Prepared for Life Spring 2018
Contents 2 Up Front 5 Classroom and Beyond 10 Centerpiece Prepared for Life: Stories of Falmouth Academy Alumni 18 Alumni News 22 Mariner Stars 24 Transitions
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 J. Robinson Wells, Head of School Michael J. Earley, Assistant Head of School Petra Ehrenbrink, Academic Dean Pamela Clapp Hinkle, Director of Development Julie Bradley, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management
Editorial Staff Amy Galvam, Director of Communications Barbara Campbell, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Design: Julianne Waite Photos: Susan Moffat, Amy Galvam, Barbara Campbell, Brenda Sharp, Helena Weare ’19, FA Archives
Mission
On the cover (photo courtesy of Brenda Sharp): The Alumni Soccer Game has been played the day after Thanksgiving for more than a decade. Dreamed up by the Gundersen (Katie ’06 and Alex ’09), Stokey (Leigh ’02 and Sarah ’06), and Allen (Rachel ’04 and Hannah ’09) families, the idea was to bring together current students with former teammates. It has since expanded to include alumni of all ages. Today, current Junior Varsity and Varsity players don pinnies and team up against returning alumni. The result is a solid game of fun, some sibling rivalry, and a few hot dogs thrown in for sustenance. Mr. Wells has reffed almost all the Alumni games until this past year when Mr. Parsons stepped in (see cover photo). To date, the alumni team has won the majority of the games, but in the last two years, the student team has prevailed. The final score of the 2017 game: students 4, alumni 1.
Corrections to The GAM: The Giving Issue, Fall 2017 Annual Fund donors Douglas Jones and Annie Dean should have been added to the giving lists for Faculty and Past Parents. Annual Fund donors Sheila and Michael Giancola should have been added to the Isti Mirant Stella Guild list. Timotj Cejka ’17 is attending the University of Manchester (England).
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
I
n a letter from the mid-19th century, William Cory, Master of Eaton, wrote: “You go to a great school not so much for knowledge as for arts and habits; for the habit of attention, for a new intellectual position, for the art of entering quickly into another person’s thoughts, for the habit of submitting to censure and refutation, for the art of indicating assent or dissent in graduated terms, for the habit of making minute points of accuracy, for the art of working out what is possible in a given time, for taste, for discrimination, for mental courage, and for mental soberness.”
This quotation was a favorite of long-time Falmouth Academy headmaster Bruce Buxton, and thus it seems fitting that it should begin an issue of The GAM devoted especially to alumni. Cory’s words come to mind, too, as I begin to reflect upon my time as Interim Head of School. I have particularly enjoyed gaining broader perspective and insight on the current world of independent education through conferences, relationships forged with other school leaders, and extensive reading on independent school challenges. What is apparent is that there is a great deal of discussion and angst about how to make schools relevant for the times. These discussions quickly come around to what schools need to be teaching, and how they should be teaching it, to prepare students for the economy of the 21st century. While I understand the motivations for such discussions, I question both the suggested purpose of learning and our ability to forecast the future. Terry Macaluso, Head of School at Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland, Washington, expresses some of my caution when she writes that “we coexist in a state of future anticipation that cannot be predicted but for which we claim (or are expected) to be preparing our students.” Macaluso goes on to say that, “Such anticipation is driving us to search for the next, new ‘it’ thing that will launch the next new ‘it’ acronym… In this way, we continue to fuel the race toward… what?” A good question. The most troubling answer implies that the proper function of education is to prepare a future workforce. The essayist, William Deresiewicz, attributes this seemingly growing view to the dominance of neoliberalism. Writing in Harper’s Magazine, Deresiewicz laments, “The purpose of education in a neoliberal age is to produce producers.” He sees a misguided tendency for schools to think about skills only in terms of what the future marketplace might want. For many schools, efforts towards 21st century relevance are likely to be all about Silicon Valley-born terms like innovation, design thinking, or creativity. Deresiewicz sees these as attributes currently in vogue only because they might serve a commercial purpose. He notes that in the value structure of neoliberalism, where worth is most likely to be an economic measure, “‘Creativity’ is not about becoming an artist.” His passionately made point is clear; the once-celebrated mission of schools to educate for a meaningful and well-lived life is being sacrificed based on questionable assumptions about the future. While I have real sympathy for this argument, I also think that the sides are not necessarily as mutually exclusive as Deresiewicz maintains. Methods borrowed from the various “innovation movements” might just as well be employed to provide a deeper humanistic education, and the skills of such an education will be well-suited to the future economy. When I read William Cory’s words closely, I cannot imagine a society that would not benefit, economically, politically, scientifically, from the arts and habits he urges schools to cultivate. If Falmouth Academy is to live its Mission Statement and prepare its students to confidently engage with the challenges of our times, Cory’s words are more timely now than ever. Sincerely,
J. Robinson Wells Head of School
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Up Front Communication Interns Falmouth Academy launched its first communication internship program this winter, offering juniors and seniors interested in writing, public relations, videography, and graphic design an opportunity to work with Advancement staff to hone their skills by promoting Falmouth Academy events and activities. Becky Butler ’19, Madelyne Francis ’19, Leni Draper ’19, Lexi Svarczkopf ’19, and Heather Wang ’19 wrote press releases, crafted articles for this edition of The GAM, designed concert programs, shot creative promotional videos, and brainstormed with staff about ways to enhance the school website. We thank our interns for their hard work and enthusiasm and look forward to offering the program again next year.
photo left to right: Angelique Kania, Rob Kania and Nick Kania '18; Charlie Fenske '18, James Melvin '18 and work crew
Scout’s Honor According to the Boy Scouts of America, only about 5% of all Boy Scouts ever earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Falmouth Academy is especially proud that three of its graduating seniors achieved this auspicious rank earlier this year. Charlie Fenske, Nick Kania, and James Melvin each fulfilled requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skill and advanced through the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. An Eagle Scout must demonstrate that they live by Scout Law, “to help other people at all times; to keep physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” They must demonstrate participation in increasingly more responsible service projects and set goals for themselves in line with their talents and abilities. 2
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To that end, each of these young men completed an Eagle Scout project of their own design to be of service to their community. Charlie built mahogany benches with his troop for the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society; Nick designed and built a garden for the Plymouth Area Coalition in Kingston serving families at risk for homelessness; and James revitalized the Maple Swamp Trails in Sandwich for hikers and conservationists. When asked about his accomplishment, James reflected, “The results of the Maple Swamp cleanup have been overwhelmingly positive, leaving me with only thankfulness for the outpouring of support that made this project possible.”
Healthcare Shadow Day by Leni Draper ’19
Friday, April 13th was one of those rare scheduled days off from school that students relish. Nevertheless, a handful of alarms, including my own, went off that morning. Eight of us got up early to venture out to local medical offices, hospitals, and fire stations to participate in Falmouth Academy’s first Healthcare Shadow Day organized by School Counselor Carol DiFalco. A career in the medical field may seem interesting or exciting but isn’t easily appreciated without first-hand experience. Ms. DiFalco designed this program to give students access to professionals with an aim towards broadening their understanding of career options in healthcare. Students were given a list of 11 shadow opportunities and asked to rank their interests. They were then matched with a professional. This pioneering group of students shadowed a radiologist, an EMT/ firefighter, a pediatrician, a general surgeon, and an obstetrician/ gynecologist. I was able to explore a field of medicine with which I initially had only a mild interest. I shadowed a pediatrician in a hospital working with newborns and their parents. Prior to Shadow Day, I couldn’t have seen myself supplying direct patient care, but after seeing such young children and speaking with their families, I saw how rewarding that type of career could be. The experience changed my outlook.
STUDENT
HOST PROFESSIONAL
FIELD
Madeleine Draper ’19 Madelyne Francis ’19 Isabelle Stewart ’18 Ellie Mattison ’20 Rebecca Cox ’18 Robert Ciaffoni ’20 Anna Metri ’19 Nick Kania ’18
Anna Ward, MD Larry Novak, MD Ann De Weer Aviles, MD Robb Hoehlein, MD Ried Heywood, MD Steven Atwood, VMD Anna Ward, MD Ray Reimold
Pediatrics General Surgery Pediatrics Radiology Obstetrics/Gynecology Veterinary Medicine Pediatrics EMT/Firefighting
30th Anniversary Celebration of Science
The original Falmouth Academy Science Fair logo was a linoleum cut designed by Ira Carmel ’89 on the occasion of FA’s inaugural science fair, held on March 17, 1989. The logo has been refreshed in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Fair, but retains its original whimsical representation of the depth and breadth of the research that is conducted by our students. Whether exploring the basic elements of life or building better rockets, our students’ curiosity about the world around them is reflected in this logo and in all the work presented each year.
On Thursday, February 22nd, Falmouth Academy rolled out a new name for its annual science fair in honor of its 30th year. The 2018 Falmouth Academy Science and Engineering Fair featured 170 projects presented to a contingent of judges comprised of over 100 scientists, engineers, physicians, researchers and other experts—including several Falmouth Academy alumni. The excitement in the room was palpable as scientists and students exchanged ideas. Middle school student Madeleine Balser of Mashpee, new to Falmouth Academy this year, said, “I was nervous at first but then I appreciated talking with the judges. They helped me think in new ways about my project.” Madeleine was awarded an honorable mention for her study of the effect of oil on plants. The fair is the culminating event of five months of independent research by all students in grades 7-11. It is a unique cross-curricular endeavor where students are mentored by faculty and regional professionals in the process of scientific inquiry and research as well as writing and presentation. Sixty-five prizes, scholarships, and honorable mentions were awarded to middle and upper school students. Fifteen upper-school projects advanced to the Southeastern MA Regional Science and Engineering Fair held at Bridgewater State University on March 10th; 13 projects went to the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on May 4th and 5th; and the project by Emma Keeler ’19 advanced to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, PA, where she placed second in the microbiology category. A full list of Falmouth Academy award recipients is available at falmouthacademy.org/Science-Fair. The GAM
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Up Front
Solidarity and Activism Thirty-three students and five faculty members joined tens of thousands of people in Boston’s March For Our Lives on Saturday, March 24th as part of a national movement for legislative gun reform and public safety. Falmouth Academy students organized themselves to make this opportunity possible. Sarah Thieler ’22, one of the organizers said, “We (students) can’t stand by and do nothing. Student lives are at risk, and this is a way for our voices to be heard.” Heather Wang ’19 captured the spirit of the day in a provocative photograph (left) that earned her the distinction of Artist of the Week. A number of Falmouth Academy students and faculty also elected to participate in the National School Walkout on April 20th on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting in 1999 where twelve students and one teacher were killed in Littleton, Colorado. At 10:00 a.m., those gathered together on the field observed 17 minutes of silence in honor of the 17 lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. When asked why he walked out, Sam ColtSimonds ’19 said, “I thought as a student body we needed to make a demonstration in solidarity and mourning for those who lost their lives in Parkland, regardless of political opinion.”
