GAM
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
SPRING 2020
CONTENTS The
GAM
GAM: “A social meeting of whale ships ... with all the sympathies of sailors [and] all the peculiar congenialities arising from a common pursuit.”
Falmouth Academy 7 Highfield Drive, Falmouth, MA 02540 508-457-9696 falmouthacademy.org
Administration Matthew Green, Head of School Michael Earley, Assistant Head of School Petra Ehrenbrink, Academic Dean Pamela Clapp Hinkle, Director of Development Julie Bradley, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management Carmen DiSanto, Director of Finance & Operations
Editorial Staff
2 Up Front 9 Classroom and Beyond 16 Centerpiece |
Civic Engagement and Global Leadership
22 Mariner Stars 26 Alumni News 32 People of FA 33 Celebrating Our Seniors On the Cover: Ethan Fan ’20 took this photo while traveling through a rural village in the mountains of SW China. He said, “My grandmother helped raise me and the sweet expression on this grandma’s face while the baby slept on her back in the sunshine, caught my eye.” Fan is an advanced photography student and has been shooting on a digital camera since he was 11 years old. This photo was a Scholastic Art and Writing Competition Silver Key award winner. Above: Camille Brand ’25, photo courtesy of Leah Fasten P’22 & ’25.
Amy Galvam, Director of Communications Barbara Campbell, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations David Gallagher, Development Associate, Annual Giving and Operations Photos: Barbara Campbell, Leah Fasten P’22, P’25, Amy Galvam, Susan Moffat, FA Archives Design: Julianne Waite
Mission Harnessing the power of inspired learning in a world-renowned scientific and vibrant artistic community, Falmouth Academy emboldens each student to take creative and intellectual risks to confidently engage the challenges of our times.
Guiding Values We value the beauty of knowledge and the joy of conversation. We value collaboration and generosity of spirit. We value the power of a culture of kindness. We value relationships built on trust, respect, and direct communication. We value the wonder of imagination. We value each student’s pursuit of diverse challenges and opportunities. We value teachers as models of confident, rich adulthood.
From the Head of School
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t Falmouth Academy, our rather audacious and aspirational “stake-in-the-ground,” is our commitment to “emboldening each student to take intellectual and creative risks to confidently engage the challenges of our times.” As I come to the close of my second year as Head of this terrific school, I’ve come to embrace the phrase “the challenges of our times.” It’s my proverbial north star: everything I do, every decision I make, should be in service of advancing our school and our students’ capacity to identify, engage, and ultimately ameliorate those challenges. Earlier this year, in one of our weekly advisory meetings, each student was given an index card on which they were invited to list what they considered to be the two most important, urgent challenges of our times. Using the responses as a jumping-off point, advisors facilitated discussions which, I’m told, were rather far-ranging before collecting the cards and sharing them with me. The three most common responses in order were climate change and environmental sustainability, persistent economic inequality, and the absence of civil, constructive political discourse. This edition of The Gam speaks to some of these challenges, highlighting the school’s long-standing commitment to civic engagement in local, regional, national, and global arenas. In this issue, you will read about interdisciplinary units on the history of immigration in Massachusetts. You will learn more about our increasingly purposeful commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our school and in our local community. You will read about the contributions of a pair of young alumnae to an important oceanographic research study recently published in Nature. You’ll hear one alumna’s story about the ethics of Holocaust-era press coverage and how that inspired her Ph.D. dissertation. You will applaud our students on the launch of their own digital newspaper, The Chandlery. And you will hear from just a few of FA’s many accomplished alumni who are doing their parts to promote the civil discourse and political engagement that a highfunctioning democracy demands from its citizens. As this issue goes to press, the world—and we—find ourselves faced with a global health and economic crisis that may, indeed, be one of the greatest challenges of our times. You would be proud but not surprised at how the Falmouth Academy community, especially our students, have responded to our current circumstances. Once again, we are benefitting from the countless acts of friendship, generosity, agility, and strength that are the hallmarks of a resilient institution. As a young school, Falmouth Academy has never taken its existence for granted. More importantly, as a small school, Falmouth Academy has never underestimated its capacity nor shied away from its responsibility to do big things. So enjoy this issue and let’s get back to work because there are some big things out there that need doing. Sincerely,
Matthew Green Head of School
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UP FRONT
Falmouth Academy Tuba Player Mateo Darack ’23 Is Making Some Noise Falmouth Academy 9th-grader Mateo Darack likes to toot his own horn—his tuba to be exact. Darack has been playing tuba for the past four years and “is considered one of the best young musicians in the area,” says Mr. Scharr. Mateo earned a coveted seat in both the New England Conservatory Youth Orchestras and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) and opted to play with the BYSO Repertory Orchestra. He was also accepted into the SE District Music Festival and the All-State Music Festival, where he played second tuba at Symphony Hall.
Right: Mateo Darack ’23 at the 2020 Senior SE District Festival sponsored by the MA Music Educators Association. Below: Margaret Lowell ’23 sorting donations at the Falmouth Service Center.
Five Cans or $5 “Five cans or five dollars!” was the rallying cry at All-School Meeting this fall to encourage broad participation in the first of the biannual food drives. Falmouth Academy has a long-standing tradition of supporting the Falmouth Service Center (FSC), the local food bank, through canned food drives, the annual hat and mitten tree collection for cold-weather gear, and the Turkey Trot Fun Run at Thanksgiving. Additionally, various student and faculty groups volunteer throughout the year to unpack boxes and stock shelves. Shout-out to the Class of 2021 for a 95% participation rate during the fall food drive, when over 80% of the students donated, collecting $705 and 375 food items. Donations were delivered to the FSC by an enthusiastic group of student volunteers, and the students enjoyed a pajama day for their successful efforts. This outreach to relieve food insecurity is repeated every fall and spring, and for the past two years has been spearheaded by members of the Engage elective. “Activities like the food drives, volunteering in the community, and efforts to raise money for worthy charitable causes, as we do through the Hugs and Kisses sale, provide an accessible way for all of us to be mindful of and responsive to the needs of others. We are actively working to expand the ways students can reach out and give of themselves,” says Engage elective adviser, Julie Swanbeck. 2
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Exploration Day(s) Exploration Day was so well received by faculty and students last year that Falmouth Academy offered it again this year—twice. Fashioned after a college J-term (J for January), Exploration Day was initially conceptualized to give students and teachers a chance to dive into novel topics of interest outside of the regular curriculum. On November 20, 7th graders traveled to the Museum of Science to visit Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds and the Cycle of Life exhibit. Eighth graders visited Boston’s Seaport district to experience When Home Won’t Let You Stay, an exhibit at the Institute for Contemporary Art that explored migration, immigration, and the displacement of people today. Upper school students remained on campus where they participated in 2 of 18 available alternative course offerings. Among the new titles offered were: A Day Outdoors Exploring the Outer Cape, The Domino Effect: Theory and
Reality; Japanese Art and Mindfulness; The World Needs You: A Study of Leadership in School and in Life; and The Rhetoric of Climate Change. Winter X-Day, on March 4, incorporated Career Exploration Day which gave students in grades 10-12 the option to shadow local professionals working in a range of industries for the day. The remainder of the students in grades 8-12 participated in 2 of 23 expo classes. Some of the new spring offerings were: Has Instagram Saved Poetry?; The History of Rock and Roll; and Chinese Calligraphy. Seventh graders participated in team-building exercises in the morning and then viewed the film The Human Element in which “environmental photographer James Balog captured the lives of everyday Americans on the front lines of climate change.” Deputy Director and Senior Scientist Max Holmes P’24 of the Woods Hole Research Center moderated a discussion after the film.
Right (top-bottom): Jordan Watson ’21 works on a dental mold while shadowing Mary Ann Medeiros, DDS; students strategize during WWI and WWII Simulation; Mia Galvam ’22 conducts radio interviews in Woods Hole under the direction of WCAI News Director Steve Junker; and Benjamin Angell ’23 in Capturing the Wonder of the Small and Unassuming Through a Lens. Below: Silas Clark ’21 and Alyssa MacDonald ’21 with Architect Jill Neubauer.
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UP FRONT
The World Needs You, So Ask for the Ball “You are in situations that demand leadership all day long. How can you help shape the air in the room?” asked Assistant Head of School Michael Earley in his Fall X Day class, “The World Needs You: A Study of Leadership in School and in Life.” According to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, “The best ability is availability.” Mr. Earley went on to break that down to distill the qualities needed for leadership that are accessible to us all—“be present, be on time, and bring everything you know to the table.” Being available means being adaptable to the needs of a situation at hand and leveraging your strengths to attend to it. He then shared a clip from the 2018 commencement address at Barnard College by Team USA’s Abby Wambach, two-time Olympian, and FIFA World Cup Champion:
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Transform failure into power. Failure equals fuel, the highest octane. Use it to power you.
from the bench. Although 2 Lead you’re allowed to be disappointed if you’re not a starter, you can boost confidence from the sidelines. You’re either a leader everywhere or nowhere. Lead from wherever you are. each other. You won’t 3 Champion always be the goal scorer, but you will be someone whose attendance at practices, good cheer and dedication helped make it happen. Amplify each other. Their victory is your victory. Demand the ball. When you know 4 you can make a difference, seize the opportunity. Know when you can help and step up. Mr. Earley closed the seminar by asking the students to be more attentive to their own leadership capabilities saying, “The world needs you, so ask for the ball.”
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Falmouth Academy’s 32nd Science and Engineering Fair Falmouth Academy fair winners go on to compete successfully at regionals, states, and even at the international level. In fact, for a high school of roughly 160 students with only 120 students or so from grades 7-11 required to participate, the fact that a student has made it to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair every year since 2017 suggests a sweet spot in teaching students how to think critically, investigate with integrity, and communicate effectively. “In an era of instant social media and a 24-hour news cycle, every one of us, whether a scientist or an artist, needs to assess scientific fact from propaganda,” says Science Chair Jill Reves. “Falmouth Academy students are encouraged to “trust but verify” sources of information.” While the results may be impressive, the emphasis at Falmouth Academy is most definitely on the process of inquiry and discovery. Sophomore Sarah Thieler won a first place sponsored by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for her project, “Microplastic Characterization in Surface Waters Near Pacific Islands.” Thieler also
won a first place sponsored by The Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuary. Junior James Goldbach won a first place sponsored by the Marine Biological Laboratory for his project, “The Effects of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Metallic Contaminants on Peas.” Junior Saniya Rajagopal also won a first place sponsored by SEA Education Association for her project, “The Role of Coral Polyp Connectivity in Response to Tactile Stimuli.” Saniya also won the Falmouth Water Stewards Award. Top awards in middle school went to two eighth-graders, Wylie Wakefield and Gus McGuire. Wylie’s project, “How Long Does It Take Mole Crabs to Burrow in Different Environments?” also won an additional first-place prize awarded by The Salt Ponds Areas Bird Sanctuary. Gus’s project, “The Effect of Head and Flow on the Efficiency of Waterwheels” also received the Robert B. Gordon Award. Below: Sarah Thieler ’22 (left), Thalia O’Neil ’24 (top right), and Noah Manning ’24 (bottom right)
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Five Falmouth Academy students received a total of seven prizes at the annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, which supports and celebrates young artistic talent. The regional competition is co-sponsored by the Boston Globe and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Silver key award winners include Alice Tan ’21 for her painting, “Oedipus Rex,” Ethan Fan ’20 for his photograph, “Grandma,” and Nate Holmes ’24 for his photograph, “Fisherman in the Shadows.” Alice Tan ’21 also received two honorable mentions for her two paintings, “Antigone: What Would You Die For?” and “Girls in Flower.” Noah Manning ’24 received an honorable mention for his photograph, “30 Seconds of Ghosts” and Aubryn Dubois ’25 received an honorable mention for her illustration, “Glass Drawing.”
