Buzzer Summer 2020

The Browning School Magazine Summer 2020

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Celebrating the Class of 2020

Michael Ingrisani celebrates golden jubilee

INQUIRY

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COMMUNITY

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BrowningConnect: Charting a new course online PAGE 6

WELLNESS

Students and faculty engage with each other on BrowningConnect, our online learning platform, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Truman B.

Kieran O.

Noah L.

Brendan L.

Lauck Blake

Liam M.

Zachary B.

Alexander G.

Jason L.

Lauren Stewart

Joan Gillman

Alexander V.

Jack M.

Richard H.

Lydon Vonnegut

Fernando C.

Janetta Lien

Gus S.

Brad P.

Kristofer Pischel

Jonah L.

Eric S.

David P.

Alexander K.

Zachary L.

Julian B.

Alexander O.

Christian K.

Sanford Pelz

Vihaan S.

Spencer R.

Ryan E.

Jasper S.

Joshua H.

Signals On the cover: Teaching and learning via BrowningConnect during extended school closure. — 1. Evan R. ’31 drops everything and reads.

— 2. Federico S. ’23 and Maximiliano S. ’26 stay fit. — 3. Jonathan M. ’23 practices guitar — 4. Jack M. ’32 works on an assignment. — 5. Lower School teacher Noelle Kennedy-White greets her students.

Dear Browning Friends, When we planned this issue, COVID-19 was just beginning to take hold in Europe, and worldwide mass protests against anti-Black racism and police violence were still months away. This column was intended to explain a nomenclature change of “Forms” to “Grades” for our older boys.

The world is different now.

On these pages, we have attempted to capture how Browning is meeting that different world with the implementation of BrowningConnect. Our faculty and staff worked mightily to create an online experience that wouldn’t be just a pale copy of in-person instruction, but rather an opportunity to support student agency and empowerment. From the start, we built BrowningConnect as a platform that would stand the test of time—not simply a stopgap to keep boys from “falling behind.” Our goal was for our boys to learn new skills and habits of mind in these most unusual circumstances. We pressed ahead, knowing this would be more uncomfortable initially than merely porting “real” school into a “virtual” environment.

Teaching and learning well because of—and not in spite of—this pandemic will be the real measure of our success. How can we foster relationships as well as deep academic challenges in an online environment to which none of us are native? How can our boys gain greater resilience, greater empathy, a greater ability to create and iterate during a time when collaborators are not in the next chair, but an ocean away? How can our Class of 2020 succeed in an uncertain first year of college using skills and attitudes that they have acquired and honed through BrowningConnect?

I also write this after days of large, mostly peaceful demonstrations that have disrupted life in large cities and small towns across the world. There is much work to be done in our society. So too is there work to be done at Browning, and we are committed to making sure that Black Lives Matter is not only a hashtag but, in fact, a call to examine the role that independent schools like ours play in perpetuating structural racism. We can use this moment to embrace a greater understanding of what it means to learn, to teach, and to be educated about the harm that has occurred to those who have felt marginalized. We might not think we are ready for that moment, but that moment is surely here. And, working together, we are more than capable of meeting it, whether in person or at distance.

Best always,

Read Dr. Botti’s blog at browning.edu/head-of-school

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We can use this moment to embrace a greater understanding of what it means to learn, to teach, and to be educated. We might not think we are ready for that moment, but that moment is surely here.

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John Botti, Ph.D. Head of School BUZZER — Summer 2020

Dr. Botti at home.

LETTER

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INSIDE:

Summer 2020

FEATURES THE CELEBRATION

COVER STORY

Michael Ingrisani celebrates Golden Jubilee

BrowningConnect: Charting a new course online

Thanks for the memories.

Learning for a new world.

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COMMUNITY

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Class of 2020 college choices WA VT NY WI OH IN IL

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Choosing a college in quarantine

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Looking back fondly and marching ahead: The Laurie Gruhn farewell interview

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Getty Museum challenge inspires CONTENTS

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Celebrating the Class of 2020

ALUMNI

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Confronting the crisis

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Alumni@ BrowningConnect

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Alumni showcase

Sitting down with Jamie Dimon ’74

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In memoriam

GOOD NEWS

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Chess Panthers excel at city championship

A modern look for our website Lower School Librarian retires

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Robotics team wins at FIRST regionals

Welcome Eric Ogden, Head of Lower School

Celebrating cultures at Browning

Model UN team takes home the cup at Ivy League conference

HONESTY

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STEAM Expo celebrates the power of inquiry Family fun at Math Night Chanos Gallery solo show

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Debate team shines in short season College guidance lauded by auditors

We speak the truth, act with integrity and take responsibility for our actions.

DIGNITY We honor and celebrate the dignity of all people and support the power of a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community.

CURIOSITY We encourage and celebrate open-minded inquiry about our world and the perspectives of those around us.

PURPOSE

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Grytte goes online in BrowningConnect

ATHLETICS

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Winter season wrap-ups

BUZZER — Summer 2020

The Browning School fosters growth of courageous and compassionate men of intellect and integrity who aspire to contribute meaningfully to our world.

The Browning gentleman develops amid a community that upholds these values…

INSPIRATION

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Mission and Values

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A Basketball 2-Peat

The Browning School Athletes

CONTENTS

We believe that education encourages exploration and discovery in pursuit of meaning and enduring fulfillment.

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.

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Good news to begin with

A modern look for our website

Browning updated its image with a website redesign that launched in February. The site, which takes advantage of a newer template on the Squarespace platform, is optimized for easier navigation and designed to showcase the School’s social media presence and the latest news on the front page. As the School moved into BrowningConnect in March, Admissions@BrowningConnect, Alumni@BrowningConnect, and a virtual tour were added to showcase all that was happening at School away from a physical presence on campus.

Lower School Librarian retires For 16 years, Susan Levine has shared her love and knowledge of children’s literature with over 700 boys aged 5–10. She founded Guys Read as a book club for third and fourth grade boys (which later expanded to fifth and sixth grade boys).

Ms. Levine was beloved for her read-alouds and the close relationships she built with both her colleagues and Browning families.

We wish her well on her next adventure!

Hello, farewell, and a big win for our boys.

Ms. Levine sharing her love of reading.

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GOOD NEWS

LOWER SCHOOL

Welcome Eric Ogden, Head of Lower School We are pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Ogden as Browning’s new Head of Lower School. Mr. Ogden, who began his term on July 1, was formerly Head of Lower Division at Avenues: The World School, where he has enjoyed an impressive career both as a teacher and a senior administrator. He joined Avenues eight years ago and headed the division for two years. Prior to his tenure at Avenues, he was a second grade teacher at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School.

Mr. Ogden, who earned a B.A. in Elementary Education and English from Dartmouth College and a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University, also taught in a public elementary school in New Jersey at the beginning of his career.

BUZZER

The Browning School Magazine

Editors Jan Abernathy, Director of Strategic Communications Jeremy Katz ’04, Associate Director of Strategic Communications

Editorial Contributors John M. Botti, Ph.D., Head of School Andrew West ’92, Director of Athletics Caroline Axelrod, Director of Alumni Affairs Gene Campbell, Head of Upper School Logan Flynn ’20 Bram Kerwin ’24 Alexander Kwok ’20

Contributing Photographers David DeBalko Louis Chan Rossa Cole Julie Goldstone Jeremy Katz ’04 Johannes Kroemer Da Ping Luo Sanford Pelz ’71 Al Pareira Don Pollard Design and collage work (pages 16 and 19)

by Michael Wiemeyer / Designlounge, NY The Buzzer is published twice a year by The Browning School. Submissions may be sent to Jan Abernathy at jabernathy@browning.edu. All submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

Follow Us @browningschool

Visit our website: browning.edu

Board of Trustees 2020–2021 Valda M. Witt, President David J. Liptak, Vice President Alka K. Singh, Vice President / Secretary Raul Pineda, Treasurer John M. Botti, Head of School Maria Dell’Oro, President, Parents Association Christine Callahan, Vice President, Parents Association Stuart A. Orenstein ’00, President of the Alumni Association

Model UN team takes home the cup at Ivy League conference Our Model UN delegation won the Best New School in Diplomacy award at the Ivy League conference in Philadelphia—a superb achievement as our team, representing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, competed among 1,500 delegates. Several of our boys also received individual verbal commendations: Austin S. ’20 and Nathaniel M. ’22 on the United Nations Human Rights Council; Alex K. ’20 as Ellie Edwards on Facebook: the Birth Committee.

