BB&N Bulletin Summer 2013

Summer 2013

Inside this issue:

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Tribute to Beth Jacobson

40

Senior Projects Bring out the Best in Students

68 Strawberry Weekend Highlights

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Alumni/ae Events Calendar September 2013 Saturday, September 28 Golden Alumni/ae Brunch Upper School Gerry’s Landing Campus

BB&N Homecoming Gerry’s Landing Campus

Sunday, October 20 Head of the Charles Regatta BB&N Boathouse

Nove m b e r 2 0 1 3 Wednesday, November 27 Young Alumni/ae Coffee Upper School Gerry’s Landing Campus

Friday, November 29 Young Alumni/ae Pub Night Location TBD For a complete listing of School events including athletic games, exhibitions, and performances on campus, please visit the events calendar at: www.bbns.org/calendar.

Note to PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this Bulletin was sent to your daughter or son and they have updated contact information, please send us their new address and email.

Thank you! Please send updates to: alumni_programs@bbns.org or Alumni/ae Programs Buckingham Browne & Nichols 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138

Photographs are always welcome.

They should be 300 kb or higher.

Summer 2013

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O ct ob e r 2 0 1 3

Around Campus 2

Director of Communications Joe Clifford, Editor

20 years of BB&N at the MFA Day, Barton Honored, Spring Plays, Inaugural Marina Keegan ’08 Fellowships Awarded, Spring Sports Wrap-Up, Closing Ceremonies, Spotlight on the Arts, and more

Features 22

Departing Faculty and Milestones

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Heralded Faculty and Staff bid BB&N Farewell

Tributes to Beth Jacobson, Paul Quain, and Thom Greenlaw

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Graduation 2012

A glimpse into the Class of 2013, prizes, and more

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Senior Projects Bring Out the Best in Students Profiles of seniors Margery Tong, Carolyn Davitt, and Ryan O’Hanlon

Supporting the Mission 44

Annual Fund Success, Senior Class Gift, Senior Parents Gift, and Sixth Grade Gift

Alumni/ae News & Notes 46

Alumni/ae News & Notes

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BB&N in New York

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Strawberry Night & Reunion Weekend

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Class of 2013 Legacies

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Milestones

Associate Director of Communications Andrew Fletcher, Senior Editor Communications Assistant Bridget Malachowski, Editor Contributing Writers Alex Ablon Joe Clifford Peter DeMarco Andrew Fletcher Beth Jacobson Jake Kuhn ’13 Rachel Loughran Bridget Malachowski Andrea Martinez Bob O’Brien Natalie Ralston Tim Rappleye ’75 Janet Rosen Rachel Talamo ’14 Contributing Editors Sherwood C. Haskins Jr. Natalie Ralston Janet Rosen Alumni/ae News & Notes Beth Jacobson Andrea Martinez Natalie Ralston Tracy Rosette Katie Small Design & Production Nanci Booth www.nancibooth.com 781-582-1076 Photography Lisa Abitbol Pierre Chiha Andrew Fletcher Brian Galford Beth Jacobson Bridget Malachowski Eric Nordberg ’88 Shawn Read Brian Tetrault Vaughn Winchell

: FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

Board of Trustees, 2013-2014 Officers Bracebridge H. Young, Jr., Chair Shelly Nemirovsky, Vice Chair/Secretary Charles A. Brizius, Vice Chair David Randolph Peeler, Vice Chair/Treasurer J. Stuart Ablon ’88 Deborah Ancona Beth Myers Azano ’95 Jeffrey Barber Joseph Chung Thomas Dingman Diala Ezzeddine Katie Gayman Mary Beth Gordon Jason P. Hafler ’00 Bob Higgins James P. Honan Andre John ’83 Philip H. Loughlin Jeffrey Moore Erica Gervais Pappendick Agnes Bundy Scanlon Jacqueline Stephen ’86 Janet M. Storella ’74 David J. Thompson ’86 Frederica C. Turner ’91 David Williams ’78 Head of School Rebecca T. Upham Front Cover: Wiliam Peoples ’13 and Carolyn Davitt ’13 look back on the Upper School campus following graduation.

(Photograph by Eric Nordberg ’88)

Correspondence may be sent to: Office of Alumni/ae Affairs (bb&n_bulletin@bbns.org or 617-800-2721) or the Office of Communications (communications@bbns.org or 617-800-2403), 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138-5512

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www.bbns.org

BB&N AROUND CAMPUS BB&N and the MFA Celebrate 20 Years of Collaboration For the past twenty years, BB&N students from all three campuses have been hanging their artwork in the halls of one of the country’s most prestigious museums, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Once a year at the annual BB&N at the MFA Day, the BB&N community spends a day at the museum in what is the highest profile piece of a partnership that has provided both institutions gratifying rewards.

Begun under former Head of School Mary Newman, and at the urging of a former Upper School English teacher Jacqueline Cossentino who worked at the MFA at the time, the idea was to develop a partnership that would benefit both the School and the museum in a cross-fertilization of ideas. The School would have access to an acclaimed museum and BB&N would serve as a laboratory of sorts for the MFA to provide insights into teacher/student needs and expectations in interacting with a museum.

“The partnership has led to a lot of curriculum development within the museum, and has definitely helped to make the museum more family-friendly, which is an essential part of fostering the arts in our children,” says Lower School art teacher and MFA coordinator Sharen Bowden. “It gives our students, teachers, and families the opportunity to be in a world-class museum, and beyond just being there, to experience it on a personal level and to feel it intimately.”

Since 1993, both BB&N and the MFA have been the beneficiaries of this unique and wonderful partnership, a symbiotic relationship if ever one existed. MFA Day is the largest and keystone event of the collaboration, one that Bowden likens good humoredly to “planning a wedding every year.” Between 400 and 500 BB&N students, parents, faculty, and staff regularly attend the event which features art exhibits by students from all three campuses, interactive art projects, musical performances, and gallery tours and talks by Upper School AP Art History students.

“It’s not just seeing beautiful art work, it’s studying it and understanding where and what it originated from,” says Bowden. “We talk so much about gaining global understanding and learning about other cultures. Well, here is the history and an introduction to every part of the world through art.”

It’s thanks to the devotion and hard work of faculty and volunteers that the partnership has endured so long. Bowden, Middle School art teacher Libby Maclaren, and Upper School English and Art History Teacher Rob Leith are just a few of the supporters who have kept the program running. And, of course, parents have been integral in keeping the wheels turning as well. Past “Chairs for the MFA Day” include Elizabeth Leatherman, Audrey Reny, Kay Kane, and Kate Enroth.

PICTURED AT LEFT: Hank Winton, Katherine Mieher, Jenna Corcoran, and Miles Harrison (all Class of 2013) on MFA Day 2002. PICTURED AT RIGHT: x 1 x Chloe Atkinson ’21 and Sam Atkinson (P’21) enjoy the exhibit x 2 x Sofia Chen ’22 points out a clay figurine she helped to make. x 3 x A painting by Audrey Kirwan ’15 x 4 x Middle and Lower School art teachers Libby Maclaren and Sharen Bowden. x 5 x Dylan Hanson ’19 performs at MFA Day x 6 x A painting/collage by Sammy Segal ’15 and Mallory Cutler ’15. x 7 x Eighth graders Erica Yuen, Simone Geary, and Michaela Kane partake in an interactive clay exhibit. x 8 x Zoey Orlando ’26 displays her sandpaper lithograph. x 9 x Lower School folk art and picture frames on display x 10 x A painting

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Maypole Ceremony Keeps Tradition Alive The Lower School community gathered this spring to celebrate the changing of seasons with its annual Maypole celebration. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, allowing parents, faculty, and students to gather outside in the courtyard to partake in the longstanding tradition, which dates back to the Buckingham School days.

In addition to the much anticipated Maypole dance by the fifth graders, the third grade performed a Cambodian coconut dance and the fourth grade performed an Indian stick dance. All performances were accompanied by Lower School musicians.

Lower School Students Defeat Faculty in Annual Kickball Game For more than 20 years BB&N sixth graders have enjoyed playing against—and often beating—their teachers in the traditional end-of-year x2x kickball game. Cheered on by the younger classes, who tote signs rooting for both their teachers and peers alike, the frenzied action captures the special bond between students and teachers on the Lower School campus.

This year was no different as both sides partook in a low-scoring affair that saw the students pull out an 8-4 victory. Employing an umpiring style that can only be described as colorful and unique, fifth grade teacher Jack Denny-Brown has called the game for more than 15 years using only a whistle and wild gesticulations. The Bulletin caught up with Denny-Brown before the game this year for his take on the tradition.

Bulletin: As the umpire in this historically volatile grudge match, you have a difficult job. What’s your attitude going into the game?

JDB: I try to make sure that everyone has fun, and that the students win.

Bulletin: I can see you’re kidding, but there were some whispers in the faculty lunch room that you seem to mysteriously “skew” some of your calls against the faculty.

JDB: Ahh. Well, there are going to be a few sour grapes in every bunch, but I do what I can and that’s the best I can do.

Bulletin: Has the game changed a lot in the 15-plus years that you’ve umpired it?

JDB: Not too much. Both sides have a lot of fun, but also take it quite seriously. There are no easy outs. I’m just hoping to control the play without anything getting out of hand. The past few years I feel that there’s been a little too much charging the mound. But that’s why I wield the rubber chicken…like a judge’s gavel.

Bulletin: Any predictions for this year’s game?

JDB: It’s going to be hot! (Indeed, to Denny-Brown’s point, it was a humid 92 degrees when the first pitch rolled across the plate this year.)

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Fifth grade teacher and umpire extraordinaire Jack Denny-Brown

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BB&N Celebrates 62 nd Annual Circus Games, rides, bouncy houses, music, food, and laughter marked BB&N’s annual circus again this May. The Buckingham campus was transformed into a carnival as students and hundreds of BB&N community members from all three campuses joined in the festivities. As usual, the event was a roaring success and all proceeds went to the School’s financial aid program. Take a peek below for some of the action!

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PICTURED: x 1 x Amy Khoshbin ’20 rides the mechanical bull. x 2 x Alex Berhane ’21 masters one of the many games. x 3 x Whitney Janes ’20 (left) and Bebe Stockwell ’20 (right) hop in the potato sack race. x 4 x Members of the Alumni/ae Council helped to work the grill: from left, Alumni/ae Director Beth Jacobson, Toby Marshall, Sam Wolff ’88, John Fulginiti ’81, Alison Powers ’95, Beth Meyers Azano ’95 and her husband Chip. x4x

From the Archives: The 1968 BB&N Circus The more things change, the more things stay the same—so goes the old adage, and so goes the BB&N Circus. The rides might be a bit faster and the bouncy houses larger, but the Circus tradition at BB&N hasn’t changed all that much during the past 62 years.

Cotton candy is still a favorite and, (helium-filled zeppelins notwithstanding), time-travelers from the past would notice the same smiles, the same camaraderie, and many of the same features at this year’s Circus as they would have at any of the past 61 celebrations.

“Anticipating the Circus was a big event,” says Morgan Baker ’76. “It was exciting to watch the playground turn into a fairgrounds with a ferris wheel and train on Buckingham Street and animals, like bunnies and goldfish, for sale where kids normally played four-square next to the Markham building. My parents, Molly and John Flender, also got involved running a hay ride up Parker Street and around to Buckingham Street when I was older.”

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AROUND CAMPUS Head of School Accepts PAL of the Year Award on Behalf of BB&N Every May, 130 basketball players and numerous supporters gather in the Nicholas Athletic Center for the Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament to raise money and awareness on behalf of those affected with Fragile X (the most common inherited cause of mental impairment and the most common known cause of autism).

And every year, the organizers and founders of Patrick’s PALS (Class of 1979 alumni Jon Pressman, Bill Rome, Steve Savarese, and James Vershbow) bestow a PAL of the Year award to a deserving supporter. This year that honor went to Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and BB&N for allowing the use of the School’s facilities over the past 14 years.

“This is an honor we bestow upon someone every year in recognition of their commitment to Patrick’s PALS above and beyond even the most reasonable of expectations,” writes co-founder James Vershbow ’79. “What we do would not be possible without a first-rate facility, and you and BB&N have provided this for our event since 1999! The generosity represented by your donation of the use of the Athletic Center cannot be disputed!”

James Vershbow ’79 awards Head of School Rebecca T. Upham the PAL of the year award for BB&N’s generosity in supporting Patrick’s PALS.

Brett Fuhrman Announced as BB&N Chief Financial Officer BB&N is pleased to announce the appointment of Brett Fuhrman as the new chief financial officer/chief operations officer.

Fuhrman joins BB&N from the Brooks School where he had been the Associate Head, finance and operations/chief operating officer for the past three years. Prior to his tenure at Brooks, Brett served in a variety of leadership roles in the Denver Public Schools including manager of special projects, director of budgetary services, and chief financial officer from 2008-2010.

“Among a group of exceptional candidates vying to succeed Thom Greenlaw,” says Head of School Rebecca T. Upham. “Brett stood out, which really points to his extraordinary leadership and communication skills and to a solid understanding of complex problems in both the finance and operations realms.”

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As Patrick’s PALS embarks on its 17th fundraising campaign in 2013, the organization has raised more than $700,000 from a grass roots level. All monies raised by Patrick’s PALS go to FRAXA Research Foundation, a Massachusetts-based national nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance research aimed at finding an effective treatment and/or cure for Fragile X.

Six BB&N Seniors Named National Merit Scholar Finalists This year, six BB&N seniors were named National Merit Scholarship “Finalists” in recognition of their academic promise and distinguished performance in the National Merit Scholarship Program of 2013: from left below, Elaine Dai, Alicia Juang, Jacob Kuhn, Elana Sulakshana, Cordelia Mikita, and Catherine Williams.

Approximately 1.6 million students sit each year for the Practice SAT (PSAT) administered in October of their third year of high school.

The nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation then evaluates these PSAT results, plus students’ academic records throughout high school, to determine the top one percent who advance to “finalist” standing.

Former Board Chair Woodsum Receives Myra H. Kraft Award Eight US Students Win National Art & Writing Awards Eight BB&N students earned national recognition in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2013: Alberto Ancona ’14, Wenli Bao ’13, Harry Bator ’15, Ami Clifford ’13, Sarah Dahl ’15, Jake Kuhn ’13, Caitlin McCarey ’13, and Margery Tong ’13.

