casey.

Michael Haberman writes, “Happy to share with you that Brandon William Haberman was born Friday, October 15 at 10:20 p.m.

Mom and Brandon are doing well and resting.

He was 7 lbs, 12 oz, 21 ¾ long and like many of us Phillies fans he could barely watch the bottom of the ninth, but he is thrilled to see the series come back to Philly...”

Scott Winston shares, "Hello Everyone.

I’m happy to announce that my first game for the iPhone, Pooper Scooper: The Game, was released on the iPhone App Store on April 16, 2010.

1998 Lucinda Faulkner Friedman and husband Scott welcomed their first son, Marcus Henry Friedman on December 24, 2009.

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CLASSNOTES

David Ahl moved to Brooklyn, NY and started a music production company called Stepwise Sound. Now in its third year of business, Ahl offers music production services such as on-location recording and mixing with a focus on personal attention for each client. It seems to be working – Ahl has worked with Grammy-winning artists Ali Farka Toure + Toumani Diabate and recently recorded media icon Stephen Colbert for a video presentation with the Gates Foundation. Ahl remembers where it started: “My first exposure to music production came at AFS from Chris Buzby and the school’s computer music lab.” You can hear music and find out more about Stepwise Sound at www.stepwisesound.com Russell Nadel writes, “Ten years strong! I look forward so much to seeing others at our reunion. We have a great deal to catch up on, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Joshua Sargen went to Haiti in April 2010, in preparation for his White House advance work for First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit.

At that time, he was able to meet with various Haitian government officials and the First Lady of Haiti. It was a very moving trip witnessing first hand the earthquake devastation and poor, blighted conditions that exist.

2005 Betsy Gultanoff Widelitz Dr. Jeffrey and Betsy (Gultanoff) Widelitz happily announce the birth of their son, Jacob Cooper, on May 5, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz and was 20 ½ inches long. The family lives in Lafayette Hill.

01 10th Reunion CLA SS CHA I RS Melissa Green Present ’01: mgpresent@gmail.com Jillian Apfelbaum ’01: j.apfelbaum@gmail.com Jaime Pearlstine ’01: jaimepearl17@gmail.com

Virginia Petrucci shares, “I graduated from Stevenson University’s honors program with a B.A. in Theatre and English in 2009.

I moved to Los Angeles in August 2009, and now live and work here as a model and actress. I’m planning to earn another undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science before eventually pursuing a PhD in Primatology.”

Erin Russo of Smith College gives a shout-out to scattering graduates. Erin Russo is going to Trieste, Italy, to teach graphic design. Sherhrbano Taseer, to NYC, to represent Pakistan in the U.N. (from Facebook)

David Staples shares, “I’m working for the federal government in Greenbelt, MD, and enrolled in a Masters of Aviation Management and Safety Systems degree program through Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.”

Evan Sloss ’06, and Louis Klapper ’05. Chris currently works as an EMT and firefighter at Woodlyn Fire Company and at Coopersburg EMS. I’m currently in my second year at the University of Delaware working on my Ph.D. in Chemistry.

Another note about Josh Schrager. The a cappella group in which he sings: “BROAD STREET LINE” was on campus Wednesday, April 28, 2010!!

06 5th Reunion CLASS CHAIRS Rachel Gitlevich ’06: rachelgitlevich@gmail.com Emily Green ’06: egreen712@gmail.com Luke Butler Friends, Below is a list of the honors bestowed to Luke Butler upon graduating from Temple. I saw a picture of him with a number of colored “ropes” around his neck and asked Mariah to explain them to me: “Pink and blue, phi beta kappa.

Gold with gold tassels, cum laude. Gold with blue tassels, national psychology honors society. Red and white, Temple honors program. Medal, first class graduating in the new neuroscience major. He also got the Diamond Award which is an award given to 25 of the 8,000 students that graduate.

Not like he had a good undergrad experience or anything...”

Christina Forbes Ford writes, “Chris and I got married on September 16 at Ridley Creek State Park. We’ve been dating since my freshman year in college. Some AFS alumni in attendance at the wedding included Rachel Gitlevich ’06, Nicole Husbands ’06,

Save the date May 7, 2011 is AFS Reunion Day and Roo Fest. Classes ending in 1’s and 6’s are celebrating their AFS reunion.

