1794 Magazine Vol. 3.2: The Entertainment Issue

v o l um e 3 i s s u e 1 SPRING 2018

1794 t h e m a g a z in e of cheshire academy

THE MAGAZINE OF CHESHIRE ACADEMY VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1

the entertainment issue the magazine of cheshire academy

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1794

THE MAGAZINE OF CHESHIRE ACADEMY

Spring 2018 |

ON THE COVER

volume 3 | issue 1

This vintage microphone which has seen many decades of stagecraft, represents the embrace of electronic devices for nearly all forms of entertainment. The theatrical setting with its subdued light, invites the reader to join in the fun. We offer you a front row seat to Cheshire Academy’s repertoire of talented students, faculty and alumni who bring the fine and performing arts into our lives and add inspiration to our days.

PHOTO BY: CORLEY FLEMING

STRATEGIC MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Jennifer Walker Chris Hunn Mia Logic Melissa Sauer DEVELOPMENT & ALMUNI RELATIONS

Board of Trustees CHAIRMAN Richard Cerrone ’67

SECRETARY Richard A. Katz, Esq. ’64

TREASURER Michael Mauro P’11

VICE CHAIRMAN Armando Simosa P’08

Catherine Bonneau P’04, P’16

Drew Kevorkian ’93

Ted Dziuba ’02

Andy Moss P’14 P’15

Simon Fenner

Brian Otis ’89

Suzanne Fields P’12

Katie Purdy P’19, P’21, P’21

Lori Gailey P’14, P’17

Donald Rosenberg ’67

David G. Jepson ’59

Mark F. Testa, PhD ’68

Stamford, Connecticut

Monterey, Massachusetts

Plymouth, Massachusetts San Mateo, California Westport, Connecticut Westport, Connecticut

Simsbury, Connecticut

Glastonbury, Connecticut

Harrison, New York

Miami, Florida

Amy Brough Barbara Davis P’17, P’18, P’20 Christian Malerba ’04 Maureen Madden-Tardy Barbara Vestergaard P’96, P’02 Leonardo Hiertz ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

Chip Boyd Diane Cook Erin Gleason Wendy Swift

Miami, Florida

Westport, Connecticut Tolland, Connecticut

Southington, Connecticut

Snowmass Village, Colorado Carrboro, North Carolina

Graeme M. Keith, Jr. P’11 Charlotte, North Carolina

OVERSEERS Michael A. Belfonti ’76 Hamden, Connecticut Dan Gabel, Jr. ’56 New York, New York

COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? SUGGESTIONS? NEWS?

Frank Motter ’61 P ’97 Stowe, Vermont

Brett Stuart ’68, P ’09, P ’09, P ’10 East Hampton, Connecticut

If you have feedback on 1794, contact Jennifer Walker at jennifer.walker@cheshireacademy.org.

If you have alumni news or updates for 1794, send them to Christian Malerba '04 at christian.malerba@cheshireacademy. org. Photos should be submitted in high resolution (300 dpi) for publication.

Admission inquiries may be directed to the Admission Office at admission@cheshireacademy.org or 203-439-7250. © 2018 Cheshire Academy

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IN THIS ISSUE ACADEMY ARCHIVES 4 Timeline 1926 - 2016 6 Babe Ruth Anyone?

ON CAMPUS 11 Timeless Harmonies 12 The Richness of Art 16 How to Build a Musical 20 Renowned Authors

ALUMNI 32 Reunion 37 Voice-Over Artist Goes National 38 Finding a New Niche

Offices of WJZ AM ABC affiliate

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40 Events 42 Class Notes

Joe Hasel

The announcer who interviewed Babe Ruth and brought sports to the troops in WWII

Abraham Attah

Hollywood Discovered Young Star on Soccer Field

18 Dr. Derrick Gay

Diversity Seminar Enlightens Students

Check out more on the digital magazine at http://magazine.cheshireacademy.org/

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STRAIGHT FROM BOWDEN HALL a message from head of school julie anderson

As I look back on the 2017-2018 school year, I reflect with gratitude on the true meaning of being a member of the Cheshire Academy family. Student-centered is not what we are, it is who we are. Over the last year we have engaged our entire community in the process of the self-study for our 10-year continued accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Everything we do, we must do with the mission of our school at the forefront. Our rich history dates back to 1794; yet the original ideals of the Academy still hold true today. We are internationally-minded, believing in the value of living and learning from others whose culture, language, and tradition may not be the same as our own.

We join together to celebrate our differences in preparation for life beyond Cheshire Academy. Our students are part of a global community here and we continue to value and promote this experience through holding true to our mission.

I am blessed to view the Academy through a variety of lenses in the roles I have been privileged to hold — Spanish teacher, dorm parent, advisor, language department chair, middle school head, Academic Dean, Associate Head for Academic Affairs and now as Head of School. Through the experiences of my daughter, Jenna ’19, I have the additional perspective of a parent, which helps me see the school with both a broad and up-close view of what we do and who we are.

I could not be more proud to lead a community of dedicated staff members, talented and accomplished faculty, and, at the heart of all that we do, a dynamic student body that is empowered to accomplish goals they never thought possible. Our students are collaborators, thinkers, problem solvers, leaders, innovators, athletes and artists. In this issue of 1794 we pay particular focus on the fine and performing arts, which is fitting as we begin to plan for the construction of a Community Fine and Performing Arts Center.

We are thriving academically with the foundation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and artistically with student art exhibitions, drama productions, and music recitals which culminate with our winter and spring concerts and senior Art Major and IB Visual Arts exhibitions. It is fitting that in this, the “Entertainment Issue,” we celebrate our fine and performing arts as a signature program of Cheshire Academy. Our faculty in the arts are practicing artists, musicians, and photographers who share their talent and skill with our students while simultaneously pursuing their own professional growth. Our students are given the opportunity to try something new, whether it be learning to use a pottery wheel, create digital works of art, support a theater production, or learn to play an instrument. We are equally proud of our students who have dedicated themselves to the arts and choose to further their study in acting, visual arts, voice, and music. There is truly something for everyone.

I invite you to visit campus and sit in on a class, watch a game, attend a performance, or perhaps share your own artistic talents with our community. There is no better time to connect with the Academy and we welcome you with open arms.

Best,

Julie M. Anderson P'19 Head of School

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academy archives

Senior Drama Club stages Androcles and the Lion

’44

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CHESHIRE ACADEMY TIMELINE 1926 -2016

1935 – Actress Evelyn Simmons performed a dramatic monologue as part of a tour of

boys’ schools in New England. Simmons had appeared on the Al Jolson radio show and at the Westchester Playhouse.

194 4 – Robert Ludlum ’45, best-selling

1935

author of the Bourne Trilogy, played the Captain in “Androcles and the Lion” staged by the Senior Drama Club. He was also editorin-chief of the Academy Review.

1926 1939 192 6 – The Roxbury School formed a six-piece orchestra that performed at the Cloister Club in New Haven

and received invitations to appear in Michigan, Maine and New York.

1939 – Frank Liberman ’36 joined Warner Brothers as a

messenger boy. Less than a decade later, he rose to fame as a

publicist for Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller and later for William Shatner and Mike Nichols.

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194 8 – Fred Friendly ’34 began collaborating with Edward R. Murrow to broadcast documentary programs on the CBS network. Later the two produced the series “See It Now” which transformed the medium.

1952 – The Academy Players staged the first regional amateur performance of the play “Seagulls over Sorrento” at the Fathers and Sons Banquet in early December.

19 9 7 – Talib Kweli ’93 formed a hip-hop duo with Mos Def called

Black Star. Kweli begins a “Blue Note Residency” at the famed jazz club in New York in January 2018.

1952

1997 1963 2016

1963 – The Cheshire Academy Glee Club performed at Yale University as part of a New England Choir showcase.

196 6 – Mark Kurlansky ’66, the best-selling author of Havana and

2 016 – Ayana Saunders ’03 was the post-production

coordinator for the Warren Beatty film “Rules Don’t Apply.”

She also directed the film “Marrying a Campbell” which is scheduled to debut in 2018.

Cod, had the leading role in “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” staged by the Academy’s Drama Association.

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Rare Radio Interviews with Sports Greats:

Babe Ruth Anyone?

It was World War II. At its peak, the U.S. military had more than 16 million troops deployed in Europe, the Pacific and the Mediterranean.

Alumnus Joe Hasel ’26 reached those G.I.s most nights, via The Armed Forces Radio Service.

“The Sports Interview” program, sponsored by the Armed Forces of the United Nations, put Hasel at the helm. He interviewed more than

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120 of the most famous athletes and managers of the time, such as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Connie Mack.

Broadcasting’s list of historic programming repeatedly notes Hasel’s involvement as a groundbreaking sports announcer. In 1942, he provided commentary for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals for the first World Series

game to be transmitted to troops around the world. Hasel was also the first to provide radio coverage of a road game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn Dodgers and to announce the first television broadcast of the Cotton Bowl.

The recordings from Hasel’s interview program (which Hasel gifted to Cheshire Academy)

capture the rise of professional sports in the United States. An interview with George Herman Ruth Jr. explains how he got his nickname. “I was in the training camp,” in Baltimore, Ruth said. “One of the coaches there said, ’Look at that big babe come in here.’ So the name has stuck to me ever since.”

A contemporary of Ruth, world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey was equally famous in the 1920s. In his interview with the boxer, Hasel asked about the importance of the 10 count. “It’s always best to take nine if possible,” the former champ said. The boxer “jumps up (too soon) with his hands down, and the result is that he is knocked out.”

Hall of Famer Connie Mack noted that the highest paid baseball player from 1892 to 1901 made $2,400 a year. At the time of the interview, Mack had been the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics for 60 years. Asked who he thought was the greatest player he’d ever seen, Mack said, “Not many will disagree with me, (it) was Ty Cobb.”

Hasel was able to elicit stories from his guests that could still excite fans today. From Bill Klem, who was Chief of Staff of the National League Umpires, listeners learned that Klem was one of the first to use hand signals in a game. His decision to change how balls and strikes were communicated came down to a simple concern; Klem was losing his voice from yelling out the calls.

Female athletes also appeared on the show.

Tennis Hall-of-Fame member Alice Marble talked with Hasel about her favorite tennis club. She said it was Wimbledon, but not just for the famous courts. “It’s great excitement having Queen Mary, who is a sort of patron saint of tennis,” watch the matches. “As a reward for winning, we are presented to her; it was a tremendous thrill for me.”

Hasel’s career in sportscasting began with a bit of luck and good timing. While working as a volunteer in public relations in the early

’30s, he was introduced to the manager of WNYC, one of the first radio stations in New York City. In 1936, Hasel, still as a volunteer, was invited to provide sports commentary for the station, which broadcast on 570 AM. He called Fordham football games, and announced a National Tennis Championship from Forest Hills. When a senior sports announcer was too ill to call an indoor tennis competition, Hasel took his place behind the mic, got a paying job, and remained in the world of sportscasting for at least 50 years.

About the same time, Hasel began doing play-by-play coverage for West Point Military Academy and Columbia University. He became well known and liked at West Point and his relationships there grew important during the war. He was told by colleagues that he was almost certainly going to be drafted, so West Point offered to make Hasel a captain and assign him to a public relations position with the athletic department.