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Classroom and Beyond
Wilder Anniversary and Our Town by Elisabeth Munro Ledwell
I’ve been thinking about anniversaries. When my mother worked at Princeton University, she acquired a letter written by Thornton Wilder to Betty Dillon, my grandmother’s best friend and the director of a 10th anniversary production of Our Town. This year the play celebrates its 80th anniversary, so with that in mind, and remembering that it was the first play performed on Falmouth Academy’s new campus in 1989, it seemed fitting to revisit the play in the inaugural year of the Simon Center for the Arts. Every day in America, at least one performance of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play is produced. The quintessential American play, by one of the first playwrights to help America step out from behind the daunting British shadow that hung over the American theater, Our Town is a staple on high school stages, but not for the reasons one might think. The play had its beginnings in a trip Wilder took to Rome. While visiting an archeological dig, he was struck by the juxtaposition of the ancient ruins and the modern, bustling city that surrounded it. He recognized that all people, regardless of when in history they lived, faced similar concerns and milestones—birth and adolescence, love and marriage, longing and loss, and, of course, death. These themes become the basis for this seemingly simple, almost plot-less play. Influenced by the presentational acting of Chinese theater, Wilder’s own experimental style was already apparent in his earlier plays, and the elaborate pantomiming and breaking of the fourth wall by the character of the Stage Manager did not sit well with all audiences, even while the themes moved them. When the play opened on Broadway in 1938, however, it was a success. Wilder himself stepped in to the role of the Stage Manager, further identifying the play as his masterpiece.
Economical to produce, with young characters at its heart, the play is particularly popular in schools, but it is the emotional power of the play that attracts people of all ages. A quick glance at the publisher's website tells me that there are over fifty current productions happening this spring alone, in schools, community theaters, and professional stages. The play has become a touchstone that communities return to after great upheavals: in New York after 9/11, for example, or in Manchester, England, just last year. The play serves, according to one director, as an “imaginative reminder that life is a non-stop cycle, and we’re all at different points.” Despite its reputation as a sentimental love letter to America, the play contains a subtle critique of American society. Wilder set his play more than thirty years earlier than the year it premiered. Even so, it is the beauty of the language and staging that continues to inspire audiences. The artistic director of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester described the play in these terms: “[Wilder] described it as looking into a microscope through a telescope... the further away the telescope is, while still picking up detail and specificity, the more it allows you to see some beautiful, truthful things about how we all live.” Our own production aimed to keep things simple and to fill the theater with light, to see the beauty despite the darkness, and to help audiences recognize that we all face the same joys and struggles, “to realize life as we live it,” as Emily says in the climax of the play.
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Classroom and Beyond An Interview with College Counselor Ruth Slocum at Falmouth Academy by Sarah Knowles, Associate Director of Admission
Ruth Slocum has been providing Falmouth Academy students with sound guidance and college counseling since 2013. She is leaving Falmouth Academy at the end of this year to join her family in New York City. Allyson Manchester, a talented young English teacher, will soon step into the role with Julie Taylor mentoring her just as she once did Ms. Slocum. SK: How did you get your start in college guidance? RS: I had been an English teacher and department chair at Falmouth Academy for over 20 years, but I was also interested in college counseling. When Julie Taylor, one of the “Founding Mothers” of Falmouth Academy, announced that she would be moving away from her full-time work as College Advisor in 2013, I leapt at the chance to work with her and to step into the role. Julie, who has been doing college counseling for over 30 years, mentored me in my first year, and we have loved working together. I also went to the Harvard College Admissions Workshop, an intensive summer workshop that provided me with information and insight into this process. SK: What do you believe are the most important academic skills that students need to know prior to college? RS: That’s a big question. One key skill is analytical writing. If a student doesn’t learn how to write in high school, it is extremely hard to learn in college. Analytical writing is one of the most significant skills FA students gain. Learning to write well takes time, and it takes an intense commitment on the part of teachers and students. The time spent outlining, drafting, and redrafting during the formative high school years is invaluable to students in college. We hear time and again that our students are very well prepared as writers when they get to college. SK: Do you believe that colleges should examine a student’s “soft skills” or non-cognitive skills in evaluating college readiness? What skills are most important? RS: American universities do consider these skills and strengths. One of the biggest reasons for this type of “holistic review” is that our colleges are residential. Students have to live together, get along, collaborate, and build bridges across economic, racial, and political divides. I believe that Falmouth Academy students excel in this area. We are a small community of students, and this is a very inclusive place. Our students learn to connect with a wide variety of personalities and build interpersonal skills, which will be important in college and after. SK: Within the past decade, more colleges are opting out of requiring standardized test scores as a part of their application process. Why is this happening? RS: There's never been a very strong correlation between SAT scores and how students do in college (high school grades are the strongest indicators of college success). The reasons colleges are opting out are twofold. First, colleges want to enroll students who might not score well on standardized tests but are prepared for college. Second, by not requiring the scores of students who don’t score well, colleges avoid having to report those scores as part of the U.S. News & World Report statistics. Test-optional colleges will accept scores from those who choose to submit them (who are usually students who do well on standardized tests), but they are also open to applications without scores. It is a win-win for colleges and students. 6
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SK: In 2016, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (Nation’s Report Card) found that only a third of US high school seniors were prepared for college-level coursework in math and reading. Do you think this is due to the high school curriculum and how we are or are not preparing students? RS:That report looked at a very large sample set; I think that if you are looking at schools like Falmouth Academy, most students will be prepared. Students in small independent schools have many advantages, including small class size, committed teachers, and supportive families. Also, our core classes provide an excellent preparation for college work. SK: Do you think we are trying to push more kids into college that maybe aren’t ready? RS: In the U.S. there is an overwhelming focus on getting a fouryear college degree, because past statistics have shown that this degree is the gateway to better incomes over a lifetime. There are many students who begin college but do not finish, however. And if those students leave college with educational debt but no degree, this can put them in a bad economic situation from which they might not recover. At Falmouth Academy, we have had a number of students who have first attended a community college before going on to a four-year college. This approach makes great sense from an economic point of view, and it can also allow a student to find his or her feet before going on to a four-year college. SK: It is interesting that we tell students that the way to succeed is to get a higher education degree and to do that, you must take on debt. RS: Yes, and this is where I feel we need to caution some students. As I mentioned, the worst-case scenario is for a student to borrow a lot of money and then not complete a degree. Part of the college counseling process at Falmouth Academy is to try to provide students with a range of economic options. I encourage every student to apply to a public university so that he or she has a cost-effective option. Every student’s situation is different, and we need to help students avoid too much student debt and focus on long term outcomes. SK: Do you think students are better prepared now than they were 10, 20, or even 30 years ago? RS: That is a difficult question to answer because the marketplace of jobs is so different. It used to be you were qualified for a wide variety of jobs if you were a college graduate. Now there is a degree of specialization that didn’t exist a generation ago. Perhaps surprisingly, there is much research that supports the value of a liberal arts degree for today’s undergraduates. This research tells us that history, arts, economics, and literature majors are doing well in the constantly changing landscape of the
modern work environment. Of course, engineers and computer scientists are also thriving. SK: Parents often elect to send their child to Falmouth Academy for college preparation. What does Falmouth Academy do to prepare its students for college? RS: Our students learn to write well, and I think this is critically important to college success. We also help students learn a variety of research, analysis, and presentation skills that are important. The FA Science and Engineering Fair helps our students with a range of skills that prepare them for college—whether they plan to continue in science or not. The framing of a science project, independent research, analysis, and presentation skills learned every year during the lead-up to Science Fair are useful to our students in a range of ways in college. Our students build confidence as speakers through many different types of classroom presentations and projects as well. These are experiences that, in my opinion, give our students important preparation for the challenges of college work. SK: If you believe a student might not be ready academically or socially for college, what advice do you give them? RS: Certainly parents and students don’t want to hear that a student is not ready for the logical next step, and it can be hard to gauge if a student is ready. Adolescents mature at different rates and sometimes I am surprised by the college success of a student I worried about. The opposite is also sometimes true. We recommend that our students consider taking a gap year before college. A gap year provides a great opportunity to explore interests and learn more about yourself. Our recipe for a good gap year is to divide the year into thirds: a third community college, a third paid employment, and a third adventure. We encourage students to take a few classes at a community college, which is a low cost way to try college courses. The next part is work. We are fortunate on Cape Cod that there are many part-time jobs available. Students learn a lot from
the responsibilities and timemanagement requirements of paid work. The last third is adventure. After students have saved some money and taken some classes, then they’ve earned a chance to try something new and explore. We’ve had students take courses in Germany, do ecological research in Costa Rica, and cycle around France and Germany. (Current Falmouth Academy teacher and alumnus Mr. Deasy ’10 did this!) This model is one I recommend, and it’s also affordable. SK: What is the biggest adjustment students face when they get to college? RS: The usual adjustment that people talk about is time management. Instead of having a programmed day, as in high school, college students have big gaps of time and must motivate themselves to complete long-term assignments without teacher support. This is a concern, but in my opinion the social piece is the biggest factor. I often think that it determines whether a student succeeds in college. If a student makes friends and feels happy, he or she will likely be able to face the new demands of college life and the academic challenges. Making friends and feeling connected can be very challenging, however. I always recommend that students take advantage of pre-orientation opportunities. If there is a hiking week, or a service opportunity that is offered before orientation, take it! The people you meet before you move into your dorm provide a circle of acquaintances and a level of familiarity that could be invaluable, especially if you don’t hit it off with your roommate. College life can be difficult to navigate. I also recommend that students and families visit health centers and become familiar with mentalhealth services when they move in. You want to know where to get help before you need it. In the last few years, School Counselor Carol DiFalco has worked with seniors to introduce them to some of the challenges they may face socially and emotionally in college. I think these sessions with Ms. DiFalco have been a useful resource for our students. SK: Do you have any general advice for parents and students as they contemplate the college search process? RS: I don’t believe that there is a “perfect” college for anyone, and I encourage students to keep open minds about where they might enroll. So much of college success depends on a student’s attitude and preparation. I feel lucky to have worked with Falmouth Academy students over the years because of the individuality of our students. In this year’s class of 33 students, we have students who will matriculate at European colleges, take gap years, attend community colleges, and enroll in some of the most selective colleges in the US. They are a terrific group with diverse talents and interests, and I can’t wait to hear about their journeys forward. The GAM
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Classroom and Beyond A Bit of History About the French Exchange Thirteen Falmouth Academy students took part in this year’s French Exchange program, accompanied by French teachers, Mike Earley and Ben Parsons. Over March break, the students traveled to Nice, France for a week and in April, Falmouth Academy welcomed their French counterparts to Cape Cod. This year marks the 16th year of the biennial exchange between Falmouth Academy and the Lycée d’Estienne d’Orves. This program is rooted in friendship which is a hallmark of the exchange. After many starts, this iteration of a French exchange program came to fruition through the friendship of Falmouth Academy’s first Headmaster, Dr. Worthington Campbell with Dr. Deborah Bradley and Mme Catherine Lefebvre, English teacher at the lycée. Dr. Campbell’s connection with Catherine Lefebvre and her husband, Jacques, dates back many years to when, serving as priest at the American Episcopal Church in Nice, he taught an American Literature class in which Jacques, at age 18, was a student. His friendship with Deborah Bradley dates back to the Falmouth Music Association and hiring her as a French and music teacher when Falmouth Academy opened in 1977. Some years later, Dr. Campbell introduced the Bradleys and the Lefebvres and the seeds of the future exchange program were planted. In 2003 Dr. Campbell was sadly diagnosed with terminal cancer. Falmouth Academy “founding mothers” Deborah Bradley and Olivann Hobbie were asked to consult with him about what would be a meaningful way for the school to thank and honor him. Dr.