We are looking for Reunion Chairs for 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1991 and 1996. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Anna Stiegel at astiegel@abingtonfriends.net or 215.576.3966.

games. He has also interned in the sports department of The Philadelphia Inquirer and at WIP 610 AM. Schrager is expected to graduate from Temple University in May 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism.

2008 Rachel Jakubowitcz is studying in Seville, Spain and having a wonderful trip. Hope all is well with you. Best regards, Janice Jakubowitcz.

Joshua Schrager won the Harry Kalas Award from The Philadelphia Broadcasters Foundation. The Kalas Award, created in 2009 to honor the life and work of the late Harry Kalas, is a college scholarship given annually to a deserving student who has a stated desire and has shown initiative towards a career in sports broadcasting.

Schrager had the opportunity to work with Kalas as an intern and then as a runner for the Phillies telecasts with Comcast SportsNet. “Not only was Harry Kalas a great broadcaster, but he was also a great man,” Schrager said. “I knew this through working with Harry. Whenever I would leave or come into the booth at the ballpark, he would always have a comforting smile on his face because he enjoyed his job. I will remember him for being the truly good, caring person he was and always will be to all Phillies fans.” In addition to his experience with CSN, Schrager has also served as a sports counselor at a summer camp at Oak Lane School where he taught kids ages 3 to 12 how to play sports and gym

Cara Liuzzi shared, “I won the Princeton University Morris W. Croll Poetry Prize for (my) poem called “When I Become A Radio DJ.” This prize was established to honor the memory of Morris W. Croll, a distinguished scholar of the Renaissance and a member of the Department of English. It is awarded to a student for the best poem, with no restrictions on subject or form.”

Morgan Pfost shares, “Currently I am working to complete a double major in Business Management and History. My eventual plan is to complete the one year Master of History that Tulane offers. My hope is to begin work towards a professorship in History. This summer, I worked at the National World War II Museum here in New Orleans, where I wrote stories about new museum artifiacts and upcoming exhibits for a newsletter.”

2009 Elizabeth Bondelid shares, “I spent one year at West Chester University, and am transferring to Arcadia University to study English and writing. This semester I began my journey in Taoism, Tai Chi, yoga and Reiki.

I am working with numerous mentors who have inspired me greatly, and I plan to delve deeper into my studies this summer.”

Class notes are compiled by the Alumni Office. You can submit a class note by calling Anna Stiegel in the Alumni Office (215-576-3966), via email to alumni@abingtonfriends.net or through the AFS website: www.abingtonfriends.net. Please submit photos as .jpgs at a resolution of 300 dpi or higher.

29

2010 graduate notes Every spring, members of the graduating class come to the Alumni Office to enter their first class note and anticipate their life after AFS. Emily Beaton: “To the Class of 2010. In the past year, we have come so far, and I am so proud of us as a grade; I cannot believe our time together is coming to an end. I feel that I can say that I have had a good time with, I think, every person in our grade, and I will truly miss you all!”

Shane Bernard: “Hey we did it guys! I’m going to miss each one of you because you all are just good people to be around. I hope that none of us loses contact, and I wish you all the best of luck in the future. I’ll be hitting all of you up if I happen to end up on your college campus in the future.”

Brandon Blum: “I can’t believe it’s over. Good luck next year and don’t be shy, hit me up.”

Stephanie Botts: “We 313, Our Swag is Mean, When We’re Around , We Cause A Scene. We Take No Crap, We’re Tough As Bats, If We Come Back, We’ll Take Your Apple Jacks! Let’s Go Get It? We Been Had It! As the late great Michael Jackson once said, “And The Whole World Has to Answer Right Now, Just to Tell You Once Again Who’s Badd !” In the words of Mama Trick, Stay Badd. Stay Fab! Go Hard.”

Samantha Burke: “To my fellow classmates... we’re in college if you’re reading this! Best of luck with whatever comes your way. It was a joy/curse/blessing/great frustration (but ultimately, a wonderful thing) to walk these halls with you for the last four years. Keep in touch :)” Ciara Cipriano: “Best of luck everyone, it’s been real.”