The students were identified by panels of creative professionals as the most talented young artists and writers in the nation. This year, 230,000 works of art and writing were submitted by students in grades 7-12 and only the top one percent were recognized at the national level. The honor garnered an invitation to attend a ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City in May.

Former BB&N board chair Steve Woodsum (P’06, ’08, ’10) was one of three individuals honored this spring with a director of the year award by The National Association of Corporate Directors New England Chapter (NACDNE).

Each year, NACDNE recognizes board members and boards from public, private, and nonprofit organizations who exemplify the key attributes of outstanding directors.

During an April 11 ceremony at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Woodsum received the Myra H. Kraft Award for Non-Profit Leadership for his service in leadership positions at numerous non-profits, including BB&N. “Few individuals would be more deserving of this recognition for the extraordinary work accomplished on behalf of non-profit organizations. Steve has made such a difference in the lives of so many,” says Woodie Haskins, BB&N’s Assistant Head of School for External Affairs. “He has always been concerned about the well-being of others first; the phrase ‘non sibi,’ not for oneself, describes him best. He lives this motto every day of his life and his moral compass is guided by integrity, service, modesty, and generosity.”

Woodsum served as BB&N’s Board of Trustees Chair from 2001 to 2006 and has also been involved with the following organizations in various capacities: Chair of the National Board of City Year, Director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, Director of Massachusetts General Hospital, member of Overseers at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Trustees of the Boston Harbor Island Alliance, Former Board Chair of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, Former Director of Jumpstart for Young Children, CIDCO, Clean Harbors, Information Builders, QMS, and Superior Services.

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AROUND CAMPUS

Marina Keegan ’08 Memorial Fund Supports First Two Summer Fellowship Grants This spring, two BB&N rising seniors, Rachel Strodel ’14 and David Markey ’14, were named the inaugural honorees of the Marina Keegan ’08 Summer Fellowship. The fellowships honor Class of 2008 graduate Marina Keegan whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident in 2012. In keeping with Keegan’s indomitable spirit and drive to make a difference in the world, the grants will allow Strodel and Markey to pursue opportunities that benefit different communities and to experience life to its fullest in challenging and philanthropic endeavors.

“The application process for these grants zeroed in on how the proposed projects would affect others in a way of which Marina herself would have approved,” says Upper School English teacher Beth McNamara, who taught, coached, and advised Keegan at BB&N. To that end, Strodel traveled to Nicaragua this summer with AMOS Health and Hope, a Christian nonprofit, to improve health systems in rural areas. Markey worked with local and national political organizations to persuade more states to sign the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), a statewide agreement to give Electoral College votes to winners of the popular vote in the hopes of creating a more equal voting system in the country.

“So often I hear of how she was a ‘life force,’ someone continually giving to the world around her, challenging those around her to fight the status quo. As I never knew Marina, I can only see—in those who did know her—the impact she left on how they approach life. To have the chance to work alongside others, to struggle with them against the seemingly unsolvable health problems in their communities, is an opportunity to honor Marina’s same commitment to improving the lives of others by allowing them to live to their full potential.”

- Rachel Strodel ’14 “In her article ‘Even Artichokes Have Doubts,’ Marina Keegan made the case that Yale students should choose career paths that truly interest them rather than career paths that are readily accessible, namely financial sector jobs. The problem Keegan describes is even noticeable at BB&N among students who are years away from choosing their first long-term job. This project would give BB&N students an opportunity to pursue a field of work that they would not have had the chance to explore otherwise.

Hopefully, this project will help BB&N students find something that they are truly passionate about doing in life and, in this way, continue the legacy of Marina Keegan.”

- David Markey ’14 Since Marina’s untimely passing in May 2012, the outpouring of support to honor her memory has been overwhelming. Over the past year, classmates, friends, family members, faculty, and staff have made gifts totaling more than $90,000 to the Marina Keegan ’08 Memorial Fund, established last summer. These funds include nearly $5,000 given in Marina’s memory by members of the Class of 2008 for their 5th Reunion, which was generously matched by an anonymous parent in the class.

To make a contribution to the Marina Keegan Fund, visit www.bbns.org/donate or contact Janet Rosen at jrosen@bbns.org or 617-800-2729.

From left to right: Luke Vargas ’08 congratulates Rachel Strodel ’14 and David Markey ’14 on their fellowships.

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Keegan’s Utility Monster Premieres at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater The late Marina Keegan ’08 left an impressive footprint at BB&N, but the talented writer also left behind a legacy for the arts: her play Utility Monster, which premiered to the public this summer at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater in Wellfleet, Mass.

Dan Lombardo, the artistic director of Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, was thrilled to stage the performance and spoke to what appealed to him about Keegan’s play.

“Marina’s fluidity with dialogue and the way she builds characters, immediately you knew these were authentic people on the stage,” Lombardo says. “There were no stereotypes, no cliches, no throwaway lines. It’s beautifully evocative writing, and you wanted to know what was going to happen to these characters.”

Rising BB&N senior Rachel Talamo ’14 was among the many BB&N students, faculty, and alumni/ae who saw a performance and left the theater moved.

Utility Monster: A Review

Marina Keegan ’08

By Rachel Talamo ’14 It’s difficult to separate the experience of watching Utility Monster from the heart-wrenching feeling that comes from viewing the work of a playwright who died far before her time, particularly when many of the play’s central themes focus on mortality. But even without Marina Keegan’s tragic backstory, her five-character show, performed at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater through June 22, is bitingly funny, honest, and vibrant with unabashed reality.

The play’s premise is filled with tragic irony—those watching cannot ignore that Keegan has left Utility Monster behind, along with a much wider legacy, just as her characters hope to leave their mark on the world with something meaningful. She has so carefully created a piece of theatre to question the value of art, yet the cathartic nature of her play demonstrates its power.

Utility Monster is a story of intention, of the urgency to do something worth leaving behind. Ruth, a widow and mother of two, embodies this best as she relates the moment she learned she’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer: “I had this moment of panic. Real panic. Not a localized kind of panic, but a holistic kind of panic—a larger panic. I thought about what would happen if I didn’t finish my book. If I just, don’t have time. And that was it. I never made a contribution. I never produced anything permanent that anyone would really see.”

Keegan has created characters eager to make something of themselves, simultaneously struggling to discover what that truly means.

As those onstage doubt the worth of their own endeavors, she wittily invites audience members, with their fears unfolding before them, to do the same.

The actors, two of whom are only sophomores at Nauset High School, share a warm, relaxed stage chemistry that does the script’s hilariously (and accurately) written family dynamic justice, showcased most notably in the banter of a family dinner scene.

Though the script leaves a few loose ends untied, Keegan is successful in bringing it to life with profound, sardonic comedy.

With lines like: “Utilitarianism is when you start thinking about everything in terms of how many starving African children you can save,” she explores philosophical complexities with casual, unassuming humor.

When the show’s end comes full circle, with the slightly more mature fifteen-year-old protagonists returning to the spot of their first meeting, a sense of overwhelming normality sweeps across the stage. There’s satisfaction in the conflict resolution, yes, but it lies in something else as well. Dead or alive, a girl has made her mark on this world, and one cannot help but feel part of a bittersweet triumph as the lights fade to black.

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AROUND CAMPUS Sixth Grade Spring Musical This spring, the sixth grade classes staged a production of Dear Edwina Junior as their spring musical. Set in the fictional town of Paw Paw, Michigan, the play revolves around Edwina Spoonapple and the advice-giving shows she produces from her garage with the help of a group of neighborhood friends.

Cordiana Cozier ’19 (as Edwina Spoonapple in Act I) waits while her mail is sorted.

Under the direction of drama and dance teacher Jenny Lifson and coupled with the musical direction of music teachers Debbie Slade and Ada Snider, the students produced a lively performance. In addition to memorizing lines, songs, and choreography, every sixth grader also contributed to creating the set pieces, props, and scenery for the show.

Middle School Spring Musical Middle School students impressed audiences with a laugh-outloud performance in this year’s spring musical, Something Funny Happened on the Way to Forum. The famous play, which features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, channels the model of a traditional Greek comedy as characters fumble through a series of hare-brained schemes and cases of mistaken identity toward the happiest of outcomes for all involved.

Whether through the physical comedy, witty dialogue, or spirited musical numbers, the students’ performances brought the play to life and left everyone smiling.

Cast members belt out a musical number.

Upper School Spring Play Upper School actors showed off their immense talents in May when they staged a production of The Laramie Project, a play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the members of the Tectonic Theater company with close friends, residents of Laramie, those involved in the crime and trial, and published news reports.

The cast of The Laramie Project 10

The Laramie Project is a unique play, with eight actors portraying more than sixty characters in a series of short scenes. Depending on the characters, actors had to quickly change emotions as they went from one scene to the next. The students did an impressive job addressing serious issues, as well as intense subject matter, with sensitivity and maturity.

Barton Appointed to Edgar H. Nichols Future Leader Instructorship Kindergarten teacher Maria Barton has been named as the inaugural recipient of the Edgar H. Nichols Future Leader Instructorship, created by a BB&N family as part of the School’s recent capital campaign. This new instructorship honors Edgar H. Nichols, the co-founder of Browne & Nichols who, in 1883, created the School along with his Harvard classmate George H. Browne and led the School from 1883 until his death in 1910.

The instructorship recognizes the special contributions that promising early and mid-career faculty have made to the School community, their academic accomplishments, and evidence of personal growth.

Head of School Rebecca T. Upham announced the appointment in May: “‘Teaching the whole child is a goal that is often cited and strived for at schools nationwide. Here at BB&N, we can point to our own Maria Barton as a true exemplar of this in her six years at the School. Maria is remarkably attentive to and adept at fostering growth in her students’ cognitive, academic, and social-emotional domains. Her aptitude in these areas—so readily evident in the classroom she shares with co-teacher Ben Goldhaber—didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of her vigorous pursuit of professional development opportunities to advance her knowledge and skills.

“When Maria arrived at the Lower School six years ago, she recognized the emotional turmoil that some of her students were experiencing during their parents’ divorce process.

To address this, Maria became determined to bring to the Lower School a program called Banana Splits, which is designed to meet the socialemotional needs of children of divorced parents. She trained to become a Banana Splits facilitator and over the past five years has run the program alongside Lower School psychologist, Dr. Jacqueline Kieff. The program, which meets during lunch every two weeks, has helped to build students’ coping skills as well as encouraged increased communication between parents and children.

“In addition, Maria has embraced a variety of other leadership roles at the School. She is a member of the Diversity Steering Committee on the Lower School campus, a committee that has led a grassroots diversity initiative centered on discussions of race and the book Witnessing Whiteness. Maria also brings an early elementary perspective to the trustee-faculty Global Strategy task force.”

Alumna Mindy Kaling ’97 Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World Class of ’97 graduate Mindy Kaling has become a well-known name through her acting and writing on the hit comedy The Office, her own show The Mindy Project, and her 2012 book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).

Time Magazine hailed Kailing as one of their 100 most influential people in the world in their April 29 issue. Congratulations to Mindy on her remarkable accomplishments.

Visit the Time website to read about Kaling’s inclusion on the list: time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling.

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Rappleye ’75 Regales BB&N Students with Tales of Russia

By Tim Rappleye ’75 Hi, Tim here from BB&N Class of ’75 (that’s 1975, not 1875!), hockey nut and floundering Russian student, but a fan of the passion on display for all things Russian demonstrated by former BB&N teachers Armen Dedekian and the late George Deptula. I also took some Russian Dance and Russian Literature back in the day, and when my TV production career brought me to Moscow in 1986 for the Goodwill Games, I dusted off my old drill sheets and visited Deptula’s cozy 3rd floor room and got a batch of his Russian audio tapes. I crammed just enough in to get around town in a taxi, find the Metro, and announce in the present tense that Vera Alexeevna opens the door.

There was a night out at dinner where after the obligatory caviar and vodka warm-ups, I got out on the dance floor, clapping my heels with my hands in a stomach-up table position (think Yoga). The month in Moscow cost me 18 pounds, but food was the only negative.

Fast forward to Winter Solstice 2012. My hockey passion earned me a second trip to Russia, this time to the base of the Urals in the fairly wealthy oil city known as Ufa (accent on the second syllable). It’s in the Bashkirs, and it is cold...dead-of-the-Russian-winter, hurt-your-lungs kind of cold. One thousand miles east-southeast of Moscow, it required a 26-hour train ride; I opted for the two-hour flight.

BB&N’s current Russian teacher Joshua Walker invited me to Skype with one of his classes for a half hour one evening (morning for them). We talked about some of the cultural stuff I had encountered, especially the Rappleye ’75 (left) in front of the “Tulip Mosque” in Ufa, Russia fact that Ufa never gets visitors from the West and that there is so little tourism that there were no post cards for sale. The elderly “babooshkas” running the produce and flower stands were delighted to have a Westerner attempt his pidgin Russian on them. Several younger people in town knew some English, and tolerated my attempts to schmooze them in their own tongue. There was a lot of fashion on display: women in high heels dashing across snowy intersections was a common sight. Traffic lights appeared to be mere recommendations, and whatever plow system they used never cleared enough snow to get to the pavement.

Hockey is religion in Russia, more for the national team than the professional ones. In North America, only Montreal approaches Russia in terms of the intensity of their hockey love. New Year’s Eve saw Canada play Russia and I felt the arena shake with throbbing vibrations from the fans chanting “Ross-SEE-ya!” After the game my TV colleagues all went out to a nightclub and experienced the annual tradition of hearing from the President (Putin) on his nationally televised midnight greeting; it lasted 5-10 minutes. Once Putin had completed his well-wishes to the “Russky Narod” (Russian People), the serious revelry commenced for the next six hours. New Year’s is VERY big in Russia. It is part of the Christmas week, but on the front end, Orthodox Christmas is a week after New Year’s.

I came back to BB&N and shared tales with another of Josh’s Russian classes, once again in the familiar confines of the Deptula room.

His “Big Brother Boris” picture still hangs and haunts. Here are some posts from my two-week Ufa adventure: Russkypux.blogspot.com.