Campbell, knowing the beleaguered attempts at establishing a French exchange, asked Dr. Bradley and Mme Lefebvre to create a student exchange between their schools. These two teachers became the “founding mothers” of the French Exchange, which continues in memory of Dr. Campbell. Its continuity has been dependent on the enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work first of these two teachers, and then of a growing cohort of colleagues in each school, who have planned the exchanges, chaperoned their students, and hosted their fellow teachers from abroad. Now, 16 years later, a community of international friendship bonds our schools in the commitment to cultural understanding that our gentle and generous first Headmaster, Dr. Worthington Campbell, embodied. Special thanks to Dr. Deborah Bradley, founding faculty member (retired), for sharing the history of the French Exchange for this article.
A Student's Experience in Nice by Becky Butler ’19
Excitement and nervous laughter accompanied us during the 24-hour journey to France: this would be the first time we would meet our exchange partners and host families. When we finally emerged from the airport on Saturday night, we were warmly welcomed by our hosts, who would become our families and guides for the next couple of weeks. The parents spoke to us tentatively in French to help us acclimate and gauge our level of understanding. This small kindness was greatly appreciated by our travel-weary group, and we began to lessen our reliance on communicating in English. Without much ado, we were paired with our correspondants and whisked away to their homes for some much-needed rest. Sunday was spent getting to know our host families, our exchange partner, and exploring the town of Nice. Weekdays were packed with activity—treasure hunts, museum visits, hiking in Èze-sur-mer—with each day starting promptly at 8:00 a.m. and ending around 4 p.m. Despite being on break, we even went to school to sit in on an English class. Weekends were spent with our host families who planned the itinerary. Some of us went to Italy and others explored the local color of the south of France. However, underneath all the sightseeing and activity, the real exchange was taking place. Each day, after returning from our group excursion where we spoke English among ourselves, we shifted to French immersion upon reconnecting with our hosts, many of whom spoke little to no English. This led to minor misunderstandings, the odd awkward moment, or a spontaneous bout of laughter at the dinner table. It was at such times that the importance of speaking a language to really learn it became clear. For me, it was these little conversations while baking together, or sitting and talking, that I will remember most, even more than the beautiful French countryside. 8
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New Arts-Across-the-Curriculum Classes and Exhibitions Propaganda Posters and U.S. History Inspired by WWI and WWII propaganda posters, as well as images and themes from the recent marches and protests, students in 11th grade history designed posters focused on issues of concern to them. Their creations reveal quite a breadth of interests, including domestic issues like the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter and Facebook privacy to international themes like oil spills, child labor, and nuclear war. The process began with students viewing propaganda art, mainly from the Civil Rights era, in particular posters created by Emory Douglas, the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party. Motivated by their own beliefs, students then
Helena Weare: I am a strong advocate for cleaner waters and caring for our environment and was most excited to create art that was personal. I chose to bring awareness to the threat of oil pollution on marine life.
were able to create original screen prints, an art form used for poster making and fine arts within the past 80 years that is an accessible way to mass produce an image with a few basic tools. Art Teacher Lucy Nelson studied screen printing last summer as a recipient of a grant from the Senior Parent Gift Fund and was motivated to bring the technique back to Falmouth Academy. She was inspired by recent events and says, “This project shows how art is relevant in political discussions, and can be used as an educational tool in addition to a thing of beauty.”
Grace Russell: Having an adopted African American sister, I’ve been very aware of racism and prejudice that still exists strongly in today’s society. I knew I wanted to represent my sister Ava and her rights. My poster is a portrait outline of her photo with the simple yet strong phrase “Black Lives Matter.”
Josh Novak: Living on Cape Cod, I am acutely aware that heroin is a big problem. I’ve found needles in the woods when I go hiking. My original idea was to write “DOPE” in the style of an Obama poster but then my friend Sam suggested I have a needle go into Cape Cod. To drive it home, I made the tip of the Cape into a fist like an addict.
Foraminifera Block Prints in Geology and Earth Science Class In Geology and Earth Science class, 9th graders learn about foraminifera, tiny microorganisms that live on the ocean floor. Foraminifera date back to the mid-Jurassic era, and they are used as indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions, for they record changes in ocean chemistry within their shells. Each student picks a different species and researches its habitat preferences. Working from microscopic images of forams from around the world, students create original block prints. Much like a rubber stamp, a relief print involves gouging away the surface of the block. The remaining surface picks up ink applied with a brayer and the final image is printed by hand. Printing in black ink on white paper creates a dramatic and bold design of the diminutive yet significant shell pattern. Vulvulina pennatula blockprint by Paige Francis ’21
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Centerpiece
Prepared for Life :
Stories of Falmouth Academy Alumni
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Libby Faus ’11
After much soul searching about job seeking in her senior year at Boston College, Libby decided a year abroad would provide her with the time and space she needed to tune in to her passions and transform those interests into a career. A year in Thailand provided her heart with the answers she sought. Having the opportunity to study abroad in France twice during college ignited a deep appreciation of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and gaining a wider cultural perspective through extended travel. During my junior and senior years at Boston College, I volunteered every week at an adult ESL and GED center an hour away from campus. I worked with adults ranging from 18 to 60 years old motivated to earn their GEDs or who recently immigrated to the States and needed help learning English. My love
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for travel, for understanding new cultures, and for feeling involved in something bigger than myself combined with a long-term love affair with volunteering inspired me to look into opportunities of volunteering abroad after I graduated from Boston College. In March 2015, I was awarded a fellowship to teach in Thailand by Princeton in Asia, a 113-year old organization founded by Princeton University that sponsors post-graduates to work in schools and NGOs in countries throughout Asia. My particular fellowship was a teaching position at the 35th Rajaprajanugroh School (RPK 35 for short) located in Bangsak—a rural, coastal town in Southern Thailand. RPK 35 is one of the many “King’s Schools” in Thailand—created by the government to support education in impoverished areas throughout Thailand. It is a K-12 school/orphanage that educates and provides housing and meals for students whose families were directly affected by the 2003 Indian Ocean tsunami and for those living in severe poverty. The school population was roughly 700 students; 600 of them lived on campus. I worked as a full-time ESL teacher where I taught roughly 20 classes per week, 11 of them were different classes (think 11 different lesson plans!) with students ranging from 5 to 18 years. When I wasn’t teaching, I helped run an afterschool arts and crafts program that provided boarding students some fun before nightly chores and dinner. I also offered music sessions for interested students. I had my guitar and shared American songs with them, which ended up being a major highlight of my experience there. Starting these lessons transformed the way I approached teaching; it was both powerful and beautiful seeing the impact of music on students’ willingness to learn English. By inviting them to tune into their creative energies in learning, I saw their respect and attentiveness towards me heighten. In Thailand, the education system is extremely regimented and does not leave a lot of room for creativity, so this shift in learning was new and effective for them. I thank Falmouth Academy for my awareness of different types
of learning methods—there is no one “right” way for a student to learn—and I found that allowing students to break out of strictly textbook-focused learning was extremely rewarding all around. My experience at Falmouth Academy also shaped the way I was able to plan lessons creatively and think outside of the textbook. My FA experience inspired my focus on creative reading and writing, and aided my development of strong organizational skills (I still use the FA planbook!) to maintain structure. Another major highlight of my Thailand experience was volunteering for a swim and snorkel nonprofit program called Earthraging (earthraging.org). I’m still actively involved. This month-long program helps students overcome fear associated with the ocean instilled by the tsunami. We connected with local environmental organizations from dive companies to marine life preservation organizations to bring marine life and ocean safety awareness to our students. We had learning sessions with these groups, brought the kids to the beach, swam in a pool, and went out on long-tail boats to snorkel in the ocean. I was in charge of creating blog posts and updating the social media platforms each week, coordinating meetings with our partners, jumping in the water with the kids every session to encourage both safety and fun, and collaboratively brainstorming positive additions to the program. I returned this past November to help for a third year. This fellowship provided an incredible opportunity for me to grow independently, think for myself, and explore what I love and where that can carry me. I left a family, both at the school and around my community, in a world completely different from anything I’ve ever known. I was able to travel all over Southeast Asia and meet new people from all over the world, encounter different religions and ways of life, and understand the universality of laughter and kindness without sharing a common language. I learned how to think quickly and creatively on my feet, conquer the barrier of language and effectively engage people around me, confidently
immerse myself in a new culture, and adapt to intense and different work environments. The experience was not always as glamorous as photos may have made it seem. Each day I witnessed the daily difficulties and hardships associated with living in a third world country. Every day I learned something that caused my perspective to shift in a positive way. I carry every smile shared, every student’s hardship, every song played, every tear shed, and every piece of love I encountered. These outcomes are part of something big and beautiful, and I encourage people to reach out to me for guidance and understanding the power that comes from sometimes pursuing an unconventional path to find yourself and what you are meant to do. I have returned to Asia twice since my fellowship, but I also started working at Price Waterhouse Coopers as a Global Mobility Consultant. My team helps companies around the world understand the implications of sending employees abroad. A huge reason I was hired was that my boss wanted someone comfortable and excited about travel and who understood what it meant to live and work abroad. I had no idea my experience abroad teaching English in Thailand would land me a position consulting for Fortune 100 companies, but my initial goal of not rushing the process proved realistic and meaningful. You never know where you’re going to end up, but if you trust that you are taking steps you feel are important to personal growth, you will end up where you need to be. You have brains in your head You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself Any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go. Dr.Seuss, excerpt from Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, 1990 The GAM
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Centerpiece
Working Behind the Scenes in Congress with Bob Schneider ’09 by Barbara J. Campbell
When Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. wanted to add a 42-bed detox unit to the Middleton House of Corrections, one of Massachusetts’ largest jails, Falmouth Academy alumnus Bob Schneider ’09 was instrumental in connecting the Sheriff with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D, Third District, Massachusetts). Bob served as the Director of Operations and Policy Assistant for Representative Tsongas from 2015 to 2018.* He advised the Congresswoman on policy related to the opioid crisis and community development via the Small Business Innovation Research program. He also advised her on legislation and other projects related to the beer, wine & spirits industry. “I prepared the Congresswoman for votes, meetings and events, wrote comprehensive memos, took meetings and maintained relationships with national and local stakeholders in the industry.”
