KO Magazine Fall 2022

Greetings to all our Wyvern families!

Kingswood Oxford is poised to enter a new school year with renewed hope and excitement and the forward momentum of our Strategic Vision. There’s been a lot happening on our campus as you’ll see when you flip through the pages of our latest KO Magazine.

One aspect of this publication that I’d like to draw your attention to is the cover’s headline, “What a Difference a Day Makes,” a nod to our new branding that captures the essence of our extraordinary school. Last fall, we engaged the services of a marketing firm that conducted focus groups with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and board members and asked them about the salient features that make KO KO. Unsurprisingly, many responded about the strength of our advising and writing program and the dedicated faculty who support their students to become the best version of themselves.

But one distinguishing feature that sets KO apart from the sea of independent boarding schools in our area is the fact that KO is intentionally a day school with all that it has to offer. Our students thrive differently here because we are a day school community. We believe it is important for our students to maintain a healthy balance between school and home life. And, we believe that they

ABOVE Kingswood School in 1922. RIGHT “Setting up” exercises on the porch kept Oxford students fit.

benefit the most when school and family partner together in the extraordinary task of raising kind, thoughtful, and curious young adults.

Our two schools, Kingswood and Oxford, were founded precisely because Hartford families in the early 20th century were looking for an “alternative to boarding schools…” (Kingswood 50 Years). They wanted a school where students could pursue “special intellectual, athletic, and social interests, without removing [them] from daily interaction with their families and community”

(May We Remember Oxford).

Both schools were intentionally created as day schools to rival the boarding school academic experience but with the express idea of balancing school and home life, a true partnership between families and the school. That remains as true today as it did in the early 1900s.

The day school advantage that bubbled up from these focus groups dovetails nicely with our Strategic Vision to expand learning beyond our campus and partner with institutions and people in the greater Hartford area. This “expanded campus” offers our students the opportunity to learn by doing and to apply their knowledge to address real-world and interdisciplinary questions. (Read more about the dynamic classroom experience at KO on pages 62-67.) We aim to create additional opportunities for our students to serve in the local community to live out our core value of “Care Beyond Self” and to better understand the underlying causes of ongoing inequality and discrimination.

One upcoming project that will further enhance our day school model will be the conversion of our existing library and cafeteria spaces into a new Community

Commons. This project aligns with our strategic teaching and learning goals to prepare our students for a future that will require collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and problem-solving skills. The Commons will serve as a new vibrant hub – a gathering place for learning, dining, and enjoying each other’s company. An important part of this project will also be to create a pedestrianonly upper campus, providing additional seating and communal spaces for our students, faculty, and families that will encourage a greater sense of community and connection.

Each day at KO brings a world of possibilities for our students, a building block to prepare them for the future. Each day offers the opportunity to try something new, to make a new friend, or to develop a new talent. More importantly, each day allows for a chance to reset, to learn from a mistake, to do a little better, or to be a little better in a community of family, friends, and teachers.

What a difference a day makes, especially at KO!

Warmly,

TOM DILLOW

CHOREOGRAPHER SHOWCASE:

Poetry in Motion

Last year’s award-winning Choreographer Showcase at KO was performed in an empty Roberts Theater, but this year the school’s dancers captivated a live audience with their athleticism, dynamism, and storytelling in an hour-long show. The Wyverns workshopped with five local choreographers in hip hop, contemporary, and ballet in a tour de force collaboration that exemplified the partnership with local community resources, which is a key component in the school’s Strategic Vision.

Director of Theater Kyle Reynolds, the mastermind behind the showcase, said, “Local partnerships are important to KO and important to arts in general. Theater and dance are by far the most collaborative of all art forms. I have found that collaboration, partnerships, and authentic relationships have been the key to survival in the theater industry.”

Kingswood Oxford’s

Over the course of the fall, Kingswood Oxford students practiced their technique and dance pieces with five exceptionally talented dancers from the Hartford area:

LILI ST. AMAND, a hip hop dancer, has participated in Breakdancing Shakespeare at Hartford Stage and was the assistant choreographer for the theater’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her latest accomplishment was receiving the Jumpstart Award this past March through the Connecticut Dance Alliance.

MEGHAN MCDERMOTT is a choreographer for Immix Dance, a contemporary dance company that collaborates with local artists to create new work and performance opportunities.

RACHAEL GNATOWSKI, originally from Frederick, Md., is co-artistic director of the New England Ballet Theater Company, which was founded in January, 2020, and serves the greater Hartford region. She has also danced

AROUND THE GREEN

professionally with Ballet Hartford and other notable companies.

RONNIE BOWMAN, who made his Broadway debut in The Music Man at the Winter Garden Theater last December, acquired his dancing skills through his studies at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and The Hartt School.

SAVANA JONES, a Hartford native, has studied jazz, tap, hip hop, modern, and social dancing. She is currently a company member of Dimensional Dance and has been a performer in the production of Night Fall since 2016.

The nine numbers in the showcase, each one unique and stunning in its own right, were performed by either the students themselves, the choreographer or local dance company, or a combination of the three. Running the gamut from formal to contemporary, the show opened with “Have I Mentioned Today,” a lovely romantic ballet piece about young love with two KO dancers that was choreographed by KO’s Director of Theater Kyle Reynolds. Shifting gears, this exquisite piece was followed by the quirky, jerky robotic hip hop “Groove with Me” performed by Lili St. Amand. Then working with Immix Dance Partnership, the students danced to the music of Patsy Cline, and the troupe itself also performed to a medley of Cline’s hits.

Savana Jones and accompanying dancer Chantal Jones delivered a powerful dance “Mo’ Wiser,” which was full of strong emotions highlighted with a dramatic red chiaroscuro lighting effect, which enhanced the dance’s impact.

The audience particularly relished the upbeat performance “Alone,” punctuated with freestyle movements, locking and popping, and fluid-style boogaloo. “Gray

Scale,” moody and modern, saw eight KO dancers fluidly move across the stage while “Autumn,” choreographed by Rachael Gnatowski, was ballet at its finest with magnificent glissades, arabesques, and ciseaux. Lastly, “The Power of Human Connection,” with the accompanying music

“Rise Up,” was a dance of renewal, especially after the experience of the pandemic lockdown.

SAVANA JONES and CHANTAL JONES in “Mo’ Wiser”

BAIRD JOURNALISM DINNER

At the 29th annual Baird Journalism dinner on April 7, Carolyn McCusker ’17 spoke to the KO News editors and faculty about her internship experiences as a podcast creator. A graduate of Amherst College, McCusker actively pursued and was offered opportunities with several organizations including Connecticut Public Radio, NewsHour EXTRA, lead audio producer for The Amherst Student, news assistant, and long-form narrative podcast intern for Invisibilia, Embedded and Rough Translation at NPR, and most recently an intern at WNYC’s Radiolab.

Editor-in-chief of the KO News Emma Levinbook ’22 introduced McCusker and described the explosive interest in podcasts during recent years. In 2006, only 22 percent of the population were aware of podcasts compared to 78 percent today. Levinbook explained that McCusker’s interest in podcasts

started while she was a student at KO, and she took a Global Online Academy Course in creative nonfiction. In her final project for the course, she created a podcast about what it means to be a bystander. While at Amherst, she took more courses in podcasts, and for her English thesis project she took an unconventional approach, a hybrid piece using personal experience and research to explore the way we tell stories about illness in a lengthy podcast episode. McCusker shared advice with the students that she wished she had known when she was a high school student. “You’re in high school, about to graduate high school so this is the perfect time to become a full human being and develop your interests outside of your career and professional goals,” she said. “The best journalists are people who have important things in their life outside of their identity as a journalist.”

McCusker ardently believes that having non-journalist passions develops a more interesting and innovative journalist. For instance, in the summer after graduation from KO, she worked on a crisis hotline, and although the experience was not career-related, it became an intrinsic part of her life. Many of the people she has met in her career have not majored in journalism, but in architecture, geology, or poetry, which impacts how these individuals approach journalism.

“I believe this is where the future of podcasts is headed – people innovating by borrowing from other disciplines and bringing it to their work as journalists,” she said.

Her other advice was not to be discouraged by rejection. She said it’s necessary to give yourself time to be sad and understand why you’re disappointed, but then pursue other places where you can gain more skills. Lastly, she told the students to embrace their passion projects and not to postpone the things they want to do.

Kingswood Oxford was named Civics First Mock Trial State Champions on Wed. April 6 after competing at the Connecticut Supreme Court against Ridgefield High School. Pat Schwab ’22 was named Best Lawyer. This is the first time that the students competed in person for two years after Covid restrictions forced the students to conduct their court cases over Zoom.

The hypothetical case involved a serious injury: A minor had sustained a concussion while she was competing in a college showcase soccer tournament for an under-17 premier soccer team. As a result of the concussion, the youth continued to suffer from significant mental and physical impairment. Therefore, she filed a lawsuit against her club’s soccer coach, the director of the program, and the club itself arguing that they were negligent in returning her to play too soon after an earlier concussion and were liable for the damages that she sustained.

The Wyverns maintained their composure as they presented their case with well-pointed arguments, conferring with one another respectfully as the case progressed. Faculty advisor Lynne Levine, who has worked with KO’s Mock Trial team for many years, was impressed with the team’s arguments and their collaborative spirit. (In 2020 KO’s Mock Trial team was declared

co-state champions along with Weston High School, a first for our school.) The seniors who competed in the event were the same four who were on KO’s Middle School team four years ago when KO’s team came in second.

“The entire team, including alternates, got us here, but the competing team of Pat Schwab, Jordan DiMauro ’23, Manu Narasimhan ’23, Charlie Simons ’24, Caroline Boardman ’22, and Tess Chapman ’23 completed the

sweep of five victories for us this year,” Levine said. “In addition, Pat was named Best Lawyer of the trial! Melinda Rose P ’21 has done an excellent job as our only lawyer who helped coach the team. It has been a fantastic year, and we are so proud of this team.”

According to the Civics First website, this year more than 600 students from schools across Connecticut participated in Mock Trials hosted by Civics First. Forty-six schools with 57 teams competed in state and federal courtrooms with dozens of volunteers who served as judges.

From left: TESS CHAPMAN, JORDAN DIMAURO, MANU NARASIMHAN, PAT SCHWAB, CAROLINE BOARDMAN, and CHARLIE SIMONS .

STUDENT-RUN BUSINESS ACCELERATES

When we spoke to Ben Safalow ’22 in the spring of 2021 about his new start-up, Incognito Tints, a business that specializes in automotive tinting, vinyl, and detailing, he had learned early on one of the first rules of business which is to build a better mousetrap. Judging from the meteoric success of his business, we can safely say that the savvy Safalow has constructed himself a bear trap instead.

Initially, a tinting job would take Safalow approximately four to six hours to complete, and the business was run out of his parent’s home garage in West Hartford. But, with some pressure from the Town of West Hartford to relocate, Safalow has taken his business to the next level and opened a new location on Waterville Road in Avon with four garage bays and a waiting room with couches, wi-fi, a tv, and sophisticated point of sale system.

“So much has happened since I started last May,” he said. “Throughout the summer I was tinting by myself and that was going well, but starting in September I ran an ad to find someone who would work for me. I hired an experienced tinter from

Hartford who does this work full-time for me, about 10 to 12 hours a day. That’s been going really well.”

So well, in fact, that this November, Incognito Tints worked on 97 cars!

Safalow admits that being a fulltime student at KO and a member of the football team, as well as a titan of industry, is a balancing act. In fact, his cell phone was pinging with customers throughout the interview. One day, Safalow ended his classes at 1:00 p.m., headed to his business, worked until 7:00 p.m., and ran home to finish his homework.

Client service is key to Incognito Tint’s rapid gains. At first, Safalow would respond to potential clients after school hours, but he learned quickly that customers would find another business to attend to their needs. Now, Safalow handles online quotes, Facebook messages, and spreadsheets while his mom books the appointments.

Another ingredient to his business’s success is digital advertising which Safalow had also managed at first. However, with the growth of the business, Safalow hired a marketer who runs the company’s Google Adword campaigns as well as Facebook and Instagram advertising.

Next, Safalow plans on expanding the services of Incognito Tints and is learning how to wrap cars through a workshop this December. Currently, his car is the guinea pig with a partial purple wrap on the doors.

“I had this kind of vision for the company in the summer, but it picked up faster than I thought,” a humble Safalow said. “I’ll just see where it goes and continue to do what I do. I guess my dream would be to turn it into multiple locations or sell it completely. I’ll figure it out in the next year.”

“I’ll just see where it goes and continue to do what I do. I guess my dream would be to turn it into multiple locations or sell it completely.”

KO STUDENTS MASTER THE ART OF PERSUASION

Teddy Schwartz ’22 qualified for the International Debate Tournament by winning Top Speaker with a score of 95 at Choate School’s annual debate tournament, one of the most competitive of the year. Held virtually on Jan. 9, the tournament was attended by over 100 students from area preparatory schools including Choate, St. Paul’s, Loomis, Roxbury, Boston Latin, Windsor, Hopkins, Brunswick, Groton, Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols, Governors, Hotchkiss, and Deerfield.

Schwartz competed in parliamentary debate with his long-time debate partner Sam Merkatz ’22. This formidable team won the bestadvanced team in the tournament. Parliamentary debate is a formal contest featuring critical analysis and rhetorical skill. Participants represent the advocates for and against a motion for debate. The teams have 10 minutes of preparation time from the announcement of the motion to prepare for each debate. The three resolutions Schwarz and Merkatz debated were: Whether or

Debate partners TEDDY SCHWARTZ ’22 (left) and SAM MERKATZ ’22 (right).

not a country should pull out of sporting events due to a nation’s human rights violations; Should preferential treatment and hospital beds be given to those patients who have received a Covid vaccine over those who haven’t; Should the availability of abortion be determined at the federal or state level. Whether or not the teams are for or against a topic is determined by a coin toss. “You don’t always get to support the position that you truly believe in,” Schwartz said.

To prepare for each argument, Schwartz and Merkatz wrote down the three points they wanted to articulate and decided which one of them would argue each one. Additionally, they delineated three sub-points for each of the main points. Schwartz wrote a “crux” of what the debate boils down to, time permitting. Schwartz reads The New York Times on occasion to familiarize himself with events and major topics because the teams are not permitted to research or Google during the

prep time. “It’s all about ethos, logos, pathos,” Schwartz said. “How do you make an appeal? I have a better emotional and moral appeal. That’s what I like to do, that’s my style. And Sam takes a very logical approach, so as a team we can cover all of the bases.”

With his assuredness, it’s hard to imagine that Schwartz ever gets a case of nerves, but he admitted to some edginess, especially as a novice. Schwartz explained how he controls his emotions. “If you can get into the right headspace for me it works,” he said. “I start really getting into it and animated. It’s like a performance almost. Your mind works really fast. I like speaking. I reframe it in my mind. I’m not nervous. I’m excited. I want to destroy it.”

Schwartz participated in Model U.N. in KO’s Middle School and decided to give Forensic Union a shot in his freshman year due to the enticement of free pizza at the meetings. After watching the senior officers in the club debate and play games, he was hooked. Forensic Union coach Michelle Caswell said

that Schwartz is a tremendous collaborator and a wonderful role model to his younger teammates.

Schwartz is not entirely green, though, when it comes to the art of debate. Both his parents are lawyers, and conversation is encouraged at the dinner table. “I am generally the kid who goes against the grain,” he said. “I’ve not been afraid of debate or arguing with people, and my parents always encouraged it.”

Schwartz feels that his debate prowess has helped him articulate his own positions on various issues. “Debating has made me actually have a stronger position,” he said. “Debating both sides of an issue helps me think through the topic. It allows me to have empathy for how other people feel. People aren’t crazy. It helps me understand why they think that.”

Merkatz also qualified in subsequent debate events for the International Debate Tournament. In the tournament, held on Apr. 15, Schwartz placed second and Merkatz placed third.

Debating both sides of an issue helps me think through the topic. It allows me to have empathy for how other people feel. People aren’t crazy. It helps me understand why they think that.

“ ”

Teddy Schwartz ’22

Lunch and Lead with

DROPKICK MURPHYS TIM BRENNAN ’00

Tim Brennan ’00, infamous Dropkick Murphys’ lead guitarist, spoke at a Lunch & Lead on campus to share his story about becoming a band member, touring for over 20 years, and how his experience and the teachers at Kingswood Oxford were formative to his success.

Brennan’s personality was genuine, down-to-earth, and captured the audience from the start. “It is probably rare that you get to hear about someone being in the music industry, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have been in the Dropkick Murphys band for the last 20 years had I not come

to Kingswood,” said Brennan. “It sounds like hyperbole but it is not.” Brennan started at KO in the sixth grade, and his father was also a teacher and a coach at KO.

Brennan shared he had always had a love for music, a passion that started when he was nine years old. After joining a local band, the first show Brennan played with them was in what is now the Leadership Center on campus.

“It was the first place I played in front of people,” he said. “To say that KO played a major part in my musical career, although strange, is an absolutely true fact.”

He grew up in a family that listened to music, and a grandfather who had an affinity for traditional Irish music. As a teenager, Brennan jumped feet first into the genre. When he was a sophomore, Mike Marsh ’93, was hired to help fill a gap for an English teacher on maternity leave. Like Brennan, Marsh had a passion for music, specifically Irish music. “He knew I was into it so one day showed up with a tape from The Pogues, which was an Irish band that really turned it up,” Brennan said.

Not long after, Marsh showed up with an album Do or Die by the Dropkick Murphys, their first release. Brennan

was enthralled with their sound. Marsh was only at KO for a year, but the impression he left on Brennan was everlasting.

KO teachers’ support and encouragement were ever-present. Brennan laughed that he would come in with his band’s CDs and entice long-time faculty members Mr. Garcia and Mr. Jones to buy them for five dollars… which they always did. “It can’t be understated how important Kingswood was in terms of becoming a professional musician,” said Brennan.

After graduation, he matriculated to Assumption College where he befriended another musician who, at 18, had been asked to join the Dropkick Murphys – the very same band that had inspired Brennan to jump into the Irish music genre. His friend hadn’t forgotten that Brennan played a wide range of Irish instruments, and he told the band

about Brennan’s talent.

The Dropkicks asked Brennan to go on the road for three months to sell t-shirts and play accordion on stage.

While those few months on the road were invaluable, at the end of the summer Brennan thanked the band for the opportunity but decided to head back to school.

T-shirts weren’t his goal; music was. As fate would have it, he was only back at school for three weeks during his senior year, and the Dropkick Murphys asked if Brennan would join as a full-time band member.

Despite his obvious excitement about their offer, Brennan admitted it wasn’t an easy decision on all fronts. “I had to make the decision to leave school my senior year, knowing what a great opportunity it was,” he said. “It was quite the gamble to

take because, especially from my parent’s perspective, this was not a normal thing for their son to do.”

Eventually, he said, the band became famous across the world, with albums like Signed and Sealed in Blood and 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory topping the Billboard charts, and hits like “Shipping Up to Boston” and “The Boys Are Back” which is frequently played at the Boston Garden and Fenway Park. “Shipping Up to Boston” was featured in the 2006 film The Departed and went on to become a platinum-selling single.

“It’s been quite the journey,” said Brennan humbly. “I always wanted to be a musician and I have KO to thank for a lot of that – for supporting me in what I want to do, being excited for me, and asking me to come back for things like this means the world to me.”

KO CUM LAUDE SOCIETY

On April 26, 20 members of the Class of 2022 were inducted into KO’s chapter of the Cum Laude society. Head of School Tom Dillow gave the opening remarks and shared what a nice change it was to be able to have the event in person and shake hands with everyone after a few years of holding the evening via Zoom because of the Covid pandemic.

The evening also featured KO alum and guest speaker Bridie Clark Loverro ’95. Loverro attended Harvard University, graduating with honors in English in 1999. She is a novelist and editor, beginning her career at Vanity Fair magazine, and then moving on to New York magazine. She has also worked at Simon and Schuster and as an editor at Harper Collins. Her first novel, Because She Can, was published in 2008 and her second novel, The Overnight Socialite, was released in 2010. Loverro also is the founder of QuadJobs, an online

platform/app that helps college and graduate students connect to jobs around their campus and remotely. She currently works at Zibby Books.

Loverro voiced her gratitude towards Kingswood Oxford and acknowledged Ron Monroe and the impact he made on her as a student and athlete. “He managed to challenge us and pushed us by still radiating kindness,” said Loverro.

She shared three life lessons with the students, encouraging the inductees as they embarked

on the next chapter of their lives to be mindful of the long list of wants versus needs, and focus on what is really important.

The second lesson Loverro shared was to notice what is working. “Don’t focus too much on those moments of perceived failure or shortcoming” she said. “Our minds are wired to scan for what could be improved. Make sure you stay equally attuned to your wins. When you train your eye on what’s working it is a much happier, and I think, more productive, way to live.”

When you train your eye on what’s working it is a much happier, and I think, more productive, way to live.

“ ”

Bridie Clark Loverro ’95

Her third and final lesson was to: Ask for help. Give thanks. Give help to others. Repeat. “What has become clear to me in pretty much every area of my life is we are wired for connection,” said Loverro. “And one of the most

powerful ways this connection gets expressed is by helping one another. Without a doubt, the most important, mature, confident, life-changing thing a person can do is to ask for help when they need it.” Following

that, the most important, mature, confident, life-changing thing a person can do is thank the person who has given them help. You really can’t do this too much or too often.”

The following students were inducted: William Berckemeyer, son of Ricardo and Courtenay Berckemeyer; Caroline Boardman, daughter of William and Mary Boardman; Mackenzie Caruso, daughter of David and Alison Caruso; Zeno Chen, son of Yan Chen and Fulin Shi; Edward Crowther, son of Matthew and Meredith Crowther; Macy Isenberg, daughter of Gary Isenberg and Jackie Rubin; Minseo Kim, daughter of Kim Leal and Joo Kung; Emma Levinbook, daughter of Howard and Wendy Levinbook; Megan Murphy, daughter of Tim and Janet Murphy; Shrinaath Narasimhan, son of Varshini Aravamudhan and Lakshminarasimhan Madrassudarsan; Amrita Natarajan, daughter of Venkata Natarajan and Lalita Ramesh; Olivia Reynolds, daughter of Frank and Wendy Reynolds; Justin Rios, son of Richard and Judy Rios; Stella Risinger, daughter of Randall and Tara Risinger; Aliza Sadiq, daughter of Immad Sadiq and Muniba Masood; Patrick Schwab, son of Jim and Jenny Schwab; David Shi, son of Li and Kimberly Shi; Marrich Somridhivej, son of Kongfaah Somridhivej and Lulu Khoosanguanchai; Nathaniel Welsh, son of John and Natalie Welsh; Qiaorui “Charles” Zhao, son of Qiao Huang and Feng Zhao

AROUND THE GREEN

9 to 5: The Musical WINS BEST HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

KO’s thespians got down to work and sent off a blistering performance of 9 to 5: The Musical on Feb. 26 and 27. Based on the triumphant classic 1980s film featuring the troika of Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda, the story centers around these women overcoming their odious, misogynist boss, Mr. Hart. For its performance, KO was awarded the Halo Award for Best High School Musical in Connecticut as well as Best Choreography. Several students were awarded the Dance Molinari Scholarship which gives students the opportunity to workshop with Broadway dancers. This is the second win for KO’s musical in the past two years; the first was for Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2020!

