Buzzer Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

The Grytte Turns 120

a rt i n f o c u s

SUNSET SKYLINE Philip Raftopoulos ’18 Photograph

contents

Spring/Summer 2018 FEATURES

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Grytte Student Newspaper Celebrates 120 Years

16 Robotics Program Fosters Tech Skills and Community Leadership

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DEPARTMENTS 3 From the Head of School 12 Fine and Performing Arts

Colleges Offering Admission to Class of 2018

27 The Local Buzz 44 From the Archives

46 Summer Stipends

58 Athletics

54 Parents Association Benefit 2018

64 Alumni Events 84 Class Notes

Art in Focus (facing page): Art in Focus (facing page): Philip Raftopoulos ’18, a member of the School’s Photography Club, explains, “The Browning Photography Club captures various artistic photos throughout the year. Members of the club visited new areas, ranging from Venice to New York. Their photos captured

unique subjects, seasons and themes.

Students practiced different methods of photography, including changing aperture, shutter speed and ISO. They also focused on creating high-quality images and utilized various editing techniques.

Examples include modifying exposure, contrast, saturation, highlights and tones.”

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ON THE COVER

In its first issue of this school year, the staff of the Grytte student newspaper included part one of a three-part series reviewing the history of its publication, which celebrates its 120th year.

Turn to page 4 for details.

MISSION STATEMENT Founded in 1888 as a college preparatory school for boys, The Browning School continues its commitment to the goals of John A. Browning: the pursuit of academic excellence and

BUZZER STAFF

John M. Botti, Head of School Melanie S. McMahon, Director of Publications, Buzzer Editor Laura N. Lanigan, Director of Alumni Affairs SPRING/SUMMER BUZZER CONTRIBUTORS Dominique Bernard, French Teacher

Lauck Blake, Physical Education Teacher

Anderson Harp, Computer Science & Engineering Department Chair

Megan Ryan, Modern Languages Department Chair

a lifelong love of learning,

the belief in the dignity of the individual, and the development of personal integrity and responsibility to the broader community.

The Browning boy develops amid these values.

The Browning alumnus is a good citizen, sensitive to the needs of others, and respectful of divergent yet informed opinions.

He is, in the best sense of the word, a gentleman.

Andrew H. West ’92, Athletic Director

John Young, Classics Department Chair Contributing Photographers: Christine Bramble, Coffee Pond Productions, Rossa Cole, Jeremy Katz ’04, Laura Lanigan, Melanie McMahon, Al Pareira, Sanford Pelz ’71, Judit Resika Design by Misty Wilt Graphic Design LLC Proofreading by Marie S. Leed

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2017-18

Valda M. Witt, President Stuart J. Ellman, Vice President David E. Glaymon, Vice President David J. Liptak, Vice President Alka K. Singh, Vice President Richard L.N. Weaver ’75, Treasurer Robert D. Ziff, Assistant Treasurer Celeste A. Guth, Secretary Andrew B. Sandberg ’01, President, Alumni Association John M. Botti, Head of School Nazmi Oztanir, President, Parents Association Maria I. Dell’Oro, Vice President, Parents Association

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Michael P. Beys ’89 Wendy W. Brooks Paul A. Burke Mark G. Cunha Elizabeth Granville-Smith Stephanie H. Hessler Philip A. Hofmann Federico Infantino

Ling S. Kwok Jeffrey M. Landes ’83 Raul Pineda Andrew M. Snyder Ellen Stafford-Sigg Deborah C. van Eck Andrew E. Vogel

James S. Chanos, Honorary Trustee Allan L. Gropper, Honorary Trustee T HE

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DIVERSITY STATEMENT The Browning School strives to create a diverse community in which all members are safe, respected and valued.

We believe that in actively promoting a diverse learning environment, we are fostering intellectual, social and emotional growth for all.

Recognizing and pursuing diversity, however, are not enough; we seek to transcend mere tolerance of differences and aspire to a celebration of the varied appearances, abilities, perspectives and values that characterize our community.

The Buzzer is published two times a year by The Browning School. The School may be reached at 212 838 6280. Website: www.browning.edu.

The Browning School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, religion, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-directed programs, or employment practices.

from the head of school

Tradition & Innovation: Allies at Browning Browning is often described as a

When change is pursued, it is not out of

that we can and should embrace. When

a concern for present fashion, but instead

so much to so many boys and families,

in the name of offering our boys new

strength and collective meaning that our

activities, pedagogies and perspectives…

“traditional” school, and this is a term

I think upon why Browning has meant I inevitably reflect upon the narrative

school’s traditional elements provide. Strong communities are not accidental, but rather a matter of purposefully cultivated

interactions, rituals and symbols; absent these reliable markers

our manner of serving boys well in an evolving educational

individuals, mere institutions – not strong or true communities.

so Browning tries both to avoid fads and to be self-honest when

stable environment and its shared expectations. Some of these

wise caution is certainly compatible with an open mind, and so

of tradition, schools are seldom more than aggregations of

context. Now, not all innovations are helpful to a community, and

And so Browning expresses its significance, in part, through its

a new program, schedule or event has not been successful. But a

involve recognizable rituals and symbols, such as our morning

tradition and innovation are ready allies in the work of a school.

trips. Other traditions are more abstract, such as an ongoing

traditions nor innovations are goals unto themselves but, rather,

norms of civility and mutual concern, and a preponderance of

they are” as thinkers, leaders, citizens and friends. Customs are

coaches and staff with the boys in their charge. These elements

rather, because they continue to provide boys the resources to

will never change.

in a way that helps them ask and answer important questions

but such fidelity cannot be unthinking and dogmatic if the

and courageous young man. In the same vein, when change is

philosophical founder of modern conservatism, Edmund Burke,

in the name of offering our boys new activities, pedagogies and

means of some change is without the means of its conservation.”

character dispositions, and forge deeper emotional connections

that successful states are also inescapably sites of reform and

critical thinking, ethical virtue and interpersonal empathy – are

some measure of evolution quickly becomes anachronistic and

be used in their pursuit, be it a venerable broadsheet student

health stems from its capacity for updating its plant, its program

program breaking new ground. Together, they speak to one of

while still hewing to its mission. As a school leader, I myself

it is through the traditional and the innovative alike that boys

renovated school building, the emergence of squash as a sport,

gentleman of the first order.

handshake, public speaking competition and perennial field

That work, of course, is the work of transformation. Neither

commitment to a broad liberal arts curriculum, community

crucial instruments in the effort to help boys become more “who

personalized, nurturing relationships developed by teachers,

maintained not because “that’s what we’ve always done,” but,

are constitutive of the Browning experience, and these elements

connect with ideas, with peers and with institutional history

Adherence to tradition can be powerful for communities,

about what it means to live as a compassionate, honest, curious

community is to meaningfully endure. As the traditionalist and

pursued, it is not out of a concern for present fashion, but instead

observed during the French Revolution: “A State without the

perspectives that will spark intellectual passions, strengthen

While no advocate of revolutionary upheaval, Burke recognized

with teachers and peers alike. The ends we seek – patient

innovation, for tradition that is not self-reflective and open to

worthy ones indeed, and, thus, we do well to employ all that can

even irrelevant. So it is with schools, and much of Browning’s

newspaper celebrating its 120th year or a burgeoning robotics

and its personnel to meet the needs of its community members

the central insights of the Browning experience; namely, that

am the fortunate inheritor of many recent innovations – the

are transformed into capable, conscientious, compassionate

and the introduction of a new Lower School math curriculum, for example – that have been among our “means of conservation,”

John M. Botti

Head of School

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f e at u r e

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T HE

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THE

BROWNING

Grytte

CELEBRATES 120 YEARS!

In its first issue of the 2017-18 school year, the editorial staff of the

Browning Grytte included part one of a three-part series reviewing the history of its publication, established in 1897. Grytte advisor Jeremy Katz ’04 took pride in describing the special efforts taken by the staff for this particular anniversary edition, noting, “For

the first issue of the school year, the Grytte has gone big, literally!

The boys chose to print this special edition broadsheet size. A big

thanks to John Botti, Jim Reynolds and Jim Simon for their review and support, and a huge shout-out to Sarah Murphy, who worked with our budding archivists to create the anniversary section of this edition, which reprints several articles from our 120-year history. The boys discovered really interesting finds that still

resonate in today’s news cycle.” In this edition – Volume 114 –

one of the paper’s three editors-in-chief, Caleb Sussman ’18, offered a retrospective, beginning on page 6.

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F

ounded in 1897, the Grytte was

The Grytte has been contemporary

with the mission of aiding students to

to several events in modern history

originally a foreign affairs magazine, provide students with the “means of

acquiring knowledge of passing events in the outside world.”

The first issue, published in November of

1897, dealt with such global current events as

several renowned journalists who all served on

featured local coverage, including the creation

Sulzberger, Jr. ’70, chairman of The New York

of New York City’s first trolley car, as well as

several personal narratives. Unfortunately, no

copies of the Grytte have been preserved from

the period between 1898 and 1948. In this period, it is assumed that the Grytte took many forms and was not regularly published, and that the Lit, now exclusively a literary magazine, also

did some reporting. However, it is known that the newspaper was published in all of these

years, except for six, which is why Volume 114 celebrates 120 years of publication.

Nevertheless, the Grytte has been

contemporary to several events in modern history

and was there to write about each. The issues from the early 1960s deal with the implications of the

civil rights movement and integration in schools, while the issues from the later ’60s and ’70s

primarily deal with communism, the Red Scare, and the Vietnam War, amongst other topics.

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The Grytte has fostered the careers of

the British Invasion of Egypt and the Greek War of Independence. However, the first issue also

T HE

and was there to write about each.

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staff while students at Browning: Arthur Ochs

Times; Henry Luce, III ’42, publisher of Time and Fortune; David Callaway ’82, Chief Executive

Officer of TheStreet; and R. Thomas Herman ’64 and Ralph Gardner ’71, both columnists for The Wall Street Journal. Michael Ingrisani,

Browning’s English department chair, has twice been the faculty advisor to the Grytte. During

his second advisorial tenure, in the early ’90s, the

Grytte was published and printed in-house; since then it has outsourced its printing to a location in Long Island City. In the time between 1897 and

1950, the Grytte began to shift its coverage from primarily being centered around foreign affairs to being centered around school events and

happenings. This tradition is continued today. In

this 114th volume of the Grytte, the editorial staff republishes various articles from seminal events in the history of the past 120 years. ‑Caleb Sussman ’18

A BIG HAND FOR THE “BIG” EDITION! The following staff members are to be

William Mazzaro ’21, Christopher

the broadsheet-sized 120th anniversary

Motz ’19, Matteo Nickola ’21, Christian

commended for their work in creating edition of the Grytte:

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

George Grimbilas ’18, Jackson

Richter ’18, Caleb Sussman ’18

Modica ’19, Gavin Mora ’21, Alexander Odenius ’22, Noah Oliva ’25, William Post ’25, Alexander Raftopoulos ’21, Philip Raftopoulos ’18, Jamie

Sussman ’22, Gabriel Soluri ’18, George Stavropoulos ’18, Dylan Steck ’21

DEPUTY EDITORS

ARCHIVISTS

Ishikawa ’18, Sebastian Rodriguez ’19,

Alexander Motz ’19

Theodore David ’18, Takayuki Diego Santamarina ’19 CONTRIBUTORS

Alexander Barr ’21, Logan Flynn ’20,

Ross Gramley ’23, Conor Gubbins ’19, Henry Gussman ’23, Andrew

Halajian ’21, Asher Hurowitz ’21,

Fazeel Khan ’21, Alexander Kwok ’20,

Caleb Sussman ’18, Gavin Mora ’21,

ARCHIVAL CONTRIBUTORS

Ryan Flynn ’12, William Guggenheim, III ’56, Eric Jamrich ’80, Daniel Levy ’96, Arthur MacArthur, IV ’56, Efrain

Morales ’13, Kevin Seal ’04, Arthur

Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. ’70, Will Tanous ’88, Scott Uffner ’04, Ameil Weisfogel ’88

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EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Here are just a few of the headlines making news in

the pages of the Grytte through the years, as reprinted in the December 2017 retrospective issue:

NOVEMBER 1969

By Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. ’70

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T HE

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Grytte Staffer Interviews Israeli Officials

Res pon din g

Ter to t he r o of 9 r A t t / ack 1 NO 1 VE MB s By ER Sco 2 t tU ffne 001 r ’0 4

PR TH OTES E F TIN LA GA G AP GA IS RIL W 2 By RO INST Kev 003 NG in S ea

T S I N U M M O C E TH EAT THR 6 III ’56 H 195 , C m i R e h MA uggen G m a illi

By W

l ’0 4

LOG ON TO THE BROWNING WEBSITE AT browning.edu/grytte120years to view a video about the Grytte’s gold medalist award, as well as its 120th anniversary celebrations.

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GRYTTE GARNERS GOLD MEDALIST AWARD The Grytte newspaper staff was awarded a Gold Medalist rating by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the issues published in 2016-17 by boys in Grade Four through Form VI. The Medalist Critiques are the written evaluation of the publication compared against a set of printed criteria as completed by CSPA judges.

At the end of last year, to celebrate the anniversary of its inaugural issue, which debuted in November, 1897, the staff, along with faculty advisor Jeremy Katz ’04, visited the Wall Street offices of TheStreet, a financial news and services website, where alumnus David Callaway ’82 serves as CEO. Mr. Callaway, who was a panelist at last year’s Grytte journalism conference, led a tour with the boys before engaging in a discussion with them about the current state of journalism, as

Grytte Editors-in-Chief (L-R) Jackson Richter ’18, George Grimbilas ’18, Caleb Sussman ’18.

well as that of the Grytte itself. Please read more on page 85.

GRYTTE STAFF HOSTS STUDENT JOURNALISM CONFERENCE

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T HE

he Grytte

and discuss common issues

words of advice. Panelists

staff hosted

they face as student-news

included Gillian Tett, U.S.

a journalism

organizations. The event

managing editor for Financial

conference in

also featured a panel of

Times; Alex Vadukul ’07,

February, providing an

professional journalists

contributor to The New York

opportunity for school

(pictured with moderator

Times and U.S. editor for

newspaper staffs from across

Caleb Sussman ’18) who

Port Magazine; and Brian

New York City to acquaint

discussed the state of

O’Keefe, deputy editor of

themselves with their peers

journalism and imparted

Fortune Magazine.

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Many members of the Grytte staff attended the annual CSPA Fall Conference at Columbia University for the third consecutive year.

See additional photos of this day on page 6.

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fine and p e r f o r m i n g a rt s

ANNUAL ART SHOW APPRECIATED BY ALL Artwork created by Browning boys under the direction of art

teachers Nik Vlahos and Kate Bancroft brightened the Kurani

Gym and other spaces within the School during the Annual Art

Show attended by proud parents and siblings, as well as the boys, faculty, staff and Trustees. From the Upper School self portraits to the ever-popular penguins made by the Kindergarten boys, the hard work and talent at every division level was evident.

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CONCERT STARTS THE DAY OFF RIGHT! Michael Cedric Smith, a

classical guitarist and father

of Brogan ’17 and Farrell ’23, performed a set of engaging pieces at a Lower School

assembly concert. Joining

Mr. Smith on the program were after-school music instructors

Gemma Hinson on violin and Ilinka Manova on piano. This

duo featured a tango as well as music by Mozart and Chopin, two of the composers studied

by Lower School boys this year.

The Upper School Chorus,

directed by Richard Symons, gave thrilling renditions of

songs from “Miss Saigon” and “Les Miserables.”

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT CHAIR SPEAKS AT NYSAIS/IBSC CONFERENCE Music Department Chair and Lower

School Music Specialist Lucy Warner was selected by the New York State

Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) and the International

Boys Schools Coalition (IBSC) to

present a workshop for teachers at the organization’s conference in

February. Held at The Buckley School in New York City, her workshop was geared to Lower School music and language arts instructors.

