Bulletin Winter 2007

In this issue:

S T. G E OR G E ’S

Taking stock: implementation of Strategic Plan gathers momentum FACULT Y

AND STAFF CONTRIBUTIONS:

STUDENT

CONTRIBUTIONS:

BY

ALEX MERCHANT ’08

Reunion Weekend Sports Hall of Fame Athletics Faculty Notes Student Achievements Class Notes

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

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. George’s School

2007 Winter Bulletin

The Middlesex Chair BY SARAH DICK ’07 Knowing God BY LINDSEY MCQUILKIN ’07 Dr. Dorothy Hakim visits St. George’s Gridiron memories BY JAMES PASSEMATO ’07

2007 St. George’s School

They came, they saw, they carted away BY TONI CIANY Character comes from what you can’t do BY JOE ELIAS Shanghai: an architectural wonder BY LISA HANSEL Korean traditions BY KEVIN HELD Sophomore defends Pie Race title BY DOUG LEWIS SG students meet manufacturing robots BY ED MCGINNIS Transforming experiences abroad BY PAT MOSS Getting to know you BY MAFALDA NULA On Competition BY ERIC PETERSON Chapel cliché, North Korean style BY TIM RICHARDS Put your hands together BY ROY WILLIAMS Technology à la Asia BY BOB WEIN

winter Bulletin

S t . G e o r ge ’ s S c h o o l M i s s i o n St a t e m e n t 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.” As we begin 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.

S t . G e o r g e ’ s Po l i c y o n Non -Dis cri minat ion 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, 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.

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

An inspirational sunset over Arden/Diman takes the bite out of a cold January evening.

PHOTO BY I LONA T IPP

On the cover: At the Christmas Festival, amid howling revelry a round of musical chairs lands Griffith (Griff ) Matlock ’07 on the floor as Alex Shukis ’10 finesses the winning seat and Aaron Zick ’07 in the elf suit presides.

PHOTO BY A NDREA H ANSEN

On the back cover: Bianca Chevallard ’07, Jamie Mey ’08 and Lily Posner ’07 have a lot to celebrate during the girls varsity soccer game against Middlesex in November on their way to defeating the Zebras and capping off a winning season.

PHOTO BY A NDREA H ANSEN

ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL P.O. BOX 1910 NEWPORT, RI 02840-0190 Office of the Bulletin Editor tel: (401) 842-6792 fax: (401) 842-6745 e-mail: ilona_tipp@stgeorges.edu Main School Tel: (401) 847-7565

Contents From the Editor’s Desk ........................................................................................................................................2 Taking Stock BY QUENTIN WARREN ........................................................................................................................3 Transforming experiences abroad BY PAT MOSS, PH.D ....................................................................................8 Korean traditions BY KEVIN HELD ......................................................................................................................10 Put your hands together BY ROY WILLIAMS ......................................................................................................12 Technology à la Asia BY BOB WEIN ....................................................................................................................14 Chapel cliché, North Korean style BY TIM RICHARDS ......................................................................................16 Getting to know you BY MAFALDA NULA ............................................................................................................18 Shanghai: an architectural wonder BY LISA HANSEL ......................................................................................20 Knowing God BY LINDSEY MCQUILKIN ’07 ..........................................................................................................22 The Middlesex Chair BY SARAH DICK ’07 ..........................................................................................................24 Gridiron Memories BY JAMES PASSEMATO ’07 ....................................................................................................26 Character comes from what you can’t do BY JOE ELIAS ................................................................................28 Reunion Weekend 2007 ....................................................................................................................................30 Hidden Treasures: Peaslee chalice BY QUENTIN WARREN ..............................................................................32 Student deck logs from Geronimo ..................................................................................................................33 SG authors in the news: “Six Frigates” by Ian W. Toll ’85........................................................................36 Sports Hall of Fame............................................................................................................................................37 Taking big strides: an interview with Clay Davis ’09................................................................................38 On Competition BY ERIC F. PETERSON ..................................................................................................................42 Dr. Dorothy Hakim visits St. George’s BY ALEX MERCHANT ’08 ..................................................................46 Sophomore defends Pie Race title BY DOUG LEWIS ........................................................................................48 They came, they loaded, they carted away BY TONI CIANY ..........................................................................50 SG students meet manufacturing robots BY ED MCGINNIS ........................................................................53 Community Service: always a focus on the Hilltop ..................................................................................54 Faculty notes ........................................................................................................................................................56 Student Achievements ......................................................................................................................................59 “Pippin” to heat up Madeira Hall as Winter Musical................................................................................62 Rock Guild rocks on............................................................................................................................................63 Athletics: Fall sports review ............................................................................................................................64 Classrooms............................................................................................................................................................68 On campus: news from the Hilltop ................................................................................................................72 Traditions: Christmas Festival 2006 ..............................................................................................................74 Class notes............................................................................................................................................................77