Students Publish in Nature, Finding Evidence of Life Beneath the Ocean Floor FA faculty member Dr. Virginia (Ginny) Edgcomb, a microbiologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, recently published a ground-breaking study in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. She and her co-authors, including two Falmouth Academy alumnae, Becca Cox ’18 and Sarah Lott ’18, identified microbial life living deep beneath the ocean floor in the Earth’s lower oceanic crust—considered, says Edgcomb, to be one of the last frontiers of exploration for life on this planet. Cox and Lott worked in Edgcomb’s lab after school and during summers while at Falmouth Academy, assisting with the extraction of DNA for those studies. “Nature and Science are the two top scientific journals and most scientists—let alone high school students—never publish there at all,” says Edgcomb. “This is a remarkable achievement for two young scientists who were high school students at the time of their contributions.” Edgcomb’s team, which included scientists from China, Germany, France, and the U.S., analyzed samples from the Atlantis Bank—an undersea ridge in the Indian Ocean. This research enhances our understanding of the potential scope of carbon cycling on Earth as well as its habitable biosphere.
Above: “Glass Drawing” by Aubryn Dubois ’25 Left: “Oedipus Rex” by Alice Tan ’21
Above: Sarah Lott ’18 (top) and Becca Cox (bottom) working in the WHOI Edgcomb Laboratory, Marine Microbial Ecology The GAM
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UP FRONT
Mind, Body, and Spirit “FA Remote” Takes Flight Matt Green
Head of School Blog 4.1.20 reprinted
By mid-March it had become clear that the coronavirus would be disrupting our world—and our school—in ways that only weeks before were unimaginable. As spring break entered its second week, FA administrators and faculty regrouped and began researching and creating a remote learning model that was responsive to the needs of the students, guided by best practices, and reflective of the mission and spirit of Falmouth Academy. Two weeks after launching the new model, Head of School Matt Green reflected on “FA Remote.”
joyful, caring community and culture so many have built and I have Even as I write this post from an empty and rather chilly tried to reinforce. In the current circumstances, it is natural for Falmouth Academy school building, I do so with full confidence that even the most supportive parent to be wondering, “If my child is not the spirit of Falmouth Academy is very much alive. Because at this in those classrooms, is not next to those teachers, is not learning in very moment, I know that somewhere in the cloud, our wonderful that community and directly absorbing that culture, then, are they students and remarkable teachers are debating and discussing, really going to Falmouth Academy?” creating and critiquing, probing and problem-solving, How could a school that relies so laughing and learning—as they have all year and as Long before social distancing heavily on the personal touch, on their predecessors have for generations. They just and Zoombombing, the character of its community, on happen to be doing so from the comforts and confines adolescence was not easy its unique sense of place, reinvent of their own home (homes which some days are indeed during the best of times. itself in less than a week, exporting comforting while on other days are most definitely Students need all of the adult its particular brand of special sauce confining!) support they can get right to an entirely different setting? There does not seem to be a family, business, or now. With families spending To shift that frame a bit and community that has not been affected by the current long hours together in close perhaps inspire a little belief, I global health and economic crisis; Falmouth Academy quarters, we’ve increased told the students and faculty a is no exception. To be clear, our collective focus quite the frequency of advisory short anecdote I first heard in a rightfully belongs on those most directly impacted. That meetings as part of the talk entitled “The Transformative is why our science department donated its full supply of design of our remote learning Power of Classical Music,” protective gloves to Falmouth Hospital. That is why Mr. program. delivered by Benjamin Zander, Scharr is working with Falmouth Community Television —Assistant Head of School long-time conductor of the Boston to bring a “Live Music to Seniors” weekly program Mike Earley Philharmonic Orchestra. Zander featuring our student musicians right into the bedrooms tells the story of two shoe salesmen of seniors in local nursing and senior living complexes. who were both sent by their boss to But like many of you, when the order came from a remote land in some distant locale, only to discover that it was the Governor Baker that all public and private schools were to remain custom for its residents to spend the day bare-footed. closed first until April 7 and then to May 4, we were more than a The first salesman took one look and sent a telegram that read: little anxious about what this meant to our school and our students. “Situation hopeless. They don’t wear shoes here.” The second For more than forty years, families have chosen FA for three salesman also wrote a telegram, his read: “Glorious opportunity. No main reasons: the quality of classroom instruction, the individual one owns any shoes here yet!” attention a child receives in a small class in a small school, and the 6
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Clockwise from left: Joseph Childs ’24, George Scharr, Ellie Mattison ’20, Daisy Kinsley Hancock ’23
And what a series of glorious opportunities each new day is proving to be. Falmouth Academy’s model, which I sometimes refer to as “FA Remote” has not only been fully informed by extensive research (particularly the personal experience our counterparts on the west coast have so graciously shared), but it was also engineered to be uniquely us. That is, we have endeavored to construct a virtual school that reflects our commitment to educating the proverbial whole child, tending not only to our students’ minds but also to their bodies and spirits, tending not only to the individuals in our community but to that community itself, which nourishes and affirms those individuals. To illustrate, let me walk you through a day of FA Remote. Upon coming to school each morning, students check “Morning Messages,” where they will find video posts by their Head of School, along with announcements from their teachers and peers. They then attend a series of synchronous classes via video conference, during which they may engage in class discussion, take notes on direct instruction offered via screencasting software, or retire to breakout “rooms” to work in small groups. “The discussion we enjoyed on Friday morning,” noted history teacher Rob Wells, “about a lecture from 1900 preaching the then perceived ‘truths’ of Social Darwinism was as good as any I have experienced in the past with all sitting around a Harkness table.” “Last Friday,” adds Interconnected Biology teacher Sarah McCarron, “I was able to do a live physical exam on my cat for my students on Zoom. For safety reasons, that is obviously not something I could have done in class at school. I think my students really enjoyed this opportunity. It’s one example of how technology opened the door for something new.” Many schools transitioning to remote learning have thrown
together several hours of asynchronous learning (which in most cases is a fancy term for homework) and this is where school stops. Not so at Falmouth Academy. Each class is followed by an office hours block during which class may continue, students may work together on what they have just learned, or teachers can meet with individual students to reinforce important class concepts. (That office hours also allows most students to take a screen break and get up and move around is no accident.) One week in, Mr. Lott noted. “A simple highlight has been how well my seniors have been using office hours after class. They stay in ‘the room’ and spend much of that hour working together and with me.” So yes, FA is educating “in mind,” but what about “in body and spirit?” Consider that we have a dedicated time slot for physical education when Mr. Andrade challenges his students to tackle a range of fitness challenges and share via video post what they did to get their hearts pumping. Consider our daily wellness challenges, during which Ms. DiFalco engages students in interactive activities targeting important themes like resilience. Consider that once a week, we gather at lunchtime for advisory and that advisors continue to meet with individual advisees on a regular basis. Consider that we are even teaching nearly our full slate of electives, including studio art, our musical ensembles, Interconnected Biology, even woodshop! And so perhaps it is fitting that I am writing this post from an empty school. What better place to be reminded that a school is just a building, but that school is a gathering place, a place where learning happens, where a mind comes to life, where a heart feels something for the first time, and, to once again quote our mission, “where teachers embolden students to take intellectual and creative risks to confidently engage the challenges of our times.” The GAM
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UP FRONT How I Decided to Fly Home to China Amid the Pandemic By Leo Zhang ’21
Reprinted in part from The Chandlery www.fachandlery.org
I am writing this article from my home in Shanghai, China, a long way from where I was a month ago and where my peers are taking their classes. As an international student, I have spent the past four years away from home. I got used to being by myself, so when homesickness was my biggest concern, going home never felt like an option. But it is different this time. As a student living abroad when this pandemic hit, I felt fear and frustration that led me to choose to fly home amid the outbreak. As I celebrated the Chinese New Year in Falmouth, MA with some of my friends, my family was told to stay in their homes for the next month while China went into lockdown. Things weren’t looking positive at home as the virus continued to spread. At the time, scientists had just learned that the virus had the ability to transmit from human to human, and within China, almost every single province had cases of the virus. Scientists were unsure of the fatality rate of the virus, but I was frightened for my family and felt at a loss for what to do, except to call and check in. Then cases started to rise globally at the end of February, although the fear hadn’t settled in that the virus could reach the U.S. or me. As I kept on worrying about my family, my morning routine began by looking at the number of cases in China before I went to my first-period class. Each day the number just got higher and higher. Although my family had been in their houses for a month, China was still in lockdown and nobody was allowed to go out without permission. My fear continued to grow. Cases of the coronavirus began surging across the U.S. during Falmouth Academy’s spring break, but on the other side of the world, the increase in the number of infections started to slow. Fearful of the pandemic that was going to rage across America, yet hopeful about the decrease in cases in China, my mom suggested that I go back to China the second week into the break. I was skeptical of her suggestion because I thought that it might be too early to question how America would handle the virus. I debated between finishing my junior year at FA or going home. I felt like it wasn’t worth it to leave, and I knew that if I left, I might not be able to return because of the restriction on travel that the Trump administration had put into place on January 31, barring travel for “foreign nationals who had been in China in the last 14 days” (Washington Post). 8
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Then, in mid-March, the cases in China seemed to be disappearing compared to the exponential spread of the coronavirus in America. Even most of the lockdowns in China were lifted at this point. The more I looked at the responses from the U.S. government, the more insecure I felt about how prepared the U.S. was for the virus. I was starting to change my mind about whether or not to go home. Around this time, Italy was hit hard by the virus, and I feared that the same scenario would play out in the U.S. The second week into our spring break I already had multiple video conferences with my family to figure out my plans. At first, we decided that I would stay, but I quickly felt anxious and unsure if my decision was the right one. Three days later, I received a package of surgical masks my sister had mailed to me. During those three days, I felt more uneasy than I had ever been before. Looking at the flights online, I could hardly imagine myself being on a plane within a few days. I wished that I could just lay back and close my eyes and the problem would go away. I calmed down and thought about it. There is a pandemic. It spreads like wildfire, it is deadly, and it is near me. I want to be home with my family in a country that I know. I realized that if I stayed in the U.S. my fear would only continue to grow. I looked at the situation as if I was amid a war, only the enemy was invisible but ubiquitous. Ultimately, I decided to leave, but then had to deal with countless cancelled bookings. Finally, I got a ticket from New York to Shanghai scheduled to leave on March 24. I wore a face mask and my ski goggles throughout the whole trip because I feared catching the virus while on the plane. After taking three flights over a span of three days, I arrived in Shanghai. The 15-hour long flight home was an odyssey compared to the numerous other flights I have taken in the past. The odyssey was surreal. The atmosphere on the plane was death-like, with people being packed side by side. It was like every person on the flight was distrustful of the others and fearful that someone on the flight would spread the virus to them unknowingly; as if we were all going to a funeral. After I arrived, I had to be quarantined for 14 days in a hotel by myself. It was a waiting game to see whether I caught the virus on the journey back home or not. Luckily, after the 14 days, I tested negative, and I finally went home. When I saw my mom, all that anxiousness and fear went away. It was a deliverance. In retrospect, the entire journey felt surreal. I believe in some sense my survival instinct was triggered and it compelled me to go home. During such a chaotic period, finishing school became far less important than feeling safe with my family. Although I had a loving host family who guaranteed my security, it is a fact that sometimes no one except your family can give you the love and security you need.
