2013 BCD Today

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Berkshire Country Day School

BCDToday SPRING 2013


BCDToday

2012-2013 Board of Trustees Claire Naylor Pollart President

SPRING 2013

Paige Orloff Smith VICE PRESIDENT

Chris Ferrone TREASURER

Marianna Poutasse SECRETARY

Paul Lindenmaier ex-officio

Steve Boyd Theodore Glockner ’82 David Hosokawa Lisa Kantor Jenney Smith Maloy Tom O’Neil Ellen Perry Laura Rotenberg Mark Smith Eleanore Velez Cara Vermeulen Alexis Watts Eric Wilska Photographer and current parent John Dolan spent a day at BCD documenting the work of our students and teachers. On the cover, Chemistry teacher Sue Benner and Kendall Pollart ’14 are discussing a recent experiment.

Administration Paul Lindenmaier Head of School

Carmen Dockery Perkins

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Associate Head of School

Gwen Connolly Director of Finance

Amy Elmore Director of Development

Alicia Rossie Director of Admission & Financial Aid

Math at BCD

2 Campus News

10 Faculty Profile: Mrs. Fawcett 12 Alumni Events 13 Alumni News & Profiles 29 Lost & Found

Editor: Amy Elmore Assistant Editor: Joanne DelCarpine Design: Julie Hammill, Hammill Design Printer: Quality Printing Company, Inc. Photography: John Dolan, Amy Elmore, Eric Korenman, Paul Lindenmaier, Sean McLaughlin

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A Message from the Head of School

Berkshire Country Day School continues to be a school where students find personal success through their achievements in academic excellence. During my regular visits to classrooms, I am continually impressed by the level of intellectual discourse that I hear, the complexity of the visual work that I see, and the thoughtful camaraderie exhibited between students. Central to the accomplishments of every BCD student is the inspired teaching of our faculty, the respectful engagement of peers, and the involved and nurturing support of the entire community. In this issue of BCD Today, we invite you on a very special tour of our classrooms. We will introduce you to and focus on four current students whose individual experiences offer a unique glimpse of the distinctive elements inherent in the BCD experience. You will get to see through the eyes of a “beholder” the preschool social curriculum, the lower school science program, the physical education and cocurricular sports offerings, and the upper school art program. We will then feature our broad and demanding mathematics program. We also invite you to celebrate a rare and relevant occasion with us. Our beloved Latin teacher, Eugénie Fawcett, is completing her 40th year of teaching at BCD this year! In honor of her many accomplishments and contributions as an esteemed educator, one of Eugénie’s former students shares recollections of this legendary teacher that were transformative for so many of her students.

Areté!

Paul Lindenmaier Head of School

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Every school year at Berkshire Country Day School follows a familiar script, one that is recognizable and comforting to alumni and parents. Though familiar, there are always unique stories to tell. Within this campus news section, you will read about some of the more unusual moments of the year and reports of the work that happens

Reese in Preschool

LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE

BECOMING A SCIENTIST

“How was your day at work, Mama?”

“What is its crucial role in making life possible?”

In Preschool, social and academic learning goals are addressed through integrated practices such as Morning Meeting. Beginner 3 students gain valuable social and language arts skills by practicing how to express themselves in front of a group and patiently listen to others. This learning helps these young learners become better students and people. Reese’s parents have seen these skills blossoming at home as well.

Reese practices the listening skills at the dinner table, listening to other members of the family and asking them about their experiences. “How was your day at work, Mama?” he asks. We see him engaging in and initiating more two-way conversations; we also see him learning the importance of community and figuring out his role within that space. Recently, Reese “led a presentation” where he told his classmates all about the block tower he had built. Interactions such as this show us that he is learning more than just sharing, but also how to communicate, explain, listen, respond, and engage.

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Kate in Grade 1

Spring 2013

BCD’s lower school science curriculum is based on children’s natural curiosity and excitement about the world around them. Giving them the tools to explore that world and to share discoveries with others is at the heart of what BCD does best. Here is the perspective of Kate’s dad:

As Kate’s parents, we can see how carefully BCD is taking the natural curiosity of a small child and starting to introduce it to a rudimentary scientific understanding of nature and of physical reality as governed by internally consistent laws. We love that Kate will be studying both a category of matter - liquids - and an omnipresent object in her life dirt. How are all liquid things alike? What is the nature of that alikeness? How does their alikeness make them unlike things that are not liquid? While also finding out what, exactly, dirt is. Where it comes from? What are its components? What is its crucial role in making life possible? What an exciting journey this is!


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sN every day in the classrooms. We have included the latter because we find it newsworthy that BCD offers subject areas that not all schools are able to offer: preschool social curriculum, lower school science program, middle school sports and physical education program, and upper school arts program.

Shayna in Grade 4

Sam in Grade 9

TRYING NEW THINGS

EXPRESSING ONESELF CREATIVELY

“I’m learning how to shoot ten feet high and I’m not even half that size!”

“The most rewarding artistic endeavor for me has been theater.”

At Country Day Schools all over the country, students are encouraged to develop their bodies as well as their minds. BCD’s physical education and co-curricular sports programs support this goal. Physical education is about teaching athletic skills, team building, and instilling a lifelong love of moving and exercise no matter what the student’s ability. For Shayna, it’s also about trying new things.

This year was our first year doing soccer and basketball after school. Before I started, I wasn’t good at soccer and I didn’t know how to shoot a basketball properly, but I still got to play. Right now, I’m learning how to shoot ten feet high and I’m not even half that size! In gym with Mrs. Heady, we just started cross-country skiing. I had no clue about how to do it. Mrs. Heady knows how to give you tips so you can get started, and even on my first day, I started to get the hang of it.

Learning how to think and express oneself creatively is an integral part of every BCD student’s experience. Through multiple artistic modes, students learn about themselves and the world around them. The arts aren’t extracurricular activities, they are co- curricular and often projects are cross-divisional.

While at BCD, I’ve participated in theater, film, graphic design, shop, yearbook, painting, drawing, sculpture, and band. I studied the Hudson River school painter, Frederic Church, and traveled to Olana, his home in upstate New York, as part of those studies. I took an Arts Block class about Sol Lewitt that included visiting the exhibit at Mass MoCA, and creating our own Sol Lewitt-inspired piece on the art room wall. Another creative opportunity we have is in Latin class when we prepare for Classics Day. We can choose to recite a passage, create drawings, mosaics, or make models relating to the classics. Among all of these, the most rewarding artistic endeavor for me has been theater. Playing Berenger in Rhinoceros has been my most challenging role to date because there were so many lines. Participating in the theater program has allowed me make new friends across many different grades. berkshirecountryday.org

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Community Campus Day Seventy parents and students donated their time and energy on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at BCD’s 5th Annual Community Campus Day. Truckloads of leaves were raked and carted away to become mulch; new raised beds were built for the garden; outdoor benches were repainted and Clemons Hall’s clapboards were stained. Windows on the second floor of Albright were weatherized, trees were edged and mulched, our weeping cherry tree was relocated, and the raft was removed from the pond.

visit from NASA astronaut On October 19, NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, who commanded the International Space Station from November 2011 to April 2012, visited BCD and spoke to the entire student body about his work. Commander Burbank shared a video-enhanced tour of an astronaut’s life aboard a spacecraft and gave sage advice to our young learners. “All of you here right now have no idea what you’re capable of,” he said. “You have no idea how bright and wonderful the future is for you...the most important thing is to believe in yourself.”

Carmen Dockery Perkins Appointed Associate Head of School Student-Organized Hurricane Relief The BCD Student Council sponsored a drive for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Several families took three carloads of donations to victims of the storm in New York and New Jersey. Students, families, and even alumni participated in this effort.

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This summer, Carmen Dockery Perkins assumed an expanded role at BCD, when she was appointed Associate Head of School, responsible for the oversight of the entire program from Preschool through Grade 9. Carmen has been an educator for over 19 years, and she began her work at BCD in 2000 as an administrator in BCD’s Secondary School. When BCD closed its high school division in 2007, she assumed leadership of the Grade 4 through 9 program at the Brook Farm campus. This new role is a natural extension of her prior experience and responsibilities. Paul Lindenmaier shared, “With focused attention on the whole school, and a keen interest in curriculum coordination and collaboration among teachers, Carmen has embraced her expanded position at BCD this year with energy and enthusiasm. We have all appreciated her attention to the experiences and needs of our students, the relationships between community members, and the careful organization of a myriad of details.”


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Wooden Car Derby This fall, after spending weeks in Shop class building, painting, and preparing racecars, the Shop classes got together for a double elimination derby. Racing sideby-side and surrounded by the euphoric cheers and chants of their classmates, students pitted their cars against one another. Whether in victory or defeat, everyone came away from the experience having had a great time!

Classics Day

Alumni Return to BCD as Coaches This year, three alumni - Roya Daemi ’09, Colin Benner ’08, and Starr Nader ’07 2S - returned to BCD as coaches. Roya coached soccer this fall; Colin is in his second year of coaching cross-country skiing; and Starr is in his second year of coaching soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. Their co-coaches and student athletes appreciated their contributions. Coach Gore wrote, “Roya was a terrific helper. She brought new drills and lots of enthusiasm to practice.” Jack Gibson ’14 wrote, “Colin was an awesome coach. He challenged us and never let us give up.” “Coach Nader brought the BCD basketball team to a new level,” commented Viggo Blomquist ’14. While Roya will not continue her work with BCD athletes next year because she is heading to college, we hope Colin and Starr will return.