Once again, the KO Theater Department, spearheaded by Director of Theater Kyle Reynolds, tackled the thorny issue of sexual harassment and used the material as a learning experience for the students.

Concerned that Mr. Hart’s overthe-top behavior would appear as an endorsement because his character is played for laughs, prior to the performance the students attended a Zoom meeting with Broadway stars to discuss performing the work.

With the goal of opening up the dialogue, Reynolds brought in an impressive line-up of Broadway actors and actresses to the 9 to 5 student cast via Zoom; all these professionals had first-hand knowledge of tackling difficult material on stage, specifically surrounding the 9 to 5 show itself. These included Janelle Robinson (Mary Poppins, Showboat, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Ioana Alfanso (9 to 5, Wicked, American Son), Jessica Lea Patty (9 to 5, Evita, Bandstand), and Michael Mindlin (9 to 5, Hamilton, Aladdin). Additionally, two female members of the KO community shared their own accounts of what they faced as young women in college and transitioning into the workforce during the time

period from the 1970s through the 1980s. Their accounts provided first-hand examples of how despite the galvanizing women’s movement in the 1960s, discrimination and sexual harassment were ever-present.

Broadway star Robinson encouraged the actors and actresses to seize the conflict at hand and turn it into something positive for the school and the community at large by showcasing the problems of that time. “If it is a show that is written well and has a good script,” she said, “it will have controversy and conflict. Otherwise, there is nothing to fight for in the storyline.”

She encouraged the performers to keep open minds and use the performance to inform, enlighten, and open the story that this piece tells. “Yes, it is an important conversation, and it is also important to remember why we do theater and that standing up on stage and portraying characters gives us the freedom to have these hard conversations and have things that speak to all of us,” she said.

Despite the challenging topic, 9 to 5 is chock full of fantastic dancing and musical numbers, opening with the rousing and energizing ensemble number 9 to 5. The beautiful and powerful song of resilience and hope, “I Just Might”, which blended the

harmonies of the three female leads, was a highlight, as was the down-home hootenanny “Cowgirl’s Revenge”. The staging of “Hart to Heart”, a scene that occurs in the women’s bathroom with singers and dancers wearing the same red business suit and frizzy, badly permed wig of the main singer Roz emerging from a row of bathroom stalls drew several hoots and hollers from the crowd. To the delight of the audience, when the women overcome Mr. Hart’s abuse, he is carted off on a rope suspended from the ceiling.

This vibrant production proved that 40 years after the movie’s premiere the themes of 9 to 5 are as socially relevant as they ever were.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director and Choreographer: Kyle Reynolds

Music Director: Steve Mitchell Costume Design: Darby Newsome Technical Director: Michael J. Bane Stage Managers: Kaitlyn Finnerty and Kodilichi Ezegbo

Sound and Light Board Operator: Chayse Shamleffer/Cloud Que

Stage Crew/ Set Construction: Esther Arimoro, Jada Asapokhai, Joella Asapokhai, Paul Gilberto, Maia Killory, Francesca Lamattina, Els Morris, Alisa Ruban, Julia Sohn, Amy Wang.

Projections: Cameron Hart

Musicians: Elizabeth Smith, John Mastroianni, Tucker Barney, Jeff Sirois, Joe Campolieta, Kevin Huhn, Elliot Wallace, Susan Carroll, Marc Sokolson, Morgan Brown, Nick Zavaglia, David Edricks, Kate Swanson, Traci Keen, Matt Weisher

CAST LIST

Violet Newstead: McKenzie Campbell Understudy: Kyleace Hunter

Doralee Rhodes: Serafina Squatrito Understudy: McKenzie Campbell

Judy Bernly: Avery Schiff Understudy: Alice McClure

Mr. Franklin Hart: Ricardo Croes-Ball

Roz: Faith Potter Understudy: Danielle James Joe: Justin Rios Understudy: Frank Pu

Dick/Dwayne: Luke Roen

Maria: Kyleace Hunter Understudy: Alex Segal Kathy: Sattah Phouthakoun Understudy: Lily Temkin Missy: Alice McClure Understudy: Samhita Kashyap

Margaret: Morgan Siegel Understudy: Jolie Flash Bob Enright/Security: Johnny Kung Josh: Sam Merkatz

Tinsworthy: Frank Pu

Featured Roles: Candy Striper: Lily Temkin Detective: Zaire Ramiz New Employee: Samhita Kashyap Hart to Heart Dancers: Alex Segal, Alice McClure, Azul Montiel, Lily Temkin, Sattah Phouthakoun, Anna Tippner Ensemble: Kyleace Hunter, Alice McClure, Lily Temkin, Samhita Kashyap, Luke Roen, Sattah Phouthakoun, Zaire Ramiz, Justin Rios, Sam Merkatz, Alex Segal, Johnny Kung, Anna Tippner, Abbie Schiff, Frank Pu, Keysy Lopez-Diaz, Azul Montiel, Danielle James, Audrey Karasik, Jolie Flash, Morgan Siegel Dance Captains: Lily Temkin and Frank Pu

Having a Pultizer Prize-winning U.S. Poet Laureate read her visually evocative poems aloud in a rich, honeyed tone is an experience that few could imagine. And yet, students at KO were treated to this sensory experience when the school’s 39th Baird English Symposium author, Tracy K. Smith, led a seminar for the senior Symposium class this past Feb. 7-8 and recited a number of poems from her collection during an assembly.

RECONCILIATION AND HOPE Poems of

Wise and warm, profound yet with a pop-culture sensibility, Smith told the students she believes that “poems can speak to a moment in life that is impossible to fully capture on your own.” As former Upper School English and Symposium teacher Mela Frye said, “Her poems urgently call us into a space where we must make room for other lives, one word, one line at a time. We can find the tools to open, to shift, to heal.”

During the assembly, Smith explained how her work not only plumbs her own inner self to understand and process the world around her but also seeks to connect with the lives and voices of others, creating a deeply empathic circle. “I’ve written poems to try and listen better to myself, to the many perplexing and difficult feelings that I live with,” she said. “I bring surprising and even counterintuitive

language to the things we are feeling so we can see them better and understand them from another vantage point. You need the courage to write more honestly about yourself. One way that gave me that courage was to imagine the lives of other people, people that I knew, read about, observed.”

Many of Smith’s poems confront the dark heart of America’s racism and play with historic and imagined voices. While listening and experiencing the hidden and overt traumas, she finds new ways to express intense emotions. During the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Smith sought a means to process her unbearable grief. “I tried to come up with a new vocabulary of what we are living through which is scary sometimes – its violence, its distance, between some people and others that is man-made

and unnecessary and seemingly impermeable,” she said. “So much of this conflict comes from sources of difference – class, gender, geography, beliefs, and race in America. A lot has happened, and a lot has been damaged.”

Smith creates most of her poetry at home, writing by a window. If her writing process stalls, she looks at the trees, she said, “to see if they can help me think through the human realm in a different way.” She found solace in the beauty, calm, and predictability of nature during the instability of the dual pandemic of Covid and racism. To jumpstart the writing process, Smith relies on the formal structures of a poem, for instance, a villanelle, a 19-line poem with a specific rhyming pattern, which, she said, “helps coax me forward because a form is like a road map and there are certain things you have to do, and there’s a certain

path that you have to rhyme or repeat so your thoughts follow and sometimes it makes it easy to get started.”

Smith regarded her time as a Poet Laureate, which she served from 2017 to 2019 as a revelatory one in which she encountered untrammeled parts of America on the back roads. While visiting community centers, rehab facilities, and detention centers, Smith spoke to the various unexpected folks about poetry, which, she said, elicited “these really deep, honest, and powerful conversations about life through the poems we read together, and it reminded me why I love poetry.”

During the second evening of her visit to KO, Smith read more of her works to the English teachers from KO and surrounding schools, including “Bright,” “The United States Welcomes You,” “Found Poem” and others whose thread weaved around the theme of race and injustice. Before reading “An Old Story” she charged the group to develop “new mythology for our nation to understand itself and its purpose and its destiny….What would it mean to write a new mythology for a new future that we would like to welcome?” she asked.

Art teacher Scott McDonald presented Smith with her portrait that he and his students created. The portrait was composed in nine sections, each section a repetitive rendering of one word from a line in her poem “ my god, it’s full of stars.” The line reads: “And the great black distance they –

we – flicker in, reflecting on the immensity of the universe and our human connection within it.”

“I have gotten an amazing window into these incredibly gifted students,” Smith said of her visit to KO. “I feel illuminated by what you do here and what you do to make literature real and vital and necessary for your students, and I’m so grateful to be a part of this program.”

ABOVE Bob Murphy ’62, P ’89, ’89, Jeff Amell P ’17, ’20 , Board Chair Mary Martin ’77 P ’17, ’20, and Eric Roen P ’23 RIGHT Brian Butler ’96, Sean Curry ’96, Mark Conrad ’96, James Friedman ’96 LARGE

PHOTO Longtime KO Faculty member, administrator, and coach, Dennis Brennan ’71 P ’99, ’00, shoots for the green.

The weather cooperated on Monday, May 16, 2022, as more than 100 KO Alumni, Parents, and Friends gathered at Tunxis Country Club for the KO Golf Tournament. Though rain threatened for most of the day, it stayed dry until the last groups were coming off the course. Sponsored by the Alumni Council, the event was organized as a traditional scramble, and was followed by dinner and awards.

The James B. Lyon Award, which was established in 2021 for former Board Chair Jim Lyon ’48, is given to celebrate an alum who has shown particular loyalty and dedication to KO. The first recipient of the award, former Board Chair Brad Hoffman ’78, was on-hand to present the award to Ann Coolidge Randall ’73, P ’13. Randall has remained part of the school community since her graduation in 1973 – the last Oxford Class – first as a class agent, then as a member of the Head’s Advisory Council, later as a Form Parent and member of the Parent Association, and finally on the Board of Trustees. In her acceptance speech, Randall shared that the gifts she received from her KO experience are the very reasons why she continues to give back so that future generations of Wyverns can enjoy the same benefits.

ANN COOLIDGE RANDALL ’73, P ’13 receives the James B. Lyon Alumni Award.

and Ryan Lawless

Large Photo: Top Row Head of School Tom Dillow, Director of Leadership Giving Jayne Rotter P ’22, Stacy Esposito, Danielle Cocomo, Katharine Miller P ’17, Liz Reni ’06, Beth Brett P ’24, ’28, Ingrid MaClean P ’25, Christine Dwyer P ’21, ’23 Bottom Row Amy Webber Raisner ’87, P ’21, Tenley Fisher Prince ’91, P ’25, Sam Pease Doering ’96, P ’26, ’28, Devi Mathur P ’26

Inset Photo Left: The second-place doubles winners were Dhurata Margolis P ’26 and Beth Brett P ’24, ’28. The first-place doubles winners were Katharine Miller P ’17 and Sam Pease Doering ’96, P ’26,’28

Inset Photo Right: Christine Dwyer P ’21, ’23 (Hospitality Sponsor) and Ingrid Maclean P ’25

KO parents and friends joined in the fun for a KO Round Robin in May. Fourteen tennis players turned out for the event sponsored by the Prince family. Special thanks to Tenley Fisher Prince ’91, P ’25 for helping to organize the event and to the Dwyer family for being the hospitality sponsor.

You made the difference. Thank you for your support.

More than 150 guests celebrated under the tent at the 2021-2022 KO Leadership Dinner. Current and past parents, friends, the KO Board of Trustees, and faculty members enjoyed the evening. The highlight was hearing from 2022 graduate Olivia Reynolds who recounted her best KO memories of her time at the school.

First Row: Deirdre Dillow P ’21,’22, ’26, Janet Murphy P ’89,’89, Head of School Tom Dillow, and Bob Murphy ’62; Mary S. Martin ’77, P ’17, ’20, president of the Board of Trustees speaking with friends of KO Second Row: Dr. Bill Conrad, Jeanne Conrad P ’91,’94,’96 GP ’26,’29 and board member Keith Wolff ’91, P ’20, ’23; Upper School physics teacher Kathleen DiSanto ’03 and Olivia Reynolds ’22 Leadership Dinner student speaker Third Row: John and Christine Dwyer P ’21,’23 and Wendy and Franklyn Reynolds P ’22 Leadership Dinner Chairs Fourth Row: Bill and Karin Stahl P ’95 and Rosemarie and John Papa P ’87,’92,’96, GP ’20, ’22, ’25, ’25

The evening of April 30, 2022 was brisk but clear and beautiful for the bi-annual auction and gala known as Celebrate Kingswood Oxford (CKO). Held at the outdoor pavilion of Tunxis Country Club in order to be mindful of continuing Covid-related concerns, the event brought together more than 200 KO alumni, parents, and friends to celebrate the things that make the school special while it continues to look ahead to its future.

Above: Deirdre and Tom Dillow P ’21, ’22, ’26 with Board Chair Mary Martin ’77 and Jeff Amell P ’17, ’20. Right: The CKO Gala Committee Jodie Sprague P ’19, ’21, ’26, Melanie Ellis P ’23, Gul Aslan P ’22, Karen Diaz Meaike P ’19, ’22, Meghan Wildstein P ’22, ’26, Sophia Cicchiello P ’27, Susan Taback P ’28, Melissa Vaughn P ’20, ’21, ’23, Monica Gold P ’23, ’26

The event chairs, Karen Diaz Meaike P ’19, ’22 and Meghan Wildstein P ’22, ’26, ’29, and the CKO Planning Committee created a glittering showcase for the silent and live auctions that offered 100 items and packages up for bid throughout the evening.

Allie Wildstein ’22 and Amrita Natarajan ’22 spoke on the meaning of their KO education and the lessons and values they will take with them into their next chapter.

KO THANKS

Central Connecticut is an area with a lot of competition in the independent school market. What drew you to KO when you were looking at schools for your children?

A little history. I grew up in the Hartford public school system. When in high school, I took the public transportation bus, the Farmington Avenue route to be exact. Every morning I would look out of the window of the bus from my seat and see KO on the hill. It filled me with wonder and awe. I knew it was a private school. Honestly, I do not know why, but I always wanted to attend a private institution but would never be able to do so due to finances.

Fast forward 30 years later when my eldest, Kaylee, was in middle school, and we were having conversations about options. That

did not occur when I was growing up. “We” did not have options. Ironically, it was Kaylee, with no influence from me or her father, who inquired about private schools and had not considered public school for high school. Kaylee actually did not attend the first KO Open House we scheduled. There was some function she had to attend so I went by myself. Once we did attend together, I quite honestly thought it would not even be on her radar because she gave me no signs of how she felt after. She is usually a very demonstrative and expressive individual.

As a parent, what I loved most about KO was the size, the individual attention I felt my child would get, and the fact that she would not be just a student. I really got the sense that people would know who my child was and what made her tick. While the intent of an open house is to get the parents to be “sold” on the school and what it has to offer the student, I did not feel like it was a sales pitch. I felt the importance of each and every student to the institution. Ultimately, the decision was Kaylee’s, and she chose KO. She was accepted at all of her schools of interest. Later I

Karen Diaz Meaike, Shawn Meaike and Family First Life, LLC for their lead sponsorship of CKO

learned the reason why Kaylee was so stoic after the open house was because KO was her #1 choice, and she did not want to be disappointed if she was not accepted or unable to attend. When it was Dylan’s time three years later, it was not an automatic because his sister was here. Although he won’t admit it, he loved following his sister to KO. We really needed to make sure it was a good fit for him because he is a far different student with different interests than his sister. KO did what KO does and they got to know Dylan and encouraged his individual growth as they do with all their students.

Now that Kaylee and Dylan have graduated, what do you think they will take away from KO that they wouldn’t have received elsewhere?

They received a true sense of community and level of confidence. I’m not certain either one of them would have developed that grounding had they gone elsewhere. A true sense of self and a direction forward.

In your time as a KO parent, you’ve served the community as a volunteer with the Parent Association, the MD Fox School Project, CKO Co-Chair, Senior Week Chair, and are a current member of the KO Board of Trustees. What has driven you to support the school in these ways?

It is a give and take. At KO, Kaylee and Dylan have had the opportunity to learn, grow, explore, develop essential skills, been supported academically, athletically and holistically. For that I am ever grateful. I have had the privilege of being a part of my children’s lives not only at home but at the other “home” they spend the other half of their time at by being involved with the areas listed above. KO has allowed me to do that, and I also hope there is a small part of seeing their mother’s involvement and support as an example of the ways in which to support not only each other but the community where they grew up essentially.

Tell us about Family First Life, LLC., and why you chose to support CKO as its VQV Lead Sponsor.

Family First Life decided to support CKO after witnessing first hand the effect KO has on its students. FFL is very interested in supporting the community and helping make the world a better place in any small way we can. FFL believes in the mission at KO and knows the young men and women that come through will help make the world a better place today and for years to come.

Varsity Athletics 2021-22

FOOTBALL

Head Coach: J.B. Wells

Assistant Coaches: Brandon Batory ’10, David Hild ’80, Matt Kocay, Duncan Sewall, Dac Newton Record: 3-5

Captains: Chase Aston ’22, Jared Cotte ’22

Seniors: Chase Aston, Aidan Aube, Conor Bernier, Samuel Boley, Nathan Brodrick, Jared Cotte, Garrett Gallup, Chase Gibson, Daniel Raymond, Benjamin Safalow, Patrick Schwab, Thomas Vitarelli, Benjamin Woerlen

M.V.P. Award: Chase Fountain ’23 M.I.P. Award: Aidan Aube

Coaches Award: Patrick Schwab

Four Year Award: Jared Cotte

VOLLEYBALL

Head Coach: Scott McDonald

Assistant Coaches: Cameron Biondi, Ryan Radmanovich Record: 12-5

Captains: Mackenzie Caruso ’22, Keira Sullivan ’23 Seniors: Lindsay Bailey, Mackenzie Caruso, Naomi Wong

M.V.P. Award: Keira Sullivan

M.I.P. Award: Kata Mesterhazy ’23 Coaches Award: Lindsay Bailey

Four Year Award: Lindsay Bailey, Naomi Wong

FIELD HOCKEY

Head Coach: Chapin Yates

Assistant Coach: Nicole Baratz Record: 6-10

Captains: Katharine Doar ’22, Abigail McLaughlin ’22, Alyssa Pavano ’22

Seniors: Caroline Boardman, Katharine Doar, Kyleace Hunter, Olivia Kittleman, Arielena Lang, Abigail McLaughlin, Alyssa Pavano M.V.P. Award: Arielena Lang M.I.P. Award: Katharine Doar Coaches Award: Abigail McLaughlin

Four Year Award: Katharine Doar, Arielena Lang, Abigail McLaughlin, Alyssa Pavano

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Head Coach: Krista Sahrbeck Assistant Coach: Christian Ayer Captains: Gianna Christiana ’22, Caroline Dawson ’22, Megan Murphy ’22 Record: 5-8

Seniors: Olivia Chomick, Gianna Christiana, Natalia Correa, Caroline Dawson, Kaiya Deurloo, Megan Murphy

M.V.P. Award: Gianna Christiana M.I.P. Award: Natalia Correa Coaches Award: Caroline Dawson, Megan Murphy

Four Year Award: Caroline Dawson, Megan Murphy

Five Year Award: Gianna Christiana

BOYS’ SOCCER

Head Coach: Hikmet Aslan Assistant Coach: John Hissick Record: 5-4

Captains: Brio Aslan ’22, Aaron Rotter ’22

Seniors: Brio Aslan, James Beerbower, Roberto Correa, Aidan Dillow, Sean Gilland, Max-William Kanz, Yucheng Liu, Shrinaath Narasimhan, Henry Pelletier, Maddox Pierce, Aaron Rotter, David Shi, Carter Smith, William Wells M.V.P. Award: Brio Aslan ’22 M.I.P. Award: James Beerbower ’22 Coaches Award: David Shi ’22

Four Year Award: Brio Aslan, James Beerbower, Roberto Correa, Henry Pelletier, Aaron Rotter, David Shi

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Head Coach: Tricia Watson Assistant Coach: Carmen Kreager Captains: Olivia Reynolds ’22, Stella Risinger ’22

Seniors: Elsa June Ciscel, Sanyu Liu, Regina Miller, Olivia Reynolds, Stella Risinger, Maya Sirkis, Ashleigh Stepnowski M.V.P. Award: Kami Tarantino ’24 M.I.P. Award: Claire Palmer ’25 Coaches Award: Sasha Dausey ’25 Four Year Award: Olivia Reynolds, Stella Risinger

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Head Coach: Fritz Goodman Assistant Coach: Alexander Hoerman Captains: Samuel Bromberg ’23, Samuel Merkatz ’22

Seniors: Aakash Gunturu, Eli Johansen, Samuel Merkatz, Justin Rios M.V.P. Award: Samuel Merkatz M.I.P. Award: Samuel Auclair ’24 Coaches Award: Aakash Gunturu Four Year Award: Eli Johansen

ESPORTS

Coach: Ryan Brodeur ’01 Record: 17-11 Captain: William Jacobs ’23 Seniors: Benjamin Baby, Mason Goldschlager, Charlotte Mandell, Aliza Sadiq M.V.P. Award: Mason Goldschlager M.I.P. Award: Ella Chen ’25 Coaches Award: Alexa Prahl ’24

WINTER

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Brad Seaman Assistant Coaches: Ronald Garcia, Peter Jones Record: 15-6

