Winter 2015
TODAY
WELLNESS at berwick
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Creative Direction, Layout, and Design: Tracey Boucher Arly Maulana Copy Editors: Kathryn Strand Melissa Willliams Photography: Shanlee Linney Ginchereau ’87 Marilena Canuto Tracey Boucher Arly Maulana 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 207-384-2164 ext. 2303 kdemers@berwickacademy.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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.
Welcome from Greg Schneider 2
Feature Articles - Wellness Three Pillars of Wellness 5 The Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House 6 Q + A with Karen Walsh 8 Movement 9 The Power of Yoga 10 What Keeps You Moving 11 A Holistic Approach to Wellness in the Lower School 12 Innovating Through Wellness 14 Health and Nutrition 15 Examining the American Diet 16 Eat the Rainbow: Fun with Food 17 SAGE: More than a Dining Hall 18 Resilience 20 Checks and Balances 21 Expanding Our Consciousness 23 The Quest for Real Beauty 24 Middle School Service Learning 26 The Work of Peer Mentoring Program 27 Alumni in Wellness Professions Weigh In 29
Archive Oakes House: A Holding Quality
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Athletics Fall 2014 Update
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Arts Fall 2014 Update 36
Trimester Snapshots
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Alumni News Alumni Weekend 2014 50 Alumni Awards 55 Olympic Champion Mike Eruzione ’73 Visits Berwick 56 Philanthropy at Berwick 57 New Alumni Council Member 58 In Memoriam 59 2015 Alumni Weekend 60 Graduates of the Last Decade 63
FOLLOW Amy Briand ‘15 takes time to pause and reflect during a yoga class led by Shiela Esten as part of her Anatomy of the Modern Mind course, which was introduced in the Upper School this year.
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facebook.com/ berwickacademy
US
@berwickacademy
ON:
@berwickacademy
Olympian Mike Eruzione ‘73 gives a pep talk to the Girls Varsity Hockey team. For more of Mike’s visit to Berwick, see page 56.
Board of Trustees 2014-2015
Alumni Council 2014-2015
President: Matthew Friel Vice President: Lucas Merrow ‘81 Treasurer: Robert Hoy Secretary: Eric Katz ’84
President: Mark Svenson ‘95 Vice President: Stephanie Kendall Jaggars ‘89 Secretary/Treasurer: Bill Tarmey ‘63
Lisa Goulemas Elizabeth J. Hetz James Jalbert Jamie James Chad Kageleiry ‘78 Kennett R. Kendall, Jr. James Lawson Holly A. Malloy Susan Noerdlinger Barbara O’Connor Greg Raiff
Paula Reid Robert Richard Michael J. Schafer Gregory J. Schneider Malcolm E. Smith, III Patrick Spearman Karen G. Walsh Suzanne Miller, ex officio Mark Svenson ‘95, ex officio
Greg Schneider, Head of School Kathryn Strand, Director of Alumni and Stewardship
Trustee Emeriti John Armacost Charles V. Clement, III C. Dennis Fink ‘44 O.P. Jackson, Jr. Joan R. Jarvis Russell W. Jeppesen Kennett “Skip” Kendall, Jr. Michael “Mitch” Ramsey
Sean Clarke ‘88 Chuck Clement ‘00 Melissa Falzone ‘03 Sara Fechner ‘09 John Fogarty ‘53 Elizabeth Henkel ‘59 T.J. Jurevic ‘94 Abby Lang ‘08 Glenn Michael ‘65 Rebecca Oliver-Palanca ‘01
Raymond “Ray” Ramsey Richard “Hap” Ridgway Mary Z. Schleyer Claire deTarr Smith Owen R. Stevens, D.V.M. ’48 Mark H. Tay Joan Trimble
Honorary Council Member: Richard ”Hap” Ridgway
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MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL
GREGORY SCHNEIDER Dear Berwick Community,
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t is with deep enthusiasm that I once again have the opportunity to introduce our Berwick Today, with this issue clearly focused on the topic of wellness. As I write to you, we have begun construction on the Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House, a project that will simultaneously Woofstock X - June 4, renovate a unique, historic asset and become a gateway to2010 a new era of programming on campus. This is the story of the power of philanthropy. Trustee Karen Walsh has led this incredible project with her anchor gift of $500,000, demonstrating her long-standing commitment to studentcentered work at our school for many years. There is a rather astounding amount of research to support that general wellness is essential to academic success. Next fall, we expect Marc Brackett (who runs the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence) will speak to our faculty about the power of non-cognitive skill development. We also know that Berwick Academy’s mission has always stood for “virtue and useful knowledge,” and we believe that wellness programming touches both sides of this charge. Certainly our students need a deep understanding of nutrition, stress management, and mental health before they attempt to tackle the world of higher education and beyond for practical reasons. When we consider character and moral education, nothing could be more important than our commitment to social/emotional learning and developing a refined sense of empathy in our graduates. The new Wellness Center has the added feature of bringing together our entire community: faculty, staff, students, and parents, around an issue that matters to all of us. As we build out our three pillars of movement, health services, and resilience, we are normalizing the reality that we all must overcome obstacles and persevere. Currently, Berwick is a member of a national group of schools trying to document progress on non-cognitive skills for Middle School students, which has a direct link to the work of Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania as she
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As we build out our three pillars of movement, health & nutrition, and resilience, we are normalizing the reality that we all must overcome obstacles and persevere.” continues her quest to understand the nature of academic grit. We are excited to see how this research will evolve over time. To bring all of this back home more personally, there is no way I could do my current job without some personal commitment to wellness. While being a father and a Head of School creates challenging limitations, I heed the advice of a former mentor: “You can just about handle this job as long you are getting exercise. If you lose sight of that, you will be in deep trouble.” In my case, swimming has become my savior, offering me not only needed cardio but stretching and relief for my chronic back issues. And the mental benefit is far greater; there is nothing that can bring my mental focus back to center more quickly than an exhausting workout. Additionally, my personal commitment to music and daily reading also keep me grounded in the present. I simply could not survive without these supports offering me needed balance. I wish I could say my nutritional discipline is equally good, but I can say that it is a deep priority for the Schneiders as we create our own family culture over time. Moving forward, I know we all struggle with stress management, and we have a number of teachers who are embracing mindfulness practices in their classrooms. Encouraging our students to pause, reflect, and gain perspective yields tremendous academic and emotional benefits. We already have teachers offering classes in the science of the American diet, and now they can enjoy a test kitchen in our wellness classroom. What used to be covert employee gatherings on the third floor of Fogg will now be yoga experiences in a beautiful new studio. Our students will clearly have a chance to partake of this as well, expanding options in our afternoon program. In many ways, this new center and this Berwick Today issue reminds us of what matters most. Any of us who have been through debilitating health experiences in our families
know how quickly academic achievement or professional reward fades when we are not healthy and well. Wellness can be the ultimate equalizer in this regard. And yet the connection to our academic mission is equally clear; by holistically caring for the physical and emotional needs of our students, we can help them push past their perceived academic potential. Please enjoy this issue focused on wellness at Berwick Academy. Like many of our best programs, we know that it will evolve and grow with the needs of our students and community over time. We also know, however, that its direct link to “promoting virtue and useful knowledge” will do much to improve the experience of this community and to strengthen our position in the marketplace. I hope these pages will inspire all of you to take your own wellness commitment to a new level along with all of your friends on the Hilltop.
Sincerely yours,
Gregory J. Schneider Head of School
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WELLNESS The new Wellness Center at Berwick Academy will provide the physical space, programs, and resources to strengthen the School’s central core value of balance and highlight our commitment to the personal process of discovery, self-reflection, and growth. The Wellness Center will cultivate greater emotional, mental, and physical health through three integrated pillars of programming: movement, health and nutrition, and resilience.
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of WELLNESS THREE PILLARS of MOVEMENT
CYNTHIA BRIGGS Assistant Head of School and Director of Wellness
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HEALTH
NUTRITION
RESILIENCE
Wellness at Berwick Academy has grown considerably over the last 15 years. As our society has become more aware of the importance of nourishing the mind, body, and spirit, Berwick has transformed to meet this need. Currently, the Health & Wellness Team at Berwick consists of our school counselors, academic support coordinators, physical education director, athletic trainer, and school nurse. This team represents a very holistic and comprehensive approach to health and wellness in a school community. In addition, this team regularly partners with teachers, advisors, coaches, deans, and parents with the goal of providing support for the ‘whole student.’ With the opening of the Wellness Center and the focus on the three pillars of Movement, Health & Nutrition, and Resilience, the team hopes to continue to expand the definition of wellness at Berwick Academy and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in all divisions. As you read through this issue, we hope you will see the potential and join us in celebrating this step towards a healthier Berwick.”
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THE WALSH WELLNESS CENTER
Resilience and Student Support Rooms Student Care Facility 6
at OAKES HOUSE
g Comin
in
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BE M E T P SE
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Yoga Studio and Meditation Space Outdoor Learning Courtyard
Wellness Classroom and Test Kitchen
Student Recreation Space 7
Bio
K
aren has been an active member of the Berwick community for 13 years. Her four children have attended Berwick, and her youngest is currently a freshman in the Upper School. Karen has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2008. Her enthusiasm for wellness at Berwick and generous leadership gift are the catalysts for the Wellness Center project.
In what ways do you hope our students will benefit from the Wellness Center? My hope is that the whole Berwick community will use and benefit from the Wellness Center. The more people who participate in a program, the better the chance of success. With the addition of a yoga studio, we will have an enlarged space to accommodate lectures, parent programs, and workshops. The test kitchen will provide a space for students to experience and investigate nutrition and food sciences. Of course, the beautiful green spaces also will give pause for thought.
Q+A WITH KAREN WALSH Lead Donor to the Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House What excites you most about the new Wellness Center? It is exciting to preserve one of our historic structures, Oakes House, while fulfilling a compelling need of our students. I think it’s great synergy that a historic house will become home to a forward-thinking concept in Berwick’s future.
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What motivated your gift? I felt there was a need at Berwick to increase both physical and mental support. Providing education that focuses on the mind, body, and spirit is central to sustained wellness. If students assimilate what they have learned in the classroom with their life experiences, I am certain this donation will have an enduring impact on our community.
Why is wellness important to Berwick Academy? A school is only as healthy as its community members. A healthy community reflects a sense of mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being. All degrees of wellness have to be inextricably linked together and valued for successful learning and growth to take place.
Why does augmenting our Wellness Program make sense now? Young adults today are becoming responsible when it comes to their long-term healthcare. Instead of taking the stand-by and wait approach, they are proactive. The Upper School has started a Wellness Club. Its members want to play an active role now in influencing their futures with healthy life choices and behaviors.
MOVEMENT Movement allows the community to build strength and flexibility to connect with one’s own body toward greater health. The Wellness Center will house a beautiful movement studio for yoga, dance, and other fitness classes designed to encourage physical activity and promote a healthy, active lifestyle. In a school that moves at a fast pace and asks its community members to do the same, this studio will also provide a unique space in which to pause, reflect, and grow.