On January 18, the Upper School Latin students attended the Pioneer Valley Classical Association’s annual Classics Day, thus participating in a tradition started over three decades ago. Most attendees are high school students, but BCD brings a group of extremely proficient middle schoolers each year. Each participant must attend a workshop and enter one of the contests. Individuals memorize and recite specific Latin passages for the Oral Interpretation Contest, make and wear a costume for the Costume Contest, or create a painting, mosaic, sculpture or model, with a Greek or Roman theme, for the Art Contest. Teams of four students compete in the Latin or mythology certamina, which are run like quiz bowls. Mrs. Fawcett’s students won twenty-two awards this year. Her team of BCD students were among the youngest students at the competition.

An Original Theater Presentation The BCD Upper School winter theater co-curricular production was an original piece developed through improvisation and research by an ensemble of Upper School students. “Two Cans Connected by a String” explored themes of communication. This humorous, thoughtful piece questioned the research and popular opinion regarding the impact social media has had on teenagers. The production’s music was composed, performed and recorded by BCD’s Electronic Music Class.

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Math at BCD To some people, the thought of doing math is painful. Literally. A recent study* by Ian Lyon of the University of Chicago and Sion Beilock of Western University proved that the anxiety that some people develop in anticipation of doing math can be physically painful. Interestingly, this pain is not experienced while doing math, but only in anticipation of math (or math-related) situations. However, as result of the pain experienced from this high anticipation anxiety, these individuals tend to avoid anything related to math. While the study does not analyze the origins of these individuals’ anxieties, it is not a major leap to question the ways in which they were taught math as children. Were they always scared of getting the wrong answer? Was the correct answer the only important part of the lesson? Did they ever get to learn math by playing games or creating art or doing other fun activities? BCD’s Math Department Chair Geoffrey Perkins has reflected on this study and, while he cannot answer these

* http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/11/painful-math/

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questions for the participants of the study, he can confidently pledge that the math curriculum at BCD is designed to prevent the development of such high math anxiety. Holistic, integrative, and interactive in nature, math lessons at BCD seek to engage all of its students, from Beginner 3s through Grade 9, in developing a deep understanding of essential math principles and then allowing the students to apply this knowledge in interesting and engaging ways. Throughout the program, students are encouraged to discover math for themselves and to realize that the “right answer” is not the most important part of the process. As Mr. Perkins explains, “The games and activities we introduce encourage a dynamic approach to problem solving. Math is like a game with set rules. Practicing the rules can be a fun and creative process.” In the pages that follow, you will see examples of BCD’s math program in practice.


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Math is

Beautiful

Throughout the math curriculum, teachers use art to demonstrate mathematical concepts and students use art to practice mathematical skills. In Preschool, this may be constructing beautiful shapes and block sculptures. In Grade 2, it may be creating a quilt to learn fractions. In Grade 4, students create their dream houses by laying out their floor plans on graph paper, calculating perimeter and area, selecting paint colors, floor tiles or carpet and shopping in catalogues for the furnishings. In Upper School, this integration continues in many ways, including a class on Sol Lewitt and Minimalism that is offered by math teacher Geoff Perkins and art teacher Marilyn Orner Cromwell. This elective allows students to see the role that writing and math can play in the creation of art. The Mass MoCA display of Sol Lewitt’s work serves as inspiration for the class’s individual and collaborative work.

Math is

Flexible

Throughout our program, teachers seek to calibrate the pace and level of math instruction to fit each student’s needs. In Lower School, teachers work with small groups of students so that each student can receive individual assistance. In Middle and Upper School, teachers continue to differentiate instruction and personalize math practice by constantly monitoring individual students’ comprehension of concepts. Online programs, math games, and testing are used to ascertain students’ understanding. The teacher can adjust individual assignments to give students more time to develop mastery or to challenge them.

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An Alumnus Reflects on the BCD Math Program Tom Meyer ’10 2S (attended BCD for Grades 7-9) Tom is living in New York City and enrolled in a joint program through Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Columbia University. At the completion of his studies, he will receive a B.A. in Math and Computer Science and B.S. in Applied Math.

Because of the BCD math program, algebra really clicked for me. I understood that the whole point was to find the value or an expression for whatever the variable is. Everything else in algebra is secondary, a tool to help do this. The physicist, Richard Feynman, said the same thing in one of his books. He writes an anecdote about his cousin who was having trouble with algebra. His cousin gives him an example of an algebra problem and Feynman immediately solves it. The cousin then tells him he solved it the wrong way because he relied on arithmetic, not algebra. Feynman maintained that it doesn’t make a bit of difference how you solve it, so long as each step is mathematically valid. He then makes a comment on how algebra is often taught as a sequence of steps one can apply to arrive at the answer. It’s rigidly formulaic; you don’t really have to know what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. He attributes his cousin’s inability to learn algebra to this lack of insight. I didn’t learn algebra at BCD the way Feynman’s cousin learned it. I learned that if you see the point to what you’re doing, you don’t have to memorize these steps since they’ll either follow naturally or maybe you’ll realize a quicker way to do it. Another benefit

Math is Simple Once You Know the Rules Teachers at all levels try to instill in students a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. They do this by studying a subject very thoroughly and from different perspectives. In Beginner 3s, the class will study circles by going on hikes to look for circles, by drawing circles, by making pizza, and by building circles out of objects. They literally begin to see circles everywhere, and then they move on to another shape. In Grades 1 and 2, teachers spend time developing students’ number sense by doing much more than just math equations. Students will do chip trading; play cards, dominoes and computer games; study money; and more. These strategies help students strengthen their grasp of numbers and arithmetic and move them beyond the need to use prescribed strategies and towards an ability to arrive at answers fluently, quickly, and with understanding. This same deep level of understanding is expected throughout the program. In the reflection of Tom Meyer below, you can see how this approach in algebra prepared him for his current studies.

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of this approach is that it frees up your mind. This allows you to develop an intuitive understanding of the theory and the methods used to solve problems. By freeing up your mind, you can also create several different ways of looking at something. Once I got to higher computational math, I found this clarity of purpose and thought to be very applicable. It may not be a variable you’re trying to find, and the tools are different, but the ability to have an analogy with algebra has still been very important to me. For instance, in a field called Partial Differential Equations, you’re tasked with finding an expression for a given function. This expression is given implicitly through what’s known as a differential equation. The same sort of thing occurs in algebra. The solution for the variable is given implicitly in an equation and you need to give it explicitly. By recalling the constraints of logic and calculus and recognizing the point is to find an expression for the function, the tools used to solve problems in Partial Differential Equations seemed quite natural. I didn’t need to memorize the steps to solve certain kinds of problems because I understood what needed to be done and the reasoning behind all the methods, which gave me an intuitive feel for the subject. So, my thought processes mimicked, on a higher level, those I had in algebra. You only need to know the goal and what constraints there are on how to solve the problem (i.e. logic, maybe the rules of calculus, etc.). Everything else is secondary. It is in this way that I benefited from my math education at BCD; it helped shape the way I think about and approach math.


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Math Is Fun BCD students play lots of games to practice their math skills and gain a deeper understanding of math concepts. Here is list of some of the games our students enjoy:

Computer Games mangahigh.com Mangahigh.com is a gamesbased-learning site, where students learn Mathematics via purpose-built games that balance fun and learning. The entire website is free for schools, but individuals can play a limited number of games if they are not affiliated with a school. mathplayground.com Engaging games and activities to help students feel more confident about their math skills and to help them form more positive attitudes toward the subject of math. illuminations.nctm.org Illuminations is a National Council of Teachers of Mathematics website that provides a wide range of standards-based resources for teachers and learners of mathematics. There are also lots of fun games under the activities section and they are all grouped by grade level.

Games 1-2-3 Zingo A variation on Bingo that requires students to recognize numbers and practice counting and reading. 24 This game is great practice for basic math fact and arithmetic. There are four numbers on each card, and the competitors add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers to reach the number 24. Cribbage The strategy, tactics and counting required in Cribbage make it a great math game. Dominoes This game is great for practicing basic counting, number sense, and arithmetic. Mancala This classic stone-moving game is a great way to practice counting and starting to learn strategy. Mighty Minds Players discover ways that simple shapes can be combined to form intricate delightful pictures and designs. Children learn to solve puzzles without assistance, and it does not require reading. Quizmo It is like Bingo but the kids have to solve multiplication, division, subtraction or addition problems in order to find the called number on their playing boards. Versatiles Players solve given equations in a booklet and then match their answers with given letters on tiles. Once each problem has been matched with a tile, they flip the tiles over and it makes a given pattern. If the colored pattern matches the book, they know their answer is right. Beat It - Subtraction (Second Grade Teacher Katharine Allentuck uses cards that have no numbers on them. Instead they rely on the visual clusters on each card. However, you can play it with a normal deck of cards) 1. Each child gets a pile of cards. Face down. 2. Each player turns 2 cards up - they find the difference of the two cards and the largest difference wins and wins all the cards. 3. If two players have the same difference they have a face-off with 3 cards down, 2 of which they select to turn over and see who has the largest difference again.

