Alumni News

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

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

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.

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

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: 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.

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 O 2 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.

Tessa: It’s a weird time but I’m thankful to still have a job; hopefully it can be over soon.

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

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.

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

Celebrating Our Seniors

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

Celebrating Our Seniors

Gray Augat

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.

Quincy Boardman

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.

Robbie Ciaffoni

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

Chandler is incredibly supportive. Perhaps his greatest trick is putting a smile on a person’s face without even trying.

Max Djikaev

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 Douglass

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 Fan

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.

Marco Farina

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.

Lukas Fenske

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 Fletcher

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.