Cardigan
Chronicle THE MAGAZINE OF CARDIGAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
FALL 2011
From the Cardigan Toolkit!
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Commencement 2011
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2011 Alumni Award Winners
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A look at the School’s many resources.
From the Editor’s Desk
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by Joy Michelson Director of Advancement Communications
fter breakfast on an overcast July morning this past summer, I had the pleasure of a tour, guided by science teacher and uber gardener Allan Kreuzburg, of the “official” Cardigan community garden. You may or may not have noticed this wonderful spot— hidden in plain sight at the junction of Prospect Hill and Back Bay Road adjacent to Williams Wood Shop—and I would soon regret that I had not paid it much heed as I had driven by it each day for two years. Anxious to orient his visitor to this wonderful space, Mr. Kreuzburg gave me the layout of the parcel, pointing out the plots that were planted by faculty families (Feeleys’ corner, the Frosts’ section, Mr. and Mrs. Scott’s “Salsa Garden,” Dr. McCormick’s “postage stamp” plot), as well as his own endeavors and those of his students. There was a towering lilac bush grown from a cutting from his grandmother’s home in Berwick, Pennsylvania—a bush he claims was at least 100 years old—and a thriving patch of wheat that he thought might add to students’ understanding of the origin of the grains we take for granted. Kreuzburg is as serious about his horticulture as he is about most things—quite—and that includes an intense focus on nurturing his soil. He showed me his compost piles, where the hulls from yesterday’s large pea harvest had been heaped, and the “green manure” plantings of rye grass within the garden itself. We talked about the possibilities of a farm-to-table experience for boys, and he mused about someday seeing “one bowl of something every month in the dining hall that we’ve grown ourselves.” And then, naturally, the return of scraps to the compost. Discussion in the garden that morning often came around to his ideas about connecting students to the land, and to the notion of sustainability. He had been harvesting peas when I arrived, and I soon learned that these were the last of a crop planted by his Garden Club in the spring. The students, he told me with regret, would not get to enjoy these fresh garden delights, nor the wonderful melons that were ripening in a nearby plot. “But aah, the pumpkins . . . ” he said as we circled the lower end of the patch. “We’ve got 18 or so hills of healthy plants that should contribute to this fall’s jack-o’-lantern carving tradition.” Intentional resourcefulness was evident throughout Kreuzburg’s descriptions of the garden and its contents. For example, the Garden Club students used the discarded plastic from the Headmaster’s Day “slip and slide” to create a makeshift greenhouse for their delicate melon seedlings. And the pumpkins, I learned, were germinated from the seeds of last year’s jack-o’-lanterns! What became clear to me after my enjoyable and eye-opening experience in the garden was that, within a community with so many dedicated and creative educators, there were likely many more inventive, resourceful things going on in plain sight that deserved attention. This issue of the Cardigan Chronicle hopes to bring a few of those to light. Many of these Cardigan success stories have grown—like the Garden Club pumpkins—from the seeds of things that have made Cardigan great for more than six decades. Indeed, there is a lot “growing” up here on The Point. Allan Kreuzburg— Residential Life coordinator, science teacher, and football, wrestling, and lacrosse coach—in the CMS garden. One of the 40(!) pumpkins that were grown from “recycled” seeds and harvested from the CMS garden this fall.
Cardigan Mountain
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Headmaster David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80 Assistant Headmaster & Dean of Faculty Ryan Feeley Director of Admissions Chip Audett Director of Development David G. Perfield Director of Advancement Communications Joy L. Michelson Dean of Student Life H. Charles McCormick, Jr. Director of Studies John P. D’Entremont ’94 Director of Athletics Ryan E. Frost Director of Summer Programs Matt Rinkin Business Manager Joseph McHugh Photography Photography by Lynn (St. Louis) David Auerbach P’11 Jasper Beever ’12 Richard Cardillo ’12 Richard Clancy ’67 Lisa Drummond P’11,’13 Rick Exton P’11 Steve Harris P’10,’14 Elizabeth Gray Eric Lane Douglas Lovell Joy Michelson Sajanont Tanakulthon ’14 Design/Layout Anneser Design & Joy Michelson Printing Capital Offset Company, Concord, N.H. The Cardigan Chronicle is published two times yearly by the Communications Office for alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Please address any communications to the editor: 62 Alumni Drive Canaan, NH 03741 603.523.4321 Cardigan Mountain School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies or any other program governed by the School.
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Sections 2 THE CARDIGAN WAY 15 ON THE POINT 24 SPORTS WRAP-UP 29 AUCTION 30 ADVANCING CARDIGAN 35 ALUMNI NOTES
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Features 6
From the Cardigan Toolkit!
A look at the School’s many resources.
16 Commencement 2011 18 Cardigan Teacher to Cardigan Student, One-to-One Laptops 21 More than a Great Hockey Program Division I hockey coaches talk about their boys’
experience of The Cardigan Way.
25 Teachers as Students 32 2011 Alumni Award Winners ON THE COVER Jorge Rumbos Guerra ’13 at work in the new Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Shop. Read more about this new campus facility on page 10.
(Photo Courtesy of Douglas Lovell)
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the cardigan way Reflections from The Point by David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80
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riting on this glorious autumn afternoon, inspired by “fall’s colors bright” and two “full and rich” weeks that have included Homecoming Weekend, an enthusiastic and productive set of board meetings, and a successful Fall Parents’ Weekend, I’m more confident than ever in Cardigan’s promising future. Not surprisingly, I spend a lot of time thinking about Cardigan and our school’s history, hoping that we always remain true to our mission and the vision of our founders. Recently, Director of Alumni Programs Richard Clancy ’67 and I enjoyed hosting Cardigan’s very first graduate, F. Lee Bailey ’47, for lunch at the School. Incredibly, Mr. Bailey was able to recount in exacting detail many endearing and humorous events from his ninth-grade year at Cardigan, the first year of the School’s existence. There were heartwarming tales of how the first 24 students were cared for by the new faculty (as in new both to one another and to the School), as well as stories of classroom lessons, outdoor adventures, and plenty of good-natured hijinks that most members of the Cardigan community, students and faculty alike, enjoyed together. What a privilege it was for me to hear first-hand accounts of those early days, especially of cherished relationships formed between faculty and students, including that of young and impressionable Lee Bailey and Cardigan’s first chef, “Clancy” (Richard’s father), a legendary and beloved figure who served Cardigan (quite literally, in the dining room) for more than 30 years.
“We love to have fun at Cardigan, an enduring theme since 1946.” Every year, in early October, we honor Cardigan’s history on Founder’s Day, when we recount the story of Mr. Harold P. “Hap” Hinman and his inspirational vision for—and personal determination to create—a new school for boys. Hap’s passion and commitment were powerful influences, as he assembled a group of talented and successful founders who launched Cardigan Mountain School. The early years were tenuous—finances were always an issue—but the School’s purpose was compelling and its leaders were stalwart in their conviction and generous with their time, talent, and treasures, important resources for an upstart school. We love to have fun at Cardigan, an enduring theme since 1946. As part of our annual Founder’s Day celebration, the whole school packs into buses and vans and heads off to the Sandwich Fair. As I shared with many of our parents at a meeting during Parents’ Weekend, the education at Cardigan, even in preparation for the Sandwich Fair, knows no boundaries. David Auerbach, a long-time faculty member, and perhaps once a carnival barker himself, had a chance to present to the entire student body the inner workings of carnival games and the improbable chances for our boys to experience any success later that morning as they attempted to win larger-than-life stuffed animals. David went on to teach our boys the important lesson of “appropriate sequencing” when it comes to eating lots of carnival food and enjoying
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Our Mission Cardigan Mountain School offers a close-knit community that prepares middle school boys—in mind, body, and spirit—for responsible and meaningful lives in a global society. tumultuous rides. To avoid an unfortunate incident, David urged the boys to ride first and eat later. However, as much as it is an annual tradition to go to the Sandwich Fair, it seems that it’s also an annual tradition for at least one boy to learn this lesson of proper sequencing the hard way. And yes, this year was no exception, as the contents of a belly full of bloomin’ onions, fried dough, and fried pickles was dispersed on and among the other riders of “Air Force One”! For several of our boys, this gross and smelly lesson will provide a humorous lifelong memory, a tale that will grow with greater embellishment for many years to come. Throughout this issue of the Chronicle, you will read about many of the existing and new resources that we deploy at Cardigan to carry out an excellent education for middle school boys. In just the last few months, we’ve enhanced our educational toolbox, both by adding exciting resources—such as the Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Shop, the One-to-One Laptop Program, and better and more technology in our classrooms and around campus—and by leveraging our natural resources for nutritional, recreational, and educational purposes, all of which will be examined in the various articles that lie ahead. Cardigan’s greatest asset, of course, continues to be our faculty. We’ve asked much more of our faculty in recent years, both in terms of their responsibilities and with respect to their professional growth. In my 22 years working in five excellent independent schools, I have never worked with a more dedicated and talented group of educators than my colleagues at Cardigan.
To achieve our mission, we reward effort and accomplishment, helping each boy realize his academic, physical, and personal potential through the integration of the following core values in all aspects of daily life.
COMPASSION
We cherish the quality of kindness, asking each member of our community to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and we embrace the importance of service for the greater good.
HONESTY
We expect rigorous honesty in all dealings.
RESPECT
We teach respect for all individuals, embracing an appreciation for diverse perspectives.
INTEGRITY
We cultivate personal integrity, underscoring our commitment to “doing the right thing,” through community discussion, public example, and role modeling.
SCHOLARSHIP
We instill a love of learning and promote intellectual curiosity and growth, recognizing that each person learns differently.
FAIRNESS Patrick Roth ’14 and Garrett Plekenpol ’14 in the Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Shop.
We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to grow and develop, succeed and fail, in a safe environment that values intent, effort, and accomplishment, free from bias and prejudice.
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cardigan way events Cape Cod Reception
The Garrison family hosted the Cape Cod reception this year, which was held at the Wequasset Inn in Chatham, Mass. Shown here are Aris ’96, Mike ’67, Melanie P’94,’96, and Greenleaf ’94.
Above: Christine Jenkins P’10 and Phyllis Powers P’06,’10. Left: Jamie Funnell P’07,’09 with Ronn Bronzetti ’89.
Top left: Nancy and Scott Powers ’75. Top right: Linda and John Pfeffer GP ’13. Sons Colin ’09 and Cam ’10 McCusker, on their summer break from St. Paul’s School, joined their parents, Steff and Dave ’80, for the Cape Cod event.
Above: Board members Chip Haskell ’80, Rick DellaRusso ’82, Ed Krayer ’82, and Kari Kontu ’80. Below: Ned Gibbons, Jr.’ 78 and board member Tim Fleming ’70.
Howie Gewandter ’69, Mike Garrison ’67, Evans Arnold ’69, Belmore Browne ’69, and Richard Clancy ’67. Upper left: Colin ’09 and Cam ’10 McCusker with Hayden Jenkins ’10 and Adam Philie ’10. Upper right: Howie Gewandter ’69 with his mother, Joyce (left), and wife, Marianne.
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Dudley Clark Celebration When Mr. Clark announced his June 2011 retirement, planning started in earnest to celebrate his three decades of service to the Cardigan community. Below, Mr. Clark marvels at his custom-made “Zamboni Man” trophy, awarded to him at the Commencement Banquet.
This spring’s Headmaster’s Day was renamed “Dudley Day” in honor of Mr. Clark. Each community member received a commemorative tee shirt, and donuts were—naturally—on the menu. The festivities included the first annual Dudley Clark Tennis Tournament, and a whole day of fun. Two separate receptions were held in honor of Mr. Clark, one at Frieze House and another at the Wakely Center, so that board members, alums, parents, students, and friends could all participate in the celebration. Above, Mr. Clark visits with Karl ’92 and Jen Hutter.
(Left) Former faculty member Bob Low with Dudley at the Wakely Center reception. (Right) Richard Clancy ’67 with former faculty member Kate Foster.
Homecoming 2011
Right: Robbie Barker ’97 coached the Varsity Cougars football team to victory over the Eagles, in this year’s annual “Eaglebrook Day” game.
Above: Former Cardigan Headmaster Norm Wakely (right) enjoyed visiting with former Eaglebrook headmaster Stuart Chase. Below: Current parent Doneyn Bourke P’15 and her friend Mary Madden enjoying the Homecoming “Foliage Tour.” Above right: Hillary P’11,’12, Cole ’12, and Mark Brennan P’11,’12 in Adirondack chairs made for the School by alumnus Ned Gibbons, Jr. ’78. Right: The Cardillo family (Richard P’12 shown here serving) shares their own “Richie’s Italian Ice” with the crowd—a new Homecoming favorite! Above: Board President Kim Kenly ’68 with fellow trustee Chip Haskell ’80 and Headmaster Dave CARDIGAN McCusker ’80.
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from the cardigan toolkit! by Steff McCusker Free Safety
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herever we go and whatever we do, we humans aim to arm ourselves with the tools or resources we need to complete our tasks, achieve our goals, and get where we’re headed. Tools come in all shapes in sizes depending on the situation. Some are visible items we can actually hold in our hands, while others are intangibles— sometimes even just concepts or knowledge. For faculty and students here on The Point, our resources sometimes comprise the people around us, sometimes the program we are implementing, or sometimes facets of the curriculum from which we’re benefiting; at times our resources are literally the funds provided for a program to thrive, and often they are aspects of the place in which we live and learn together—this idyllic spot, this vast acreage with which we’ve been blessed to have at the ready. Sometimes, too, the tools we need are quite literally the instruments or mechanisms with which we work to create or produce things like essays, songs, presentations, inventions, spreadsheets, and even coffee tables.