In addition to managing all of Tsongas’ scheduling in Washington, DC, and Massachusetts, Bob managed operations in her Washington office. Bob first joined Tsongas’ office as an intern in 2012 while he was an undergraduate student at Boston University. He loved the experience, and applied for a job in the DC office while in graduate school at Georgetown. His major in international relations and graduate work in public policy prepared him well for the role. “The easiest way to get a job like this,” he said, “is to come down to DC and do an internship. Some love it. Others know immediately that it’s not for them. You have to want to be there.” Being there involves immersing yourself into the fast-paced DC culture that focuses on the politics at hand. Bob said, “Even though I’ve served under two presidents, I’ve always been supporting the House minority and never had the partisan power. That hasn’t changed. But we are defending more of our policies now.” Not everything our legislators and their staff address is a major policy, Bob noted, and the news cycle doesn’t reflect all that happens in Washington. “You have to focus on what you can accomplish in small, incremental changes. Good things do happen every day.” Three to four years ago, people were coming to his office with concerns about the growing substance abuse epidemic. Representative Tsongas asked Bob to take the lead. “I gathered information from treatment facilities, law enforcement agencies and city halls. I looked for ways to combat this epidemic.” Since then, Tsongas has pushed for more state funding, to the tune of $500 million to combat the opioid crisis. Massachusetts received nearly $12 million to support a comprehensive array of prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Bob expects another $500 million from the 21st Century Cures Act to be distributed this year. Would Bob ever consider a run for office himself? “I like working behind the scenes,” he said. “I am awed by the people who do run for office. You have to be willing to expose yourself and your family. There are certain people who can do that, who really care and are willing to make the sacrifice. They are a special breed, and we need more people willing to fight for what they believe in and make a difference every day.” *Since this article was written, Bob has accepted a new position as Executive Scheduler to Ted Leonsis, the Founder, Majority Owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Washington Capitals (NHL) and Washington Wizards (NBA) among other ventures.
Bob Schneider sits behind Congresswoman Niki Tsongas on the House Floor during a debate on her opioid bill in October. 12
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A Humble Superhero Who Quietly Changes Lives by Barbara J. Campbell
Mark Russell ’80 does not claim to be an athlete, but he does like a challenge. He also likes making a difference, which is why he participates in so many runs, walks, bike rides, swims and more to help people in need. He has even run in a pink speedo and a superhero cape for breast cancer research! Mark is CEO of Linstol, a company that manufactures all the sundry amenities you see on airplanes—everything except the food. Linstol services 79 airlines around the world, and has offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, and Naples, FL. “I travel a lot. My primary responsibility is my employees. I work with them to find solutions to potential growth opportunities and make sure that we meet social responsibility requirements. I talk to airlines about their needs. Everything is produced in China so I work with our partners there.” For Mark, social responsibility goes beyond meeting industry standards. “What is our environmental impact? How can we find new technologies that pay attention to our global footprint?” Sustainability is not just a word at Linstol, but a corporate value, said Mark. “We look for products that tell an eco story. For example, we have a new product, a woven blanket made from recycled water bottles (21 in each blanket). The average airline creates four jumbo jets worth of discarded bottles annually. With this product, we take tens of thousands of bottles out of circulation.” Mark said, “Sustainability is important to me as a person as well. I like being a good citizen of the world. I love the ability to see new cultures, to connect to people, and see people doing well. I enjoy playing a supporting role. “This was instilled in me by my mother and also by Falmouth Academy. It is part of the Falmouth Academy ethos—respecting others, learning how to talk to people, accepting people who are different, and taking care of our world.” Mark said he is humble by nature and would rather lead by example. “I don’t like to crow about what I’m doing, but if there is a story to get out, I don’t mind telling it.” He was able to combine work and his personal desire to give back while filming a commercial in Peru to announce a brand partnership between LSTN headsets, which Linstol makes, and Delta Airlines. While in Peru, Mark worked with the Starkey Hearing Foundation to fit over 500 people with hearing aids (right). “This incredible woman that I was able to help hear again was hesitant to leave. When I asked why, she said she had dreamed of dancing ever since she lost her hearing, and she asked me to dance. This was one of the most life-changing moments for me.” Mark next plans to participate in the 200-mile PanFlorida Challenge, a bike ride to alleviate childhood hunger. “If I can give back and enjoy myself that makes it all worth it.” In today's world, Mark said, “My advice is to remember to be kind. It’s amazing how we so often think we are helping others, when they, in fact, are helping us.” The GAM
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Centerpiece
David Tamasi ’90: Navigating Sophisticated Public Policy in Washington by Barbara J. Campbell
Being recognized as one of the top lobbyists in Washington, DC, didn’t happen overnight, but David Tamasi ’90 always knew his goal. After 15 years of building networks and relationships, he is now widely seen as one of Washington’s elite go-to public affairs counselors and this past January opened his own firm, Chartwell Strategy Group with two other colleagues. Always interested in politics, David first worked for the Cape & Islands District Attorney Philip A. Rollins in 1994 upon graduating from Gettysburg College and soon began working in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1995-1996. “Those early years were critical,” David said. “District Attorney Rollins was the best—he really took me under his wing.” David recalled working at the State House at age 22 when Rollins would call and tell him to show up down the street for lunch. When David arrived there would be a table of six or eight, often including other district attorneys and some of Boston’s finest lawyers. “He put me in those situations to learn and listen.” said David. “At an early age, I saw how high-level people interacted professionally and engaged each other.” David worked for the next six years at a Boston law firm (another Rollins relationship) but the practice of law couldn’t quench his thirst for politics. He enrolled in a Master’s degree program for Journalism at Boston University and participated in their Washington program as a reporter for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune covering Capitol Hill. “I knew I didn’t want a long career in journalism, but it was a good way to strengthen my skills, to really learn how to write, and it got me to Washington.” He then joined Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide where he worked on behalf of Fortune 500 companies and foreign governments. “When Governor Mitt Romney began to signal that he was going to run for President in 2008, I joined his national finance committee,” David said. “That was my first taste of presidential politics and it was exhilarating.” Romney was unsuccessful and David decided it was time to move on from Ogilvy. “It was a great experience and exposed me
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to Washington, Inc., as they say, but I wanted to go to a smaller firm that ideally had ties back to Massachusetts.” He started at the Boston-based firm Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, managing the firm’s Washington office, a position he held for over nine years. During that time he served on Romney’s 2012 national finance committee and Governor Chris Christie’s 2016 national finance committee. In addition, he helped grow Rasky’s Washington office to become one of the beltway’s preeminent government relations and public affairs firms. Last year, he was asked to lead the Republican National Committee’s joint fundraising program in Washington, DC, with the Trump campaign. In 2017, he was cited by Politico as a “Power Player” and The Hill as a “Top Lobbyist.” Late last year, he left Rasky and started his own firm. “Washington is an extremely competitive town. Full of talented, ambitious, tough and smart people,” said David. “You learn quickly that you can’t be everything to everyone.
