Berwick Today | Summer 2019

BERWICK

Summer 2019

Spotlight on Alumni JULIA SPRUANCE ’07 Creating Communities of Value Through High Expectations

TODAY Berwick Today is published two times per year, once in the winter and once in the summer, by Berwick Academy. It is mailed to all alumni, parents, and friends of the school.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tracey Boucher

EDITOR

Jana F. Brown

DESIGN

Christine Hodgson

PHOTOGRAPHY Lia Bensley Tracey Boucher Raya on Assignment

The faculty and staff who carry cameras and capture Berwick moments as they happen.

PRINTING Flagship Press

Changes of address or other communication regarding this periodical should be directed to: Berwick Academy Advancement Office 31 Academy Street South Berwick, Maine 03908 207.384.6303 kdemers@berwickacademy.org

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Nate Onken ’27 during the tenth annual Innovation Celebration on May 21, 2019. Nate’s Innovation Pursuit was titled “Pneumatics, Cannons, and Trebuchets – Oh My!”

Welcome 2

Welcome from the Head of School

Features 4

Celebrating Alumni, Fostering Connections

16 Innovation Pursuits 21 Commencement 32 Athletics 36 Arts 42 Special Interests 44 Grandparents and

Special Friends Day 46 New Faces 51 Alumni Bulletin

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WE LC O M E

The Hamilton family pauses for a photo on Fogg Field after Jim’s first Berwick Academy Commencement as Head of School.

Welcome from the Head of School

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reetings from the Hilltop. I hope you are enjoying summer, wherever you may be. After a long and wet spring, we are now basking in the stretch of summer weather that reminds us why we love living in Maine. Following an action-packed year one at Berwick, it has been fun to slow down, wear shorts to the office, reflect on the year, and begin to plan for 2019-20.

When I reflect on the summers from my childhood, I remember feeling like the Fourth of July represented the middle of summer. I remember finishing exams in early June, enjoying a couple of weeks before my sisters were done with school, and easing my way into the season. In recent years, my view of the summer has shifted so that now the fireworks that accompany Independence

Day are the sign that summer is underway. So, here we are, the campus is mainly quiet, and we already are gearing up for the return of our students and faculty.

In the last issue of the magazine, I reflected on some of the firsts I experienced in the early part of the school year. The last six or so weeks at Berwick were full of events in all divisions that showcased the great work of students and faculty. We celebrated 10 years of Innovation Pursuits by featuring 70 projects done by students in grades four through twelve. A recital series allowed music students to share their progress. We had our first student perform a recital as one of the requirements for achieving the Arts Pathway.

A full concert series followed, including two incredible dance performances, which featured the work of students from all three

“Alumni are the main focus of this issue of Berwick Today. I hope you enjoy reading the alumni profiles featured in this magazine. These profiles highlight graduates who have taken the skills they developed at Berwick and employed them in noteworthy ways.”

the academic program. As of now, it is simply the curriculum.) We will spend the year writing our self-study, which will lead to our NEASC re-accreditation in the fall of 2020.

At the board level, we will be working on a strategic financial plan, the first step in our overall strategic planning process. We will also be starting feasibility work for a capital campaign that will likely accompany the new strategic plan.

divisions. We also had art exhibitions, which highlighted our talented visual artists.

The year-end academic activities allowed us to honor the achievements of students across divisions. It was great to celebrate with our fourth and eighth graders as they finished their time in the Lower and Middle Schools and to share the last few days with the Class of 2019 as they finished their time on the Hilltop. I will always have a special bond with this first graduating class of my tenure, and I look forward to keeping in touch with them as they move to their next chapter.

The upcoming academic year promises to be a busy one. We will realize the vision of Curriculum 2020 with a full slate of Pinnacle Courses to go along with our new seven-day schedule. (As an aside, you will no longer see us using “Curriculum 2020” when describing

One of the highlights of my year has been having the chance to sit and talk with Berwick alumni. Early on, I joined some of our South Berwick alums, who meet locally at Fogarty’s Restaurant. Their perspective on the pre-1960 school is important, and that meeting helped me better understand Berwick’s history and connections to South Berwick. I also had the chance to meet with a number of boarding-era alumni in Florida this winter. I jumped at the chance to have lunch with Mike Eruzione ’73 to learn about his path to Berwick. (I also managed to sneak in a couple of questions about the magical winter of 1980.) I also have been fortunate enough to spend time with alumni in Boston and New York as well as our Alumni Advisory Board who meet on campus twice a year.

Catherine Stevens Powell ’80, the current chair of the AAB, has been incredibly helpful to me as I begin to gain an understanding of the relationship with the various segments of the alumni body. This fall, I look forward to traveling to San Francisco and Seattle, where I hope to connect with more alumni and update them on the great things happening on campus.

Alumni are the main focus of this issue of Berwick Today. I hope you enjoy reading the alumni profiles featured in this magazine.

These profiles highlight graduates who have taken the skills they developed at Berwick and employed them in noteworthy ways. I know there are plenty of great stories out there and I look forward to hearing many of them firsthand. Connecting alumni with the current school is one of my highest priorities for the next couple of years. The school has meant so much to so many and we will need the support of all kinds to ensure our future.

As we have recently wrapped up the fiscal year, I would like to thank everyone who supported the school this year. We exceeded our Berwick Fund goal, raised a significant amount of money for current use projects, and added an incredible bequest to our endowment. We also saw increases in faculty and parent participation, which amplifies how people are feeling about the current school. Thank you all for everything you do for Berwick.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer and, if you find yourself near South Berwick, I hope you will stop by and say hello.

With warm regards,

Jim Hamilton Head of School

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Catherine Stevens Powell ’80 chats with alumni from the 1950s at the annual Hilltop Brunch during Blue and White Homecoming Weekend 2018

Celebrating Alumni, Fostering Connections

BY CATHERINE STEVENS POWELL ’80, ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD PRESIDENT

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his edition of Berwick Today is focused on the school’s alumni community and what we have accomplished after leaving Berwick. We have done the extraordinary and the “ordinary” – we’ve followed our dreams and gained footholds on our careers and earned accolades; and we’ve raised families and done the work to build our lives – the not-flashy-but-supervaluable stuff of life. Our experiences at Berwick varied, but what holds true for all of us is that our time on the Hilltop prepared us for a world outside of this community, in one way or another.

I recently attended my 35th college reunion, and I do not recall talking with any of my former classmates about their jobs or the contributions they had made to promote 4 | SUMMER 2019

world peace. On the contrary, we were simply happy to be together and talk and laugh.

The same goes for our Berwick alumni body – all are welcome and encouraged to take our place in the community, regardless of the directions our lives have taken.

My family has deep connections to Berwick, starting with my father, Owen Stevens ’48, who served on the Board of Trustees during the 1970s and 1980s. He made the success of the school a priority throughout his life, and his commitment has become that of my mother’s as well. I am happy to continue my family’s tradition of service to Berwick, serving as the president of the Alumni Advisory Board and encouraging other alumni to stay connected to – or reconnect with – a place so dear to all of us.

In the pages that follow, I hope our alumni will recognize familiar faces, share in their collective accomplishments, and be inspired by their creativity, risk-taking, and passion for their work. As we look to build an even more vibrant community at Berwick, we hope our alumni consider ways to stay connected to the place that helped to shape the lives of the people featured in the coming pages, as well as their own. There is no limit to the number of ways we can all engage with Berwick – serving as a mentor, hosting a regional gathering, philanthropy, advocating for the school in your community – and help us continue to deliver on the school’s mission of “promoting virtue and useful knowledge among the rising generations.”

RICHARD CORMAN ’72 Storytelling Through Portraiture

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rmed with a camera, photographer Richard Corman ’72 has been telling stories with his portraits for more than three decades – from Special Olympians to world leaders to rock stars, and everyone in between.

Richard Corman ’72

“My world has everything to do with humanity and communication with others,” says Corman, who is based in New York City. “As a photographer and storyteller, my goal is to see behind the eyes of my subjects and allow them to tell their own unique stories.”

Even all these years later, Corman credits his time at Berwick for giving him the confidence, independence, and communication skills to capture his subjects’ stories. Berwick, Corman says, helped him set and exceed his own expectations for the first time and instilled in him the values of teamwork, integrity, respect, and curiosity.

Madonna in her kitchen, 1983. Her fierce and fearless determination was and remains an inspiration.

Corman’s work not only spans the years, but also has intersected with the worlds of artists, athletes, and other icons. He has photographed South African President Nelson Mandela and Holocaust survivor/ author Elie Wiesel, actors Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, athletes Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Muhammad Ali, and musicians from Sting to Madonna to Barbra Streisand. He has been particularly moved by his work with the Special Olympics, capturing the determination and inspiration of the athletes who participate all over the world.

Corman also has completed photography projects with the Wounded Warrior Project, Amnesty International, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve Foundation, and March of Dimes, among countless others. He has published several collections of his photographs, including Nelson Mandela Glory: Photographs of Athletes; I Am Proud: The Athletes of Special Olympics; and Misty Copeland: Power and Grace. Madonna NYC 83, published in 2013, is a collection of photographs of the pop legend before she became famous.

Corman has just released his latest book, BASQUIAT – A PORTRAIT, based on a shoot he did in 1984 for Italian Vogue.

In 2012, Corman was the recipient of Berwick’s Distinguished Achievement in One’s Field of Endeavor Award. Amid all his success

Muhammad Ali as a photographer – often to the stars, Corman answers easily when asked what makes him most proud.

“Without question,” he says, “I am proudest of my son, William, who has a fearless, passionate, and entrepreneurial spirit that inspires me daily.”

WEBSITE richardcorman.com TODAY

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IAN DREYER ’88 Using Innovation to Rebuild and Recover

Top photo: River pilot house renovation located at the end of the Mississippi river. Self-sustaining, off the grid. Accessible only by water. Bottom photos from left to right: Il Mercato – 1911 magazine street New Orleans, Banquet hall- Historic renovation; Greater New Orleans INC – Interior tenant fit out. Interior design and custom furniture – Reception desk and Sign by NANO; Metairie, LA, Commercial New Construction and Interiors; Lake Conroe, TX Residential New Construction and Interiors.

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he relentlessness of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, brought out the best in Ian Dreyer ’88 and his community. Soon after the storm struck, its wrath still apparent, Dreyer and his wife, Terri, became founding members of a group of architects dedicated to the recovery of New Orleans through education of citizens and community leaders on how to return and rebuild.

“We’ve all experienced challenges; maybe the one unique one for me was Hurricane Katrina,” says Dreyer, “and the enduring effort that continues today to fully recover.

To this day, we are still designing recovery projects, from firehouses damaged 14 years ago to properties designed to weather the next one.”

Dreyer is among many in his profession who have learned to design to new building codes, incorporate more sustainable materials, and consider architecture designed to either resist or rise above flood plains.

Katrina, Dreyer says, “forced a recognition 6 | SUMMER 2019

of our collective vulnerability. It’s made me more engaged in our community, more cognizant of our impact locally and the planet as a whole, more weary of our governing bodies, more appreciative for our family, friends, and neighbors.”

Dreyer and his wife operate the firm, NANO. The company practices architecture, interior design, and custom furniture design for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal use. Dreyer’s interest in architecture was first sparked at Berwick.

He studied philosophy at the University of Chicago and did a stint as a commodities trader before returning for a master’s in architecture from Tulane a decade later.

“The teachers and learning experiences at Berwick,” he says, “embedded within us a drive toward artistic expression, leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, and a belief that if we worked hard enough we could achieve our goals.”

Though architecture is a profession that dates back thousands of years, Dreyer talks

about the challenges that keep him excited in his work; new materials, new technologies, new societal norms and practices, and a changing world that alters and adjusts architects’ designs.

While keeping up with the changes in sustainable practices and materials, Dreyer has also found time for community engagement. Also after Hurricane Katrina, he co-founded a group called the City Park Mow-Rons (“Weeding by Example”), dedicated to helping New Orleans’s 1,300-acre city park recover after flooding ravaged green spaces and infrastructure.

“For two years every Saturday,” Dreyer says, “a sturdy little group of volunteers went out and mowed, and mowed, and mowed. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t much, but it gave each of us hope and solidarity.”

WEBSITES nanollc.net facebook.com/NANOLLC

PRISCILLA DECKER COOKSON ’74 Poetry as a Lifeline

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oetry has long been a lifeline for Priscilla Decker Cookson ’74, who has used the creative form to express herself, call attention to what matters, and as a way to push boundaries.

Among the topics in Cookson’s work are immigration and issues of housing, employment, and human rights for refugees.

Her talent and diligence often fool her audiences into thinking Cookson has experienced the events about which she is writing, but research is her secret weapon.

“Researching is like a treasure hunt,” Cookson says. “You never know where you will end up with it. I try to represent everyone – the smuggler, the prostitute – and then the work will come. I can’t understand these people until I can ‘get into the boat’ with them. It’s an obligation to them.”

Cookson looks at her poetry as a form of investigative journalism and, once she has completed her work and put it into words, her preferred form of sharing it is through the oral tradition. Cookson is a performance poet, whose work is largely inspired by art and music and often explores the plight of

HIRSH AGARWAL ’15 Design, Develop, Innovate

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nnovation is at the heart of a Berwick education, and it remains at the heart of the chosen career path of Hirsh Agarwal ’15, who graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in computer science.

“Innovative thinking is what distinguishes those who maintain society and those who work to drive it forward,” says Agarwal, who currently works and lives in Boston.

“Innovation requires thinking laterally and being willing to take risks. Although the standard academic curriculum is imperative to ensure baseline levels of knowledge, it is programs such as Berwick’s Innovation Center that allow students to see the potential upside of exploring alternative paths.”

Agarwal is currently employed as an engineer at HubSpot, which develops marketing and sales software. In his role, he works on systems that help customers sort through large volumes of data, eventually

African war refugees. Cookson facilitates a monthly drop-in night of poetry for the public at the York Public Library and is a mentor to writers. During the school calendar year, she participates in the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program and the John Ferguson Series in Exeter, New Hampshire. Locally, she performs every third Thursday of the month at Beat Night and every Wednesday at the Book and Bar. She also attends the open mic every Sunday night at the Stone Church in Newmarket, New Hampshire, where she puts together a story with multiple poems.

She is currently the resident poet at the Barn Gallery in Ogunquit, Maine.

“The audience is my editor,” Cookson says. “When the audience thanks me, it is my biggest reward because it means I have made them feel something.”

It took Cookson a while to arrive at her identity as a poet. She began her postsecondary education as a biology major at the University of Maine at Orono, before transferring to the University of New Hampshire, where she majored in studio art.