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THE POWER OF YOGA An Alumni Perspective: Kelly Mullen ’90
Anatomy of THE Modern Mind
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his year, Shiela Esten introduced a new course to Upper Schoolers called Anatomy of the Modern Mind. The course was borne out of a student desire to explore the mind-body connection, particularly in relation to emerging research about the brain, and how we can cultivate and employ a range of strategies and practices that can help us to reduce stress, heal ourselves, and be well. As part of the course, students spent time in the classroom as well as the yoga studio experimenting with yoga and meditation as relaxation techniques. “The students have loved our studio time, and over the weeks have given me lots of input on how they want to go deeper into particular aspects of the practices - in other words, they have been instrumental in shaping an experience that has meaning for them.” – Shiela Esten
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bout 15 years ago, while she was training for marathon runs, Kelly discovered yoga as an effective practice for stretching. Since then, she has developed a real passion for yoga, and in addition to integrating it into her own wellness routine, she now teaches yoga. Kelly describes a huge movement in the Washington, DC area, where she lives, to incorporate yoga, mindfulness, and meditation instruction into the public schools. Yoga centers are catering to school-age children with age-appropriate classes being offered before and after school. “Getting into the routine of practicing yoga at an early age is so beneficial,” says Kelly. “Cultivating healthy habits when we are young can establish a wonderful foundation for a lifetime of mental and physical well being.” Beyond the familiar benefits of yoga including flexibility and strength, Kelly points out that yoga can also offer practitioners better posture, lower blood pressure, and a more relaxed state of being. “Yoga brings a calmness that can help the body heal from a variety of ailments.” Kelly finds that many of us are disconnected from ourselves and from our day-to-day activities. We eat on the run. We mentally review tomorrow’s schedule during a conversation with a friend. We email and text up to the minute we fall into bed at night. Children are adopting these unhealthy habits at younger ages than ever before. High school students are juggling academics, sports, community service, hobbies, and social lives, all while trying to build the best possible college applications. “I wish I knew yoga in high school,” says Kelly. “Some of the very simple practices like pausing and taking a deep belly breath could have helped decrease my anxiety and enabled me to focus on my work.” In addition to her work as a yoga instructor, Kelly also offers life coaching and guided meditation to her clients, seeing benefit in the combination of the physical, emotional, and spiritual lessons. Exploring those aspects of health can be remarkable according to Kelly, “But the willingness to change is key.” Kelly is a yoga instructor and life coach in the greater Washington, DC area. She can be reached at kamullen93@gmail.com.
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOVING? Faculty and Staff Perspectives
CHARLENE HOYT, Upper School Math
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practice Bikram yoga three to five times a week. I enjoy the solitude for 90 minutes. Bikram yoga is very challenging. It is hard, and it is hot, but you learn how to keep your nervous system calm and strong through controlled, easy breathing and through patience. It gives me a clear head, a strong immune system,
JOEL HAWES, Lower School Director
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addle tennis and racquetball keep me going. They are equal parts social and competitive. This balance encourages me to be committed and stay in shape. The joy I experience reminds me of the fun our students have playing soccer and other games at recess with a regular group of peers. While I am, of course, a big fan of the core subjects and the unified arts classes, I also am a big supporter of lunch recess play, so much so that I typically am located outside after lunch supervising the Lower School recess soccer games. It’s a win-win: fresh air for me and exercise for the students.
and the gift of serenity during day-to-day challenges. I incorporate wellness into my classroom by leading my students in two or three yoga poses before or during most classes. It sends fresh, oxygenated blood through the body and to the brain for better focus and cognition. It also helps my students to become more flexible and to consider taking better care of themselves.
JEN HILL, Middle School Spanish
RYAN FEELEY, Middle School Director
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unning is the sport that keeps me moving. I love the opportunity to get outside during all seasons. The fresh air and the opportunity to appreciate the natural landscape as I run are sources of rejuvenation. I tend to run early in the morning before school, and it allows me to clear my mind and to reduce stress. Finishing a run also gives me a sense of accomplishment at the start of my day.
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love yoga and practice both Ashtanga and Bikram. I meditate every day. The yoga keeps me flexible, balanced, and centered. The meditation helps set the tone for my day and enables me to stay present and concentrated on what I am doing. Here at Berwick, I offer an activity period in the Middle School called “Everyday Mindfulness.” We incorporate yoga, meditation, healthy snacks, and mindfulness practices in our weekly meeting. In the past, I have also offered a weekly guided meditation for faculty and staff. The feedback I have received from both the students and the faculty is that they enjoy the benefits of more meditation, yoga, and overall mindfulness.
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A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELLNESS
in the Lower School by Marguerite Genest, Ed.D., Lower School Academic Support Coordinator/Counselor/Wellness Instructor and Marilena Canuto, Director of Lower School Physical Education Instructor/Health and Wellness Instructor
n the Lower School, our focus on the “whole child� approach to wellness encompasses academic, social, emotional, and physical components. As our children grow, and their worlds evolve, we understand that their educational experience must address these changes. The wealth of research regarding Social Emotional Learning has consistently endorsed its positive impact on all aspects of child development, most notably, academic performance. As we continue to research and develop our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum at Berwick, we understand the importance of such concepts as self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, social responsibility, and responsible decisionmaking. The ultimate goal is the development of resilience and
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empathy as our children move on through their lives. We also understand, however, that what students learn in one class may not necessarily be remembered and applied in other environments. In response to this concern, we use much of the same language in all classes and try to generalize learned behaviors throughout the students’ day in content area and unified arts classes. An important implementation of this concept has been the merging of SEL with Physical Education and Health. Students gather for the first part of the class to address specific issues related to SEL as outlined by The Collaboration for Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL), an organization whose research consistently finds that SEL in schools is highly associated with academic and life success. Our sessions are unique in that lessons are followed by goal-directed games where the rules reinforce the concepts learned. For example, in a November class devoted to gratitude, third and fourth grade students discussed the consequences of being given too many things and the impact of giving back very little to others. Their responses were varied and thoughtful, as they not only expressed their opinions but listened to those of their peers. Their ability to come up with solutions for expressing gratitude, as well as their stories of how they and their families give to those less fortunate, were moving. Marilena Canuto followed this discussion with a tag game in which those who were tagged by the designated taggers were required to go to an area where they wrote their name and what they are grateful for
on paper feathers. These feathers were then attached to a Thanksgiving turkey and posted for everyone to see and for faculty to expand upon both in and out of class. It was inspiring to read the comments of our students, with families being first and foremost on their gratitude feathers!
Our students benefit greatly from the opportunity to process SEL concepts and are then happy to apply them in movement-related games. One of the most gratifying aspects of teaching this curriculum is the feedback from students. For example, after our lesson on gratitude, a student wanted to talk about how the discussion and follow up activity helped him understand his own tendency to ask for things from his parents. His ability to self reflect, take responsibility, and process how to modify these behaviors gave me the opportunity to encourage and praise him for the maturity of this thought process. This has happened frequently and reinforces our belief that this curriculum is an important component to our students’ overall wellness as we teach the “whole child” at Berwick Academy.
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INNOVATING THROUGH WELLNESS A Reflection on My Innovation Pursuit by Lily Spearman ‘14
chose to do an Innovation Pursuit on yoga during my junior year because I had overloaded my schedule with some intense classes, and I was looking for a way to de-stress. After consistently going to yoga classes a few times a week, I found that I was better able to control my stress levels. This helped get me through my AP exams and college applications. Through my Innovation Pursuit, I explored many different types of yoga, especially Kundalini and Bikram. I also taught a yoga class to some Berwick students outside on the lawn. Now in college, I was thrilled to find lots of classes at the campus gym. I have led meditations with friends during finals week, and yoga practice is a part of my routine. Yoga helps you to feel more centered through meditation and relaxation, and it can also help to raise your energy. I love that yoga enables me to exercise my body as well as my mind. I can clear my head while improving my strength, flexibility, and balance. I am excited for the new Wellness Center! I think that it will empower students to reduce academic stress. This will enable them to perform with greater efficiency in their classes and will give them skills that they can carry into adulthood. Yoga means “union,” connecting the mind, body, and the spirit. The practice of yoga has helped people for hundreds of years to find balance in their lives, and it will help Berwick to be true to its core values.
Berwick students tend to lead hectic lives and practice habits that can border on unhealthy, especially when it comes to sleep deprivation. It is important that students learn to cope with arduous schedules as well as to practice healthy habits. BEN THUT ’15 S.W.A.T. Leader
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HEALTH NUTRITION Health and Nutrition programs provide students and faculty with the knowledge needed to live a healthy lifestyle, but also the expert health care when they are in need of support. The Wellness Center will provide students access to a top-flight health care facility, test kitchen, and programming specifically targeting nutritional education and healthy lifestyle planning.
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Nutrition! EXAMINING THE
AMERICAN DIET by Christine Bessette, Upper School Biology
reparing and eating food are two of the most basic and fundamental activities we do every day. We have to eat for the optimal physiological performance of all of our body systems, and the food choices out there are vast. So what are the best food choices? Do all foods available to us offer adequate nutrients? If they are on the shelves and available to consumers shouldn’t they be safe to eat? Why is there such an overwhelming variety of products, and how do we know which ones offer maximum benefits to our health? These are just a few of the questions we explored this past trimester in the American Diet course. It was amazing for me to realize that most students only have a rudimentary understanding of nutrition, a subject that will play a central role in their daily routines for the rest of their
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lives. The centrality of nutrition to all of our lives was a key motivation behind my decision to offer this course. The class started by exploring how cultural, political, and economic forces have interacted to influence our food choices, health, and nutritional status. We then focused on the impact of the meat and processed food industries and how they have shaped our diet today. Lastly, we considered how our diets impact global ecosystems and environmental problems while studying sustainable alternatives. As a discussion and project-based course, the students started by analyzing their own diets. They kept a three-day food log and then transferred that data to an online nutrient database program. It broke down the nutritional components of their diets and helped to raise their awareness of the nutrients they acquired in sufficient quantities and where improvements to
their diets could be made. Another highlight for the students was three site visits: to a farmer’s market, a grocery store, and a restaurant. Students reflected and commented on each topic and from ideas generated during our discussions. I am looking forward to using the test kitchen in the new Wellness Center, knowing that it will add an exciting element to the class. With a focus on sustainability, we will be able to experiment with recipes using local and organic foods. My goal will be for the students to see that it isn’t difficult to prepare dishes that are made with whole, nutritious foods that they will actually want to eat! Ideally, I would love for the class to be responsible for creating and maintaining a community garden, which would truly give them an appreciation for the entire process from farm to plate.