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Mrs. Fawcett, summa cum laude Edited from a presentation on Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett created for BCD’s 65th Anniversary by Rachel Siegel ’89, June 18, 2011

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It is the winter of 2009, and Mrs. Fawcett has, as usual, accurately predicted each of the snow days so far this winter, calmly telling her classes what not only Wednesday’s but Thursday’s homework is, because there will be no school on Thursday. She was, of course, right. A student comes flabbergasted into my homeroom Friday morning, throws down her book bag and loudly proclaims, “Now I know why Mr. Fawcett is so smart. He is married to GOD.” I myself have felt an aura of the divine off of Mrs. Fawcett. I can’t say why I think this but I will tell you this: I know she won’t sit thirteen to a table. I suspect she has carried the same sandwich container to school every day since I was a student in the 1980’s. Objects don’t obey the same laws of entropy and decay for her as they do for us. Her desk is the same she has had for probably 25 years, albeit duct taped at the corners (“It’s absolutely fine!” she says). She never tires of doing the entire BCD school schedule by hand every summer. And I know many of you are thinking, “She managed to teach ME Latin for three years and I STILL REMEMBER IT!” What more evidence of divine patience and inspiration do you want? I feel I am especially privileged, because I have not only been the Fawcetts’ pupil, but I have worked alongside them as a teacher at BCD, in both of the departments they have run for the last 30+ years. Mrs. Fawcett introduced me to the subjunctive, a territory in which I have spent a good part of my adult life (“I would be able to do that, really well, if I were to work hard at it.”) Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett’s love of the classics and of great literature formed the basis for my intellectual life, and the rigor with which they approach learning is an example I still look to emulate. One of the least celebrated aspects of Mrs. Fawcett, to me, is her humor. She is easily the funniest teacher at BCD. Many students notice this about her. Francesca Lally ’13 writes, “Someone in our class asked Mrs. Fawcett what would happen if you put a macron on the present stem when it wasn’t needed. Without hesitation, Mrs. Fawcett replied, ‘You die.’”

She loves a good joke, but it must be earned! If you hit her funny bone, the sincerity of her slow-engine laugh is enough to make everyone around her smile and laugh, too, and keep smiling for a long while afterwards. Indeed, her pleasure is utterly infectious. Hear this anecdote, from a recently graduated ninth grader: “I will never forget looking over during my first seventh grade dance and seeing Mrs. Fawcett happily bobbing her head along to Lil John’s ’Get Low.’” My favorite image of Mrs. Fawcett is on Field Day, when Mr. Fawcett and the rest of the faculty are engaged in refereeing various sweaty sporting events, but Mrs. Fawcett is in air-conditioned Peseckis Hall, calmly totaling up the scores so that it will be known at end of day if the triumph belongs to blue or white. She goes about this task with the same quality of totally unsentimental focus with which she would translate a passage of Caesar in class. What she says she will do, she does, and while she may give an artfully placed sigh here and there, she has NEVER been known to complain. Lover of the mythical, Mrs. Fawcett herself has attained the status of myth. She has devoted her life to one place, one school. Most of her students will never spend more than ten years in any one job. She and Mr. Fawcett share a belief in the integrity of institutions and families in a cultural era when these institutions often seem outmoded. But their students understand, intuitively, that these people represent something. They have a higher referent. I have in my own life, when I felt almost absurdly at the mercy of my ego’s vertiginous ascents and descents, come back to the Fawcetts; come back, in my mind, to their example of quiet and earnest commitment, based on deeply felt conviction. I believe that this is how one truly makes one’s mark upon the world: to find a path and toil away at it, day after day, year upon year, with unwavering focus and purpose. After the fog rolls off another frosty morning in the Tyringham valley, and the sheep have been fed and watered, to brush the snow off the windshield, get into the car, and teach.

She loves a good joke, but it must be earned! If you hit her funny bone, the sincerity of her slow-engine laugh is enough to make everyone around her smile and laugh, too, and keep smiling for a long while afterwards.”

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Thanksgiving Soup Thanksgiving Soup has truly become our school’s annual celebration of community. It is the one occasion during the school year that the entire student body sits together and eats a hot meal. It’s also our homecoming event, a chance for us to welcome alumni back to campus with open arms. This year we found new ways, beyond the traditional donation of ingredients, to involve current students in the day: Grade 9 collected and sorted all the soup donations, Grades 8 & 9 setup the tables in Fitzpatrick Hall, Grade 6 did a presentation to thank faculty, the Student Council served soup to the upper school and alumni tables, and many classes provided table decorations for the event. Next year, we’re hoping to create a gathering for alumni and upper school students before the soup is served. During that gathering, young alumni would give short presentations about life after BCD.

Young Alumni Party Young alumni from the classes of 1998 through 2006 Brook Farm and 2010 2S were invited to gather at Spitzer’s Corner in New York City to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and reconnect with Berkshire Country Day School. Associate Head of School and former BCD2S administrator Carmen Dockery Perkins joined Development Director Amy Elmore in representing the School. Alumnae Arielle Picheny and Sara Frantz helped to organize the event.

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Alumni News 1950 Class Agent: Lila Wilde Berle 1954 Class Agent: Dorothy Bisacca Winsor

Rev. Dan Hatch ’55 and Bets DeJong

55 Class Agent Needed. Email alumni@berkshirecountryday.org to volunteer

Rev. Dan Hatch shares “Big news for 2012 was that I was married on October 27 to Maribeth (‘Bets’) DeJong, who is keeping her last name. We are living in Mill Valley, close to my two grandchildren. After a week’s visit to the Future Light Orphanage(FLO) in Cambodia for the graduation of my e-foster son, Ratha, whom I have supported for the last 8 years, and becoming e-foster parents to Sreyneath (10) & Sophon (7) Sang, Bets and I took a week’s pre-moon to incredibly beautiful northern Vietnam. Life is good!”

57 Class Agent: Susan Bisacca McNinch

Monty Euston writes that he has retired as President and Senior Counsel at Press and Radio/TV Associates in Syracuse, NY, and has moved to the Seattle area. His daughters Heather and Erika and son Peter all reside there. He has kept in touch with some of the BCD alumni from the Berkshires over the years. 1960 Class Agent: Dr. Donald Gulick

62 Class Agent: Sandra Bardwell Bernard

Carol Edwards says, “After almost forty years in New York City, I am now living in Kennebunk, ME, where my sister, Susan ’66 also lives. Susan is currently the executive director of the Kennebunkport Historical Society, after working in the field of historic preservation in MA for many years. I have been involved in publishing since the 1970s and continue to freelance edit for a number of New York publishers. Although I haven’t been back to Lenox for many years, I do keep in touch with a few BCD classmates. I hear wonderful things about BCD from the parents of some present students, and I am pleased to read of all the exciting things that are happening at the school. I would love to see any old friends who may be passing through ME. My LinkedIn page has my contact information, and I am also in the local phone book. Greetings to all…”

2012), has been nominated for 2013 The Pushcart Prize. A second novel The Door Man is in progress.” From the press release: As It Is On Earth is set in New England over seven days leading up to Columbus Day 1999. Narrated by Taylor Thatcher, an irreverent young university professor from a fallen family of Maine Puritans, the story follows his ruminative quest to escape from history. Thatcher is swept by Time through the “family thing” – from the tangled genetic and religious history of his New England parents to the redemptive secret of the Cajun-Passamaquoddy woman who raised him; from love in the ruins of the Mayan Yucatan to a high-stakes gambling casino, rising in resurrection over the starlit bones of a Pequot Indian Tribe. http://www.peterwheelwright.com/ 1964 Class Agents: Dr. Elizabeth Beautyman & Frank MacGruer

63 Class Agents: Churchward Davis, Jr. & Paul Denzel

Barbara Glodt Rockman’s collection of poetry, ‘Sting and Nest,’ received the 2012 National Press Women’s Poetry Book Prize and the 2012 New MexicoArizona Book Award. Her poems were nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. “How I would love to share all this with Donald Oakes who gave me my first poetry assignment in 7th grade and encouraged me to speak about Robert Frost in the oratory contest!” http:// stingandnest.wordpress.com Peter Wheelwright writes “After 35 years practicing architecture, I have settled into the life of the writer. My debut novel, As It Is On Earth (Fomite

1961 Class Agent: William F. Barrett

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Left to right –Judy Collins ’69, Alan Collins ’72, Judy’s husband Allen Norton, their son Sam Norton, Bruce Collins ’65, and Bruce’s wife Grace, at Sam’s graduation from the U of VA College at Wise

Alan Collins ’72

Judy Collins ’69

Bruce Collins ’65

BCD grades 1-9, 1963-1972

BCD grades 6-9, 1965-1969

BCD grades 2-8, 1958-1965 (the last from Walker Street)

Where did you go once you left BCD? Alan: I attended boarding school at Loomis Chaffee in Windsor, CT, and then went to Cornell University, where I acquired a BS in Civil Engineering and a letter in Lightweight Crew. Years later I got an MSCE at Drexel. Judy: After BCD, I went to Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, and from there to the world of a big public university–Wisconsin at Madison, where I obtained a BS and MS in Agricultural Economics, with emphasis on community and natural resource economics. Bruce: I moved from BCD to Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Economics. After working several years I returned to school at Wharton for an MBA (1981). Where are you living now? Alan: Suburban Philadelphia, with my wife Beth and our 17-year-old son Scott. Our older son Dan is half way through a doctorate program in theoretical math at Princeton. Judy: I have lived in the Washington, DC, area since 1979 (coming here after graduate school) and since 1987 have been in Arlington, VA, with my husband, Allen Norton. Our son, Samuel, graduated in May 2012 from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, with a BS in Environmental Science. He is currently living at home and working part-time as he searches for a job related to his degree.