Captains: Chase Fountain ’23, Gavin Griffiths ’23

Seniors: Chase Aston, Koby Braunstein, Isaias Wooden M.V.P. Award: Gavin Griffiths M.I.P. Award: Chase Fountain Coaches Award: Isaias Wooden

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Quinn O’Brien

Assistant Coaches: Judy Bailey ’82, Krista Sahrbeck Record: 11-12

Captains: Lindsay Bailey ’22, Natalia Correa ’22

Seniors: Lindsay Bailey, Natalia Correa, Caroline Dawson, Megan Murphy, Kylie Wolfradt

M.V.P. Award: Olivia Stevens ’24 M.I.P. Award: Georgia Louis ’24

Coaches Award: Aashni Patel ’24

Four Year Award: Lindsay Bailey, Natalia Correa, Megan Murphy

ICE HOCKEY

Head Coach: John Hissick

Assistant Coach: Michael Wolf Record: 9-5

Captains: Aidan Aube ’22, William Berckemeyer ’22, Sean Gilland ’22

Seniors: Gabrielle Abramson, Aidan Aube, William Berckemeyer, Sevastian Concepcion, Edward Crowther, Sean Gilliand

M.V.P. Award: Aidan Aube M.I.P. Award: Edward Crowther Coaches Award: Sevastian Concepcion

Four Year Award: Gabrielle Abramson, William Berckemeyer, Edward Crowther, Sean Gilland

BOYS’ SWIMMING

Head Coach: Alex Kraus

Assistant Coaches: Kata Baker, Megan Farrell, William Martino Record: 7-3

Captains: Elias Brandt ’23, Marrich Somridhivej ’22 Seniors: Nathan Brodrick, Aakash Gunturu, Marrich Somridhivej, David Shi M.V.P. Award: Marrich Somridhivej M.I.P. Award: Aidan Ladewig ’23 Coaches Award: Elias Brandt ’23 Five Year Award: Marrich Someridhivej

GIRLS’ SWIMMING

Head Coach: Kata Baker

Assistant Coaches: Megan Farrell, Alex Kraus, William Martino Record: 3-7

Captains: Stella Risinger ’22, Allison Wildstein ’22

Seniors: Stella Risinger, Allison Wildstein, Ashleigh Stepnowski M.V.P. Award: Allison Wildstein M.I.P. Award: Stephanie Lu ’23

Coaches Award: Stella Risinger

Four Year Award: Stella Risinger

Five Year Award: Allison Wildstein

BOYS’ SQUASH

Head Coach: Robby Lingashi Record: 12-2

Captains: Aidan Dillow ’22, Henry Pelletier ’22 Seniors: James Beerbower, Roberto Correa, Aidan Dillow, Edward Keegan, Shrinaath Narasimhan, Henry Pelletier, Edward Schwartz, Carter Smith, Jonathan Sohn

M.V.P. Award: Henry Pelletier M.I.P. Award: Carter Smith Coaches Award: Edward Schwartz

Four Year Award: Edward Keegan

GIRLS’ SQUASH

Head Coach: Cameron Biondi Record: 5-7

Captains: Mackenzie Caruso ’22, Amrita Natarajan ’22 Seniors: Mackenzie Caruso, Katharine Doar, Macy Isenberg, Charlotte Mandell, Amrita Natarajan M.V.P. Award: Amrita Natarajan M.I.P. Award: Annabelle Jacobs ’23 Coaches Award: Mackenzie Caruso Five Year Award: Amrita Natarajan

SPRING BASEBALL

Head Coach: Steve Cannata Assistant Coaches: Peter Jones, Ryan Radmanovich Record: 9-7

Seniors: Conor Bernier, Dylan Diaz, Chase Gibson, Christian Pedro

M.V.P. Award: Devin Wolff ’23 M.I.P. Award: Sean Habeeb ’24 Coaches Award: John Kumpa ’24 Four Year Award: Christian Pedro

SOFTBALL

Head Coach: Jason Bradley Assistant Coaches: Rob D’Agostino, Kierstan Skinner Record: 5-6

Captains: Alexis Vail ’22

Seniors: Gabrielle Abramson, Mackenzie Caruso, Alexis Vail, Kylie Wolfradt M.V.P. Award: Kyra Dunnirvine ’23 M.I.P. Award: Alexandria Segal ’25 Coaches Award: Mackenzie Caruso Four Year Award: Gabrielle Abramson, Mackenzie Caruso

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Head Coach: Brett Garber Assistant Coaches: Ted Garber, David Hild ’80

Record: 2-12

Captains: William Berckemeyer ’22, Edward Crowther ’22, Patrick Schwab ’22, Carter Smith ’22 Seniors: Chase Aston, William Berckemeyer, Edward Crowther, Garrett Gallup, Sam Krugman, Patrick Schwab, Carter Smith, Cole Smith

Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club Most Valuable Player Award: Sam Krugman

Most Improved: Chase Aston Coaches Award: Cole Smith

Four Year Award: William Berckemeyer, Edward Crowther, Garrett Gallup, Sam Krugman, Patrick Schwab, Carter Smith

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Head Coach: Judy Bailey ’82

Assistant Coach: Erica Bromley Record: 4-10

Captains: Kaiya Deurloo ’22, Abigail McLaughlin ’22

Seniors: Lindsay Bailey, Caroline Dawson, Kaiya Deurloo, Abigail McLaughlin, Alyssa Pavano M.V.P. Award: Kaiya Deurloo M.I.P. Award: Ella Wilson ’25 Coaches Award: Chayse Shamleffer ’23

Four Year Award: Lindsay Bailey, Caroline Dawson, Abigail McLaughlin

BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Head Coach: Alex Kraus

Assistant Coaches: David Baker ’04, Frederick Goodman, Carmen Kreager, Miriam Kabagorobya, Tricia Watson

Captains: Daniel Raymond ’22, David Shi ’22, Isaias Wooden ’22

Seniors: Benjamin Baby, Nathan Brodrick, Aakash Gunturu, Eli Johansen, Joseph Kanaan, Samuel Merkatz, Grant Pennoyer, Daniel Raymond, Jandel Resto, Edward Schwartz, David Shi, Jonathan Sohn, Marrich Somridhivej, Thomas Vitarelli, Isaias Wooden M.V.P. Award: Daniel Raymond M.I.P. Award: Christian Gordon ’25 Coaches Award: Joseph Kanaan

GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Head Coach: Tricia Watson

Assistant Coaches: David Baker ’04, Frederick Goodman, Miriam Kabagorobya, Alex Kraus, Carmen Kreager

Captains: Megan Murphy ’22, Olivia Reynolds ’22, Ashleigh Stepnowski ’22 Seniors: Megan Murphy, Olivia Reynolds, Ashleigh Stepnowski M.V.P. Award: Ashleigh Stepnowski M.I.P. Award: Ava Leshem ’24 Coaches Award: Megan Murphy Four Year Award: Olivia Reynolds, Ashleigh Stepnowski

GOLF

Head Coach: Michael Wolf Record: 9-12 Captain: Cody Brew ’23 Seniors: Lily Liu Mark Dixon Most Valuable Player Award: Cody Brew M.I.P. Award: Maxwell Sams ’23 Coaches Award: Austin Perkins ’26

BOYS’ TENNIS

Head Coach: Andrew Krugman ’86 Record: 5-7

Captain: Max-William Kanz ’22 Seniors: Koby Braunstein, Sevastian Concepcion, Sean Gilland, Max-William Kanz, Edward Keegan M.V.P. Award: Max-William Kanz M.I.P. Award: William Jacobs ’23 Coaches Award: Sevastian Concepcion Four Year Award: Max-William Kanz

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Head Coach: Ron Garcia Record: 9-5

Captains: Stella Dodd ’23, Amrita Natarajan ’22 Seniors: Amrita Natarajan M.V.P. Award: Stella Dodd ’23 M.I.P. Award: Abigail Baier ’23 Coaches Award: Alexandria Doering ’26

Five Year Award: Amrita Natarajan

GAVIN GRIFFITHS ’23

The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) named Kingswood Oxford’s small forward, the vertiginous 6’7” Gavin Griffiths ’23 Player of the Year in Class B Basketball. Griffiths averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and he is now the No. 15 ranked player in On3’s 2023 class.

“I’m very excited,” Griffiths said regarding his award. “I’ve been at KO for three years, and I’ve wanted to win this award since my freshman year. “It means a lot because I’ve worked hard for it and my teammates have worked hard for it, and they played a big part in this, too. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Brad Seaman, KO’s basketball coach, started working with Griffiths as a sixth-grade grader, and although he spotted Griffiths’ potential, he was not certain about his trajectory. “There are so many factors to consider,” Seaman said. “Will he grow? Will he be serious about his work ethic? But, he did seem strong. He had good hand-eye coordination. He could shoot. He was like a baby deer with long limbs, and he was learning how to put it all together.”

And though Griffiths’ height is in his favor – both his parents are tall and played basketball – his work ethic and coachability are key. Griffiths said he works out

and practices for three hours a day to hone his skills. “His greatest strength is his attention to detail and work ethic. He is that definition of hard work pays off,” Seaman said. “He’s in the gym in the summer and it’s 100 degrees in the morning and he’s working out before camp starts, then he’s doing yoga during the day and then he’s playing at night. That’s just his summer workout regimen.”

And if all this sounds like a grind, to Griffiths, there’s nothing he’d rather do. “It’s my favorite thing to do. I guess I’m good at it which makes it more fun,” he said.

Seaman said that many in the field want to mold Griffiths into a shooter and make comparisons to the Warrior’s Klay Thomson and the Heat’s Duncan Robinson. Seaman explained that Griffiths can guard, play wing, and center. “He’s not Kevin Durant but his game is more like that where he can score, handle the ball, and he can pass,” Seaman said “He’s turned himself into an all-around great basketball player.”

Griffiths considers his favorite player to be guard Jordan Poole of the Warriors for his fast style of play, his athleticism, and his movement without the ball. He counts the Warriors as his favorite team as they play five guards at once which he contends is revolutionary for the sport.

Despite his mellow demeanor, Griffiths is a warrior who wants to win. In early spring he fractured his nose by taking an elbow to the face, and he eagerly looked forward to contact training after taking a brief respite while recovering.

As for the next steps in college ball? The court is wide open for Griffiths, and he received offers from 18 colleges and universities, including Iowa, UConn, Providence, Rutgers, LSU, Penn State, and Syracuse among others. He is seeking a good team culture with “good people” and a coach that is personable and who talks and mentors you throughout the day.

In May, Griffiths committed to play basketball at Rutgers University.

One thing is certain. Griffiths is a player who makes it rain –sinking shots from seemingly out of nowhere.

ELIAS BRANDT ’23

As he walks toward the edge of the springboard, Elias Brandt ’23 fixes his eyes on an indeterminate spot in front of him. The air above the pool is still, thick, and chlorine-scented. A hush descends on the pool deck, allowing Brandt to close his eyes and visualize the dive.

“I have to go through the one dive in my brain that is the right way,” he said. “Sometimes I visualize myself doing the dive completely wrong. I usually keep in mind that I need to point my toes more or I don’t want to throw it super hard so I don’t go too far over and make a big splash. Right before I go I take a deep breath. Sometimes, if I have too much energy, it throws things off and I’m not patient enough.”

At a January meet at Williston Northampton School, Brandt was patient and his dive was perfection, his body barely making a splash entering the water. The crowd exploded.

With his cumulative dives that day, he set a new KO record and a new Williston School pool record for six dives totaling 298.36 points.

Brandt’s diving accolades roll off him, well, like water: as a seventh and eighth grader he won the championship in New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), an organization that serves

as the governing body for 169 preparatory schools and leagues in New England, the youngest diver to accomplish this feat. In eighth grade, he broke the KO school record three times and won first place in the Founders League, an athletic league comprising of 11 Connecticut and New York college preparatory schools, with a final score of 369.60, a new 11-dive record for boys’ one-meter diving.

Once again, Brandt set a new school record for diving with an 11-dive score of 450.65. This performance was enough to crown him as the 2022 Founders League Champion. He followed up the performance with another record-breaking day where he was named the NEPSAC Division II Diving Champion with an 11-dive score of 471.45.

Brandt started diving when he was five, inspired by watching his sister at her diving lesson. After trying the sport one time, he was smitten. At the time, he was also a gymnast, often leaving school at the end of the day to head to gymnastics practice, followed by his diving commitment.

“The aerobatics of the two sports are complementary,” he said. “It’s a smooth transition to get into the sport of diving and having an air awareness – knowing where you are and having your eyes open to see where you are. When I was doing gymnastics and diving at the same time, it was a lot of time and effort but I was building a foundation.”

Brandt ended his gymnastics career when he was eight and continued full throttle with diving, spending a week each summer at The University of Texas at Austin diving program. There he met Olympian Greg Louganis, who made an impression on the young diver and whom he considers an inspiration.

A dedicated athlete, Brandt practices his craft almost every day, training at Cornerstone Aquatics Center in West Hartford and Trinity College. During the pandemic when the pools were closed, the divers would practice dry-land training with a trampoline and a harness to mimic their rotation in the air. Since then he has increased his practices from three times a week to daily, which he feels enables him to achieve more successful dives.

His most difficult and complicated dives are the inward double tuck, in which the diver completes two somersault tucks thrown toward the board, and the other dive a front 1 ½ somersault with a full twist. “It’s one of the most rewarding dives I do,” he said,

“because when I first learned it, it took me a really long time to get the motion right and do everything at the right time. Now I’ve gotten to the point where it’s one of the best dives that I do. It’s really important to twist and still throw a really hard aggressive somersault, but you also have to be mindful of when you are twisting. Air awareness is really important in this dive.”

Ever modest, Brandt does not consider any of his dives to be perfect. He acknowledges that he has come close to performing the dive perfectly, but he still needs to work on performing his dives consistently. “For some dives

where I’m more inconsistent,” he said, “I have to consider where my weak points are in the dive: pointing my toes, coming out of the dive before I hit the water, or how I leave the board – because all of this affects how fast you rotate to a degree. Now because I’m diving so much more often, I’ve been able to get that consistency and not be as scared on the dives that I do regularly.”

Brandt is uncertain whether he will pursue diving in college at either a D1 or D3 level. In the meantime, spectators can marvel at his poise and focus during his strong and steady dives.

“I usually keep in mind that I need to point my toes more or I don’t want to throw it super hard so I don’t go too far over and make a big splash. Right before I go I take a deep breath.”

Boys’ Varsity Squash Wins New Englands

Koby Braunstein ’22

KO boys’ varsity squash team had a whopping total of nine seniors spearheading the competitive ladder, and the team’s leadership, experience, and prowess on the court fueled them to a New England Class C Championship victory on Feb. 13. The Wyverns’ overall record glowed at 12-2.

After a lengthy hiatus from competition that derailed the 2021 season, the team was eager to make a statement and that they did, rattling off five consecutive wins to open the campaign. Three of those were convincing 7-0 shutout wins against Williston Northhampton School, Suffield Academy, and Portsmouth Abbey School. The two others were gutsy 4-3 nailbiters against Westminster School and the Winged Beavers of Avon Old Farms that showcased a high level of play from all involved. Co-captain Henry Pelletier ’22 was tremendous in the No. 1 spot for the Wyverns and believed the team was in great form with the ability to keep the momentum rolling.

“Our season is off to a great start,” Pelletier said. “We’ve taken down some very strong opponents and are looking to [build upon] our [winning] record.”

This experienced group tasted defeat for the first time against Choate Rosemary Hall by a score of 6-1 on Wednesday, Jan. 19, followed by another 6-1 loss on Saturday, Jan. 22 against one of the premier squash programs in New England, Kent School. Nicholas Keegan ’27 shined at the No. 6 spot against the Lions and was the lone victor that afternoon.

With a cleared rearview mirror and optimism for desired results ahead, the Wyverns got back in the winning column on Wednesday, Jan. 26, cruising to a 5-2 triumph over Loomis Chaffee School. The Black and Crimson notched a perfect 6-0 record at home, comfortably defending “The Den” and giving every opponent a run for their money. Head Coach Robby Lingashi did an incredible job making sure the team was adequately prepared

for every match and instilling his wealth of knowledge and passion for the game to his players.

“Robby has always been a great coach to us,” Pelletier said. “He combines conditioning and specific technique training to make sure we’re playing as well as we can. He also keeps the ladder accurate by having us do challenge matches before every match.”

One of Lingashi’s other skilled veteran players this season is Cocaptain Aidan Dillow ’22, playing in the No. 2 position. He was thrilled to be recognized as one of the leaders after two previous years with the varsity team, and, like his teammates, aimed high to go out on top.

On the weekend of Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, the Wyverns made their long-anticipated title defense of the New England Class C Championship at the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island.

They faced a familiar foe in the quarterfinals – Avon Old Farms School – and won handily by a score of 5-2. Highlights of the match included straight-set wins by talented Will Keegan ’25, Jack Krieble ’25, and Carter Smith ’22 in what was an exciting afternoon. Without adequate rest or time to recover, the Black and Crimson were back at it the evening of Saturday, Feb. 12 against another opponent they’d seen already during the season, Loomis Chaffee School. In identical fashion to their matchup nearly three weeks prior, the Wyverns steamrolled the Pelicans 5-2. Dillow, Krieble, and Keegan cruised to victories in straight sets, while Teddy Keegan ’22 won 3-2 in a close matchup against a formidable opponent, all propelling the team to the finals on Sunday, Feb. 13.

The resilient group took on the Dragons of St. George’s School in a quest for glory and clinched the

title with another convincing 5-2 win. The Wyverns successfully defended their New England Class C Championship with another shutout victory from Krieble as well as victories from T. Keegan, Smith, Dillow, and Teddy Schwartz ’22. Pelletier, a Connecticut College squash commit, was ecstatic to win his second title as a member of the team and immensely proud of the team’s performances in each match.

“We played very well as a team,” Pelletier said. “Jack Krieble has been a rock at No. 5, always pushing us to victory by winning his own match handily. [Coach] Robby was giving us plenty of motivation to win our matches while giving us lots of specific tips to overcome our opponents. I, along with co-captain Aidan Dillow, made sure the boys were always in the right state to play a match by giving the rest of the team pre-game speeches.”

Commencement

2022

Kingswood Oxford’s Class of 2022, comprising 98 students, was conferred their diplomas in the 110th Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 27. Zeno Chen was the Dux Prize winner, the student with the highest grade point average, and there were 20 Cum Laude recipients.

Caroline Dawson ’22 introduced the keynote speaker, former Upper School English teacher Ron Monroe who retired in June after a 35-year tenure at KO. Monroe drew analogies between his own retirement and the students moving on after graduation. Both have new friends, new experiences, and new challenges awaiting them. Ever the English teacher, Monroe compared the students’ journey to one where they are the authors of their lives and stories. Remarking that the chapter at KO has now been written, Monroe said the future awaits the students to pen new chapters in their lives.

“While I imagine that you will be yourself, whoever that is to you, this is also a time when you can change things up or just simply realize what goes into making the best possible version, the best possible story of yourself,” he said. “Regardless, you are the protagonist of your own story, and as such, you should be intentional about the role you ‘play’ in your own story.”

Although the students will create their own narrative, Monroe reminded the students that they are not the sole characters in the story. Throughout their lives, the students will have the opportunity to make meaningful connections with others and impact them. “Be open to others and what they have to offer, be aware of their impact on you and your story, but also be aware of your impact on them, for you have constructed important connections to the stories of your friends and families,” he said. Monroe recounted a time when a student thanked him for a passing conversation he had in the hall with her. To Monroe, it was a simple exchange, but to the student, his words made a difference. “As other people in our story come and go throughout our lives, this interweaving reminds us of how we are part of something enduring, something much larger than ourselves.”

As other people in our story come and go throughout our lives, this interweaving reminds us of how we are part of something enduring, something much larger than ourselves.

-Ron Monroe

”

Head of School Tom Dillow offered a charge to the departing class and exhorted them to rely on the core values and lessons they learned at KO as they carry on in their journey. He acknowledged the upheavals due to the pandemic and other world events, and he told them that KO’s foundational principles “will continue to serve as guiding lights to you as you walk this earth, pursuing excellence, involvement, and integrity.” He

asked the class to help heal and repair our nation and world by “putting the interests of the nation, of the common good, ahead of the interests of party, recognizing that our democracy relies on the principle of compromise to function properly, committing yourself to a rigorous standard of inquiry and critical thinking — be suspicious and skeptical of facts and truths until you have had the chance to evaluate the sources, and weigh them carefully,” he said.

Above all, Dillow told the class to practice loving kindness, the foundation of all major religions.

“If you can extend kindness to others, you will be in possession of a universal language that will help you connect with anyone in the world,” he said. Dillow asked the students and the attendees to practice a mindfulness meditation during the ceremony where the crowd was to direct positive feelings and well-wishes to an individual they were thinking of. He reminded them that when they encounter anger and hatred in the world, they should respond with lovingkindness toward others.

Class of 2022

KO CUM LAUDE SOCIETY

20 members

of the class were inducted into the Cum Laude Society.

ZENO CHEN received the Dux Prize for the senior with the highest GPA for the year.

The following student-athletes have committed to PLAY SPORTS AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL:

CHASE ASTON Bryant University, football

GIANNA CHRISTIANA Johnson & Wales University, soccer

JARED COTTE University of New Haven, football

DYLAN DIAZ University of Bridgeport, baseball

MAX-WILLIAM KANZ Stevens Institute of Technology, tennis

ARIE LANG Worcester Polytechnic Institute, field hockey

MEGAN MURPHY St. Thomas Aquinas College, soccer and track

ALYSSA PAVANO Union College, field hockey

CHRISTIAN PEDRO Amherst College, baseball

HENRY PELLETIER Connecticut College, squash

MADDOX PIERCE Emmanuel College, soccer

MARRICH SOMRIDHIVEJ Bates College, swimming

LEXI VAIL Bentley University, softball

Ten members of the class HAVE PARENTS WHO ALSO GRADUATED FROM KO.

Our Class of 2022 graduates celebrate on the steps of Alumni Hall with their parents who also attended KO.

FRONT ROW Andy Krugman ’86, Sam Krugman ’22, Koby Braunstein ’22, Meryl Mandell Braunstein ’87, Charlotte Mandell ’22, Teddy Keegan ’22, Gil Keegan ’88 MIDDLE ROW Judy Lindsay Bailey ’82, Lindsay Bailey ’22, Steve Brown ’83, Mia Brown ’22, Sandro Squatrito ’88, Serafina Squatrito ’22

BACK ROW Teddy Schwartz ’22, Adam Schwartz ’85, Joseph Kanaan ’22, Jennifer Papa Kanaan ’87, Grant Pennoyer ’22, Jennifer White Pennoyer ’85

RIGHT Mark Mandell ’85 and Charlotte Mandell ’22

A PUBLIC SERVANT WITH A TOUGH SKIN & A BIG HEART

Meet Connecticut Speaker of the House Matt Ritter ’00.