Instead, when he was drafted, the Army requisitioned him to serve with The Armed Forces Radio Service. Pvt. Hasel was in place when some of the biggest news events of the time occurred. He announced the death of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and, fittingly, given his military broadcasting career, Hasel also brought to listeners the news about the WW II victories in Europe and Japan.

Hasel lost his father, who worked for Borden’s Dairy as a milkman, when he was 10 years old.

He took odd jobs at the age of 14 and, according to his biography, occasionally went to school on Long Island, where he grew up. After Hasel graduated from the Roxbury School (what Cheshire Academy was then called) he started work in 1929 at the N.Y. & Queens Electric Light and Power Company as a correspondent.

In 1931, he married Kay Ungemach, his coworker at the electric company. That same year, sponsored by her employer, she became a USA Indoor Track & Field Champion who completed a standing long jump of 8.1 feet.

After being discharged from the military in 1945, Hasel returned to broadcasting, this time for the sports department at the ABC network in New York. He began announcing games for the New York Giants football team in 1948, when they still played at the Polo Grounds. About a decade later, Hasel joined two other sportscasters on WNEW, Al DeRogatis and Marty Glickman, who as a trio, broadcast the Giants games from 1961-63 after the team moved their home field to Yankee Stadium.

Former head of school Arthur Sheriff wrote Hasel in 1962 to ask him to be a member of an advisory board, the predecessor of today’s board of trustees. Sheriff said he would contact members “simply to seek advice and hope for occasional visits.” Hasel accepted.

In the mid-90s, Hasel contacted the Academy’s development office about his plan to donate his estate to the school. Brian Otis ’89, took the phone call and a plan for a memorabilia room took shape. Development office manager Barbara Vestergaard P’96 ’02, said she often spoke to Hasel when he called. “You could hear why he was successful in sports broadcasting; he had a distinctive voice. Even at 90 years old, he was very professional.”

Otis visited Hasel at his home on Long Island and was regaled with stories of the former sportscaster’s career. They discussed the transfer of the contents of his will. Much of the famed sportscaster’s memorabilia went on display in 2004 in the newly named Hasel Room in the Humanities Building. There, visitors will find rare copies of sports programs, photos of the sports elite and proof of how Cheshire Academy shaped a future star.

Excerpts of the original recordings by Babe Ruth were featured on NPR's “All Things Considered” radio show, as well as Fox News channel this past February. They are posted currently online at https://cheshireacademy.org.

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ABRAHAM ATTAH

“Beasts of No Nation” Star Finds Home at Cheshire Academy Abraham Attah ’21 is a humble student. He won’t mention that he’s the only freshman who made the Cheshire Academy boys’ varsity soccer team last fall, or that he earned straight As last year in eighth grade. And he certainly won’t bring up that he’s an award-winning actor either.

Attah glides around campus on his skateboard boasting a radiant smile that never seems to leave his face. His friends describe him as a jokester. He loves math and talking about soccer.

“I want to be a normal student,” he said. “I like it like that.”

One would be hard-pressed to guess Attah is also the star of the award-winning film “Beasts of No Nation,” a 2015 Netflix original about a child soldier’s life during a civil war in a West African country. The film won more than 30 awards. He also played the role of Peter Parker’s classmate, Abe, in last year’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” movie.

His modesty stems from his life before acting. Attah, who grew up in Accra, Ghana’s capital, doesn’t forget where he came from. His appreciation and gratitude – for the key players who helped jumpstart his acting career, those who watch his movies and those who helped him enroll at a prestigious school like Cheshire Academy – is genuine.

“A kid like me who grew up where I grew up,” he said, “you don’t think about being in a place like this. I feel very lucky.”

In “Beasts of No Nation,” Attah, who appears opposite Idris Elba, plays a young war refugee named Agu. Commandant (Elba), a warlord, takes Attah’s character in as a timid child and shapes him into a fearless soldier. Attah won the “Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor” at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. His performance also earned him “Best Male Lead” at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and he tied for “Breakthrough Performance” by the National Board of Review. the magazine of cheshire academy

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Abraham Attah in a scene from "Beasts of No Nation"

While landing a starring role in an award-winning movie is impressive, the fact that Attah’s only previous acting experience came in church plays at a young age makes his story even more incredible.

“The first time I watched it I cried,” he said. “To see I did this and I did well, it was crazy.”

Casting director Harrison Nesbit spent five weeks in Ghana neighborhoods and schools, and on soccer pitches searching for a boy to cast as Agu. He remembers seeing a group playing soccer and one boy was smaller and younger than all the others. That was Attah. He piqued Nesbit’s attention. The casting director asked the kids if they were interested in auditioning for a movie. Attah declined at first, but when he saw his friends showing interest he decided to follow.

Nesbit asked each to perform a special talent they had. Attah chose to rap and he impressed Nesbit, who then invited him to an open call audition. After a series of tryouts, Attah was chosen from a pool of thousands of actors.

“Abraham worked so hard,” Nesbit recalled. “I remember he was up before everyone else studying lines. It’s not easy to shoot almost every day, for long hours, for over a month. It’s wearing on adults and he was 13 when he was doing this. There was an immense amount of pressure on his shoulders with this role.”

Attah never had aspirations of being an actor. He wanted to be a rapper. Instead, he found himself on red carpets, promoting the film

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around the world in places like New York City, Venice and Paris and meeting and working with countless celebrities. Attah’s Instagram account has 131,000 followers. Fans stop him for autographs and pictures.

When on set for “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Attah decided to introduce himself to fellow cast member Zendaya. He was shy about approaching the 21-year-old singer and actress. When they finally met, Attah went to shake her hand but she gave him a big hug instead and told Attah she enjoyed “Beasts of No Nation.”

“She was famous and she saw my work,” said Attah with one of his beaming smiles.

Attah is also an ambassador for Free SHS, a government project which funds senior high schools in Ghana. He’s just completed his second year at Cheshire Academy where the school’s diversity is what he loves most. Education is his main focus right now, but he wants to continue to improve his acting skills. Attah has some projects in the works, so stay tuned.

“He’s very hard working,” said Sandra Chang, Attah’s manager. “On the surface he’s like any normal kid. Because of his family and where he comes from, he has a very unique work ethic. We talk about what a blessed opportunity he has, and being mindful to work hard to make the most of that.”

The Timeless

H

armonies

When asked what the best part of performing a cappella is, first-year member Kevin Zheng didn’t miss a beat. “Working with the other singers,” he said enthusiastically. “It is really all about voice, precision, rhythm and collaboration.” Zheng smiled and added that since there is no background music such as a piano or band to rely upon, you have to work solely with voices and learn from each other.

Julia Rafferty, who was a senior leader in the ensemble, said that the 1794’s “has given her space to grow as a technical singer.” For Julia, it has been the perfect place for serious singers to work with peers who share the same passion for voice. Rafferty noted that the group focuses “upon interesting harmonies and surprising twists that differentiated our covers from the originals.” Two of the 1794’s favorite numbers which illustrate this creativity are “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, arranged for the 1794’s by Maggie Guarino-Trier. Senior Lexi Williamson arranged a cover of Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me” for the ensemble. Vocalist Aaron Luo says that he appreciates the cooperative spirit of the small group and that singing four-part harmony feels special.

Sam Weed, Lexi Williamson and Julia Rafferty, who graduated this year, founded the ensemble when they were in 9th grade. The 1794’s now showcases 11 singers. Members of the ensemble have varied musical backgrounds. Maggie Guarino-Trier and Akilah Goldson

of "The 1794's"

both participated in regional girls’ choruses; Guarino-Trier has also performed on the state level as a vocalist and flutist. Two new members of the group, Nan Zhou and Kevin Zheng, were encouraged to audition by music teacher Mrs. Eunyoung DiGiacomo after she heard them perform in the winter musical “School of Rock.”

Music teacher Nate Trier currently rehearses with the ensemble to help shape the arrangements and assist with honing pitch, tone, blending skills and sight-reading. Trier says, “The 1794’s is our most selective group - the students are responsible, motivated team players who work independently. They are all dedicated to making the group stronger and making themselves better.”

The results have been impressive. The 1794’s have performed to enthusiastic audiences at alumni reunions, parent receptions, commencement ceremonies, concerts and at morning meetings.

Senior Director of Leadership and Planned Giving Barb Davis, said, “Our alumni and parents love having the 1794’s at our events, and we love being able to show off our incredibly talented students.” Davis added that they are so good she gets requests for the ensemble at events and dinners. Perhaps there is a CD in their future.

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Jasmine Jung ’19

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The ambition, energy and enthusiasm of Cheshire Currently there are three theater courses offered: an acting Academy’s students and faculty is amazing – and the arts at CA unquestionably enliven, challenge and educate the community each and every day. Cheshire Academy is fortunate to have highly experienced members of the art department who bring exuberance, skill and award-winning results to the theater, music, and fine and visual arts programs.

A THRIVING THEATER PROGRAM Theater teacher and director of the theater program, Jennifer Guarino says her passion for theater began in a simple childhood love of stories. Each and every production has unique joys and challenges of many kinds, which she loves about theater, but they all have the same heart: telling a story.

As Ms. Guarino states, “I enjoy teaching the literature and performance class because it combines my love of English and theater. We take the stories we read and bring them to life on the stage, and I love seeing my students perform works of literature because it shows how well they understand the plot, the characters and their motivations.”

class, IB (International Baccalaureate) Theater, and IB Lit and Performance. The IB Lit and Performance class, taught by Ms. Guarino, involves students reading a text, often a novel, and then writing and performing a dramatic enactment of the text. Ms. Guarino hopes to add a course in theater production, which last happened at the academy in the early 1990’s, when the Black Box Theater was created.

The Black Box gives faculty and students a workable space for small, high quality productions. Ms. Guarino has upgraded the light-board and the soundboard, so the basic technical elements of the stage area are good, and she cites the extreme intimacy of the space, where actors can easily see the faces of the audience, as a positive quality. Conversely, it presents significant limitations for a growing program. The maximum capacity of about 120 persons often limits what could be larger audiences. Despite these limits, the faculty of Cheshire Academy maximize the resources available, and are grateful for the Black Box.

After many years teaching English at Southern Connecticut State University, Ms. Guarino came to CA along with her husband Nathan, a member of the music teaching faculty, and daughter Maggie ’18. Bringing many years of high level experience from a well-known theatre program in Westville, Connecticut, Ms. Guarino immediately established herself as a sensitive, imaginative and excellent program leader.

EMBRACING FINE AND VISUAL ARTS If you walk around campus, you might see a small hobby horse in a tree or a shark fin emerging from the center of the pond in the “back forty.” A student might arrive to class with a late pass scribbled onto a ping-pong ball or a piece of tree bark.

Everyone comes to know the source of these oddities: art teacher and department chair, Mr. Fran Poisson.

Interest in theater at CA has nearly doubled in the last three years. There are several reasons for this – an increase in total enrollment, several other talented teachers, and expanded curricular offerings – but there is no question that Ms. Guarino’s style and skill are an important part of the growth.

When asked about this, she humbly said, “A main strength of Cheshire Academy in all areas is the emphasis on creativity and independence, not only for students but for teachers as well. I value the focus on student-centered learning here. In theater this means allowing students to develop their own ideas about characters and, in the spring season, to write and direct their own material.” Recent graduate Bryn Clarkson ’17 feels the same way, “I did theater tech for all four of my years at CA, and I loved it. Students get to explore their own ideas.” Fine Arts Department Chair Fran Poisson said that Ms. Guarino has been especially successful in drawing international students, often shy about their English skills, into the school theater community.