EAT THE RAINBOW: FUN WITH FOOD by Karen Chiang, School Nurse
his fall, we offered an Innovation Jr. session to Lower School students called “Eat the Rainbow: Fun with Food.� During our meetings, we explored ways to try or to retry new fruits and vegetables in fun and original ways. We learned why it is important to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, how our tastes are individual, and how to make healthy personal choices when eating. We also discussed using seasonal produce and substituted frozen or dried foods after our growing season had ended. In addition to the hands-on food projects making fruit kebabs, summer rolls, smoothies, and energy bites, students were engaged with food-themed worksheets, food bingo, and food trivia games. Upper School students provided assistance with food creation, games, and with reading food-related stories. Most importantly, the older students were great role models in boldly trying our food creations.
The sessions offered students valuable opportunities to retry foods in new combinations or in new formats. Although many had made smoothies or kebabs at home, a reintroduction (often of previously disliked ingredients) with peer encouragement led to rediscoveries of gems such as bell peppers and herbs, with surprise hits like kale chips and star fruit. Not all foods were popular with all students, but they each tasted everything and formed opinions. Quite simply, the students were fearless when it came to experiencing new textures, flavors, and colors of food. Over the course of the program, the eager students learned why eating a colorful diet full of fruits, vegetables, and grains is essential. Each week, we asked them to go home, to think about the foods they tried, and to try a new food again. We heard that some went home and asked parents to make sure they bought certain new items at the grocery store. Success!
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Bruce Orr, Food Service Director
SAGE: MORE THAN A DINING HALL avory aromas of homemade butternut squash soup, freshly roasted root vegetables, or baked teriyaki chicken come wafting out of the Commons kitchen as students and teachers make their way onto campus in the morning. Some days it can be hard to wait until lunch to enjoy what is sure to be a flavorful and delicious meal. The group behind this culinary magic is SAGE Dining Services, contracted by Berwick since 1996. Bruce Orr, Food Service Director, and his team of nine not only create a delicious array of food for nearly 750 students, faculty, and staff on a daily basis, they also ensure it is healthy and nutritious. The variety of options includes a hot lunch line, a salad bar, two soups, a deli bar, two panini machines, cereal and bagels, and even desserts (Fridays only for Lower School students).
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To educate and guide the Berwick diners in making healthy lunch decisions, SAGE, which is an acronym for Setting A Good Example, has implemented their “Spotlight Program.” Developed by a team of registered dieticians, the program’s key messages are variety, balance, and moderation. Following a color-coded dot system, SAGE makes it easy for Berwick diners to make informed and smart food choices. A green dot signifies variety, what SAGE believes is the foundation of a healthy lunch plate. Green spotlight foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and non-fat dairy. Yellow dots signify balance. SAGE recommends balancing a plate by filling a quarter to half with yellow dot foods like cranberry turkey salad or scrambled eggs. Red dot foods are higher in fat but are still nutrient rich and include options like pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, and whole milk. SAGE recommends that
these foods be eaten in moderation. SAGE points out that a slice of cheese pizza is packed with calcium, an essential nutrient for bone health. When students choose pizza, they can balance their plates with dark green vegetables like broccoli. SAGE evaluates and updates the program regularly, analyzing the recipes and reviewing menus for balance and variety. SAGE sources certain food items, including cheese, apples, tomatoes, cider, and squash from local farms whenever possible. Once a year, almost all of the food is sourced from local farms for the Eat Here or Eat Near event. Various organic food items (whenever feasible), hormone-free milk, cage-free, certified humane eggs, sustainable foods, and dolphin-safe tuna are staples in the SAGE kitchen as well. In addition to its healthy initiatives, SAGE offers two Educational Seasonings programs to introduce Berwick diners to new cuisines, flavors, and foods. In conjunction with a display in the dining hall, SAGE provides a lesson plan that can be taught in class for grades K-8. In January, the lesson covered Latin root vegetables, highlighting the different varieties, their growth habits, flavors, and origins, and how they are used in traditional Latin cooking. Upcoming lessons include
SAGE encourages all diners to maintain a healthful lifestyle. Here are just a few examples of how we try to help:
“Eastern European Cuisine” and “Grill This!” The Holiday Seasonings is one of the most popular programs among students and adults, most likely for the festive decor and amazing dessert displays. In December, the SAGE team put together an incredible presentation of food for the School’s annual Language Day, offering Latin, French, Spanish, and Chinese cuisine. SAGE’s programs and recipes enable the Berwick community to make healthy and informed food choices. Their special events introduce our community to new foods and cultures. All of this is made more powerful and effective because of the dedication and skill of the SAGE team at Berwick who simply make the food taste great!
As student athletes/artists we are constantly being challenged. Enhancing the wellness programming and opportunities here at Berwick will help us better achieve that balance that we look for in our community lives.
• We cook primarily from scratch, reducing use of processed foods. • We grill, bake, broil, or saute to avoid frying. • We use fresh and frozen vegetables to maximize nutritional value. • We use fresh, ground beef that contains no lean, finely textured beef (LFTB) • We offer meatless entrees daily. • We offer fresh salads and fresh fruit daily. • We offer a variety of whole-grain breads, bagels, and rolls. • We offer a complete deli bar daily with a low-fat selection. • We offer 2% and skim milk at all locations. • We offer 100% fruit juice. • We cook with trans fat-free oils such as olive and canola. • We use MSG-free seasonings. • We use a variety of herbs and spices to reduce the use of salt.
DANA BROOKS ’15 S.W.A.T. Leader
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RESILIENCE Building resilience is essential to the Berwick mission. Acknowledging that all community members will face a variety of challenges during their Berwick journey and beyond, it is vital to develop skills to enable recovery from adversity. Wellness Center programming for building resilience will focus on academic support and tutoring, peer mentoring and community service, as well as stress reduction through yoga and lectures. At the core of the program lies the concept of mindfulness, teaching and encouraging our community how to be conscious and aware in the present moment. Mindfulness produces a plethora of physical and emotional benefits, and is a cornerstone of resilience.
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CHECKS AAND BALANCES Serenity in the Lower School by Sarah Gaetano, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Deanna Martin, Pre-Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
heck your phone. Check your email. Check your budget. Check the weather. Check your to-do list. Check your phone, again. Check your calendar. Check your oil. Check your email, again. Check. Check. Check. What happens when we are forced to stop checking and rechecking? What
happens when we are extracted from our predictable and frenzied routines and plunked into an environment that asks us to just be? To be with ourselves, be with our breath, to be with nature and to acknowledge the beauty and simplicity of the present moment. This summer, we had the privilege of attending a four-day educators’ retreat at
Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, NY. Blue Cliff is a Buddhist monastery established by renowned Vietnamese Zen Monk, Thich Nhat Hahn. Nhat Hanh has written many books on mindfulness and travels the world to promote peace and to guide others toward a personal practice of mindful living. In an effort to bring a more mindful approach to our Pre-Kindergarten
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classroom, we cautiously signed up for this retreat, unsure of what we were getting into and wrestling with the mixture of excitement and discomfort over leaving our young families to do something for ourselves and for our program. Our mornings began at five, with a sleepy walk to the large meditation hall where 150 educators from all over the world found their place on a cushion to start a 30-minute meditation. We attended group meetings each day, called Dharma Talks, that were led by the monks and nuns at Blue Cliff. Since this was an educator’s retreat, many of the discussions involved ways in which we could bring a greater sense of mindfulness to our classrooms and to our school communities. People shared practices that they found useful at every grade level and within a variety of learning environments. At the end of the fourth day, as we packed up our things and made our way to the car, we felt the same way we did upon our arrival but for different reasons. We were fearful of “re-entering society,” of jumping back on the hamster wheel of life and back to all of the noise, but were also amazed at how good we felt. We were actually relaxed and free of stress. Our thoughts were clear, and our bodies were rested. We couldn’t wait to bring some of what we had learned and
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experienced into the Pre-Kindergarten classroom. We were fully aware that many of the concepts we took away from this retreat were beyond the years of our PreKindergarteners, but we also believe that children have an innate ability to live mindfully, and it is our job to nurture that in all of them. It was our hope that if we introduced these fundamental concepts of mindfulness early on, that the children would internalize and carry these skills with them for years to come. Even at four and five years old, their days are so full, and their energy naturally runs high. Showing them that it is okay to slow down and to focus on their breath is a way of creating balance. One item that we purchased at the retreat was a small bell. We envisioned using this bell with our students as a way to bring everyone together to pause, to breathe and to be still for a moment. We introduced the bell at our first morning meeting, and we now use it three or four times a week. The children’s response was immediate and profound. Now, even when we forget to “invite the bell,” the children are quick to remind us. They are amazing to watch, as the bell rings softly but powerfully in our circle, the children close their
eyes, relax their shoulders, and take long, slow breaths. Afterwards, some will comment that they heard a bird outside or the trickle of our water fountain. It automatically resets their systems and the energy of the room. With the bell, we find balance. Now, nearly six months have passed since our time at Blue Cliff, and four months into the school year, we are by no means living like Buddhist monks and nuns. We aren’t eating a vegan diet or spending hours of our day meditating. Our speed of life is still fast, and our bodies and minds are not as rested or stress-free. We knew this would happen. We do not live at a monastery. We have joked throughout the year that if the monastics were plunked down into the Pre-K, we would be curious to see how long they could maintain their serene and Buddhist nature. We have, however, embraced a personal and professional practice that supports our efforts to hold on to all that we gained from this amazing experience. Though we will continue to check our phones, emails, calendars, and to-do lists, we will also do our best to check in with our breath, our bodies, and with nature. We will work to keep the focus on what is important, for our students, our children, and for ourselves.
EXPANDING OUR CONSCIOUSNESS Mindfulness in the Upper School by Shiela Esten, Upper School Director
t Berwick Academy, we are incorporating a range of wellness practices as we strive to embody our core value of balance. With the launching of a dedicated Wellness Center right on our campus next fall, we can, with greater intentionality and resources, enable our community to manage the demands of our busy world. We can equip ourselves with funds of knowledge and reserves of strategies to draw upon in order to effectively combat stress and to thrive. There is a growing movement in schools to incorporate mindfulness practices and Berwick faculty are exploring exciting opportunities to bring back to their classrooms.
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pper School Visual Arts Chair, Raegan Russell, and I went to the first annual TIME (Time away in Maine) experience at the Chewonki Foundation in August, for four intensive days of retreat, learning and trying on a variety of wellness strategies to adopt and take back. It was incredibly inspiring and really a transformational experience in how a new school year should be approached.
mind·ful·ness
noun ‘mīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/ 1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. 2. a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
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im Ryder, Sarah Ross, KAREN CHIANG, MARGUERITE GENEST, and I began an online training program out of the UMass Medical School on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. This is a training developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a prominent figure in the field, known for bringing mindfulness practices into the medical profession with very compelling results. We are so excited to bring what we learn back to our students and colleagues as we continue to explore the many dimensions of “virtue and useful knowledge” in the 21st century.
his past summer, our School Counselor Kim Kryder , spent several days at a Mindfulness in Schools Conference at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. For the past several decades, Omega has been a leader in addressing issues pertaining to mind, body, and spirit. Since her return, Kim has been fired up to share what she learned with the Berwick
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community. Since her return, Kim has eagerly shared her enthusiasm of this topic with the community. In the fall, she presented her colleagues with a professional development opportunity that resulted in 15 faculty and admin colleagues engaging in a 6-week online mindfulness course.