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A Week in Venice Reflections on English teacher Rob Leith’s AP art history class’ trip abroad

By Jake Kuhn ’13 Tell any European you’re spending a whole week in Venice, and he’ll scoff: “A week? Too much time. Two days is plenty for Venice!”

Call me an ignorant American, but how can you discover a city’s treasures in two days? With a week in Venice, you can wander every neighborhood. You can learn the streets well enough to find a specific neighborhood, and maybe even retrace your steps to that place with the lifechanging veal steak, five nights later. You can spend time sitting in a piazza or on the back of a vaporetto, watching the tourists or appreciating the canal-front palaces as they float by. You can pick up some basic Italian. Go where the locals go. See more (and more, and more) art.

Venice has the most art per square foot of any city in the world, and it was once the cosmopolitan capital of the world, the crossroads between East and West—fitting for an art history trip. True, after three palaces, four museums, and twenty-one churches, much of the artwork blended together, but our heavy-duty tourism meant we visited more than just the staples of Venice.

For example, my class was lucky to have a private tour of the Church of San Sebastiano, which is filled with Veronese paintings currently under restoration. Not only was it incredible to see the restorers high in the scaffolding touching up one minute section at a time, but it was a relief to absorb the church’s splendor on a more personal level. So rarely can one witness the grandeur of a Venetian landmark uncluttered by throngs of other tourists.

That’s why you choose to spend a whole week in one city—to taste the soul of the place, to find a sliver of authenticity. Ellie, my buddy in Venice, and I went to the Birreria Forst nearly every afternoon for post-museum cappucini. Tucked down an alleyway at the edges of the Piazza San Marco, just a few blocks from the Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, the unbecoming bar was where local teenagers would meet after school and where gondoliers in black-and-white striped suits had glasses of wine after a day of rowing down canals. Relaxing in that bar—we dubbed it “The Haunt”—with our cappucini and rich pastries—“rectangles”—made Venice feel less like a city where you visit all of the churches and more of an intimate town with gritty character.

In that one week, I began to feel the tiniest sense of belonging (and I immediately felt like an ignorant American for being so clichéd). But when you recognize regulars in The Haunt, and when you can find The Haunt without a map, you become a bit less of a stranger. It’s pretty amazing that a group of teenagers and their art history teacher can travel to a foreign place and make it familiar. Sample life elsewhere. See the treasures, both artistic and not. And Venice, stacked with gorgeous buildings and peaceful in the absence of automobiles, was the perfect city to do just that.

English teacher Rob Leith’s AP art history class abroad in Venice (with author Jake Kuhn ‘13 pictured second from left)

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Ruby Bridges Inspires BB&N Students Ruby Bridges spent the morning of May 21st with BB&N 4th, 5th, and 6th graders and the afternoon with BB&N 7th and 8th graders. It was an honor to have a woman who has inspired many with her strength share her first-hand experience of being the first black child to attend an all-white school in New Orleans. In 1960, following a court order for schools in New Orleans to integrate, Ruby was escorted by Federal Marshals to attend first grade at the William Frantz Public Elementary School. The opposition she faced was incredible but she persevered and is now sharing her story with students across the country.

BB&N Middle School students prepared for her visit by reading her book Through My Eyes, watching Disney’s Ruby Bridges, A True American Hero, and studying this period in history during their homeroom. But having Ruby moving through the audience, engaging students, and helping everyone to visualize what it was like to be an African-American in New Orleans in 1960, was an invaluable experience.

Ms. Bridges talked with the Lower School students about acceptance and not judging others for how they look. Middle School students asked Ms. Bridges to share more deeply how she felt about this experience and the reactions of her family and neighbors. Ms. Bridges concluded with the message that racism still exists today and students are the best hope for change.

This visit was made possible through funding from the Lower School and Middle School Comitas Funds which support initiatives furthering the exploration and study of diversity and inclusion.

PICTURED AT RIGHT: Brooke Graves ’17, Ruby Bridges, Lauryn Jacobs ’17, and Madeline Bevis ’17

Old Acquaintances Renewed for BB&N’s New Director of Alumni/ae Programs From her days as a wide-eyed lower schooler at Colorado Academy in Denver, Natalie Ralston fondly recalls her principal and fifth grade science teacher, Dr. Fitzgerald. So, at Ralston’s first Strawberry Night as BB&N’s new director of alumni/ae programs, it was a welcome surprise to discover Tom Fitzgerald ’53 among the assembled guests.

“I have many fond memories of Dr. Fitz,” says Ralston, who joins BB&N from The Harvard Graduate School of Education where she was the associate director of alumni relations and HGSE Fund.

“But one favorite is that every year on the day before school started he would host ‘popsicle day’ where all of the lower school students would come to campus to meet our teachers for the year, see our classrooms, and most importantly get a popsicle from Dr. Fitz. It was a fantastic tradition.”

PICTURED ABOVE: Eileen Headrick, Director of Alumni/ae Programs Natalie Ralston, and Tom Fitzgerald ’53 14

It was a serendipitous start to Ralston’s time at BB&N, and no doubt a sign of good things to come. Look for a more in-depth introduction to Natalie in the fall issue of The Bulletin.

In Honoring the Marathon’s Victims, His Shirt Said it All

By Peter DeMarco Barrett Wilson-Murphy ’02 knew it was way too hot a day for a marathoner to be wearing a long-sleeve shirt. That a few miles into the race, he’d become uncomfortable, overheat, and probably start dehydrating.

But the Class of 2002 alum, and nine-time marathoner, couldn’t imagine taking off the shirt for even one step of the London Marathon’s 26.2-mile course on April 21st. Not after what he and his family had gone through to obtain it. Not after all it meant to him.

As the Boston Marathon tragedy unfolded, Wilson-Murphy was far from home, finishing law school at King’s College London School of Law. The London Marathon, which he’d signed up to run, was being held just six days after the bombings. What better way to honor those back home, Wilson-Murphy thought, than by wearing an official, long-sleeve 2013 Boston Marathon runner’s shirt in his own race.

But where could he get such a shirt, and could it make it overseas to him in time?

So began a race of a very different sort. Adidas provided shirts only to official runners, and those re-selling shirts on eBay couldn’t guarantee delivery by race day. Wilson-Murphy needed someone to donate his running shirt, and fast.

Barret Wilson-Murphy ’02 mid-race at the London Marathon in his Boston Marathon shirt

Back in Boston, Wilson-Murphy’s sister, Molly, BB&N Class of 2003, spread the word through friends and Facebook until she found Ian Nurse, one of the top 50 finishers in this year’s Boston Marathon. She picked up Nurse’s signature yellow-and-blue shirt that Wednesday, but every delivery service she asked—Federal Express, DHL, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service—told her that it wouldn’t arrive in London until after her brother’s race.

The family moved to Plan B, then Plan C, hitting walls each time. At last they found a Delta Airlines flight attendant willing to tote the shirt on her overnight flight to London just 24 hours before race time. The plan nearly fell apart when Boston was ordered into a police lockdown the morning of her departure. But Wilson-Murphy’s mom, Cindy Wilson, saved the day, getting the shirt to the flight attendant just in time.

When Wilson-Murphy took his place at the starting line that Sunday in Greenwich Park, he wasn’t alone in honoring Boston. The race’s 36,000 runners had each been given a black ribbon to wear, and before the starting gun, runners and spectators alike were asked to observe 30 seconds of silence.

Looking down at his yellow-and-blue shirt, which just days earlier had been on a Boston Marathoner’s back, Wilson-Murphy said he teared up.

“That’s when it first kind of hit me that this was the real thing,” he says.

Given London’s crowded race course, and the heat of the day—Wilson-Murphy got a dehydration headache around mile 17, but persevered with the shirt still on—he did not run his fastest marathon, which was something he had also hoped to do to honor Boston.

Instead, having now returned home (Wilson-Murphy received his law degree in May from Boston College), he intends on running the 2014 Boston Marathon. As in past years, he’ll be volunteering with Achilles International, a charity that helps disabled athletes run marathons.

His running partner will be Cameron Kerr, a military veteran who lost his leg in an explosion in Afghanistan.

As for that special yellow-and-blue t-shirt? Having more than served its purpose, its running days are over, Wilson-Murphy said.

“It was just very fortunate that it all came to fruition.” x5x

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Spring Sports Wrap-Up

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Boys Tennis (Record: 12-7)

Boys Lacrosse (Record: 5-12)

• This team was personified by an impressive group of seniors: Matt Troy, Ryan Simpson, Peter Woolverton, Taylor Schoettle, and co-captains Tyler Martin and Hank Winton.

• Despite injuries to several key players, this team battled hard against the iron of the ISL, and made competitive showings against the likes of St. Paul’s and Rivers.

• Qualified for the Class B New England Championships and pulled out close victories over St. Paul’s, Groton, and Middlesex.

Coaches Cup Winner: Tyler Martin ’13 All League Honorable Mention: Zach Lovett ’14

• Highlights included juniors RJ Caruso and Connor Hegarty leading the team in scoring (posting 38 and 23 goals, respectively), junior tri-captain Jimmy Cochran’s stellar goaltending, and big wins over St. Mark’s and Pingree.

Coaches Cup Winners: Thor Nagel ’13, William Peoples ’13 All League: RJ Caruso ’14 Honorable Mention: Connor Hegarty ’14

Girls Tennis (Record: 11-5) • Season highlights included qualifying for the Class A New England tournament, and hard-fought victories over Middlesex and Milton.

• Comprised of only one senior, one 8 grader, two freshman, four sophomores, and one junior, this squad carries ISL championship hopes into next year.

Coaches Cup Winner: Tarika Narain ’13 All League: Isabel Goldfine ’15, Katherine Mayer ’16 Honorable Mention: Ania Aliev ’14 th

Girls Lacrosse (Record: 6-11) • Senior Victoria Moore and junior Skylar Smith were named to the New England Prep School Girls’ Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Star team.

• Highlights included league victories over St. George’s and Milton.

Coaches Cup Winner: Victoria Moore ’13 All League: Victoria Moore ’13

Baseball (Record: 13-7-1)

Boys Crew

• Completed its 17 consecutive winning season with another successful year.

• Highlights included sweeping Cambridge Rindge & Latin and Dexter, and winning three of four races against Nobles and Middlesex.

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• Highlights included quality victories over Nobles, St. Sebastian’s, and Rivers.

Coaches Cup Winner: Brendon Kerrigan ’13 All League: Brendon Kerrigan ’13, Michael Samko ’14 Honorable Mention: Ezekiel Berg ’16, Cameron O’Neill ’14

Softball (Record: 13-7) • Competed in the Big East Tournament where the team advanced to the semifinals before losing 2-1 to eventual champion Andover.

• This squad bids farewell to five outstanding seniors—Kate Reynolds, Jenna Corcoran, Shannon Power, Carrie Copacino, and Meaghan Merullo—who have helped turn BB&N softball into a powerhouse program over the past four years.

Coaches Cup Winners: Carrie Copacino ’13, Meaghan Merullo ’13, Shannon Power ’13 All League: Katie Burt ’15, Carrie Copacino ’13, Courtney Erickson ’14, Meaghan Merullo ’13

Golf (Record: 6-16-2) • This team was competitive in every single match this year, a vast improvement from the previous season.

• Highlights included a huge victory over Middlesex and a payback win against Lawrence Academy after losing to the same squad earlier in the year.

Coaches Cup Winner: Joe Czarnota ’13

• Five boats placed in the top three places at the DuPont Cup Regatta.

• The 3rd and 4th boats both made impressive runs at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships, reaching the finals against steep competition.

Coaches Cup Winner: Cam O’Reilly ’13

Girls Crew • Highlights included wins over Cambridge Rindge & Latin, St. Marks, Lincoln, Derryfield, and Thayer Academy.

• Closed the season with the 1st, 2nd, and 4th varsity crews rowing impressively to beat perennial powerhouse Brooks School.

Coaches Cup Winner: Julia Taibl ’13

Sailing (Record: 5-3) • Demonstrated their sailing excellence with a very strong 2nd place finish at the New England Private School Championships.

• Other highlights included qualifying for the O’Day Trophy (New England Fleet Race Championship) in Greenwich, CT., in late April, where the team finished 13th in New England.

Coaches Cup Winner: Thomas Hislop ’13

PICTURED: x 1 x Baseball: Cameron O’Neill ’14 connects with some ISL heat. x 2 x Softball: Carrie Copacino ’13 takes the throw at second. x 3 x Boys Lacrosse: Brian Rowland ’13 protects the ball from a defender. x 4 x Girls Lacrosse: Victoria Moore rises above the competition as usual. x 5 x Boys Tennis: Tristan Young ’17 mid-serve. x 6 x Girls Tennis: Izzy Goldfine ’15 smashes a serve. x 7 x Boys Crew: From left to right: Nate McLeod ’13, Victor Clarke ’14, Andreas Overmeer ’13, Tim Gray ’13, and Cameron O’Reilly ’13 x 8 x Girls Crew: From left to right: Blaire Hunter ’13, Katherine Luniewicz ’14, Taylor Richard ’14, Meghan Klein ’13, and Julia Taibl ’13 x 9 x Sailing: Jack Marshall ’14 and Thomas Hislop ’13 lean out during a race.

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Lower School Closing Ceremony With an eye to both the year past and the exciting journey ahead, faculty and parents gathered in the Lower School brick building this June to celebrate the sixth grade’s transition from the Buckingham campus to the Middle School.

Head of School Rebecca T. Upham opened the proceedings by wishing the students a relaxing summer and encouraging them to “enjoy the wonderful moments that preserve the child in all of us.” Upham also offered a special thanks to the Lower School parents who helped to make the new daycare center (the Family Cooperative) at BB&N a reality.

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The ceremony featured performances by the Lower School orchestra, songs by the fifth and sixth grades, and a slideshow dedicated to the Crimson Academy in Rwanda, whose students the sixth graders selflessly sponsored throughout the year.

After the certificates had been handed out to the sixth graders, fifth graders made the symbolic transition into the sixth graders’ vacated seats, with high hopes of living up to their departing peers.

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x5x PICTURED: x 1 x Armeen Golshan ’19 and Klara Kuemmerle ’19 exchange hugs with their teachers. x 2 x Head of School Rebecca T. Upham congratulates Eliza Mann ’19. x 3 x Lower School music teacher Debbie Slade conducts the Lower School Orchestra. x 4 x Sixth grade teacher Berhane Zerom congratulates Magnus Aske ’19. x 5 x Sixth graders belt out Keep Your Head Up during the closing ceremony.