You have to pick your spot and learn how to differentiate yourself without overreaching,” he said. When he first came to Washington back in 2003, David worked for veteran CBS newsman Bob Schieffer who told him that you will always find a relevant story reading a hardcopy newspaper that you might miss online. “I never throw the paper out until I have a chance to go through it,” David said. “I travel a bit overseas and catch up on reading on long flights. In a dynamic global landscape, you must stay current on a variety of topics.” He explained, “Our clients come to us to help them solve and navigate complex and sophisticated public policy matters while managing their reputations in a town of many, many competing interests. Everyone vies for the time of policymakers, so you have to be sharp and informed when educating someone on your client’s point of view.” Despite Washington being the nation’s capital, the lobbying community is tight knit. “We all tend to run in our respective circles,” said David. “We take trips together and see each other at events around the city.” Maintaining your reputation and word, like any profession, is essential. Washington is his home. He lives with his wife Elisabeth and two children, Christopher, 7, and Juliette, 5. He still visits the Cape multiple times a year and travels to his wife’s Jersey Shore home in the summer. “I love it here and I love what I do,” said David. “Some days you pinch yourself when you are participating in a meeting in the White House or U.S. Capitol, but after a few years here you start to understand the rhythms, the process, and the players. Yet, you still have to remember not to take yourself or things too seriously—that’s for the media to do,” he laughed. It’s hard to believe that David graduated from Falmouth Academy almost 30 years ago. “I remember like it was yesterday,” he said. “My teachers, coaches and classmates were all super. We had some great soccer and basketball games against Cape Cod Academy, Tabor, etc. The academic rigor was key and prepared me not just for college, but life. Falmouth Academy was the perfect school for me.”
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Centerpiece
Artist Theresa Hong ’97 Shares the Magic of Origami at Manhattan Exhibit by Barbara J. Campbell
An artist and professional photo retoucher, Theresa Hong ’97 easily moves from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional world of origami. She shared her craft in the “Hello from Japan” exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, which ran from February through April. The exhibit covered the entire first floor of the museum, including a room dedicated to Theresa’s art that
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featured giant photos of her more intricate pieces and contained more than 60 items ranging from pin-sized origami, selections of modular origami, taxidermy insects, and a seascape of giant animal puppets. “I joined the Arts for Activism group and found myself leading the Origami Resistance,” Theresa said. Using photo backdrop paper, Theresa made giant puppets of endangered animals—three-foot high penguins, sharks, dolphins, gorillas, and polar bears—which the group carried in several marches in New York, including those for Science Day, Earth Day, and Climate Change. A member of her group recommended Theresa to a friend at the museum and the result was a three-month exhibit of her work. After her exhibit closed, Theresa was named artist-in-residence at The New York Studio Factory. “There is beauty in the math and repetition of the paper,” she said about her craft. “It’s magic. You follow basic geometric formats and magic happens.” Comparing her practice of origami to meditation, Theresa noted, “I can zone out and just focus on transforming dimensions. There is something so gratifying about changing a two-dimensional sheet of paper into a three-dimensional work of art. The possibilities are endless. They are infinite and boundless.” Theresa’s love of this art form began at five years old when her great aunt bought her a beginning origami kit. “She sat with me and we had so much fun making things. I couldn’t wait to see her because each time she visited, we worked together.” Theresa studied books on modular origami in high school and turned to origami as a creative outlet in college. Eventually, she trained herself to do advanced-level designs. “In my day job I retouch photographs for high-end photographers [including Annie Leibovitz, for whom Theresa served as art director]. I work a lot in Adobe Photoshop and stare at a computer screen all day. My job is a mix between the art world and engineering; it’s very analytical.” At the end of the day, “I can transfer my analytical skills to origami. It takes me away from the computer screen and provides so much relief. It gives me balance. I get my hands on the tangible world.” In attempting to sum up her relationship with the world of origami, Theresa said, “It’s hard to convey the magic of origami for me. There’s something about the multiple interlocking pieces of paper and how they all come together to form a piece of art. I’m so happy to have origami as an outlet.” To learn more, visit Theresa’s website: origamiluxe.com.
Journalist Rosie Gray ’08 has a Front Row Seat to History by Barbara J. Campbell
“Political reporting is the most fun job I could imagine,” said Rosie Gray ’08, White House reporter for The Atlantic, when she spoke at Falmouth Academy’s Community Series in December. “I am covering massive shifts in our culture that will prove to be hugely important in the country and the world. It’s not a job I would trade for anything.” In her presentation, “Ten Things You Didn’t Know about the Political Media,” Rosie said that under previous administrations, “the White House beat was considered prestigious but boring. Now it is considered prestigious and exciting. The crazy twists and turns make it an exciting and challenging time to be a journalist in Washington. Our country is going through a fracturing of what used to be a shared vision of facts and reality.” Sometimes, she said, the volume of news is so high, it’s hard to figure out what’s going to be a big deal. “Political reporting is for people who like surprises.” On November 8, 2016, Rosie was in midtown Manhattan at Donald Trump’s election party. “I wandered the room. There was a cake in Trump’s likeness. The press corps was keeping constant track of the New York Times predictor. At some point, we realized we had to deal with the possibility that Trump would be president. It was the most memorable night of my life. I had a front row seat to history.” This experience taught Rosie not to make predictions herself. She covered the December Senate race in Alabama where Doug Jones was the first Democrat to win that seat in 25 years, triumphing over the controversial Judge Roy Moore. “Talk about political surprises,” she said. The term “Fake News” is one Rosie hopes will go away. “I wish the term had never been invented. It de-legitimizes the news. The term is so overused now that anytime there is a mistake made, the content is deemed fake news. The best way to countermand this is for all of us to be better news consumers. Be more discerning about where news is coming from.” Rosie said that journalists are more committed than ever to defending what they do. “The best way to counteract the vitriol is to do our best job. Be most accurate, most fair, most truthful.” Rosie got her start in political reporting at The Village Voice while a student at New York University. Her first assignment was to cover Occupy Wall Street. In 2012 she was tapped to cover the Republican Primary. Her experience led Buzzfeed, her next employer, to assign her to cover the Republican Primary again for the 2016 election. “I was never a political junkie but politics became what I do.” She was asked how she keeps her own bias out of her reporting. “I don’t have any opinions,” she smiled. “I’m a journalist. My job is to report and not be critical of what I cover. The press is supposed to be adversarial, and I’ve learned that you don’t have to drink the Kool Aid to report fairly.” Most reporters are not driven by an agenda, Rosie said. “We look for drama, points of tension, conflict. The Washington media culture
is hyper-focused on palace intrigue.” “Many stories today involve the Trump voters,” said Rosie. “We want to know what they think. The trend is that those stories have become a genre itself. The most fascinating thing about President Trump is that he’s so public. He lives through the prism of TV news and tabloid culture and Twitter, of course. He obviously figured out that there was a segment of this country’s population that no one was speaking for. The genius of Trump is that he made voters feel empowered and made them feel like part of the process.” Another thing born from this election that has become important to the culture is Breitbart News, about which Rosie will write a book for HarperCollins. She said, “In the news stream, it became important not to ignore Breitbart. Steve Bannon was a mindmeld and that was important. We had to decide, what was the best way to tell a story? What’s the smaller thing that tells the story of a larger thing? This has made a huge impact on our culture.” Rosie was asked if she had ever been afraid as a journalist while covering the campaign, during which she visited 37 states, sometimes many in the same day. “I was afraid at some of the rallies because Trump and his supporters kept calling out the media. We were convinced someone was going to get hurt.” While Rosie acknowledges that political reporting is one of the most exhausting and demanding careers and that it’s hard to have a normal life, she loves it! With a nod to her high school experience, Rosie said, “My Falmouth Academy education gave me a deeper perspective, a resounding vote of confidence, the skills and ability to think critically. It was hugely helpful in shaping me and formed my conception on how to work hard. I recently found my senior Hamlet paper and thought it still held up pretty well.” The GAM
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Alumni News 1980s Saramaria (Berggren) Allenby ’83 was ordained by the United Church of Christ on June 3, 2018. Currently a spiritual advisor at Gosnold Treatment Center in Cataumet, Saramaria ministers to those in recovery. She wears heart-shaped glasses every day and explains to her clients,”I want to live in a world where this is how we look at one another—with eyes of love. I realize the world struggles to do this, but I will practice and perhaps another person will join me, and then another, and another.” Check out the new television program, “In Contempt” by Terri Kopp ’86. It aired on BET in April. Terri created the series and is Executive Producer and writer for the show, which takes place in a New York City legal aid office. Actor Christian Keyes noted, “It’s like a younger, witty, fresh, sexy ‘Law & Order’” (which Terri wrote for early in her career). Before she started writing for television, Terri was an attorney and worked at the Legal Aid Society in Manhattan. In an article on deadline.com, Terri said she “gives the lead character a lot of lines she wished she could have said” when she worked as an attorney. The Barclay Center commissioned Robert Silvers ’86 to make a photomosaic as a gift to honor Sir Paul McCartney. It was made from more than 5,000 pieces of fan art. Robert was the inventor of the photomosaic process, which groups photos by color to form another image. Students in Ms. Liz Ledwell’s film elective had the pleasure of talking with Randy Goux ’89 who has made a career of creating some of the most memorable and awesome special effects on film. A Visual Effects Supervisor, Randy said much of his work is putting characters in real world situations that would be too dangerous for the actors. “We make the written words exciting and the experience worth it for the audience. Our job is to be able to do something that can’t be done. We analyze imagery in a forensic way.”
1990s Congratulations to Michael Taylor ’90 for his new book, The Financial Rules for New College Graduates: Invest before Paying Off Debt—and Other Tips Your Professors Didn't Teach You. Mike writes for the San Antonio 18
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Clockwise from top left: Saramaria (Berggren) Allenby, photomosaic by Robert Silvers, Michael Taylor's book published in April, Emily Denham at Alumni Day, and Randy Goux with Ms. Ledwell Express-News and has a weekly column, “So… Money.” A former vice president at Goldman Sachs, Mike is also the founder of Bankers Anonymous, which explains finance concepts to non-finance professionals. Laura Tavares ’94, Associate Program Director at Facing History, Facing Ourselves, wrote an eloquent piece on teaching citizenship in Educational Leadership. The theme of the entire publication was: “Citizens in the Making,” and Laura expounds on how "teaching novels can develop empathy, humility, and tolerance— all the makings of a good citizen." Three key tips Laura shared are to foster social consciousness by exploring setting; stimulate agency through the study of character; and understand different perspectives through diverse voices and viewpoints. She references how President Barack Obama once said in an interview, “The most important stuff I’ve learned, I think I’ve learned from novels.”