By Jackie Pisani

Driving on I-84 through Hartford, you can’t help noticing the gleaming marble and granite edifice of the Capitol Building. Imposing and impassive, its formal facade belies the kinetic energy that bounces off its walls when the General Assembly of the state legislature is in session from February to May, especially on Wednesdays, when both the House and Senate typically meet.

“We have to find a way to be American again and have people be happy about their lives. We have to do a better job as a society of going back to where you care for one another and not just saying, ‘Sorry. That’s your lot in life.’ ”

On this particular Wednesday, the Capitol lobby is thronged with visitors: AFL-CIO hardhats attending a ceremony, visitors crowding around the tree trunk from the battlefield of Chickamauga, others craning their necks to view the soaring rotunda. One side of the lobby is crammed with containers of decorated Christmas trees that are props for a Hallmark holiday film, as monumental winged statuary stand sentry. One floor up, the balconied hallway overlooking the lobby is jammed shoulder-toshoulder with lobbyists and activists chatting so animatedly that you’d think you were at a cocktail party. But instead of canapes, the guests carried clipboards and briefcases and exchanged business cards.

Our meeting with Matthew Ritter ’00, Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, is running late, and we’re told by Ritter’s Johnny-on-the-spot intern it’s because of an emergency caucus meeting. We’re relegated to waiting in the caucus room, a large underwhelming space that doubles as a break room and casual meeting space chock full of snacks (Fruit Gushers, Sour Patch Kids, and Entemann’s Little Bites). TV monitors, everpresent and always on, run Bloomberg News and a

closed-caption telecast of the Senate resolution approving the settlement agreement in Sheff vs O’Neill, an impassioned debate about open choice in education. Men in rumpled suits amble in, splayed out on couches with their feet up and shoes off, and talk in equal measure about childcare and Yankee third baseman Josh Donaldson. Eventually, Ritter walks briskly into the caucus room, and we’re escorted into his office, replete with homey touches of framed Sports Illustrated covers of the men’s and women’s UConn basketball teams, a green suit dotted with shamrocks for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parade, and most visibly, a multitude of family photos.

Ritter hails from a political family. His father, Thomas Ritter, was a lawyer, lobbyist, and Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and his mother, Christine Keller, is a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court who is set to retire this year. Both his grandfather and his uncle served as state representatives, and his grandmother was a civil rights activist. Contrary to the political DNA coursing through his veins, politics was not always on Ritter’s mind. His original career aspiration was to be a sports commentator, and he spent much of his time at

KO pursuing soccer and basketball, rather than mock trial proceedings.

“Clearly, there was always a political bent to the family. I was always around it. I wouldn't say that my parents talked about it a lot, and when you’re nine years old you don’t really care what your parents do for a living. But you're around it and exposed to it. In my experience, I met a lot of wonderful and diverse groups of people. That is what gravitated to me more than anything was the people I met,” Ritter said. It wasn’t until Ritter reached his junior year at Colby College that he began to consider a career in law and government. While studying for the bar exam after finishing his law degree at UConn, there was an opening on the Hartford City Council for someone who lived in a certain geographic area. Before he knew it, Ritter was running for the seat at the advanced age of 24. He spent three years on the Hartford City Council where he chaired the Planning and Economic Development and Legislative Affairs committees. In 2010, Ritter defeated an incumbent in the Democratic primary and won the election in the 1st assembly district. Ritter became the Majority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2016.

“I try to tell younger politicians or people who are starting that there’s a certain amount of luck in it,” he said. “That sounds so scary to people that you can’t control your own fate. But it’s like anything else — the ball has to bounce your way sometimes. If the committee you want to chair — if the same person has been there for 14 years, guess what? You’re not going to chair that committee. If you want to be in the U.S. Senate, Chris Murphy is a really young guy. He may be there a long time. People may all have their plans, but I think the thing that I found is that you’ve got to focus on the job at hand. Opportunities will present themselves. It’s really rare when someone is like ‘I’m going to do this.’ It’s really hard because there are a lot of factors that occur. People look at me and say, ‘What do you mean? I’m going to be President of the US. I’m thinking, ‘Probably not.’ Even to be a state senator, a lot of balls have to bounce your way.”

Ritter has no plans to head to D.C. and prefers the roll-up-yoursleeves attitude in state politics, where one can really feel and see the immediate impact of your efforts whether, in Ritter’s case, it’s focusing on children’s mental health or the issue of welfare liens on homeowners.

“This is a job where you have the opportunity to get your hands in anything you want in the state of Connecticut,” Ritter said. “There’s not a lot that Congress in D.C. does that is so tangible and direct to the people in Hartford. You can really target things at the state level and really see when you look back that you did five or 10 things that were tangible and made a difference in people’s lives.”

When Ritter isn’t at the Capitol, he practices law at Shipman and Goodwin where he has worked for 13 years at what he calls his “mortgage-paying job.” A typical day when the legislature is in session includes a visit to the gym, walking the dogs, dropping the kids off at school, and heading into the law office from 9 a.m. to noon. Then switching gears, he arrives at the Capitol and conducts the business of his constituents until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. and then concludes the day with his legal work for the law firm. Despite the go-go nature of his job, this is a man who relishes his work, embracing both careers with passion and conviction.

Ritter is not immune to the toxicity of the political landscape and said he has witnessed an increase in rancor and aggressiveness since he first started in politics. He cites

people’s elevated stress levels due to the pandemic, which has set people on edge, but he also lays a lot of the damage on the doorstep of social media.

“People read only what they want to read, and that’s on purpose because of the algorithms that feed you the content,” he said. “No one reads papers anymore.” Although the state of Connecticut had one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, 87 percent over the age of 18, the debate on the floor raged for over 12 hours over restrictions and mandates. He felt there was a disconnect between the data, which showed the vast majority of people supported the state’s efforts, and the negative rhetoric.

“I think social media has allowed people to amplify a small group of voices, but people pay attention to those voices,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way in this country to get people better access to information to people without chilling First Amendment speech.”

When Ritter was first elected to the Assembly in 2010, the state had a massive multi-billion-dollar deficit and no money in the rainy day fund. The state has now built up the reserve fund to a record level not only as a percentage of the budget but also as a dollar amount. Ritter

believes that the combination of careful spending, saving money, and ensuring that Connecticut remains an attractive place to raise families has placed the state in a solid position. Additionally, the upside of Covid allowed many workers to work from home, lessening the need for people to seek housing close to Boston or Manhattan. Now, many people have the option to go into those business hubs only once or twice a week and make Connecticut their permanent address.

One key to Ritter’s success in this hyper-partisan age is his ability to work on both sides of the aisle.

In this respect, Ritter considers himself a younger old dinosaur of

the order of the Tip O’Neill era. He is most proud of helping to build the consensus that re-orchestrated Hartford’s debt in 2017, leading the city out of bankruptcy.

“We didn’t do it by making a lot of cuts or doing things that were unpopular with residents. We did it by working together,” he said. “We managed to spend all of our federal dollars in a bipartisan manner. I’m proud of that in an environment where it is more politically popular and expedient to not get along with the other party. I truly believe in this institution. There are people who probably don’t agree with my approach and think I’m too willing to accommodate and compromise.

But it’s the best thing in the long run for the state of Connecticut.”

Although the state of the country is fraught with high emotions, Ritter exudes a healthy optimism in confronting our challenges with patience, empathy, and listening to people.

“We have to find a way to be American again and have people be happy about their lives,” he said. “We have to do a better job as a society of going back to where you care for one another and not just saying, ‘Sorry. That’s your lot in life.’ We have to get back to that feeling where we can all help one another and still be a capitalistic, democratic society.”

FOUNDERS LEAGUE

By Jackie Pisani

Most individuals, when confronted with a health concern, consult a physician or, if they’re like some people, ignore the symptoms entirely. But that’s not how the efficient, go-getter Rachel Soper Sanders ’06 rolls.

In her case, she started a business – Rootine, a startup optimizing health and human performance with precision nutrition.

Initially, after studying at Vanderbilt University, Sanders began her career in investment banking where she learned about the healthcare ecosystem.

“I saw that technology and personal health data were being used in innovative ways in more chronic care and traditional health settings to improve how patients experience their healthcare and to improve patient outcomes,” she said. “At the same time, I was personally dealing with my own health conditions, such as stress, fatigue, and burnout. I was using a manual guess-andcheck methodology to see what was wrong and how to fix it.”

Sanders viewed her health situation as an opportunity to take her knowledge of innovations in the chronic care industry and apply an approach focused on prevention and lifestyle changes to support common health conditions. Unsure about what that

would entail, Sanders pursued her MBA at Harvard Business School and spent two years researching the market to discover what the needs were and what problems needed to be solved. She launched her first start-up in the field of muscular-skeletal health, logging real-time training in start-up operations. There, she connected with her current Rootine co-founder, Dr. Daniel Wallerstopher, PhD who had spent 12 years building prevention-oriented nutrition products for consumers based on genetics and other personal biometric data.

Founded in 2018 and launched in 2019, Rootine’s mission is to enable people to leverage their personal health data to achieve optimal health through precision nutrition.

Rootine combines at-home lab testing with known health data to deliver science-backed insights and tailored nutritional supplements based on those insights to meet the specific needs of each patient. Additionally, the service tracks the efficacy of the supplements through in-app progress tracking and quarterly blood testing, making adjustments to members’ formula based on feedback from the data. In fall of 2021, Routine also launched the Precision Health Club, a community of data-driven health enthusiasts, which ties the member experience together.

The company has nine full-time team members plus others who work on a part-time or contract basis. Based in the U.S., Rootine has grown an average of 200 percent per year since its launch and is on track to grow 400 percent this year. Its precision multivitamin membership is offered at $69 a month; the brand also offers three at-home tests: one DNA test for nutrition health and two different blood tests measuring vitamin and inflammation levels and mineral levels, which start at $100 each. Rootine’s competitors in the $700 billion dollar global nutrition market include Viome, Vessel, and Ritual, but Sanders contends her company's unique value proposition is a winner.

“We have better data science, a more precise product as well as a tighter feedback loop to understand what’s working and the dynamic approach to make it better,” she said. “Plus we have a unique brand and engaged community that resonates within our target market.”

“We have better data science, a more precise product as well as a tighter feedback loop to understand what’s working and the dynamic approach to make it better. Plus we have a unique brand and engaged community that resonates within our target market.”

According to NPR, applications to start new businesses in the U.S. hit 5.4 million in 2021, a new record, surpassing the 2020 record of 4.4 million. And, although many individuals have attempted to chase their dreams, entrepreneurship requires messianic zeal. Recent dramatizations and documentaries offering cautionary tales about rapid-fire start-ups of Adam Neumann of WeWork, Travis Kalanick of Uber, Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, show the hallucinatory vein running through these young founders, an insatiable just-won’t-quit optimism. And although Sanders shares their positivity, she’s far more clear-sighted and principled.

“As founders, we’re all dreamers,” Sanders said. “We’re trying to solve problems and build a better reality. And that’s the most exciting part of the tech and the start-up ecosystem. It also means that some people have more optimism than others – the ability to pick themselves back up when things go awry.”

Sanders readily admits that she not only lives in uncertainty but that she also thrives on it – a critical ingredient to the entrepreneurial spirit. “If you’re building a new future, you don’t have all the answers today,” she said. “There isn’t data that tells you it’s right or wrong. It’s the optimistic view of the future, of the reality, that you want to build. So if you have a mission that you believe in, that is how a lot of people get through.” One advantage Sanders counts on is her confidence and uncanny ability to make decisions with incomplete data sets. “That’s something that I've learned over time that’s hard to do, but I can do it well,” she said.

Another component of start-up success is a passion for the mission. For Sanders, Rootine was a chance to solve a personal problem in an area of business that mattered to her.

To muscle through the challenges, Sanders uses this belief as a North Star to guide her. And although raising money for a start-up is a challenge – in fact, only 2.2% of venture capital goes to female founders – it isn’t the biggest headwind Sanders faces, and she readily rattles off the concerns that keep her up at night.

“I’m constantly thinking about growth, the high growth environment that we created today and continue to sustain,” she said. “Another issue is hiring great people, and hiring in this job market is hard right now. You want to create a great culture, building a place where people want to work and want to stay. And, then, of course, is fund-raising and making sure we have the capital to continue to push forward with our mission.”

To face these hurdles, Sanders has developed a mental toughness around leveling out the peaks and the valleys that occur in the arrhythmia of a start-up. To keep her grounded, she said she calibrates her emotions by not overly celebrating the high highs, just as she doesn’t wallow in the low lows.

Creating a positive company culture is at the top of her mind, and Sanders wants to build a place that’s innovative and allows for diversity in thinking. And although promoting a highgrowth environment is important, Sanders does not want to attain it at the expense of the mental health of her or her employees.

“I want to build the company without creating too much tension,” Sanders said, “an environment that is conducive to being both happy and highly productive.”

With a two-year-old daughter, a husband, and day-to-day demands, she knows that structure and balance are the name of the game. Recently, Sanders took more control over her calendar to allow for days when she is doing deep work and getting a lot of things done, and other days when she is making external calls. After a morning workout and playing with her daughter, she faces her task list like Eisenhower on D-Day. “I really try to do the structured goals that I set for myself like setting quarterly and yearly OKRs (objectives and key results) – breaking down on a monthly and weekly basis what that means in

terms of what we need to get done. More often than not, there will be a curveball or a fire that has to be put out.”

If all this sounds, exhaustingly buttoned up and methodical, Sanders is also a proponent of “doing one thing a day that scares you,” even if it’s as small as sending a cold email to a target advisor. And, like most founders, she understands that things that are new entail a fair degree of failure.

Much of Sanders’ experience at KO was in learning how to learn and how to advocate for oneself. That foundation, she said, propelled her through college business school, and her career. She’s learned to muscle through tough situations with resilience.

“I feel if you’re not failing every day in some capacity in a start-up, you’re not trying hard enough,” Sanders said, laughing. “I was on a podcast a few weeks ago, and we were talking about approaching things from a growth mindset. If you think about customer acquisition and growth, you’re pretty much batting three out of 10. That probably applies overall to startups. It’s really about trying and learning and not being afraid to fail. Because if you’re not failing, you’re not innovating at the rate you need to be.”

What a Difference a Teacher Makes

For generations, Kingswood Oxford teachers have prepared students for college and life by teaching them how to think critically, communicate effectively, and take ownership of their learning. They have done this within a framework of learning centered on KO’s core values of respect, personal integrity, and intellectual curiosity.

Our Strategic Vision, adopted in 2019, asks us to build upon this strong foundation to create new learning opportunities that will further prepare our students for the colleges of today and the jobs of the future. Students learn best and are most engaged when they have choice, learn by doing, understand the purpose of what they learn, and can see the impact of their work.

When students play an active role in their learning, they are invested in the process of mastery of the material. So what does this mean in the classroom? Three of KO’s Upper School teachers blog about some of the compelling activities in their classrooms to engage students so they can integrate and transfer knowledge, draw inferences, examine ideas, and think more critically. And did we mention it’s fun?

Immersing Students in the Joy of Learning

Stephanie Sperber, Upper School history teacher

Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” – that the American values of equality, democracy, and freedom were shaped by the continuous presence of the western frontier – might seem like a dry, academic subject. But if you had walked into my U.S. history class last Feb. 14, you would have seen his ideas come alive as you encountered a scene from a western saloon in the 1890s.

My students, wearing cowboy hats, blue jeans, bandanas, sombreros, and checkered shirts were portraying cowboys, Mexican Americans, miners, members of Indigenous communities, sheriffs, homesteaders, and African Americans.

As player piano music played in the background, they were assessing and debating the merits of Turner’s thesis from the point of view of diverse individuals. Did these westerners believe their experiences validated – or invalidated – Turner’s thesis about frontier egalitarianism?

Because it was Valentine’s Day, students were asked to identify other people who shared their views about Turner’s thesis and then send valentines to them. Then the valentines were read aloud, amidst laughter,

mirth, cheers, and whoops. The kids were tackling difficult material and having fun at the same time.

As a history teacher, I have one goal for my students: that they take joy in learning. I want them to love learning so much that they look forward to every class, that they experience excitement, surprise, curiosity, and delight during class, and that they leave class bubbling about what just happened.

When we study an era of history, I seek to create that joy and a life-long love of learning by immersing my students in the sights, sounds, textures, and smells of that time. I want to transport them to a distant time and provide them with a 360° view of what the past was like. My goal is to create experiences that make them want to learn and to equip them with the tools to do that.

To accomplish this, my classroom frequently comes alive in a wide variety of creative simulations. These include donning costumes, role-playing, eating food, playing board games, listening to music, building models, staging debates and trials, and even meditating. While I can’t always take students to restored historical communities like Williamsburg or Old Sturbridge Village, I can bring a little bit of that experience into the classroom almost every day.

My classroom is located on the second floor of House 1, built exactly 100 years ago. With its sloped roof, dormer windows, and working fireplace, the room has

the cozy, quirky charm of an attic, so it’s the perfect spot for creative activities. I want my students to have a space where they feel at home. The classroom walls are covered with posters, maps, bumper stickers, and artwork by students.

Through these activities, I hope to foster deep and genuine learning experiences for my students. Here are some of the other “antics in the attic” my students have enjoyed this year:

• Crime Scene: For our class on the Boston Massacre, I greeted my U.S. history students at the door dressed as a British officer, replete with a redcoat and tricornered hat. Laid out before them was a crime scene surrounded by yellow caution tape: five plastic gingerbread men carefully positioned on the floor, representing patriots shot by British soldiers. After examining the evidence, students read first-hand accounts of the shooting from various perspectives and then wrote a letter arguing whether the British soldiers were guilty of murder or acted in selfdefense.

• Gummy Government: I challenged students in my Global Cities class to portray different forms of government, such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy, by using Legos and Gummy Bears. Showing delightful creativity, they worked in pairs to build thrones, voting booths, and barracks and used different flavored Gummy Bears to represent different classes in society – as well as dead Gummy Bears to depict the dangers of autocracy. Afterward, they arranged their exhibits around the classroom to create a museum that the entire class then toured.

• Food for Thought: What foods did enslaved women cook for their own families? My U.S. history students literally got a taste of history when they prepared authentic soul food, including collard greens, okra soup, and cornbread, and brought the delicious dishes to class to share with their fellow students.

• Founders League: My U.S. history class has 13 students, the perfect number to recreate the Constitutional Convention of 1787 where each of the 13 states had one vote. I dressed as presiding officer George Washington as students, seated at tables draped in green cloth as at the original convention, presented their state’s concerns. Then all 13 students debated, compromised, and voted to choose the best form of government for the United States.

While we usually think of high school history class as listening to lectures, taking notes, and memorizing dates, I’ve found that students absorb the facts, concepts, and understanding of history most effectively when they are enjoying the learning process. I provide simulations and immersive experiences so that they’ll approach class each day with anticipation, expecting something exciting is going to happen. I want to

surprise them and engage them physically, mentally, and emotionally so that we can find the answers together as they learn to love learning. If I can light that fire, I’ve accomplished my goal.

Striving for Balance and Flexibility in Teaching and Grading

Kathleen DiSanto ’03, Upper School science teacher

As a teacher, I’ve sought to pursue and maintain what many educators have called “a growth mindset.” This means that I always try to be open to using new strategies and methods to enhance my students’ learning.

When I studied science in high school, college, and graduate school, the teacher usually functioned as “the sage on the stage,” someone who lectured, instructed, and explained. But when I became a teacher myself, I quickly realized that students would learn more deeply and effectively if I sometimes served as “the guide on the side,” someone who provides them with direction and support as they discover information and concepts and formulate new ideas themselves.

In the classroom, I seek to strike a balance between teacher-centered learning and student-centered learning. Sometimes lecturing is the most effective way to supply and consolidate information clearly, thoroughly, and efficiently. Lectures also provide the skills, structure, and vocabulary that allow students to then pursue their own exploration in purposeful and systematic ways. Learning is like the process of building a house; the teacher builds the foundation and framework so that students can complete the structure by constructing the interior walls, rooms, and ceilings.

What does student-directed learning look like? In my physics courses, it often involves practical, bite-sized activities that enable students to test skills and concepts they’ve learned from lectures and apply them to realworld experiences.

To study Newton’s Second Law of Motion, for instance, my students perform test runs of a moving cart with a fan attached to it. While varying the speed of the fan and the mass of the cart, students time the cart to determine its acceleration. They soon discover that, as Newton stated, the greater the mass of the object, the greater the force (the fan) needed to accelerate it. Student-centered learning can also involve group work. When performing calculations in class, for instance, each of my students writes, not in a notebook, but on a 24 in. by 24 in. whiteboard. This enables students to share their work with other students more easily,

a process that often generates lively chatter and even laughter as students compare and discuss their computations. I’ve learned that a loud class isn’t necessarily a bad class and that everyone can be a little bit silly and still learn.

I also try to achieve flexibility and balance in my grading policies. Most of my teachers in high school and college based their grading on content and details rather than process and offered no opportunities for reassessments. Instead, I evaluate my students on the skills they’ve learned. Rather than receiving one grade for an assessment, each student earns a separate score for each skill demonstrated, and during the course of a semester, each skill is assessed at least three times. Recognizing that students learn at different rates, I offer each student the opportunity to take up to two reassessments per semester covering up to three skills of their choosing.

I envision the flow between teacher-directed learning and student-directed learning, as well as the pace and progress of each student’s mastery, as a wavelike pulse that surges and wanes throughout the semester. Achieving the right equilibrium in methods of teaching and assessing students is challenging but ultimately effective, rewarding, and enjoyable for my students and for me.

Statistics and Economics Plunge Students into the Real World

Tracy Deeter, Upper School history and math teacher

What can students learn from projects as diverse as constructing a chain of paper links and bouncing a Batman action figure on a rubber-band bungee cord? These are some of the enjoyable and instructive classroom activities I use in my Advanced Placement®

Statistics and Economics courses to strengthen my students’ reasoning skills and their ability to approach complex problems with open minds, keen observation, and objective analysis.