Poetry became a true lifeline when Cookson was going through cancer treatment, she lives with painful neuromuscular disease and the aftermath of treatment. War poetry is a metaphor. Earlier this year, she submitted her poem “Let Me Pass” for consideration for the inaugural Carolyn Forché Prize for

Humanitarian Poetry.

She was named one of 10 finalists, and the poem will be included in Elusions: Refugee Poems 2019. Due out this fall, the anthology was co-edited by 2007 Pulitzer finalist James Adams. Cookson’s work also has been published in A Good Fat Poetry Anthology of 114 Women Poets in honor of International Women’s Day. Cookson, who lives in York, recently recorded her first CD, Painted Boko Haram. A second recording on CD and download and the book in print, called The City of Joy, will be published within the next year. It concerns acts of extreme violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congoand the plight of the child soldier. OF Special concern is the number of abandoned, displaced children on the African continent.

“My [biggest] honor is the miracle of being able to write,” she says. “If you have a gift, even if the path is hard, it is your responsibility to get it to society, especially in the arts.”

making the software more user friendly. In addition, he has started his own company, H2 Micro. With a motto of “design, develop, innovate,” H2 Micro focuses on app development, intuitive design, and server platforms that make data processing seamless.

Over the last several months, Agarwal and H2 Micro have been focused on a new version of an application called Medical Crosscheck, originally designed to help digitize and centralize checklists in medicine.

“While the fundamental objective persists,” Agarwal explains, “the design of the app, infrastructure, and functionality has changed dramatically.”

Agarwal and team are also serving the primary development role for the social media app AddMeToo. He credits Berwick for helping him prepare for his future as an innovator.

“Through the Innovation Center and AP Computer Science, I was able to explore and develop my interests at an early stage,” he says. “This meant that, in college, having already had some exposure to various topics, I was able to more thoughtfully focus my studies on specific areas of interest.”

WEBSITES Personal: hirsh-agarwal.com Company: h2micro.com, hubspot.com

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JESSIE DAVIE ’00 Finding Conservation Solutions

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or Jessie Davie ’00, Berwick’s mission of “promoting virtue and useful knowledge” is just as applicable today as it was during her years at the school.

“It has played a critical role in shaping my personal and professional paths, my friendships, and relationships,” says Davie, who grew up in South Berwick and now lives in Arusha, Tanzania. “When respect and doing good is at the core of what one is brought up with, it becomes a bit ingrained. It’s a great North Star.”

Davie double-majored in English and environmental studies at St. Lawrence University and earned a master’s in environmental studies from the University of Montana. The roots of her interests can be traced back to her Berwick days. Davie recalls working with the BA kitchen staff to weigh food waste for her sixth grade science fair project. She also remembers an ethics class in eighth grade with Hap Ridgway and Upper School electives in the Holocaust and environmental studies that shaped her outlook.

“These all helped to open my eyes and made me look at the world differently, more critically, yet also with the opportunity for change,” she says.

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Today, Davie works for an NGO called Maliasili (“natural resources” in Swahili). The organization seeks out the best local African organizations leading the charge and making a real difference on the ground in conservation efforts for people and wildlife, from healthier ecosystems to wildlife preservation to their impacts on the human population.

As Maliasili’s portfolio director, Davie manages a team across East and Southern Africa, supporting the partner organizations in strategic planning, communications, fundraising, and leadership skills.

“My job perfectly merges my personal interests for environmental stewardship, justice, and African conservation,” Davie says. “Maliasili supports organizations that put people at the center of conservation solutions.”

Berwick, Davie adds, encouraged analytical thinking and promoted a culture of exploring issues around equality and justice. Those are concepts she has applied both in her career and her personal life.

“Berwick taught me to be well-rounded, open-minded, and hardworking,” she says.

“These are skills I apply in my work and in raising two young children.”

WEBSITE maliasili.org

JULIA SPRUANCE ’07 Creating Communities of Value Through High Expectations

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firm belief in making opportunities in life accessible to all has been a major catalyst in the chosen path of Julia Spruance ’07.

The Hampton Falls, N.H., native works for Waypoint Adventure, a nonprofit that uses challenges such as rock climbing, kayaking, ropes courses, and hiking to teach social and character skills to youth and adults with disabilities.

“People with disabilities especially are up against social and physical challenges,” says Spruance, “stigma from society, lack of inclusion and access to the community and more can prevent them and their families and friends from realizing their full potential.”

Shaped by her own desire to take risks and conquer obstacles, Spruance has jumped at any opportunity to push others to their greatest ability. As a volunteer with Kupenda, a nonprofit that “equips children with disabilities to achieve their God-given potential,” Spruance helped lead three Kenyan teens with disabilities on a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest freestanding mountain. She says the 2016 climb was as much about proving to the teens that they were capable as it was about showcasing their value to their communities.

It took more than a year for Spruance and others to plan the adventure with Fumo, who has an intellectual disability, Hassan, who is deaf, and Mercy, who was born with cerebral palsy that affects the right side of her body. As far as available records indicate, the trio represented the first Kenyan youth with disabilities to summit the peak, when two of the three summited. Documentary filmmakers accompanied the group (Kupenda is to be released in the spring of 2020) and, in 2018, Spruance was selected as a speaker for the TEDx Natick (Mass.) event to speak about the experience and its impact on the teens and their communities.

“My story is about three Kenyan teens with disabilities taking on Kilimanjaro,” she says, “but it’s really about how having high expectations for one another can create communities where people feel valued. Berwick was one of those communities…a place where high expectations are the norm and, because of that, people thrive.”

WEBSITE waypointadventure.org

SARAH KHAN ’17 Motivated and Inspired by Research

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s an undergraduate researcher at New York University, Sarah Khan ’17 sometimes finds herself in Greenwich Village, Brooklyn, and the Bronx – all in the same day – before heading back to campus for her classes.

Khan’s current research involves the health impact of cigarettes and alternative smoking products, such as e-cigarettes and hookah. She and her team, a sector of Langone Health and made up of mostly graduate students, travel through the boroughs of New York to perform cardiopulmonary tests and take air-quality samples to help them understand how far smoke travels and its effects on smokers, the air, and others who breathe that air.

“It has been such a huge learning experience traveling all over New York City conducting such relevant research,” says Khan, who grew up in Sanford, Maine. “I’ve never been so motivated and inspired.”

Her K-12 experience at Berwick, Khan says, prepared her to manage her time, while encouraging her to take on challenges. Among her proudest achievements has been Khan’s certification as an EMT in New Hampshire. In addition, the school taught her to “do the right thing” – the values of honesty and integrity have followed her since her graduation two years ago.

“I am most proud of the perspectives I’ve gained from growing up in Maine and living in New York City for two years now,” Khan says.

“It has made me a more open, experienced, and thankful person for all the privileges I’ve been given in my life.”

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CHANLING BESWICK ’07 Engineering Innovator

innovation, including individualized customer solutions. That matches up with what he learned in the classrooms at Berwick. Paul Beswick was an early promoter of innovation at his son’s school, donating laptops to Berwick so students would have the tools necessary to initiate the creative process.

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t didn’t take long for ChanLing Beswick ’07 to make good use of his mechanical engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Shortly after his college graduation, the Berwick alumnus joined the family business, Beswick Engineering. The Greenland, N.H.based company specializes in the production of miniature pneumatic valves and fittings for fluid controls in engineering. Beswick was founded in 1964 by ChanLing’s father, Paul.

Today the company is the leader in providing the “largest range of miniature 303 and 316 stainless steel fittings in the world.”

“We sell directly to engineering companies, who use our products in their processes,” explains ChanLing, who works in engineering design and management at Beswick.

“Because the product is in miniature, the materials, design, and machining needs to be absolutely precise.”

Beswick devices have found applications in the aerospace industry as well as in dental and medical devices, robotics and automation, 3D printing, and food packaging, among other uses.

In addition to putting his strengths in math and analytics to work, ChanLing has also embraced Beswick’s core mission of

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ntegrity” was the word of the year when Cora Ordway ’14 was an eighth grader at Berwick.

“Teachers described it as doing the right thing when no one’s watching,” recalls Ordway. “For some reason, that particular value stuck with me and still pops into my head pretty regularly.”

CORA ORDWAY ’14 Making a Difference Through Service

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Since graduating from Brown University in 2018 with a B.S. in cognitive neuroscience, Ordway has been working as a volunteer manager with AmeriCorps.

As a VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America), the Rollinsford, N.H., native has been working in Portland, Maine, serving at a nonprofit that provides free English instruction to adult immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

In her capacity, she is responsible for recruiting, interviewing, training, and managing volunteer teachers and tutors.

At Brown, Ordway volunteered as an English language tutor, a role that increased her awareness of the rewards and necessity of immigrant and refugee services. Her work with AmeriCorps is an extension of that.

Though it may sound contrary, part of innovation, ChanLing insists, is the willingness to fail. Of the handful of valves he has personally designed for Beswick through trial and error, ChanLing is most proud of a 3mm quick-disconnect valve that can be used to connect two sides of a machine to transmit fluid. The valve, he explains, uses ball bearings, can handle high pressure, and is a convenient and leak-proof way to connect two halves.

“Afford yourself the opportunity to fail,” he says. “We are always looking for ways to stay ahead by either creating new products or improving upon current products. Don’t be afraid to look outside of your industry to get fresh ideas and new perspective.”

WEBSITE beswick.com

“I want a career that I can throw myself into,” Ordway says, “one where I feel my effort and care make a difference in the community. It is important to me to make people feel welcomed, respected, and supported, and to take action to foster a culture with those values.”

Ordway says she learned the importance of welcomeness and kindness during her initial year in the Upper School at Berwick, where the community made her feel at home. “The most important thing I learned at Berwick,” she says, “was what it means to treat other people well.” From Berwick’s promotion of innovation, she also learned the value of searching for creative options, something Ordway has put into practice as a volunteer who must seek solutions – books for students, for example – with limited financial resources.

“It’s better to assume that you might be able to do something to make a difference than to resign yourself to defeat,” Ordway says of one of her most valuable life lessons. “If you have 15 seconds before your spaceship explodes, spend all 15 seconds trying to avert disaster.”

KATHRYN PHILLIPS COLBY ’98 Protecting Public Health

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he science of epidemiology, says Kathryn Phillips Colby ’98, is founded on innovation.

“In the 1850s,” Colby explains, as an example, “John Snow discovered that cholera was spread through contaminated water by mapping cases in Soho, London. Infectious diseases themselves are innovators, changing the way they spread and appearing in new places.”

While at Berwick, Colby was assigned in science class to read Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone, which tracks the origins of the Ebola virus.

That was among the experiences that piqued her interest in the field of epidemiology. After completing a B.A. in anthropology at Mount Holyoke College, Colby went on to earn her M.P.H. in global health from Emory University.

She currently lives in Cumberland, Maine, and works as an infectious disease epidemiologist with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Southern Maine.

In her work, Colby investigates outbreaks of reportable infectious diseases; makes recommendations to prevent disease transmission and protect public health; provides education to healthcare providers and the public; and collects, analyzes, interprets, and disseminates relevant data.

“Epidemiologists work hard every day to detect and learn about these diseases and come up with effective interventions,” she says.

Colby credits her family and the Berwick community for helping her reach her goals. The opportunity to attend Berwick, she says, ensured that she would spend her most formative years in an encouraging, supportive, and challenging environment, one that helped her develop critical thinking and communication skills. She is proud of what she is achieving in her career and, mostly, of her two children, Simone (7) and Lucas (4).

“I was incredibly lucky to have a supportive network of family and friends and to attend Berwick,” Colby says. “Overcoming adversities has brought me confidence and a sense of place.

Working in a public service career and helping my own family overcome challenges allows me to stay focused on what really matters.”

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ANDREW BEAR ’08 A CEO Promoting Kindness

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ith clients as broadranging as designers (Kate Spade, Tommy Hilfiger) to shoe companies (Nike, Converse) to fashion magazines (Elle, Marie Claire) to cosmetics manufacturers (L’Oreal, Revlon) to business giants (Facebook, Apple), Hyperion LA is more than just a budding company.

Its founder and CEO, Andrew Bear ’08, has built a successful production company that creates content for leading fashion brands, magazines, and much more. Bear began his career as an advertising coordinator at Prada Corporate in New York City. After moving to Los Angeles, he established Hyperion LA to provide boutique production support.

“Berwick prepared me with strong writing and communication skills,” says Bear.

“Teachers supported and inspired me. I’ll never forget Stephanie Sanders presenting me with a music award and saying I’m the CEO of my life. Now, here I am, CEO of my company.”

Bear grew up in Rye Beach, N.H., with a family that provided a strong backbone of support. He honed his skills in acting and singing at BA, crediting Sanders, among others, for putting in hours of work to help him prepare for performances.

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He earned a B.A. in acting, with a minor in business, from Emerson College. Armed with his degree and the base of “promoting virtue and useful knowledge” instilled at Berwick, Bear learned to run his own business with fortitude, while also remembering to promote kindness in the workplace.

As an adolescent and into young adulthood, Bear “had to come to terms with my sexuality and be true to myself.” He remains grateful for the support he received from his family at the time, and Berwick friends (he still considers Megan Ramsey Baker ’08 one of his closest friends!), and now considers himself blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people in his everyday life and career.

In 2018, BEQ Pride named Bear one of its 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40. “His small-town upbringing and having to figure everything out on his own,” the article reads,

“inspired him to reach out to suburban and rural LGBTQ youth and be sure resources are available. He is making sure that youth in our country and around the world gain the confidence to stand up for themselves and others and ask for help whenever they need it.”

Bear has served as a board member of the Tyler Clementi Foundation, an organization dedicated to ending bullying, harassment, and humiliation. He also volunteers for Safe Place for Youth, a California-based shelter devoted to inspiring and supporting homeless youth.

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about,” he quotes, “so always be kind.”

WEBSITES hyperionla.com andrewbear.com

ROBERT PERKIN ’65 Innovating with LongDistance Rock ‘n’ Roll

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t is a testament to the innovative technology that exists today that Rob Perkin ’65 was able to collaborate on his latest creation with a talented group of musicians across the country.

Released in 2018, Brookside Road Vol. 1 represents the long-distance relationship between Rob and others who worked on the album. The recording, for example, was mastered in Nashville, Tenn., and in London, England, miles of course from Rob’s home studio in Darien, Conn.

“Recording from afar wouldn’t have been possible years ago,” says Rob. “You don’t have to be in the studio anymore.”