Ms. Warner’s one-hour presentation,

entitled “Superhero Mozart and the Magical

Fourth,” featured poetry, chanting to the beat, visualizing and singing the musical interval of a fourth, and then applying these skills to a user-friendly xylophone-playing session (transferrable to visual representations for language arts teachers). Her program was based on the opening phrases of Mozart’s

popular serenade, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music).”

AUGUST VENTURA PRESENTS AN EVENING OF VERDI In May the Browning community enjoyed an evening with New York architect, journalist and filmmaker August Ventura, who presented a program on the life and

works of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi and who bears a striking physical

resemblance to Verdi as well.

The event also featured

performances by both the

Upper School Chorus and

Ovation Orchestra and was followed by a reception.

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f e at u r e

ROBOTICS PROGRAM FOSTERS TECH SKILLS AND COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP “GRACIOUS PROFESSIONALISM” A BASIC TENET OF SUCCESS

According to Director of Technology Aaron Grill, the study of robotics at The Browning School inherently relates to all facets of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), which has long been emphasized at every division level. For instance, the Lower School technology curriculum is designed in part to provide students, beginning in Kindergarten, with the opportunity to explore their interest in robotics. Once they enter Middle School, the boys reinforce their robotics skills and focus on how they might apply them to real-world problems. Upper School students are given a choice of technology courses to take during their final four years at Browning; not surprisingly, many choose to pursue their knowledge and build their skills in the subject of robotics.

(Turn to page 21 to read about the robotics tools offered in Browning’s Tech Lab.)

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Moreover, Head of School John

Director of Technology Aaron

Botti is pleased that the robotics

Grill elaborated on the program

tenets of the organization FIRST,

in that we have dedicated classes

program, modeled upon the

promotes the overall Browning

mission of developing “personal

integrity and responsibility to the broader community.”

and its goals. “Browning is unique in the department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE).

Students in every grade, from

Kindergarten through Form III,

are exposed to a CSE class that

explores basic computer science principles and engineering

design processes. The boys then

have the option of taking a CS or engineering elective in Forms IV

through VI. Robotics is a field that unites these two interconnected

fields (CS and engineering) in an ideal way,” explained Mr. Grill.

HEAD OF SCHOOL JOHN BOTTI IS

“Robotics allows students to make

PLEASED THAT ROBOTICS, MODELED

and hardware by writing code

UPON THE TENETS OF “FIRST,” PROMOTES THE BROWNING MISSION OF DEVELOPING “PERSONAL

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a connection between software that declares a conditional

statement, dependent on input, which then controls the output

of a motor and ultimately moves a robot forward or allows it to pick up an object. The joy of

INTEGRITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO

successfully programming a robot

THE BROADER COMMUNITY.”

daily in the School’s Tech Lab.”

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to complete a task can be seen

MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE ULTRO TEAM WAS THE RUNNER-UP FOR THE INSPIRE AWARD, WHICH IS PRESENTED FOR OVERALL ROBOT DESIGN, COMMUNITY BUILDING, INCLUSIVITY, ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK, BUSINESS/ STRATEGIC PLAN, INNOVATION AND PRESENTATION. Mr. Grill added, “Over the

past three years, our school’s robotics program has been shaped by an organization

named FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science

and Technology. (Read more at

competitive, it values students

adding that the team won the

rewards those that inspire

unique and stable design. Most

mentoring other teams and

and support others. Gracious

professionalism is a core value here at Browning as well.”

This year the Browning

www.firstinspires.org.) FIRST

robotics team, named “Ultro,”

the world each year, with the

in Latin – a nod to the team’s

challenges schools around

goal of inspiring students to

participate in a ‘mentor-based

research and robotics program to help them become science

and technology leaders, as well

as well-rounded contributors to society.’ FIRST values promote

‘Gracious Professionalism: a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes

the value of others, and respects

individuals and the community.’

While the challenge is extremely

meaning “of one’s own accord” mission based on autonomous programming objectives –

qualified for the New York

City Regional Championships.

Mr. Grill was thrilled to

announce that Ultro was the

second team out of five to qualify for the championships; 30 teams competed for five qualifying

spots in the regionals. “This was the best performance to date by the Browning robotics team in

its three-year history,” he said,

Innovation Award for an elegant, importantly, the team was

the runner-up for the Inspire Award, which is presented for overall robot design,

community building, inclusivity, engineering notebook, business/ strategic plan, innovation and

presentation. Mr. Grill explained, “This placement qualified Ulto for the regional competition as the second team out of five to

ultimately qualify. The Inspire

Award placement is considered more valuable than winning

the competition, as it represents the values we wish to aspire to,

beyond winning in competition.”

To view photos of Mr. Grill

and meet his Ultro team, turn to page 20.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2017-18 ULTRO TEAM! We are pleased to recognize the team

members of Ultro who worked so hard

and displayed the qualities of “gracious

professionalism” as they qualified for the NYC Regional Championships.

Robotics Drive Team and “Pit Crew” Robert Nielsen ’18 Ben Ellman ’18

Alec Candidato ’20

Giordan Escalona ’20 Erig Sigg ’21

Learn more about Browning robotics on YouTube:

Robotics Team Scouts and Support Rein Landsberg ’20

Giovanni Taveras ’20

www.browning.edu/robovid1

Zachary Brown ’20

www.browning.edu/robovid2

Griffin Davis ’21

Alex Kwok ’20

Christian Kim ’21

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BROWNING TECH LAB OFFERS ROBOTICS TOOLS AT ALL DIVISION LEVELS Cubelets Modular Robotics are robot

Lego Mindstorms EV3 lets Browning

younger boys in learning by building robots.

robots to drive, walk and spin, among other

blocks that make it fast and easy to engage Boys snap the robot blocks together, and

the magnetic faces do the rest. Every unique arrangement results in a new robot with its

own unique “behaviors.” Students problem solve to put together their creations using

logical thinking, patterns and sequencing.

Lego WeDo introduces Lower School boys to robotics, allowing them to build and

program Lego models that feature working motors and sensors.

Browning boys use Makebot mBot – an

students build, program and command their things. The boys are given bricks, motors and sensors to build their robots, which

are then “brought to life” by using the EV3

programmer app and a smartphone or tablet as a remote control.

The FIRST Tech Challenge involves the boys programming robots on Android

phones acting as the core communications

hub, using Android Studio and Java as the programming language along with REV robotics electronics, motors and servos.

educational kit for beginners – and Scratch

LittleBits are modular electronic “building

community – to gain hands-on experience

stick together using small magnets and wood.

– a free programming language and online in robotics. The mBot kit comes with

various pre-assembled options, including an obstacle-avoidance car. Because it is

compatible with the Makeblock platform and most Lego parts, it offers the boys

infinite extensibility as they create their “dream robots.”

blocks” that aid in the design of robots; they Older students use Autodesk Fusion 360

software for 3D mechanical design of the robots. They can produce accurate 3D

models to aid in designing, visualizing

and stimulating robots before they actually build them.

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LEGO MINDSTORMS NAMED FOR BOOK BY MIT PROFESSOR, A TRAILBLAZER FOR COMPUTER-AIDED EDUCATION Lego Mindstorms products are named after the book “Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas” by the late Seymour Papert, an MIT professor who helped blaze the trail for computer-aided education for children. Papert had the foresight to view these massive machines as a means to help children learn by doing. He developed a programming language for

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children, who initially used it to program and animate a small robot turtle.

Papert’s “constructionist” theory of education held that “kids learn best by building things and making things happen,” according to an article in the MIT News.

Director of Technology and Advisor to the Ultro Team, Aaron Grill wrote of his regard for Papert’s pedagogy in Browning’s online series,

From Theory to Practice (www.browning.edu/theoryto-practice/aaron-grill), noting that Papert challenged the traditional school model to “break away from the old patterns where children were born as learners, learned from their own energy until they went to school, and when they went to school, the first thing they had to learn was to stop learning and begin being taught.”

HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ROAD TO ROBOTICS SUCCESS

In 2013

first grade boys began to work with Lego WeDo in their

introductory robotics class. Each boy had a partner

and worked through the build instructions on an iPad. The boys rotated between being the builder and the

invention to a panel of some of the best advertising

professionals from JUICE Pharma Worldwide, where Browning parent Forrest King is managing partner and chief innovation officer.

One boy offered an accounting of his design and

reader which helped them develop their collaboration

experience at JUICE: “My design was of a robot dog.

building their robots and began learning how to

their children responsibility. The dog was upcycled

skills. Over the course of three weeks, the boys finished program them using the WeDo software and Scratch.

While the first graders were hard at work, the

fifth graders started to assemble their own base robot in the lab. The boys were paired together

and used Browning’s Google Drive to report on

their assignments. Once their robot was complete, they then investigated the various sensors and programming controls in the NXT software.

In 2014 as part of their Advanced Engineering

course, Upper School boys participated in the

Ten80 Student Racing Challenge competition in

The purpose of the dog was to help parents teach

to connect to the internet using Wi-Fi signals. From these signals, anyone with a phone and the correct

password could control the dog. The parent could force the dog to make a noise until a button is pressed. My

design was created using littleBits, modular electronics that transfer energy and stick together using small

magnets and wood. The presentation of my design was a culmination of all the lessons we learned in class.

Presenting the final iteration of the project was a great experience in entrepreneurship and public speaking.”

In 2016 the Browning Robotics Club, comprised

Waltham, Mass. This year-long challenge dared

of four boys, competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge

high schools across America, building and tuning

Horace Mann. FTC is an international competition

students to reach nationals by competing against

radio-controlled cars, then racing them against each other. Points were earned through winning races,

overcoming engineering challenges, creating a clean visual design or driving a certain maneuver. During the competition, at one point two Browning team

members (Jacob King ’14 and Jonathan Flinchum ’14) were tasked with finding the engineering solution to fix a broken car. The boys were victorious, and

thus, Browning’s Clutch Motorsports team was one of the only teams that day to fully fix and analyze

their vehicle, proudly securing a second place finish overall in the Ten80!

In 2015 boys enrolled in the Introduction to

Engineering Design course tackled a project in which the objective was to isolate one problem, then ideate and prototype a simple solution connected to the

internet. Through process and experience, students

made connections with practical, analytical, creative and research-based thinking. Each boy created

a succinct “elevator speech” to pitch and sell his

(FTC) NYC Regional Qualifying at host school

in which students in grades 7-12 are challenged to design, build, program and operate robots to play a floor game in an alliance format. Club members entered the competition as rookies, never having

competed. Out of 23 teams in the competition, the Browning robotics team advanced to the finals.

The boys formed an alliance with Holy Cross and

pulled off a match upset against Mamaroneck High School. While the team lost the next two matches,

the exciting finals run taught them much about how preparation and hard work lead to success.

At the end of the 2015-16 school year,

Browning’s technology department held its first Tech Expo in the Kurani Gym to showcase the

School’s comprehensive and engaging tech program, showcasing the ways in which Browning is at the

forefront of technology education in New York City.

As part of the Expo, the robotics class set up a game arena in the middle of the gym, where two “bots”

built and programmed by Form IV boys competed.

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Did You Know?

A robot is a programmable mechanical device that can perform tasks and interact with

1.

its environment, without the aid of human

or, through inaction, allow a human being to

interaction. The word robot was coined by

come to harm.

the Czech playwright Karel Capek in 1921; he based it on the Czech word for “forced labor.”

(Robot entered the English language in 1923.)

Melanie McMahon

A ROBOT may not injure a human being

2.

A ROBOT must obey the orders given to

it by human beings, except where such orders

Robotics is the science and technology behind

would conflict with the First Law.

the design, manufacturing and application of robots. In 1941, Isaac Asimov published the

3.

short story Liar! in the May issue of Astounding

as long as such protection does not conflict

Science Fiction. In it, he introduced the Three

with the First or Second Laws.

A ROBOT must protect its own existence

Laws of Robotics; this is thought to be the first known use of the term robotics.

Those who attended the 1939 World’s Fair may have been lucky enough to see the Westinghouse Elektro robot.

Going forward, robots of many types made their appearance.

Here are some “fun facts,” as provided by Stanford University.

tool for the handicapped. Its six

lier wrote the hugely popular book

human arm. Acquired by Stanford

pioneer Edmund Berkeley, who ear“Giant Brains or Machines That

Think” (1949). The original Squee

prototype is in the permanent collection of the Computer History

Museum in Mountain View, Calif.

1958

based Elektro robot responds to the

Institute, Charles Rosen led a

rhythm of voice commands and

delivers wisecracks pre-recorded on 78 rpm records. It appeared at the

1939 World’s Fair, and it could move its head and arms.

1951

Squee: The Robot Squirrel used

two light sensors and two contact

switches to hunt for ”nuts” (actually,

At the Stanford Research

research team in developing a

robot called “Shakey,” so called

because of his wobbly and clattering movements. Shakey could wheel

around the room, observe the scene with his television “eyes,” move

across unfamiliar surroundings,

and to a certain degree, respond to his environment.

tennis balls) and drag them to

1963

“75 percent reliable,” but it worked

Arm robot at Rancho Los Amigos

its nest. Squee was described as well only in a very dark room.

24

Squee was conceived by computer

1939

Built by Westinghouse, the relay-

—As reported by Melanie McMahon

T HE

BUZZER

Researchers designed the Rancho Hospital in Downey, Calif., as a

joints gave it the flexibility of a University in 1963, it holds a

place among the first artificial robotic arms to be controlled

by a computer. In 1969 Victor

Scheinman’s Stanford Arm factory robot made a breakthrough as the first successful electrically

powered, computer-controlled robot arm, guiding itself with optical and contact sensors.

Scheinman then designed the

PUMA series of industrial robots for Unimation, robots used for

automobile assembly and other industrial tasks.

1974

David Silver at MIT designed

the Silver Arm, a robotic arm to do small-parts assembly using

feedback from delicate touch and pressure sensors. The arm’s fine

movements approximated those of human fingers.

1989

David Levy was the first master

It responded to more than 100 voice

the Volkswagen Touareg R5

a computer. The program Deep

tonal language.

than seven hours with no human

chess player to be defeated by

Thought defeated Levy, who had

beaten all other previous computer counterparts since 1968.

1995

The MQ-1 Predator drone was

introduced and put into action by

the United States Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency. The unmanned aerial vehicles were

equipped with cameras for reconnaissance and could be upgraded to carry two missiles.

1999

The Sony AIBO, the $2,000 “ar-

tificial intelligence robot” was a

robotic pet dog designed to “learn” by interacting with its environ-

ment, its owners and other AIBOs.

commands and talked back in a

2004

Caltech designed both the

Opportunity and Spirit Mars

Rovers, both of which landed on Mars in 2004 and ran 20

times longer than their planned lifetime of 90 days. While Spirit ceased to move in 2009 and

finished the challenge in less

intervention – well before the

10-hour time limit. The DARPA challenges were intended to

generate interest and innovation in the area of self-driving cars;

this year, both U.S. and foreign

auto manufacturers continued to introduce their versions.

communications from the Rover

2010

exceeded its expected lifetime.

former “Jeopardy!” Tournament of

stopped in 2010, Opportunity far

2005

Stanford Racing Team’s

autonomous vehicle “Stanley” won the 2005 DARPA

“Grand Challenge.” Driving

autonomously on an off-road, 175-mile long desert course,

IBM’s Watson sparred against

Champion contestants, winning

a majority of the games. This was

preparation for a 2011 matchup in which Watson handily defeated

two of the all-time best “Jeopardy!” players, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, by analyzing natural

language questions and content

more accurately and faster than its human counterparts. –M.M.

Spring/Summer 2018

25

colleges offering admission to class of 2018

As this issue of the Buzzer headed to press, Director of College Guidance Sanford Pelz ‘71 provided the following list of colleges offering admission to members of Browning’s Class of 2018.

We congratulate the Form VI boys in advance, as they will receive their diplomas on June 13 during exercises at Christ Church. Please visit our website at www.browning.edu for full coverage.