“Sometimes, too, the tools we need are quite literally the instruments or mechanisms with which we work to create or produce things like essays, songs, presentations, inventions, spreadsheets, and even coffee tables.” We could spend a number of Chronicle issues on the types of resources we have at our fingertips—whether literal or figurative, visible or behind-the-scenes. In this issue, our editor touches on scenes from our community garden—means by which some students (and faculty) learn about Mother Earth and the way we sow the seeds for something and reap the benefits (harvest!) as “She” gives back. In another article, Director of Studies John D’Entremont ’94 addresses the laptop program (in its inaugural year), which aims to provide better means for both learning and instruction, as well as a more efficient method of communicating among members of the campus community. The pieces ahead touch on facets of our experience here that naturally fall into different trays, pockets, or compartments of the virtual Cardigan “toolkit.” We hope you’ll enjoy discovering some of the wide array of tools with which we, as a community, are “armed.”
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Canaan Street Lake! A “Toyota Turtles” Teaching Tool For much of the past summer, Science Department Chair David Auerbach made, and accompanied by students now (thanks to Thursday’s Clubs Program) continues to make, great use of the clean and relatively quiet Canaan Street Lake to implement Cardigan’s turtle studies. For years, David has applied for a grant from Toyota Motors USA (the “Toyota Tapestry Grant” program, administered by the National Science Teachers Association), and this year he was awarded one—a $10,000 grant, in fact—only 50 of which are given out nationally each year. By studying lake-water samples and capturing (and marking, then releasing) turtles in the lake, David hopes to teach his students to gather and assess data and then develop hypotheses regarding factors that affect the turtle population. Using the turtles as “indicator organisms,” the data they collect will inform their predictions of turtle distribution and also allow them to infer the overall health of the various turtle species in Canaan Street Lake. Other practical benefits of implementing the study here include students’ learning to use simple measuring tools and “probeware” (for digital data). The broader inherent benefit, of course, is that the students are involved in setting up and performing a real-world scientific study. The students’ information regarding water quality (specifically the pH, temperature, and turbidity) will be shared with both the Canaan Street Lake Association and the State of New Hampshire. Since the grant runs from June (2011) to June (2012), David began the study himself this summer, setting the stage for student involvement. During the fall term, students interested in the study were able to make use of the Thursday Clubs Program to join David in his work, and by early November David provided documentation of their work—proof that the project is progressing and that there is evidence of the boys’ “heightened interest in science.”
The Ins and Outs In order to (temporarily) capture the turtles, club members make use of a homemade rectangular trap constructed from PVC pipes and containing wire ramps. Food (cat food, to be exact) is placed in the middle, and curious turtles climb up the wiring and then sort of gently tumble into the middle (which is submerged in the water). At present, the trap is floating in “Crescent Cove” which is the next cove beyond Cardigan’s as you face the waterfront from our shore; replete with lily pads, ducks, and even a great blue heron, it makes for a wonderful turtle environment. The boys typically paddle out with Mr. Auerbach in a canoe to check the trap, and then, using Vernier equipment (the digital probeware, funded by the grant), they measure each turtle (length, width, height, and underside) and “mark” it with a triangular file, creating “v” grooves on the edge of its shell and giving it its own unique code based on those notch placements. They also estimate the turtle’s age (based on its shell) and check its health by looking for defects or signs of parasites (leeches). Due to the marking system, the boys know if a turtle has been captured before, and if so, which one it is and how its health is faring comparatively. David has the students helping with the follow-up spreadsheets, and he has Arthur Baker, an analytical chemist from Dartmouth College, visiting once a week to assist with the water testing in the laboratory. In addition to the Vernier equipment and visits from the guest “tech,” the grant has funded the water-testing equipment (which can remain at Cardigan even after this specific project ends), gas for the pontoon boat (when canoe travel is less optimal), an underwater camera, and a large custom-made tank for turtles and fish, which will sit on a pedestal base in Bronfman amid the terrariums. The idea, says David, is that the turtle project will plant the seed for longer-term studies in this type of environmental science. “My hope is that this project will spur the inclusion of new areas of science study for Cardigan down the road.”
from the cardigan toolkit! continues . . . CARDIGAN CHRONICLE
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Cardigan’s first graduate, F. Lee Bailey ’47, works on a lathe overseen by Mr. Fullerton in the original Williams Wood Shop (shown above,) during the 1946-47 school year.
from the cardigan toolkit! continues . . .
woodworking as invention & innovation: past, present, and future
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ven in Cardigan’s earliest days, woodworking was considered an important facet of a boy’s education; in the School’s initial Canaan Street home, affectionately known as “The Lodge,” woodworking took place in the basement, and the shop teacher made do with the space. In the mid-1950s, once the School’s location shifted to its current spot (the site of the former Haffenreffer Estate), the home of the wood shop shifted too—except, instead of up on the hill with the “mansion” and newer buildings, it would ultimately be lodged at the base of the hill in an old mill building (the building many current Cardigan students and alumni know as “Williams Wood Shop”), where the shop has been until just this year. In the early days, this building had been powered by water from the nearby river; a horizontal water wheel in the basement drove the machinery above. Evidence of its water-powered past can still be found inside—there are old leather belts in the basement still today, and other signs of the system’s infrastructure (e.g., wheels and pulleys) were apparent even late into the 1960s.
from the get-go and who might even be said to have kept the School afloat on a few tenuous occasions. It seems only fitting that Mr. Williams’s name has adorned the familiar red building; a businessman hailing from Massachusetts who made his fortune in the shoe business, Mr. Williams had actually invented the steel-toed shoe. In digging through the archives, Director of Alumni Relations Richard Clancy came upon some old photographs and newspaper clippings that would suggest Cardigan’s woodworking program “back in the day” had rather taken on a life of its own. It is likely many boys spent their afternoons in the shop, fashioning good-sized, professional-quality furniture and such and, in 1967, for example, winning the top 10 prizes (earning a clean sweep!) in a statewide woodworking competition (at the N.H. Industrial Education Association’s annual crafts show). Bruce Marshard ’64 was a student under longtime shop teacher Mr. Karl Nyhus, and Bruce built a boat as a ninth grader (and incidentally later returned to The Point to teach “shop” after Mr. Nyhus retired). Woodworking was serious business—even back then! And certainly, it remains so today, though our students’ lives are perhaps fuller now, with a wider variety of extracurricular opportunities that need to be juggled and balanced.
The building’s green-and-white sign, constructed in recent years by now-Science Department Chair David Auerbach, not only brings the School’s colors to the fore against the old red structure, but for a few folks the name itself might conjure up memories of long-ago incorporator Arthur The Safety First Shoe Company, based in Ashley Williams, a generous man who Holliston, Mass., was a subsidiary of the Arthur demonstrated his support for the School Ashley Williams Shoe Company.
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Today, however, juxtaposing the woodshop and the Gates “lab” makes eminently good sense, given their similarities and the opportunities
they present—as a pair—for collaboration, and so Cardigan’s woodworking locale has shifted one more time—up and over the hill to the new “Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Shop,” which rests on the corner of Back Bay Road and Alumni Drive and which was recently dedicated during a well-attended Homecoming Weekend this fall. The Arthur Ashley Williams Foundation still exists today as a nonprofit corporation, offering gifts, grants, loans, and scholarships; the website for this foundation indicates that Mr. Williams shared a primary philosophy with Cardigan— about service to others and the importance of education. Were he with us today, we think Mr. Williams would be mighty excited about the mission and vision of the School, as well as, quite simply, the possibilities this new location for woodworking will provide.
from the teacher’s perspective: Jim Scott
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his fall, Arts Department Chair Jim Scott began his 11th year of teaching on The Point. In the years leading up to his arrival here, he had been an engineer with Broyhill Furniture in North Carolina and a carpenter on a variety of movie sets, including the well-known films Forrest Gump, House of Cards, The Crucible, and Amistad. The latter two, filmed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively, are what brought this North Carolina native to New England in the first place, and the rest, as they say, is history. When Jim’s wife, Samantha (who currently manages our School Store) found herself a job at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Jim’s moving from movie set to movie set made it more and more difficult for the two to spend steady chunks of time together. And so, when an ad for a woodworking teacher at Cardigan Mountain School appeared in the paper, he jumped at the chance to interview. Jim says that, for middle school boys, who often have a good deal of energy and find it difficult to sit still, woodworking gives them a chance to do something
that’s not stationary. “No matter their learning styles, sometimes it’s just plain hard to sit still at a desk.” Jim doesn’t even like his wood shop to have stools, never mind desks and chairs; the boys get to use their hands and move around—for some, a respite from a somewhat sedentary morning of classes and often conducive to an increased ability to focus in the period immediately following. With this benefit in mind, Jim also invites boys to partake in his set-construction club (several boys consequently have a hand in building the set for the fall drama performance) as well as his home-repair club in the spring. There are a number of skills picked up from woodworking that carry over into other areas as well. For many boys, working with tools and wood allows them to discover they can do something they didn’t know they could before— many arrive on The Point having never even used a hammer, for example. And then there are curricular reinforcements. “We talk physics,” says Jim, “and we talk about wood characteristics, and we do fractions—lots of fractions!” The practical aspects of woodworking, such as reading a tape measure, for example, allow the boys to experience firsthand a visual and practical application of math. Jim confesses his reaction to the move of the wood shop from its spot near the junction of Cardigan’s main entrance (at the bottom of Back Bay Road) was mixed. Initially he became wistful about the notion because of the great character and history of the old mill building. But he recognizes the opportunities the move represents and that “if things don’t move forward, they can get stagnant,” and he does feel the shop’s juxtaposition with the Gates lab (side by side in the brand-new Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Shop) will truly be beneficial. Gates, he explains, is also now officially part of the Arts Department, which will create more-obvious chances to collaborate, and both courses provide such rich hands-on opportunities for the boys.
from the cardigan toolkit! continues . . .
Left: Mr. Nyhus works with Chapin Wright III ’68 on a project in Williams Wood Shop in the 1960s. Below: Mr. Scott demonstrates safe tool use for Jack Costello ’12, Hunter Whiting ’12, Chris Jones ’12, and Myles Smith ’12 in the new Gates I.D.E.A. Shop woodworking space.
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from the cardigan toolkit! continues . . . Gates! A New Location and Some Program Innovation A Little History
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he Charles C. Gates Invention and Innovation Competition has its roots in Colorado. “Charlie” (Gates, that is) was an alumnus (Class of 1934) of Graland Country Day School in Denver, and he believed that kids are both naturally curious and thus naturally invent things, exploring new ideas fearlessly. With that in mind, Charlie endowed a competition at Graland in 1999 to reward invention and innovation, with hopes of instilling in students “the values of creativity and productivity” he’d discovered as a student there. Students in the Gates Invention and Innovation Competition program are encouraged to “explore ideas, take risks, and ultimately invent a product that might make a difference in the world.” Gates coaches guide students as they research, design, and build their inventions, some of which might receive a nod for patenting following the competition.
“Though Charlie passed away several years ago, his legacy lives on...” Though Charlie passed away several years ago, his legacy lives on at Graland Country Day School, and Charlie’s daughter, Cardigan trustee and past parent Diane Wallach, has essentially carried the invention and innovation torch to Cardigan Mountain School. As Mark Holt, Cardigan’s first Gates coach, remembers it, in 2006 Diane asked her son Clark (who had just graduated from Cardigan) what he might suggest the family do to thank Cardigan for his experience, and Clark told her Cardigan needed a Gates program. The then-headmaster, Tom Needham, got the ball rolling
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and sent Mark Holt and some others out to Graland to learn about the program there. The vision took hold, a campus space (the chapel classroom) was decided upon, and in the summer of 2007 (when Headmaster McCusker came on board), the room was renovated to suit the needs of such a program. “Coach” Holt did some of his own innovations—in terms of Gates curriculum planning, at least!—as the program at Cardigan would be part of the academic day (versus its being an extracurricular option, as was the case at Graland). With the help of Director of Facilities Tim Jennings and several others in the Buildings and Grounds Department, the space took shape, and the program was launched in the fall of 2007 as part of the sixth-grade curriculum, culminating in a competition in the spring during Family Weekend. Now in its fifth year, the Gates program has evolved over time into a regular part of the curriculum for both sixth and seventh graders, and as an elective for eighth graders choosing to give up their daytime study halls (about a quarter of the eighth grade has opted to do so!). Year four marked a critical innovation in the competition format, too, whereby, instead of one morning of presentations in front of a panel of judges, students presented their products simultaneously in exposition format on the first of the now two-day competition, as the full community and judges had the chance to observe each invention much like one might view exhibits at a science fair. From nearly 20 product teams, the field was then narrowed, and on the second day, 10 presenters took the stage one at a time in front of the
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panel and competed for prizes and the chance at a possible “patent nod.” (It is noteworthy that “official” judges—often with backgrounds in fields such as engineering and/or design—are brought in from the outside each year to jury the competition.) The Gates coaches have changed somewhat each year (with Mark Holt having been a presence in years one, three, and four, and David Auerbach joining in the fun in the second and fourth years). The program is being directed this year by Mr. Rhett Yelton, an experienced math, science, and technology teacher, hailing most recently from a longtime stint at Maple Street School in Manchester, Vermont. And now the program finds itself in a new location. No more squeezing into the chapel classroom. Thanks to the generosity of the Gates Frontier Fund, a building has been erected for both Gates and Woodworking to coexist in two big user-friendly spaces, side-by-side, all the while honoring the tinkerer himself, Charles C. Gates; on Friday, October 7, 2011, the Charles C. Gates Innovation in Design, Engineering, and the Arts (I.D.E.A.) Shop was officially dedicated in a well-attended ceremony, though (happily) its doors had already opened in September, welcoming eager and creative inventors, innovators, and…well… “tinkerers” at the beginning of the academic year.
Gates as a Learning Tool As Cardigan’s first Gates coach, Mark Holt, will tell you, the Gates program “allows the boys an opportunity to explore, play, and investigate the world around them in a hands-on way.” And it was clear to Mark from the get-go that for “boys struggling in their other classes, Gates is a place for them to shine and showcase their true potential. It offers them the chance to invent and innovate in a safe and caring environment. Risk taking is encouraged, and failure is part of the process. The students learn what to do when things go wrong and how to solve problems with what you have available. They gain real-world skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.” The current Gates coach and program director, Rhett Yelton, saw Gates as an exciting opportunity to engage these boys in practical problem solving. About one midterm into his role, Rhett said, “I am positive I am observing future leaders learning the necessary skills of compromise, negotiation, and planning.” His first assignment for the boys entailed their designing (typically in small groups) a means of preventing a raw egg from breaking when dropped to the pavement from the attic window of one of the dorms. To add to the challenge, they were limited in the materials they were permitted to use. One group of seventh graders was, indeed, successful in preventing egg breakage, but all participants no doubt learned a thing or two—as much from their setbacks as from their successes.
