Times of Brunswick, Fall 2022

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2022–2023

W. Robert Berkley, Jr. ’91 (P ’21, ’23)

Chairman

Kimberley C. Augustine (P ’19, ’24)

Josyl L. Barchue ’00

Raymond J. Bartoszek (P ’27, ’35)

Nisha Kumar Behringer (P ’26, ’28)

Peter P. Bevacqua ’89

Todd L. Boehly (P ’20, ’22, ’24)

Emily W. Burns (P ’19, ’23)

David M. Butler (P ’23)

Robert F. Carangelo (P ’17, ’21)

Sean D. Carney (P ’17, ’22, ’26)

Frank J. Carroll III (P ’22)

Christopher L. Collins (P ’25, ’30)

R. Willett Cook (P ’30)

Scott A. Dahnke (P ’17, ’19, ’26)

Alberto J. Delgado (P ’19, ’21, ’23)

Adam B. Dolder (P ’28, ’30)

Patrick J. Fels (P ’23, ’25)

Colleen M. Ferguson (P ’21, ’24)

Darby B. Fox (P ’17)

Brandon P. Hall (P ’24, ’25, ’34)

Pamela K. Keller (P ’19, ’22, ’24)

Jennifer A. Klein (P ’22, ’23, ’24)

Thomas D. Lehrman (P ’20, ’25, ’31)

Americo C. Nardis (P ’26, ’28)

Elizabeth A. O’Reilly (P ’23, ’25)

Keith A. Pagnani ’82 (P ’24)

James H. Ritman ’94 (P ’28, 31)

Wendy E. Sacks (P ’20, ’27)

Thomas B. Wilson (P ’22, ’26)

Ex Officio

Thomas W. Philip (P ’08, ’10)

Head of School

K. Patrick Andrén ’93 (P ’24, ’28, ’29)

Assistant Head; Chief Operating Officer

Richard M. Beattie ’80

Assistant Head of School for Faculty & Academic Programs

Douglas M. Burdett (P ’18, ’22)

Assistant Head; Director of College Placement

Sarah B. Burdett (P ’18, ’22)

Chief Integration Officer; Director of Schoolwide Admission & Enrollment

Daniel J. Griffin

Director of Institutional Communications

Kathleen F. Harrington

Chief Financial Officer & Business Manager

Scott D. Neff ’99

Director of Finance

Thomas G. Murray (P ’27, ’31)

Chief Advancement Officer

Alecia G. Thomas (P ’31)

Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging; Program Coordinator, Horizons at Brunswick

Gregory Shenkman ’99 (P ’34)

President, Brunswick Alumni Association

Victoria B. Quake (P ’24)

President, Brunswick Parents’ Association

Jill B. Ciporin (P ’15, ’19)

Chair, Horizons at Brunswick

UNITED ONCE AGAIN, ‘Under One Roof’

IT WAS A GREAT OCCASION! Parents, faculty, and staff gathered in Burke Field House on September 15 for the first time in three years to resume a wonderful tradition: ’Wick’s Annual Meeting & Dinner. Head of School Tom Philip offered a warm and exuberant welcome to all present, once again “in one room, under one roof — together!”

HEAD OF SCHOOL

A Celebration of Vision & Gratitude

IT HAS been a special year, indeed!

During the past many months, we’ve rightly paused on occasion to note that this year has marked Brunswick’s 120th birthday.

As pandemic restrictions have been lifted and our more ordinary days have resumed, our 120-year milestone has offered our faculty and staff, our boys, and our community a host of celebratory moments to cherish.

For me, this great anniversary has also prompted times of quiet reflection and profound gratitude. Clearly, Brunswick has flourished — thrived and grown into the truly wonderful school it is today — in large part due to the exceptional vision and commitment of individuals in our extended community of support: They believed deeply, passionately, and purposefully in our work, and imagined the brightest of possibilities as the future unfolded.

Beyond our founder, George Carmichael, who began Brunswick’s journey in 1902, two remarkable visionaries deserve a special tribute on our 120th anniversary.

The first is William J. Hoggson, founding president of Brunswick’s Board of Incorporators. His generosity was key to the magnificent acquisition of land and construction of the original school building on Maher Avenue, where the main building of our Upper School now stands.

And perhaps even more meaningful: Speaking in 1906 at our second graduation ceremony, the father of two Brunswick boys delivered the clarion charge that truly informs everything we do to this day: “Take our boys, Mr. Headmaster, and teach them, if you will, Latin, Greek, mathematics, but above all else, I beg you, Courage, Honor, Truth.”

What a towering combination! These conveyances of both place and purpose laid a rock-solid foundation for a fledging endeavor to continue to gain strength as the early-20th century progressed.

The second individual is A. Macdonald “Mac” Caputo, chairman of our Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2001, whose transformative vision in the late-20th century led to the purchase of more than 100-plus remote and untamed acres on King Street.

Mac spearheaded construction of an entirely new and beautiful campus for our younger students, athletic facilities for all, and even a neighborhood of housing for faculty — all of the highest quality, from start to finish.

As so many noted upon his death, in 2017, he was truly “a rallying leader, a driving force — selfless, passionate, dedicated.” In sum, without question: “The father of a new era at Brunswick.”

Where would we be today without the vision, foresight, and commitment of these extraordinary leaders? Anyone who doubts an individual

can make all the difference needs only consider the fruits of their dedication and achievement.

Now, looking ahead, it is only fitting that we pause and look back to honor those whose generosity and foresight place us in such a position of strength. We take inspiration not only from their extraordinary vision and accomplishment, but also from the great example they have set.

Today, as Brunswick strives to grow ever stronger, we are particularly fortunate in our wonderful community of support — one with more than its share of exceptional, imaginative, and generous leaders. When opportunities arise, we unite to meet the challenges. And we do whatever it takes to further the very best interests of all our boys.

So it has been for 120 remarkable years — and so it must be for many, many more.

Thomas W. Philip

NOW, LOOKING AHEAD, IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT WE PAUSE AND LOOK BACK TO HONOR THOSE WHOSE GENEROSITY AND FORESIGHT PLACE US IN SUCH A POSITION OF STRENGTH.

times of

Brunswick School 100 Maher Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Tel: 203.625.5800 BrunswickSchool.org

Head of School

Thomas W. Philip

Chief Advancement Officer Thomas G. Murray

Director of Development Meghan Gould

Director of Institutional Communications

Daniel J. Griffin dgriffin@brunswickschool.org

Associate Directors of Communications

Mike Kennedy ’99 mkennedy@brunswickschool.org

Wayne Lin wlin@brunswickschool.org

Craig Rusnak crusnak@brunswickschool.org

Assistant Director of Communications Riley McCarthy rmccarthy@brunswickschool.org

Communications Coordinator Angelique Bell abell@brunswickschool.org

Class Notes Editor

Mike Kennedy ’99 mkennedy@brunswickschool.org

Contributing Writers

Daniel J. Griffin

Mike Kennedy ’99 Katherine Ogden Thomas W. Philip Jeffrey Ruiz ’22

Contributing Photographers

Dan Burns

Coffee Pond Photography

Fred Goode

Ben DeFlorio

Andrew Henderson

Greg Horowitz

Jeffry Konczal Wayne Lin Riley McCarthy

Design

Mary Lester Design marylesterdesign.com

Printing Flagship Press, flagshippress.com

CONTENTS

ommencement 2022:

ON THE COVER

There’s really nothing like being together and, from the very start, fully face-to-face. As this year has progressed, the faces of ’Wick boys and faculty just can’t conceal their rediscovered joy and excitement. For more on the power and emotional nourishment of being “face-to-face,” please turn to page 04.

Beaming Smiles, Handshakes & Hugs Once Again Rule

Although Brunswick opened the new school year under a deluge — actual torrents of rain poured down from the heavens — for the first First Day in three years, a world of smiles and broad grins were plainly evident everywhere.

BY KATHERINE OGDEN

➸ AT THE CURB, boys greeted teachers face-to-face as they disembarked from cars and buses — faces free of masks, arms outstretched for handshakes, umbrellas at the ready!

Inside Dann Gymnasium, for the first time since 2019, the school community gathered as one for Opening Ceremonies. Every division was there — safe, eager, and in person — as students heard messages from Head of School Thomas W. Philip after seniors continued the long tradition of escorting first graders hand-in-hand to their seats.

It was truly a glorious reunion! Rainy skies couldn’t dampen the jubilation.

FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, it’s been a fall season free of the encumbrances that came with the health emergency of the last few years — gone are the plexiglass divisions in dining halls, gone are the big-kid desks arranged unnaturally to keep Pre Schoolers apart. And, most especially, gone is the kind of clumsy confusion that comes from trying to communicate and learn from a distance — from behind a mask, under a cloud of worry and fear.

Experts say there’s a special kind of nourishment that humans get from being together, face-to-face — and the upshot of that nourishment is apparent in human accomplishments throughout history. (Democracy, it is said, was born and sustained itself in the agora gathering places of ancient Greece.)

At Brunswick, where educators have always recognized that education is most successful when each and every boy is known fully and wholly, the ability to once again and safely see each other face-to-face has imbued the new school year with a special unity and promise. And it has lifted spirits everywhere.

“There is a joyfulness and levity in this building,” Lower School Head Katie Signer said. “We’re thrilled to be back and connected. It feels like the good old days. It’s amazing — the cumulative, positive effect being closer and being faceto-face can have.

“You can see it in their faces. You can see it at the car door as boys step out in the morning, in the way they cluster at their desks for learning, and the way they travel down the hallways and gather at the lunch tables with teachers.

“You can see it every week in

assemblies in every division, where boys gather not just face-to-face, but also shoulder-to-shoulder,” she said.

“We’re together experiencing the same messages and joyful moments, as one. It just feels more unifying from the get-go.”

The Neuro-Chemistry of Being Social

➸

IT’S WELL DOCUMENTED that the disruption and distance of the pandemic have exacerbated already-rising rates of anxiety and depression: In Boston, the crisis has led city leaders to create a new role aimed specifically at elevating mental and behavioral health needs, especially in children.

Earlier this year, the city named Kevin M. Simon, M.D., to the post; Simon is now serving as the inaugural chief behavioral health officer for the Boston Public Health Commission.

(Times of Brunswick was pleased to be referred to Dr. Simon through Marcie Molloy, M.D., Brunswick’s new director of health and wellness. A widely recognized expert, he graciously agreed to share his thoughts about the value of face-to-face learning.)

A Harvard-trained board-certified psychiatrist, Simon has a special expertise on the mental health needs of children and teens; he has served as an assistant in psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, a Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Health Policy at Harvard University, and the medical director of Wayside Youth & Family Support

Network, a child welfare and community behavioral health agency.

Clinically, Simon practices as a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist at the Adolescent Substance Use & Addiction Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.

When it comes to the pandemic, Simon said, the side effects of quarantine were many; the seclusion drove many young people onto the internet to meet every conceivable need, from school to social life, and the result for many was devastating.

“When we think about the pandemic and

school, one of the necessary requirements for safety was isolation and remaining at home,” he said. “It forced a consistent and intense use of social media. For a subset of youth, that was okay. For a large percentage, that did not bode well.”

Part of the prescription for all the attendant suffering, Simon said, is seemingly a little thing: A return to face-to-face, traditional school. By way of explanation, he said one of the ways to overcome a trauma on the playing field is to return to the scene to walk through events and all the emotions that arise.

Likewise for a return to face-to-face schooling.

“If you view the pandemic as a trauma, within the field of trauma, one of the aspects of recovery is to return to your environment,” Simon said.

According to Simon, there is scientific evidence that speaks to the value of face-toface learning; research in neuro-chemistry has demonstrated that feel-good brain chemicals rise when people are together.