CLASSROOM AND BEYOND Wellness Tips from School Counselor Carol DiFalco
Tips for Families at Home Set regular waking and sleeping times. Limit leisure screen time (you will likely have academic screen time expected of you). Better yet, set aside two or three two-hour blocks of time when you dock your phone. Set goals for each day—learning something new, projects you have been putting off, academic commitments, a new recipe you want to try... Exercise every day—mental wellbeing is directly tied to your physical wellbeing. This is a great time to make self-care a priority. Go outside every day. Take a walk, do yard work, prepare your next garden, etc. Call or FaceTime a friend every day. Stay connected to people you care about even while the platform is different. Check on your friends and neighbors, particularly those that may live alone. Give someone who lives in your home a hug as often as they will let you—human beings are wired for physical connection. Keep a positive attitude.
Below: Thalia O’Neil ’24 painted kindness rocks as one of her Wellness choices for the week of April 13 and left them near her mailbox for the mail carrier and other passersby.
From the Pentagon: Seniors Participate in a Q&A with State Department Officials When seniors arrived in Patrick Kennedy’s Geopolitics and World Cultures course last fall, they assumed the roles of Assistant Secretaries of State. Assigned to represent one of six major regions of the world, students were asked to track cultural issues, research trends, and study controversies of world-wide interest to fuel debate and discussion in class. Then, midway way through the term, students swapped regions, a change meant to reinforce the value of seeing an issue through a variety of perspectives. In February, Kennedy invited his brother-in-law Colonel Michael Styskal, branch chief of current and future operations for the Marine Corps, to video chat with his students about his role at the Pentagon. “I thought it would be a great experience for the students to ask current event questions to someone who works for the Department of Defense,” said Kennedy. Col. Styskal suggested including his Department of State colleague, Mr. Joel Ehrendreich, in the conversation. The Department of Defense and the Department of State work closely together; the former deals with military oversight and the latter with diplomacy. Ehrendreich is the Department of State Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The two men answered questions posed by the students ranging from what was being done about the coronavirus, the role of the U.S. in Syria, whether the military should be required to defend the U.S. southern border, to lighter topics such as what a typical day looks like and what famous world leaders they have met. Kennedy said that while debriefing with Col. Styskal that evening, he said, “Your students were so enthusiastic—that call was the highlight of our day! Joel and I would love to participate in something similar in the future.” Above: Patrick Kennedy introduces Colonel Styskal and Mr. Erhendreich to his students in Geopolitics and World Cultures: A State Department Simulation.
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CLASSROOM AND BEYOND The Ethics of Newspaper Coverage What happens when we hear of atrocious acts taking place, especially if they happen far away from us? Sometimes, nothing. Sometimes, it takes many sources reporting the same news before society feels compelled to act. This fall, Dr. Norah Schneider ’03 shared with students in Rob Wells’ 10th-grade history class the discoveries she made on this topic while working on her doctoral dissertation. Calling herself a disaster historian, Schneider remembered reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl in 8th grade while at Falmouth Academy and wondering if anything like Anne’s story had happened in her family two generations ago. This question lingered in her mind as she considered a topic for her doctoral research at Salve Regina University after completing a Master of History from Providence College. While elder relatives had been reticent to discuss their Holocaust experiences for decades, Schneider eventually had the opportunity to dive deeply into the subject with her grandmother. “She gave me permission to find out what happened to my great-greatgrandparents,” said Schneider, “so the study became more personal to me.” Schneider traced her great-great-grandparents and other relatives from Kristallnacht Germany in 1938, to concentration camps, through England and Denmark, and eventually to the United States and Shanghai. She discovered a dearth of coverage in the U.S. of the horrific news coming out of Germany in the 1930s and 40s. But she also discovered a small newspaper out of Chicago that did, in fact, report consistently what was happening, which made her question why larger news agencies hadn’t done the same. Her interest piqued, she channeled what she had learned into her dissertation titled, “The Sentinel: American-Jewish Weekly Coverage in Chicago of Nazi Persecution of European Jewry and the Holocaust, 1930-1947.” Following the appointment of Adolf Hitler as German Chancellor in 1933, which ended the parliamentary democracy of the Weimar Republic established after WWI, citizens no longer had guaranteed human rights and the first concentration camps were constructed. “German Jews felt the effects of more than 400 decrees and regulations that restricted all aspects of their public and private lives,” according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. “We learn and talk about the Holocaust and WWII, but it has always been hard to believe that people could commit such atrocities,” said sophomore Kyra Ramsey. “When Dr. Schneider began to show real-life records and talk about how her living family wouldn’t even mention the horrors of the past because they were so painful, it all became a little more real.” According to Schneider, such information about the rise of Nazism and the systematic oppression and later extermination of Jews was knowable. Both The Sentinel and the Jewish Telegraphy Agency to which the New York Times subscribed, reported on the escalation. These stories were routinely “buried by the Times,” according to Schneider. There is even evidence that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt routinely read The Sentinel. Yet, it wasn’t until 1944—more than 17 months after Hitler announced The Final Solution, orchestrating the mass genocide of the Jews—that FDR issued an executive order that established the War Refugee Board, created initially to save Hungarian Jews. 10
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Conducting research was challenging, said Schneider, due to the Jewish refugee crisis, inaccurate or incomplete immigration records, and lineage customs. In Germany, Christian family histories were documented through church records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths. Jewish synagogues didn’t keep such public records. Families kept a familienstammbuch, recording their family tree. Most of these and other belongings were destroyed in raids and pogroms. A boon for Schneider was finding her great-grandmother’s stammbuch intact, which helped her piece together their story. During the 1930s, the world was suffering due to the Great Depression. This, of course, came on the heels of WWI, which was a time of great deprivation and despair. Citizens of the world were beleaguered and weary, and the American collective imagination was focused homeward. The national conversation about immigration policy was clouded by the needs at home and fueled by “isolationism, xenophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism” according to Schneider. The U.S. maintained a strict quota system based on country census data which was enforced until the end of WWII. Until 1941, Nazi policy was to encourage Jews to leave by making life unbearable, but there was nowhere for them to go. Schneider posited that the lack of mainstream newspaper coverage of the rise of Nazism and the plight of the Jews, coupled with a circle-the-wagons mentality in America were complicit in the lack of a timely and proportional response by the U.S. to the humanitarian crisis. The U.S. government didn’t respond to the crisis officially until it entered the war in 1941. “Ethical reporting is a responsibility,” Schneider said. “The whole story of the United States and the Holocaust is an ethical leadership story. Why didn’t the strongest country in the world do anything?” Even today, a small population of people will go to great lengths to deny the Holocaust. “Genocide is still happening in the world today and is not acknowledged. Unbelievably, Holocaust denial, while illegal in Europe, is legal in the United States,” said Schneider. During her talk in Wells’ class, she urged students to be discerning and diligent in the pursuit of truth and justice saying, “The purpose of studying history is to learn from it, but what have we really learned if we allow atrocities to continue to happen?” “The generation that experienced the atrocities of the Nazi party is dying out,” commented sophomore Zach Crampton. “It is up to their children, their grandchildren, and us, to keep the truth alive so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.” Schneider’s presentation left a lasting impression on Ramsey and her classmates, “We will be thinking about her presentation long after she’s gone.” Crampton added, “Learning about such terrible but significant events in a textbook or short video makes them feel almost one dimensional and unimportant. Dr. Schneider’s lecture gave it a context and depth I had never experienced.”
Students Create Online Newspaper The Chandlery Looking for a new way for students to express themselves and to share news and views, juniors Noah Glasgow and Maya Peterson joined forces to create The Chandlery, an online student newspaper that in just a few short months has become an exciting new voice for the student body. “Maya and I started a newspaper because we wanted to tap into our school’s ethos and try to find freedom of expression in our own writing,” said Glasgow in his first letter from the editor, “We wanted a new platform for student voices that was built out of the integrity and passion that only a newspaper can provide...we believed that if we built The Chandlery, others would come and join us, write with us, both now and in the future.” They were right. More than 15 students contributed articles and images to the first
edition and the level of enthusiasm and dedication hasn’t waned, with three issues completed thus far. Under the direction of faculty advisor Chandlery: def. A meeting Dr. Ben Parsons, Glasgow and Peterson place for mariners work with each writer throughout the editorial process, from hearing story “The Chandlery exists pitches to editing final submissions. to promote scholastic “Our writers are in varying stages of development and in their writing journalism, provide journeys,” observed Glasgow. coverage of events both “Some require more hands-on inside and outside our instruction while others need only light community, and foster editing,” commented Peterson. Writers “tackled everything—from complex and conversation and kindness dynamic political issues to student and within the student body...” club profiles, to lighthearted community —Chandlery bylaws fare,” noted Peterson. Topics ranged from considering impeachment from both sides, to concern for climate change, to a fashion statement about Mr. Green looking fresh in his Allbirds. “The truth is that we live in a time where true journalism is threatened by the polarization of our politics, by the echo chambers that we live in, and by a cultural emphasis on tradition and bias rather than fact and rational judgement,” posited Glasgow. “Students come to Falmouth Academy with a passion for learning and receive the tools they need to embark on a path as leaders who value truth, honesty, and strong, earnest communication.” Students have taken up this work with integrity, and it resonates with their burgeoning audience both in the school and in the wider community. More than 500 people read the first issue of the newspaper within the first two days of its release. Teachers, including Anka Martula, have used articles as discussion prompts in the classroom. The impeachment article by Alice Tan ’21 and John McDowell ’20 was used as a springboard for debate and conversation about current affairs in Martula’s 11th grade “Crucial Issues: How We Got Here” course. Andy Kingman ’00, attorney, trustee, and former Alumni Council member left this comment on the school’s Instagram page, “watching adolescents try to grapple with issues and concepts way bigger than our little hometown school of 200 with sincerity and resolve IS energizing.” The Chandlery is available online; a link can be found on the Student Life page of the Falmouth Academy website. The GAM
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CLASSROOM AND BEYOND Immigration Explained in Pictures and Words Immigration Attorney Collin Mickel and Photographer Mark Chester spoke with Anka Martula’s 8th- and 11th-grade U.S. history classes in October in conjunction with Chester’s photography exhibit The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape, which was on display in the Simon Center Art Gallery this fall. Mickel is the coordinator of the Immigration Resource Center in Hyannis, and Chester is a self-taught local photographer whose exhibit featured black and white portraits of naturalized U.S.
citizens from around the world living in Massachusetts. “Immigration has a central role in U.S. politics and current events,” says Martula, “but its complexities and their implications, not to mention the human stories underlying them, are rarely discussed and even less understood.” Mickel untangled some of the complexities around immigration law and policy, explaining familiar but ambiguous terms and concepts (What is a visa? A green card? What is the difference between a refugee and
an asylum-seeker?). He adeptly detailed the processes and policies of the U.S. immigration system, explored the sources of legal authority in the realm of immigration law, and discussed the varied and diverse immigrant communities on Cape Cod and the specific challenges they face. Chester joined the conversation, sharing his experiences photographing and chronicling the stories of more than 400 new Americans living who’ve emigrated from 194 of the world’s 196 countries and territories.