2000s Best wishes to Emily Denham ’04, who was promoted to Director, Global Corporate Communications at The Estée Lauder
Companies, Inc. When she moderated a roundtable on marketing at the Falmouth Academy Alumni Day in 2012 (in the photo with Peter Wells ’14, now a junior at Trinity College and studying abroad in Australia), she discussed the importance of building a personal brand and making yourself marketable by always striving to outdo your efforts year to year. She advocated networking, and said, “Seek out mentors and surround yourself with people you admire. Take an interest in where people started rather than where they are, and you’ll find that they are more receptive to talking to you.” Blogger and Google Senior Software Engineer Ben Mann ’07, offers advice on organizing the planning process in his piece on medium.com. Ben worked with engineers at Waze Carpool to design, build, and launch the ride share app in Israel and San Francisco. He wrote, “Whenever I’m trying to make something new, it’s easy to get bogged down in the day to day of fixing bugs and working on incremental improvements. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of design by committee, where we only consider ideas that we can generate
quickly.” Ben’s blog post takes the guess out of guess work with a straightforward approach to planning by committee. Congratulations to Jesica Waller ’09 who was hired by the Maine Department of Marine Resources to conduct biological studies on the American lobster to help the Department better understand the resource and to contribute to future stock assessments. She also supports a collaborative lobster research initiative that will help respond to the changing Gulf of Maine ecosystem.
2010s Composition and Rhetoric teacher Abigail Hollander ’12 was featured in the Winchendon School blog about her class called, “Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in the Classroom.” The course is a cultural study that requires an interdisciplinary approach incorporating literature, culture, politics, and economics. In the article, Abby says, “The aim of social entrepreneurship is to empower a community. Students need historical knowledge, economic research, and care. Using this method, they have an opportunity to facilitate real change.” Abby said the Falmouth Academy culture and classes encouraged her to take intellectual risks and form connections within and beyond the classroom. “As an educator, I wish to foster the same love of literature and learning in my students. My role is to instill the confidence to inquire with the same purposeful curiosity that Falmouth Academy once offered me.” Robert Eder ’15 was named Vassar College’s Athlete of the Week in April. A junior, Rob is a rugby player and scored
Roupenian trends on Twitter with 2nd Most Read New Yorker Story in 2017 Kudos to Kristen Roupenian ’99, whose short story, “Cat Person,” was published in the New Yorker on December 11th. The story went viral trending on Twitter, and became the magazine’s second most read story of the year. To top it off, Kristen was a Jeopardy! clue on May 8, 2018 (left). As a result of the enormous popularity of the piece and her incredible talent, Kristen was offered a two-book publishing deal. A collection of Kristen’s stories will be published in 2019 by Scout Press, a new literary imprint from Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Publishing Group. Additionally, A24, a production/finance/distribution company, has purchased a horror screenplay from Kristen, tentatively titled “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.” As a Falmouth Academy senior, Kristen won second place in a USA Weekend Magazine contest out of 5,000 high school entries for her story, "Day Like Jellyfish." After Kristen graduated from Barnard College, she spent a few years in Kenya as a member of the Peace Corps, then received a Ph.D. in English from Harvard University. Most recently, she has been a writing fellow at the University of Michigan where she received an MFA. After all of the attention on Twitter and elsewhere, Kristen tweeted, “I don't really know how to do justice to the conversation that is happening around my story but I am grateful for it. I need to go take a walk in the snow and hug my dog.” FELINE TITLE OF KRISTEN ROUPENIAN’S 2017 NEW YORKER STORY THAT SPARKED A DEBATE OVER DATING
three tries in a win over Marist College, 31–24. At Alumni Day, Rob offered the following advice, “Being an athlete makes you a better student. You learn how to manage your time.” Pictured (below right) are Rob Wells and Pai-lin Hunnibell ’15 with her dad Pusit Attaoraek, who formerly helped Dr. Edgcomb teach the Taekwondo elective and was a member of the facilities staff before returning to Thailand in October. Noah Lovell ’17, who took over assisting the elective, shows a Taekwondo move to Maddy Valley ’21 and Peeta Theerakaisri ’18, an exchange student from Thailand (right).
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Alumni News Webster ’09 Earns Award from Harvard Graduate School of Education Bene Webster ’09, shown here with a former student, received the Intellectual Contribution Award when she graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in May. Nominated by her peers and program directors, this award recognizes students who significantly contributed to the intellectual life of the community, and whose dedication to scholarship and inquiry positively influenced their fellow students. An Ed.M. candidate in human development and psychology with a concentration in child advocacy, Bene began her career teaching in Louisiana through Teach for America. She graduated with distinction from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2016 with a Master of Arts in teaching, and taught third grade for three years in New Orleans, where she led the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mt. Holyoke College, where she minored in art history and was a four-year varsity lacrosse player. In December, Bene moderated a discussion on teaching at Falmouth Academy’s Alumni College & Career Networking Day. She told participants, “Working in education is a way to give back to your community. You try to provide an environment that will allow students to succeed. Our biggest goal is to create ‘good kids.’ What is most important as an educator is understanding your students. Spend time knowing and getting to know who they are, where they come from, and what makes them unique.”
Congratulations to Sintra Reves-Sohn ’16, who co-authored a paper titled “Metagenomic investigation of vestimentiferan tubeworm endosymbionts from Mid-Cayman Rise reveals new insights into metabolism and diversity,” published in Microbiome as a result of work she did on her 10th grade Science Fair project in collaboration with scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory. “I would not have had the opportunity to work so closely and intensely with them [tubeworms] without the facilitation of Falmouth Academy,” said Sintra. Megan Flory ’17, a freshman at Clarkson University, received the Phalanx Commendable Service Award for contributing considerable time and valuable effort as a member of campus organizations. A psychology major with minors in environmental science and environmental policy, Megan serves as the secretary for the Sustainable Synergy Club which is focused on making Clarkson and the surrounding community more environmentally friendly; as the secretary for the the New York Water Environmental Association; and is on the events committee of Clarkson for St. Jude. An exhibit of computer games designed by first-year engineering students at Northeastern, including one created by Mason Jones ’17, was featured in an April exhibit at the Boston Children’s Museum. “Our unifying theme was ‘Time Travel’ and the goal was to play all the games and travel through time, from prehistoric times to the Wild West to the future, and collect stamps from each game along the way.” Mason’s team’s game was called "Astro Miner.” Mason reports that it “required a significant amount of computer programming and effort to create a working union between software and hardware.” 20
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Cox ’16 Reports on Service Trip to Uganda Sam Cox ’16 visited Falmouth Academy in January fresh from a three-week service trip to Uganda. A sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, Sam is majoring in Public Health and International Studies, and he said this trip aligned perfectly with his interests. The group was made up of ten Johns Hopkins students and five from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The group spent their first week in Kampala and soon traveled to the south of Uganda to Kalisizo to work with the Rakai Health Science Program, an area hit early and hard by the AIDS epidemic. The group returned to Kampala where they spent a week studying water and sanitation facilities. “The treatment plants were effective at producing clean water,” he said, but problems occurred further down the line on outdated and corroded water lines and storage tanks. Having taken a class on the environment's effect on public health, Sam said he and his group were able to identify issues and explore solutions. “There are problems with the infrastructure and such government inefficiencies that water safety was a difficult problem,” he said. Back at Johns Hopkins, Sam is a member of the a capella group, Notes of Ranvier, and helps to run the Crisis Committee for the university’s Model UN.
Welcome Backs Congratulations to the Class of 2007 which celebrated its 10th class reunion. Special guests from faculty and other classes helped acknowledge the engineers, designers, world travelers, financial managers, teachers, hospitality managers, and a singer/songwriter who make up this class. Pictured here (front row) Jenna (Kelley) MacNamara, Sarah Soldano, Harly Hutker ’11, (middle row) Stephanie (Pommrehn) Marshall, Richard and Charlotte (Dorris) Wells, Marybeth Deasy, Bridget Miskell, Ana Hutker, Johnny Gwynn, Lalise Melillo, Max McGurl ’09; (back row) Nick Chu, Matthew Marshall, Megan Chin, Sam Amazeen, Evan Hutker, Eric Schmitt, Ben Mann, Ben Parsons, and Tim Wadman ’09. We had a great visit from 2015 classmates Katie Armstrong (left) and Coco Raymond (right) over their winter break. Katie, a junior at Mount Holyoke College, is not only majoring in Geography but is also getting her Five College Certificate in Coastal and Marine Science. She is minoring in architecture and journalism-media-public discourse and was about to embark on her second SEA Semester voyage around New Zealand to study the changes in Maori fishing technologies and economies and ocean accessibility for urban Maori. She also worked with Woods Hole Research Center on a project about the changing salt marsh system facing eutrophication. When back at Mount Holyoke, Katie volunteers at The Gray House in Springfield teaching basic English vocabulary to adult immigrants. Coco, a junior at Simon’s Rock at Bard College, has created her own major in Ceramics and Archival and Museum Studies. She interned for two semesters at the Shaker Museum and was focusing her energy on the W.E.B. DuBois 150th celebration, doing research, and co-curating the UMASS center’s archives. Coco is doing her thesis on archiving oral histories of Cape Codders and how the Cape’s population is changing. Madelena Primini ’16, a student at Columbia College, Chicago and Lela Sethares ’14 a student at Loyola College, Chicago shared a moment with Clyde Tyndale and Rob Wells on a recent visit. Many members of the Class of 2017 returned for All-School Meeting over break, eager to see their friends and share their adventures. Pictured here are: Théo Guérin, Justin Bushway, Jack Jordan, Caleb Dutton, Mason Jones, Stephanie Aviles, Eliza Van Voorhis, Celia Patterson, Oliver Russell and Will Kraus.
And… Former Falmouth Academy English teacher Clare Beams announced that she sold her new novel, The Illness Lesson to Doubleday. Ms. Beams’ book of short stories, We Show What We Have Learned, published in 2016 by Lookout Books, University of North Carolina Wilmington has won critical acclaim including a Kirkus Best Debut of 2016. She was longlisted for the Story Prize; and was a finalist for the PEN/ Robert W. Bingham Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, and the Shirley Jackson Award.