BUZZER — Summer 2020

Mimi Basso Michael P. Beys ’89 Wendy W. Brooks Sandra Buergi David E. Glaymon Elizabeth Granville-Smith Stephanie Hessler Philip A. Hofmann Federico Infantino

Jeffrey M. Landes ’83 John M. Liftin Elizabeth Miller J Mocco Nazmi Oztanir Andrew M. Snyder Deborah van Eck Andrew E. Vogel

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

GOOD NEWS / MASTHEAD

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INTELLECT

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BrowningConnect

Charting a new course online “Ask about plans for teleschool.” With that one phrase at a press conference in February, the Centers for Disease Control’s Nancy Messonnier alerted families that a “novel coronavirus” was likely to disrupt their lives in the near future. She added: “You should ask your children’s schools about their plans for school dismissals or school closures.” By the end of March, The Browning School had embarked upon the single biggest transformation of its academic program in its 132-year history. And Browning boys joined the majority of American students in leaving bricks-andmortar schooling behind, at least for the rest of the 2019–2020 school year.

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FEATURE

COVER STORY: BROWNINGCONNECT

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1. Andersen H. ’29 plays piano with Noah A. ’29 over FaceTime. d e s e r ve

2. Shaurya D. ’27 in a music lesson with instructor Mike Serman ’06 on Zoom.

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3. Donovan K. ’30 and his father work from home.

4. Burke B. ’32 creates rainbow art for his window as a message of hope.

5. Finn Y. ’26 completes a French assignment.

6. Julian K. ’26 in sixth grade history class.

7. Adam W. ’25 reads for a Middle School Challenge Course.

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8. Logan F. ’20 teaches Middle Schoolers how to create sustainable art.

INTEGRITY BUZZER — Summer 2020

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Humanities Teacher Pete Weiss offered a class on The Iliad as part of the Middle School Challenge Course, where boys looking for additional work explored The Trojan War and the realistic view of human nature that Homer presents.

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ife in BrowningConnect—which includes not only online teaching and learning but most aspects of the school experience such as college guidance, student life, the Parents Association, admission, and alumni affairs—was designed to support innovation and iteration, according to community needs. While the circumstances around its birth are undeniably devastating, Head of School John Botti is quick to point out that BrowningConnect shouldn’t be viewed as a poor facsimile of the learning environment at 62nd Street.

“We viewed BrowningConnect as an opportunity to create something that would develop new pathways to learning for our boys,” he said. “While we neither wanted nor ever contemplated this eventuality, we didn’t want to merely try to replicate the experience of being in the building.”

A new kind of school day takes shape As leaders from various disciplines hammered out how BrowningConnect would address our boys’ intellectual needs as well as their desire for connection with others, all faculty members completed required professional development over spring break to ensure that their subject matter and social-emotional learning skills would travel well into the new environment. At all times, they remained guided

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by Browning’s mission: to foster the growth of courageous and compassionate men of intellect and integrity who aspire to contribute meaningfully to our world.

And while the transition wasn’t always completely seamless at the start, pretty soon the new normal became the “next normal.” After adjusting to life online and becoming accustomed to occasional connectivity issues, younger students gained some online independence as older ones continued their studies in a variety of new and exciting ways.

In Upper School, a collaboration between the history and math departments yielded a Grade 10 cross-disciplinary project in which students analyzed data using mathematical models and explained the data’s historical context. A Middle School Challenge Course, created by faculty in their respective areas of expertise, allowed boys to study The Iliad, complete a series of vexing yet fun math problems, journal, and create portraits. In Lower continued on page 10

A dialogue between Aaron Grill, Director of Program Innovation, and John Botti, Head of School, on how online learning can accelerate innovation at Browning:

Aaron Grill: We’re fortunate because we spent the previous year and a half reviewing our curriculum and using backward design, which is where we look at the competencies, knowledge, and skills students should attain, and create curriculum with that in mind. That is a fundamental principle of effective online learning and sets the stage for us to innovate. John Botti: Innovation is placing attention on something that’s implicit and making it explicit. I’ve seen our colleagues go deeper into subjects, with more substantive reflection from the boys. BrowningConnect provides a space for faculty to look at what they do with fresh eyes.

Aaron Grill: An example is analyzing how we assess learning both synchronously and asynchronously. We are also creating opportunities for boys to show their learning through inquiry-based projects. John Botti: How much more will boys learn if they have some choice over what they are doing, and not just performing for a grade? BrowningConnect is enabling an examination of why we learn and why we go to school.

It’s not just faddish or a stopgap—it can be enduringly influential. Aaron Grill: What makes this time exciting is a continuous dialogue among faculty about the effectiveness of our practices. John Botti: Nothing is more oversold and underused than the transformative power of technology, which is merely an accelerant to make our practices better or make them worse. This time is making us reckon with first principles. I hope these experiences will stay with us.

BUZZER — Summer 2020

FEATURE

Aaron Grill: “We are creating opportunities for boys to show their learning through inquirybased projects.”

John Botti: “BrowningConnect is enabling an examination of why we learn and why we go to school.”

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BrowningConnect: Charting a new course online

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1. Luca G. ’22 catches up on reading.

RELATIONSHIPS

2. Director of Admission Kelly West’s dog, Milo, makes the perfect new work colleague.

3. Julianne Rowland shares a story to her first graders.

School, as part of the inquiry-based Genius Hour, students examined topics such as the Pyramids, why professional athletes sometimes cheat, and eco-friendly homes. STEAM Expo showcased the work of students in Grades 3–12 in everything from art to science to the humanities. Its virtual tour format allowed all to see the work displayed in ways that seemed familiar.

Each Wednesday was reserved for D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) for Middle and Upper School boys and Wellness Wednesday for Lower School children. D.E.A.R. allowed students to catch up on work, and advisors to check in with boys individually, while Wellness Wednesday provided physical education activities as well as lessons from Nurse Maureen Linehan and Counselor Jessi Soles.

Creating community in quarantine A school where relationships are paramount also needed to be thoughtful about how extracurriculars and clubs, as well as one-on-one relationships between faculty and students, would migrate to an online environment.

Affinity and alliance spaces for students made the online transition quickly. “Faculty advisors and student group leaders convened weekly meetings where students could check on their peers’ well-being and enjoy each other’s company,” said Lauren Stewart, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. “They organized meetings with

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FEATURE

4. Hunter S. ’27 and Matthew S. ’27 spend time with family while also helping the greater community— assembling activity kits for pediatric patients.

5. Jonathan W. ’23 practices violin.

girls’ schools, and arranged open discussions with their peers, among other school-wide activities.” Boys also participated enthusiastically in the Film Club and separate Coffee House performances for Middle and Upper School.

With students and adults alike working from home, maintaining contact between families and their teachers and each other was paramount. Division heads quickly established regular office hours where families could ask questions and make suggestions, but most importantly, share how things were going for their own sons. Dr. Botti established his own bimonthly open meetings, called Community@BrowningConnect, where he addressed questions that ranged from “What’s the perfect balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning to “Can you tell us a joke to help in these bleak times?” The Parents Association stepped in with an initial town hall in the second week of classes, as well as its regular meetings, and class parents created social events to continue strong ties between grade groups.

To gauge community sentiment, the School surveyed families, students, and faculty about the impact of the pandemic and their thoughts about BrowningConnect.