American University

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Amherst College

Northwestern University

Bennington College

University of Pennsylvania

Boston College (2)

Princeton University

Bowdoin College

University of Redlands

Brown University (2)

Rhode Island School of Design

Bucknell University

Rice University

University of California – Los Angeles

University of St. Andrews (6)

University of California – San Diego

Sarah Lawrence College

University of Chicago (2)

Seton Hall University

Columbia University (2)

Skidmore College

Connecticut College

University of Southern California

Cornell University

Stanford University

Dartmouth College (2)

Syracuse University

Davidson College

Trinity College

Duke University (2)

Trinity College Dublin

University of Edinburgh

Tulane University (2)

Georgetown University (3)

Union College (2)

Hamilton College (2)

Vassar College

University of Massachusetts – Amherst (3)

University of Virginia

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Wake Forest University

New York University

Williams College

As of May 2018

26

T HE

BUZZER

the local buzz

TWO NEW DIVISION HEADS WILL JOIN THE BROWNING SCHOOL In February Head of School John Botti

Heads and also acknowledged the

chair; Janet Lien, director of Middle

Campbell as Browning’s new Head of

their expertise.

McDermott, assistant to the division

announced the appointments of Gene Upper School and Danielle Passno as

search firm, Wickenden Associates, for Members of the Search Committees

Browning’s new Head of Middle School.

were as follows: Mary Bosworth, Middle

on July 1, 2018.

Grill, chair of both Search Committees

Both division heads begin their terms

Mr. Botti thanked Aaron Grill and

the two Search Committees he chaired

for overseeing back-to-back searches for Browning’s Middle and Upper School

and Upper School history teacher; Aaron and director of technology; Laurie

Gruhn, assistant head of school and

head of Lower School; Michael Ingrisani, dean of faculty and English department

and Upper School admission; Meghan heads; Betty Noel, director of diver-

sity and Upper School science teacher.

Megan Ryan, modern languages department chair, served on the Middle School Search Committee as well.

Mr. Campbell and Ms. Passno will

be featured in detail in the next Buzzer, due out this December.

Gene Campbell,

Danielle Passno,

students at St. Albans

and public purpose

senior dean of

School in Washington, D.C., has enjoyed an impressive

12-plus-year career as a teacher and

administrator at

St. Albans, one of the

nation’s premier independent boys schools. In addition to his duties as senior dean of students, he also serves as assistant director of upper school admission at

St. Albans, teaches English in the upper school, helped

to create the school’s character education and advisory curriculum and has coached football and basketball.

Prior to his arrival at St. Albans, Mr. Campbell taught at the Kent School in Connecticut. He earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College.

director of outreach at The Spence

School, spent the past 10 years at

Spence as a middle school teacher and administrator. She founded and co-

directed the Teaching Institute and also collaborated

with their three division directors to build a vision for ongoing service learning among all grade levels.

Ms. Passno, who serves on the faculty of Teachers

College’s Klingenstein Summer Institute, also taught at

other independent schools, including Boston University Academy and The Webb School (Tenn.). She earned a

B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. in Education Leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Spring/Summer 2018

27

“A” IS FOR AUTISM, “B” IS FOR BUDDY! The fourth grade boys, along with their teachers Rachel

“I have been so impressed with our boys’ responses to

Gerber, Meg Epstein and Gary Norcross, have been working

various situations they’ve encountered at MCC,” said

A Browning mother suggested the idea to Ms. Gerber, and the

boys may never have had a chance to meet autistic children

with autistic students at Manhattan Childrens Center (MCC).

rest, as they say, is history! Ms. Gerber explains, “We had read ‘Wonder’ and ‘Rules,’ which led to discussions on the topics of inclusion and autism. As it happens, both books were perfect segues to our work at

Ms. Gerber. “It’s been an amazing partnership! Browning if not for this experience. They seem to know just what to say and to adjust to different circumstances. They have learned that in working with autistic

students, extending praise is extremely

MCC. ‘Wonder’ is a book about a young

important. Our boys regularly

boy with a facial deformity, while ‘Rules’

congratulate the MCC students who, as

is about a 12-year-old girl whose brother

a result, have learned to both give and

is autistic.” Both fictional works prompt

receive compliments.”

readers to consider others’ points of view.

Two Browning boys are paired with

one MCC boy, supervised by an MCC teacher,

for half an hour every other week. An MCC staff

member visited Browning to explain what autism is

and to prepare the fourth graders for their work. As part

of their preparation, the boys engaged in role-playing. They learned that some children with autism are non-verbal,

may not easily make eye contact and are often sensitive to

their experience: “I have to admit I had

never heard of autism, but now I’m really

excited to work with the boys at MCC.”

Another student said, “I was interested to see

what it would be like to be with kids who have autism.

I found out they are just like us, and that it’s fun to play games with them!”

Another offered this response: “I think of the MCC

loud noise. Through role-playing, Browning boys learned to

student as a second buddy. As fourth graders at Browning,

makes eye contact, for example.

MCC buddies!”

repeat the name of the boy they are working with until he

28

The boys offered these thoughts on

T HE

BUZZER

we have our Kindergarten buddies, and now we have our

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR VISITS BROWNING In February the

developments in the field

program and said, “This

was treated to its first

the future of biodiversity

with a very entertaining

Browning community SciCafé featuring guest

speaker Professor Martin Speight of University

of conservation biology, and how high schools can get involved.

Interim Middle

of Oxford. A researcher

School Head Sam

zoology, Dr. Speight

Department Chair Emilie

in tropical ecology and discussed his work,

Keany thanked Science

Wolf for organizing this

was a great evening

conservation biologist.

Dr. Speight’s fascinating stories about the science done by researchers

and citizens were enjoyed by students, parents and faculty.”

Spring/Summer 2018

29

VIEWBOOK HONORED WITH SILVER AWARD FROM CASE The Browning School’s new admission viewbook won a Silver Award in the Student Recruitment/ Individual Piece category from the Council for

Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The annual CASE Accolades and Achievement Awards for District II were presented at a

special luncheon this past February during the

district conference in National Harbor, Md. As part

of the ceremony, photos of the School and its logo were featured.

This honor was bestowed by CASE based on the ways in which the viewbook

and admission program relate to Browning’s overall institutional and advancement goals and how well this publication addresses the needs of its target audience.

A truly collaborative effort, the viewbook production team included Director

of Lower School Admission Kelly West, Director of Middle and Upper School

Admission Janet Lien, Designer Misty Wilt and Director of Publications Melanie McMahon, who was pleased to accept the award on behalf of the School.

30

T HE

BUZZER

SIXTH GRADERS TEST SURVIVAL SKILLS The Grade Six two-day trip to Greenkill YMCA Camp, in Huguenot, N.Y., engaged Browning boys in a rich environmental education program that supports their work at school. The boys were accompanied by Science

Department Chair Emilie Wolf, history teacher Mary Bosworth, and interim

Head of Middle School Sam Keany. Mr. Keany provided the following report: “The knowledgeable Greenkill naturalists led the boys on hikes,

taught them how to make survival shelters, schooled them in the use of

camouflage, and gave them opportunities to cross rope bridges and climb a rock wall. The boys learned how to start a campfire and (just as important!) how to put it out. A night hike gave them the experience of appreciating their natural night vision. Wildlife educator Brian Robinson treated the

boys to rare close-ups of birds of prey, including a kestrel, an owl, a hawk and a vulture. The boys marveled at the talons and wingspans as these great birds took flight in the auditorium. In the lodge in the evening,

we built a raging fire, and Ms. Wolf told a scary story that had the boys checking to be sure that their noses had not turned to cheese!”

BROWNING BRINGS BACK AWARDS FROM MODEL UN Browning’s Upper School delegates represented Uganda

economics was vital to his success. Everyone performed

Conference in Philadelphia this past winter. History

committees with hundreds of delegates.”

at the three-day Ivy League Model United Nations

Department Chair Dr. Gerald Protheroe, advisor to

exceedingly well in the most competitive fields in

Dr. Protheroe added, “Awen Abaatu ’16 is now a key

Model UN, noted, “Our boys faced strong opposition in a

member of the ILMUNC Secretariat at Penn. It is great to

our senior members (Rohan Singh ’18 and Brogan Smith’18,

at Browning. We have never had a graduate in such a high

challenging international affairs environment, with two of respectively) receiving awards, one for Bear Stearns 2008: Best Delegate and the other for Press Corps representing the China Daily: Verbal Commendation. Rohan’s award

was well merited on a committee in which his expertise in

see, as he was a member of our delegation for four years

position in the world of Model UN after going off to college.”

After their tough days of competition, Browning’s

delegates and their teachers dined out together and enjoyed each other’s company.

Spring/Summer 2018

31

INTERSCHOOL FROST VALLEY TRIP OFFERS TIME WITH PEER SCHOOLS The Form IV boys and faculty

in Claryville, N.Y., where

schools that comprise New York

in the outdoors during the

discussion and team-building

group includes Brearley, Chapin,

chaperones had a great time

annual Interschool Frost Valley trip to the YMCA camp facility

they engaged in three days of

activities with their peers from

the other single-sex independent

Interschool. Beside Browning, the Collegiate, Dalton, NightingaleBamford, Spence and Trinity.

GIVING TREE CHEERS PEDIATRIC PATIENTS In December the Parents Association sponsored a Toy Drive for pediatric

patients in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). All the

toys collected were piled high in the Lobby and adorned with colorful

lights, forming a festive “Giving Palm Tree,� thanks to the generosity of the

entire Browning community who also

donated gift cards to this worthy cause.

Parent volunteers, along with a

group of Browning boys, packed the toys in 27 large boxes, which were taken to the children at MSKCC.

32

T HE

BUZZER

ILLUSTRATOR-WRITER OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS SPEAKS TO LOWER SCHOOL BOYS Bryan Collier, award-winning

The Life of Dr. Martin Luther

rapport with

books for children, including

Lower School Assembly in April.

audience by

illustrator and writer of over 25 “Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream

for Me ” and “Martin's Big Words:

King, Jr.,” was a special guest at the Head Librarian Sarah Murphy, who introduced Mr. Collier,

said, “His watercolor and collage

combinations are detailed, lovingly

created, and full of interaction with the language of the books.”

During the Browning

assembly, Mr. Collier spoke to the boys about a few of his favorite

childhood books, “The Snowy

Day” by Ezra Jack Keats

and “Harold and the Purple Crayon”

by Crockett

Johnson. He

immediately

established a

his young

reading from a

number of books, asking questions, and introducing

the phrase, “dream walking,” which

he defined as the

actions taken by the books’ characters (mostly actual

historical figures), who draw

with sticks or otherwise create art based on the settings and

situations they find themselves

in. He noted that a page of book illustrations can take him seven

weeks to complete, while an entire book may take six months.

Spring/Summer 2018

33

FRENCH STUDENTS WIN COVETED AWARDS AT THEATER FEST Form II and Form IV French students

received the coveted “best non-

theater festival organized by the

Browning also won a “Coup de

participated in the annual winter

Lycée Français of New York. French

teacher Dominique Bernard offers the following report: The boys’

assignment was to present a short play of five to

seven minutes in length based on

this year’s theme of

“Nature.” Ably assisted by

34

achievement indeed! It was, as it is

every year, an enjoyable and

engaging activity. Form II French students

have participated

in this event since 2003 and have

always performed

extremely well. For

the third time, Form IV has

been called up to the “big league.” It

speaking male actor” trophy. What’s

boys to immerse themselves in French

more, the entire Form II class

BUZZER

Coeur” for humor and wit – a superb

his talented peers, Oscar Gad ’20

was awarded the “best non-French

T HE

French speaking male actors” trophy!

is really a great opportunity for the language and culture.

JOINT SCHOOLS EVENT SENDS A LITTLE LOVE TO SENIOR NEIGHBORS As part of a joint school event,

fifth grade Browning boys and

girls from Nightingale-Bamford

joined together for a “hearts and crafts” activity with their senior

neighbors at the Stanley M. Isaacs

Neighborhood Center, a non-profit, multi-service organization.

DELVING INTO DATA Associate Director of Technology Saber Khan co-

we do, what do our values say

issue of Independent School magazine. Mr. Khan

this information?’ ”

authored a feature, “In Full View,” in the Winter 2018 interviewed Head of School John Botti as part of the

we ought to be doing with Mr. Khan then asked,

article, which addressed the “data-driven mindset”

“So the data would help

collected data to make informed strategic decisions.

would lead to discussion

adopted by schools as they explore the use of When asked by Mr. Khan, “Is there

quantitative or qualitative data that you wish you

had as it relates to your school?”, Mr. Botti replied,

“As someone concerned with the well-being of our kids, I would love to have more data around how much sleep our boys get and more accurate data

about how heavy a homework load they carry… So,

you ask questions that

and consensus?” To which

Mr. Botti replied, “If data is used as

a cudgel to force through an agenda, I’m not sure that’s congruent with the way in which I think a

school ought to operate. But if it’s a provocation, that’s really useful.”

Mr. Botti noted, “There are ways that data

for example, were we to find that some of our boys

thickens the conversation. Just as quantitative

think this means? Do we think this is important? If

qualitative reportage.”

are sleeping five hours, we would ask, ‘What do we

data shouldn’t stand on its own, neither should

Spring/Summer 2018

35

BROWNING TAKES CHESS CHAMP TITLE FOR THIRD YEAR For the third consecutive year at the New York State Chess

Championships in Saratoga Springs,

a Browning boy was “State Champ!”

Chess Program Director John

Kennedy reports that second grader

Drake Martin won the title in the K-3

Reserve division, scoring a perfect six wins from six games!

Mr. Kennedy added, “In the

same section, first grader Dev Iyer

scored 5-1 for third place. Browning’s first grade team of Anand Jadhav,

Steven Cruz, Anthony Rodriguez and Ben Nicholls finished as the third place team in

the K-1 reserve division, with Anand, Anthony and Ben also earning individual awards.

Fourth grader Ezra Marks scored 5.5 of six games to finish in second place in the K-5

Reserve division.” Form IV students Max Beem, Hugh Chapin, Giordan Escalona and Alex Liptak took home the fifth place team trophy in the High School Championship.

At press time, Max Beem ‘20 returned from the National High School Championship

in Columbus, Ohio, where he tied for second place, scoring six wins from seven games and winning the third place award on tiebreak.

36

T HE

BUZZER

HISTORY DEPARTMENT CHAIR INVITED TO PRESTIGIOUS NYU CONFERENCE Dr. Gerald Protheroe was one of

25 participants invited to attend a round table conference, The State of the European Union and the

Transatlantic Alliance, at the Center for Global Affairs, the School of Professional Studies, New York

University, in April. During this in-depth exercise, the experts

engaged in discussion on several major themes relating to the

relationship between the European Union and the United States.

Among the participants

were members of the European Parliament, a former deputy

director of analytical programs

at the CIA, the former Slovenian

ambassador to the United States, the director of the Modern War Institute at West Point, a senior

fellow at the Brookings Institution, and professors from Paris Institute

of Political Studies, Boston College, the University of Montreal, the

Fletcher School at Tufts and the University of Kiel, as well as

counter-terrorism and intelligence officials and journalists from The Guardian newspaper.

The all-day conference

dealt with three major themes, including European economic

and political relations in the post Cold War order, moderated by

Tamás Meszerics, a member of the European Parliament from

Hungary. Larry Wolff, executive

Dr. Protheroe, who teaches

director of the Remarque

two courses in international history

theme of NATO, terrorism, the

“It was a great honor to be invited

Institute, NYU, moderated the

Baltic States and the rise of Putin.

The third and concluding session dealt with possible outcomes

of current models of U.S. and

at New York University, remarked. to be a participant in this group.

The standard of commentary and debate was daunting.”

European engagement.

Spring/Summer 2018

37

FOURTH ANNUAL BIODIVERSITY DAY IN CENTRAL PARK Organized by Browning’s Green Team

the Middle and Upper School boys

Biodiversity Day was once again a

including “Design Your Own Animal,”

and still going strong in its fourth year, huge success, thanks to the boys, guest

naturalists, teachers and staff who braved

unseasonably chilly temperatures to identify the amazing species that dwell in Central Park. Noted species beyond the classic

spring blooms included black-crowned

night herons, raccoons, mayapples, red-

eared sliders and a white-breasted nuthatch.