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THE QUEST FOR REAL BEAUTY by Kimberly Kryder, School Counselor
ow often do you look in the mirror and focus on the little blemish on your forehead or pick at the freckle that has always been in the same annoying place? How often do you grab at your skin trying to realign your figure to be something more pleasing or wear undergarments to keep everything tighter and firmer? How often do you compliment someone for the way they look instead of focusing on their more innate qualities? How often do you downgrade a compliment instead of saying, “Thank you?” Much of this learned behavior has been passed down to girls for decades, maybe even centuries. As the preferred female body has changed through history, this behavior of degrading our looks has not. The Middle School GIRLS group wanted to examine this behavior through a project we first saw demonstrated in the Real Beauty Dove™ Campaign. Last spring, we decided to do our own sketch artist experiment. We asked Academic Support Coordinator
mud n hair brow
HIGH
forehead
really thin eyes
small ears clo se to head wide nose esp ecially when sm iling & too many freckles all ove r nose
square jaw that puffs out when laughing
EMILY’S INTERPRETATION 24
short ne ck
on! i t i pos
e! were nic s e n o b k chee
dis Y P AP
nice e ye b ro w s!
H
s ng lashe lo , g in it exc ot r face, n e h s it f , nice nose t t not f la pointy bu
to know her the way teen girls often do, through lots of dialogue. The next day, the Middle School girls met with Dr. Genest and described the way Emily looked. These descriptions were captured on the side of the new drawing, and it was very clear how different these descriptions were compared to the way Emily described herself. The sketch described by the Middle School girls was more accurate and much more positive, showing a happier subject. I recently asked Emily her thoughts on the experience. She responded:
wide smile t e straigh teeth ar FECT! and PER
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS’
INTERPRETATION
Best FeatureS: smile and her eyes. A lot of sparkles and whites were white
Dr. Marguerite Genest to be our artist and asked Emily DuChene, a Berwick junior, to be our subject, based on the fact that the Middle School girls did not know her, and she is a friendly, confident young woman. Emily met with Dr. Genest, and through a series of questions, described the way she looked without Dr. Genest ever seeing her face. The sketch was created, and Emily’s descriptions were written along the side of the drawing. Consistent with the video,
Emily downgraded her looks and used vocabulary that implied a general unhappiness with the way she looked. For example, she started with things she did not like, “mud brown hair, too many freckles” and eventually named one specific feature she did like, her eyebrows. Even those, however, she admitted were created through careful plucking. A day or two later, the Middle School girls met face-to-face with Emily and got
“It was eye opening to see that I had degraded the way I looked without even knowing I was doing it. It really was surprising to know that other people saw me in a better light than I saw myself. I definitely don’t consider myself to be someone with low self-esteem, but I learned that I do sometimes judge myself a lot more harshly than I should. The whole project showed me that we have to work harder in the media and in the world in general to help girls raise their self-perception. We should see the good qualities in ourselves more than the bad.” The takeaway for the Middle School girls was that we can be very negative about the way we look but that our peers typically focus on our positive traits. It also was clear that our personalities and character enhance the way people see us, and it would serve us better in life to focus on how we treat each other instead of placing emphasis on physical beauty. As a result of this project, eighth grader Alicia Reynolds started an Innovation Pursuit that will examine body image and the age when both boys and girls start to learn these behaviors associated with negative body image. She intends to develop lesson plans that can be used in Lower School and Middle School wellness courses.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL SERVICE LEARNING by Holly Bennett, Grade 7 Health
Many service opportunities currently exist in the Middle School, and our students have participated in numerous, meaningful experiences, including:
he Berwick Academy Middle School strives to offer students and faculty opportunities to serve others in local, regional, and global communities through active community service pursuits that enhance our commitment to our school mission and core values. In an effort to promote virtue and useful knowledge among the rising generations, all service activities emphasize authentic engagement and student reflection. Utilizing relationships with established organizations, we attempt to identify and capitalize upon meaningful connections with our academic curricula, and we seek opportunities to extend student service work beyond required experiences by encouraging volunteer efforts.
I had no idea what to expect from the athletes because I had never been to the Special Olympics before. When I was cheering on the athletes and timing them, all I could see was potential and determination. The athletes showed me this by doing what it took to finish. No matter if they were in last place or struggling to get there, every athlete finished the race.” - Sam Gustafson ’20
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A
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Art Hope (origami cranes) Beach clean up Berwick Estates Breast Cancer Research Fundraiser Cocheco Valley Humane Society Crossroads: Portsmouth End 68 Hours of Hunger Food Pack for Haiti Kittery Estates Local Food Pantry My Friend’s Place: Dover Shelter Pease Greeters Project Special Olympics Table Toppers for Seacoast Family Promise Fundraiser Tutoring at South Berwick Schools Varney Crossing
s part of the sixth grade wellness curriculum, the students explored the topic of empathy through a service learning project. The process began with an investigation into intolerance and prejudice, particularly against those with intellectual disabilities, and ended with hands-on learning with the UNH Summer Games and the Special Olympics. The students travelled to UNH with eight faculty members and one parent. They set up equipment for the events, called athletes to the starting locations, timed races, and escorted athletes to the podiums. Most importantly, they cheered on the athletes and shared in the excitement of competing. Research shows that service learning produces an array of benefits in the area of pro-social behaviors, acceptance of diversity, connection to cultural heritage, development of ethics, and strengthening of protective factors related to resilience.
Upper School peer mentors
The Work of a Peer Mentoring Program by Sarah Ross, Academic Support Coordinator, Grade 5-12
n the first day of the school year, senior, Joey Lazzaro, donned an important hat as a 1:1 mentor to an eager eigthth grade boy. The match was made deliberately; both boys play ice hockey and had been goalies, both are conversational and lighthearted with broad smiles and healthy senses of humor, and at first, even shared a similar, mid-length hair style. Joey’s pupil was struggling to find a balance as a studentathlete, and Joey, a high honors student and accomplished hockey player, had long since figured that out. “I wanted to
be a person that [my student] could reach out to for honest advice, a person who was recently in his position as a Middle School student athlete,” Joey said. “I decided to mentor him because I felt like it would be nice to invest in the larger Berwick Community. I thought it would be cool to make a connection in the Middle School.” The peer mentoring program at Berwick emerged in the Fall of 2013 out of a very similar idea in the Academic Support Office. We thought, “How cool, how important, it would be to connect Upper School students to Middle School students, creating open, honest, caring
cross-age mentoring relationships between peers. How powerful it would be to further extend our ability to provide academic and social-emotional support to our younger students, while our older students model resilience, perseverance, and empathy. The Upper School peer tutoring program had been in place for several years, with student volunteers selected by application process to tutor students in specific subject areas. It seemed a natural extension of this program, then, to begin soliciting student volunteers to not only provide subject area support to younger students, but also to serve as active social-emotional role
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models to them. The interest from Upper School students poured in. At the present moment, Berwick has five active peer mentoring relationships, with several additional Upper School volunteers eagerly awaiting a match. Student volunteers are currently selected based on interest as well as on attributes which our current peer mentors and peer tutors have articulated as important. Among them are: patience, the ability to creatively problem solve, good communication skills, approachability, respectability, flexibility, and availability. Mentors and prospective mentors also must realize that while they often will meet with their students to perform work that is academic in nature, and structured activities are important, that work is secondary to the building of a strong relationship. Mentors are offered ongoing support in the form of resources, reflective conversation, instructional strategies, and connections with teachers and parents. All peer mentors attend monthly strategy training sessions with the full peer-tutoring group of 51 students, where they discuss their work and challenges and receive guidance from their advisors: Academic Support Coordinator Sarah Ross, and Math Teacher, Charlene Hoyt. By providing comprehensive support to mentors, we
hope that the benefits of the relationship may be truly realized for both the student and the mentor. Research on cross-age peer mentoring suggests that Berwick is very much on target with its developing peer mentor program, with several notable benefits for both mentored students and their mentors. For mentored students, these benefits include greater connectedness to school and peers, feelings of competency and selfefficacy, improved grades and academic achievement, and prosocial behavior and attitudes. Mentors experience improved connectedness to school and enhanced self-esteem, empathy, moral reasoning, intrapersonal communication and conflict resolution skills, and relationships with parents. Research also suggests that crossage mentoring relationships may have a greater impact on the younger student’s feeling of connectedness at school than adult-youth mentoring. In part, peermentoring relationships may work so well because an adult is not present. As one parent notes of her daughter’s relationship with her mentor: “My daughter never
complains about having to work with her mentor like she does when her mom tries to do extra help sessions. She looks up to her and doesn’t want to disappoint her. This makes learning less stressful and more enjoyable.” As our peer mentors recognize so well, the work and benefit of being a peer mentor at Berwick so often extends beyond 1:1
sessions on the first floor of the library. In reflecting upon his work with his mentored student, Joey articulates this well: “To me, the best part of being a mentor isn’t the after school meetings, though I love being able to help out with his school work. The most enjoyable part is the conversation we share during the school day. We talk every time we bump into each other at lunch about how our hockey games went that weekend and about how our days are going. It’s great to have a Middle School companion on campus.”