Main School Fax: (401) 842-6677 Toll free: 1.888.ICALLSG

The St. George’s Bulletin is published bi-annually. Quentin Warren and Ilona Tipp, interim editors; Toni

Alumni/ae web site: http://www.stgeorges.edu

Ciany, editorial assistant; Gale Boone, Cindy Martin and members of the Alumni/ae Office, copy editors.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

1

St. George’s From the editor’s desk BACK TO SCHOOL

PHOTO BY TONI CIANY

I went to Brooks School. I disliked exams as much as the next guy, but by and large I enjoyed my four years there. I learned a lot, learned how to do a lot, and made a lot of lifelong friends. It was small, familiar and unintimidating.

When I went to college, I felt a bit like a fish out of water. I flopped around, directionless at first, learned a lot of things I’d already learned at Brooks, and clung to my friends from Brooks even if it meant driving long hours to wherever they were every weekend.

When I graduated from college and entered the “real world,” I felt again like a fish out of water, only this time I felt like a fish out of water on a skillet. Contemporaries of mine shuffled off to lives and careers, rarely to be heard from again except at Christmastime. With no campus to define their limits, no closed weekends to keep them around, they moved on. I never understood where they actually went. All I knew was, I wasn’t going there, because wherever it was, it was too big and too unknown.

Which is why, years later, it took me about a tenth of a second to jump when Assistant Head of School for External Affairs Joe Gould suggested I consider helping out in the communications office at St. George’s while the real editor of this publication, Suzanne Hadfield, took time off to have her baby.

So here I am, back on a campus with boundaries and closed weekends, back in a coat and tie, back in a place where friendship and happiness are allowed to trump parachutes and careers.

It’s been relatively easy for me because I enjoy it here, and I’ve been surrounded by people willing to help out in every possible way. Especially Communications Associate and Interim Director of Communications Ilona Tipp, whose kind manner and impeccable grasp of the mechanics of publishing are the main reason you are holding the Winter Bulletin in your hands right now.

The Winter Bulletin. What better way could there be to learn all about St. George’s than by plunging into the words and pages that follow?

The Bulletin really is a window on the school, a meeting place for students, faculty, alumni/ae, trustees, and friends. We chose to lead off in this one with a progress

2 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

report on the newly hatched 2006 Strategic Plan (“Taking Stock,” p. 3), because the Plan embraces everything that is St. George’s and its implementation speaks volumes about the positive future of the school.

Moving on to faculty and students, the lifeblood of St. George’s, two sections follow. The first is a series of seven first-person reflections by teachers who visited Asia last summer drawing on their varied perspectives as scholars. Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs and classicist Pat Moss introduces the section on page 8 in her piece “Transforming experiences abroad.”

The second is a selection of chapel talks delivered over the past few months beginning on page 22. Lindsey McQuilkin ’07 talks about her relationship with God, Sarah Dick ’07 provides a lighthearted view of Middlesex weekend and the strong traditions associated with it, James Passemato ’07 reflects on his love of football, and day-student advisor Joe Elias shows us how real personal identity arises out of overcoming disability.