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4 The School also asked families and alumni about whether they were struggling financially due to the pandemic, reassuring them of Browning’s support. In April, the School announced that the Annual Fund would allow donors to direct giving to those impacted by the pandemic.

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Welcoming prospective families

Next year and beyond As of press time, there was still much that was uncertain about how the school year would shape up, and in terms of the continuing effects of the pandemic on the New York region. One thing that is clear is that the lessons

BUZZER — Summer 2020

New nomenclature need to know

BrowningConnect entered the School’s lexicon as shorthand for the online learning platform yet quickly became so much more.

By early April, Admission@ BrowningConnect was welcoming prospective families into school with a virtual tour and a plethora of online events. Browning Connects to College provided boys the opportunity to meet college representatives, Inquiry@BrowningConnect encouraged independent study, and Summer@BrowningConnect provided the summer camp experience digitally.

COMPASSION

Spring is traditionally a time when students and families tour the School, but COVID-19 put that on hold.

However, that didn’t stop our admission administrators from opening an online front door to visitors. “We are all about building relationships and making sure that families consider Browning for their boys,” said Kelly West, Director of Admission. “Online events are so accessible because people don’t have to travel to us, and they can fit into families’ schedules easily.” Information sessions featuring faculty, division heads, the Head of School, and most importantly student ambassadors, provided varied perspectives on life at school both in-person and online.

The School also created a web page that allowed prospective families to message current families to get the “inside scoop,” and the admission section of the website broadened its focus to include tips for families considering independent schools, a virtual tour of campus, and a reading list that includes books about raising boys.

“The great thing is that much of what we are doing is simply good practice and adapts our admission efforts to meet families where they are,” said Director of Enrollment Management I-Ming Janetta Lien. “The effort that we put into these online initiatives was more than worthwhile.”

of a sudden shift of students to an entirely new learning program has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rethink past practice.

“Being presented with a new reality is not an excuse for tossing out strategies that have worked well in the past,” said Dr. Botti, “but it can certainly be a reason to try new ideas that might have been considered too disruptive. The circumstance in which our students find themselves is unprecedented, and we won’t let precedent stand in the way of meeting that challenge.”

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Alex Kwok competes in cross country.

Robert Michaelson on his way to the red doors.

breaking bound CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020!

Much of what is seen as disruptive or new right now has always been the case: the future is unknown and uncertain. You will be asked to learn on the fly and under time constraints for the rest of your lives, and while you have been asked to face this reality before you may have felt ready to do so, from where I sit you seem to have managed it with graciousness and forbearance that is admirable. You have proven your resilience many times over, whether it be in a championship game or as you’ve had to deal with a historical disruption to your lives.

A BROWNING PHOTO ESSAY

With a heart full of gratitude and regret that I can’t shake each of your hands and tell you this in person, I wish you nothing but the best of luck now and forevermore.

GENE CAMPBELL Head of Upper School

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COMMUNITY

Ryan Eagan develops close ties with underclassmen as a Peer Leader.

aries Chasen Hofmann and Rizzy A. ’31 walk hand in hand to Christ Church for opening assembly.

Jesse Starr introduces himself at opening assembly with his classmates, a senior tradition.

Giordan Escalona leads a class discussion.

Austin Stapleton practices for a debate.

BUZZER — Summer 2020

COMMUNITY

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Breaking Boundaries— Celebrating the Class of 2020 Wes Baugher pitches at a varsity baseball game.

strong minds

The Class of 2020 has spent roughly 312,813 hours behind the red doors and played 41 combined seasons of sports (winning 12 championships along the way). Graduating in the midst of a global pandemic, these young men showed true “grytte” and an ability to grow and thrive amid uncertainty. They will be remembered always for their ability to do their best in challenging circumstances, and they will be missed.

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COMMUNITY

The seniors engage in challenges during a retreat designed to encourage teamwork and personal growth.

Oliver Obeid and Keaton Ramey

Oscar Gad, Alex Liptak, Stuart Lockwood, and Ryan Eagan

Sharif Nsouli and Akshay Singh

Jonathan Ziff and Reinhardt Landsberg

turning heads Luis Altamirano introduces himself at opening assembly.

Soccer teammates George Newberry, Wes Baugher, Luis Altamirano, Will Hatfield, Hugh Chapin, and Jesse Starr hold up Zachary Brown.

BUZZER — Summer 2020

COMMUNITY

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Then and now: Michael Ingrisani teaches English in 1974 and in the present day. Mr. Ingrisani celebrated his 50th anniversary as a teacher at Browning during the 2019–2020 school year.

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FEATURE

THE CELEBRATION: MICHAEL INGRISANI

Dean of Faculty Michael Ingrisani celebrates golden jubilee

By Alexander Kwok ’20 Grytte Writer

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nglish teacher, Dean of Faculty, and advisor are just some of the roles that Michael Ingrisani has assumed over 50 years at our School. This academic year marks the golden jubilee of Mr. Ingrisani’s tenure, making him one of the most recognizable faces in the school community for decades of students, alumni, and faculty.

“There are mornings where I wake up and think, ‘Is this possible, that I am still here, for this long? That I still enjoy it?

That I still seem to do it well enough to satisfy the boys and my colleagues?’” Luckily for this generation of Browning boys, the answer to all his questions is yes.

After receiving his degree in English at Columbia College, Mr. Ingrisani initially did not know what he wanted to do next. In fact, he contemplated becoming a lawyer rather than a teacher.

“I guess I made up my mind to go into teaching during my time in college,” he said. “I had considered law and thought that I could go into either one. How it might have turned out if I’d made a different choice, I don’t know.”

Upon receiving his master’s degree at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Mr. Ingrisani applied to a wide variety of schools. “Fortunately the position here came up,

and it was exactly what I wanted.” In 1970, Browning and its English department were very different than they are today and Mr. Ingrisani was the sole English teacher for the entire high school.

“I was teaching every student in Upper School, which was a very daunting prospect. You have to constantly adjust what you say depending on whether you are looking at seniors or ninth graders. Fortunately, I was able to learn from them in an environment that gave me the space to try new things.”

As time went on, the School grew, and as a result, the needs of the students changed. Mr. Ingrisani recognized that in order to best prepare a larger group of boys, the English faculty had to grow, too. “Students need to hear more than one voice. They need to learn to deal with more than one approach. So as the department grew, we began to set it up so that the students did not have the same teacher even twice in a row,” he said.

Mr. Ingrisani has also continued to help the School keep up with the times by reevaluating and changing the English curriculum. In today’s classroom, he has introduced books that were not yet written in the ’70s and ’80s.

“There are mornings where I wake up and think, ‘Is this possible, that I am still here, for this long?’ ”

BUZZER — Summer 2020

FEATURE

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Dean of Faculty Michael Ingrisani celebrates Golden Jubilee

Mr. Ingrisani started as the only English teacher in Upper School.

“You have to remember that if you do something for 50 years, the world that you started in is going to look very different than the one you end up in. In the old days, I was using a curriculum designed in the 1950s. Today, the most obvious change is that we are studying works of literature now that hadn’t been written then.”

Over the years, as the School has grown, the English curriculum has expanded to focus on all types of literature from authors with differing perspectives. “There’s been more literature by women, by people from around the world, by people of color, and that is all for the good. After all, the study of literature is all about expanding your understanding of the world and coming to an understanding of yourself, based not only on introspection but also on learning about other people in other times.”

In 1994, Mr. Ingrisani was appointed the Dean of Faculty.

Former headmaster Stephen Clement understood that Mr. Ingrisani had been a liaison between the administration and the faculty, and he wanted to make it official. “After I had been here for about 25 years, Mr. Clement decided that a position should be created for me to formalize some of the things that I had been doing informally anyway. I was somebody who did not have an office, somebody who was in the faculty room with everyone else and was sensitive to the needs and problems of the faculty. So I could be a resource

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for the Head of School, who wanted to know what needs to be done to make things better for the teachers.”