“The levels of oxytocin increase when we are social,” he said. “On Zoom, we see it, but not to the same degree as when we are live, with another person.

“There are innumerable benefits to a return to traditional school,” he said. “Learning is best done in groups. Returning to collaborative, in-class learning — being with peers and engaging with teachers would be on the prescription for trying to get better.

“There is a level of attention to an individual

that happens when we are with a person, live,” he said.

Other studies have shown that feeling good can be a kind of superpower in learning. Human brains are more efficient when they are relaxed

Research in neuro-chemistry has demonstrated that feel-good brain chemicals rise when people are together.

with positive emotion,” according to Daniel Lerner, a renowned author and positive psychologist who recently spoke to Brunswick parents, inaugurating the new ’WICK Center Speaker Series.

It’s not just students who benefit from the return to a more normal learning environment. Parents, who suffered immensely as they tried to work and care for children 24/7 during the height of the emergency, also see their health and wellness improve when children attend school.

“When youth go to school, parents know that, in this case, their sons are with caring adults,” Simon said. “That gives parents a sense of ease.”

Simon credited face-to-face gatherings for some of the highest human accomplishments of

modern life — education being just one.

“The best organizations in the world are constructed of teams of people collaboratively engaging with each other,” he said. “The same could be said of the school environment.”

Above the Clouds

➸ ON A RECENT DAY IN VERMONT, 14 Brunswick sophomores stood shoulder-toshoulder high above the clouds, feet firmly planted on the alpine tundra at the top of Mt. Mansfield, the tallest mountain in the state.

A puffy white blanket extended to the horizon as the boys unfurled a Brunswick banner and faced the camera and the bright sunshine of a

‘The best organizations in the world are constructed of teams of people collaboratively engaging with each other.’

At Brunswick’s Vermont campus, students and faculty are once again venturing off campus and coming face-to-face, as they had been, with members of the community of Randolph, Vt., at large. Before pandemic restrictions were relaxed, all programming remained within the bounds of the expansive 650-acre campus.

clear September sky — sunglasses blocking the glare. Not a trace of COVID-19 could be seen among the smiling, satisfied faces.

“COVID is completely out of their minds,” exclaimed Danny Dychkowski, director of the Vermont campus. “It wasn’t even a thought. We have gone back to living in the moment, with no electronics, and embracing the now.

“They crave this time together,” he said. “They gravitate toward each other.”

Since 2018, the Vermont campus has provided an experience of outdoor adventure to small groups of sophomores who travel north for a shared week of experiential learning and community building.

In an effort to bring students closer together, the campus has always been free of electronics, but the arrival of the pandemic threw a monkey wrench into the plan for unity and closeness. Plexiglass divided the dining halls, boys isolated in separate rooms for sleeping, and masks interfered with the daily connections that make life more cohesive.

This school year has brought a needed reset, a return to normal, and a restoration of all the little connections of life — all the things that are no longer taken for granted.

“It gives you a new appreciation for the little things, like actually having a meal together,” Dychkowski said.

‘We have gone back to living in the moment, with no electronics, and embracing the now.’

This school year has brought a needed reset, a return to normal, and a restoration of all the little connections of life.

Continued from page 12

Being There

➸ LIKEWISE AT THE LOWER SCHOOL, there is a sense and a reality that fresh air is flowing anew throughout the building. “It’s the little things,” Signer said. “We’re together.”

By way of example, Lower School Big Brothers have met Little Brothers from behind masks and at a distance for the last two years.

Boys returned to a special ceremony this fall that has always marked the beginning of the school year; fourth-grade boys met their firstgrade brothers on a bear paw mat inside the Lower School gym. Then, they traveled together out of the gym for a special playdate.

The pairs have cemented their connections by sitting next to each other at lunch and assemblies and playing outside at recess.“These are really special partnerships,” Signer said. “The little things come into play each week as we put back in those special traditions.”

48 Boys, Singing Again

➸

AT THE PRE SCHOOL, table manners are the focus at lunchtime, as boys can sit together again in the dining hall; gone are the plexiglass dividers and the box lunches eaten at a distance inside classrooms.

Field trips out into the community are being planned as singing has also returned to the building. In-person concerts are next.

Many mornings, Upper Schoolers are back at the curb at drop-off, greeting boys and offering the iconic Brunswick handshake to 48 of ’Wick’s youngest as they step into the whole new world of being a Bruin.

“With restrictions lifted, these little guys are just playing more freely,” noted Head of Pre School Gina Hurd. “They can read body language. They are able to learn more freely.”

‘These are really special partnerships. The little things come into play each week as we put back in those special traditions.’

Back in the Game

Not Just Joy

“Everything has gotten easier — knowing how a kid is feeling, knowing who is confused.

➸

SPORTS, WHICH FACED particularly vexing and “masking” problems in the effort to block a completely novel airborne virus, have seen a return to completely normal play this year.

“The corporate and the teaching worlds made the best of the Zoom environment we were all abruptly thrown into, but that obviously couldn’t translate to sports,” said Ron VanBelle, Upper School athletic director.

“The absence of sports and physical competition reinforced what we already knew, which is that we need to be active and we need exercise and sports in our lives.

“Now that things are ‘more normal,’ there’s a feeling of renewed energy and enthusiasm with our teams at all levels,” he said.

“The boys are just happy to be back on the fields, courts, and rinks — going to practice and playing games.”

➸ AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, parents were invited into the building for Curriculum Night — a traditional back-to-school gathering where Mom and Dad get the chance to walk through their son’s schedule. Parents spent about seven minutes on each Middle School subject as they met teachers, heard about what’s planned for the year, and got a sense of what it looks like in all the different classrooms.

“It’s just seven minutes!” Middle School Head Rob Follansbee said. “It seems silly — but it makes a world of difference.

“In person, there’s a partnership,” he said. “It’s so much more functional when we can actually be in the same room.”

Mask-free days are having an effect not just on mood in the building, but also on learning. “Actually being able to see a kid’s smile — that was lost for a couple of years,” Follansbee said.

“It’s just a happier place. The pieces of life that bring you unscheduled joy are back.”

What’s in a Kiss?

Newsies, offer ample opportunity to repair the damage.

➸

AT THE UPPER SCHOOL, slaps, stage kisses, and spit-takes are back as Brunswick thespians worked this fall to stage Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound.

It’s a farcical, whodunit kind of a play, a parody of Agatha Christie-style mysteries like The Mousetrap — and a production that illustrates some of what’s been missing in Baker Theater these last few years.

“Stage kisses are one of the staples of plays,” said Seth Potter, theater and English teacher. “COVID-19 threw a drastic wedge into what was called for in so many scripts. How do you do a stage kiss during a pandemic? An actor caressing the projected shadow of their counterpart and kissing the line of the face?

This year’s productions, including The Real Inspector Hound and the spring musical,

For Brunswick players, Newsies will serve as an opportunity to return to the big, collaborative, and schoolwide productions that were Oklahoma and The Music Man — with plenty of roles and live showings for boys in every division.

“We are going to embrace the fact that we can do a large show with a cast from all divisions,” Potter said. “We look forward to dancing on tables and bringing the Newsies strike on the stage. We also love the connection and energy of a live audience. We can enjoy the large company numbers, the camaraderie of our students on the stage and in the audience, and the wonder of a simple stage kiss.

“The kissing and spit-takes are more than called for, more than what is necessary, to make up for lost time.”

Two-plus years since the start of the pandemic, there’s a new appreciation... for the simple routines of daily life and being able to see each other fully.

Pandemic Theater: Plexiglass & Six-Foot Sections of Bamboo

IT’S WORTH taking a minute to consider just what transpired these past few years as ’Wick thespians worked to stage productions in Baker Theater.

Seth Potter explained: “In our pandemic production of Godspell, instead of holding hands in a circle, we used six-foot sections of bamboo to keep the actors socially distanced while trying to connect them on stage.

In ’Wick’s production of Desire, Desire, Desire (lower left), staged in October 2020, the culminating kiss was simulated using a square of plexiglass to separate students, protect their health, and adhere to pandemic restrictions. In Godspell (upper right), staged in Winter 2021, human connection had to be symbolized through extension of long bamboo poles.

“During the height of COVID19, we performed our fall plays in the open air. One early November production was at odds with the Athenian costume design — our goddesses and heroes wore leggings under their robes. Despite the hot feeling of Blanche in A Street Car Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, our actors all had warm parkas they could jump into when their scenes were done.

“During our open-air workshop production of Circe,” Potter continued, “we handled the kiss between the goddess of Aeaea and Odysseus by using a sheet of what seemed at the time the ever-present plexiglass between Circe and Odysseus. As ridiculous as it sounds, it was a wonderful moment. The audience, already suspending its disbelief, factored in this drastic safety procedure in order to have the crucial kiss.

“The kiss in Godspell (Judas’s infamous betrayal) was done by blowing a kiss across the stage, setting in motion the crucifixion,” he said. “During last year’s musical Peter and the Starcatcher, we were wearing masks up until two days before opening night. The kiss Peter Pan receives from Molly is one of the most beautiful and touching parts of the play, and we were finally able to have it on stage.

More than Theater

➸ HEAD OF SCHOOL Thomas W. Philip said the Upper School building has returned to welcoming visitors — parents, college admissions representatives, visiting scholars. Students are not only mask free, but they are also able to experience shared learning in a way that was once taken for granted.

Two-plus years since the start of the pandemic, there’s a new appreciation, not just at the Upper School but in every division, for the simple routines of daily life and being able to see each other fully — and it was the absence of these seemingly little things that has made their value so very clear.

While virtual learning did much to carry students and families safely through the dangerous, earliest days of the emergency, it also illuminated a basic truth that may not have been fully appreciated before the crisis: Human beings, especially young human beings, need the daily nourishment of social interaction. (You might even say it’s educational.)

At Brunswick, after the lockdowns of the spring of 2020, school leaders were quick to recognize that children needed to return to in-person, face-to-face learning in real life, as quickly as possible.

Throughout that summer, they worked tirelessly to revamp spaces and prep buildings for a hoped-for return to socially-distanced, in-person learning. By September, the school was ready, and students went back to school five days a week — masks offering a crucial layer of protection.

But it would take 18 months before students finally returned to the classroom mask free. Philip emphasized that seeing students face-toface again on First Day and every day brings the full human experience to bear on every moment of teaching and learning in every division.

Communicating through a mask, he said, was fraught — akin to “reading emails.”

“You couldn’t read emotion,” he said. “In getting back to normal, we realize how much we missed. The real thing is that people

appreciate how much of a fuller interaction you can have when you can see students’ faces.”

Marcie Molloy, M.D., Brunswick’s director of health and wellness and also an Upper School biology teacher, echoed that thought.

She said pandemic learning was missing the kind of “osmosis” that happens in normal face-to-face school — the kind of full, daily

collaboration that can bring gradual and thorough digestion of material.

Also missing, Molloy said, was some of the unplanned, daily dose of human connection that can lead to breakthrough moments of learning.

“Some of the best things in life are the surprises — the acts of kindness that come out of nowhere,” Molloy said. “When teaching in person, you see the entire individual and how he or she may feel that day. I think it’s very difficult to figure that out when we’re not in person.”

It’s the same in medical practice, Molloy said. Though virtual medical visits have filled a need, there is just no substitute for in-person visits to the clinic. “I can’t see their presence,” she said. “How they walk. How they hold themselves. How they sit in a chair.”

With masks long gone, ideally for good, Philip said back-to-school across campuses this September was nothing short of jubilant.

“It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say it was euphoric,” he said. “It’s completely back to where it was, in every setting.

“We did it!”

Human beings, especially young human beings, need the daily nourishment of social interaction.