Attorney Collin Mickel guest lecturing in Anka Martula’s American Civics in Perspective course.
First Encounters: Menschen begegnen sich Falmouth Academy, a German Center of Excellence, recently hosted the traveling exhibit First Encounters: Menschen begegnen sich, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). Displayed in the Simon Center Art Gallery for one week in December, the exhibit explored migration and its effects on shaping the German-American transatlantic friendship. First Encounters was part of the Year of German-American Friendship initiative, which encourages cultural exchange and encounter. “This exhibit was a colorful way to entice students to investigate the continuing history of migration in general and its effects in shaping the German-American transatlantic friendship in particular,” said Academic Dean Petra Ehrenbrink. From the beginnings of European immigration to North America, Germans have contributed to the political, cultural, and social aspects of the United States. Those first encounters took different forms depending on when and where German settlers arrived. Visitors to the exhibit were prompted to learn more about those first encounters, how Germans adjusted to their new environments, and how they contributed to their new communities. 12
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Master Calligrapher Cather Zhang ’20 Shares Her Art As part of this year’s celebration of the Lunar New Year, senior Cather Zhang, a master calligrapher, created twelve panels for an exhibit in the Simon Center Art Gallery. The exhibit featured contemporary and traditional examples both of content and form. “Poems are a common subject matter used as a rhetorical form of expression,” says Cather. “They are popular with Chinese officials and politicians.” Cather included a contemporary poem by Chen Yi, the former mayor of her hometown of Shanghai, and an excerpt of the Lanting Xu, the most famous example of running (semi-cursive) script from the East Jin Dynasty (317 – 420 CE). The original was done by Wang Xizhi in 353 CE as part of a spring purification ritual. Cather’s rendition was flawlessly executed, totaling 324 characters in 28 columns, painted with a weasel-whisker brush. Cather’s teacher, Xuan, taught her that art follows form. She recalled him saying even one’s posture and thoughts influence one’s writing. “The movement must be quick and fluid as the rice paper (Shengxuan) absorbs the ink very quickly. If you hesitate, the ink may bleed or the characters will turn out shaky or sloppy.” The act of writing should be as beautiful as the art itself, says Cather. There is a bit
of performance to it, which was evident at All-School Meeting when Cather demonstrated her artistry while writing well-wishes for the Lunar New Year. Chinese characters are read from right to left. If the layout is oriented up and down, the viewer would read down the page and then right to left. There is a greater creative license now that calligraphy is practiced more as an art than a method of transcription. Generally, the artist works around a theme and expresses it by the way they form the characters, creating a balanced and pleasing aesthetic. “Before I
write,” says Cather, “I picture the character shape and how it will look on the paper. I assess the total design and plan my strokes and then let my hands do what they’ve been trained to do without overthinking it. It is very quick.” While it may look effortless when Cather does it, students in her March X-Day workshop would likely beg to differ. Cather taught a four-hour class on Chinese Calligraphy to eight students, touching on its rich history and cultural significance and with lots of opportunities for hands-on practice, but of course with proper form.
Above: Cather exhibiting her art in the Simon Center for the Arts. Below (l-r): Cather demonstrating the lesson to Max Richins ’22, Jack Butler ’22, and James Kelleher ’22 and helping Sophia Barry ’23 on her form on Exploration Day.
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CLASSROOM AND BEYOND FA Celebrates Black History Month Consider the words of Dr. Lonnie Bunch, Founding Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and current Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, who said, “You can tell a great deal about a country and a people by what they deem important enough to remember, to create moments for–what graces the walls of their galleries, what images appear on their currency, what holidays they celebrate.” “Yet I would suggest,” he says, “that we learn even more about a country by what it chooses to forget—its mistakes, its disappointments, and its embarrassments. In some ways, African American History month is a clarion call to remember.” In early February, Falmouth Academy kicked off a celebration of Black History Month designed by a subgroup of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion faculty committee in collaboration with the Students of Color. Inspired by the words of Dr. Bunch, time was set aside during All-School Meeting weekly to highlight the generous contributions of black Americans. Tarun Gonneea ’22 (below), Leah Croom ’24 (top right), and Derick Sterling ’22 (bottom right) reading And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou.
Selma
Approximately 150 people braved torrential rain and downed trees in early February to attend a free screening of the film Selma in FA’s Hermann Theater. Co-hosted with the Woods Hole Diversity Action Committee, the screening was in keeping with this year’s Black History Month theme “African Americans and the Vote.” Selma chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.
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Activities included musical performances celebrating black musicians and music throughout history, an exploration of black contributions to art, science, and culture in the form of an interactive riff on the popular board game, Trivial Pursuit, and a poetry reading of And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou performed by members of the Students of Color group. In addition, the school’s hallways and library featured thought-provoking exhibits, and an extended advisory period was dedicated to exploring our own cultural journeys as a means of celebrating our shared humanity. The festivities began with a piano solo by freshman Matthew Coggins playing Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin, 1899). Joplin’s score has been credited with changing American music and setting the stage for Dixieland, swing, and jazz. The chorus, under the direction of Vickie Vieira, brought Black History Month to a close on a hopeful and inspiring note by singing the words of Langston Hughes’ poem, “I Dream a World” set to music by composer André J. Thomas.
Listen Up Series By Mia Galvam ’20
Reprinted in part from The Chandlery www.fachandlery.org
Listen Up! Experiences of Students of Color on the Cape was a community event, open to all, held at Falmouth Academy on the evening of Tuesday, March 3. It came on the heels of Black History Month and at the beginning of Women’s History Month, which was a perfect crossroads for me, as I am a student, a person of color, and a woman. That all three of these identifiers put me in a marginal position in relation to the dominant culture, which remains adult, white, and male, gave me a unique perspective about power and vulnerability. For this event, I was asked to participate and share my experience as a student of
color. The evening was one in a series of listening events sponsored by the Woods Hole Diversity Action Committee (DAC). For this event, Falmouth Academy Students of Color partnered with Falmouth High School’s Diversity Group to offer ten personal stories by students about their experiences with race and racial bias, in the hope of heightening awareness and, ultimately, furthering allyship and inclusion. It was a tall ask of high school students, to put in writing something so vulnerable or, God forbid, identifiable. To mitigate some of the personal cost and maybe even to boost participation, the organizers astutely orchestrated the event so that the writing was read aloud anonymously by other people. Each story was followed
by a pause to allow the listener to feel through it while quiet music played. The rules laid out by the DAC for these events were simple, “Come with an open mind, be respectful, and NO talking.” The goal for these events, as stated on the DAC website “was to create a setting where voices were heard, where they would not be interrupted or have their stories denied or minimized; where listeners were challenged to think about their community and how people of color’s experiences are different than theirs; and where listeners could learn how to be [better] allies.” Galvam writes the Students of Color column in The Chandlery; her article on “microaggressions” was the most-read article in the December 12 inaugural issue of the newspaper.
Above: back row (l-r): Lilia-Gabriella Miranda (FHS), Georgia Lavery Van Parijs (FHS), Cecialia Riley (FHS), Gerald Mahoney (FHS), Trevor Hodgson (FHS), Mia Galvam ’22 (FA), Arian Islam ’20 (FA), Derick Sterling ’22 (FA); front row (l-r): Carol DiFalco (FA School Counselor), Kayleah Griffen (DAC), Lindsay Scott (DAC), Onjalé Scott Price (DAC), Leah Croom ’24, Henry St. Julien (FHS Asst Principal), Joany Santa (Director of Human Resources FPS) The GAM
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CENTERPIECE
Educating for Global Understanding and Civic Engagement Julie Swanbeck
Healthy democracies cultivate a balance between rights and responsibilities, and the culture at Falmouth Academy introduces students to that maxim and how it plays out practically in the daily lives of all citizens. FA’s history department takes a broad approach to civics education, striving to help students understand the “worlds” they live in and to acquire the habits and skills they need to function responsibly in society. Neither of these goals can be accomplished in simple ways. Traditional approaches to civics tend to focus on the institutions and workings of the American government and the principles associated with the Constitution. In both grades 8 and 11, Falmouth Academy students study the United States government with a focus on the federal structure and concepts like separation of powers and limited government that are crucial to their expectations of how our democracy operates. Students regularly research and debate controversial topics in order to appreciate different perspectives and practice the art of civil discourse as they learn how the national, state and local governments are evolving in our large, multicultural and multifaceted country. Conversations in these classes center on both current and historical events, with the past shedding light on the present and the present lending perspective and relevance to the past. As our students engage more deeply with other cultures in grades 7, 9, 10, and 12, they also come to appreciate how different peoples, ancient and modern, Above left (l-r): Marcus Greco ’24, Wylie Wakefield ’24, Silas Van Horn ’23, Matthew Coggins ’23, Zach Crampton ’22, Tasha Sudofsky ’22, Izzy Santamauro ’20, Leo Zhang ’21, Keller Feronti ’24, Margaret Lowell ’23, Hunter Johnson ’25, Max Dijkaev ’20 in front cheering on the participants in the Wounded Warrior Ride on Thursday, September 12, 2019. Left: Julie Swanbeck addressing parents at Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.
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have achieved more and less successful forms of government. These courses provide students a wider perspective on how societies traveled the road to modern democracy and autocracy as they sought to balance the competing priorities of security, liberty, and equality. In studying Athens and Sparta, students gain perspective on citizenship in a democratic versus an authoritarian society; in looking at the birth of the modern nation-state, they better comprehend the idea of nationalism; and in learning about the American and French Revolutions, they come to understand the origin of republican governments as the basis for more broadbased democracy in the 21st Century. All democracies assume informed citizens with access to the free exchange of ideas and a steady flow of information. But citizens of any civic body will
function more responsibly if they are interested and involved in public discourse, and if they understand how to discern credible from inaccurate or overly biased sources of information. As young adults, Falmouth Academy graduates must understand that democracy is a relatively young experiment in the history of the world and that healthy democracies are continuing works in progress. FA teachers hope that our graduates will embark on their lives knowing that our democratic republic protects their rights but also needs their active engagement. Caring about the body politic, following current events, and becoming involved at a local, state or national level in any number of ways will go a long way towards keeping “government by the people” a firm and vigorous reality in what can be a challenging world.
Above: On Friday, September 20th, Lucia Gomez-Ibanez ’25, Mateo Darack ’23, Sarah Thieler ’22, Mia Galvam ’22, Josie Leveque ’25, Sadie Leveque ’23, Petra Brienza ’23, Ursula Junker ’23 take part in an international climate strike held on the Falmouth Village Green. Left: Falmouth’s Martin Luther King Jr, Day Breakfast on January 21, 2020, (back row L-R) Mr. Bill Andrade, Meghan Dooley ’25, Derick Sterling ’22, Jack DiFalco-Wheeler ’22, Tarun Gonneea ’22, Coach Tyrone Croom, Ms. Carol DiFalco (sitting L-R) Mia Galvam ’22, Kyra Ramsey ’22, Mrs. Britta Santamauro, Jojo Torres ’25, Ellie Thomas ’21, Mr. Matt Green, Mrs. Amy Galvam, Charlotte Galvam, and Leah Croom ’24.