Even after assuming the role of Dean of Faculty, Mr. Ingrisani never wavered in his desire to help foster a wellrounded and holistic education for his students. With the support of Mr. Clement, Mr. Ingrisani started to interact with other independent schools through the International Boys’ Schools Coalition.

“There’s been more literature by women, by people from around the world, by people of color, and that is all for the good.”

“I became interested in the fact that, although we had been a boys school from the very beginning, we weren’t really very clear about why that was the case. This was where Mr. Clement was very supportive because he had the same concern,” Mr. Ingrisani said. “With his help, I began attending the conferences of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition and eventually became a member of their board of trustees.”

Through his work with international colleagues, Mr. Ingrisani was able to bring new techniques, sometimes even new

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Teaching Exchange at the Sherborne School, Dorset, UK

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Member of the Board of Trustees of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition

Appointed Dean of Faculty at Browning

Master’s Degree, Columbia University; Started at Browning

FEATURE

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Mr. Ingrisani with the Grytte newspaper staff in 1975.

This year’s staff covered a retrospective of his career.

people, to the School, creating better learning opportunities for his students.

Over the years, some things have never changed in Mr. Ingrisani’s classroom. His fundamental mission to better the boys remains a cornerstone. He continues to create a classroom where the boys have control of what they learn.

He wants the boys to be active participants rather than passive listeners. “What we want—either within an individual year or over a student’s Browning career—is to help students become not just passive recipients of information but active partners in their own learning,” he said. “If you

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2020 Celebrating 50 Years at The Browning School

1st Recipient of Clement Chair for the Humanities

BUZZER — Summer 2020

simply go from being an empty vessel that gets filled in high school, and then you go to college where they pour some more in, when your formal education is over you find yourself stranded without somebody to continue to pour in knowledge. You need to learn to do that for yourself.”

Mr. Ingrisani loves to see how former students have grown and created lives of their own. He has been a mentor and colleague to many, and continuing to connect is special for him.

“Part of the fun is having former students come back as grown men with careers and wives and pictures of their children, and sharing their feelings that the difficult days in Form III were all worth it.”

He added, “In 50 years, there have been a lot of memories. It has been enjoyable. You wouldn’t stick around at a job for 50 years if it was drudgery and you were just doing it for a paycheck.”

FEATURE

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Choosing a college in quarantine

Logan Flynn ’20

College of William & Mary

By Logan Flynn ’20 Grytte Writer

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he college search is usually an exciting, often quite daunting, process. For high school seniors in 2020, this process has taken on entirely new levels of stress and uncertainty.

With colleges and universities closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, prospective students have been unable to visit schools. Traditional admitted student events have been canceled, and virtual offerings have become students’ only means of gathering information. We are faced with making our most important decision yet without all the information we really need.

I want to be a paleontologist, a scientist who studies the remains of ancient life forms. To become one, I’ll have to attend graduate school, but first, I’ll need to get an undergraduate degree in geology or earth science. With this degree in mind, I applied to a number of schools with well-respected earth science programs, and I was accepted at five of them.

My next step was to determine which program would be best for me based not only on academic rigor, but on other factors like campus size, location, whether or not the people seemed friendly and inclusive, and whether or not I got a good feeling about spending the next four years there.

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My final decision came down to a connection I was able to make with the chair of the geology department at the College of William & Mary, the one school I’d never actually visited during my college search. I had applied to William & Mary because it has a great geology program, but also because my parents are alumni, and their stories of their experiences there are an important part of our family history.

I emailed Dr. Rowan Lockwood, the geology chair, to introduce myself and to try to get some input on what my life would be like as a student at William & Mary. I was very excited to learn that she is a paleontologist, and I hoped she might be a good mentor for me. Dr. Lockwood replied to me almost immediately, and during an hour-long conference, she gave me detailed information about her department, and we talked a lot about what a potential career in paleontology might look like for me. I was inspired, and my decision was made.

I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to choose between some fantastic colleges and universities, and I’m sure my classmates agree. Actually, I’m proud of us. If we can plan our next steps in the middle of a global catastrophe, what can’t we accomplish together?

WA VT NY

NH

WI

MA PA

OH IN IL

CA

VA NC

TN

Class of 2020 graduates attend colleges across the United States TX

LA

GA

FL

The Form VI graduating class finished the year strong, even in the face of a global pandemic, and graduates have since had tremendous success in their college selections. We wish them the best of luck now and forevermore!

Luis F. Altamirano Franklin & Marshall College (PA)

Giordan A. Escalona University of Rochester (NY)

Alexander J. Liptak Harvard University (MA)

Taran Pandya University of Miami (FL)

Wesley H. Baugher Boston College (MA)

Logan T. Flynn The College of William & Mary (VA)

Liam W. M. Lis Wake Forest University (NC)

Keaton A. Ramey Miami University (OH)

Stuart Lockwood Middlebury College (VT)

Akshay A. Singh Emory University (GA)

Robert A. Michaelson University of Wisconsin— Madison (WI)

Austin D. Stapleton Hamilton College (NY)

Maxwell A. Beem Northwestern University (IL) Zachary T. Brown Dartmouth College (NH) Alec L.C. Candidato Harvey Mudd College (CA) Hugh T. Chapin Pomona College (CA) Ryan T. Eagan University of California— Los Angeles (CA)

Oscar C. W. Gad Boston College (MA) William J. Hatfield Haverford College (PA) Chasen M. Hofmann Southern Methodist University (TX)

George T. Newberry New York University (NY)

Alexander F. Kwok Columbia University (NY)

Sharif S. Nsouli University of California— San Diego (CA)

Reinhardt N. Landsberg Purdue University (IN)

Oliver Obeid Tufts University (MA)

Jesse B. Starr Tulane University (LA) E. Carlton Stephenson Southern Methodist University (TX) Jonathan M. Ziff Whitman College (WA)

For the full list of admission offers: browning.edu/college#class-of-2020-banner BUZZER — Summer 2020

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Browning strives to inspire

Chess Panthers excel at city championship Our Chess Panthers had an excellent showing in the NY Scholastic Chess Championships, where they competed among 1,700 players. Our K-3 U1000 and U600 teams both finished in third place, while our Upper School team finished in seventh place—the highest placing of any NYC independent school in the high school division. Chess coordinator John Kennedy remarked, “The entire group supported each other all the way—this isn’t a team, it’s a family.”

Top: Members of the K-3 teams celebrate their respective third place victories at the championships in Brooklyn.

Competing with grace and celebrating our diverse backgrounds.

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Left: Hunter K. ’28 and Edward S. ’28 review chess strategy; Anthony R. ’29 shows off his trophy.

INSPIRATION

ROBOTICS

Robotics team wins at FIRST regionals The Upper School Robotics team went undefeated in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) regionals championship competition, for a record of 8–0. We can truly say we have the best robot and engineers in the city, here at Browning!

Additionally, during this competition, our boys were recognized with the “Inspire” award, given to a team that displays gracious professionalism by connecting and motivating other teams, as well as the “Control” award for their formidable coding skills.

Earlier in the season, during the super qualifiers, the boys were recognized with the coveted “Innovation” award, given to the team with the most creative design solution.

The team was set to advance to the world championship in Detroit, which was canceled due to the global pandemic.

The robot, Ultro, meaning “of one’s own accord” in Latin.

Team Ultro won awards for their gracious professionalism and formidable coding skills.

Celebrating cultures at Browning

Min Bryant P ’32 shares a South Korean dish; Rizzy A. ’31 and Tomi Talabi P ’31 proudly represent West Africa at International Night.

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INSPIRATION

The Browning community celebrated the diversity of cultures represented throughout the School at International Night. Boys, faculty, and parents shared aspects of their backgrounds, which included table games, foods, and traditional attire.