Rob played a bit of piano in his Berwick years. He recalls tickling the ivories on the third floor of Fogg. He also remembers playing the drums at a BA talent show circa 1962 with fellow Impalas John Devlin ’63, John Dubois ’64, and John “Dwayne” Tintera ’64.

The Brookside Road album was spawned when Rob contacted music producer and guitarist Darren Clarke about restoring an old recording. “I had a cassette tape with a low-fi recording of me playing piano, some thirty years earlier in Naples, Florida,” explains Rob. The friendship and collaboration between the two men was an instant success and soon grew into a project for which Clarke produced the music around restored piano tracks by adding drums, guitar, and bass to the original recording. Distance was not a problem, as the men worked tirelessly over the phone to create their tracks – rock ‘n’ roll guitar and instrumental music reminiscent in the styles of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, J.J Cale, and The Ventures. The prolific output will also result in Brookside Road Vol. 2 later this year and a podcast that will tell the story behind the duo’s songs.

In addition to Rob and Darren, the Brookside Road collection also features

Elvis’ lead guitar player, James Burton, Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats on stand-up bass, and saxophonist/woodwind player Jim Horn. Mastering of the tracks was done

by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios and Grammy winner Robbie Burrell of Nashville. The band calls itself “Everglades Rhythm,” a tribute to Rob’s time spent in the Florida region.

Rob loved his time at Berwick and counts teacher Bill Matthews, who sparked a lifelong interest in history for him, and Headmaster Al Kerr among the people who influenced him the most. Rob’s experience in history class is especially memorable due to the engaging discussion-based format and the way Mr. Matthews brought the content to life.

WEBSITE evergladesrhythm.com

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Celebrating 10 Years: Berwick Innovation Center & Innovation Pursuit Program

by Darcy Coffta, Director of Innovation

Michael Bryan ’20, “Making Mini Golf Fun Again” Bella Clark ’20, “The Art of Preproduction”

C

onceptualized and designed in 2009 as a program that would provide opportunities for students to customize a learning experience, Berwick’s Innovation Center and Innovation Pursuit (IP) program celebrates 10-years of accomplishments this year.

From the very beginning, what has made Berwick’s IPs innovative is the fact that they are student-driven and student-designed.

Students have a voice in their learning and eagerly follow passions to develop a body of work that, over the course of many months, represents a wealth of experience.

Back in 2009, the school researched best practices in project design and built a framework for the program that included 21st century learning skills, such as collaboration, creativity, connecting with experts, networking, and solving problems in new and exciting ways. Berwick also aligned with recognized national standards from ISTE (the International Society for Technology

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Education), ALA (American Library Association), and NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges).

“This is partly why the program has been so successful,” says Director of Innovation Darcy Coffta. “Although topic selection can vary greatly, the consistent thread that ties all IPs together is the framework that provides structure and continuity.”

All IPs are academically grounded, include an element of originality, and are centered on collaboration with a mentor. Students interview practitioners in the field, many of them regional or national experts, and all present their work at the annual Innovation Celebration. What also has been a key to the success of the program is its agility; an ability to change to meet higher student intellectual demands. Students maintain a web presence as a form of publishing their work, have the opportunity to write grants for financial support, and many job shadow as part of the enrichment within the program.

“The growth of the program has been extraordinary,” says Coffta. “We now have many examples of how IPs have distinguished our students and directly supported their college application process.”

Lane Joslin ’23, “Effective Advocacy: Finding my Voice” “The growth of the program has been extraordinary,” says Coffta. “We now have many examples of how IPs have distinguished our students and directly supported their college application process.”

Examples include a student with an audio engineering IP being accepted into the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music with NYU’s Tisch School. Another student who built a video game is now continuing his education at Stanford. One student who designed a concussion awareness IP is at Georgetown as a human science major, while another who developed a four-year body of work around cancer research is graduating this year from Carnegie Melon.

The momentum of the IP program has fueled a variety of curricular changes and supported many project-based learning initiatives on campus. Innovation Pursuits are a key component in the newly offered Pathway programs. Berwick embraces a culture of innovation that begins in the Lower School and continues through to the Upper School.

Highlights over the years include continued increases in the number of students who participate in the IP program. In its first year there were four; in its fourth year, the number of IPs jumped to 36. That changed to 44 in its sixth year, 48 in its eighth year, and now in its 10th year there are almost 70 Innovation Pursuits conducted on campus from grades 4-12.

Leo Megliola ’21, “Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence”

Notable networking opportunities in recent years have included interviews with Dean Kamen of DEKA, Dr. Robert Cantu of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and work with the NFL, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and baseball greats Joe Torre, Alex Cora, Sam Fuld ‘00, and Alex Rodriquez.

Additional student success stories include one student presenting on his autonomous kayak IP at national Maker Fairs in New York and California and one innovation team successfully applying and receiving a utility patent for a headphone/speaker design. Job shadowing opportunities have taken place at DEKA, Pratt & Whitney, Exeter Hospital, New Hampshire Fish and Game, Lucid Skis in Freeport, and Grain Surfboard in York, Maine. Thousands of dollars have been awarded in the form of student grants and supported through the Berwick Parent Community.

Other accolades include a $35K Follett Challenge Award in 2013 and awards from the EE Ford Foundation. Berwick was honored as a “School that Shines” by News Center Maine’s Channel 6 and as a “Forward Thinking” school by WGME Channel 13 out of Portland. Coffta has presented on Berwick’s IP program all over the country, including a conference at SXSWedu in Austin, Texas, the NAIS annual conference in Boston, OESIS in Los Angeles, and ISTE in Atlanta. Coffta returns to OESIS this fall in Los Angeles to present research on how engagement through IPs enhances the student learning experience.

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10th Annual Berwick Innovation Celebration

Lucas Merrow ’81 Discusses Innovation with Darcy Coffta

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erwick Academy celebrated the 10th annual Innovation Celebration on Tuesday, May 21,

2019. Keynote Speaker Lucas Merrow ’81, founder of Elizacorp, talked with Darcy Coffta, director of innovation, for the opening presentation, after which students from grades 4-12 presented their IPs to panelists and audience members in various locations across campus.

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Darcy: Luke, you have a deep connection

with BA – as an alumnus yourself, with three daughters who are also alumnae, and you served on our board. On the board you were an early proponent of finding ways for our students to pursue independent projects, and helped develop and launch the Innovation Pursuits program. As someone who was involved at the start, it would be great to hear your perspective on how things have progressed over the last 10 years.

Luke: It has been pretty astonishing, actually. I don’t think we could have anticipated the scale the program has reached. At first there were a few kids just getting together on their own, tinkering and building stuff with the help of a few teachers who shared an interest in whatever the kids happened to be working on. I remember bumping into Doug Knight, who mentioned helping some kids in a pretty cramped room they had set up downstairs in the Middle School. Just a handful of projects, student-driven and mostly focused on science and tech at the time. We thought it would be interesting to provide more support and resources and see if more students were interested in this sort of thing. Turns out, they were. This year we have 70 projects.

IN N OVATION P U R S U I TS

find time to observe what’s going on with the problem you are trying to solve. And time to tinker and try things out, often over and over again. I wish it weren’t so, but long hours and some frustration are also a sign. Creating something new isn’t easy. If your family and friends start to question your judgment, you may be on to something.

Darcy: Any words of advice for our

students?

Darcy: Besides the number of projects, what else has changed?

Luke: I think in some ways the variety and scope of the projects is even more important than the actual number. Certainly STEM projects were an early focus and continue to play a key role. But, in recent years, we’ve seen more projects in visual arts, performance, literature, social sciences, you name it. The whole point is for this to be student-driven, and of course the students have different things they want to explore.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the type of mentors and their level of involvement has also broadened. We have more mentors from the community, from local businesses, colleges and universities – and the mentors are very involved. I’ve also seen projects that go into greater depth, more sophistication – working software, prototypes of products, actual musical compositions.

Darcy: One thing the faculty and IP pro-

gram have discussed is how we can define an innovative project and how we can continue to encourage innovation on campus. Is that something you encounter in your work?

Luke: Pretty much by definition, something that’s truly innovative can’t be defined or predicted in advance. It results from someone seeing a problem or opportunity in a completely different way, in a way no one else does. And it’s not seen as a successful innovation (and is even ridiculed) until after the fact. I have a friend who’s a successful inventor and likes to say that innovation is like love – everyone agrees it’s a good thing and wants more of it, but they’re not sure what it is or where it comes from. So, it’s really hard to define innovation. I think it’s probably better not to focus on the definition, but rather focus on the conditions that foster innovation, on the signs and symptoms that it’s actually occurring.

Darcy: What are some of those signs and symptoms?

Luke: First, it needs to be organic, driven

by individuals who know the most about a given problem, and care about it the most. In an educational context, that’s student-driven.

In a business or technology context, that means avoiding micromanagement, trusting who you work with, and having them trust you. Interdisciplinary exposure is also key – most innovations come out of combining concepts and expertise from different fields in new and unexpected ways. You also need to

Luke: I can’t overemphasize the importance of perseverance, just deciding not to give up. Caring about a project is important for sure, but in my experience perseverance has been the determining factor for me and all my friends and peers. I think perseverance is like a muscle – the more you use it the stronger it gets, and the more you’ll be prepared for bigger challenges later. So exercise your perseverance muscle. Don’t forget the interdisciplinary point. If you’re a tech person, don’t ignore the humanities. Remember that technology is supposed to be about solving problems for actual people. Berwick has a fantastic writing program and library – take advantage of it, you’ll spend a lot of time putting your ideas into context and communicating them to other people. If you’re a writer, artist, or performer, don’t be afraid to get under the hood of technology. It’s permeated so many aspects of life that we all need to be more informed users and consumers of it. Lastly, have confidence that, if you work hard and keep focused, you’ll achieve success in whatever endeavor you choose. And if you make mistakes along the way, don’t be too hard on yourself. We are all works in progress.

Lucas Merrow ’81 is a Berwick Academy alumnus, past parent and former trustee. As a Berwick trustee, Luke chaired the Technology Committee and helped lead the launch of the Academy’s laptop program and Innovation Center. A lifelong entrepreneur, Luke has founded three successful companies in the healthcare field that span information technology, digital health applications, and medical devices. He holds more than 40 domestic and international patents, a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

He currently serves on the boards of several start-up companies and non-profit organizations. He lives with his wife, Robin, in Rollinsford, NH.

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M

MATT OSGOOD ’20

Music Theory, Songwriting, & Arranging

att Osgood ’20 has been playing guitar for as long as he can remember. But it has only been over the last few years that he has discovered a passion for songwriting.

“Going into my junior year,” he says, “I knew I wanted to focus on songwriting in my private lessons with my guitar teacher. We decided the process would make an interesting Innovation Pursuit (IP).”

Turning his music into an Innovation Pursuit provided an exciting challenge for Matt. He admits that prior to making a commitment to his project, he had not always followed through to the end of his songwriting endeavors.

“Having to present something,” he explains, “made me develop and follow through with my song ideas in a way I never had before.”

For his Innovation Pursuit, Matt wrote and produced four songs, one of which turned into a collaboration with Lila Roy ’18, who liked the tune when it was sent to her by guitar teacher Chip Harding. Lila wrote lyrics to Matt’s music, and the two of them collaborated on a studio recording to combine their work.

“One thing I found particularly interesting and fulfilling,” says Matt, “was seeing what another person could do with my music. She took the song in a different direction, and that’s what is so great about collaboration; it brings a new perspective to your work.”

Matt’s work culminated with a live performance of the song that included student musicians playing the various parts. Since starting his IP, Matt says he has learned to pay more attention to the creative process. He adds that music will always remain a part of his life, no matter what he decides to pursue beyond Berwick.

JACK FARRINGTON ’23

Why not consider both?

W

ith the goal of improving civil discourse at Berwick Academy, Jack Farrington created an Innovation Pursuit titled, “Why Not Consider Both?”

“The inspiration behind this project was my past experience of facing hostility because of my views,” he explains. “Civil discourse is stating your views instead of attacking others’ opinions.”

Over the course of the project, Jack created a website (whynotconsiderboth.wixsite.com/civildiscussion) that showcases, through videos and

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news articles, both sides of hot-button political issues. The website comes “with the idea that you have to experience both before creating an informed decision.”

After the creation of his website, Jack incorporated classroom visits to promote civil discourse and create awareness of his website.

His first classroom visit was to the seventh grade World Cultures class to do a presentation on the importance of civil discourse. On another classroom visit, Jack brought a group of eighth graders to a fourth grade classroom for a panel discussion on renewable energy and fossil fuels.

“That group,” he says, “was struggling to understand how to have a productive and informative discussion on this topic. It was fascinating to work as an eighth grade panel to model for the fourth grade students. This innovation pursuit allowed me to help others understand the importance of civil discourse.”

EMMA RICH ’27

Printed Books or E-Books: An Ongoing Debate

D

uring the second trimester, each fourth grade student completes a project by studying something about which they are passionate. Students have the opportunity to dive deeper into their topics and extend these projects into Innovation Pursuits, and then present them at the all-school Innovation Celebration in May. Emma Rich ’27 turned her passion project on the history of books into an IP, focusing her research on printed books versus electronic readers. In doing her research, Emma found that there was plenty of research about both young children and college/graduate students and their preferences, but there was not much research to be found about middle and high school students. So, she took matters into her own hands.

Emma created surveys for Berwick students in both the Middle School and Upper School, and another survey for the entire

Berwick faculty. Emma spoke at Middle School and Upper School assemblies to ask students and faculty to help her with her research by completing these surveys. She was thrilled as she watched the results roll in.

“I was so surprised and happy that so many people took the time to respond to my surveys,” she says, noting that nearly 130 Middle School students, 165 Upper School students, and 45 faculty members shared their thoughts with her.

Berwick Academy Upper and Middle School students overwhelmingly agreed that they like printed books better. This was true for both required reading for school and for pleasure reading. The majority of students who usually read printed books have tried e-readers, but even if they have tried e-readers they still prefer printed books. Faculty also prefer printed books, but 48.9% of those who responded to the survey said they use both formats.

While some faculty cited the convenience of electronic books, many mentioned the importance of limiting screen time, how much they value the tactile experience of reading a printed book, and knowing that research suggests retention is better with a printed book.

Emma was excited to learn that the preferences of the Berwick Academy community mirror research that has been done for both young children and college/graduate students. Even with the availability of electronic readers, people continue to prefer printed books. Still, Emma recognizes that the most important thing is that we should all continue to read, no matter which format we prefer.