One of the more gripping pieces in the Bulletin has very little to do directly with St. George’s. Last summer, at the age of 15, sophomore Clay Davis scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in all of Africa, with her mother and father. Clay sat down with us and recounted the feat; a portion of that interview begins on page 38.

Of course, no Bulletin would be complete without words from the head of school. Eric Peterson’s address to the assembled crowd on Parents Weekend drew upon his own experience participating in—and finishing—the Chicago Marathon last fall. His inspirational account entitled “On Competition” appears on page 42.

Beyond these features, the book is full of colorful images and literary nuggets that span the St. George’s community, from athletics to community service to alumni/ae and faculty milestones, from traditions to hidden campus treasures to news, news and more news.

And throughout it all, the quirks, accomplishments and good humor that define the kids who go here shine.

That’s the engine that drives it all forward. It’s been wonderful having the opportunity to be involved.

Quentin H. Warren Communications Assistant

PHOTO BY ANDREA HANSEN

Taking stock IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN GATHERS MOMENTUM ... 佥

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

3

T

A K I N G

S

T O C K

:

S

T

.

G

E O R G E

’

S

S

BY QUENTIN WARREN trategic plans are wonderful vehicles for identifying a need, setting a course, and shaping a vision. They compel us to put the spotlight on where we are now, and to figure out where we want to be at a given point in the not-too-distant future. They bring into sharp focus the path of our evolution, and they point out ways in which we have strayed, or become mired, or run out of steam.

The danger of any strategic plan involves the complacency that often creeps in when the deliberations are over and the think tank has gone home. The ink is barely dry on the document, the discussion has energized its authors and heartened the constituency, and “the plan” sits on the shelf, a beacon for all, glorified in its concept, but engineless in its application.

At St. George’s, the 2006 Strategic Plan, unanimously approved by the Board in October and rolled out to the community at large in a series of receptions across the country, tackled that concern early on by recognizing where inertia is apt to settle in and then developing initiatives to drive the program forward. By now, the description of those initiatives should be familiar to us all: “Seven interrelated strategic areas … like spokes on a wheel, each supporting the overall structure of the plan … each made up of a number of clear and attainable tactics that can be examined at any time to measure our progress …

S

4 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

T R A T E G I C

P L A N

tactical initiatives that are actions, not simply ideas.”

To recount, strategic areas identified included advancement in science, math and technology, particularly with regard to curriculum and facilities; strengthening the institutions of community, responsibility and leadership by expanding participation in all three and by pursuing an expanded and revised honor code; creating a dedicated Center for Educational Innovation to ensure the advancement of learning as methods and media evolve; promoting gender and diversity equity in established leadership roles and through increased financial aid; enabling fluid global engagement in terms of coursework and field experience; supporting professional development for faculty and staff; and fulfilling goals related to sustainability, stewardship and environmental awareness, including the adoption of a written sustainability mission statement.

So now the Plan is on the table, out there for all to see. But where is it in practice? Are its formative steps actual, quantifiable, even measurable? With full appreciation of the caveat that implementation of the Plan is in its infancy, we decided to find out from some of those closest to it where progress really is occurring. We discovered that the spirit of the Plan is alive and well-embraced, and that a number of action items are moving ahead with a vitality all their own.

Head of the Science Department Steve Leslie reported enthusiastically on strides being made in the area of environmental sustainability and stewardship. To be sure, he insists that grassroots awareness of sustainability issues is happening anyway, all over the globe. “The train is already out of the station,” he told us. On the St. George’s campus in particular, administrative and student-initiated strategies have crystallized in response to the notion that we must respect the fragility and sanctity of the environment, that we must change the way we do things in order to have a positive effect on energy consumption and the preservation of the natural world.