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THE BROWNING SCHOOL

Athle

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ATHLETICS

Left: Varsity indoor track runner Reinhardt Landsberg ’20 Center: Varsity basketball player Alex Liptak ’20 hit his 2,000th career point this season.

Right: Varsity squash player Alex B. ’21

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One of the main reasons I love sports so much is that at any given moment something really special can happen. It’s not planned, it wasn’t expected, sometimes it even seems impossible, but it‘s sports and it just happens anyway.

That is exactly what we experienced with this year’s varsity basketball team.

In my 20 years at Browning I have never seen anything like that and it’s something all of Browning will remember forever. #PantherPride — Andrew West ’92 Athletics Director View photos from both seasons at browning.edu/ athletics-photos ATHLETICS

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The Browning School Athletes

7/8 Black basketball player Salaar M. ’25

WINTER SEASON

Highlights of the 2019–20 winter season at Browning JV basketball went 12–10, losing to #1 Columbia Prep in the playoffs, while the 7/8 squads continued to improve in an uneven season.

The 5/6 Mini-Panthers had a combined 15–3 record with an undefeated fifth grade squad.

Varsity indoor runners placed third in the NYCAL Championships, and NYSAIS cross country gold medal winner Ryan Eagan ’20 was best in the 1600m and 3200m.

The varsity squash team notched seven wins, including championship of the Independent Squash League. This season also saw the debut of its first-ever competitive table tennis team.

Senior members of the table tennis team.

Varsity indoor track runners Ryan Eagan ’20 and Alex Kwok ’20

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Grade 6 hoopsters Asher L. ’26 and Declan H. ’26

Table tennis player Lewis L. ’23

Varsity squash player George Newberry ’20

7/8 Red basketball player Gregory G. ’25

Coaches Kristofer Pischel and Jon Stoler with the Grade 5 basketball team.

The 2019–2020 indoor track team.

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ATHLETICS

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The Browning School Athletes

Jasper S. ’22 on a fast break.

The 2-Peat Champs Game

COLUMBIA PREP

Fans show their Panther Pride in a sea of red.

The varsity basketball team has won their second consecutive NYCAL post season championship with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Columbia Prep, led by a strong group of seniors. Trailing by 11 points with just over a minute to play, the Panthers refused to lose!

A huge turnout that included students from multiple divisions, faculty, parents, and alums, along with one of the most remarkable comebacks that earned coverage from mainstream media created a moment the boys will remember for the rest of their lives.

Max Beem ’20 goes for a layup.

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The team with coaches Gerald Colds, Sankara Iwelu, and Michael Cohn celebrate their 2-peat.

Our Varsity Panthers revel in their come-from-behind victory.

BROWNING

Will Hatfield ’20 fights for a rebound.

Hugh Chapin ’20 handles the pressure.

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ATHLETICS

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Looking back fondly and marching ahead THE LAURIE GRUHN FAREWELL INTERVIEW

By Bram K. ’24 Grytte Writer

As Head of Lower School and Assistant Head of School Laurie Gruhn prepared to become the Gateway School’s new Head of School on July 1, Grytte writer Bram K. sat down with her to reflect on her 22-year career at Browning.

When Ms. Gruhn arrived at Browning’s red doors for her first day of work over two decades ago, Titanic and Men in Black were the top films of the year, Seinfeld and E.R. were the most popular shows on television, “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G. was the number one song on the radio, The Lion King was taking Broadway by storm...and not a single current Browning student had been born yet.

As one of the current Browning students who has known Ms. Gruhn the longest—we first “met” when I was a two-week-old baby at the 2005 Book Fair—even I had a lot to learn about this longtime Browning legend.

Browning was not the first school that hired you. Can you tell us about your pre-Browning career?

I worked at the Chapin School for 14 years as a K–8 drama teacher and 9–12 speech and debate coach. I coached Chapin’s first national champion in oral interpretation. I was also a sixth grade homeroom teacher, and a fourth grade class dean and taught Middle School English and history.

You are a lifelong New Yorker.

Can you tell us what it was like growing up and going to school in the city?

My life was focused on school and home. Most of my friends were in my class, or a grade or two above me. I also

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“

What I have enjoyed the most is facilitating the relationships between teachers, students, and parents.

”

had camp friends. I am still friends with many of these people. My life centered around classes and after-school activities. I was on the school paper, but mainly involved in drama.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I was always trying to decide between teacher, actress, or lawyer. I think my current work combines a bit of all three!

What kind of interaction did you have with Browning students when you were growing up?

I went to Hewitt, and Browning and Hewitt were kind of brother-sister schools. There were boys who took classes at Hewitt and some girls who took classes at Browning. The two schools put on six shows a year combined: one drama, one comedy, and one musical each. I was only in one Browning production. I played Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter.

Why did you decide to go into education?

Without question, it was based on how I felt about my high school teachers.

My teachers made a huge impact on me. I still have every English and history book that I ever had in high school.

And I am still in contact with many of my former teachers, even if only on Facebook.

Is it true that you knew Mr. Ingrisani as a teacher back when you were a student?

I think it is fair to say he is the only teacher at Browning who knew me as a teenager! A year after I graduated, he also chaperoned a Browning-Hewitt trip to China. I was on that trip, and it holds absolutely amazing memories for me.

lightning round

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What has changed the most since you walked through those red doors for the first time? What has changed the least? Does any of it surprise you?

What has not changed is the faculty’s commitment to the boys, and the sense of community in the building. I surely hope that will always be the number one thing people focus on when they think of our school.

The building itself has certainly changed a great deal; as well as how we

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

I think invisibility could be mighty useful sometimes. / What are you reading right now? Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge / Favorite book of all time? Charlotte’s Web / Mountain or Beach? Beach. / Cats or Dogs? Dogs. / Chocolate or Vanilla? Yes, absolutely! / Appetizer or Dessert? Appetizer. / If you had to move out of NYC, where would you go? Why? Exactly! Why?

COMMUNITY

Ms. Gruhn presents an award during Lower School Closing.

look at and approach the curriculum.

Our community has also grown bigger!

Can you tell us a little bit about your new role as the Head of Gateway? What are you most excited about? What challenges are you anticipating?

I am most excited about working with a school I know and love (Ms. Gruhn’s daughter is a 2020 Gateway graduate), with people I have come to admire deeply. While I have a great deal to learn as I start this new chapter, I absolutely feel ready. As for challenges, I have come to understand that it is never the things that you anticipate that prove difficult or challenging but, rather, the unexpected.

What have you enjoyed the most about your time at Browning?

What do you think you will miss most?

What I have enjoyed the most is facilitating the relationships between teachers, students, and parents. Seeing the whole picture, and how the program supports the boys is very gratifying.

I will miss regularly seeing the many colleagues and families I have come to know and love over the years.

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Browning strives to inspire

STEAM Expo celebrates the power of inquiry The inaugural STEAM Expo showcased inquiry projects that our boys had been working on since the beginning of BrowningConnect. A virtual tour format allowed visitors to see work across all three divisions that ranged from art to science to the humanities in the familiar environment of East 62nd Street.

Boys tackled projects that ranged from problem-solving inventions to utilizing crowdsourced data in order to tackle global crises. The interactive nature also allowed musical performances, art projects, essays, and collaborative class projects to be highlighted.

Whether in writing, math, art or debate, Browning boys shine.

Lower School inventors display their work. Watch a video walk-through at browning.edu/news/steam-expo.

MATH

ART

Freshman lands solo show The first show of the year in the Chanos Gallery was a solo show by Form III boy Sasha M. ’23, whose work was inspired by German Renaissance pieces. The work in the gallery is a brief edit of the art that Sasha produces outside of school—a fine example of the many passions that Browning helps to awaken in our boys.

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Race to One Hundred was one of many fun activities at Family Math Night.

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Family fun at Math Night Our inaugural Family Math Night had fourth through sixth graders and their parents engaged in unique and creative puzzles, with Upper Schoolers on hand to explain winning strategies.