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Bruce: I have lived on Manhattan since 1981. I’ve hardly batted 1.000 on important decisions, but I became Christian at age 30, and a skier at age 35 (way later than most of my BCD classmates, but I’m sure having fun). Another excellent decision was marrying Grace, a native New York City gal, in 2007. No children of our own, but three nephews courtesy of Judy and Alan, plus now two grand-nephews and a grandniece on Grace’s side. (While my starry-eyed younger siblings rushed into marriage at the tender ages of 29 and 33, I was a bit older…) What are you doing now? Alan: I work in the railroad industry (what a surprise!). I worked 20 years for Conrail, and then moved to Urban Engineers, where our clients are the two railroads that bought and split up Conrail. Judy: After a short stint in the Economic Research Service of the USDA, I worked for almost 10 years in the Research Division of United Way of America. Since late 1991 I have worked as Research Director at the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), a membership organization of law schools and law firms. Bruce: I worked several years for General Electric in Pittsfield, Stamford, CT, and New York City doing financial work, with a break to get an MBA. I’ve been doing more of same (more or less) at New York City Transit (the subways and buses) since 1986 including, lately, trying to finance numerous “Super-Storm Sandy” recovery projects. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, skiing and a little volunteer work – mainly doing demolition and construction for Habitat for Humanity in Baltimore.


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What are your plans for the future? Alan: 2014: Become empty nesters. Slow down. c.2025: Retire. Slow down even more. Judy: Retire comfortably and in good health, when the time comes, and be able to bike as much as possible. Bruce: Keep eating all of my wife’s and my mother-in-law’s cooking, hike Mt. Marcy (or at least Mt. Greylock), clean up and organize our Manhattan apartment (2 in a studio is a bit cozy!), probably retire in a couple of years, work part-time (or just let my wife keep working, while I volunteer, hike, etc.), and maybe eventually move back to the mountains, even the Berkshires?!?

What are your fondest memories from BCD? Alan: • Mark Codey’s mischief. Mark was Bart Simpson long before Bart Simpson. I was his Milhouse. • Mr. McNaught’s classroom teaching. He could impart knowledge on many subjects from Latin to Math computation to the details of the Battle of Chattanooga to the origins of the Vietnam conflict. He would do so in a coherent and engaging fashion, complete with elaborate illustrations on the blackboard (sometimes extending onto the adjoining walls), without notes. He would field questions and sprinkle in witty sidebars seamlessly, all while marching around the room and gesturing energetically. The only time he would stop was to kill a fly with his bare hands. Well, that and the time his kinetic demonstration had him reach one hand toward the floor and one toward the ceiling, and when he looked up at the high hand, he saw a constellation of spitballs stuck to the ceiling. (See Bart and Milhouse, above.) • Playing chess with Alex Aldrich • Mrs. Aronoff’s smile • Drawing macabre cartoons with Jeff Carpenter • Mrs. Samsel’s methodical but never dull math instruction • Gail McCain & Debbie Amber (class of ’67) singing the latest tunes on the ’Dalton’ bus (Wayne Fontana’s “Groovy Kind of Love” was their best number.) • Mr. Perry’s energy and enthusiasm • Stacey Brown once calling me ’dearie’ Judy: My most vivid memory is of Mr. Potter’s Latin class, where we recited the cases, gender, etc., of all the possessive and demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, as we did calisthenics-type exercises. To this day I remember ’is, ea, id’ to a dog-paddle action. I also thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Jones’ history class. Her pioneering use of primary source documents to teach history made the subject much more interesting. At lunch time Debbie Thielker and I helped Debbie’s mother at the BCD store. I recall her remark that we were like fish out of water if we couldn’t help at the store. I too remember the ’Dalton’ bus. In addition to teaching, Mr. Bemis drove that bus, until later in our tenure, when the school hired students from Berkshire Christian College for that job.

Bruce: While there: • Figuring out how to connect from “DH” (Dalton-Hinsdale) buses to “Berkshire Street Railway” buses in Park Sq., Pittsfield at age 7. (This was after real trolley cars, but before BCD ran its own buses.) Once I learned about buses and their destination signs, I was hooked on transit, see “What are you doing now”, above! • Mrs. Maloney letting us draw cartoons so much of the time in 3rd Grade. • Mr. Potter having his Latin classes recite declensions and conjugations while doing calisthenics in the hall at Walker St. • Soccer and softball • Riding BCD’s ’Dalton’ bus, especially when Mr. Rice was driving • All those dance parties in 7th Grade • Getting a couple academic prizes in spite of all the above Afterwards: • Bragging rights that Nicole Miller was in my class through 7th Grade How do you think your time at BCD influenced the choices you’ve made? Alan: Engineers are supposed to find the right answer. I prefer to make sure we’re asking the right question. BCD fostered that type of critical thinking. (Good question!) Judy: Asking the right question is important as well to the research that I work on every day. Bruce: Once I went to BCD, I always went to the best schools that I could. What about your time at BCD are you most thankful for? We are thankful for a thoroughly well-rounded education. Alan: …. without a hint of test prep. Judy: The opportunity to learn with teachers who enjoy teaching and are good at it. BCD provided so many experiences that would not have happened at the public schools in Dalton. This includes not only academics, but also art and music, and athletics such as field hockey and softball. Bruce: BCD prepared me for the big leagues (prep school and college) as well as anything could have. What advice can you offer current students at BCD? Education is not just about the subject matter, it’s also about learning to learn, broadening horizons, and providing a lifelong skill set that transcends specific subjects. Alan has long since forgotten the French that Mme. Grad taught, but believes the intellectual exercise was still well worth it. Judy adds that she would encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities provided and recognize that education involves much more than learning a skill or passing a test. Bruce notes that you can get a lot of information from the Internet, but less learning and even less wisdom.

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65 Class Agent: William Campbell

Nathaniel Wheelwright says “I continue to teach biology at Bowdoin College (my wife, Genie, teaches Spanish here) and to do research on the ecology of birds on Kent Island, New Brunswick and tropical trees in Monteverde, Costa Rica. It was back at BCD and summers working at Pleasant Valley Sanctuary that I discovered a passion for natural history that has lasted all these decades.”

66 Class Agent: Thomas Rich

Vaunie Bell Graulty writes “I continue to love teaching at Miss Hall’s School as Director of our Academic Skills Center. It’s always great fun to welcome BCD alums as MHS students. Recently our son Lyon, a professional musician was married to ’Alice from Austin.’ They met at UMass, live in Austin, TX, and she is darling. Our other two children Sarah and Sam live and work in the Burlington, VT area, happily close enough to visit quite a bit, unlike Austin. Between bonspiels, that is curling tournaments, Bill works in Avon, CT doing PR.” 1968 Class Agents: Dr. Jonathan R. Aronoff PhD, Thomas Gibson, Dale Pinkham Cavanaugh, Mary Jean Weston, Renee Rutkowski Junewicz

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Class Agents: Molly Kapteyn Boxer, Cynthia Spencer & Paula Leuchs Moats

Judith Collins shares “Our son Samuel Norton graduated from the University of VA’s College at Wise in May 2012 with a BS in Environmental Science. I will let you know when he lands a ’permanent’ job! Other than that not much has changed. I still enjoy biking and have been a BikeVirginia participant for 11 years (5 days riding 240 miles across Virginia).” *Read more about Judith in the Collins family’s extended profile.

Charles Starks says, “I’ve been living with my wife, Karen, in Connecticut for the past 14 years and for 8 years before that in New Jersey. After college I worked at a number of different jobs, among which was a part-time job for the Postal Service, which turned into a full-time job as a Postmaster. I became a Postal Inspector in 1990 and moved to New Jersey. Mandatory federal law enforcement retirement at 57 brought my 22-year career as an embezzlement investigator for the Postal Service to an end. Now we are living in Canaan, NY, where I grew up, renovating our 250-year-old farmhouse and managing the 130-acre tree farm which belonged to my grandparents and parents. The current challenge is figuring out the next phase in my life. It was so much fun being an investigator that I’m not sure I can top it, but who knows?” 1970 Class Agents: Barbara J. Cooperman, Dr. Jonathan A. Fletcher, Lisa Alberti, Ada Seyffer Patterson 1971 Class Agents: Daniel Gibson, PhD & Frank Kittredge, Jr. 1972 Class Agents: Fredi Steven-Hubbard Hungate, Nina L. Aronoff, Nina Ryan & Sue Cooperman Cox

73 Class Agent: Byron Walker

Virginia Hustvedt writes “It’s been a year and a half since the reunion of my BCD friends (we first reunited on Facebook). Since then, I have gotten engaged and am planning a May 11 wedding. I am still working full time and just enjoying life. I hope the winter goes by quickly so that I can get back to fishing, kayaking and camping! I wish everyone a happy new year and hope I can get up that way again soon!” 1974 Class Agents: Dr. Adam Begley, Hannah Toffey Peters, Alan Cooperman, Mitchell P. Nash & Scott Schiff 1975 Class Agents: Kimberly Defino Mattoon & Thomas Jendrock 1976 Class Agents: Ben Barrett, Dan Braun, Dr. Kelton Burbank, Gregg Petricca, Josh Braun, Mary Potter See, Timolin Cole Augustus, Virginia Deely Halstrom & Patricia Buttenheim

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1977 Class Agents: Christopher J. Kittredge, Eric Hudson, Catherine Clucas & Julia Lord

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Class Agents: Elizabeth England, Kate Kapteyn Baldwin, Mark McInerney, John Fawcett & Holly Harwood Ellerton

Elizabeth England shares “I just finished a draft of my novel and sent it to an agent; we’ll see....My daughter Olivia is beginning to look at colleges, and my son Cameron is a sophomore in high school. I’m still tutoring students on high school college application essays and doing a bit of sports marketing. I also teach spinning!” Claudia Glockner Dolphin writes “I just got my master’s in Health Communication from Emerson/Tufts Medical School. Not bad for a 48-year-old broad! I have one daughter who finished her first year at UNH, I am on the college trail again with another daughter, and have one more daughter going into 10th! VERY busy!” 1979 Class Agents: Elisa Blanchard, Jennifer Greenfield, Matthew Wohl & Carolyn Butler