At Berwick, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in the fast paced lifestyle. The new Wellness Center will help ground students. School is not just about papers and tests, it is also a place to see friends and discover your interests. I hope that the Wellness Center will help students find their passions and reflect on themselves in an open, healthy environment. JULIET MOORE ’15
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Alumni in Wellness Professions
Weigh In
Dr. David Pratt ‘63
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erwick’s Wellness Center programs resonate with David. As the medical director of GE Energy for 15 years, David was responsible for designing and implementing the company’s wellness programs for 25,000 employees worldwide. The programs were geared not only to movement and nutrition, but to resilience and mindfulness as well. A board-certified physician in preventive medicine, David has seen first-hand the value of healthy habits. “Staying physically fit saved my sanity when I was an intern,” says David. “I used physical activity as a kind of internal psychotherapy to cope with my stressful work.” David has carried those healthy habits with him throughout his life. He takes regular hikes with his children and grandchildren. This past summer, he and his wife, Kendra, walked 192 miles across England. “It is so important to provide students with ways to recharge their batteries and teach them lessons that they can carry into adulthood,” says David. “Many adults find themselves in frenzied lives and don’t have the tools to help themselves.” Most recently, David was the Schenectady County Commissioner of Public Health in New York State. In that position, David spearheaded many wellness programs for school-age children. Under his watch, school lunch programs were improved
to include healthier, more nutritious options, school cafeteria environments were enhanced, activity breaks were introduced, and school playgrounds were upgraded. In addition to his focus on nutrition, David saw a need to incorporate more physical activity into the school day and beyond. The goal of the program, “Active Play Every Day,” was to motivate kids to engage in 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Games like tag, Frisbee, plus hiking and walking were introduced to students and were encouraged as family activities. He also put into place a summertime, park-based lunch program combined with active play. David points out the numerous ways, besides organized sports, that are available to students to increase physical activity. “Some students can get discouraged if physical activity is always associated with competition,” says David. “Movement programs can be combined with music, for example. The key is to make the activity joyful.” David is currently a consultant with the Schenectady County Health Services. He can be reached at dpratt1@nycap.rr.com
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Kate Phillips Colby ’98 Masters in Public Health
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ate has seen first hand the damage that can result from a lack of understanding about the causes and treatments of disease. For her master’s thesis, she traveled to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam to investigate the cultural, socio-economic, and political issues affecting malaria outbreaks. This experience, along with her work as an infectious disease field epidemiologist with the Maine Centers for Disease Control, enabled Kate to understand the importance of educating people about disease-preventing measures and making them aware of their risks and options. “Prevention is the key,” says Kate, and this means ”not only dealing with medical crises as they happen, but focusing on the prevention and education that can decrease the need for people seeking health care.” One goal of Berwick’s Wellness Center is to safeguard the community against a level of disease through health and nutrition courses as well as exercise and movement classes. Although initially the Wellness Center will focus on Berwick students, Kate points out that kids often bring home the health lessons they learn in school so the older generations and broader community also benefit. Strongly influenced by Berwick teacher, Polly Davie, Kate graduated from Berwick with plans to become an English teacher. At Mount Holyoke College, however, her anthropology
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major eventually led to public health courses and the multi-disciplinary science of epidemiology. She went on to earn a Master in Public Health in global health from Emory University. Kate is fascinated by the relationships between humans and disease, specifically infectious diseases. She enjoys studying the complex issues of public health, which she describes as focusing on the health of whole populations without focusing on individual patients, as healthcare providers do. “Working with public health data is very informative,” says Kate. “For instance, the data indicate that there is a lot of sexual activity going on with school-age kids. Schools, parents, and communities can be doing a lot to educate students about their sexual health.” For Kate, the greatest value of Berwick’s Wellness Center lies in its mission to keep students in good health. “As anyone affected by an illness knows, health is paramount. It affects all aspects of your life, including education. When you’re not well, education is negatively affected. You can’t focus or learn fully.” Kate works for MaineHealth as a Program Manager for Child Health. Her current focus is on improving rates of childhood immunizations in Maine. She can be reached at kathryn_j_phillips@yahoo.com.
Dr. Nicole Chaikin, Psy.D. ’89
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s a psychologist who specializes in working with school-age children, Nikki is very pleased that one of the pillars of Berwick’s new Wellness Center is resilience and an accompanying focus on emotional health. “Resilience does not mean, ‘Just suck it up,’ ” says Nikki. “Kids need to be taught how to understand and cope with their negative feelings and to be kind to themselves in the process.” Berwick’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum is currently in place, teaching resilience and empathy, in combination with physical education and health. This is an ideal model program for the Wellness Center. It is critical to start early and to give kids a set of tools that they can use to understand and to help themselves, according to Nikki. Programs like those being planned for the Wellness Center will give students opportunities to talk to one another or to a school counselor. Topic-specific seminars also will be offered to older students to help demystify issues like sleep deprivation, anxiety, eating disorders, drugs, and alcohol.
Stress management techniques can be very beneficial to students of all ages. “Many students are dealing with anxiety brought on by stress. It is so prevalent and so treatable,” reports Nikki. Students, especially in high school, are dealing with a myriad of concerns: social, academic, and physical, among others. They are looking for a new level of independence from parents who are trying to support their children’s growth without micromanaging. The students may be unwilling or unable to articulate those concerns to their parents, families, or friends, and their frustrations can build. Nikki points out that moodiness is a common symptom which is often seen as a kid being “difficult” or “dramatic,” when it can actually be a larger mental health issue like anxiety or depression. “Social media has to be part of the conversation,” says Nikki. “Issues are exacerbated by social media, both positively and negatively. Kids are terrified to unplug, fearing they’ll miss something and because their schoolwork requires it.” “Getting worries out in the open is a big first step,” Nikki says. Nikki is a psychologist working in private practice and as a consultant with private schools in eastern Pennsylvania. She can be reached at drnchaikin@gmail.com.
Berwick is part of a very positive trend of encouraging and teaching young people to feel empowered about their own health care.”
QUOTE?
- Kelly Worster ’90
Kelly Worster ’90, DC, LLC As a chiropractor with previous experience as a mental health worker, Kelly Worster has a unique and holistic perspective on wellness. She is very supportive of Berwick’s plans for enriched wellness programs. “Berwick is part of a very positive trend of encouraging and teaching young people to feel empowered about their own health care,” says Kelly. “The Wellness Center is a great tool for getting students to think independently about how they feel and for giving them information to stay healthy or to deal with health issues as they arise.” As a chiropractor, Kelly is aware of how important movement is to overall health. Research has shown that movement increases brain activity, making the body function at a higher level, providing stimulation and nourishment to the nervous system. She is concerned about the lack of movement in the lives of many young people. “We are already seeing health problems in young people such as hyperkyphosis (rounding of the shoulders and upper back) caused by too much screen time,” she reports. Kelly is also very excited about the emphasis on resilience of the Wellness Center. She cited a 2010 study out of Harvard which showed that practicing as little as eight weeks of daily mindfulness meditation can increase grey matter in the brain, resulting in positive effects
on psychological well-being including mood regulation, improved learning, and memory processes. This and other evidence-based research is leading experts to consider meditation to be a powerful first course of action for depression and anxiety before traditional methods of treatment. In addition to the physical and emotional benefits of the Wellness Center programs, Kelly points out that exposure to different forms of wellness is key for students evaluating a career in health before they enter secondary school. The Wellness Center could inspire some students to pursue studies in the field of health care. While Kelly recognizes the value and usefulness of all types of health care providers, noting about herself, “I can’t treat a broken leg,” she strongly supports the concept of proactive wellness. “I am pleased to hear that Berwick is focusing on the different aspects of proactive wellness. As time goes on, we are moving into a realm of enhancing health, not chasing symptoms.” After 15 years of experience in the chiropractic field, Kelly recently opened her own chiropractic practice in Portland. She can be reached at 207-838-5643 or drkelly@drkellymaine.com.
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OAKES HOUSE:
A HOLDING QUALITY by Alice Lynch ‘88, School Archivist
Excerpts from Hap Ridgway’s remarks at the Oakes House National Register Ceremony in 1996
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he rustic quiet of the place young Abner Oakes and his wife chose for their new home in the late 1850s was broken only when the school or church bell rang, or when a Boston and Maine railroad train pulled out of the station on Main Street, rumbling by on the tracks below. . . . the home they built in 1859, the Oakes House, had some special, intangible characteristics, a holding quality. . . . Right into the turbulent 20th century, through wars and depressions, personal joys and sorrows, with family members coming and going, the Oakes House stood, and southern Maine grew up around it. The industrial revolution came, and the textile mills rose, then crumbled. For a while, trolley cars rolled along Academy Street. Then they disappeared, the tracks paved over for automobiles. The railroad became Route 236. The Oakes House, with its special holding quality, nonetheless remained a family center for a century, and all along, this story of the Oakes family has been entwined with that of Berwick Academy. Judge Abner Oakes was a trustee and treasurer during Berwick’s centennial
OAKES HOUSE
Abner Oakes comes to South Berwick to practice law
1851
Abner Oakes marries Susan Marcia Bennett
1853
End of the Boarding School Era
Mid 1970s
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memories for Berwick’s 175th anniversary publication. Marcia Oakes Sanborn, class of 1929, remained a Berwick Academy neighbor until moving to California. (She sold the house to Berwick Academy in 1957). With Berwick as a boarding school, the house became a dorm for teenage boys. Later the barn was turned into an art gallery and named after Sarah Orne Jewett. Then, for a while, it was a science classroom. Throughout all of this, there has been a unique quality about the house, some essence that goes back to the time when Judge Abner and Susan Bennett Oakes built the house in the 1850s.
in 1891 and the construction of Fogg Memorial in 1894. His children were students: Charles, graduating in 1879; Marcia, “Susie,” in 1882; and Katherine, in 1884. Susie, the painter, joined the faculty and taught art in the 1880s. She and her husband, Charles Woodbury, often stayed at the Oakes House, including during the summer of 1893, when they worked on illustrations for Sarah Orne Jewett’s novel, Deephaven. Charles Oakes’ children, Abner II and Marcia, were graduates in the next generation. Their cousin, David Woodbury, son of Susie, was born in the Oakes House. He presented an article about his family
Abner Oakes Treasurer of Berwick Board of Trustees
Abner and Marcia build home on Academy St.
1859
The Oakes barn becomes the Sarah Orne Jewett Creative Arts Center
1958
1966
1894
c.1880-1894 Berwick converts Oakes into a dorm and changes the name to Dean Varney House
Varney House is used for faculty housing and the barn holds art and science classes
Oakes regains its original name and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
Daycare in Oakes opens for faculty and staff
1980s-1990s
1996
2002
Fogg Memorial Built
Marcia sells Oakes to Berwick
1957 The Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House opens
2015
FALL 2014
COMPETED
IN THE NEPSAC CHAMPIONSHIP
FOR THE FIRST TIME!
GIRLS VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY
ATHLETICS UPDATE 33
Two Teams Qualify for the NEPSAC Tournament and Boys Golf Notches Their Sixth Consecutive League Title
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wo Berwick Academy Girls Varsity teams advanced to the New England Small School tournament (NEPSAC) this fall, one team making history, the other bringing it back. The Boys Varsity Golf team continued their dominance in the Eastern Independent League by winning their sixth consecutive, regular season championship and the post-season championship tournament.