The event helped raise $1,000 for the Wild

Bird Fund, which will help that organization care for injured animals and fledgling birds.

According to Science Department

Chair Emilie Wolf, in the afternoon,

38

T HE

BUZZER

participated in workshops of their choice, “DNA Barcoding,” “Fishing in Central

Park” and “Eco-Chains Arctic Crisis.” Two boys led a workshop of their own design

which taught participants to build a device that extracts the remaining energy from

used batteries to charge phones. Another

student shared the board game he helped design through the Lang Program at the

American Museum of Natural History. The Lower School boys engaged with the Wild

Bird Fund and Kids for Positive Change to learn about what they can do to help birds and marine animals.

Spring/Summer 2018

39

FORMER HEADMASTER CLEMENT’S PORTRAIT UNVEILED Former Headmaster Stephen M.

Clement, III, who retired in 2016 after serving The Browning School for 28 years, returned with his wife Sally

and family members on April 18 for the formal unveiling of his official

portrait by artist Ronald Sherr. (See

inside back cover.) Board of Trustees President Valda M. Witt remarked

on Mr. Clement’s accomplishments before revealing the painting.

Mr. Clement thanked Head of

I worked with two business managers

Artist Ronald Sherr’s portraits

School John Botti for welcoming him

who saved me and the School! Number 1:

of notable Americans include

his appreciation to the Trustees and

one idea at the end of the day was

Supreme Court justices, senators

typical humor, he reflected on his

best for the boys at Browning?’ ”

them in “a 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1” format,

leads a busy life by serving as a

I worked with five great Board

(Dutchess County, N.Y.) Robert College

Division Heads and I worked

(Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), in addition to

four. Number 3: In 28 years I worked

on personal projects. Since leaving

advancement. And together we raised

have a grandson and granddaughter,

back to Browning and expressed

In 28 years of working with the faculty,

parents of the Class of 2016. With

always on our minds together: ‘What is

years at Browning by organizing

Even in retirement, Mr. Clement

as follows: “Number 5: In 28 years

board member of Millbrook School

Presidents. Number 4: the same

(Istanbul, Turkey) and Scenic Hudson

together for 10 years as a team of

exercising, reading and working

with three directors of development/

Browning, he and his wife Sally now

a lot of money! Number 2: In 28 years

who also keep them busy!

former presidents, cabinet members, and governors, as well as leaders in

business, medicine, academia and the arts. His portraits of General Colin Powell and of President George H.

W. Bush were commissioned by the

National Portrait Gallery. Among the other institutions representing

Mr. Sherr are the Smithsonian,

Supreme Court of the United States,

Yale University, Princeton University and Dartmouth College, to name but a few. Born in New Jersey in 1952, he currently resides in Suzhon, China.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ON COMMUNITY DAY AGENDA In December Browning held its fourth school-wide

Community Day during which the entire student body (Kindergarten to Form VI) interacted and focused on a

division-specific theme. Director of Equity and Diversity

Dr. Betty Noel noted, “This day is a wonderful opportunity for the older students to demonstrate leadership and

camaraderie with their younger peers and for the younger boys to make connections with the older ones.”

Forms II-VI boys focused on gender with various

activities led by students in the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)

session; the Harvard University swimmer is the first openly

Schuyler Bailar was present for an interview and Q&A

Division 1 men’s team.

and Gender Studies & Feminism Club. Transgender athlete

40

T HE

BUZZER

transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA

SENIOR PLACES IN GREEK-LATIN RECITATION COMPETITION The New York Classical Club held its annual Greek and Latin

Recitation Competition at Columbia University in April. Greek and Latin teacher Dr. Brett Wisniewski reports that in a field that was the largest in recent memory and composed of all

levels, including graduate, undergraduate and high school students, Brogan Smith ’18 won third place in the Greek

recitation contest, with a masterful performance from Book III

of “The Iliad,” traditionally attributed to Homer, and a portion of “Idyll II” of Theocritus.

Dr. Wisniewski said, “It was truly stiff competition,

and although Brogan received a cash prize, he also deserves

congratulations for engaging in such an advanced endeavor.

This was Browning’s first time at the contest, so it was a great way to start out what we hope becomes a tradition.”

BROWNING JOINS NATIONAL SCHOOL CAMPAIGN TO BRIDGE DIVIDES AND BUILD STRONGER COMMUNITIES Earlier this year, Harvard University’s

citizens who create a better world.

communities; increase equity and

launched a national campaign to

who joined this campaign, Browning

admissions process; and reduce

schools to prepare young people to be

the following specific goals: deepen

Making Caring Common project

mobilize high schools and middle

constructive community members and

As one of the 130-plus schools

seeks to advance one or more of

students’ care for others and their

access for all students in the college excessive achievement pressure

in communities where it is detrimental to students.

Spring/Summer 2018

41

BROWNING BIDS FAREWELL TO HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL JAMES REYNOLDS Head of Upper School James Reynolds will depart

Browning at the end of June after 12 years of service to the School. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Mr. Reynolds also taught the

Advanced Expository Writing class to Form VI boys, preparing them for their college application essays.

He has been a frequent chaperone for the

Upper School boys’ forays beyond Browning,

accompanying them on both the annual college trip and Interschool excursion to Frost Valley

YMCA Camp, as well as on camping trips taken by Forms III and VI each year.

On Graduation Day, Mr. Reynolds has taken

great pride in extending a congratulatory handshake

as he helped present diplomas to each member of the senior class. His mentorship and leadership through the years have contributed to the success of the School and the accomplishments of our boys.

42

T HE

BUZZER

PLEASE NOTE! This Buzzer is the last edition for the school year.

We hope that between issues, you will keep up with

FOURTH GRADERS TOUR HISTORIC FRAUNCES TAVERN As part of their study of the American Revolutionary era, the fourth grade

all our news and happenings

class toured George Washington’s headquarters at the historic Fraunces

through

as a museum, is notable as the site of Washington’s farewell to his officers

and by logging

Tavern in Lower Manhattan. The early American tavern, which now serves

social media

after British troops evacuated New York in 1783.

on to our

During their tour, the boys learned about the role of the tavern during

the Revolutionary War, as well as the war’s impact on colonial New

Yorkers and the city’s landscape. One of the highlights was visiting the tavern’s Long Room, where Washington gave his farewell.

After the tour, students reenacted the stance of revolutionary soldiers

by posing in powdered wigs and colonial clothes in front of an early American flag at the photo booth.

website, where you will find photos, videos and stories covering all the seasons at Browning!

www.browning.edu

LATIN STUDENTS HUNT FOR TREASURE AT MET The Form I Latin class spent an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they

acquainted themselves with the collection in the Greek and Roman Galleries by

participating in a scavenger hunt organized by Classics

Department Chair John Young.

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from the archives

HENRY BURNET POST, CLASS OF 1904 In December Sharon Hefter Loving, great-grandniece of the late Henry Burnet Post, Class of 1904 and a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army’s 1st Aero Corps, contacted Director of Alumni Affairs Laura Lanigan to donate archival photos of her uncle who was killed in 1914 while testing a hydro-aeroplane for the Army. The airstrip in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, is named after him (Henry Post Army Airfield). Capt.

Arthur S. Cowen, head of the 1st Aero Corps, believed the age of the hydro-aeroplane was to blame for the accident, while others have theorized the accident may have been the result of an improper exit from a spiraling descent. A talented aviator who died in service to his country, Post is buried at Arlington National Cemetery; more information and photos of his headstone can be found at www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ hbpost. An excerpt from that website follows:

SAN DIEGO – February 9, 1914 – Lt. Henry B. Post of the 1st Aero Corps, considered one of the most skillful United States army aviators, plunged to his death in San Diego Bay today when the right wing of his hydro-aeroplane crumpled. Post died after establishing an

American altitude record of 12,120 feet. He fell 600 feet into shallow water and was dead when Francis Wildman, another aviator, reached the scene in a flying boat.

Post left the North Island hangars at 8:50 o’clock [sic] this morning after having

declared his intention of breaking the American altitude record for hydro-aeroplanes.

Within an hour he had attained a height of 12,120 feet, the barograph showing this

figure when recovered from the wreckage. A series of wide spirals was a feature of the

descent, the machine appearing to be under perfect control. When within 600 feet of the water the plane was seen to collapse, then careen. The next instant the pilot was hurled

from his seat and the machine dropped like a bullet. Post fell into five feet of water, the wrecked craft disappearing from sight a few feet away.

Post was 28 years of age. He came here July 28, 1913, from Honolulu,

where he was attached to the 25th Infantry and

became a military aviator November 11.

He is survived by his widow and his

sister, who came here only recently to

visit him from their home in Babylon,

N.Y., where his mother also resides. A

brother, V. Z. Post, is a novelist. His father

died two weeks ago. The body will be sent

to Washington for internment in Arlington

National Cemetery.

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The portrait (above) of Lt. Post was sent to Browning by his great-grandniece. A Curtiss Hydroaeroplane, flown by the Navy, is pictured here. During his fatal flight, Lt. Post piloted a Wright Model C, which was retired from the Army in the weeks following the incident.

Lt. Post was a member of the Browning basketball team; his great-grandniece, who provided this photo, believes he is the player pictured in the center of the back row.

Spring/Summer 2018

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summer stipends

EACH YEAR THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION AWARDS stipends to faculty members who apply for specific projects, such as summer travel, research or study. Read on to learn how their experiences benefit the Browning boys they teach.

Latin Milestones The North American Institute for Living

Latin Studies (SALVI) celebrated its 20th

anniversary this summer. I was there not only in my capacity as vice president of the Institute, but also as a player in the

original musical, “Auricula Meretricula John Young

Musicula,” composed to celebrate the event. I played the rustic father, Silex,

who disowns his urbane son for falling in love with the wrong sort of person. I am pictured in rehearsal with Tim Smith of Colorado, who assumed a role in the Greek chorus which

commented on the family tragedy taking place in the scene.

SALVI now occupies the Claymont Society grounds for

The North American Institute for Living Latin Studies (SALVI) celebrated its 20th anniversary this summer.

more than the entire month of July. This year we ran four

programs, including three immersion events for Latinists at

different levels, as well as the anniversary celebration. It was

increasing command of Latin, with the result that I was asked

week for beginners – graduate students and Latin teachers

past April.

my duty to manage the mansion during the first immersion who have never tried to use Latin to communicate. I stayed

At the end of July, I flew to Lexington, Kentucky, to

on during the second immersion event as an instructor. It

attend an historic event, the first American congress of the

Association first sent me to a SALVI event in 2009, when I was

France in 1957, its members chosen from the world’s most

has been a long journey for me since the Browning Parents

mute and able to understand so little of what I heard. With the Parents Association’s help, I have been able to pursue an ever-

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to lead a weekend immersion event in Atlanta, Georgia, this

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Academia Latinitati Fovendae (ALF). ALF was born in

eminent classicists. Gathering every four years to deliver

academic papers in Latin, ALF selected Lexington this year

in recognition of the contributions of Dr. Terence Tunburg, professor at the University of Kentucky, who has done so much to reinvigorate Latinity in the U.S.A. While

there, I was fortunate to be able to spend many delightful moments with our own beloved Kevin Dearinger, retired

I am pictured in rehearsal with Tim Smith of Colorado, who assumed a role in the Greek chorus which commented on the family tragedy taking place in the scene.

Browning English teacher, who calls Lexington home.

By John Young, Classics Department Chair; Middle and Upper School Latin

Spring/Summer 2018

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Residency at Fallingwater Informs Engineering Curriculum This past summer, along with 12

educators who are also Frank Lloyd

Wright enthusiasts, I lived and worked at High Meadow, the home base for students of Fallingwater Institute’s summer residency programs in Anderson Harp

architecture, art and design. High Meadow is located on a historic

Pennsylvania farm adjacent to architect Frank Lloyd

Wright’s renowned Fallingwater residence. During my stay, I worked on intensive, immersion inquiry drive projects

related to architectural engineering construction and design.

In fact, we began our work as soon as everyone had

checked in and was introduced. Our first assignment was a

silent walk to Fallingwater, which offered an impressive first experience with the house. I had studied this house and its setting by reading journals and books for years. At the end of our walk through the moist and evergreen forest, there appeared an engineering masterpiece. We were allowed

engineering curriculum and practice in our third grade engineering design project.

access to all areas of Fallingwater and took the hour to find a

The work took time and patience, which I wasn’t used to

distinct layers with a foreground, middle and backdrop,

a valuable learning process.

setting for our first line drawing. Using perspective, I drew giving the drawing spatial presence.

That evening we returned to our sanctuary and settled

spending in one setting. However, the work in itself proved Project two examined organizational patterns used for

building. With a parallel bar, triangle and charcoal pencil,

into the open-air studio for orientation with our tools and

I drew a coordinate plane into Bristol paper using precise

would anything be accomplished?

knife to cut a repeating pattern through the material. I used

cutting craft) from my line drawing, required that I cut

cylinder. Then I wedged wooden toothpicks within each

materials. Without Wi-Fi, computers and 3D printing, how

measurements and symmetry. Next, I used the X-ACTO

The first project, to make a Kiere (Japanese paper-

bamboo skewers to fasten the paper into the shape of a

an image into one piece of paper using an X-Acto knife.

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My experience has already transformed

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slice of the paper to hold the form of a vent. In this case, the

vents reflected light from a bulb lit inside the cylinder and hung from the ceiling with one strand of twine.

Project three was a collaborative effort of designing and

vaulting arches with brick and plaster. Each end of a piece of string was held on the top corners of a large cardboard

square. We traced the parabola and cut out the guide for our

arch. Next, one teammate mixed the plaster while two others

simultaneously aligned and laid the bricks until the arch was set with the capstone.

Project four required another study of setting and scale

modeling. Using our cumulative skills from studio, we

designed and built a 3D space with two uniquely joined walls. All specifications were to scale and met structural guidelines for regular construction jobs.

Project five sent the teachers back to the drawing board

to create interdisciplinary unit plans with Fallingwater

and engineering as inspirational themes. Sharing my story

design project. Following consultation with Cooper Hewitt

connections with my audience and the lesson objective.

firm, we are working on a challenge to redesign

about visiting Fallingwater is one step to building authentic The cohort was guided by award-winning architect

Andrew Phillips and New York Times best-selling author

Siobhan Vivian. Residents, who came from all over the United States and United Kingdon, shared their diverse experience

in art, math, museum, science and college teacher education.

Would you imagine how much can be learned and shared

when there are no TVs, Internet, Wi-Fi or computers drawing your eyes and ears to push notifications?

My experience has already transformed engineering

curriculum and practice in our third grade engineering

Museum and MASS, a Boston-based architecture design

Ms. Kehoe’s classroom for improved learning. (MASS, by the way, began in 2008 during the design and building of

the Butaro District Hospital in Rwanda, a project of Partners In Health and the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Since then, MASS has expanded to work in over a dozen countries in

Africa and the Americas.) I am deeply grateful to the Parents Association for allowing me to partake in this impressive residency program.

By Anderson Harp, Computer Science & Engineering Department Chair

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Fifth Grade French Students Benefit from New Book Based on linguist Stephen Krashen’s theory that

comprehensible input is a key component to language

acquisition, I spent the summer writing a reader for the

fifth grade French class. While there are certainly plenty of examples of “comprehensible input” for purchase, I was

eager to create something that would be tailor-made for this Megan Ryan

level of language here at Browning and that would integrate all of the lessons the class typically covers in one year.