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Mariner Stars KENDALL CURRENCE ’18 For 20 years, it made for a challenging trivia question, even for basketball aficionados. What school is home to the all-time leading career scorer, boy or girl, on Cape Cod and the Islands? Ever since Sarah Beninghof scored 1,812 points in a career that culminated in 1998 the answer, of course, was Falmouth Academy. After the remarkable career of Kendall Currence, during which she amassed an astonishing 2,310 points, a Falmouth Academy alumna may well be holding this record for a long time to come. Kendall’s 2,310 points places her 499 ahead of the second leading scorer in Cape Cod history and she finished her career ranked 17th (Boys and Girls) in the history of Massachusetts, which gives you a sense of how extraordinary her achievement is. FA Coach Gus Adams calls Kendall “the best pure scorer I’ve seen on Cape Cod in the 30 years I’ve been coaching. She can score in so many different ways—posting up, driving to the basket, and outside shooting. She’s not just a scorer, either. She can pass and rebound at a high level, too.”
There is no doubt that Kendall’s career has been marked by many individual achievements. In addition to her scoring records she has been named MVP of the Cape and Islands League three straight times and has accepted a scholarship to play at Division I Northeastern University next year. However, she would be the first to assert that a big part of her legacy concerns team success. Plenty of star players never achieve greatness with their team, but not Kendall. Her teams won the Cape and Islands League championship and qualified for the MIAA Tournament every year she was here, advancing to the Sectional Finals twice. During her time here, Falmouth Academy’s teams under Coach Adams defeated much larger schools including Barnstable High School, Nauset Regional, Hingham, Somerset-Berkley, Scituate, Nantucket, and Monomoy. While she is deeply committed to basketball and has reached an elite level in the sport, it is to Kendall’s credit that basketball has not been her sole focus here at school. She has worked hard in the classroom and has compiled a solid academic record. She was the starting goalkeeper for the girls varsity soccer team that also won the league title in the fall. Her cheerful and warm personality has made her a beloved schoolmate for students across the grades. Along with 23-foot jump shots falling through the net, an image many of us will carry with us is of Kendall hanging out with younger students— something that would be highly unlikely from most star athletes in most schools. The school community has therefore been enriched not only by her talent in basketball but by her talent in mentoring and encouraging others. Kendall’s family has also become a cherished part of our community. Her parents Jamey Reddicks and Troy Currence and the rest of her extended family have attended nearly every basketball game (including many boys games). Her grandmother Hazel (known to many as “Grandma Swag”) has been a fixture at games both home and away, always sitting in her seat at midcourt with her scorebook in her lap and her cries of “unlucky, unlucky, unlucky” echoing in the gym. It seems certain that future generations will look back on the 2010s as a Golden Age of girls athletics at FA, with all three of our teams achieving sustained excellence and compiling eight Cape and Islands League championships despite being one of the smallest schools in the league. When we look back at this time, Kendall and her basketball team will be a crucial part of that era of glory in girls athletics at Falmouth Academy.
SAMIRA WOLF ’18 Samira Wolf ’18 has been swimming with the Cape Cod Swim Club for 13 years. She swims six days a week and excels as a middistance swimmer in all four strokes (fly, breast, back, and free). Her career was closely followed by Coach Alex Delapina who is rebuilding the swim program at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. He approached her to consider swimming for Pfeiffer (NCAA Div III). Athletics are very important to Samira as she loves both swimming and basketball but when considering college, she decided that academics had to come first and athletics second. She found a good fit at Pfeiffer where she plans to study criminal justice and swim. Samira signed a letter of intent on January 24th at Falmouth Academy. 22
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JANE EARLEY ’18 Jane Earley has been a star athlete at Falmouth Academy since middle school in all three sports—soccer, basketball and most notably lacrosse. She has been a varsity starter in basketball and lacrosse since 8th grade and in soccer since 9th grade. The Falmouth Enterprise asserted that she might be the toughest athlete on the Cape, pound for pound. She has been an all-league athlete in every sport and finished her lacrosse career as the all-time leading scorer on Cape Cod with 466 goals, and played on the championship team at the National Women’s Lax Tournament on team MA/RI. She was named the MVP of the Cape and Islands League in lacrosse each of the past four years and in her senior year she was also named MVP of the league in soccer. During her time at Falmouth Academy, the girls’ teams have won five league championships in lacrosse, four league championships in basketball, and one league championship in soccer. Jane equally excels academically and was named valedictorian of her graduating class. She was offered a lacrosse scholarship at a NCAA Division I school but opted to play for Division III Middlebury College, a team that has won 6 Division III National championships
since 1997. When asked about it she said, “Middlebury gives me the chance to play extremely high-level lacrosse in one of the most competitive D3 leagues in the country (one that my dad played in as well on a rival team, #BeatBowdoin) while still getting an amazing education.”
KIRIC HALLAHAN ’18 Kiric Hallahan of Oak Bluffs will play lacrosse at Division III College of Wooster in Ohio. A midfielder, he has been a member of the boys’ varsity team since his freshman year and has scored 25 career goals. According to Coach Mike Earley, “Kiric plays with a ton of energy and desire. He has been a key player for us at both ends of the field due to his hustle and athleticism. I know he is very pleased to have been offered a spot on the team at Wooster and is eager to make the jump to college lacrosse.” The GAM
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Transitions
Thank you Mr. Wells! Rob Wells was fresh out of graduate school when he was first hired at Falmouth Academy to teach history while founding faculty member Lalise Melillo was on sabbatical. Rob’s passion for teaching and engaging personality immediately resonated with his students and his colleagues. When Lalise returned, Headmaster Bruce Buxton extended Rob’s teaching contract and added the role of Dean of Students and Director of Athletics to his portfolio. It was just the beginning of a 32-year love-affair with Falmouth Academy that would take Rob from the classroom to the athletics field and, this year, to the Head’s Office. Rob has just about done it all at Falmouth Academy during his tenure, most notably teaching almost every student attending the school since 1986 and building the school’s athletics program from club sports to an interscholastic athletics program. Over the years, Rob has served as class advisor, managed the school’s academic schedule, coached every Falmouth Academy sport at one level or another (except for lacrosse, he says, “crazy game!”), led Falmouth Academy to numerous league championships, and was twice named Coach of the Year by the Cape Cod Times. He’s mentored, championed, and proudly fledged scores of advisees, many of whom he still communicates with regularly. A devoted steward of Falmouth Academy, Rob stepped into his most challenging role yet last summer when, to his surprise, he was asked by the Board to serve as Interim Head of School. He assumed the responsibility with enthusiasm, humor, and grace, providing the school with steady leadership during a challenging time. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the entire Falmouth Academy community, I would like to thank Rob for his tireless leadership this past year, and for all he has done to educate and mentor our children. I am personally grateful to Rob for his thoughtful guidance, wisdom, and good humor. After a summer respite, Rob will return full-time to the history classroom next year and will assume a role he has yet to fill at Falmouth Academy: History Department Chair. Thank you, Rob, for all your efforts.
Joseph Valle Chair, Board of Trustees
Editor’s Note: Rob Wells was inducted into the Falmouth Academy Athletics Hall of Fame in early June, just as this issue was going to press.
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Ruth Slocum by Eleanor Clark Perched on the windowsill in Ms. Slocum’s college counseling office is a simple word: “ASK.” The foot-high wooden letters playfully calm concerns and invite conversation. They are a little present, of sorts, a reminder of the way Ms. Slocum anticipates and understands. Anyone who spends time in Ms. Slocum’s office, or her classroom, or her presence in general, quickly learns, though, that one need not ask to receive. Ms. Slocum is a natural gift giver. A cup of chamomile tea to soothe application anxiety. Chocolate and macadamia nut candy to cheer on progress report-writing colleagues. Bars of Italian milled soap, brought back from her travels. Often, though, the gifts veer from the conventional, revealing Ms. Slocum’s discreet yet much beloved sense of whimsy. FA’s English teachers still find themselves reaching for the Wallace and Gromit sticky notes and wrist strap tape dispensers she discovered and immediately knew they needed. And once, upon hearing of a colleague’s trip to see Shostakovich's opera The Nose, a nose-shaped pencil sharpener appeared gift-wrapped, no explanation necessary. Nothing gets by Ms. Slocum. Ms. Slocum has been paying loving attention to the Falmouth Academy community since 1993. Initially teaching seventh and eleventh graders in English, she later added many new roles, chairing countless committees, heading the English Department, and eventually serving as College Counselor. Throughout the years she has helped students to craft perfect focus paragraphs, to appreciate the wonders of overlapping literary and historical movements, and to create balanced college lists. Shaping Ms. Slocum’s approach to all her school responsibilities has been her love of language and good conversation. While leading her students to levels of excellence, she has also reminded them to pause to enjoy the intricacies and eccentricities of the characters on the pages in front of them. Waves of students, under Ms. Slocum’s guidance, have come to appreciate the nuances of the sentence, “My mother is a fish,” and to smile at the name Stella. No doubt numerous FA alumni still keep quote books, thinking of Ms. Slocum as they add a treasured passage to their journal simply because it is too good to forget. Falmouth Academy will miss Ms. Slocum’s quick intellect, easy elegance, and delighted laugh. We know, however, that even as she moves to New York to join her family, she will continue to pay close attention to her FA community. That connection will be a gift.