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Middle School Closing Ceremony This year’s Middle School Closing bid an affectionate farewell to BB&N’s eighth grade class through a series of thoughtful speeches and musical performances. “This is a magnificent class,” noted Middle School Director Mary Dolbear in her opening remarks. “And the closure to this journey affords the space and time to begin another.”

Picking up on the theme of that continuing journey, Head of School Rebecca T. Upham reinforced how BB&N’s motto, “Honor, Scholarship, Kindness” has informed the students during their time at the Middle School. “Your understanding of honor is deeper, your scholarship more refined, and your practice of kindness more generous than two years ago when you arrived as sixth graders.”

The faculty speaker, history teacher Howard Francis, drew off of personal experience to encourage students not to neglect the child in each of them. Speaking about his love of comics, and how he sublimated that love as he grew older in an attempt to “be an adult,” Francis advised students not make that same mistake.

Francis noted that the journey to high school brings great responsibility and many challenges, as well as a perceived pressure to change.

In the face of that pressure, Francis encouraged students to hold onto those parts of them that bring them joy. “You’re going to feel like you need to grow up,” said Francis. “It’s okay to remind yourself that you’re still a kid and you need to have some fun. If I can read comics at age 31, it’s okay for you to enjoy being a kid.”

Student speakers Alex Evenchik ’17 and Simone Geary ’17 addressed their peers during the ceremony as well. Evenchik reflected on the importance of making mistakes and Geary stressed the value of being the “best version of yourself” and staying true to who you really are. x1x

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PICTURED: x 1 x Banner Recipients Jeffrey Yao ’17 and Ava Boudreau ’17 x 2 x Faculty speaker, history teacher Harold Francis x 3 x Middle School director Mary Dolbear congratulates Angela Duong ’17. x 4 x Lauryn Jacobs ’17, Ceclia Galligan ’17, and Nell Fusco ’17 x 5 x Abby Cozier, Simone Geary, Owen Lasko, Ari Benkler, Nick Piccirillo, Sammy Wong, and Shannon Griffin (all Class of 2017) x 6 x Brook Graves ’17 performs an original composition. x 7 x James Kilzer, Alex Evenchik, Charles Ablon,

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Alumni/ae Spotlight on the Arts Film • Video • Theater • Photography • Books • Ceramics • Music • Design • Sculpture • Drawing • Painting • Architecture

Nicole Cherubini ’88, Artist x 1 x A sculptor known for her abstract conglomerate works, Cherubini uses techniques of ornamentation, assemblage, and process to create works that meld the visual aesthetic of high art with that of the utilitarian object. Incorporating unexpected materials, intense color, and her love of minimalism, Cherubini creates works that often reference traditional art-historical uses of clay, such as vessels or relief, but which simultaneously overturn those conceits. Incorporating multiple materials into a single work, Cherubini layers them to create unexpected textures and forms, inviting viewers to reconsider the modern incantation of sculpture, form, and space.

Cherubini’s work has been exhibited at notable institutions such as the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and MoMA PS1, among others. Current works can be seen at the ICA and MFA in Boston, and there will be a piece at Samson in Boston this summer. Also, Cherubini has an upcoming show this September at Tracy Williams, Ltd., in New York City. www.nicolecherubini.com Mark Jewett ’03, Graphic Artist x 2 x Mark writes, “While working in the publishing industry, I have had many opportunities to apply my art training into my work.

I have designed several books from cover to cover. While not always being the lead designer, I have been given a lot of room to ‘make designs work.’ A lot of times this involves taking a pre-existing design and actually applying it to the real world text: sourcing images, editing art, and adding the appropriate design elements when needed. A keen eye and understanding of the overall layout of the book are necessary to sculpt the individual pages into a cohesive unit. My goal is to take an author’s usually rough vision and turn it into a product on the shelves that exceeds their expectations.”

Will Schwalbe ’80, Author x 3 x Will has written The End of Your Life Book Club. It is a tribute to his mother, Mary Anne Schwalbe, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Will’s mother was an amazing woman—former director of admission at Harvard, head of a prestigious New York prep school, tireless activist for refugees across the globe, feminist, wife, mother, and book lover. After her diagnosis, she and Will began trading books to read and discuss while Will accompanied her to her chemotherapy sessions. In a review in the Boston Globe, Dan Cryer writes, “It is not only a son’s heartfelt tribute to her courage and grace but vivid testimony to the enduring power of books to create meaning out of chaos, illuminate values, and connect us with each other.” www.theendofyourlifebookclub.com Daisy Beatty ’00, Photographer x 4 x Daisy writes, “I worked in television development in Los Angeles, at Comedy Central and Intuitive Entertainment from 2004-2009.

Then I moved to NYC and graduated from law school this May. I’m very excited to be starting a fellowship in September in the Sex Crimes Bureau at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, where I worked for two semesters while in law school. Throughout all this, I have always worked part time as a photographer. My portraiture work has been primarily of babies and children and I regularly do maternity and engagement shoots as well. I’ve also shot portraits for fashion labels and style blogs. I love photography and my passion for it really blossomed at BB&N in Marky Kauffman’s and Parrish Dobson’s photography classes—I wish I’d been able to take classes in the Upper School’s new digital photography lab! Recently I have been doing more and more portraiture work, and I’d love to hear from any NYC/Boston-area alums looking for a photographer or just hoping to catch up.” www.daisybeattyphotography.com

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Please send submissions to alumni_programs@bbns.org or mail to BB&N Alumni/ae Programs Office

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Departures Lisa Bennett, Lower School Learning Specialist Laura Bloom, Upper School Math Harold Francis, Middle School History Bethany Greene, Lower School Kindergarten Thom Greenlaw, Assistant Head for Business Nastaran Hakimi ’07, Assistant to Lower School Director Eric Hudson, Upper School English Beth Jacobson, Alumni/ae Director Brian Johnson, Admissions Matthew Kardon, Upper School Math Mary Marder, Upper School Library Katie Marino, Upper School History Ruth McDonough, Upper School Arabic Letitia Milevskiy, Upper School Technology Rachel Nagler, Middle School Arts Paul Quain, Upper School Science Clio Stearns, Lower School Learning Specialist Carrie Wihbey, Upper School English

Harold Francis

Bethany Greene

Nastaran Hakimi

Eric Hudson

Ruth McDonough

Rachel Nagler

Milestones 40 years of service: Bev Malone, Director of Teacher Training Institute, Former Lower School Director

35 years of service: Henri Andre, Director of Health and Fitness Libby Maclaren, Middle School Ceramics Paul Ruhlmann, Upper School Woodworking

30 years of service: Lewis Bryant, Director of Multicultural Services Leigh Hogan, Upper School History Bev Malone

Henri Andre

John Norton, Upper School Arts

25 years of service: Maria Lindberg, Lower School Art Soizick Munir, Lower School French Tom Randall, Upper School Mathematics

20 years of service: Al Coons, Upper School Mathematics Jacqueline Kieff, Lower School Psychologist 22 Libby Maclaren

Paul Ruhlmann

BB&N Bids Fond Farewell to Assistant Head Thom Greenlaw

by Joe Clifford, Director of Communications Thom Greenlaw, assistant head for business and chief financial officer at BB&N since 2001, has departed this summer to take on a new challenge as Chief Operating Officer/Assistant Head for Strategic Initiatives at The Ethel Walker School in Connecticut.

Thom’s impact on BB&N was enormous. There is virtually no part of this School or its progress these past 12 years that doesn’t bear his fingerprints. Finances, business, operations, physical plant, health services, dining services, human resources, safety, transportation, and camps all thrived under his watch. As did perhaps his favorite “sideline” activity—coaching the varsity golf team for a few years, including one championship season.

This past spring at BB&N, I thought I might have observed the quintessential Thom moment, a microcosm of the roles he played at BB&N during his tenure here. I was seated alone in the far corner of a conference room in BB&N’s 46 Belmont Street facility. It was past quitting time for most people, and certainly for an assistant head who had arrived at the office 13 hours earlier. Thom entered the room and I, unnoticed, watched as he made his way around the table, neatly arranging strewn chairs, picking up empty cups, and closing an open window before departing the room now pristine in his wake.

There, I thought, was a miniaturized display of the work ethic, attention to detail, and insistence on high standards that he brought on a larger scale to matters that ranged from overseeing scores of snow storm cleanups, to constructing, renovating, and maintaining millions of dollars worth of facilities across four campuses, to surviving crises in the economy and healthcare costs while somehow finding a way for BB&N to emerge on the other side all the stronger.

But I was wrong; the micro-moment was too easy. Thom defied such simplistic encapsulations. In fact, he was nearly impossible to pigeonhole. Do you like your CFOs buttoned down and counting beans? That wasn’t Thom, even if his suits fit the bill. During his time at BB&N, he participated in a couple of group exercises in which a large group of employees took Myers Briggs-type personality tests. After each session, Thom invariably would be revealed as possessing the most extroverted, “quick start” disposition in the room. “What a rare gift,” said one test administrator, “that BB&N’s ‘numbers’ guy is someone whose energy is driven more by forging relationships with people than it is by simply crunching numbers.”

Indeed, Thom was a people-person guy. He liked to describe his leadership style as “management by walking around.” It was the rare day that he didn’t pay a visit to at least three of BB&N’s four campuses. Heck, he often hit that quota before 7 am rolled around. You always knew Thom was on your campus if you spotted his distinctive Jeep covered with stickers from Boston College. (Thom earned his master’s there, is an avid BC football fan, and boasts on his right hand a finger that’s forever mangled due to a mishandled pass thrown by Doug Flutie during a pickup basketball game.)

Thom’s expertise received national attention over the years as scores of school business officers sought him out to learn more about the visionary 10-year financial models that he, Head of School Rebecca T. Upham, and the Board of Trustees developed for BB&N in the difficult period following the economic downturn in 2008. This groundbreaking work on sustainability not only put BB&N on remarkably solid footing, but also became a hallmark for other schools to follow.

Above all, Thom was mission driven. Arriving at BB&N with a diverse background in business, healthcare, and education, he quickly demonstrated an affinity for schools that never wavered during his time here. The dizzying scope of projects under his watch—from Renaissance Hall construction, to capital budget requests, to launching daily bus routes to eight different regions—were always animated by one overriding objective: What’s in the best interests of the 1,000-plus kids who learn here?

Best of luck, Thom. BB&N is in your debt. (I can hear him laughing: “Geez, I’m gone for just two weeks and already they’ve taken on debt.”) Happy adventures at your next stop in the journey.

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Paul Quain

BB&N Science Department: 1976 - 2013

by Bob O’Brien, Faculty Emeritus

In the spring of 1976, BB&N’s Upper School needed a new chemistry teacher. Doc Walters, the Science Chairman, found a well-qualified candidate and asked him in for an interview. A few weeks later, Doc ushered his top choice into the Headmaster’s office to talk with Peter Gunness, and on his way out flashed a thumbs-up to Peter’s assistant, Muriel Page. Peter saw the candidate out after the interview, walked back to his office, flashed Muriel a thumbs-down and asked her to call Doc. It turned out that the young man’s heavy Irish brogue, wild black hair and beard, and sweater that appeared to have been pulled from beneath the bed that morning had struck Peter as befitting a Sinn Fein operative more than a potential prep-school teacher.

Forewarned by Muriel, Doc arrived at Peter’s office ready to lobby. He championed the concept of faculty diversity, argued that the Irishman could easily fill the open coaching spot on JV Boys’ soccer, and emphasized his distinguished resume. As a last resort, Doc insisted that Peter owed him a favor for having volunteered him as the head ankle-taper in the gym a few years earlier. Eventually Doc’s logic and persistence prevailed, and the following September Paul Quain began a teaching career at BB&N that would last 37 years.

Paul joined Doc Walters, Ruth Griffin, and me in the Science Department that fall and was assigned to teach chemistry and biology, and, yes, to coach JV Boys’ soccer. As we quickly learned, Paul was an impassioned teacher with a distinctive style. He regaled his students with stories about his life in Ireland, and especially his experiences at the Christian Brothers School in Waterford, eventually weaving his way back to chemistry, whose phenomena he attempted to explain through the most colorful comparisons. These might be as confusing to some students as they were edifying to others; but in either case, they never failed to delight. George Bush and Saddam Hussein throwing rocks and snowballs at each other served to explain chemical equilibrium, while an outburst of flatulence at the front of the room smelled by someone in the back was offered as an example of diffusion. Robert O’Brien ’78 fondly recalls these digressions and descriptions, but his clearest memory from Paul’s class is “the lowest grade I ever got at BB&N,” which ultimately spurred him to major in chemistry and to eventually enroll in medical school. Although chemistry did not factor into the career of Jenny Petrow ’92, it was her favorite class in high school, and she never forgot her unique teacher. “He was always amusing and a bit irreverent,” she says. “But more than anything, he was someone who cared deeply about his students.” A similar sentiment is voiced by Kate Davis ’78: “He had an eye for our very teenage attitude and souls.”

Paul’s passions extended beyond the classroom. In a 1976 Vanguard article Miriam Davidson ’78 describes Paul as a… “clear thinker with definite principles and values…a true artist at heart.” I came to recognize evidence of this artistic bent when he appeared in the Faculty Room in the morning looking a bit tired, having spent much of the previous night in the darkroom, the studio, or the Central Square Cinema. He talked spiritedly about painting, photography, and movie directors; but, true to his Irish roots, he gave equal air-time to politics and sports. Byron Bowman remembers a conversation he had with Paul that began with coaching strategies and quickly morphed into a PQ monologue about the Irish sport of hurling. Byron writes, “I had never heard of the game, but I suspected that it was an important part of Irish culture because Paul’s accent became more and more pronounced as he poetically described it. After hearing him enthuse about hurling, the only thing I knew for sure about the game was that it was played on a pitch, whatever that was.”

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Quain, circa 1991

Paul’s intellectual curiosity was as strong as any of his other interests, and in the mid ’90s it was sparked by readings on ancient scientists and astronomers. Embarking on a new phase of his career, he signed on to teach 9th Grade Physical Science.