FLEX TIME

BY KATHERINE OGDEN

FRONT Jesse Chung ’25, Ethan Yoo ’24, Hunter Wu ’23, Max Lanson ’26, Ryan Ahn ’25, Henry Sorbaro ’23, Subir Garg ’25, Vikram Sarkar ’26, Jeremy Lee ’25, and Miles Gillott ’26

BACK Jack Whitney-Epstein ’26 Ajay Bagaria ’24, William Ewald ’23, Andrew Tu ’24, Robert Ulmer ’23, Justin Guo ’26, and Michael Allwood

Math Team Feats Multiply!

FRESH OFF HISTORIC wins last spring, the Brunswick math team is hoping for a repeat — as it also reveals the depth and strength behind its growing success.

Two matches into the current season, the six members of the Brunswick A-team were top scorers in the Fairfield County Math League, placing first out of 30 public and private schools. The team won the first match of the FCML season in October, and placed one point behind Greenwich High School in the November match, enough to hold on to the top slot for the year so far.

But the problem solving goes even deeper than that: Two of the top students in the league are Brunswick students.

Andrew Tu ’24 was tied for the top scoring junior after two matches, while Vikram Sarkar ’26 was by far the top scoring freshman in the league. Sarkar has amassed 35 points after two matches, more than twice the points of the secondplace freshman; the highest possible score for each match is 18 points.

Brunswick is also entering a large number of B-team students in the FCML matches — and though B-team scores do not count toward the school’s result, these students are also posting some of the highest scores in the league.

In November, the B1-team earned a high enough score that, if Brunswick had fielded the B1-team rather than the A-team, it would have placed second in the county.

Similarly, the Brunswick B2-team

of five students would have placed 11th among the county’s 30 A-teams of six students each.

“It’s really pretty amazing,” said math team coach Michael Allwood. “The quality and depth is growing incredibly.”

FCML matches are held on the first Wednesday of the month; the six-match season finishes in March. Competition sees students tackle six separate rounds of math problems, starting with arithmetic and followed by algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.

Last spring, Brunswick earned the top slot in the FCML competition, unseating perennial winner Greenwich High School for the first time in many years.

It was Brunswick’s first such win since 2004.

Then, at the Connecticut State Association of Math Leagues annual match last April, Brunswick took first in the Small Schools Division.

It’s all part of the growing strength of the Brunswick math program, which this year is offering a class in Real Analysis. According to Allwood, it’s “by far the hardest course we’ve ever offered at Brunswick.”

“The team has become more and more selective,” Allwood said. “The competition for the A-team is very, very, strong.”

‘The team has become more and more selective. The competition for the A-team is very, very, strong.’

Starting Point of Love, Hope & Dreams

Class of 2022 Unites in Joyful ‘Care & Support’ for One Another

FFAMILY AND FRIENDS flocked to Edwards

Campus to hail 112 young men as they entered the ranks of Brunswick’s newest alumni — the school celebrated its 120th Commencement Exercises on May 18, under blazing sunshine amid a crowd of well-wishers who journeyed from near and far.

BY KATHERINE OGDEN & MIKE KENNEDY ’99

IT WAS A SPARKLING SPRING DAY, with bountiful sunshine and clear, blue skies — the perfect kind of day to graduate from high school, and Evelyne Etienne of Norwalk, Conn., wasn’t sure exactly how many members of her family had convened on Edwards Campus.

“It’s a lot of us,” she mused, breathlessly, as she paused in the moments after watching her nephew graduate from Brunswick.“Close to 20, if not more.”

Grandmother Sidonie Buissreth of Danbury, Conn., was there,

along with two additional grandparents, as well as many other aunts and uncles, cousins, and siblings — all of them gathered to mark a watershed moment in the life of one of their own.

Tristan Joseph ’22, a star Bruin on

the basketball court and headed to Middlebury College, was receiving his diploma.

The entire family, Etienne said, had been invested in getting Tristan to this moment, and they were now gathered to bask in the joy of it.

“It’s all of us, as a village, that got him here,” Etienne said before moving on to corral all those family members

for photos. “Pick-ups, drop-offs, games. His whole village is here to celebrate.”

Brunswick graduated 112 members of the Class of 2022 in its 120th Commencement exercises on May 18; the celebration brought the Joseph of other family members and friends to an outdoor ceremony on Robert L. Cosby Field.

Also among the crowd were members of the Villis family, including Rev. Elias G. Villis and his wife, Melanie, parents of George ’22.

Just as they had countless times before, the Villis family had brought their son to school earlier in the day, dropping him off in preparation for the afternoon’s events.

And, just as every parent does at

most any drop-off, the Villises stole one last look at their son as he made his way into a scrum of his peers — all young men now, gathering one last time before embarking on the next chapter of their lives.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Faculty go down the line to congratulate members of the Class of 2022 in Burke Field House; George Villis straightens his traditional Commencement tie; and Michael Neviera and Tyler Wilson strut confidently (and stylishly) into pre-ceremony festivities.

PREVIOUS SPREAD Jalen Johnson and Ashton Winegardner lead the way — side-by-side, diplomas in hand — to the after party on Edwards Campus at Commencement 2022. Happy faces shined before, during, and after the ceremonies, as (opposite page, clockwise from top) Nate Barsanti shares a celebratory moment with his grandmother, former Head of Lower School Eleanor Lindberg; Senior Dean Paul Withstandley helps Ben Packer with his boutonniere; and Gavin Foster enjoys one of the many reasons to smile on such a beautiful spring day.

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM Tristan Joseph and his family came out in full force to join in Tristan’s triumphant day, as Henry Caponiti savored every embrace at the Senior-Faculty Handshake.

RATION

And on this day, just as it was on George Villis’ first Brunswick day four years earlier, a smiling face was there to greet him.

Fellow graduate Zachary Murray ’22, who “hosted” George and helped the new Bruin adjust to Brunswick when he started his ’Wick journey, was approaching his classmate with joy and a broad smile.

“When I dropped George off, Zachary approached

Seth Yoo was cited as Brunswick’s Valedictorian, giving him the honor to introduce the Class of 2022’s choice for Ivy Speaker, Tony Luo.

him with a big smile, and his hand outstretched ready to shake hands,” said Villis’ mom, Melanie. “The smile on both of their faces will be a treasured lifelong memory.

“It really just brought it all together, teaching these boys to be men,” she said, moments after her son received his brown-and-white diploma.

“That’s what started the emotional day,” she said. “I think of the gift Brunswick has given to our family. It’s overwhelming. The dear friends he has. We are so thankful.”

TOP TO BOTTOM Tad Carney is center stage among his classmates as they prepare to process into the ceremonies; graduate Peter Kapp says goodbye to Mr. Tim Ostrye; and Sam Hall goes in for the bear (or bruin) hug at the Senior-Faculty Handshake.

SENIOR AWARDS OF DISTINCTION

Honors for Excellence & ‘Spreading Joy & Kindness’

BRUNSWICK TEACHERS recognized 13 students for high achievement, not just in academics, athletics, and community service, but also for extraordinary character — awarding nine awards of distinction and four faculty citations to graduates of the Class of 2022.

Robert L. Cosby award winner Caleb Boateng was recognized for his ability to “see the good in each of us, to care, to love, to smile.”

“Today’s recipient of the Cosby Award is, like his namesake, no stranger to struggle and sacrifice. And since the day he arrived here, he has never let it get in his way of spreading joy and kindness to everyone he encounters,” said Paul Withstandley.

Valedictorian Seth Yoo was named recipient of the Kulukundis Cup, and was celebrated not just for his academic average, but also for demonstrating “an admirable belief in the upside of a liberal arts education” — by tackling diverse courses such as Russian Literature, post-AP French Honors Seminar, and the post-BC Calculus Multivariables.

“As teachers, we know that many students are great to teach; fewer are those who further your own learning,” said Tucker Hastings.

Henry Caponiti was named as the winner of the Altman Prize for his tireless support of school spirit.

“Always quick with a smile and a friendly greeting, this young man was the leader of ‘the swamp,’ the raucous student cheering section that helped create a home-field advantage for our varsity teams,” said Bob Benjamin.

Here’s the full list of Commencement award winners:

Valedictorian Seth Yoo

Kulukundis Cup

Seth Yoo

Community

Service Award

Nikitas N. Handrinos

BPA Prize

Samuel D. Hall

Jenkins Athletic Award

William R. Donovan

Thomas A. Altman Prize Henry M. Caponiti

Robert L. Cosby Award

Caleb A. Boateng

A. Macdonald Caputo Award

Charles P. Johnson

Faculty Citations

Jackson W. Schwartz

Wells M. Faulstich

Jeffrey Ruiz

Gregory P. Kapp III

Head of School’s Trophy

Myles E. Spiess

TOP TO BOTTOM Myles Spiess was recognized with the Head of School’s Trophy; Will Donovan received the Jenkins Award from Ron VanBelle; and Jackson Schwartz earned a faculty citation, as did Wells Faulstich, pictured with presenter Oliver Bierman-Lytle.

Special Connection, Abundance of Blessings

THE REV. ELIAS G. VILLIS P ’19, ’22, ’24, father to graduate George ’22, provided the invocation at this year’s Commencement.

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you will live deep within your heart,” Rev. Villis told the graduates. “May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and

TOP TO BOTTOM It was a special occasion for the Rev. Elias G. Villis, who gave the invocation and also witnessed the graduation of his son George; a crew of graduates — Teddy Elmlinger, William Morton, Dylan Giovine, Oliver Hoeffel, Nick Bianco, Lyndon Gay, and Chris Dolan — gathers for a pre-ceremony photo; and Logan Mueller shines a big, bright smile.

exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace.

“May God bless you with the foolishness to think

that you can make a difference in the world, so that you will do the things others tell you cannot be done,” he said.

‘May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace.’

‘We Love Being Part of Your Story’

HEAD OF SCHOOL Thomas W. Philip introduced the proceedings and offered gratitude to the many people who have supported the graduates through their years at Brunswick — including faculty, parents, family, and friends.

“I want to begin by emphasizing that the success of these young men (beyond reflecting immense talent and effort on their part) also speaks clearly to the love and care of so many here today.”

With two wonderful speeches on tap

Head of School Tom Philip presents Ford Brown with his diploma.

Tony Luo wows the crowd with his thoughtful and laughter-inducing Ivy Address, one all of his classmates will surely

A picture is worth a thousand words: Nikitas Handrinos and Frankie Grether revel in the moment.

he would not burden the gathering with a third.

“I will leave you with the strength of two overwhelming emotions that are unavoidable when I think about the Class of 2022.”

Philip told the graduates that Brunswick is a home for them, a “starting point of love, hope, and dreams” — and also a place where pride and love abide.

“I am — and on behalf of all the faculty and this community here assembled — so proud of how you care for and support one another,” he said.

“I — and all here — absolutely love you guys. We love being a part of your story.”

CLASS SPEAKER

‘Courage Marking My Soul Now’

VALEDICTORIAN SETH YOO provided the introduction for Ivy Speaker Zixun Tony Luo, who drew a standing ovation for a speech that conveyed parts of his own life story, including grim experiences as a schoolboy in Shenzhen, China — and what he has learned since coming to Brunswick four years ago.

SENIOR BREAKFAST

Return to ’Wick Akin to ‘Coming Home’

AS HE WALKED DOWN the hallway, Greg Shenkman ’99 (P ’34) heard a familiar voice calling his name.

It was his second-grade teacher, Mrs. Pat Meloni, who recognized her student from his days donning a brown sweater at Brunswick — no matter that it had been more than 30 years earlier.