Alex Coll: “I am really excited to start a new chapter in my life in the big city! I’m excited to meet new people and take my academic interest to a deeper level in my studies. I hope to bring back a lot of stories to share with the AFS community at Homecoming!”

30

CLASSNOTES

Susanne Collins: “313! We did it! I am so proud of us all. We’ve all come into our own, and learned how to support each other. I am so proud to be a part of this class. We will never be forgotten. We have contributed monumentally towards the arts, academics, athletics, AND community service. There never was a class like this, and there never will be. Not only did we overcome our not-so-perfect image, but we soared above and beyond.”

Meghan Daly: “Don’t be strangers!”

Sabrina Diggles: “Hey guys, well... the fact that we are graduating hasn’t completely hit me yet, but every now and again I remember and realize how crazy it feels. I remember hearing everyone who’s gone through it already tell me how fast high school goes and how emotional I’m going to be when the time comes and I remember thinking, ‘not fast enough,’ but then I blinked and it’s ending. I’ve really come to appreciate my time here and I am so thankful for the part that each of you have played in my life. I’m excited for what is to come, but I will never forget this place and I will keep a part of it with me always.”

Mariah Dillard: “I love the class of 2010.

Everyone here made my AFS experience memorable and special. The friends that I made here will be cherished for the rest of my life and I don’t know what I would do without them. I hope everyone visits me at the University of Maryland because I would love to see everyone! I will miss my best friends, and I hope to keep in touch with everyone. Love you all :)” Christopher Engel: “You guys were the first real school family that I had. After lots of moving, I finally settled at AFS, and I will always remember feeling comfortable with everyone and making friends that I will cherish forever. Thanks.”

Gianna Esposito: “Congratulations 313! I truly value the time I spent with you all at AFS. Good luck in college.”

Zoe Fuhrman: “I liked the carpets...”

Daniel Green: “Holla at me. I love you and my parents.”

Bailey Higgins: “It’s been a good run!

Ghosties forevah!”

David Judge: “Lets go get it! 313! Lets go get it! Relax Rusty, I think we got it :)” Alexa Katz: “Congratulations to everybody!

We are such a wonderful class filled with talented people, and I know that we will all go out into the world and make it a better place.

I hope that after we graduate, we will continue to be as close as we all are now and keep in touch with one another. I have so many great memories with this class, and I just want to thank everyone for making my time here at AFS really special.”

Nicholas Keefer: “Continue to stay focused, and keep in touch.”

Sean Kirwin: “I’m so glad we’re done! I wish all of you so much luck. Be fierce!”

Manish Kurien: “It’s been good. Hope you all enjoy college or whatever you plan to do.

Have fun, and I can’t wait to see you again.”

Dara Lazarus: “My time at AFS has been incredibly important. I would not be the person I am if it were not for every single one of my classmates and teachers. This ending is incredibly bittersweet. I am extremely excited to move on and continue my education at college, but at the same time I know I will miss it here.”

Jason Lazrus: “Hey guys. Have a great time in college and don’t get into too much trouble.”

Raymond Longstreath: “Class of ’10, a lot of us have been together for a long time since first grade, growing and getting over the many obstacles that we faced. All in all, I’m going to miss the boys though, love you guys...signed W.E.B Dubois.”

Elisabeth Lugano: “Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. Whenever I think about my time with you all I can’t help but smile! You have made my life better.

Toast and Punjab!”

Saul Mangel: “We’ve had so much fun these past four years. I became close with a lot of you in high school and am very happy I did so.

These past four years have been sick, and I’m so happy I was able to share them with you.

Many of the memories I have from AFS will never leave me because of you guys. Good luck in all that you do, and keep in touch.”

close friendships over the years and have a hard time imagining not seeing your faces everyday, however, I know that the friendships I made will be lasting ones and that this is definitely not the end. I am so proud that we (and this is going to sound corny and Rusty-like) were the class that really did come out on top. We changed our attitude and brought a positive atmosphere to the school this year. I will miss everyone incredibly and can’t wait to hear about where they all end up.”