2011 Charles C. Gates Invention & Innovation Competition Winners
Coaches: Mark Holt and David Auerbach
1st Big Wheel Backpack by Joshua Lee ’14, Emery Gray ’14, and J.R. Kreuzburg ’14. Shown with judges Dan DeMars P’11, Dr. Ron von Jako ’81, and Karl Hutter ’92.
Easy Take-off Grip Tape by Myles Beach ’13. Shown with judges Dr. Ron von Jako ’81, Karl Hutter ’92, and Dan DeMars P’11.
2nd TIE
Jack Pack by Juri Yun ’13 and Christopher Alberigi ’13. Shown with judges Dr. Ron von Jako ’81, Dan DeMars P’11, and Karl Hutter ’92.
3rd Multi-Use Trash Can by Francisco Aramburu ’13, Alvaro Martinez ’13, and Andres Errejon ’13. Shown with judges Dr. Ron von Jako ’81, Dan DeMars P’11, and Karl Hutter ’92.
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from the cardigan toolkit! continues . . . Biking and Building—Right Here on The Point! An Interview with Coach Mike Fitzgerald
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arlier this fall, I’d been encouraged to explore a part of Cardigan’s property I hadn’t ever really seen before—or if I had, I didn’t know at the time it belonged to the School. On the left-hand side just about a half mile or so up Prospect Hill Road from the School’s first marked entrance, a large field (the School’s leach field, to be exact) extends to the west, its hilltop entrance opening up to a rather breathtaking vista. In addition to the underground infrastructure this field provides the School in terms of waste management, here lies a heretofore-untapped resource for tremendous handson growth and learning. So, too, is the field’s most recent “caretaker,” History Department Chair and Head Mountain Biking Coach Mike Fitzgerald, a ready resource for the boys. Although not without a good deal of assistance, he humbly reminds me, Mike has turned this barely tainted, scenic acreage into a network (two miles’ worth—so far) of mountain biking trails with technical challenges being continually added. Mike spent much of last summer tackling this project without the help of students, but key to the land’s development into a course worthy of hosting a multi-school race (a vision that may come to fruition as soon as next fall) is the “buy-in” from the boys on the team about “giving back.” Mike and his assistant coach, Alex Gray, believe that in addition to using the trail network for the
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thrilling part of the sport (the riding!), learning to maintain trails and build up their technical features is essential to the growth of the sport and to their own character development, if you will. In addition, Mike has secured help from other students—boys who join his Thursday trail-building club for the joy of being outdoors and doing something productive and creative with the environment by which they are surrounded. Once I saw the current network of trails, my interest was sufficiently piqued; I was intrigued about the trailmaintenance and -building process—and also by this land we had at our fingertips, which a passionate, thoughtful, and inspired man has appropriately taken advantage of to advance the Cardigan boys’ multifaceted education. Below you will find excerpts from a recent interview with Mike; I felt the best way to capture his energy on the topic was to simply quote him verbatim. Enjoy!
Q: What benefits do you see in the sport of mountain biking? MF: Mountain biking has a number of benefits for riders young and old. It is a fantastic way to build cardiovascular fitness; the near-constant pedaling over a period of one to three hours keeps the rider’s heart rate at 70–90 percent of maximum, a figure sustained in few other sports. Furthermore, the varied terrain that a rider navigates forms natural intervals of higher effort with physical and psychological rewards. …It [also] very effectively builds leg strength and balance skills…[and when compared with sports such as running, it] impacts more muscle groups and is far less stressful on joints…. Mountain biking also has psychological benefits…. Challenging oneself to finish a
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climb or learn the skills necessary to ride a technical feature fit in perfectly with goal setting, measurable performance and improvement markers, and building confidence…. Finally, mountain biking is a lifelong sport, which an individual can pursue alone or socially for the duration of [his or her] active life…. One can race in any appropriate class, or just ride for fun and fitness.
Q: How much of the trail work is already in place? MF: I envision our trail network in terms of phases; phase one consists of the field loop, which is two miles almost entirely in the open field at Cardigan’s leach field property. This is a great cardio workout, as it rarely goes up or down for very long, but is never flat. It twists and winds around the physical geography of the field, utilizing the natural topography for challenges. While the loop itself is done and we ride it regularly for training, we are beginning to add technical trail features (TTFs) wherever possible…drops, step-ups…log features, berms [banked curves formed of hard-packed dirt], bridges, jumps… Each feature has two primary purposes—for fun and as a teaching/training tool for skill building. Because we are in an open field, we can teach the boys the skills they need to master each type of feature [in a place] where the inevitable falls are less likely to result in serious injury. …Having the field also lets us have the boys gather around and watch coaches or another boy demonstrate technique,
something that would be more difficult in the woods. We progressively increase the technical difficulty of features as their skills and confidence improve. …Skills progressions… are the best way to learn and much harder to achieve with just regular woods riding. Future phases of the trail network will include other interconnecting loops in the woods surrounding the field, with a two-mile loop hopefully going in next summer. After days in the field, the boys love getting into the woods on “singletrack,” and having what will eventually be eight miles of it right on campus will be a fantastic resource few schools can match. Other long-term goals include a pump track and trails connecting other parts of campus. The primary obstacle to completion…is time. Trails take a significant amount of time and labor to build, and building sustainable (resistant to the effects of erosion), technically challenging, and fun trails requires some experience and skill to do. If time wasn’t in short supply, we’d have the whole thing done by now!
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the trail work you did last summer? Did you have any assistance? (Did the School hire you to do this or did you just take it on?) MF: I began the field loop described above this summer by first marking out the loop with pin flags. …Next, I had one of the Maintenance guys mow the path behind me as I walked along pulling the flags. …I began the process of wearing it in through a combination of Roundup spraying, dragging a sharp metal grating over it to remove dead grass, and cutting out the short sections that dip into the woods. This was primarily completed by the time the boys arrived on campus. Since then, I have planned out the technical features and, with the boys’ help, built them. The team spends one afternoon each week on trail building…I also have a trail-building club…and I will bring Work Detail [students] out there whenever I can. The boys are very excited about building trails and features, especially when they can ride and enjoy the fruits of their labors…. [At this writing], we have completed six berms, two wooden bridges, two drops, two step-ups, two log rides/hops, and a jump—and we have “rock armored” a 40-foot section that was prone to mud. This is also an important part of the lifetime participation aspect of the sport. Coach Fitzgerald works with Henry Cormier ’13 on cutting lumber for a bridge during Trail Building Club earlier this fall.
from the cardigan toolkit! continues . . . CARDIGAN CHRONICLE
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An Interview with Coach Mike Fitzgerald, continued. …Most mountain bike–specific trails around the country are built by volunteers. …Part of our trail-building ethic on the…team is to instill a desire and appreciation for giving back and creating trail resources for others to use. All of my own labor was and continues to be volunteer; however, I must thank the Cardigan Athletic Department and [Athletic Director] Ryan Frost, in particular, who has been a big supporter of the trail-building program and Mountain Biking team in general. …In addition, [members of ] the Maintenance Department, especially Tim Jennings and Jeff Clifford, have been very helpful in providing the resources for me to do this work.
Q: Is there overlap with the cross-country running trails or Nordic ski trails?
Q: Is there a lot involved in “trail maintenance” — or should the trails be self-sustaining for the most part? MF: Well-built trails should not require all that much maintenance, as they should be designed to be sustainable and durable. Wet areas should be bridged or “rock armored”…or avoided… Mud bogs can be avoided if you plan accordingly. Trails must be constructed with water drainage in mind. …I have tried to learn as much as I can about how to do this, utilizing some great resources available from national mountain biking organizations as well as from the U.S. Forest Service. …If you get it “right”…[a trail] shouldn’t require too much other than the annual clearing of downed trees (unless they are fun to ride over!) and branches.
MF: I have actively encouraged the cross-country running team to utilize the trails we have built so far, and we have seen them out on several occasions. …[Cross-Country Coach] Ryan Feeley has also been an active supporter of the project, and it is clearly a win–win for both programs. … Nordic skiing has their own ski trails on the other side of the street, many of which are too wet for mountain biking. They could easily groom some loops on top of our trails, but our trail work thus far would be of little help, as it is mostly in the open field.
Q: What are the rewards of trail building for you?
Below: Trail terrain was “enhanced” through the work of the fall Trail Building Club.
Q: Would you say trail building is a passion for you — or biking? Or both?
Below right: Four members of Cardigan’s cross-country team take advantage of the mountain biking trails on a glorious October afternoon.
MF: If I had easy access to great trails wherever I lived, then I wouldn’t mind not building them. …With the constraints of time and travel, we simply need to build a network on campus if this is to be a sustainable sport in the future. … Trail building is an enjoyable necessity, while mountain biking is more of a passion. n
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MF: For me the reward is both in the process and in the final product. I have enjoyed exploring the woods and finding routes since I was very young, and the activity of looking at natural woods and imagining a sinuous singletrack snaking through it is both challenging and rewarding for me. … Building “flowy” trails that also require some technical skill isn’t easy, but it is fun—and a lot of hard work. In general, I like physical work and building things with my hands…and I like riding, so I guess it all comes together.
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on the point by Matt Rinkin Director of Summer Programs
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he C.O.R.E. (Cardigan Outdoor Recreation Expeditions) base camp is now up and running! The newly renovated and repurposed C.O.R.E. building serves as an outdoor education center during the school year and is the launch site for the summer C.O.R.E. program, an exciting series of weeklong outdoor education adventures for boys in grades six through nine. The C.O.R.E. mission is to instill a lifelong love for the outdoors while developing skills and knowledge to pursue this passion. C.O.R.E. seeks to challenge each boy to reach deep within himself and discover who he is and how he relates to the natural world. The weeklong expeditions were launched this summer and received tremendous reviews from parents, and more important, from the boys who attended.
The C.O.R.E. mission is to instill a lifelong love for the outdoors while developing skills and knowledge to pursue this passion. Each of the four trips is designed to be physically and mentally challenging within a supportive atmosphere. The CT to AT six-day expedition starts with boating down the Connecticut River and ends with hiking back to Cardigan on the Appalachian Trail. Our Super Loop trip takes the boys to Maine, where they spend six days hiking and boating through the scenic Flagstaff Lake region. The Presidentials expedition is our most challenging offering. The boys spend six days summiting eight of the 4,000-foot Presidential peaks. This journey is not for the faint of heart! And next summer, we will have a new expedition, which might also appeal to parents out there. Stay tuned! The C.O.R.E. program is open to both current Cardigan boys and boys from outside our school community. The C.O.R.E. base camp is also available for groups from the School to use throughout the academic year. The building is ideal for small-group getaways and perfect for team-bonding sessions. With both indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a living/classroom area, staff quarters, and a lofted sleeping area, the venue is ideal for the boys to get “off campus� for the night and have a true New England log cabin experience right in their own backyard. Our Grade Six class has already taken full advantage of the camp by hosting its first overnight trip of the year at the site. The camp venue made for a huge success, and the class is already planning its next visit. For more information about the C.O.R.E. program for next summer, or if you would like a tour of the C.O.R.E. base camp, please visit www.cardigan.org/core, contact the Summer Programs Offices at summer@cardigan.org, or call 603.523.3565. n
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Commencement 2011 Thomas “Mack” O’Connell ’03
Alumnus & Keynote Speaker
Lauds His Cardigan Foundation
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ack O’Connell spent three years at Cardigan, beginning in the seventh grade. As Board Chairman Kenly said in his introduction of Mack as the 2011 keynote speaker, he was a fine student, an excellent athlete, and an upstanding citizen while he was here. He was also the school leader his ninth-grade year. From Cardigan, Mack went on to Brooks School and then to Cornell, graduating in 2010 and immediately landing a job as a “team sales consultant” with Boathouse Sports in Philadelphia. What follows is a summary of Mack’s story and his words of wisdom. Words won’t do justice to his animated style and wonderful grin, though, so we encourage you to read this envisioning the marvelous twinkle in Mack’s eye; he certainly grabbed the attention of even the sleep-deprived seniors! Mack arrived at Cardigan an immature young boy, he said. He was too young to have achieved anything really notable yet, and though he had participated in some sports and other extracurricular activities after school, they had really just been meant to fill the time between the end of school and the time when his parents would be home. He had been somewhat lacking in motivation. Cardigan changed all that. School, homework, and sports all took on new meaning for him, and while here, he developed the ambition to not just “make it through another day” but to make each day a success in some way. He earned numerous awards, trophies, pins, and so forth, and as he sat at his own
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Cardigan Commencement ceremony, in fact, he imagined that all of his accomplishments would now “jettison” him into immediate success at his next school, Brooks. He soon discovered this would not be the case, as secondary school was a different scene, full of distractions and an even more competitive environment. He quickly figured out that he was not going to immediately be the “stud” he had been at Cardigan on the playing fields, and he was not doing well in his classes (not to mention, there were girls at Brooks!). Things came to a head when he was dismissed from a Harvard summer program for making a poor decision and had no other plans to fall back on that summer. He did have a lot of time to reflect, however, and as he wondered how he was going to pick himself back up, he took a drive over to Cardigan. Here he saw many of his former teachers and coaches—and he also caught a glimpse of his former self… in a school leader portrait in the hallway of Hopkins. As was inevitable, this caused him to consider the successes he’d experienced at Cardigan and what had contributed to those. Upon his return to Brooks, he “took the campus by storm.” His ambitious drive had been restored, his grades came up, and by senior year he was captain (and all-league) in both football and wrestling, he’d won a schoolwide speech competition, and he was a member of the student council. Cornell accepted him early, and again, Mack had visions of being immediately “jettisoned” into a “land of lollipops”— as a “golden boy” of sorts.