Greg was showing his now-wife Rebecca his old stomping grounds and scanning the class photos on the wall in search of his own when he connected with one of his favorite teachers from his 14 years at ’Wick.

Now a father of a Brunswick boy, Grant ’34, as well as a daughter, Wellesley, at Greenwich Academy, Greg serves as the president of the Alumni Development Council and spoke at the Senior Breakfast held on the morning before Commencement.

“I looked at the three words Courage, Honor, Truth one more time before I came up on the stage,” he told the crowd. “Over the past four years, I have sought the meaning of those words. And I’m proud to say that now I finally understand.”

Luo reached back in his memory to recall his first day at Brunswick as he admitted: “I did call my teacher by his first name on the first day of school.

“If you told the freshman Tony he would be on this stage, he would

“Every time I come back to Brunswick, it’s like coming home,” said Greg, who graduated from the College of William & Mary and currently works as a trader at Shenkman Capital Management.

“Brunswick is more of a fraternity than the one I joined in college,” he told the soon-to-be graduates. “Being a part of this school connects you to a whole host of people who want to help you.

“I encourage you to stay active and involved in the community — and to give back in any way you can.”

TOP TO BOTTOM Greg Shenkman ’99 joined traditional speakers Ian ’93 and Shep Murray ’89 at the Senior Breakfast, as graduates Nick Rinaldi, Owen Neviera, and Alex Hazlett enjoyed the hearty meal — and the words of advice!

kindly declare this to be some kind of fantasy fiction,” he said. “To all my senior comrades, you have taught a nervous classmate how to be courageous.”

Luo said his first days at Brunswick were marked by a mindset of fear — a false belief that hiding vulnerability was the key to a happy, successful life.

“I was so afraid if I revealed my weaker side I would lose your respect,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how fragile I became from hiding these feelings.

“Sounds familiar, right? At some moments in your lives, you choose to cage yourself from the world; as long as people do not discover you, life will go smoothly.”

Growing up in one of the fastest-growing cities in China, Luo was surrounded by so many brilliant companies, but his experience at school was miserable.

“The truth is, not everyone had passion in math,” he said. “When my grade was the only judgment of my value, I suffered during every second in class.

“The whole system was the mistake. I couldn’t change it. I was once a bad student.”

While still in middle school in Shenzhen, he failed to “pick up the courage” to support a classmate with mental illness, a person who suffered from a “ridiculous attack.”

NEW DESTINATIONS

For Class of ’22, Brightest of Futures Await

Nicholas Joseph Accetta Denison University

Nicholas James Altman Boston College

Luke Thomas Apostolides Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ashton Arjomand Northwestern University

Nathaniel Carl Barsanti Colorado College

William Baxter Lehigh University

Baker Wells Beck Colgate University

David William Beeson Princeton University

John Clifford Belknap University of Wisconsin

Séve Berrier YIP Sweden

Nicholas John Bianco Georgetown University

Caleb Asare Boateng Middlebury College

Zachary William Boehly University of Texas

Whitman Brewer New York University

John Crawford Brown Harvard University

John Timothy Alden Burdett Middlebury College

Michael G. Burton Jr. Georgetown University

Henry Michael Caponiti Georgetown University

John Edward Carey Boston College

Tad Eliot Carney Yale University

Frank Joseph Carroll Miami University, Ohio

Hunter Charles Clark University of Connecticut

Hank Rowland Cleaves Dartmouth College

Christopher Hemenway Dolan Santa Clara University

William Richard Donovan University of Notre Dame

John Duncan Dunn University of Pennsylvania

Kha’lil DaShaun Eason University of New Haven

John Edward Elmlinger Tulane University

Nicholas Christopher Errico Georgetown University

Theo Montgomery Evans University of Wisconsin

Wells McCoy Faulstich Pepperdine University

Joshua Stuart Feldman Villanova University

William Harrison Forshner Wake Forest University

Gavin James Foster Wake Forest University

Christopher Conway Gaine University of Michigan

Lyndon Garrett Gay Trinity College

Francis Pentlarge Gehring IV Claremont McKenna College

James Dowling Gibbons Bowdoin College

Dylan Thomas Giovine University of Texas

Francisco Ion Grether Villanova University

Samuel Christopher Guadalupe United States Naval Academy

Owen Dale Guest Harvard University

Lorenzo Sebastian Gunningham Hamilton College

Adonys Ramon Guzman Boston College

Samuel Drisko Hall University of Denver

Nikitas Nikolaos Handrinos Indiana University

Owen Innis Hayes University of Pennsylvania

Alexander Stockton Hazlett Yale University

Andrew James Hock Georgetown University

Lucas Kurt Hodgson University of Michigan

Oliver John Hoeffel Villanova University

Christopher James Israel Bard College

Robert Warren Jacobson Indiana University

Charles Philip Johnson Duke University

Nico Montoni sure looks to be enjoying himself on his big day!

Jalen Julius Johnson Pace University

Tristan Spaulding Joseph Middlebury College

William Nicholas Kallman Middlebury College

Gregory Peter Kapp III University of Pennsylvania

Kyle Jaden Karas Binghamton University

Patrick Cassidy Keller University of Virginia

Warren James Klein Dartmouth College

William MacCoy Knight University of Colorado Boulder

Maximilian Konzerowski Dartmouth College

Daniel Pelton Lauter Georgetown University

Felipe Leao

Dartmouth College

Evan Cho-Hou Lee University of Notre Dame

John Augustine Lin University of North Carolina

NaShawn Zaire Livingston University of Connecticut

Zixun Tony Luo University of Chicago

Andrew Xavier Lynch Boston College

Aidan Kenneth Marks Yale University

Cole Daniel Mascolo Elon University

Douglas Paul Messier Clemson University

Kevin Gordon Miller Wake Forest University

Michael Ryan Montgomery University of Wisconsin

Nico Anthony Montoni Virginia Tech University

Jack William Moore Tufts University

William Spencer Morton University of Richmond

Logan Riley Mueller Rutgers University

Zachary Nicholas Murray Villanova University

Edward Alexander Nagler University of Notre Dame

Michael Robert Neviera Boston College

Owen Paul Neviera Boston College

Thomas Lauer O’Connor Jr. University of Notre Dame

William Jeremiah O’Connor University of Michigan

JP Ohl Princeton University

Theodore John Ohls III Southern Methodist University

Benjamin William Packer University of Virginia

Benet Washington Polikoff Louisiana State University

Lucas Lima Pombo University of Chicago

James Restieri University of Wisconsin

Nicholas Haven Rinaldi University of Chicago

Jeffrey Ruiz Cornell University

Kaden Ramy Saad Georgetown University

Matthew Suat Saah Colgate University

Frithjof Aidan Sanger

Carnegie Mellon University

Maxime Sauvé Concordia University Quebec

Luke Johnstone Schlank Georgetown University

Jackson Wolff Schwartz Brown University

Walter Woods Scott University of St. Andrews

Charles Andrew Sfreddo Boston College

Myles Edward Spiess University of Chicago

Jack Ross Stemerman Yale University

Samuel Marshall Swigart Santa Clara University

George Constantinos Villis University of New England

Jackson Frederick Walker College of William & Mary

James Walker Boston College

Darrell Joseph Warren Sacred Heart University

Spencer Warren Rochester Institute of Technology

Tyler Thomas Wilson Princeton University

Ashton Buck Winegardner University of Virginia

Seth Yoo Amherst College

“Instead, I joined the unreasonable crowd expressing fear and anger from nowhere,” he said. “Shamefully, I was part of the large group of people that did this. Deep down, I knew it was wrong.”

Coming to Brunswick and especially witnessing how his classmates tackled athletic challenges changed everything.

“I sensed a different environment at Brunswick when I saw how Tristan and Charlie broke through defenses of seven-foot dudes; when I heard the story of Mr. Kirby-Smith rushing into fire to save lives; when I saw the firm confidence in Kaden’s eyes facing a wrestling match,” he said.

“I realized everyone has courage here, so why shouldn’t I? Thanks to my senior comrades, courage is marking my soul now.”

‘Nobody Came to My Graduation’

EDMUND A. HAJIM (P ’84, ’86), Brunswick board chair from 1980–1983 and now chairman of High Vista Strategies LLC, with more than 50 years of Wall Street success behind him, served as Commencement speaker.

In a rousing speech that detailed his rise from orphanages to America’s boardrooms, Hajim shared his own extraordinary life story and guiding principles with graduates and their families.

Essentially kidnapped by his father

as a toddler, Hajim spent the next 15 years shifting homes — his father was often out at sea, leaving his son to shuffle between five foster homes, the YMCA hotel on 34th Street, a hotel room on Coney Island, and two orphanages.

As a teenager, after landing at an orphanage in Yonkers, N.Y., Hajim graduated from Roosevelt High School, with an ROTC scholarship to the University of Rochester.

“Nobody came to my graduation,” Hajim said, adding: “I arrived at Rochester in my black leather jacket.”

SPEAKER

Ed Hajim — former Brunswick parent and board chairman, as well as the author of On the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom — served as Commencement speaker.

Hajim admitted, but he adjusted. He cut his hair, bought a tweed jacket, and earned a degree in chemical engineering as he also discovered one of his driving passions: “Putting people together to help people do better than they thought they could.”

After college, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, made his way through Harvard Business School, and spent the next 50 years

TOP TO BOTTOM Kyle Karas and Luke Apostolides exchange a fist-bump before heading to their seats; Luke Schlank and Jackson Schwartz share in a moment of laughter; and the “Lifers” celebrate 14 years as Brunswick boys FRONT Nate Barsanti, Sam Hall, Jackson Schwartz, Patrick Keller, Warren Klein, Ashton Arjomand, and Teddy Elmlinger MIDDLE Theo Evans, David Beeson, Chris Israel, Zach Boehly, Alex Hazlett, Ashton Winegardner, Michael Neviera, Zach Murray, Peter Kapp, and Oliver Hoeffel BACK Owen Neviera, Evan Lee, Benet Polikoff, John Burdett, Chris Dolan, Darrell Warren, and William Forshner (Missing: Will Donovan)

in the “canyons of Wall Street” — it’s a story that Hajim detailed in his book, On the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom, a copy of which every graduate received.

“I tell you this story because there’s a message that anything is possible in this wonderful country,” he said. “Education is the solution to everything, almost everything.”

Hajim said he has often been asked about the “secret sauce” to success, and as he thought about that question, he found the answer lies in the way he talks to himself.

“I came across a framework that allowed me to talk to myself in an intelligent manner,” he said.

As Hajim sees it, developing four “pitchers of life” — passions, principles, partners, and plans — has helped him juggle the “buckets of life” — self, family, work, and community.

Hajim implored graduates to use their time in college to reach and to stretch, to test themselves.

“ There can only be two results: Success or a learning experience,” he said. “Early failures are a gift.”

Hajim said one of the principles that has guided his own life has been passion, and he advised graduates to search for it.

“Find something that makes you take two steps at a time.”

A Quiet Moment of Remembrance

AS PART OF the ceremony, Philip requested and led a moment of silence in honor and memory of Teddy Balkind, the St. Luke’s student and hockey player who died in January.

ONE GRADUATE’S PERSPECTIVE

Moral Compasses Guided

by ‘Courage, Honor, Truth’

By Jeffrey Ruiz ’22

Ttoward the door.

Their faces shined bright with joy, innocence, and anticipation on the first day of Horizons.

As I counted them — part of my duties as a volunteer — I was having trouble sharing in their excitement, bittersweet feelings swelling in my chest as I began my fourth and final summer with the life-changing program.

I had seen the boys grow in maturity and stature — from kindergartners to fourth graders, always carrying that same positive energy and perspective — during my experience, which began when I was a rising freshman at Brunswick.