The book itself tells the story of Mops, a pug, and his owner, Ahmed, a

boy who lives near New York City. Ahmed and his family take a trip to Paris

and bring Mops along for the ride. Once in Paris, Ahmed and his mom decide that Mops needs a more Parisian look and, as such, dress him in a beret, red

neckerchief and a blue and white mariner shirt. Mops does not appreciate his new ensemble and, when his protestations are ignored, decides to run away.

number of adventures in Paris –

take him from the Luxembourg Gardens, to the French National Museum of

from the Luxembourg Gardens,

Once on his own, Mops has a number of adventures in Paris – adventures that Natural History, to Les Invalides.

I am eager to explore and further develop this resource in fifth grade French

and am grateful to the Parents Association for its generosity.

By Megan Ryan, Modern Languages Department Chair

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Once on his own, Mops has a

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adventures that take him to the French National Museum of Natural History, to Les Invalides.

Pyrenees Exploration Enriches French Language Studies Last summer I was granted the

opportunity to discover the French side of Basque Country and the Midi-Pyrenees region. For 12 days I crisscrossed this

southwestern area of France, so rich in

offerings. Despite rainy weather during Dominique Bernard

my journey, I was impressed with this

beautiful, mountainous area – its lakes, its

cities and its talented, artistic people.

One does not usually go to the Pyrenees to visit its cities

but rather to hike, ski, stroll around it lakes and experience the

rural life. Yet I greatly enjoyed discovering

I also enjoyed discovering several lesser

Toulouse, Pau,

known museums in small cities, including

and Biarritz – all

France’s oldest museums.

Bayonne, Lourdes

the Musée des Jacobins in Auch, one of

beautiful cities that retain their historic features and never

fail to seduce visitors.

I was particularly impressed with the Resistance

and Deportation

Museum in Toulouse, which offers a great collection of items from World War II. I also enjoyed

discovering several

lesser known museums in small cities, including the Musée des Jacobins in Auch, one of France’s oldest museums, and the Musée Historique in Biarritz. I found it interesting, too, to sojourn in several quaint villages, becoming acquainted with local residents to better understand their rich culture and heritage.

I thank the Browning Parents Association for this

generous stipend, which allows me to share this unique experience with all my students at Browning through

animated discussions and projects about this French-speaking part of the world.

By Dominique Bernard, French

Spring/Summer 2018

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Residents of Healthiest Places Share Similar Practices With funds received from the Parents

who worked for the Ogimi village farmers’ loan office, which

Ogimi (pronounced O-gee-me) village,

to develop additional farmland and equipment in and

one of the world’s healthiest places, in Okinawa, Japan. Ogimi has been

designated a Blue Zone region, where Lauck Blake

people tend to live longer and healthier

lives with fewer instances of disease than

anywhere else on the planet. This is my second trip to a Blue Zone, so I was able to tie in some of my knowledge about

longevity from my previous trip to North America’s only Blue Zone: Loma Linda, California. I was able to compare each

place and establish similarities observed between Loma Linda

allows farmers to purchase micro loans and land contracts

around the village. She estimated that 95 percent of Ogimi’s population grew their own vegetables on their properties.

She explained to me that because the town’s residents have little money, a large portion of their economy is based on a

trade system. Farmers share their crops with their neighbors, a practice which provides additional nutrients and a variety of foods for everyone. Sharing also provides routine social interactions and connects the residents of the town.

Eighteen different vegetables and fruits naturally grow

and Ogimi, including the nutritional practices that focus on

on the island of Okinawa. Many contain high levels of

and close friends. Most importantly, I was able to focus on the

the intense sunlight, fertile soil and salt contained in the sea

diversity of vegetables and the social cohesion between family social structures and how community and nutritional practices interact to foster health, then apply them in my teaching.

Ogimi village is located on the northwestern coast of

Okinawa, facing the East China Sea. The waters off the coast are turquoise in color and filled with thriving coral reef

systems. Much of Ogimi is situated on flatlands, and homes

are small, tightly condensed, one- and two-storied buildings.

Two hundred meters to the east of Ogimi are mountainous

jungles filled with thick vegetation. The population is roughly 3,000, with 10 of the residents over 100 years old. Twenty-five percent of the population is over 65 years old. The town has

a health food store, a farmers’ equipment store, a town office

antioxidants and are full of vitamins and nutrients, due to

breezes. Two plants in Ogimi that thrive and are consumed daily by residents are shikuwasa and goya. The shikuwasa fruit, also known as Okinawan lime, contains the highest levels of the flavinoid nobiletin on the planet. Nobiletin aids in cellular health and causes an anti-inflammatory

response within cells, which relates to decreased incidences of cancer. The goya fruit, or bitter melon, has 32 different phytonutrients to keep cells healthy and is linked to

decreased rates of cancer, improved memory, enhanced

strength and durability of cartilage, and regulation of insulin levels. These foods are eaten daily.

I then visited a health food store within Ogimi. The

and a loan office. This remote and isolated place has been

counters were filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, dried

age of 100) per capita than anywhere else on the planet.

Much of the produce was sold and traded by the farmers

documented as containing more centenarians (people over the Ogimi village residents routinely share close and

meaningful social connections with each other. Many of their

homes are inhabited by multi-generations of the same family.

It is common to see three and even four generations living

under the same roof. Close and routine friendships with family and friends have been positively linked to enhanced longevity.

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While visiting the village of Ogimi, I spoke with a woman

Association, I was able to explore

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seaweeds and mushrooms, and condensed shikuwasa juice. in the village of Ogimi. There was a surprising diversity of

dried and fresh seaweeds and dried seafoods on the shelves.

Through additional research, I discovered that the villagers consume per capita more seaweed and higher levels of

protein than any other place on the Island of Okinawa. One

particular type of seafood they carried was fresh umibudo or

Farmers share their crops with their neighbors, a practice which provides additional nutrients and a variety of foods for everyone. “sea grapes,” which have high levels of polyunsaturated fatty

I also asked him about stress levels within residents.

acids in combination with high protein levels. Protein has

He responded that generally people on the island have low

muscular tissue, while fatty acids work to protect the nervous

and incidences of long-term stress are infrequent. The older

been linked to muscular health and promotes regeneration of

system. The consumption of diverse and nutrient-dense fruits

and vegetables, healthy plant proteins, and fibrous foods may promote wellness and cellular health throughout a lifetime.

During the evenings, I stayed at an eco-friendly working

farm and inn owned by a couple in Higashi village, five miles from Ogimi. The husband was in charge of the business

operations, while the wife was in charge of hospitality and cooking for guests.

I sat down with the owner and we delved into the

subject of longevity specific to Okinawa and Ogimi. He was well-versed in the topic, as he runs a farm with a hotel that

caters to guests by offering nutritious foods and sustainable

levels of stress; they don’t let problems bother them for long, populations are not actively trying to improve their health; it is just something they have done their entire lives.

Acute stress may not play a significant factor in longevity,

especially early on in one’s life. For example, in WWII

Okinawans lived in abject poverty with very few resources.

They were also subjected to the dogfights of American and

Japanese planes flying over the northern mountains around

Ogimi. His parents told him stories of the island’s inhabitants

using jet fuel from downed fighter planes to cook their meals.

All of this produced an excruciatingly high level of stress for Okinawans over shorter periods of time.

Many physical, social and cultural similarities exist

farming practices. He informed me that other researchers,

between residents of Loma Linda and Ogimi. Both cultures

his farm. I was the first American he had encountered who

elderly through social interactions by family members and

most of whom were either Swedish or French, have visited was interested in longevity research. I asked him why Ogimi was special. He said that maybe there is a genetic part to it, but there is also more help in Ogimi from one another. He

explained that Ogimi village is more close-knit and densely

populated in relation to other neighboring towns, like Higashi village. I asked him about residences’ diets and portions from meal to meal. He said people tend to eat three meals a day: a big breakfast, a medium-sized lunch and a small dinner. He

display high levels of supportive social cohesion for the

close friends. Both cultures eat a diet that contains a wide variety of nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits. They also limit chronic stress levels and get plenty of low-intensity

exercise through gardening and hiking. The communities in both places offer supportive environments that foster interconnections through food, culture, religion and proximity of family and friends.

So far this year, I have been able to present my findings

added that when they eat meat, they tend to boil it, which

to sixth graders as well as Form II students. I will allow them

the residual lard to saute vegetables, as people don’t eat

they indicate nutritional practices, exercise options, positive

causes the fat in it to dissolve and separate. They then use

many of the vegetables in their raw form. He informed me

of a Japanese saying, “Hara hachi bun me,” which translates to “Eat until you are 80 percent full.” The elderly eat a lot of dried fish and squid, and the chewy fibrous material

is good for their digestion. Okinawans tend to eat unripe

fruits because the bitter flavors often have health-enhancing nutrients with less sugar.

to research and create their own longevity plan, whereby

social behaviors, and environmental considerations in order to live a long and healthy life. My goal is to enhance each

student’s understanding of how the establishment of positive connections between peers, family and food choices plays a significant role in happiness and can strengthen their longterm health.

By Lauck Blake, Physical Education

Spring/Summer 2018

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parents association benefit 2018

In April the Browning Parents Association held its first-ever Fun*Raiser at Chelsea Piers to

support the School. The event, which was open to all ages, included parents, students, siblings and extended family. Parkour, basketall, gaga,

soccer, rock-climbing, “swinging” in the batting cages and playing bubble soccer with Head of School John Botti were among the many

activities enjoyed by the Browning community.

The carnival booths, online auction and giant dunk tank with its target, Assistant Head of

School/Head of Lower School Laurie Gruhn, were also at the top of the “must do” list.

Funds raised from the event will benefit

Faculty Stipends, STEAM (science, technology,

enrichment, arts and music) initiatives, athletics, clubs and activities, blended learning, and student trips and engagement.

Benefit Chairs Nazmi Oztanir H. Kenneth Metz Maria I. Dell’Oro

Benefit Committee

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Diana Brodlieb Christine Callahan Kathleen Glaymon Elizabeth Granville-Smith

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Jenn Hagfors Atoussa Hamzavi Myra Ferreri Agnes Kelly

Carrie Millis William Millis Wendy Mocco Kinjal Nicholls

Barbara O’Connor Eve Schenk Jeff Schulman Monica Storch

Elisa Strohfeldt Carmen Taton Reagan Wellins

Spring/Summer 2018

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Spring/Summer 2018

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at h l e t i c s

Winter Wrap-up

Andrew H. West ’92

In March the athletic department held its

and second graders on Panther Game Day at Loyola. (See

annual Winter Sports Assembly for the

full story below.) The JV Panthers had an impressive 14-8

Middle and Upper Schools in the Upper

record, advancing to the playoffs but coming up short

Gym, and I’m pleased to report that the

against Loyola. Our Forms I-II squash teams also enjoyed

2017-18 winter season at Browning was

seasons filled with highs and lows, but throughout it

filled with highlights and rebuilding.

all, the boys improved and all enjoyed themselves. The

The varsity basketball team started the

fifth and sixth grade teams were a combined 10-10; both

season off with high hopes, and that excitement grew after

teams improved throughout the season, making the

they won both the LREI Preseason Tournament and their

outlook bright for the future. Our winter running club

annual game at Barclays Center. They then got hit by the

also attended two exciting indoor track meets, which

“injury bug” and experienced some other bumps, which got

the boys really enjoyed. The varsity squash team had

them off track. Luckily, by the time the playoffs came around,

another successful season with a 14-8 record, as more and

they were once again playing good team basketball, which

more boys are interested in the sport. Lastly, our fencers

provided us with an exciting playoff game vs. Calhoun

represented Browning with grace and grytte, as they were

School. We ultimately fell short of advancing, though.

an integral part of the Chapin Interschool team.

Another highlight of the season was sophomore Alex

– Director of Athletics Andrew H. West ’92

Liptak ’20 scoring his 1,000th point in front of all the first

FIFTH PLAYER IN SCHOOL HISTORY NETS 1,000TH CAREER POINT Coach Dan Ragsdale reports that during the February 1 varsity basketball game against Loyola School, Alex Liptak ’20 netted his 1,000th career point in the second half in front of the first and

second grade Panther Game Day crowd.

He is the fifth player in Browning’s history to reach this impressive

milestone. Mr. Ragsdale noted, “Alex

has been a starter for the varsity team since he was in eighth grade and has

led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals for the last two seasons. Reaching

this milestone is an incredible accomplishment, especially in

pointer for a long time.” As a freshman in 2017, Alex was

all the mini-Panthers in attendance will remember that three-

coaches’ ballots.

light of all the other ways he contributes to the team. I think

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selected to the NYCAL First Team, a vote based on opposing

VARSITY BASKETBALL The varsity basketball team showed significant

improvement this year, doubling its win total from the 2016-17 season and finishing the year with

a record of 10 wins and 12 losses. The Panthers

ended the season with a thrilling game in front of dozens of Browning supporters in the first round of the NYCAL postseason tournament. Despite a

heartbreaking one-point loss in the final seconds,

the boys played an outstanding game. Both the team and our fans represented Browning with admirable spirit and sportsmanship.

We want to express a special thank-you to our

graduating seniors, Marwan Nsouli, Grant Thompson, Daniel Kravitz and Luke Hexner. Their combined 14

seasons with the varsity program reflect their steadfast commitment to the team.

–Coaches Dan Ragsdale, Michael Cohn and Gerald Colds

Spring/Summer 2018

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JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL This year’s team emphasized accountability,

teamwork and communication, resulting in a

successful season despite ups and downs. The team’s dedication to these standards, along with “grytte

and grind,” helped them persevere into the playoffs.

The leadership of Shazeb Dayani ’19, day in

and day out, kept us afloat throughout the season.

Hercules Sotos ’21 and Dylan Steck ’21 showed signs

of greatness in their domination in the post. The sharp shooting of Hugh Chapin ’20 and tenacious defense

of Mickey Westman ’20 helped us to secure leads and kept us in games, time and time again. Eric Pena ’19,

Tommy Ramirez ’19, Andrew Halajian ’21, Alexander Raftopoulos ’21, Fernando Hierro ’19, Evan Taylor ’21,

Gus Stimpson ’21 and Gabe Flicker ’19 were extremely valuable, keeping the tempo as alternating pieces in our match-ups through out the year.

–Coaches Sankara Iwelu and Meghan McDermott

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FORMS I/II BASKETBALL (RED) The team had a rebuilding

improving individually and as a

were impressed by the leadership

player from last year’s team,

the course of the season.

down the stretch. The team looks

year, as they returned only one and finished the season with a

team was apparent throughout Some highlights include a

2-14 record. Although the wins

come-from-behind win against

boys played in many competitive

contests against Avenues School

were few and far between, the

games, and their commitment to

UNIS School and playing two close and Grace Church. As coaches, we

displayed by the Form II players to improve with a strong core of Form I boys for next year.

–Coaches Lauck Blake and Richard Symons

FORMS I/II BASKETBALL (BLACK) The team showed tremendous growth and improvement throughout their season. Despite some tough initial losses, the boys rebounded to win home games against St. Thomas

Choir School and Calhoun School, ending the year with a close 34-30 away win over LREI. The boys

also demonstrated hard work and

determination in two tough losses to Trevor Day School and Allen-

Stevenson School that were both

decided in the last minute of play.

The collaborative efforts of Form I

and Form II athletes allowed the team

to develop a strong camaraderie during both practice and games. Liam

Westman ’22, Tomas Infantino ’23 and Jackson Hellman ’23 were effective

leaders as point guards and commanded the team with offensive play calling.

Malek Assaf ’23 and Nicholas Dingle ’22

the team counted on Michael Stitt ’23,

could be counted on to make jump shots

Mota ’23, Johir Hossain ’23 and

were powerful shooting guards who and steal the ball at crucial moments

of a game. Henry Smith ’22, Federico Schmidt ’23 and Greg Parizhsky ’22

were reliable “big men” who led the

team in rebounding and lay-ups. Lastly,

Jonathan Stephenson ’22, Jonathan

Chris Bowen ’23 to play all positions on the court and adapt to critical game situations.

–Coaches Stacey Duchak and Lance Williams

Spring/Summer 2018

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SIXTH GRADE BASKETBALL The team started the season determined to get the program back to

winning ways. Although they lost the opener in early January, there were signs that the boys were up for the task. Through some hard

work and latterly smart play under pressure, the team won its last three games to finish 4-4 for the season.