The hands-on evening allowed for a deeper understanding of important concepts that the boys have been studying in class, with the added incentive of winning prizes!

INSPIRATION

DEBATE

Debaters shine in shortened season

The debate team had an incredible season, qualifying for the state championships right before the pandemic. Throughout the season, team captain Austin S. ’20 went undefeated against the strongest New York teams at the highest level, which earned him a perfect 12–0 record!

The team was able to attend only three of the five qualification tournaments, yet our School is ranked fourth out of

REVIEW

59 schools in a cumulative ranking system against schools that attended all of the qualifiers. Our debaters have consistently earned awards at each tournament, qualifying for the state championships two years in a row.

Other notable highlights this season: Henry S. ’22 and Connor F. ’22 placed 10th and 20th, respectively, in the varsity division, while Federico S. ’23 placed 10th; Willem H. ’23, 12th; Luca G. ’22, 20th—all in the novice division, out of 241 teams.

Grytte goes online in BrowningConnect

College guidance lauded by auditors The Grytte online edition went live in May.

As part of an Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools review, educators from Horace Mann, Spence, St. Albans, and Loomis Chaffee interviewed parents, trustees, faculty, and students to gauge perceptions of Browning’s program. They also surveyed admission counselors from Harvard, Penn, Duke, Yale, and other institutions.

The team said our program was extremely well respected by colleges and internal constituents alike and that its focus on “fit” was unparalleled. It also noted that a wide array of colleges is deeply familiar with Director of College Guidance Sanford Pelz ’71 saying, “They know that when this director calls, they should call back.”

The report also said that “the level of care and concern exhibited here, along with the close contact exhibited from Form III on, is unusual and special.”

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Editor in chief Alex Kwok ’20

To maintain its effort to inform the community and give voice to different perspectives during the pandemic, the Grytte staff has launched an online publication for the first time!

The site, which the student staff built from scratch, allows the boys to expand how they cover the news with podcasts and videos. Visit the site at grytte.browning.edu.

The Grytte has also been taking advantage of the greater community, networking with the publications at the Hewitt School and Saint Ann’s School in order to discuss common challenges and successes they face as student journalists.

INSPIRATION

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ALUMNI: JAMIE DIMON SPOTLIGHT

Sitting down with Jamie Dimon ’74 A BROWNING BOY MEETS HIS IDOL

By Conor Gubbins ’19 As reported to Caroline Axelrod, Director of Alumni Affairs

A

few weeks after his Browning graduation, Conor Gubbins ’19 had the rare opportunity to sit down with Jamie Dimon ’74, the Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase.

Before he became a titan of the financial services industry, Jamie Dimon was, like many who are reading this article, a Browning boy. Like most students from the last 50 years, he studied English with Michael Ingrisani, and like many of his fellow alumni, Mr. Dimon credits Browning with teaching him strong reading and writing skills. While today Jamie Dimon’s advice is sought by lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle, and Warren Buffet has referred to his annual reports as“the best annual letter in corporate America,” Mr. Dimon spent much of his formative years at 52 East 62nd Street.

From the moment Conor discovered Jamie Dimon was a Browning alumnus, he was determined to meet him. Thanks to Conor’s perseverance, despite the obvious challenges of scheduling time with one of the busiest men in America, he was finally able to meet Mr. Dimon on July 2, 2019, a few weeks after his Browning graduation.

Mr. Dimon had lots of advice for Conor, who is now a student at The Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, telling him to “be smart, and read, read, read, read, read, and read. If you’re a Democrat, read smart Republicans and vice versa. Don’t become one of those knee-jerk people who lacks the ability to listen. The only way you can really get smart is by reading and talking to other people.”

Mr. Dimon stressed the importance of hearing different perspectives and learning from others, telling Gubbins to, “Get to know people who are different from you. If the people

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ALUMNI

you know are all like you and believe what you think, you’re not going to have a challenging idea.”

When asked about his time at Browning, Mr. Dimon mentioned he still has friends from his Browning days, including Jeremy Paul ’74. On their daily walks to Browning, the then high schoolers would “argue, in a good way, about politics and people and stuff like that.” One of their biggest disagreements was about how one should pursue their career. Mr. Dimon argued you should do something you like, and Mr. Paul argued you should do what you are good at (e.g., if you’re good at math, you should be an actuary).

Nearly 40 years later, Mr. Paul sent Mr. Dimon an email saying “you were right.” Clearly, following his passion led Mr. Dimon down the right path.

When asked how he has been able to find a work-life balance, Mr. Dimon described his life as binary: he works and spends time with his family, and avoids black-tie functions and the golf course in favor of quality family time. Mr. Dimon stressed his belief that it is an individual’s job to “take care of [his or her] mind, body, spirit, soul, friends, and family.”

When asked what investment advice he would give a young person, Mr. Dimon recommended a book he read in the 10th grade, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham.

While he does not believe young people need to be financial experts, Mr. Dimon feels they should know how to manage their affairs, save money, buy stock, and invest over time.

Even if one relies on others for financial help, knowing “a little bit will help you be a far better investor.”

While speaking with Conor, Mr. Dimon emphasized that “it’s good to have a big heart” and that “we should be

ALUMNI: JAMIE DIMON SPOTLIGHT

The only way you can really get smart is by reading and talking to other people.

Left page: Jamie Dimon ’74 and Conor Gubbins ’19. This page (clockwise from top left): Mr. Dimon at the inaugural AdvancingCities Challenge; Mr. Dimon with Headmaster Charles Cook; Mr. Dimon with students and recent graduates of A. Philip Randolph Technical High School commemorating JP Morgan Chase’s $200 million investment in Detroit; Mr. Dimon with classmates at Browning’s 2009 Alumni Reunion.

giving back and helping others in a way that makes sense,” highlighting the charitable work of the James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation, which helps support educational and youth organizations among other areas, as well as JP Morgan Chase’s commitment to invest $1.75 billion in both U.S.-based and international organizations by 2023. By all accounts, Mr. Dimon embodies Browning’s mission—to foster the growth of courageous and compassionate men of intellect and integrity who aspire to contribute meaningfully to the world—and we are proud to call him an alumnus.

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A special thank-you from Conor, who said: “I would like to thank Mr. Dimon for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak with me. I had a truly one-of-a-kind experience meeting one of the people I most admire, and I am extremely grateful. I would also like to sincerely thank Ms. Judith Miller, Ms. Beth Tardalo, and Ms. Kathleen Will, without whom this meeting would not have happened.”

Thank you, Mr. Dimon, for inspiring us all. We look forward to seeing all that Conor and the next generation of Browning boys will accomplish.

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ALUMNI: CONFRONTING THE CRISIS

meeting the moment Benjamin G. Sheridan ’10 is Assistant Director of Operations and Events for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. In April, we spoke with him about his career in public service and his work during this unprecedented time.

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“

Most of my life growing up, I actually thought I would live somewhere other than New York, but I am so beyond grateful for the opportunity to do public service in my home community.

”

By Caroline Axelrod Director of Alumni Affairs Question: How did you get this position?

Benjamin G. Sheridan: I joined Governor Cuomo’s administration nine months ago. Before that I had worked for various political campaigns and nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Connecticut, and New York City. It was actually through relationships I had built on my first campaign job, which was in Staten Island, that I learned about an opportunity in the Governor’s Executive Chamber. I was hired as the Assistant Director for Operations and Events, which is a mix of state operations and political advance work. Political advance work is about the optics of public events and appearances. I really love the role because it takes me all around New York, and I’ve gotten to learn so much about how [the] government interacts with different communities and how it serves people.

Q: How did you become interested in politics?