Using observation techniques and simple instruments, he guided his students through the centuries-old process that had led to the discovery of the solar system. The astronomy section of this course was dramatically expanded under Paul’s direction, the highlight being the school’s purchase of a STARLAB, an inflatable miniplanetarium that he set up in the gym. The whole class would crawl inside, lie on their backs, and gaze upwards while Paul displayed the night sky at various times of the year. Former academic skills teacher Michaela Casey, who took the course to support her students, says the

STARLAB was typical of Paul’s teaching approach. “He hated to flat-out tell us how anything worked,” she recalls. “He was always rigging up little demos and simulations so we could see it and figure it out ourselves.”

Hopefully, Paul and his wife, Judith, will have time in retirement to venture beyond the city and gaze at the stars alone, scientifically and otherwise, and to spend more time with their grandchildren. Those he leaves behind wish him a well-earned rest, but recognize that the departure of this outspoken and compassionate Irish import with the wild hair and beard, now white, will unalterably change the school. Slán agus ádh mór ort, PQ; we will miss you.

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C ommunity Pays Tribute to Retiring Alumni/ae Director and “School Treasure” Beth Jacobson

Ask any of BB&N’s 5,624 alums what connects them to the School, and the majority will respond with two words: Beth Jacobson. For the past quarter century, Beth has transformed a nascent alumni/ae program into a thriving, vibrant community tightly connected to the pulse of the School. Described by many alumni/ae as “family,” Beth has attended and run hundreds if not thousands of events including a large majority created under her watch.

The overflow crowds at Strawberry Night each year as well as the nearly 30 pages of class notes in each BB&N Bulletin underscore the attachment BB&N alumni/ae feel toward their alma mater, and that is in large part because of Beth Jacobson. Beyond that, the many tributes paid toward Beth wherever she went this year (perhaps to her modest chagrin) attest to her legacy at BB&N. Whether greeting everyone at Strawberry Night by their first name (and likely inquiring after their children by first names as well) or joining alumni/ae, young and old, at dozens of events on campus and off, her heart-warming smile was a constant, infectious presence throughout the community.

When Beth gracefully accepted a gift in her honor at this year’s Strawberry Night, she noted, “I was initially hired for three months, thinking I would just stay a little while—26 years later, here I am.”

The BB&N community is thankful for every one of those 26 years.

Al Rossiter, Faculty Emeritus, Former English Teacher, and Assistant Head of School: I think sometimes people don’t appreciate the role that Beth has played here at BB&N. She’s been here for so many years and she knows so many people. Kids graduate from BB&N and they go off to college and they go off to their careers. And I think for some of them that BB&N is sort of a mystical memory somewhere, way back.

So you need somebody like Beth to help them stay connected to the School. She has helped so many people who have graduated reconnect with a hugely important part of their lives. And without Beth, that wouldn’t have happened. If you had to do a study that indicates what would be the right profession for you, I think being some kind of alumni/ae coordinator would be just right for her. She is outgoing, she is friendly, and she likes being around people. She loves walking into a crowd and chatting up people and knowing people. So she is just perfect for the job.

Bekah Splaine Salwasser ’97: The first thing that comes to mind about Beth is her smile. She is constantly smiling and constantly giving hugs. It’s hard to get by Beth without getting a warm embrace, which is great. It’s very comforting, and I think it’s done a lot for alumni/ae in general to feel that there’s a warm spot always welcoming them at BB&N. Beth just constantly reminds me of smiling and happiness and everything that’s good.

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deeply she cares for people of this School. And she is truly remarkable that way.

It’s hard for me to think of BB&N without thinking of Beth Jacobson because of the connections made for such a long period of time at the School. She knows everyone. I don’t think you can replace that, both how she knows people and the fact that she has known people through so much of the arc of their own lives.

Come back often, Beth.

Erica Reitmayer ’68, Former Head of Alumni/ae Council: Beth is just tremendously warm, and that’s one of the things that makes her successful. She has amazing attention to detail and an ability to always follow up on things. When I became head of the alumni/ae council, I’d never been in a leadership position, and she really helped guide me in a very subtle way and would follow up with me on things. She really helped me grow in that position. She has a depth of character that you feel want to work with and do your best for.

Beth is masterful at events. Any event that she runs is really well planned and always comes off beautifully. She is effortlessly everywhere all at the same time, and, of course, really fun to be around. She just seems to make it all happen.

Woodie Haskins, Assistant Head of School for External Affairs: Beth has built an alumni/ae family that literally extends around the world—an enormous family of dedicated alumnae and alumni who want to be associated with this institution once they graduate. And the extent of this network is a tribute to Beth and all the efforts that she has put in during her time here at BB&N to make people want to be associated with the School—to make it fun and to provide expertise and support for the benefit of the School.

Beth has demonstrated over and over again for the last 26 years a genuine interest in people. She is such a warm-hearted individual. She cares about you, she cares about your family, she cares about people. And she worries less about herself—a totally unselfish individual. People see that, and that is why they are associated with this institution. Beth has that ability to draw people in and that is because she genuinely cares about others.

She’s epitomized BB&N alumni/ae development and outreach for a long time. Beth has been that constant thread and that recognizable name and face and welcome at any and every event that BB&N is putting on—whether it be on a Tuesday night or a Sunday morning, Beth is there.

I hope that she still comes around to events, and I hope to still get some hugs.

Rebecca T. Upham, Head of School: For more than 25 years Beth has been the face of the School for our alums. And when I think about Beth, I think about her commitment to people. I think about her commitment to the School. I think about the number of programs she’s launched. I think about all the class notes that she’s encouraged people to send. But most of all when I think about Beth, I think about how

Gina Walcott ’84: Visiting Beth—it was a smile and a hug and just, “welcome.”

That’s how she is. And she always seemed to know about my accomplishments almost before I did. I would try to hide something that had happened professionally, and Beth would say, “Oh, you have to put that in the BB&N Notebook.”

She was someone who was always there to celebrate my accomplishment or to give me a pat on the back and say, “Job well done,” and open up other opportunities.

What Beth adds isn’t something that you can put in a job description. There is something that is unique to Beth that she brings to the table that makes people want to participate.

It’s because of Beth that I was able to come back. And I never thought I would be the person who would participate.

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Joe O’Loughlin ’78: I think Beth has a photographic memory because of all the people that she knows and keeps track of. She has been instrumental in helping foster better relationships with alumni/ae and things like that, which isn’t always easy.

BB&N has changed a lot over the last 20 years—I graduated from here 35 years ago. And it’s an impressive school, and it’s amazing how it has changed and what goes along with the change. She’s been instrumental in helping foster friendships for the School despite those changes.

John Fulginiti ’81: Just the other day I described Beth as a walking encyclopedia of all the alums. But it is not just the names. She sincerely has an interest in every single one of them and their interest in the School and what they particularly liked about the School. And then she has this ability to bring them all together with alums from all different generations, including the current students that are at the School.

I think this is Beth’s greatest legacy—it’s like watching the mayor of Cambridge working with everybody, and it’s a lot of fun.

Brigitte Tournier, Upper School French Teacher: Beth has been a true friend, and on occasions we have traveled far and wide. The first time I went with her to New York, I was amazed by just how well she knows our alums. I remember visiting a former student in his office on the 49th floor of the Twin Towers with Beth.

And I remember just admiring her knowledge, her savvy, everything she knew about our alums. It was an eye-opening experience for me to be with her.

When I see her calm, cool as a cucumber, at a major event at the Athletic Center or every Strawberry Night I’ve ever been to, and I haven’t missed very many—Beth is there, just quietly making sure that everybody is happy. And that is a great talent because she knows everybody.

Beth knows every name, every trajectory, every life path, and how many children. That ability and that knowledge is so precious— knowing where we come from and who has gone here. Because once kids leave and graduate, it’s not a happy time for us. As teachers, we hate to see them go. They’ve got their whole lives ahead of them.

Just caring about what comes next and being that liaison…I think that is Beth’s greatest strength.

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Mallory Slate ’56: In the beginning, darkness was upon the deep, the face of the deep.

And Mother Nature said, “Let there be light because the darkness is scary.” And Mother Nature said, “Let the light be a woman called Beth.” So it came to pass. Beth is the light and the delight, the truth, the fairness, the goodness, the calm, the poised, the balance.

Beth lives by the Bucky Fuller creed. One needs to look to see what needs to be done because, after all, that’s how the universe invents itself, and that’s what Beth does. No job is too small, no job is too big—she takes care of business. She is always there, because she has a sweet, sunny nature, an infectious laugh, a fine wit.

It’s a “woo-ha” for her. And we love Beth. We all love Beth.

Wendy Falchuk ’89, Former Head of Alumni/ae Council: Beth has so many strengths. She really has pulled the alumni/ae program together here. It was very small when she first started, and she created a huge network. She’s done loads of outreach, not only with older alums but with younger alums as well, and brought them all together.

She can name alums from the fifties and tell you current alums, where they live, who they are married to. She remembers birthdays, anniversaries. She is like the mayor of the school. Beth could host anybody, anywhere, any time. It’s very special. I hope she has a lot of years of fun and happiness and health.

Nancy Fryberger ’54: Beth has meant a tremendous amount to BB&N. If you look at the photograph in the fall 2012 BB&N Bulletin, (top left, page 29) I think you can see what Beth Jacobson is. There is that wonderful, enthusiastic smile. She just reaches out, and it’s one of her very strong points: a warm personality, the caring love of the BB&N community, be it students, faculty, staff, or alums, and a real commitment to the School over the years.

Because of her, a BB&N event is kind of like a family reunion, except everybody likes each other.

After the merger in 1974, it became apparent that some of the Buckingham community felt like it wasn’t the same school anymore.

And Beth thought, “Hmm. It would be good to get a group of people from Buckingham together and then reach out to the Buckingham

alums to get them to understand that, yes, indeed it wasn’t the same place anymore, and thank goodness it wasn’t because it’s grown and become a school that we should all be extremely proud of.”

You go in and see Beth…and even if you’re unexpected, she welcomes you as if you were the best friend she ever had in the world. And she wants to chat with you and she’s has all the time in the world. Her affection for the School community is right there on the poster board in her office. There are pictures of the babies of all these young alums—she has them all posted up, and books lining the bookshelves that have been written by alums.

So you go in, and you have your little chat, and then you look at her desk and you think, “Oh, my gosh! I really have interrupted an awful lot of work here.” But it all gets done and it all gets done beautifully and sensitively.

Tish Biggar, Faculty Emerita, Former BB&N Athletic Director: Beth is one of the most truly committed people I know…her interest in the people she has spoken to over the years, all of the alums, is amazing. She just has a genuine interest in people and what they are doing and how they are. It’s very clear that she has worked more hours than we will ever know, talking to more people than we will ever know.

What she has established in alumni/ae relations—stronger than ever, better than ever—I really think it’s a tremendous gift to the School.

Omar Khudari ’78: Beth is a treasure, and I’ve been trying to put my finger on why. I think it could be because she is a great listener. She has a way of making people feel good and putting people at ease.

I graduated shortly after the merger and it was a time of some unhappiness and disaffection. People would tell me, “You know, there is no way that is ever going to happen—I’m never going to set foot in that place again.” And then Beth would give it a try. And lo and behold, people would show up at the reunion. And I’d ask them, “Oh! Wow! So you came. Why?” And they’d say, “Well, you know, I talked to Beth and after that I just felt like coming.”

Beth is like a surrogate mother or a surrogate aunt, and I think maybe she missed her calling as a therapist or something. You feel like she feels you’re the most interesting person she’s met today when you talk to her. She’s remarkable.

Karen Kalina ’81: Years ago I moved to Europe for work and ended up spending six years there. When you’re an ex-pat, it’s a lot of fun exploring new places, getting to know a new culture and making new friends.

But it’s also a comfort to have connections to home, especially to people who have shared some of your own formative experiences.

So, I turned to Beth, and she introduced me to some very cool alums in Europe.

When I moved to New York almost 10 years ago, Beth put me in touch with the New York regional alumni/ae association.

In some ways Beth has been like a second mother to me. I have always felt that I could talk to her about anything and she would listen and understand. That means a lot. I remember talking to her when my own mother died 17 years ago. BB&N reached out to me in that difficult time. For that I remain grateful.

Beth’s greatest legacy to BB&N is the deep connection that I and so many other alums have to our School. I will always feel connected to BB&N. I give gladly to our School because BB&N continues to give back to me. A big part of the reason for my commitment to BB&N is Beth Jacobson.

Carrie Ardito Johnson ’93: As a student at BB&N you’re surrounded by a network of teachers and coaches that form a blanket around you, representing the warmth and community that make BB&N so special. What most students don’t realize is that after graduation, that warm blanket gets larger through the hard work and constant support of the alumni/ae and development office, epitomized for years by Beth.

I felt this acutely shortly after moving from Boston to San Francisco more than six years ago. Almost immediately after the move, Beth happened to be in San Francisco. We arranged a meeting, and seeing Beth on my new, still unfamiliar turf was indeed like being wrapped in a warm blanket from home. A friendly, supportive, and encouraging face from BB&N who knew my background and family reminded me of how strong my connection is to the BB&N community.

Beverly Balise, Faculty Emerita, Former Upper School Math Teacher: Beth is just a peach! a 29

BB&N Graduation 2013 On June 6th, friends and family of BB&N’s 129 seniors gathered in the Nicholas Athletic Center to celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2013. The ceremony, the 39th since the schools merged, was highlighted by humorous and heartfelt speeches by students, encouraging words from parent speaker Dr. Juliet Schor, and poignant remarks by Head of School Rebecca T. Upham.

A common thread each speaker touched upon was the impressive qualities held by the Class of 2013. Their warmth, good humor, spirit, resilience, and kindness made BB&N a great place to come to school and have impacted the classes below them.

Student speaker Henry Winton ’13 spoke of the lessons BB&N has taught this class during their years here. These lessons include putting family and friends above everything else as they are the people who have always supported you, becoming a community despite being in different grades and on three separate campuses, and appreciating what you have.

“We may not remember everything we learned in every class,” Winton said. “But the ways BB&N has shaped us we will take with us for the rest of our lives.”

Dr. Juliet Schor, mother of Elana Sulakshana and a professor at Boston College, turned the tables on the typical advice-laden commencement speech, focusing instead on what the students had taught her during the past two decades. She cited examples that included their expressiveness with visual media, their commitment to "350 or bust" environmental stewardship, and their care for each other's well being during the emotionally fraught days of the college search process.