“Everyone should read because you can learn new things through books,” she says, “whether you are reading an e-book or a printed book.”

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AMELIA WHITCOMB ’21

The Albedo Effect

A

melia Whitcomb became passionate about climate change as an eighth grader.

“One day in class, we learned about albedo, which is the amount of light a surface reflects,” Amelia recalls.

“We discussed how melting snow and ice impacted the Earth’s total albedo, and how no one was really able to solve it. I asked myself, ‘Why aren’t roofs white?’”

Her curiosity led Amelia to initiate an Innovation Pursuit. She spent most of her time researching current innovations in albedo. Eventually, she constructed a box with four quadrants, including black shingles, cement, a garden, and white spray-painted shingles.

The results were intriguing.

“After calculating the albedo of these surfaces,” she says, “I found that both the cement and white shingles served as a decent replacement for ice and snow. Following this, I took temperature data every day around noon and saw that there was an average difference of about four degrees Celcius between the black shingles and the white shingles.”

Amelia’s data indicated that white-painted roofs could make an impact on slowing climate change.

Her Innovation Pursuit ties in to the requirements and focus of the STEAM Pathway, which she is currently pursuing. The STEAM Pathway program at Berwick is intended to empower and provide a framework for students who are interested in exploring various avenues of inquiry to channel a passion in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

“My IP demonstrates an ongoing interest in the impact climate science has on our world,” Amelia says, “and how we can use science to save the planet.”

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COMMENCEMENT

2019 TODAY

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

It is hard for me to believe that I am officially at the last of my “firsts” at Berwick Academy. It seems like just yesterday that I emerged from the path from Hayes House to a group of seniors playing music and holding signs welcoming everyone on the first day of school. I will always cherish my very first Instagram post with that group in the background. If I was floating when I walked out of the house that morning, I was closer to cloud nine feeling the energy those students were sharing that beautiful day in September. That moment set the tone for me and gave me my first insight into the spirit in the Class of 2019.

As you head off today for the adventures that lie beyond the Hilltop, I would like to send you off with a few quick thoughts. Staying on mission, I will offer a couple virtues and some useful knowledge. First, the virtues.

Gratitude: I encourage you to be thankful for the things you already have as you pursue the things that you want. You have received and accomplished so much and you should never stop thanking those who helped you get where you are today. Express gratitude daily for things big and small. Be grateful for the opportunity to make choices, for the food on your table, and for the chance to pursue your dreams. As you imagine breaking away from your parents as you head to college, appreciate what they are sacrificing for you and make sure you let them know you are grateful both in words and actions. In fact, graduates, please stand and join me in thanking your parents for all they have done for you. Show gratitude by giving back. That

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comes in many forms and without a time limit. It can come in many ways.

Be vulnerable. As you make your way to your new school next year, don’t enter thinking you have it all figured out. Know that it might be harder to make friends than you think. Know that failure, or the lack of immediate success, will always make you stronger if you stick with it. Admit your mistakes, and search for the true meaning of the black belt Mr. Smith talked about last night.

Now a couple of pieces of useful knowledge for your first year of college.

First, call home. I know texting is easier and that nobody actually uses their phone to make calls, but please promise me that you will call home.

It will mean the world to your parents. And the likelihood of getting a positive response to the “Can I have some money?” question will go skyhigh with regular check-ins. Second, I’m guessing that some of you haven’t quite mastered the art of doing laundry yet. Practice, practice, practice and, if all else fails, choose the warm water option. Third, have fun, but not too much fun. How do I define that? If you find that you are generally one of the last people to leave the party you are likely getting close to the too-much-fun line. It’s okay to approach the line, but when you look around and you’re closing it down, it is time to go home.

JIM HAMILTON Head of School

2019 C OMME N C EMEN T

OWEN HARRINGTON, UPPER SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHER Keynote, Commencement Speaker

MR. HARRINGTON’S ADVICE #4 : Your parents (and teachers, ironically) might not like this one, but hear me out: Don’t work too hard. Now let me explain myself, and my blaspheming. When I say don’t work too hard, I don’t mean go sit around on your phone all day, or let your jaw hang slack staring at the wall. Rather what I wish to encourage is an ethic of carefully considering and interrogating the purposes and ends of our daily efforts.

When I say work, I more precisely mean those activities in our daily lives which are subordinate to some distant ends, and in particular are subservient to ends outside of your sphere of intentions and meaningful obligations. For example, I’m sure many of you have done plenty of activities over the past year for the express purpose of putting them on a college résumé, which you have done with the intent of going to a good college to get a good job, which you would like for the purpose of living a comfortable life at some point in the future. This is work. And this is not to say that this is not important. You have very valid reasons for doing these things, and certainly work is one of the most important realms of the active life, the vita activa of Aristotle and Hannah Arendt. It is the mode of activity through which we can perpetuate and enrich our lives and contribute to the human edifice. But what I would like to caution against is the “cult of work” that often dominates discussion around what it

means to live a rich and meaningful life and contribute value and meaning to our communities, and which seems to suggest that one generates meaning and value for him or herself and others by simply working hard and being productive. How can actions which are perpetually directed at a target always over the horizon in the future ever be the definitive source of meaning for the present? Unless this “cult of work” discreetly assumes an end to the condition of work, an end to the on-goingness of worldly affairs, its value beyond subsistence remains inaccessible to us and, without buying into this eschatology, the meaning of our actions remains just beyond some vanishing point.

But as beings aware of time, we are constantly being pulled between the dim glow of the future, and its equally mysterious counterpart, the bright light of the present moment. If the realm of the indefinite future keeps our lives’ meanings beyond the reach of interrogation, it is the almost ungraspable moment where we can look for the meaning of our lives. But in what sense can we act solely in the present?

In what ways can we create lives that escape the always-delayed gratification of work and it’s endless striving? In short, it is waste. We must learn how to waste our time meaningfully.

Of course when I say waste our time I don’t mean sitting in a corner watching paint

dry or throwing trash on the ground, but rather I am referring to the whole realm of action where we act with no thoughts toward utility or reciprocity. We find this in its simplest form in the act of giving generously without expectation of a gift in return. Give your time to people and causes you care about generously, almost to the point of ruin. Spend time doing activities which are not subordinated to any ends. Play an instrument with no aim to improve at it, while away an evening in idle chatter, go catch-and-release fishing, cook a sumptuous meal. That last one is a call-back to the fancy meal from advice #2. There are meals we cook and things we create such as a fried egg, or nutritious slop which are food prepared with an aim toward satisfying base necessity. In cooking your fancy meal, you direct effort toward what is essentially waste, is beyond necessity, but by doing it you experience a pride in your craft, and the satisfaction of impressing those around you, and the acquisition of a prestige which comes with no useful benefits outside of the moment.

In these various sacrifices of our time to immediate expenditure and waste we can experience what it is like, if only for a moment, to experience freedom from necessity and a cessation of the demands of the future on our time. This is the fullest experience of freedom.

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

SO WHAT IS THE ESSENTIAL MEANING OF YOUR BERWICK DIPLOMA and what have been the essential pieces of your high school career? And remember also, the black belt student said, ‘Now, it is your duty to share what you have learned.’

What is it that you can take away from this Hilltop in Maine, and bring out to college campuses across the country in a few months? You will each answer that differently, but let me make one suggestion that you can share: Take some of us with you. By that I don’t mean take what you’ve learned in calculus or Latin or chemistry, but take some of us – these amazing people over here in this section – with you. Take a little bit of the teachers you have connected with, the teachers you admire, and bring them with you to share with your new world. Take Jen Onken’s or Molly Gabarro’s unflinching support, and bring that to your roommates. Take Brad Fletcher’s and Ted Sherbahn’s deep knowledge of their subjects, and share that with your classmates. Take Lucy Pollard’s energy, and bring that all over your community. Take Chip Harding’s or Meg Martinson’s unconditional encouragement, give it to someone trying something new. Take Jufen Rui’s humor, Amory Mansfield’s intellect, Ian Cross’s genius, Adelle Tibbetts’s standards, Julie Alexander’s spirit, Jon Davie’s intense passion for the environment, Charlene Hoyt’s deep, deep care, or Ginny Vatcher’s pure positivity, and spread these all over your new campus. These are the essential things you cannot touch, and it is now your duty, on this never-ending journey, to share what you have learned. Bring a little of us with you, as you leave this Hilltop tomorrow.

And, if you do, you will make a difference in people’s lives.

TED SMITH Director of the Upper School

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2019 C OMME N C EMEN T

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO FIND YOUR PASSION. Stan Lee, the guy who basically created Marvel, didn’t start writing comics until he was 39. Julia Child worked in advertising before she released her first cookbook when she was 50. The founder of McDonald’s didn’t even own a McDonald’s franchise until he was 52. At our age, there’s no way of knowing the trajectory of our lives. You don’t need a lifetime of experience to be good enough at something, and you don’t need to know your career path at age 18.

If you already know what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, then more power to you. Congratulations, and I hope you realize how lucky you are. Berwick has given us all the preparation we need to launch ourselves in any direction we want to go. Don’t be afraid to try things like computer science if you don’t even know how to use Facebook. In the end, everything will be fine if you just keep looking.

BRETT STARR ’19 Baccalaureate Speaker

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

Tonight, I’m going to choose one class, one book, one friend to keep forever and some memories to treasure. I’m going to write these down.

Join me.

I’m going to reserve 15 minutes a day for silly song lyrics, diary entries, memories, poems, reflections, rants, reminders or really anything else I want to write in my diary. I’ll continue this until forever.

Join me.

Finally, right now elders are guiding me through this easy, well-worn path. Soon I will, boldly but carefully, poke a hole in this bubble and crawl out. I will step outside and – onto everyone I meet and everywhere I go, onto my friends, family, community and country, onto this precious, massive and miniscule world – I will leave my print.

I know you will join me in this, too.

MAHESH AGARWAL ’19 Commencement Speaker

While I’d be a fool not to worry about institutional censorship at Berwick, my concerns are invariably allayed, since I’m not only allowed but encouraged to raise them with the administration. And, when I say administration, I am, of course, talking about living, breathing, thinking, feeling people, and not some great supine protoplasmic invertebrate jelly. In fact, when I recently brought a concern to Mr. Smith’s attention, he welcomed me into his office with open arms, eager to talk candidly about it with me and my peers. And when our time ran out, we were invited back to his office the very next day. While we may not end up agreeing on everything — and nor should we — that we could even have that dialogue in the first place is a testament to the kind of community Berwick has worked so hard to become. That I am permitted (and indeed, encouraged) to deliver this speech before you all is further evidence still. Even as I speak, though, I am painfully aware that this is a privilege, the fruit of untold struggles by untold generations. Just look around and marvel at what a wonderful inheritance we enjoy. That I have been able to call this place my home for the last eight years is something for which I am intensely grateful.”

ZACH GREENSPAN ’19 Baccalaureate Speaker

Secily ’19 and Kellie Varano ’89, business office associate, pose for a photo after Secily receives her diploma. Mom, Kellie, received a surprise earlier in the ceremony when she received the Jimmy Dean Good School Person Award for 2019.

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2019 C OMME N C EMEN T “We were fortunate enough to have spent time at Berwick, more specifically to have spent time around the incredible teachers, staff, and students that Berwick brings together. It was all these people who created an environment that allowed us the space to contemplate who and what we wanted to be, transcendent of the data that inevitably permeated our lives. I am reminded of a word, terroir, which is literally French for land, but in the wine and specialty food industries it is understood to mean that special environmental something that gives the grapes or other produce its unique flavor. The idea being that if you were to try to grow Vidalia onions in California rather than Georgia, the onions would lose the unique flavor that makes Vidalia onions, well, Vidalia onions. I mention this because I think Berwick has a lot of terroir, and that special something that Berwick has is that space that is comfortable, inviting, and supportive enough for us to decide who we want to be, for us to explore our interests, for us to be ourselves.”

ABIGAIL CASE ’19 Class of 2019 Cogswell Award Recipient

Emily Allen ’19, Douglas Darrah Hollis Memorial Award Recipient

Abby Hazen ’19 poses with aunt and uncle (and Berwick faculty) Polly and Jon Davie after receiving her diploma from the pair.

To read the complete versions of the 2019 Baccalaureate and Commencement speeches and view the photo gallery, please visit berwickacademy.org/page/commencement

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

2019 Baccalaureate and Commencement Awards

Honor Awards The Honor Awards are made annually to students who are outstanding in specific fields of academic endeavor.

PERKINS PRIZE Chloe Fabbricatore

CLASS OF 1915 AWARD Benjamin Di Camillo

The Perkins Prize was created in the memory of Thomas Allen Perkins and is awarded annually to the junior or senior who is a resident of the state of Maine and has attended Berwick Academy for at least two years and attained the highest rank in English and history.

The Class of 1915 Award is provided by an anonymous donor who established a fund from which an annual $100 award is to be given. The recipient is to be selected by the Head of School, Chair of the English Department, and Chair of the Mathematics Department. The award is given to “an academically and financially deserving student.”

Non-Senior Honors and Awards JANE ANDRES POETRY PRIZE

COGSWELL AWARD

Finn Halstead, Class of 2020

Zachary Boston, Class of 2020 Hannah Van Zandt-Rollins, Class of 2021 Lily Mansfield, Class of 2022

TIMOTHY KELLIHER PRIZE Biology: Nickolas Bradbury Computer Science: Douglas Moore Dance: Quinn Houlahan English: Shruthi Sundar French: Chloë Hauville History: Mahesh Agarwal Latin: Olivia Beauchesne Mandarin: Aude Hoge Mathematics: Sam Faasen Music: Evan Ney Physics: Nikhil Agarwal Spanish: Brett Starr Visual Art: Alexandra Simmons

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Eiley Mulkern, Class of 2020

BROWN UNIVERSITY AWARD Gavin Smith, Class of 2020

HARVARD BOOK PRIZE Eiley Mulkern, Class of 2020

JOHN HOPKINS BOOK AWARD Theodore Yassa, Class of 2020

RENSSELAER MATH & SCIENCE AWARD Nathan Nigrin, Class of 2020

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE AWARD Grant Dashti-Gibson, Class of 2020

YALE BOOK AWARD Ryan Trotzky, Class of 2020

CHEMISTRY AWARD Theodore Yassa, Class of 2020

BLUE AND WHITE AWARD Henry O’Shaughnessy, Class of 2020 Hope Robb, Class of 2020

2019 C OMME N C EMEN T

DOUGLAS DARRAH HOLLIS MEMORIAL AWARD Emily Allen

MARIE DONAHUE AWARDS Eliana Fleischer Brett Starr

The Douglas Darrah Hollis Memorial Award was established through a gift of $1,000 by this deceased student’s father to honor that senior who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the dramatic arts during his or her career at Berwick Academy.

