Bulletin Summer/Fall 2013 by St. George's School

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S T. G E OR G E ’S 2013 St. George’s School

From China to Stanford: Joanna Xu ’13 finds SG a gateway to new intellectual territory BY SUZANNE L. MCGRADY Now everybody knows her name: Military child Megan Daknis ’14 is a St. George’s Scholar BY SUZANNE

L. MCGRADY

Honoring John and Ramsay Scott: Founders hope to take Scott Scholarship to the next level BY SUZANNE

L. MCGRADY

Developing students—and supporters BY

ROBERT WESTON

Chapel talks: Lions and tigers—and dragons. Oh my! BY JACK COATY ’13 Silver lining BY KATE HAMRICK ’13

Post Hilltop: Alumni/ae in the news Class Notes Left: Senior Prefect Alec Goodrich ’13 and Prefect Alexa Santry ’13 walk arm-in-arm, leading graduates to the Front Circle on Prize Day. PHOTO BY L OUIS

WALKER

2013 Summer/Fall Bulletin

In this issue:

Summer/Fall Bulletin

St. George’s School Mission Statement In 1896, the Rev. John Byron Diman, founder of St. George’s School, wrote in his “Purposes of the School” that “the specific objectives of St. George’s are to give its students the opportunity of developing to the fullest extent possible the particular gifts that are theirs and to encourage in them the desire to do so. Their immediate job after leaving school is to handle successfully the demands of college; later it is hoped that their lives will be ones of constructive service to the world and to God.” In the 21st century, we continue to teach young women and men the value of learning and achievement, service to others, and respect for the individual. We believe that these goals can best be accomplished by exposing students to a wide range of ideas and choices in the context of a rigorous curriculum and a supportive residential community. Therefore, we welcome students and teachers of various talents and backgrounds, and we encourage their dedication to a multiplicity of pursuits—intellectual, spiritual, and physical—that will enable them to succeed in and contribute to a complex, changing world.

Upcoming Events 2 013 Convocation Chapel Classes begin

Thurs., Sept. 5

Alumni/ae of Color Conference

Fri., Oct. 11–Sun., Oct. 13 Parents Weekend

Fri., Oct. 25–Sat., Oct. 26 Lessons and Carols

Fri., Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. Christmas Festival

Tues., Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m.

2 0 14 Fifth-Form Parents Weekend

Fri., Feb. 14–Sat., Feb. 15 Reunion Weekend

Fri., May 16–Sun., May 18 Prize Day

Mon., May 26

St. George’s Policy on Non-Discrimination St. George’s School admits male and female students of any religion, race, color, sexual orientation, and national or ethnic origin to all the programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs. In addition, the school welcomes visits from disabled applicants.

Receptions, Young Alumni/ae Get-togethers and Career Networking Events coming to: Boston Chicago Houston New York Newport Palm Beach San Francisco Washington Locations, dates and times to be determined

For information on these and additional events, contact Events Coordinator Ann Weston at Ann_Weston@stgeorges.edu or 401.842.6731. Details will also be available on our website at www.stgeorges.edu and the St. George’s School Facebook page, www.facebook.com/stgeorgesschool.

St. George’s Bulletin The Alumni/ae Magazine of St. George’s School Newport, R.I.

Right: Math teacher Doug Lewis and his wife, Third Form Dean and math teacher Melanie Lewis, celebrate with graduate Alana McMahon ’13 on Prize Day. PHOTO BY R AY G AO ’15

On the cover: A view of St. George’s from the skies above Second Beach. PHOTO BY L OUIS WALKER

Contents

Suzanne L. McGrady, editor Dianne Reed, communications associate Toni Ciany, class notes manager Jeremy Moreau, web manager Copy editors: Members of the Alumni/ae Office Contributing photographers: Andrea Hansen, Kate Whitney Lucey, Jeremy Moreau, Len Rubenstein, Louis Walker The St. George’s Bulletin is published bi-annually. Send correspondence to Bulletin_Editor@stgeorges.edu.

This magazine is printed on paper that is certified by SmartWood to meet the Forest Stewardship Council™ standards. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable way.

From the editor’s desk ........................................................................................................................................2 Hilltop archives ....................................................................................................................................................3 A note from the Head of School ......................................................................................................................4 Now everybody knows her name: Megan Daknis ’14 BY SUZANNE L. MCGRADY ........................................5 From China to Stanford: Joanna Xu ’13 BY SUZANNE L. MCGRADY ................................................................8 Chapel talks: Lions and tigers—and dragons. Oh, my! BY JACK COAT Y ’13 ..............................................................10 Silver lining BY KATE HAMRICK ’13..............................................................................................................12 Fac Chat: Q&A with Scott Stachelhaus ........................................................................................................14 Scott Scholarship: Honoring John and Ramsay Scott BY SUZANNE L. MCGRADY ....................................17 Julie Butler retires as head coach of girls basketball BY SUZANNE L. MCGRADY ....................................19 Out with a splash: Tom Evans retires as swim coach BY SUZANNE L. MCGRADY ....................................22 New Students: 2013-14 ....................................................................................................................................25 Prize Day: Graduation 2013 ............................................................................................................................26 Next steps: News from the College Counseling office ............................................................................32 Global outreach ..................................................................................................................................................33 Developing students—and supporters BY ROBERT WESTON ........................................................................38 Campus happenings ..........................................................................................................................................40 Faculty/staff notes ..........................................................................................................................................44 Arts ........................................................................................................................................................................49 SG Zone – Athletics ..........................................................................................................................................52 Community service ............................................................................................................................................56 Board notes..........................................................................................................................................................59 Geronimo ..............................................................................................................................................................60 Highlights: Student achievements ................................................................................................................61 Reunion Weekend 2013....................................................................................................................................64 Development: News from the Alumni/ae Office ......................................................................................67 Post Hilltop: Former community members, alumni/ae in the news ....................................................69 Bookstore..............................................................................................................................................................74 Class Notes ..........................................................................................................................................................75

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St. George’s From the editor’s desk W

My son Connor and I in Colorado Springs, Colo., this summer.

Like our cover photo? It’s on sale as a poster in the St. George’s Bookstore, and photographic prints are available from photographer Louis Walker. Visit our web site at www.stgeorges.edu/ TheBulletin for purchasing information.

ith every cycle of the Bulletin comes a chance to deliver the news of the school from the last sixth months— and to connect with a new group of St. George’s community members who have a story to share. What I love about working on the Bulletin is that through every interview I do for an article I get to hear a variety of perspectives on life, wisdom gained from so many disparate experiences. With each story can come a nugget of inspiration, a shared revelation—and almost always, a memorable quote. Joanna Xu ’13 , came to St. George’s four years ago from Hangzhou, China, and is now heading to one of the most selective universities in the United States. “It’s actually quite interesting to try something new,” she told me when I talked to her about her four years at St. George’s—and the impressive and diverse resume of talents she amassed as a student. As the mother of an only child, however, what will stay with me in particular was her positive take on growing up without siblings as a result of China’s one-child policy. (“From China to Stanford,” p. 8.) Megan Daknis ’14—one of the first participants in the SG Scholars Program for children of active-duty military personnel—shares her story in “Now everybody knows her name,” p. 5. The daughter of two Army officers, Megan has moved around a lot, but she’s OK with that. Anyone who fears change should read her story—and perhaps adopt her attitude: “A change of scenery is a good thing,” she says. The big news from the Athletic Department this spring is word that Julie Butler and Tom Evans will be retiring from longtime coaching assignments, Tom as head swim coach (p.22) and Julie as girls’ varsity basketball coach (p.19). What struck

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me when interviewing them was knowing there are legions of student athletes out there who will always remember and value their mentoring—and those little things that helped bond their teams, like a Beatles tune played at practice—or those shared words of inspiration before tip-off. Chapel talks, as well, can elicit some truly memorable lines. I’ve never met Jack Coaty’s dad, but I think he’s the coolest guy ever for the line he delivered after his son won a less-than-lead role in an elementary school play. (“Lions and tigers—and dragons … Oh my!,” p. 10.) And Kate Hamrick, well, I just call her Kate the Great. I have my own personal reasons, but you may have yours after you read her chapel talk (“Silver lining,” p. 12). With this edition, we also launch a new feature we’re calling Fac Chat (p. 14). It’s a Q&A with a faculty member—conversations we hope will reveal and highlight our faculty’s unique set of personalities and talents. We kick off the feature with a chat with science teacher Scott Stachelhaus, who is now up there with Tom Hanks as the guy I would most want on my late night talk show if I ever had one. Oh, yes, those teachers … each of them makes connections every school day with students who share their passions, admire their wisdom or who feel comforted by their support. That’s why Prize Day is always so poignant— and this year’s was no exception (p.26). With every graduation each of us often has to say goodbye to a beloved colleague, a student whose work we especially appreciated at correcting time, a favorite editor of the student newspaper. But something they once told us once—a memorable line, written or spoken—will stay with us forever.

Suzanne McGrady Bulletin Editor

Hilltop archives R

E M E M B E R

H E N

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE

In May the Gilbert Y. Taverner Archives was the beneficiary of a treasure trove of materials: the memorabilia of former headmaster William Ackerman Buell Sr. ’14. The gift was a donation of Buell’s son, former English teacher, theater director and hockey coach Tom Buell and his wife, Joan, who also was active in the St. George’s theater program, when An undated photo of the two lived here from William Ackerman Buell 1957 to 1962. Sr. ’14. The elder Buell returned to St. George’s to teach from 1919 to 1921, founded Camp Ramleh in 1926, and returned again to teach from 1929 to 1951. He then served as headmaster from 1951 to 1961. A thespian to the core, Buell is credited in “St. George’s School: A History,” by Taverner with helping to “bring dramatics to a sophistication during the 1930s.” Taverner also added: “Buell’s interpretation of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ added dramatic flavor to the already stimulating Christmas Festival.” He was also described as “optimistic” and “filled with faith.” Among Buell’s many mementos of his time on the Hilltop were several photo albums containing more than 200 pictures taken during his years as a student, 1910-1914. Also included in the gift were a book, Brevarium Romanum Pars Autumnalis No. 88, c.1919, inscribed by our founder, the Rev. John B. Diman; the elder Buell’s Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from Princeton; a photographic studio portrait of Buell thought to be taken in either 1914 or 1918; and a number of photographs that appear to have been taken by faculty member Norris Hoyt of assorted St. George’s School faculty leisure activities such as sailing aboard Revonoc.

GILBERT Y. TAVERNER ARCHIVES

A memorable gift

This 1914 photo was captioned “Supper at School Dance.”

A tennis match vs. St. Mark’s, circa 1914.

Also from 1914, this photo was titled “Looking for U-boats with [Paul T.] Christie.” S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

St. George’s From the Head of School

or nearly 80 years, our family gathered each summer at Rosehill, a rambling summer cottage on the Canadian lakeshore west of Buffalo, N.Y. But this summer marks the end of an era for us, as distant and disinterested branches of the family forced the sale of the house last year. For our side of the family, the loss of Rosehill ached all through the winter, the wound growing more tender, not less, as summer approached. But, as winter gave way to spring, we resolved to preserve our gathering in a new spot if necessary. So, this summer, the whole extended Montesano clan—four sisters, their husbands, and 14 of the 16 cousins—met in Newport, taking Rosehill on the road. As it turns out, it was a wonderful week. The older cousins spent time at the Folk Festival and downtown in Newport, while the younger ones overran the lawn around Merrick House. The annual all-cousin Wiffle Ball game has continued, and after a 25-year homestand in Canada, now begins an indefinite road trip. Together once more, we’ve had beach time, tennis, a “bonfire” in a fire pit, and have preserved or replicated nearly all of our family summer traditions. In reflecting on our time together as a family, and the importance of preserving the connections we feel among one another even as times and circumstances change, I am naturally reminded of the work of St. George’s. One of the great strengths of our school is the way in which our traditions and history inform so much of what we do. From the Middlesex bonfire, to the Christmas Festival, from academic challenges and innovative courses to athletic championships, the heart of the St. George’s experience is anchored in the shared histories of its students and teachers going back more than a century. At the same time, the school has never been afraid to change. In the same way that our family was able to preserve our traditions even as we changed them, St. George’s has been able to hold on to the best of its history and traditions, even as they have evolved

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and been shaped by the needs of today’s students and tomorrow’s world. The cover photo of this edition of the Bulletin is another, more visual, representation of this quality. Though most of us can recall instinctively the view from the school looking southeast over Sachuest point, the view to the west is nearly as remarkable. In the foregound, and at the center, stand the enduring heart of the school—Old School, the Chapel and Memorial Schoolhouse. Around them you can see the Hamblet Campus Center, the glass tower of the Hill Library, and at far right, the soon-to-be-renovated DuPont Science building, where an expanded academic center will be built. These represent the evolving present and in time, the future of the school. And though you cannot see them in the photo, running throughout everything is the lifeblood of the school, our students and the devoted faculty who teach and mentor them. Finally, at the top of the image you can see the far horizon, which suggests the larger world and limitless possibilities for which we are preparing our students. Of all of the elements of the St. George’s experience, this one, the preparation of young people for what John Diman called “lives of constructive service to the world” is the most enduring. And so as it is with families, so it is for schools. Years follow years, but some things carry on no matter what changes. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Bulletin, and that the rest of your summer is filled with just the right mix of family and friends, tradition and novelty. See you all back in Newport soon. Sincerely,

Eric F. Peterson Head of School

MEGAN DAKNIS ’14 PHOTO COURTESY OF

Now everybody knows her name

Note: The St. George’s Scholars Program was created in 2011 in support of the unique demands and sacrifices made by military personnel and their families and to recognize members of the armed forces and their service to the nation. It offers fully funded scholarships to children of active-duty military personnel.

After moving with her military family multiple times, Megan Daknis ’14 finds a home base at St. George’s BY SUZANNE M C GRADY It was after one of those particularly exhausting runs for exercise this past spring—the end of her first year at St. George’s—when Megan Daknis knew she’d … well let’s say … arrived. Daknis—one of the first two students to attend St. George’s from our

new SG Scholars Program for children of active military personnel—had turned the corner onto Kane Avenue and was coming back to her dormitory, Zane, when she saw Manning Coe—an artsy, older sixth former—coming the other way. “Now I know Manning,” Daknis recalled. “Well,

A younger Megan Daknis ’14 welcomes home her father, Army Signal Officer Steve Daknis, following his deployment.

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MOREAU PHOTO BY J EREMY

I know who Manning Coe is and I was like, ‘I wonder if he knows my name …’ and he passed me and he was like, ‘Hey, Megan!’ and I was like, ‘Hey there. How’s it going?’” “I had never talked to him, but he knew who I was,” she added, “and that was cool.” For Daknis, feeling at home is a luxury not to be underestimated. The daughter of two Army officers, Daknis lived in eight different places before arriving at her ninth—the Hilltop—last fall. She learned about the St. George’s Scholars program while she was attending a Department of Defense school in Stuttgart, Germany in 2011-12 and she said the chance to attend “this really cool school in the States instead of being a new junior in Korea,” where her parents are currently stationed—was a very attractive offer. Born in Seoul, Korea, where she said she lived “for a whole five weeks,” Daknis and her parents

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moved to Williamsburg, Va., where her parents attended graduate school at William and Mary. At 3, Daknis went to Washington, D.C., with her father while her mother went to Tennessee and then the year after that the two rejoined her mom in Tennessee. After that it was Charlottesville, Va., Fayetteville, N.C., San Antonio, Texas, and Germany. Daknis’ mother, Wendy, a colonel, is a military judge. Her father is a signal officer, a member of the Signal Corps, which is responsible for the Army’s entire systems of communication—voice, data and information systems. “If there was a cyber-attack, he’d be part of the team in charge of defending us against it,” Daknis explained. Both her parents have been deployed. Her father has been to Afghanistan three times and her mother was in Iraq for a year working with the Iraqis to help them build up a judicial system. The two met in ROTC at Duke. Military service runs in the family: Daknis’ grandfather on her father’s side also was a colonel in the Army. Asked about her transient lifestyle, Daknis said she’s more positive about it than she used to be. “I remember when I was little I always hated moving, but that’s what I do, so if I were to be down about it, I would just be sad all the time,” she said. “I’ve learned to adapt to new circumstances. It’s a change in scenery every few years. It’s been good—just starting fresh.” Besides, her parents’ recent post in Germany allowed for some outstanding vacations. “We had a four-day weekend every single month and we went everywhere,” she said, naming almost all the major European cities. She spent one Spring Break in Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia, and two weeks one summer in Scotland.

At St. George’s, Daknis said she realized right away that being the child of two military officers was “a novel thing.”

S TILL IMAGE CAPTURE FROM S T. GEORGE’S VIDEO

“[Non-military kids] always get the impression that my dad is like this drill sergeant who yells at me all the time,” she said. “He’s not. He’s a pretty cool dude.” Mostly she sees Americans’ appreciation for her parents’ service. “I feel like patriotism is at an all-time high right now,” she said. When she was flying home to Korea over Spring Break she said she was sitting next to a couple traveling to Thailand. “We were chatting and I told them my parents were in the Army and that’s why I was going to Korea and they were like, “Oh, tell your parents, ‘Thank you.’” The sentiment touches her, she said. “I guess that I see it first hand. Like when we say prayers in the chapel for people in the military, I think, ‘Yeah, that’s my parents doing that. It’s cool.’” The walls of Daknis’ dorm room in Zane last year were covered with movie posters: “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Say Anything,” “Oceans 11,” “Notting Hill,” “Braveheart,” “The Thomas Crowne Affair.” “My dad sent them periodically throughout the year so I would have these little packages and I would remember when I saw that with [him],” she said. When she was little the two would play a game where her dad would give her a line from a movie and she would have to guess the movie. “I’ve never seen Casablanca, but I could give you every single quote from that movie. Every single one,” she said. Back home, which right now means Korea, Daknis’ has 10-year-old twin sisters, who attend a DOD school in Seoul, waiting for her. At the end of the school year she traveled back to Seoul, where she had plans to go to Vietnam for two weeks, volunteer at an animal hospital on the base—and learn how to drive. “I have my Korean permit,” she said. “It’s orange. And it lets me drive on the base.” Among her highlights from last school year she

counts getting through BC Calculus and being on the spring community garden crew—a community service project in place of sports, which she said she’s “dreadful at.” “Having an afternoon activity where I could do some manual labor was perfect,” she said. “And we would go for runs afterward, so I was still getting exercise.” Of Roy Williams’ math class, she said, “Oh my gosh. At my old school you could take five APs and you would be all right … but that class … I remember we had our first three tests. I did poorly. But as I got used to it, it just kind of fell into place. “I did not fail Roy’s class,” she said triumphantly. “I rocked it.” Still it will be tough to top last spring’s prefectelection speech day. That was the day everyone at St. George’s, including Manning Coe, got to know Megan Daknis a little better. Despite her friends’ warnings, she wasn’t all that nervous about her speech. She wanted to run for a student leadership post, she said. And with the speech, it all came down to a good outline: “I had the three basic parts,” she said, “… the part where I said how quiet I was, the part when I was talking about my name not rhyming with anything, and the part where I was promising things that we already have.” Delivered in her personable, deadpan style, the speech elicited more than a few laughs. For Daknis, most of all it was a huge feeling of acceptance—and affection—from her peers. “In between me talking about my name not rhyming and the stuff we already have there was this moment when I couldn’t talk because everyone was clapping,” she said. “And I just stood there and smiled. It was the greatest feeling in the entire world.”

Megan delivers her prefect-election speech in April.

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MOREAU PHOTO BY J EREMY

From China to Stanford Joanna Xu ’13 finds St. George’s the gateway to new intellectual territory BY SUZANNE M C GRADY

hen Joanna Xu ’13 got word this spring she’d been accepted to one of the most selective colleges in the U.S., she called her parents back in Hangzhou, China. “I got into Stanford,” she said. They were still sleeping—but it didn’t take long for the news to sink in. “I could hear my dad screaming,” Xu said. “He was so excited.” Now, as she prepares to move onto the famed Palo Alto, Calif., campus, Xu counts her close relationship with her parents—likely born, she says, from China’s one-child policy—as one of the keys to her success. “One of the drawbacks of being an only child is I don’t have any siblings to hang out with or share secrets with—but that also contributes to my strong bond with

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my parents,” she said. Her mother, a college German professor, and father, who owns a high-tech company, “could probably take credit for being my permanent mentors and also my partners in exploring new worlds.” A talented piano player, academic powerhouse and ferocious junior varsity hockey player during her career at SG, Xu’s journey from the capital city of China’s Zhejiang Province to the Stanford campus has been fueled by persistence, cultural adaptation—and an intense desire to learn. When she arrived on the Hilltop in 2009, Xu knew only of what she’d seen on our web site. Mainly, she said, she remembers the photo of Head of School Eric Peterson and his, wife Krista. “They looked so friendly,”

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY PHOTO BY

she said. She was coming from a middle school in China where there were 400 students in each grade and teachers posted exam scores on a bulletin board in the hallway. “I don’t think I appreciated that,” Xu said, “even if I got a good score.” At SG, she said, she found “a small and tight community.” “I think all the faculty and student relationships are really close,” she added. “People are so nice and welcoming here, it makes me feel like it’s a family instead of an institution.” Freshman year, however, was a challenge. Though she had learned English in elementary school, there was still a language barrier. “At the beginning I would try really hard to organize something that I wanted to say, but by the time I was ready, [the class was] on to the next subject.” Likewise, there was some culture shock. “Just living here …” she said. “I had no clue how to use a self-service washing machine. I had no idea what to wear to the freshman dances. And school spirit … I had never heard of those things before. We didn’t do that back in China.” Little by little, though, her musical talents and intellectual prowess put her in the spotlight. A multiple academic award winner, she also played flute and piano in numerous performances—skills honed back in China. When Xu was little—5 or 6 years old—her mother had just one rule for her: She must play piano oneand-a-half to two hours a day. And her mom would sit on the piano bench the whole time. “That was probably the only time that my mom really pushed me hard,” she said, “but nowadays when I look back I just really appreciate it.” In 2010, varsity hockey captain Julia Rahill ’12, a dorm mate, convinced her to try her sport. “I started ice hockey my sophomore year winter and now it’s crazy,” she said. “I’m completely in love with it.” Xu’s advisor, English teacher Patricia Lothrop, said it was sometimes hard to jibe the graceful, piano-playing academic with the merciless defenseman on the ice. “You’d see her in her filmy little outfits and fair skin performing and you couldn’t put that together with the absolute tiger … with the hair flying and the elbows,” she said. It was all part of the Xu enigma: Never one for

conforming, Xu would experiment with hair color the same way she would experiment with a new piece of music. “She has what we wish for every one of our students—and that is intellectual curiosity,” Lothrop said. Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Pat Moss, who taught Hu Latin, said what impressed her about Hu was her transformation “… from a girl who was almost neurotic about academics—to someone in her senior year who absolutely embraced learning,” Moss said. “St. George’s did that for her.” The past few years Xu’s current interest in medical research has fueled many of her pursuits outside class. Last summer she spent three weeks in Paris interning in the drug development division at the Curie Institute as part of St. George’s Global Cultural Initiatives Program directed by French teacher Allison de Horsey. She’s worked at the University of Pennsylvania doing research on a breast cancer-targeting drug, and at Micropoint Bioscience Inc. in Santa Clara, Calif., learning about medical equipment for testing blood clotting. Evidence of her persistence, she did research in a bioengineering lab at Washington University last summer normally reserved for Ph.D. and medical students—an assignment she lobbied for a year before the professor in charge agreed to take the 17-year-old. Among her many sources of inspiration, Xu counts the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, author Malcolm Gladwell, and the 19th century composer Franz Liszt. Jobs, she said, thinks like her father. “‘Explore new things,’ he would tell me. ‘You might be the only one who will start doing this … but a lot of people will follow you.’” “It’s really important to do something different and unique,” she said. “It’s a pretty important path to success.”