During her address, Upham asked the seniors to reflect on the little things that happened during their time at BB&N, and the thousands of interactions they had with teachers and coaches and peers. She shared with them a Greek word, “Oikophilia,” that means a shared love for a shared space.

“I was taken by this idea: a shared love for a shared space,” Upham said. “I think that’s what BB&N alumni/ae across generations and around the world share.”

PICTURED: x 1 x Shilah Jennette ’13, Jenna Corcoran ’13, Katelyn Pan ’13, and Elizabeth Levitan ’13 x 2 x Senior class speaker Hank Winton ’13 had the entire audience laughing with his speech. x 3 x Jordy Abrams ’13 receives his diploma from Head of School Rebecca T. Upham. x 4 x Gillian Reny ’13, Kate Goldman ’13, Sammy Sucoff ’13, and Carrie Copacino ’13 x 5 x Rodshell Fleurinord ’13 and Sid Sabharwal ’13 x 6 x Tyler Martin ’13, Ellie Moriearty ’13, Schulyer Fried ’13,

Upham left the seniors with these parting words: “While there’s a lot about what happens next that isn’t known, one of the things I don’t wonder about, one of the things I know as a certainty, is that you have the tools, the skills, the qualities of heart and mind to take the future by storm.”

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and Erica Pandey ’13 x 7 x The Chorale serenades the crowd. x 8 x George Camerlo ’13 and Ian Foster ’13 x 9 x Shannon Power ’13, Brendon Kerrigan ’13, and Andrew Shifren ’13

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PRIZES AWARDED IN 2013

Arts

THE ARTS DEPARTMENT PRIZE The Arts Department has chosen to recognize five seniors who have challenged themselves in the studio or in the performing arts and who have shared their passion for their chosen art form with the school community.

Katharine Amelia Kettner ’13 Victoria Taylor Lee ’13 Eva Louise Murray ’13 Derek George Wong ’13 Francesco Aram Zenati ’13 THE DESIREE ROGERS KING FUND was created by Sherwood King in memory of his wife, a member of the Buckingham Class of 1936, who had a life-long interest in the arts. The income from the fund is to be awarded annually to a promising student of the arts at BB&N. This award may be applied to scholarship assistance, or to after-school or summer study in the arts.

Danielle Christine Gaudet ’14 the john b. petropoulos art exhibition commemorates a great teacher and friend. The following students were chosen to exhibit in this year’s Petropoulos show: Hannah Barbara Beir ’13 Jack Henry Delano ’13 Anna Elisabeth Espinola ’13 Jacob Fox Alpern Kuhn ’13 Ascher Andrew Kulich ’13 Victoria Taylor Lee ’13 Sandy Li ’14 John Dent Marshall ’14 Cordelia Mae Shaloo Mikita ’13 Cameron James O’Reilly ’13 Cordelia Jane Sanborn-Marsh ’13 Alison Elizabeth Saparoff ’13 x1x

x2x

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Athletics THE PATRICIA H. BIGGAR PRIZE is awarded to students who have achieved a standard of excellence in performance, spirit, and leadership by example throughout their athletic careers.

Briana Jo Casey ’13 Brendon Andrew Kerrigan ’13

THE CLASS OF 1933 ATHLETIC AWARD was established by the Class of 1933 and is awarded to the best all-around boy and girl athletes in the graduating class, faithful in practice, skillful in play and, winning or losing, true to the highest ideals of good sportsmanship.

Meaghan Jane Merullo ’13 William Otto Wilson Peoples ’13

English

THE GEORGE HENRY BROWNE ENGLISH PRIZE commemorates one of our School’s founders. A friend of Robert Frost, whom he several times invited to speak at the School, Mr. Browne was a highly esteemed English teacher, the writer of several books, and the headmaster of Browne & Nichols from 1883 until 1928.

Chi-Chun Alicia Juang ’13 Jacob Fox Alpern Kuhn ’13 THE PAUL M. JACOBS PRIZE was established by Mrs. Emilie K. Jacobs to honor the memory of her late husband, a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Buckingham. The award is given to that member of Grade 10 who has shown outstanding skill in debating.

Molly Katherine Murphy ’15

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Graduation 2013 History

THE HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PRIZE is awarded annually to the senior who has demonstrated exemplary achievement, commitment, and potential in the study of history and social science.

Christina Stonestreet Uhrig ’13 THE HISTORY PRIZE is given by the Buckingham Class of 1959 for a specific piece of distinguished work in the field of history—in this case an outstanding American history research paper.

Elana Shanti Sulakshana ’13

Mathematics

THE HARRY DAVIS GAYLORD PRIZE is given in memory of the former mathematics teacher to a deserving senior for outstanding work in the field of mathematics.

Serena Opal Blacklow ’13 Jared Philip Exter ’13

Sciences

THE ARABIC PRIZE is presented to a student who has proven to be mutahamis/mutahamisa (intensely enthusiastic) for Arabic language and cultures.

Ryan Benner Simpson ’13 THE CHINESE PRIZE is given to the student who excels in the study of Chinese.

Erica Pandey ’13 THE HELENE HERZOG FRENCH PRIZE is funded by faculty and friends of the former French teacher, and is presented for excellence in French and for consistent commitment to the study of French and French civilization.

Margery Wei-Zhi Tong ’13

THE JAMES ARTHUR REEVES LATIN PRIZE is presented for excellence in translation and comprehension.

Alicia Catherine Kaneb ’13

THE JEAN GORDON CAIRNIE CASTLES SCIENCE PRIZE was established in 1982 through a bequest from Mrs. Gordon C. Cairnie in honor of her daughter, Jean Gordon Cairnie Castles ’54, and is given to a graduating student who has demonstrated exceptional scientific ability in biological science.

Margery Wei-Zhi Tong ’13

THE JOHN H. WALTERS SCIENCE PRIZE is named in memory of John H. (Doc) Walters, who taught science from 1949 through 1989, and is given in recognition of sustained enthusiasm and effort in physical science.

Eric Schuyler Fried ’13 Taylor James Schoettle ’13

THE GEORGE DEPTULA RUSSIAN PRIZE is presented in honor of the founder of BB&N’s Russian program in 1956 and is given to a student who has distinguished him/herself by excellent academic performance in the Russian language and who has demonstrated a continuous passion for Russia and its people.

Jacob Miles Seidman ’13

World Languages

MARINA KEEGAN ’08 MEMORIAL FUND This fellowship is

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THE SPANISH PRIZE is given to the student in the upper grades who excels in the Spanish language and who demonstrates interest and enthusiasm for Hispanic literature and culture.

Elana Shanti Sulakshana ’13

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PICTURED: x 1 x Department Chair John Norton with Art Department Award winners Derek Wong ’13, Eva Murray ’13, Victoria Lee ’13, Katharine Kettner ’13, and Francesco Zenati ’13 x 2 x Director of Athletics Rick Foresteire ’86 and Patricia Biggar Prize winners Briana Casey ’13 and Brendon Kerrigan ’13 x 3 x Science Department Chair Dr. Leah Cataldo awards Taylor Schoettle ’13 with the John H. Walters Science Prize. x 4 x English teacher Beth McNamara awards the Meriwether Otis Kimball Prize to Mary Eleanor Driscoll ’13. x 5 x Anna Espinola ’13 presents the Teacher Excellence Award to English teacher Eric Hudson.

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awarded annually to one or more BB&N students pursuing causes that embrace the spirit, talents, and ideals of Marina Keegan ‘08, a writer and social activist who inspired countless others through her keen intelligence, wide-ranging compassion, quick wit, and irrepressible energy.

David Michael Markey ’14 Rachel Johanna Strodel ’14 THE CRAIG B. STONESTREET ’49 PRIZE was established in 1991 by family, friends, alumni/ae, and parents to honor the memory of BB&N’s respected alumnus, teacher, administrator, and coach. The prize is awarded to a student of the junior class in recognition of high scholarship, excellence in athletics, constructive influence within the School, and is to be used for travel or other personal enrichment of an educational nature.

Matthew Thomas-Louis Bonazzoli ’14

Citizenship

THE PETER K. GUNNESS PRIZE, established by the Board of Trustees, honors the founding Head of the School. Peter K. Gunness came to Browne & Nichols as Headmaster in 1969. He worked with Elizabeth Stowe, Headmistress of the Buckingham School, to create BB&N in 1974. With this prize the Trustees honor him by honoring a student with high ethical standards, whose voice has made a significant difference in bringing important issues to the attention of our community.

With her quiet leadership, this year’s prize winner has emphasized for us the importance of community—in school and in the larger world. Her Vanguard editorials, her intellectual engagement in the classroom, and her passionate promotion of green initiatives have inspired awareness and change.

Elana Shanti Sulakshana ’13 THE BARRETT HOYT AWARD was established in 1972 in memory of a student and is awarded to a senior who acts responsibly and represents his/her classmates and School with honor.

This recipient has served as president of the Class of 2013 for the past four years. A true leader, role model, and community builder, more than any other individual he has been responsible for the happy tone of this year’s senior class. Generous and persevering, witty and optimistic: Thomas Christian Hislop ’13 In the classroom and in the woods at Bivouac, on the river, or representing the School outside our walls in Model UN, this student leads by example. Always kind, generous, and warm, with confidence, a finely tuned moral compass, and fierce dedication to every endeavor, she has been called the “conscience of her grade.”

Sophia Eve Jean ’13 THE ANNETTE JOHNSON PRIZE honors the memory of a student whose life exemplified courage and commitment to scholarship.

The prize recognizes optimism, perseverance, and dedication to the 34

community and its ideals.

As a big brother to youngsters in the Books, Basketball & Neighbors program, his kindness was shown to whomever he encountered. As a Peer Counselor, his twinkling smile and compassion provided guidance to anyone searching for support. As a mentor and Junior Guide, his leadership brought together students and faculty making BB&N a better place.

Ramsey Kamal Khabbaz ’13 This prize winner participated and excelled in a wide array of activities in the community. On the playing field and as a performer, as an admissions guide and a mature and responsible voice as a Peer Counselor, she has been a cheerful and positive ambassador for the School. For her special brand of insightful kindness, commitment to scholarship, and integrity: Eva Louise Murray ’13 THE MERIWETHER OTIS KIMBALL PRIZE, established in memory of a long-ago Browne & Nichols student, honors a senior who has used his/her talents to enrich the intellectual and extracurricular life of the School.

Passionate, effervescent, this student contributes to the liveliness of her classes, is sensitive to the well-being of her peers and teachers, and is committed to environmental causes. She is an infectiously positive force for the good in the communities she inhabits as well as in the larger world around her.

Mary Eleanor Driscoll ’13 THE LUBETS PRIZE was established by Richard I. Lubets, Browne & Nichols Class of ’51, in memory of his parents, to honor a student who has made an outstanding contribution during her/his senior year.

This year’s Lubets recipients have demonstrated inspirational leadership as co-presidents of the Student Council. Their success with the color war and the paint dance is only one example of their strong responsibility and solid organizational skills for which they have won praise and admiration as some of the most popular student leaders in recent years.

A generous classmate and an incredibly diligent worker; a creative, imaginative leader in and out of the classroom; a fount of energy, enthusiasm, and humor: Sarah Alexandra Jolley ’13 Tall, funny, passionate, and genuine; star of the theater and the chorale; a young man of charisma, character, and compassion: Nathaniel Patrick McLeod ’13 THE DAVID R. POKROSS PRIZE was established by the Pokross children and grandchildren to honor their father and grandfather, a former trustee at Buckingham Browne & Nichols. It is awarded to the student whose commitment to people in need best embodies the ideals

Graduation 2013 expressed in the Community Service Program of the Upper School.

For his consistent kindness in reaching out to others as a Peer Counselor and Junior Guide, for his unflagging good cheer through countless hours of community service, for his singing and acting, for his maturity and warmth in making BB&N a better place: Andrew Gideon Shifren ’13 THE APRIL TERUEL PRIZE, given in memory of a former student, is awarded this year to two seniors who are kind and understanding to their peers and have been active participants in the life of the School.

Embodying our School’s motto, this recipient is kind, scholarly, and honorable. She is a big sister to many members of our community and a force to be reckoned with when she senses injustice. As co-president of SHADES, she led with grace and humility and, as a member of our community, her open-mindedness helped to guide others to do their best.

Carolyn Joanna Curry ’13 This prize winner is kind, empathetic and selfless. He has spent his years here leading and helping others. Peer Tutor, Bivouac Junior Guide, Peer Counselor, team player, he has been a friend to all.

Whether working with Best Buddies or cheering on the sidelines for one of our teams, he brings maturity, humor, and support to the school community.

George Douglas Lober ’13 THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRIZE was established by George Deptula, a former member of the faculty, to recognize strength of character, sensitivity to the needs of others, and willingness to use her/his education, talent, and time to assist those in need.

Exuding integrity, genuine curiosity, and empathy, this student commits herself fully to everything she does—from organizing the Red Cross Blood Drive to being production manager and writing a column for The Vanguard to caring about environmental issues, this young woman immerses herself joyfully in every subject and activity—and in doing so, she betters the experiences of all around her.

Cordelia Jane Sanborn-Marsh ’13

Hamilton Nichols to the girl and boy athletes in the upper classes who, throughout the year, attain the highest distinction jointly in scholarship and athletics.

A gritty and savvy athlete and a powerhouse in classroom discussion, this three-season varsity athlete has displayed an exemplary work ethic and deep engagement in whatever she undertakes. All-ISL in both field hockey and lacrosse, she is as determined in the classroom as she is on the field and gives her all to every endeavor.

Victoria Barbara Moore ’13 A three-sport athlete for each of his four years in the Upper School, a varsity captain, and the voice of Boys’ Crew, this young man is a leader with strength, positive energy, and dedication. He brings these same attributes to the classroom, contributing his intellectually curiosity, analytical approach, and creative problem solving to his work and to his classmates.

Cameron James O’Reilly ’13 THE HEAD’S PRIZE is awarded to those students in the graduating class who, in addition to fine scholarship, have contributed generously to friends, the school community, and whose lives exemplify the School’s motto: Honor, Scholarship, Kindness.