The GIRLS Varsity Field Hockey team competed in the NEPSAC tournament for the first time ever in November as the seventh seed and played the number two seed, Brewster Bobcats. It was a hard fought battle, as Brewster won the game 3-1, avenging an early season defeat by Berwick. Berwick was one of 35 schools in Class C vying for eight spots in the tournament. Varsity Field Hockey at Berwick has only recently found its way back onto the Hilltop, making a comeback in 2009 after a 57-year absence. The then JV team played two seasons before graduating to varsity status in 2011. Several of this year’s seniors were on the inaugural varsity team as freshmen and have helped build the program to what it is today. Of the team’s four seasons as a varsity squad, this season has formed the winning equation of dedication, talent, and grit. The team set an ambitious season goal of qualifying for the NEPSAC tournament and made a statement early on, knocking off league rival, Pingree, and fellow New Hampshire rival, Brewster, both in overtime, in the first two games. As the season drew to a close, the Bulldogs knew they needed to win their last two games against Concord Academy and Proctor Academy to make a strong case for a NEPSAC bid. Traveling to Proctor Academy during the last Saturday of the regular season, the girls earned a hard fought 2-0 victory in a physical, fast game, ending the season with a school best record of 10-3-2. Senior Tatiana Bradley, one of the top goal scorers
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during the season stated, “In my three years on the varsity field hockey team, there has never been a group of girls that has worked harder and improved more than we have this year. I believe that our success this season shows how incredible our coaches are and the leadership on the team.” Coach Lucy Pollard commented, “While this season’s success has largely depended on an ensemble performance, the Bulldogs have seen outstanding leadership from our six seniors. Our four senior captains: Tatiana Bradley, Izzy Eldridge, Julia Mini, and Kristen Jones, have spent tremendous energy setting a productive tone in practice and mentoring younger players. They also represent our four leading goal scorers, again demonstrating their talent and ability to work together on the field.” The Girls Varsity Soccer team qualified for the NEPSAC tournament for the first time in over a decade this fall. The team finished 10-6-2 with a strong schedule earning them the eighth seed in the tournament. Of the 34 Class C schools, eight teams were awarded a spot in the post-season tournament. Berwick traveled to the number one seed, Brewster Academy, for the quarterfinal matchup. This game was of epic proportions. Tied at regulation and after double overtime, the Bulldogs lost in the sixth penalty kick by hitting the crossbar. Coach Travis Derr has been the head coach for four years, and the team has just missed making the NEPSAC tournament the last three years.
His reaction to making the tournament this year: “I was thrilled for our girls, particularly our seniors, who were freshmen when I first started at Berwick. They have all worked so hard, and this couldn’t have happened at a better time.” Brewster won the NEPSAC tournament in 2012 and was a finalist in 2011 and 2013. Senior Brooke Downey, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring this year says, “This has been, for me, four years in the making, and I couldn’t be more proud of my team. It’s a great way to end my high school soccer career.” It was the end of an era for the Boys VARSITY Golf team this fall. Coach John Downey retired from coaching golf after a 19-year illustrious career. During his tenure, Coach Downey guided his teams to eight league titles (six consecutive), three undefeated seasons, and five Player of the Year Award winners. Coach Downey was passionate about holding his athletes to the highest standards while emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship, integrity, honor, and character. The team was not going to disappoint their coach during his last season and gave him one more championship to retire in style. The team was led by captains Lukas Linemayr and Brennan Santaniello and had strong performances by Sam Zimmerman, Conor Ronan, Garrett MacDonald, and Brent Phillips. The team had only one loss during the season and was able to capture their sixth consecutive championship with Lukas Linemayr earning Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row.
The Girls Cross-Country Team finished seventh in the EIL Championship and fifth at the New England Championship. They were happy with their turnout at New England’s as they were trying to beat Pingree and Beaver, to whom they had lost by a narrow margin at EIL’s. The team didn’t get past Pingree but narrowed the margin. They did beat Beaver which was exciting progress. This year’s roster was made up of younger runners, though they had an excellent group of seniors. The varsity runners at New England’s included three freshmen: Erin Sullivan, Sammy Pickering, and Alexa Mocklis; two sophomores: Maeve Brin and Sarah Ewart; one junior: Claire Breger-Belsky; and one senior: Ashley Szczapa. They all ran well, and Erin and Claire placed in the top twenty. Abby Donoghue provided excellent senior leadership all season. She also worked very hard to beat her personal record and accomplished this at New England’s. Brooks Kennedy had an amazing race at New England’s as well. She placed fourth in the JV race.
Aidan Cookson of the BOYS CROSSCOUNTRY team had an incredible season not losing a single race (8-0) until NEPSAC. The team had a better than average season, finishing in the top half of the league, and it was one of the largest teams in recent memory. Very often during the fall you would see the team training hard but also having fun. Whether it was their colorful running gear, working hard as a group to prepare the course for the EIL’s, or simply playing touch football, Coach Davie led a strong group of runners to one of their best seasons in many years. The highlight of the season was most certainly hosting the EIL XC Championships on our campus. We had over 300 runners and 200+ spectators. Our very own Aidan Cookson won the boys’ race, and the team finished third. The following week at the NEPSTA race, Aidan Cookson’s third place finish led the varsity team to fifth out of 24 teams. This was followed by a dominant performance by the JV squad, placing first out of eight teams. The Boys Varsity Soccer team experienced a rare losing season this fall as they were rebuilding from a team that
graduated 14 seniors. Coach Connolly and his staff felt it was important to take the long view and not focus on the immediacy of things. He was proud of his players and found them to be competitive and thoughtful, respectful, and eager. Coach Connolly commented, “Our team was working as hard at practice in November, when they had nothing to play for, as they were in August when it was far easier to be optimistic and energetic.” The team was very competitive down the stretch of final games of the season, dominating the play versus Bancroft and Concord, two of the top teams in the league. The team improved over the course of the season, and many ninth and tenth graders earned valuable playing experience. The future looks bright with 15 returners for next year, and the expectations will be high once again.
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FALL 2014
ARTS UPDATE Maggie Budzyna ’19 as Cinderella in Middle School production of Cinderella.
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DANCE UPDAte Berwick Academy Upper School Company dancers were pleased to take part in a performance at Thornton Academy on November 21, 2014. The performance, “Fall Into Dance,” showcased eight high school dance companies from Maine at the 500 capacity Garland Auditorium in Saco. The sold out performance raised over $3,500 for a new endowment,
MIDDLE SCHOOL VISITING ARTIST Christy hegarty In December, local artist Christy Hegarty came to visit one of our seventh grade classes. Christy discovered her love of art at Grosse Pointe South High School in 1990 and graduated from Denison University in Granville, OH with a bachelor’s degree in studio art and education
creating opportunities for students in need to receive scholarships thereby enabling their continued pursuit of dance endeavors. Fifteen Berwick students presented three dance pieces at this incredible, philanthropic event. Student choreographers, Cambria Horner ‘15 and Taylor Knox ’15, shined with their performance of “Twinkle Lightly.” In addition, company members performed two breathtaking pieces choreographed by Director of Dance Sasha Malone and Dance Instructor Gina Hesse.
in 1997. After graduating, Christy started her career as an elementary art teacher in Atlanta, GA and Austin, TX. Christy now lives in Durham, NH with her husband and children. Her oil paintings feature portraits of family and pets as well as still lifes and outdoor landscapes. Christy’s paintings are vibrant in their content and color schemes. During her visit, Christy shared her process and thoughts about creating a painting from start to finish. She spoke of the importance of creating thoughtful compositions and using other artists’ painting styles to inspire her own. The seventh graders were able to see examples of Christy’s paintings and see her process of completing a full oil painting and the materials she uses.
MUSIC TEACHING APPRENTICE PUTNAM SMITH During the fall trimester, Putnam Smith was a teaching apprentice in Ms. Sanders’ music survey classes. His background as a folk singer and performer added a vibrant new dimension to the class. Mr. Smith travels the country and abroad performing traditional roots music using his grandfather’s banjo from the 1800s. He developed his solo week lesson plans around his love and passion for music and playing, having students create their own roots music map exploring music from Appalachia, an enriching experience. Mr. Smith brought the music alive with his banjo playing and his stories, including “Cast Iron Pan” from his new CD Kitchen, Love.... Everyone in class enjoyed Mr. Smith’s storytelling style.
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Creativity Through Collaboration Behind the Theater Scenes
Artist in Residence JENNIFER FIELD
A Murder is Announced
Once Upon a Mattress
Collaborative problem solving and student leadership continue to play an increasingly important and visible role in Berwick Academy’s Upper School Drama Department. The fall production, A Murder Is Announced, an Agatha Christie murder mystery, staged in early November, provided opportunities for several students to develop and shape the production values. Grace Knowles ‘17, assistant director; Julia Caple ‘17, costume designer; Stephen Terenzio ‘15, assistant technical director; and Spencer Fascetta ‘15, assistant technical designer, all played a critical role in the production process. “I can’t imagine how this production would have succeeded half so well without their exemplary leadership,” according to Liz-Anne Platt, director.
ART STUDENTS ENGAGE IN MUSEUM STUDY Upper School art students from AP Studio Art and Studio Art Honors traveled to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts for a guided tour of the “Goya: Order and Disorder” exhibition as well as a day of research and drawing from the museum’s permanent collection. This field trip kicked off a major art project, “Order and Disorder,” where students were asked to investigate the theme and to incorporate characteristics from art works seen in the museum.
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More recently, Once Upon A Mattress, the comical retelling of The Princess and The Pea fairytale, staged in late February, tapped into the skills and teamwork of another hard-working and creative group of students. Julia, Stephen, and Spencer were joined by Jeanne Allen ‘17, assistant costume designer, Eric Rawn ’16, sound designer, Emma Stine ’17 dance captain, Emily Duchene ’15 stage manager, and Huda Al-Shair ’16 assistant director. Shivanand Kovvuri ’16, played guitar in the Orchestra. Stephanie Storey ’15, who portrayed Queen Aggravain, also photographed the cast and designed the publicity display in the Patricia Baldwin Whipple Arts Center.
Fiber artist Jennifer Field came to Berwick to work with student artists in the Lower School, Grade 4; Middle School, Grade 5; and Upper School, Metalsmithing and Studio Art Honors, to teach felting techniques during the first two weeks of February. Jennifer is a nationally recognized fiber artist who has conducted workshops in felting and glass in various locations ranging from Austin, TX to Eliot, ME. Her artist residency culminated in a group exhibition that included her own work as well as the newly felted pieces by our Berwick student artists.
Trimester Snapshots
CLASS OF 2015 CONVOCATION
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2014 OPENING ASSEMBLY
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LOWER SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARADE
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UPPER SCHOOL PLAY, A Murder is Announced
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VETERANS DAY
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WINTER CONCERTS MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL, Cinderella
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LOWER SCHOOL SOLSTICE ASSEMBLY
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WINTER CONCERTS
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LANGUAGE DAY
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MLK ASSEMBLY
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2015 PEP RALLY
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Alumni News
Owen Stevens ’48 and Margaret Stevens
Former Faculty Dianne Dean and Bill Abernathy ‘89
Ben Baldwin and Greg Schneider
Alumni Weekend 3.