Joanna Xu ’13 celebrates Prize Day in May with her aunt and uncle, who live in Massachusetts.

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Different Takes C

H A P E L

A L K S

PHOTO BY

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Lions and tigers–and dragons. Oh, my! BY JACK COAT Y ’13 Following is the script of a chapel talk delivered on April 30, 2013.

Jack Coaty ’13 was awarded the Centennial Prize at graduation in May.

few days ago I confided in someone that I was nervous to give this chapel talk, because I had no idea what to talk about. I received the kind of advice that one can only get from a best friend of many years. “Skip it,” said Reid [Burns ’13]… it’s not like anyone will notice.” [Audience laughs.] … When I was in the first grade, I was in “The Wizard of Oz.” If you don’t know the story, the Sparknotes are as follows: a band of misfits each need something—be it a heart for the Tin Man, courage for the Cowardly Lion, or a brain for the Scarecrow. They embark on a journey to the Land of Oz to retrieve said

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objects. The play was an enormous production, with kids from all over the island and a prep time of about six months, from the first meetings in November to the performance in April. Though it’s quite some time ago now, I can still remember one of our first rehearsals, where we were to learn our roles that we’d be embracing owning over the next half year. It was hard not to be excited. Would our director, Eddy, consider a first-grader for a lead role? I had my heart set on the Tin Man (no pun intended), but even I realized that it was probably ambitious for a first-time actor. OK, maybe a lesser role, someone who has their time to shine but won’t have to memorize a million and one lines? I decided worst-case scenario, I’d just take the role of the actual Wizard of Oz—there’d be no problem reading lines from behind a curtain. When I fi-

nally got there, I ran in to check the cast list. I looked down near the J’s and found my name. Jack Coaty … Flower Number Three. It can be a crippling blow to a first grader’s confidence when he isn’t even the most important flower around. I mumbled my way through my three lines, and when my dad came to pick me up, I told him I was going to quit the play. He managed to convince me that I should give it just a bit more time (funny how you usually end up convinced when your dad is a lawyer), and he decided we should go get Awful Awfuls to cheer me up. Always witty and never hesitant to rub salt in a wound, he added, “or we could grab some Miracle-Gro if you’re feeling hungry too.” You know the rest of the story … the rehearsals were fun and I became friends with the rest of my garden. And so the legend of Flower Number Three was born. With three lines throughout the whole play, I got to spend a lot of time watching the actual plot unfold. When you experience something hundreds of times over, it tends to stick with you, no matter how long ago it was … which is precisely how I still know the lyrics to every song on the original “Kidz Bop” CD (Thank you, Santa), or that Angle Side Side is not a theorem and should never be abbreviated … (Thank you, Mrs. Evans). “The Wizard of Oz” stuck with me. The play contains lessons that I’ve kept with me in the decade plus since my time as Flower Nubmer Three, and the characters’ searches can apply to us all as SG students. “Wait…did he just say that we need to get a brain?” Not exactly. Each character seeks something that can come in handy at St. George’s. Let’s start with the Cowardly Lion. Every day St. George’s peppers us with opportunities to engage in what we might never be able to do anywhere else. Become a prefect and be a role model for 30 impressionable freshmen? Do it. Talk to about 400 people on a play with wicked witches and ruby slippers? Hey, Ms. Tierney let me up here. Sail a thousand nautical miles on a 69-foot boat and learn how to be self sufficient? Sure, you’re going to end up cleaning the head at some point, but it all becomes worth it when you’re snorkeling with sea turtles or sailing through the Bahamas when dawn breaks. Courage is a must when attending St. George’s. We can make so much of our experience here, and it’s all dependent on

taking the first step. Be bold enough to take a chance. Then there’s the Tin Man. St. George’s has proved it can be such an awesome place when people are actively compassionate. If the “SG Compliments” [page] hasn’t at least once made you smile then … well you must not have Facebook. The Community Service Council members have done amazing things by being willing to give up their time to help others. One of the best things I experienced this winter was walking into the Schoolhouse to be greeted with Post-it Notes telling me: “You look good today” and “You’re gonna rock this test!” Watching everyone rally behind Mr. Peterson’s two-acts-of-kindness idea made it clear we have an amazing student body. So my advice to the SG community in terms of the Tin Man would not be to find your heart—it would be to keep using it. Finally there’s my favorite character, the Scarecrow. In this sense, find-your-brain is not meant to be taken literally (though I’m sure some who teach seniors during these last months would say it applies very literally), it just means learn. Learn all that there is to be learned at a place like this. Talk to someone who lives across the globe from you, just to see the world from his or her point of view. Talk to your teacher about what they know best, because you’ll discover so much. Mr. Evans could make lint seem incredible if he explained it to you. Learn what you like to learn about, and learn about it. Those three aren’t the only ones looking for something. Dorothy, the main character, embarks on this crazy journey only to find home. Luckily enough for us, we’ve found it. The fact that we’re all here in this chapel means we’ve made SG a home of ours in some way, a home that I’m sure I and the rest of the Class of 2013 are going to miss dearly. Enjoy it. St. George’s has been amazing for me, so much so that it has become my home-away-from-home. All 1.7 miles of it. To sum up how incredible it is, and how much you can really achieve here, I have to borrow from “The Wizard of Oz” one last time. There’s no place like St. George’s. Jack Coaty ’13 of Newport, R.I., will attend Georgetown University this fall. He can be reached at jgc62@georgetown.edu.

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Different Takes H A P E L

A L K S

PHOTO BY J ACK

BARTHOLET ’12

Silver lining

Kate Hamrick ’13 and Suzanne McGrady, faculty advisor to the Red & White, on Prize Day.

A medical diagnosis prompts one student to find fulfillment in taking a new path BY KATE HAMRICK ’13

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Following is the script of a chapel talk that was delivered on April 30, 2013. “

escribe a time when you were in a minority,” read one of my college supplements. Looking at me, most would assume that I have no experience being in a minority. In fact, during a history class debate one of my peers even said to me, “You would say that. You’re like the face of white America.” So what does the “face of white America” know about being in a minority? Well I am actually a part of one of the smallest minorities in our school. I am one of the few technically classified, if not the only, physically disabled students at St. George’s. My freshman year, I was diagnosed with a type of arthritis called Spondyloarthropathy. Arthritis is the inflammation and deterioration of joints. The type of arthritis I have is spread from my body attacking itself and occurs in only .03 percent of the population, and is more common in men. Basically, I’m pretty special. The hardest part of my disease has been learning how to adjust my perception of myself from an athlete to somebody who has trouble writing with a pencil, has difficulty walking, and in the past few weeks no longer has been able to do stairs without gripping a railing. Part of the problem was that I tried to hide the severity of my condition from everybody except my close friends. I just never wanted the pity from anybody and I wanted to know that I had earned everything I achieved. But with only four weeks left of my senior year, I needed to give this chapel talk for me. I need to finally let go of that person I came here as and solely focus on the person I am now. And honestly, I can’t describe how good it feels to know who you are and not want to be anybody else, even with all the challenges you face. Being in a minority is more than having a different appearance than others; it’s about having a different experience. I look similar to a lot of my classmates, but the way I experience each day is very different. Because my disability is not apparent, peo-

ple don’t realize what I am going through, which at times makes me feel very alone. Even my friends, who know all about my disease, can’t even understand the pain and emotional distress I experience daily. Being in a minority, I am able to recognize a multiplicity of perspectives. I now see the world from a different vantage point, and because of that I can relate to others who feel different or alone. A teacher once told me that freedom boosts creativity and limitations inhibit creativity, but I disagree with that statement. I believe freedom provides more options, but limitations force you to be creative and look for alternatives. I would be lying to say I don’t miss my old life, but my new life is more fulfilling. Being sick forced me to give up athletics and find something else to love. Since becoming sick I have discovered my passion for design and I don’t know if I would have ever discovered it otherwise. Every day for me is a battle both physically and emotionally, but somehow I manage to find the will to get up every morning and just live my life. I have absolutely no control over my body, which can be very scary, but I do have control over my spirit. I choose to push through every day with determination, continually try new medications and alternative therapies in an attempt to get better, and to pursue what I love even though it can be physically difficult. The word ‘minority’ generally has an air of negativity, as if being in a minority is a horrible thing, but I don’t think it has to be. Being different forced me to be independent, strong willed, and confident in who I am. Living with my disease has made me feel empowered because I now know I can overcome any challenge and achieve anything I put my mind to. Although I am technically classified as physically disabled, I spend every day trying to redefine what that means instead of letting it dictate what I can do. I have a disability, but I’m not disabled. I’m not broken; I’m just special. Kate Hamrick ’13 of Princeton, N.J., will attend Sarah Lawrence College this fall. She can be reached at KHamrick.NYC@gmail.com.

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PHOTO BY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

Fac Chat

Scott Stachelhaus Q&A with an SG faculty member BY SUZANNE M C GRADY

Joined the faculty: 2011 Teaches: Chemistry & Environmental Sciences Coaches: Football, Track Dorm Assignment: Head of Diman Hall

Q: You recently earned your doctorate from the University of Rhode Island. What was the name of your thesis? A: “An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Radium Isotopes as Tracers of Coastal Mixing and Submarine Groundwater Discharge.” I used that title because “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was already taken. Q: Did you celebrate when you finished? A: I did, but not as much as I expected beforehand. More than anything, I just felt an enormous sense of relief. Q: Were you into science fairs as an elementary school student? Do you remember some inventions you created as a kid? A: I recall doing them, but I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about it at the time. One of my science projects was about evaluating dogs’ intelligence, which I remember enjoying because I got to play with a bunch of dogs. When I was in third grade, I created an invention called “Scat, Cat!” that was designed to scare cats away from your car. It was very much something conceived and built by a third-grader. I think it essentially consisted of a box with a bell in it. In retrospect, that invention would probably attract more cats than it would scare, but, at the time, I was pretty sure that it would make me rich and famous.

Q: Was there a book you read more than once as a little kid? A: There was a book called “Whales and Sharks and Other Creatures of the Deep” by Susanne Santoro Miller that I must have read over a hundred times when I was a kid. I skipped over the page about jellyfish a lot, though, because jellyfish creeped me out (and, if I’m being honest, they still do). Q: Who are your science heroes? A: I know this may sound dubious coming from a teacher in a magazine about a high school, but my science hero is actually my high school science teacher, Ross McCurdy. A lot of what I do in my class has been inspired by him in some way or another. He was not only a great teacher, but he has also put together the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered rock band (that played at Lollapalooza, believe it or not), and he recently became an aviation pioneer by flying a biofuel-powered plane from Rhode Island to Kitty Hawk, N.C. Q: What is the subject in Trivial Pursuit (or category on “Jeopardy”) you’d ace that we wouldn’t necessarily guess? A: Geography, although that may not exactly be a shocker. I suppose I also know a surprising amount about hip-hop music. My working knowledge about hip-hop is mostly about stuff more than five years old though, so I’m a bit out of touch. Q: What are you up to this summer? A: I plan on doing a lot of reading and relaxing. I’m also attending an AP conference in Vermont and I hope to take a couple of woodworking classes.

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PHOTO BY L EN

Q: What’s your favorite SG tradition? A: I love the senior-faculty basketball game. It’s great to have everyone out there having fun and supporting each other, regardless of skill levels. Playing basketball is one of my favorite things to do and, plus, it’s not every day that I get to miss wide-open layups in front of a large crowd. Q: What do you miss most about being a high school student? A: I always loved sports; I suppose I miss the competition, camaraderie and fun that is unique to being an athlete on a high school sports team. Q: What’s your favorite meal in King Hall? A: I look forward to the “McGeorge’s” burger night. Science teacher Scott Stachelhaus works with Alex Elron ’12 and Elodie Germain ’12 in the Hill Library last year.

Q: What is one unit/subject, etc., that you are teaching this upcoming year that you’re pumped about? A: This will be my first year teaching Environmental Science. I like the intersection of the more traditional

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RUBENSTEIN PHOTOGRAPHY

physics-chemistry-biology science with real-world applications, so I’m really excited to teach this subject. Q: If I weren’t a science teacher, I’d be a ... A: I’d likely be doing scientific research somewhere or another. Q: Best night in the dorm last year was when ... A: I had a fun time watching the end of the deciding Bruins-Maple Leafs game 7 with the guys in Arden. The common room was packed to the gills, and I enjoyed the combination of celebration (by B’s fans) and utter disgust (by everyone else) that was expressed after the Bruins scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Q: Some day I’d like to do scientific research in ... A: My graduate field research involved going to such exotic locations as coastal Rhode Island and the North Atlantic Ocean (in the winter, no less), so I’d love to do some sort of field work in a warm and inviting location.

Honoring John and Ramsay Scott— and giving a student help in a time of need Founders hope to take Scott Scholarship ‘to the next level’

Named in memory of John Scott ’65, a St. George’s history teacher from 1991-94, and his wife, Ramsay—who both died prematurely—the Scott Scholarship was created to help bring a student to SG who has lost one or both parents and who could not otherwise afford to attend and to provide them with the services and support they may need. For many—including the Scotts’ only son, ’01, the scholarship also offers a chance to reach out to others who have experienced the pain of losing a primary caregiver, or who know someone who has.

“What I’m hoping we can do is make life easier for the person who is going through a very difficult time in their lives,” said Alexander Tuff ’93, who along with Andrew, Charles Barzun ’93, Geoffrey Siebengartner ’93, Clay Rives ’93 and Briney (Dillon) Burley ’93 founded the scholarship two years ago. “There’s no blueprint as to how to work through these things. But just serving as a support system that the student can reach out to whenever they need someone … that’s what we want to be.” The Scott Scholarship has received donations totaling $130,000 through what Tuff called “an amazing grassroots effort.” Overall more than 150 donors—a majority of them alumni/ae from 10 classes from the 1960s to the 2000s—have made gifts to the Scott Scholarship Fund. By all accounts, the Scotts were the quintessential faculty couple. Kind-hearted and generous, the two presided lovingly over a spirited group of boys in Auchincloss Dormitory, many of whom recall playing video games or setting up miniature hockey or basketball games in the hallways with Andrew, who was then in elementary school.

“Their family was the school,” Tuff said of the Scotts. “They would always have dorm dinners. Some families like to have a little privacy, but they were always very open, very inviting,” he said. John Scott had St. George’s in his blood—both his father, Robert Scott ’34, and brother, Robert Scott Jr. ’63, graduated from St. George’s. When he returned to teach here, he approached his job with gusto, playing guitar to entertain the students on Saturday nights and regaling the students in his classes with stories from his boyhood and his experiences as an accomplished sailor. A Harvard grad, Scott went on to earn an advanced degree in maritime folklore from the Memorial University of New Foundland in St. John’s— and he told a good story, according to Tuff, who was in what would be one of Scott’s last classes. “He couldn’t have been any happier, but you also knew he was gravely sick,” Tuff said. He remembers Scott as a teacher offering up “nuggets of life that would capture everyone’s attention.” “I felt like it was two classes, one in Chinese history … and one in life,” he said. Meanwhile Ramsay Scott, a passionate supporter of the sports teams with a special fondness for lacrosse and a dedicated summer school employee, found St. George’s her ultimate home, according to Andrew Scott. Having gone to boarding school herself, he said, “She always dreamed of having her own family on a campus.” When John Scott died of complications from a liver transplant in 1994, Andrew was between sixth and seventh grade at St. Michael’s Country Day School.

PHOTO COURTESY OF

While fundraising often joins people with similar goals and interests, founders of the Ramsay and John Scott ’65, P’01 Scholarship say they’ve been overwhelmed by the number of donors who have come together to lend more than their money; they want to lend their life experience.

THE L ANCE 1992

BY SUZANNE M C GRADY

The Scott family—John ’65, his wife, Ramsay, and their son, Andrew ’01—in 1992.

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ANDREA HANSEN PHOTO BY

A photo from Reunion Weekend in 2011 shows Andrew Scott ’01—second from the right in the back row—celebrating his 10th reunion with classmates.

Life was already challenging, but when Ramsay died of cancer just a few years later, Andrew said, he needed his St. George’s classmates more than ever. “I wouldn’t have made it through those years without the love and support I received from so many incredible friends,” he said. “So that bond is very strong. I consider those friends my family and I know they will always be a large part of my life.” Working on this effort, he added, is a way to give back and to help others who have had a similar experience. As soon as word that the Scott Scholarship was being formed, Tuff said people clamored to help. “The mission of the scholarship has a lot of resonance with people,” he said. “Many who have lost one or more of their own parents have come forward—as well as many who knew Andrew and the Scotts.” Donors have told Tuff that they like knowing their gift really makes a positive impact at a critical point in a student’s life. “If you lose a parent, this experience could actually reshape your life—academically, athletically, socially. It really does make a difference.” To be able to work closely with Andrew, reconnect with so many old friends and give to something that is meaningful and impactful is “hugely rewarding for me and really everyone involved,” Tuff added. “The effort has given in so many more ways than it ever intended to. It really doesn’t get any better than that.” Now Scott and Tuff have big plans. Their hope is to raise a million dollars to make the scholarship a permanent funding vehicle for a full-tuition scholarship. And not only will future recipients gain funding to attend a premier boarding school, they’ll get their own private network of supporters as well. “Where the scholarship differentiates itself is the idea that not only are we helping financially, but we’re going to be there in a mentoring role and help to pick up this person or help them make their

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way through a challenging time,” Scott said. “Whether it’s a recent loss or whether they’ve been without a parent for some time, that student will have some unique hurdles that I’m very familiar with and a few of my other friends on the committee are familiar with—and that’s where we can be of value.” Next up, according to Tuff, will be to build a five-toseven-person Board of Advisors that will be tasked with developing and executing a multiyear fundraising strategy “to help raise enough money to provide a full scholarship and to ensure that the integrity of the scholarship and our mission remains intact.” The original 55-member Steering Committee, Tuff added, will continue to serve as the core community behind the new effort and be the stable of mentors for future scholarship recipients. The Scott Scholarship was awarded for the first time this past school year to Kemi Richardson ’13, who lost her father—a one-time Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda who received his master’s degree in mathematics at Harvard—when she was 10. Kemi graduated in May and will attend ClaremontMcKenna College in CaliforKemi Richardson ’13 nia this fall. “I wish I had appreciated my dad’s presence in my life so much more,” Richardson told the community in a chapel talk earlier this year. She urged students to be thankful for the adults around them. “Don’t walk these halls and dorms not appreciating everyone all around you,” she said. And while she said she struggled mightily with the decision to leave home—particularly to leave her mom and her sister—she called attending St. George’s the “best decision” of her life. Andrew Scott said he wants to give that same opportunity to more students—and that’s just what his parents would’ve wished for. “They both had a lot of love for each other,” he said, “and together they both had a love and a passion for helping kids become the best people they could be.” To donate to the Ramsay and John Scott ’65, P’01 Scholarship, go to www.stgeorges.edu/support/gift note “For the Scott Scholarship” in the comment section.

MOREAU PHOTO BY J EREMY

Julie Butler retires as head coach of girls basketball BY SUZANNE M C GRADY Julie Butler has stepped down from the girls basketball program after serving as head coach of the varsity squad for the past 23 seasons. Winning more than 200 games throughout her Dragon career—the most of any St. George’s basketball coach—she’s also posted a winning record in nine of the past 11 seasons and taken her team eight times to the New England independent school playoffs during that time. Assistant Head of School for Student Life Katie Titus, who was one of Butler’s assistants for the past eight seasons, will take over as head coach for the 2013-14 winter season. Following is a Q & A with Butler following her decision this spring.

Q. Can you tell me about some particularly memorable games in your coaching career? They could be wins or losses, but they stand out in your mind as a time when your team just pulled together and played with grit and determination.