Named for an alumna of the Class of 1937 and later a teacher at Berwick, the Marie Donahue Awards recognize outstanding seniors for exceptional commitment and contribution to Berwick.

THE HILLTOP AWARDS Sophie Beauchesne Maria Gaughan Theodore Smith Selected by the Athletic Director and the Head of School with nominations from the coaches, this award recognizes a male and female senior for their athletic ability and achievements on the Hilltop.

PARSON THOMPSON AWARD McKayla Leary HEAD OF SCHOOL AWARDS Abigail Wool Mahesh Agarwal Selected by the Head of School from nominations submitted by the faculty, the Head of School Awards are given annually to a male and a female member of the senior class who best typify the ideals and spirit of Berwick Academy.

This award recognizes a male or female senior who has been involved in charitable work or community service beyond the Hilltop.

COGSWELL CLASS OF 2019 Abigail Case The Cogswell Award is given to the top scholar in the graduating class each year.

Middle School Baccalaureate Honors and Awards RESILIENCE AWARD

CLEMENT AWARD

Shea Feeley, Class of 2023

These awards were established to recognize citizenship, contributions to the school and fellow students, and academic excellence.

WILLIAM LAMBERT COGSWELL BOOK PRIZES The William Lambert Cogswell Book Prizes are presented each year to the top ranking scholars in the underclass levels.

Rekha Mahadevan, Class of 2023 Ryan McLaughlin, Class of 2024 Maya Learner, Class of 2025 Sienna Buensuceso, Class of 2026

Bella Gorman and Riya Ramdev, Class of 2023 Gavin Schlosser and Nate Weinstein, Class of 2024 Mike Mansfield and Lilliana St. Pierre, Class of 2025 Imogen Williams and Vienne Schlosser, Class of 2026

MIDDLE SCHOOL HILLTOP AWARDS Selected by the Athletic Director and the Head of School with nominations from the coaches, this award recognizes a male and female eighth grader for their athletic ability and achievements on the Hilltop.

Ian Kula, Class of 2023 Cameron Hamilton, Class of 2023

8TH GRADE ETHICS AWARD Jack Farrington, Class of 2023

TODAY

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

Class of 2019 College Acceptances Thus far, the Class of 2019 has earned 378 acceptances to 177 colleges and universities in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and England. *Indicates where graduates plan to attend.

Albany College of Pharmacy American University (3) Arizona State University Assumption College* Babson College* Bates College* Becker College Bentley University (4)* Boston College (4) * Brandeis University (3) Brown University (2)* Bucknell University Butler University California Poly–San Luis Obispo California State Univ.– Long Beach

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California State Univ.– Monterey Bay Carnegie Mellon University (2)* Champlain College (2)* Clark University* Clarkson University (2) Coastal Carolina University Colby College Colby-Sawyer College (2) Colgate University College of Charleston (8)* College of New Jersey Colorado State University Columbia College Chicago Columbia University* Connecticut College (2) Dartmouth College

DePaul University Dickinson College (3)* Drexel University (5) Duquesne University Durham University* Eckerd College Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Emerson College (2) Emmanuel College (9) Emory University Endicott College (5) Eugene Lang College Fairfield University (2)* Falmouth University Flagler College Florida Inst. of Technology Fordham University (4) Franklin & Marshall George Mason University (3) George Washington University (3)* Georgetown University

Gettysburg College Gordon College* Haverford College Hawaii Pacific University* High Point University (2)* Hobart William Smith (8)* Husson University (2) Ithaca College (6)* James Madison University Johnson & Wales Keene State College Kenyon College King’s College Lafayette College (2)* Lake Forest College (2) Lasell College Lawrence University* Lehigh University Lipscomb University Loyola Chicago Loyola Maryland (4) Loyola Marymount (2) Loyola New Orleans (2) Lynchburg College Lynn University

2019 C OMME N C EMEN T

Maine College of Art Maine Maritime Academy* Marist College (2) Massachusetts College of Art & Design Mass. Col of Pharmacy/ Health Sciences* Merrimack College (2) Montana State University* Mount Holyoke College* New Jersey Inst. of Technology North Carolina State University* Northeastern University (6)* Norwich University Nova Southeastern Pennsylvania State University (3)* Plymouth State University (2) Pomona College Purdue University Queen’s University Quinnipiac University (6)* Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. (2)* Rhodes College Roanoke College Rochester Inst. of Technology (2) Roger Williams University (3) Rollins College Sacred Heart University (4) Salve Regina University (5)*

Sewanee: Univ. of the South Simmons University (3)* Skidmore College (2)* Smith College Southern Maine Community College Southern New Hampshire University St. Anselm College St. John’s University (3) St. Joseph’s College St. Lawrence University (4)* St. Michael’s College (5) St. Olaf College Stetson University Stonehill College (2)* Suffolk University Syracuse University (6)* Temple University Trinity College CT (3)* Trinity College Dublin Tufts University (2)* Tulane University (2)* Union College (2)* United States Air Force Academy

United States Military Academy Univ. of Aberdeen Univ. of Alabama Univ. of the Arts London* Univ. of British Columbia Univ. of California – Santa Barbara Univ. of California – Santa Cruz (2) Univ. of Chicago* Univ. of Colorado – Boulder (4)* Univ. of Connecticut (2) Univ. of Delaware (2) Univ. of Denver (6)* Univ. of Edinburgh (4) Univ. of Glasgow Univ. of Hawaii – Manoa Univ. of Maine – Farmington Univ. of Maine – Orono (17)* Univ. of Massachusetts – Amherst (4) Univ. of Massachusetts – Lowell Univ. of Miami* Univ. of Minnesota – Twin Cities

Univ. of Montana Univ. of New England (4)* Univ. of New Hampshire (18)* Univ. of Notre Dame* Univ. of Pittsburgh (6)* Univ. of Portland* Univ. of Rhode Island (2)* Univ. of Richmond (2)* Univ. of Rochester (2) Univ. of San Francisco (3) Univ. of Southern Maine Univ. of St. Andrews* Univ. of Tampa (3)* Univ. of Vermont (11)* Univ. of Washington* Villanova University Virginia Tech* Wellesley College (2) Wentworth Inst. of Technology (2) West Virginia University Western Washington University Wheaton College Willamette University Williams College Wingate University* Worcester Polytechnic Inst. (6)* Xavier University Yale University*

TODAY

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

BERW

After heading into New Year’s break at 6-7-1, the Bulldogs hit a rough patch in January before finding their form again down the home stretch.

Despite having one of the youngest teams in the league, the boys played with heart. Junior forward Tyler Gaulin led the team in points and earned team MVP honors, while senior captain Cole Hernon took home the Coaches Award.

With only two seniors graduating, look for the Bulldogs to contend for a NEPSAC spot in 2019-20

BOYS VARSITY HOCKEY

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The Girls Varsity Hockey team finished with an overall record of 20-8-3. The team’s 20 wins placed Berwick within the top four for most wins in NEPSAC and first in D2.

Undefeated in EIL play, Berwick outscored its opponents, 42-3, in seven games. With a decisive 5-1 victory over Pingree, the Bulldogs were crowned EIL Champions. Berwick earned an invitation to the New England Prep School Tournament for the third time in program history, but fell to fourth-seeded Worcester Academy in the quarterfinals. In addition to the team’s success, multiple Bulldogs were recognized for their individual contributions throughout the season. Named to the EIL first team were Brittany Foster ’20, Sydney Foster ’20, and Maria Gaughan ’19. EIL honorable mentions included Delaney Kingsland ’20 and Charlotte Wensley ’23. Brittany Foster was also named to the First Team All NEPSAC as well as the All Maine Prep Team. Joining Brittany on the All Maine Prep Team were Sydney Foster ’20, Tiffany Foster ’20, and Sophie Beauchesne ’19. Head coach Kelly Souza was named EIL Coach of the Year, an incredible, well-deserved honor

GIRLS VARSITY HOCKEY

WIN TER HIGHLIG HTS | ATH LETI C S

I CK ATHLETICS With a 5-0 start, the Girls Varsity Basketball team came out of the gate on a roll. The Bulldogs won the Landmark Tournament with a young roster, and stepped up big against some of the top teams in NEPSAC. At the end of the season, Berwick missed the EIL tournament but finished the season with some strong play that will carry over to next season. Daisy Aromando ’19 was named a NEPSAC All-Star for the second straight season and was the team’s leading scorer, while Clare Cole ’21 earned a spot on the EIL All-League team.

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL The 2018-19 squad finished the regular season at 12-11 and advanced to the NEPSAC Tournament as the No. 8 seed.

After keeping solid pace with the top seed, the Bulldogs were edged out by eventual Class C champions Hyde School. Despite nagging injuries throughout the season for Pedro Bonilla ’19 and Nikko DePatsy ’19, the seniors were able to have a successful season.

Captains Xahn Frater ’19 and Mike Michaud ’21 led the way, as the Bulldogs reached the postseason for the third year in a row. This team showed an incredible amount of growth and character throughout the season.

The Berwick Varsity Swim team was led by captains Eli Fleischer ’19 and Alex Bouvier ’19.

Both the girls and boys teams had successful seasons, featuring many best times and first-place finishes. At the EIL championships, Fleischer and Finn Halstead ’20 were selected as the EIL Swimmer of the Meet by league coaches. The boys team won the EIL meet, while the girls placed third.

SWIMMING

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS Sportsmanship was the theme for a young girls tennis team in 2019. The team’s Coaches Award recipient was sophomore Megan Case. Case won the most games and sets this season and was often the final player standing during team matches. Sophomore Alayna Morena received the MVP award. A determined and hard-working athlete, Morena earned respect from her teammates and opponents this season. With only two years of experience in the sport, Morena showed immense improvement, using every match as a learning opportunity.

GIRLS VARSITY TENNIS

A 4-5 lark represented twice the number of wins earned the previous season by the Boys Varsity Tennis team. A couple of those losses were hard-fought, close matches, and Berwick nearly broke the .500 mark. With a strong crop of freshmen carrying weight in 2019, that goal is well within the team’s reach.

BOYS VARSITY TENNIS

A 9-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the EIL helped the Bulldogs qualify for the league tournament as the No. 3 seed. With solid and inspiring senior leadership, the team ended the season in third place after losing a tight game to Winsor in the EIL semifinals. Four Bulldogs were recognized as All-League players, including Rayne Zimmermann ’20, Abby Reed ’20, Tiffany Foster ’20, and Brittany Foster ’20. In addition, two players, Sydney Foster ’20 and Annabelle Beaton ’20, were recognized with honorable mentions. A huge thank you to senior captains Maria Gaughan and Sophie Beauchesne for their leadership and inspiration. Team MVP honors went to Gaughan, while Quinn Houlahan ’19 earned the Coaches Award

GIRLS VARSITY LACROSSE

This year’s Boys Varsity Lacrosse team featured only one senior in Ben Joslin. Seven returning players combined with 15 new to varsity at key positions. The team’s mantra was improvement and heightened lacrosse IQ. Offensively, the Bulldogs worked on quicker passing while on the run and, defensively, aspired to better team communication and coordinated movement.

Despite a record of 5-8, the team finished third in the EIL.

BOYS VARSITY LACROSSE

After starting the season at 1-3, and after losing some impact players for the season due to injuries, the Varsity Baseball team was able to regroup, make adjustments, and begin practicing with a purpose. With this kind of approach, the Bulldogs were able to win eight of the next nine games to become tri-champions of the EIL. As a result, the team earned a bid to the Small School New England Tournament. The program had some key victories over St. Paul’s, New Hampton, and Portsmouth Abbey. Junior third baseman John Luchsinger, junior shortstop Brady Desjardins, and sophomore centerfield Spence Aubin earned EIL honors, while senior catcher Cole Hernon and pitcher Gianni Ridolfi ’20 were recognized as honorable mention picks.

VARSITY BASEBALL

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SPR IN G HIGHLIG HTS | ATH LETI C S

Eric DeGregorio ’19

ERIC DEGREGORIO ’19 has committed to Fairfield University to study mechanical engineering and row with the varsity crew program. Eric was a hockey player for much of his life, before discovering rowing when he transferred to Berwick Academy as a sophomore.

The Varsity Softball team surprised many opponents in 2019. Every player hit above the magic .300 batting average, with eight of them hitting at or above .400. Berwick scored 89 runs in 10 games played. The team battled hard against each EIL opponent and had one-run games against both Bancroft and Winsor, teams that finished within the top four in the EIL. The players exceeded expectations this season, with two receiving league recognition for their hard work. Senior catcher Andrea Caradonna was recognized as an EIL All-Star and pitcher Lindsay Bennett ’24 earned an EIL honorable mention.

VARSITY SOFTBALL

The 2019 Berwick Academy Crew team completed its second full season as a provisional member of the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA), and looks forward to full membership in 2020. While the crew did not qualify for any of the NEIRA Championships this year, it did have a full and robust season of competitive rowing against many of the top crews in the league. The highlight of the season was the Worcester Academy regatta in Worcester, Mass., at the end of April when all seven varsity boats earned first-place finishes. Crew is an activity that requires selfless sacrifice, thus it is impossible to single out any one individual for exemplary achievement during the season. We would like to thank the seniors for their hard work, good example, and leadership.

CREW

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

ARTS UPDATE

Sophia Estes ’20 as the witch in the Upper School Musical, Into the Woods, presented February 22 & 23, 2019.

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A RTS

IN DREAMS AND VOICES

B

erwick Academy dancers worked throughout the second and third trimesters developing choreography for the culminating performances of In Dreams and the Company performance of Voices, held at Noble High School’s Hussey Theater on May 17 and 18.

The K-12 performance of In Dreams highlighted all of the dance classes, exploring the art of dreaming, and included a dance retelling of Lion King. The Company performance of Voices featured the choreographic artistry of Berwick dance students and included guests from throughout the Seacoast dance community.

SENIOR STUDIO ART EXHIBITION

B

erwick’s Senior Studio artists filled the walls of the Jackson Gallery with an exhibition as dynamic and vital as their senior pinnacle class has been. Pinnacle classes ask students to dig deeper and grapple with real-world questions in their learning. Senior artists in this class work and learn as artists do; they investigate visual topics deeply and collaborate on design projects that impact the community. These student artists not only made their own body of work, but they created the installation piece “The Alley of Empowerment,” which uses repurposed wood, newspapers, vinyl records, and paint to promote body image acceptance and female empowerment through positive messaging. In a collaboration with Historic New England and the community of South Berwick, students engaged in the Make History project at the Sarah Orne Jewett House, where they explored the work and life of the author through her writing and the material objects of the museum and created art in response to their investigation. Lastly, these seniors finished their year with a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit (pictured right), which kicked off their final projects in the class.