As I greeted the boys, I was reminded that the clock keeps ticking and the future is waiting. Never did I think time would fly by so fast —

never did I think (when I was a middle schooler) that high school graduation

to attend — known best to outsiders for its academic and athletic prowess.

For those lucky enough to walk the halls of Maher Avenue and King Street, though, we are taught lessons that go beyond math, English, or history — beyond the Xs and Os of soccer, hockey, or lacrosse.

They often go unnoticed, even by our very own students. But they are rooted in character development — and in the words of our school motto.

Each and every Brunswick boy’s moral compass has, in one way or another, been shaped by the principles of Courage, Honor, Truth. They will always be our guiding lights — and set us apart from others and define us as Brunswick Bruins forever. We don’t really need to explain how

Ivy Speaker Tony Luo ’22 said in his commencement remarks that he finally understood the meaning of Courage, Honor, and Truth as he was set to receive his diploma and head off to college and into adulthood.

I do, too.

SENIOR PROM

Celebrants Dance & Cheer as Manhattan Skyline Glows

IMAGINE NEW YORK CITY — with a Las Vegas twist.

Members of the Class of 2022 and their dates enjoyed the traditional sunset cruise aboard the World Yacht Spirit of New York on the eve of graduation — Lady Liberty, One World Trade Center, and the picturesque Manhattan skyline serving as the background for selfies and snapshots.

But new to the fun and fray at this year’s Senior Prom were craps, blackjack, and roulette games (without the emotional highs and lows of winning and losing real dollars and cents, of course!)

There may have been an Elvis sighting as well!

The “Casino Royaleinspired” theme made for a memorable evening on deck and on the dance floor for all the partygoers before they disembarked at Pier 81 and headed home for a little shuteye before their big day ahead.

‘Each and every Brunswick boy’s moral compass has, in one way or another, been shaped by the principles of Courage, Honor, Truth.’

Commitment to Life with ‘No Excuses’

AHOST OF BRUNSWICK seniors was honored with distinguished awards at a ceremony in Burke Field House on Monday, May 16.

Upper School English teacher Evan Ciecimirski served as the keynote speaker, as selected by the Class of 2022.

Ciecimirski focused his remarks on a personal mantra he has embraced throughout much of his 30-year life — “No Excuses.”

Beyond personal anecdotes, the Cornell graduate discussed his senior English elective, entitled “Mind Over Matter,” in which students learn about athletes who have made great athletic or cultural contributions at the highest levels, against extraordinary odds — such as Joe Rantz, Louis Zamperini, Gino Bartali, Stelios Kyriakides, Wilma Rudolph, and Michael Oher.

He also shared the story of John “Jack” Reynolds Robinson, a senior at Cornell and Commodore of the Heavyweight Crew, who died in February, after an 11-year battle with osteo sarcoma.

“The purpose of these stories is not to sadden you, nor to make you feel like your accomplishments are not significant,” Ciecimirski said. “What is remarkable about these men and women — and so many others — is not that they showed such uncommon courage and strength, but that such uncommon actions are in many ways more common than we may realize.”

He offered the Class of 2022 — a group of young men he bonded with as an advisor, teacher, coach, and Vermont campus chaperone — one final piece of advice.

“Remember everything

that you have accomplished up to this point, whatever the obstacles you have overcome to this day, and use them to put your next challenges into perspective.

“Some may be easier; some may be harder. But if you abide by the mantra, ‘No Excuses,’ you will know you have given it your best.

“As you move on from Brunswick, I encourage you to continue to embody our motto: Courage. Honor. Truth. All three pillars of the school motto have played and will play a large role in living a life of ‘No Excuses.’”

FRONT Sam Hall, Will Knight, Charlie Johnson, Myles Spiess, Felipe Leao, Henry Caponiti, Michael Montgomery, Michael Neviera, Will O’Connor, Edward Nagler, Lucas Pombo, and Walter Scott BACK Jackson Schwartz, Max Konzerowsky, Peter Kapp, Kyle Karas, Caleb Boateng, Luke Apostolides, Seth Yoo, Nick Accetta, Samuel Guadalupe, Tyler Wilson, and Kaden Saad (Missing: Cliff Belknap, Will Donovan, Wells Faulstich, and Benet Polikoff)

SENIOR AWARDS DAY

Evan Ciecimirski

Cum

Laude Certificates*

Samuel C. Guadalupe

Gregory P. Kapp III

Maximilian Konzerowsky

Edward A. Nagler

Lucas L. Pombo

Kaden R. Saad

Myles E. Spiess

Theater Award

Tyler T. Wilson

Simpson Choral Award

Wells M. Faulstich

Randolph Band Award

Samuel D. Hall

Visual Arts Award

William M. Knight

Everett Award for English

Jackson W. Schwartz

R. Scott Tucker Senior Essay Award

Michael R. Montgomery

Bouffier Foreign Language Award

Nicholas J. Accetta

Senior Classics Award

Felipe Leao

John Van Atta History Award

Seth Yoo

Stephen A. Duennebier Social Sciences Award

Edward A. Nagler

McKinnon Global Studies Award

Walter W. Scott

Thomas A. Shields Mathematics Award

Seth Yoo

AAPT Science Award

Felipe Leao

Alan M. Turing Award for Computer Science

Luke T. Apostolides

Gus Conrades ’86 Varsity Athletic Awards

John C. Belknap

Caleb A. Boateng

Henry M. Caponiti

William R. Donovan

Charles P. Johnson

Kyle J. Karas

Michael R. Neviera

William J. O’Connor

Benet W. Polikoff

Lucas L. Pombo

Kaden R. Saad

Robert G. Sampson Award

Charles P. Johnson

* Cum Laude members joined earlier inductees and classmates Luke T. Apostolides, Felipe Leao, Michael R. Montgomery, Jackson W. Schwartz, Tyler T. Wilson, and Seth Yoo

HANDSHAKE

‘Space to Say Goodbye’

EACH YEAR, COMMENCEMENT features a special assembly of every Brunswick faculty member, from the Pre School through the Upper School, who arrive at graduation and organize themselves into a huge receiving line, awaiting arrival of their students.

No, they are not handing out late grades or pink slips or even the honor of the day, the brown-and-white

diplomas. Instead, it’s handshakes and hugs that ensue.

This year, it was Burke Field House that served as the venue for the Brunswick tradition that is the Senior-Faculty handshake, where teachers from every division greet their students in the moments before Pomp & Circumstance heralds the soon-to-be-graduates into Commencement.

And this year, just like they do every year, both faculty and students found the experience to be uniquely meaningful.

“I look forward to the handshake,” said Thomas Pettengill, Upper School science teacher. “In many ways, it’s a

SENIOR-FACULTY

sad day and a day of excitement. It’s true for the teacher, too.”

“It meant a lot to me,” said Brian Hoffman, Upper School history teacher. “It was space to say goodbye. I look forward to hearing from these students in the future, to see what they are up to.”

“This is really something special to conclude our Brunswick journey,” said Danny Lauter ’22. “It means a lot for every student to say thank you to every teacher. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am.”

The

TOP The Cleaves siblings: Chloe (GA ’26), Hank ’22, Colton ’28, and Cooper ’24

ABOVE Fritz Sanger and his grandmother, Helga Magargal

LEFT Danny Lauter shakes the statuesque hand of Robert L. Cosby while processing into the ceremonies.

ABOVE The Boateng Family: Praise, Karen, Caleb, Rita, and Kwaku

OPPOSITE PAGE (TOP TO BOTTOM) The Johnson Family: Ellie (GA ’23), Rob, Charlie ’22, Katie, and Henry ’25

Burdett Family: John ’22, Charlie ’18, Sarah, Lucy (GA ’22), Doug, and grandmother Marlys Edwards

CLOSING CEREMONIES

Third Time’s the Ultimate Charm

U

PPER SCHOOL MATH TEACHER

Grace Warne joined the ranks of Brunswick’s finest as Head of School Thomas Philip named the longtime educator as recipient of the John F. Otto Award during Brunswick’s traditional Closing Ceremonies on June 7.

The award, one of the top honors given out each spring as Brunswick caps its school year, is “dedicated to those faculty members with the courage to pursue their individual vision with honesty and integrity, so as to earn the appreciation of their critics and the loyalty of their peers.”

Philip cited Warne, who has struggled with serious health problems for the past two years, as a “model of personal integrity, positive energy, and compassion.”

“Her presence in our hallways is a daily reminder of her dedication to our boys and our school, as well as the virtues of living each and every day as the gift that it is,” he said.

Closing Ceremonies was held in-person for the first time in three years. The proceedings honored Warne and a host of students and

faculty members for outstanding accomplishments in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and in the school community.

Philip noted the gathering of the school community after two years that have arguably been the most unique in school history.

“There are, generally, three times a year when we get most of the school community together: Opening Day, the Holiday Assembly, and this ceremony,” he said. “The past few years have made these large gatherings a bit challenging, but here we are celebrating the successful conclusion of another Brunswick School year.”

Philip said Brunswick is built for times like this, and everything it does is in preparation for times when “things don’t go as planned, when you have to adjust and be flexible, the times when you have to dig a little deeper and give more of yourself than expected.”

“Boys and faculty, you have each, in your own way, delivered on that score this year. Thank you for the incredible and overwhelming success you’ve made this school year.”

The event concluded with the Moving-Up Ceremony, as eighth-grade students were welcomed to the Upper School, and juniors were named to the senior class.

Here’s the full list of this year’s award recipients:

MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS

Eleanor G. Lindberg Award William L. Jensen

Virginia I. Peterson Award Collin R. McCreath

Sarah B. Burdett Award Charles C. MacColl

Kulukundis Cup Pierce G. Crosby

Geis Cup Jake Greene

Williamson Trophy Nathaniel B. Lee

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Tom Philip and Grace Warne; William Jensen ’29 and Judy Gallagher; Anthony Fischetti and Nathan Lee ’26; Drew Dawson and Collin McCreath ’28

UPPER SCHOOL AWARDS

Cum Laude

William B. Ewald

Ryan W. Kulsakdinun Benjamin H. Sheppard

Vilas A. Sorgaard-Srikrishnan Hunter J. Spiess

William A. Durkin III ’72

Alumni Award William Nook

Ike Dolphan ’22 Award

Griffin Green

Princeton Alumni Award

Andrew P. Tu

Columbia Book Award

Thomas M. Whidden

Oaklawn Award

Matthew Augustine Randolph Award

Devin Price

Williams Book Award

Ryan W. Kulsakdinun

Yale Alumni Award Holden F. Fraser

Harvard Book Award Hunter J. Spiess

Brown Book Award Jackson R. Fels

Arabic Award Magnus B. O’Reilly

Chinese Award Alden D. Reals

French Award

Tomas Jasson

Italian Award Collin H. Eschricht

Spanish Award Theodore G. Sandler

Classics Award William B. Ewald

Multilingual Award Matteo Santulin

Kenneth Merritt Mathematics Award Subir Garg

Fairfield Book Award Nikolas Sulkowski

Rensselaer Award Vilas A. Sorgaard-Srikrishnan

Computer Science Award Ryan W. Kulsakdinun

Grade Nine Service Award Jack Scafidi

Grade Ten Service Award Thomas M. Whidden

Grade Eleven Service Award Eric L. Lonnegren

Grade Eleven Varsity Athletic Plaques

Tomas J. Delgado

Riley M. Gilsenan

Luke R. Michalik Riley J. Redahan Malik A. Samms

Grade Ten Varsity Athletic Plaques Randolph P. Eddy Thomas H. B. Ewald

John F. Otto Faculty Award Grace Warne

Sheila Pultz Service to Brunswick Award Michael DeAngelo

TOP (LEFT TO RIGHT) Devin Price ’24 and Danny Dychkowski; Subir Garg ’25 and Richard Dobbins; Thomas Whidden ’24 and Doug Burdett

ABOVE (LEFT TO RIGHT) Andrew Tu ’24 and Derek Hruska; Mike Hannigan and Holden Fraser ’23; Vilas SorgaardSrikrishnan ’23 and Dana Montanez

FLEX TIME

BY KATHERINE OGDEN

The Lion King, Enlightened by Shakespeare

IN A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND

field trip designed to dovetail with the boys’ study of Shakespeare, freshman English students trekked into Manhattan in November to take in a performance of the epic Disney musical The Lion King.