Special mention goes to Michael

Gabriel ’24, who was top scorer with 60

points, and to Sam Snyder ’24, who sunk

both foul shots with 20 seconds left to lead

the team to victory over Trevor Day School by 19-17 in the final game of the season. It was gratifying to see the effort and work

that the boys put in, and we look forward to hearing about their exploits next year.

–Coaches David Watson and Kris Pischel

FIFTH GRADE BASKETBALL The team had a wonderful season with many

of the boys playing for the first time ever on an organized basketball team. The progress made in a short period of time was immense. From

our first game against Rodeph Shalom School to our last games against St. Bernard’s School

and Trevor Day School, it was evident that the boys had begun to understand the game and worked nicely together.

Our final record was a commendable 4-4,

and the team should be very proud of this

accomplishment. It was truly a pleasure to coach this team, and we are certain that the boys will be ready for the sixth grade team next year.

–Coaches Jonathan Stoler and Kris Pischel

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FENCING Despite being small in numbers, the Browning team played a

huge role in this season’s success.

Caleb Sussman ’18 proved

to be an integral part of the team this year. He admirably fulfilled his role as a senior leader on

the team and has done a very

respectable job with outreach to his fellow fencers. He made it a

point to keep them up to date on our schedules and even sent out practices. He is responsible and

Raymond Diaz ’19, another

continually proves to be an asset

model team member, is punctual

regularly and fences foil instead of

He is patient in general, and this

to the team. He attends practices

saber when the team needs him to do so – a true team player!

and attends all meets and practices. quality makes him a good epee fencer. Raymond is a starter on

the team and a steady presence.

He is currently eighth in the league with 13 victories and eight defeats

and well-placed to be a team leader next season.

–Coach Runako Taylor

As this issue of the Buzzer headed to press, our spring sports season was about to conclude.

VARSITY SQUASH Browning’s squash team had an impressive season with eight wins and four losses. While we lost two team members, the rest of the squad was able to

make up the difference. All members of the team contributed to a successful and fun season, and we look forward to continued success next year.

We extend a special thank-you to our departing seniors, Norman

Champ ’18, Ben Ellman ’18 and Brogan Smith ’18.

For a report on how our teams fared, please log on to www.browning.edu.

www.browning.edu

regular notices about meets and

–Coach Roland Lafontant

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63

alumni events

Thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers who made this year’s Note-a-thon such a success!

NEARLY 900 LETTERS MAILED AT 10TH ANNUAL ALUMNI NOTE-A-THON Browning’s Alumni Council hosted the 10th annual

as an Annual Fund contribution. For the first time,

February 12. A record number of 55 volunteers (many

in “3” and “8” this year) received a letter signed by

Alumni Note-a-thon in the Kurani Gym on Monday, participating remotely) ranging from the Classes of

1963 to 2013 participated in signing and personalizing nearly 900 letters to fellow alumni. Letters promoted attendance at Alumni Reunion on April 13 as well

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each and every milestone reunion class (those ending their Reunion Representative. A brief Alumni Council meeting was also held during the event. Huge thanks

to our dedicated volunteers who took the time to write thoughtful notes to classmates near and far!

Alexander Bendo ’13, Paul Pricop ’13 and Evan Blumenthal ’13.

Steve Schott ’72 and Godfrey Bloch ’63.

Alexander Bendo ’13, Evan Blumenthal ’13, Andrew West ’92 and Nader Mobargha ’91.

David Holleb ’73, Director of College Guidance Sandy Pelz ’71, Stuart Orenstein ’00 and Allanby Singleton-Green ’83.

David Holleb ’73, Director of College Guidance Sandy Pelz ’71 and Director of Alumni Affairs Laura Lanigan.

Director of Alumni Affairs Laura Lanigan, Alumni Association President Andy Sandberg ’01 and Bill Reed ’85.

note: T HE

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All photo captions in the Alumni Events and Class Notes sections read left to right, unless otherwise noted.

Grey Team

Points Rebounds Assists

Philip Blake ’95 Harrison Fields ’11 Nader Mobargha ’91 Sam Morril ’05 Andrew West ’92 Red Team

Back row: Philip Blake ’95, Nader Mobargha ’91, Andrew West ’92, Sam Morril ’05, Harrison Fields ’11 and Head of School John Botti. Front row: Philip van Scheltinga ’14, Terrel Phelps ’11, Jonas Borra ’03, Steven Kassapidis ’11 and Will Jacob ’16.

41 30 11 31 4

6 14 6 16 11

4 3 5 2 11

Points Rebounds Assists

Jonas Borra ’03 Will Jacob ’16 Steven Kassapidis ’11 Terrel Phelps ’11 Harris Russell ’16 Philip van Scheltinga ’14

9 35 9 57 4 2

7 9 10 12 8 22

4 7 2 1 2 5

ALUMNI BASKETBALL GAME Alumni basketball players from

the Classes of 1991-2016 returned to Browning on December 20 for the

annual Alumni Basketball Game in

the Upper Gym. Director of Athletics Andrew West ’92 provided the following re-cap:

“This year’s Alumni Basketball

Harris Russell ’16, Philip van Scheltinga ’14 and Will Jacob ’16.

Jonas Borra ’03, Steven Kassapidis ’11 and Terrel Phelps ’11.

Sam Morril ’05, Andrew West ’92 and Harrison Fields ’11.

Philip Blake ’95 and Nader Mobargha ’91.

lead changes and no easy baskets. The

two-point bucket and a time-out, they

I dragged my wife to the game to watch

the final quarter before Phil Blake ’95

to send him to the line to shoot. After

tied his career high with one assist!

Game was one for the ages. In past

years, teams were divided as even class years versus odd class years, or older alums versus younger alums. This

year, the group divided the teams up as fairly as possible, and as you can tell by the final score of 117-116, it was a good matchup between the Red Team and the Grey Team.

“The teams battled back and forth

throughout the game with multiple

Red Team took a nine-point lead into

took matters into his own hands, lighting up the scoreboard with 24 of his 41

points coming in the final frame. After the Grey Team took the lead just three

minutes into the fourth, the Red Team

made a terrific coaching adjustment by putting Terrel Phelps ’11 back in, and

the game went back and forth through-

out, with Phelps and Blake trading jabs.

The Grey Team trailed by three points with 12 seconds left. After a quick

decided to foul Steven Kassapidis ’11

a missed freethrow and another time-

me play.’ Also of note, Terrel Phelps ’11 “Special thanks to Chef Gene

out (luckily, time-outs are unlimited

DeFreitas and his crew for the delicious

Phil Blake ’95 has been waiting for

the game, and of course to Director of

in the alumni game) came the moment since 1992, when he first played varsity hoops. With 1.6 seconds left, the

Grey Team inbounded the ball to Phil,

who turned around and calmly sank a 12-footer to give the team the victory!

“After the game, Phil said: ‘It felt

good, I just wish I had done that the year

salad, pizza, cookies and drinks after Alumni Affairs Laura Lanigan and

Director of Institutional Advancement Jim Simon for making sure the event went off without a hitch. It was also

great to see Head of School John Botti and Director of College Guidance Sandy Pelz ’71 in the stands!”

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INAUGURAL YOUNG ALUMNI AND PAST PARENT RECEPTION On Thursday, January 11, Browning’s Alumni Association hosted a Young

Alumni and Past Parent Reception for the Classes of 2008-2017. More than 60 young

alumni and their parents, as well as faculty, staff and Alumni Council members,

attended this inaugural event. Alumni

Association President Andy Sandberg ’01 and Head of School John Botti both gave

brief remarks during the reception. It was great to see everyone!

Bill Reed ’85, Samora Legros ’03 and Head of School John Botti.

David Parisier, Rebecca Parisier, Sandy Pelz ’71 and Aaron Parisier ’14.

Melodie Ting and Jake Germano ’17.

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Jake Germano ’17, Chanda Chapin, Cynthia Kramer and Joseph Mansfield.

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Barry Belgorod, Cynthia Belgorod and Gregory Belgorod ’13.

Ralph Harvard, Rafe Harvard ’14, Clifford Harvard, Theresa Rodriguez and Cheryl Chiovetta.

Aaron Parisier ’14, Ethan Parisier ’17 and Luke Barba ’17.

Anita Nilert, Nicholas Nilert ’10, Phyllis Rachmuth and Nancy Mansfield.

Andy Sandberg ’01, Will Hemminger ’98 and John Botti.

Sandy Pelz ’71, Michael Zuppone ’16 and Betsy Zuppone.

Chris Pelz ’12, Jon Pelz ’12 and Sandy Pelz ’71.

Alex Barnard ’17 and Luke Barba ’17.

Michael Lippa, Jody Kaplan, Theresa Rodriguez and Matthew Lippa ’13.

Casey Hutzler, Betsy Zuppone and Cynthia Kramer.

Cheryl Chiovetta, Claire Casey and Chanda Chapin.

Anne Rieselbach, Matthew Marani ’12, Grant Marani and Jim Reynolds.

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Andy Sandberg ’01, John Botti, Jeremy Katz ’04, Jim Simon and Eliza Botti.

A Marymount student and her tour group.

BROWNING AND MARYMOUNT ALUMNI RETURN TO THE MET Browning and Marymount co-hosted an

alumni function for the sixth consecutive year on Friday, January 19, at The Metropolitan

Museum of Art and Marymount School. As is

tradition, the Marymount student tour guides once again did a phenomenal job leading

tours of two exhibits: David Hockney and

Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer.

Following the gallery tours, guests walked

across the street for a reception at Marymount.

Browning’s Alumni Association is grateful for

Marymount’s partnership in this annual event!

Browning Key Society volunteers and Marymount art history student tour guides posed for a group photo before the gallery tours.

One of the tour groups gathered for a photo following the gallery tours.

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“A Bigger Splash” by David Hockney (1967).

“Portrait of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures)” by David Hockney (1972).

A digital recreation of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

The marble bust “Brutus” by Michelangelo (c. 1538).

Shannon Sitchenko, Michael Afshar ’98, Alexander Forostenko ’98, Carrie Schenk and Graham Bahler ’98.

A close-up of “A Bigger Interior With Blue Terrace and Garden” by David Hockney (2017).

A close-up of a Hockney artwork.

Guests congregated in the Carson Family Hall prior to the tours.

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BROWNING WELCOMES OVER 160 ATTENDEES TO REUNION On Friday, April 13, more than 160 alumni and guests

returned to Browning for the annual Alumni Reunion.

Alumni ranging from the Classes of 1950 to 2013, along

Sandberg ’01 [Read more on pages 78 – 81].

Earlier in the day, an Alumni Panel presented at the

with a number of current and former faculty, attended

Upper School Assembly and featured three inspiring

Donor Recognition Luncheon, and Reunion reception.

Stanley), Chris Coffey ’98 (head of the NY practice of Tusk

the Upper School Assembly, True Grytte Society and

This year, the Alumni Association’s highest distinction,

the Charles W. Cook ’38 Alumnus Achievement Award,

was presented to Zachary Goldfarb ’01, deputy business

alums: Lawrence Bahr ’96 (financial advisor at Morgan

Ventures and Tusk Strategies) and Francisco Estrada ’93 (talent acquisition consultant at AMC Networks).

At 11 a.m., Zachary Goldfarb ’01 met with the staff of

editor of The Washington Post. Mr. Goldfarb was honored

Browning’s student newspaper, the Grytte, sharing his

Alumni Association Council officers Stuart Orenstein ’00 and John Moran ’97.

Andy Sandberg ’01, Zachary Goldfarb ’01 and Head of School John Botti.

during an evening award ceremony led by Head of

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School John Botti and Alumni Association President Andy

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Back Row (L to R): Tom Hughes ’78, Justin Blitz ’96, Eric Ordway ’67, Jim Simon, Steve Schott ’72, John Botti, Despina Gimbel, Ian Corbin ’93, Lin Wells ’63, Andy Sandberg ’01, Zachary Goldfarb ’01, Caroline Axelrod, Soo Mi Thompson, Jeffrey Landes ’83 and Richard Weaver ’75.

Middle Row (L to R): Stevie Rachmuth ’10, George Grimbilas ’80, Bill Reed ’85, Godfrey Bloch ’63, Leon Dalva ’58 and Bob Gimbel ’57.

Front Row (L to R): John Moran ’97, Michael Linburn ’50, Kathy Linburn and Stuart Orenstein ’00.

experience as a White House correspondent, the state of

affairs in the newsroom today and invaluable advice to the next generation of journalists. At noon, the annual True

Stephen S. Perry ’76 Memorial Class Representative Awards were presented to the following individuals:

Grytte Society and Donor Recognition Luncheon was held

• Most Outstanding Class Fundraiser: Andrew West ’92

special musical performance by Browning’s a cappella

• Most Outstanding Class Representatives: Chris Coffey ’98,

for the 12th year nearby, where guests were treated to a group, the A CaPanthers.

Reunion guests gathered in the Kurani Gym for the

evening reception. In addition to the Charles W. Cook ’38

• Most Outstanding Class Correspondent: Ben Berman ’93 Alexander Forostenko ’98, Graig Springer ’98

The Alumni Association is grateful to all who helped

Alumnus Achievement Award presentation, the

make this event possible!

George Grimbilas ’80, Godfrey Bloch ’63, Steve Schott ’72 and Tom Hughes ’78.

A CaPanthers after their performance at the luncheon: Manny Medina ’18, Philip Raftopoulos ’18, Gabriel Flicker ’19, Jackson Richter ’18, Nicholas Hurley ’19, Caleb Sussman ’18, Brogan Smith ’18 and Eric Pena ’19.

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The 25th Reunion Class: Gregory Manuel ’93, Ian Weiss ’93, Lyle Fass ’93, Andrew Gropper ’93, Alexandros Theodorou ’93, Kevin Smith ’93, Christian Salvati ’93, Than Ferris ’93, Paris Montoya ’93, Ian Corbin ’93 and Ben Berman ’93.

The 30th Reunion Class: Daniel Schweitzer ’88, Michael Cooper ’88, Harris Falk ’88, Andrew Gelb ’88, Jeremy Novak ’88 and Lex Haris ’88.

10th Reunion Class: Brett Schulman ’08, Bradley Aronson ‘08, Eve Pollet, Ethan Schulman ’08, Elizabeth Beasley, John Hendren ’08 and James Singer ’08.

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Michael Beys ’89, Peter Orphanos ’89, Clair Smith ’63, Mary Smith and Jonathan Mason ’89.

The 50th Reunion Class: Sam Earnshaw ’68, Gordon Baird ’68, R. Treat Rinear ’68 and Michael Ellis ’68 with their former Browning teacher John Dennis-Browne.

Rohan Wijegoonaratna ’10, Gregory Davis ’10, Nicolas Nilert ’10 and Stevie Rachmuth ’10.

The 15th Reunion Class: Alexander Cecil ’03, Matt Jordan ’03, Berk Sonmez ’03, Gene Prentice ’03, Christopher Holme ’03, Tony Caputo ’03, Jeremy Garretson ’03 and Samora Legros ’03.

Jeffrey Landes ’83 and Michael Hutzler ’83 celebrating their 35th reunion.

The 20th Reunion Class: George Cabrera ’98, Graig Springer ’98, Cris Cravetz ’98, Alexander Forostenko ’98, Chris Coffey ’98, Graham Bahler ’98, former faculty member Carol Goulian Stewart, Lynn Berman ’98, Kerry Deal ’98, William Hemminger ’98 and Justin Kingson ’98.

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John Botti with this year’s Stephen S. Perry ’76 Most Outstanding Class Representatives: Chris Coffey ’98, Graig Springer ’98 and Alexander Forostenko ’98.

John Botti presented the Stephen S. Perry ’76 award for Most Outstanding Class Correspondent to Ben Berman ’93.