80 Class Agents: Liza White Turley & Martha Capers Pavao

Anni Crofut says “In November I launched my new collection of my jewelry designs: Anni Maliki www.AnniMaliki. com. The entire collection will be on permanent display starting in March at a big new gallery on Railroad St. in Gt. Barrington (used to be Gatsby’s!!). We have a small team of Javanese silversmiths who make our jewelry at their studio around the corner from our house in Bali www. balitropicalhouse.com so we go there annually for a designing trip and rent the house out the rest of the year.” 1981 Class Agents: Kevin Sprague & Jessica Ryan Lapinski 1982 Class Agents: H. Davis Nadig, Ted Glockner & Steve Zuckerman


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Jim Brooke ’69

Greetings from Moscow! I did Grades K-5 at Berkshire Country Day School, then my family started wintering near Philadelphia and I did Grades 6-7-8 there, before going to boarding school and on to college. Despite all my traveling, I have been back to the Berkshires every year of my life. I feel very connected to Lenox and to Berkshire Country Day School. I had some wonderful teachers at BCD. The ones that jump to mind were Mrs. Moore in K and Mrs. Aronoff in Grade 5. We were in the group of kids that first went to BCD on Walker Street, and then had Grades 3-45 at Brook Farm. I grew up on Main Street in Lenox and walked with my brother and sisters (John ’67, Nini ’63 Gilder, and Louisa ’61) to Walker Street. The move to Brook Farm meant that our mother had to drive us down Rte. 183, but the campus was great – plenty of room to run around, with all new playground equipment! I began a lifelong love for skiing with the Ski Friday’s bus to Bousquet. Being a skinny kid, I felt the cold a bit. I will never forget the trauma of watching my glove, frozen to the rope tow, go zipping up the beginner slope without me. After BCD, I went to Episcopal Academy outside of Philadelphia for three years. We returned to Lenox every summer, and I tried to keep up with my classmates as best I could. Then, as now, Berkshire Country Day School students were scattered around the county. I went to boarding school at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, then to Yale, where I majored in Latin American Studies. Restless by nature, I escaped boarding school twice, for study abroad programs in France and in Colombia. I also broke away from college to study and travel in Brazil and South America for nine months.

Since then, I have worked as a foreign correspondent – first for The New York Times in Africa, Brazil, Canada, Japan and Korea. Now, I live in Moscow, where I am the Russia/former Soviet Union bureau chief for Voice of America. For work, I have had the fun and privilege to report from at least 60 countries. Last month, I added a new one with a 10day trip to Lebanon. Next month, I will make my first reporting trip to Armenia. So, there are always new challenges on the horizon! My sons have picked up the travel bug. All three were born in Brazil, when Elizabeth and I lived in Rio de Janeiro. Every five years I renew their Brazilian passports. That has come in handy. Next month, Alex, now a 20-year-old at Middlebury College in Vermont, travels to Florianopolis, in southern Brazil to bring his Portuguese up to fluency. His twin brother, William, also a Middlebury junior, follows in July for a semester in Rio. In July, the three of us plan to triangulate – from Moscow, New York and Florianopolis - for a week in Rio. Berkshire Country Day School and the Berkshires exposed me to the wider world around me, but also provided me the psychological anchor. I could globetrot, but also knew where I was from. Last May, it was fun to return to Brook Farm to spend a day talking to students about travel and work around the world. My message was simple: “I sat in your chair many years ago – you could be me!”

Find Russia Watch VOA on Facebook Follow VOA Moscow on Twitter: @VOA_Moscow http://blogs.voanews.com/russian/russia-watch/ berkshirecountryday.org

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83 Class Agents: Amelia Burkhart Irose, Hilary Stritch Beadell & Linda Pollard Azzara

charlotte jones ’79 blome Charlotte is an award-winning designer who has been creating landscapes since 1991, after spending four years in Japan apprenticing to a master gardener and studying traditional gardens. She started designing gardens and managing their care while attending the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned a BA in painting and sculpture. She was also a top designer at Chicago’s well-known flower shop A New Leaf. She spent two years working for the Ruth Bancroft Garden in California as garden manager. For the past year, though, her work has been on a consulting basis, as she moved back to Illinois. To see photos of Charlotte’s work go to her website www.charlotteblome.com. She writes: “It is an interesting challenge to manage a garden from 2000 miles away! I also do quite a bit of consulting work here too, but there is a lot of down time in the winter. So, I am starting an artisan chocolate (truffle) business to complement my seasonal garden consulting. Meantime, with our not-for-profit www.whenigrowupiwanttobe.org, we travelled to Haiti for three weeks in January to establish contacts with reforestation and well digging efforts. We have developed strong ties with the Chicago Haitian community, stemming from my husband’s (nationally known sculptor Erik Blome) portrait of Chicago’s French-Haitian founder Jean Baptistery Pointe Du Sable. Artists do tend to lead interesting lives, I guess! I have a lot of warm BCD memories. It was a wonderful little school then, as I am sure it is now and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to go there if only for three years. If I lived in the area, I know where I would want to send my kids! I can tell you right now that the main thing I took away from BCD is an impression (a strong one) of what a good elementary school looks like. I have taken a lot of graduate level classes in education, and I often thought of BCD when we discussed great educators and educational philosophies. The kids who get to go to BCD are one fortunate bunch. That is for sure.” Charlotte lives in Chicago with her husband and their two children.

Lisa Sayman Butler Quetti writes “I am happily remarried to my best friend John Quetti! We live in Pittsfield and have two goofy Golden Retrievers and three kitties. We do a lot of snowmobiling in the winter and enjoy our pontoon boat and taking our ’69 Camaro to car shows in the summer. My girls, almost all BCD graduates are doing wonderfully well. Liz ’09 is a senior at Berkshire School and loves to sing and act. Improv is her favorite! She is applying to college theatre programs. Beatrice ’11 is a junior at The Putney School and a dorm head. She still enjoys dance and has become interested in choreography. Margaret ’13 is a ninth grader at BCD and is applying to Berkshire, Putney and Suffield Academy. She loves circus arts and will be in the advanced program at Circus Smirkus in Vermont this summer!” 1984 Class Agents: Dr. Dani Beckerman & Melanie Frager Griffith 1095 Class Agent: Cara Petricca Carnevale 1986 Class Agent: Joel Kalodner 1987 Class Agents: Laurie Bemis de Ris, Rachel Masters & Sheela Siegel Clary

88 Class Agents: Courtney Smith MacDonald, Dr. Jennifer Ballen Riccards, Joni Guerette Olsen & Rachel Sagalyn

Joni Guerette Olsen married Scott Olsen in July 2011 in a beautiful ceremony at the Lenox Club (where we also

Cameron Sweener ’14, son of Joni Guerette ’88 Olsen

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89 Class Agents: Jay Crosby & Sara Monsonis

Rachel Siegel and husband John Dreger have leased a long term condo in Babyland with the birth of their second child, Patrick John Cornelius, last July. He is conspiring with brother George in delighting most and insuring mom and dad never get a night of straight sleep. Rachel continues to write and perform, and her original comedy sketch “Von Trapp Family Inn” will be featured at the Boston Women in Comedy Festival in March 2013. Cheers to all. 1990 Class Agents: Taj Monjardo & Zoe Suzette Alsop 1991 Class Agents: Jenny Macioge, Casey Fitzpatrick & Kit Crosby 1992 Class Agents: Marc Mandel & Sara Munson

1993 Class Agents: Benjamin Alsop & Sage Calamari

94 Class Agents: Dr. Danielle Gulick, Marc Lanoue & Valentina Clark

Danielle Gulick is now an Assistant Professor in Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience Course Director at the Morsani College of Medicine in the University of South Florida. “I am living in Tampa, and recently became engaged to my colleague, Dr. Joshua Gamsby. We will be marrying at the Florida Aquarium on 10/13/13.” 1995 Class Agents: Timur Pakay, Eva Jaffe & Gabrielle Cosel

friends. Rachel is a medical student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. She earned a BA in Chinese from Williams College in 2005, and was also awarded a Hutchinson Fellowship in Dance.

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had our class of ’88 graduation party! Remember the huge cake with a frosting penguin for each one of us?) Her son Trevor ’16, in 6th grade at BCD, loves athletics and was awarded the MVP for defense on the JV Soccer Team this past fall. Her older son Cameron ’14, in 8th grade at BCD, loves school, especially Math and Latin. He won 1st place at Classics Day for his scale model of a hypocaust cottage.

Lincoln Lipsky writes “The last time we had communicated I was in northern Africa. Since then my focus has shifted towards working more with NATO, both in Europe and in Afghanistan, while serving as an advisor to both NATO and Afghan military units.”

99 Class Agents: Brynne Kennedy, Emily Zwerner, Laura Burton & Zachary Snyder

1996 Class Agents: Joanna Munson & Rebecca Geehr 1997 Class Agent Needed. Email alumni@berkshirecountryday.org to volunteer

98 Class Agents: Anna Pouls, Anthony Hao Belanger & Molly Cosel

Rachel King Berlin was married to Robert Nelson Gonzalez at Dorchester Heights National Monument, Boston, in August of 2012. They are presently having a “Wedding to Go,” travelling to ten American cities and London to celebrate their marriage with family and

Chelsea Pollen Cohen says “My only piece of news is that I got married in September (hence the name change) to Jeremiah Cohen, and we enjoyed a great honeymoon to South Africa!” 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Class Agent Needed. Email alumni@berkshirecountryday.org to volunteer

05 Class Agents: Emily Ryan & Janet Butterworth

Paige Pasquini is a senior at Saint Lawrence University majoring in Art and Sociology, and according to her mom she is “Rocking it!” In the spring of 2012 she was named to the Dean’s List, and participated in the University’s International Program in London, England. In the fall of 2012 she participated in the NYC arts and business program, and spent the semester working at Christie’s Auction House.