Mr. Poisson came to CA sixteen years ago after many years working in a variety of artistic genres, including businesses, secondary schools, and universities. His first love, though, has always been painting.

Mr. Poisson believes that CA has always had strong visual artists, and continues to grow in this area every year. In fact, as Mr. Poisson puts it, “Over the past few years, Cheshire Academy has gained an international reputation for providing our students with high level preparation in the visual arts, should they be interested in attending any number of top ranked art and design programs for college.” The Academy routinely sends several students to the finest art schools in the country to major in various kinds of design, and many other students prosper in the extensive visual arts program.

The fine and visual arts building offers excellent space and natural light, available to the visual arts program. “I believe the Cheshire Academy visual arts program is something that

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affords students the opportunity to experience the beauty of art and also work towards the ultimate goal of a professional art career. “The program has enhanced my techniques as a painter and my comprehension as an artist. It has also encouraged me to try new things” says Peter Deng ’18 about his visual art experiences.

The work of students is on display all around campus and visiting professional artists present their work to enthusiastic audiences on selected Thursday evenings in the Kohn-Joseloff Gallery on the lower floor of the John J. White Building. A recent show featured the beautiful architectural drawings of Dave Jepson ’59, a member of the Board of Trustees, and, other alumni have presented as well, including Andrew Fezza ’72, a fashion designer and inaugural Cheshire Academy Arts and Letters Hall of Fame inductee, who has been featured on the cover of the New York Times Magazine. Students who attend these exhibits hear stories about the lives of professional artists and get to ask questions about ideas and techniques.

Mr. Poisson now spends his afternoons helping art students with independent projects. He supervises all of the portfolio development of the Academy's Art Majors and helps them with their college application process.

JOYFUL NOISES The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” While this may be too gloomy or romantic for some, if you were to attend one of CA’s two seasonal concerts, you would, at the least, be inclined to think Nietzsche was on to something important. The joy and exuberance of the performers radiates throughout the packed auditorium for every minute of the concerts, as percussion, guitar and jazz ensembles, a capella

groups, rock and jazz bands, and a large orchestra share their considerable talents with the community in the jam-packed Richardson Lecture Hall.

While the concerts are special and unique events featuring all school musicians, music has a presence in several other ways.

More than half of the students at the Academy are involved in musical programs. The wide variety of choices include the jazz band, two rock bands, the concert choir, the a capella choir called “The 1794’s,” the CATS (Cheshire Academy Through Sound), a group of high-level vocal performers, the dance company and the Varsity Players theater group. Music program director Eunyoung DiGiacomo is responsible for supporting the wealth of musical talent on campus.

Ms. DiGiacomo’s music story began, typically enough, at age five, with piano lessons with a teacher boarding in her family’s house. She loved to play and worked at it with the energy and passion typical of true lovers of music. But she had a lifechanging epiphany one day when eighteen years old. She was riding a bus on a rainy day and listening to Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This was not unusual for her, but on this particular day, a new level of depth and meaning in the music opened to her – the beauty, structure and power of the music overwhelmed her. She knew in that instant that her pursuit of happiness would include a devotion to music.

A whirlwind of intense effort under the guidance of a gifted teacher, in an unusually condensed time frame, led to her acceptance into a prestigious music program in Korea. After four years of studying composition and performance, however, she felt there was something else she wanted, or perhaps needed.

She wanted to use her talent to help people through music. It was a strong feeling, and it led her to apply to a music therapy program at New York University.

After graduating from NYU, Ms. DiGiacomo worked as a music therapist with profoundly disabled children for five years. The children in her care had an average lifespan of fourteen years and only reached a mental age of about six months. The work was intensely difficult, of course, and left her with a deep respect for the people who dedicated their lives to that work. Ms. DiGiacomo moved on from there to music teaching. After working at two other secondary schools, she came to CA to grow the music program.

Alisalee Aaron '19

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Ms. DiGiacomo’s teaching philosophy is beautiful and profound. Echoing the thoughts of Pablo Picasso, she says, “Music is the place where I can escape from everyday

reality.” She believes music is within everyone and is a kind of magic. She says “you can find music everywhere, even in silence.” She supports everyone, without bias about any kind of music. If all this seems to add up to a portrait of an extraordinary, passionate teacher, it’s because she certainly is. You might expect students would respond favorably to all this - and indeed they have. Participation has grown enormously in all phases of the program. But even more impressive is the improvement and the joyousness of the musicians under the guidance of the entire music teaching staff.

Ms. DiGiacomo thinks about what is best for each student, what will bring them excitement and joy, and then pushes them to reach their potential. She can be tough. Her standards are high, and she never lets anyone quit before they have given their best effort.

“It is a loving environment, like a second home to me,” says Alexa Williamson ’18. “Everyone gets a chance, regardless of previous experience,” and, “all the art teachers are deeply committed to the well-being and accomplishment of their students.” Samantha Weed ’18, adds “All of the arts teachers at CA are reliable, talented, and great mentors.”

Around our country, we often see art programs cut when budgets get tight. Cheshire Academy deeply values the arts and programs continue to grow. Students, faculty, and leadership are grateful for what they have, but are also dreaming of what could be accomplished when achieving the goal of constructing a modern arts building suitable for all the dynamic, growing programs. The arts at CA bring joy, interest, excitement, beauty and meaning into the life of the school every day.

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HOW TO BUILD A MUSICAL: BEHIND THE SCENES The compelling and iconic Les Misérables, based upon Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, was performed for sold-out houses on February 21st through 25th in the Black Box Theater.

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It was a stunning achievement

– from vocals and music, to the 19th-century set, props and costumes.

Each evening the audience was moved by the production’s message about the power of hope and persistence, and each performance closed with thunderous and heartfelt standing ovations.

Director Jennifer Guarino said that, for her generation, Les Misérables is a show that made one fall in love with theater, and that she wanted to share this experience with the CA community. As a large sung-through musical, it is a feat to prepare and perform, but she knew that CA had the actors, singers, musicians and crew to make it possible. The talented seniors involved in the production, both on and off stage, were leaders in every step of the process as they set goals, encouraged the cast and crew, and mentored those new to theater. In all, 60 students participated in the production with support from a host of faculty, staff, and parents.

Percussionist Evan Bajohr ’18, a CA pit band veteran with three musicals under his belt, said that the music was especially challenging for Les Misérables since the ensemble “played until the final bows” which meant over two hours of sustained performance. Evan played drums and other percussion instruments, as well as wind chimes, which were used during scene changes to create a dreamlike state. He appreciated opportunities he has had to participate in regional and All-State concerts which exposed him to percussion accessories. “Working with other musicians in the pit is the best,” he said. “Every time we practiced together the music got tighter and tighter.” Freshman Martina Li, new to pit band performance, agreed. She was anxious at first, never having performed with a pit band, but she wanted to improve her skills on the piano and learn more about collaboration with vocalists. She said that the music was difficult at times, but that everyone in the band encouraged her. She learned a lot about resilience, friendship and joy during the months of rehearsals.

For senior Amalia Gutierrez, working on the set crew was a change for her since she had been on stage for many plays during her years at CA. Amalia said that when you are on stage, you take for granted that tech works since your focus is on lines, blocking and acting. In tech, however, you take nothing for granted. She found that making it all work behind the scenes was incredibly rewarding. Amalia created the wedding cake for the marriage of Cosette and Marius.

She worked with a drill and a glue gun to join three hatboxes, and then painted layers of faux frosting on the hatbox cake adding plastic flowers. Since toy guns were needed for the barricade scene, Amalia and the crew worked with the mishmash of wooden toy guns and plastic water guns they were able to find. The guns were taped and painted to look like 19th century firearms, and the triggers also had to be taped down so that they would not click inadvertently backstage.

Chantelle Gao ’18, worked with faculty member Christine Monahan to design the French 19th-century background and garden.

Chantelle said that most people associate the Eiffel Tower with Paris, but of course, the Eiffel Tower was not part of the French landscape until after World War II. To convey Paris, the crew decided to create gardens and lattices. Since the set pieces were so large, painters cleverly used bok choy, cut in half and dipped in paint, to simulate roses. Painted shower scrubbers added depth and greenery. As

much of the action takes place in the evening, large background areas were painted in layers of deep blue with shimmery gold to represent stars.

Teachers also creatively tapped into the rich experience of Les Misérables. When English Department Chair Marc Aronson’s IB classes were studying Katherine Boo’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Behind the Beautiful Forevers, he asked how the current situation in India compared to the conditions before the French Revolution. In her work, Boo asks, “Why don’t more of our unequal societies explode?”

That quote became a springboard for discussions about the parallels between the American and French revolutions – the first attempt in France having failed as students witnessed in Les Misérables.

History teacher Caitlin Charette’s students were also studying the French Revolution. Prior to seeing the musical, they read documents from the revolution, debated the issues represented in the uprising, and wrote letters illustrating perspectives from the time period.

“Having the opportunity to see the musical deepened their sense of empathy,” she said. Laura Longacre, Language Department Chair, asked her French students to compare selections of Hugo’s novel to the lyrics from the musical. She said, “Several of the cast members were in the class, so it was a perfect fit.”

Les Misérables was truly a remarkable CA community experience.

Actors and musicians brought the lyrics to life, those behind the scenes recreated 19th-century France, parents and faculty jumped in lending a hand with everything from snacks to make-up, and faculty brought the lessons into their classrooms. Director Jennifer Guarino, on behalf of the cast and crew, wrote that it was their hope this musical would inspire audiences as much as it inspired them throughout the months of rehearsal.

The production truly inspired us all.

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SPEAKER DR. DERRICK GAY Delves into Diversity

When history teachers Kathleen Minahan and Eric Sacco first heard Dr. Derrick Gay speak at the Global Education Leadership Symposium, they knew his inspirational message about building strong global communities and strength in diversity was the right fit for Cheshire Academy.

Their initiative, along with support and assistance from the Office of Academic Affairs, the Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Community Life, was the catalyst for Dr. Gay’s visit to Cheshire Academy, inaugurating a year of campus conversations on 21st-century global citizenship.

Gay, a world-renowned educator, consults with educational and philanthropic institutions about the impact of the United States’ changing demographics, global interconnectedness, and the subsequent skills needed in the future. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania, Gay is a linguist, a vocalist with an active career in opera and oratorio, and a facilitator in symposia addressing ways in which identity influences the social and academic experience of students.

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Gay’s first stop on campus was Richardson Lecture Hall to conduct a Master Class for a capella students who prepared solo songs from a classical or show tune repertoire. Solos prepared

by Yunjuan Luo ’19, Maggie Guarino-Trier ’18, Julia Rafferty ’18, Lexi Williamson ’18, Olivia Williamson ’20, and Nan Zhou ’19 ranged from Mozart to Gershwin and, although some of the singers admitted to feeling anxious at first, they all found Gay warm, fun and enthusiastically supportive throughout the class. Gay opened the Master Class by performing two classical songs, “Odel Mio Dolce Ardor,” and “Pieta Signore,” accompanied by CA music teacher Eunyoung DiGiacomo.