A. At the time, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to recount to anyone our 1996 47-1 loss against Tabor, but time has helped me to laugh about it and it was, undeniably, a memorable game. A young and inexperienced SG team got hit with our share of a campuswide virus, but we still took a small group down to Marion in December to play a talented Tabor squad, one that advanced to the Class A finals that year. After going scoreless in the first half, one of my all-time

Julie Butler shares a final day on the court with team co-captain Oona Pritchard ’13 (in background).

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A No. 23 jersey— for Julie Butler’s 23 seasons as head basketball coach— was signed by the 2012-13 team.

favorite assistant coaches, Doug Lewis, reassured me that the ball would drop for us in the second half. It was late in the game when we hit our first and only field goal. A heartless referee, however, called traveling on our player, and the field goal was erased. With only a minute or so remaining, freshman Kristen Olson ’00, thankfully put us on the board by hitting one free throw. The ’04-’05 NEPSAC Class B final game against an older and bigger New Hampton team may be the most memorable game of my coaching career. On paper, we didn’t match up well. New Hampton, who moved up to Class A the following year and made it to the finals again, carried several post graduates and started three players over 6 feet (our tallest player was 5-foot-8). A fan described it after the game as “a David and Goliath match-up.” It was an electrifying and emotional battle that went down to the wire, simply due to the grit and determination of our players. We had an opportunity to win it with the last shot, but unfortunately came up one point short in an incredible team effort. I still haven’t had the stomach to watch the film of that game (…maybe next winter?!) That same year, we beat longtime Class B opponent Brooks School for the first time in many years: once in the regular season and again in the NEPSAC semi-finals. One of the most memorable wins against Middlesex came when the 1999 SG team was down by 7 points with 40 seconds left in the game and pulled out the win in regulation up in Concord. The 2013 team’s upset win against eventual Class B

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runner-up Pomfret in February is our most recent memorable win. We won 52-38. The girls also have taken a lot of pride in dominating island rival Portsmouth Abbey and ISL rival Middlesex over the past 11 years. It was always fun for our team to play in front of a packed Van Beuren gym and we were fortunate to play and win some exciting “Friday Night Lights” and home playoff games over the years with the stands full of loud and cheering fans. Q: Did each of your teams have its own “slogan,” song, routine, ritual or phrase—or has one such theme existed across many of your teams? I’m thinking of the Evanses’ “Pain can be fun,” for the swim team or the football team’s habit of gathering to say the Lord’s Prayer.

A. There hasn’t been a common slogan through 23 years, but this year’s theme was “concentrate on what you can control.” Every year since 1989, we have had a pre-Middlesex dinner at my house. Up until a few years ago, we would watch the movie “Hoosiers” for inspiration. We also recognize any player who takes an offensive charge during a game. It started with my “I bit the dust award” and consisted of a baggie filled with dust and dirt and a typed “I bit the dust and took one for the team” stapled to it. Assistant Coach Katie Titus gave this award a big face-lift when she joined the coaching staff in 2005, replacing the bag of dust with a delicious homemade pie given to players at our end-of-season dinner. When we began playing Miss Porter’s School three years ago and learned that their mascot was the “Fighting Daisies,” Veronica Scott ’12 began a tradition of writing and reading an inspirational poem before the game. Caroline Thompson ’13 successfully took over Veronica’s duties this year. Our players and coaches have a ritual of always touching the wall above the team room door after our pre-game talk and before every home game. Although we were not able to fit it into the schedule this year, I hope that the Perkins Swim Meet will continue in the years ahead. The meet began in 2009

after former basketball player Anna Mack ’09 and I met during the summer to plan a community service project for the team. At the time, Anna’s twin brother was a student at Perkins School for the Blind. It has been a powerful event to be a part of. Q: Who are your own basketball heroes?

John Havlicek was probably my first basketball hero. He was a classy player that I admired for always doing what was needed for the good of the team and he never sought the limelight. I had an opportunity to meet him while coaching at Weston High School in 1984 and then had a chance to see him again when his daughter, Jill, played basketball for Nobles during my first two years at SG. Since I became a coach, I have followed many college coaches and attended lots of coaching clinics. I’m not sure that I would consider any of them my heroes, but I certainly have tremendous respect for many of them: Pat Summit, John Wooden, C. Vivian Stringer, Tara Vanderveer, Vance Walberg—and I have to add fellow Mainer Joanne Palombo-McCallie! Q: Pat Summit said, “Most people get excited about games, but I’ve got to be excited about practice, because that’s my classroom.” Was it like that/different for you?

A: I haven’t heard Coach Summit’s quote before, but I think that would be an accurate description of my philosophy as well. I loved practice, not only for the opportunity to teach basketball, but because it was a setting where you really got to know the players and they got to know you. Q: How will you direct your time now that you won’t be coaching during the winter season?

A: I’m not exactly sure what next winter will look like since I will be traveling through unknown territory. I think Higgins and Boo [Butler’s two golden retrievers] will be happy to see more of me during the winter months! The plan right now is to spend some time converting old VHS tapes to DVDs and to hand over 23 years of game tapes to Val Simpson in the archives. I’ll continue my volunteer work as statistician

for NEPSGBCA basketball. And I am looking forward to supporting our current and former players. This will be the first year that I will have the time to see our most recent alums play: Laura Lowry ’10 (Middlebury), Mary O’Connor ’11 (Babson), D.J. Wilson (Roanoke) ’12, Jess Hom ’13 (Deerfield Academy) and Theresa Salud ’13 (Hamilton College). Q: You played basketball yourself as a student. What established your love of the game? What are your earliest memories of playing basketball/going to games?

A: From as far back as I can remember, I spent countless hours playing basketball on a homemade hoop at the end of our dead-end street in Maine. My friends and I helped start a fifth- and sixth-grade girls’ league in the winter of 1973. The boys had a well-established league and we worked with the athletic director to get the girls side started for all 10 elementary schools in our city. Little did I know that this was close to the year that Title IX was passed. My mom and grandfather, who had both played basketball, coached our team. They were very influential in my early years of playing and I don’t believe that they missed a game from elementary through high school. They were huge Celtics fans and I caught their passion for that team somewhere along the way. Over the last 24 years, my parents and other family members have supported St. George’s girls’ basketball for several games each season and also traveled with us on both trips to the K.S.A. tournament at Disney World. My family has been an incredible support system from my early playing days to my final year coaching. Q: How has your love of basketball affected your life?

A: Well, as maybe only other basketball coaches might appreciate, basketball has made life a little nutty at times … but mainly in a good way! I am thankful to the sport for giving me the opportunity to work with and learn from so many incredible people over the years. I am enormously grateful for the support from our players and their parents, assistant coaches, our athletic department and my family. It has been a great experience and I feel tremendously blessed.

A memento made from a floorboard from the old gymnasium.

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MOREAU PHOTO BY J EREMY

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Out with a splash Longtime coach Evans retires from swim program BY SUZANNE M C GRADY

t was several weeks before this year’s unlikely firstplace finish for the girls at the New England Championships when Tom Evans decided to retire as head coach of the varsity swim team. After 26 years, Evans—who has served as head of the swim program during most of the years since his arrival at St. George’s in 1987—said it was time for a change. St. George’s swim program has grown exponentially since he began coaching, as is evidenced by the team’s recent impressive performance, and he’s taken it where he wanted it to go. A new coach, he said, will be able to continue to help today’s swimmers maximize their talents. “They deserve and need a program that’s completely dedicated to them,” said Evans of his swimmers. Besides, the longtime teacher added, he’s eager to spend more time working on his biology and microbiology course curriculum and pursuing his eclectic slate of hobbies—which include photography, Beatles trivia, making golf clubs, and learning to play guitar.

When Evans arrived at St. George’s more than two decades ago, the swim program consisted of a few dedicated swimmers and many athletes who were taking up swimming for the first time. Now, blessed with the state-of-the-art Hoyt Pool since 2004, the program draws many more athletes who’ve already trained for years and who view swimming as their main sport. With more and more gifted athletes entering the pool, however, Evans said it might be time for more rigor. “The evolution of the program over 20 years is such that maybe it’s time for a different approach,” he said. “I think the kids need it.”

Swimmers, like Aubrey Salmon ’14, will tell you that when it comes to Evans’ coaching style, he’s no easy touch. Evans, he said, is “a practitioner of the ‘tough love’ approach to coaching. He was famous for telling his swimmers to ‘just swim it off ’—whatever the problem might be, from soreness to a bad day in exams.” Despite his “no-nonsense” reputation among today’s swimmers, however, Evans readily admits that inside he’s kind of a softie. “I always find something positive to say to a swimmer after a competition,” he said. “There might be some things to work on, but first comes a high-five.” His swimmers have always appreciated his support and encouragement. “More than anything, Mr. Evans was able to motivate his swimmers to do better and be better,” Salmon said. Evans’ feel-good coaching style is in line with his general demeanor: glass half full. Still, the veteran coach is ever so aware of what elite swimmers require to reach higher levels of competition. An All-American at N.C. State, Evans was featured on the March 1972 cover of Swimming World magazine (see St. George’s Summer Bulletin 2012, p.3) as one of the country’s top collegiate athletes. Along with his parents, he credits his coaches with bringing out the best from him in the pool. The competition, however, wore him down. By the time he reached the end of his senior year of college he was calling it quits. “Honestly, I didn’t want to end my [coaching] career the way I ended my swimming career,” he said. “I couldn’t wait for that last race. I couldn’t wait for it. I just wanted to stop everything. I didn’t want to get to that point. As a coach this year, I still felt connected to

Opposite page: Science teacher Tom Evans, who stepped down from his role as varsity swim coach this year, is on to new pursuits— like taking photos through a microscope for a microbiology lab book he’s designing.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

MCMAHON

“Outside the classroom it’s total challenge. Everything is challenged: your mind … your body … your soul. And if you succeed—and what I mean by success is that you get where you wanted to go, you improve— your entire being is happy,” he said. Admitting he’s still “a coach at heart,” he will help out with both the cross-country and golf teams next year.

PHOTO BY J O -E LLEN

The St. George’s girls’ swim team won first place at the Division II New England Swim Championships in March.

my team, and that was a good feeling.” And this year, Evans gets to leave on a high note. In March, the girls swim team narrowly beat out the heavily favored Kingswood-Oxford team to capture its third Division II New England title in five years—evidence of just how far the program has come under his leadership. (The girls came in first in 2009, 2012 and 2013, and the boys have been in the Top 5 the last four years.) The meet was one of those full-team efforts, inspired by the camaraderie Evans said he lives for. The girls did not win a single event, but with the team’s depth and “never, never give up” attitude they had accumulated so many almost-top finishes in the events, they prevailed. Evans said he’ll never forget the look on the swimmers’ faces when Kingswood-Oxford was announced as the second-place finisher. “We all just froze,” he said. “It was that moment, the shutter just stopped and I looked at my three captains and their faces just went [gasp]… and then the winner was announced ‘St. George’s School’ and they went crazy.” It’s that feeling that made stepping down from coaching more difficult, he said. “I don’t remember any of the races in my swimming career that I won or did well in that ever gave me that kind of emotion. … I was so much more excited in moments like that than I was in my own moments. That’s what made coaching the kids so special.” And, Evans said, while he relishes his time in the classroom, he knows athletics offers unique rewards.

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This summer Tom Evans has been spending almost every day in the lab taking photographs for a microbiology lab manual he’s creating: a two-year project he’s completely immersed himself in. Tricking out his camera with an adaptor for the microscope, he’s taking all the photographs for the book himself. Photography has been an interest of his since college. “I love to take pictures,” he said grinning. “Oftentimes I don’t know what I’m doing, but I see something I like and want to capture it. I just got a book called ‘Understanding the Canon 600D for Dummies.’” Still on cloud nine two days after he and his wife, Linda, had attended Paul McCartney’s record-breaking sold-out concert in Fenway Park, Evans was feeling nostalgic and inspired at the same time. The Beatles, since he first heard “Twist and Shout” at a dance in middle school, had “greatly impacted his life,” he said. “We’d never seen or heard anything like that before. The music was so different, so unique. The camaraderie of the guys in the band … They became our friends. And they only sang about friendship, love and fun.” After the assassination of John F. Kennedy just months before, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show Feb. 9, 1964, “It was cathartic.” Throughout his coaching career, Evans always played Beatles music at practices. Like McCartney, who at 71 played solo for three nonstop hours that night in Boston, Evans’ mindset is to keep moving, to never stop evolving as a person. In regard to this article, Evans had only one special request. “Write whatever you want,” he said. “But if you have a photo, just don’t put in one of me from my swimming career,” he requested. “That’s over.” And with that, he headed over to the bio lab to

School Year 2013-14 CL

ASSES

START

SEPT. 5

AND

WE’LL

WELCOME

THESE

NEW

STUDENTS

DIANNE REED

One hundred twelve new students will enter St. George’s this year—59 boys and 53 girls. Hailing from 23 states and 11 countries, the new group brings to the Hilltop 91 new boarders and 21 new day students. Hayley Doneghey

Isabel Knott

Middletown, R.I.

Nor th Attleboro, Mass.

Fort Irwin, Calif.

Toby Almeida

Eric Durudogan

Kaitlyn Kozelka

Cumberland, R.I.

Por tsmouth, R.I.

We s t C h e s t e r, P a .

Andrew Bailey

Luc Dutranoit

Jaewook Kwon

Osterville, Mass.

Smiths, Bermuda

Seoul, Korea

Ayla Barry

Grace Eberle

Kirke LaShelle

Bristol, R.I.

M u t t o n t o w n , N . Y.

New Canaan, Conn.

Caroline Billyard

Colin Felix

Victoria Lee

Nathaniel Nugnes

Matthew Skerkowski

I n t e r l a ke n , N . J .

Audubon, N.J.

Singapore, Singapore

We s t B a r n s t a b l e , M a s s .

Ta m p a , F l a .

Victoria Boatwright

Douglas Gensler

Tristan Lewis

Victoria O’Heir

Hadley Smith

Newpor t, R.I.

W i n c h e s t e r, M a s s .

S a l i s b u r y, C o n n .

Nor th Easton, Mass.

G l e n C o v e , N . Y.

Gregory Boone

Allan Gilgeous

David Lo

Austin Page

Herrick Smith

Tiver ton, R.I.

B r o o k l y n , N . Y.

Ta i p e i , Ta i w a n

Orono, Minn.

London, United Kingdom

Miles Booth

Olivia Gonzalez

Dixie Marr

Jiho Park

William Spear

R o x b u r y, C o n n .

Ta v e r n i e r, F l a .

Newton, Mass.

Seoul, Korea

Concord, N.H.

Aniyah Borges

John Grace

Erika Martin

Oliver Parsons

Sean Surber

Tr e n t o n , N . J .

O y s t e r B a y, N . Y.

B e r k l e y, M a s s .

Stonington, Conn.

Por tsmouth, R.I.

Sarah Boule

Frederic Gregoire

Daisy Mayer

Timothy Reisinger

Nicholas Swift

We s t B a r n s t a b l e , M a s s .

Saint-Lamber t, QC, Canada

Greenwich, Conn.

Pinellas Park, Fla.

Ketchum, Idaho

Andrew Braff

Alden Grimes

Isaac McCray

Sarah Rezendes

Nicole Temple

L o c u s t Va l l e y, N . Y.

Por tsmouth, R.I.

Middletown, R.I.

Por tsmouth, R.I.

Scituate, Mass.

William Buhse

Zhihao Guo

Nicholas McLane

Alexandra Riker

Bailey Thran

Red Bank, N.J.

Shanghai, China

South Hamilton, Mass.

Smiths, Bermuda

Jamestown, R.I.

Hannah Burdick

Charles Hedlund

Cyrus Medas

Katherine Ripa

Margaret Todd

Yo r k t o w n H e i g h t s , N . Y.

New Canaan, Conn.

Bridgeport, Conn.

Middletown, R.I.

A u s t i n , Te x a s

Kendall Burdick

Janna Hedlund

Emily Medeiros

Anna Rittenhouse

Berk Tural

Yo r k t o w n H e i g h t s , N . Y.

B e r r y v i l l e , Va .

Little Compton, R.I.

Ellenwood, Ga.

Por tsmouth, R.I.

Margaret Cannell

Ceaser Holcombe

Joseph Milbank

Jared Rogers

Anthony von Steuben

Mattapoisett, Mass.

B r o n x , N . Y.

C h a r l o t t e s v i l l e , Va .

Ly n n f i e l d , M a s s .

Baech, Switzerland

Sebastien Carnot

Vivien Hough

Anna Molinari

Emily Routman

Jacques von Steuben

Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

L a ke F o r e s t , I l l .

Newpor t, R.I.

D a l l a s , Te x a s

Baech, Switzerland

William Chen

Somes Huwiler

Caroline Morita

Odom Sam

Sophie Vos

K a o h s i u n g , Ta i w a n

G l e n H e a d , N . Y.

To k y o , J a p a n

Lowell, Mass.

New Canaan, Conn.

Ka Kiu, Cheung

Luke Ingalls

George Moss

Henry Savage

Eugenia Wallis

Hong Kong, China

Little Compton, R.I.

N e w Yo r k , N . Y.

Marblehead, Mass.

Key Biscayne, Fla.

Hull Collins

Nurzhan Jandosov

Rosamond Moylan

Isabelle Schmaltz

Philip Wolf

Essex, Mass.

A l m a t y, K a z a k h s t a n

Saunderstown, R.I.

Boston, Mass.

Pacific Palisades, Calif.

John Conlon

Georgia Johnson

Francis Myers

Colin Seeley

Avis Zane

P a t t e r s o n , N . Y.

Wa y z a t a , M i n n .

Swampscott, Mass.

Brentwood, N.H.

T i v o l i , N . Y.

Frances Corridan

Adriana Jonas

Kai Nanfelt

Spencer Shelton

Zi Xuan Zhen

Por tsmouth, R.I.

S y r a c u s e , N . Y.

Newpor t, R.I.

Pointe-Claire, QC, Canada

Qingdao, China

Christine Dejoux

Eliza Kallfelz

Svenja Nanfelt

Sky Silverstein

Yibei Zhu

L o c u s t Va l l e y, N . Y.

Jamestown, R.I.

Newpor t, R.I.

C a l v e r t o n , N . Y.

Shanghai, China

Mia Del Rosso

MacLean Keene-Connole

Brooke Naylor

Christia Simanski

Chad Ziadie

Hingham, Mass.

Middletown, R.I.

Summit, N.J.

Middletown, R.I.

Kingston 8, Jamaica

Emily Dixon

Sun Woo Kim

Hao Niu

Talia Simanski

Sylvia Zobel de Ayala

M a n h a s s e t , N . Y.

Seoul, Korea

Shenzhen, China

Middletown, R.I.

M a k a t i C i t y, P h i l i p p i n e s

PHOTO BY

John Agoros

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

Prize Day 2 013

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

R A D U A T I O N

Rock, Paper, Universe

PHOTO BY

BY ERIC F. PETERSON

Following is the address delivered on Prize Day— May 17, 2013— by the head of school.

rowing up, I had an insatiable hunger for information. From a very early age, I read everything I could get my hands on—books, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, the dictionary, and even the phone book. (I was looking for people with funny names.) I am even more embarrassed to admit that during one especially slow summer, I read all 32 volumes of the 1978 World Book encyclopedia … But, since encyclopedias don’t really exist today, when I was looking for some information recently, I did what most of us would, and I Googled my question. In a reassuring replication of the way that I used

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

to use the encyclopedia, I quickly found what I was looking for, and then, just as predictably, a few minutes after that I had clicked several more links and wandered off down an unexplored side street of the Internet. Luckily for me, I found myself not in one of the seedier, scarier neighborhoods of the web but rather on the website for the space agency, NASA. The page I had landed on was describing a phenomenon called “dark energy,” which frankly sounded to me like something out of a “Star Wars” movie. So, being a fan, I kept reading, and then things really got weird. It turns out that sometime in the late 1990s, about the time most of you students were being born, astrophysicists using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered that one of their central organizing concepts of the

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY PHOTO BY

universe’s physics was wrong. Instead of slowing down over time, as had been suggested by Einstein’s theories and was commonly accepted as fact by the physics community, the universe is behaving in exactly the opposite manner: Its expansion is speeding up, not slowing down. Even more startling, based on the new data, the scientists discovered that physical matter as we know it makes up only about 5 percent of the universe, with more than two-thirds of the universe being composed of the aforementioned “dark energy.” So what is this dark energy, and, since it makes up most of the universe, what does it do? Here is the direct quote from NASA’s website that provides their explanation: “… [dark energy] is a complete mystery. But it is an important mystery.” Seriously, NASA? That’s the best we can do? With an $18 billion budget and the greatest scientific minds in the nation, you can only offer that dark energy is “a complete mystery”? At first I was annoyed, but then moments later I was delighted at this explanation. Putting aside the fact that I had completely missed that there had been a fundamental redefinition of the nature of the universe (clearly, my attention was elsewhere) I love the idea that the best minds in the history of the world, from Einstein to Stephen Hawking, can’t figure this out. I love the mystery and uncertainty embodied in the idea that all we can see and measure adds up to less than five percent of what’s really out there. And ultimately I love when we discover a new truth about our existence, and conventional thinking is thereby overturned or dismantled. The history of mankind is full of discarded theories, from the humanities to the arts to the sciences. In government, the opposing political philosophies of fascism and communism have both largely been abandoned, albeit after prompting the death and misery of millions. In literature and the arts, endless organizing movements have come and gone, from Romanticism, to Modernism, to Post-Modernism, and on and on. And of course, in the sciences, there are mountains of now-discredited concepts, from the geocentric solar system of Ptolemy, to the notion of a flat earth, to the now debunked model of a slowing universe. Each of these advances or developments represents a step forward and every theory we disprove or discard brings us

closer to a true understanding of existence. Since this idea of physical and philosophical understanding transcends astrophysics, I got to thinking about the sixth form, and about the rapidly evolving world you are entering. With that prospect in mind, I began to wonder what other theories of knowledge will be disproven for you, or perhaps by you, in the years ahead. And though the possibilities are endless, I’d like to offer my suggestion for three pseudo-scientific theories of my own invention that I’d like to see dismantled. So in addition to being a reader, I am also something of a technology geek. I am intrigued by gadgets of all sorts, and I love when some new device or innovation arrives to make our lives easier or better. At the same time, I also recognize that technology is a very sharp, two-edged sword. It makes some things easier, but often at a real cost to us as people. With that in mind, the first model I’d like to see discarded is what I would call the “Law of Pervasive Connectivity.” This is the rather mistaken notion that it is essential to our existence to be online or digitally connected at all times and in all places. I love my iPhone, and think it’s an elegant, useful device, but I have come to view it with a fair measure of suspicion as well. I’m not sure I like it tracking my movements, and I find myself reacting instinctively to its chirps and buzzes in a way that unnerves me. When a notification arrives, I am hard pressed not to check it immediately, even sometimes in the middle of the night. It’s a reaction ingrained enough that I, like many of us I suspect, have been tricked more than once by the entirely false, phantom buzzing of my phone.