Jack Fogarty ’53 and Heidi Fogarty
2014
Heather Fera Pepper ’89 and Stephanie Kendall Jaggars ‘89
Alumni Weekend photos by Susan Donovan Photography
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Catherine O’Reagan Cahill ‘49
Former faculty Russ Tarason, Nancy Pindrus ‘69, Bob Bogardus ‘61; Standing: Kathy Hursh and Rick Hursh ‘66
Ethan Hawes ’10 and Lower School Director Joel Hawes
Theresa Parent Gagnon ‘34
Al Roberge ’44 and Carole Watkins Paul ‘54
R. Craig Williams ’69 and Al Capachietti ‘69
Alums and Greg Schneider at the 100 Club Clint Schoff ’59 and family
Lance Allair ’89, Catie Clarke Coolidge ’89, and Steve Coolidge ‘90
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THE HILLTOP LUNCHEON 1
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1. Marcia Raitt Pike ’59, Judy Morgridge ’59, and Elizabeth Knight Henkel ‘59
2. Joel Gagnon ’68, Theresa Parent Gagnon ’34, and family
3. Dennis Fink ‘44 and
Loretta Somerset Warren ‘44
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4. Don Purdy ‘63, John Hartnett ’64, Bob Bogardus ’61, and Chester Graves ‘64
5. Class of ‘64 6. Class of ‘59 7. Sally Knowlton Charmichael ’54, Bob
Remington ’54, and Carole Watkins Paul ‘54
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8. Kelsey Walker ’19 and Joel Gagnon ’68 sing “Long Live Berwick”
9. Charlie Pray ‘49
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THE 100 CLUB 1. Dede Christensen Frothingham ’89 and Catie Clarke Coolidge ’89
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2. Class of ‘09: Sara Fechner, Evan Young, Julia Guimond, Kolbie McCabe, and Elizah Hulseman
3. Class of ‘94: TJ Jurevic, Adam McNeill, Michele Dubois, Jeffrey Gray, and Tom Ellefsen
4. Laine Major ‘08 and Faculty Member John Skafidas
5. Class of ‘10: Ethan Hawes, Kurtis McCabe, Sam Winters, Emerson Bilodeau, and John Tackeff
6. Rebecca Jarvis ’04, Brett Sowerby ’04, Susanna Shaw ‘04
7. Former Faculty Lynne Gass and Faculty Member Ted Smith
8. Georgia Flanagan Spielvogel ’84 and Eric Voskuil ‘84
9. Class of ‘89 10. Stafford King ’64, David Barrows ’64, and Bill Roots ‘64
11. Paul Ahlgren ’64, Rob Perkin ’65, and Pete Arakelian ‘65
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ALUMNI BASKETBALL A
lumni basketball is back! Logan Bement ‘12 and Coach Early rallied a group of alums for a game at Berwick’s gym on December 18. Hoops were followed by pizzas at La Festa in Dover. It was great to renew this tradition and we plan to keep it going.
ALUMNI HOCKEY
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lumni hit the ice at the Dover Rinks on December 18 for the annual face off of the women vs. the girls varsity team and the men vs. themselves. It was a great night of skating with the girls varsity taking home the McNulty Cup for the second year in a row. Alums headed to RiRa in Portsmouth for a post-game party.
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Alumni men’s team
2. Eric Trepanier 02, Chris Atwood ‘10, Sean Clarke ‘88, Meghan Clement Anderson ‘02, Nick Michaud ‘10
3. Kurt McCabe ‘10, Kyle Mullaney ‘11, Kevin Airoldi ‘11, Owen LaBrie ‘11, David Horan ‘11, Jake Woodward ‘12
4. Alumni women’s team and Girls Varsity Hockey team with Coach McNulty ‘75
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4 3
ALUMNI AWARDS Alumni awards were presented at the Hilltop Luncheon on September 20, 2014 to three deserving members of the alumni community.
Clinton R. Schoff ’59
Paul A. Ahlgren ’64
Lifetime Achievement Award
Loyalty Award
Clint’s commitment to his country, family, community, and Berwick Academy is without question. He served in both the Marines and the Coast Guard and was deployed to Guantanamo Bay as a machine gunner during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During his 30 years at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, he managed several aspects of operations and spoke at the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearings. In addition to his work at the Shipyard, he devoted 23 years to the South Berwick Rescue Squad, and for the past nine years, he has been keeping the traffic moving downtown. His busy work schedule has never kept him from being there for his wife of 53 years, his three children, and grandchildren. His sister, Anita Gagne ‘61, put it best: “The measurement of his efforts in making this world a better place still astounds us. The list of goals yet to be achieved motivates this husband, father, brother, son, friend, and advocate to this day.”
Stephanie Kendall Jaggars ’89 Loyalty Award Steph spent over a decade as a Berwick student and the 25 years since then nurturing the bond among the Class of ’89. She spent four years working in Berwick’s Alumni Office, extending her passion for the School beyond her classmates. The alumni she worked with during that time continue to stay in touch and praise the work she did. “It’s been incredible watching Berwick become a better school,” says Steph. “It’s easy to work for such a great place.” Steph is currently serving her third year on the Alumni Council, and in July will take over as president, earning her a position on the School’s Board of Trustees where she is sure to superbly represent the views of alumni.
During his two years on the Hilltop as a boarding student, Paul developed friendships that have lasted for 50 years. His experience at Berwick was so special and meaningful to him that he kept those feelings alive by consistently connecting with classmates in his role as Class Agent. Paul is the epitome of a class agent: enthusiastic, connected, and dependable. In addition to rallying the Class of ’64 for reunions and other alumni events, Paul collected class notes, provided updates on the lives of classmates, and served on the Alumni Council. He has been a driving force behind organizing the 50th reunion, and especially reuniting the championship football team!
Upcoming Alumni Regional Gatherings NEW YORK CITY Thursday, April 2, 6 - 8 p.m. Hotel Hugo, Tribeca
WASHINGTON, D.C Wednesday, April 15, 6 - 8 p.m. Location TBA
BOSTON Tuesday, April 21, 6 - 8 p.m. Town Stove and Spirits, Boylston Street
RSVP on Facebook or contact Kathryn Strand at kstrand@berwickacademy.org or 207.384.6307
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Olympic Champion Mike Eruzione ’73 VISITS BERWICK
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erwick students gave USA Olympian and Berwick alumnus Mike Eruzione ‘73 a hero’s welcome during his January 23 visit to campus. Mike had lunch with the sports team captains, met with the Middle School hockey team, and then took questions from students at an afternoon pep rally. Later in the afternoon, Mike headed to the Dover Ice Arena and toured the hockey locker room renovations, which his generous gift helped make possible. He spoke with the boys and girls teams before dropping the puck at their games. It was a great day!
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Philanthropy at BERWICK
In the spirit of philanthropy and sound investing, two separate donors made gifts of $100,000 each to satisfy the match requirement. Rob Perkin ’65 facilitated one of the gifts from the Perkin Fund where he is a trustee. This most recent gift is one of many generous donations made possible by Rob and the Perkin Fund. The second donor to match the EE Ford grant has asked to remain anonymous. The $50,000 award from EE Ford will be used over the next two years to support Berwick Innovation Center expenses, including mentor stipends, project materials, and guest speaker honorariums. The $200,000 in matching gifts will be added to our existing endowment fund for innovation and will eventually enable us to permanently fund the BIC program by creating a reliable income stream to cover growing overhead expenses.
EDWARD E. FORD FOUNDATION GRANT
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his past June, Berwick was awarded $50,000 from the Edward E. Ford Foundation to support the Berwick Innovation Center, our award-winning program that offers students a way to articulate their intellectual passions and better prepare for college and beyond. Since its inception in 1957, the EE Ford Foundation has awarded more than 2,000 grants to strengthen and support independent secondary schools. This award is the fourth to Berwick from EE Ford and the second to fund innovation. The grant required a four-to-one match, so an additional $200,000 needed to be raised to qualify for the $50,000 award.
Benefits of the Berwick Innovation Center to our community • Creates a college process differentiator, a powerful marketing tool. • Places public institutional value on innovation and entrepreneurship. • Builds public/private partnership and fundraising opportunities. • Validates unique student passions, part of Berwick’s culture. • Re-invents the role of our library. • Generates strategically desirable national recognition. • Highlights adults as mentors in our community.
THE BALDWIN FOUNDATION GIFT
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he Baldwin Foundation and the Baldwin family have shown their commitment to the arts at Berwick with their generous support over many years. Among the several initiatives supported, The Patricia Baldwin Whipple Arts Center, funded by a $1.5 million gift from Mrs. Winifred Baldwin in 1984, transformed the campus and Berwick’s arts program. The Baldwin Foundation’s most recent gift honors that history and the memory of Patricia Baldwin Whipple by establishing a scholarship in her name. In October 2014, the Foundation, led by support from Brian
Gregg ’90 and former parent Joan Whipple Trimble, donated $100,000 to fund a financial aid endowment to support the Patricia Baldwin Whipple Scholarship in the Arts. The “Whipple Scholar” will be chosen beginning in the 2016 academic year. This gift from the Baldwin Foundation honors Berwick’s commitment to financial aid, which is vital to maintaining an inclusive community at Berwick, a community that values diversity and that prepares our students to live lives of excellence, integrity, and leadership.
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PRESERVING A PIECE of BERWICK HISTORY
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he Berwick Academy Charter, the legal document establishing the School, is a beautiful, hand-written text on parchment which was signed by John Hancock, then the governor of Massachusetts. In 1791 when Berwick’s Charter was signed, Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Maine became a state in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise. Owing to its historical significance as a document, the original Charter is owned and retained by the Massachusetts State Archives. Berwick has had several copies of the Charter displayed around campus, but the reproductions are poor due to the condition of the 224-year-old document. Fortunately for Berwick, Rob Perkin ’65, who has a strong interest in history and in his alma mater, last summer funded a project to restore the Charter to a cleaner, more legible state. In addition to the restoration, the Charter was digitally photographed, enabling Berwick to print copies as needed. Currently, there are several new copies displayed on campus, and framed copies were presented to this year’s Alumni Award winners. Berwick is most grateful to Rob for helping to preserve this meaningful artifact of the School’s history.
NEW ALUMNI COUNCIL MEMBER Timothy “TJ” Jurevic ‘94
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he Alumni Council is pleased to welcome a new member to represent alumni from the 1990s. TJ came to Berwick in the eighth grade, and after graduating in 1994, he went on to Villanova University where he received a bachelor of science in finance. After spending 13 years working in the financial world, TJ attended Georgetown University where he earned a master’s degree in sports management. He spent several years working in Basketball Operations for the Maine Red Claws basketball team, most recently holding the position of video coordinator. TJ recently decided to “hang up the high-tops” and has just returned back to the finance world as an analyst with Loomis, Sayles & Company in Boston. TJ spends his free time engaging in a number of outdoor activities ranging from golf, sailing, skiing, and fly-fishing. He currently lives in Dover, NH.
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TJ brings a ton of enthusiasm and a variety of expertise to the Council. He will focus on engaging young alumni and on helping to improve our social media strategy for all alumni.