As an ardent linguist, fluent in five languages, Gay first worked on Italian pronunciation with the group, and later worked on sound production.

Music teacher Nate Trier said, “We saw a truly remarkable transformation as Dr. Gay helped each student unlock a big vocal sound.” Further, Trier said that, “Dr. Gay helped one student change his tone and technique from bass to tenor and the student literally sounded like a different singer.”

The Master Class closed with Gay’s performance of the spiritual “Deep River” followed by “If I Loved You” from the musical Carousel, accompanied by Trier. Students left feeling inspired and “elevated” as one said. Gay has written that he “leverages music to promote peace and inclusion,” which everyone in the room celebrated.

The next morning, the student body and faculty joined Gay in the Gideon Welles Dining Commons for a deep-dive, interactive discussion examining identity, privilege, and diversity.

Gay presented data on U.S. demographics and trends, global communication and politics, and interconnected politics. He said that 21st-century competencies, which stem from that data, include complex oral and written communication, leadership and teamwork, quantitative literacy, adaptability, initiative, and risk-taking.

Gay then posed a question to the group, “How do you identify yourself?” Followed by, “How does identity create an essential framework for 21st-century skills?” To deepen and broaden the understanding of identity, index cards were circulated, and audience members were asked to write 10 descriptive words that reveal personal identity such as race, gender, family, education, interests, and goals. In pairs, students shared their lists. One partner would ask, “Who are you?” followed by the description from his or her partner. The rounds were lightning fast, fun and informative. A second round followed with another ten descriptors. With each round, the audience’s sense of identity expanded from

informed and compassionate people connected to all people on every continent.”

An afternoon session for faculty addressed issues of social justice within institutions, exploring how educational intuitions can foster and encourage discussions about race, privilege, and power, and how these discussions will ultimately benefit CA students in a global future. Gay concluded by saying, “A school can create whatever culture it chooses. It is not the students who do that, but the adults.”

Sara Griesbach, Director of Residential Life, felt that Gay’s presentation set a perfect tone

“HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF?”

FOLLOWED BY, “HOW DOES IDENTITY CREATE AN ESSENTIAL FRAMEWORK FOR 21ST - CENTURY SKILLS?” - Derrick Gay

physical aspects to notions of identity which illustrated each person’s perspectives, opinions, convictions, communication style and much more.

Throughout this activity, Gay challenged everyone to understand that how they identify themselves which, “not only informs how others perceive us, and consequently how we experience life, but also will shape behavior and values.”

The interactive activity was fueled by questions, comments and insights from the floor, as well as by the robust enthusiasm of faculty and student participants.

Gay’s daylong visit continued through a luncheon discussion for 25 student leaders in the Harwood Student Center. He encouraged the student leaders “to take active roles in decisionmaking processes throughout the school, to be courageous in raising questions, and to be

for the year. She said, “It sometimes is easy at CA to take diversity for granted since the community represents more than 30 countries, but we need to continually expand our understanding of what that means and the impact of understanding inclusion in our educational, social, and professional lives beyond Cheshire Academy.” The student response was equally positive. Senior class president Jemimah Frempong ’18, commented that Gay brought an important message to all students, and that she is encouraged at Cheshire Academy because “students are willing to go outside their comfort zones” on these issues. Julia Rafferty ’18 hopes there will be more events such as Gay’s visit, which opens dialogue about identity, inclusion and global issues.

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RENOWNED AUTHORS INSPIRE STUDENTS It’s not every day you have lunch with Connecticut writer, Wally Lamb, or share your passion for literature and art with Haitian-American author, Edwidge Danticat whose work, Krik? Krak!, you read in your IB Lit and Performance class.

And, certainly it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Ernesto Quiñonez to visit your ninth grade classroom and answer questions about his work, Bodega Dreams, which you recently completed reading. These are some of the memorable experiences CA students have been fortunate to enjoy during the past three years, thanks to the generosity of Michael and Loretta Kahn ‘53 who believe in the value of providing remarkable literary opportunities to students and faculty.

Wally Lamb

W

ally Lamb visited Cheshire Academy in fall 2015 and addressed students, speaking not only about character development and plot, but also about his personal experiences and hardships. His warm and engaging presentation helped students realize that the words in a book are reflections of an individual’s life, and characters are fashioned from the people we know and love. Mr. Lamb, who encouraged students to call him “Wally”, followed his presentation with lunch in the Blue Room where the conversation continued and students were able to ask questions and receive advice regarding their own writing experiences. The success of this visit became the foundation for building the current visiting author program with an emphasis on bringing to Cheshire Academy authors who represent diverse experiences and writing styles.

Since Krik? Krak! had been a required reading for many years and students continue to read this collection of short stories in IB Lit and Performance, Edwidge Danticat seemed like a perfect writer to invite to Cheshire Academy.

Her visit was planned for the fall of 2016, but Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc on her native country, Haiti, and Ms. Danticat postponed her appearance to lend support to family and friends impacted by the storm. When she did arrive on campus as part of CA's Martin Luther King Day celebration in January 2017, students surprised her with a generous donation made 22

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in her honor to Flying High for Haiti – a nonprofit providing education for children in Haiti.

Ms. Danticat addressed students, and faculty, inspiring them to support civil rights and recognize the power of the written word to make change in the world. Her visit included lunch with faculty and students and visiting Mr. Poisson’s art class, where students shared their work derived from stories in Krik? Krak!

The value of this remarkable visit was felt by students and faculty who spent time with this outstanding author, as well as by Ms. Danticat, herself.

Last fall, Ernesto Quiñonez traveled from his home in Ithaca, New York, where he is an associate professor of literature and creative writing at Cornell University, to visit Cheshire Academy. He addressed students in Richardson Lecture Hall, speaking in personal terms about his life growing up in Spanish Harlem. His honest conversation formed a connection with students, providing insight into the writing process as a means to uncovering the purpose of one’s life and the impact of events in shaping our world view and beliefs. Mr. Quiñonez spent a full day on campus, visiting three freshman classes and enjoying lunch with students and faculty.

And, for fall 2018, plans are underway to bring to campus notable poet, and author Diane Ackerman, known for her New York Times bestselling book, The Zookeeper’s Wife, a nonfiction story set in Poland during WW II. Ms.

Edwidge Danticat Ackerman’s recent work, The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, received the PEN Henry David Thoreau Prize for nature writing and was a New York Times bestseller. She is a prolific writer, crossing genres of science, literature and children’s books.

Educators and parents cannot always predict what experiences will linger in the hearts and minds of students. Yet, it would seem very likely that in the years ahead, CA students will reflect on the unique opportunities of sharing conversations and lunch with some of the best writers of our time. These powerful moments are sources of inspiration that will undoubtedly move them towards greatness.

Wendy Swift, Ernesto Quiñonez, Julie Anderson

FROM THE

Amalia Gutierrez '18

CAUCASUS COMES

UPHEAVAL Two Bertolt Brecht plays bookend the performances of three graduating seniors whose first fall theater appearances began with “Galileo” in 2014 and ended in November 2017 with the Varsity Players staging of “The Caucasian Chalk Circle.” Amalia Gutierrez ’18, David Mathisson ’18 and Samantha Weed ’18, delivered “incredible, deep, nuanced performances,” Marc Aronson, the English department chair, wrote in his “Director’s Note.”

The three seniors are on stage in virtually every scene of the play, written in 1944 about the upheaval of farming rights, cultural shifts and morality. Mathisson, who played “Shalva,” delivered one of the first lines of the performance, as peasants from two villages in the Caucasus Mountains near Russia gather to decide their future. “What to do with the valley?” he asks.

The question of who owns the land plows into the central theme of the play: Who “owns” the baby? The plot is derived in part from a 13th century Chinese tale about a chalk circle and choice. If two women claim to be a child’s mother, which one would exert more force to claim the title? The playwright reveals that a genetic connection is not always a loving one.

“Those who had no part in fortune often share in misfortune,” said “The Singer,” played by Gutierrez. The character serves as the play’s narrator, leading the audience forward and backward in time to explain the results of a military coup, the whereabouts of the baby and the injustice of justice.

brought back to the city for trial, she faces a new judge played by Peter Deng ’18, who was handpicked for the bench by a prince. Despite bribes and his own drunkenness, the judge rejects the plaintiff’s demands for the return of the child. “This is a court full of schemers,” the judge said.

In the end, a simple chalk circle, and the kindness of a peasant woman stand against the wealth and power of a mother who cares more for her possessions than her child.

Weed plays Grusha Vashnadze, a peasant who cares for the baby who isn’t hers. “A helpless girl adopts a helpless child,” says a disloyal woman who turns in the pair. When Grusha is the magazine of cheshire academy

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CHESHIRE ACADEMY G OLF CLASSIC July 17 • the farms country club

JOIN US FOR THE ANNUAL CHESHIRE ACADEMY GOLF CLASSIC Join alumni, parents, faculty and staff on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 for the Annual Cheshire Academy Golf Classic, held at The Farms Country Club in Wallingford, Connecticut.

During this day of relaxing golf and exciting contests, golfers will have the chance to win a brand new car in the hole-in-one challenge, or golf merchandise in one of the closestto-the-pin competitions. After golf, we invite all players and their guests to a cocktail reception and raffle. Prizes include autographed memorabilia, New York Yankees and Red Sox baseball tickets and opportunities to play golf around Connecticut.

Money raised from the tournament supports Cheshire Academy’s Annual Fund, which is directed toward everyday educational costs such as financial aid, academic resources, faculty support, athletic programs, theater equipment, musical instruments, and more.

Join us at this annual event in support of Cheshire Academy.

For more information on event details or sponsorship opportunities please visit cheshireacademy.org/golfclassic or call Christian Malerba ’04 at 203-439-7276.

CHESHIREACADEMY.ORG/GOLFCLASSIC

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Foundations

FUTURES

Roxbury School early 1930s

T he Ac ademy challenges it s s tudent s to ma ximize their potential by developing the conf idence, charac ter, and cr itic al thinking skills that enable them to thr ive as global citizens, ensur ing a br ight f uture for our communit y and the greater wor ld. Your suppor t of the Cheshire Ac ademy A nnual Fund makes this and so much more pos sible.

GIVE TODAY!

w w w.cheshireacademy.org /foundations

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RING THE BELL Fall Sports

Girls' volleyball wins New England title Cheshire Academy’s girls volleyball team capped an 18-game winning streak in late November by bringing home the school’s first Class B championship. The 3-2 victory against Middlesex School (MA) was a fitting end to an impressive season for the Cats. They clinched the title in a hard-fought five-game match: 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 20-25,19-17.

"They've been our rivals for years," head coach Tom Brady said. "You look at our championship banners, our only losses those years are to them. We would have had two undefeated seasons if it wasn't for this team. Our offensive middles were unbelievable. For our seniors, this was our last chance to play them because we don't play them in the postseason, so it was special."

Middle hitters Alexis Holmes ’18 and Desiree Parker ’18 provided the Cats with a devastating one-two punch up front. Sydney Racevicius ’18 was a huge addition as well. The team’s only loss was in the first game of the regular season against Choate Rosemary Hall (CT).

Cats football cruises to successful season Cheshire Academy continued to establish itself as a regional football power last fall. The Cats compiled an 8-1 mark polished off by a 26-0 shutout against Worcester Academy in Massachusetts.