In A.P.® Statistics, my primary goal is to encourage flexible thinking and to approach statistical data with a critical eye. Are there inherent biases in how this information is collected or presented? Are the inferences drawn from it correct?

To encourage this critical approach, I often ask students to first conduct a real-world group experiment with no prior knowledge or assumptions and then process and assess the results later. This method gives students consistent practice in contributing original ideas, making connections between ideas, and constructing an understanding of new content in a collaborative environment.

In the Bungee Batman Jump, for instance, students attach a bungee cord made of linked rubber bands to a Batman action figure and drop it toward the ground 15 feet below. Before the drop, each group of students constructs a linear regression model to calculate the number of rubber bands that will give Batman his maximum plunge without crashing into the ground.

Each group asks: How accurate are our predictions for Batman’s drop? Is it wise to use extrapolation? How do outlier conjectures affect our linear regression model?

Such practical experimentation enriches my A.P.® Economics course as well. Economics is a social science that examines the way people make decisions. Students quickly learn that every decision in economics involves both benefits and costs, including overlooked marginal benefits, such as a company’s reputation, or unforeseen opportunity costs, i.e., how does the action we’re taking preclude us from taking other beneficial actions? So we engage in activities that illustrate concepts involving making choices.

In the Paper Chain Game, students explore the cost-benefits dynamic in labor supply by creating a mini-factory. Students are divided into groups of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 people. Each group is given the same resources – a stack of paper, a pair of scissors, and a stapler – and asked to create a chain with as many paper loops as they can in three minutes.

Which group will be able to produce the most links? At what point does increasing the number of workers stop adding to the productivity of the group? What is the optimal number of workers to hire? What are the benefits and costs of hiring that number, or of hiring fewer or more workers?

Of course, not every activity in these two classes involves fun and games, but we often apply the concepts we learn to relevant social and practical issues.

Statistics students, for instance, investigate whether research data on New York City’s “Stop-and-Frisk” program provides enough evidence to prove that police are racially biased. Economics students explore the reasons male pro golfers make more money than female pros and why Ben and Jerry’s provides financial support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Connecting concepts to real-life data, whether it concerns bungee jumps or racial bias, brings these concepts to life for students.

Creating a Culture of Inclusion and Belonging

By Jackie Pisani

It’s been said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place, but that’s not the case for Jeremiah “Jerry” DeBerry ’82. He has been able to pursue two dream jobs in his career: first as a business lawyer working on multi-billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions as well as serving as a lawyer for some of the biggest names in professional sports. As general counsel for GameFace Ventures, a premier sports marketing agency, he has represented Ray Allen, Scotty Pippin, Chris Weber, and other notable sports figures. Currently, he is a partner and the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Mayer Brown, LLP, the 19th largest law firm in the world. He is based in the firm’s New York City office.

DeBerry grew up in Stowe Village, a low-income housing project in the North End of Hartford and attended KO from 1978 to 1982. He is the youngest of four, and his three siblings, Charles ’76, P ’11, ’13, Gloria ’77, and Diana ’80 are also KO alums. At KO, DeBerry flourished as a student, and he served as captain of the varsity track team and president of the newly formed Black Student Union. He felt that KO’s requirement that every student be involved in sports was a vital part of making him feel valued and welcomed in the community. “Team sports bring people together in ways that they don’t come together in the classroom,” he said. “Race matters less in team sports. Merit reigns supreme. As a teammate,

you fight together for a common goal with your brothers and sisters, and it allows you to interact and appreciate people for who they are. You focus more on your similarities than differences, and when you find those differences, you celebrate them.” As a member of a closeknit class of 125, DeBerry is still in regular communication with 97 of the KO Class of 1982, who are all part of an email string sharing updates and memories.

Like most kids in his neighborhood in the late 60s, DeBerry believed the road to success was paved with a career as a professional athlete or an entertainer. He dreamed of being a professional basketball player or a successful rap artist. But his parents had other ideas. DeBerry grew up at the height of the civil rights movement and access to quality education soon became a reality for him and his siblings. Even though neither of his parents had graduated from high school, they knew that education was the essential ingredient in the recipe for success. So, they made sure that their four children were afforded every educational opportunity that was available. DeBerry’s parents also instilled in him and his siblings the value and importance of hard work and performing at a high level in their educational pursuits. That instruction resulted in DeBerry and

all of his siblings attending KO and some of the most selective colleges in the country. Charles ’76 completed his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania, Gloria ’77 at Harvard University, Diana ’80 at Wesleyan University, and DeBerry at Tufts University.

While at Tufts, DeBerry and a friend made a pact to attend Harvard Business School together after they both completed a two-year stint in business after graduating from Tufts. For his two-year work experience, DeBerry participated in a management training program at Cigna in Hartford. But, fate had a different plan. During his time at Cigna, DeBerry met his first lawyer, and he was so taken by the work that the lawyer was engaged in that he decided to pivot and attend law school instead where he could still dabble in his dual passions for music and sports. He matriculated at the University of Virginia, where he excelled and was invited to join the prestigious Virginia Law Review, an invitation he enthusiastically accepted.

“When I became a practicing lawyer, I still had a fire in my belly to be part of the sports and music industries,” he said. “Being a lawyer allowed me to achieve that goal.”

“I loved the work, but I questioned whether there was something else I could be doing that would be more meaningful,” he said. “I looked at my job and I was making the rich, richer just transferring wealth from one individual to another or from one business to another. I thought there has to be more to life.”

As a lawyer, he spent long hours working on mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions, but he still had time for legal work in sports and entertainment, which came with plenty of perks like attending 26 NBA all-star weekends and close to 20 Super Bowls as well as hobnobbing with Julius “Dr. J” Irving, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neill, Charles Barkley, and countless others. Operating as a “quarterback” for several basketball and football players’ professional services team, including sports agents accountants, and marketing and publicity teams, DeBerry ensured that the players were not only

receiving the right advice but also heeding it.

“I’d heard so many stories about how professional athletes would make millions of dollars and, by the time their career was over, they were bankrupt,” DeBerry said. “I thought because of my background I could help them make more informed decisions and prevent them from making catastrophic economic decisions by following the lead of less informed members of their entourage and unscrupulous professional service providers.”

It took 17 years of practicing high-powered law for DeBerry to experience this Road-to-Damascus

realization, and it triggered his decision to pursue another avenue in law. While he thrived on negotiating against lawyers twice his age and besting them in the art of the deal, the long days, late nights, and unending client demands gave him pause. He had started a family with his college sweetheart and wanted to spend more time with his two young boys.

“I loved the work, but I questioned whether there was something else I could be doing that would be more meaningful,” he said. “I looked at my job and I was making the rich, richer just transferring wealth from one individual to another or from one business to another. I thought there has to be more to life.”

After plenty of soul searching and talking to others in his field, he decided to extrapolate the part of the job he liked best and build upon it. He recognized that one of the most rewarding aspects of his job was teaching, developing, and nurturing diverse lawyers and law students and helping them succeed in the field of law. Realizing that the industry was difficult to navigate for people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ community, DeBerry set out to create a more inclusive profession.

“My role is to lead the firm in its efforts to create and maintain a diverse and inclusive and supportive work environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and to reach their full potential,” he said.

In the late 1990s, DeBerry created Finao Partners, a company whose name is an acronym for “failure is not an option,” which provided mentoring advice to diverse lawyers as well as created an online network enabling thousands of attorneys of color to post resumes and cover letters to be put in a database and utilized by law firms who were interested in hiring diverse candidates.

Through this business, DeBerry was hired by Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft as their fulltime director of diversity where he worked for seven years prior to heading to Mayer Brown in 2013.

“My role is to lead the firm in its efforts to create and maintain a diverse and inclusive and supportive work environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and to reach their full potential,” he said.

DeBerry’s work in creating a culture of inclusion at Mayer Brown is paying off. When he arrived at Mayer Brown, only five percent of its partners were minority group members and today, almost 20 percent are. At the associate level, the firm was 13 percent diverse, and now it is close to 40 percent.

And, although the company has made great strides, DeBerry feels that more work needs to be done so that not only do the numbers increase overall, but diversity is also achieved in top leadership positions. DeBerry said that his clients are also demanding that his firm staff its legal teams with diverse lawyers.

“They want to know what we are doing as a firm to promote diversity, not just in the firm but in the legal profession as a whole,” he said. “I’m doing presentations to clients on how we can work together to move the needle

forward, and I am loving it. I could not think of a better job for me.”

DeBerry’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. He is a recognized expert and thought leader on diversity and inclusion matters, particularly in the legal profession. The University of Virginia School of Law, Profiles in Diversity Journal, Lawyers of Color.Org, The National Law Journal and the National Bar Association, among others, have awarded him with their highest honor for his contributions to improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in the legal profession as a whole. Most recently, the New York Law Journal recognized DeBerry as a “Distinguished Leader” for 2021. The award recognizes attorneys in leadership roles who achieved impressive results in the past year, while demonstrating clear leadership skills that lead to positive outcomes. In addition, City and State, a leading publication for the public sector, included him in its list of the 2019 Responsible 100. This award honors New York’s most outstanding executives, thought leaders, visionaries and influencers who are setting new standards of excellence, dedication and leadership in improving their communities and making transformative change.

As a Black man in a majority white profession, DeBerry knows firsthand the challenges in navigating a world that is littered with unconscious bias and microinequities. He loves sharing those insights on these topics with those minority group members who have experienced dealing with these issues.

“There were periods when I wasn’t bringing my authentic self to the office or the negotiating table,” DeBerry said. “I was fortunate that I had some white straight males mentors with whom I became close and with whom I could discuss that issue. They explained that they, too, were not bringing their authentic selves to work and that everyone had to put on a different face in the office. While they acknowledged that they had the privilege of bringing more of their authentic self to the office as white straight males than I could as a Black male, it was interesting to learn that we had a shared experience that I was previously unaware of.”

One presentation that DeBerry felt was extremely powerful for his colleagues was unconscious bias training. He recalled a seminal moment when he brought in a consultant who had just published

a piece on diversity in the legal profession. She conducted a study in which she asked sixty partners across the country to review and analyze a legal memorandum they were told had been written by a third-year associate in a big firm and a graduate of NYU law school. One group of 30 lawyers was told it had been written by a white associate, the other group of 30 was told it had been written by a Black associate. On a scale of one to five, with five being the best, the lawyers rated the memorandum by the “white” associate 4.3. They rated the same memorandum that they believed was authored by the “Black” associate a 3.2.

“That presentation changed in a meaningful way how many of our partners viewed their interactions with others,” DeBerry said. “Up until then, they believed that big law was the last bastion of a meritocracy. They, like many others in Big Law, believed if you are good, you’ll succeed. Your race, gender, or sexual orientation didn’t matter. It opened their eyes and opened the door to more meaningful and impactful conversations. They have been provided with the tools needed to interrupt their biases and not allow such biases to unduly

influence their decisions related to hiring, assignment locations, and promotions.”

Like many people during the summer of 2020, DeBerry keenly felt the murder of George Floyd on a cellular level. Initially, he wrote and shared his thoughts on Floyd’s death with a close group of friends and explained what it means as a father of two Black teenage sons. Encouraged by the positive feedback he received, DeBerry wrote an article entitled “In a Time of Reckoning on Racism: Silence is no Longer an Option,” which was published by The American Lawyer. In the article, DeBerry expressed his exhaustion regarding his identity as a Black man, experiencing firsthand racism, from being accused of plagiarism in college by a professor who could not accept that DeBerry had written so well, to being thrown out of a cab by police in a case of mistaken identity and being mistaken for a paralegal at a meeting where he was the lead negotiator.

And, although the momentum of the movement toward equity and inclusion has subsided since that sea change summer of 2020, DeBerry has not lost his optimism or hope.

“I do think that the needle has moved and the needle will continue to move in the right direction,” he said. “It requires a commitment, a sustained commitment to making sure equity and justice are available to all. I am thrilled that I have a job that affords me the opportunity to make a difference. I am uniquely positioned in the legal profession where I can make the greatest difference. It’s really about voting laws to protect the underrepresented and the marginalized. The only way the underrepresented and marginalized are going to get the equality they are due is through changes in laws. Laws do change behavior, and that’s what we are looking to do.”

DeBerry exhorts leaders in companies to move outside their comfort zones and mentor people who don’t remind them of themselves. “If you’re a straight white guy, make an effort to mentor someone who is very different from you — and I guarantee that you will have more in common than you think and that you will learn and benefit more from the relationship than your mentee.”

There’s Something About Mary

By Jackie Pisani

Kingswood Oxford is grateful for the steady guidance and commitment of its new Board Chair Mary S. Martin ’77, P ’17, ’20 who assumed the role of chair in July 2021. Previously, Martin served on the Board from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2009, joining the Board again on July 1, 2016. Her deep ties to the school can be traced back to her mother, Grace Stephenson Martin, a 1951 Oxford School alumna who served on the Board when the schools were planning their merger and subsequently was named a Trustee Emeritus.

Martin is the executive director of the HA Vance Foundation, a private family foundation, whose focus is on organizations and programs in the Hartford area that support systemic education reform efforts and promote innovative approaches to urban education. She brings an impressive depth of finance and management knowledge from her 15-year career with United Technologies Corporation’s divisions: Otis Elevator Company, United Technologies Strategic Planning Department, and Carrier Corporation as vice president of strategic planning, vice president of consumer and specialty products, and director of business development among other senior leadership positions within the organization. Prior to her tenure at UTC, she worked at Bankers Trust in Los Angeles. Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Yale University (1981) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School (1988). She and her husband, Jeff Amell, live in West Hartford, Connecticut. Grace ’17 is living in New York City, and James ’20 is a rising junior at Connecticut College.

We thought the best way to learn a little bit more about Martin was through this light-hearted Proust question-and-answer survey inspired by the book sitting on her nightstand.

What do you do for relaxation?

Puzzles – crossword, acrostic, Wordle, Spelling Bee, jigsaw. If I had more time, I would spend time birdwatching and becoming a better duplicate bridge player.

What do you do for fun?

Run with a group of women that’s been together since 2001, but it’s more than the exercise that’s important. We have many traditions around holidays, birthdays, and milestones that I cherish.

Read with two book groups

Play bridge weekly Play family golf, tennis, and paddle tennis Get together with friends at college and graduate school reunions

Name your favorite meal

Anything I don’t have to cook. My husband and children are excellent cooks, and I am fortunate that they all love to cook!

What are your favorite trips?

Family vacations: 2012 Olympics, national parks (Glacier, Teton and Yellowstone), El Yunque National Forest, Kennebunkport

Historical sites: Gettysburg, Normandy beaches

Major League ballparks

Camping and hiking: Presidentials in White Mountains

Name the qualities that are important in a friend

Listening skills, empathy, sense of humor, thoughtfulness

What important lessons did KO teach you?

Time management skills, juggling many deadlines, writing (of course)

Shoot for the stars

It’s okay to be intellectually curious

Do you have any pet peeves?

People finishing my sentences

Who are the KO teachers that inspired you?

Warren Baird, English and journalism teacher

Dick Caley, chemistry teacher

Share your favorite KO memories

Head Bob Lazear calling me to ask for the return of the KO sweatpants I was wearing in a picture in Playboy magazine

Orienteering with Jim Goodwin out at the Reservoir

Prefect trip to Cuttyhunk Island where Head Bob Lazear had a summer house

Favorite Broadway shows Come From Away Hello Dolly with Bette Midler

What books are on your nightstand?

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Fourth volume in Marcel Proust’s seven-volume In Search of Lost Time

Winslow Homer, a biography by William R. Cross, a college classmate

Q+A

Favorite quote

One quote I came across recently in a book I was reading made an impact on how to face the world. It was from a letter that Martha Washington wrote to her friend Mercy Otis Warren in Boston. Martha explained that she knew that Washington and his staff were doing everything they could “to make me as contented as possible.”

Despite all her misgivings and regrets, she was “determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have ... learnt from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances; we carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us, in our minds, wherever we go.”

Celebrating Retirement

The Evolution of a Teacher

By Jackie Pisani

It’s no exaggeration to say that Middle School Science Chair Judy Lindsay Bailey ’82, P ’18, ’22 has been at KO most of her life, with 31 of those years as a faculty member. Some of her first memories were as a four-year-old gamboling on the lawn in front of the four houses while her father, the legendary Stew Lindsay, served as a faculty member and later as interim head of school, among other roles. “In my mind, it was a small neighborhood,” she said. “I didn’t realize it was a school.” With a small road running through the campus from the back of the Soby Gym toward the front gates on Kingswood Road, plus the easy familiarity of heading to her dad’s office to write on the chalkboard, it’s easy to see why.

When her dad served as dean of students, Bailey entered the KO Upper School and played field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. Having a parent work at the school you attend has some perks, but Bailey remembers an instance when her math teacher shared with her father that she scored poorly on a test before she had the opportunity to tell him herself, and that she was sometimes on the receiving end of student’s ire for being reprimanded by her dad. Graduating in 1982, Bailey admits that, at the time, she didn’t appreciate the value of what she had learned at KO. Only upon heading off to Wheaton College to study biology and studio art did Bailey recognize the foundation she had received. She is grateful that she was able to give her own children, Maitland ’18 and Lindsay ’22, the same opportunity at KO.

Judy Bailey is the epitome of what we mean when we talk about loyalty to the school and ‘caring beyond self’. She is an expert teacher, advisor, and coach, and she works with new members of the faculty to pass along all that she has learned to those who are new to KO.

- Kathy Dunn Associate Director of the Middle School

After college, Bailey took a job at Rocky Hill School in Rhode Island, where she taught math and science, and coached in the middle school. Admittedly, Bailey said she was very green as an educator. “I was not a great teacher, and I didn’t know what I was doing,” she said. “I didn’t have good classroom control.” She turned to her father for advice, and he recommended that she observe teachers at the KO Middle School to learn how other teachers taught so she could improve. Eventually, KO offered her a job, and Bailey honed her skills over her 31 years at KO, learning at the knee of master educators like Marie Bernatchez, Dave Emery, Directors of the Middle School Muddy Waters and Ted Levine. Learning from the best, Bailey was awarded the Robert B. Swain III Award given to that continuing teacher in his or her first five years of teaching who inspires students, and she is now a world-class educator and role model for younger teachers. Her other accolades include the Lazear Chair, the Collins Award for Excellence In Teaching, the Joe and Jo-anne Alissi Coaching Award, and most recently, The Founders League Archibald A. Smith III Award for her commitment to coaching.

“Judy Bailey is the epitome of what we mean when we talk about loyalty to the school and ‘caring beyond self,’ ” said Associate Director of the Middle School Kathy Dunn. “She is an expert teacher, advisor, and coach, and she works with new members of the faculty to pass along all that she has learned to those who are new to KO. I know that, whichever students are on her class lists or whichever advisees are in her group, she will shepherd the kids through their middle school experience with wisdom and caring. Judy understands middle school

kids, and she helps them to navigate their lives at school with honesty and empathy by telling them the truth and helping them learn from their mistakes and their victories. I count myself privileged to have had the opportunity to work with her for so many years.”

Teachers who teach middle school are a breed apart, and Bailey acknowledges that “you have to be a little bit crazy” to be up to the task. “I love the energy,” she said. “I love the enthusiasm the students have for learning. I love seeing the transition from sixth to eighth grade and see them grow and mature.” Recognizing that middle school can be difficult socially and emotionally, Bailey offers her students unwavering support and promises students that they will come out on the other side.

One aspect of her time at KO that she cherishes is witnessing and being part of the evolution of the school’s philosophy about teaching students of this age. When she began her career at KO, she said, the school curriculum was very traditional, teacher-centered, and scripted, with the faculty teaching at the board in the front of the classroom.

“As time went on, we realized that’s not what is best for our kids,” she said. “Even the transformation I’ve seen in my own teaching has evolved. It took time. It doesn’t happen overnight. In the mid-90s we were thinking, ‘What are we doing?’ ‘Why are we teaching this way?’ Now I am fully projectbased learning and student-centered. The students are the ones doing the procedures and figuring out what materials they need.

In the labs, the students are looking at the data and reading and figuring out what they are learning.”

She described a recent Upper Prep project in human biology that brought the students to the Connecticut Science Center to learn what makes an educational exhibit. After reviewing the displays, the students were assigned a biological system to represent in an exhibit form and explain it to their parents. She marvels at her students’ capacity and joy for learning.

“Just watching the students engage with their families, being the experts, running through the labs and activities,

and explaining their visuals – that to me was amazing,” she said. “They know their stuff, and they can teach it to other people. The capabilities of our students are extraordinary. If you give them a chance, they can do anything.”

Bailey says her job as a teacher is to get her students excited about what they are learning and to make the learning process as engaging as possible, with the outcome that the students understand and master the material. Noting that teachers are never quite certain of the impact they are having on young minds, Bailey recollected a time when she was in the dining hall at Harvard University, and a former KO

student approached her and said that she remembered what a virus looked like because of her middle school science class.

“I have no expectation that they will remember everything from my class,” Bailey said. “What I hope they walk away with is learning the skills to keep moving forward as a person and as an individual and to have a love of learning. When there is something that excites you, dig deeper, figure it out, and enjoy it. I hope I’ve instilled in them a love of science.”

Bailey has also been a standout on the KO fields and courts, coaching girls’ varsity lacrosse and assistant coaching girls’ varsity basketball,

with patience, warmth, and expertise to ensure that each player reaches her true potential.

Bailey is not ready yet to walk away from KO entirely and plans to continue coaching girls’ varsity lacrosse next year. She hopes to move to Coventry, Conn. with her husband to grow a sprawling vegetable garden, spend time in Nova Scotia where some family members reside, read, collect sea glass, and return to the artwork that she pursued in college.

In many respects, Bailey grew up at KO, and KO grew up with her, and if she will pardon the science analogy, she and KO are as intertwined as a Watson and Crick DNA strand.

Celebrating Retirement

A 38-Year Career Home run

By Kristen Weldon

If anyone had told Steve Cannata P ’20 when he came to campus in 1984 that he would spend the next 38 years here, he would have called them flat-out crazy. And yet, the years have a funny way of passing. Time quietly marches on, and the people one meets at places like KO have a way of working their way into the heart and mind. Kind, compassionate, quiet, and humble, Cannata has seen many things change, and many remain the same during his time here. He has made a lasting impression on Kingswood Oxford, and the countless student-athletes whose lives he has impacted.