Leslie recounted how last year a group of SG students called for more dialogue on the subject and requested greater opportunity to hear lectures from experts in the field and to disseminate professional research. The Ecology Club now locates or organizes more than 12 lectures per

PHOTO BY BOTUM BOU

year for students and faculty. These include presentations from top people including the director of the environmental science department at Harvard, and leading educators involved with ecology and energy research at MIT. Also on the strength of a student proposal, Leslie organized a composting program on campus last fall involving vegetable wastes from the school’s kitchen. “Instead of paying for waste removal and adding to the solid waste going to the central Rhode Island landfill, we are closing the nutrient cycle, composting the wastes, and generating a nutrient-rich additive for the soil,” he explained. “More than a ton of material will not have been sent away, but instead this spring will improve the natural plant cycle on campus.”

In October, the school successfully recycled over two tons of toxic electronic waste in the form of old computers and computer accessories, deflecting this refuse from domestic landfills and unregulated trash heaps abroad (see “They came, they loaded, they carted away—computer recycling on the SG campus,” by Toni Ciany, p. 50).

This winter, St. George’s will take part in the Green Cup Challenge, joining more than a dozen other independent schools in a competitive ploy to explore and practice ways in which we can learn to reduce our energy use. Success will be measured by the relative percentage of electrical consumption reduced on campus during a designated 30-day period.

Members of the SG community participated in the Bioneers Conference in October, during which 2,000 ecology activists in 17 North

PHOTO BY SABLE KNAPP ’07

American cities shared, discussed and studied new developments in the science, the business, and the social implications of sustainability on earth. St. George’s also participated in a local Newport County wind energy forum, and initiated a student-run independent study on windgenerated energy potential on the Hilltop. Further afield, a recent dress-down day allocated funds to Sustainable Harvest International in Honduras.

Looking ahead, Leslie explained that future construction at St. George’s already is tagged with the requisite green component. “As we ponder modifications to existing buildings on campus and the development of new ones,” he said, “we are working closely with architects well-versed in the criteria for LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficiency & Design) certification, a benchmark for sustainability.” Furthermore, the school has begun work on a written sustainability mission statement for formal presentation to the Board in March.

Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Pat Moss discussed progress being made in other spheres of the Plan, namely the support of professional excellence and the development of academic facilities. Citing two structures in particular—Memorial Schoolhouse and the Hill Library—she indicated that focusing attention on them now will pave the way for appropriate, wellconsidered capital improvements down the road as the Strategic Plan unfolds.

“We have formed a committee to consider

Small steps make big things happen, a notion championed

by Davis Archer '07 and Science Department Chair Steve Leslie (above) who researched, developed and managed a composting program responsible for processing more than a ton of vegetable refuse from the SG kitchen.

Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Pat Moss, seen at left presiding over a class in Memorial Schoolhouse, is part of a committee generated by the Plan and charged with considering renovations to that building and other facilities on campus as teaching and learning styles evolve at an ever-increasing pace.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

5

T

A K I N G

S

T O C K

:

S

T

.

G

E O R G E

’

S

S

T R A T E G I C

P L A N

Physics teacher Bob Wein addresses a class in the science building, a facility targeted by the Strategic Plan as in need of a major upgrade.

PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITNEY LUCEY

how to renovate Schoolhouse,” she told us. “Its work will include revitalizing the classrooms and creating departmental offices, and possibly locating a distance learning/multimedia facility, and a center for educational innovation— another rubric of the Plan, by the way—in the overall scheme.” Moss touched on current activity with regard to the library when she said, “Another committee has reexamined the mission of the independent school library in the digital world of the 21st century. This group has also visited a number of school libraries and is poised to conclude its work recommending alterations to the Hill Library.”

She weighed in on the science and technology front by divulging that “the science department will have a retreat in February to conclude their discussions evaluating the department’s current program. Under the leadership of department head Steve Leslie, the science faculty has concluded its evaluation of the shortcomings of the facility for the current program.” Enhanced curricular opportunities and capital improvements to the department’s building and resources will be crucial talking points.