The 5th Reunion Class: Alexander Bendo ’13, Wilfred Wallis ’13, Will Beasley ’13, Paul Pricop ’13, Declan Quillen ’13, Olivier Fontaine ’13, David Leeds ’13, Nicolas Donarski ’13, Evan Blumenthal ’13 and Michael Gabrellian ’13.

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The Office of Institutional Advancement: Jeremy Katz ’04, Jim Simon, Laura Lanigan, Soo Mi Thompson and Krizia Moreno-Cruz.

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Over 160 alumni and guests attended the evening reception in the Kurani Gym.

A FOND FAREWELL & THANK-YOU FOR 11 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP After serving as Director of Alumni Affairs for 11 years,

Laura with a thank-you gift and toast. Andy said, “Laura

of-state. Alumni Council members and past Alumni

community of alumni here in this room tonight. It’s going

Laura Lanigan and her family recently relocated out-

Association presidents attending Reunion joined current

President Andy Sandberg ’01 to show their appreciation to

has done so much for this school and particularly for the to be hard to imagine Browning without her. So please raise a glass to join us in thanking her!”

Michael Beys ’89 (past Alumni Association President), current President Andy Sandberg ’01, Laura Lanigan, Jeffrey Landes ’83 and Richard Weaver ’75 (both past Alumni Association Presidents).

Alumni gathered for the award presentation in the Kurani Gym.

John Botti, Dominique Bernard and Gregory Manuel ’93.

Adele Pelz, Jon Pelz ’12, Kevin Dearinger and Sandy Pelz ’71.

Anik Akhund ’10 and Jim Reynolds.

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Lawrence Bahr ’96

Chris Coffey ’98

Francisco Estrada ’93

ALUMNI CAREER PANELISTS SPEAK AT ANNUAL UPPER SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

Semitism and helping to secure fair treatment to all. He is a member of

the New York Regional Board of the

Anti-Defamation League and chairman of ADL’s Westchester Advisory Committee. Born and raised in

Manhattan, he now lives in Chappaqua with his wife and two daughters.

John Botti, Lawrence Bahr ’96, Chris Coffey ’98 and Francisco Estrada ’93.

LAWRENCE W. BAHR ’96 Larry Bahr is a financial advisor and

financial planning specialist with The

Maddalena Group at Morgan Stanley,

Chris Coffey leads the New York practice

Retirement Director title.

strategy firm focused on startups, and

Morgan Stanley to earn the Corporate He began his financial services

career in 2005 as a financial consultant

build and preserve their wealth while

AXA Advisors before becoming a

achieving financial security.

Mr. Bahr also serves as the senior

relationship manager for some of The Maddalena Group’s largest corporate retirement clients. He has experience

advising organizations on investment management, menu construction,

asset allocation, fiduciary oversight and plan design. He consults on

both defined contribution plans and

defined benefit plans, as well as equity plans and non-qualified deferred

compensation programs. He is among

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a select few financial advisors at

where he focuses on helping corporate executives and business owners

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CHRIS COFFEY ’98

at New York Life; he later joined

member of The Maddalena Group in 2009. Throughout his career,

Mr. Bahr has been committed to

professional development. A graduate of Hamilton College, he earned his

Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist designation in 2013, and his Certified Financial Planner designation in

2015. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association of New York.

In his personal time, Larry has

committed himself to the continued

civil rights movement, fighting anti-

for both Tusk Ventures, a political

Tusk Strategies, a firm responsible for developing, managing and executing full-scale political campaigns. Mr.

Coffey’s clients include The Patrolman’s Benevolent Association (PBA), Citi Bike and Whole Foods. He also helps lead Tusk’s technology and public policy

projects. He has secured major victories

for Times Square Alliance, Uber and the PBA. Most recently, he helped manage Corey Johnson’s successful campaign for Speaker of the New York City

Council, making Speaker Johnson the

highest-ranking LGBT elected official in the state of New York. Mr. Coffey also

serves on Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s transition committee.

The Annual Alumni Career Panel was held during an Upper School Assembly in the Kurani Gym.

Prior to joining Tusk, Mr. Coffey

matters during her run for mayor; in

for developing a diverse network

for 12 years. He served at City Hall on

of Athlete Ally, a group dedicated to

candidates for MLS talent pipeline

worked for Mayor Michael Bloomberg Mayor Bloomberg’s three electoral cam-

paigns and at Bloomberg L.P. During his

2015 she nominated him to the board fighting for equality in sports.

Mr. Coffey guest lectures a class at

time in city government, he helped set

New York University and frequently

also co-authored the Roadmap for the

York political matters. He currently

up the first-ever NYC digital office. He Digital City, which the Mayor unveiled as the first digital blueprint for city

government in the nation. Previously,

Mr. Coffey served as first deputy commissioner of the Mayor’s Community

Office and assistant press secretary for the Mayor, as well as director of may-

oral advance. In 2009, he worked on the

appears on NY1 as an expert on New serves as vice chair of the Brooklyn

Bridge Park Conservancy and is on

Brooklyn, with his husband Adam J. Riff and their son Will.

experienced recruitment and diversity

Francisco Estrada is a highly

from newspapers across the city.

executive with broad industry

Love. Hate Hate.” public service

advertising campaign in New York City in the aftermath of the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi. In 2013

Mr. Coffey served as an advisor to

Christine Quinn on LGBT and other

Baseball and JPMorgan Chase & Co., primarily focusing on recruitment as

well as diversity and inclusion efforts.

Born and raised in Queens, and

family to go to college. He graduated

a record-breaking 64 endorsements

equality. He helped create the “Love

American Express, Major League

City and now lives in Cobble Hill,

was born and raised in New York

munications strategist, helping to secure

LGBT issues, including marriage

at Univision Communications Inc.,

with extended roots in Mexico,

FRANCISCO J. ESTRADA ’93

Mr. Coffey worked on a number of

consideration. Previously, he worked

the board of Athlete Ally. Mr. Coffey

Bloomberg campaign as a senior com-

In Mayor Bloomberg’s third term,

of qualified active and passive

experience in sports, media and

entertainment, and financial services.

Mr. Estrada was the first member of his from Browning in 1993, followed by

Yale University and NYU Stern School of Business. He is a proud alumnus of

the following diversity and leadership development organizations: Prep for

Prep, The Experiment in International Living, INROADS-NYC and Management Leadership for Tomorrow.

In 2017 he was selected as an

He joined Major League Soccer (MLS)

ambassador for The Alumni Society,

of recruitment and diversity; in this

seeks to build a high-caliber network for

in April 2016 as the senior director

role he led the strategy and execution of all League recruitment efforts. He

managed full-cycle recruitment, new hire processes and the internship

program. He was also responsible

an organization for Latino leaders that career enhancement and professional development. He was also featured

by FindSpark as “30 Must-Follow

Diversity & Inclusion Thought Leaders Transforming the Workplace.”

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REMARKS BY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT ANDY SANDBERG ’01 April 13, 2018, Alumni Reunion Reception

See, in my profession of theater, I

suppose that’s how he found his place in

that charlatan’s path, but since we’re

question in just the right way so that you

could have happily continued down

honoring a respected journalist tonight, I should probably skip the fake news...

In truth, I’d say we were friendly

academic rivals. “Rivals” may not be the right word, since I don’t

Thank you, John, for not only that

welcome but for all you do for the

School. And thank you all for being

here tonight. A special welcome to the classes ending in 3 and 8 celebrating their milestone reunions.

For those of you I don’t know, my

name is Andy Sandberg, and I’m the

president of the Alumni Association.

We have another record turn-out at this year’s Reunion, and it’s exciting to see

can trust him. But if you’re not careful, he’ll air all your dirty laundry. He’ll pretty much own you.

Of course, we both learned that

negotiation doesn’t always work on

think we inspired each other. Certain

subsequently applied these skills to

teachers probably knew they were in

for a battle if they ever graded us more than a few points apart, because one

thing Zach and I did share in common

teachers. I guess that’s why we’ve

our respective extracurriculars – which, in both of our cases, have now become our professions.

Now, one area it would have been

was a penchant for negotiating.

foolish to compete with Zach: journalism.

were trying to haggle with Coach West

than to ever challenge him on his turf.

My fondest memories of Zach

about whether we needed to actually

get changed for weight room when we had absolutely no intention of lifting.

We were too cool for that – so cool, in fact, that we wanted to use our gym

We often collaborated, but I knew better

Sure, we worked together on the School’s publications, but I happily found excuses to slip away to rehearsal and let Zach reign over his kingdom.

After 10 years at Browning, where

period to finish our history homework.

Zach served as editor of both the Grytte

Those of you with Panther pins on

shameless in my attempts to manipulate

yearbook and the French newspaper En

already to this year’s Annual Fund.

might say – whereas Zach was more

both familiar and new faces here today. your lapels, thank you for contributing Everyone else, it’s not too late, and in addition to making events like

this possible, your contributions are

incredibly meaningful in helping the School to grow and thrive. So thank you for your support.

Now to our guest of honor…

Zach Goldfarb and I are very

different people. At any other school,

I’m not sure we would have even been friends. But at a school like Browning, we frequently found our paths

aligning. First and foremost, we were

both star athletes, having each served as captain of… [sic]

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think you can talk to that guy – that you

think either of us saw ourselves in

competition with one another – I like to Andy Sandberg ’01

the world of journalism. He’ll ask you a

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Now, I was always rather blunt and

the system – more combative, some clever and covert in his strategies.

Most of the faculty thought he was

innocent and some would have even said quiet, but he was secretly far

more mischievous than the rest of us. I

and the Lit and also worked on the

Evante, Zach went on to Princeton, where he served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Princetonian. He has since gone on to a

successful career at The Washington Post,

where among his other accomplishments, Zach was a White House correspondent covering President Barack Obama.

We often collaborated, but I knew better than to ever challenge him on his turf. Sure, we worked together on the School’s publications, but I happily found excuses to slip away to rehearsal and let Zach reign over his kingdom.

He currently serves as the deputy

“Off the record,” Zach’s political

business editor at the Post, overseeing

views were somewhat radical back in

business, economics, technology and

his campaign to launch [a website

a team of 50 journalists responsible for policy coverage. He and his wife Sarah live in D.C., and they are the proud parents of one-year-old Andrew.

If I didn’t know Zach to also be an

excellent writer with a strong sense of ethics and a sense of humor – an

effective pairing of senses – I’d assume he schemed his way into his personal and professional success.

shy about questioning the status quo.

If you asked any of my classmates

high school. Some might remember

to do an impression of Zach, it usually

devoted to Centrist political views].

The words of politeness but the tone of

Challenging the system, but through the lens of fairness. (For those of you who were paying attention to what I

just said, yes, in high school in the late

started with: “Excuse me, excuse me.”

“I-know-what-I’m-doing-here.” And

he usually did. And thankfully for the world of journalism, he still does.

Please join me in congratulating

’90s, “centrism” seemed radical. As did

my classmate Zach Goldfarb as the

that matter.) Now Zach wasn’t always

Achievement Award.

the existence of political websites, for

the voice of dissent – but he was never

recipient of this year’s Alumnus

2017-18 LEGACY PHOTO The annual legacy photo was taken in April in the Wilson Room. This year, there are 17 Browning boys with fathers who also attended Browning, for a total of 12 legacy families.

Back row (L to R): George Grimbilas ’18, George Grimbilas ’80, Ned Hurley ’82, Nicholas Hurley ’19, George Stavropoulos ’18, Peter Stavropoulos ’82, Michael Beys ’89, John Hadden ’24, John Hadden ’87 and Mark Frangos ’96.

Middle Row (L to R): Adam Berman ’25, Ben Berman ’93, Andrew Gelb ’88, Cole Hadden ’26, Peter Frangos ’30, Evan West ’29, and Andrew West ’92.

Front row (L to R): Andrew Bates-Zoullas ’23, Winston Bates-Zoullas ’23, Chase Berman ’30, Jack Gelb ’27, Peter Beys ’25, Alexander Beys ’27, Jude Theodore ’27, Julian Blitz ’30 and Justin Blitz ’96.

Not pictured: Nicholas Zoullas ’55, Ali Theodore ’88 and Lee Theodore ’24.

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AWARD ACCEPTANCE REMARKS FROM ZACHARY GOLDFARB ’01

Good evening. Thanks so much for

technology and public policy. And just

at Browning, and as I’m sure you can

at Browning, I think I learned some of

this great honor. It’s exciting to be back

as I was nurtured to become a writer

understand, it’s great to be out of quiet

the key lessons of being a good editor

Washington, D.C., for a couple of days.

from Browning’s teachers: setting high

As I thought about what to say

expectations, showing compassion

today, I looked through the list of

and enjoying the vicarious pleasures

recipients of this award and was struck

of others’ success.

by how many I enjoy a surprise kinship

I feel confident this is still

with. The award was first given to the

happening at Browning today, based

legendary Charles Cook ‘38 in 1991, my first year at Browning. Fast

forward to the year I graduated –

2001 – and one of the recipients was

Osborn Elliot ’41, a famous editor of Newsweek. The next recipient was

Tom Herman ’64, a widely respected Wall Street Journal journalist who helped show me the ropes of the industry when I was an aspiring reporter. And then came fellow

Princeton alumni Ken Offit ’73 and

Charles Plohn ’62, both of whom I came to know over the years, and several other well-known journalists and

proprietors of journalism – from Henry Luce ’42 and Arthur Sulzberger ’44,

to David Callaway ’82, who just last

year I had the pleasure of sitting next to at a journalism awards dinner.

And, of course, my closest

connection was to one of last year’s

recipients, Mr. Pelz ’71, who went to

bat for me and every other student to make sure our lives after Browning were the best they could be. I still

remember the day when I walked into Mr. Pelz’s basement office to let him know about my college acceptance and him bursting with pride as

though his own son had achieved

something special. I’ve now been able to follow his sons’ success via the

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on my conversation with students Zachary Goldfarb ’01

who work on the Grytte this morning.

They asked incredibly sophisticated

Buzzer and Facebook, feeling a sort of

questions about the media and politics

boys whom I never knew personally

to ride on Air Force One made me feel

class notes about.

to the 1997 Harrison Ford blockbuster

that I may have the distinction of

none of the students in the room had

kinship with a generation of Browning

(although a question about what it’s like

but still smile at seeing pictures or

particularly dated, when I compared it

Among this list of alumni, I feel

and faced blank stares, before realizing

being the least distinct. But I think

been born when it came out).

Browning that you could pluck

I see from my generation of teachers

graduate in the new millennium

Mr. Ingrisani, Mr. Pelz, Monsieur

connection to fellow alumni spanning

shape how I do my job today at The

The last time I had the honor of

a light on the actions of the powerful

it says something special about

The lessons of Browning teachers –

a member out of the first class to

in the room today – Mr. Dearinger,

and find that he has an immediate

Bernard and Mr. Prestigiacomo –

more than a half century.

Washington Post as we work to shine

speaking at Browning was at the 2011

with the belief that, as our newspaper’s

was a reporter covering the President,

Darkness.” Yes, to do this job, precision

toward, unbeknownst to me, since

a deep sense of history – all things

published a Middle School newsletter.

but so are the values of, in the words

whether President Obama’s tan suit

“personal integrity and responsibility

graduation ceremony. At the time I

motto says, “Democracy Dies in

a dream job I had been working

with language, critical thinking and

my first years at Browning when I

taught at Browning – are important,

Those days the big controversy was

of the Browning mission statement,

color was befitting to him. Times

to the broader community.”

editor, helping oversee dozens of

especially important today when the

from the economy and business to

truth – can often seem under attack by

have changed. For me, I’m now an journalists who cover everything

For journalism, these feel

core of what we do – try to uncover

And just as I was nurtured to become a writer at

have the direct benefit of a Browning

Browning, I think I learned some of the key lessons

will be exposed, in a small way, to a

of being a good editor from Browning’s teachers: setting high expectations, showing compassion and enjoying the vicarious pleasures of others’ success. politicians, polarization and platforms

Browning help students not only

versions of the truth.

knowledge with virtue. In some

that collectively serve up twisted

In a recent speech, the editor of the

Post, Marty Baron, quoted from the landmark 1985 book on media and

democracy, “Amusing Ourselves to

Death,” in which author Neil Postman compared the dystopian visions of

George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous

gain knowledge, but marry that

ways education and journalism are twin pillars of our civil society, the former preparing young people to

captive culture,” while Huxley feared “a trivial culture.”

class – “In Country,”“Other Voices, Other Rooms” and “All the King’s Men” – margin notes intact. These

books and particularly the last one,

about a newspaperman, a politician and a meditation on what Robert Penn Warren called the “awful

responsibility of time,” have loomed largely in my life.