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CENTERPIECE
If You Can Drive a Car
You Should Be Able to Cast A Ballot State Representative Dylan Fernandes participated in Alumni College & Career Networking Day this past December speaking with juniors and seniors about careers, college, and life after Falmouth Academy. A 2008 graduate of Falmouth High School, Fernandes attended Falmouth Academy in grades 7 through 9. Since 2017, he has served in the Massachusetts state legislature representing Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE STUDENTS ABOUT THE BILL, DYLAN FERNANDES ASKED, “WOULD YOU LIKE THE POWER TO VOTE ON ISSUES DIRECTLY IMPACTING YOUR LIFE?”
GAM: Why did you choose a career in politics? DF: As a millennial Cape Codder, my greatest concern is addressing global warming, but I also care deeply about social justice, sustainability, and equity. Politics and government give people the power to act on issues they care about. GAM: You attended American University and later transferred to the College of Charleston. What advice do you have for students when they’re considering a college or a major? DF: I tell students not to get hung up on a big-name school or to incur a lot of debt for college. Whether you drive a Tesla, a Honda Civic with all the bells and whistles, or just the base model, all can get you to where you want to go. GAM: After studying political science and economics in college, you landed your first job working as an organizer on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s reelection campaign and later served as political director on Maura Healey’s campaign for Attorney General of Massachusetts. What advice do you have for aspiring politicians? DF: Get in early on a campaign and be prepared to work really hard. You’ll see tangible results almost immediately. Major in a subject with job opportunities to diversify your skills to expand your career options. If you want to go into politics, you don’t need a political science degree. You could study finance, English, or double major in something that interests you paired with something marketable.
Above (l-r): Leo Zhang ’21, Lucca MacDonald ’21, Rep. Dylan Fernandez ’08, Emma Fletcher ’20, and John McDowell ’20 18
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GAM: You recently filed a bill allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. Bill H.1132, known as the EMPOWER Act, would grant cities and towns the power to extend voting rights to individuals as young as 16 for local elections. Why is this important?
SCHWEITZER-BLUHM ’90
Making Her Mark “The old FA textbook underlining and annotation skills of ‘read-understand-distill’ came up to bat once again when I had to boil down a universe of political vision to a few high-octane sentences, in a span of a few minutes, as I met and said farewell to voters for the first and last time. FA also built up my chops for active listening.” —Kurt Achin ’87 on stumping in Iowa on behalf of Andrew Yang for President 2020. Achin is a freelance news producer and videographer, formerly of Voice of America and CNN in South Korea
DF: This legislation is meant to be a complement to the mandatory civics education bill that passed in 2018. Under this bill teenagers would be allowed to vote for school committee members, selectmen, zoning board members, and other local elected positions, providing them with the opportunity to vote on things that directly affect them. GAM: Why is civic engagement so important? DF: There seems to be a widening knowledge gap and diminished civic engagement at a time when society has deep systemic problems like climate change and economic inequality. Studies show that involving young people in the political process early, while still living at home and aware of issues at the town and school levels, forms long-term habits of civic engagement. GAM: Did your experience at Falmouth Academy influence your interest in public service? DF: At FA students are respected and treated like fellow community members which was a stark contrast to the bureaucratic detachment I often felt at the public high school. At its heart, politics is personal and Falmouth Academy’s emphasis on building relationships and strengthening community bonds laid the foundation for my pursuit of public service. My love for the AthensSparta debate may have also piqued my interest!
When one thinks of civics at Falmouth Academy, a long list of people, activities, and traditions come to mind. But the many accomplishments of alumna Micaela (Mica) SchweitzerBluhm ’90, might put her firmly at the forefront. As was written in her FA senior yearbook, “A model for us all, Mica is sure to make a mark.” And she has…all over the world.
A career member of the U.S. Foreign Service, Schweitzer-Bluhm holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies from the National War College. Currently the Diplomat in Residence for the Northwest, she is now responsible for engagement and recruitment throughout northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Prior to this post, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia. During her 23-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, Schweitzer-Bluhm has worked at the U.S. embassies in Zagreb, Cairo, Baghdad, Tunis and Kathmandu and at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, where she was the Public Affairs Officer and spokesperson for the Consulate. In Washington, DC, she was a Watch Officer in the Department of State’s Operations Center and later was the Operations Center Deputy Director responsible for the Crisis Management Unit. Early in her career, she served as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Above: As Deputy Chief of Mission in Skopje, North Macedonia, Mica Schweitzer-Bluhm ’90 delivers a 4th of July speech in 2019. The GAM
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GAM: Why did you pursue a career in diplomatic service? MS-B: I’ve always loved learning about different parts of the world, different cultures, and people. I knew I wanted a job that would allow me to explore and see the world. I also grew up in a family that held civic participation and contributions to one’s community in high regard. I knew whatever work I pursued would need to feel purposeful and contribute to the welfare of my community—local, national, or global. It wasn’t until I returned from Cameroon, where I studied abroad in my junior year at Brown, that I learned about Foreign Service. I enjoyed talking with people there about the U.S., our diverse culture, our democracy, and our culture of civic responsibility and engagement. A professor recommended the Foreign Service as a way to continue doing that professionally. I realized it was the perfect combination of global adventure and public service that I sought. GAM: What in your Falmouth Academy experience had an impact on your desire to pursue this career? MS-B: Falmouth Academy has always promoted a strong sense of civic responsibility in its students and fostered a strong sense of community within its halls. In our classes and in our activities, we were taught to see our school community within the larger picture of Falmouth, Cape Cod, the country, and the world. At FA, I learned to value cultural exchange and the opportunity it gives to foster mutual understanding between people of different countries. When I served in Iraq, I realized we needed host institutions for Iraqi students participating in our U.S.-sponsored exchange program. I immediately turned to FA, knowing that they would enthusiastically welcome an Iraqi student. [Nota Bene: Exchange student Ruba Ali graduated from Falmouth Academy in 2006.] GAM: Can you describe the types of things you have done? Are your job and the mission the same in every posting? MS-B: Within the Foreign Service, we call ourselves Foreign Service Generalists. This is because we are expected to meet whatever the need is at the time and to master whatever job we are given. In my various assignments, I have managed our 20
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“Falmouth Academy is a strong community, full of service-minded individuals. There is a proud tradition at this school of a commitment to public service. I bring that spirit with me wherever I go in the world.” —Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm ’90 Speech to Falmouth Academy audience after receiving the Alumni Service Award, June 2004
CHRONOLOGY Kathmandu, Nepal
Consular and Political Officer
Washington DC
Watch Officer
Washington, DC
Staff Assistant, Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs
Tunis, Tunisia
Arabic Language School
Cairo, Egypt
Cultural Affairs Officer
Baghdad, Iraq Jerusalem
Public Diplomacy Officer U.S. Consulate General Public Affairs Officer and spokesperson for the Consulate
Zagreb, Croatia
Regional Economic Officer
Washington, DC
Deputy Director for Crisis Management Support, Operations Center
Skopje, North Macedonia
Deputy Chief of Mission
San Francisco, CA
Diplomat in Residence, Northwest United States
CENTERPIECE
Left: Schweitzer-Bluhm reviews the joint U.S.-North Macedonia military exercise with Defense Minister Radmilla Shekerinska. Above (l-r): On tour, Schweitzer-Bluhm conducts a briefing with Iraqi journalists in 2004; in Ramallah at an election breakfast in 2008 and in Jerusalem; in Dubrovnik, Croatia with Ambassador Jim Foley and the Embassy team after opening the 2011 Brown Forum for over 200 participants including business leaders from the region.
public engagement and all our public diplomacy programs, from exchanges to media to cultural and speaker programs to education and English language programs. I have also performed consular work, facilitating legal travel to the U.S., immigration efforts, and assisting U.S. citizens abroad with routine and emergency services. I have also served as a political officer and as an economic officer. In Washington, DC, my two tours in the Operations Center involved monitoring developing events around the world, anticipating and preparing for crises, and coordinating the U.S. government response to those crises. In each position, the overarching mission is to support U.S. diplomatic engagement and to advance U.S. interests worldwide. In each country, that can involve a slightly different focus and approach. One of the things I love about being a Foreign Service Officer is that I am pushed to master a new job, set of issues, country, and language every two to three years. It’s meant a life of learning. It also keeps you humble, as you challenge yourself in every tour to learn, grow, and excel, and to recognize the limits of your knowledge and the advantages of working within a team. GAM: Can you talk about the training you go through in general, and for each posting? MS-B: The Department of State really invests in its people, giving us a range of professional training and educational opportunities. In addition to job-specific training for the various work I’ve done, I’ve received language training, management and leadership training, communications training, security and safety training, and area familiarization training. I attended graduate school at the National War College as well. I’ve spent a total of three-and-a-half years as a full-time language student during my Foreign Service career and have studied Macedonian, Arabic, French, and Nepali. I love learning languages and have enjoyed being able to communicate with people in their own language in the various countries in which we have lived. GAM: How do you measure success? MS-B: An embassy is a team, and we work collaboratively to advance U.S. interests and represent the U.S. on foreign soil. On my first assignment overseas, I worked for an exceptional Deputy Chief of Mission, who led our embassy with vision and inspired
us all to perform at our best. My individual professional goal was to someday also serve as a Deputy Chief of Mission and to try my best to emulate her. I was fortunate enough to be given such an opportunity on my last tour. GAM: What aspects of your Falmouth Academy experience prepared you for your work? MS-B: The focus on writing! In the Foreign Service, we write A LOT. Knowing how to write well, write persuasively and clearly, and in different styles is essential. These are all things I learned at Falmouth Academy. As I have seen colleagues work to adapt their writing to meet expectations and standards within the Department of State, I’ve been enormously grateful for the exceptional foundation in writing that Falmouth Academy gave me. GAM: Would you recommend working for the State Department? Why? MS-B: Absolutely! My current assignment as a Diplomat in Residence is entirely about promoting student and professional opportunities with the U.S. Department of State and coaching people through the process of applying. After serving as Deputy Chief of Mission in Skopje, I wanted to take an assignment that allowed me to give back to the institution that gave me incredible opportunities, nurtured, and challenged me. As a Diplomat in Residence, each day I encourage people to pursue careers, internships, and fellowships with the Department of State. The work is meaningful and fascinating. Our careers.state.gov website is full of great information about student opportunities and professional work, at home and abroad. GAM: Are there areas in the world you’d like to return to? MS-B: Each city in which we have lived has become home and we would love to visit again. At the same time, there are so many parts of the world I have yet to see. Every time our “bid list” of available positions comes out, it is like Christmas morning, as we explore the many interesting places to go and jobs to do. At the beginning of my career, I could not have predicted the path of amazing cities in which I have lived and worked. I still have a “wish list” of places in which I have always wanted to serve. To do all those, though, would take several lifetimes! The world is an endless opportunity to explore and in which to delight. The GAM
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MARINER STARS
GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER Coach Ben Parsons “Our three senior captains anchored the defense of a young team that is poised for growth in the coming years. Their leadership brought cohesion and energy to every practice and game and, even faced with significant challenges, they embodied the best ideals of FA athletics.” Team Sportsmanship Award Division All-Star Ainsley Ramsey ’20 (pictured) Honorable Mention Casandra Douglass ’20 Sportsmanship Award Bailey Jordan ’20
BOYS VARSITY SOCCER Coach Alex Nestor “Cody Feldott ’22 was one of the few players unanimously nominated and one of only two sophomores. He deserves this award and I am proud not only of his achievement on the field but his attitude and effort. This season we had an incredibly young team, with many ninth and tenth graders. Cody earned All-Star honors after finishing third in the division in goals with a total of eight for the season. Our team was also honored with the coaches’ sportsmanship award. This award, while it does not show on the score sheet, depicts the character of the boys in our program. There is a lot of positive energy within the boys soccer program, and we are very optimistic about the future.” Division All-Star and recognized for being the third-highest scorer Cody Feldott ’22 (pictured) Honorable Mention Max Djikaev ’20 Sportsmanship Award Ben Mihalovich ’22
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CAPE & ISLANDS LEAGUE AWARDS At the end of each season, the league’s coaches meet and recognize exceptional players and teams, both for skill and sportsmanship. Congratulations to our outstanding players.
BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL Coach Tyrone Croom We came into the season with high hopes with a senior-laden roster, six seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, and one freshman. Overall, I felt that we experienced some growing pains adapting to new systems and roles on the team. I think we came a long way with our ability to compete, but we lost a lot of close games and games we had close at the half. Offensively the Mariners were led by guard Rob Ciaffoni who averaged 10.7 points per game, including a 26-point career-high against Cavalry. Ciaffoni was a solid force on both ends of the court. Other scoring leaders include senior forward Dylan Kadison (6.5 ppg, careerhigh 20 pts vs CCT), Chandler DeBarros (4.1 ppg), and James Goldbach ’21 (3.6 ppg). Positives from this season: two players scored more than 100 points, offensively the team scored more points in a season than the last five seasons. Defensively, the team held opponents’ point total under the average for the last five seasons. Stats like these show that we are moving in the right direction. Cape and Islands League All-Star Robbie Ciaffoni ’20 (pictured) Team Awards With Comments from Coach Croom Coaches Award—Chandler DeBarros “We will miss Chandler. He was a steadying influence on everyone and completed every assignment he was given.” Hustle Award—Dylan Kadison “The energy and excitement Dylan brought throughout the season will be missed.” Most Improved—Ben Mihalovich “Ben worked his way into the starting lineup. When he asserts himself, he can be a difference-maker. It was nice to see him develop and we look forward to seeing that development.”
Other members of the team this season were Marco Farina ’20, Quincy Boardman ’20, Arian Islam ’20, Gray Augat ’20 Jack DiFalco-Wheeler ’22, Matt Coggins ’23, and Cam MacLean ’21 who suffered a season-ending injury early in the season.
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MARINER STARS
GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL Coach Kyla Krueger It was twelve weeks of laughter and hard work as a respectful and intelligent team of female student-athletes shared lessons of life and sport. The season did not last as long as we wanted it to, however, I see our season as a success. Making it into the state tournament once again this year was not an easy task, however, the team pushed themselves to get there. Our “Finish Strong” mentality was evident in our effort on the court and in the classroom. This 12-member team saw itself receive seven awards during the annual FA science fair, showing they were skilled both on the court and in the classroom. Our accomplishments continued into the off-season when two players were chosen as League All-Stars, Team Captain Ainsley Ramsey ’20 and Leah Croom ’24. Ramsey and Croom represented Falmouth Academy all season as strong competitors and good sports. Ainsley will be carrying on in her pursuit of a degree from Bowdoin College where her physical ability will be tested on the lacrosse field next year as a collegiate athlete. Leah Croom has four years ahead of her as a Mariner, where I hope to engage her physically and mentally to show what hard work and a positive attitude can bring to a team. Cape and Islands League All-Star Ainsley Ramsey ’20 Cape and Islands League All-Star Leah Croom ’24 (pictured)
Cross Country Club’s First Season Coach Kaleigh Sullivan
Looking back on the first day of practice to where the season ended, it is easy to see great improvement and dedication. We had 14 runners participating this inaugural year, the majority being 8th through 10th graders. Although we only had a handful of meets,
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mostly against Cape Cod Academy, we did our best to get involved in any invitational meets we could as a “club” sport. During the first week of practice, I had the runners run a timed mile, which served as a starting point. Throughout the season we practiced running in Beebe Woods and Trotting Park and took advantage of the bike path for longer runs. Running 400 and 800-meter intervals, mile repeats, and hills, the runners got stronger each week. At first, running 2 miles was exhausting, but after a while, the kids enjoyed running farther and farther down the bike path, exceeding their previous distances. It was clear to see the runner’s determination, especially on rainy and cold days. Their hard work improved their 5K running times by 2-3 minutes, and mile times for everyone improved. By the end of October, not only were the runners improving as individuals but they were becoming tighter as a team, and as friends. The team’s sportsmanship and camaraderie made me proud. It was enjoyable getting to know each runner and working towards meeting their personal goals while watching the team coalesce. I am looking forward to next fall as we transition from club to team, competing in the MIAA division.
Other Mariner News
Congratulations to Emma Fletcher ’20 who signed her National Letter of Intent to attend Baylor University and ride with the Division One Equestrian Team next fall. Emma is one to watch, placing in the top 25 and then the top 6 out of 179 riders, ultimately taking 4th place in the ASPCA Maclay National Championship at the National Horse Show on November 2. She also earned the Leo Conroy Equitation Grant to participate in this championship. Earlier in October, Emma placed 6th at the 61st MARS International Horse Show in Washington, DC, and placed 1st at the 2019 USEF Dover Medal National Equitation Championship in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Connor Mercer ’23 took third place competing in the Men’s Compound Cadet 2019 MA State Indoor and Junior Olympic Archery Development Program (JOAD) on December 9. In February, he competed in the threeday competition for the 51st USA Archery JOAD Nationals and Indoor Nationals.
Hannah Brazil ’22 headed to Lancaster, PA with her team, U16 Blue Cape Cod Field Hockey Club, to play in the Field Hockey National Indoor Tournament (NIT). As goalie, Hannah helped her team qualify for this very competitive tournament during the National Indoor Qualifiers held at Smith College in December. This is the second time her team has made it to the NIT. Her mom Beth said, “Although they didn’t win, Hannah’s team played very well, but it was definitely a goalie’s showcase.”
Bianca Greco ’23 ran in the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin after qualifying for this race by placing 7th in her age group at the 2019 USATF New England Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. She placed 15th in the regional and 46th in the national championships.
College Athletes from the Class of 2020
Ryan Waite ’21 (above, center), with teammates from Falmouth and Nashua, NH, qualified for the U18 Curling National Championships scheduled to be held on March 17-22 in Wausau, Wisconsin. The 2020 tournament was postponed, and ultimately canceled, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We congratulate the following seniors who have committed to playing for their colleges in the upcoming year. Max Djikaev Soccer, Clark University Emma Fletcher Equestrian, Baylor University Ainsley Ramsey Lacrosse, Bowdoin College The GAM
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ALUMNI NEWS 1980s
2000s
Congratulations to Christine Pina ’86 and her son Arthur, who was chosen to play hockey for Team USA at the Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, in January. “I am an incredibly proud mom!” The 17-man roster played Canada, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Switzerland. They went 3-0-0-1 and fell, 4-0, to Russia in the gold-medal game to earn silver.
1990s
Best wishes to Yuki Honjo ’90, Chief Operating Officer of McLane Labs, who joined the inaugural national board of the Society of Women in Marine Science. “Being able to be part of this ride, in which this group of visionary scientists changes the world and helps open opportunities to women, minorities, and their allies, is truly one of the most exciting events in my professional career. The amazing scientists who actually run SWMS have taken a small group from Woods Hole into a national movement. I am so proud of this group and their accomplishments.” Yuki is seen here with McLane Labs engineer Charlie Perry and FA students Michael Zitomer ’23 and Connor Jones ’20 during FA’s Career Exploration Day when the students were able to work with professionals in their places of business. 26
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Peter MacDonald ’06 and his business partner Joe Schnare announced that their startup, Wunderite, was selected as one of ten new companies to be mentored by Techstars, a business accelerator that helps new startups get off the ground. Wunderite automates insurance applications. It was conceived by Peter when he worked at his family’s insurance business, Murray & MacDonald, but expanded upon when he and Joe were MBA candidates in Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. (Peter and his brother, Philip MacDonald ’09 are holding the sign in the first row of the photo.) In January Head of Principle & Impact for The Carlyle Group, Megan Starr ’06, was featured in an interview with Traders Network Show Host Matt Bird, live from the Greenwich Economic Forum, a global alternative investment industry conference that convenes some of the brightest minds in global finance for discussions on global trade, capital markets and investing—representing more than $17 trillion. They discussed the direction of where ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) funding is headed. ESG is a term used by investors to evaluate corporate behavior and determine future financial performance. In the interview, Megan noted that we’re seeing more values-based investing. “We’re in the business of buying good companies and turning them into great companies. Great companies create sustainable economic value. We’re at a pivotal point for capitalism. What was really a part of the niche market is becoming more mainstream.”
Alumni Expertise Connects Students Past and Present Academic Dean Dr. Petra Ehrenbrink put out the word that she needed help instructing faculty how to use Flipgrid during the Covid-19 Quarantine, and alumni answered the call. Thank you to Mike Deasy ’10, Rachel Dragos ’12, Camden Emery ’19, Megan Flory ’17, Mary Kate Jones ’17, Tessa Mastroiani ’15, Jeffrey Moon ’92, Lily Patterson ’14, Mark Russell ’80, Alissya Silva ’18, Laura Swanbeck ’04, Charlotte Van Voorhis ’16, and Eliza Van Voorhis ’17. Sharing a snippet of quarantine life, Tessa Mastroiani ’15, a nurse at Mass General Hospital, said, “They said the first year of nursing was the hardest, but I don’t think they anticipated anything like this. It’s a weird time to be a nurse, but I’m sure it’s a weird time to be a teacher. We’ll get through it.”
2010s
Did you catch a familiar face on the CBS daytime drama “The Young and the Restless?” That was Marie Oldenbourg ’10, a redhead now, playing the role of Kendra, a double-crossing office assistant, in four episodes in March. Marie also appeared in the Netflix series Hollywood. You can catch a glimpse of her as Susan Hayward in the scenes at the Oscars.
Medical school student Thomas Aviles ’12 matched to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with his new wife Priscilla Tang in early March. Thomas and Priscilla are students at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Shortly after the match, they were married during the Covid-19 quarantine, with his family and sisters Catherine ’14 and Stephanie ’17 in attendance.
Eliza Van Voorhis ’17 was named captain of the women’s soccer team at Middlebury College. The 9th ranked team in Division III at the end of the regular season, the Panthers compiled a record of 14-3-3 this year and advanced to the regional final in the NCAA tournament. Eliza, a junior, was also named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) AllAcademic team for the fall season.
Alumni Help Judge 2020 FA Science and Engineering Fair
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A group of alumni served as judges for the 32nd annual Science & Engineering Fair in February. Their expertise ranged from psychology to landscaping to engineering to marine science to autism. First row: Amy (Harris) Cummings ’92, Chris Buccino ’02, Jenny (Olson) Putnam ’83, senior substitutes Ellie Mattison ’20 and Bailey Jordan ’20; and second row: Stephen Sheinkopf ’84, Katie Armstrong ’15, Keegan Krick ’12, Scott Brown ’89, Allisa Dalpe ’12, and Kyle Benton ’12. SPRING 2020
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ALUMNI NEWS Exploring Careers with Alumni Hosts Upper School students had the opportunity to shadow adult professionals in their work environments during Career Exploration Day in March, and alumni were eager to participate as hosts. Keegan Krick ’12, Molecular Biology Researcher at MIT (right, with seniors Ava Poole and Izzy Santamauro), introduced students to some basic molecular biology techniques— PCR, gel electrophoresis, pipetting, and some fundamentals of restriction cloning. “I hoped they would see some high level research and also understand how the scientific method is applied in academic research.”