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…And again, he faced disappointment. His struggles at Cornell culminated in his failing a finance course his sophomore year. He sat around at home over Christmas break that year, reflecting upon how he’d gotten himself to yet another low, but when he was rummaging around in the basement for something, he came upon a framed all-school photo from his Cardigan days. He, of course, decided the picture would be coming back with him to Cornell. He got himself back on track, retook (and passed) his finance course, and by senior year he had a job offer (despite a dismal job market) with Boathouse Sports. The roller coaster began again at Boathouse, though, where his first performance review (five weeks prior to this very Commencement speech) revealed he was teetering on losing his sales territory— possibly even his job—if he didn’t close more sales in five weeks than he had in the previous two months combined. As fate would have it, having just received this ultimatum, his phone rang. It was Headmaster McCusker, wondering if Mack might like to be the keynote speaker for this year’s graduation. Mack spent the next five weeks periodically jotting down notes about what Cardigan had meant to him, and while reflecting on the lessons he’d learned on this campus about courage and “fighting the good fight,” he ultimately closed enough sales (even exceeded the target number!) to hang onto his job. He’d just learned this news, in fact, only the day before delivering this Commencement speech. Mack concluded his talk by conjuring up an image for the boys. He encouraged them to imagine that they have built themselves a house from the ground up, and that the house represents their life. The unforeseen forces of nature the house faces represent the challenges they will encounter in life—challenges that will test their (or their house’s) integrity. At the end of the day, though, no matter how
much of that house falls apart or crumbles down around them, they can take comfort in the fact that they have built it on a strong foundation and that they will always have that foundation. Mack turned to face the boys directly at the end of his speech and reminded them that the foundation he was referring to is what they have received here at Cardigan. It comprises the strengths and the values they have developed here. “It’s now up to you to build [your house] up from here.” n
2010-2011 Commencement Prize Winners Presented on June 4, 2011
Caldwell Prize Speight Drummond Dewar Prize Yongbeom (Eric) Kwon Faculty Prizes Timothy Patch Juan Vidal de la Peña Noriega Hinman Prize Carter Cockrell The Founder’s Prize Neil McCalmont The Norman & Beverly Wakely Prize Carter Cockrell The Pannaci Memorial Award Nolan Callahan The Skibiski Memorial Award Charles (CJ) Moore The William Knapp Morrison Award Shaymus Colman
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Cardigan Teacher to Cardigan Student: by John D’Entremont ’94 One-to-One…Laptops! Director of Studies “Sir, I can’t print my homework!” “Sir, my computer is broken!” “Sir, my computer won’t start up!” “Sir, I had to send my computer out for repair and it won’t be back for a week!” “Sir, the internet isn’t working!”
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hese were just some of the excuses as to why student work was not always getting completed during the 2008-2009 academic year and prior. In fact, we did not make it easy for our boys. We had students with PCs and Macs. We had students with Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, and even some on Windows 2000. We also had students with Mac OS X. If you have no idea what any of that tech speak means, don’t worry. Basically, it means that our students had all kinds of different computers with all kinds of different operating systems. It was extremely difficult for teachers to help students when they were having a computer problem. If a teacher was trying to teach something that required technology, it was like carrying 14 students on
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your back up Mount Cardigan on the sunrise hike. One thing had to happen: Technology had to change at Cardigan. In February of 2009, after a lot of research, the feeling of the administration at Cardigan was that a one-to-one laptop program was in the best interest of Cardigan students for a number of reasons. It was necessary for us to have a consistent platform across campus so that teachers could help students. All the boys needed access to certain programs—not just some of the students. Students and teachers needed to have better systems to send documents to and from one another as well as better means to communicate. In our research, we found that laptop programs across the United States not only improved motivation in the classrooms but even impacted student writing in a positive way. We felt that this was the right direction for Cardigan because it would give us greater administrative oversight and a common language with one kind of machine. As work toward implementing a one-to-one program began, we closely researched the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (an endeavor that started with laptops in the hands of particular groups of students in the state of Maine but that now aims to deploy learning technologies for all of Maine’s students and teachers in
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grades 7 through 12), and we looked at studies dating as far back as 2003 speaking to the benefits of a one-to-one program.* The research speaks consistently to the benefits of a program like this, new studies having appeared as recently as just a few months ago. Although we are just getting rolling as I write this, there is no question that the School is navigating uncharted waters, and there may be some unanticipated scenarios that arise along the way.
to unfamiliar territory. We also knew that we would need added resources on our faculty to help with this initiative. The School thus began a search for a new faculty member to fill the newly created position of technology integrator. This person’s role would be dedicated to helping students and teachers use the laptop, as well as working with teachers to incorporate the machine into the classroom and curriculum.
While all this was going on in the middle of the 2010*Here are just a few examples of the research: Goldberg, Russell 2011 year, we also realized that the Microsoft Outlook & Cook, 2003; Pitler, Flynn, & Gaddy, 2004; Silvernail & Gritter, Exchange Client email program we were using was just too expensive; there were cheaper alternatives out there, and we 2007; Silvernail & Lane, 2004. See “References” section for more needed to move in that direction. Our research determined bibliographical detail. that Google Applications for Education would offer us the Before making this decision as a school, there was a lot of same ease of use (as well as other features) for a cost of faculty discussion. The teachers completed surveys as to $0. In schools, “free” is exactly the right price. The project which machines they preferred, how they of transferring all of our faculty email had been using their school-issued PC systems to Google thus began in earnest, machines (Dell Latitudes at the time), thanks to our Technology Office staff and whether they thought it beneficial for (comprising Michel Gray and Joshua teachers and students to have the same Routhier), and was complete before the machine. Based on the results, it became “The student and end of the 2010-2011 academic year. clear that Mac was the favored machine, With academic year 2011-2012 fast teacher machines and overwhelmingly teachers believed approaching, the next step would be to mirror each that students and faculty having the same include students in our implementation other and are machine would prove beneficial for all. of Google. Many department meetings then ensued nearly identical...” The School had purchased the laptops with the purpose of identifying which in the winter of 2010, and the Mac machine, as well as which software, we would select. Technology Office staff later began imaging (building) Simultaneously, we researched other schools with laptop them in the early part of the summer of 2011; they spent programs and tried to develop a system for us that we felt long hours creating a sample student laptop. Prior to this, would work. No matter how much time we spent on this, I had begun testing a sample teacher machine during there was always an uneasy feeling that we were diving in the 2010-2011 academic year, and as we continued to move forward, we continued our tech-related meetings on campus. Department chairs played with the sample machine and offered advice and thoughts on how to make it better. At year’s end, we began to discuss rules and regulations for these machines. We notified returning parents that we were moving to a laptop program and informed them about how this program would run. We then began planning professional development for the faculty for September 2011 so that teachers would feel comfortable using their new machines and be able to incorporate them into their lessons, in some cases immediately and in others, eventually. Both
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the History and Math Departments quickly determined that using e-books over traditional texts would be their approach for 2011-2012. In World Languages, those overseeing Spanish and French also wanted to jump on board with e-books. In the Science Department, we determined that the seventh-grade text would go electronic, too, for 2011-2012. All of these decisions to go to e-books lowered the overall cost of books for our families who had been paying, in some cases, well over $500 annually in textbook purchases. Fast forward through the 2011 summer of hard work, and here we are with Cardigan’s official One-to-One Laptop Program. Each student was issued a white unibody Macbook the Sunday before classes started, and faculty members all either received theirs before last summer or (in the cases of new faculty) upon their arrival to Cardigan in August. The student and teacher machines mirror each other and are nearly identical (the exceptions being some of the additional software needed by teachers in order to do their jobs). So far, results have been positive. Students have been able to access the technologies they need in the classrooms and have access to word processing whenever they need it. Also, the boys themselves, when asked, have been upbeat about the program thus far. The majority of them like their new machines and understand their responsibilities in caring for them. Who knows what the results of this program will ultimately be? Only time will tell. However, in the first few weeks of school, we are off to a great start, putting laptops in the hands of every Cardigan student and every Cardigan teacher. n
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References Goldberg, A., Russell, M., & Cook, A. (2003). The effect of computers on student writing: A meta-analysis of studies from 1992 to 2002. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 2(1). Retrieved from http://www.jtla.org. Pitler, H., Flynn, K., & Gaddy, B. (2004, September). Is a laptop initiative in your future? Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.mcrel.org. Silvernail, D. L., & Gritter, A. K. (2007). Maine’s middle school laptop program: Creating better writers. University of Southern Maine, Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation. Retrieved from http://www.http://usm.maine.edu/. Silvernail, D. L., & Lane, D. M. M. (2004). The Impact of Maine’s One-to-One Laptop Program on Middle School Teachers and Students. Maine Education Policy Research Institute University of Southern Maine. Retrieved from http://maine.gov/mlti/ articles/research/MLTIPhaseOneEvaluationReport2004.pdf.
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More than a Great Hockey Program by Robbie Barker ’97 Teacher, Mentor, and Hockey Coach
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s a lover of the sport, and of coaching, I think about hockey all 12 months of the year—I even spend a fair number of hot summer days in the rink—and I realized something remarkable recently about our school community.
Three of our current Cardigan boys have family coaching ties to Division I college hockey. I believe this says a lot about our hockey program, but also about what we do up here to set boys on a course to becoming good men. I took the opportunity to ask the three coaches—Scott Borek (UNH), Donald “Toot” Cahoon (UMass Amherst), and Dave Peters (Dartmouth)—to talk about why they chose to give their boys a Cardigan experience like mine, and what changes they have observed in their boys since coming here. In life, like in hockey, opportunities arise right before your eyes and quickly vanish. Some great, some small, some intriguing, and just a few are life changing. Although I can’t say I realized this in the eighth grade, I can honestly say now that my experience as a Cardigan boy was certainly one of those life-changing opportunities. The people who nurtured me here—like Coach Marrion, Coach Lynch, and Mr. Funnell—played important roles not only in my growth as a student, but also in guiding me on the path toward being the teacher and coach that I am today. All my life I have looked up to my coaches and hung on their every word, and it’s an honor to follow in the footsteps of these great Cardigan mentors. It’s also great to know, as you’ll read in the words of Scott, Toot, and Dave, that others share my understanding of the transformative power of “The Cardigan Way.”
Read what Coaches Borek, Cahoon, and Peters told Mr. Barker about the transformation they’ve seen in their Cardigan boys (Charley ’12, Jake ’14, and Jason ’12, pictured left) on the pages that follow.
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Jake Peters ’14 with his parents, Dave and Kathy, after a cross-country meet earlier this fall.
challenges ahead. Cardigan Mountain school has become very special to us, and we are proud to have our son as part of the Cardigan community.
Scott Borek UNH Dave Peters Dartmouth College In the fall of 2010, my wife, Kathy, and I enrolled our son, Jake, into the sixth grade at Cardigan Mountain School. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made as a family. We wanted to prepare him for prep school and eventually college. Our town has an excellent school system, but we felt Jake would benefit more from the added individual academic attention given at Cardigan Mountain School. He has a long way to go, but we are very pleased with his progress on a number of fronts. We have seen a tremendous improvement in his study habits, responsibility, and overall maturity. The teachers at Cardigan are wonderful role models and are incredibly dedicated to every student. The students’ access to teachers, administrators, and all Cardigan staff is outstanding. Cardigan athletics has a great tradition with exceptional coaches who develop teamwork, camaraderie, and school spirit. Cardigan Mountain School is a wonderfully structured academic environment, with clearly a higher level of commitment. Although there are sure to be many ups and downs, we know that Jake’s time at Cardigan will prepare him well to deal with the
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It is with great appreciation that I write this note on what I call the “Cardigan Commitment,” but what the school would call “The Cardigan Way.” I make the distinction because in my years of educational experience as a student, coach, and now parent, I have heard the term “The _[fill in the blank] _ Way” many times. I believe
the simple and continually reinforced notion that respect is given before it is ever received. When we first looked into and then enrolled our oldest boy at Cardigan, it was with the hope that he would receive good study habits, get a chance to compete athletically, and to hopefully meet some people that would take him out of his comfort zone socially. All of this has occurred, but what we have since learned as a family is that the Cardigan Commitment to your family is much more than the simply defined boarding school lifestyle. Both of our boys have gained self-esteem while learning the value of humility. They have grown to appreciate the musical talent of others as much as they value any athletic talent they may themselves possess. As they move forward in the world, to secondary school and beyond, I know that the years spent on
“ . . . there is a sense of something special going on in Canaan, N.H.” that most college, secondary, and pre– secondary schools enter their mission statement with the goal of creating and living a certain community lifestyle. Few of these have come as close to making this lifestyle commitment as I have witnessed at Cardigan Mountain. From the leadership of the faculty, and shared by staff and on-campus families alike, there is a sense of something special going on in Canaan, N.H. Cardigan has brought a level of respect to an age group that is being “taught” to respect themselves first and worry about others later. We have been fortunate to have two boys begin the process of becoming a man while at CMS. As people they have learned that their own needs are not always first, that they need to be fair and respect the needs of others—learn to respect, more than tolerate, their differences. Cardigan has matured our boys with
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the Cardigan campus will have given them the tools to be successful in all areas of their young lives.
Donald “Toot” Cahoon UMass Amherst The Cardigan Mountain School has given our grandson the empowerment skills that, hopefully, will motivate him to become a leader wherever his life’s journey takes him. Our family’s decision, which included tireless discussion between Jason’s mother, father, and my wife and me, led us to believe that CMS was a once-ina-lifetime opportunity for him. It has developed into an incredible experience, not only for Jason, but for all of us to better master the challenges that face “More than a Great Hockey Program continues . . .”