Admittedly, it will likely be

more focused on “The Very Hungry

I’m joined tonight by my wife

and I live in Washington with our one-

Orwell feared what Postman called “a

from Mr. Dearinger’s English

people to be informed citizens.

citizens and the latter empowering

Orwell worried about the truth being being buried in a “sea of irrelevance.”

On the bookcase by which he

plays all day long are three books

some 15 years before I can read

Sarah and my dad, who spent years

concealed, Huxley worried about it

Browning education.

be conscientious and knowledgeable

Huxley’s “Brave New World.”

Postman described how while

education. Yet I feel confident he

enjoying Browning with me. My wife

year-old son, and we’ll be there for the foreseeable future, so I’m sad to say – despite Dr. Botti’s encouragement this morning – he probably won’t

them with my son – right now we’re Caterpillar” and “Goodnight Moon.”

But I look forward to that day circa

2033 when I will sit down with him and talk about what I learned from these books that absorbed me at

Browning, and from whom I learned about them.

Thank you.

As Marty noted, Postman thought

Huxley’s fears were the more likely to materialize. It was an argument I first encountered about 18 years ago in

Mr. Pelz’s class on Science, Technology and Society, when we read each of

these three books. But far more than

then, the risk of Huxley’s vision seems real today.

I think we can derive hope,

however, from the fact that the

free press’s role is constitutionally guaranteed, and that teachers

across the country at schools like

Joel Goldfarb, Zachary Goldfarb ’01 and Sarah Goldfarb.

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81

John Botti and Stuart Orenstein ’00 present Manuel Medina ’18 with a gift from the Alumni Association.

CLASS OF 2018 WELCOMED INTO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION On Wednesday, April 18 Head of School John Botti and Alumni Association Vice President Stuart Orenstein ’00 hosted

the annual Form VI Alumni Association Breakfast. Every year at this event, the Alumni Association recognizes each

member of the graduating class with a special gift in honor of his upcoming

graduation. Speakers at the breakfast

included Alumni Association Vice President Stuart Orenstein ’00, Director of College

The Form VI Alumni Association Breakfast, an annual tradition, is held at a nearby venue.

Guidance Sandy Pelz ’71, Director of

Athletics Andrew West ’92, and Director of Communications Design Jeremy Katz ’04.

Upper School Head Jim Reynolds and

Director of Advancement Jim Simon were

also in attendance. The Alumni Association members look forward to Graduation Day,

when these 29 members of the Class of 2018 will officially join their ranks!

Patrick Yee ’18, Caleb Sussman ’18, Michael Riley ’18, Philip Raftopoulos ’18, Benjamin Ellman ’18, Theodore David ’18, Jack Twaronite ’18 and Brogan Smith ’18.

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Top Row (L to R): Ekene Duruaku ’18, Jack Twaronite ’18, Louis Cutter ’18, Norman Champ ’18, Luke Hexner ’18, Marwan Nsouli ’18, Theodore Florescu ’18, Grant Thompson ’18 and Daniel Kravitz ’18.

Middle Row (L to R): Sean Nickola ’18, Julien Anavian ’18, Adrian Rodriguez ’18, Brogan Smith ’18, Sean Flores ’18, Takayuki Ishikawa ’18, Michael Riley ’18, Connor Medland ’18, Robert Nielsen ’18, Theodore David ’18, Rohan Singh ’18 and Patrick Yee ’18.

Front Row (L to R): Jackson Richter ’18, Philip Raftopoulos ’18, Manuel Medina ’18, George Grimbilas ’18, George Stavropoulos ’18, Gabriel Soluri ’18, Benjamin Ellman ’18 and Caleb Sussman ’18.

Julien Anavian ’18, Grant Thompson ’18, Theodore Florescu ’18, Adrian Rodriguez ’18, Luke Hexner ’18, Jim Simon, Connor Medland ’18 and Andrew West ’92.

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83

class notes

TO SHARE NEWS with the Browning community, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at advancement@browning.edu or 212.838.6280 Ext. 1920.

50s

In February 2018, George W. Liebmann ’57 released his latest book, “America’s Political Inventors: The

Lost Art of Legislation.”

close by. Janet and I have

of the Bird effort: “If you

on the way in May. We spend

Geographic’s 2018 Year

take care of the birds, you

take care of most of the big

environmental problems in the world.”

national history. His other

60s

“Diplomacy Between the

the following news in

Mr. Liebmann is a historian and lawyer specializing in American and interpublications include

F. Dodd Adair ’65 submitted

Wars: Five Diplomats

February: “Most of us from

and the Shaping of the Modern World,” “The

Last American Diplomat: John D. Negroponte and

the Changing Face of U.S.

Diplomacy,” and “The Fall

of the House of Speyer: The

Story of a Banking Dynasty.”

A quote by biologist

and conservationist Thomas E. Lovejoy ’59 is the

84

featured tagline of National

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mitted the following news in

two months a year skiing in

directing Johns Hopkins

Colorado and two months a year at a beach on the coast of Georgia. Recently, we

took a Danube River cruise to the Black Sea ending in

Bucharest. Family joins us when they can. Hope all from ’65 are well.”

70s

daughter invited many of

Sulzberger, Jr. ’70 retired as

I turned 70 last May, and my

In December, Arthur O.

my friends for a dinner party

publisher of The New York

at her home. Where did the

years go? My oldest daughter and family live in California.

Youngest son is in Colorado and another daughter and son in Birmingham, Ala.,

Dodd Adair ’65 and his wife Janet (both seated) with their four children: Lauren, David, Diane and Scott.

T HE

eight grandchildren and one

or soon will turn 70 (yikes).

the Class of ’65 have turned

John C. Cook ’71 sub-

Times, handing the reins

March: “Following 34 years

University’s annual fund and principal gifts programs, I

retired here in Baltimore with my wife. Our six children are spread coast to coast.

Please visit us when you’re in town.”

to his son, Arthur Gregg

Craig Sands ’71.

Mr. Sulzberger will stay on as

to us in February: “I’m still

Times Company.

from Lausanne, Switzerland,

Sulzberger. The elder

chairman of The New York

Craig J. Sands ’71 wrote

alive and kicking and moved

The Sulzberger family has run The New York Times since 1896.

In this photo, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. ’70, is seated on the lap of his grandfather, Arthur H. Sulzberger, while his father, Arthur O. Sulzberger ’44, looks on. Photo credit: The New York Times Company Archives/From “The Trust.”

to Ghent, Belgium, a few

years ago. I occasionally see

Browning classmate news via Facebook. Retirement is not yet in sight!”

David G. Holleb ’73

submitted the following news in December: “We

are finally empty nesters as, our son Matthew moved to

Members of the Grytte staff with Mr. Callaway ’82 (center) in November.

his ocean tug boat that brings

winning a federal appeals

service providers in various

Jacksonville, Fla. Our son

free speech rights of public

reached at nelsonanthoine@

Charleston, S.C., to be closer to supplies to Puerto Rico from Peter is completing his first semester of medical school at St. George’s in Grenada.

After this winter, he is happy

to be going back to where it is

always around 80 degrees. We

have a Shiba Inu grand puppy that is a real darling and is keeping us in shape with

our long walks. I am looking forward to seeing many of my classmates at our 45th reunion!”

Nelson H. Anthoine ’75

reports that he considers being a good father to

smart, kind, future leaders

as his best accomplishment,

followed by suing his former long-term employer and

court case that helps protect employees (Nelson Anthoine v. North Central Counties

communities.” He can be

Callaway ’82 hosted the staff

sbcglobal.net.

student-run newspaper, at the

Alexander C.

Consortium). His daughter

McCormick ’76 submitted

his son recently attained

December: “January 2018

attends UC Davis, and

a perfect score on the SAT

mathematics section. After developing and managing rental property in Chico,

Calif., Mr. Antoine is hoping to work again in a larger

city, improving our society in some capacity. He asks

that fellow alumni feel free to contact him, “especially

if you are with a foundation that needs help drawing up categorical funding criteria, scoring grant proposals,

and overseeing effective

In November, David A.

the following news in

of the Grytte, Browning’s

New York offices of TheStreet, where Mr. Callaway is chief executive officer.

Jonathan A. Mason ’89

marks my 10th anniversary

is an agent for Buchwald, a

at Indiana University

with offices in New York

as a faculty member

Bloomington, where I teach in the doctoral program in

higher education and student affairs. I also direct a national project on college quality

called the National Survey of Student Engagement in

which we survey first-year and senior-year students at 500-700 colleges and

universities annually. I enjoy seeing occasional posts on

Facebook from Browning and Hewitt friends.”

talent and literary agency

and Los Angeles. In January, he was featured in a New York Times photo with

Buchwald’s founder, Don

Buchwald. Mr. Mason tells us, “I’ve actually been at

the company for the same number of years that I

was at Browning...13! Felt like forever going from

Kindergarten to Form VI, but feels like two minutes from

when I started at Buchwald back in 2005 to now.”

80s

Douglas S. Brophy ’81

was named head of The

Town School in February.

Previously, Mr. Brophy was Maximilian Ulanoff, Don Buchwald and Jonathan Mason ’89 at the Friars Club, as featured in The New York Times in January. Photo credit: Jackie Molloy for The New York Times.

the academic dean at The Spence School.

Doug Brophy ’81 with his wife Barbara and daughter Allegra.

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85

media agency. In February,

00s

news that Hyatt Worldwide

York-based investment bank

Peter R. Orphanos ’89

is founder and president of Orphmedia, LLC, a digital

Mr. Orphanos submitted the

Justin F. Karr ’00 joined New

is one of Orphmedia’s new

East Wind Advisors as a

clients; Orphmedia recently helped launch The Driskill,

one of Hyatt’s properties in Austin, Texas.

90s

Edward-Isaac Dovere ’98, chief Washington

correspondent for Politico and host of its podcast

Off Message, interviewed

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a featured session at South

by Southwest this year.

During their conversation,

Schwarzenegger discussed his principles for effective governing, why he made

gerrymandering and other issues his crusades after finishing as governor of California, and what he sees for the future of American politics.

86

director, where he focuses

on the consumer and retail

sectors. He lives on the Upper

Browning alumni at the wedding of Alex Sheridan ’04 in December: Ben Sheridan ’10, Alex Sheridan ’04, Jeremy Katz ’04, Albie Bramble ’04 and Robert Bramble ’06.

and two young sons.

of 2017 I was promoted

continues to serve as

Portfolio Services, LLC, a

West Side with his wife Eliane Andy Sandberg ’01

president of Browning’s Alumni Association.

Outside of Browning,

he is a director, writer

and producer, currently

developing multiple new works for the stage. Two musical comedies that

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specialty finance company

2011 caught up at Dorrian’s

headquartered in New

York and Arizona, buying

performing, sub-performing, and non-performing

comedy about kindergarten admissions, is now in

development for television.

Alexander Zaro ’01

submitted the following

news in February: “In May

where Owen Canavan ’06 was a guest bartender.

Owen B. Canavan ’06

Charles G. Braddock ’06

continued healing from

LLC, an art advisory company

“Application Pending,” a

Red Hand for Native Night,

submitted the following

all major U.S. creditors.”

opening Off-Broadway

this summer, and his play

from the Classes of 2000 to

consumer receivables sold by

is founder and director of

Edward-Isaac Dovere ’98 with Arnold Schwarzenegger at South by Southwest.

T HE

holiday, alumni ranging

he’s directing, “Neurosis” and “R.R.R.E.D.,” will be

Over the Thanksgiving

to president of Cavalry

Serial Artists Consultancy, based in New York. In

February, he produced and curated an exhibition for

artist Hanna Leah Gibbs,

an emerging contemporary

painter; Hanna also happens to be the wife of Browning

alumnus Michael Serman ’06.

in February: “I have

the accident last April much faster than my

trauma team’s original

expectations. My eighth and final surgery, an abdominal wall reconstruction hernia operation, will happen in March. God willing, this will all be in the past by

summertime. Thank you for your continued support.”

Edward Kent ’02, Brett Schulman ’08, Tennyson Singer ’08, Harrison Fields ’11, Michael Glasser ’08, Terrel Phelps ’11 and Jeremy Katz ’04.

Not pictured: Jon Estreich ’00, Christopher Latos ’05, Robert Van Laer ’08, Ethan Schulman ’08, Bradley Aronson ’08 and Miles Bogner ’08.

always be a special place in

IN MEMORIAM

my heart for a very special school back in NY. My

best wishes go out to the

Browning community for the 2017-18 school year!”

Athina Aston P ’87 Dr. Guilford H. Bartlett, Former Faculty Jean-Christophe Froelicher-Schwarzenbach ’36 Robert L. Kirk, Jr. ’75

Zachary M. Perskin ’09

Edward Longstreth, Jr. ’48

submitted the following

Christopher M. Mershon ’73

news in February: “I will be

Martin Murphy, Sr. P ’02

getting married as well as Jonathan Pelz ’12, Christopher Pelz ’12 and Adele Pelz at the University of Edinburgh in November.

John C. Russell P ’02

graduating from NYU’s Stern

William L. Selden ’65

School of Business with an MBA in May.”

10s

In November, both

Christopher M. Pelz ’12

and Jonathan E. Pelz ’12

completed their respective

graduate school programs at

Chris Haack ‘14 spoke to students in Advanced Computer Science class.

Jon’s graduate degree is

criminal defense investigator.

the University of Edinburgh.

Michael Jozoff ‘17 and Josh Jordan ‘17 visited Browning in November.

in Japanese culture and

language, and Chris’s is in

Exciting work!”

In January, faculty

carbon management.

member Gerry Protheroe

D’Innocenzo ’06 submitted

submitted the following

students to the annual Ivy

December: “My life in

to Colorado in August to start

Benjamin P.

the following news in

Colorado is full of outdoor adventure, but there will

Benjamin D. Jacobs ’13

news in February: “I moved work at the Colorado State

Public Defender’s office as a

chaperoned Browning

League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC),

where the group crossed

paths with Awen Abaatu ’16.

Dr. Protheroe noted, “Awen is now a key member of the

ILMUNC Secretariat at Penn.

This is great to see, as he was a member of our delegation for four years at Browning.

We have never had a graduate in such a high position in the world of Model UN after going to college.”

In November, former Middle School Head Christopher Dunham visited Browning, where he was given a warm welcome by his former students and colleagues. Mr. Dunham and his family moved to California this past summer.

Spring/Summer 2018

87

There are 165

Days in the school year...

...each filled with remarkable opportunities for Browning boys,

thanks to you!

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Thank you for your generous support!

Former Headmaster Clement’s Official Portrait Unveiled

Former Headmaster Stephen M. Clement, III, who retired in 2016 after serving The Browning School for 28 years, returned on April 18 for the unveiling of his official portrait by artist Ronald Sherr. Please turn to page 40 to read more.

Spring/Summer 2018

89

T H E BROW N I NG SC HO OL 52 East 62nd Street New York, New York 10065

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TO UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS Please call the Advancement Office at 212 838 6280 x1150.

BOYS OF ALL AGES PARTAKE IN BIODIVERSITY DAY

S

ponsored by Browning’s Green Team and still going strong in its fourth year, Biodiversity Day was once again a huge success, thanks to the boys, guest naturalists, teachers and

staff who braved unseasonably chilly temperatures to identify the amazing animal species that dwell in Central Park.

Please see more photos on pages 38-39.

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