Ms. Slocum with her daughter Lily ’14
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Transitions
Clyde Tyndale by Elisabeth Munro Ledwell It takes an army to produce a show. Just look at the sheer number of responsibilities backstage in the theater hierarchy flowchart from BroadwayEducators.com. Clyde Tyndale is Falmouth Academy’s own standing army. He has done or supervised most of these jobs for our theatrical, musical, and school productions. Stagecraft wizard extraordinaire, Mr. Tyndale has been a staple of Falmouth Academy productions for three decades. We spent a few moments recently trying to tally the number of plays and concerts he has helped run over the years. The plays alone reached at least a hundred, and the concerts were not that far behind. That is a lot of mileage backstage. When I look around at our beautiful new theater space, I recall the trip Mr. Tyndale, Dr. Bradley, Mrs. Hobbie, Mme Tillier, and I took to visit school and professional theaters to generate ideas about how we wanted our space to look. What you see in the Simon Center is largely the ideas we came up with—the beautiful music room in the front with light streaming from the large windows, and the flexible, black-box theatre that allows us to use the space in a variety of ways. I credit Mr. Tyndale for his vision and persistence in helping realize our dream. Several years ago, we took a small group of Advanced Drama students and a crew to the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival, where we performed three short plays from David Ives’ All in the Timing. Our crackerjack crew and seasoned actors advanced to the preliminary round. I remember sitting backstage with other directors from around New England while a documentary filmmaker interviewed students about the festival. Every single director in the room was jealous of our technical director. They all knew of his 26
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reputation for creative problem solving. One even sighed, with a resigned smile, “You’re so lucky to have Clyde Tyndale.” If we wanted to build a pool for Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, Mr. Tyndale led the crew in researching how. A ghost effect for Giraudoux’s The Enchanted? Just figure out the math for the pepper effect, the same technique used by Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Have some actors hanging from a bridge for Sherlock Holmes and the Portal of Time, just hang a girder and hide it behind sliding panels. My favorite technical magic? The Welsh fishing village and dock we built for Under Milk Wood, the working water pump for The Miracle Worker, the three-ring circus for The Tempest (including a trapeze!), the gorgeous artist’s loft in Black Comedy (with trompe l’oeil paintings courtesy of Advanced Painting classes), and the fabulous stained glass window and staircase from Arsenic and Old Lace. The rotating complete pirate ship from Treasure Island was the hardest set to strike. Each of us wanted to take it home to play in! Each of these designs sprung from the creative discussions of actors and crew, led by Clyde Tyndale with his mantra of “what if?” He constantly demanded that we examine whether our ideas served the theme of the play, and only if we could justify our ideas, would we proceed with a design. The legacy Mr. Tyndale leaves Falmouth Academy is one of theatrical excellence. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
Colin O’Brien by Julie Swanbeck A few weeks ago, during the Deck-A-Senior portion of Spirit Week, seniors Alexei Sudofski and Gabe Nadelstein impersonated Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Henry Stevens in conversation during their daily constitutional to Coffee Obsession. The dialogue, written by members of the senior class, revealed their nuanced appreciation for these young faculty members, especially Mr. O’Brien’s philosophical bent, erudite vocabulary, pithy retorts, and wily humor. A graduate from the United State Military Academy, with an undergraduate degree in Art History, Philosophy, and Literature, and from the University of Chicago with a Masters of Arts in Humanities, Mr. O’Brien served as a military intelligence officer, prior to coming to Falmouth Academy four years ago. Since then, he taught 9th grade Western Civilization and 7th grade English, and coached middle school boys’ soccer and varsity boys’ lacrosse, earning the respect and admiration of both students and colleagues. He redesigned the 9th Grade Ancient Civilizations course along the lines of his own interest in philosophy, earning a reputation as a challenging but caring teacher who prods his students to think for themselves every day. Earlier this spring, Mr. O’Brien was accepted to several of the premier law programs in the country, and will attend Stanford University in the fall. We wish him well and thank him for the many contributions he has made to our community during his four years here.
Tessa Steinert Evoy by Don Swanbeck Tessa Steinert Evoy accepted a one-year position at Falmouth Academy last June when Rob Wells assumed the position of interim head of school. Ms. Steinert Evoy has exhibited a serious and determined work ethic, and has earned the love and respect of her students as an 8th grade U.S. History and 9th grade English teacher. Students appreciate the engagement that “Ms. S-E” has brought to their classroom, as she cultivates an environment that takes advantage of middle school students' natural energy and curiosity. Capitalizing on her personable but direct nature on the basketball sidelines, Ms. S-E coached the middle school girls' basketball team to a very successful season. She also assisted the girls’ middle school lacrosse team. We thank her for her contributions this year and wish her well as she begins an advanced dual degree program at Harvard Divinity School and the Kennedy School in the fall.
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Words of Wisdom from Alumni On December 15, 2017, several alumni returned to Falmouth Academy to share career and college advice with juniors and seniors. Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Barbara Campbell organized the event and students elected to participate in roundtables of various topics and interests moderated by Falmouth Academy alumni.
“Be wise about posting because prospective employers will look at your social media when you apply for jobs and internships. Brand yourself wisely.” Rosie Gray ’08
“The Falmouth Academy experience prepares you well for working with a team.” Perry Raulerson ’01
“Being near a city allows you access to good internships and networking, which is key. If you are interested in journalism, you need a body of work that you build throughout college, over the summers and during internships.” Rosie Gray ’08
“Don’t just go to a college because you want to play sports there. You never know what is going to happen. If you break your leg, you want to make sure you’re still socially and academically happy. You have to enjoy being at the school you choose.” Eliza Van Voorhis ’17
“College gives you the opportunity to try things. Don’t worry about not knowing what you want to major in.”
“Listening is key. Knowing your audience is a life skill. The most important quality you can have as a teacher is the ability to laugh at yourself.” Mike Deasy ’10
Alumni College & Career Networking Day Roundtable Moderators Max Aaronson ’16 Ohio Wesleyan University Ali Baker ’04 Cornell University Washington University Medical School Kyle Benton ’12 Northeastern University Carlo Bocconcelli ’14 Harvard University Robert Eder ’15 Vassar College Thomas Evangelista ’16 Wentworth Institute of Technology Brittany Feldott ’12 Georgetown University Rosie Gray ’08 New York University Kevin Holmes ’92 Boston College Harly Hutker ’11 Northeastern University Mary Kate Jones ’17 University of Maine Gia Ledwell ’17 UMASS Boston Stephanie (Pommrehn) Marshall ’07 St. Andrews University Jonathan Mayo ’91 Suffolk University Suffolk University Law School
“The further along you get in your education, the more writing you’ll need to do. Because of FA, you will be better prepared than most students and won’t have to struggle as much.”
“Think about who your professors are and how they can help and mentor you. My professors provided me with professional connections and gave me referrals that led to my internship and job. College is four years, and your career is your whole life.”
Max von der Heydt ’02
Harly Hutker ’11
Lily Patterson ’14 Fordham University Honors Program
“Standardized tests are not the only thing admissions people look for in graduate school. Know your passion and have a good story.”
“Grad schools are looking for candidates with dimension to them—no longer are they looking for cookie cutter applicants.”
Perry Raulerson ’01 Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Margot Wilsterman ’12
Ali Baker ’04
Brittany Feldott ’12
“I went to college abroad because of the Falmouth Academy Science Fair,” said Stephanie (Pommrehn) Marshall ’07. After winning the Fair junior year, Stephanie went to a summer program at Harvard where she met a student from the United Kingdom who talked about the benefits of studying abroad. Stephanie researched schools in the UK and decided to attend St. Andrews in Scotland. “When I visited SA, I knew right away that this is where I wanted to be.” The five-year program enabled Stephanie to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, and meet her husband, Charles. She and Charles now have a year-old son, and Stephanie is Vice President at Black Rock Solutions in London, where she manages a team of 35. “Falmouth Academy prepared me well for the demands of university, particularly how to write,” she said. 28
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Sarah (Lafaver) McCarron ’96 St. Lawrence University Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
Ronna ten Brink ’13 Tufts University Eliza Van Voorhis ’17 Middlebury College Max von der Heydt ’02 Brown University Carnegie Mellon University Margot Wilsterman ’11 Connecticut College School for Fisheries Science and Technology at UMASS Dartmouth
Falmouth Academy Class of 2018 Acceptances Adelphi University Assumption College +* Bard College Bard College Berlin Bennington College Berklee College of Music Boston University Brandeis University Cape Cod Community College ++ Case Western Reserve University Cazenovia College Clark University Colgate University College of Charleston ** College of the Holy Cross +** College of Wooster +** Colorado State University Columbia University Curry College DePaul University Drew University Eckerd College Emmanuel College **** Fisher College Florida Atlantic University Florida Institute of Technology Fordham University
Franklin University George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Gordon College Goucher College Haverford College High Point University Hofstra University Howard University Ithaca College Keene State University Lafayette College Lehigh University Liberty University Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts *** Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGill University Merrimack College Middlebury College New York University Northeastern University +*** Oberlin College Ohio Wesleyan University *** Pfeiffer University Princeton University Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Roanoke College Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University ** Santa Clara University ** Sarah Lawrence College Seattle University Skidmore College Smith College Southeastern University St. John’s College St. Lawrence University ** Suffolk University Syracuse University Tulane University Union College University of British Columbia University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine ** University of California, Los Angeles +* University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, San Diego ** University of Colorado, Boulder ** University of Delaware University of Maryland, College Park University of Mary Washington
University of Massachusetts, Amherst ++******* University of Massachusetts, Boston **** University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth ** University of New Hampshire, Durham University of North Carolina, Charlotte University of Rochester University of San Francisco +* University of Southern California +* University of Tampa University of Vermont ** University of Wisconsin, Madison Vassar College Virginia Wesleyan University Wagner College ++* Wells College Wellesley College Wentworth Institute of Technology Wheaton College ** Worcester Polytechnic Institute Names in bold denote schools where students have enrolled. If a school has accepted multiple students, a + denotes number of students who enrolled and a * denotes number of students who were accepted.
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Brockton, MA Permit # 601
7 Highfield Drive Falmouth, MA 02540 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
IN CONCERT AUGUST 11, 2018 7:30 PM Simon Center for the Arts Falmouth Academy 7 Highfield Drive, Falmouth
$100 patron $45 general admission $20 student (with ID)
Reserve your tickets today at falmouthacademy.org/Canadian-Brass For more information call Falmouth Academy at 508-457-9696 Proceeds benefit the arts and other programs at Falmouth Academy.
MB Daellenbach&Ravindra Singh
Printed on recycled paper, containing 10% post-consumer waste, that was harvested from responsibly managed forests. Printed with soy based inks.