Attention
CMS Alumni Athletes We want your picture on the Wakely Center Alumni Den “Wall of Fame!” Join Carl Elliott ’99 and all the others who have made it to the wall! If you played a sport at the college level or beyond, please send us a photo (8” x 10” print or high-quality digital image) and we’ll frame it and add it to the impressive collection already assembled by Athletic Director Ryan Frost. Mail to:
CMS Athletics 62 Alumni Drive Canaan, NH 03741
Or email:
rfrost@cardigan.org
To see what’s already there, visit www.cardigan.org/walloffame. any “parent” trying to convey the right message to a young teenage boy in our ever-changing society. Cardigan has provided the tools by which our grandson has begun to organize his effort to become prepared socially, academically, spiritually, and athletically. For this our family is very grateful. At Cardigan Mountain [School], the community of educators is committed to fostering a relationship between the student, the family, and themselves. Open forms of communication are recognized and encouraged throughout the partnership. It is clear that CMS’s model of leadership development is a proven one. There were so many former and current Cardigan families willing to share their experiences with our family, and
with Jason, throughout the initial investigation process. This has led us to conclude that CMS adjusts to each family to provide a matched program that corresponds to the needs of each boy. If a student needs to be coached, they coach. For our grandson, it has meant being directed at times, and supported on other occasions. At Cardigan, the measure of a boy’s strengths and weaknesses always matters. Their coaching style adapts to a strong performer, an enthusiastic beginner, a capable but cautious learner, or the boy who is disillusioned and needs to be reinvented in school. In closing, Cardigan has delivered results with all that they have done for our family. We now look with great expectation for what the future might hold for our grandson. n
Jason “Jay” Cahoon ’12 on ice for the Cardigan Cougars.
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spring sports wrap-up
Varsity Lacrosse 14–5
Varsity Tennis 2–7
The Varsity Lacrosse team had another outstanding season last spring. They began with a 1–1 trip to Connecticut, beating perennial powerhouse Salisbury School and losing by one to Avon. The season was marked by many great wins and several close, heartbreaking losses like the Avon game (e.g., a Deerfield loss in OT and a loss to Governor’s by one). The only other losses on the season came against a strong Belmont Hill team (which beat the Cougars by two) and against Deerfield a second time. The rest of the season was highlighted by strong, decisive wins (vs. Pinkerton, NMH, Exeter, Groton, and the entire group of Lakes Region schools). The Cougars finished out their season with a tribute to breast cancer awareness, earning a “pink” win against archrival Eaglebrook School.
Varsity Tennis, one of the few teams at Cardigan that competes against high school varsity-level competition, had a better season than they have had in recent years, securing wins over Dublin and Tilton and forcing close losses to Brewster, Proctor, and Exeter. To put into perspective the level of competition the team faces, our JV Tennis team, which competes at the JV high school level against many of the same schools the varsity competes against, beat almost all of them handily, demonstrating further how talented and deep our tennis program is against high school–level competition. The Varsity Tennis team also competed in the Lakes Region Individual Tennis Tournament at the end of the season and made a strong showing in both the singles and doubles formats.
Varsity Baseball 13–1
Varsity Sailing: N.H. State Champions
Varsity Baseball wrapped up the spring just one run shy of a perfect season. In an epic pitching duel in the season’s final game—against Eaglebrook—Cardigan came up one run short of finishing their season undefeated. Despite the single loss, the Varsity Baseball team had a great spring, handily defeating almost every other team they faced, making use of their strong pitching and big bats. The 10-run rule came into play in their wins against the Lakes Region schools, but the team also had wins over stronger programs like those of Belmont Hill, NMH, and Deerfield. And in a great day of double-header baseball action on The Point, the boys even defeated a strong New York City Boy’s Club squad.
The Varsity Sailing team had another great season, despite competing against older, stronger, and more-experienced sailors, as well as battling the cold New Hampshire spring environment. In spite of its smaller numbers this year, the team worked hard and did what it had to do to recapture the N.H. State Championship and the Blue Bucket Prize. This was the second time in three years that the team has won this regatta (with the race’s cancellation during the 2010 season due to weather conditions), and it is noteworthy that in this particular championship regatta, the Cougars even sail against some college racers!
This season also marked the start of either a possible oneyear hiatus for Coach Nick Lynch or a retirement from Cardigan and from the “mainland,” as Coach Lynch, after more than two decades, has moved to Hawaii to be with his sons and wife and enjoy a warmer lifestyle. Good luck to Coach Lynch and also to Coach Barker (Varsity Football), Coach Cook (Varsity Basketball), and Coach Hannis (Varsity Baseball), as they look to fill in his (big) shoes and lead these programs going forward.
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Rock Climbing The Rock Climbing team enjoyed another great spring, working hard in the cave, in the weight room, on the tread wall, and in the beautiful surrounding cliffs of nearby Rumney, N.H. Each week the team pushed one another to work hard, overcome obstacles, and achieve seemingly impossible heights. This talented group of hard-working athletes was great to watch as they climbed places that at times didn’t seem humanly possible.
www.cardigan.org
Teachers as Students:
Honing Our Craft Through Professional Development
by Ryan Feeley
Assistant Headmaster and Dean of Faculty
W
hen I was a kid, I often wondered what was wrong with my teachers. I couldn’t wait for the bell to release me each day, and yet here were these adults, who had the opportunity to choose to do any job they liked, but they were opting to come to school day after day, year after year. When I was 13, the concept of lifelong learning made no sense to me whatsoever. Now that I am a teacher myself, I can appreciate why these folks enjoyed being in school. Over the last few years, we have seen Cardigan’s faculty dive into numerous professional development opportunities both on and off campus. From our full-week, in-house professional development sessions at the start of each school year to groups of teachers’ venturing out to workshops and conferences, the opportunities to hone our craft are numerous and varied. A key component to this continuing education is sharing what we’ve gleaned with colleagues. In an attempt to “share the wealth” of ideas out there, teachers regularly present at faculty meetings on various strategies they’ve picked up. The goal of all this work, of course, is to equip our teachers so that we can provide our students with a deep and meaningful education that is developmentally appropriate. As we progress through the year, we keep our eyes open for other opportunities to learn more and to share good ideas, so we can continue to do our best for our students, even if some of them (like the 13-year-old version of Ryan Feeley) may not understand why we would ever want to spend our time in school. n
To provide a few examples, within the past several months we have seen the following: • Two science teachers attend a workshop on strategies for the physical science classroom. • Our “Operations Team” participate in the National Middle School Association’s Institute for Middle Level Leadership. • A coach attend a program for snowboard instruction at a world-class facility in Colorado. • Our entire faculty participate in workshops with a representative from Apple computers. • A select group of coaches proceed through a series of online courses on middle school athletics. Looking ahead, plans are already in place this fall for Cardigan teachers to also attend these conferences: • The Learning and the Brain Conference in Boston, providing access to the latest research from neuroscientists. • The Association of Middle Level Educators Annual Conference in Louisville, with the opportunity to choose from hundreds of sessions and hear a keynote speech by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. • The National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference, offering the chance to share ideas with independent school educators from all over the country.
! r e v E r e m m u t S Bes Cardigan r
s You i h T e k a M
Summer Session
June 23–August 2, 2012 • Academic review and enrichment classes, arts, athletics, and traditional summer camp activities on a scenic lakeside campus. • For girls and boys grades 3-9. • Boarding or day program options.
603.523.3526 summersession@cardigan.org
• Three or six weeks.
www.cardigan.org/summer CARDIGAN CHRONICLE
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An Essential Resource: Great Teachers by Ryan Feeley
Assistant Headmaster and Dean of Faculty
O
ne of the fascinating juxtapositions about fall at Cardigan is that while it is steeped in tradition, it always marks new beginnings. Turning leaves signaling the coming end of a calendar year simultaneously welcome fresh perspectives and new personalities to The Point. Every fall, new boys from all over the world join a Cardigan brotherhood that dates back more than 65 years and numbers in the thousands. Likewise, each fall welcomes a new group of men and women to our faculty here. Over the course of every winter and spring, hundreds of candidates express interest in joining Cardigan’s faculty and, with the help of my colleagues, I have the opportunity to identify the men and women who will work with our boys in the classrooms, dorms, and playing fields. It takes a certain type of person to do this work well, and yet we seek educators with a range of backgrounds, interests, and life experiences. Watching our new colleagues arrive with their excitement and enthusiasm in tow, and observing how they join our veterans to develop into a team, is truly one of the best aspects of my work here. This year, we are thrilled to welcome 12 new men and women to campus, and I have been very pleased with the significant positive impact they have already had on our students. Among this
“Among this group are seasoned veterans as well as enthusiastic new teachers, all of whom are eager to work with middle school boys.” group are seasoned veterans as well as enthusiastic new teachers, all of whom are eager to work with middle school boys. I am happy to share a snapshot of each of them with you here. This year’s group of new faculty includes two natives of New Hampshire: Corey Lawson and Travis Nevins. Originally from Plymouth, Corey comes to campus with a range of experiences, both in the classroom and in residential life. Corey has taught at Kingswood Middle School and also worked in the residential life program at Franklin Pierce University. Corey is a baseball and rugby fanatic and an avid outdoorsman who has already begun to forge great relationships with students. Corey teaches in the PEAKS Department, where he serves as one of our ninth-grade team leaders. Travis grew up on the ski slopes of Mount Sunapee and has always wanted to become a ski coach. After skiing competitively at Plymouth State University, he is making his goal a reality at Cardigan. Travis brings great enthusiasm and a “help the other fella” attitude to campus. He serves as a tutor in the mornings and will also coach soccer and lacrosse. Two of our recent program initiatives have led to newly created faculty positions—namely, technology integrator and director of the Gates Program. Enter Ann Hamel and Rhett Yelton. Ann is a veteran teacher with a significant technology background. She has worked at Fountain Valley School in Colorado and most recently at Fay School. In her capacity as technology integrator, she will work with both faculty and students to take full advantage of the technology tools afforded us through the new One-to-One Laptop Program. As a designer and science and
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math teacher, Rhett brings the perfect mix of experience to the Charles C. Gates Invention and Innovation Program. Rhett has taught in New York and Vermont, most recently at The Maple Street School. He is enjoying tinkering with the boys in our new Gates I.D.E.A. Shop. Didi Wilson and Della Parker are veteran educators who join our PEAKS Department this year. Didi has more than 15 years’ teaching experience in Massachusetts and Vermont and lives right here in Canaan. She earned rave reviews from students and colleagues for her demonstration math lesson, and she will undoubtedly be a great resource for the boys as time goes along. Likewise, Della brings a wealth of experience to Cardigan, having taught both in Downeast Maine as well as the northernmost reaches of Barrow, Alaska. Della has a strong language arts background and was instrumental in developing a middle school model at her school in Maine. She is enjoying working with the students and teachers on our seventh-grade team.
Left to right from top: Mark Beckwith, Daniel Perricone, Rhett Yelton, and Graham Gauthier. Middle row: Sarah Graves, Ann Hamel, Corey Lawson, and Didi Wilson. Bottom row: Michael Nakade, Travis Nevins, Matt Orlando, and Della Parker. As a baseball fan, I have often thought of Cardigan’s Summer Session as a sort of farm system for new teachers. In fact, we have been lucky to draw from our Summer Session for many tremendous teachers over the last several years (folks like Austen and Alexis Hannis, Haver Markham, Andrew Cook, and Avery Scoville, to name a few.) This year’s class of new faculty includes two more Summer Session teachers. Sarah Graves worked during the 2009 season and now joins our Science Department, where she teaches biology. A graduate of Haverford College, Sarah was a two-sport college athlete, who will coach hockey and lacrosse at Cardigan. Graham
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New teachers, continued . . . Gauthier, a veteran of the 2010 and 2011 Summer Sessions joins our Math Department. Graham graduated from St. Lawrence University and completed his graduate work in education at SUNY-Potsdam. He will coach hockey and lacrosse as well. In their own unique ways, Matt Orlando and Michael Nakade each possess firsthand knowledge about the day-today lives of our boys because they have their own personal experiences from which to draw. Matt is an alumnus of Cushing Academy, so he understands what it’s like to be a student in a boarding school. As a three-sport coach and dorm parent, Matt is serving as a teaching intern this year in our English Department. Michael brings the perspective of an “English language learner” to campus. A native of Tokyo, Japan, Michael came to the United States at the age of 16 and attended high school in Arizona, where he developed superb English proficiency. After many years of teaching in Hawaii, as well as at the Choate Summer
School, Michael is excited to work with his students in our Building Confidence in English (BCE) classes. Finally, we have two terrific additions to our World Languages Department in Mark Beckwith and Daniel Perricone. Mark comes to Cardigan from Michigan, where he and his wife, Liz, were recently married. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Mark is teaching Latin, coaching basketball and baseball, and serving as a dorm parent in Brewster II. Daniel joins our faculty from the New York State public school system. He and his wife, Lindsay, live in Hinman II. Daniel is enjoying teaching French and coaching Thirds Football. He will also assist with the basketball program this winter. Without a doubt, these educators are already proving to be great additions to our team here. To a person, they are immersing themselves in Cardigan life, working very hard, and smiling along the way. I know all of you will enjoy getting to know them as much as we have here on campus. n
Joining the Cardigan Faculty: A Very Thorough Process by Sarah Young, PEAKS Coach
T
en different people? I was starting to get a little nervous. It was the spring of 2010, and I was looking at the itinerary that Dean of Faculty Ryan Feeley had sent me for my upcoming interview at Cardigan Mountain School. I counted the names on the schedule again thinking it must be wrong, but apparently my counting skills were correct. Then I noticed the times; the interviews would start at 9:00 a.m., and the day would last until 4:45 p.m. that evening. What in the world could they discuss with me for almost eight hours?
“. . . the interviews would start at 9:00 a.m., and the day would last until 4:45 p.m. that evening. What in the world could they discuss with me for almost eight hours?” As I prepared for the interview, I created 10 labeled note cards with each person’s name, title, and my questions. I arrived at Ryan’s office a little early, armed with my note cards—and everything I’d prepped for my lesson. The first couple of interviews that morning whizzed by. When it came time for my demonstration lesson, I had a blast teaching Mr. Wennik’s seventh-grade English class about prepositions. I showed the class the crucial role that the preposition plays in sports commentary, and then the students used the prepositions to recount their own imagined game.
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www.cardigan.org
You are WANTED! “Mo Z” on down to the
Cardigan Corral CMS
Auction
February 3, 2012
• Silent Auction 4-6 p.m. • Followed by dinner and
Live Auction Action!