Melissa Perkin: “I wish everyone the best of luck in life and I hope you are all having a great time in college.”

Nathaniel Simon: “The Mob, The Mob is in the house, The Mob is in the house. Let’s go get it in college, 313, get your work in, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Love Ya’ll.”

Kathleen Soltan: “LET’S GO GET IT!”

Lisa Spiller: “313! We’ve all had our differences and dramas in the past, but we’ve also done a lot of growing in the last four years. We’ve all become strong individuals, and we’re all capable of doing incredible things. To paraphrase my favorite poem, each and every one of us has the will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield!”

Alexander Manta: “It is time.”

Jacob McEntire: “Let’s go get it 313!”

David McNamara: “Well I’m heading out into the world. I’m finally getting out of my comfort zone and heading out to pursue my dreams, but I will never forget the friendships and the experiences that I had while I was in this school. I’ll miss being called ‘Chef’ every day, and I hope that when I come back you guys won’t have forgotten about me. I’ll see you next year.”

Maria Mylnikov: “There have been times when I was embarrassed to be part of this class, and I think it’s important for this detail to be the first one out. Although at the time I pretended to be optimistic, to be honest, I had some strong animosity. However, things have changed. I think that as a class we’ve grown a lot, and I could not be more proud of each of us. I’m being sincere when I say that most of this class is almost like a second family to me.

Through all the hardships I and others have gone through, there isn’t a community that would be as caring and as supporting as this one. We’ve got something special here, and although I’m sad that our time at AFS has ended, I know that there are people in this class that will go far beyond AFS. I’m proud of you guys. Seriously.”

Ferris Nicolais: “It was a great four years. It’s hard to believe it went by so fast. Good luck with everything.”

Jenna Nourie: “I had a lot of trouble with connecting with this class in the beginning and finding where I fit in. However, as time passed I really grew to love my class. There are so many different and interesting people that, once I took the time to get to know, I really grew to admire. I developed incredibly

Stephen Pettit: “Thanks for giving me the best years of my life. Try to stay out of trouble.”

Carlos Rios: “I’m proud to have been a part of 313. I will miss everyone. No, seriously, I will. See all of you at Round 7?”

McWelling Todman: “Dear Class of ’10, Congratulations. I wish each and every one of you the best of luck. Should one of you ever need anything, do not hesitate to ask.

McWelling H. Todman III”

Samantha Williams: “I hope everybody is doing well at college and having fun!”

Kevin Rupnarine: “Right, we made it, ‘bout time. If anyone is in the Caribbean look out for me ‘cause I’ll be there.”

Benjamin Schrager: “On my first day of high school, I remember shyly sneaking out of the cafeteria and hiding in the bathroom stall until the end of lunch. I was terrified of each and every one of you. I was a new kid at a new school and I didn’t know anyone. Over the last 4 years, you’ve helped me slowly come out of my shell. I went from hiding in the bathroom to shyly eating in the cafeteria, to talking with friends at lunch, to ambushing people with sonnets on Shakespeare’s birthday as they ate ramen noodles. That’s pretty cool, for a theater nerd... so, thank you.”

Saroja Schwager: “I hope you all are safe and well. Have a good life.”

Anita Sheares: “I’m grateful for my time at AFS, and I look forward to hearing about our class’s successes in the future.”

Emilia Silebi: “We’ve definitely had our ups and downs as a class, but we really came together as a class in the end! I’m proud to call myself a member of the 313th graduating class and I’ve loved getting to know many of you! Hope we can all stay in touch!”

Gregory Wilson: “Wow! It is hard to believe that we have finally graduated. Looking back I do not know where all the time has gone. I am very proud to be a member of the 313th graduating class of AFS. I know wherever we all are, we are all bound to reach success in whatever we do. We will forever be the 313th class of AFS and truly be remembered as the underdogs who came out on top.”

Jasmine Woods: “2010!!! I remember when we first started off, awkward, shy, and incredibly small. We all knew that we had a lot of growing up to do in a short amount of time. Needless to say, WE DID IT!! We are now mature, successful young adults and it has been an amazing experience working and learning with all of you. I wish you all nothing but the best of luck in your future endeavors and I hope that we all meet up again soon!”