Head of School Eric Peterson awards the Choir Prize to Sophie DenUyl ’13.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

Prize Day G

R A D U A T I O N

I do take some comfort in knowing I am not alone in my distraction. In fact, recent studies have suggested that smartphone users check their devices an average of 150 times a day. This is likely not a good thing mind you, since the degree of distraction that our technology is creating may actually be making us dumber. For those who think you can effectively “multitask”—texting, listening to music, answering email, and writing a paper all at once, I have bad news. Neurologists have come to describe this practice not as multitasking, but as “toggling,” as in flipping back and forth between many functions, and it turns out toggling hurts your brain. In fact, its been reported that students who engaged in toggling performed 20 percent worse on a cognitive test than those who focused on one task at a time. So being “always on” with our technology may not be such a good thing after all. The problem is that it’s both tempting and easy to be drawn into pervasive connectivity. I think in order to overthrow this model, we need to make a conscious effort to disconnect, and that is increasingly hard to do. We need to remember that there is a quantum difference between our virtual, online lives and the physical world we actually inhabit. It may be fun to connect online, and to keep up with each other, but we need to remember it’s really just a sort of game. After all, no number of Facebook “likes” can take the place of one real friend to laugh with you in person or to support you in an hour of need. Remember what I suggested

PHOTO BY

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Head of School Eric Peterson chats with 2012-13 school prefects Becky Cutler, Ziye Hu, Lisbeily Mena and Theresa Salud outside the chapel on Prize Day.

2 013

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

back on Parents Weekend, and acknowledge that if human beings are indeed not insects, then we are also surely more than a profile, or an avatar, or slaves to our machines. The second construct I’d like to see discarded is what we can call the “Theory of General Materialism.” Everyone likes to have nice things. Be it a new computer, clothes, a house or a car, we are often drawn to material goods. Some of this comes from our nature as humans, but I fear much of it comes from a landscape that cultivates our worst tendencies to greed and acquisitiveness. I am further reminded that each of us, even in our least materialistic moments, has more than most people on Earth, and that even here in the United States, there are many who lack basic necessities. Though we would do well to be mindful of this perspective, it can still be hard to remember this at times, as we so frequently desire more and “better” things. As described in the line from the hymn we sang at Baccalaureate that cautions us against being “rich in things and poor in soul,” there is real peril when our desire for material goods clouds our view of the world and what is truly important. I was reminded of this in a small way recently when I accidentally put my wallet through the wash. There was no real harm done, though I lost a few receipts and business cards I had collected. In fact, the only real loss was of three small photographs I had kept in my wallet for years, one of Mrs. Peterson, and two of our boys. They had survived more than one other mishap, but in this most recent washing, they were completely destroyed. At first I was really upset, feeling keenly the loss of several small, but irreplaceable items. Once I’d overcome my initial dismay however, I quickly realized that no real harm had taken place, and that the loss, while a shame, was ultimately quite trivial. Besides, it had been a long time since I’d really looked at the pictures anyway. As I said, it’s a small, trivial example, but it was a good reminder to me that it’s seductively easy to become owned by the things we own, and that no matter how much we love a house, a car, a photograph, they will never love us back. Only our friends and families do that, and our possessions need to remain a sideline of our lives, not the focal point. As tempting as it is to

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY PHOTO BY

literally buy into the notion of “who dies with the most toys wins” it’s a trap, one that is distracting to our real, greater purpose as human beings. Which brings me to the third and final theory I’d like to see dismantled. “The Chicken Little Postulate” is connected to the “Theory of General Materialism” through what we can call the “Media Corollary.” This connection is drawn from the fact that, as a generation, you have been told again and again, mostly by a mediaindustrial complex that wants to sell you things, that the world is in trouble, and your future is one filled with danger, doubt and disaster. This is, in a word, nonsense. Is our world faced with significant and serious challenges, from hunger, to natural disaster, to political unrest and economic uncertainty? Of course it is, but it always has been. Are today’s challenges any worse than those faced during the Middle Ages, when ignorance and fear ruled the day? Are the dangers greater than those faced by the world during World War II or at the height of the Cold War, when nuclear apocalypse threatened? Is the heartache we face more pervasive than that present in the time before modern medicine gave humanity tools to cure or improve the conditions of the sick? Of course not. Don’t listen to the fear mongers and wistful nostalgics. The “good old days” are ahead of you, not behind us. Just as in the story of Chicken Little, the sky is not falling, the world is not about to end, and your future is not a dark one. I know this because I know you. I have seen your energy, your intelligence, your creativity and your work ethic. I know how your families have raised you, and I know how we have helped to train you. You have been given a great gift, both before you came here and during your time at St George’s. You’ve been shown the wisdom and learning of the ages and given the skills to apply them. You’ve been taught to strive for excellence and to compete to be the best you can be, and you’ve been shown how to live lives of honor, faith and courage. Do not listen to advertising that is meant to cultivate your insecurities; do not accept news stories built around the premise that “if it bleeds, it leads.” You have been taught and trained and raised to be agents of positive influence on the world. This is what John Diman meant when he spoke of the graduates of this school living “lives of constructive

service to the world and to God.” This is what we mean when we offer in the school prayer our hope that as graduates you will leave this school “well-equipped for the battle of life.” In the end, your job as graduates of St. George’s is to live your lives in ways that dismantle and disprove the “Chicken Little Postulate” by demonstrating and reinforcing the best of our nature as humans, and in so doing, improve the fate of the world. In the event this whole extended astrophysical theory metaphor is a little too confusing, let me offer a simpler, parallel one. Rather than redefining the universe and creating new “scientific” theories, think instead of the hand game, “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” You know, the one where rock breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, and paper wraps rock. Only this time, instead of the neat, circular logic of the game, consider the following linear relationships: In our universe, hope breaks despair, freedom defeats tyranny, and always and forever, love overcomes hate. Sometimes it’s hard to believe this, and sometimes it takes a long time to be evident, but since the beginning of the universe these things have always been true. Keep that in mind, and you’ll be fine. So Class of 2013, on behalf of the school, I offer our fondest hopes and prayers that you will bring forth in your lives all of the bounty and promise and success you so richly deserve. May the Lord watch over you all, and bring you safely and happily back to us someday. Good luck, Godspeed and congratulations once more on all you have achieved. Eric F. Peterson has been the head of school since 2004. He can be reached at eric_peterson@stgeorges.edu.

Head of School Eric Peterson awards the Samuel Powel Cup to Ryan Conlogue ’13 on Prize Day.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

The Prizes G

R A D U A T I O N

2 013

B INNEY P RIZE — For the highest scholarship in the Sixth Form:

K ING M EDAL

FOR

E XCELLENCE

L ATIN :

Rebecca Warren Cutler

JAI YOUNG SHIN

R IVES F RENCH P RIZE : D RURY P RIZE — For excellence in

Ziye Hu

graphic arts:

Alison Applewhite Ghriskey

C HINESE P RIZE — Awarded to a student who has demonstrated consistently high performance in the study of Mandarin Chinese and shown a genuine interest in the Chinese language and culture while at St. George’s:

H OWE P RIZE — For excellence in art: Bethany Lynn Fowler

JAI Y OUNG S HIN

A RCHITECTURE P RIZE :

Marine and Environmental Biology:

Sienna Warriner Turecamo

Oona Carolena Pritchard

J ACOBY B IOLOG Y P RIZE :

1978 M USIC P RIZE —

Han (Joanna) Xu

Awarded to the student who through personal effort has inspired the musical life of the school:

T HE R EAR A DMIR AL J OHN R EMEY W ADLEIGH M EMORIAL P RIZE —

Ziye Hu

Awarded to a student whose enthusiasm for and interest in history and marine studies are worthy of special recognition:

T HE S T . G EORGE ’ S “T ONY D U B OURG ” I NSTRUMENTAL M USIC P RIZE — Named

Sophia Elisabeth DenUyl

in memory of the founder and former director of St. George’s Brass Ensemble and awarded to the student whose talents, dedication and leadership have contributed the most to the instrumental program of the school:

C ENTENNIAL P RIZE — Inaugurated during the school’s centennial year. Awarded to a boy and girl of the graduating class who have demonstrated extraordinary and inspirational efforts on behalf of the school community:

Sophia Elisabeth DenUyl

student whose abilities and efforts have contributed most to the theater at St. George’s:

Sophia Elisabeth DenUyl

E NGLISH :

Bethany Lynn Fowler

D ARTMOUTH C OLLEGE A LUMNI H ISTORY P RIZE :

M ATHEMATICS :

E VANS S PANISH P RIZE : Sophia Elisabeth DenUyl 30

PHOTO BY

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Xingyan (Simon) Li

Han (Joanna) Xu

Tyshon Kyiem Henderson Hannah Wise McCormack (The next four prizes in athletics are awarded by vote of the coaches.) girl of the Sixth Form whose steady devotion to the high ideals of good sportsmanship has been an inspiration to her fellow students:

Katherine Alice Bienkowski

Left: Alex Gates ’13 shows off his diploma to Bethany Fowler ’13 on Prize Day.

W OOD D R AMATICS P RIZE — For the

E DGAR P RIZE

in the opinion of the Headmaster and the Athletic Directors, possess a passion for athletics and who demonstrate the dedication and the sportsmanship to succeed in a variety of athletic endeavors:

Alana Claire McMahon John Garvoille Coaty

C HOIR P RIZE :

FOR

G EORGE D. D ONNELLY A THLETIC A WARD — Awarded to a girl and boy who,

M ARY E USTIS Z ANE C UP — Awarded to a

William Russell Fleming

L OGAN P RIZE

H EADMASTER ’ S A WARD — To the Senior Prefect for his faithful devotion to the many duties of the past year:

T HE R AMSING P RIZE — For excellence in

C AMER A P RIZE :

Itohan Teni Orobator

William Russell Fleming

William Leatherman

T HE C L ASS

D EAN S CHOL ARSHIP — In memory of Charles Maitland Dean, Senior Prefect 1968, killed in Laos in 1974. Given by his family and friends, and awarded for the Sixth Form year to a boy or girl who has demonstrated a concern for the community, the ability to lead, and a sense of civic responsibility: (Presented by trustee Bill Dean ’73 P’06)

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Right (clockwise from top): 2013 graduates Duncan McGaan, Michael McGinnis, Hannah McCormack, Allie McLane, Alana McMahon, Bobby Mey, Lisbeily Mena, Drew Michaelis, Anna Millar, and Jeremy Monk celebrate on Prize Day; Will Leatherman ’13 accepts the Architecture Prize; Ito Orobator ’14 is awarded the Dean Scholarship; Hannah McCormack ’13, winner of the Jefferys Prize, accepts her diploma.

T HAYER C UP — Awarded to a boy of the Sixth Form whose steady devotion to the high ideals of good sportsmanship has been an inspiration to his fellow students: Alexander Avery Gates MOREAU

L OUISE E LLIOT C UP — Awarded to a Sixth

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Form girl for excellence in athletics and for promoting the spirit of hard, clean play:

Oona Carolena Pritchard

S AMUEL P OWEL C UP — Awarded to a Sixth Form boy for excellence in athletics and for promoting the spirit of hard, clean play:

Richard Ryan Conlogue (The following prizes are awarded by vote of the faculty.)

A LLEN P RIZE — To a member of the Fourth Form who during the year, in the opinion of the faculty, has maintained a high standard in all departments of the life of the school: Elizabeth Hale Scheibe

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T HE J EFFERYS P RIZE — Given in memory of Cham Jefferys to the Sixth Former who in the opinion of the faculty has done the most to enhance the moral and intellectual climate of the school:

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Margaret Elizabeth Schroeder

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of the Fifth Form whom the Headmaster and the faculty deem most worthy in scholarship, effort and character:

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

H ARVARD AND R ADCLIFFE C LUBS OF R HODE I SL AND P RIZE — For the student

Hannah Wise McCormack

P HELPS M ONTGOMERY F RISSELL P RIZE — Awarded to the member of the Sixth Form who, in the opinion of the faculty, has made the best use of his or her talents:

Caroline Claire Thompson

S T . G EORGE ’ S M EDAL — Awarded to the KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

member of the Sixth Form who, in the opinion of the faculty, through effort, character, athletics and scholarship during the year has best caught and expressed the ideals and spirit of St. George’s:

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Theresa Anne Salud

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And they’re off ...

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Here’s where our graduates are heading:

Eadie Kremer ’13 will attend George Washington University and Duncan McGaan ’13 heads to Davidson College this fall.

Barnard College (2) Bates College (3) Berklee College of Music Boston College (2) Boston University Bucknell University (3) Carleton University (Canada) Claremont McKenna College (2) College of Charleston Colorado College Concordia University (Canada) Connecticut College

Davidson College (2) Deerfield Academy (PG) Duke University Elon University (4) Emory University Fashion Institute of Technology Fisk University Florida Institute of Technology Franklin & Marshall College Furman University George Washington University (4) Georgetown University

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F F I C E

Gettysburg College Hamilton College-NY Ithaca College (2) Johns Hopkins University Kenyon College Lehigh University Louisiana State University Marist College Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College New York University (3) Northeastern University Pitzer College Queen's University (Canada) Reed College RISD Rice University Rutgers - New Brunswick Salve Regina University Sarah Lawrence College Savannah College of Art & Design (2) Seton Hall University St Lawrence University St Olaf College Stanford University Trinity College (5) Tufts University Tulane University United States Coast Guard Academy University of Edinburgh (Scotland) University of Florida University of Maine University of Massachusetts Amherst University of Miami University of New Hampshire University of Pennsylvania (2) University of Puget Sound University of Rhode Island University of Richmond (2) University of St. Andrews (Scotland) University of the South-Sewanee University of Vermont (4) University of Virginia (2) Wake Forest University

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Exchanges keep teachers learning, students expanding horizons WARREN WILLIAMS

Art Department Chair Mike Hansel will travel to Hong Kong in March to take part in an ongoing teacher exchange with the Chinese International School in Hong Kong.

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From Sept. 23-30, a group of students from the Commercial College of Iceland in Reykjavík will visit St. George’s, as part of a program organized by Director of Global Programs Jeremy Goldstein following his Global Studies class’ visit to the country in 2011. Also, a group of 25 teachers from Iceland will spend the day at St. George’s on Oct. 19. The educators will tour the campus, visit classes and meet with SG teachers, including the staff of the Merck-Horton Center for Teaching and Learning, directed by Tom Callahan. In a reciprocal program, English teacher Ali Glassie ’04 and Administrative Technology Coordinator Ed McGinnis will lead a group of students on a visit to the Commercial College of Iceland in March 2014. Math teacher Warren Williams and Head of the Science Department Holly Williams took Becky Cutler ’13, Alex Medeiros ’14, Bobby Mey ’13, Austin Scheerer ’13 and Hannah McCormack ’13 to CCI and on a tour of Iceland this past March.

Three South African students will join the St. George’s student body for several weeks this fall as part of our exchange program with the all-boys Bishop’s School and the all-girls St. Cyprian’s School in Cape Town. Assistant Director of Library Services Laura Weber and science teacher Devon Ducharme will accompany Director of Global Programs Jeremy Goldstein and his students on the Global Studies Seminar trip to the Dominican Republic in March 2014.

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ADAM CHOICE

Director of Library Services and Archives Holly Nagib will travel to Jordan in March to take part

Faculty members Adam Choice ’06 and Virginia Buckles visited historic sites in Jordan (above) during a March teacher exchange.

in a relatively new exchange with King’s Academy, the independent school founded in 2007 and guided by the vision of King Abdullah II, who studied at Deerfield Academy as a high school student in the 1970s. Latin teaching fellow Virginia Buckles and Assistant Director of Admission and Athletic Liaison Adam Choice ’06 were the first SG representatives to visit King’s this past March.

Bobby Mey ’13, Becky Cutler ’13, Hannah McCormack ’13, Austin Scheerer ’13 and Alex Medeiros ’14 pose on the “law rock” in Pingvellir, home to the largest natural lake in Iceland.

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Photos and journal entries online at www.stgeorges.edu/china2013

A BANNER SUMMER FOR T H E C H I N E S E D E PA R T M E N T The Chinese Department launched its Summer Immersion Program this year with a blockbuster trip to multiple locations in China and Hong Kong. Stu-

city of Xi’an, “Asia’s World City” of Hong Kong, and the vibrant city of Shenzhen located in the Special Economic Zone. Of special note as well were visits to our “sister school” in Shanghai, YK Pao, where former Director of Global Studies Tony Jaccaci is head, visits to Chinese companies including Alibaba Co. and Airtime Sporting Goods Co. Ltd. (a kite factory), and a service project at the Dandelion School.

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GOING GLOBAL

dents participating in the program—Katelyn Hutchinson ’14, Amanda Warren ’15, Irene Luperon ’14, Andie Plumeri ’14, Lilly Schopp ’15, Michaela Ahern ’15, Emily Kallfelz ’15 and Will Hill ’14 (above)—left the States June 14 and returned July 12. The students—led by Chinese teacher Xiaoyu Chen and his wife, Zhongli— visited the rapidly growing cities of Shanghai and Beijing, the coastal city of Hangzhou, the ancient capital

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April 8-12 was Global Week at SG and we celebrated diversity and global awareness with a number of special events. On April 9 Sydney Jarrett ’16, Tyshon Henderson ’13 and Dominique Samuel ’13 gave a special presentation on the KIPP Charter School program in New Jersey. A Spanish tertulia took place that evening in the Hamblet Campus Center. On April 11, French students organized a café, offering pain au chocolate and other assorted pastries. Wrapping up the week on April 12, Zahra Arabzada ’15 (right) gave a special talk in assembly outlining her experience as a young girl in Afghanistan and her appreciation for the chance to study and live at SG. At lunchtime, alum Adolphe Coulibaly ’04, a native of the Ivory Coast, spoke to international students about his experiences coming to the United States for the first time to study at St. George’s.

STUDENTS VISIT SG FROM ‘ S I S T E R S C H O O L’ I N S H A N G H A I

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St. George’s hosted a group of 22 Chinese middleschool students from the YK Pao School in Shanghai— where former SG Director of Global Programs Tony Jaccaci is head—for a special three-week program on campus July 8-26. The program was a joint venture with the Pennfield School in Portsmouth, R.I. Recent alums Anna Millar ’13, Mary Behan ’10 and Ian Tigh ’10 were back on the Hilltop to serve as teaching assistants and residential advisors in Wheeler and Buell dormitories. The YK Pao students spent each morning with science teacher Dr. Bob Wein, who taught the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) course for the program while history teaching fellow Cassie Rudden taught English and humanities. Pennfield hosted the students in the afternoon.

GCIP students experience work, culture in Paris, London and Madrid Taking part in the GCIP Madrid program for three weeks this summer were Hannah Macaulay ’14, Katherine Bauer ’14, Margaret Schroeder ’14, Tim Howe ’14, John DeLuca ’14 and Ito Orobator ’14. Now in its second year, the Spanish Language immersion program included visits to the ancient city of Toledo, the city of Segovia, many museums and restaurants.

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s part of the Global Cultural Initiatives Program, this summer French Department Chair Allison de Horsey led groups of students to Paris and London, while Spanish teacher Amy Dorrien-Traisci led a group to Madrid. Both programs featured both sightseeing, internships with local companies and homestays with local families. Taking part in the Paris program this year were (right) Hayley Durudogan ’14, Maggie Maloy ’14, Lilly Scheibe ’15, Mary Keith ’14, Maddie Parker ’13 and Wendy Huang ’14. Now in its fourth year, the GCIP program has established a strong relationship with the prestigious Curie Institute, a boon to young science students. This year Wendy interned at the Intitute’s Génétique de la Suppression Tumorale lab; Mary interned in the Structural Motility lab; Maddie worked in the Stem Cells and Tissue Homeostasis lab; and Lilly interned in the Notch Signaling in Stem Cells and Tumors lab. Meanwhile, Maggie worked for the French companies, NLB Conseil, an executive search and talent management agency, and Hayley interned at Tg Communications, a public relations firm. “Both companies have welcomed SG students into their offices in the past and have graciously imparted their expertise and professional wisdom to the interns,” de Horsey said.

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My internship at the Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Madrid

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BY MARGARET SCHROEDER ’14 Following is one of several blog entries posted at http://gcipmadrid.blogspot.com by the students in the Global Cultural Initiatives Program who spent three weeks in June in Madrid, Spain.

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ALLISON DE HORSEY

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Top: John DeLuca ’14, Ito Orobator ’14, Katherine Bauer ’14, Hannah Macaulay

’14, Margaret Schroeder ’14 and Tim Howe ’14 spent three weeks this summer in Madrid. Above: Bailey Clement ’13, Lily Sanford ’14, Annabella Doyle ’14 and Aubrey Salmon ’14 pose in front of the Tower of London.