6 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Global engagement is not a new concept at St. George’s—the school in terms of its student and faculty make-up and its curriculum has reflected an international component for years.

But the Plan recognizes the increasingly interdependent nature of the global community and pledges to “seek ways to connect our students with the larger world and bring global issues to the campus in meaningful ways.” Certainly recent trips to Asia undertaken by members of the faculty and chronicled in this publication point to an awareness of the impact that foreign cultures have on the learning experience, from the dual perspectives of supporting professional development and broadening the study base offered to SG students.

History teacher and Head of the Chinese Department Tony Jaccaci indicates that the topic is on a front burner already and that concrete initiatives are under discussion. “In the realm of global engagement,” he said, “we have continued our teacher exchange with the Chinese International School, welcoming CIS faculty member Dorothy Hakim to St. George’s last fall and sending SG history department member Lucia Jaccaci to Hong Kong this coming March to

complete the exchange.” He noted that internally “we are assessing our current program with an eye to international perspectives and planning the roll-out of an office of global programs next fall.”

Community, responsibility and leadership are at the core of a student’s growth and social development while engaged in the St. George’s experience. Hardly is this a news flash. But the Plan gives it considerable weight, and the notion that principles lose their relevance and luster if they aren’t discussed and considered on a timely basis is an important one. This year saw the expansion of a new organization on campus, the Honor Code Committee, dedicated to evaluating the current honor code at St. George’s in an effort to “promote student involvement, raise awareness, and generate ideas about the honor code and its role in the school,” as described by Samantha Buechner ’07 in an article she wrote for the Red & White in October. With equal student-faculty representation, the committee is poised to bring the ageless tenets of the honor code to a refined and more current level of social relevance.

Said Assistant Head of School for Student Life and committee member Tim Richards, “The Honor Code Committee has met several times and we have surveyed faculty, staff, and students online to solicit feedback. Four members of the committee attended a weekend workshop in Philadelphia in October sponsored by the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE) on developing and revising honor codes. The goal of the committee is to present a draft of a revised code to the faculty and the broader community this winter or early in the spring and to work through modifications so that it may be adopted for next year.”

In a further take on the stewardship issue, Richards reported to us on progress under way in the Dorm Renovation Committee with regard to addressing the deferred-maintenance needs of St. George’s aging dormitories. “We have been working closely with architects from Butler Rogers Baskett in New York City and Connecticut to plan for the renovation of Arden, Diman, and Diman North dorms, the removal of the old pool, and the possible construction of new dormitories,” he said. “The Committee met recently to review and critique the most current plans from BRB. As the process moves forward to more specific drawings and plans, we will be

discussing ways to make these significant renovations, along with any future building projects that may arise from the proposed renovations, ‘green.’”

Richards commented also on movement in the diversity, gender and equity realm. “The Multicultural Committee, under the leadership of Kim Bullock, has been putting the finishing touches on adopting a written diversity mission statement,” he reported. “The goal is to have this statement adopted and incorporated into the Shield and other school publications for next year.”

The development of the 2006 Strategic Plan involved hours, days, weeks and months of research and hard work on behalf of the school by members of the faculty, staff, and board of trustees, by parents and alumni/ae, and by selected professionals specializing in a range of chosen fields. Reams of material emerged from studies undertaken and surveys administered to hundreds of constituents. The first landmark reached was the development and production of the physical document. Encouragingly, the contents of that document are assuming a life of their own as the words morph into action.

Global engagement brought Tim Richards and other members of the faculty to the base of Kumgang mountain in North Korea last summer.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

7

Global engagement F

A C U L T Y

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

2 0 0 6

Assistant Head of School for Academics and Latin Department Chair Pat Moss, Assistant Head of School for Student Life Tim Richards and Chinese Department Chair Tony Jaccaci enjoy sushi in Kyoto, Japan.