David Zaslav: “I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped make this year so much fun. I’ll miss all of you and all of the good times we’ve had. Good luck!”

Anderson Zega: “Yo 313, I had extremely high expectations for senior year of high school, and they were all met because of you guys.

This grade truly knows how to get rowdy and lug. If you are ever in Hartford come visit me and Stina up at Camp Trin Trin. This is only the beginning, good luck.”

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in memoriam Please submit obituary announcements of the greater alumni community to the Alumni Office. Submissions are welcomed with or without a photo (at 300 dpi or greater). Electronic submissions are preferred and may be sent to alumni@abingtonfriends.net.

Mary Spruance Alden ’26 Mary was born in Germantown, Pa. on March 26, 1912.

She passed away peacefully, at the age of 98, on April 1, 2010, surrounded by three generations of her family in Berkeley, California.

A lifelong member of Abington Friends Meeting, her remains rest in the family plot in the Meeting House burial grounds with her husband, her parents Frank Palin and Helen Sensenderfer Spruance and her brother F Palin (Sonny) Spruance Jr. Mary attended Abington Friends and Friends Central Schools.

Francis Carter (Reds) Alden and Mary were married in 1930. Their children, John Carter Alden, James Cooper Alden, Mary (Jill) Alden Lindenmeyr, Michael Alden, Helen (Holly) Alden, Melissa (Missy) Alden and Sally Spruance Alden have given her 20 grandchildren and 29 great grand children.

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IN MEMORIAM

George School in Newtown, Pa educated five of her children, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren, so far. Mary served on the George School Committee for many years. She was instrumental in having the Meetinghouse moved from Tenth Street in Philadelphia to the campus.

She was on the founding board of Pennswood Village, a continuing care retirement community on the George School property.

This was her residence until the death of Reds in 1985.

Mary embraced the Quaker sense of community. She opened her home to political refugees, foreign exchange students, and any other extended family members in need.

She was a volunteer nurse’s assistant at Doylestown Hospital and a team member using innovative patterning for a child with cerebral palsy.

In 1990, Mary moved from Pennswood Village to 247 South State Street in Newtown, Pa., but she continued to spend her summers and falls in Vermont. Slowly she became bi-coastal, splitting her time between Newtown, Pa., South Royalton, Vt., and Berkeley, Ca. All who loved and admired her will remember this wonderful woman for her love, wisdom, compassion and generosity. She was and truly is an inspiration.

Constance Creger McGhee ’72 Connie Creger McGhee died in March 2009 from an infection, in Washington, D.C. Connie endured many operations and two kidney transplants due to diabetes. She lost much in her life, but always remained optimistic. She leaves a husband and stepson.

Maru Nadal Filloy ’60 passed away October 21, 2010 in Mexico City.

ACORN: alumni community outreach network Just you. No solicitation. No kidding.

We want to know about you. No strings attached.

Our goal: to contact every single alumnus/a. By phone. Over coffee. Whatever works for you.

That’s about 2,100 people. We started in January 2010 and will continue until we speak with everyone.

AFS can be a lifelong resource for you: socially, academically and professionally. The more we know about you, the more we can connect you with fellow alumni and to today’s AFS. You’ll be hearing from one of our faculty, alumni or staff members, and we want to hear all about: Your AFS experience Your life after AFS Your thoughts about today’s AFS

Go ahead. We’re listening.

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Horsham, PA Permit No. 90 575 Washington Lane, Jenkintown, PA 19046

Calendar Highlights 9th Annual Alumni Co-Ed Basketball Saturday, January 8, 2011

Admission Open House Saturday, January 22, 2011

Middle School Play Thursday-Friday, March 10-11, 2011

Philadelphia Alumni Event Eastern State Penitentiary Tour and Cocktail Reception Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Admission Open House Thursday, April 14, 2011

Upper School Play Thursday-Saturday, April 14-16, 2011

Arbor Day Friday, May 6, 2011

Roo Fest and Alumni Day Saturday, May 7, 2011

Commencement Friday, June 10, 2011