Cannata graduated from the University of Connecticut and then went on to Central Connecticut State University to earn his master’s degree. From there he was hired by Yale University as an athletic trainer, also working in Yale’s sports medicine and health clinics. One summer he got a call from former Kingswood Oxford Athletic Director Joe Alissi who needed to hire an athletic trainer. Cannata chuckled as he remembered that the trainer who was leaving KO had been there 10 years, which to Cannata back then, seemed like an eternity. Fast forward to 2022 as Cannata celebrates his 38th and final year at KO.

During his years at KO, Cannata said he has witnessed a lot of changes. When Cannata first started, there were 825 kids, and the school was “busting at the seams, sharing classrooms, classrooms in the cafeteria,” he noted. The Middle School was on Highland Street so, when it was time for sports, the coaches would have to drive the young athletes back and forth. In the absence of a school nurse, Cannata set up a cot in his office for students who weren’t feeling well to come and rest.

A pitcher for the UConn baseball team that played in the 1979 College World Series, Cannata eventually began coaching varsity baseball at KO. “Baseball opened up everything for me going through school,” Cannata said.

“You have to treat everyone as an individual. There is not one way. Everyone is different and responds differently.”

“It was a big part of my life so it has been really enjoyable for me to stay involved as a coach.” He noted how much fun it is to see middle school kids who are just learning to throw and catch evolve into high school players, many of whom go off to play in college. More recently, Cannata had taken over doing all the scheduling aspects of the athletic department, including the coordinating of buses, game schedules and officials, a daunting task involving minute-tominute changes. And, like so many athletic departments across the country, Cannata and his colleagues have had to learn how to adjust, pivot, and re-pivot for the last few years during the Covid pandemic, which has been no small feat. Whether then or now, Cannata made it all work, taking everything in stride, which fits his laid-back, go-with-the-flow personality and approach. “What I love about the job is that every day is different,” he said. “You don't know what the day will bring, and you aren’t doing the same thing on repeat.” He also said that the people he works with and the kids he trains and coaches have been what has kept him here all of these years. “I get to meet so many of them, and they obviously change year to year,” he said. “And it is fun to keep in touch with kids, especially those who continue to play sports.” He notes many of the students he worked with as athletes year ago now have their own kids who attend KO.

Cannata says that, no matter what task he takes on, his fundamental guideline has been the same. “You have to treat everyone as an individual,” he said. “There is not one way. Everyone is different and responds differently. Whether it be coaching or treating someone for an injury, each athlete has their own way of dealing with things so you just have to be aware and recognize that.”

He says it still surprises him how long he has remained at KO and how, while so many things have changed, the important things have stayed the same. When asked what has kept him here for 38 years, he said, “The people and the relationships you develop here.” He also notes in particular the element of inclusion that has been consistent over his years at the school. “I think that everyone has a chance, and there is a spot for everybody,” he said. “You get to experiment and try things and there are so many options.”

The person who persuaded Cannata to come to KO, former Athletic Director Joe Alissi, proved to be one of the strongest influences on Cannata. “We were together for 20 years,” Cannata said. “The Alissi family embodied KO athletics, and the mindset then was you do whatever for one another and for the athletics. Whatever needed to be done, we did; it wasn’t a job.” He said Alissi was a person who would give the shirt off his back and was an exceptional role model. Alissi died in a tragic car accident in 2009, and KO still celebrates his life and legacy of each year on Alissi Sports Day. Cannata always makes a point to tell his players about Alissi and the impact that he made on the school and athletic program. “As more time goes on, I want to make sure that I keep his memory alive,” Cannata said.

Cannata also had the opportunity to see things through the lens of a KO parent, which he described as “eye opening.” His son, Nick, attended the Middle and Upper School and graduated in 2020. “I had been here and known how things worked, but as a parent I remember seeing a whole

different side of it,” Cannata said. “When my son was in Middle School, I remember reading through the comments teachers wrote and realized how incredibly well teachers got to know the students here.” He said he also gained a new appreciation for how much work is really involved in being a KO student. “I gained a better appreciation of what these kids do as students, how important time management is, and how much progress they make,” he said.

Nick is now a sophomore at Endicott College, majoring in engineering as well as pitching for the baseball team. Cannata equates his son’s seamless transition and success to the education he got at KO. Nick has maintained a high GPA, while also doing internships and already has a job offer on the table, as well as being a standout player and receiving accolades like pitcher of the week.

So what is next for this man of many talents? Cannata plans to keep coaching varsity baseball at KO because he loves it so much. He has an around-the-house-list he says has been steadily growing for years that he wants to start to tackle, but might break it up a bit with some travel. Italy is on the short list, as is a return trip to Hawaii. For now, he will enjoy his new-found time watching his son finish his college career by bringing serious pitching heat to the mound.

“The people and the relationships you develop here. I think that everyone has a chance, and there is a spot for everybody,”

Celebrating Retirement

The Ties That Bind

By Jackie Pisani

When KO’s social media channels shared photos of Upper School English teacher Ron Monroe coaching his last basketball game before his retirement, the comments were posted faster than Allen Iverson driving down the court. “I’ll bet his coaching technique was similar to his advising and teaching techniques. Nothing but net!” “He is one of the best there is! In the classroom and on the court. Ron Monroe is always patient and kind. We will miss him!” And more than one person wrote “Class act.”

Over his 35-year tenure at KO, Monroe has held a multitude of positions: Form 1, Form 2, Form 3, Form 4, and Form 6 English teacher, Middle School English coordinator, Upper School English Department Chair, Director of the Upper School, Martin Nicholson Scholar advisor, and football, basketball, and crosscountry coach. In each position, Monroe demonstrated his steady and calm demeanor and his deep love for his students. Recognizing his commitment and dedication, KO presented him with The Collins Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2001, The Lazear Chair in 2014, The Joseph and Jo-anne Alissi Coaching Award in 2018, and in 2021, The Archibald A. Smith III Award by The Founders League.

While a student at Bates College, Monroe learned of an opportunity to work as a counselor at an outdoor education camp on Cape Cod for fifth and sixth graders. Although he loved the experience of working with young people, upon graduation he was presented with more lucrative job opportunities in business management training programs.

“For the time, the management training programs were paying pretty well,” he said. “The country was in a bit of a recession, and jobs were hard to get. I was very fortunate to have these offers. But the job I wanted to take was the apprentice teaching job at The New Canaan Country School, which paid virtually nothing, a

$2,500 stipend. I agonized over this decision for quite some time because my parents paid a lot of money for my education. I picked up the phone and called the school and I explained my situation. They said, ‘Do what you want to do.’ It was a small risk, but it was a risk. It was a one-year gig, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

And, so the National Cash Register Company and The Dead River Oil Company lost a sterling young employee, but students in Connecticut gained a dedicated, brilliant educator for over three decades.

After his stint at New Canaan, Monroe headed to the King School in Stamford for eight

years, teaching English and reading, and coaching sixth and eighthgraders. Looking for a change of pace and a leafier New England setting, he said he found KO was a good fit.

“I was coaching football and basketball,” he said. “We were in a trimester schedule at the time, and I was teaching ninth grade and electives for juniors and seniors.

“Teaching literature allows students to be more familiar with the world of the metaphor. There’s an intellectual side, of course, but also an empathic side. Reading allows anyone to have the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of another and look at life from that character's point of view.”

“I was teaching two different classes each trimester and managed six different classes plus my ninth graders whom I kept through the year. Needless to say, I never worked harder than in my first year.”

While teaching at the Upper School, Monroe had the good fortune to teach three Baird English Symposium classes: William Styron in 1992, Jane Smiley in 1999, and Jennifer Egan in 2014. Booking Styron came with its challenges because Monroe had to correspond

with Styron by letter with the author, whom Monroe describes as a “very courtly Southern gentleman.”

“Eventually he gave me his phone number,” he said. “There was no agent, and I spoke directly to him. For his troubles, he got all of $5,000.”

Initially, Monroe said that he was nervous to meet Styron, but he learned how gracious and humbled the writers were to be highlighted in the program. Smiley took advantage of the school’s location and did some sightseeing at the Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe Houses in Hartford. Egan connected warmly with the students, and helped one who was interested in attending her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

Although Monroe considers himself an omnivore when it comes to reading anything from memoirs to non-fiction and essay collections, one novel that he is “borne back ceaselessly” to is The Great Gatsby which he teaches to his sophomore class. “Those students are getting more attuned to the narrative, the structure of the narrative, and the layers of meaning in the narrative,” he said. “It’s a compelling story that everyone seems to be a bit familiar with. An archetype.” While Monroe gravitates to the traditional English canon, he is also is fond of teaching newer works like There There by Tommy Orange, a masterful and modern novel that wrestles with the experiences of 12 native Americans, and it is rich with meaning and culture.

“Teaching literature allows students to be more familiar with the world of the metaphor,” he said. “There’s an intellectual side, of course, but also an empathic side. Reading allows anyone to have the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of another and look at life from that character's point of view. That level of empathy and understanding is encouraged through literature. I think that, beyond the fact that they may soon forget a piece of literature, I think what will stay with students is the skill of living in the world of the metaphor and the soft skill of being empathic and more understanding of others.”

When Monroe is not busy with his chock-a-block schedule of teaching, coaching, and advising, in his spare time, for over 20 years, Monroe has held the most vulnerable babies in his arms every Sunday as a volunteer at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford.

“This experience is connected to teaching in that I’m providing a service to the family,” he said. “This baby won’t have any memory of me, and that’s OK. But I know I’ve had some positive impact on a life, even if the child never remembers me.”

Monroe looks at his role as an educator in much the same way, never quite knowing the imperceptible marks he has left on his students. He derives tremendous satisfaction from seeing how an alum who comes back to visit him has become a wonderful contributor to society. “To understand that I have been part of their development is so gratifying,” he says. “The changes you witness from their freshman to senior years are almost magical.”

“If I were to pick a grade that I’ve really enjoyed teaching is sophomore year,” he said. “There’s that inner growth of students in their sophomore year. What I often see is that students who were at one level of reading in the fall are stepping up to another level in the spring. That sort of breakthrough doesn't just happen in their speaking but in their writing analysis as well. KO does a great job in teaching our students how to write in an academic format, but to have to express their ideas not just literally but figuratively as well is a challenge for some students. It shows tremendous growth. Once in a while, I teach seniors whom I have taught as sophomores, and to see that growth is so rewarding and gratifying.”

No article about Monroe would be complete without a commentary on his discerning sartorial style

ever-elegant in a jacket and everpresent tie. Though the pandemic allowed many of us to shirk our more formal business attire while on Zoom meetings and classes, not so for Ron Monroe. He apologetically admits that he did teach one class in slouchy wear, but is quick to add that he wore a collared shirt. And, yes, he does own a pair of jeans.

“When I first came to KO, male teachers and students had to wear a jacket and a tie,” he said. “It was comfortable for me to wear it; it’s not uncomfortable. I view teaching as a profession, and as such, I want to look professional. Throughout the pandemic, I felt it important that I maintain that. During COVID-19 and those Zoom classes, my thinking was that my students have seen me in a tie throughout this year and now we’re online in March. I want them to have a regular experience. So many things have changed, and I don’t want that to change. I want to be that predictable person, even in the way I look, and so that was a conscious decision on my part.” For Monroe, small details are meaningful and matter.

Monroe contemplated retiring one year ago, but he wanted to end on a high note, making his customary personal connections with his students and not remembering his last year as one teaching online or

in a hybrid fashion. After witnessing too many dear ones passing, Monroe wants to make the most of his life and try something new. His slate of to-dos includes bike tours in Newfoundland, Scotland, and the West Coast and a move to the small, vibrant community in Middlebury, Vt.

And, as a service-oriented teacher who is a lifelong learner first and foremost, Monroe plans on tackling some new challenges, perhaps even as a volunteer fireman. “I’m so fortunate to have this opportunity. Moving to a new place gives you a fresh start, and I’m very lucky to have this chance,” he said.

“I’m so fortunate to have thisopportunity. Moving to a newplace gives you a fresh start,and I’m very lucky to havethis chance.”

By Kristen Weldon

If you know Jane Repp P ’06, ’08, you know quickly that she is not only part of the fabric of the Kingswood Oxford Middle School, she is part of the foundation. Beloved, treasured, and a source of inspiration for both teachers, colleagues, and students, her gentle and calming demeanor doesn’t demand or expect recognition. If one tried to give it to her she would smile and shake a hand and say she was just doing her job. But for decades of students whose lives have been fundamentally changed because of her, it goes so much further than that.

While some set their mind on a given profession, willing to do whatever it takes to seize the opportunity, for others, a profession finds them. And in the case of Jane Repp, while she originally didn’t plan to be a teacher, thank goodness for all of us, the world is just as it should be.

Repp has loved kids from a young age. A camp counselor in high school, she tutored students in both middle and high school. But, she admits, “I never thought about becoming a teacher because I was never a school kid. I did fine, but I didn’t love school.” When she went to college she was attracted primarily to the math and psychology classes, and she was fascinated by how the brain works. While looking through the postings of businesses and organizations headed to campus in her senior year, she found one looking for

teachers at independent schools. So she met with the recruiter who told her, “if you can teach math, I will find you a job.”

Repp began her career at Stoneleigh Burnham School in Massachusetts and later Charles River School in Boston where she taught 7th and 8th grade math, as well as enrichment with the younger grades. “The baseline is that you have to understand kids and connect with them,” said Repp. “I had that part and had all this stuff I knew about how they learned, and it all sort of fell into place.” Chuckling she said, “I couldn’t believe that I had landed in this thing that I liked and that I was capable of.”

During her time in Boston she met her husband Whit, who lived in West Hartford at the time, and the two decided to settle down and raise a family

in the area. Repp threw her name out to all the schools in the local area, interviewed at KO, and the rest is the beautiful history of an exceptional 37-year career.

“It has been amazing,” said Repp. “To watch the school change in so many ways and stay the same in others. I have done so many different things in my career here, and it has been this very symbiotic relationship for almost my entire adult life.”

As she concludes her 37 years of teaching this year, Repp said one of the biggest changes she has seen is the shift from a formal, lecture-based school setting, to more student-centered learning where kids have a voice in the classroom and beyond. “There has been this shift from being more authoritative to working together in learning, and to watch that has been really cool,” she said.

By using elements like constructivist learning, Repp has kept it fresh, hands-on, and progressive in her classroom. “Kids can learn without you telling them the answer,” she said. “I can actually just give things to them and frame it, and they take it from there. For me, it is fascinating to have your eyes opened to the fact that students can figure things out for themselves, and then think about what that means for their learning and confidence.”

Over the course of her time at KO, she has also served as associate director of the Middle School, head of the Middle School, and director of teaching and learning. Looking back, Repp said she was surprised by the opportunity to take on these roles.

As a younger person and teacher, for someone who wasn’t passionate about school, serving as a leader wasn’t ever something she thought she would have been interested in doing, and doing several times.

“It was an amazing experience to do something you didn't see as a possibility for yourself and you aren’t sure that you have the skillset you have for it, but then you realize you do,” said Repp. “I have heard other people say that about KO; there are opportunities. There are times when people see things in you that you don’t see in yourself. We do this for our kids all the time and are really good at it with kids, and I think we sometimes do it for the adults, and that is an amazing thing to do.”

She noted that the one constant she always kept, even when she was an administrator, was remaining in the classroom, and this helped her stay grounded with what was happening with students and faculty members. “I always had a sense of what was happening in the corners a little, which sometimes

Ann Sciglimpaglia Head of the Middle School

you lose sight of a bit. Also it kept me connected to this thing that I loved most,” she said.

Repp enjoys teaching middle schoolers because students at this age are curious, imaginative, and still very excited about learning. “You have this layer of their brain development and have them in this place where they have the elements of the understanding and the abstract and the energy,” she said. “That is the beauty of it. These are young, excited, enthusiastic people who have this intellectual curiosity, and you are cracking the window on them for new ideas.”

If you watch Repp teach, it is a bit magical. She has a calm but assured approach, and this finetuned balance of giving students just the right amount of what they need to interact with a problem or scenario, the confidence and skills to

“she always thinks of the kids first. they are always on her mind. she is able to sift through all the noise to get to the problem at hand and think about a way to solve the problem.”

figure it out, seasoned with just the right amount of encouragement and support to get them there. And one can’t overlook her upbeat and positive nature. It is an integral part of who she is, and you feel it in her classroom.

“All the research is that with kids, being punitive doesn’t help,” she said. “What you want is for them to recognize that they can be a better self. Kids innately want to do the right thing.”

Repp’s colleagues have just as much praise for her as she has for them. “Jane was the second person I spoke to here at KO, and she was one of the big reasons why I came to work here,” Head of the Middle School Ann Sciglimpaglia said. “She always thinks of the kids first. They are always on her mind. She is able to sift through all the noise to get to the problem at hand and think about a way to solve the problem. She is a problem solver in the truest sense. She is someone I have always looked up to, wanted to model myself after, and wanted to learn from.”

As a pillar of the program and the faculty, the spark plug of what has made the Middle School the magical place it is, her absence will be felt on many levels. As for the future, she shakes her head fondly at all the things she will miss. “I am really going to miss the act of teaching, of thinking of how to help someone learn something and then the joy of watching them do that. It is amazing,” she said.

For Repp, it is all about the learning, whether it is a student telling her they didn’t like math until her class, or a parent acknowledging how happy they are to have her as their child’s teacher because now their student believes they can do it, or to have

someone tell her they hope they have her next year. These seemingly small things are the really big things for Repp. “My goal has always been for students to learn, to know that I care about them and to know that they can do it,” she said. “I am going to really miss watching that happen.”

For Repp, there is no shortage of love outside of the classroom in her own life. She and her husband have two daughters, Lindsay ’06 and Hanna ’08, both of whom she welcomed during her tenure at KO. “I didn’t know what it was like to see kids go through the school as a parent and that gave me a perspective on what an incredible place this was. KO made them more confident, capable students, and thoughtful human beings,” she said.

So what is next for this beloved icon? So much. She gets to hop on a plane, or jump in a car on a whim and go be grandma or mom, or see her own mother. “There is a lot of tugging to be able to spend more time,” said Repp. “And I will be able to do just that.”

In addition to the joy of being a mother and grandmother, Repp also has a myriad of hobbies and interests she will pursue with more dedicated time. An avid reader, gardener, and cook, she also has made pottery throughout her life, something she describes as a creative and rewarding outlet. She also loves the outdoors, whether it is running, skiing, or sailing. Whatever she fills her time with, there is no question that she will be forever missed at KO. “It feels good, it feels right,” she said. “Very bittersweet, but feels right.”

Making A Big Impact With A Future Gift

Why do you Support Kingswood Oxford?

I support KO for several reasons:

I first attended Oxford in the eighth grade, which was a difficult point in my life. It wasn’t easy at first, but after a year, it was home. It was safe and where my friends were. KO was where I wanted to be, and I was proud to be part of the community. The school offered a solid traditional education that I don’t think I would have gotten elsewhere and led me to form many lifelong friendships and wonderful memories!

We chose to send our son to KO at a similar point in his life. Again, the first year was tough for him, but after that, he became a big part of the community. He was embraced, felt safe, grew personally, made lifelong friends, and achieved his goals in athletics and the creative arts. His KO experience enabled him to go to college on a partial scholarship in search of his dream to be an actor. He was very well prepared for college.

It’s a family tradition to go to KO, and we are proud to be a part of the legacy. We believe in giving back to the place that gave three generations of students so much!

ANN COOLIDGE RANDALL ’73, P ’13 Member of the Nicholson-Martin Society of legacy gift donors.

Why is your Oxford education special?

My Oxford education was so special because it really prepared me for college. Even though I considered myself to be more of a science and math student, the education really prepared me for English courses in college – so much so that my freshman year I was enrolled in advanced freshman English, a class taught by the college’s president. It was tough, but I made it through! I remember researching a paper in the college library my freshman year using books since there was no internet. Another freshman asked me, “How do you know how to research a paper like this?” My response was, “Because I’ve been doing it since eighth grade.”

But mostly, I remember devoted teachers who cared about us as individuals, wanted us to succeed, and helped us reach our goals. This tradition continues today at KO.

What is your vision for the future of KO?

Having been a member of the Board of Trustees for nine years, I support the administration’s and board’s goals of making a KO education one that teaches students how to solve real-world issues by having them interact with community members and leaders so they can make a difference. I hope KO continues to educate students to be proactive and curious learners in a school community of teachers, family, and friends that cares about each individual. And last, but not least, I want the school to cultivate an environment where students have fun learning and caring for one another.

For more information on supporting Kingswood Oxford School with a legacy gift, please contact Dina Plapler, Director of Advancement at 860.727.5019 or plapler.d@kingswoodoxford.org

Class Notes are submitted June 2021 through May 2022.

OXFORD 1951

Class Correspondent: Sallie Barr Palmer

Since the last KO Magazine issue, where I reported that Barbie Gowdy Tongue had died, we have lost two more class members.

Gara Van Schaack died on Oct. 9, 2021. Following retirement from her career as a medical assistant, she turned her talents to volunteerism, becoming a long-time volunteer at Hartford Hospital. She was also a member of the Junior League for 67 years and referred to as a “Super Souper” in recognition of her dedication to feeding the hungry in the local community. In 2020 she received the League’s Shero award for her work in this cause.

When I heard that Gara had died, I called Dinny Duffield Whiting, who was shocked at the news. She and Gara had been friends even before their Oxford days and exchanged birthday cards every year. Little did I know that Dinny would be our next loss.

It came as a tremendous shock when I learned that she passed away on Jan. 9, 2022, from a massive heart attack. Along with several other classmates, I had been in recent touch with her, and she seemed to be fine, having emerged from Covid isolation and had been able to resume many of her usual activities. She was active on the library committee of her retirement community and had been asked to serve on the finance committee. She was an enthusiastic gardener and planted a large vegetable garden last summer.

Memories of her Oxford days include the bike trip to Bradley Field and the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire Day. In our Oxford class yearbook,

the quotation under her name reads “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” That sums Dinny up perfectly.

Pam Kingan Lillquist was able to represent the class at Dinny’s memorial service in Williamsburg. She and Dinny had been friends since before their Oxford days, and she was especially hard hit by the news. Pam writes that her life is quiet. Husband Rich has unfortunately developed Alzheimer’s, but she reports that he is currently holding his own.