HAYSTACK STUDENT CRAFT INSTITUTE

E

mily Christie ’20 was chosen this year to attend Haystack’s Student Craft Institute for Maine’s top art students for a long weekend of studio workshops in May. Emily worked in the ceramic studio with artist Israel Davis from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Elle Bailey ’21 attended the Savannah College of Art and Design this summer on a full merit scholarship. Elle studied animation, drawing, and game design. The program aligned with her recent Innovation Pursuit, for which she studied animation and various art electives. The drawing to the right is a self portrait created as part of her IP. TODAY

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TINY HOUSE PROJECT

O

ver the course of the year, Berwick’s eighth grade artists learn the design process; identify the problem, brainstorm solutions, research feasibility, plan via technical drawing, build a prototype, test prototype, refine the design, repeat as necessary. This learning culminates in an architecture unit that spans the entire third trimester and is beautifully interdisciplinary in nature. The Tiny House Project asks students to design a house for at least two people that cannot exceed 400 square feet that includes a checklist of 20 must-have features. They start by picking a region of their choice and researching the climate. Elements such as snowfall, tropical floods, and the average temperature range all need to be taken into account as they begin to adjust their designs. Next, students are asked to evaluate how their designs would negatively impact the environment, to quantify that impact, propose a solution to lessen that impact, study its feasibility, and edit the design. With all the plans made, students set about building a scaled three-dimensional model of their tiny house.

Finally, students write an artist’s statement of innovation to persuade a potential buyer that their design is worth an investment. Every year, the tiny houses get more creative and more impressive. At the project’s conclusion, we invite a panel of judges to determine the winners of the Tiny House Design Contest. The winners walk away with a bag of candy, bonus points, a place in the Tiny House Hall of Fame, and an invitation to be a judge the following year. This year’s winners include the first-ever model to include battery-operated lights, a house with a roof that lifts for ventilation via pulley system, and a house that features a two-story water slide. At a recent graduation party, a member of the Class of 2019 reflected that this was one of the most impactful art projects he did at Berwick. Over the course of the project, students are asked to use skills in art, spatial awareness and reasoning, science, math, research, economics, engineering, geography, and writing.

In Dreams dance performance, May 17, 2019.

KINDERGARTEN FAMILY PORTRAITS

F

or this project, students learned that there are many different ways to be a family, and many different people can be part of a family.

We learned about the proportions of the body and using different shapes to create people. We also learned how to mix our own skin tones with tempera paint, how to use and care for a brush, and how beautiful and distinct skin tone can be.

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A RTS Spring Ensemble Concerts

TRI-M NATIONAL MUSIC HONOR SOCIETY

T

h e Tri-M National Music Honor Society induction was held on May 29, during the Visual and Performing Arts recognition evening.

Chapter advisor Ms. Sanders invited the following musicians to be inducted into the Berwick Academy chapter of the society: SENIORS: Declan Bristol, Benj Di Camillo, Sam Faasen, Xahn Frater, and Ben Joslin JUNIOR: Wanyu Wu

YORK COUNTY JUNIOR HIGH HONORS MUSIC FESTIVAL

E

ight Berwick musicians from Advanced Band and Chorus in grades seven and eight were selected to participate in the York County Junior High Honors Music Festival.

The event was held February 1-2, 2019, at York High School in York, Maine.

Participants are nominated by the band and chorus directors from the middle schools in York County and one from Cumberland County. Overall, the festival featured 230 musicians from 12 schools participating in the two-day festival.

Participants from Berwick Academy included Chorus members Ophelia Bentley ’23, Chloe Forest ’23, and Hannah Nahas ’24 and Advanced Band members Taylor Anderton ’24 and Ryan Houlahan ’23 (alto saxophone), Gus Onken ’24 (trombone), William Shipley ’23 (tuba) and Samantha Wimsett ’23 (flute). Mrs. Rich and Ms. Sanders accompanied the student musicians. The festival allows young musicians an opportunity to participate in a large ensemble conducted by a guest artist. The two days culminate with a concert by both the band and the chorus.

SOPHOMORES: Breckyn Ginchereau, Aowen Guan, Sarah Lummus, Owen Richardson and Sydney Tullai Receiving their lifetime membership pins were: Emily Allen, Elijah D’Aran, Declan Bristol, Benj Di Camillo, Sam Faasen, Xahn Frater, Abbey Hazen, Ben Joslin, Ian Miller, Evan Ney, Sarah Nunley, Evan O’Connor, Robin Orr and Brett Starr. Receiving the Tri-M Senior Service Medallion for four-year enrollment and contributions to the yearlong ensembles were: Elijah D’Aran and Abbey Hazen, Chamber Chorus; and Ian Miller, Evan Ney, Evan O’Connor and Brett Starr, Symphonic Band. Sam Faasen was recognized with the National Choral Award, presented by Mr. Hurd.

In March, the entire Lower School performed a production titled “An Eagle’s Eye View of Sustainable Living.” The fourth grade wrote, produced, and directed the entire show, which was a culmination of what PK-4 students have learned about sustainability this year, using the project approach to teaching and learning. The beautiful and colorful set for the show was sourced and created sustainably by students. The project approach fosters engagement and joy in learning through student choice and active participation.

TODAY

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

Stepping Out “I love Irish dancing because it is a sport that balances athleticism, extreme focus, and concentration.”

— Ava Rahn ’24

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A RTS

B

erwick Academy is home to five students who are also dancers in the Murray Academy of Irish Dance program. They include Eiley Mulkern ’20, Ava Rahn ’24, Carey Power ’24, Hagan Power ’26, and Sela Shanelaris ’26. Eiley’s sister, Madeline ’18, a student at American University, remains a competitive Irish dancer.

Murray Academy was founded in 2005, bringing Irish step dancing to the Seacoast of New Hampshire. All five Berwick dancers do both solo and team dancing throughout the year. When dancing in teams, know as Ceilis (pronounced “Kay-Lees”) they dance in groups

EILEY MULKERN ’20 Eiley has been Irish dancing for eight years. As an Open champion, she qualified for the North American Nationals in Vancouver. Eiley previously has been to the World Championships twice each as a solo dancer and a team dancer. What Eiley likes most about Irish dance is the friends she has made through the sport and the travel to the regional, national, and world championships she has been privileged to attend. Dance has so far taken her to Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina. Balancing the absences from school for travel, her academics, and practicing up to 10 hours per week has been the most challenging, along with double practices for lacrosse and hockey at Berwick.

CAREY POWER ’24 and HAGAN POWER ’26 Carey and Hagan Power took their first Irish dance class when they were five and three years old, respectively. They began competing four years later. Both have earned Open Championship titles.

In addition to regional competitions, Carey has competed at the New England Regionals for the past five years. At the most recent New England Regional, Carey placed 11th in New England and qualified to compete at the World Irish Dance Championship in April 2019 in Greensboro, N.C. There she danced in a solo competition and on an eight-person team, which placed 17th in the world. Carey also qualified to compete

of four or eight at the Open Championship level, the highest level of Irish dance. Open Championship dancers are eligible to compete at the North American Irish Dance Nationals. The five Berwick students were scheduled to compete at Nationals in Vancouver, B.C., from July 1 to 5. Each will also have the opportunity to qualify for the 50th Irish Dance World Championships in Dublin, Ireland, in 2020. The other opportunity for dancers to qualify for Worlds without leaving the country takes place in November at the New England Region Oireachtas.

at the 2018 World Irish Dance Championship in Glasgow, Scotland, and at the 2019 National Irish Dance Championship in Vancouver.

Hagan has competed at the New England Regionals three times.

Vancouver represents her first trip to Nationals. At Berwick, the Power sisters play soccer.

AVA RAHN ’24 Ava started Irish dancing in first grade, after participating in an Intro to Irish Dance Camp. She says she was hooked from day one. Ava has attended four Oireachtas, one Nationals, two All Irelands, and one Worlds. In her first Oireachtas, in 2015, she finished seventh in a field of more than 100 dancers.

At Nationals in 2018, Ava earned 17th place, qualifying for Worlds 2019, where her team also finished 17th in the under16 age group.

In addition to Irish dance, Ava has been involved in the Berwick boat building project and played Middle School hockey and recreational softball.

“I love Irish dancing because it is a sport that balances athleticism and extreme focus and concentration,” Ava says. “I can set personal goals for myself and enjoy working to achieve them.”

SELA SHANELARIS ’26 Sela has been dancing for four years.

Vancouver represents her first appearance at Nationals. Sela loves dancing because it provides her with a constant chance to challenge herself and improve her skills. She enjoys competing and also the friendships she has made in the process.

At Berwick, Sela plays soccer and tennis. She practices Irish dancing at least six days per week.

TODAY

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

Adventures in Joshua Tree

by Ari Jones ’25

W

hen I traveled to Joshua Tree National Park, it gave me a whole new perspective on life. It made me realize how little we actually need to survive and be happy.

In Joshua Tree, we climbed, hiked, cleaned up trash, and helped cook our meals. Some of the nights were a challenge, since we hadn’t expected the weather, particularly the wind, but most were really enjoyable because of the people I was with.

Before the trip, I was nervous about all sorts of things – our long flight, sleeping in tents, smelly

42 | SUMMER 2019

bathrooms.

In my tent, we told ghost stories, stayed up late talking to each other, ate s’mores, and played the kazoo.

What surprised me most in Joshua Tree was the sky – we could see almost 180 degrees and it was incredible. It reminded me of a different oil painting every single day, whether it was blue and purple at sunrise or pink and orange at sunset, the sky always seemed to have something new for us.

The second day at camp we went rock climbing. I was nervous because I’ve always been afraid of heights. By the end of the week, I was completing rock walls and laughing and smiling like I had been doing it all my life. We all got lessons at the beginning of the week on how to belay and “shmear.” It’s fair to say that the trip helped shape us as people a bit more, because of the need to problem-solve differently. An obstacle many of us experienced in Joshua Tree was not having any footholds and being stuck in a precarious place on a rock wall 15 feet up. That’s not something I had ever experienced.

Trying new things helped us because we had to make quick decisions, make smart choices about how much our bodies could take, and learn to take care of ourselves, (i.e. how much water we should drink, what kinds of foods were good and bad), and we made some great memories along the way. Overall, Joshua Tree was a fantastic trip and I’m so happy I got to go with such an amazing group. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my March break.

SPEC IA L I N TER ES TS

Service and Cultural Immersion in Thailand

by Raegan Russell, Visual Art Department Chair

O

ver March Break, Department of Languages and Cultures Chair Adelle Tibbetts and Raegan Russell, Visual Art Department chair, took eight students to Chiang Mai, Thailand, for a service project and cultural immersion experience.

Students worked for several hours each day at their service site, followed by cultural experiences, including visiting an elephant sanctuary, taking a Thai cooking class, and exploring local temples. According to the faculty chaperones, the students were great travelers, who leaned into the service work at the Wildflower Home, a center for single mothers in crisis that offers long-term support for them and their children.

Students took turns working outside, moving mountains of soil to a new garden spot in a banana grove, and teaching English and music to Thai children.

“I was impressed with the real and deep connections our students made with the children and people at the Wildflower Home,” said Russell. “Each one of them stretched out of his or her comfort zone and contributed in countless ways.”

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Grandparents and Special Friends Day 2019 I

n May, more than 400 grandparents and special friends visited campus to spend the day with Berwick students. Guests were treated to several musical performances, spanning all divisions.

During the breakfast, Jim Hamilton gave a humorous and heartwarming speech for his first Grandparents and Special Friends Day as Head of School.

Grandparents and special friends then made their way to classrooms, where they had a chance to experience a morning in the life of the students.

The day concluded with a luncheon for all attendees.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day is one of the most anticipated days of the school year.

It is just a small way to say thank you for the many ways grandparents and special friends support Berwick students and the school community.

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TODAY

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H I L LTO P HA P P ENINGS

Meet Our New Faculty and Staff

Danny Arsenault, Upper School Math Danny joins the team at Berwick as a member of the Upper School faculty and the Math Department. He brings great versatility as he is capable of teaching at all levels of math currently offered at Berwick. Additionally, Danny has a great computer science background, which will serve our students well as that aspect of the program continues to grow. Danny holds his B.A. in mathematics from Eastern Connecticut State University.

He has taught at both the University of New Hampshire and at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. Danny is an accomplished guitarist and music teacher, and he will help lead our Upper School robotics team.

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Sarah Anderson, Upper School English Sarah comes to Berwick with teaching experience at Phillips Exeter, Marshwood, Brewster, and Tilton, among other schools. A poet herself, Sarah is also the founder of the Word Barn in Exeter, a space for writing workshops and live music events. Sarah earned her B.A. from Skidmore College and her M.F.A. in writing from Warren Wilson. She will join the Upper School faculty on a part-time basis, teaching three classes. Additionally, Sarah will cover the Outreach Club when Jen Onken heads off for her sabbatical in January.

Bob Callahan, Assistant Director of Admission for Outreach For the past eight years, Bob has served as the assistant director of athletics for football operations at UNH. In this role, he directed all aspects of the recruiting process, including social media and digital marketing outreach.

He also managed the team’s budget, fundraising, scheduling, and off-season camps, which included in-depth work with middle- and high-school-aged students and their families. Prior to UNH, Bob was an assistant recruiting coordinator at Boston College, where he also acted as the admission liaison for the football team. Bob has a B.S. in environmental conservation affairs and an M.S. in kinesiology, both from UNH.

N EW FAC ES 2 019– 2020

Alan Carp, Upper School Physics Al brings tremendous physics and math experience to the Upper School. He’s a very accomplished teacher; Al has taught at Kennebunk High School and, most recently, at Portsmouth High School. Prior to becoming a teacher, Al had a successful career as an electrical engineer, and he will bring that real-world experience to the classroom as he teaches ninth grade Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Pinnacle Physics, and the capstone course for our STEAM Pathway, Humanitarian Design. In addition, he will serve as an Upper School advisor and lead our Upper School robotics team. Al impressed us all with his projectbased ideas for teaching physics and his palpable commitment to working with kids.