Katherine, Ito and John worked as interns in the Hotel Santo Mauro, located on the calle de Zurbano. Hannah and Margaret had internships at the Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Madrid. Working and sightseeing in London were Lily Sanford ’14, Bailey Clement ’13, Annabella Doyle ’14, Aubrey Salmon ’14, Erick Lu ’15 and Hanni Chen ’13. Lily landed an internship at the shoe company FitFlop; Bailey worked at Little Dish, an organic baby food company; Annabella interned in the International Herald Tribune’s Conference Department; Aubrey worked at Bowline Capital Partners, a financial firm; Erick worked at Claranet Ltd., a managed services firm; and Hanni spent her internship at Markham Rae LTD, a financial firm. A number of SG alums helped arrange the internships. A sincere thanks to Claranet Managing Director Michel Robert ’84, Bowline Capital Managing Partner Lukas Kolff ’92 and Carol Whitaker ’85, whose husband, Giles McClelland, is COO at Markham Rae Ltd.

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Prior to my arrival in Spain, and my arrival at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid, the only information I had about my practice for the next two weeks was this (quoted from an email from the coordinator of our internships at the Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Madrid): “The student will be at the laboratory preparing, with the Ph.D. students, new materials. He/she will be involved in the preparation and characterization of eutectic mixtures, the study of phase segregation processes in eutectic mixtures and the use of eutectic mixtures in polycondensation reactions.” Although I have learned a lot in my biology and chemistry classes at St. George’s, I had little idea what any of this meant (in English, much less in Spanish). Therefore, I went into my internship at the ICMM with an open mind, contented with my high school level of preparation but fully aware that I was not going to completely understand the advanced concepts that the Ph.D.s were toying with. Indeed, I was correct. My first day on the job, I received basic explanations of the lab processes and the work that the group does, which for me were far from basic. When I was asked, in Spanish, of course, if I was familiar with the different types of “enlaces” and shook my head, members of the group went wide-eyed. I guess it would have helped to learn some basic Spanish science vocab beforehand, particularly “enlace,” the word for chemical bond. Amongst many other things, I have learned many lab vocab words, some of which I’m not even sure how to translate to English, and some of which are cognates. Here are a few: “Compuesto” is compound, “células” are cells (another essential), “campaña” is hood (for experiments

Read the GCIP-Madrid blog at http://gcipmadrid.blogspot.com/ AMY DORRIEN-TRAISCI

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that are dangerous or require a sterile environment), “congelador” is freezer, “pipeta” for pipette, “cultivo” for culture, “muestra” for slide/sample, and “tripsina” for “trypsin.” From what I’ve gathered, there are two parts to the Bioinspired Materials group. The larger part, which works in the bigger lab, experiments with and creates the actual bioinspired materials (I guess these would be the “eutectic mixtures” mentioned above). In simpler terms, it looks a lot like cooking plastic-looking substances. The basic process I have observed is: chemicals are mixed, usually in liquid form, and then placed in an oven or a burner to cook, or solidify. Sometimes they are also frozen. The materials made in the lab are potentially used in both biomedical and energy-efficiency applications. The other part of the group deals more with biology, using live cells in a much smaller lab. The majority of the work I’ve observed in the big lab has been with “grafeno,” or graphene. Julian, the scientist who works with graphene, has explained to me the basics of what the material does and how it’s made. Graphene is a form of carbon that can form a layer of hexagonal carbon atoms just one atom thick. As a material, it is also very strong and a good conductor, giving it the potential to make several products and devices, such as airplanes and solar panels, lighter and more efficient. Graphene might also facilitate the growth of cells, giving it the potential to be used in processes like tissue regeneration in biomedical fields. The process of making the graphene is quite interesting, and surprisingly resembles baking a cake, with a recipe to follow and everything. The process starts with an oxidation reaction. First, Julian combines carbon and sulfuric acid in this funky-shaped vial. Slowly, purple permanganate is added, and then water. While the water is being added, purple permanganate fumes are emitted (my favorite part—it resembles a witches’ brew). During the whole reaction process, Julian is careful to keep the temperature controlled (at times high, at times low), because the reaction can be dangerous. After this reaction, the liquid is “cleaned” with acid and placed in a centrifuge to separate the desired carbon from other liquids. The graphene is later frozen with a mechanical arm using liquid nitrogen, creating the desired spaces between the layers of graphene. Later, the ice in between the layers is converted straight into gas in a process of sublimation, and a spongy-looking solid remains. The whole process

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John DeLuca ’14, Ito Orobator ’14, Margaret Schroeder ’14, Hannah Macaulay ’14, Katherine Bauer ’14 and Tim Howe ’14 in Madrid.

takes about two days. Julian has given me two vials of “my” graphene to take home (one liquid, one solid)! We’ll see how the TSA feels about this. In the smaller lab, I have worked with Maria Conception (Conchi, for short), a biologist who works with cell cultures in order to test the synthetic materials on living cells. Conchi’s lab is sterile, to prevent contamination, complete with a hood that prevents air exchange and creates a sterile environment to work with the cells, and my favorite part: a biohazard trash can. This, combined with my lab coat, facemask, glasses and gloves, fulfilled my nerdy dreams of working in a real-life science lab. I’ll admit, I got a thrill out of working “under the hood” to prevent contamination. Conchi works with mostly rat and pig cells, and keeps them in an incubator or a freezer. During my days with Conchi, I helped (hands on) transfer, plant, freeze and unfreeze cell cultures. To test synthetic materials on cells, Conchi places a drop of cells into the material (which looks like a white powder), and then freezes the tiny droplet. Later, we unfreeze and view the cells under the microscope to see how they are doing. Conchi records everything in her notebook. In the past two weeks, I have learned a lot of material, received almost completely in Spanish. Though at times my brain is overloaded, Bioinspired Materials is fascinating and engaging. Every day, I come away satisfied that I have learned something new (and that I have dressed the part of a scientist). I am extremely grateful to all of my mentors for taking the time to pause and explain every step of the process, answering my questions, and for being patient with me and my level of knowledge (in both Spanish and science). After each day and each project, my mentor for that day almost always showed me photos to explain what we had done that day, or a publication to give me a bigger picture. I have discovered that the experimental work done in the lab, however small it might seem, is part of a larger process with an important goal. I hope one day I will be able to read about the developments resulting from the use of bioinspired materials (and maybe understand all of the jargon, too). Margaret Schroeder ’14, of Palm Beach, Fla., can be reached at Margaret_Schroeder@stgeorges.edu.

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Developing students— and supporters

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BY ROBERT WESTON

ne of my favorite high school English teachers was fond of saying that, “good teaching doesn’t demand; it elicits.” I confess that under the pressure of what seemed like never-ending reading assignments, challenging essay topics and intense class discussions, his teaching seemed plenty demanding, and I wondered if, perhaps, he wasn’t a good teacher after all. As a high school junior struggling to meet his demands, I didn’t quite understand what he meant. But I remember that I liked the saying, in large

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part, because I really liked him—his passion for the subject, his lack of pretension, his humor, his willingness to clear space for us to think and to talk, and his unbridled enthusiasm for our possibilities and potential. In thinking about his meaning, I also needed to make sure that I understood the difference between the words “elicit” and “illicit,” (a stealth vocabulary exercise, I now realize). He reminded us, with a wry smile, that confusing the two words would be perilous. Once I was comfortable with my understanding of the word

“elicit,” I clearly remember thinking about how, exactly, his teaching was achieving this. After all, he wasn’t telling me anything, and I wasn’t sure I was giving him anything, either. Though I may never have been fully conscious of it at the time, over the years, I have come to realize that his teaching certainly was great, and that he did, indeed, elicit something from me. Through his teaching of literature, poetry and writing, he drew me in and, in turn, drew me out—out of my academic tentativeness and insecurity and into a place of belonging and confidence. By cultivating in me curiosity and interest, he ignited my own passion for the subject, and helped me recognize and appreciate my abilities. Now, after 25 years as a classroom teacher, I think I have a better understanding of what he was talking about: development. He was demonstrating that good teaching happened at the junction of inspiration and support, a place where you could work out an understanding for yourself and apply it to your own experience. Specifically, he was helping our development. Since making the transition from teaching into the Alumni/ae Development office, I’ve been thinking a lot about that word—development (both the big “D” and the small “d”)—and the vital role that it plays in the life of St. George’s. Initially, it seemed a curious word to apply to the work of fundraising and alumni/ae relations, but through the many conversations I’ve had recently, I understand the word much better in the context of my new role. I have come to realize that this work isn’t much different from my teaching, and that the goal has largely remained the same: to draw people in, to spark their curiosity, to evolve their interest, and to kindle (or, in some cases, to re-kindle) their passion for the school that was so instrumental in nurturing their own development. Over the past several months, I have had the good fortune to connect—and to re-connect—with a host of alumni/ae, many of whom are former English students, team members, dorm residents, and/or advisees. While it’s been fun reminiscing and hearing about a myriad of SG experiences, I have been struck by one constant: the gratitude for the role that our faculty has played in the lives of our alums. While I

have been delighted, humbled and, at times, surprised to learn that my own teaching or coaching hit the mark, eliciting a response or reaction that planted a seed of growth, I have been overwhelmed by the stories about our teachers and their uncanny ability to nurture that development. Whether it’s been Dan Hollins’ passion for American literature and history, Beth Horton’s unwavering support and patient guidance, Julie Butler’s thoughtful, impassioned basketball coaching, Dick Grosvenor’s inspired painting class, Jeff Simpson’s deft and poignant touch in connecting literature to life, Rose Bugnet’s firm yet compassionate care of her 20 House charges, or Tom Evans’ intense and fascinating microbiology class, just to name a few, our faculty’s ability to form meaningful relationships and to elicit (there’s that word) the best from each student has been the hallmark of our school. The depth and quality of this connection are what has made me proud to be a St. George’s faculty member. I am honored in my role as Associate Head of School to carry this connection forward to our alums, and to remind us all of the power and significance of good teaching. I realize as I never have before the importance of Development (big “D”) in supporting the development (“small d”) of generations of St. George’s students. Given the stories I have heard over these past months of the profound appreciation for the work of our faculty, I’m thinking I may have the placement of the “big D” all wrong! Robert Weston is the Associate Head of School and leader of the Alumni/ae and Development team. He can be reached at robert_weston@stgeorges.edu.

The staff of the Alumni/ae and Development Office (clockwise from left): Lesley Thurston, Quentin Warren, Gale Boone, Emmy Sullivan, Krista Sturtevant, Cindy Martin, Ann Weston, Susan Russell, Bill Douglas, Natalia do Couto and Bob Weston. Missing from the photo is Linda Michalek.

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Campus happenings Noted environmentalist delivers Burnett Lecture PHOTO BY J EREMY

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Note: The Burnett Lecture series, named in honor of the late Gilbert Burnett— Vincent Astor ’10 Chair in Science and Head of the Science Department emeritus—was established upon Mr. Burnett’s retirement in 1990 by several of his former students. Its mission is to educate students about threats to the health of the planet and strategies for preserving the balance of nature. Environment science student Sophie DenUyl ’13 introduced this year’s Burnett lecturer—environmental author, professor and activist Bill McKibben—to the audience.

Middlebury College Professor and noted environmental activist Bill McKibben delivers the Burnett Lecture in April.

Professor Bill McKibben acknowledges he’s the Debbie Downer of guest speakers. As the founder of 350.org, the international environmental organization formed to bring attention to the issue of global warming, McKibben says his main role in life is to talk about “the most depressing thing, really, that we’ve ever known on this planet.” But that doesn’t stop the Middlebury College professor and author from beating his environmentalist drum. McKibben delivered the annual Gilbert Y. Burnett Lecture in Madeira Hall on April 12—and his message was both oddly familiar and passionately personal. We’ve heard the story before: When you burn fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas—you emit large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. The CO2 traps heat in the atmosphere, hence global warming. But for McKibben—who along with just seven Middlebury undergraduates orchestrated what has been called the largest environmental demonstration on the planet on Oct. 24, 2009—stemming global warming means nothing short of saving civilization. Because of climate change, he said, already the cryosphere—the frozen sections of the earth—are

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melting, the ocean is more acidic and there’s been a dramatic increase in the moisture in the atmosphere, causing both intense drought in warm areas and storms like Superstorm Sandy in others. “But the scary thing is not what’s happened so far,” he told the students. “It’s what will happen in your lifetimes. The same scientists who told us these things would happen now tell us that unless we get off coal and gas and oil quickly, temperature rise will be 4 or 5 degrees over the course of your lifetimes—and if that happens then it becomes difficult to imagine civilizations on the scale that we’re used to still being able to function effectively.” 350.org takes its name from a scientific paper published in 2008 by climatologist and NASA scientist Jim Hansen who said that any value of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere greater than 350 parts per million is not compatible with the planet on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted. Scientists, McKibben said, now predict that increases in temperature, because of drought, will diminish grain yield and therefore world food supplies. “Try to imagine what that means to development, to public health, to war and peace, to hunger—to all the things around this planet that we care about. It would be not just a disaster, but by far the worst disaster that human beings have ever had to deal with. “We need to head it off. We need to quickly get off coal and oil and gas and replace them with other things.” Recounting his memories and showing photos of some of the 5,200 demonstrations that took place in 181 countries in 2009, he urged students to get involved in the movement. One of the reasons climate change caught the attention of the media in 2009, he said, was because the demonstrators didn’t look the way people thought environmentalists should look. “They didn’t look like members of the Sierra Club, but their hearts were in the same place: They were not thinking selfishly. They were thinking about the future. They were thinking about other people.”

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Red & White Editor-in-Chief Thomas Kits van Heyningen ’14 interviews Kim Phuc in March.

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Learning from Vietnam

The 13th annual St. George’s School College Fair took place on April 26. A number of college representatives were on hand to provide admission information and answer questions. The annual fair is a required event for the fourth and fifth formers. Seniors often drop by to check in with reps from colleges they’ve been accepted to.

As part of our annual Dent Lecture Series, students listened to a very compelling, emotional talk by the advocate for children of war Kim Phuc on March 4. Phuc is the girl in the iconic photograph taken during the Vietnam War that shows her running naked from her village after a napalm attack. Her message now is “to live with true love, hope and forgiveness ...” She spent time after the talk signing books and talking with interested students at a reception in the Morris Common Room. Students in Jim Connor’s Vietnam history class—Tyshon Henderson ’13, Sasha Tory ’14, Luc Woodard ’14, Juan De La Guardia ’13, Andrew Lynch ’14, Quang Hong ’14 and Adam D’Angelo ’14—gave a special presentation previewing the talk in a Friday assembly. The event was covered by the Newport Daily News.

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Photos from the Dent Lecture and an interview with Kim Phuc by Red & White Editor-in-Chief Thomas Kits van Heyningen ’14, are at www.stgeorges.edu/girlinthepicture.

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Left: Peter Carrellas ’14 and Margaret Schroeder ’14 present a talk on the Geronimo program during the Second Visit Program.

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Below left: Jim Cannell explains the science behind his organic coffee. Below right: Anna Millar introduces her mother, Dr. Mary Ann Millar, at a science brown-bag lunch discussion.

From honey tastings to health care discussions, the Science Department’s Brown-Bag Lunch series is known for offering a diverse set of learning opportunities for those interested in the subject of science. This spring’s calendar of events included a visit from Dr. Mary Ann Millar (supermom of Anna Millar ’13 and Elizabeth Millar ’15), who gave an enlightening talk April 5 on human papillomaviruses and what she sees as a physician (Ob-Gyn) in patients who have become infected by the virus. Kevin Proft from EcoRI.org presented a talk on the new recycling rules in Rhode Island on April 15. And on May 2, Jim Cannell, father of Josephine Cannell ’13 and Alex Cannell ’15, and owner/ founder of Jim’s Organic Coffee, made a presentation about organic and fair-trade coffee growing. The sci-

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ence building smelled especially good that day.

SECOND VISITS A number of our students participated in the Second Visit program April 2-6. The program included performances by singer/songwriter Miriam Elhajli ’13 and our a cappella groups, the Snapdragons and Hilltoppers; welcoming remarks by Phillip Young ’15, a talk by school prefect Theresa Salud ’13; a student panel discussion with Luc Woodard ’14, Sydney Jarrett ’16, Moudy Abdel-Maksoud ’15, Avery Dodd ’12, Lilly Scheibe ’15, and Jack Coaty ’13; a presentation on global programs by Reid Burns ’13 and Caroline Thompson ’13; and a presentation on the Geronimo program by Peter Carrellas ’14 and Margaret Schroeder ’14.

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Director of Student Activities Mary O’Connor is on a mission to lighten us all up a bit. Whether it’s hunting down a pinball machine for the winter formal or arranging for a wacky hypnotist on a Saturday night, O’Connor has student entertainment at the top of her priorities. Working closely with the school prefects, O’Connor orchestrated a slate of games, special events and entertainment opportunities this past year that would put most Newport party planners to shame. Following are just a few of the many events that caught our special attention this spring.

MARY O’CONNOR

Activities calendar kept lively by ‘Capt ain Fun’

Paint Dance 4.0 featured DJ Trademark.

Paint Dance 4.0 went off without a hitch on April 6. DJ Trademark spun the tunes. A messy, good time was had by all. Check out the video of a student limbo contest, part of a year-long series of club games organized by the school prefects, on our YouTube channel. A limbo contest May 3 and hula hoop competition were just some of the spirited highlights of the school prefect-organized club competition that went on all year long. Props to the flexible Amy Nuytkens ’15 and an honorable mention to Harry Parker ’13 in the limbo fest. Allison Williams ’15 and Ali Ghriskey ’13 held the crowd rapt with their hula skills.

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The first All-School Barbecue took place on Second Beach May 3.

The All-School Barbecue on Second Beach May 3 could not have been more fun. Beautiful evening. Major community spirit. While alumni/ae partied down at the hockey rink May 18, the prom for juniors and seniors and “morp” (prom spelled backwards) for freshmen and sophomores took place on campus. Pics are on our Flickr.com site. “Senior Week” activities included an ice cream social with the Alumni Office and a picnic at Merrick House.

Above left: Juan De La Guardia ’13 at the Merrick House Senior Picnic. Above right: Tory Cunningham ’13, Bethany Fowler ’13, Graham Cochrane ’11, Kate Hamrick ’13, Peter Durudogan ’13 and Raleigh Silvia ’13 at this year’s prom.

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Faculty/Staff notes Faculty milestones and honors English teacher Patricia Lothrop was invited to speak on “Literature of India” at the Groton (Mass.) Public Library, on March 10, as part of its spring series on India. Lothrop designed, and has taught for the past 15 years, a 10th grade honors world literature course incorporating Ramayana and contemporary fiction from the sub-continent. She has taught a senior elective on fiction and film from India, and another on fiction and film from the Asian “big four” (India, China, Japan and Korea). In 2011 she spent two months on sabbatical in India, looking, listening, reading, walking, and riding trains, planes, tuk-tuks, bicycle rickshaws, jeeps, buses and the Delhi subway. Her reviews (mainly nonfiction/reference) appear regularly in Library Journal and School Library Journal. She holds an A.B. degree from Columbia/Barnard, and a Ph.D. from Yale University. Colin Mort has been appointed the new head of the English Department. He arrived at St. George’s in 2010 from Knoxville, Tenn., where he has been working on his Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Tennessee. While at the university, Mort was both a teaching associate and an instructor in the English Department. He also has experience at the secondary level, having taught fiction writing for the past three summers at the University of Tennessee’s Young Writers Institute, and having spent two summers teaching writing and literature classes at 4 Star Academic Camps. Mort also has been an instructor at the University of Virginia, where he earned an M.F.A. in creative writing. Mort holds a B.A. in English from Colgate University. He is the dorm head of Wheeler Dorm where lives with his wife, Sarah and son, Brooks. Mort is head coach of the boys varsity squash and assistant coach of the boys varsity lacrosse teams.

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Safietou Sagna has been appointed head of the French Department, taking over from longtime head Allison de Horsey, who moves into a new position as Faculty Liaison to Global Programs and Merck-Horton Initiatives. Sagna, a native of Senegal, received her bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and her master’s degree from Safietou Sagna the University of Massachusetts. She joined the St. George’s faculty in 2007. Meanwhile, de Horsey moves into her new role after having been recognized as an innovator in developing new curriculum units based on the latest educational research. She has designed several curricular units in conjunction with the Merck-Horton Center, recognizing different learning styles among her students. A member of the faculty since 1994, she is also the founder of St. George’s Global Cultural Initiatives Program (GCIP), organizing summer cultural immersion trips and internship opportunities for students in Paris. The program recently expanded to Madrid and London. Allison earned her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and her A.L.M. degree from Harvard. Catherine Rodero Scholhamer has been appointed head of the Spanish Department, taking over from longtime head Mafalda Nula, who will continue to teach Spanish classes. Catherine holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies with a specialization in Spanish language, literature and culture from Middlebury College. Catherine Rodero She spent her junior year Scholhamer studying in Middlebury’s language program in Madrid. Catherine arrived at St. George’s in 2006 after having served as a sabbatical replacement at Belmont Hill School, where she has taught middle and upper school Spanish, served as the sophomore class advisor, and assisted in coaching the middle school soccer and lacrosse teams.

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Donna Woishek, who served St. George’s as assistant to the head of school for 17 years—eight with the late Headmaster Charles A. Hamblet and nine with current Head of School Eric F. Peterson—retired at the end of the school year to spend more time with her husband, Ray, her high school sweetheart, who has been diagnosed with a serious illness. “Donna has been the invaluable central cog at the heart of the St. George’s machine,” Peterson told the crowd during Prize Day services in May as he presents a gift of appreciation. “She has managed all aspects of the school: calendars, committees, agendas—both literal and figurative—faculty, the board, not to mention the peculiarities of two different headmasters—and through it all, over all the years, she has been a consummate, hardworking professional.” The mother of three St. George’s graduates—cur-

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Longtime head’s assist ant and SG mom Donna Woishek retires

rent faculty member Ray Woishek Jr. ’89, Daniel Woishek ’91 and Carolyn Woishek Hagist ’03— Donna said she still remembers fondly the day she came to the Hilltop for an Admission appointment with Ray Jr., passing through the red front doors to Old School. “Donna has been part of this school since 1984,” Peterson added on Prize Day, “and we will quite literally not be the same without her.”