Membership in the Alumni Council is open to alumni from all classes who spent at least one year at Berwick. The Council welcomes alums who want to stay involved in life at Berwick and to represent the interests of alumni to Berwick’s Board of Trustees. For more information about becoming a member of the Alumni Council, please contact Kathryn Strand in the Alumni Office at kstrand@berwickacademy.org or 207-384-6307.
IN MEMORIAM In Memoriam 1939: Ruth Emery Briley, October 12, 2014 1940: Hazel A. Oxner Culton, June 6, 2014 1941: George P. Stone, November 9, 2014 1942: Ruby Laura Morgridge Frank, December 29, 2014 1942: Edna Mae Young Kenney, January 2, 2015 1942: Agnes Gertrude Nolette Nadeau, November 24, 2014 1946: Marie Lorraine Daigle Trafton, October 21, 2014 1947: Alice Caroline Perry Fogg, November 7, 2014 1950: John Leonard, June 29, 2014 1951: Vernon E. Brooks, November 23, 2014 1954:Troy Richard Clark, September 16, 2014 1954: David Michael Fogarty, November 27, 2014 1954: Reginald Nadeau, January 14, 2015 1957: Florence Dorothy Smith Renaud, June 13, 2014 1964: Alan Harry Carp, October 5, 2014 1966: Albert J. Winn, May 20, 2014 1974: Nancy B. Roberts, January 29, 2015
SUSAN BISBEE ’86
REMEMBERING TERRY DOGGETT
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ong-time Berwick Academy teacher, Arthur “Terry” Doggett, died on October 28, 2014, at the age of 68. Part of the Berwick family from 1972-1992, Terry was a beloved teacher and coach. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and sons, Tim ‘84, Chris ’88, and Scott ’92. John Downey pays tribute to his friend and colleague: “Terry was a friend to everyone. He had a wonderful, natural ability to draw out the very best in students and athletes. His days here at Berwick were spent giving of himself trying to help the School achieve its potential. During his tenure, students flourished and found a joy for learning. Terry will truly be missed, but he will always remain part of the best that is in each of us. Pax tecum.” -JFDIII
BOB WILSON ’61 Bob Wilson ‘61 passed away last year. Bob was proud of his Berwick affiliation and equally as proud of the lifelong friends he made while there. A stroke ended his career in construction, but despite being a hemiplegic, he never thought of himself as handicapped, preferring instead to call himself challenged. A civic minded man and the father of two children, he and his wife traveled widely after his retirement.
Friends and family gathered next to Fogg Field on Alumni Weekend to celebrate the life of Susan Bisbee ‘86 and dedicate a memorial in her honor. Susan passed away in September 2013.
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2015
Alumni Weekend
OCTOBER 2-3
Whether you are celebrating your 5th or your 55th, or anything in between, come be a part of the fabulous reunion activities on and off campus. Those celebrating milestone reunions can refer to these pages for inspiration.
1940
75th Reunion
1950
65th Reunion
“Looking Back” by Freddie Catalfo ’40 written in his senior year. When I grow old and hairs of mine are gray, And I’m about to leave for the promised land, A tear I’ll shed, and you will understand Classmates, that thoughts of mine are of B.A. My memories bring graduation day Anew – with beauty that my thoughts can see. Upon the hill Berwick Academy, Dressed in blue and green and granite gray. The bell again in victory will ring, And for that glorious tone my heart will yearn, Busy voices again in thought return – Class of “Forty” my meditations bring. And while with age the days move on so fast, Our memories retain youth to the last.
1945
Remember when? “On Friday, May 20, 1949, the Class of 1950 sponsored the annual Junior Prom in Fogg Memorial Hall. Decorations of an unusual nature contributed much to the success of the evening. The artistic decorating committee, under the direction of Miss Lois Smith, transformed the auditorium into a flower garden at night, complete with starry sky, flower-covered trellises, and garlands of roses. Johnny Howe and his orchestra provided the music for this eventful evening.”
1955
70th Reunion
“Class History” from the Quampegan “Though our class is small, numbering only nineteen, we feel we have made up in spirit what we lacked in size. Our four years at Bewick Academy have been very happy. In this book are recorded the ambitions, hopes, successes, and memories of our high school days. What fun and memories this book will recall in future years.”
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Football captain Bill Morgridge
60th Reunion
“The 1955 Quamphegan is dedicated to the person probably most responsible for raising the morale and prestige of Berwick Academy in the past two years, Mr. William J. Cunnane. Always ready to lend a hand, be it to direct a one-act play or to teach us ice hockey, Coach Cunnane has done much to make life at the Academy more enjoyable and worthwhile. His ready wit, engaging grin, and amazing versatility have completely won our hearts, our respect, and our admiration. We are proud and happy to pay tribute to him.”
Alumni Weekend Highlights:
Hilltop Luncheon Saturday at noon
100 Club Reception Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
1960
55th Reunion
1965
50th Reunion
1975
40th Reunion
An excerpt from an editorial in the Spring 1964 issue of The Academy Quill entitled “True Spirit Comes From Within Students” by Richard Stocker ’65:
Headed by Mr. Simonds, the philosophy group assembles bi-weekly and discusses universal topics of an abstract nature until one either professes existentialism, becomes confused in the verbal crossfire, or falls asleep. The intent is to reason and to discuss matters of great concern in critical times such as these.
“It is your school, and you must enhance its functions by your degree of spirit. Apathy creates a lack of drive and interest which is obvious to any observer. You are the school! Caring for others, volunteering to help whenever needed, making the correct decision, keeping the campus clean, and staying fit and presentable are the essence of school spirit, your passport to greatness.”
1970
45th Reunion
The season sports report pulled no punches when describing the varsity soccer season: “Although the record of 5-7-1 is not the most impressive, the year was extremely prolific in that many fine prospects for next year developed their skills. Because of the many colorful characters on the team and the varied incidents, the year was not a total loss.”
Brigit Ordway beckons the Class of ‘75 to the 40th reunion, and she won’t take ‘no’ for an answer!
1980
35th Reunion
From page four of the yearbook: “The End of a Decade – Skylab, the war in Vietnam, Bicentennial, Three Mile Island, Nixon Visits China, Concorde SST maiden flight, “All in the Family,” Watergate, Equal Rights Amendment, Test Tube Baby, Mopeds, Mohammad Ali makes comeback…” What a time!
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2000
15th Reunion
The Millennial Class! Some members had a mini-reunion at Emily Taylor’s wedding.
1985
30th Reunion
The Class of ’85 dedicated their yearbook to Mr. Dean who, with his wife Dianne, can be counted on to make an appearance at reunion festivities.
1990
25th Reunion
2005
10th Reunion
In 1990, the Ridgway Family came on the scene and Seth Hurd was voted ‘Most Theatrical and Most Musical.’ Some things never change…
1995
20th Reunion
2010 Class Advisor, respected teacher, and trusted ally, Mr. Fletcher welcomes the Class of ’05 back to celebrate their 10th reunion. Mark Svenson is still rocking the sunglasses.
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5th Reunion
In his convocation speech, Mr. Sherbahn asked the class to question the status quo and swim against the intellectual stream. After five years away from the Hilltop, come back to reunion and let us know if you followed his advice.
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GOLD:
RADUATES
November KNOCKDOWN!
F THE AST
ECADE
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his past November, Berwick participated in a regional independent school competition for the highest participation of young alumni in the Annual Fund. This was Berwick’s first year in the “November Knockdown” and we came out swinging! Videos from Coach Quinn, Mr. Bishop, Ms. Hoyt, and Mr. Fletcher fired up alums who responded in record numbers. In the final tally, Berwick had a respectable showing, coming in just behind Pingree and tied with Beaver. Thank you to all who participated. Next year we’ll definitely give the EIL a run for their money!
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 6.
Fi nal Standings
Dana Hall Winsor Concord Pingree Berwick Beaver Lexington
Nice surprise for Caitlin Chandler ‘02 and former faculty Lynne Gass who coincidentally met up at a wedding this past fall.
In the Lab With MADDIE KEEFE ‘13
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started working in a research lab the spring of my freshman year at Georgetown University. Our team consists of a doctor and three research assistants. We study Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and are trying to determine a concrete way to diagnose the disease as well as treat it. Our patients’ symptoms are exercise induced, so we have an exercise portion of
the study as well as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) brain imaging and tests to determine their pain threshold. I currently work on patient recruitment, data entry, and data analysis, but last summer I was able to perform procedures on our patients and process our blood samples. This has been a great learning and professional experience, and I plan to work in the lab throughout the summer full time.
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2015
OCTOBER 2-3, 2015
Weekend
Alumni
Thursday, October 1, 2015 Bulldog Boosters Golf Tourney at The Links at Outlook in South Berwick, ME
Friday, October 2, 2015 11 a.m. – Noon, Upper School Classroom Experience Noon – 1 p.m. Lunch in the Commons 2:30 – 4 p.m. Historic Campus Tour 3:30 p.m. Student Athletics 5:30 – 7 p.m. Class of ’65 Welcome Reception
All alumni are invited to signature events of the weekend: The Hilltop Luncheon is the traditional alumni banquet. Come to the Commons at noon on Saturday for lunch, the alumni awards, and celebration of the reunion classes. The 100 Club Cocktail Reception is held in downtown Portsmouth on Saturday night. Make this your first stop to reconnect with classmates and teachers before heading out to experience Portmouth’s nightlife.
Saturday, October 3, 2015 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Dog Days Family Fun Fair on Fogg Field 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Upper School Athletics Noon – 1:30 p.m. Hilltop Luncheon in the Commons including the Alumni Awards presentation 2 – 3 p.m. Dedication of the Wellness Center 3 – 4 p.m. Historic Campus Tour 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. 100 Club Alumni Cocktail Reception
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More information about the weekend’s events is available through our website at: www.berwickacademy.org/alumniweekend Contact Kathryn Strand in the Alumni Office with questions or to register at 207.384.6307 or kstrand@berwickacademy.org.
ANNUAL FUND
B
erwick Academy offers students more than just an education; it offers an experience. The Berwick Annual Fund makes that experience possible. Whether it’s enriching the lives of students through arts, athletics, or innovation; supporting academic initiatives and Berwick’s phenomenal faculty through professional development; or providing access to our School through the Financial Aid program, the impact of the Berwick Annual Fund can be felt on our campus every day.
Your partnership is critical to Berwick’s ability to continue providing a topnotch educational experience for our students. Please join us by making a tax-deductible gift today.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please visit:
Thank you!
www.berwickacademy.org/giving
2015 Alumni Art Exhibit
TIMOTHY POWERS WILSON ’04
“
Observed Transitions”
September 1 - October 3 Jackson Library Gallery
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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.
Grandparents Day
Friday, May 1, 2015
Each year, all grandparents and special friends are invited to Berwick Academy to enjoy a day of performances and classes with their grandsons and granddaughters. We look forward to seeing you on the Hilltop! Invitations will be mailed shortly! 66
For any questions or to update your contact information, please contact Emma Balina at ebalina@berwickacademy.org or 207.384.6309.