Transforming experiences abroad

BY PAT MOSS, PH.D. As part of St. George’s ongoing commitment to foster the global engagement of our faculty, a second group of eight of us journeyed to the Far East on June 10, 2006. The visit culminated eight months of preparation including a monthly meeting for which we read and discussed Don Oberdorfer’s “The Two Koreas,” Anchee Min’s “Wild Ginger,” Mira Stout’s “One Thousand

8 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Chestnut Trees,” and T.R. Reid’s “Confucius Lives Next Door.” Our travels would take all of us to Seoul, Beijing, Xian, Guilin, and Shanghai; from there three would journey to Kyoto, Japan, three to Hong Kong, and another to Spain before returning back home. At least one teacher from virtually every academic department at St. George’s has now had this wonderful opportunity to expand personal and professional horizons by traveling to Asia with colleagues. This year we

shared experiences as diverse as spending the night in a Buddhist monastery in the mountains of Korea; visiting an English class at a public high school in Beijing; learning about geopolitics at a breakfast briefing with the military attaché from the American Embassy in Beijing; visiting the DMZ; and touring a factory outside Shanghai that produces 60% of the glass used in the world’s microwaves. All of us happily became students once again, immersing ourselves fully in this heady adventure and returning home awestruck and exhilarated.

As a classicist I was keenly interested in learning more about various Asian cultures that were contemporary with those of ancient Greece and Rome. My most memorable moments, however, involved much more recent history. In Beijing Bob Wein and I had dinner with a Chinese family, arranged by Jeff Bissell, director of School Year Abroad, who accompanied us as translator.

After adjusting from the initial shock of their sprawling, decrepit apartment building and their cramped living quarters, we spent an unforgettable evening with a couple and their teenage daughter. My awe at their exceptional hospitality, which entailed dish after dish of superb, clearly authentic Chinese food cooked on one burner and served with refreshing local beer in a dining room as large as an American card table, was surpassed only by the drama of their personal stories.

Both parents had suffered terribly during the Cultural Revolution, yet despite all their hardships the family laughed, smiled, and bantered with each other throughout the evening as we had animated discussions through our interpreter Jeff on a wide range of subjects. At the age of nine, the mother had been sent to the countryside where for more than 10 years she labored in terrible deprivation in the fields, beaten regularly because her father had been a highly-placed provincial government official.

Amazingly she eventually became a physician and worked for years in a Beijing hospital, only to resign from her position completely a few years ago to spend more time with her daughter. The husband, who had held various poorly paying, meaningless government jobs, eventually became a master craftsman of handmade violins and cellos. He proudly showed us a tiny closet where,

to our stunned surprise, more than ten gorgeous stringed instruments were hanging.

Because their deep love of children has been frustrated by China’s one-child policy, every year these parents take in as a surrogate an American teenager participating in the School Year Abroad program, giving up the nicest room in their very modest apartment to host a stranger from the U.S. and even bestowing a handmade violin upon two of them who were musicians. Bob and I agreed that the incredible resilience of this couple, their goodness, generosity, strength of spirit, and hospitality were the true highlights of our trip abroad.

On quite another note, during our visit to the Shanghai Stock Exchange we were fortunate to have a private meeting with Dr. James Liu, the exchange’s executive vice president. After a wideranging conversation on various economic issues facing China, I asked him how his experience earning his doctorate in the U.S. had affected his life. His face completely lit up as he recounted an experience that occurred when as a student in the graduate program at the University of Kansas he approached his advisor with an idea for a dissertation. To Dr. Liu, his first amazement occurred when his advisor actually admitted that he did not know much about the topic, “something that would never happen in China,” he said. His second amazement was that the advisor still gave the project the green light, saying that they would learn together by working on the project together. This, he said, is the real strength of the American educational system: the confidence to admit when we don’t know something, and the intellectual freedom and creativity to work together toward a common goal. “Don’t ever lose this,” he cautioned, and keep your doors open to “immigrants like me.”