Head of School Eric Peterson presents Donna Woishek with a retirement gift at Prize Day as his wife, Associate Director of Admission Krista Peterson, applauds.

Two faculty members recently earned postgraduate degrees: Dean of Faculty Lucy Goldstein graduated with an M.Ed. from Teachers College, Columbia University, this spring. She studied in the organization and leadership program, which is offered through the Klingenstein Center and focuses on independent school leadership. Form dean and science teacher James Stevens received his master’s degree in education from the University of Rhode Island in December.

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Fort Adams,” was published by History Press in June. TroostCramer, a longtime tour guide at various sites in Newport, said she wrote the book to help people understand that while the fort never saw any wartime action, some 287 people lost their lives in tragic ways there who should be remembered.

MARGARET DIPALMA

A nonfiction book by religion teacher Kathleen Troost-Cramer, titled “True Tales of Life & Death at

Latin teaching fellow Virginia Buckles, science teacher Devon Ducharme and former assistant director of admission and athletic liaison Sarah Dick ’07 (above) — along with Head of the Science Department Holly Williams, and math teachers Warren Williams and Abbie DiPalma — participated in the Tough Mudder event in Boston in June.

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Faculty/Staff notes

DIANNE REED

New teachers join the SG Faculty PHOTO BY

Compiled by Dean of Faculty Lucy Goldstein Tony Arrow – Geronimo Captain

Tony has more than 25 years of experience as a professional mariner and educator. As an expert in experiential education, planning and logistics in the maritime field, he has been hired by organizations such as the South Street Seaport Museum, Mystic Seaport: the Museum of America and the Sea, Ocean Classroom Foundation, Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation and NY 40 Marilee Racing. With those organizations he has provided logistics coordination, vessel surveys, education plan evaluation and voyage planning and event management. Adolphe Coulibaly ’04 was back on campus From 2006 to 2009, he was the senior this spring to talk to students about his captain with the South Carolina experience moving to the U.S. from the Maritime Foundation for which he Ivory Coast. He joins the faculty this fall. delivered marine experiential education for high school students in South Carolina. Tony lives in Providence. He captained Geronimo during its trip to Bermuda this summer.

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Captain Tony Arrow

we are pleased that he will be returning to us, this time as an English teacher. George attended Wesleyan University and received his M.A.L.S. degree from Dartmouth College in the fall of 2011, with an impressive thesis entitled “From Cowboy Hats to Capes: Popular Conceptions of American Heroism.” In addition to his teaching, George will coach JV basketball and track and serve as a dorm parent. George is married to Becca Briggs, an attorney, and is a father to their 6-month-old, Iris. Adolphe Coulibaly – French

Adolphe, a very familiar face as a 2004 graduate of St. George’s and former SG summer school teacher, will join us as a French teacher this fall. Originally from the Ivory Coast, he holds a B.A. in political science and French from Amherst College and has been teaching French and history and coaching soccer and basketball at Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, R.I., for the past five years. In addition to teaching, Adolphe will serve as a dorm parent, as well as assistant coach for the boys’ varsity soccer team and as a JV boys’ basketball coach. Adolphe, his wife, Elise, who is a special education teacher in North Attleboro, and 3-year-old son, Brandon, moved to campus from southern Massachusetts this summer. James Eberhart – Math

George Briggs – English

George is no stranger to St. George’s, having begun his teaching career here in 2004. Ever since his departure two years ago, he has been teaching Latin and coaching track at Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, Conn., while living in Brooklyn, N.Y. The call of the Hilltop proved too much for George to resist, and

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James will join SG as a math teacher, dorm parent, and coach this fall, having just spent a year in New York City completing his M.A. in private school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. Originally from Maine, James holds a B.A. from Wheaton College and has served in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria, worked as the mobile op-

erations manager at Outward Bound in Massachusetts, and, most recently, served as a math teacher and outdoor education instructor at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine, for five years. After a year in the city, he is eager to get back to the boarding school world. At SG, he will take on four sections of math, dorm parenting, and coaching roles in soccer and swimming. Holly Grosvenor ’75, P’11, ’15 – Art

Holly, an accomplished architect and LEED AP project manager with Northeast Collaborative Architects Inc., will teach the architecture class this year while Lisa Hansel is on sabbatical. Among many notable projects, her recent work includes the design of the new Loeb Visitors Center at Touro Synagogue in Newport. The daughter of former head of the Art Department and renowned local painter Richard Grosvenor and the mother of Rachel Asbel ’11 and Joey Asbel ’15, Holly has had an intimate connection with St. George’s for years. She is also active in the local community, serving as chair of Friends of the Jane Pickens Theater, a nonprofit working to save the historic theater in the heart of Newport. She graduated from Brown University in 1979 and from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design with a master’s degree in architecture in 1983. Susie Keller – Assistant Director of Admission

Susie joins SG as an assistant director of admission from Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, Mass., where she has served for two years as the director of constituent relations, as well as the interim director of marketing and communications. An honors graduate of Brown University with a concentration in history and art history, as well as captain of the Brown women’s lacrosse team, Susie also has experience managing the Chazan Gallery at the Wheeler School in Providence and working as the human resources coordinator at Kate Spade/Jack Spade Co. in New York. In addition to her work in admission, Susie will serve as a dorm parent and help coach soccer and JV lacrosse. She and her husband, incoming SG English teacher Jake Westermann, were married this summer.

Jeff Lewis – Chaplain; Religious Studies

Jeff Lewis will join SG as our new chaplain and head of the Religious Studies Department, a role he has played at Salisbury School in Connecticut for the past several years. Prior to his work at Salisbury, Jeff served as a parish minister in Maine, as well as a captain of Outward Bound’s experiential maritime programs. In addition to his roles in ministry and teaching at SG, Jeff will assist with the sailing team and will help supervise the campus in the evening. He will join SG this summer with his wife, Susan, and their three boys ranging from middle school to college-age, one of whom will join the SG class of 2017. Derry Mason – Dean of Students, English

Derry will join St. George’s as our new dean of students, having served as the director of outdoor programs and as a dorm dean at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania for the past nine years. Prior to that experience, he built and ran an outdoor leadership program and taught English at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey for five years. Derry has used outdoor programs to build student leadership, a focus he plans to bring with him to St. George’s. In addition to his work as the dean of students, Derry will teach one section of English and coach JV lacrosse. A graduate of Middlebury College, he will move to campus with his wife, Sarah Mason, who will serve as a dorm parent, and their two young children, Mary and Quinn. Sarah Matarese – Chemistry/Marine biology

Sarah joins SG as a chemistry and marine biology teacher, having served as a professor at Salve Regina University in Newport for the past 10 years. Though she is accomplished in the world of university research and publishing, she is excited to be making the move to working with high school students in our boarding school setting where she hopes to use her extensive knowledge of local marine environments to enrich her

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teaching. Sarah holds three degrees from the University of Rhode Island, the most recent being her Ph.D. in biology. In addition to her teaching, Sarah will coach thirds soccer and JV softball and serve as a dorm parent. She and her family moved to campus this summer. Karen Roarke Sugi Min – Chemistry/Physics

Sugi joins SG as a chemistry and physics teaching fellow, having just completed his four years at Williams College. A chemistry major, Sugi has spent three of those years serving as a T.A. for chemistry classes at Williams, and he also devoted his time as a Resident Advisor in the dorms and as a member of the Springstreeters, an all-male a capella group. Originally from South Korea, Sugi grew up with his parents in Australia and attended high school in San Diego, Calif. At St. George’s, he will teach three sections of chemistry and/or physics, direct the Hilltoppers, work with the singers in the winter musical, and do dorm duty. Sarah Mongan – History

Sarah comes to SG to teach history from the Groton School in Groton, Mass., where she has served as a history teacher, dorm head, varsity soccer coach and assistant athletic director for the past six years. Prior to her time at Groton, Sarah served as the athletic director and history teacher at Dublin School in New Hampshire. She holds a B.A. in history from Bates College, and an M.A. in private school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to teaching, Sarah will serve as a dorm parent and coach, assisting the varsity soccer team and heading up the JV squash squad. Hannah O’Brien – History

Hannah will join SG as a history teaching fellow from Taft School, where she has served as a teaching fellow this year. A graduate of Colby College, where she majored in history, captained the field hockey team and played for four years on the ice hockey team, Hannah is originally from New Hampshire. At Colby, Hannah spent time volunteering to coach and mentor Waterville, Maine, youth. In addition to teaching at SG, Hannah will serve as a dorm parent and

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coach the JV field hockey team and varsity ice hockey team. Sarah Ploskina – Theater, English

Sarah will head the Theater, Speech, and Dance Department, direct the school play in the fall and the musical in the winter, and teach theater and English classes. She will also do dorm duty in Old School. Sara comes to St. George’s from the Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts in Providence, R.I., where she served as curriculum and instruction consultant. She also is the program director for Providence (R.I.) CityArts for Youth. From 2009 to 2012, she was a Theater teacher and director at The Field School in Washington, D.C. Sarah received her bachelor’s degree in English, with minors in theater and education, from Manhattanville College and her master’s degree in theater education from Emerson College. Karen Roarke P’14 – Art

Karen joins SG for the year as Lisa Hansel’s sabbatical replacement. No stranger to the Hilltop, Karen (the mother of Cam Cluff ’14) has displayed her own artwork in the Hunter Gallery and has taught workshops here with SG students, and, previously, taught art at the college level in California. Additionally, Karen has taught art in our local schools; ask her about her experience with sixth graders building dragster cars at Gaudet Middle School! Karen will teach two sections of Visual Foundations, do evening duty in the art center, direct the Hunter Gallery, and advise the yearbook. Jake Westermann – English

Jake comes to SG to teach English, having served as a history teacher at Shore Country Day School in Beverly, Mass., for the past three years. Jake is a graduate of Brown University with a concentration in American history; he also studied education and did his student teaching at a charter school in Pawtucket, R.I. In addition to his experience in teaching, Jake has taught woodworking to students at the Wheeler School in Providence, was the captain of the Brown men’s lacrosse team, and is currently enrolled in the M.A.L.S program at Dartmouth College. Jake will serve as a dorm parent and coach JV ice hockey and JV lacrosse, in addition to his teaching duties in the English department here at SG. He and his fiancée, Susie Keller, were set to be married in August and move to campus together.

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Clockwise from top left: Art by Catherine Farmer ’15, Catherine Farmer ’15, Kate Pesa ’13, Caroline Yerkes ’14, Annie Kim ’16 and Veronica Tsai ’15

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Performing in the Spring Dance Concert in May were: Veronica Tsai ’14, Laurie Germain ’15, Bessie Yan ’16, Tori Cunningham ’13, Nicole Young ’13 and Catherine Farmer ’15. The final a cappella concert of the year by the Snapdragons and the Hilltoppers took place in Madeira Hall May 17. The concert featured male soloists Jaewoo Kang ’15 (center left) Nico DeLucaVerley ’13, Duncan McGaan ’13, Ziye Hu ’13, Seung Shin ’14 and Avery Dodd ’14—along with female soloists Sophie DenUyl ’13, Nicole Young ’13, Hikari Hasegawa ’13, Miriam Elhajli ’13, Rosie Mulholland ’13, Keely Conway ’13, Josephine Cannell ’13, Dominique Samuel ’13, Norah Hogan ’14 and Charlotte Dulay ’14. Check out some of the video on our YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/sgdragon372. The last regular Music Guild of the year May 10 featured pianist Teddy Carter ’14, vocalist Alexandra Medeiros ’14, cellist Gage Walsh ’15, the SG Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble. Miriam Elhajli ’13 performed “The Girl from Ipanema” with the jazz group. A video of the performance is on our YouTube Channel.

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Hilltoppers Jack-Henry Day ’15, Wyatt Dodd ’16, Jaewoo Kang ’15, Jae Choi ’14 and Chris Fleming ’15 perform at the final a cappella concert of the school year.

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MOREAU PHOTOS BY J EREMY

Ziye Hu ’13 and Norah Hogan ’14 perform in “Marry Me a Little” in May.

Artist Anne Lilly’s stainless-steel kinetic sculptures were on display in the Hunter Gallery through April 27.

A spring special project that culminated in the production of “Marry Me A Little,” starring Ziye Hu ’13 and Norah Hogan ’14, with musical accompaniment by Joanna Xu ’13, played to adoring crowds May 11 and 12.

The ever-popular Rock Guild, a feature of Spring Dance Weekend, was held May 19 and included performances by Hannah Macaulay ’14 (left), and Thomas Kits van Heyningen ’14 and Nico DeLuca-Verley ’13 (right). T-shirt design by Manning Coe ’13.

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SPRING ATHLETES MAKE THEIR MARK 2 01 3 S T . G E O R G E ’ S S P R I N G A T H L E T I C A W A R D S BASEBALL

BOYS’ TENNIS

Twitchell Baseball Cup (M.V.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan Andrade Reynolds Baseball Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James McClelland R.B.I. Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sam Alofsin All-ISL, honorable mention . . . . . . . .Sam Alofsin, Ryan Andrade Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBA

York Tennis Bowl (M.V.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stathi Kyriakides Trotter (Coaches’ Cup) Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harry Shepherd Tennis M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Scottie Abeel All-ISL, first team . . . . . . . . . . .Stathi Kyriakides, Harry Shepherd All-ISL, honorable mention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Drew Michaelis Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBA

GOLF Golf M.V.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reid Burns Golf Coaches’ Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Coaty Golf M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nick Larson Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Luc Woodard, Tim Howe

BOYS’ LACROSSE Alessi Lacrosse Bowl (M.V.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dan Perry Herter (Coaches’) Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alden Pexton Hollins-Sheehan Lacrosse Cup (M.I.P.) . . . . . . . . . .Carter Morgan All-ISL, honorable mention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dan Perry, Miles Matule, Avery Dodd Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBA

GIRLS’ LACROSSE Lacrosse M.V.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oona Pritchard Lacrosse Coaches’ Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Whitney Thomson Lacrosse M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lane Davis All-ISL, honorable mention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cecilia Masiello, Charlotte O’Halloran ISL Sportsmanship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .St. George’s School NEPSWLA All-Stars . . . . . .Charlotte O’Halloran, Cecilia Masiello NLE selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charlotte O’Halloran Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . .Annika Hedlund, Cecilia Masiello, Charlotte O’Halloran

SAILING Wood Sailing Bowl (M.V.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Max Simmons Leslie Sailing Bowl (Best Crew) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sophie DenUyl Coaches’ Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Madeliene Parker Sailing M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Will Logue

SOFTBALL Softball M.V.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Caroline Thompson Holly Williams (Coaches’) Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Becky Cutler Softball M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hikari Hasegawa All-ISL, first team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allison Williams All-ISL, honorable mention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Libbie Desrosiers Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Libbie Desrosiers, Andrea Suarez, Emma Reed, Allison Williams

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GIRLS’ TENNIS Tennis M.V.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lilly Scheibe Tennis Coaches’ Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Colby Burdick Tennis M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexa Santry All-ISL, first team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lilly Scheibe All-ISL, honorable mention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexa Santry Captain-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexa Santry

BOYS’ TRACK Holmes Track Trophy (M.V.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bobby Mey Track Coaches’ Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan Conlogue Track M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sage Hill All-ISL, first team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tyshon Henderson (Shot Put) All-New England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sage Hill (100) Captains-elect . . . . .Sage Hill, Aubrey Salmon, George Melendez

GIRLS’ TRACK Hubert C. Hersey Track Award (M.V.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sasha Tory Track Coaches’ Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maggie Maloy Track M.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amy Nuytkens All-New England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sasha Tory (1500, 3000) All-ISL, first team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sasha Tory (1500, 3000) Captains-elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sasha Tory, Carly Mey, Cici Huyck Vermillion Athletic Cups . . . . . . . . . .Beth Larcom, Tim Baumann Elliot Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oona Pritchard Zane Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Katherine Bienkowski Powel Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan Conlogue Thayer Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alex Gates Donnelly Athletic Cups . . .Tyshon Henderson, Hannah McCormack

JAMES RHODERICK KLOTZ ’75 LETTER AWARDS Manager of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Billy Reed 8-Letter Awards . . . . . . . . .Caroline Thompson, Alana McMahon, Theresa Salud, Maddie Parker 9-Letter Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keely Conway, Alex Gates, Tyshon Henderson, Shannon Leonard, Mike Reed, Kemi Richardson, Hannah McCormack 10-Letter Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Katherine Bienkowski, Ryan Conlogue, Jessica Hom 12-Letter Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oona Pritchard ProJo Honor Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oona Pritchard, Dan Perry

NEWPORT DAILY NEWS

os t o ph Check out more athletic photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ stgeorgesschool/collections/

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PHOTO BY J EREMY

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SUZANNE MCGRADY

Our No. 1 boys tennis player, Stathi Kyriakides ’13, was the Newport Daily News Athlete of the Week at the end of April.

Will Fleming ’13 was named one of the state’s ‘Golden Dozen’ by the R.I. Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

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Charlotte O’Halloran ’14 was a multiple award winner for the girls lacrosse team.

Sage Hill ’14 earned All New England honors for his performance on the track team.

Girls’ varsity softball captain-elect Emma Reed ’14 winds up on the mound in front of fielders Maggie Mead ’14 and Vivianne Reynoso ’13.

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After winning four out of six games against Portsmouth Abbey April 15, St. George’s officially won the Diman Cup for the 15th year in a row (photo left).

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Our stellar spring athletes were honored at an awards assembly May 27. Named as MVPs were Ryan Andrade ’13 (baseball), Reid Burns ’13 (golf), Dan Perry ’13 (lacrosse), Oona Pritchard ’13 (lacrosse), Max Simmons ’13 (sailing), Caroline Thompson ’13 (softball), Stathi Kyriakides ’13 (tennis), Lilly Scheibe ’15 (tennis), Bobby Mey ’13 (track), and Sasha Tory ’14 (track). Photos from the assembly are on our Flickr.com page.

Allie Fuller ’14, Jillian Gates ’15, Natasha Zobel de Ayala ’15, Callie Randall ’14, Bud Fralick ’14, Cecilia Masiello ’14, Sacha Grahovac ’14, Jonathan Bayne ’14 and Miles Foy ’16 celebrate SG’s 2013 Diman Cup win against Portsmouth Abbey.

Senior prefect and football captain Will Fleming ’13 was recognized as one of the state’s top scholar-athletes at the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s Golden Dozen dinner May 6. Will, an honor student as well as an AllISL football player, will attend Middlebury College and play for the Panthers this fall. The Providence Journal recently named a number of standout spring athletes to its Independent All-State list and our own Ryan Andrade ’13 (baseball), Sage Hill ’14 (track), Stathi Kyriakides ’13 (tennis), Dan Perry ’13 (lacrosse), Lilly Scheibe ’15 (tennis), Max Simmons ’13 (sailing), and Sasha Tory ’14 (track) and made the cut. Meanwhile, seven of our star winter athletes also earned Providence Journal Independent All-State recognition in the April 30 edition: Basketball players Jess Hom ’13 and Theresa Salud ’13, hockey player Timmy Doherty ’14, squash players Vicky Arjoon ’15 and Moudy Abdel-Maksoud ’15, and swimmers Michael McGinnis ’13 and Anna Millar ’13.

PHOTO BY J EREMY

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Cameron Cluff ’14, a center on the (Aquidneck) Island Rugby team, was featured in a photo in the Newport Daily News in April after scoring a goal in the Beast of the East tournament against Bishop Hendricken.

Girls Varsity Tennis Coach Stuart Titus poses with tennis award winners Colby Burdick ’13, Lilly Scheibe ’15 and Alexa Santry ’14.

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Recent alums making sports news … Leigh Archer ’09, who graduated from Cornell University this year, was named a Division I All-American this spring for rowing, a CRCA National Scholar Athlete and a Mid-Atlantic Region First Team selection. She also represented the United States at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Austria in July. Maddie Carrellas ’09, lit up the lacrosse field for the College of the Holy Cross, from which she graduated this year. The senior captain played in the 2013 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA)/Under Armour North-South All-Star Game May 26 on the campus of Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa. For her regular-season play, she earned first team All-Patriot League honors and was selected to the Patriot League All-Tournament team. Carrellas started in all 19 games with a career-best 24 goals and three assists for a career-best 27 points in 2013. Also heading to the lacrosse all-star tournament in Pennsylvania May 24 was senior defenseman Scott Chanelli ’09 of Haverford College’s men’s lacrosse team. Chanelli was named a 2013 U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III honorable mention All-American. He also was named a 2013 USILA Scholar All-American. Chanelli posted career-high numbers during his final season as a Fords defender, forcing a league-best 47 caused turnovers and scooping up 86 ground balls, which was fourth most in the conference.

Playing for the Kenyon College Lords, Jake Dunn ’11, landed a second-team spot on the 2013 All-North Coast Athletic Conference baseball team. Megan Leonhard ’09 and the Trinity College Women’s Lacrosse team made it to the final game of the NCAA Championship in Owings Mills, Md., in May. Though they lost the May 19 game to Salisbury College, it was a stellar season for the Bantams, and Leonhard, a tri-captain midfielder, was named to the all-tournament team for Trinity.