Vivian Hathaway Crouse has moved to a small independent-living apartment in Vermont, near two of her children, Tim and Mark, and their families. Granddaughter Alex and Craig’s two granddaughters are all getting married during the summer, which should keep Viv busy. Her new address is: 16 Harbor View Rd., South Burlington, Vt. 05403. Telephone and email remain the same.

Frannie Steane Baldwin attended the wedding of three grandsons during the past year. Frannie now has five great-grandchildren who she says “are all adorable.”

Beth Cook Gabel reported she was wearing a cast on her right wrist. She and husband, Virgil, returned from their winter sojourn in Florida to be over-enthusiastically greeted by their 90-lb. dog, who literally bowled Beth over. Beth’s had a busy year. She attended her grandson’s graduation from Princeton and last October traveled to Colorado for her oldest granddaughter’s wedding. She’s anxious to get the cast off her wrist so she can get back on the golf course. Meanwhile Virgil shot his ninth hole-in-one the day after he turned 90! Don’t know where the Gabels are getting all their energy – whatever their secret, they should patent it.

Beth suggested I include addresses for our remaining classmates. I’m listing email addresses at the end of this entry.

Sallie Barr Palmer and husband Peter enjoyed a visit from two sons and their wives plus one daughter – three from England and two from Oregon. We hadn’t seen any of them in almost three years. During their visit, we ate out more often than we had in the past three years! Meanwhile, Peter has a new knee. After relying on injections for a few years, he finally had to go for a replacement. Complete success, and now, not quite two months since his surgery, he has discarded both his walker and his cane. He’s still having therapy. We’re hoping to be able to start traveling again next fall.

ADDRESSES:

Frannie Baldwin: francesbaldwin@gmail.com

Vivian Crouse: vivianhcrouse@gmail.com

Beth Gabel: virgilgabel@gmail.com

Cookie Johnson: jpjrsj752a@aol.com

Pam Lillquist: pamlillquist@gmail.com

Anne Carter Peck: acmahaffey@gmail.com

Sallie Palmer: sandppalmer@verizon.net

Pem Schultz: pemscc33@comcast.net

Phyllis French: 5 Laurel Lane, Bloomfield Ct. 06002-8203

Ellie Smith: 100 Breezy Hill Road, Collinsville, Ct. 06022-1628

OXFORD 1956 Class Correspondent: Sandy Martin McDonough

Sally David Ardrey writes, “I am working 40 hours a week taking care of two people with dementia. Glad that both live within walking distance here in the city. Challenging but great

to be working. I did some art work one afternoon in late March but haven’t had time to do more. Heading to the Matisse Red Studio exhibit this afternoon at MOMA. Fortunately, my children & grandchildren are all well & thriving.”

Edie Wilcock Patrick writes, “My big and sad news is that my sister, Susie (Susan Wilcock Patrick ’59), died peacefully and unexpectedly at home in Johnson City, Tn., on Jan. 28, 2022. She and I shared the same last name because she married my late husband’s younger brother. Susie had one daughter, two granddaughters, and six great grandchildren. She attended RISD, but left to get married. Then, in her early fifties she returned and earned her degree in painting.

We (Sandy Darrach ’56, and I) have now been together for four years. Covid has prevented us from traveling, although tomorrow Sandy heads for Mystic, Ct., to work on the boat he is restoring. I’m staying in Johnson City to finish getting my house ready to sell. I recently sent 19 pairs of socks I knitted to my son and his family in Wellington, NZ, where winter is coming. I hope I will be able to visit NZ again this winter. Since Jan. 2020, I’ve seen Martin, his three daughters and their mother only on WhatsApp. Martin’s second collection of critical essays, The Performing Observer: Essays on Contemporary Art. Performance, and Photography is to be published in January in the UK by Intellect Ltd., and distributed in this country by the University of Chicago Press.”

Alice Butler Mendell writes, “When we woke Friday morning June 3rd at the Residence Inn in Avon, Seth and Phyllis and I wondered where to go for lunch. Guess what? We went to the Rockledge Country Club. Ate on the

outside deck overlooking the lovely green golf course and we raised a glass to the class of Oxford ’56. We then had a most enjoyable Alumni Weekend at AOF seeing old friends on Seth’s 70th reunion as a student and 62nd reunion as a teacher and an administrator.

We’ve made the decision to drive north to Mattapoisett, Ma. (after a two and a half year Covid hiatus) leaving here July 5th and taking our time. We plan to arrive on July 9th for about a month. Then we’ll go on to our niece, Betsey, on Deer Isle, Maine for ten days to be with her, Phyllis, Margaret, their husbands and our wonderful 16-year old granddaughter, Kelsea. We realize it is this summer or never because of our age and we want to see our family, our friends and our town.”

Cynnie Kohn Hobart writes, “I’m still in mid-Missouri – Rolla, a great place to live. It has the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a theater which, besides student productions, imports many others, such as the St. Louis Symphony

1956 Sally David Ardrey

NOTES

(when there isn’t a pandemic). There are many state parks nearby for outdoor enjoyment. Generally, except for singing in the choir, I’ve retired from the many church and other organizations’ activities I did.

My son, Robert, runs Eclipse Books & Comics – selling science fiction and fantasy and having role-playing games every weekend. The nearby Fort Leonard Wood asked him to open a store there, which is doing very well. I enjoy spending time regularly with his and Rebecca’s daughter, Kathryn, now 10.”

Sandy Travis Zieky writes that she lost her companion of many years most recently. We all send our love and sympathy.

Mary Ellen Blumenfeld Doyle writes, “I am still in Oakland, Ca. and painting my view in watercolor. My paintings can be seen on my website: medoylepainter.com.”

Note: There are many artists in our class. Mary Ellen, the late Jane Andrews, Nancy Reed, and Cynnie Hobart.

Jane Cady Fitchen writes, “For the last two years, my life has been down to basics, focused on health issues including two surgeries. I’m still at home alone with a cat, but outside activities have been limited by slow recoveries and the threat of the Covid. Last October I took up pickle ball for exercise in lieu of my addiction to tennis for social life and exercise when I retired in 1998. It keeps me laughing. Other than that, I garden, play my piano, read, fumble with technology, cringe at the world and local news, and enjoy the accomplishments of my children and grandchildren. A great granddaughter was born a year ago. One grandchild just graduated

from law school, another is in Italy in an art restoration program, another is in Ph.D. program at University of Minnesota, another is interning this summer at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco, and another, an RN, is studying to be a nurse practitioner. All in this bizarre period of Covid. I pray I will be able to travel to see everyone in September.”

Nancy Austin Reed writes that she is very busy with all the activities at Seabury. It’s an incredibly busy facility and keeps its residents very happy.

Sandy Martin McDonough writes, “For the past two plus years, I have been a hermit to avoid Covid. Successful so far. Since I last wrote, there have been two more litters of Samoyed puppies, all of whom are ambassadors of happiness. And I am still working. I plan to retire after a two-year project is concluded in 2023. I’d like to be lazy for a while. Granddaughter Caroline has moved to Montana where she spent last summer. She loves the hospitality world. Toby and his wife have struggled to stay above the curse of Covid – and they seem to be surviving quite well. Daughter Lora is still with NY’s Office of People with Disabilities serving individuals with special needs. She recently rewrote the curriculum for the entire division, yielding a wonderful promotion. She survived kidney cancer and is rehabbing in her new 18-pound canoe – a new plastic weighing nothing!”

the response from several of you, but I always want MORE. Maybe next time?

As I was having a skin cancer removed from my chin the other day, I thought about something that the surgeon said – these things are often brewing in your teens and reflect how you take care of your skin. Remember when we covered two pieces of cardboard with aluminum foil, made it into a reflector, and baked in the sun during lunchtime? If I had only known how it would come back to haunt me. Well, at least wearing a mask is still the norm.

Betty Lang Leon reported that all was well but that she was moving more slowly these days. I can definitely relate!

Betsy Swinehart Riel was able to avoid Covid, despite being exposed twice by her grandsons; she had to quarantine and order groceries online. She has been reducing her bad cholesterol by walking and eating fiber and walnuts. Betsy’s grandson Hans will be a freshman at Cal Poly and granddaughter Quinn will be a sophomore at UC San Diego.

OXFORD 1958

Class Correspondent: Sue Mather Dabanian

Greetings Classmates! I hope that you are all doing well and have avoided the dreaded Covid. I really appreciated

Penny Hoffman McConnel reported that she is doing pretty well, all things considered. She returned to California for 10 weeks in the winter again and loved it. They sold the bookstore last year and found the perfect new owners after a three-year search. She misses it but keeps busy gardening, reading and planning a trip to Brittany in September with her son, who lives in France. Her other sons, daughterin-law and granddaughter visited them while they were in California. Many time zones and many FaceTime visits.

Anne Van Winkle-Denne said that she is beginning to have a few shoulder and eye problems but she is “still playing tennis, jogging, eating what

I want and having one drink a day and staying home a lot very happily in a cozy house with two adorable cats.” Her daughter and grandkids live nearby and are doing beautifully. Anne studies Spanish for three hours in the morning, which is very practical here in California. She remarked, as did Penny, that the world is a scary place right now.

Blair Smyth Lang reported that daughter Ingrid is teaching third grade, grandson Garrett is at Florida State University, and Brooke is a high school sophomore and into swimming.

Linda Barnett Beizer recently celebrated her 60th wedding anniversary to Kingswood grad, David ’56. They have three married sons and eight grandchildren, the last of whom will go to the University of Michigan in the fall. They live in Avon and have spent the last 17 years in Sarasota for the winter (Siesta Key, Linda?). They own a house on Block Island, which the grandchildren have been usurping. Linda runs five miles, plays tennis and golf, and bikes, but her biggest problem is trying to find an effective hearing aid.

Sarah Duffield reported that daughter Emily is now an EMT with the New York City Fire Department. She was the oldest in her class and one of very few women. The physical endurance exam was tougher than for the men (lugging equipment up and downstairs, etc). She is stationed in the Bronx. Granddaughter Audrey finished her first year at NYU Business School, Julian is looking at colleges, and 4-year-old Aine is a delight. Daughter Caitlin is still working for CARE, and Henrietta is thriving in her life in the Catskills. Sadly, her older sister Dinny ’51 died in January. She was pretty active up until the last few months of her life.

Pat Waring is in her cozy home on the Vineyard with two cats but dealing with a “complicated” ankle issue, which keeps her pretty much at home. Daughter Diana is nearby with her family, which includes Hazel, 8, and Leo 2 1/2. Pat spends time with them very often and even gave Hazel piano lessons. Pat lost her main freelance writing job because of Covid but hopes to find more writing work soon. She still has a strong connection with Grace Episcopal Church through Zoom and is heartbroken at the state of the world. Get in touch, classmates, if you have plans for the Vineyard!

Liz Sexton Sgro reported that all was well and no Covid. The kids are in NYC and Milan. Everyone made it to the house in Calabria last year and plan to do the same this year.

As for your secretary, our travel plans have slowed down partly because of Covid and ALSO OUR AGE. We did spend a relaxing two weeks in Florida in April visiting son Bruce and his wife, enjoying the beach and indulging in too much food. Granddaughter Rachel decided to become a “travel nurse” for a year. Her first assignment was close to the Oregon border with future plans for Connecticut or St. Thomas! Her sister, Nicole, will be getting married next May at an old inn in the wine country; grandson Joey bought his first condo; and Marisa is nearing the end of college. After reading about some of your health problems, I must admit that my hearing and eyesight are excellent. As for the rest of my body, I’m trying to keep it together and roll with the punches. Until next time… Love to you all, Smather/Sue

OXFORD 1959 Class Correspondent: Zélie Calvocoressi Tourais

Sadly, during the past year, three of our classmates have passed away. Julie Peck writes a tribute to Nelie/ Nelia Reynolds Farmer: “I have fond and funny memories of Nelia. A true friend – sincere, compassionate, and warm. She had a cheerful, upbeat attitude toward life, and I always found being with her great fun. She seemed to see the best in everyone, while upholding positive ideals about the way the world should be. I don’t recall her saying an unkind word about anyone. She took an active interest in important issues of the day and was a member and officer of the Service Club and the Foreign Policy Club at Oxford. I remember her firm stance against the use of the death penalty. After college and graduate school she became a psychologist and practiced in Farmington, Maine, where she lived with her husband.”

Janice Cianci Castillo mourns the loss of “two more of our classmates, Sue Wilcock Patrick and Gail Appell Nickowitz, both of whom were my best friends at Oxford. They continue to

1959 Sue Wilcock Patrick and Janice Cianci Castillo

NOTES

walk beside me every day, unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed. I was lucky to maintain our friendships over the years, especially with Sue. I used to spend a week in October with her when I could enjoy the fall colors, always driving up to Blowing Rock, N.C., shopping all the way. Years back Sue was involved with a group that had established a sister city relationship with Rybinsk, Russia, and I got to meet some of the Russians who stayed with her when I visited. I even got to travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg with her and her group as well as entertain some Russians in our home in Florida for a long weekend. So disheartening to see what’s happened recently with our relationship with Russia.”

Janice continues, “One never knows what’s waiting around the corner for us as we navigate through our lives. As I rounded into 2022, husband Richard found out that he has B-cell lymphoma. He went to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa for a second opinion and was luckily assigned a doctor renowned for his work with lymphoma who made arrangements for him to receive a new leading drug locally through Richard’s oncologist. It’s been an incredibly timeconsuming experience. He’s had two chemo infusions so far and is doing

very well. Thankfully he’s always in good humor and easy to care for. Since I needed to be here for him, I went ahead and canceled my trip to Iceland in July. Other than that, I try to maintain some normalcy by playing lots of tennis, some jogging, hanging with family and friends, etc. I’m looking forward to my daughter’s and granddaughter’s visit from California in June and more Zoom meetings with our class.”

Gail was an active tennis player, lettering at UPenn and once winning the Easton Racquet Club Ladies’ Singles Championship. She also played golf and sailed their boat with her husband, Arlen. She was an accomplished musician and played the piano, trumpet, and violin. She composed cheers and choral amens. She was known among her friends for her sense of humor and dedicated use of social media posts.

Debbie Mahoney Swenson writes, “Living in Chatham with my life partner Larry Capodilupo and Havanese Gunnar, where we are active as trustees on several nonprofit boards, our church, platform/ paddle tennis, golf, biking and gardening. Winters spent in Vero Beach, again biking and golf, and new this year, pickleball. Travel as often as possible: Jackson Hole,

Alaska this June, West Coast visit to family this fall. So grateful for our wonderful families and good health.”

Judy Weinstein Wheeler reports, “I am pretty well recovered from both shoulder surgeries. Still doing PT, but I am playing golf (badly), but with no pain. Two books about my husband Bim’s father, General Earle Wheeler, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have recently been published and are available on Amazon and Kindle. The first is called Determined To Persist about his role in the Vietnam War, and the other is a biography titled General and Mrs. Wheeler. Both are written by Col. Mark Viney, a friend of ours. Other than that, we are aging along with two old dogs on our farm in West Virginia.”

Linda Perry Thorne and husband, Jack, are moving to Philadelphia. Two of their sons and their families, with grandchildren, live there.

Last summer our children celebrated our 50th anniversary with an elegant catered dinner. In October I visited Martha Yost Newcomer ’57, my oldest friend, who is living outside of St. Louis, where our children also live.

1959 Zélie Calvocoressi Tourais and family

1959 Linda Perry Thorne and family

OXFORD 1960

Class Correspondent: Jane Anderson Innerd

Jennifer Ripple Akridge is now living permanently in Washington State. She says that she really doesn’t miss Arizona, especially the traveling and packing back and forth as well as keeping track of both homes. However, she does miss her church and her many friends there. Jenny finally began attending her church in Washington just before Easter and says it is much better to worship in a church rather than on Zoom, although that was better than nothing for quite a while. She is still using Zoom to attend her weekly Bible study in Arizona. Jenny says that the weather in Washington has been crazy. In mid-April they woke up to snow, which broke an 87-year record. When she wrote in May, they were having April showers. Last year in June the temperature reached 117° F on their patio for several days. Jenny and Ed stick pretty close to home and have no plans to travel. They are the very proud great grandparents of their second great grandson, Henrick, who was born on March 8. Henrick’s brother, Ryker, is also very proud.

The second to turn 80 in our class was Scotty Dwyer Benson. She celebrated with friends on several occasions, which made it really a lot of fun and “eased the reality of 80.” The big event in her life was the decision to work only part time. She really enjoys working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then starting a long weekend. To date Scotty hasn’t yet put a small dent into what she is planning to do with her extra time! Her son, Jim moved to Bethlehem in July to be closer to Kelli, and all is well. Jim is planning to be with Scotty

for Mother’s Day. As for 2022, Scott says that she has nothing special planned, except for doing projects to maintain the house because she is planning to stay in it as long as possible. However, she now finds that she has to hire people to do the work she used to be able to do herself. She writes, “That is the big downside to my turning 80!”

Prilla Smith Brackett says that she is very fortunate to be living in her safe, comfortable home, with overall good health and close, loving, local families and friendships. Her husband, George, was moved to the floor for residents with more advanced dementia, where he is comfortable. He still reads, knows Prilla, and enjoys the treats she brings when she visits. Her 2022 vacation with both her sons and their families this year was their annual February week at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., which this year included cross country skiing with her grandkids (ages 9 to 15) and the four adults. Prilla really values the time with her sister, Leigh. She still prioritizes connections with others, but hasn’t been very active in her studio until recently. Prilla is worried about climate change, the increasing polarization in the country, and the rise of extremism and domestic terrorism. She worked quite hard in Boston’s mayoral campaign for the primary last year, and did a Zoom hour of social justice phoning and emailing weekly on local issues with others in her Unitarian Universalist church. She notes that these are “drops in the bucket,” yet are something. Her involvement with the Cambridge Insight and Meditation Center has increased. She participates in the weekday Daily Dharma Zoom meditation sessions and has taken various workshops. Especially

good have been Aging, Awareness, and Awakening and Grief and Compassion. She finds that accepting the inevitability of impermanence and change on a deep emotional level is hard to sustain and definitely a work in progress. She is grateful to be developing this spiritual practice.

“It seems that my children think 80 is a really big deal,” writes Nan Sunderland Brown. On her big birthday in February, they managed to surprise her by putting out strobe lights, tinsel curtains in doorways, garlands, etc., and everyone donned wigs and crazy costumes for a blowout “Mama Mia” party with the ABBA music they had all danced to together when the children were growing up. Sounds wonderful. Her oldest son is general counsel for a government contract firm. She is fascinated about his work, so he has to remind her that, if he tells her what he does, he will have to kill her! He lives in Virginia with her two youngest grandchildren (teenaged boys). Her second son is a doctor in Los Angeles and has two boys and a girl. Lori, her daughter and youngest, led the way by getting married first, and thus she has the oldest grandchildren, three daughters, the oldest of whom was married in December. Nan is in the process of designing an engagement ring for Lori’s middle daughter, who is at Tufts Medical School. So that accounts for four boys and four girls. They all managed to get together even during the Plague. Her husband, Pete, is still an avid golfer and tennis player. Nan’s “playing” is mostly the piano, and she is blessed with having had a wonderful teacher for the past 12 years. Nan has some sight loss from a stroke four years ago so had to give up tennis. Nan hopes that everyone has found some means of

1960 Finally after three years of no visits, Jane and Ed Herzig were able to travel to Windsor, Ontario, to at last have a wonderful, heartwarming rendezvous with Jane and Wilfred Innerd. After much giggling and several tries, Jane and Jane managed to get this selfie.

Island. Book groups and other activities keep her busy. Barbara is one of the younger members of our class and has just turned 79 (in May). She is grateful for family, friends, and good health.

surviving these times! She says that what she learned in the classroom and through personal relationships at Oxford has been the biggest influence on her life.

Barbara Ruud Chatfield lives on Cone Street right down from Oxford where she walks through almost daily with her dog, Jazz, on her way to or from Elizabeth Park. Her oldest grandchild, Zoe, graduated from her alma mater, Smith, and has been working in Hartford and living with Barbara, although she spends most of her time with her significant other. Barbara notes that it is still wonderful having her granddaughter around. Her other children and grandchildren are well. Barbara is a trustee at Watkinson School, where she and Jack both taught in the 1970s. She went to a reunion there recently and saw many former students who are now in their 60s! Barbara makes frequent visits to Vermont, where she has a house her mother-in-law built in the 1950s, and also visits her timeshare on Block

So far Carolyn Goodrich says she has escaped Covid. She had a triple bypass in March, 2020, and came out of the hospital to a Covid world. Most of her family has had Covid at some point, and all are now healthy. She has two kids not far from where she lives, and they, along with three grandchildren, help her clean up her woods. Carolyn is now busy as president of a non-profit board which runs a weaving center in Wakefield, R.I. This keeps her busy, and she also still has a small private therapy practice. Ever the athlete, Carolyn still plays tennis and paddle tennis and even skied a couple of times this winter, but she thinks these days are coming to an end. Covid has curtailed her travel, but her two oldest kids took her to Portugal for her 80th birthday at the beginning of April. It was a wonderful trip. For her age, Caroline is doing really well, so she is told.

We are happy to say that our family is well, reports Jane Keller Herzig. Her eldest grandchild, Viola, participated in two graduation ceremonies the weekend of May 20–22. On May 20, she received her MAT from Johns Hopkins University. She earned the degree remotely while teaching kindergarten in Prince George’s County, Md. On the 22nd, Viola and her Kenyon College classmates finally convened on campus in cap and gown for their graduation ceremony. They had had a remote graduation and received their diplomas off-campus in 2020. Jane and Ed traveled to Ohio to be with Viola and her mother, Carolyne, for this heartwarming occasion. Another milestone was achieved by Jane’s

granddaughter, Rebecca, who had her bat mitzvah in March. Soon, most likely in November, Jane and Ed will be making their way to Stone Mountain, Ga., to settle in the community of Park Springs. Jane’s daughter, Carolyn, lives in Atlanta, about 16 miles from Park Springs. Jane and Ed look forward to being near her. They will live in an apartment. However, the community has the amenities of assisted living as well as memory care, if needed. Jane says that her children and grandchildren are a source of satisfaction and support as together they plan for this next step.

Mary Lew Stearns Kelly reports that she and Bill have been pretty much isolated for the last year. They have had so many family members contract Covid that they are staying put at home trying to stay safe and healthy. Emmy says that they are very blessed to live where they can be outside enjoying nature and their beautiful gardens. Her feeders keep both the beautiful birds and Emmy happy, and her awesome mini Aussie keeps her slightly active. Emmy hopes that all our classmates are well.