06 Class Agent: Allie Epstein

Anna Lucia Lister is graduating from Harvard University with a concentration in Government; she has worked with Boston mayor Thomas Menino. After graduation she will be working in New York City for JP Morgan. Dr. Dannielle Gulick ’94 and her fiancé Dr. Joshua Gamsby

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NOAH ELKIN ’84

Years and grades at BCD: Preschool-9th grade (1973-84) What are your fondest memories from BCD? I spent 11 amazing years at BCD, and made friendships and learned lessons that have literally lasted a lifetime, so to fully do this question justice would require a book of its own. Among the many highlights, I remember with great fondness Tracy MacGruer – in my mind, the archetypal kindergarten teacher – who combined just the right mix of fun, guided instruction and sharp wit. Mrs. MacGruer got me and my class off to a flying start at BCD. Mme. Grad may have been diminutive in stature, but she holds an outsized presence in my learning experience. Thanks to her, I learned the rules of French grammar inside and out. In an age before widespread computer use, when good penmanship had greater value, I had the privilege of helping to transcribe Mme. Grad’s famous cahier – her notebook of rules and examples (I was considered to have good handwriting at the time, something that will come as a surprise to anyone who has seen me hand-write anything lately). Mrs. Fawcett’s Latin class was similarly influential for me, from the basics of grammar to Caesar’s Gallic wars to the poems of Catullus, the excellent grounding I got in both Latin and French helped me learn other Romance languages far more easily in high school and college. Mr. Fawcett’s 9th grade English class is still the best literature course I’ve ever had the privilege of taking. Finally, although I myself was never a particularly accomplished athlete, I have great memories of our soccer and baseball teams and the bus trips we took to play neighboring schools. We may not have always won, but regardless of the outcome, we had a lot of fun. Where did you go once you left BCD? For 10th grade, I went to Pittsfield High School (PHS), followed by a year abroad in Milan, Italy as an exchange student, where I lived with an Italian family and attended the Liceo Scientifico Elio Vittorini. I returned to PHS for my final year of high school. From there, I attended Columbia University in New York, where I majored in U.S. History. Along the way, I cultivated an interest in Latin America, and that led me to spend the spring semester of my junior year in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Católica. I traveled widely throughout Peru during the six months I spent there, despite a raging civil war that effectively closed off large swaths of the country. After my semester abroad ended, I went to Macchu Picchu (the highlight of my trip and still the most amazing place I’ve ever visited) followed by a five-week-long trip by train and bus through Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. In the year before starting my doctoral program in Latin American History at Rutgers University, I spent 10 months living in São Paulo, Brazil, learning Portuguese, working as an intern at a human rights organization and teaching English on the side. I was fortunate to be able to travel Brazil from top to bottom while I was there. I returned to Brazil in my fourth year of graduate school on a Fulbright fellowship to do my dissertation research, living this time in Rio de Janeiro for over a year. I finished my Ph.D. in January 1999.

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Where are you living and what are you doing now? I live in Columbia County, NY. I work (primarily remotely) for a company in New York City called eMarketer that provides businesses with insights and information about digital marketing trends. I serve as the lead mobile analyst, which means I spend a lot of time helping our clients understand the latest developments in mobile devices, content, commerce and marketing. On the surface, it’s a long way from my academic training, but I actually end up putting many of the same critical thinking skills to work. Although it may sound ironic coming from a trained historian, I think of it as helping people grasp the future rather than delving into the past. Last year was a particularly busy year. In addition to living temporarily in Austin, Texas, where my wife Barbara was a visiting scholar at the University of Texas, I co-authored Mobile Marketing: An Hour a Day (published by Wiley/Sybex in December 2012). The idea behind the book is to offer insights and practical advice that readers of any experience level can absorb in an hour a day. I am happy to say that both my children now attend BCD. Max, age 5½, is in Kindergarten in the same classroom where I went to Preschool (later the school’s first computer lab), and Zora, age 3½, is in the Beginner 3s program. What are your plans for the future? I hope to write more books and look forward to a role as an active BCD parent. How do you think your time at BCD influenced the choices you’ve made? I think often of the School’s motto – discere explorare est (Learning is Discovery). It has shaped a love of both learning and the journey that accompanies it. And it’s a lesson I’ve tried to impart to my own children as they begin their time at BCD, knowing they will share in a similar adventure. What about your time at BCD are you most thankful for? The excellent teachers, the inspiring curriculum and the many friendships I developed in the 11 years I was here. Having an entire institution dedicated to encouraging students to indulge their interests and develop and strengthen skills is, in my experience, incredibly important, and creates a vital base for future achievement. What advice can you offer current students at BCD? The great thing about BCD is the level of trust teachers put in students and the doors they are willing to open for them. One illustrative example: Long after I graduated, I asked Mr. Fawcett about the advanced reading list for our 9th grade English class, which included works by Mikhail Lermontov and Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and he simply said something to the effect of, “I thought all of you could handle it.” My advice: go through as many of those doors as possible. The curriculum alone is terrific, but the combination of creative and talented students, dedicated teachers and the additional learning opportunities they can provide is nothing short of remarkable.


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08 Class Agent Needed. Email alumni@berkshirecountryday.org to volunteer

Kathryn Ansel graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. John Frelinghuysen is a sophomore at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. He is a member of the varsity Crew Team and was elected Vice President of his fraternity, TKE (Tau Kappa Epsilon), this year. He is busy fulfilling his required courses and is leaning to a media/business major. Elizabeth Howard a sophomore at Tulane, is absorbed by things theatrical and, especially, costumes. She’s designing costumes for her first show this spring (“Almost, Maine”) and hopes to work in summer stock again this summer. Sarah Lister is a junior at Johnson and Wales, RI. She is the president of the advertisement club, and spent last summer in the Nordic countries and Greece. Her concentrations are graphic design and creative advertisement. Eli Merritt is a first-year student at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he is majoring in Fine Arts/Sculpture. He is also playing lacrosse.

Suzannah Zeif ’84 Van Schaick Upon my family relocating to the Berkshires from New York, I attended BCD from mid-year in 7th grade through 9th grade graduation in 1984. I was terrified to join the class mid-year, but the students and teachers made my transition an easy one. Every class must hear from faculty and parents that they are a ’special’ group, but we really were! We were the largest graduating class up to that point. By ninth grade the 20 of us were a wonderfully cohesive group. My kids attend BCD now (Toby is in 6th grade, Henry is in 3rd), and I delight in the dynamic I see in both of their grades. BCD is still providing that same sense of community to this generation. After BCD I attended Berkshire School where I met the boy who would become my husband. A failed attempt at a large university taught me that I yearned to return to the community feeling of a small school. I wound up at Antioch College in Ohio and thrived! All through college Pieter and I stayed in touch and began dating after graduation. We married in 1997. We lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia for 16 years where I worked for Pottery Barn. Our 2 boys went to a wonderful school and I quickly became involved in volunteering at school and in our community, though we always dreamt of moving back to New England someday. When the economy exploded Pieter’s company closed. It was evident to us that, rather than waiting for things to return to ’normal,’ we needed to invent a new normal for ourselves and our family. Someday was now. We decided to move to the Berkshires. I was so excited at the prospect of my kids attending BCD. I told them all about MY school and now, three years later, I am thrilled that BCD is truly THEIR school. Last Spring I opened a business in Lenox called Second Home. It is a homedesign shop featuring upcycled home furnishings and accessories. Finally my small business training and design experience have melded together into a satisfying career for myself! This is my new normal. I love living here, raising my kids here and being able to be involved with BCD and the community as a parent! There are so many ways to volunteer and be involved at BCD and by doing so I hope I am teaching my boys the importance of being a part of something. I hope my kids, as BCD students and beyond, can gather the courage and the confidence to make their own path in life. To realize that it’s never too late to change their course and, that if they’re willing to contribute to a community, then they’ll always be able to come home.

Eli Merritt ’08

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Tait Pasquini enrolled as a freshman at Community College of VT in Burlington in the fall of 2012.

09 Class Agents: Claire M. Meyer & Roya Daemi

Erin Barry picked up her second straight All-Eagle Alpine Ski Team MVP in 2012. She won five of the six Berkshire County league races, and had two top-five finishes at the state meet at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. She is presently a freshman at Skidmore College. Winston Boney graduated from Millbrook in June of 2012 and set out to Savannah College of Art and Design. In her time at Millbrook, Winston went to Ghana with other students and faculty members to work in several orphanages and run a summer camp for children, and she was part of a service trip to Belize as well. She received the Roosevelt Prize for public service. Also a talented athlete, Winston was a skilled and dedicated member of the varsity tennis team, and an important player on the varsity squash team. Liz Butler was a winner of Berkshire Lyric’s 2012 Young Singers Scholarship Program, and was featured at their annual Young Musicians Concert at Trinity Episcopal Church.