Students have been studying Henry IV and Henry V in class, and English teacher Pete Adams said the coming-of-age theme of the musical is reflected in 16th century plays — and the juxtaposition of the brilliant English bard with a modern, in-the-flesh Broadway

production makes for especially fertile ground for learning.

Though Adams initially had trepidations about what he considered a “kids movie,” he has been a fan since he was in graduate school. It was then he saw an interview of acclaimed director Julie Taymor, who won two Tony Awards for her stage adaptation of

the animated children’s movie that was The Lion King

Celebrated as a “shaman of stagecraft,” Taymor brilliantly uses “other things outside of dialogue to communicate intent,” Adams said.

Costumes, masks, music, and dance bring the story alive and flesh out the kind of epic themes and narrative that are worthy

of being shared widely and throughout time.

“She is totally idiosyncratic,” Adams said. “It takes a special artist to evoke the Savannah, to visualize a huge war. She does it.”

Upper School teaching fellow Sandro Mariani ’16 and senior Magnus O’Reilly ’23, one of Brunswick’s strongest English students, accompanied the 20 freshmen on the trip.

Adams said O’Reilly provided a cool and fitting “circle” moment on the trip, speaking to his younger classmates on the steps of the New York Public Library about his own journey through high school and the part that Courage, Honor., Truth has played in it.

“Magnus embodies the kind of transformation we want to see in our boys,” Adams said.

LEFT All Class of 2026 unless noted: Alek Modi, Neel Behringer, Mac Ahern, Charlie McGraw, Henry Ginnel, Jack Stevens, Nathan Lee, Jack Whitney-Epstein, Jackson Cunningham, English teacher Peter Adams, Finn O’Sullivan, Magnus O’Reilly ’23, Anthony Sayegh, Henry Graham, Joey Salandra, Josh Katz, Quinn McGraw, Owen Lavin, Burke Watner, Jay O’Connor, Patrick Stern, and Crew Davis

ABOVE Senior Magnus O’Reilly speaks to his fellow (and younger) Brunswick classmates on the steps of the New York Public Library.

PHOTO OF SIMBA BY DEEN VAN MEER / DISNEY

BY MIKE KENNEDY ’99

AS THE SPRING ATHLETIC season began — sailors and rowers hitting the water, baseball and lacrosse players taking the field,

They would compete without interruption — no longer wearing prohibitive masks or following strict virus-related protocols — free once again to focus solely

CREW

Simple Recipe: ‘Hard Work, Leadership, Togetherness’

IT WAS a season of firsts for Brunswick rowing.

Longtime assistant coach John Martin took over the helm from the legendary Joe Falco — and the Bruins were off to the races under their new, yet experienced leader.

When all was said and done, ’Wick had won the school’s firstever New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championship Regatta — held on Lake Quinsigamond, in Worchester, Mass. — and the second and third eights brought home silver medals.

The varsity eight also swept its slate of cup races — highlighted by victories at St. Andrew’s School, Phillips Andover, and the Kent Invitational to cap an undefeated spring on the water.

For Martin, the recipe for success was quite simple.

“We relied on hard work, senior leadership, and togeth-

erness,” said Martin, who rowed collegiately at Columbia University. “And we shared a belief that we could accomplish something no other Brunswick team had done before.”

The deep and talented senior class — which included Max Konzerowsky, Peter Kapp, John Dunn, Ben Packer, Teddy Elmlinger, Jamie Gibbons, Robert Jacobson, and Theo Evans — has

certainly set a stellar example for all in the program to follow.

And, as 19 Bruins who earned medals at the New England Championships will be returning next season, expectations will be at an all-time high for the program.

Rising seniors Ruffin Bryant, Tomas Jasson, and Campbell Officer will serve as team captains.

Varsity Eight (l to r): Sam Subramaniam ’23, Ben Packer ’22, John Dunn ’22, Campbell Officer ’23, Ruffin Bryant ’23, Jimmy Cabot ’23, Henry Andren ’24, Peter Kapp ’22, and Max Konzerowsky ’22.

Max Konzerowsky ’22

Second Varsity Eight (l to r): Tomas Jasson ’23, Scott Raissis ’23, Jake Murphy ’24, Kiran Marsh ’24, Theo Evans ’22, Colin Devine ’24, Will Baxter ’22, Jamie Gibbons ’22, and Teddy Elmlinger ’22.

BASEBALL

‘Pro Scouts at Every Game’

HEAD COACH

Johnny Montañez pointed to three key moments as he reflected on last year’s Brunswick baseball season.

The first was an earlyApril doubleheader against Winchendon School that saw the highly touted Bruins — who had a strong showing at the National High School Showdown in Hoover, Ala., in March — lose two games on their home field and be dealt a stern dose of reality.

’Wick would have to do more than simply trot onto the diamond to win baseball games — the Brown & White would have to play a resilient, mature, and hard-working brand of America’s pastime to have success. And they’d have to do it together — as a group of nine players all pulling in the same direction.

Proof came in the way of junior Boston Flannery’s walk-off grand slam (key moment No. 2 for Montañez) versus Citius Baseball Academy — which erased a two-run deficit in the decisive seventh inning and propelled the Bruins to a dugout-emptying victory of the epic variety.

They didn’t stop there, continuing to reel off wins in the FAA and throughout New England before setting up a clash with perennial powerhouse Salisbury School on the road in early May (key moment No. 3 for Montañez).

Cole Mascolo ’22

Coach Montañez and Michael Yeager ’23

Adonys Guzman ’22

GOLF

Flipped Script Focuses on Gratitude

coach

end-of-season speech to give at his team’s celebratory dinner in June — one detailing the Bruins’ near-perfect record; the cold, wet, and muddy course conditions; and the honorable nature

Instead, he focused on gratitude. Notwithstanding eight weather cancelations, the Bruins were back together again after playing a truncated schedule with masks on in 2021. They walked the fairways in foursomes, played from dawn until dusk on their spring trip to Florida, and teed it up on some of the finest courses in the Metropolitan area as members of

“We’re grateful for the perspective we’ve gained over the last two years,” said Fischetti, who has led the Brunswick golf team for nearly two decades. “We’ve

realized never to take the memories, matches, and tournaments for granted — and to cherish the time we are privileged to share together while playing a game we all love.”

Along the way, too, the Bruins earned their fair share of shotmaking success.

Senior Owen Hayes, along with juniors Henry Devaney and Sam O’Hara, served as the team captains — and led the formidable 12-man squad to a 26-2 campaign, including a second-place finish at the Western New England Prep Invitational at Bull’s Bridge Golf Club (where sophomore superstar Will Harned fired a one-under 71 to pace the 90-player field as the tournament medalist).

As a team, the Bruins posted an impressive five-score aggregate of 375 on the Tom Fazio layout in South Kent, Conn., falling to Avon Old Farms by four strokes.

With seven seniors returning to the links next season, the Bruins will look to make their mark as one of the best teams in program history. Devaney, O’Hara, and fellow classmate Harry Bonomo will lead the charge as captains.

Sam O’Hara ’23

Henry Devaney ’23

Owen Hayes ’22

LACROSSE Beyond the Numbers, ‘Competitiveness & Care’

THE TALENT, depth, and athleticism could not be denied.

The Bruins effortlessly zipped the ball around the lacrosse field. They selflessly relied on a next-man-up, sharethe-rock mentality. And they relentlessly ran their opponents into the ground.

Ultimately, they racked up a record of 15-1 — with imposing victories over perennial powers Deerfield, Georgetown Prep, Darien High School, and Taft (to name a few) — and finished the season ranked first in New England and second in the nation.

At the inaugural Prep

Nationals, ’Wick avenged its only loss of the spring by defeating Salisbury in the semi-finals before going on to win the title against Lawrenceville in front of a capacity crowd at Robert L. Cosby Field.

Head coach David Bruce, however, looked beyond the numbers — beyond the All-Americans, beyond the Division I commitments — when reflecting on (perhaps) the best season in the history of such a distinguished program.

“This team was successful because of their competitiveness and care for one another,” he said. “When their character was tested,

they passed with flying colors — and they made their school and alumni proud.”

Great senior leadership, too, proved to be a difference maker for the Bruins — as co-captains Henry Caponiti, Will Donovan, and Luke Schlank and their fellow classmates set the tone for their team from the very first day of practice in late February.

With such a strong risingsenior class returning — led by captain-elects Luke Michalik, Tomas Delgado, and Hunter Spiess — the bar will be raised just as high (can it get any higher?) when the action resumes next spring.

Henry Caponiti ’22

The Bruins captured the inaugural Prep Nationals by defeating Salisbury and Lawrenceville on Robert L. Cosby Field.

Luke Schlank ’22

Will Donovan ’22

TENNIS Racket Sportsmen Peak at Perfect Moment

TEAM CHEMISTRY was the name of the game for Brunswick tennis.

A young squad chock-full of highly talented players but lacking significant experience at the prep-school level, the Bruins developed a strong bond beginning on the March training trip to Florida and evolving with each practice, bus ride, and big match.

They also set secondary goals of representing their school with superior sportsmanship on the court and winning a New England championship.

Led by co-captains Edward Nagler, Nick Errico, and Evan Lee, ’Wick emphatically checked

each of those boxes on its way to a record of 16-1-1 — highlighted by an undefeated mark in the FAA, the title at the George C. Shaffer Doubles Invitational at Episcopal Academy, and the New England

Class A championship-victory against Groton.

Lee, the team’s number-one player who will continue his career at Notre Dame, sealed the program’s third consecutive

title (no tournaments were held in 2020 or 2021) by saving four match points and winning a super tiebreaker by a score of 17–15.

“The boys truly came together and peaked at the right time to achieve the last of our team goals,” Abraham said. “It was certainly a special and memorable accomplishment after all the interruptions and cancelations we faced in the previous two seasons.”

As the Bruins begin looking ahead to next spring (and the possibility of a four-peat), they will be led back onto the court by rising senior captains Will Monahan, Santos Gunningham, and Johnny Riehl.

Edward Nagler ’22

Lorenzo Gunningham ’22

Evan Lee ’22

TRACK & FIELD Championship Contributors Score from All Angles

HE BRUINS ran 35-deep — and were talented on the track and on the field.

Led by senior captains Caleb Boateng, Tristan Joseph, Lucas Pombo, and Kaden Saad, ’Wick’s track and field team had one of its finest seasons in school history, with a record of 22 wins and five losses.

The squad capped its impressive campaign at the FAA Championships in mid-May, outlasting rival Hopkins by a score of 161–144 to claim the title in convincing fashion.

Head coach Robert Taylor pointed to contributions from both sides of the sport as key to the Bruins’ success.

“Historically, most of the scoring has come from runners,” Taylor said. “However, while the

team had strong runners, this year’s scoring was complemented by field-event athletes, especially in the throwing events.”