Sue Matorin reports that it has been another terribly challenging year without her husband. However, with vaccines and boosters in place, she can now travel to Los Angeles to visit her son and his family. There is little she can write about grief that has not already been expressed by others with eloquence, she says, but each person experiences these losses in such a unique way. Sue and her son are planning an event in June in New York to honor Richard. Being with family and long-term friends will be emotionally tough but, she hopes, in a good way. Obsessing about the details has been therapeutic for her. Sue is very busy

professionally, and her work has been a lifesaver. The capacity to be helpful, focused with patients, and holding herself to a high standard of practice has meant a lot to Sue. She has had difficulty tolerating classical music without her husband, but she did push herself to reengage. She attended Porgy and Bess at the Met and a Ukrainian fundraiser at Carnegie. Sue is distraught about the state of violence in our country and the attack on women’s rights to healthcare. However, she says she is blessed with the energy to keep fighting these assaults on our nation’s soul.

Ed ’58 and Dotty Mooney

McAlenney are both happy and healthy. For many years they have been living in Jupiter, Fla., at Jonathan’s Landing. Dotty has three sons, who are all KO alumni, and seven grandchildren, three boys and four girls. Their son John’s older son, Charlie, has been admitted to KO for Upper Prep this year, and they are thrilled that he will be carrying on the legacy of the third generation of McAlenneys as a Wyvern. He is happy about his new school. Dotty sends her best to us all.

Last summer Christina Wilcox McIntyre and her husband, Jerry, began to travel again. Her daughter, son-in-law and three granddaughters moved in with Tina and Jerry for three months after they sold their house. It was fun, she reports. They had credit from Jet Blue from two canceled trips, so they visited Costa Rica, which was beautiful. The rain forest with birds, monkeys, and crocodiles was interesting, and the people were very friendly. In October they visited Greece. Tina

had been to Greece when young, but Jerry had never been. They stayed in Athens, then Crete and Santorini. It was beautiful and very different from what she remembered from her first trip. Now the country thrives on tourists, but, when they were there, most tourists had vacated. Tina keeps busy with paddle tennis and outdoor tennis, often with Carolyn. She also does volunteer work at a thrift shop in her church.

A short message from Ann Faude Newbury says that she feels fortunate every day to be as healthy, involved and active as she is.

And a short message from Cindy Baird Roberts says that her grandson Porter graduated from Middlebury College in February and her grand-daughter Eliza attends Johns Hopkins University.

Susan Lowe Redfield belongs to The College Club of Hartford along with Ann Faude Newbury, where they have enjoyed multiple in-person meetings this year. While attendance has been spotty, it is a start. Both of them serve on the board and love that its mission is education and philanthropy. Grace Academy and Hartford Neighborhood Centers are among their recipients, as well as scholarship assistance for new high school graduates. Volunteering again feels good, she reports. Sue ventured to North Carolina twice at the end of 2021, once for her grandson’s beautiful wedding in October and again at Christmas. Sue doesn’t think airline travel will ever again be a pleasant adventure, but if she wants to see her children and grandchildren, she will have to go to North Carolina, Australia and now Poland! Her daughter Beth and son-in-law Todd continue to love Charlotte, N.C., and her grandson Zach,

who also works for Allstate, and his lovely bride live only 10 minutes away. Her granddaughter Megan began her fourth year in Sydney, Australia. She is working on her master’s degree in behavioral analysis while working with autistic young adults. She has a handsome Aussie “best friend,” so Sue does not expect her back soon! Sue’s son Danny loves his job as director of planning for special ops for the U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune. He has been retired from the army for 10 years. Maggie, another granddaughter, graduated from West Point in 2020, is a first lieutenant and, sadly, is stationed in Poland. Grandson Trey is a rising senior at the Newhouse School of Broadcasting at Syracuse. Sue hopes to see him on ESPN one day. While Sue is incredibly grateful to have dodged the Covid mess so far, she says that she will never relax until the monsters who perpetrated it are punished. She asks if we remember how naïve and innocent we were in June 1960, and she ends by wishing us all a happy 80th birthday.

At the New Year, Prilla talked with Pitircik Acar Uler. Prilla reports that Pitircik and her husband, Yildrim, are doing well. They are still living with their daughter, Asli, near Geneva. Asli has two houses, next to each other, on the outskirts of Geneva, though their address is in France! Apparently, Asli won’t let them leave until Covid is gone, so they have been with her for over a year and a half. Pitircik and Yildrim have an apartment in Kadikoy, a vacation spot on a small island near Istanbul and an apartment in Girme, North Cyprus (Turkish Cyprus). They have been living and working in Girne, but they hope to relocate to Turkey because Yildirim has recently retired.

NOTES

In August of 2021 Gay Willcox Squire and Roger chartered their nephew’s 57-foot sailing yacht (with captain) and took their grandchildren and their father (their older son) on a week’s sailing adventure from Newport, R.I., to Block Island, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. They rented scooters for the day on Block Island (Gay remembers that in her youth it was bicycles only) and had a terrific time circumnavigating the island. Everywhere they went people were feeling recently released from Covid captivity. Restaurants had been fully booked since May, they were told, and on Nantucket they ended up eating take-out pizza on a park bench, which was probably more fun, she thinks, than sitting in a restaurant. Roger received a new left hip in January, and Gay says he is a happy man. Surgery was at 7:30 a.m., and he was back at their house by 4 p.m. Discomfort was minimal, physical therapy was demanding but crucial, and now he is thinking of replacing his right hip next year. Their business life continues to thrive.

They were very busy with guests this spring and next fall’s foliage season is pretty much filled up. However, since new cases of Covid are popping up every day, Gay has gone back to masking whenever she’s in a public place, which she finds very disheartening. For Gay, what is happening in this country, both socially and politically, is so horrible that she can not even write about it. Gay thinks that we are headed for very dark times.

Wilf and I had the pleasure of a visit from Jane Keller Herzig and Ed recently. They had no trouble crossing the border. It was delightful to have an in-person visit, although Zoom and Skype are wonderful ways

to stay in touch. Here in Ontario we are emerging from lockdown more slowly than you all in “the States.” Like Gay, I mask in the grocery store and in a crowd of people, although I am in the minority. Wilf and I just celebrated our 56th anniversary and look forward to a busy summer. Our children are widespread, Jane Eleanor in St. Louis, Mo., Charlotte in Waterloo, Ontario, and Andrew in Nelson, British Columbia. Our grandsons in St. Louis are now 13 and 14. We enjoy visiting with them and with our children frequently on Skype. I continue to enjoy quilting and the classes I take with other enthusiastic quilters. As for all those little aches and pains that come with age, I find that laughter is indeed the best medicine. My thanks to all who responded to my call for news.

KINGSWOOD 1963

Class Correspondent: Brewster Boyd

Florida residents Jon Batterson and Don Barlow had lunch with visitor Brewster Boyd this winter in Vero with their spouses. They hope to be joined by Tom Hines and Jim Sacco next winter.

Jim reports that he and Jeannine have not been able to see much of their grandchildren (two each in England and Brazil) these last few years due to Covid.

This certainly has been a common theme for all, as the Moses family experienced when they weren’t able to get to their 1901 Lac Massawipii home for 31 months. They are on their way now, along with their granddaughter Libby, who is going on a 42-day canoe trip in the upper reaches of Canada.

Nick Mason and Karen were looking forward to a fun summer with a trip on the Inland Waterway from Vancouver to Anchorage, followed by time on the Rhode Island shore.

I had a good talk with Dale Dionne. Their son, Noah, is a creator of music that helps people with cerebral palsy with their gait. I wonder if that is a first for a KO graduate, but then the school certainly encourages its students to think outside the box.

KINGSWOOD 1971

Michael Kaprove writes, “After working in mortgage banking, real estate sales management, and then almost an additional 30 years in the title insurance industry and subsequent consulting, I officially retired. Debbie and I are living on the Gulf Coast in Southwest Florida pursuing fitness, our hobbies, and enjoying our three granddaughters. Life is good!”

1974 John Masker

KO 2002

Molly Dworkin and Brian Ferguson

’00 were married in July, 2020, and were finally able to celebrate with family and friends on July 24, 2021, at the Delamar in West Hartford.

KO 1974

John Masker, who is now an associate professor emeritus at Temple University after retiring, writes, “When Robert Louis Stevenson began his walk that September day from Monastier-surGazeille to Alès (now commemorated in France as “GR-70/Le Chemin de Stevenson”), he did not have to contend with gale-force winds, snow drifts as high as his hips, and blown-down trees. Only Modestine, his uncooperative donkey, slowed his pace along the 270+ kilometer path. Not so for us when we started our (belated because of the pandemic) 30th-anniversary stroll into the face of a freak April 2022 snow storm.”

KO 1978

Kevin Griswold ’78 was inducted into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Stewart Lindsay, his KO coach, introduced Kevin at the dinner. Also in attendance was Bob Stiehler, the longtime assistant boys’ lacrosse coach at KO. Kevin was a PG at KO who went on to play at UNC where he was an All-American player and helped UNC to two national championships.

2002 Molly Dworkin and Brian Ferguson ’00

1978 Kevin Griswold ’78 and Stewart Lindsay

KO 2008

James Dowling-Healey recently received a master of science in biology and a graduate certificate in environmental science from the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford. James was inducted into the Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) Biology Honor Society and worked as an adjunct faculty member.

James also completed the 2021 “The Sky’s the Limit Hiking Challenge” in May, 2021. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection selected 20 state parks across Connecticut and specified points of interest in those parks for participants to find and photograph. The challenge is designed to encourage people to hike, something James enjoys and has spent much of his free time doing, especially over the last 18 months.

KO 2011

Caroline Lange recently wrote an article for Bon Appetit.

Lexy Vecchio’s business startup, Ursa Mayhem Media, won the $15,000 grand prize in the UConn Innovation Quest (iQ) entrepreneurship competition. Lexy is creating a video game called “Here There Be Bears” to help humanize the experience of PTSD. She and eight other top entrepreneurs have begun the invitation-only iQ Summer InQbator, which will help to further develop their startups.

KO 2014

John Stepensky, Fordham ’18, Brooklyn Law ’21, was hired as an assistant district attorney for Staten Island, N.Y., in September 2021.

KO 2015

Claire Halloran ’15, NYU ’19 Tisch School of the Arts, is forging her path to success in the film industry by working on projects about subjects such as Google, Skittles, Kate Spade and the artist HER, to name a few.

2011 Caroline Lange

2015 Claire Halloran

2008 James Dowling-Healey

KO 2016

In June 2022, Isaiah Wright made the active 45-player roster for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

KO 2018

Ryan Goss and Will Appleton wore their KO ties at their graduation from Babson College in 2022.

Ellie Bavier was named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Sportsmanship Team for Fall, 2021. Each player is selected by the players and coaches from their respective teams for their positive contributions to sportsmanship.

On April 4, 2022, a small group of Wyverns were able to get together for happy hour in Denver, Colo. Elizabeth Fahy Bellingrath ’78, Dave Rosenthal ’71, Peter Shand ’65, John Dwyer ’02 and Bruce Collamore ’73.

2018

Ryan Goss and Will Appleton

KO expresses condolences to the families of those who passed away between July 13, 2021 and June 20, 2022 or whose deaths we learned of during that time.

Alums

1940s

Dorothy Honiss Kelso ’44 October 5, 2021

Sister of Henry H. Honiss ’54 Marie Landry Race St. John ’44 July 27, 2021

Sister of Benedict B. Landry Jr. ’46, Thomas J. Landry ’47, Margaret A. Landry ’49, Marcia Landry Hagen ’50 and Anne Landry Jones ’57

Carol Simpkin Boyer ’47 August 27, 2021

Edward D. P. Gross Jr. ’47 October 13, 2020

William F. O’Meara ’47 October 18, 2021

Brother of B. Maxwell O’Meara ’48 and John F. O’Meara ’53; and uncle of James E. O’Meara ’78

Carol Stacy Roberts ’47 November 14, 2019 Sister of Robert P. Stacy ’50 Joan Scafarello ’47 November 12, 2021

Sister of Norma Scafarello Hattings ’52; and aunt of William J. Hattings ’84 Richmond K. Greene ’48 September 23, 2021

Brother of Ainsworth M. Greene ’51 and Bancroft F. Greene ’59

Barbara Mooney Kelly ’49 April 30, 2022

Sister of Patricia Mooney Sutton ’51

1950s

Charles S. Beebe ’51 April 14, 2022

Father of J. Marler Beebe ’82; and father-in-law of Christina Priest Beebe ’82

Isabel Duffield Whiting ’51

January 9, 2022

Sister of Sarah Duffield ’58 and Hester Duffield Wolf ’62

Gara Van Schaack ’51 October 9, 2021

E. Clark Starr ’52 February 19, 2022

Herbert V. Camp Jr. ’53 February 14, 2022

James S. Devlin ’53 April 5, 2022

Brother of Sally Devlin Leighton ’54 Christopher C. Korper ’55 September 18, 2021

Brother of Cynthia Korper Porter ’52 and Candace Korper Killian ’62; and brotherin-law of Robert K. Killian Jr. ’65

Margot Roby Treybig ’55 December 22, 2021

Sister of David D. Roby ’57

Richard F. Banbury ’56 December 2, 2021

Father of Michael K. Banbury ’81, Anthony N. Banbury ’82, Andrea M. Banbury ’84, Jennifer M. Banbury ’85 and Samantha Shusterman ’01

Donald B. Burness ’59 February 23, 2022

Cornelia Reynolds Farmer ’59 September 3, 2021

Sister of Jane Reynolds Collins ’51 H. Crowell Freeman Jr. ’59 February 23, 2020

Brother of Joseph S. Freeman ’61

Gail Appell Nickowitz ’59 May 11, 2022

Susan Wilcock Patrick ’59 January 28, 2022

Sister of Edith Wilcock Patrick ’56

James E. Woods ’59 November 18, 2021

1960s

Robert E. Ames Jr. ’61 February 7, 2022

Brother of David W. Ames ’62 Benjamin C. Ryder ’61 March 7, 2022

Uncle of W. Reid Collins IV ’14 Peter G. White ’62 August 31, 2021

Brother of Dixie White Kaslick ’54 William C. Bieluch Jr. ’63 May 3, 2021

1970s

John F. Schneider ’71 October 31, 2021

Charles E. DeBerry Jr. ’76 March 18, 2022

Father of Hayley R. DeBerry ’11 and Charles E. DeBerry III ’13; and brother of Gloria DeBerry Gallington ’77, Diana DeBerry Hinton ’80 and Jeremiah A. DeBerry ’82

Elizabeth LaPorte McCalmont ’77 February 10, 2022

Amy Buths Eilers ’79 September 28, 2021

Sister of JoAnne Buths Chirgwin ’76 and Joseph C. Buths ’76; daughter of Joseph C. Buths ’35; and sister-in-law of Teresa Eilers Hoffman ’88

1980s

John Oyola ’85 September 30, 2021

Kyle G. Boyle ’88 January 20, 2022

1990s

Michael S. Gill ’94 May 6, 2022 Brother of Bridge J. Gill ’92

2000s

Brent A. Rydin ’04 April 12, 2022

Alumni Families

Mary L. Benoit

October 19, 2021

Grandmother of Mary R. Benoit ’07

Devida Botwick

January 20, 2022

Mother of Jay M. Botwick ’76 and Fern Botwick ’78; and grandmother of Alexander E. Botwick ’04

I. John Burdick Jr.

October 9, 2021 Grandfather of Abigail Baier ’23 Joan Curis

October 15, 2021

Mother of Maureen A. Curis ’90 and Daniel F. Curis ’91

Craig R. Crouse

August 23, 2021 Husband of Vivian Hathaway Crouse ’51

Ann A. Dawson

May 19, 2022

Mother of Christopher J. Dawson ’74 and Denise Dawson Lander ’78

E. Michael Ellovich

April 1, 2022

Father of David K. Ellovich ’75 Stuart Falk October 28, 2021

Father of Robert A. Falk ’75 and Michael M. Falk ’82 Beverly P. Greenberg March 7, 2022

Grandmother of Joshua W. Shafer ’18

Lawrence Greenfield

October 31, 2021

Father of Michael L. Greenfield ’81 and Steven B. Greenfield ’83; and grandfather of Brett A. Greenfield ’10

Rory M. Guerrera

June 15, 2022

Son of Haleigh MacCloy Guerrera ’11; and nephew of Elizabeth R. Guerrera ’10 and Matthew A. Guerrera ’15

Margery L. Izard

January 24, 2022

Mother of Jennifer Izard Crary ’82

Karen C. McCusker

September 22, 2021

Mother of Carolyn G. McCusker ’17 Nancy Jo R. McKenna September 21, 2021

Mother of John C. McKenna Jr. ’80, Carolyn L. McKenna ’81, Jane McKenna Schroeder ’83 and Christopher J. McKenna ’84; grandmother of Caitlin C. Fabbri ’11; and aunt of George S. McKenna ’83 and Michael C. McKenna ’90

Jon O. Nesbit

May 21, 2022

Father of Thomas J. Nesbit ’15 and Ryan Nesbit ’16

Marita H. O’Rourke December 23, 2021

Mother of James O’Rourke ’74, Carol O’Rourke Troiani ’75, Elizabeth O’Rourke Doyle ’77 and Margaret O’Rourke Nowak ’81

Jean L. Peelle

June 3, 2022

Mother of William R. Peelle Jr. ’65; and grandmother of William R. Peelle III ’01 and Samuel G. Peelle ’03

Frances M. Pelletier

November 15, 2021

Grandmother of Matthew D. Bzowyckyj ’21 and Michael Bzowyckyj ’24

Eugene H. Rosenberg

February 24, 2022

Father of Pia Rosenberg Toro ’93

Ruth Sheintop

May 15, 2022

Mother of David M. Sheintop ’77 and Andrew B. Sheintop ’84 Charles J. Shimkus Sr. October 22, 2021

Father of Charles J. Shimkus Jr. ’78; and grandfather of Patricia Murphy Van Doren ’09, Elizabeth C. Murphy ’11, Mary L. Shimkus ’12, Charles J. Shimkus III ’14, Andrew G. Lemkuil ’16, Austin C. Lemkuil ’16, and Emily P. Lemkuil ’20

Michael E. Simmons

November 7, 2021

Son of Bradley Hoffman ’78

Frances M. Sinkiewicz

August 25, 2021

Grandmother of Nathan A. Glassman ’08 and Samuel Glassman ’10; and mother-in-law of Andrew C. Glassman ’78

James B. Slimmon

August 10, 2021

Father of Andrew H. Slimmon ’82; and brother of Eleanor Slimmon Gadd ’39

Eileen Storey September 26, 2021

Mother of Emily S. Record ’99 and Katherine L. Record ’02

Alden Y. Warner Jr.

March 3, 2022

Husband of Anne Robinson Warner ’48; father of Alden Y. Warner III ’76; brother-in-law of Joan McCance Warner ’52; and uncle of Tucker H. Warner Jr. ’75, David M. Warner ’78, Jonathan P. Warner Jr. ’81, and Elisabeth Warner Mayer ’82

Conrad D. Whitney

February 14, 2022

Grandfather of Matthew Whitney ’02, Brian M. Whitney ’04, Conor M. Whitney ’06 and Morgan K. Whitney ’07

Eleanor E. Zajac

January 10, 2022

Mother of Suzanne Zajac Birdsey ’73 Dorothy L. Zweig

August 14, 2021

Grandmother of Ian P. Zweig ’99

Faculty & Staff

Cynthia A. David

January 24, 2022

Former Oxford teacher Joseph E. Dondero Sr.

September 13, 2021

Son of staff member Judy Dondero

Board of Trustees

July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022

Meg Cahill Becker ’97

Mark D. Conrad ’96 Treasurer

Nelson Correa P ’18, ’18, ’22, ’22

Jerry DeBerry ’82

Karen Diaz Meaike P ’19, ’22

Thomas Dillow P ’21, ’22, ’26 Head of School Bonnie L. Dobkin P ’19

Helen Eatherton P ’11, ’14

Joseph R. Gianni ’78, P ’14, ’14

Jeffrey S. Gitlin ’85, P ’11, ’13, ’17 Derek P. Green ’81

J. Douglas Harris ’77

Gilbert E. Keegan III ’88, P ’22, ’25, ’27

Fred Krieble ’91, P ’21, ’25

Patrick J. Maloney P ’11, ’14, ’16

Merrill Mandell P ’21, ’22, ’26

Mary S. Martin ’77, P ’17, ’20 Chair Kelley Nicholson-Flynn

Megan Ouellette P ’18, ’20

Tyler B. Polk ’99, P ’28 Alumni Council President David R. Quick ’92

Ann Coolidge Randall ’73, P ’13 Secretary

Gayle Temkin P ’23, ’25

Lori Satell Wetsman ’85, P ’12, ’15

Lewis K. Wise ’65, P ’94, ’00

Keith J. Wolff ’91, P ’20, ’23

Trustee Emeriti

Sherry Banks-Cohn ’54, P ’78, ’82

Thomas J. Collamore ’77

George L. Estes III ’67, P ’98

Laura R. Estes P ’98

Frederick S. Farquhar ’59, P ’83, ’86

Robert M. Furek P ’96, ’99

Karen Koury Gifford ’62

Marilyn Glover P ’05, ’07, ’11 William H. Goldfarb ’64

Cheryl W. Grise P ’99, ’02

Stephen B. Hazard P ’89, ’92

Alyce F. Hild P ’80, ’82, ’91, GP ’07, ’11, ’14, ’19

Timothy A. Holt P ’99, ’02, ’07

Lance L. Knox ’62

Jean C. LaTorre P ’12, ’14, ’19

Thomas D. Lips P ’93

Baxter H. Maffett ’68, P ’02, ’06

Bruce A. Mandell ‘82

Kimberly Collins Parizeau ’75

Agnes S. Peelle P ’01, ’03

Michael J. Reilly P ’04 ’08

Avery Rockefeller III P ’00, ’02

Anne H. Rudder P ’68

G. William Seawright ’59

Marc T. Shafer ’75, P ’08, ’15, ’17

Richard J. Shima P ’89, ’00

Karin A. Stahl P ’95

Les R. Tager P ’00, ’03

Alden Y. Warner III ’76

John A.T. Wilson ’56, P ’84, ’86

Martin Wolman P ’80, ’82, ’84, ’88

Joan Safford Wright ’53