Their only loss came to Virginia power Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, a program that plays top teams across the nation.

“It just makes a statement about the quality of students we have, what we’re doing here and how hard we work,” said Associate Head of School and head coach Dave Dykeman. “I couldn’t be prouder of them. We traveled down to Virginia with 38 guys, nine of whom are freshmen. And our guys competed right to the end with a team that’s playing a national schedule. I think it makes a statement and it was a great effort.”

Players like quarterback Josh Comune ’19, running back Jared Martino ’19 and wide receiver Bryce Sebastian ’19 led a high-powered offense this past season. Kevin Bruce ’18 (headed to Princeton), Zach Spencer ’18 (Fordham), Malachi Burby ’19 (Wake Forest commit) and Cristos Argys ’18 (Holy Cross) highlighted a stifling defense. Josh Jobe (headed to Alabama) also earned U.S. Army AllAmerican honors. Meanwhile, Joe Tacopina provided the Cats with a reliable leg on special teams.

He will kick at Temple next season.

Expect another promising season next year, as Cheshire Academy returns a ton of talent.

Ice hockey holds own in prestigious MPHL The Cats held their own in the prestigious MPHL, a league made up of prep powers mainly from the Midwest and Canada. Cheshire Academy was the only Connecticut team in the league. Josh Waters ’19 finished tied for 13th in the league with 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) and the Cats knocked off Rice Memorial 5-0 to record an MPHL playoff victory.

Cheshire Academy closed out its season with a trip to the Academy East Hockey League finals. The Cats played games at Yale’s historic Ingalls Rink in New Haven, the Mullins Center in Massachusetts, the sixth-largest venue in college hockey, and the historic 1932 Olympic Rink in Lake Placid.

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Turkmen leads fiFIeld hockey Who knew the Netherlands, the small country in Northwestern Europe, is a field hockey factory? Feize Turkmen ’18 is an example of a power house player who developed there. She grew up around the sport and has played it for a number of years. The tiny nation has made a big splash at the Olympics, capturing eight field hockey medals, including three gold. With Turkmen’s arrival on campus, Cheshire Academy has reaped the benefits.

“She’s got a great shot and she’s a great stick handler,” head coach Sam Cieri said. “She’s just overall a solid player.” Turkmen has posted four goals and seven assists last season.

Girls' soccer boasts bright future A young Cheshire Academy girl's soccer team showed promise this past season.

In a 3-1 win over Westover School CT, a trio of freshmen – Maddie Silano '21, Emma Paradis '21 and Reese Purdy '21 – all scored to lead the Cats to the victory.

A handful of younger players picked up valuable experience and the Cats appear to have a bright future. Meanwhile, Tara Lynch ’18 and Olivia Betancourt ’18 came up with big plays and offered leadership. Jadyn Reilly ’18, a postgraduate, was also a key player. Bri Bavaro ’20 provided the Cats with a reliable goalkeeper all season.

Boys' soccer squares off against top teams in region Athletic Director and head coach Ed Banach makes sure his teams play high-level competition. The Cheshire Academy boys’ soccer schedule featured a handful of the best teams in New England, including nationally ranked South Kent School (CT). The Cats knocked off Hopkins School (CT), the No. 6 team in New England, 1-0 in a big win for the program last October. The Academy also upset The Masters School (NY) who were 17-1 coming into the game. Luca Mazzella ’19 tallied a team-high seven goals. It is also worth noting the superb goalkeeper play of Owen Kempton ’19, who led the USA Juniors Boys' Soccer Team to a gold medal over the summer at the World Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Boys’, girls’ cross country enjoyED solid year Yuanhao (Dale) Jin ’19 was the top runner for the boys team this past season.

His performance was highlighted with an 11th-place finish at the Chase Collegiate (CT) Invitational, a fifth-place finish in a meet against Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA) and a seventh-place mark at the Hamden Hall Country Day School, Pomfret and Canterbury School meets. (All CT schools.)

Julia Dattilo ’21 made an immediate impact for the girls’ cross country team in her first season. She placed third in a tri-meet with Hamden Hall and Williams School (both CT). She also came in fourth in a meet against Canterbury School. the magazine of cheshire academy

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winter Sports Girls’ basketball wins NEGBL title The Cheshire Academy girls’ basketball team continued to show that it is a program on the rise in the NEPSAC. The Cats (17-9) won the inaugural New England Girls Basketball League title, the Westover Classic Holiday Tournament and just missed out on a Class B playoff berth. Des Parker ’18 and Kyla Raccio ’19 were both selected to play in the Class B All-Star Game.

A balanced scoring attack and suffocating defensive pressure keyed the Cats successful year.

The core of this year’s team will return next year and head coach Jeff Allen is hopeful the Cats will challenge for a Class B title.

Boys’ basketball produces college talent The Cheshire Academy boys’ basketball team struggled, finishing 5-23. But there was a silver lining for the Cats. Kevin Buckley ’18 is headed to Manhattan, Will Ellis ’18 will play at Central Connecticut State and TJ Rountree ’18 signed on to play at Adelphi, which highlight the list of college-bound basketball players from the Academy.

Ellis, Rountree and John Kelly ’19 all earned NEPSAC Class AA honorable mention honors.

The Cats played a highly competitive schedule which featured many of the top programs in the region filled with high- to midmajor Division I talent. Expect the Cats to bounce back in a big way next season. Cheshire Academy returns several talented juniors.

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Girls’ swimming breaks records This year’s girls swimming team rewrote the school record book, eclipsing several marks in the pool.

Mia Leko ’18, who will swim at Dartmouth, set school records in the 200 freestyle (1:51.20), 100 freestyle (53.51) and 500 freestyle (4:57.51).

Jenna Molnar ’18 now holds the school mark in the 200 IM (2:10.79). The relay team of Leko, Molnar, Courtney Cail ’19 and Mikayla Wollen ’18 set a Cats record in the 200 medley relay (1:52.54), 200 freestyle relay (1:43.95) and the 400 freestyle (3:43.35).

That freestyle team won the 200 medley relay at the NEPSAC Division III Championships, leading the Academy to a third place finish.

On the boys’ side, Alec Eyckeler ’21, Dante Ornato-Giano ’20, Josh Comune ’19 and Trevor Hampson ’20 took 8th in the 200 freestyle at the NEPSAC Championships.

Skiing competes in CISL The Cats ski team enjoyed a solid season in the Connecticut Interscholastic Ski League, the largest high school ski-racing league in the state.

The Cats were led by Dylan Jia ’19 on the boys side. Jia posted a combined time of 48.57. Ellie Rokuskova was the Cats top racer on the girls side with a time of 51.51.

Craley ‘21 places 3rd at state fencing championships Thomas Craley ’21 led the Cheshire Academy fencing team to another strong season. Craley put together an impressive run at the Junior Olympic Fencing Championships, placing 48th out of nearly 300 of the best rising fencers in the world. He followed that up with a third-place finish in the foil division at the varsity state championships.

Jack Palmer ’18 capped a solid career by finishing 40th and Howe Leigh ’18 came in 48th for the Cats. The Academy finished 5-1 in the regular season and have won 18 of its last 19 matches.

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spring Sports Baseball records perfect regular season The Cheshire Academy baseball team continued its dominance on the diamond this spring. The Cats finished the regular season 11-0, won the WNEPBL Cleary Division and went on to reach their third straight league final. The Cats eventually fell 5-2 to a strong Salisbury team, but it was still an impressive season for Cheshire Academy.

Gavin Sullivan ’18, who is headed to Stetson, earned Cleary Division Pitcher of the Year honors, while Brennan Chisholm ’18, who will play at Central Connecticut State University, earned Cleary Division coPlayer of the Year honors. Thirteen players on the Cats roster will play college baseball next season.

Softball continues a winning tradition The Cheshire Academy softball team suffered a heartbreaking loss on a walk-off two-run home run against St. Luke’s in its season opener.

But as head coach Sam Cieri said, that woke her team right up. The Cats rattled off 13 straight wins to finish with a 14-1-1 mark, the program’s best record in over a decade. The WNEPGSA Class B tournament was cancelled due to weather and as a result, Cheshire Academy has been declared regular season champions and won its second straight Class B title. The title is the Cats fourth over the last six seasons.

Golf posts winning season Cheshire Academy’s golf team posted its first winning season in over a decade. The Cats won matches against Marianapolis Prep (twice), Forman and Chase Collegiate.

The addition of Jake Walling ’18, the Cats top golfer, and the strong play of No. 2 Jayden Xu ’19 keyed the successful year. Cheshire Academy returns five of its top six golfers next season.

Boys' lacrosse continues recent success The Cats posted another winning season, finishing the year with an 8-4 mark. Cheshire Academy won five of six during one stretch. A strong group of upperclassmen blended well with a talented group of young players. John Fox ’18 (St. Bonaventure) and Nick Zukauskas ’18 (Lynn University) led the offense, while goalie Matt Perrotti ’18 (Wagner) anchored the defense. Ethan Benjamin ’20, along with players like Christian Decker ’21 and Dean Bauchiero ’21 made an immediate impact.

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Girls' lacrosse reaches Class B Invitational Tournament The Cats won 10 of their final 11 regular season games to secure a spot in the Class B Invitational Tournament. A resilient Cheshire Academy squad battled a comeback but fell short in a loss to Greens Farms Academy in the quarterfinals.

Rachel Abraham ’18, who is headed to Longwood and is Cheshire Academy’s first female Division I lacrosse player, eclipsed the 100-goal mark for her career.

Izzy Crane ’18 was another major offensive factor. She poured in nine goals in a win over The Gunnery. Abraham and Crane were both selected to the Class B all-star team.

The Cats finished 14-4 which marked the program’s highest win total in over 10 years.

Boys' tennis qualifies for Class A Tournament Coming off a 10-1 regular season, the Cats looked destined to make a run in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament. But the Cats were without No. 2 singles player Arnas Sabonis ’18 because of an injury and Cheshire Academy fell 4-3 to Choate in the quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, it was still another impressive season under longtime head coach Chip Boyd. Casey Kania ’20 was dominant playing out of the top singles spot. Sabonis, along with Shriram Murali ’18, Cam Davis-Kania ’19, Kartik Erodula ’20 and Jacob Lebowitz ’19 helped key a successful campaign.

Girls' tennis wins matches over Chase, Gunnery Cheshire Academy knocked off a solid Gunnery squad, 4-3, and followed with a 7-0 sweep of Chase in the Cats two wins this season.

They finished 2-5. Elena Miko ’19 and Mazie Lebowitz ’19 were the top players for Cheshire Academy and both are set to return.

Holmes breaks two records; Cats place 4th at Track and Field championships Alexis Holmes ’18 made her final Cheshire Academy track and field meet a memorable one, setting a pair of NEPSAC records. Holmes set school and NEPSAC records in the 100 (12.63) and the 400 (53.95) at the NEPSTA Division III Championships.

Holmes, who will run at Penn State, also won the 200 with a time of 24.86. She set the school and NEPSAC mark in that event as a sophomore. The Cats girls' track and field team placed fourth out of 23 teams in team scoring. Kamila Zygadlo ’19 came in fourth in the shot put (31-00.50) and fourth in the discus with an 88-10 mark.