Help us support the School, and have fun doing it! Wear your favorite cowboy boots and hat and get ready to bid, partner!
The afternoon had me moving around talking about many different topics, including curriculum, residential life, roles and responsibilities, and so on. As the day progressed, I was impressed by how each interviewer had a specific focus in his or her questions for me. During each session I, too, asked many questions and was surprised at how the concepts such as the Core Values and the “Cardigan family” were echoed through the different interviews. Soon enough it was 4:45 p.m., and I was exhausted. Well, exhausted yet still eager to come back and join the staff at Cardigan. As I was driving away, I felt as though Cardigan now had a clear picture of who I was as an educator and as a person. The long interview process had also helped me to realize that I really wanted to work there, and when Ryan called a few days later to offer me a job in PEAKS, a happy dance was performed.
It’s been about a year and a half since that phone call, and I’m still just as honored to be a part of the Cardigan community. The cycle has come all the way around, as last spring I was given the opportunity to help in the interviewing process for this school year. The teaching candidates followed the same rigorous schedule that I had, and they came in bursting with many of the same questions that I’d had on my first visit here. There were a lot of phenomenal candidates who came to campus, and it has been wonderful to see many of them return this fall as new faculty. n
Ms. Young (far right) with the PEAKS team, (from left): Didi Wilson, Corey Lawson, Chairperson Jarrod Caprow, and Della Parker.
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advancing cardigan R
esources or tools. There’s a familiar theme in this issue of the Cardigan Chronicle. In my four months as a member of the community, I can easily identify where and how tools play an important role in the daily lives of the boys and faculty at CMS. The program at Cardigan requires a boy to be resourceful. Their tools could include the new Apple laptop they received at the beginning of the year, a piece of equipment in the new Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Shop, the silverware used during a meal, or the pen and pencil used to complete homework during study hall. Here their toolbox also includes caring faculty members, coaches, friends, and their advisor. Needless to say, our boys use a number of tools on a daily basis and their Cardigan experience is dependent on them. There is a strong sense of community and “taking care of the other fella” at Cardigan that will undoubtedly provide the necessary tools and resources for our boys.
by David G. Perfield, Director of Development
In my first four months as Director of Development, I’ve taken a keen interest in the tremendous number of alumni, parents of alumni, friends of Cardigan, parents of current students, grandparents, and faculty and staff members who support this special place, both through their volunteerism and through their financial support of the Annual Fund and/or Cardigan 2020 Campaign. It’s not uncommon to hear about someone spreading the good word about CMS to prospective families around the globe as well as to members of the Upper Valley community.
In my short time at CMS, I have been genuinely impressed with the dedication, commitment, passion, and support of the faculty, administration, and the board. In my short time at CMS, I have been genuinely impressed with the dedication, commitment, passion, and support of the faculty, administration, and the board. For the “new guy,” it’s nice to know I have the opportunity to work with people who care deeply about the School. Through the support of the Board of Trustees, we have been able to build the Development Office to a staff of nine. That decision alone helps us build the foundation of our new development effort—ultimately allowing us to reach many of the goals that have been at the forefront of Cardigan’s strategic plan and Cardigan 2020 in recent years.
Development Office Staffers, clockwise from left: Barbara Frazier P’88,’95,’00 Pamela Susi Rick Exton Chris Heaney David Perfield Mary Ledoux Richard Clancy ’67 Douglas Lovell
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The Development Office is staffed in a way that allows us to focus on all the essential areas of development. We all have intentional responsibilities, and the attention to these areas will benefit CMS for many days, weeks, months, and years to come. These folks are wonderful resources and I hope you’ll welcome their outreach and sincere interest in hearing more about your Cardigan story. With a larger staff, the opportunity to connect with Cardigan folks grows exponentially. We’re planning to be in a number of major cities for receptions, and on campus for games, performances, and events like Homecoming, the auction, and Parents’ Weekend (October and February) too. Your relationship to this special place is unique. Each year, the boys who attend Cardigan have the ability to write their own story. It’s the tools and resources provided to them that make their CMS experience special. There are countless ways for you to be connected to CMS, and it’s our goal to help you find a way that’s right for you. I encourage you to stay in touch with Cardigan—whether it’s by attending an event, visiting the website, or visiting campus.
www.cardigan.org
introducing our new trustees Jeremy Crigler ’79 Jeremy graduated from Cardigan Mountain School in 1979 before enrolling at Milton Academy. He is a 1988 graduate of Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, where he earned an undergraduate degree in finance. Jeremy then earned his MBA at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Today, Jeremy serves as chief investment officer for Tulane University, responsible for managing the school’s $1 billion endowment. Prior to joining Tulane, Jeremy served as senior investment officer for Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where he was part of a team responsible for developing and implementing investment policies and performance measures for the university’s $6 billion endowment. He also managed a team responsible for investing $2.5 billion in public equity, hedge funds, and other assets for the university. Jeremy has extensive experience in money management. Prior to working for Cornell, he founded the investment consulting firm Trusten Capital Management in Durham, N.C., where he worked for seven years as a consultant and portfolio manager. Before Trusten, he served as investment director of public equity for Duke Management Company, where he was responsible for investing Duke University’s endowment and other assets.
David J. Martinelli P’13 David lives in Haverford, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Christine, and their three children. Their son Will is now in the eighth grade at Cardigan, having started with us as a 2010 Summer Session student and later enrolling in the seventh grade. The Martinellis have two other children: Will’s younger brother, Davis, who attends The Haverford School, and his sister, Elizabeth, who is a boarding student at Episcopal School. David is managing partner for Harvest Fund Investors. He earned his BS in finance/marketing from Syracuse University and an MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business at NYU. Previously, David held the offices of treasurer and senior vice president of corporate development for Buckeye Pipe Line Company in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
David is a trustee at The Haverford School, and he also serves on the boards of the Philadelphia Zoo and MyLeadershipboard. com, as well as the advisory board to Penn Liberty Bank. He is also active in The Steppingstone Foundation, the Academy of Music, Peter’s Place, Main Line Animal Rescue, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. David and Christine are both active in the greater Philadelphia area, providing leadership and volunteer support to health care and education organizations, as well as to various other concerns, including a local animal shelter from which they have adopted five dogs. In addition, Christine is a trustee at Oldfields School. At the Cardigan board meeting in October 2010, David shared his experiences as a trustee at The Haverford School, highlighting that school’s fundraising campaigns and lessons learned through the experience.
D. Bryan Ruez P’06 Bryan and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of Chris, a 2006 Cardigan graduate, and his older brother,William, who is now a graduate student at SMU. The Ruez family has their primary residence in Houston, Tex., where they have lived, off and on, for many years. The family spends their summers at their home in Chatham, Mass. Bryan is a managing director and the global co-leader of Alvarez & Marsal Forensic and Dispute Services. He joined Alvarez & Marsal in 2003 and led the firm’s overall global corporate development efforts, where he played a key role in the development and growth of the firm’s non-restructuring businesses. Prior to Alvarez & Marsal, Bryan spent 22 years at the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. Bryan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a focus in accounting, from Texas A&M University, and he is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Bryan and Nancy have been very supportive of Cardigan in many ways over the years. In recent years, they have hosted Cardigan receptions both in Houston and on Cape Cod.
The Cardigan Board welcomed Mr. Crigler, Mr. Martinelli, and Mr. Ruez to its membership at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Cardigan Mountain School Corporation in October.
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2011
Alumni Award Winners A Special Homecoming Celebration by Richard Clancy ’67 Director of Alumni Programs
S
aturday, October 8, 2011, marked a transition within the Cardigan Mountain School Alumni Association Board of Directors, when Steve August ’69 officially took the helm as the president. Thanks go out to Ken Klaus ’73 for his able leadership during the past two years. That same day, Director of Alumni Relations Richard Clancy ’67 gathered those alumni on campus in Humann Theatre for the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony, at which longtime faculty members Bill Barron and Neil Brier were given official “Honorary Alumni” status.
Bill Barron accepts Honorary Alumnus award from Steve August ’69 and Ken Klaus ’73.
William Barron
Neil Brier
Brian Sirgutz ’88
It seemed not a single minute of Bill Barron’s 18-year tenure at Cardigan Mountain School was wasted. His commitment to the counsel of and growth in middle school boys here never wavered, and hundreds of boys no doubt evolved into productive, confident, and happy young men because of Bill’s dedication to this end. Although a summer administrator and academic-year expert in Residential Life and Life Skills, Bill perhaps found his greatest satisfaction came from his direct work with the boys themselves, in the classroom, in the dormitory, and in the realm of athletics— most notably in the wrestling program, which became his to nurture for many years. His sagacious advice for students was unfailingly delivered with great sensitivity, and his genuine interest in program improvement required countless hours of thought, planning, and work, which he tackled with enthusiasm, displaying an obvious love for the School and the wellbeing of the boys herein. The Alumni Association of Cardigan Mountain School is pleased to bestow Honorary Alumnus status upon William X. Barron on this day, Saturday, October 8, 2011.
For 22 years, Neil Brier gave every ounce of his energy to Cardigan Mountain School. To hundreds of boys he was an inspiring teacher, an encouraging coach, and a wise and supportive advisor; to numerous faculty members he became a trusted mentor and sounding board. He played his many roles on The Point with obvious enthusiasm; his joy in educating was always in evidence, as was his sense of humor and penchant for fun. Strengthened by his dedication to improving the many programs under his administrative supervision, as well as by his legacy of instilling confidence and a joy for learning in so many young men, the School has been truly enriched by Neil’s longtime tenure. The Alumni Association of Cardigan Mountain School is pleased to bestow Honorary Alumnus status upon Neil Brier on this day, Saturday, October 8, 2011.
A 1988 graduate of Cardigan Mountain School, Brian Sirgutz certainly made his mark in terms of being involved on The Point. Based on his lineup of various club interests and other extracurriculars at Cardigan, it is also clear that Brian’s interest in media began—or was already in place—at an early age. His Cardigan yearbook indicates that among the many things in which he participated were the movie club and both the audio-visual and public relations crews; he also wrote for the School’s newspaper.
Honorary Alumnus
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Honorary Alumnus
Unfortunately Mr. Brier was not able to join us for the awards ceremony.
www.cardigan.org
Distinguished Alumnus
After graduating from Cardigan, Brian went on to Suffield Academy, and then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Gallatin School at New York University. But what perhaps distinguishes Brian most among his contemporaries is his belief in causes and his clear penchant for making it easier for others to support causes. After several years of working in the world of musical entertainment (as president of one record label and then co-founder of another nonprofit label), Brian spent about three and a half years representing the family and estate of the popular late recording artist Aaliyah; he summoned her fans
Left: Brian Sirgutz ’88 receives the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Alumni Board President Steve August ’69.
Right: Jeremy Marks ’88 receives the Distinguished Alumnus Award from former Alumni Board President Ken Klaus ’71.
Jeremy Marks ’88
Distinguished Alumnus
to contribute to the nonprofit memorial fund in her name—the goal of which was to support research and relief for breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, and AIDS. And then came Causecast. As president of this online mechanism for connecting nonprofit causes to free online fundraising tools, Brian’s guidance and vision made Causecast a powerful instrument for social good. And in his current position of senior vice president of “Impact” at AOL/Huffington Post Media Group, he continues his quest for effecting positive social change. “Impact” is a recently added section of the well-known online publication, and it aims to transform its readers into activists for good causes. Arianna Huffington recently nominated Brian for the 2011 Young Global Leaders Award, to be awarded in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum in January 2012. Brian is a self-described “Veggie Environmentalist,” who volunteers (and reads) a lot. He has been able to let go of material concerns and all that goes with them, and once a person can do that, as he himself has written, “the world becomes your playground—your own big sandbox in which to dance, play, love, help, and be a light for those in the dark.” For his efforts to use his entertainment, technology, and philanthropy expertise to serve his fellow man, Brian is characterized as a model for Cardigan students and his fellow Cardigan alumni to follow. On this day, Saturday, October 8, 2011, the Cardigan Mountain School Alumni Association is proud to honor Brian Sirgutz ’88 as a recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Jeremy Marks graduated from Cardigan in 1988 and to this day stays in touch with his Cardigan roommate, coincidentally a fellow Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Given Jeremy’s interest and expertise in teaching, coaching, counseling, and advising middle and high school students, it is no surprise that relationships are among his highest priorities and that he remains connected to his past on The Point in this way.
For his efforts to make good use of his own education to serve the students of his schools in a manner that reaches far beyond the classroom, Jeremy is characterized as a model for Cardigan students and his fellow Cardigan alumni to follow. On this day, Saturday, October 8, 2011, the Cardigan Mountain School Alumni Association is proud to honor Jeremy Marks ’88 as a recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
An educator in every sense of the word, Jeremy followed his secondary school stint at South Kent and his undergraduate years at Northeastern (supported by a Division I scholarship for rowing) with the attainment of two master’s degrees in the field of education. From Fordham University, he received his MSEd in counseling and personal services (Phi Kappa Phi), and from Baruch College, he earned a master’s in academic administration and supervision.
Josh Pellegrino ’93
But Jeremy has also gone on to apply his knowledge and really make a difference in the lives of middle and high school students, clearly taking the initiative when he sees the opportunity. In his years at Midwood High School (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Jeremy not only served its 3,700 students as a guidance counselor and football coach, but he headed the school’s Social Emotional Learning Initiative—a curriculum and school culture program. At present, Jeremy (and his young family) live in Barcelona, Spain, where he is the Advisory Program director as well as a counselor at the Benjamin Franklin International School. Furthermore, Jeremy plays the role of team leader for the school’s Habitat for Humanity group, directing student trips to build homes in Senegal, Africa. He also runs the after-school program at BFIS.