This recipient began her year with the goal of knowing every person in the School by name and will be remembered long after she departs as a positive force in the classroom, on the playing field, and beyond.

She sees the possibilities in people and approaches every endeavor with an inclusive outlook and an adventurous spirit.

Constance Charlotte Hayden ’13 With unbridled curiosity, enthusiasm, and boundless generosity this young man has given of himself to all areas of the School. Whether on the soccer field, in the concert hall, or working extensively on food resource and agriculture problems in Africa, he exemplifies BB&N’s motto: Honor, Scholarship, Kindness. His willingness to give inexhaustibly has left the BB&N community a better place.

Ryan Benner Simpson ’13

THE NICHOLS PRIZE is given in memory of former Headmaster Edgar x1x

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PICTURED: x 1 x Upper School Director Geoff Theobald presents the Lubets Prize to Sarah Jolley ’13 and Nathaniel McLeod ’13. x 2 x Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and Head’s Prize winners Ryan Simpson ’13 and Constance Hayden ’13

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Senior “Lifers” Celebrate 14 Years at BB&N Twenty-one seniors gathered at their old

stomping grounds at the Lower School to celebrate their time at BB&N at the annual “Lifer Party” held in late May.

The students, who started attending BB&N in Beginners, Kindergarten, or 1st grade were joined by their families as well as past teachers from their years at the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. After spending time reminiscing over old photos and memories, the seniors posed for a photo on the play structure they once knew so well outside of the Morse Building.

Abigail Baskin

Paul Maeder-York

Austin Cable

Cordelia Mikita

Caroline Copacino

Eleanor Moriearty

Jenna Corcoran

Cameron O’Reilly

Alexander Denton

Frederic Randall

Brendan Doyle

Gillian Reny

Marc Ferraro

Charles Seidman

Miles Harrison

Jacob Seidman

Shilah Jennette

Henry Winton

Ramsey Khabbaz

Michaela Wozniak

Meghan Klein

Presenting the Class of 2013 Jordan Emmanuel Abrams Ian McLellan Foster Jehanna Chamberlain Axelrod* Evan Orazio Frasca Eric Schuyler Fried* Wenli Bao Abigail Plutzky Baskin Kate Sophia Goldman Hannah Barbara Beir Arielle Gordon-Rowe Katherine Lee Berry* Jacqueline Starr Gordon Samantha Hayes Gottlieb Serena Opal Appignani Blacklow* Anthony Joseph Grassa Katherine Anne Blenko Timothy Catani Gray Austin Cole Cable Catherine Michele Hanss Henry Lowell Cabot Miles McLennan Crothers Harrison George Dennis Camerlo Constance Charlotte Hayden Briana Jo Casey Rebecca Anne Higgins Alexander William Cauchon Thomas Christian Hislop Ryan Shih Chen Samuel Alec Hom Ami Juliet Clifford Sophia Eve Jean Graham Louis Coffman Shilah Marie Jennette-Frederick Caroline Elizabeth Hall Copacino Sarah Alexandra Jolley Jenna Mary Corcoran Chi-Chun Alicia Juang* Carolyn Joanna Curry Joseph John Czarnota Alicia Catherine Kaneb* Elaine Yilin Dai* Khatidja Rafiq Karimi Stephanie Helene Katz Caroline Ceremsak Davitt* Brendon Andrew Kerrigan Jack Henry Delano Katharine Amelia Kettner* Matthew DeLuccia Alexander Greenberg Denton Ramsey Kamal Khabbaz Brendan Joseph Doyle Meghan Daniels Klein Mary Eleanor Driscoll Jacob Fox Alpern Kuhn* Charlotte Campoli Emslie Ascher Andrew Kulich Anna Elisabeth Espinola* Johannes Lee Sanghoon Lee Jared Philip Exter* Victoria Taylor Lee Marc Louis Ferraro Elizabeth Paige Levitan Rodshell Fleurinord George Douglas Lober* Elaine Hill Forbush*

36

Axel Antonio Lopez Christopher Robert Loughlin Grace Lu Lily Jiang Ma* Paul Walker Maeder-York* Tyler Blodgett Martin Caitlin Rose McCarey Nathaniel Patrick McLeod* Meaghan Jane Merullo Cordelia Mae Shaloo Mikita Victoria Barbara Moore Eleanor Hannah Moriearty Benjamin Tucker Nelson Moulton Eva Louise Murray Robert Thorvald Nagel* Tarika Narain* Ryan Edward O’Hanlon Brendan James O’Neil Cameron James O’Reilly Willem Andreas Overmeer Katelyn Debra Pan Erica Pandey* William Otto Wilson Peoples Lillian Dehon Pierce Shannon Molly Power Alma Maria Prelec Frederic Thomas W. Randall Benjamin Edward Rasnick Lina Elizabeth Rebeiz Matthew Michael Rega Gillian Sara Reny Kathrine Elizabeth Reynolds Leah Melissa Rice

Ben Samuel Rosenblatt Brian Edward Rowland Sidharth Sabharwal Cordelia Jane Sanborn-Marsh* Alexandra Indira Sanyal Alison Elizabeth Saparoff Taylor James Schoettle* Charles Morris Seidman Jacob Miles Seidman* Andrew Gideon Shifren Ryan Benner Simpson* Matthew Reed Snider Samantha Hope Sucoff Elana Shanti Sulakshana* Shai Connie Tabb Julia Anne Taibl Angus Blacklaw Thies Duff George Graham Thomson Margery Wei-Zhi Tong* Matthew Thomas Troy Alexander Nicholas Uche Ugorji Christina Stonestreet Uhrig Luke Thomas Wilder* Catherine Drew Williams Henry Decker Winton Derek George Wong Bathsheba Marie Wood Peter Christian Woolverton Michaela Nevill Wozniak Francesco Aram Zenati *cum laude

Graduation 2013 Accept/Attend Report 2013 pt

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College Academy of Art University American University Amherst College Babson College Bard College Barnard College Bates College Beloit College Bentley University Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University Bryant University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University Butler University University of California at Berkeley University of California at Davis University of California at Los Angeles University of California at San Diego University of California at Santa Barbara University of California at Santa Cruz Carleton College Case Western Reserve University The Catholic University of America Chapman University University of Chicago College of Charleston Coastal Carolina University Colby College Colgate University University of Colorado at Boulder Colorado College Columbia University Connecticut College Cornell College Cornell University Dartmouth College DePauw University Dickinson College Drew University Drexel University Duke University Durham University Eckerd College University of Edinburgh Elmira College Elon University Emerson College Emory University University of Exeter

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University of Pennsylvania 4 Philadelphia University 1 Pomona College 1 Princeton University 3 Purdue University 2 Quinnipiac University 1 University of Redlands 1 Reed College 1 Rhodes College 3 University of Richmond 1 University of Rochester 1 Rochester Institute of Technology 1 Roger Williams University 3 Rollins College 1 Sacred Heart University 1 University of St. Andrews 6 Saint Anselm College 4 Saint John’s University Queens Campus 1 Saint Michael’s College 3 Salve Regina University 3 University of San Francisco 1 Sarah Lawrence College 2 Savannah College of Art and Design 1 School of the Museum of Fine Arts 1 Sewanee: The University of the South 1 Skidmore College 2 University of Southern California 5 Southern Methodist University 2 Stanford University 2 Stonehill College 2 Susquehanna University 1 Syracuse University 1 The University of Tampa 2 Thomas College 1 Trinity College 11 Trinity University 1 Tufts University 8 Tulane University 13 Union College 5 United States Military Academy 1 Vanderbilt University 1 Vassar College 1 University of Vermont 13 Villanova University 6 University of Virginia 1 Wake Forest University 2 Washington University in St. Louis 13 Wellesley College 2 Wesleyan University 7 Westfield State University 1 Whitman College 1 College of William and Mary 1 Williams College 1 The College of Wooster 1 Yale University 6

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Presenting the Class of 2013

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Graduation 2013

39

S T C ROJE

P R O I SEN

ts rco n e d t u eMa

S y Peter D n i st b

Be e h t

Every year following March break, BB&N seniors return to School for Spring Project, a semester-long opportunity to take the classes they never had a chance to take, embark on an independent study, or maybe even perform meaningful work in the community.

While some students stayed on campus to learn sign language or take a class in that compelling subject they never got to explore, others ventured out into the community for their projects. Featured here are three of the many students who went the extra mile this spring.

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A Novel Approach to Ancient History Epaphroditus is dead—slain quickly and quietly amidst the sweaty bustle of a Roman street. And the emperor’s unseen hand is surely to blame.

So begins the historical novel Margery Tong has been imagining in her head since sixth grade, when she saw Ancient Rome on a family vacation and fell entranced. Her characters—aristocrats and merchants, emperors and their wives—seek power, social standing, and a deeper sense of purpose in life, struggling between right and wrong as they make their way.

ng o T y r e g r a M

Tong, who will enter Harvard University in the fall, loaded up on advance coursework in statistics, biology, government and politics (her life ambition is to be a judge), and linear algebra during Senior Spring. But she allowed herself one indulgence, using the time to also, finally, start typing her novel.

She completed the first 20 pages, sketching intricate biographies of all her main characters, and outlining “the bones” of her book, whose title is still to come.

Research was essential for telling a realistic tale, so Tong, who was editor-in-chief of The Spectator, BB&N’s literary magazine, dove into ancient accounts of actual emperors, such as Hadrian and Domitian, and online university collections of ancient photos and facts. At the end of each week she’d discuss her findings with BB&N Latin teacher Bob Edbrooke, who helped her flush out historical details.

“We’d ask questions like, ‘Where would merchants rent houses in Rome?’” Tong says. “Or even concepts like the days of the week. I can’t say, ‘In the beginning of September’ because September had a different name.”

English teacher Beth McNamera, meanwhile, provided valuable feedback on character development and story arc.

“Because I’ve been thinking about this for so long, I wonder, does this sound like the character I’ve been envisioning?” Tong says. “That’s been the most challenging part.”

Although her tale takes place nearly 2,000 years ago, Tong’s main antagonists—Marcus Aurelius Felix, a power-obsessed nobleman, and Gaius Aemilius

Septimus, an empathetic merchant—could just as easily have existed now, she says. At least, that’s what classics such as Machiavelli’s The Prince, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Great Gatsby have taught her.

“Time doesn’t really change people’s character that much,” she reasons.

Tong credits her dad, Eddie, the family storyteller, with inspiring her. Reading aloud her opening scene, she pauses at just the right time for dramatic effect, her voice rising and falling as the words she knows almost by memory take hold.

“The method, the motive, the melodrama, the hints, the signs, the meaning, the pattern, the weapon of choice, the hour, the executioner, the number of blows—the details were all there,” she reads. “There was no better fodder for conversations under the sighing fans and whispering shades of summer villas than the latest assassination of the Emperor’s favorite courtier.”

So, how does her novel end?

Tong just smiles.

“You can get the book when it’s published,” she says.

41

Learning His Way Around DNA Halfway through Ryan O’Hanlon’s spring internship, he was still walking on eggshells. The youngest person by far in a major medical research laboratory, he fretted about handling vials of a rare enzyme that cost $400 each, or accidentally contaminating a DNA sample, or forgetting one of the “300 things” in the laboratory he wasn’t supposed to touch without gloves on.

Then one morning, his direct supervisor called him over.

“He said, ‘Hey, I’m really busy today but I have X, Y, and Z to do. But I need you to do this, this, and this,” O’Hanlon recalls. “It just felt really cool to take some of the work load away from the lab so they could go do even more. It was that breakthrough moment where I was like, OK, I can hold my own in this lab.”

Run by Boston Children’s Hospital, the lab where O’Hanlon interned aims to discover causes for rare muscle diseases—congenital myopathies—that affect children. O’Hanlon’s youngest brother, Daniel, 13, who uses a ventilator and a wheelchair, was born with one such disease.

“Besides that he’s pretty much your normal teenager,” O’Hanlon says. “He’s usually relatively uninterested in what I’m doing at the lab, which I find funny. He’s like, ‘The Red Sox game is on. When you find something, let me know.’”

Heading into the internship, O’Hanlon figured he’d just shadow a staffer a couple of days a week. Lab director Alan Beggs had other ideas, telling O’Hanlon to report at 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and putting him to work almost immediately on actual experiments. He ended up logging 160 hours in just eight weeks as a genetics research intern.

By his last week, O’Hanlon knew every nook of the lab, located on the 15th floor of a Longwood high-rise called The Center for Life Science Boston.

Leading a tour, he rattles off highlight after highlight: here’s the scale used to measure agarose for gene copying; this computer screen shows chromosome pairings; we froze mouse organs with this liquid nitrogen; there’s my boss, back from lunch.

42 36

n a y R

n o l n O’Ha

Finally, O’Hanlon arrives at a set of large, white refrigerators. Opening one, he plucks a vial about as long as a pinky finger from dozens stored in a plastic grid.

“So, this is DNA,” he proclaims, holding the clear liquid up to his eyes. “Every time we get a patient we collect it. There’s up to 5,000 samples in the refrigerator. Crazy stuff.”

His internship has been about more than just beakers and bunsen burners. O’Hanlon’s overheard details in the building elevator about brain research; handled vials of blood from Israel labeled in Hebrew; and heard lectures about how French research on dogs might lead to a major breakthrough in muscle disease.

“I’d never heard of a cure for any of these diseases before,” he said. “I always just assumed it was, ‘OK, you are born like this, we will hook you up to these machines.’ It kind of opened my eyes. It’s exciting.”

By the end of his internship—O’Hanlon’s heading to Dartmouth College to row crew this fall—he’d even trained a longtime staffer how to take over one of his chores.

“I was so daunted at first,” he says. “But I learned I could adapt.”

School Motto 101 Caroline Davitt’s friends couldn’t understand: how could she choose such a serious topic—writing the curriculum for an ethics class—for her senior project?

Well, she’d respond, would you tell a teacher if you saw a classmate cheating on a test? Or speak up if someone told a derogatory joke that everyone else laughed at?

If you were playing a sport and an opponent was taunting your teammate, would you taunt back?

Get physical? Turn the other cheek?

“OK, that’s interesting,” her friends acquiesced.

“I would take that class.”

Davitt has a number of passions, from BB&N’s hiking club to Model United Nations, from pick-up soccer games to keeping score at lacrosse games.