Wentworth Institute of Technology pitcher Ben Lewis ’10 was named honorable mention all-conference to the All-Commonwealth Coast Baseball Conference this spring. Lewis made nine appearances on the mound for the Leopards in 2013 and led the team with six wins. Over his three-year career at Wentworth, Lewis has made 25 ap-

pearances (15 starts, three complete games) and is 10-7 with a 4.17 earned run average. Sydney Mas ’10 secured her place in University of Vermont history in 2013, taking over first place on the women’s lacrosse team’s alltime goals list. In May she also was named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Northeast Region All-America Second Team. A three-time America East All-Conference First Team selection, Mas, a UVM junior, earned her third straight appearance on the IWLCA Northeast Region All-America squad after starting all 18 games for the Catamounts in 2013 and leading the team with 50 goals and 60 points. Johnny Norfleet ’09, who graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges this year, was named a Coed All-American by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. Jesse Pacheco ’10, now a rising senior at Cornell University, became the first player from an urban squash program to earn AllAmerican honors this spring. Pacheco, who joined the City Squash Program in New York City as a sixth-grader, won five consecutive Urban Individual National titles in her career with the program. At St. George’s, she captained the varsity squash team her junior and senior years and won a New England Interscholastic title. This past season at Cornell, she posted a 124 record, notching wins over two top-10 players and helping her team finish sixth in the nation. Ever the hard-working, well-rounded student, she is working as an analyst in the sales and trading division at Goldman Sachs this summer. Jeremy Phillips ’11, who just finished his sophomore year at Rhodes College, ended an outstanding track & field season in May with top-10 finishes in both the 200-meter dash and triple jump at the North Central College Gregory Final Qualifier. In the 200, Phillips finished eighth with a time of 22.73 and finished ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 13.16 meters.

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A DAY TO FO CUS O N OTH ERS

Above left: Gail Lowney Alofsin P’14 delivers the opening address at the annual Day of Engagement in April.

Photos from SG’s Day of Engagement are on our Flickr.com site. With the city of Boston on our minds in April, community members signed cards for a student from BB&N and a teacher from St. Sebastian’s who were badly wounded in the Boston Marathon attacks. The cards were designed by talented artist Hannah Macaulay ’14. Our annual Oxfam Hunger Banquet to make our community more aware of food crises around the world took place April 25. That meant a small plate of rice and/or beans were given as dinner in King Hall to a random two-thirds of our students, while the remaining students received a full meal. (The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well fed, one-third is underfed and one-third is starving.) Student organizers from the Community Service Council were Norah Hogan ’14 and Hannah Todd ’14.

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Above right: Students sign cards for injured victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

It was SG’s annual Day of Engagement April 22, meaning students and teachers spent the day focusing on helping others and discussing such topics as leadership, cultural differences, equality and diversity. A big thanks to Gail Lowney Alofsin—inspirational speaker, director of corporate partnerships at Newport Harbor Corp. and mom of Sam Alofsin ’14—for kicking off the day with a great talk on finding a cause you’re passionate about. Another key message: Do something every day to make someone else’s day better. Claire Yoon ’14 and Norah Hogan ’14 organized a Run for Boston at the end of the day to raise money for The One Fund, the charity set up to aid victims of the Marathon bombings.

The annual Pan-Massachusetts Kids Ride took place at Second Beach on Sunday, May 19, with Jess Hom ’13, Beth Larcom ’16 and Kemi Richardson ’13 serving as student organizers. Money raised each year goes to research and treatment at the Dana Farber Institute.

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Bobby Mey ’13

Bobby Mey ’13 organized a dedicated band of runners and volunteers to participate in the “Run the Wave for Dave” race April 6 at Second Beach—a community event held to honor and support local resident David Leys Jr., who has been diagnosed with ALS.

CHUCK L ARCOM

SUZANNE MCGRADY

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Alex Gates ’13 participated in the “PMC Hockey Night” event to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where his father is a physician.

Habitat for Humanity volunteers Hannah Macaulay ’14, Nick Mandor ’14, Avery Dodd ’14 and Sammie Maltais ’14.

A number of students joined Charleen Martins-Lopes ’15 for the

Annual Tomorrow Fund Stroll in Cranston April 28 in honor of Martins-Lopes’ cousin, Henry Andrade, who died of cancer in January.

Charleen MartinsLopes ’15

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Beth Larcom ’16 was honored as a Childhood Hero at Fenway Park June 6 for the impact she has had on her community as a volunteer. Beth helped organize the Pan Massachusetts Challenge Kids Ride, a PMC Hockey Night benefit game between her club hockey team and a team of doctors and nurses from DanaFarber Cancer Institute, and a PMC Night at Cardine’s Field with the Newport Gulls.

PHOTO COURTESY OF

PHOTO BY CHUCK L ARCOM

Avery Dodd ’14, Annabella Doyle ’14, Tyshon Henderson ’13, Sage Hill ’14, Hannah Macaulay ’14, Sammie Maltais ’14, Nick Mandor ’14, Lisbeily Mena ’13, Anna Millar ’13, Gigi Moylan ’14, Vivianne Reynoso ’13, Raleigh Silvia ’13 and Natalie Sullivan ’14 — along with math teacher Abbie DiPalma and Director of Operations George Staples—spent part of spring break building homes for Habitat for Humanity in Santa Fe, N.M.

GEORGE S TAPLES

Tending to SG’s Community Garden this spring were: (sitting) Megan Daknis ’14 and Up Punyagupta ’13, and (in the back row) Julian Turner ’14, Josephine Cannell ’13, Anna Millar ’13, Hannah Todd ’14 and Lucas Campbell ’13.

Participants in the “Run the Wave for Dave” race make their way down Second Beach.

On April 7, a hearty group of Dragons splashed into the frigid waves of Second Beach in the Polar Plunge, to help raise money for Lucy’s Hearth, a local women’s shelter. S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 3 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

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Above: Student donations to the 10th annual Camp Ramleh Yard Sale in June helped raise more than $6,300 for our summer camp for underprivileged children in Newport County. Right: This summer the 2013 staff at Camp Ramleh included: (front row) Dejania Cotton-Samuel ’15, Emma Thompson ’15, Director Corrie Pratt, Margaret Schroeder ’14, Nico DeLuca-Verley ’13, Aaron Anane ’14, Jorge Melendez ’14 and (back row) Emma Smith, Hannah Macaulay ’14, Director Andrew Pratt, Director Adam Choice ’06, Thomas Kits van Heyningen ’14, Ito Orobator ’14, David Kehoe ’13 and Misha Rogers.

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Board welcomes new members, honors retirees Compiled by Emmy Sullivan The St. George’s Board of Trustees welcomed four new members to its ranks last semester—all current parents with a variety of professional credentials. Timothy P. Burns P’13, ’16, joins the board while continuing to serve with his wife, Lorrie, as a chair of the St. George’s Parents Committee. Tim is the CEO and a co-founder of bioprocessH2O, a leader in the development of modular advanced biological and membrane treatment systems. Prior to founding bioprocessH2O, Tim served as president of the board of Save The Bay in Providence. He continues to serve on Save The Bay’s President’s Leadership Council, as well as on the board of Bank Newport and Algae Biomass Organization. He received his bachelor’s degree in business from Providence College, and his master’s degree in environmental science from Brown University. Susan K. “Sisi” Gallagher ’82, P’16 joins the board as a partner of Williams & Gallagher Investments LLC, a private investment firm in Chevy Chase, Md. A graduate of St. George’s in 1982, Sisi received her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She has served on the boards of various portfolio companies, The Environmental Enterprises Assistance Fund and the Board of Visitors at Children’s National Medical Center. She currently serves on the boards of TelStar Hosted Services Inc. and Molecular Transfer Inc. Arthur Lee P’15, ’16 is the chief executive officer and member of the board of Tokio Marine Asia Pte Ltd., the regional office of the Tokio Marine Group in Asia, a life, non-life and reinsurance company. He currently serves as chairman of Tokio Marine Insurance Singapore Ltd. and is a member of the Board of Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co. (Hong Kong) Ltd., Tokio Marine Asset Management International Pte. Ltd., Tokio Marine Life Insurance Singapore, Tokio Marine Life Insurance Malaysia, Asia General

Holdings, Tokio Marine General Assets Pte Ltd. and Asia General Assets Bhd. He holds a J.D. from Santa Clara University and in addition to his business involvements, he was awarded the Public Service Medal by the president of Singapore in August 2008. Robin Grace Warren P’15 has an abiding interest in the arts. She decided to use her creativity in the venture capital industry after graduating from UCLA’s Anderson Business School in 1981. After becoming a partner of the Phoenix Partners in Seattle, Wash., she held senior management positions in two entrepreneurial ventures until co-founding The Rainbow Fund L.P., a private investment partnership, where she is a general partner. Robin attended Prescott College and Madeira School. She has served on the boards of various nonprofit organizations ranging from community development near her home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to The Newport Art Museum. Robin and her husband, Fred, joined the SG Parents Committee in 2011. Meanwhile, two members who served the board generously for years have retired. Laura de Ramel ’90, who was her class’s head agent from 1990 to 2009, departs the board after having served as a spirited, loyal member since 2007. She was a member of the Development, Finance, Operations and Awards Committees and served as Annual Giving Chair from 2009 to 2013. In 2000, Laura received the Philip Murray Reynolds Volunteer of the Year Award and in 2007 she was the recipient of the Howard B. Dean Service Award. Laura F. Pedrick P’07, ’08 joined the board in 2007 and served on the Compensation, Development, Education and Student Life Committees. As the mother of two former day students, Laura was the day student voice on the board. As Prize Day speaker in 2008, she urged graduates to take chances and reap the rewards. An enthusiastic supporter of the school, Laura also notched one of the best trustee participation records for Dragon Weeks calling.

Tim Burns

Sisi Gallagher

Arthur Lee

Robin Grace Warren

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Above: Fourth formers Michaela Ahern, Sloan Buhse, Sarah Braman, Caroline Dunn-Packer and Lilly Schopp examine a sea turtle on board Geronimo this spring. Top right: Alana Ahern ’07 was able to meet her sister, spring Geronimo crew member Michaela Ahern ’15, in Charleston, S.C., when Geronimo was coming back up the East Coast home to Newport at the end of April.

PHOTO BY COURTESY OF

C APT. MIKE DAWSON

At right: Sarah Braman ’15 stands at the helm of Geronimo during the spring cruise. The boat landed in the Bahamas April 1

C APT. TONY ARROW

At left: The summer 2013 crew of Geronimo—Sam Ayvazian-Hancock ’15, Jiwoo Seo ’16, Billy Reed ’15, Anders McLeod ’14, Alexa Santry ’14 and Grace Polk

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’14—traveled to Bermuda in June.

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Academic Honors for Second Semester 2012-13 Head of School Commendation for Academic Excellence The Head of School Commendation for Academic Excellence is St. George’s highest bi-annual honor. These students received no grade below an A- during the 2012-13 second semester: Edward Hill Carter Yu Yao Cheng Woo Won Chun John Garvoille Coaty Dejania Cotton-Samuel Kelly Frances Duggan Hayley Elizabeth Lee Durudogan Laura Elizabeth Edson Bethany Lynn Fowler

Honor Roll

Timothy Michael Howe Qinwen Huang Jaewoo Kang Erin Marie Keating John Jongmin Kim Yul Hee Kim Taylor Anne Kirkpatrick Thomas Edward Kits van Heyningen Xingyan Li

Sloan Alexandra Buhse Sarah Stewart Carnwath Olivia Carson Consoli III FORM Lane Alexandra Davis Logan Holly Amaral Jack-Henry Stockton Day Timothy John Baumann Reed de Bruhl de Horsey Ashlyn Brooks Buffum Sterling Victoria Etheridge Timothy Kyle Burns Catherine Bertrand Farmer Lee Madison Cardwell Chloe Amelia Farrick Dejania Cotton-Samuel Camila Flores Luke William Crimmins Blaise C. Foley James McGee Cunningham Jing Gao Laura Elizabeth Edson Laurie Naitha Germain Annabelle Blessing Fischer Julia C. Goins Connor J. Fitzgerald Oliver Ridgely Green Patrick Burton Ford Piers Snowden Hill Guthrie Miles Winslow Foy Annika Leigh Hedlund Annabel Taylor Grunebaum Serena deWees Highley Evan Xavier Jackson Rebecca Grace Howe Jee Seob Jung Cynthia Janette Huyck Ian Daniel Keller Emily Louise Kallfelz Chaeyun Kim Jaewoo Kang Taylor Anne Kirkpatrick Erin Marie Keating David Hall Lamar Yul Hee Kim Elizabeth Larcom You Jeong Lee Audrey S. Lin Eddie J. Liu William Lindsay Logue Rolf Benjamin Locher Caroline Allen Macaulay Chenglin Lu Luc Poirier Paruta Irene C. Luperon Margaret Whitney Rogers Christina Rose Malin Jiwoo Seo Anders Cassoday McLeod James Marshall Stevens Elizabeth Goodwin Millar Andrea Grace Sullivan Carter Young Morgan Jonathan C. Tesoro Soravis Nawbhanich Olivia Demary Vitton Henry Stillman Ordway Jonathan Yutong Wang Ji Young Park Sophie Genevieve Williams Alden Timothy Pexton Toni Lynn Woods Maignan, Jr. Griffin Michael Prescott Michael James Riordan, V IV FORM Robert Carter Rose Michaela Kathryn Ahern Cameron Eugene Roy Zahra Arabzada Elizabeth Hale Scheibe Giovanni Carlos Merrill Avery Scura Armonies-Assalone Margaret Muriel Small Joseph Burnett Asbel Paget Grace Smith Samara Rebecca Ayvazian-Hancock Emma Louise Thompson Sophia Abby Barker Amanda Grace Warren William Vaughan Bemis

Audrey S. Lin Hannah Marie Macaulay Caroline Allen Macaulay Margaret Anne Mead Luc Poirier Paruta Daniel Perry, III Margaret Whitney Rogers Robert Carter Rose Lily Joy Sanford

Thomas Hunter Westerberg Allison Vanier Williams Yimin Xie Phillip D. Young Lan Zhang Natasha S. Zobel de Ayala

Elizabeth Hale Scheibe Margaret Elizabeth Schroeder Seung Hyouk Shin Jae Young Shin Amanda Grace Warren Sophie Genevieve Williams Robert Loux Woodard Yimin Xie Han Xu Jieun Yoon

Mary Olivia Keith Margaret Peyton Kilvert John Jongmin Kim Thomas Edward Kits van Heyningen Alexandra Ann LaShelle Edgar Z.H. Lee Samuel Thompson Loomis V FORM Andrew Sloane Lynch Samuel Frederick Alofsin Hannah Marie Macaulay Aaron S. Anane Peyton Emily MacNaught Christian Robert Anderson Margaret Tese Maloy William Kelly Kerr Anderson Samantha D. Maltais Timothy Glimme Archer Nicholas Broderick Mandor Miranda Nicole Bakos Cecilia Christiane Masiello Katherine Elizabeth Bauer Miles Foley Matule Jonathan Golden Bayne Sophia Douglass McDonald Harrison Herbert Boehm Margaret Anne Mead Kari Anna Byrnes Alexandra Shaw Medeiros Camilla Pepperell Cabot Jorge L. Melendez Margaret Deane Cardwell Virginia Casey Moylan Peter Anthony Carrellas Itohan Teni Orobator Edward Hill Carter Grace Connors Polk Yu Yao Cheng Brooke Elizabeth Reis Jaeyoung Choi Wilson S. Rubinoff Woo Won Chun Aubrey Miles Fitzhugh Salmon Cameron Roarke Cluff Lily Joy Sanford Kathryn Ann Coughlin Alexa Olin Santry Megan E. Daknis Margaret Elizabeth Schroeder John Anthony DeLuca Seung Hyouk Shin Elizabeth Dewey Desrosiers William Eberlein Simpson Antonio Di Lorenzo Andrea Suarez Timothy Andrews Doherty Natalie Ann Sullivan Roger James Dorr Hannah Frances Todd Hayley Elizabeth Lee Durudogan Alexandra Anne Tory Nicolas Flores Dian-Jung Tsai Jeffrey Paul Fralick Emily Owens Walsh Allison Parks Fuller Robert Loux Woodard Alexander James Maher Goodrich Caroline Woodward Yerkes Elizabeth Lipton Grace Jieun Yoon Alexandre Zvonimir Grahovac VI FORM William Christopher Hill Ryan James Andrade Norah Burke Hogan Katherine Alice Bienkowski Quang Nguyen Viet Hong Colby O’Neil Burdick Timothy Michael Howe Terrence Reid Burns Qinwen Huang Josephine Rose Cannell Katelyn Nicole Hutchinson Bailey McKay Clement Amirah Keaton

John Garvoille Coaty Richard Ryan Conlogue Emma S. Coz Victoria Elizabeth Cunningham Rebecca Warren Cutler Juan Carlos De La Guardia Nico Cyril DeLuca-Verley Sophia Elisabeth DenUyl Kelly Frances Duggan Rahil Karim Aliff Fazelbhoy Marianne Casey Foss-Skiftesvik Bethany Lynn Fowler Joseph Omar Grimeh Kathleen Elizabeth Hamrick Hikari Hasegawa Ziye Hu David Larimer Kehoe Rowon Kim Peter Kohler Efstathios Kyriakides Nicholas King Larson William Leatherman Xingyan Li Hannah Wise McCormack Allison Armstrong McLane Alana Claire McMahon Lisbeily Mena Robert Walter Mey Anna Elizabeth Millar Jeremy Monk Madeleine Emelia Parker Daniel Perry, III Katarina Pesa Tyler Andrew Pesek Callie Victoria Reis Elizabeth Madison Reynolds Vivianne Renee Reynoso Kemigisha Maria Richardson Daniel Austin Scheerer Jae Young Shin William Isaac Silverstein Raleigh Sheehan Silvia Maxwell Bardsley Simmons Caroline Claire Thompson Whitney Haskell Thomson Sienna Warriner Turecamo Han Xu

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Language students shine

For her superior performance in the intermediate level, Lilly Scheibe ’15 was the winner of the Spanish Writing Competition sponsored by the R.I. Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese in January. Also recognized for their superior performance in the intermediate level were Maggie Mead ’14, Ito Orobator ’14, Aubrey Salmon ’14, Alexa Santry ’14 and Bessie Yan ’16. In the advanced level, Katherine Bauer ’14, Colby Burdick ’13, John DeLuca ’14, Hannah Todd ’14, Grace Polk ’14, Callie Reis ’13, and Margaret Schroeder ’14 were recognized for their superior performance.

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Honor Society. The Society recognizes high scholastic achievement, good character, leadership and service. Hikari Hasegawa ’13 and Claire Yoon ’14 finished in an impressive third place in the Advanced Group at the Chinese Bridge National Speech Contest held April 7 at The University of Massachusetts Confucius Institute in Boston. The two girls were among just 24 final contestants across the nation to compete in the annual contest, which this year included applicants from U.S. high schools in 18 states.

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Earning Premio de Oro, or gold, awards in the National Spanish Exam this year were: Level 1 students Caroline Macaulay ’16 and Loomis Quillen ’16; Level 2 students Carter Rose ’15, Sophie Williams ’16, Sophia Barker ’15, Cici Huyck ’15, Kari Bymes ’14, Wendy Huang ’14, Jaewoo Kang ’15, and Luc Paruta ’16; Level 3 students Erin Keating ’15, Lilly Scheibe ’15, Becky Howe ’15, Teddy Carter ’14, Maggie Mead ’14, William Anderson ’14, and Joey Asbel ’15; and Level 4 student Zhou (Bessie) Yan ’16.

Katelyn Hutchinson ’14, Anna Millar ’13, Samantha Maltais ’14, Hikari Hasegawa ’13 and Seung Hyouk Shin ’14 have been inducted into the Chinese Language

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It doesn’t get any better than summa cum laude in the National Latin Exam, so hats off to Hall Lamar ’16, Rolf Locher ’15, Harry Shepherd ’16, Eddie Liu ’15 and Agnes Enochs ’15, who all earned the coveted gold award in the 2013 contest. Overall 18 students earned awards in the competition, including maxima cum laude winners Allison Williams ’15, Maggie Small ’15, Patrick Ford ’16, Michael Riordan ’15 and Audrey Lin ’16; magna cum laude winners Ian Keller ’16, Evan Jackson ’16, Julia Goins ’15, Erick Lu ’15, Sterling Etheridge ’15; and cum laude winners Amy Nuytkens ’15, Serena Bancroft ’15 and Sloan Buhse ’15.

Allie Fuller ’14, who served as crucifer for chapel services this year, was named head chapel prefect for 2013-14.

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

STUDENTS TAKE ON LEADERSHIP ROLES

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Ultra-talented artists Catherine Farmer ’15, Veronica Tsai ’14, Caroline Yerkes ’14 and Claire Yoon ’14 will serve as heads of the 2013-2014 Art Club.

New members were appointed to the Health Council this year: Lexi LaShelle ’14, Oliver Green ’15, Zurab Akirtava ’15, Natasha Zobel de Ayala ’15 and Elizabeth Millar ’15 will join present members Johnny Kim ’14 and Sasha Tory ’14 (Alexa Santry ’14 leaves to serve as a school prefect). Meggie O’Connor ’14 was appointed head verger for chapel services for the 2013-14 year. Eliza Grace ’14 will be assistant head verger.

The new heads of the Insight Club will be: Irene Luperon ’15, Andrea Suarez ’14 and Charleen MartinsLopes ’15. After a stellar tenure as news editor, Margaret Schroeder ’14 has been promoted to managing editor of the student newspaper, the Red & White. Thomas Kits van Heyningen ’14 will serve his second year as editor-in-chief. (Side note: A literary essay by former Red & White managing editor Kate Hamrick ’13 titled, “I Like Your Shoes,” was a featured work on the well-regarded teen publishing site, TeenInk.com, in May. Read the essay online at http://teenink.com/hot_topics/health.)

2014 classmates Quang Hong, Aubrey Salmon, Grace Polk, Hannah Todd and Annabella Doyle will

MARY O’CONNOR

Peggy Kilvert ’14 and Nicolas Flores ’14 will be the 2013-14 Spanish Club heads.