Taylor cited hurdler and middle-distance runner Mac Brooks as the team’s most valuable and highest scoring athlete, while also noting the performances of freshman sprinter Jalen Noisette, senior sprinter Kha’lil Eason, junior sprinter Niki Sulkowski, senior middle-distance runner Caleb Boateng, eighth-grade distance runner Nathan Lee, junior shotputter Will Janis, junior discus thrower Riley Gilsenan, and senior javelin throwers Benet

Burdett, in fact, set a school record in the javelin (166' 10") on his way to the individual title at the New England Championship at St. Paul’s School.

Next spring, too, looks bright for the program, as the Bruins will return a number of experienced athletes to their top-notch facility on King Street.

Brooks and Sulkowski will be joined by fellow classmates and rising seniors

Ryan Kulsakdinun and Nick Tchkotoua as team captains.

Polikoff and John Burdett.

John Burdett ’22

Jalen Johnson ’22 Mac Brooks ’23

Kha’lil

Eason ’22

SAILING Racers Begin Ambitious, Three-Year

Climb

HEAD COACH Andrew Scrivan ’95 calls it Project 31. The Brunswick sailing team — entering a new era and achieving a higher skill base

than ever before — has established a timeline of three years (3) to capture first place (1) at the fleet or team racing national championships.

Ahead of year one — the 2022 season — Scrivan laid out this lofty (yet realistic) goal for his squad as it prepared for the spring on the water.

“Our crews are gaining experience and motivation,” he told his fleet of racers. “They complement our skippers in multiple ways.

“Project 31 is about hard work, gelling as a team, and focusing our talent and drive toward the nationals. Everyone should be keenly aware of our team dynamic and potential.”

Skippers Robert Ulmer ’24, Thomas Whidden ’24, Freddie

Parkin ’25, and Ben Sheppard ’23 led the Bruins in the chase for the Mallory Doublehanded National Championship, where the team finished sixth at the regatta held at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego, Calif.

’Wick fell just short of qualifying for the Baker Team Race National Championship, taking third after a controversial ruling at the New England team racing competition.

Scrivan, however, wouldn’t trade the outlook or potential of his team for any other in the country.

“The boys had a great year and were tested on and off the water,” he said. “Our team’s ability to bounce back and refocus on the big picture was crucial after some significant setbacks.

“It was likely the best season in the history of the program — and we are very much looking forward to the future of the team as we enter year two of Project 31.”

Robert Ulmer ’24 and Christian Ohlemeyer ’23

Ben Sheppard ’23

Thomas Whidden ’24 and Alex Ohls ’24

BEYOND

THE BOOKS

GERRIT COLE OF the New York Yankees and Adam Ottavino of the New York Mets paid a visit to the Middle School in November to discuss their experience as professional athletes.

Boys peppered the famous players with questions: Several students wanted to know how the men prepare for the pressures of game day.

The answers were distinct; since the two pitchers perform different roles on their teams, each prepares in a unique way.

Cole told the boys that as a starting pitcher, he gets to pitch two times a week at most, and so for him, preparation starts a day in advance with a good night’s sleep.

Game day sees Cole wake up “with an edge.”

Middle Schoolers gathered in the outdoor courtyard for a photo with two big-time Major League Baseball players, Adam Ottavino and Gerrit Cole, both of whom live in our local community.

Meditation and a breathing routine allow him to settle down and regulate himself throughout the day, enabling him to stay relaxed and connect with the vibe of the team.

“You want to be a vibe contributor,” he said.

Once at the ballpark, he warms up on the treadmill as he practices self-talk and visualizes how he might handle whatever might come up during the game.

“The visualization is key,” he said. “I think it can be applied to anything. You can probably visualize yourself before you’re going into an SAT.”

Ottavino told the boys his job is a little different; he has to be

“That intense level of focus — I can do it, but I can’t do it all day

Care for the Bear

ATEDDY BEAR has been enlisted to help teach the messages of health and wellness to ’Wick’s youngest. Emma Eschricht, Pre and Lower School nurse, introduced “Care for the Bear” in October; the initiative has seen boys each receive their very own stuffed bear to help them digest some of the fundamental lessons of self-care. Included are basics such as hand washing and hygiene, changing clothes, eating right, exercise, and brushing your teeth.

First graders were especially excited by the project; they get to keep the bears in their lockers and have made little beds for them to keep them cozy as they also learn about sleep rituals.

The overall goal is to use the bear to discuss a boy’s physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, intellectual, and social needs. These are the five essential elements of health and wellness identified by Brunswick’s new and comprehensive schoolwide initiative — The Center for Wellness, Insight, Courage & Kindness: The ’WICK Center, for short.

“The hope is they will learn to take care of themselves by taking care of the bear,” Eschricht said.

Jamie Cook ’30

U.N.

’Wick Students ‘Drive Conversation’

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

took the spotlight for 16 Upper School students who traveled to New Jersey for a weekend forum of diplomatic role playing in November.

Hosted by Princeton University’s International Relations Council, the annual Princeton Model United

Nations Conference attracts more than a thousand high school students each year to an event

billed as the premier Model U.N. symposium for teens.

Brunswick Upper Schoolers represented different countries on committee; cast as delegates, boys were tasked with addressing some of the world’s thorniest problems.

“Many of the boys saw their plans endorsed,” said history teacher Jared Fishman, who serves as advisor to the Brunswick

ABOVE LEFT Alex Pombo ’26 and Quinn Evans ’26

ABOVE P.K. Karnik ’23 and Tomas Jasson ’23

BELOW Colin Officer ’26, Jared Fishman, Finn O’Sullivan ’26, and Burke Watner ’26

MODEL

’WICK

NORTH

In Vermont, ‘Unplugging’ Continues

AS FALL PROGRESSED, five groups of Upper School sophomores and their faculty advisors ventured north to Brunswick’s campus in Randolph, Vt. As always, journeys to ’Wick North require a complete digital disconnection —

bringing even greater meaning to the concept of “face-to-face” interaction.

This year, as pandemic restrictions were relaxed, students were also permitted to travel off-campus for much-appreciated service work in the Randolph community (see page 12).

Stories Turn into Books

ADAM GIDWITZ , the author of the best-selling children’s books A Tale Dark and Grimm, In a Glass Grimmly, and The Grimm Conclusion, visited with Middle and Lower School boys in October. “He spoke to the boys about his own life story of struggling a little in school, and having stories in his head that he would act out in play,” said Beth

Barsanti, Lower School librarian.

“He didn’t realize until he was a teacher that the stories could become books that kids would love. He had an inspiring message of doing what you love.”

Gidwitz received a 2017 Newbery Honor for The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog

AUTHOR VISIT

CLASSNOTES

COMPILED BY MIKE KENNEDY ’99

IT’S BEEN 60 YEARS for Charlie Tusa ’62 since his days as a Bruin — and nearly 30 for his son, Steve ’93. But both share the same sentiments when thinking about their alma mater.

Brunswick feels like home. And the culture remains unchanged — forever rooted in Courage, Honor, and Truth.

No matter that when Charlie graduated, the school consisted of about half of the current Upper School campus on Maher Avenue; games were played on fields where seniors and faculty now park their cars; actors took to the stage at a small theater, not a performing arts center; and the gymnasium was a converted World War I airplane hangar.

Much was the same for Steve, who never ventured out to the sprawling Lower and Middle School campuses on King Street for classes or practices — and had to lug his hockey gear back and forth from Dorothy Hamill Rink all winter. (He was the team captain during his senior season.)

State-of-the-art facilities or total acreage didn’t define Brunswick.

“Brunswick was a place where they let you figure out the boundaries of high school in a safe environment, while providing leadership roles across a number of disciplines both on and off

For Family’s Three Generations, ’Wick ‘Feels Like Home’

the field and ice,” said Steve, who matriculated at Dickinson College and is currently a managing director at JP Morgan.

“We learned how to win, but also to lose — and that competing hard, at anything, is fun,” he said. “But competition never took over, and there was always an underlying sense of humor and brotherhood at its core.”

Charlie harks back to the memories made and the relationships formed during his Brunswick tenure — starting with Headmaster Alfred Everett, an “immaculately attired gentleman with a slight British accent who was kind, understanding, and treated [us] like gentlemen.”

Or his “hero” and lifelong friend, Joe Koszalka, the

late woodshop teacher and coach who was enshrined in the Brunswick Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

“I will never forget him telling me every time I made a boneheaded play in football or baseball that if I had another brain, it would be lonesome,” mused Charlie, who graduated from Colgate University in 1966 and has gone on to a successful career in law as an attorney and partner at Gilbride, Tusa, Last & Spellane.

He and his wife, Margo, live in Greenwich.

It’s no small wonder that the latest in the line of Tusa men — Charlie ’30 — is a fifth grader at Brunswick and already bleeding Brown & Gold.

“He’s all in,” said Steve, amazed at the fact that father and son share in common their secondgrade teacher, Mrs. Pat Meloni, and gym teacher, Mr. Tim Ostrye.

“It’s special to see Brunswick’s culture passed on from generation to generation — often by faculty members who have been at the school for decades,” Steve said.

Grandpa Tusa agrees.

“Having Charlie at Brunswick is very meaningful to our family,” he said. “So far, everything seems right on track for him to have a transformative experience.”

1958

Tony Way reports he just gets older — faster and faster! In July, he ruptured his ACL at the beginning of a two-week canoe trip in the Yukon, and hobbled through a one-mile portage with two paddles for canes. His wife, Barbara, told him it was to be his last trip — and she was right! “Now, all I have to do is to keep flying gliders and taking bird photography trips — Baja, California, is next,” he says. See photo 01.

1964

Fred Ballou lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife, Maria, but he has kept a home in Stamford and visits every eight weeks or so. He entered the “hallowed halls” of Brunswick when he turned 12 in 1958, ultimately graduating in 1964. He has spent his career in the editing and research worlds, writing reports for public companies engaged in mergers and acquisitions. See photo 02.

1969

Mark Rice and Tom Lopiano, co-captains of the 1968 football team, enjoyed Brunswick’s big win at Choate Rosemary Hall on November 19. Both conceded that this year’s

squad has the edge over the 1968 version! See photo 03.

Robert Selkowitz reports: “While I ran four major car rallies in 2022, I also kept painting — this photo shows me outdoors with pastels at Wilson State Park in Woodstock, N.Y. I have a website at robertselkowitz.com, and my work with car rallies can be found at 1903autorun. com. The rallies are open to all cars, and we have great tours through the Catskill Mountain Region. Our 6th Catskill Conquest Rally took place on September 24.” See photo 04.

1973

James Utterback has finally settled down in the Low Country in Bluffton, S.C., after 24 moves within the United States, Europe, Africa, and India. He founded his own healthcare executive-search firm. He and his wife, Betsy, are celebrating 43 years of marriage, with three adult children and four grandchildren between five and nine. “Go ’Wick Hockey!” he says.

1978

Dan O’Brasky lives in Los Angeles, Calif., and is the sales manager for the western U.S. and Canada at Show Sage, LLC. See photo 05.

01 Tony Way ’58 slows down only to have his picture taken!

02 Fred Ballou ’64 and his wife, Maria 03 Mark Rice ’69 and Tom Lopiano ’69 were impressed by Brunswick’s recent bowl victory at Choate. 04 Check out Robert Selkowitz’s ’69 paintings on his website (robertselkowitz.com)! 05 Dan O’Brasky ’78 works in sales on the West Coast.

06 Thilo Agthe ’80 skied on the slopes of Austria last winter, as he does every Christmas!

07 Brunswick was well represented at the wedding of Bill Ryckman ’87, as classmates (left to right) Brian Mason, Joe Nemec, Stein Soelberg, Miguel Santo Domingo, the groom, Jim Lewis, Steve Robinson, and Bill’s younger brother, Jonathan Ryckman ’88, were in attendance.