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10 Class Agents: Darby Bailey, Dylan Cole-Kink, Joshua Shapiro, Isaak van der Meulen & Benjamin Wheeler

Jackie Ansel will graduate from Lenox Memorial High School where she has been on the High Honor Roll each term. She applied and was accepted to her first choice, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. She plans on majoring in zoology and minoring in computer programming. Ivy Ciaburri of Hinsdale, a student at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, graduated from Cornell University’s prestigious Summer College program last summer. Cornell University Summer College invites talented high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to spend three or six weeks on the Cornell campus experiencing what it’s like to live and learn at an Ivy League university. Students take official university courses with leading Cornell faculty, earn college credits, get to know students from around the world, and explore majors and career options. Olivia Dolan will graduate from Millbrook School in May. She finished first for her Millbrook team in the New England Cross Country Championships and won Most Valuable Runner for her senior season. She is looking forward to attending college in the fall, though not sure where yet.

Katherina Lister is graduating from Monument Mountain High school with a soccer award, and waiting to hear from colleges. Sam Merritt will graduate from Berkshire School in June, and has not yet decided where he will go from there. Jordon Newton was a member of the All Eagle Track and Field team in the spring of 2012. He ran the third fastest time in the county in both the 100- and 200-meters, and earned eight event wins in county dual meets. That’s more dual wins than any other sprinter in the Berkshires. He is graduating from Lenox Memorial High School this year. Harry Rich will graduate from Pittsfield HS this spring with a 4.0 GPA and having completed 10 AP classes. Among his many accomplishments he has received Excellence in Music and French awards at PHS, the Dartmouth College Book Award, was selected to the final round of the State Science Fair at MIT, and won the Uel Wade Music Scholarship Competition and the Blafield Music Scholarship. He was selected to the Western Mass District Orchestra (Principal of Section) and Massachusetts All-State Orchestra for the past three years, a threeyear member of the Williams College Berkshire Symphony, and a four-year starter (and captain in his senior year) for the PHS varsity soccer team.


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Trio Appassionata

Lydia chernicoff ’02 My name is Lydia Chernicoff, and I graduated from BCD in 2002. I remember many things about BCD, but what remains foremost in my mind is the close sense of community. I only attended BCD for 7th and 8th grades, but felt so immediately welcome that the transition was easy and natural. I loved learning French, a new language for me at the time, and one that I then studied for many years. I have fond memories of our 7th grade class trip to Baltimore and Washington D.C. I’ve lived in Baltimore for seven years now, and I often think back to that first visit. After I left BCD, I spent two years at a public high school, where my violin teacher ran the music program. The music was fantastic, but the academic challenge at BCD had ignited an excitement in me, and I missed it. Looking for that level of intellectual stimulation, I decided to attend Bard College at Simon’s Rock for two years before heading off to music conservatory. I spent six years studying at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where I received my Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance, as a student of the violinist Violaine Melançon. In 2008 I became a yoga teacher through Kripalu’s certification program. The training has influenced my music in many ways; in particular, it taught me how to keep my muscles stretched and injury free after many hours of playing the violin. It has also helped with the myriad mental and emotional challenges one faces in a performing arts career. Besides my classical performances, I have had the chance to take part in some cool projects in other musical genres. As part of a string quartet, I played with a Pink Floyd cover band called Several Species at one of Baltimore’s largest outdoor rock venues. I was also able to collaborate with an up-andcoming band called That Noble Fury on their first album. It was through the Peabody Conservatory that I met two colleagues (Andrea Casarrubios – cello, and Ronaldo Rolim – piano) with whom I formed a piano trio in 2007 by the name of Trio Appassionata. Our performances have taken us to Carnegie Hall, The Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Sedona, Arizona, Los Angeles, the Berkshires, and Spain. In August of 2013 we will be recording our first CD, with a program of all American piano trios, including a new work written specifically for our group by a great friend and colleague of ours, Thomas Kotcheff. Also through mutual friends at Peabody, I met my husband Jaan! He is a marvelous classical guitarist, and is currently in law school. We were married at the Lenox Library in June 2012. I am grateful to BCD for stimulating me intellectually, creating a wonderful environment in which to learn, and helping me realize that I wanted to pursue music, but not at the expense of a liberal arts education. And I am still grateful for being excused from lacrosse so I could practice my violin!

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Who benefits from your donation to the BCD Annual Fund?

Isaak van der Meulen writes “I will be graduating from Buxton School in June. I have applied to many film schools in the Northeast, such as School of Visual Arts, NYU Tisch, Emerson, and Ithaca College. I spent the fall and winter working on a short narrative film featured around art exhibits at MASS MoCA such as Michael Oatman’s ’All Utopias Fell’ and Stephen Vitiello’s ‘All Those Vanished Engines.’ I will be submitting it to BIFF for this coming spring’s festival.” Kelt Wilska will be graduating from Monument Mountain Regional High School on June 2nd, and is eagerly awaiting acceptance news from four New England colleges. At the end of the last school year, he received the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association Board of Directors Award for Spanish. Continuing his interest in theatre and film, he recently worked as a crew member on a short film shot at Berkshire School featuring actor Treat Williams. He had a blast.

We all do. When you give to the BCD Annual Fund, you support every student and teacher at Berkshire Country Day School so that each may realize their individual promise and strive to be exemplary citizens of the world.

Every gift makes a difference. It’s easy to give by calling 413.637.0755 x115, by returning the enclosed envelope, or by giving online at berkshirecountryday.org/giving.

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Spring 2013

11 Class Agents: Camilla Norris, Quintin Pollart, Grace Rossman, and Harley Waller.

Harrison Newman is a junior at Hollis Brookline in Hollis, NH. He finally found his sport—football—and plays starting center on the Varsity team! Harrison has continued his music studies post BCD. He’s committed to the bass guitar and is a member of the Jazz/Rock performance ensemble. He’s active in community service and is a first responder and volunteer firefighter. He can finally walk around with his pager (those who know Harrison are smiling). Currently, he is developing a program at Hollis called Change for Change, a continuation of his involvement in the Safi School Project, which supports education in Tanzania, East Africa. He volunteered there this past summer and spent almost month working at the N’getau Secondary School. This summer he’ll be attending Georgetown University for a course in Homeland Security and


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Oh what a soccer ball can do!

Harrison Newman ’11 Life is Good. In the summer of 2012, I spent almost a month in Tanzania, working and playing soccer in a remote village at the N’getaeu Secondary School. I traveled with the Safi School Project (Safi means “Life is Good” in Swahili), a foundation out of Seattle, Washington, that has built this remarkable school over a period of years. How did I end up there? My awareness of the global water crisis, specifically in Africa, came to light when I was a 6th grade student in Mr. Ashworth’s geography class. I was shocked and saddened to learn that clean water was a privilege for some and not for others. During the process of researching my project, I discovered that 25,000 children die from water-borne illnesses each day, and that it was not unusual for women to walk 8 miles every morning to get clean, drinkable water for their families. I asked, “How could this be?” The following year, as part of becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I needed to choose my project for Tikkun Olam, the Hebrew phrase for “repairing the world.” No question, it was going to revolve around water. I decided to raise and donate money towards building a well somewhere in Africa. Well, that somewhere was in Tanzania because of the Hosokawa family, who are members of the BCD community. Instead of gifts, I asked my friends and family to donate money to The Safi School Project, the foundation that the Hosokawas support. It was a start, but not nearly enough to drill a well. Dorree, (currently a 6th grade student) and I did some solicitation on the streets of Great Barrington and raised more. USA Rotary and the International Rotary got involved through the foundation and this past spring, after three years, the well was built on the school grounds. There is a saying “Little by little fills the pot.” It is really the truth. This summer, I was invited by Safi to join them on a volunteer trip to see what my efforts have helped to provide. It is one thing to

Harrison and a toddler

look at a photo and another to actually drink the water and feel it going through my fingers. Amazing. Now there’s a kitchen so that the students and staff can have rice and beans for lunch. There are sinks in the chemistry lab so that they can do real experiments. And all of the people in the village are welcome to walk up the hill and fill their buckets with water. Everything has changed for this community. And everything has changed for me. Safi will remain a part of my life and so will the people of Tanzania. I sent Mr. Ashworth a Facebook message while I was in Africa, letting him know how much he inspired me as a person and as a teacher. My dream is to go back to volunteer again and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Who knows: maybe Mr. Ashworth and I will climb it together. For more information on Safi, visit www. safischoolproject.org.

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Counterintelligence. He is also applying for the Boys State American Legion week-long program in government and politics. *Read more about Harrison in his extended profile. Casey Potts is currently enrolled at Lenox High School; he will be starting his senior year in the spring. Casey has made the honor roll every single quarter since starting at Lenox in his sophomore year. Mr. Potts hopes to achieve his dream of becoming a filmmaker. He’s taking a major step in this dream by writing his own script; along with that, he’s also begun filming this project. After high school, Casey hopes to go to college and pursue his filmmaking dream. 2012 Class Agents: Hallie Yong Novak, Peyton Schiff, Bryce Schuler, Estevan Velez 2001 2S Class Agent: Rita Lanoue Toombs 2002 2S Class Agent: John Curtis Kowalski

03 2S Class Agent: Richard Brooke Gilder

Silver Jade Deutch is a graduate of Brandeis University and University of Miami Law School. She is working full time as an attorney in Miami. She is also a top tri-athlete and competed in and finished the first-ever U.S. Ironman Championship in New York City on August 11, 2012. You can follow her training at www.silverjadedeutch.com. Silver also appears as a dancer in the movies Rock of Ages and Step up 4. Richard Brooke Gilder is now the Assistant Station Manager for Hawaiian Airlines at New York’s JFK International Airport where he oversees the daily long-haul nonstop flight to Honolulu. He sends a hearty ’Aloha’ to his farflung BCD2S classmates.