The school prefects for the 2013-14 school year are Alexa Santry, Teddy Carter, Alec Goodrich, Peter Carrellas and Avery Dodd. We broke the news of the election results on our Facebook page as they were revealed in Madeira Hall, capturing this exuberant photo of the new Fab Five. Alec (middle right holding the keys to the school on Prize Day) will head the student body as senior prefect.

serve the school as Honor Board representatives. Aubrey will chair the group.

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The Red Key Society works with the Admission Office to give tours and promote the school to prospective students. Let’s just say they help us show off really well. This year’s Red Key heads will be Hannah Macaulay ’14, Timmy Doherty ’14, Maggie Maloy ’14, Tim Howe ’14, Cecilia Masiello ’14, Andrew Lynch ’14, Callie Randall ’14, Miles Matule ’14, Emily Walsh ’14 and Luc Woodard ’14.

Bethany Fowler ’13 was the featured local SG graduate in the Newport Daily News May 28. You can read the full article at NewportDailyNews.com.

Top: Nick Larson ’15 passes on the gavel to incoming Honor Board head Aubrey Salmon ’14. Middle: New Senior Prefect Alec Goodrich ’14 proudly displays the keys to the school on Prize Day. Bottom: Bethany Fowler ’13 appears in the local paper.

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Editor’s note: The John B. Diman Award is presented annually during Reunion Weekend to an alumna or alumnus whose personal accomplishments or public service contributions are valued greatly by St. George’s School. The complete text of Mr. Wulsin’s acceptance speech is online at www.stgeorges.edu/DimanAward2013.

Top: Head of School Eric Peterson (right) congratulates Lucien Wulsin ’63, winner of the 2013 John B. Diman Award. Right: Members of the Wulsin clan—Bo ’11 (left), Harry ’66 (second from left) and Lucien ’13 (second from right) gather in the Chapel following the presentation of the Diman Award to Lucien ’63 (right).

Lucien Wulsin, a member of the St. George’s Class of 1963, was presented with the John B. Diman Award—the school’s highest alumni/ae honor—in the Chapel on May 17. Wulsin’s distinguished career as a longtime champion of health-care reform and his advocacy for those without adequate health insurance made him the unanimous choice of the Board of Trustees and an exemplary candidate for the Diman Award. Wulsin and his family have a long history with St. George’s. As an honorary member of the notably rare “Four-SG-Community-Members-Who-Havethe-Same-Name Club,” Wulsin arrived on the Hilltop following in the steps of both his grandfather, Lucien Wulsin, Class of 1906, and father, Lucien Wulsin, Class of 1935. ( Lucien Wulsin ’13, of Seattle, is a cousin.) In all, 14 members of the Wulsin family have attended St. George’s and the school is

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Wulsin ’63 earns coveted Diman Award proud to count them as a substantial part of our alumni/ae family. Growing up in Cincinnati, Wulsin was surrounded by creativity and music: His father had once been president of the famed Baldwin Piano Co. and was a passionate supporter of the arts, along with also being an exuberant parent who took his children wandering in caves and riding in rafts along the Kentucky/Tennessee border.

Nate Fletcher ’98 and Claire Abell.

Retired Art Department Chair Richard Grosvenor.

ANDREA HANSEN

Retired Associate Director of Admission Betsy Leslie, Christopher Lee ’87 and retired Head of the Science Department Steve Leslie.

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Among his peers at St. George’s, Wulsin was known for his enthusiastic support of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, his early arrival at breakfast in King Hall—and his love for a good nap. Along with noting his membership in the Rifle Club, the French Club and the Library Association, the 1963 Lance anoints him president of the S.G. Slumber Society, (though his alarm clock before the start of classes was in good working order). A Midwesterner, Wulsin says he experienced a fair amount of “culture shock” when he arrived in the Northeast for boarding school. Yet still, because he was roundly welcomed, Mr. Wulsin recalls most fondly of his SG years his bonds with his classmates and his relationships with his teachers—including the venerable James Vermillion, who taught Latin to both Wulsin and his father. After St. George’s, Wulsin went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He was an attorney with the National Health Law Program, a senior attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, and a clinical associate at Harvard Law School. Years ago, a client walked into Wulsin’s office and changed his career. The client was a Vietnam veteran with a wife and two children who, after being on public assistance, had recently found a job. Things were looking up until he found out that because he had started working, he had lost his Medicaid health benefits. Wulsin said that tjis is when he knew something had to be changed. A number of similar cases prompted him to advocate publicly for policy changes regarding the uninsured. In 1994, the Center for Governmental Studies published Wulsin’s “California at the Crossroads: Choices for Health Care Reform,” a study on California’s options to redesign its health care system. These days, as the director of the Insure the Uninsured Project, Wulsin continues to partner with numerous health care organizations throughout California on efforts to increase funding, care and coverage for the uninsured. “I got involved thinking I could fix the problem quickly,” said Wulsin. “That was 40 years ago. I guess I’m in it for the long haul.”

Alex Regan ’08, Ellie Myers ’08, Associate Director of Admission Krista Peterson and Kathryn Connor ’08.

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Volunteers honored for service with Dean Awards John B. Johnston Jr. ’73, Eric Peterson and Bill Dean ’73

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Skip Branin ’65, P’06 and Rosemary Gaynor Wiedenmayer ’93

Skip Branin ’65, P’06 and J. Philip Lee

Note: The Howard B. Dean Service Award was established in 2001 by the Board of Trustees to recognize members of the St. George’s School community whose service to the school has been exceptional. Howard B. Dean was the father of four St. George’s graduates: Howard ’66, Charlie ’68, Jim ’72 and Bill ’73. He served on the St. George’s Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1985, was president of the board from 1980 to 1984, and was board chair from 1984 to 1985. In 1985, Dean, known for his vast knowledge of finance and management, was appointed an Honorary Trustee and served actively in that role until his death in 2001. Three dedicated St. George’s volunteers were awarded Howard B. Dean Awards for outstanding service to the school during Reunion Weekend in May: John B. “Jay” Johnston Jr. ’73, Rosemary “Rosie” Gaynor Wiedenmayer ’93 and J. Philip “Phip” Lee. Johnston, of Mill Valley, Calif., has been an enthusiastic spokesperson and cheerleader for the school since hosting St. George’s first West Coast phonathon in 1998. A loyal Dragon Weeks caller, he assumed the role of head class agent in 2006 and has been a leadership donor on behalf of the Annual Fund. His name is on one of the Dragon’s scales in the Campus Center and on more than one seat in the hockey rink. A vice-president/financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in San Francisco, he has lent his support to our financial aid efforts over the years and is a member of the founding Friends of the St. George’s Chapel.

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Wiedenmayer, of Denver, Colo., participated in no less than 13 Dragon Weeks between 1999 and 2007. She has been a head agent for her class on the Annual Giving Committee since 2000. A consistently loyal donor to the Annual Fund herself, she also extends that loyalty to capital enterprises with the same sense of commitment. In 1993 shortly after her graduation from St. George’s, the Gaynor Family Foundation, of which she is a trustee, established the Gaynor Family Fund Scholarship at SG to provide financial aid to students from Ohio and the Midwest. An honorary trustee, Lee, of Westport, Mass., became an integral part of the marine program at St. George’s during his tenure on the board from 1991 to 2006. He was the secretary of the Budget Committee for many years and chaired the Marine Committee— instrumental in the design and construction of the “new” Geronimo— from 1991 to 2005. Lee spearheaded the design process, oversaw the construction and worked closely with former trustee Charlie Dana P’91, ’01, ’05, former faculty members Steve Connett and Steve Leslie to play a major role in fundraising efforts for the vessel, which was christened in 1998. Lee continues to be an ardent supporter of all things St. George’s and his generosity is reflected in yearly gifts to the Annual Fund and for the endowment of Geronimo. On hand to present the volunteer awards May 18 were Board of Trustees Chair Francis “Skip” Branin ’65, P’06, Head of School Eric Peterson and the late Howard B. Dean’s son, Jim Dean ’72, P’11. —Linda Michalek, Quentin Warren and Krista Sturtevant

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OGDEN NASH SOCIET Y MEMBER PROFILE: John W. “Jack” Hornor ’73 Northampton, Mass. ONS member since 2013

Planned-giving opportunities are available to alumni/ae, parents and friends of St. George’s Many St. George’s alumni/ae look back on their experiences here and describe their years on the Hilltop as formative ones. Jack Hornor is one such Dragon and credits his four years at SG as shaping his character and having a positive effect on his life ever since. In the weeks following his visit to the campus for his 40th reunion in May, Jack shared word that he intends to include St. George’s in his estate plan. “It was here that I first heard the words ‘the larger life of the world’ and here that I heard in our School Prayer that we must be ‘always ready to help the unprotected and helpless.’” Those introductions and the meaning he attached to them have informed and inspired Jack’s own “work with the homeless, those who hunger, and particularly with the gay & lesbian community.” He cites his participation on the staffs of The Red & White and The Lance as the beginning of his “life involved with words—in public relations, in teaching, and in much of my other work.” Working on these publications, and in other school activities, also taught Jack “how to get people to work together and how to succeed in a project.” Those skills have served him well and helped him to be a leader in his adopted town of Northampton, Mass., where he has been involved with civic life for almost 20 years.

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“I came to the Hilltop a shy and awkward third former in 1969. I left with a belief in myself, and a desire to do what I could to make the world a better place. For that I am always grateful to St. George’s.” John W. “Jack” Hornor ’73 Jack has asked that his planned gift, a bequest, be used to honor faculty and staff—those who made the St. George’s experience what it was for him and those whose continued dedication and commitment make SG the school that it is today. To learn more about including the school in your will please contact Bill Douglas at St. George’s by telephone at 1-888-422-5574 or via email at bill_douglas@stgeorges.edu. The Ogden Nash Society (ONS) recognizes and honors alumni/ae, parents and friends of the school who have made provisions to support St. George’s in their estate plans. To date, the Society has 243 members.

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Ryan Vallaincourt ’02 (above with president of the Los Angeles Press Club Jill Stewart), a reporter for the Downtown Los Angeles News, this spring earned the prestigious Print Journalist of the Year award for all daily or weekly newspapers with a circulation less than 50,000 from the Los Angeles Press Association. The judges called his pieces a “Good mix of stories on a variety of topics, displaying strong reporting and writing.” Vallaincourt also won two first-place writing awards in the competition, one in the News Feature Under 1,000 Words category for his piece on a pair of papier-mâché guerrilla street artists and another in the Personality Profile category for his story on dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied.

Former Red & White editor Alexandra Talty ’06 became the envy of all those prone to midday wanderlust when she quit her day job at Forbes Media this spring to try her hand at freelance journalism in Beirut, Lebanon. She’s sending essays and articles back to her old newsroom at Forbes.com through Senior Editor Deborah L. Jacobs. Follow Alexandra on Twitter, @TheMiddleOfTime. Sylvester Monroe ’69 recently took a turn on the other side of the reporter’s notebook for a story by National Public Radio (NPR) correspondent Shereen

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Meraji on the 50-year anniversary of the A Better Chance program in June. Monroe, a freelance editor for NPR’s “Marketplace” and a long-time journalist who’s held reporting and editing positions at Newsweek, Time, Ebony, the San Jose Mercury News and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, told Meraji the program that continues to help disadvantaged students get into prestigious independent schools changed his life. In fact it was a contribution to SG’s student-produced magazine, The Dragon, which set the tone for his future career success. “I met an alumnus who saw something I wrote in the literary magazine and asked if I wanted to meet the editor at Newsweek,” Monroe told Meraji. Six years later, and just one week after his graduation from Harvard University, he was hired as a national correspondent for Newsweek. Monroe said that because of A Better Chance his “world opened up. I never looked at the world the same way, again.” continued on page 70

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Christine Mitchell

’03 made the Boston Globe’s list of most stylish locals this spring. Check out her own style blog, N’East Style, at neaststyle.com.

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Emma Scanlon ’12 recently met U.S. Sen. McCain at a dinner in New York featuring former President Bill Clinton and benefitting the McCain Institute for International Leadership at ASU. Emma is working with The Concordia Summit this summer, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting effective and sustainable public-private partnerships by convening global leaders and developing new methods of research and intelligence.

continued from page 69

The Spring 2013 issue of the Rhode Island Episcopal community’s publication, Risen, reports that Attorney Richard Sayer ’65, a parishioner, has been appointed Chancellor, a legal advisor position, for the Diocese for St. Mary’s Church in Portsmouth, R.I. An essay written by Charles Barzun ’93 titled “A Letter to My Grandfather” was published in the May edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Read it online at http://chronicle.com/article/ A-Letter-to-My-Grandfather/139117. Barzun writes the epistolary essay to his grandfather, Jacques Barzun, the noted French-born writer/professor/historian/ philosopher who died in October 2012 at the age of 104. The New York Post ran a two-page story on the relationship of new art and new building development featuring Derek Reist ’63 in April. (Google Derek Reist NY Post) Reist was commissioned to do two abstract paintings and one realistic painting for the lobby of a new 180-unit rental building at 1214 Fifth Ave. “Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War” by Christian Whiton ’92 will be published by Potomac

Books this September. Whiton, who lives in L.A., is a former diplomat and presidential campaign advisor. He is a frequent commentator on national security issues, appearing on the Fox News Channel, CNBC, and other networks. From 2003 to 2009, he was a senior advisor and deputy special envoy in the State Department. He is currently a principal at DC International Advisory, a political risk-consulting firm. A song titled, “Hush, Baby” written by Lisbeth Garassino ’00 and being sold on iTunes, is helping to raise money for cancer research. The song was written as a tribute in memory of her brother, Joe, 29, who was diagnosed with Stage IV cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), and who passed away on Jan. 20. All proceeds from the sale of this song are going to the Cancer Research Institute of New York City to help find a cure for all types of cancer. Lis can be reached at lisbethgarassino04@fulbrightmail.org.

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Charles Pinning ’70 talks about being Catholic at St. George’s and his schoolboy antics in an editorial published in the Providence Journal this past spring. Needless to say there was some time spent in the Franklin

Linnie Gummo ’11 returned home from her fourth visit to the Rift Valley Children's Village in Tanzania this summer. She reports the dining area built there with donations from the St. George's community is getting a ton of use. The kids love it!

Lucas Kolf ’92, (above left with his son, Charlie) served as a mentor for Aubrey Salmon ’14 during Aubrey’s internship this summer at Bowline Capital Partners in London, where Kolf is a partner.

Spa for breakfast rather than at St. Mary’s Church in downtown Newport on Sunday mornings. Google “With the Catholic boys (a.k.a. ‘The Young Lords’).”

tion to being one of the most active volunteers at the Oak Park River Forest food pantry, Meyers has served with the Chicago Zoological Society, Oak Park Temple, Parenthesis Family Center, Women Leaders in Philanthropy, the Children’s Clinic and parent-teacher organizations. As part of the award, she won a $1,000 grant, which she has earmarked for the food pantry.

Donna Myers ’88 received the Excellence in Philanthropy Award from the Oak Park and River Forest Community Foundation in Illinois this spring. In addi-

Let’s talk about war MOREAU

Veteran Peter Hilgartner ’45 recalls serving on the front lines in Korea, Vietnam

e hadn’t been back to St. George’s since he graduated in 1945, but when Peter Hilgartner ’45 was introduced in assembly in Madeira Hall on April 26 it was nothing short of a triumphant return to the Hilltop. After a brief recitation of the highly decorated Marine colonel’s resume, the students, knowing that he had valiantly served his country for all those years, gave him a standing ovation.

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BY SUZANNE M C GRADY

Hilgartner—widely recognized in the Marine Corps as a successful combat leader—saw heavy action in two wars. He served as a junior officer in Korea, and later went on to earn both the Silver Star and the Lecontinued on page 72

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gion of Merit Medal for command of the First Battalion, Fifth Marines in Vietnam. He was on campus to bring a real-world perspective on war to history students in the department’s elective course on Vietnam. Hilgartner, the stepson of a Naval commander stationed in Newport, has seen a lot since his tenure on the Hilltop more than 70 years ago. His recollections are outlined in a memoir, “Highpocket’s War Stories” (Xlibris Corp., 2004), available on Amazon, but in person the 86-year-old Hilgartner still can recount the war as if it were yesterday.

A native Texan, Hilgartner said he always knew he wanted to be a soldier. “From the time I ever heard of them,” he said. In the rugged terrain around their house, he and his brother, Fielding Hilgartner ’49, battled each other with the toy soldiers they bought for a nickel apiece. “My mother would give us 25 cents a week for allowance and I would usually spend part of it on getting another toy soldier,” he said. Hilgartner attributes his success on the real battlefield to his childhood pursuits, when he taught himself how to study the terrain. “I would go out and do walks in the woods and pretend the enemy was out there somewhere and I’d look to see how I

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might get through,” he said. “I developed some real skills at that over time.” The skills came in handy years later, he said, during a mock war exercise 50 miles from Busan, Korea. It was Marines against the Army and Hilgartner’s cunning helped him prevail in a big way: His unit overcame the opposing unit while they were all sleeping, then piled up all their weapons so the men had to spend hours sorting them back out. Though a commanding officer accused him of “ruining” the exercise and made his unit walk the 50 miles to Busan to catch a ship back to Okinawa, Hilgartner remembers it as one of “the greatest feelings of camaraderie from the Navy” that he ever had. “We made it in time for the trip, but not before I and a lot of other Marines were walking in our sleep and walking off the road and falling in ditches—but we got there,” he said. When the men walked up the gangway of the ship, the Navy had lined up some sailors with a huge pot of split pea soup—and told the Marines as they came up, “Get your canteen out.” “And God, that was wonderful,” Hilgartner said. Later he was honored with an invitation to the war room by the captain of the ship.

At St. George’s, the 6-foot-6-inch, 160-pound Hilgartner, known as Stretch, lettered in football, basketball

So what did Hilgartner want young people to know about war? “I’d like to focus on leadership,” he said before meeting with the history class. “I’d like to tell them a story or two about how to be a leader.” “There are certain things that combat can create in a human being—and that’s the fear factor,” he said. “Some Marines don’t manifest that factor and some do—and some officers do.

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and soccer and was president of the Rifle Club and captain of the Rifle team. “Being from Texas, I knew how to shoot,” he said. (Hilgartner’s younger brother, Lee Hilgartner ’53, nicknamed “Tex” also attended St. George’s.) At 10 or 11 years old, he’d go out into the Texas fields and look for skunks, groundhogs and rabbits. “I never killed much of anything, but it sure was fun,” he said. At an early age, he also learned how to bounce back from adversity. A serious injury to his foot, when his horse, Jimmy, fell and landed on his leg, left him with life-long repercussions: one foot is two sizes smaller than the other. Because of that he was denied a spot in the infantry during the Korean War and assigned to the artillery instead. After St. George’s, Hilgartner wanted to go to West Point but failed the exam by two points in math, so he enlisted in the Marines. From 1945-1947 he was assigned to guard duty at the Naval gun factory and the Naval hospital in Bethesda, Md., which cared for soldiers after World War II. He later passed the exam for the Naval Academy and became an officer, leading a team of about seven Marines on missions to destroy enemy bunkers with artillery fire in Korea. “We were fighting the Chinese,” he said. “They were good soldiers, too.” In Korea, Hilgartner said he carried a 60-pound pack, but still gained weight by eating leftover C-Rations. “Any Marine who didn’t want his C-Rations, he could give them to me and I ate them,” he said. “I didn’t care what it was.”

“One of the biggest problems I’ve seen and had to deal with was an officer freezing and unable to make a decision when he needed to.” One of the worst days in his life, he said, was in May 1967 during Operation Union—a search and destroy mission in the Que Son Valley in Vietnam. Five of his men were killed and 20 injured. He remembers a fellow lieutenant colonel who was terrified and had lost track of his troops. When you’re in the midst of battle, you have to turn that fear around, he said. “I have been in real battles … and I usually ended up walking along the lines and talking to my men when they were fighting. I always felt like if I could see the eyes of the enemy I could beat him.” As Hilgartner thinks nostalgically about the past he remembers the goals he made for himself as a battalion commander during an airplane ride into the war zone: 1. Always accomplish the mission 2. Look out for my men 3. Keep God in my mind.

“I read the 27th psalm almost daily. The first five verses were very meaningful to me.” What kept him going throughout his military career were the camaraderie with his fellow Marines— and belief in the cause. “I was doing something that I really wanted to do,” he said. “I wanted to save lives.”

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‘Hot’ items for Dragons in the SG Bookstore SG Rugby Stripe Knitted Pillow Red & White or Red & Black $

Sailing Burgee 12” x 18”

2599

Vineyard Vines® Red tie with school shield $

Vineyard Vines® Classic Tote Blue border with school shield $

Vineyard Vines® Mini Tote Red border with school shield $

Call the bookstore at 401-842-6662 for these items and more, or visit our online store at www.stgeorges.edu. 74

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Upcoming Events 2 013 Convocation Chapel Classes begin

Thurs., Sept. 5

Alumni/ae of Color Conference

Fri., Oct. 11–Sun., Oct. 13 Parents Weekend

Fri., Oct. 25–Sat., Oct. 26 Lessons and Carols

Fri., Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. Christmas Festival

Tues., Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m.

2 0 14 Fifth-Form Parents Weekend

Fri., Feb. 14–Sat., Feb. 15 Reunion Weekend

Fri., May 16–Sun., May 18 Prize Day

Mon., May 26

St. George’s School P.O. Box 1910 Newport, RI 02840-0190

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. George’s School

S T. G E OR G E ’S 2013 St. George’s School

L. MCGRADY

Honoring John and Ramsay Scott: Founders hope to take Scott Scholarship to the next level BY SUZANNE

L. MCGRADY

Developing students—and supporters BY

ROBERT WESTON

Chapel talks: Lions and tigers—and dragons. Oh my! BY JACK COATY ’13 Silver lining BY KATE HAMRICK ’13

WALKER

2013 Summer/Fall Bulletin

In this issue:

Summer/Fall Bulletin