08 Greg Hartch ’88, Clarke Rogers ’88, and Jonathan Ryckman ’88 enjoyed a mini reunion on a lake in North Carolina.

09 Tommy Mulvoy ’96 and his nephew, Mark ’26, hiked in the Swiss Alps this past summer.

06

1980

Thilo Agthe checked in by sending in a fantastic shot while skiing last winter during his annual Christmas vacation in Austria, where his family owns a vacation condo. See photo 06.

1987

Bill Ryckman and Antonia Ness were married in New York City on June 11. Brunswick alumni in attendance included Brian Mason ’87, Joe Nemec ’87, Stein Soelberg ’87, Miguel Santo Domingo ’87, Jim Lewis ’87, Steve Robinson ’87, and Jonathan Ryckman ’88 See photo 07.

1988

Clarke Rogers very much enjoyed having two fellow Class of 1988 alumni — Jonathan Ryckman and Greg Hartch — out to visit him at his house in North Carolina for his retirement celebration. He was also blessed to be able to have his daughters, Jan and Libby, sing an amazing

rendition of the national anthem at his official retirement ceremony on Fort Bragg. “Retirement has been a blast so far, with lots of travel to visit friends and family in Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Las Vegas!” Clarke said. See photo 08.

1991

Alex Holstein’s book, Warfighter: The Story of an American Fighting Man, was awarded the Gold Star by the Military Writers Society of America for the 2022 season in the nonfiction genre for memoir/biography. It is the story of Colonel Jesse L. Johnson, one of the most decorated living American veterans, and recounts the action-packed, true-life tale of a man who stood and fought at the crossroads of history.

1996

Tommy Mulvoy, who lives in Switzerland with his wife, Vicky, and son, Aksel, hiked in the Swiss Alps with his nephew, Mark ’26, this summer. See photo 09.

had company at his wedding from the Class of 1997 (left to right): Morgan Gestal Cleveland, Tony Calabrese, Katie Iorio, Jim Heekin, Lee Massey Heekin, Andrew Rosato, Ned’s son, Ricardo; Ned and his wife, Carolina; Brian Shepard, Joanna Galvin Sisser, Jeff Condon, Alex Bashian, Cathy Ritman Holligan, Abi Rankin Fitzgerald, and Jake Brooks

1997

Ned Adams and his wife, Carolina, celebrated their wedding in front of a large ’Wick/Greenwich Academy contingent at Saybrook Point Resort and Marina in Old Saybrook, Conn., on July 9. See photo 10.

1999

Members of the Class of 1999 gathered at Greenwich Polo on September 4. See photo 11.

12 The Rauh family: Britt Olsen-Ecker, Elliott ’01, Jackson, and baby Bradley.

2001

Elliott Rauh and his wife, Britt, welcomed their second son, Bradley Ecker, on July 12. See photo 12.

2007

For 10 years, Ron Ongaro and John Eric Oberbeck ’08 have co-captained a soccer team in New York City. Throughout the years, they have recruited other fellow Brunswick soccer players and have found success winning their eighth championship this past summer. Former Brunswick soccer players who have joined them on the pitch include

13

14 Joe ’30 and Abby Riemer — the children of Andy Riemer ’96

Eric Clauson ’07, Karl Hantho ’08 , Oivind Lorenzen ’09 , Zach Prager ’08 , Taggie Martin ’09 , Dan Morrisroe ’08 , Andrew Laird ’08 , Christian Oberbeck ’07, and Erik Spangenberg ’07. Any New York-based Brunswick soccer alumni interested in joining should reach out to Ron or John Eric. They’re always looking for players. See photo 13.

2012

Ben Young graduated from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University on May 6. He will begin his residency in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson

University Hospital in Philadelphia in June. Ben hopes to pursue a fellowship in gastroenterology.

2018

Nick Mosher won a Fulbright Scholarship and is teaching English in Kazah, Kazakhstan.

FACULTY AND STAFF NOTES

Upper School history teacher Andy Riemer ’96 and his wife, Jessie, welcomed Abigail Louise on May 27.  See photo 14.

11 Class of 1999 members from ’Wick and Greenwich Academy enjoyed the Greenwich Polo Match in September: Deakin Bell, Brett Harriss, Kip Graham, George Hubbard, Tim Riemer, Geoff Lazlo ’96, Greg Shenkman, Graci Lockhart Djuranovic, Hagar Hajjar Chemali, Matt Lorig, and Sam Lalanne

Eric Clauson ’07 (standing, first from left), Oivind Lorenzen ’09, Ron Ongaro ’07, and John Eric Oberbeck ’08 (standing, fourth, fifth, and sixth from left) play soccer together in New York City.

16 Madison Martell — the new daughter of Brett Martell

Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria in 1972.

Bob was born in New York on Oct. 4, 1947, the son of Bishop Robert Bracewell Appleyard and Katharine Gelbach Appleyard. He graduated from Brunswick in 1965.

Bob was a loving man whose ever-present kindness had an immeasurable impact on those who crossed his path, whether they were his family, his parishioners, or a stranger on the street who needed help. He was a champion for the equal rights of women in the clergy and one of the first in the Episcopal Church to endorse gay marriage.

His love was most evident in his relationship with his wife, Deborah (“Debby”), whom he met at Allegheny College and married in 1970, and their son, Benjamin (“Ben”).

Bob and Debby loved to spend time at their vacation home in Acton, where they retired in 2007. Some of their happiest moments were spent working on that farmhouse, including countless hours renovating the old barn in their backyard.

Burke ’74 (deceased), and Nancy Burke Tunney (P ’08) of Greenwich.

Connie had nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, all of whom fondly called her CeeCee.

Connie was an enthusiastic volunteer for various nonprofits and charities throughout her life. She served on the leadership council for the Greenwich YWCA and leaves a legacy of the Constance Morse Burke gymnasium in Greenwich.

Connie was an accomplished typist. Using her skills, she converted many volumes of books into braille for the benefit of the blind.

Connie was a wonderful chef, an avid golfer at Winged Foot and Greenwich Country Club, and an accomplished bridge player.

Longtime Brunswick faculty member Eugene J. Cummiskey died on April 30 in Guilford, Conn., at the age of 91.

and friend through thick and thin — a scholar, gentleman, and consummate teacher who imparts his wisdom with self-effacing humor.”

He moved to Guilford in 1997, becoming involved in town politics, serving on the Democratic Town Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Town Charter Revision Commissions. He was a member of the Harvard Club of New York City, Sachem’s Head Yacht Club, and the Clinton Country Club.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Bet” Cummiskey, of Guilford, Conn.; son, Christopher; and grandchildren, Olivia, Christopher Michael, and Vanessa Cummiskey, of Washington, D.C.

Alfie Smith ’94 , 46, died suddenly at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on August 7.

Middle School English teacher Logan Stamey and his wife, Lindsey, welcomed Wesley Mitchell on July 9. See photo 15.

Lower School science teacher Brett Martell and his wife, Sara, welcomed a baby girl, Madison Skye, on July 29. See photo 16.

IN MEMORIAM

Retired Episcopal Minister Robert “Bob” Bracewell Appleyard Jr. ’65 died on July 3 in Acton, Maine, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021. He was the rector of St. Barnabas Church in Falmouth and St. Michael’s Church in Milton, Mass. Bob began his career at Fox Chapel Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania after graduating from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., and the

In addition to his wife and son, Bob is survived by his four grandchildren, his daughter-in-law, Deborah Van Allen Appleyard; Ben’s partner, Alexandra Pastor; and Bob’s siblings: the Rev. Jonathan A. Appleyard, Jane Appleyard Roel, and the Rev. Daniel S. Appleyard.

In the months leading up to his death, Bob and Debby appreciated outreach from friends with whom they had lost contact over the years.

Constance Morse Burke died peacefully at her home in Greenwich on August 28. She was 99 years old.

Connie was predeceased by her beloved husband, Walter Burke ’40 They were married for 76 years.

Connie was the mother of five children, Bonnie Burke Himmelman of Chevy Chase, Md., Walter Burke ’67 of Glenview, Ill., Diane Burke of Naples, Fla., Douglas

Cummiskey joined Brunswick’s faculty in 1966 and retired in 1997, after 31 years of service. During his long and distinguished tenure, he taught Upper School English, chaired the English department, and also served as director of college placement.

“Gene was a longstanding and truly legendary member of our faculty,” Head of School Thomas W. Philip recalled. “He will be remembered fondly by generations of graduates and former Brunswick colleagues.”

After graduating from Harvard in 1952, and attending The Wharton School, he began his career in the insurance industry, working in New York City and subsequently for the family business in Portland, Maine.

Prior to joining Brunswick’s faculty, he taught at Dublin School in New Hampshire.

Upon the occasion of his retirement from Brunswick, the Class of 1997 yearbook was dedicated in his honor. The citation noted that he was a “voice of reason, advocate,

While he faced struggles in his life, he did so with courage and conviction. And despite any challenges in his life, Alfie lived with enthusiasm, joy, and hope.

The single most important and beautiful thing in his life always were his three children, Emilie, Spencer, and Clara. That he will not live to see them grow, mature, and flourish in their lives is the greatest sadness of his untimely death.

Alfie was predeceased by his father, Alfred E. Smith IV (Al). And his family takes comfort in believing they are together again. Also preceding him in death were his grandparents: Walter Smith, Helen (Oma) Smith and her second husband, Joseph (Papa Joe) McManus; and Eileen (Mimi) and Bobby Moore.

In addition to his children, Alfie is survived by his mother, Nan (Moore) Smith; his sister, Catherine Totero, her husband, Matt, and their three children, Charlie, Ellie, and Grace. He leaves 18 aunts and uncles, 26 first cousins, a large extended family, and truly an uncountable number of friends.

15 Wesley Stamey — the new son of Logan Stamey

LAST LOOK

BY D. J. GRIFFIN

Photo by Jeffry Konczal

NO QUESTION: They shine even brighter.

In last year’s darkest days of the pandemic, for tedious months on end, our smiles were sheathed and laughter was muffled.

In the balance, however, the musculature of our eye contact gained strength and importance. Our natural yearning for the sustenance and affirmation of connecting with others had to be channeled through our eyes — toward the eyes of our friends, peers, colleagues, classmates, and just about everyone.

And so, perhaps, we developed greater appreciation for those moments, both deliberate and spontaneous, when our hurried, purposeful, wearying, heads-down days were brightened by silent and yet powerful gazes and glances from all around.

Old as humankind, the primal act of returning the favor — of simply looking someone in the eye — seemed somehow new, something to be savored.

Then, thankfully, full faces and the semblance of normal life reappeared. Still, young and old, many of us found the heightened energy level even more meaningful and happily engaging than ever before.

And so it was here: During the autumn months of our new year, Brunswick photographer Jeff Konczal encountered Lower Schoolers “hanging out” on the playground with visiting Upper School students.

“The energy was pure electric,” he said. “The younger boys were practically jumping out of their shoes with joy and excitement.”

Students ran toward him “like a herd,” he recalled. With no time to ponder, focus, or even look, he quickly raised the camera, pressed the shutter, and hoped for the best.

Instinct prevailed. His lens had instantly locked eyes with those of first grader Casper van den Berg ’34.

“So much of our life has been lived through a filter of concern and personal-health issues,” he reflected. “I was looking for that pre-pandemic life of students engaged without thought or hesitation.”

He certainly found that — and then some!

Now, if perhaps you find it hard to look away and turn the page, know you’re not alone.

The eyes have it, for sure.

The Eyes Have It!

With no time to ponder, focus, or even look, he quickly raised the camera, pressed the shutter, and hoped.

We never stop working together our strong foundation. And we never stop striving to reach new heights. As we move forward together, your generosity makes a big difference! Please support the ’Wick Annual Fund today. Once again, thank you!