The future doctor also interned at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery department as part of Senior Spring, donning scrubs to watch bypass surgeries and aortic value replacements while in an operating room. (“It’s torture to think that I still have eight more years of school before I can legally touch a patient,” she says.)

Her interest in ethics goes back to eighth grade, when Davitt thought she saw a classmate cheating on a test. BB&N’s school motto, “Honor, Scholarship, Kindness,” seemed like the perfect entree for a senior project on the subject.

“We have this motto, but we really weren’t doing much with it. Do we ever talk about it or discuss it?”

Davitt asks. “At the very least, we can get students to think twice about ethical dilemmas.”

Her idea was to create a short course where students would tackle such topics as integrity, respect, sportsmanship, and citizenship, with open, candid, and, at times, uncomfortable conversations. Meeting weekly with Charles Ruopp, assistant head of school for academic affairs, Davitt crafted a framework for six lessons that potentially could be taught during 9th-grade Bivouac, when students are just beginning to grapple with ethical choices.

For one lesson, the class would be posed questions about two students who plagiarized—one on purpose, the other by accident. Should they be punished the same? Should rules ever be bent based on extenuating circumstances?

C ar

t t i v a lo ine D

In another class, students would be asked to imagine themselves panicking over having two tests and a paper due the same day, with no time to prepare.

Would a tiny amount of cheating, under such trying conditions, negate an entire academic career of playing by the rules? Why is cheating so bad, anyway?

For research, Davitt tied in some medicine, reading Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, which doubles as morality story. She also relied on personal experience: at a Model UN conference she attended, students from another school were caught plagiarizing; while scoring lacrosse, she heard plenty of trash talk on the field.

Ruopp says the work she’s left behind could lead to an actual BB&N class, possibly by the end of next year. Davitt, who will taking pre-med classes at the University of Washington in St. Louis in the fall, and joining the school’s student EMT group, said that would be just great.

“My hope is that kids would get into the discussion enough to say, ‘That was a worthwhile period,’” she says. “I hope the class would help them better understand the values BB&N stands for.”

43 37

Advancing Our Mission

Annual Giving Highlights • Annual Fund raised more than $2.7 million, setting a new BB&N record for annual support • More than 2,000 alumni/ae, current and past parents, faculty, staff, grandparents, and friends supported the 2012-2013 Annual Fund • 86% parent participation with five grades attaining 92-100% participation • 20% alumni/ae participation

%

• Class of 1978 shattered the 35th reunion record with $88,494 raised • Class of 2008 set attendance, participation, and gift records, raising $6,490 with 59% participation!

• More than 30% of the dollars raised for the Annual Fund this year are a direct result of the hard work of BB&N’s outstanding volunteers!

Look for more Annual Fund highlights in the Annual Report of Giving in October.

BB&N celebrates and honors its Annual Fund volunteers: this year, approximately 600 alumni/ae, parents, past parents, trustees, faculty, staff, and members of the senior class all worked diligently to raise awareness about supporting BB&N annually. Bravo!

Exciting highlights for Spring 2013 included reunion records set by the Classes of 1978 and 2008. The Class of ’78 has a track record of raising the bar, and this year ’78 raised a remarkable $88,494— shattering the standing record for a 35th reunion and setting an all-time record for the amount raised by any class, ever! The Class of 2008 set a new standard for the 5th reunion: it raised $6,490 with 59% participation! Their reunion gift will go to the Marina Keegan ’08 Memorial Fund. The results of the 2013 reunions are truly a testament to the value alumni/ae place on what BB&N has meant to them.

Nancy Morse Torti ‘60, Head of School Rebecca T. Upham, and Moe Torti at the inaugural 1974 Leadership Society reception for alumni/ae

Equally as exciting was the inaugural 1974 Leadership Society Reception for alumni/ae, hosted by Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and Board Chair Brace Young P’14, ’14, ’17. The event kicked off Reunion Weekend; more than 40 leadership donors gathered at Rebecca’s home to learn about all that is happening at BB&N today and reconnect with each other. Attendees ranged from the classes of 1940 to 2008 and came from as far away as California!

Sixth Grade Gift to Benefit Daycare Thanks to the generosity of nearly 100 percent of the parents of the Class of 2019, BB&N’s new onsite daycare center will be fully furnished and equipped when it opens to faculty and staff families in mid-August.

Under the leadership of Co-Chairs Shelly Nemirovsky P’16, ’17, ’19 and Becky Velander P’19, ’21, ’26, the Sixth Grade Gift Committee reached out to parents in the class to seek their support for this special initiative, as a way of showing their appreciation to the faculty and staff who have guided their children during their time at the Lower School. Thanks to the generosity of sixth grade parents, more than $43,000 was raised, with most of the funds being used for the purchase of such items as cribs, changing tables, strollers, tables and chairs, storage units, and an outdoor sandbox.

Sixth Grade Committee (from left): Jackie Stephen ’86, Jodi MacKinnon, Kate Brizius, Amy Krentzman, Becky Velander, and Shelly Nemirovsky 44

On behalf of all of the families (and their children) who will soon be using these new items, THANK YOU to the Sixth Grade Parents!

Senior Class Gift In keeping with tradition, the Class of 2013 achieved 100 percent student participation in the Senior Class Gift. Thanks to the enthusiastic determination of the Senior Class Ambassadors, the class achieved this milestone in time to present their gift at the Senior Farewell Dinner in May. Throughout the year, the Ambassadors did more than raise money: they learned what it means to be BB&N alumni/ae. They started by sending care packages to the Class of 2012, letting the recent grads know that BB&N was still thinking about them and cheering them on during their first set of college exams. The Ambassadors also learned about the vital role of the Annual Fund in the daily life of the school, helped host the alumni/ae panelists during the Recent Grads Coffee in November, and swapped BB&N stories with alumni/ae during an Alumni/ae Council meeting. The year culminated in raising the Senior Class Gift, which marked an important first step into the BB&N alumni/ae community.

During the Senior Farewell Dinner on May 29, the Senior Class Ambassador Committee co-chairs George Camerlo ’13 and Katelyn Pan ’13 had the great pleasure of announcing that the Class of 2013 raised $1,574.60 which was doubled through a generous matching gift from the Senior Parents. The parent match brought the total raised by the Senior Class to $3,149.20.

This generous gift was given to support Financial Aid and in honor of their classmate Gillian Reny ’13.

Congratulations, Seniors, on a job well done!

2013 Senior Class Ambassador Committee—(Back, from left): Shai Tabb, Meghan Klein, Grace Lu, Erica Pandey, Ryan Simpson.

(Front, from left): Chris Loughlin, Katelyn Pan, Katie Blenko, George Camerlo, Abby Baskin. Not pictured: Catherine Hanss, Khatidja Karimi, Ramsey Khabbaz, George Lober, and Hank Winton

Senior Parents’ Gift When the Class of 2013 parents gathered with their graduating seniors at the Senior Farewell Dinner in May, the gasps were audible as Gift Committee Chairs Jeff Moore and Barbara Southcote P’13, ’14 presented Head of School Rebecca T. Upham with a check for nearly $875,000, representing the cumulative gifts and pledges over the past year from 93 percent of parents in the class.

Under the leadership of Moore and Southcote, a dedicated group of parent volunteers contacted other parents to seek their support for this year’s class project: the funding of the first Future Leader Instructorship created by a Senior Parent Class. This endowed position will be held by a mid-career Upper School faculty member recognized for excellence in teaching and faculty leadership. The first holder of the Instructorship will be named this fall and will rotate every two years.

Senior parents’ enthusiastic support for this project resulted in gifts that far exceeded the $500,000 goal to create the Instructorship.

Additional gifts from senior parents for other endowment funds, capital projects, as well as the Annual Fund enabled the class to achieve a total gift of $884,646, of which $1,575 was allocated to match the amount raised by seniors through their gift campaign.

Another exciting part of this year’s Senior Parents’ Gift program was the opportunity for seniors and their parents to honor faculty members, coaches, or administrators for the special role they played during the senior’s time at BB&N. We are thrilled that more than 70 faculty, coaches, and staff were recognized for their dedication and caring by seniors and their parents through this program.

Senior Parents’ Gift Committee members—(Front, from left): George Davitt, Steve Reny, Drew Hayden, Loraine O’Hanlon, Jeff Moore, Phil Loughlin, John O’Hanlon.

Back row (Back, from left): Lisa Campoli, Michelle Wang, Audrey Reny, Shannon Hayden, Ellie Loughlin, Wenhua Jiang, Carolyn Wong, Barbara Southcote. Not pictured: Lynda Ceremsak, Gabrielle and Rich Coffman, Ann and Bill Forbush, Peter Martin, Tricia and Nick Winton.

45

6 T hings About BB&N:

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[ ONE ] Geordie Mitchell, Director of Enrollment Management: Potatoes Not Prozac, by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. This is a fascinating book that looks at the role of blood sugar in attention, focus, and energy. The working hypothesis is that some people are “sugar sensitive” and that they are prone to swings in blood glucose that impact their ability to perform. The author has worked with many people who have seen much better results from dietary changes than with drugs or in conjunction with drugs. The book includes dietary suggestions for sugar sensitive people.

[ TWO ] Bill Hritz, Grade Four and Jeanette Markham Master Teacher: Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann A finely crafted novel with a compelling story and a cast of characters I came to know and care about. The book also invites one to reflect on that which is honest and important in everyday, ordinary life.

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Our Faculty Recommend Some Summer [4] Reading

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..

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[ THREE ] Amy Selinger, Director of College Counseling: In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, by Erik Larson I liked this book because it painted a detailed picture of a time when opportunities were missed and stories could have been changed. We have an obligation to learn from history— this book provided a meditation on a time when action was needed but ignored.

...

[ FOUR ] Sharon Krauss, Upper School English: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach While even more baseball scenes would have been to my liking, I admire this page-turner for its structure—five organically interwoven plot threads and shifting points of view—and for its unflinching depiction of gifted people at their most vulnerable, their most human. At its heart this engaging summer read, set at a contemporary small Wisconsin college, reaffirms just how sustaining, life-defining, and surprising connections among people can be.

....

Both these books tell incredible stories about how Sondheim’s shows came to life and offer a fascinating look at how he writes his music and lyrics.

...

[ SIX ] Christa Crewdson, Middle School Drama: Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat, by Stephen Sondheim

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[ FIVE ] MARK FIDLER, Upper School Mathematics: Open, by Andre Agassi This candid, well-written, and riveting life story is one of the best sports books and one of the best memoirs I have read. It has changed the way I look at professional tennis and at this fascinating man, Andre Agassi.

BB&N Summer Wishes 2013 As we conclude the 2012-2013 fiscal year, we wish to express our deep appreciation to BB&N alumni/ae, parents, past parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends for your philanthropic support this past year. Your generosity enabled BB&N to fund many important institutional priorities on all three campuses.

The School continues to need to make thoughtful choices among important budgetary requests from faculty and administrators, and without additional financial support it may not be possible to purchase or fund a number of items and initiatives.

Gifts to cover the full or partial cost of any of these “wishes” are welcome and if received by September 1, would allow BB&N to purchase or fund these items for the 2013-2014 school year.

Lower School Campus

Faculty Professional Development for new Lower School Math Curriculum (12 @ $750 each; 2 @ $450 each) To support the cost of sending 14 teachers to the Think Math summer training program (12 faculty to the 5-day program, 2 to the 3-day program), in preparation for the transition to a new Lower School math curriculum.

“Nooks” (5 @ $400 each) To purchase 5 electronic readers for the Lower School libraries, allowing greater access to age-appropriate electronic texts for some of our young readers.

Brick Building Playground for Grades 5 and 6 ($25,000) To help fund the purchase and installation of new playground equipment in the area adjacent to the Brick Building. The following items were among those selected with input from Lower School students:  Mini Spacenet ($15,000): a climbing net that spurs creativity because of the endless ways that children can wiggle through it.  Supernova ($8,000): from 1-8 children can balance and rotate on this disc.  ZigZag Overhead Ladder ($2,000): a more challenging version of monkey bars that builds upper body strength.

Middle School Campus

iPads and keyboards (18 @ $800 each) To purchase additional iPads to be used as a shared resource for the Middle School. Middle School teachers have been using iPads with students this year and would like to expand the use of this tool in their classrooms.

Vernier LabQuest Environmental Science Starter Package (8 @ $950 each) To purchase 8 sets of equipment, each including a data display unit and 6 probes, for use with the data collection portion of the 8th Grade Knights of Science field studies unit.

Vernier LapQuest Probes (15 @ $180 each) To purchase additional probes not included in the starter package, for use in the field to support the Knights of Science unit.

Upper School Campus

Baritone Saxophone ($3,000) To purchase a baritone saxophone for the instrumental/jazz music program, to be loaned to interested saxophone players to create a fuller sound for larger groups.

Batting Practice Cage ($3,000) To replace the current batting cage behind the “hitting turtle” on the baseball field.

Document Cameras for History Department (3 @ $750 each) To purchase 3 document cameras for the history department. Document cameras continue to be a very popular piece of technology for our teachers for real-time display and editing of papers, books, or other materials.

Hockey Boards Renovation Project ($25,000) To replace the boards around the hockey rink.

Stage Lighting Lab ($3,700) To renovate the current Lighting Room for improved storage, a work counter with electrical service to test and repair stage lights, and creation of a lab to experiment with color filter designs for stage lighting projects.

All School

Global Competence Initiative/Faculty Professional Development (3 @ $2,500 each) To support the implementation of Global Task Force work on all three campuses. Initial funding would be used to bring noted experts in global/international education to speak to BB&N faculty about this critical educational area and emerging 21st century skill.

Gifts can be made online at www.bbns.org/donate (select “Summer Wishes” from the Special Initiatives menu and specify the item you wish to fund); or by check payable to BB&N (note “Summer Wishes” and the item you wish to fund) and mailed to the BB&N Development Office, 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138. For questions contact Janet Rosen at jrosen@bbns.org or 617-800-2729.

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Worcester, MA Permit No. 2

80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138-5512 www.bbns.org

As we swing from one school year into the next, the Annual Fund wants to thank the more than 2,000 donors who gave to BB&N in 2012-2013.

Your loyalty keeps our students smiling year after year!