Robert Courson ’06, Data Analytics and Reporting at Liberty Mutual Insurance (far left, with Sophia Venetis ’22 and Soren Peterson ’22) shared running and scoring machine learning models, and how to craft a business narrative and actionable insights from predictive data. They later met for lunch with Wunderite start-up founder Peter MacDonald ’06 and Ellamae Cazeault ’21 (left).
State Representative Dylan Fernandes ’08 hosted sophomores Tasha Sudofsky ’20 and Sarah Thieler ’22 (right). Hoping the students would get a feel for day-to-day duties at the State House, Dylan showed them how he responds to constituents, works on policy initiatives, and plans for meetings. Andrew Kingman ’00, Privacy Law Attorney at DLA Piper, and recently named as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” in MA by Mass. Lawyers Weekly said, “It was incredibly fun to host Ruby (Gaetani ’21) this year. I am always so pleasantly surprised by how personable and engaged FA students are, and I enjoyed being able to share a bit about my work with a student as well. We talked about the privacy implications around facial recognition technology and possible privacy issues surrounding the COVID-19 virus. She was also able to join a conference call with other lobbyists as we prepared for a call with the Vermont Attorney General’s office.”
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Alumni Share College & Career Experiences Nearly 25 alumni returned to FA on the morning of December 20 to moderate roundtable discussions for juniors and seniors about their experiences in college and their careers during Alumni College & Career Networking Day at Falmouth Academy. A very special thank you to Ray Bartlett ’88, Becky Butler ’19, Marco Catapovic ’10, Isabel Davern ’17, Dylan Fernandes ’08, Bella Ferreira ’19, Maddie Francis ’19, Ian Hinkle ’19, Mary Kate Jones ’17, Sarah Kerr ’19, Leah Littlefield ’19, Emma Keeler ’19,
Amelia McCabe ’19, Anna Metri ’19, Samuel Perry ’19, Grace Russell ’19, Hannah Stillman ’19, Alexei Sudofsky ’18, David Thieler ’19, Charlotte Van Voorhis ’16, Heather Wang ’19, and Samira Wolfe ’18. Their topics included The First-Year Experience, College Life, Studying Abroad, Criminology, Design, Politics, Science and Writing. If you are interested in participating next December, please contact Barbara Campbell.
In Memorium It is with deep sadness that we report the loss of two members of our alumni family – Tim Sennott ’03 and Scott Callagy ’87. Tim passed away on January 21, 2020. He took a gap year before college to walk the Appalachian Trail and then graduated magna cum laude with a BS from Santa Clara University. He was the president of the Green Club and the Chief Engineer on Santa Clara’s entry—Refract House for Team California—into the 2009 Solar Decathlon, a U.S. Department of Energy program, which won third place. He received the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer award and the Senior Design Presentation award at Santa Clara. Tim earned his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of California, Berkeley, where he won a number of fellowships. While at Berkeley, he developed, with his team, a technology that will result in a patent for Recirculating Noble Gas Internal Powers Cycles. He co-founded Noble Thermodynamic Systems, Inc. and was most recently employed at DNV GL in Oakland as a Data Scientist. He visited FA in the fall (photo above) and taught a Python programming class one day. Our students were charmed and fascinated. https://tinyurl.com/svvhsg7
Scott passed away on March 22, 2020. Most recently a resident of Dallas, TX, he graduated from Falmouth Academy and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Roger Williams College where he played varsity soccer. Scott is survived by his wife Monique, his two daughters, Kathleen and Brooke, and his sister Kristen Callagy ’92 and other family members. https:// tinyurl.com/s5x8u7g
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ALUMNI NEWS Creativity, Content, & Consistency: The Life of a Pop Marketing Manager What does it take to be a pop marketing manager for a major record company? A lot of carefully built layers of experience stitched with the multitasking gene and an innate sensibility to recognize and market the “it” factor. When Chloe Brake ’12 was a sophomore at New York University, a Global Liberal Studies major, she happened upon a class called Business Structure of the Music Industry, and it changed her life… and her major. Changing her trajectory, she studied the business of entertainment, and in a few months, she found herself interviewing for a highly coveted and competitive internship at Universal Music Group, home of Def Jam, Interscope and Island Records. Chloe earned the internship and became an assistant to Monte Lipman, founder and CEO of the world’s top record label, Republic Records. From then until graduation, Chloe had an industry-related internship every year ending with Casablanca Records, the dance and electronic music subsidiary of Republic, where she began full-time employment after graduation and worked with artists like BENEE, SG Lewis, Don Diablo, and Tiësto. She has since moved to the Republic Marketing team and manages a full-time roster of developing pop artists, including Picture This, Oh Wonder, Ryland James, and Kailee Morgue. She’s hoping some of her charges will earn recognition at future Grammy Awards as ‘Best New Artist.’ “I wish we could say there’s a triedand-true strategy that leads to an artist’s success,” said Chloe, “but if that was the case everyone would be doing it.” She noted that it’s imperative to understand the goals and needs of your artist, and map out a long-term plan that accounts for any number of possibilities. Republic was named Label of the Year in 2019 and while Chloe says many call the company lucky, “we like to flip that and say luck is when preparation meets opportunity. The success of a campaign is contingent on all the departments working in harmony.” She says there is no golden formula, but “we all pay attention to what works to maximize the exposure and success 30
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of an artist.” For example, consistency in a release schedule is important for a developing artist in the early stages of their career with little fan awareness. “We try to target putting out a song or project every six weeks to increase engagement across all platforms. This triggers algorithms which become really important, from gaining more Instagram followers to increasing monthly listeners on Spotify.” At the same time, Chloe said, “there is also the ‘It’ factor, when a record is so
incredible that consumers instantly react and the artist’s fan base and streaming numbers begin to explode organically.” She added, “All it takes is a hit, and then the real work begins—maintaining audience retention. You have to continue to give consumers something to care about and create a lifetime career for that artist.” Noting that many independent artists have the resources and finesse to reach amazing levels of success on their own, Chloe said being associated with a label
is still considered a vital resource to an artist’s career. “It’s such an innovative and inspiring time to be an independent artist. Though for those who have aspirations of achieving global superstardom to the extent of the world’s best (Post Malone, Drake, Taylor Swift, etc.), a partnership with a label becomes essential.” With vast networks, labels are a crucial resource to the artists, allowing them to form strong connections with key partners from various media, streaming services, radio stations and more. “The amount of manpower and relationships available from a label are unparalleled. You want your record played on Top 40 radio stations in the United States? You need a label.” That’s where Chloe enters the picture. As a Pop Marketing Manager, she oversees the day-to-day implementation of marketing strategies to drive fan engagement and music consumption. She plans content creation, advertising campaigns, billboards, social media, strategic partnerships with major streaming services, and basically works to develop a streamlined, long-term strategy for an artist. “In the end,” said Chloe, “nothing is more rewarding than earning the trust of an artist and joining forces in their ascent. Everyone defines their own steps to success—from a ‘Best New Artist’ Grammy nomination to a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. I’m honored to be one of the people credited with helping our artists reach their goals.”
Above left: Chloe Brake ’12 presented a plaque for the song “Jackie Chan” by Tiesto and Dzeko and featuring Preme and Post Malone going platinum in the United States. Left: In her first solo-run photoshoot, Chloe had a helicopter and Shelby Cobra sports car on set (“which was super fun to coordinate”) and managed to have the artist Black Caviar, a DJ/Producer duo, interviewed in the open-door helicopter as they flew over New York City.
Working COVID-19 On the Front Lines 2015 Classmates Tessa Mastroianni and Kenzie Rogers are both first year nurses working at Mass General Hospital in Boston, and both are experiencing a trial by fire working with COVID-19.
Kenzie: This has been a very trying time for everyone. My floor was the first at Mass General to take on COVID patients and we have remained at full capacity (38 beds, all testing COVID positive) for about a month now. It is tough. I have seen colleagues quit in an effort to protect their families, colleagues get sick, colleagues send their children away until this pandemic quiets down. Patients passing away all alone. It is truly heartbreaking in a way I can’t even begin to describe. Tessa: I’m in my second week in one of the COVID ICUs in this newly established role of having two RNs to each patient. The ICU nurse is now able to manage more vents and titrate more sedatives per patient while I do what I can within my scope (meds, tube feeds, documenting, lab draws). Together we share 3-4 patients and that will likely increase as even more patients need to be intubated. Usually an ICU nurse would only have 1-2 patients so it’s an adjustment for everyone. Kenzie: It sort of feels like we are stuck in a revolving door. We go to work and become family to the patients who aren’t allowed any visitors. We come home and are socially isolated from our friends and family. Right now I am working 40-60 hours a week, which isn’t much different than normal, but
it is draining. The support we have been getting from the community is overwhelming. Fortunately, I am able to have such great colleagues (and other FA alums) in the trenches with me. We are tired and emotional and ready to go back to being normal humans again. It is such a whirlwind of emotions every day! We laugh and cry and scream and panic and then start all over again. Tessa: It’s been scary to watch healthy people in their 30s-60s just completely decompensate in minutes suddenly needing >6L O2 to maintain their oxygen level and end up being intubated. They’ve then had a very hard time getting people to wean off vents leading to a host of other problems. It’s a very long disease process. There’s no rhyme or reason as to who does well and who doesn’t. Kenzie: While all of this is hard, I am grateful to still have a job, and to be able to make such a difference in these patients’ lives. Many people say that we “signed up” for this, but I disagree. Nobody signs up for a pandemic. I am just hoping everyone is taking care of themselves and socially distancing the best that they can! All we can do is hope for the best at this point. Tessa: It’s a weird time but I’m thankful to still have a job; hopefully it can be over soon. The GAM
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PEOPLE OF FA Dana Miskell Joins the Student Support Team Falmouth Academy has a new addition to the Student Support team: Dana Miskell came on board in late December, providing help to students in Math 7 and Geometry. Helen Reuter, who heads up Academic Support, is delighted to have Miskell join the team. “Dana possesses the perfect combination of empathy, humility, and patience to be a great tutor.” She also describes him as a true team player. “He immediately embraced the collegiality of the FA faculty, discussing approaches to tutoring and concerns about students with me and regularly sitting in on Ed Lott’s and Henry Stevens’ classes to make sure he understood exactly how the teachers taught skills and concepts.” According to Reuter, Miskell’s care and dedication have earned him unanimous acceptance and respect from students and faculty alike. Miskell’s seamless transition to Falmouth Academy culture, however, is not surprising. His connections with the school run deep. Not only are his two children, Brian ’06 and Bridget ’07, alumni, and his wife Eileen a Trustee Emerita, Miskell taught Geometry in the school’s inaugural year. For the following three years, he added 7th grade math and Algebra 1 to his teaching repertoire and also served as FA’s first soccer coach for a team, which was, in true FA spirit, not only coed but also a middle- and high-school blended team.