BGS: My grandparents were immigrants and refugees during the Second World War. They are my heroes, and I have always been interested in their American story. Their memory motivates me to work for a society that celebrates all people’s differences, gives voice to the voiceless, and stands up to hate and intolerance in its many forms. I also was raised in a Reform Jewish community, and the foundation of my faith is tikkun olam, the Jewish value of “repairing the world.” Doing political work and advocating for social justice gives me a deep sense of spiritual fulfillment. The history of the Jewish people and its lessons embolden my BUZZER — Summer 2020

sense of self-responsibility and responsibility for my community and others.

Q: Did any of your high school or college experiences lead you in this direction?

BGS: History and languages were always my favorite classes in high school. I also learned about Israel, and by extension the Middle East, growing up. The summer going into my senior year, I heard about an opportunity called Kivunim, an academic gap year based in Jerusalem, and at the time credentialed by Oxford University. That year changed my life. We were living in Jerusalem during the first months of the 2011 revolts across the Arab world and traveling every month to various countries—15 by the end of the year. By the time I arrived on campus at Binghamton in the fall of 2011, I was focused on international relations and dove right into making it an active scene on campus.

It was by sheer luck that three years later, when I was applying for jobs, another alumnus of the same gap year program saw my resume. He was hiring field organizers on a Congressional campaign in Staten Island and was offering heavily subsidized housing. He called me on a Sunday, and by the following week I was living and working in Staten Island. We lost that race, but it was a high-profile election and I was able to network with inspiring people who came from all over the country to help with the campaign. One of those connections actually helped me get my first real job in Washington, D.C. ALUMNI

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ALUMNI: CONFRONTING THE CRISIS

I had been interning for about six months at a large public relations firm on their global public affairs team. I really loved it and had an opportunity to stay at the company.

At the same time, another organization called J Street was gearing up for a campaign to support the JCPOA, or the Iran nuclear deal. J Street was still fairly new, and they had an opening on their political action committee team, which supported progressive, pro-Israel candidates at the federal level. We worked very hard to build support for the deal on Capitol Hill and were massively outspent by larger, more established organizations. When the JCPOA was ratified, it was a big moment to be at J Street. I stayed at J Street through the 2016 election, but after the new administration came in I felt drawn again to campaigns.

The next two years were spent in Chicago and Connecticut in more-senior roles on state and federal races, as well as doing some consulting work. When I came back to New York in late 2018, I did not plan on working in politics. After two years of campaigning, I needed a break and wanted to be closer to my loved ones. I was working at an international aid organization in the Jewish community for nearly 10 months when I got the call from the Governor’s office. It was actually people from the Staten Island campaign with whom I had stayed in touch that told me about the opening.

One takeaway is that politics on so many levels is about relationships. When you are part of a group of passionate people working to achieve something for the collective good, you can build some really meaningful, lasting relationships, and you never know where those go.

Q: How has your role with the Governor changed during this crisis, and what is your “new normal?”

BGS: Once the crisis broke out, the balance in my role shifted towards emergency response. My team still puts together the Governor’s press conferences, but we are also very involved in opening COVID testing clinics and surge hospitals throughout the state. I have been responsible for coordinating between the Governor’s office and various government agencies, healthcare providers, and community

Sheridan ’10 with a member of the Governor’s Executive Chamber.

Q: What keeps you motivated? Have there been any positive or uplifting stories you might be able to share?

BGS: I have always been motivated by service and improving people’s lives. I look at my life and see how blessed I am, and I believe I have a duty to pay it forward. The work is not always easy, but my time at Browning taught me to approach challenging moments with compassion, courage, and “grytte.”

I see people coming together to fight a common enemy and being extraordinarily selfless. People buying groceries for more vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors, people going out of their way to thank essential workers (and the nightly 7 p.m. ritual applause), and generous philanthropy.

At one of the surge hospitals we are supporting, the community responded to one of their nurses catching COVID-19 by starting a GoFundMe campaign that collected $10,000 in one day. Even in the current environment, healthcare heroes continue to show up every day to serve their communities.

I have had countless people reaching out to offer their help, and it is uplifting knowing that our community is filled with people who want to step up in these difficult moments.

Q: Are there any messages you would like to send to the Browning community?

BGS: Stay safe and stay together. Support each other and especially more vulnerable populations. If you’re able, take this time to do something good for someone in need. It can be political, but it does not have to be. There’s never been a more important moment to be generous, with your time, energy, or resources. Government is going to play a large role in the response to the pandemic and recovery, but we will each collectively play an even greater role in shaping the future. I have no doubt that the Browning community is up to the challenge.

Sheridan ’10 with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.

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stakeholders for a number of testing sites. We are working in some of the hardest-hit communities in the country, and the situation has exacerbated so many of the inequities that my generation must address.

ALUMNI

ALUMNI: CONFRONTING THE CRISIS

Answering the call

Kieran P. Pickering ’02 FEEDING FRONTLINE WORKERS

Kieran Pickering ‘02, Sales Director at Mitchell’sNY Logistics, transformed

his business into a centralized, widescale donation opportunity to support healthcare heroes on the front lines and their families. Partnering with Founders Give to provide food and beverages to local hospitals, more than 300 companies supported the effort, donating over two million products to 51 hospitals, including NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, Elmhurst, Montefiore, and counting! Quickly becoming the fastest-growing food initiative in New York City, they are now working to build an organization that can respond to future adverse-event situations.

Dr. Lee A. Polikoff, M.D., ’96 TREATING COVID-19 IN CHILDREN

A pediatric intensive care physician at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and a member of the pediatrics faculty at Brown University’s School of Medicine in Providence, RI, Dr. Lee Polikoff ’96 is collaborating with colleagues across the country and around the world to determine how the novel coronavirus is affecting children and discover the most beneficial treatment pathways. Lee shared this message: “I know a lot of my Browning brothers are in healthcare and I want to give them a shoutout; —keep up the good fight. To all of you, thank you for doing your part to flatten the curve.”

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Nicholas Warner ’16 EMT ON THE FRONT LINES

During this uncertain time, Nick Warner ’16 (who also happens to be the son of Browning’s music teacher Lucy Warner) is an EMT on the front lines, working with FEMA Emergency Response Teams in New York. Handling 12-hour ambulance runs while finishing his college classes online, we are so proud of Nick for helping those in need!

ALUMNI

Andrew B. Medland ’16 DONATING GERM-RESISTANT PHONE CASES TO HEALTHCARE WORKERS

After recovering from COVID-19 himself, Andrew Medland ’16 utilized his education in medicine at Vanderbilt University to create germ-resistant copper phone cases.

Aeris, a company that he co-founded with his college roommates, is donating one case to healthcare workers for every case they sell. After doing significant research into the antimicrobial properties of copper, the founders couldn’t understand why the material wasn’t covering every hospital surface and most people didn’t know about its powerful germ-fighting abilities.

“We use phones for everything we do, and on average they have 25,000 bacteria per sq. inch! We see the practical and sanitary applications of copper and its alloys as limitless,” Andrew said. “Our alloy will not oxidize, will not rub on skin, and will protect the surface from germs continuously. Copper is safe, germ-resistant, and looks sleek. We hope to see it expand to high-touch point surfaces in hospitals, businesses, and homes.”

To learn more, visit aeris.one.

To see more spotlights, visit browning.edu/photos/ alumni-frontline-heroes

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ALUMNI: BROWNINGCONNECT

Visit browning.edu/alumniconnect

Resources to keep alumni together while we are apart.

Our new online platform is a resource for alumni to connect with each other and the School, to find support or help those in need, while keeping up to date on all that is happening at Browning.

• A video message from Dr. Botti • Internship, job, and networking opportunities • Resources to volunteer and support essential workers • Spotify tunes, Grytte online, and recommendations from your favorite teachers • And more!

Contact Director of Alumni Affairs Caroline Axelrod at 212.256.1175 or caxelrod@browning.edu for additional information or support.

ALUMNI: LIFE AFTER BROWNING

ALUMNI SHOWCASE

Catch up on class notes, alumni events, and more at browning.edu/alumni-showcase.