Lauren Duwel, Upper School Spanish L a u r e n ’s p a s s i o n , c r e a t i v i t y, a n d engagement came across loud and clear during the interview process, and we are fortunate to have her joining our Languages and Cultures Department. Lauren has great experience teaching Spanish at Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey, where she served on the faculty since 2011. Prior to that, she taught at Rodeph Sholom School in New York City and she also taught elementary school Spanish in Colorado. Despite the Mid-Atlantic and Rocky Mountains on her résumé, Lauren also has ties to New England, including work experience in Manchester, family in Wolfeboro, and an M.A. from Middlebury College. She earned her B.A. from Ithaca College. Lauren is a versatile educator, who impressed us with her impeccable Spanish. She will teach both Upper School Spanish as well as fifth grade Spanish. Additionally, Lauren has an extensive coaching background, and she will be a helpful addition to the swim team coaching staff.

Stephen Hawthorne, Middle School Academic Support Coordinator Steve will be joining us as Berwick’s new Middle School academic support coordinator.

Steve comes to us from Innovation Academy Charter School in Tyngsboro, Mass., where he served as student services coordinator.

Prior to that, he worked for a number of years as a learning center teacher in the Newton, Mass., public school district. Steve holds a B.A. and an M.Ed. in elementary and special education from Boston College. Everyone who met Steve during his campus interview enjoyed his combination of strong experience working in the academic support world and a warm personality and sense of humor that promise to make him an approachable and friendly presence for our Middle School students. Beyond his academic support role, Steve will work as an advisor and will bring extensive theater experience to our production teams.

Eleanor Murphy, Middle School Latin With degrees from Mount Holyoke C o l l e g e a n d Tu f t s University, Ellie joins us in the Middle School, where she will teach Latin and serve as an advisor and coach. Ellie comes to Berwick from Dexter-Southfield School in Brookline, Mass., where she taught middle school Latin and also served as a dean of students, helping to lead efforts with student government, advisory, off-campus trips, and school events. In addition, Ellie will serve as a Middle School advisor, coach volleyball and girls basketball, and will also teach a trimester of Latin to our fourth graders. We’re excited to have an enthusiastic professional such as Ellie joining our Middle School team.

Emily Quirk, Upper School English Emily is a terrific educator, who comes to Berwick having taught at Match Charter School in Boston. Her references there speak to her deep commitment to her students and her infectious energy on campus. Emily graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in English and a minor in history and completed her M.Ed. in 2019 at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She also brings great experience as a distance runner, and has mentored a small group of high school students in their training for the Providence Marathon. In addition to teaching ninth and tenth grade English, Emily will coach girls cross country and work in Hancock House as one of the dorm parents.

Eloise Willemsen, Middle School and Lower School A familiar face in the Middle School, Eloise Willemsen will join us next year as a parttime faculty member of the Middle and Lower Schools. Eloise spent this past year in Berwick’s teaching apprentice program, completing her M.Ed. through Lesley University. Eloise worked with some tremendous Berwick educators throughout the year, including Ali Vandenburgh, Molly McKay, and Christie Barnes. Eloise earned her B.A. at Whitman College, and her experiences and interests are impressive (from humanities to environmental sustainability to Mandarin to service work.) Her versatility allows her to teach a combination of eighth grade English, seventh grade math, and Lower School science. Additionally, Eloise will work as a Middle School advisor and will coach winter fitness and recreational tennis.

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Thank You to Our Departing Faculty and Staff

B

erwick Academy is thankful to the following departing faculty and staff members, who have brought their passion for education and commitment to our students to classrooms and community. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Tracey Boucher, Director of Strategic Communications Polly Davie, US English Sarah Gurry, Admissions Henry Haig, US Science Evan Kendall, US Math

Tim Platt, MS Latin, Archives Jaye Singleton, MS Director Ramon Tejada, US Spanish Kate Thomas, Second Grade Kayt Tommasino, US English and French

Comments about departing faculty member Polly Davie Delivered by Jen Onken, Upper School English Teacher, Class of 2019 Commencement

F

IND THE GOOD AND PRAISE IT. This mantra has been Polly Davie’s for the past 42 years. How many students have been buoyed by her boundless energy in a classroom, so much so that she teaches herself right out of her shoes? Her shouts of “Oh, babies” thunder down hallways when she’s exploding with enthusiasm for her students’ work.

A lifelong English teacher, Polly’s ragged, dog-eared copies of Romeo and Juliet and Catcher in the Rye could be archived in a Great Moments in Literature museum. As an advisor, Polly is a troubleshooter and relishes helping young people become their best with the patience and love of a minister. To use a student’s words: “[Polly Davie] is one of the most loving, caring, and genuine women I have ever met, and I’m so proud of her for never losing that spirit.”

Polly Davie, 28 Years

Thank you for the countless hours, measured in love you have given BA. Our mantra this year on the Hilltop has been “leave your print.” Mrs. Davie, your footsteps are everywhere.

We will honor your good deeds with student awards called “Pollies,” for your name is synonymous with all things good. You have left a legacy of goodness at Berwick and we will miss you everywhere. Congratulations.

Excerpts from Meg Martison’s speech at the end-of-year faculty dinner Dear Polly, • You’ve reminded all of us to pay attention. You brought current issues of free speech and equality to the forefront in assembly, in your classroom, and in the faculty room. You have shown us that we don’t have to shy away from the hard conversations or hide that about which we feel strongly. You stand up for girls and women at every turn.

• You’ve taught us that raw emotion, even when it sneaks up on you, shouldn’t be tamped down. When I ran into you with our first English candidate who was here for your job, you burst into tears.

This end, this hire, was real and in your face and you didn’t hide from it. In fact, you graciously met all 14 candidates with a smile and a kind word. As the search went on and on, you stayed curious

about the progress as did Jon, who kept asking me if we had found his replacement wife.

• And maybe best of all, Polly, you have been yourself. You are terrible at parking and most days your car is parked diagonally, pushing the boundaries of those frail, arbitrary white lines. You drink Kombucha like it’s going out of style, and somehow think that hot red Kool Aid is a delicious winter drink.

• Polly, you are lovable and loving. You are leaving a Polly-shaped hole of laughter, friendship, devotion, and humor. You are in our hearts, and we will try to honor you by giving as much to our students and each other as you have given to us.

Happy retirement, dear friend.

Comments about departing faculty member Tim Platt delivered by Ryan Feeley, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs at the faculty/staff end-of-year dinner

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im is a bit of a Berwick Renaissance man, who has filled more roles on this campus in his 19 years than I could ever hope to list here.

Tim has approached all areas of his work with the same level of care, concern, and professionalism. He’s done it all with incredible enthusiasm, even playing the role of John Hancock at Berwick’s 225th celebration.

Tim Platt, 19 Years

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Tim, for your incredible commitment to Berwick’s students, to your colleagues, and to the larger BA community over nearly two decades, for your quick wit, velvet voice, flexibility, and, of course, your grace on the middle school baseball diamond, we thank you, and we wish you the best in your next adventure.

N EW FAC ES 2 019– 2020

New Trustee Members Eric Katz ’84 is president of The Katz Group, a privately held real estate company headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H. After graduating from Berwick Academy in 1984, Eric went on to receive a degree in economics from Tufts University. He previously served on the Berwick Academy Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2017 and was honored as a Trustee Emeritus in 2018.

During Eric’s tenure on the Board, he made a significant impact on the Buildings and Grounds Committee, where he initiated marked campus improvements, solidified the school’s infrastructure, and elevated its curb appeal. Eric and his wife, Marla, have long been supporters of Berwick’s most pressing priorities.

Most notably, the Turf Field and Wellness Center Learning Lab are both named after Eric and Marla in gratitude for their support. Eric and Marla’s three children all attended Berwick Academy; Sydney ’11, Alex ’14, and Jordan ’14.

Arul Mahadevan, M.D. is medical director of the Radiation Oncology Department at the Seacoast Cancer Center at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, N.H. Dr. Mahadevan was born and raised in the Southern Indian city of Chennai.

He received his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Madras, India, in 1987 and earned his Master of Surgery in Orthopedics from the University of Mumbai, India, in 1991. After being awarded Fellowships of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Glasgow, U.K., Dr. Mahadevan moved to the United States to practice medicine. His interest in cancer care led him to complete his residency in radiation oncology at Northwestern

University, where he served as chief resident before joining the Cleveland Clinic in 2002. Since 2008 he has been practicing medicine at Wentworth Douglass Hospital.

Dr. Mahadevan has been involved in several community organizations, including serving as a member of the board of trustees at the Partners for World Health and vice chair of the Global Health Committee of the Massachusetts Medical Society, among others.

He and his wife, Meera, have two children at Berwick Academy, Ashwin ’20 and Rekha ’23. They live in Madbury, N.H. and have been residents of the Seacoast for almost 11 years and part of the Berwick community for six years.

Malcolm Smith returns to the board after a one-year hiatus. A direct descendant of Richard Smith, founder of Smithtown, N.Y., in 1655, Malcolm grew up on Long Island. He, along with his three sisters, attended Harbor Country Day School.

Following graduation from Fountain Valley School, where he co-captained the varsity tennis and ski teams, Malcolm enrolled at Emerson College.

Upon the loss of his mother in 1974, Malcolm began what was to become a successful advertising career in New York City. In the late 1980s, he and his wife, Leigh, moved to the Seacoast area, where they both had close relatives. Their daughter, Shelby ’08 attended school in North Hampton, N.H., before enrolling at Berwick. It was during this time that Malcolm forged relationships with two former heads of school, Hap Ridgway and Greg Schneider. Largely because of their efforts, Malcolm has given generously to numerous initiatives undertaken during their tenures.

Among them are the Turf Field, the Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House, the Middle School expansion, the Patricia Baldwin Whipple Arts Center renovation, and The Berwick Fund.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2019-2020 James Jalbert, President Paula Williamson-Reid, Vice President Barbara O’Connor, Treasurer James Lawson, Secretary

Talal Al-Shair Alice Bentley Stephen Boyle Lesli Friel Lisa Goulemas Jim Hamilton Eric Katz ’84 Kennett Kendall Jason Kroll

Arul Mahadevan Holly Malloy Clare O’Brien Karen Parker Feld Malcolm Smith, III Patrick Spearman Kristin Bailey* Catherine Powell ’80*

* = Ex-officio Member Board of Trustees

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SAVE THE DATE

BLUE & WHITE HOMECOMING SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 ALL CLASSES ENDING IN 4s AND 9s ARE CELEBRATING MILESTONE REUNIONS Middle and Upper School athletic events will take place throughout the day.

Check our website for game times and details. Go Bulldogs!

10 to 11 a.m.

10:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m.

11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

12 to 2 p.m.

2:15 to 3:15 p.m.

6 to 9 p.m.

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Lower School Field Day “Ten Years Out” Alumni Art Reception Featuring work of alumni from the last 10 years of graduating classes Campus Tour Dog Days Carnival Food Trucks Hospitality Tent – Bookstore & More!

Hilltop Luncheon – 45th and over reunion classes Campus Tour Portsmouth Alumni Cocktail Reception The Surf Room, Portsmouth, NH – All alumni classes welcome

Invitations will be sent out this summer.

THE HILLTOP LUNCHEON The Hilltop Luncheon, one of our signature events, is our traditional alumni banquet held over Blue & White Homecoming Weekend. The Luncheon celebrates the 45th reunion class and above, with a special recognition of the 50th reunion class. Here, we recognize alumni with the Lifetime Achievement award and the Alumni Loyalty and Support of Berwick Academy award, given to an alumnus/a who has remained connected to the school and their classmates long after graduation.

1954

n 65th Reunio

1959

on

60th Reuni

2019 BLUE AND WHITE HOMECOMING

1969

50th Reunion

In September, Berwick will welcome all alumni back to campus to celebrate Blue & White Homecoming.

Though this is a special time for alumni to return to the Hilltop, classes ending in 4s and 9s will be celebrating milestone reunions at that time. We want to recognize those reunion classes and encourage them to take a walk down memory lane, both here in the magazine and back on campus on September 28.

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A LU M N I B UL L E T IN

1989

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nio u e R 30 th

1994

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25 th Reun

ion

BLUE AND WHITE HOMEC OMING, SEPTEMBER 2 8 , 2 0 1 9

1999

2009

20 th Reun

ion

th Reunion 0 1

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A LU M N I B UL L E T IN

ALUMN I WEEKEN D, SEPTEMBER XX – X X , 2 0 1 8

IN MEMORIAM Malcolm E. Smith, Jr. It is with a great sense of appreciation that Berwick Academy acknowledges the life of Malcolm E. Smith, Jr., a generous supporter of the Hilltop since 2005.

He died peacefully in the early hours of September 24, 2018, at the age of 101. At the time of his death he was living near his family on the seacoast of New Hampshire.

Born in Manhattan on June 18, 1917, Malcolm was a longtime resident of New York. He was the last member of the ninth generation of several branches of the Smiths of Smithtown (founded in 1665) and a direct descendant of its founder, Richard Smith. He spent much of his childhood in the Village of Nissequogue on Long Island. This was during a time when the roads were unpaved, and the iceman made deliveries for the icebox. Malcolm later served as a Village Trustee and also as mayor.

He maintained a home in St. James, NY, until the time of his death.

He attended St. Bernard’s in New York City before heading off to Pomfret School in Connecticut, where he played goalie for the soccer team. He liked to recall a game in which he played that was against The Taft School where, with the score tied and the clock winding down, one of their star players bore down on him on a breakaway. He came out to challenge and the Taft player deftly lifted the ball over his head and into the open net, securing the win. Although bittersweet, it was perhaps this vivid memory that motivated Malcolm, at the age of 91, to write a $100,000.00 check toward the completion of Berwick’s turf field in 2009. Additionally, he was also an accomplished tennis and paddle tennis player, having won tournaments in the North Shore communities of Long Island.

Malcolm was enrolled at Phillips Exeter Academy for his senior year of high school, but the rebellious teenager had other plans in mind. While his parents were vacationing in Europe for the summer, he helped himself to the family car and headed west.

Thus began a lifelong affection for the Old West. He returned often to Death Valley and also explored the Oregon Trail. To support himself while away from home, he worked on an oil rig, among other jobs, until his father hired a private investigator to locate him. Mr. Smith, Sr. took the train to retrieve his son in Kansas City, and together they drove back to New York (he still had the family car, remember?). Malcolm never made it to PEA but finished high school and graduated from The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey.

He did not attend college, instead choosing to enter the workforce immediately after high school. Malcolm began an

54 | SUMMER 2019

unpaid apprenticeship at an ad agency in Manhattan which led to a long and lucrative career for more than 50 years.