On the boys side, Jameson Hardy ’19 finished fifth in the pole vault (11-00). Cristos Argys ’18 dominated the long jump for the Cats, winning the event at several meets during the regular season. the magazine of cheshire academy

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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS FACEBOOK.COM/CHESHIREACADEMY

“

They have been unbelievable.

They light up this whole campus.

It's so, so moving to see everyone get involved.

"

- Jenifer Walsh, Cheshire’s Lights of Hope VP about Cheshire Academy

CHECK US OUT ON @CHESHIREACADEMYTV CHESHIREACADEMY1794

@CACATS1794

@CHESHIREACADEMY

A l a b a m a f o o t b a l l c o a c h N i c k S a b a n c a m e C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o o u r 12 s t u d e n t- a t h l e t e s d o w n t o C A f o r 4 - s t a r r e c r u i t J o s h J o b e. w h o s i g n e d t h e i r # N L I t o d a y!

But it turned out to be a special moment for #SigningDay many s tudent s at CA . #RollTide

To d a y w e c e l e b r a t e t h e C l a s s o f 2 018 o n N a t i o n a l C o l l e g e D e c i s i o n D a y. # D e c i s i o n D a y2 018

@CHESHIREACADEMY # twinday

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#dayof thegirl

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ALUMNI FO U N DAT I O N S & FU T U R E S I N AC T I O N

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REUNION

THANK YOU FOR COMING HOME, CHESHIRE ACADEMY. Our Reunion Weekend was a record-breaking success, drawing over 200 alumni and friends for a weekend filled with great events.

Alumni gathered on May 4 at the Farms Country Club for a night of cocktails and reconnecting. A few miles away on the Cheshire Academy campus, former players dusted off their lacrosse sticks for the annual Alumni Lacrosse game in honor of Kevin Tyska ’82 and Michael Sage ’98.

The Class of 1968 celebrated its 50th Reunion on May 5. Former classmates shared fond memories and stories during a lunch at the O’Connor House hosted by Head of School Julie Anderson. Teachers Ray Cirmo and Eric Sacco provided a back-to-the-classroom experience for alumni, art teacher Karleen Kubat hosted an art station, and Senior Master Bob Gardiner guided trolley tours of the old Cheshire Academy campus.

A ceremony followed honoring this year’s Kevin Slaughter Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, along with the inaugural Arts and Letters Hall of Fame induction.

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Andrew Fezza ’72, an award-winning menswear designer, has been honored as the first inductee of the Cheshire Academy Arts & Letters Hall of Fame.

“It’s really an honor to be the first recipient of the Arts and Letters Hall of Fame,” said Fezza, who grew up in Hamden. “As a student I really didn’t realize the impact Cheshire Academy would have on me at the time.”

Retail stores such as Barney’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman picked up his fashion line in the early 1980s, which led to the formation of Andrew Fezza Ltd. Fezza, soon became instrumental in the formation of the Designer’s Collective and had earned a number of awards, including the coveted CFDA Award for Menswear, the Coty Fashion Award, and two Cutty Sark Awards for excellence in Menswear design. The business rapidly grew through licensing and joint ventures.

Fezza has been described by some as the Giorgio Armani of America.

At Cheshire Academy, he was an active member of the Rolling Stone Yearbook Committee, Horizons Arts and Literacy Magazine, the school newspaper and vicepresident of the Art Club. Fezza helped organize the first Arts Weekend at Cheshire Academy in 1972, inviting many musicians and artists to campus to perform for the student body.

On the athletic side, A former WNBA player, two former boys’ basketball teammates and a standout lacrosse player were the 2018 Cheshire Academy Kevin D. Slaughter Memorial Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.

Nare Diawara ’03, Chad Nelson ’93, Deron Rippey ’93 and Robert LoRicco ’78 were inducted into Cheshire Academy's Athletic Hall of Fame on May 5.

Diawara averaged a triple-double (24 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks) and led the Cats to a 19-3. After a stellar collegiate career at Virginia Tech, Diawara was selected 30th overall by the San Antonio Silver Stars in the 2007 WNBA draft.

In his one season with the Cats, Nelson, a guard, was voted co-captain of the team and earned first team all-tournament honors during a prep-school basketball tournament in Montreal. Nelson went on to a stellar career at San Diego University finishing with 1,225 points, 412 assists and 174 steals. He averaged a double-double for three consecutive seasons for the Aztecs.

His teammate, Deron Rippey, led the Cats in scoring during his two seasons at Cheshire Academy. He finished his career with over 1,000 points and helped the Cats to their first Montreal Holiday Tournament title. Rippey was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and an AllNEPSAC selection. Rippey went on to play at East Carolina and Eastern New Mexico.

LoRicco was a talented multi-sport athlete at Cheshire Academy. He was a four-year football player, four-year varsity swimmer and fouryear standout lacrosse player. He twice earned All-New England honors for lacrosse.

“There’s a heck of a tradition here,” LoRicco said. “I appreciate this award. It’s an honor to be selected into the hall of fame.”

A great weekend of events culminated with cocktails, a sushi bar and dinner stations at the Gideon Welles Dining Commons. Check out a highlight video and photo galleries at https://bit.ly/2rUAIYX.

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J

ames VAN Der Beek

School days started for James Van Der Beek ’95 as they would for any average Cheshire Academy student. He’d wake up, eat breakfast and head to class. But right before lunch, the crunch began for Van Der Beek and continued long into the evening.

In the early afternoon, he drove to New Haven to catch a train to Manhattan. Van Der Beek got some of his school work done during the nearly two-hour ride before he boarded a subway to a rehearsal studio.

Several hours later, he was back on Metro North heading home. While others were snoozing, the teen-aged Van Der Beek studied his lines on a train full of commuters in business suits.

He got home around 10 p.m. and did his writing assignments, which he couldn’t do on the train because the ride was too bumpy. Van Der Beek then slept for a few hours, woke up, and did it all over again the next day.

“I had a passion,” Van Der Beek said. “It’s something that I knew I wanted to do, that I needed to do. I still marvel that, for 1 ½ years, I would make trips to New York and have nothing to show for it. I told myself, the industry just didn’t get me yet.”

He finally received his break during his junior year at the Academy. Van 36

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Der Beek landed a role as Fergus in the New York City premiere of Edward Albee’s play, “Finding the Sun” performed by the Signature Theater Company. His performance drew a rave review from the New York Times.

“Not all the cast members can handle the dialogue, which is as much composed as written,” the review read. “But Mary Beth Peil, Monique Fowler and Brendan Corbalis can, and James Van Der Beek is refreshingly unselfconscious as a teenager yet to suffer the inevitable tarnish.”

He remembers seeing his theater teacher, Shelley Taylor-Boyd, reading the review after lunch one day.

“That was a great reward for anyone who supported me,” Van Der Beek said. “It was great justification for all their support and patience.”

That performance in the 160seat Peter Norton Space theater served as the launching pad for what has been a successful acting career for Van Der Beek.

He’s best known for his lead role in the iconic teen television drama “Dawson’s Creek,” which aired for six seasons, and his award-winning performance in the movie “Varsity Blues.” He’s also enjoyed a long list of other versatile roles during his career.

Van Der Beek is now starring as a superstar DJ in the VICELAND television comedy “What Would Diplo Do?” He’s also the voice of Boris Hauntley, in this season’s Disney Junior’s cartoon, “Vampirina.” (Van Der Beek’s daughter brags about it, he said, and makes him do the voice in

front of her friends). He also plays an anesthesiologist in the film “Downsizing,” which hit theaters last December. Van Der Beek also appeared in an episode of “Modern Family” and will play a financial kingpin in a new FX show, “Pose.”

Van Der Beek, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children, says he’s at a point in his career now where he can afford to take only the projects he really loves. He says he wants to get back to doing some theater. He’s also enjoying show running and producing.

He’s come a long way since starring as Danny Zuko in the Academy production of “Grease” in the Gideon Welles Dining Commons. Boyd remembers seeing Van Der Beek for the first time in the Cheshire Youth Theater productions of “Wizard of Oz” and “Grease.”

“He was spot on for everything,” she recalled, noting that he wasn’t even in high school yet.

“The way he moved his body, the way he interpreted his role,” Boyd said, “I went right up to his mother after the show and told her that he was going to be a big star."

Brian Canell ’95, a classmate of Van Der Beek’s, was a cast member in the Academy production of “Grease.” He was impressed with how Van Der Beek balanced school work and his budding acting career. While a student, he was filming “Angus,” his feature film debut, and performed eight shows a week at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut during his senior year.

“Somehow he managed to handle all that,” Canell said. “He never seemed to let that bother him. His attitude was, 'this is what I’m doing, this is what I have to do, to make this work.’ I was amazed by how effortless it seemed for him. He just had that sort of enthusiasm and ambition that you knew he was going to take off.”

Cheshire Academy was very supportive through the process, Van Der Beek said. His teachers were flexible and worked with him. Van Der Beek, a Town Scholar, did his part and kept his grades up. He graduated No. 2 in his class.

When he was in New York, teachers allowed him to fax in his homework and term papers.

“Please send to Mr. Gardiner” one assignment read, as a bunch of curled up paper passed through Bowden Hall’s fax machine.

“Cheshire Academy really came through in supporting me,” Van Der Beek said. “It meant missing class time and they worked with me. Had I gone to Cheshire High School, and it’s a very good school, I don’t think it would have been possible. They respected what I was trying to do and gave me support and encouragement.

I’m very thankful.”

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CHRISTIAN ROSSELLI ’00

THE EVERYMAN VOICE

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Christian Rosselli ’00 had a Fisher-Price cassette recorder growing up. It was beige with brown buttons, white lettering and a plastic handle, he recalled. Rosselli loved recording his voice and then playing back the tape. He would do it over and over again. If he saw his father’s microcassette recorder laying around the house, Rosselli would pick it up and do the same.

“The technology of it, replicating my voice,” he said. “That, to me, was pretty astounding.

They were fixtures of my childhood growing up.” Who knew a toy tape recorder would allow Rosselli’s career to come full circle as a professional voiceover artist.

Rosselli specializes in what is called the “Everyman Voice.” He can be the casual guy next door, connected and caring or conversational. His voice is versatile, as is demonstrated by how he pitches and changes his voice. From breath to breath, Rosselli can go from sounding deep and edgy to then old to young.

He is the voice of United Healthcare, and has also done work for Reebok, Kellogg’s and Samsung. His voice has been featured on a wide variety of platforms, ranging from television, radio and internet commercials to political ads, documentaries and more.

“I love being able to be a part of the creative process,” Rosselli said. “Being able to tell the story but also elevate the brand you’re talking about and bring that brand’s message to life.”

Growing up, Rosselli enjoyed doing impersonations of family members at family functions. He tells the story about the time he playfully impersonated Gerald Larson, former Cheshire Academy Head of School, at a school lunch.“Everyone was laughing,” he remembers.

Shelley Taylor-Boyd, former artistic director of the school’s theater program, said it was students like Rosselli who set the foundation for a thriving theater program.

She describes Rosselli as a musically gifted student who immediately became an integral part of theater at Cheshire Academy. He landed starring roles in shows like “Brigadoon,” “Oliver” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”

more and more, he decided to give it a try.

Rosselli started to take lessons and then eventually put together a demo and pitched it. Agents took an interest and bookings came trickling in.

Rosselli was also a talented jazz saxophonist.