Distinguished Young Alumnus Named after the late Dr. N. Donald Diebel ’82, the N. Donald Diebel ’82 Distinguished Young Alumnus Award is presented each year to a member of the Alumni Association who has exhibited outstanding service to his community in the manner of Dr. N. Donald Diebel ’82. Dr. Diebel’s son Conor Diebel, a current student (Class of 2012), was present for the award’s presentation to Josh. Joshua Pellegrino graduated from Cardigan Mountain School in 1993, after which he joined the student body at Dublin School. He graduated from Dublin and later enrolled at Endicott College for Business and Law. With an eye toward serving his country, Josh joined the Marines and was on active duty from 2004 through 2007. To date, Josh remains active in the Marine Corps Reserves, but his service to his fellow man continues in numerous other ways as well. In addition to volunteering as a drill instructor for the Young Marine Program, Josh has also helped with the Special Olympics and the Toys for Tots programs. He is currently a fire dispatcher and EMT, and he continues to use those related skills and his knowledge and experience in a number of volunteer capacities as well. At
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Josh Pellegrino ’93 receives the N. Donald Diebel ’82 Distinguished Young Alumnus Award, presented by Conor Diebel ’12 and Richard Clancy ’67.
present, he is (fittingly!) finishing a college degree in criminal justice, squeezing his studies in and around his busy work and volunteer schedule. It would be fair to say that most of what Josh engages in, both at work and well beyond, is in service to others. On this day, Saturday, October 8, 2011, for his leadership and service example, and for his continued support, defense, and protection of both country and community, the Cardigan Mountain School Alumni Association is proud to honor Joshua Pellegrino ’93 as the 2011 recipient of the N. Donald Diebel ’82 Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.
Class of 2008
Green Bowl Winner On behalf of his class, Nate Gilbert ’08 accepted the “Green Bowl” prize for the young alumni class with the best percentage for participation in the 2010-2011 Annual Fund; Nate was also welcomed to the Alumni Board, and is pictured below.
Bruce Marshard ’64, with daughter Charlotte, accepts the “Green Jacket” Distinguished Service Award from Ken Klaus ’73 and Steve August ’69.
Bruce Marshard ’64
Distinguished Service Award Winner Bruce Marshard was selected for this award, also known as the “Green Jacket,” because of his many years of volunteer service to Cardigan Mountain School. One of Cardigan’s most dedicated and loyal alumni, this year’s recipient of the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award arrived on The Point in the fall of 1960. Over the course of his four years at Cardigan, he endeared himself to the faculty as a hard worker, skilled athlete, and student leader. He served on the Student Council, on the Student Job Cabinet, and as a dormitory leader in French Hall. Not one to shy away from physical labor, this alumnus spent his spring terms working on the Forestry and Waterfront crews to improve the School’s campus. Football and hockey were his sports of choice, with the latter being a particular passion. But it was in the Williams Wood Shop, under the supervision of Mr. Karl Nyhus, where this alumnus learned the skills that would become the basis of his lifelong vocation. While other students built small furniture and household objects, he chose to build a boat. It was an impressive project, indeed, for a young ninth grader. After Cardigan, our recipient attended Brewster Academy and Oswego College, and in 1972 made his way back to The Point to take over for the retiring Mr. Nyhus as the shop teacher. It was at this time that he renewed his passion for hockey by coaching Cardigan’s varsity team, working side by side with fellow alumnus
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www.cardigan.org
Schuyler Peck ’63. Due to the success of the early 1970s Boston Bruins, this recipient’s home state of Massachusetts had become a hockey haven, and he began to encourage skilled young players from the Boston area to consider a Cardigan education. The success of today’s hockey program at Cardigan can surely be traced back to his early recruitment efforts nearly 40 years ago. This alumnus left Cardigan once again in the late 1970s to pursue his passion for fine woodworking. A skilled craftsman, he has built a reputation as one of the finest woodworkers in eastern Massachusetts. A new Cardigan tradition was born when, in 1988, our recipient gathered a small group of alumni to return to Cardigan to play a pickup game of hockey. This coming February, the Alumni Association will host the Twenty-Fifth Annual Alumni Hockey Game, and, as he has done year after year, this alumnus will work the phones to build the attendance and then show up, as if on cue, to lace them up one more time himself. Our recipient is a long-serving member of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, who has always had Cardigan’s best interests in mind. In many ways, he embodies the ideals of Cardigan Mountain School, and we gather here today to express our gratitude for all that he has done over the years.
alumni notes
1947
F. Lee Bailey—Lee and his partner, Debbie Elliott, stopped by campus in October to view some of the changes that have taken place since his last visit many years ago. Lee and Debbie are the principles of Bailey and Elliott Consulting in Yarmouth, Maine. After a long and distinguished legal career, Lee is happy to be spending his time working on his writing and enjoying the coast of Maine in one of his boyhood stomping grounds.
1966
Dick O’Donnell—Dick recently contacted the Alumni Office in search of his Cardigan schoolmate Sky Rains ’67. Dick hailed from Hawaii and remained there until moving seven years ago to Gibsonville, N.C., to be near his two daughters. He wished to be remembered to the Wakelys, of whom he said he has very fond memories.
Jerry ’69 and Silvia Goodspeed at Monte da Lua, Sintra, Portugal.
Dick O’Donnell ’66 with his wife, Bebe.
1967 Dave McCusker ’80, F. Lee Bailey ’47, Debbie Elliott, and Richard Clancy ’67.
1962
John Christy—John lives on a “gentleman’s farm” in Wisconsin. He tells us that he is retiring this year and will concentrate on his work as his church’s chairman and as his county’s chairman for the Republican party. He recently contacted the Alumni Office to inquire about a 50th reunion for his class (plans are in the works!). He mentioned that he and his classmate Arthur Cox are the only two students to have attended Cardigan for six full years. They both came as fourth graders, and when they moved on to fifth, the fourth was eliminated. The following year, the fifth was eliminated as well. Fritz Gohl—Fritz recently contacted the Alumni Office after reading the Chronicle article about the history of the dining hall. His memories of his days at Cardigan are both vivid and heartfelt. He remembers his undefeated football season under Mr. Thompson’s great coaching, and spirited tether ball games against his classmate Arthur Cox. Fritz now lives in Barrington, Ill., and, like Arthur, hopes to celebrate his class’s 50th anniversary with a reunion this coming year.
guesthouse in Sintra, Portugal, known as Monte da Lua. They would like to extend an invitation to members of the Cardigan “family” to consider a discounted stay at Monte da Lua. You can check it out at www.montedalua.org.
Schuyler (Rains) Schrode—Sky Schrode (formerly known as Sky Rains) lives in Deerfield, Florida. He recently contacted the Alumni Office to update us on his whereabouts. Sky has been a drummer for many years and credits his Cardigan schoolmate Sandy Ritchie with inspiring him to learn to play. He wished to be remembered to the Wakelys, who subsequently paid Sky a visit while in Florida.
William “Woody” Danforth—After a successful career as a restaurateur, Woody is now a culinary arts instructor at the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury, Vt. He writes, “Having a great summer... staying busy and looking forward to another school year at the HCC. My 14-year-old Willy, 10-year-old Jed, and I just returned from a trip to the Wild West. Vermont to Jackson, Wyoming, and back in a pop-up tent trailer. We had a great time! Our first stop was Niagara Falls where I took this photo of my boys.” Woody’s boys at Niagara Falls.
1970
Sky Rains Schrode ’67, center, with Norman and Beverly Wakely in Florida.
1969
Jerome Goodspeed—Jerry recently contacted the Alumni Office to update us on his whereabouts. He is still performing as an entertainer (ventriloquist) aboard Carnival Cruise Lines. He recalls that some of his earliest performances were while he was a student at Cardigan. Most recently, he has worked for Carnival throughout the Mediterranean but will soon be back in the Caribbean. Jerry and his wife, Silvia, are proprietors of a lovely
Dean Durling—Dean was on campus this past June to enjoy his son’s (Ollie’s) graduation from Cardigan. While here, he was able to participate in the Cougar Classic golf tournament just prior to Commencement. Dean and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Whitehouse Station, N.J., and Ollie ’11 is off to Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J.
The Durling family during Commencement Weekend in June.
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alumni notes 1973
Ken Klaus—Ken was on hand back in June for the Alumni Tie Ceremony, and most recently for the fall Homecoming event. In June, Ken wrote, “I’d like to thank all the alums who participated in last weekend’s Alumni Tie and graduation ceremonies for the class of 2011. Congratulations to all graduates.” At Homecoming, on October 8, Ken finished his term as president of the Alumni Association. A big thank you goes out to Ken for his years of dedicated service to the Association.
1980
Chip Haskell—visited campus recently for a Board of Trustees meeting, where he caught up with a few of his contemporaries (see page 4). Matthew Tebbetts—Matt visited campus on October 14 while in New Hampshire to ride in a charity bicycle race. Matt lives in Greenville, S.C., where he has been racing for the Hincapie Sportswear Team, and recently rode in a 1,700-mile charity race from Greenville to Austin, Tex. While on campus, Matt took the time to share some tips with the members of Cardigan’s mountain biking team.
1974
George Cutting III—George writes, “My new wife and I purchased a small ranch in Silt, Colo., last September. On the ranch is the original homesteaders’ tool cabin, [which] has now been renovated and painted to become ‘The Crack in the Wall Gallery.’ Cardigan sparked my interest in nature photography, and now I will be selling affordable artwork. The Rust Roof Ranch is also home for 17 apricot, 2 apple, 2 pear, 5 plum, and many (too many) Chinese elm trees. Anyone want to come out and help me prune trees? My surviving 23-year-old twin daughter, Lindsay, is graduating with her master’s in psychology, with emphasis on autism in children, this June. I am currently working for a great tree nursery called Planted Earth in Carbondale, Colo. Yes, this is ski country, and thanks to Cardigan for getting me hooked on skiing.”
1976
James “Ace” Bailey—Ace was delighted to be back on campus recently as a participant in one of several secondary school placement fairs hosted by Cardigan’s Placement Office. Ace is assistant director of admissions at Middlesex School in Concord, Mass.
Ace Bailey ’76 visiting with current ninth grader Jong Woo Ha ’12.
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has happened! I completed three and a half years on the USS Asheville out of San Diego, and in that time I went on two sixmonth deployments to the western Pacific. While I was based in San Diego, I met my wife, Caitlyn, in April of ’08, and we got married this past October [the 2nd]. I have since detached from the Asheville and have relocated to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, where I conduct inspections on submarines. We will be out here in Hawaii for at least the next three years, after which I will go to another boat for a little over a year and a half, after which I will be retiring from the Navy in July of 2015!” Matt Clark—Matt visited campus for Commencement in June, where he was delighted to reconnect with former faculty members Ruth Conwell and Dudley Clark.
Matt Tebbetts ’87, center, with coaches and racers of the mountain biking team.
1988
John Whitesides—Congratulations go out to John on his tremendous success with the Boston Bruins. John is the strength and conditioning coach with the recently crowned Stanley Cup champions! John Whitesides ’88 hoists the Stanley Cup, June 15, 2011.
1989
Charlie Heenan—Charlie writes, “The start-up I’ve been working on with a friend has launched! It’s called Updater, and it’s all about you controlling your mailing address...when you move, you can use Updater (www.updater.com) to change your address with the USPS and also directly update any business, school, or other organization you want.”
1990
James Hunter—Jim writes, “Since giving my last update four years ago, quite a bit
www.cardigan.org
Matt Clark ’90, Ruth Conwell P’93, and Dudley Clark.
1992
Karl Hutter—Karl serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and accepted an invitation to act as a judge for Cardigan’s Charles C. Gates Invention and Innovation Competition back in May (see the Gates article elsewhere in this issue). He was apologetic about not being able to make it to Homecoming in October. He writes, “…In very exciting news, we will be adding a new Hutter to the team at the end of the year (a girl, so Admissions can calm down :) —though Summer Session is an option!!!). This has put all hands on deck to complete the nursery and our house remodel in Reno before the big day. We’re sorry to miss (Homecoming), but look forward to introducing our new addition to everyone soon! All the best for a great Homecoming!” Brandon Wagner— Brandon (with friend, Erin Spittle) made a trip to campus in June to attend the Alumni Association Board meeting as well as Commencement.
Sean Hicks —We caught up with Sean while in Houston for an alumni reception on November 1. Sean is a real estate developer there. Sean and his wife, Donley, have three boys, with the youngest, Grant, having just been born in October 2011.
and personal life. I hope everyone is doing well in Canaan. I enjoy receiving the publications and look forward to making the [trek] back to campus one day. My goal is to get back to Canaan soon and meet up with the men of [the] Class of ’94.”
1994
1995
Brad Pitassi—Brad writes, “Hello all! It’s been a very busy summer for me. Along with working as a firefighter/ paramedic for the City of Maricopa Fire Department in Arizona, this year I have had the opportunity to become member of the elite Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team as a public information officer. The team is one of the 16 national ‘Type 1’ incident management teams that are assigned to manage large-scale, complex incidents throughout the country. These incidents usually involve large wildfires, but may also include hurricanes and other natural disasters, as well as other national emergencies. My team also responded to Ground Zero as the initial response team to help FDNY on 9/11/01. Our first fire was in the beginning of May, and by the end of July we had been the initial team on the now-famous Wallow fire, which is the largest in Arizona history, burning 538,000 acres, and the Las Conchas fire, the largest in New Mexico History, which burned up to the Los Alamos National Laboratory property line. I am currently writing this while I am on an assignment in Longview, Texas, where I am working for the team, managing all the devastating fires in [the] northeast section of the state. My role as a public information officer on the team involves coordinating media relations as well as escorting VIPs, diplomats, and politicians. At home I am my fire department’s public information officer, and while working with the team I have had the opportunity to work and learn from some of the finest public safety information officers in the country. Although it has kept me away from my home for most of the summer (of which my wife has been very supportive), I feel extremely lucky to be able to serve my country and specifically the residents of the communities we are deployed to around the nation in this capacity. Still, to this very day, I believe the fundamentals instilled in me at Cardigan are the reason for my successes in both my professional
Christopher (Kip) Hale—Kip writes, “Hope all is well at Cardigan! I’m starting a new job as senior counsel at the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights in Washington, D.C., where I will work on human rights litigation in domestic jurisdictions around the world. I see my good Cardigan buddy Philippe Cousteau, and we compete to see who gets the best write-up in the Chronicle. So far, he is winning, which I reluctantly admit.” Anthony “Trey” Ragno—It was brought to the attention of the Alumni Office (via Rev. Mahoney) that Trey and his wife, Ashley, welcomed a new member of the Ragno family back on June 24. Anthony IV was born in Singapore, where the Ragnos currently reside. Congratulations, Trey and Ashley. Anthony Ragno IV. Cardigan Class of 2027?