A skilled copywriter, he took great pride when his granddaughter, Shelby (BA, ‘08) chose copywriting as a career after graduating from Macalester College in 2013. She currently lives in Boston, where she has held copywriting positions for Wayfair, Living Proof, and Follain. Mr. Smith always enjoyed reading Shelby’s work and commenting on how the industry has changed-or, in some ways, remained the same-in the decades since his heyday.

After serving overseas in World War II, Malcolm returned to New York, where he began a family with his wife, Jennifer, and continued his career in advertising and media. He was briefly the chairman of The Mutual Broadcasting Company and owned a radio station on Long Island. As owner of the station, he was having difficulty finding someone to program the music that he liked, so he took on the task himself. One of the artists he chose to showcase was Slim Whitman, a country singer who’d had a No. 1 record in England but not a great deal of airplay in America. A few years later, while running a family owned advertising business with his son and son-in-law, a deal was struck with Liberty Records to release a compilation album of Slim Whitman songs. Malcolm marketed the album via television and print media, which helped sell more than 1.5 million copies.

Widely considered to be a pioneer of the direct mail marketing field, the company became very successful using this format. “Greatest Hits” albums by Jim Nabors, Connie Francis, Dean Martin, Cristy Lane, Boxcar Willie, and others all became big sellers in this niche category. Most of the packages were put together through licensing deals with the major record labels at the time. Malcolm also published two books and worked pro-bono writing ads for Accuracy in Media, a nonprofit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Smith was known for his philanthropy, and throughout his lifetime contributed to many charitable organizations, independent schools, and universities. He felt a meaningful connection with Berwick in particular, having witnessed the positive impact the school had on his granddaughter. His family foundation gave generously to many important initiatives, including the Turf Field, Clement Middle School expansion, Patricia Baldwin Whipple Arts Center Theater renovation, The Walsh Wellness Center, and The Berwick Fund (ongoing).

Malcolm is survived by four children, including Trustee Malcolm E. Smith, Ill; five grandchildren, including Shelby L. Smith, ‘08; and three great-grandchildren.

The entire Berwick community expresses its gratitude and thanks as we honor the legacy of this extraordinary man.

the International Plant Propagators, the American Forestry Association, and the New England Nurseryman’s Association.

Dave and his wife, Rebecca (“Becky”), received the Al Dwight Black Life Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding service to the horticulture community in Maine and beyond.

Honoring Dave Linney P ’84, ’87, GP ’17, ’18, ’21 David “Dave” Lee Linney, a businessman, passionate bluefin tuna fisherman, and ardent supporter of Berwick Academy, of Cape Neddick, Maine, died on December 23, 2018, from complications of Lewy body dementia. He was 77.

Dave founded Groundnut Hill Nurseries, Inc. in Cape Neddick in 1972, during the early years of Maine’s green industry. He was a two-term president of the Maine Landscape and Nursery Association and a member of

As a past trustee at Tufts New England Medical Center, Dave served on The Bingham Program board, a charitable endowment established to promote health and advance medicine in Maine. He was an officer of First National City Bank in New York City and a former member and chairman of the Town of York, Maine, planning board. He was a past trustee of the Surfpoint Foundation in York. Always an advocate for the importance of education, Dave worked with Southern Maine Technical College and the University of Maine at Orono to provide lecture and scholarship opportunities within their horticulture departments to enrich the student and community experience.

Dave and his family have been longtime community members and supporters of Berwick Academy. In 1984, he and Becky established the Christopher L. Linney ’84 Memorial Fund in honor of their son,

created to enrich visual and performing arts and science connections in and out of the classroom. Since its inception, the fund has allowed the school to host several visiting artists, including, Krisanne Baker, and Tim Christensen ’87, as well as former Penobscot Chief Barry Dana as part of a Native American Studies curriculum for fourth and sixth graders. The fund has also supported off-campus visual art and science excursions, including the annual fourth grade Gundalow sailing trip, and field trips to the Portland Museum of Art, the University of Southern Maine’s Planetarium, and the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. Purchases of materials used in classrooms and across campus, including a building connector set, aquaponics units, and virtual reality equipment were also supported by the fund. The programs and equipment supported by The Linney Fund enhance the Berwick experience for students that, without the fund’s support, would not otherwise be possible.

Dave is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Becky; his daughter Shanlee ’87; and his three granddaughters, Mikaylee ’17, Livia ’18, and Breckyn ’21. A celebration of life was held in Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine, on May 24, 2019.

Mrs. Freda B. Thurell Marchi ’37 March 5, 2019

Mrs. Elizabeth A. Knight Henkel ’59 July 7, 2019

Mr. Michael S. Dwyer ’81 April 2, 2019

Mrs. Freda Garvin Warman ’37 October 30, 2018

Mr. Robert J. Jacyna ’63 February 18, 2019

Mr. Christopher D. Whittum ’86 December 5, 2018

Mrs. Bertha Goodwin Carr ’38 May 10, 2018

Mr. Robert E. Roberge ’65 May 15, 2018

Mr. Guy R. Horgan ’09 August 6, 2018

Mrs. Ruth Oxner Estabrooke ’38 March 22, 2019

Mr. George A. Humphreys ’66 March 2, 2019

Ms. Gloria M. Chagnon Francis ’45 March 28, 2019

Mr. Mark C. Ide, Sr. ’70 December 7, 2018

Mrs. Irma L. Simpson Rose ’50 May 6, 2018

Mr. Peter W. Ladue ’70 March 26, 2019

Mrs. Jean T. Perry Gearty ’52 April 3, 2019

We sadly learned of the passing of Susan Ridgway, wife of former Head of School Hap Ridgway, as this issue went to print. She was an incredible presence on campus as a coach, parent, and friend.

Please look to our next issue as we honor Susan’s legacy.

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The Chadbourne-Thompson Society

P

lanned gifts are an essential part of Berwick Academy’s long-term financial stability and, over time, they have helped shape the Berwick of today. In addition to the personal benefits – and the possibility of making a larger gift than otherwise would be possible – you can create a legacy for the future.

ESTATE GIFTS IN ACTION Martha and Russell Grant ’45 Russell Grant ’45 and his wife, Martha “Marty” Grant, longtime residents of Santa Claus, Indiana, were proud supporters of Berwick not only through philanthropy, but with their enthusiasm for the school, having attended numerous class reunions over the years.

Russell, who died in the summer of 2017, and Marty, who died last August, were members of Berwick’s Chadbourne-Thompson Society, which recognizes donors who have included Berwick in their estate plans.

Thanks to the foresight and generosity of Russell and Marty, the school intends to use their recent gift to further its mission of accessibility for qualified students on the Seacoast, as well as other priorities identified by the head of school.

George E. Janetos George Evangelos Janetos, 92, of Rollinsford, N.H., and Marco Island, Fla., died peacefully at home on August 26, 2016. George’s connection to Berwick began in the 1970s, when friend and Berwick Trustee Owen Stevens ’48, asked George to do an audit of the school’s buildings. Not long after that, George became a trustee and continued to support Berwick over many years with his vast knowledge. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, George established Janco, Inc., a company that revolutionized the athletics industry by using plastic in the manufacturing of sports equipment.

George, and his wife, Marjorie, were committed to education throughout their lives, and that commitment led George to leave a $500,000 planned gift to Berwick to establish The George and Marjorie Janetos Fund for Global Education.

The purpose of the fund is to help support efforts to better prepare Berwick students to learn and work in a global economy.

Robert E. Richard Robert E. Richard, 77, of Cape Neddick, Maine, died on June 20, 2018. As president of Pilot Construction, Inc. in Portsmouth, N.H., since 1992, Bob was a gifted and accomplished business owner. He was also a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Bob actively served on Berwick’s Board of Trustees, beginning in 2013, chairing the Building and Grounds subcommittee before his death.

Bob and his wife, Carole, were thoughtful supporters of Berwick over the years, becoming involved with the school when their son, Nate ’12, arrived on the Hilltop in 2009. Bob left Berwick in his estate plans, and his generous planning and foresight will allow the school to outfit Fogg Memorial with classroom furniture that more closely aligns with the school’s 21st century teaching.

56 | SUMMER 2019

CHADBOURNE-THOMPSON SOCIETY MEMBERS The Chadbourne-Thompson Society recognizes donors who make planned estate gifts.

Deborah K. Blouin ’59 James Cook ’63 and Paula Cook Bradley Damon ’63 Marie A. Donahue ’37 Aurora Dube ’25 Preston Eames ’65 C. Dennis Fink ’44 Nancy B. Fort, P ’87, ’89, ’93, ’02 Adolph Geyer ’31 Russell Grant ’45 and Marty Grant Doris Dixon Griffith ’39 Seth A. Hurd ’90 George E. Janetos, former advisor Alberta Morrill Johnson ’28 Kennett and Patricia Kendall, former trustee, P ’84, ’86, ’89 Mary Jacobs Kennedy 1908 Stuart Kerr, son of former headmaster Lawrence A. Martineau, ’64 and Karen Martineau Perley D. Monroe ’48 Olive Purington Moulton ’22 Victor Perreault ’33 and Helen Hasty Perreault Nancy Pindrus ’69 Wendy K. Pirsig, former trustee, P ’99 Mary Byrd Platt, GP ’06, ’08, ’14 Robert E. Richard, former trustee, P ’12 Richard and Susan Ridgway, former headmaster, P ’00, ’02, ’04, ’06 Anna May Flynn Smith ’31 William R. Spaulding Owen Stevens ’48 and Margaret Stevens, former trustee, P ’81 Ella Estelle Geyer Stonebraker ’29 Mark H. Tay, former trustee, P ’06, ’12, ’14 Roger Thompson ’25 and Theresa Thompson Ms. Anne C. Willkomm ’83 For more information about including Berwick Academy in your estate plans, please contact Director of Leadership Giving and Philanthropy Stephanie Caswell at 207.384.6396 or scaswell@berwickacademy.org.

T

his year, the Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) has been working diligently to address some of the strategic challenges and opportunities Berwick will face in the coming years. As the AAB enters its third year, we are thrilled to welcome our newest members, Will Armenta ’02 and Ken Wasson ’80.

A NOTE FROM ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD PRESIDENT CATHERINE STEVENS POWELL ’80 Dear Alumni, Whether we attended Berwick when it served as the high school for the teens of South Berwick, when it was a boarding school, when it first became a country day school, or as it has settled into an established day school, Berwick is ours.

The purpose of the Alumni Advisory Board (AAB), of which I serve as president, is to provide perspective and guidance to the administration at Berwick on issues that are important to alumni, to act as a sounding board for Head of School Jim Hamilton on alumni issues, to cultivate members of the Board of Trustees from the alumni body, and to advocate for Berwick Academy in our communities. We also try to find ways to involve more alumni in the Berwick community.

It is our mission to build an even more vibrant alumni community at Berwick, one in which every graduate continues to feel connected to the school in some way. As a small step in that direction, at our meeting in April, we committed to increasing the number of alumni who serve as mentors and panelists for the Innovation Pursuits and the Berwick Innovation Celebration that happens each spring (and which you may have read about earlier in this issue). It’s all about that connection between the school of the past, the Berwick of today, and the Berwick of the future.

The AAB aspires to bring interests of the students to the attention of alumni. I have a sticker clinging to my phone that depicts a bulldog pawprint, adorned with the year 1791. These stickers were presented during our April meeting to AAB members by the student-athletes at Berwick championing good sportsmanship. The paw serves as a reminder of how to act toward your teammates, coaches, and opponents – with respect. We would like all alumni to know about similar initiatives and the really wonderful things the students of Berwick are doing.

ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD, 2019-2020

David Allen ’72 Will Armenta ’02 Chris Atwood ’10 Brian Bliss ’90 Timothy Burr ’86 Andrew Caldwell ’02 Chuck Clement ’00 Mike Eruzione ’73 Natalee Martin ’01 Dianna Muth Mullis ’03 Catherine Stevens Powell ’80 Megan Ramsey ’08 Nathan Richard ’12 Marrielle Van Rossum ’03 Ken Wasson ‘80

There is no limit to the number of people who may be part of the Alumni Advisory Board, so please consider joining the AAB or let us know in what other ways you may wish to be connected to the vibrant community of Berwick Academy. You may reach me at alumni@berwickacademy.org.

Regards, Catherine

ALUMNI INDUCTION

D

uring the June 7 Baccalaureate dinner, the Class of 2019 was formally inducted into the Berwick Academy Alumni Association.

Liam Bristol ’14 welcomed the newest alumni. Liam reflected on the growth and perspective he has gained in his five years away from the Hilltop.

“Looking around at these buildings, seeing my old teachers, walking the halls of Fogg, it all looked so small” he said.

“Someone reminded me recently that the school itself wasn’t any smaller than it was when I went here; I was just bigger.

I’d spread my branches beyond where I imagined I would

when I was here, and now my roots looked a lot smaller from where I was standing.”

Liam advised the members of the Class of 2019 to always seek new ways to explore and expand their consciousness, without forgetting where they have come from.

“You’re starting your next chapter and you’re the sole author,” he said. “Hold onto these people, this place, these experiences, because people are going to ask you where you’re from. Berwick is where you’re from. Whatever that means to you, never forget it.”

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Berwick Academy 31 Academy Street South Berwick, ME 03908 www.berwickacademy.org

For parents of alumni: If this issue of Berwick Today is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, kindly notify the Alumni Office with the correct mailing address at kdemers@berwickacademy.org or 207.384.6303.

Innovation Pursuits at Berwick Academy WE ARE SEEKING ALUMNI TO BE A PART OF BERWICK INNOVATION Be a mentor. All Innovation Pursuits are centered around collaboration, and the mentor role is crucial. A mentor is meant to be someone who possesses the skill set to help direct the student and ensure – as much as possible – a successful IP. Communication should be open and free-flowing. Meetings can take place virtually.

Be Interviewed. A component of every Innovation Pursuit involves growing a network of like-minded individuals and connecting with experts in the field.

Be a Panelist. At the Innovation Celebration, held each spring, panelists use a provided rubric to offer constructive feedback on IP presentations.

Berwick’s Innovation Pursuit program is a completely student-driven and studentdirected endeavor, designed to directly foster and instill the skills required in a 21st century education. Students spend the year conducting original research and thinking critically about new ways to solve problems, while exploring a topic on anything of personal interest, from welding to custom ski design, from podcasts to music therapy. The culmination of this work is presented each spring at Berwick’s Innovation Celebration.

Contact Steph Fuller, Alumni Coordinator sfuller@berwickacademy.org

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