As a young teen he went to downtown New Haven and played at jazz clubs. TaylorBoyd and her husband, Senior Master and Theory of Knowledge teacher Chip Boyd, would go down to Chapel and College Streets to watch him play.

Cheshire Academy was the foundation for it all. Rosselli shared some of his memories from school, like going to Bob Gardiner’s AP English class 15 minutes early so the two could listen to jazz together. They would play records and CDs and talk about the music. Taylor-Boyd was influential as

A corporate video for Sharp Electronics Corporation was his first major booking about seven years ago, he said. It would be the first of many.

H I S V O I C E . . . " WA S M A G N I F I C E N T EVEN AS A KID.

DISTINCTIVE AND MEMORABLE.” - Shelley Taylor-Boyd As for his voice, “it was magnificent, even as a kid,” Taylor-Boyd described. “Distinctive and memorable.”

After graduating from Ithaca College, Rosselli envisioned himself as a casting director in Hollywood. He landed a position at a casting office in New York City. It seemed to be a promising start. He bounced around from different entertainment positions before finding a home at a major production company's casting and production department. Rosselli dealt with agents and managers on a daily basis and many suggested he should pursue a career as a voiceover artist. After hearing that

well. She encouraged Rosselli to act and develop his craft.

“That’s where I had my foundation,” Rosselli said. “It was the root of passion - music, literature - it all stems from the atmosphere Cheshire Academy teachers created and fostered throughout my time there.”

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CHIP NAMIA

LAW SCHOOL LEFT ON THE SIDELINES FOR SPORTS PR CAREER

CHIP NAMIAS ’73 INTENDED ON

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GOING TO LAW SCHOOL — OR AT LEAST THAT WAS THE PLAN. “MY PARENTS TOLD ME AT A YOUNG AGE I SHOULD BE A LAWYER BECAUSE I WAS GOOD AT TALKING PEOPLE INTO THINGS,” HE RECALLED. Namias was headed to South Texas College of Law Houston after graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. That summer, Namias stayed with his mother in Memphis, and looked for a job to make some extra money before heading off to law school.

He reached out to the public relations director of the Memphis Rogues, a new franchise at the time in the North American Soccer League, for a job in the department. The Rogues hired Namias. It would only be temporary, he thought. Namias didn’t know much about soccer, so he went to a library and

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started researching. The sport and the job grew on him. Then nine days before the start of law school, he changed his mind and decided to give public relations a try.

“My parents weren’t happy,” he said. “I wanted to chase a sports public relations job and see where that led.”

Well, needless to say it has worked out pretty well for Namias.

He’s had a very successful career in the public relations industry. Namias worked for professional soccer teams and served as head of public relations for three NFL franchises before launching his own firm in 1988; the Los Angeles-based Athlete & Event Sports Public Relations.

Along the way, Namias found a niche he didn’t know existed.

He began doing public relations for sports-themed movies.

“Studios know everything about the entertainment world and media, but not sports,” he said. “That’s where I come in.”

Namias has promoted films like “The Blindside,” “Glory Road,” “Bad News Bears” and several others. He’s enjoyed working with celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson, Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Garner.

The most recent film he worked on was “Battle of the Sexes,” a movie based on the legendary 1973 tennis match between former male Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs and female tennis star Billie Jean King in which King won. Emma Stone (King) and Steve Carell (Riggs) star in the movie, which has made more than $17 million since it opened in September.

“It’s hard to explain what a big deal that was,” said Namias about the original match in 1973. “To see that made into a film 45 years later and to capture the personalities and those times, and what was going on in the country at that time, and having lived through it, it was really fun to be a part of that.”

Namias’ biggest strength is his contacts in sports media. A savvy and proven media strategist, he promoted the movie to national and local media ranging from print and television to radio and tennis niche outlets.

Los Angeles Times writer Glenn Whipp called the film a “crowd-pleasing Oscar contender.” “It’s game, set and match for “Battle of the Sexes”, a massively entertaining account of the momentous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter’s writer Todd McCarthy.

Namias told the story about how he reached out to his contacts Jennifer Garner and Namias at a sporting event

at Sports Illustrated pushing for a cover story on the movie. Only two covers in the magazine’s 63-year history were related to a movie, he explained. Namias was persistent and Sports Illustrated planned to do a cover shoot of Stone and King at the U.S. Open with the top tennis reporter writing the story.

But Sloane Stephens, an unranked American tennis player, won the women’s U.S. Open.

The magazine featured Stephens the week before the “Battle of the Sexes” was scheduled to do so. Namias knew that Sports Illustrated wouldn’t run tennis covers in back-to-back weeks, so instead he worked with the magazine to publish a five-page story with a portrait photo of Stone and King together.

was the public relations director for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, Houston Oilers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As president of his one-man company, Namias handles publicity for an array of sports products. He did public relations for billionaire Robert McNair, who brought football back to Houston with the Houston Texans, and Namias has also helped a number of former coaches and players land broadcast deals.

“Sometimes I feel like it happened to someone else,” Namias said. “Coaches, athletes, movie stars, legends of broadcasting, it’s been a great experience.”

Paramount Pictures gave Namias his first project in 2005 with “The Longest Yard.” His work caught the attention of Adam Sandler’s film company, Happy Madison Productions, which soon hired him and projects began to flow in after that.

At Cheshire Academy, his two biggest interests were sports and journalism. English teacher Rosanne (Balough) Ferraro ’74 remembers Namias as humorous and athletic.

Everyone knew him, she said. Namias was the co-captain of the baseball team, played basketball and was also the editor of Midpoint, the school newspaper.

His bread and butter, though, is sports. Namias

He wasn’t a fan of having to wear a jacket and

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tie every day, Namias joked, but he appreciated the school’s small class sizes and the personal attention, as well as the social and club activities that may not have been available at a larger school.

“He had a presence about him,” Ferraro said.

“Everyone liked him. You knew he was going to do something special.”

New Alumni Leadership Association Names its President Frank C. Trotta III ’05 has been selected as president for the newly formed Academy group, “Alumni Leadership Association.” In his role, he will promote volunteer and financial support and serve as a facilitator to bolster alumni engagement with the Academy. Trotta will also support collaboration between alumni for events, initiatives and programs.

Trotta, is the president and CEO of UrbanMaidGreen Cleaning in New York, which has been named the #1 Green Cleaning company in New York Magazine's Best of New York. He credits Cheshire Academy for giving him the confidence to go forward and become a successful young entrepreneur.

Trotta graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2009 with a B.S. in Business Management.

In six years, he has expanded his company to about 150 employees. UMG Cleaning now has offices in Manhattan and Long Island, and supplies environmentally safe, residential, commercial and post construction cleaning in New York City’s five boroughs, New Jersey and Long Island.

He resides in Manhattan with his wife, Jessica.

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EVENTS J O I N H E A D O F SC H O O L J U L I E A N D E R SO N A N D S PE C I A L C H E S H I R E AC A D E M Y G U E S T S AT O N E O F O U R U P CO M I N G R E C E P T I O N S .

Please contact Christian Malerba ’04 at christian.malerba@cheshireacademy.org with any questions, or if you would like to host or help organize.

FA LL 2018 CH E SH I R E AC A DE M Y GO LF CL A SSI C Tuesday, July 17 Farms Country Club; Wallingford, CT

A LU M N I & PA R E NT R ECE P T I O NS Dates to be Confirmed Asia, Washington, D.C., Florida, North Carolina

FA M I LY W E E K E N D/H O M ECO M I N G October 12 – 13 Cheshire Academy Campus A LU M N I & PA R E NT W I NTE R R ECE P T I O N Thursday, December 6 Cheshire Academy Campus

PHONEATHON Students at a Thank-athon last fall made over 600 calls to thank CA donors. They had an opportunity to talk with many Alumni and hear about their experiences when they were here as a student. Many of the students would like to come back again and help in Development & Alumni Relations.

NEW HAVEN Young Alumni Event in June, 2017

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W H E R E W E’ V E B E E N 1 HOMECOMING Senior Masters Emeritus Bob Gardiner and Bevan Dupre '69 2 D.C. Alumni gather for an evening event at The Graham, Georgetown 3 D.C. Shannon Rickler '12 and Tommy Cavaliere '15 4 MASSACHUSETTS Barbara Davis and Saul Nirenberg '42 5 SHENZHEN

6

7

Host Mr. Yong Wang and Mrs. Guoqin Ji. Parents of Zehan “David” Wang ‘19 6 D.C. Leah Stancil and Michael Cady '04 7 HOMECOMING Chris Ferraro, Ian Wiggins '10, Cory Jusudowich '13 and Emma Gailey '14

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class notes

Student illustration from Rolling Stone yearbook 1912

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1940 S ’47

L e w H o l l a n d e r was featured

in the “BBC Two” series called “The Secrets of the Human Body. In it, the hosts discuss how the 87-year-old athlete continues to break records. His latest accomplishment is his completion of the “Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon” For more information go to w w w.bbc.co.uk.

’49

B o b Tr e a t has lived in Arizona since he graduated from the Academy.

Af ter teaching math at a high school for 23 years, he is now retired. His wife, Sally to whom he was married for 33 years, passed away from cancer. He has been remarried for 26 years to Stephanie. He has four daughters. Bob ser ved in the Marines at the end of the Korean War.

1950s

’61

Pe t e St a n t o n has been retired

’61

St eve To b i n and his wife live half

for 10 years. He worked in sales and management for 40 years in California for the hospital supply industr y. He and his wife have been married for 44 years and have three grandsons. His daughter and son both attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Pete writes that he still enjoys working out and of ten sees Howie Frank ’60 at their fitness club.

of the year in Florida and the other half in the Berkshire Mountains. They have nine grandchildren.

’62

B i l l O p p e n h e i m e r is on the board of direc tors for Meals on Wheels, which is his favorite charity. He has 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

He has taught Sunday school for 10 years.

’6 4

B o b Sve n s k has recently

embarked on establishing a trade finance fund called Expor ters Credit Corporation and a Bermuda based under writing company called Trade Credit Under writers ( TCU).

He remains in Southpor t, Connec ticut and continues to row, with the highlight of that ac tivity being a 50th reunion row with his teammates from Wesleyan in the 2015 Head of the Charles Regatta. This was also the 26th time they have rowed in this event.

’ 59 B a r r y B a ldw i n

Ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey

1960 S ’61

R i c h a r d K a l i n a writes that the positive values he was taught at the Academy have guided him for the last 50 years. He said the teachers, mentors and Ar thur Sherif f and his family have helped him find a positive balance to his life.

His principal outside interests at the moment are with the Connec ticut Trust for Historic Preser vation, the Connec ticut Humanities Council and the Southpor t Conser vancy, all of which have the objec tive of making Connec ticut a better place to live and work. “In shor t, life is good,” he said.

’65

Countr y Playhouse. He and his wife Janey, a former Jof frey ballerina, have relocated to Goleta, California, where Janey works for the Music Academy of the West.

’6 6

A n d y A b e l e s is a realtor in Southern California. He is enjoys square dancing and hosts a number of social media pages on YouTube and Facebook about his interest.

1970 S ’ 70

G a r y A n d e r s o n recently joined the board of direc tors of the Mercy Learning Center in Bridgepor t, Connec ticut. The center opened in 1987 to provide life-training skills to lowincome women.