Goodbye and Goodluck, Coach Nestor Sharon Kreamer
From the moment Alex Nestor set foot on the Falmouth Academy campus this fall he connected with students both inside and outside the classroom. Within weeks his work with the boys’ varsity soccer team earned him the respect and admiration of his players, who always called him “Coach” as they eagerly contributed to class discussions in Alex’s math classes. In the classroom, he has the natural ability to make even the most complex of equations or processes understandable, coaxing students to think beyond the numbers and to look at how math applies to their everyday lives and the things they care about. Sharing from his own real-life experiences, Alex weaves math, common sense, and humor into each class period: whether it be taking students to the gym to shoot hoops as they learned about parabolic equations, or teaching students about the true odds of winning big in the lottery. Alex challenges students to step out of their comfort zone and dig deeper as they wrestle with mastering math. Sharing a classroom with Alex has been inspiring, and it has been great to see students have many “Ah-ha!” moments as they discover that they can confidently complete the math problems at hand thanks to Alex’s dedicated guidance and analogies. As one student aptly put it, “I never thought I would ever say this, but not only do I like doing math this year, but it is actually fun!” Nestor will be leaving after the academic year to join the math department at The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware. He will also coach boys varsity soccer in the fall and girls varsity soccer in the spring. At FA, Nestor taught Algebra 1A, Algebra 2 A and B, and BC Calculus. He also coached boys varsity soccer and girls middle school basketball and was an advisor and tutor. When talking about his upcoming move, Nestor said “While being away from my own family in New Jersey, FA has been a family to me. I’ve appreciated being part of this community especially as a first-year teacher. I will miss my colleagues and students but trust the relationships will remain. And, Delaware is only a few states away.”
After I broke my clavicle and couldn’t play the rest of the soccer season Coach Nestor told me, “Your mistakes will teach you more than I can.” This came a few weeks after he shared a story with my math class about his first car accident and how much more he appreciated life after the accident. He was a teacher I could not only relate to but look up to. —Howard Keeler ’22
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Celebrating Our Seniors
Marite Burns, Molding Her Future After FA When Marite Burns retired from the Sandwich School District after teaching for more than 30 years, she soon realized she wasn’t quite ready to hang up her apron and stop shaping young minds over a potters’ wheel. In 2006, Burns joined Falmouth Academy’s Arts Department as a ceramics teacher to the good fortune of her students and colleagues. “It has been my pleasure to work alongside such a dedicated and talented artist,” says photography teacher Susan Moffat. “She’s also an ardent activist for social justice, which I deeply respect—she stands up for what she believes in.” Although Burns has brought so much to the ceramics elective, including a new kiln, she will likely not slow down much after her second official retirement. “She’s interested in so many things and lives life fully,” says studio art teacher Lucy Nelson. “She gardens, cooks, travels and has grandbabies to care for. While I will miss her, I wish her well.” As a part-time teacher of an elective, not everyone had the opportunity to experience Burn’s dry sense of humor and her generosity, both of which were greatly appreciated by her students. Rumor has it she baked her own birthday cake and brought it in to share with her students. “She has a heart of gold and I will miss her,” says Moffat.
The Class of 2020 ends its time at Falmouth Academy in unusual circumstances. That situation sums up this class in one word: unusual, but in the best meaning of the word! Whether it was in the classroom, on the playing field, or in dramatic or musical productions, the Class of 2020 leaves a distinctive impression on the Falmouth Academy community. Their quirkiness has been undeniable from their unabashed Spirit Week presentations and tug-of-war success to bringing their special brand of off-beat all-school meeting announcements. I will especially miss interactions with them in the locker area, from conversations about politics and government to playfully making fun of their behavior and comments, and receiving the same in return, to my disbelief at some of the outfits that they managed to create for Spirit Week or just on any old day. I must admit to being embarrassed and flattered as they saluted me frequently in the locker area of their junior year, singing the national anthem and nicknaming me, “supreme leader Swanbeck,” though it was tough to feel “supreme” around them sometimes. They are more talented than they imagine. In that same junior year, their Spirit Week emblem became a big red heart with all of their names on it, a symbol that belied their reputation. But that is the way that I will always remember them. —Don Swanbeck, Class of 2020 Adviser
Ms. Burns is a unique and talented mentor. She tells things like it is and has the best metaphors for working with clay. She has helped me find a true passion for ceramics and has taught me to mold this passion into vessels on the wheel. I wish her the best in retirement! —Izzy Santamauro ’20
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Celebrating Our Seniors
Gray Augat
Quincy Boardman
Robbie Ciaffoni
Loving his friends unconditionally, Gray will not hesitate to help, no matter what. Both whimsical and mature, steady and unpredictable, he is full of the sort of passion that makes me very proud to call him my friend.
There’s something much more to Quincy than his height or his love of skateboarding and music or his historical talent, and it’s that something that makes me more than proud to call him my friend.
Rob’s energy and carefree nature, as well as his quieter concern for others, make him a great, passionate teammate and a positive member of our class, one who can take a joke and is always quick with a relaxed smile.
Chandler DeBarros
Max Djikaev
Casandra Douglass
Ethan Fan
Chandler is incredibly supportive. Perhaps his greatest trick is putting a smile on a person’s face without even trying.
Max’s diverse talents and interests, as well as his ability to relate to and respect others’ opinions, make him a great person to get to know. Always there to help his friends whenever they need it, Max is a rare personality, truly one of a kind.
Casandra seems to excel at whatever she tries. I find myself in awe of her motivation, of the way she seems to be driven by something besides outside pressure.
Ethan sees the world as full of opportunities, chances to explore other cultures or possible paths he wishes to embark on in his future. However, he knows opportunities and goals come with hard work, a force that drives him. Given how he is one of everyone’s biggest supporters when you get to know him, Ethan’s last name, Fan, couldn’t suit him better.
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Marco Farina
Lukas Fenske
Emma Fletcher
No one understands me more than Marco does. He is one of the smartest kids that I have ever met, and his easy-going intelligence has been a gift to me and to our whole class. I can honestly say that I don’t think I’d still be at Falmouth Academy if it weren’t for Marco, and I can’t thank him enough.
Most people would describe Lukas as quiet, but you wouldn’t say that if you truly got to know him. Lukas is a skilled conversationalist at heart and is a great debater as well. Lukas doesn’t let anything change or control him, and he is one of the nicest and toughest friends I know because of it.
Emma has one of the most loving personalities of all the people I have met. She is sincere, thoughtful, and loyal. Emma is consistently there for me, someone I can confide in, and someone who never fails to cheer me up.
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Liadan Gallagher
Isabel Heard
Arian Islam
Liadan naturally thinks first about her friends, naturally goes out of her way to make them happy and comfortable, and for this, I truly admire and respect her.
Isabel is someone you always want to have on your team. Out on the field, Isabel is not afraid to get aggressive to help lead her team to victory. She will kick and fight for the ball, then immediately apologize.
Arian’s balanced approach to life, the ease with which he moves back and forth between seriousness and humor, makes him a good worker, a good student, and a good friend.
Connor Jones
Bailey Jordan
Dylan Kadison
Lilly Kurelja
Connor consistently exhibits his genuine and kind personality, and no matter what difficulties or obstacles are thrown at him, he will find a way to enjoy them and help others see the good in them as well.
I must have used up all my luck to have Bailey as one of my best friends. I believe that Bailey will do great things because she is one of the most intelligent and independent people I have met.
Dylan has learned to use his ideas and his drive to make those ideas a reality in order to help better himself and help better the community around him.
Lilly is hyper-aware of other people’s emotions and feelings so that they feel listened to rather than brushed off. When she joins in on a conversation, her kind and embracing persona brings a genuine and tangible energy to the table. This is Lilly: thoughtful, compassionate, humble, and kind-hearted.
Chloe Lapierre
Kenzy Markello
Ellie Mattison
After knowing Chloe for five years, I am more than proud to call her one of my best friends. She is one of the kindest, funniest, sweetest people I have ever met and just as she has served as a guiding light for us at FA, so she will continue throughout her life to light the way for those who need it.
Kenzy loves to bring people together and to put smiles on everyone’s face. She tries her hardest to create a perfect plan, whether a party or a simple get-together. It might not be a large group—in fact, maybe it is just you coming over—but Kenzy still puts her best foot forward to make your day special.
No matter what I’m struggling with, somehow Ellie always has the solution. Maybe she is so good at giving advice because she is also so good at listening. She’ll listen patiently while I talk about any situation I’m in and only then will she share an opinion with my best interest in mind. The GAM
SPRING 2020
35
Celebrating Our Seniors
John McDowell
Emily McKeon
Celeste O’Brien
John is a polite, down-to-earth guy, honest and reliable. Embodying the phrase “a gentleman and a scholar,” John has a sort of classy air to him that is rare. He is just a great guy to be around.
Emily will laugh if you’re laughing and cry if you’re crying. She understands the emotional connection a real friendship needs in order to be true.
With a quick hug, a smile as she passes in the halls, or even a thumbs up from across the classroom, Celeste gives attention to her classmates, as if continuously saying, I am here and I care about you.
Ava Poole
Ainsley Ramsey
Izzy Santamauro
Zephy Thompson
With her drive to create and connect, Ava can find the best in a situation and bring out goodness in the people around her. Ava’s heart might be fragile but it shines the brightest.
I look up to Ainsley, not just because of her incredible skills, but because of the kindness she shows to everyone. I truly admire how Ainsley approaches challenges with a smile and a can-do attitude. I know that she has a bright future ahead.
Izzy’s gracefulness extends beyond her warm nature into inspiring intelligence as well. Never boasting about herself and reliably kind, Izzy has become the backbone for our grade. Once you get to know her, you feel blessed to have such a friend who truly cares.
Zephy balances hilarity and seriousness with ease, drawing both her peers and audience in, sharing her world.
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The GAM
Iris Xia
Cather Zhang
Liming Zheng
Iris lives a life of balance. Driven by an inner sense of purpose and a pursuit of truth, she nevertheless keeps an outward smile on her face. We can’t help but feel its warmth.
With her balanced approach to life, both serious and spontaneous, Cather is an amazing person, and I am so lucky to be able to call her my friend.
Liming tackles problems head-on, with perseverance and determination that gets her to the root of any situation. She carries quiet grace wherever she goes.
SPRING 2020
Auction Under the Stars A Benefit Auction for Falmouth Academy
Spring 2020
Thank you
to our sponsors for their unwaivering support! Milky Way Sponsor
Planetary Sponsor
Constellation Sponsors
Star Sponsors
Mike & Kira Jones
This event would not be possible without generous contributions from the scores of parents, friends, and businesses who have provided the items for our auction.
E STAT E C A R E
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Brockton, MA Permit # 601
7 Highfield Drive Falmouth, MA 02540 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Printed on recycled paper, containing 10% post-consumer waste, that was harvested from responsibly managed forests. Printed with soy based inks.
Congratulations
to FA winners at the MA Science and Engineering Fair
Cather Zhang ’20 was awarded a first-place prize for her project, “Visual Function of ahr1b in Embryonic Danio rerio.” Three students were awarded second-place prizes: Sarah Thieler ’22, for “Microplastic Characterization in Surface Waters Near Pacific Islands,” Natalie Todd-Weinstein ’21, for “The Effect of Isolation on Pogonomyrmex Behavior,” and Ruby Gaetani ’21 for “Can Our Soil Take the Heat?” Alice Tan ’21 was awarded a third-place prize for her project, “Effects of Hurricane-Induced Increased Salinity on Agricultural Crops.” These young women were the only prize winners from Cape Cod.
Top (l-r): Cather Zhang, Sarah Thieler Bottom (l-r): Ruby Gaetani, Natalie Todd Weinstein, and Alice Tan