See what your Browning brothers have been up to, or check out highlights from events like the Alumni Basketball Game, our Alumni Legal Networking event, or the Browning-Hewitt Happy Hour.

Top: Players from the classes of 1996–2019 at the annual Alumni Basketball Game.

Right: Alumni attendees at our Legal Networking event.

SCHOOL SWAG STORE

Show your Panther Pride while social distancing!

Whether you are looking to refresh your “work from home” wardrobe with a Browning hoodie, or you want to send a Browning brother some school swag, our school store has you covered. Some of our favorite Browning items available for purchase include coffee mugs, umbrellas (in three sizes!), hoodies, caps, footballs, gym bags, cell phone pouches, water bottles and more!

Contact Theresa Rodriguez at trodriguez@browning.edu for details and availability.

BUZZER — Summer 2020

PASSING THE TORCH Thank you to Andrew B. Sandberg ’01 for his four years of leadership as President of Browning’s Alumni Association. We appreciate Andy’s dedication and service, paving the way for our newly elected, incoming President Stuart A. Orenstein ’00.

ALUMNI

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IN MEMORIAM

A Browning Mother

By Ralph Gardner Jr. ’71

Here’s the entry from my mother Nellie Gardner’s diary dated February 20, 1958: “We got a letter from the Browning School that they had accepted Ralphie. I am very, very happy about it. It’s one of the best schools in the city.”

So began a relationship with Browning—it’s not an exaggeration to describe it as a love affair—that continued until she passed away in 2019.

During the intervening years, she and my father sent all four of their sons to the School—in addition to me, there was John ’74, Peter ’76 and James ’78. I believe we still hold the record for the most family years at Browning: 13 x 4 = 52.

My mother’s diaries aren’t the only proof of her affection for Browning. I’ve been poring through boxes of correspondence, and so much of it concerns Browning that I’ve created an archive devoted to the School.

It includes dozens of thank-you notes from teachers. Come the holiday season my mother would send me to school, somewhat to my mortification, bearing shopping bags full of gifts.

The recipients of items such as Cross pen and pencil sets and French perfume, scarves, and sweaters included not just that year’s teachers but those who had taught us in the past.

I’ve discovered thank-you notes from the likes of Gertrude Alcock, Margaret Hirt, and Jean LaMonte—my kindergarten, first and second grade teachers—years after my brothers and I had moved on to Middle and Upper School.

Headmaster Charles Cook received Christmas cheer long after the four of us had graduated. Part of it is that my mother was painfully habitual. But the gifts also reflected her enduring devotion to Browning.

Report cards, some of which I wish someone had discarded, document my brothers’ and my—how should I put it—peripatetic record of academic achievement. Such as hopeful letters from teachers that tutored us after school expressing confidence that we wouldn’t be forced to repeat the grade.

Serendipitously, none of us ever did.

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ALUMNI

Cleaning out their apartment last year I found one final piece of evidence of my family’s warm relationship with Browning that I don’t recall having seen before: a gift from the School after the last of us graduated. A pair of beautiful Buccellati hammered sterling silver goblets in a handsome presentation case. One goblet has my mother’s initials, the other my father’s, and both were engraved: The Browning School 1958-1978. Those 20 years marked some of the happiest of my mother’s life.

Nellie Gardner P’71, ’74, ’76, ’78

IN MEMORIAM

Vincent Lionti P’19

By Lucy Warner Vincent Lionti, the father of student Nicholas Lionti ’19, was well known and well loved at Browning. A gifted violist for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, a loving dad, and a generous human being, he gave of himself to bring incredible, world-class music to hundreds of Browning boys despite his busy professional schedule.

Vin’s thoughtful and hardworking ethos was richly expressed as he organized, rehearsed, directed, and produced memorable, distinctive

Peg Broadbent P’29 Remembered by Digger Granville-Smith P ’21, ’25 Words cannot express the sorrow that the Browning community feels for the loss of Peg Broadbent. Peg was loved by his family and admired by his friends and colleagues. Peg and I had BUZZER — Summer 2020

concerts for Lower School boys at an assembly every year for a decade.

With anywhere from five to eight Met Opera Orchestra musicians performing with him, the impressive level of artistry provided by Vin and his fellow musicians was astounding— and it always succeeded in delighting the audience.

In addition, Vin possessed a natural flair for presenting facts about composers and their music in an engaging, spirited manner. Throughout an entire 45-minute assembly with 170 boys aged 5 to 10 years old in the audience, you could hear a pin drop. Even older boys who moved up to Middle School relished the opportunity to come and relive their Lower School days at this much-anticipated annual event each year.

Vin Lionti’s presence at Browning gave us all a glimpse into how a person with a loving heart and immense talent can selflessly share these gifts to help make our lives better. We miss both the man and his music.

a lot in common having both spent decades in the financial industry.

Peg’ s contribution to his company was significant. Not only did he help to steer Jeffries through the financial crisis, but he was also a key part of their growth over the past 12 years.

As a Browning parent, Peg always found time to attend school events and contribute to the Browning community. My fondest memory of Peg dates back three years to 2017, when Jane Nielsen P ’18, Peg, and I participated in a CFO panel for Browning parents and alumni. It was evident throughout our preparation for the panel and during the panel discussion that Peg’s ability to engage with people was a special trait. It goes without saying that Peg’s smile and sense of humor will remain with us forever.

ALUMNI

John Carroll Remembered by Dan Ragsdale Before coming to Browning in 2001 as a fifth grade teacher, John Carroll was a Drill Sergeant in the U.S. Army, a stage and screen actor, and a lawyer for the City of New York representing neglected children. Indeed, Mr. Carroll could command the room and captivate his audience, but it was his deep commitment to young people that exemplified his teaching.

John had a wry sense of humor and some mischief to him. This might have been why he connected so easily with fifth graders. Then again, it might have been his skill. Or his passion. Or maybe it was some other hard-todefine classroom alchemy. Ultimately, the “why” isn’t the point.

Reflecting on John’s life, his family conveyed that he was most proud of his time at Browning. How lucky we were to have him, in what he considered his best years, as our teacher, our colleague, and our friend.

IN MEMORIAM Cristopher S. Cravetz ’98 Donald Franchilli P ’04 Phillip H. Holme ’05 Gerald K. Lee ’88 Noreen Lynch GP ’19 Andre Myrtil P ’22 Petula Myrtil P ’22 Francisco Saavedra P ’21 Alan Zimm GP ’14, ’17

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Kehinde Wiley, Kofi Graham Study — Staged by Beck H. ’32

Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring — Staged by Art Teacher Kate Bancroft René Magritte, The Son of Man — Staged by Hunter K. ’30

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Boy with a Dog — Staged by Dominic N. ’31

Getty Museum Challenge Inspires We are in awe of the Browning community’s famous artwork recreations in response to the Getty Museum #BetweenArtandQuarantine social media challenge! Art Teacher Kate Bancroft, dressed here as Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, led the initiative, which saw our boys (and faculty) use materials found at home to replicate their favorite work of art.

Frida Kahlo, Me and My Parrots — Staged by Spanish Teacher Elena Aniel-Quiroga

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children — Staged by Douglas M. ’31 and his siblings

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COMMUNITY

We are proud of Browning and our community. For over 130 years, our loyal and generous family of donors have strengthened Browning financially, which gives the School the resources to ensure that our mission is fulfilled every day. Your gifts to Browning foster the growth of courageous and compassionate men of intellect and integrity who aspire to contribute meaningfully to our world. We could not do our important work without your trust, your generosity, and your support.

We look forward to reporting continued good news of how your annual gift has made an impact on every aspect of life at Browning. Thank you.

Thank You.

Thank You.

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TO UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS Please call Krizia Moreno-Cruz at 212.838.6280 x1150

FROM THE ARCHIVE Upperclassmen with Headmaster John A. Browning after the School reopened following the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919. #BrowningStrong