Russ McIlvain—Russ informs us of a new arrival, Thomas Gibson McIlvain! Mom and baby are doing great. “The little guy is awesome.” Congratulation to the McIlvains!
1999
Devin Clifford—Devin served on the 2011 Summer Session faculty at Cardigan, where he was one of five members with alumni connections. Others were Peter Hinman ’97, Brad Wakely, son of Charles Wakely ’70, Kelsey Fleming, daughter of Tim Fleming ’70, and Summer Session alumna Shannon Thibodeau.
Devin Clifford ’99, Kelsey Fleming, Peter Hinman ’97, and Brad Wakely.
2001
Hardwick Caldwell—Hardwick recently moved from his home in Tennessee to the Big Apple, where he works as a hedge fund manager. A passionate fly fisherman, Hardwick and lifelong friend Taylor Kirkpatrick took a four-month trip in 2010 to New Zealand, hooking some brown trout and filming their journey through the country’s South Island. The result is their documentary film, The Waters of Greenstone. According to Ronald Coleman of Garden & Gun Magazine, “The Waters of Greenstone is something like an Endless Summer of fly-fishing. Shot entirely without fishing guides or a camera crew, the documentary is what they describe as ‘Huckleberry Finn meets Warren Miller.’” Caldwell and Kirkpatrick find themselves in some strange situations, like being 40 miles from the nearest town with a flat tire or caught in the middle of a drunken sheep-shearing contest in a Kiwi dive-bar. It’s exploits like these that make this not just a fishing film but also an adventure. “It’s the random things that happen that make the story,” says Kirkpatrick. But at the center of it all are some gargantuan trout caught in some of the wildest and most beautiful country anywhere. New Zealand browns are large and wily enough to challenge even the most seasoned guide in the Rockies, making for some of the most technical trout fishing in the world. “That country was made to hold big, elusive brown trout,” says Caldwell. Excerpts from The Waters of Greenstone were screened in 90 cities beginning back in February on the Fly Fishing Film Tour, and at this year’s International Fly Fishing Film Festival in Canada. The DVD is available for pre-order at gambitstone. com. A sneak peek can be seen at http:// gardenandgun.com/blog/chasing-troutnew-zealand. Hardwick visited campus in August while Summer Session was in full swing. While on campus he caught up with Mr. Auerbach, Mr. Clancy, and “Coach” Marrion (shown below).
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alumni notes Nicholas Guidi—Nick writes, “In early February, I started working with Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes in the Community Relations and Fan Development departments. I also have responsibilities on game days and other special events. In late April, I will be helping the San Francisco 49ers with their Draft Day Party. I submitted an application for entry into the lottery for the New York marathon held in early November. If I miss N.Y.C., I will run in the Chicago Marathon held in October. I’m hoping to break 2:55!” Best of luck with that, Nick!
2004
Fred “Jake” Groen—Jake stopped by campus on August 5 with his girlfriend, Chelsea (shown below, with Mr. Funnell). It was his first visit to campus since he finished his eighth-grade year and headed on to The Hill School in Pennsylvania for high school. After two years at Hill, he completed high school in the Chicago area and then attended American University in Washington, D.C. He studied in China and is fluent in Mandarin. He currently works as an intern translating Mandarin Chinese for a “think tank” in Washington.
James Sharrow—Jimmy and his teammates on Eisbären (Polar Bears) Berlin won the championship of the DAL, the top German hockey league, taking Wolfsburg 3–0 in the finals.
2002
Jeffrey “Jay” Wosencroft—Congratulations are in order for Jay and his wife, Monica, on the birth of their daughter, Simone Inês Wosencroft (shown here), born June 15, 2011. Jay reports that he has two more years of school ahead of him and plans to work thereafter in N.Y.C., hopefully within the field of sports. He looks forward to a visit back on campus sometime soon.
2003
Nick John—Nick stopped by campus in September to catch up on things on The Point (and to visit with Mr. Hart, shown below). Nick is very excited about his new job in the Massachusetts State House. He is currently a committee clerk in the House of Representatives. Could a run for office be in your future, Nick?
Thomas “Mack” O’Connell—Mack was the keynote speaker at Cardigan’s 2011 Commencement exercises on June 4 (see article on page 16). Mack captivated the young graduates with his heartfelt words about reaching for life’s goals even when facing adversity.
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Eubene Sa—Eubene writes, “I am very close to finishing my undergraduate degree in software engineering here at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. I am expecting to graduate in December. This summer, I will be interning at Ericsson as a services engineer.” Matthew Lovejoy—Congratulations go out to Matt and his fellow University of Virginia Cavaliers lacrosse team for their 2011 NCAA championship season.
rugby shoulder injury repaired in Texas but is coming back to England to live. He was the ‘Varsity Outstanding Player’ for rugby and was a senior prefect. He is going to become certified as a plumber and then look at other school options! He looks great and really wants to come see everyone at Cardigan.” Joseph Lisicky—Joe, who attends Lynchburg College, was named 2011 Men’s Division III Lacrosse Third Team All-American Defense. Way to go, Joe! Connor McNamara—Connor earned a spot on the America East All-Rookie team after leading the league with seven man-up goals for the UVM Catamounts. He was the fourth leading goal scorer on the team. Drew Philie—Drew wrapped up a his second season on the UVM lacrosse team by earning Second Team All-League honors and repeated as the league’s “Fan’s Choice Award” winner. He was also the Catamounts’ captain and high scorer.
2007
Sam Funnell—Sam has begun his college career at Trinity College in Connecticut, where he will play lacrosse in the spring. Ben Harmon—Ben was on campus in June to celebrate the graduation of his younger brother Zak ’11 (shown below).
2006
Matt Brightman—Matt has finished his sophomore year at McGill University in Montreal and has started an entrepreneurial venture called “Moral Fibers,” hiring artists from impoverished countries to design clothes for sale in North America. “We give artists in places like Haiti, the Congo, Nigeria, and Ethiopia the opportunity to pull themselves out of poverty by designing clothing for us. We’re hoping that our artists earn 10 to 15 times the national average salaries of their home countries, and already we’ve seen results.” Matt is eager to return to Cardigan to touch base with teachers and have another crack at the record time for the Run Around the Lake! Michael Gray—Michael finished high school at a British school and has, according to his mother, “made amazing British friends. He took a ‘gap year’ and traveled and worked in Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand. He just had a
www.cardigan.org
2008
Blake Alessandroni—Blake was in touch recently to say that he and Mike Doyle are both at Connecticut College. Mike is playing hockey and Blake is playing hockey and lacrosse. Lex Davis—Lex tells us of two seminal events in his life this year. 1) He has learned to love reading. With his iPad, he is regularly downloading the New York Times’ bestsellers. He read The Social Animal and was intrigued by one of the references so has downloaded it. 2) As part of his experience, he has come to understand the meaning and function of a “teacher.” He has learned that he himself must be his teacher. The person in the
classroom is his guide. He looks back at his Cardigan teachers (e.g., Mr. Granger, Mr. Exton, Mr. Caprow, Mrs. Noordsy, Dr. Ledbetter) with ever greater admiration and appreciation. Ian Gagnon—Ian has graduated from Kimball Union Academy, where he served as student body president. He has now moved on to the University of New Hampshire. Ian traveled to The Point with fellow KUA grad and Cardigan classmate Sam Wyskiel to witness Commencement exercises in June.
Ian Gagnon ’08 and Sam Wyskiel ’08 with Director of Athletics Ryan Frost at Commencement.
Mike Moran—Mike will be playing hockey at BU after playing a year of juniors. He finished at Taft with one of the most impressive athletic resumes in the school’s history. Mike was the captain of the football team, playing virtually every down. He won All-League honors as the captain of the hockey team and earned the Angier Trophy at the close of the season. At graduation, he earned the Lawrence Hunter Stone Award as the school’s top male athlete and the Heminway Merriman Award for his “gentle concern for others.”
2010
Virginia Collins—Ginny was on hand in June for Commencement exercises.
Andy Kebalka ’10 attended the 2011 Commencement with his mother, Tina.
Ginny Collins visits with current faculty member Pat Iacuzzi.
2012
Charles Day—Charlie, now at Holderness, where his parents live and work, made the trip back over to Cardigan on October 5, when his football team took on the Cougars on The Point. It was a family affair, as his dad, Chris, coached for Holderness, and his younger brother, Henry ’13, took to the field for the Cougars in the game just prior.
Joseph (Jay) Giambarresi—Congrats to Jay for being named to The Boston Globe’s All Scholastic All Star Roster for Boys Indoor Track—Winter 2011. Jay started at WPI this fall, and he will be running hurdles in both the winter and spring seasons.
Henry ’13, Chris, and Charlie Day ’12.
Evan Strick—This past spring, Evan was offensive captain of his Varsity Lacrosse team at The Hill School, made National Honor Society, and accepted admission to the University of Miami.
ATTENTION ALUMNI
2009 Mike Weaver—Mike scored a double overtime game-winner to lead his Junior Bruins Empire League team to the Junior B National Championship over the New Hampshire Monarchs last year. Mike then made the move to the Junior Bruins EJHL club in the fall.
former faculty news
Andrew Kebalka—Andy was named a proctor for the 2011-2012 year in his dorm at Kents Hill School. He was a starting pitcher for the Varsity Baseball team for several games this past spring, including their season opener. He hit the first home run of his life as his first hit for Kents Hill and was one of only 10 students in the school to make “highest honors,” achieving straight A’s in all honors classes this semester. Congratulations, Andy!
Keep your classmates informed about what you’re doing through our newsletters and class notes! Write to us at: cms-alumni@cardigan.org
Erl Hardy writes, “I retired in June, 2010, got a new knee put in, then arrived here in Sun City, Arizona in the fall. But it gets too hot in the summer, so I’ll head back east in a week to spend the summer in Nova Scotia at an old family homestead. It’s all good so far!” Eric Lane and Chris Granger—Mr. Lane and Mr. Granger visited campus during Homecoming on October 8.
Mr. Lane with Charlie Parry ’10 and Mr. Granger.
former faculty news continues . . . CARDIGAN CHRONICLE
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former faculty news, continued.
The Heritage Society
Andy Noel—Andy recently visited campus for a secondary school placement fair. Andy is Assistant Director of Admissions at Choate Rosemary Hall School in Wallingford, CT.
Leaving a Legacy for Cardigan by Tim Fleming ’70
I
entered the Heritage Society with a fellow alumnus and Trustee Emeritus Savage Frieze several years ago. The three of us met in Pennsylvania and decided to leave a posthumous gift to Cardigan through this society. I have been asked to state my reasons for supporting Cardigan through a planned giving gift in my estate. The response is simple and easy: I would not be at the station I am in life had it not been for Cardigan’s giving me the many gifts—and nurturing the talents—that I have today, all of which sustain me in my profession and in my everyday life. It is my belief that Cardigan was the seminal educational You can become experience that shaped my professional life, via a member of the a path that led from the foundation I received Heritage Society by on The Point to secondary school, college, law school, and eventually a very successful law including Cardigan in your estate plans. practice in Pennsylvania for the last 29 years. I will never forget this. It is also my belief that I have a debt to attempt to repay to this school and to the “Cardigan family,” which accepted me for who I was at a very young age, and which has sustained me through the years in my role as alumni president and, most recently, as a member of the Board of Trustees for nearly 15 years. Cardigan has been a “life shield” of sorts to the many challenges I have faced throughout my journey. I owe everything to this school and what it continues to give to me. Every time I return to campus and support Cardigan (which happens to be frequently), Cardigan never fails to give back to me. It is a debt that my posthumous gift will always honor in an attempt to repay all that I received.
Former faculty member Andy Noel and Alumni Director Richard Clancy ‘67.
Matthew Peer—Matt was recently named head lacrosse coach at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. After his years at Cardigan, Matt spent 7 years at Avon Old Farms before moving on to Darlington in 2010. Susan March Rives—Mrs. Rives was on campus for Commencement in June, where she caught up with Mikal McCalmont ’00 (shown below).
Jake Spearman—Jake has taken a job at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut and his sons Jas ’10 and Chandler ’12 have joined him there. Chris Jenkins was in touch to say that he has taken a job at Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore, Maryland.
Please contact the Development Office at 603.523.3522 for more information about becoming a member of the Heritage Society by making a planned gift to Cardigan Mountain School. Far left: Tim Fleming ’70. Background: Mr. Bob Fahrner and Sam Dulmage ’68.
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www.cardigan.org
Cardigan the Annual
WE ARE COMMITTED TO PREPARING BOYS—IN MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT— FOR RESPONSIBLE AND MEANINGFUL LIVES.
Fund for
Why give?
Because Cardigan makes a difference in the lives of boys.
Your gift matters.
Make your gift online at www.cardigan.org/giving or call the Development Office at 603.523.3519 CARDIGAN CHRONICLE
41
The Cardigan Mountain School Chronicle magazine is printed on Mohawk 50/10 paper, an FSC certified stock that contains 15 percent postconsumer fiber and is manufactured with Green-e certified wind power.
In addition to selecting recycled paper for this edition of the Chronicle, Cardigan Mountain School also chose a green-minded partner to print the magazine. Capitol Offset Company, Inc., of Concord, N.H., is an FSC certified printer that operates a green pressroom using vegetable-based inks, water-based aqueous coating, and alcohol replacement chemistry, in order to minimize its use of solvents and the volatile organic compounds found in traditional fountain solutions. COC also recycles all make-ready sheets, trim-off, and waste from its in-house saddle stitcher, as well as corrugated containers, scrap paper, and aluminum plates.
Cardigan Mountain School 62 Alumni Drive Canaan, New Hampshire 03741
www.cardigan.org