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Class Agent: Alexis D. Picheny

Class Agent Needed. Email alumni@berkshirecountryday.org to volunteer

Sophie Cary is currently living in NH and working in Development for Dartmouth College. She says, “I am loving the opportunity to reconnect with my classmates (she graduated from Dartmouth in 2008) and meet older alumni from classes that I help manage.” Sophie is also finishing post production work on a film project…more on that next time!

05 2S Class Agents: Hunter McCormick & Jane B. Clausen

Tarsi Dunlop continues to work as a Program and Operations Manager at the Learning First Alliance in Washington D.C. A blog post she wrote on public school finance this past fall was picked up by the The Answer Sheet column in The Washington Post. She serves as the Communications Director for the DC Chapter of Roosevelt Institute/Pipeline, a branch of young professionals under the auspices of the Roosevelt Institute. She continues to enjoy living and working in the DC Metro area and is developing plans for graduate school and next steps moving forward.

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Spring 2013

09 2S Class Agent: Ben Tobin

Alexa Green is an NYU television film student. She assisted with production and took still photos on the set of ’The Secret Village,’ an independent film shot on location in Berkshire County in 2012. Sarah Howard expects to graduate in May from Dickinson College, with a double major in French and Art History. Next stop? The working world . . . ideally, New York.

10 2S Class Agent: Jamila Benkhoud

Patrick Hennessey was named to the Dean’s List at the University of Rochester for the fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters. His majors are English and Film.

Class Agent: Ariel Kaphan

Thomas Frelinghuysen is living in NYC and pursuing acting and modeling. He is a Click model and works in Boston and New York. You can recognize him on the Hasbro Laser tag box and other national brands. He appears on the TV shows ’Girls’ and ’Carrie’s Diaries.’ He enjoys getting together with BCD alumni in NY, Boston and the Berkshires. Rachel Hyman graduated from Bard College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental and Urban Studies in May of 2012. She is an Education Intern with Arches National Park’s Canyon Country Outdoor Education program. 2007 2S Class Agent: Arielle Mara Picheny

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Corey Silberstein graduated from Swarthmore College in spring of 2012 with a major in Music (Piano) and a minor in Political Science.

“ I want my grandchildren to go to Berkshire Country Day School” For this reason and many others, donors have chosen to remember BCD in their will. To join the Brook Farm Society, call Amy Elmore at 413-637-0755.


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Class of 2013 By Amy Brentano & Elizabeth Downes – Grade 9 Class Advisors

The nine unique individuals comprising BCD’s Class of 2013 are richly colored threads of a glorious woven tapestry; though not colors one would expectedly weave together, their varied personalities and talent combine to form a striking and memorable impression. The ninth graders and advisors began the year by attending the opening fall retreat at the Berkshire Outdoor Center. During our stay we participated in leadership games and activities that promote teamwork, such as low and high rope courses, raft building, and archery. The pouring rain did little to dampen the fun and laughter as we sat around a cozy fire in the evening sharing personal anecdotes and eating “sushi s’mores.” These Grade 9 students have enriched BCD’s community with the breadth of their skills and contributions. Sasha Sakharov received the Most Improved Player award for fall soccer setting a fine example for younger students. He also participated in our cross country ski program with Rebecca van der Meulen, Sam Kittredge, Harper Glantz, and Jacob and Emma Lezberg. Many of them participated in spring lacrosse, too. Harper, Rebecca and Sam also displayed their talents along with Elise Ghitman and Margaret Butler in the fall co-curricular theatre production of Clue, a hilarious spoof of the mystery board game. Margaret was also a valued ensemble member of the winter co-curricular theatre’s original piece Two Cans Connected By A String. Ian Price continued to impress with his electronic music compositions and photography gifts, culminating in a one man art show at the Blue Hill Gallery in Hudson. Sam and Rebecca also participated in band with Mr. Suters. Margaret and Rebecca served on

our student council. Many class members displayed their creative intellects at Classics Day bringing home prizes for their efforts. Harper won third place in sculpture. Emma and Rebecca won third place in drawing/painting for a graphic novel of “Hercules’ Labors.” Harper and Rebecca won second place for oral interpretation in advanced drama. Sam brought home a second place for his mosaic. And finally, Emma won first place for myth on BCD’s Red Team and her brother Jacob won second for the on BCD’s Gold Team. In addition to helping with lower school activities, planning and implementing a service day off campus inspired by “Random Acts of Kindness” (a movement promoting spontaneous generous activities serving particular communities or persons), and achieving academic excellence, they also found time to continue to pursue outside interests including martial arts, dance, sailing, circus, downhill skiing, and volunteering at Hancock Shaker Village and St. Stephen’s table. The class enjoyed their trip to France and Spain this past March. Throughout the year, students immersed themselves in research for the new Capstone Project in preparation for their travels. Each student chose a cultural or linguistic topic to study and a faculty mentor to support their research process. At the end of the year, the students will present on their work. This interdisciplinary project helped to tie much of the students’ previous learning across subject areas and grades into their final Grade 9 experience abroad. The Class of 2013 will be remembered for its incredible leadership in academics, sports, theater, and so many other areas of BCD life. We wish them all the best as they head out to new adventures next year.

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In Memoriam

Maria Cole

Maria Cole, member of the BCD Board of Trustees from 1974-1976, passed away last summer. She is survived by her daughters, Timolin ’76, Casey ’76, and Natalie; a sister Charlotte; and 6 grandchildren. Timolin and Casey sent us this remembrance: Our Mom, the unforgettable Maria Cole, was in an Old World class all by herself. Her wit, charm and sense of humor were inviting and unique. Her sense of style, elegance and grace was effortless and ever so natural. Her 20 years in the Berkshires were undeniably the happiest years of her life. She cherished her friendships and her memories there, and she lovingly called the Berkshires her true home. Maria was diagnosed with stomach cancer in March of 2012. She died on July 10 at the age of 89 with her loving family at her bedside. She died how she lived, with dignity, courage and strength. She will be remembered with great respect, admiration and most of all love.

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Spring 2013

Katherine Pomeroy Kittredge ’68 of Norfolk, CT died unexpectedly at her home on September 24, 2012. She was 59. Katherine was born in Pittsfield, the daughter of the late Gilbert Dutton Kittredge and Jean Coe Kittredge of Dalton, MA where she grew up. Before moving to Norfolk five years ago, she was a long time resident of Martha’s Vineyard. Katherine was a professional jeweler and operated her own jewelry design and appraisal business on Martha’s Vineyard. She loved the ocean and enjoyed numerous adventures sailing the Atlantic from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean. She was particularly happy on her Wianno Senior, a twenty-five foot gaff-rigged sloop on which she lived for many years. Katherine derived a great deal of pleasure from the deep and meaningful relationships she had with many people. She is survived by her sister Betsy Kittredge ’64 Little of Norfolk, CT and her brother Gilbert Coe Kittredge ’71 of Bedford, MA as well as many cousins and friends who will sorely miss her.

Former BCD faculty member Antoinette “Toni” Michelson, 89, died May 11, 2012. Toni was the daughter of Giacinto and Giuseppina Alberti Mogavero. She was born in New York City in Little Italy, and she spoke Italian before she spoke English. When she was five years old, her parents moved to Pittsfield. She graduated from Pittsfield High School and the former Berkshire Business School in Pittsfield. After high school, Mrs. Michelson worked for Berkshire County Superior Court and for several years as a reporter at The Berkshire Eagle. She married Abraham Michelson on November 21, 1953, and they remained together for nearly fifty years until Abe’s death in 2003. After her children were older she returned to work and taught in the Preschool and Lower School at Berkshire Country Day School in Lenox from 1971 through 1975. She went on to teach English as a Second Language, and also returned to writing for the Berkshire Medical Center. She also volunteered for many years as a recorder for Recording for the Blind. Toni loved taking advantage of the many cultural places and events that the Berkshires offer, such as Tanglewood, the Clark or other museums, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She was a member of the Vineyard Community at the former Cranwell Preparatory School in Lenox, and a communicant of St. Ann’s Church in Lenox. She is survived by her son Peter Michelson ’70 and wife Lisa Wood of Medfield, MA, her daughter Elena Michelson ’73 and husband Ken Kirchhofer, of Timonium, MD, and three granddaughters.


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Lost & Found

Mrs. EugÊnie Fawcett joined the Berkshire Country Day School faculty in 1972. This issue’s Lost and Found challenge is for you pick the decade during which each of these pictures was taken. The person who submits a response with the most correct answers will win a BCD T-shirt. Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett will verify the results. Email your answers to alumni@berkshirecountryday.org by May 15 for your chance to win.

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Berkshire Country Day School

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14 Lenox, MA 01240

Where you belong. PO Box 867 Lenox MA 01240 Change Service Requested

MISSION

THE SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY

Berkshire Country Day School exists to

Berkshire Country Day School is dedicated to encouraging

inspire the individual promise of every

academic excellence at the highest level and to realizing

student, that each may become an

each student’s potential for well-rounded development.

exemplary citizen of the world.

We provide a stimulating and challenging education in a supportive and nurturing environment. In the spirit of

VISION

inquiry and discovery, students learn to be resourceful and

Distinct in program, adventurous in spirit,

responsible. In an atmosphere of mutual respect, students

engaged in a changing world

learn about community and caring for others. Berkshire Country Day School is a place where each student can meet

THE SCHOOL’S VALUES

success as a 21st century learner.

Originality, Quality, Respect, Sustainability, Community, Wellness, Citizenship

FSC


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