’ 72

M a r c S c h l a t h e r and his wife sold their home in Virginia in 2016 and spent 15 months in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He calls it their “pre-retirement gap year.” They returned home in September and began looking for a new residence.

Despite having previously enjoyed living in the Washington, D.C. area, they chose to relocate to Atlanta.

Ke n C a m p b e l l recently

per formed in a produc tion of Romeo and Juliet at the Westpor t (Connec ticut)

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’97

R i c a r d o G r e e r recently joined

the University of Day ton (Ohio) as an assistant basketball coach for the Flyers.

He previously was the direc tor of play development at the University of Central Florida. Greer played for the University of Pittsburgh (1997-20 01), professionally for the Dominican Republic national team, and for a number of teams in Europe. He and his wife, Misty, have two children.

1980 S ’ 81

Pe t e r D o l a n currently resides

outside of Aspen, Colorado with his wonder ful wife Julie and two great kids; daughter Riley (15), and son Jamie (13).

"Big shout out to Bev Dupre (I know he has retired) who got me star ted in Lacrosse, which I played in College and still coach to this day. Both my kids love the game, and are way better at it then I was!

2000 S ’03

W i l l O' Ke e f e was recently appointed as the development direc tor for Bader Development in Minneapolis, St. Paul. The company oversees projec t direc tion and coordination from pre-development to completion of construc tion.

While I was only at Cheshire for a PG year, it was the best thing that could have come into my life at the young age of 18 and helped change my academic and social trajec tor y for the better."

The great love, guidance, and suppor t provided by the Cheshire Academy Family, was exac tly the per fec t recipe for a clueless 18 year old boy, looking for some direc tion and a way to excel in life.

Keep up the good work.

1990 S ’ 91

A d a m S m i t h writes that his wife

of four years, who is from Peru, recently received her Green Card. They live in Fair field where Adam works for Uber.

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’07

Ph i l Q u i s t was recently named to Forbes Magazine's "30 Under 30" music list for 2018. He is an agent for Creative Ar tists Agency where he oversees East Coast booking for the agency's elec tronic music genre. He helped sign the "Chainsmokers," and several other emerging ar tists. He studied finance at Southern Methodist University and spent one year on Wall Street before moving to his current profession.

IN MEMORIAM ’06

A l ex M e d n i c k and his wife

Stephanie welcomed a baby boy on Oc tober 16, 2017. Hunter Boone Mednick joins his big sister, Ballarose, as the newest member of the family.

Alex writes that his company, Mednick Landscape, recently celebrated its fif th year of business.

’06

A l ex a n d r a Vo g e l S z l a s a

and her husband, Ross, welcomed

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a baby boy, Peter Howard Szlasa on Oc tober 23, 2017.

1940s

David Hannegan ’44 Mar vin Kochman ’44

1950s

Donald Hughes ’ 56 Thomas Evans ’ 57 Jimmy (Stathis) Orphanos ’ 58

1960s

Roger Mezitt ’63

1980s

Steven Visser ’ 87

is a 2017 graduate of Moravian College where he received a Bachelor of Ar ts degree in political science with an international focus.

’07

J u l i e R o b l e s made her of f-

Broadway debut in the show “My Big Gay Italian Midlife Crisis” in Januar y at The Theater Center in New York.

’12

Ro b e r t Pu s z k a was recently awarded a fellowship through Atlas Corps to teach English for the Colombian Ministr y of Education. He

’15

J a s o n L e e is studying film and

’ 16

C h e l s e a P. E s p i n o s a recently

television produc tion at New York University's Tisch School of the Ar ts.

He also works as a freelance ar tist, specializing in photography and cinematography. Lee’s film “Blank Slate: Adaptation” was an of ficial selec tion of the 2016 Big Apple Film Festival.

Lee direc ted, wrote, filmed and edited the piece. His film “False Awakening,” received an Award of Merit in the “Accolade Global Film Competition,” and was an of ficial selec tion in the Asean International Film Festival & Awards.

Intersec tional Approach to Mental Health Care Access." She met with representatives from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Somali Development Center and Har vard Medical School. Chelsea is working to fur ther her knowledge about how to break down the stigmas and barriers applied to those who suf fer from mental health disabilities.

par ticipated in a program in Boston called "Breaking Down Barriers: An

share your academy memories Whether you graduated f rom Cheshire Ac ademy last year or last centur y, we know that you have many memories f rom your time here on c ampus . We invite you to share them with us .

Email us at 179 4 @ cheshireac ademy.org; include any photos or video you may also have, and we'll add your contributions to our collection and share them with our communit y on Facebook .

EMAIL US

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Thank you, Mary!

The Harwood Society for Planned Giving

Students and faculty of future generations are the beneficiaries of the Mahan’s vision and generosity of their Charitable Remainder Trust, which Roger Mahan ’50 and his wife, Mary, established prior to Roger’s passing.

We invite you to join Mary, and consider making Cheshire Academy a part of your legacy. To learn more about planned giving and supporting the Academy, please contact Barb Davis, Senior Director, Leadership and Planned Giving at 203-439-7228 or by visiting us online.

WWW.CHESHIREACADEMY.ORG/GIVINGPROGRAMS

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Mary Mahan ’50

Parent Association PRIDE

Reception & Auction

The 3rd annual PRIDE Parents Association Reception and Auction was a huge success.

Fantastic auction items like a fighter pilot experience, a trip to Italy and New York Giants tickets donated by Cheshire Academy family and friends led to some exciting bidding.

The April event raised close to $50,000, a 54 percent increase over last year’s total.

The Cheshire Academy community enjoyed a night of hors d'oeuvres, champagne, wine and beer, in addition to more than 90 auction items. There was also a “Spin for Vino” game, which is a big hit at the event. Peter Gailey (P’14, P’17) did a remarkable job as auctioneer.

The PRIDE Parents Association Reception and Auction is the group’s only fundraising event of the year, which supports parent events, student and faculty needs, and the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.

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IN MEMORY OF BELOVED COLLEAGUE & CFO PAT WILLIS

Pat worked long hours, both internally with those on campus and externally with trustees and the extended Cheshire Academy community.

Phil Moore, now Director of Marketing and Communications at Goodwin College, said that when he thought about Pat, he kept coming back to the word “solid”. For 10 years Phil’s office was two doors down from hers in Bowden Hall, and he said that he couldn’t begin to guess how many times he took the dozen or so steps to visit Pat for advice, information, or help working through some challenge. She was calm, reassuring, practical and hilarious. Many days Phil and Pat would be the first people in Bowden. He said that he will always carry with him memories of their early morning chats, fueled by laughter and coffee.

History teacher James “Butch” Rogers shared that he felt he owed Pat a great deal. She was a private person, never looked for credit or recognition, but she came through for Butch and his family on many occasions. When he was first hired, there was no faculty housing on campus so he was commuting from Old Saybrook, while his wife Jeanne was home with their son Jack. Pat helped his family find housing.

Leah Stancil, retired Director of Roxbury, also recalled a side of Pat perhaps not seen by many. Pat was quite the animal lover, as was her husband Kenny. Leah recalled stories about their cat Oscar, who was quite a character. He would wait for Pat to open several of the small, one shot Half and Half containers and lick them until they were gone.

Pat had to have a ready supply on hand for Oscar at all times. Both Pat and Kenny actively supported the Connecticut Humane Society.

“Ask Pat,” “Pat will know,” or “Let's run this by Pat,” were the cornerstones for so much of our community over the years, from the Board of Trustees, to faculty and staff, and veteran teachers to the newest recruits. Pat always was CA first, and she truly loved the school as much as anyone could.

We will be forever grateful.

The Cheshire Academy community lost a dear friend and colleague in the passing of former Chief Financial Officer Pat Willis on February 8, 2018. Over her 30-year career, Pat's commitment to CA was evident in her role as a leader in her field, a mentor to heads of school and administrators, and as the steady voice for the financial well-being of the school.

Dave Jepsen, current Trustee, first met Pat 15 years ago. He quickly learned that she was the go to person for whatever one needed to know about CA: past, present and in some instances, the future.

During her tenure, Pat oversaw a major expansion of the campus including the construction of John J. White Science and Technology building, the Humanities Building, Motter and Markin Halls, the Harwood Student Center, O'Connor House, Simosa Field, and the Triplex, as well as countless renovations and upgrades such as Woodbury Hall, College Guidance, and in the Field House.

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Pat Willis Award for Staff Enrichment The Pat Willis Award for Staff Enrichment is an endowed fund established at Cheshire Academy in memory of Pat Willis, Chief Financial Officer at the Academy for more than 30 years. Throughout her tenure, Pat was a staunch advocate for staff equity and opportunity.

Fittingly, the Pat Willis Award will support one or more staff person(s) each year with up to $2,000 in funding for professional or personal enrichment. Any non-teaching faculty or staff member is eligible to apply to propose projects that might include continued learning, professional certification, and travel and exploration, among other things. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee that includes the Director of Human Resources and Head of School.

Contributions to the fund will be gratefully accepted, and matched up to $25,000. For information on making a gift, contact Chief Advancement Officer Amy Brough at amy.brough@cheshireacademy.org

HELP SELECT THE NEXT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES 2 018 Induc tees Deron R ippe y ’9 3 , C h a d Nel son ’9 3 , A nd re w Fezza ’7 2 , R ober t L oR icco ’7 8

Outstanding alumni student-athletes are chosen by their peers for the honor of being included in the Kevin Slaughter Memorial Hall of Fame. An Arts and Letters Hall of Fame was also established in 2018. Those chosen are presented at an induction ceremony held each year during Cheshire Academy's Alumni Reunion.

To be nominated as an athlete, a candidate must meet the following criteria: received their diploma or postgraduate certificate from Cheshire Academy; earned at least two varsity letters, either in one sport or in two different sports; earned outstanding recognition in their sport such as captain, M.V.P., all league, all New England, or All-American at Cheshire and/or at college; been active in one or more non-athletic endeavors; and agree to attend the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to receive the award unless health precludes travel.

The Arts and Letters Hall of Fame was established to recognize Cheshire Academy Alumni who have achieved the highest standard of success in their respective fields of artistic expression both at Cheshire Academy and in their professional field. Recipients must have made an active and positive contribution in Arts and Letters while at Cheshire Academy, be considered a leader in the arts and have had significant influence within their profession.

Those chosen to be inducted will be recognized on a plaque in the Arthur Sheriff Field House or the Humanities Building. If you would like to nominate a candidate, please return the form below, or email barbara.vestergaard@cheshireacademy.org.

H A L L O F FA M E I N D U C T I O N I N F O R M AT I O N F O R M

ATHLETICS Name and Class Year:

Varsity letter earned in these sports:

Athletic accomplishments at Cheshire (All State, All New England, All Prep, Captain of team, records):

Post-Cheshire athletic accomplishments (college or professional sports):

ARTS & LETTERS Artistic, Literary Contributions or Accomplishments at Cheshire Academy:

Post-Cheshire Artistic, Literary Achievements or Awards:

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See You Next Year!

Share your favorite memories and plans for the f uture at Cheshire Ac ademy ’s 201 9 Alumni Reunion . H elp your classmates build a foundation of new experiences with photos , tours and receptions . Reconnect with your favorite teachers and staf f at the school you hold dear and a c ampus you love.

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