Powerful moments indeed. The reflections of the other teachers on this stimulating and rewarding trip follow. We are truly grateful to so many St. George’s families, students, colleagues, and alums for making this transforming experience happen.

Pat Moss teaches AP Latin and is the assistant head of school for academics at St. George’s. She can be reached at Pat_Moss@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

9

F

A C U L T Y

Science teacher Bob Wein, art teacher Lisa Hansel and Latin teacher and Head of the Department of Theater, Speech & Dance Kevin Held dine at Korea House in Seoul.

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

2 0 0 6

Korean traditions

BY KEVIN HELD Tradition helps ground culture. Culture was defined for us by the curator of the Korean National Folk Museum as “a collection of shared memories.” This summer, teachers from St. George’s who toured Asia had the opportunity to see and the privilege of experiencing the traditions of cultures halfway around the world. I was ecstatic to be a part of the group, chosen to go to Asia for almost three weeks. I understand, or at least I have studied, western traditions and culture; this would be my first up-close encounter with eastern traditions and culture. I would be

10 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

out of my western comfort zone and in the hands of students and the parents who trust us with their children.

Our first stop and, for me, the most impressive, was Korea. I was constantly in awe of the way the past, present and future converge. It was clear that there was a deep and proud sense of national identity rooted in traditions of culture.

This was coupled with an openness to welcome us there in the present, and a strong driving force ahead into the future with new technology, architecture and urban planning. As a theater person, I could see this convergence of past and future most clearly through the two performances I attended in Korea—an evening of traditional

folk dancing at Korea House and a very modern musical, “Nanta.”

At Korea House, the evening of folk dances unfolded after one of the most elaborate meals of our week in Korea. The dancers were highly skilled in their stylized performance which did not resemble anything in the Western tradition. One of my favorite dance segments was the Farmers’ Harvest Dance, in Korean known as “Nongak.” A quick Internet search revealed that this dance form is one of the oldest in Korea dating back to the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period around 57 B.C.E. It features a performer who whips his head around and twirls a ribbon from the top of his hat. I had seen it performed even before my trip to Korea by the Korean Dance Troupe brought to the St. George’s campus a few years ago by the Multicultural Council. It also is depicted in the artwork of Korea, most notably for me in the piece of art Mr. Chung, Jenny Chung ’09’s father, brought back from a recent trip to North Korea.

The next time I would see a ribbon-headed dancer live it was a part of “Nanta,” which seems to me to be Korea’s homemade version of pop shows like “Blue Man Group” or “Stomp.” The plot is simple—cooks in a kitchen working together to get ready for a wedding, trying to please the boss who just gave a job to his nephew. Most impressive about “Nanta” were the frenetic drumming and the amazing physical feats of the acrobatic cast.

The drumbeats of “Nanta” were based on traditional Korean music; the physical feats included another form of the Farmers’ Dance.

However, this was no Korea House performance!

The ribbons fluoresced under black lights and you could not see the performers at all. It was as if we were in a futuristic laser light show. This high-tech innovation of the uniquely Korean dance form bridged the past and presaged the future.

Dance is not the only art form binding the past and the future. Korean celadon pottery from antiquity took its form and simple light-green coloring from nature. This was in contrast to the highly ornate porcelains from China. The simple lines of the pottery inspired the austerity and simplicity of the Leeum Museum, one of the most beautiful museums I have ever visited.

In Korea, even the architecture pulls actively from the past and looks forward to a bright future.

In a city of buildings that are mostly new, it is clear that Seoul was laid out along traditional roadways that grew naturally over time. It is not a city of perfect grids that looks recently planned.

There is a very human scale to the Korean architecture of past and present. We were able to compare this with China—there, ancient buildings such as those in the Forbidden City are impressively large and built to a scale that invokes the heavens. I preferred the gently-curved rooftops of the modest palaces and temples in Korea.

I will forever view the world through a different lens after my three weeks in the East. The culture of Korea and China as expressed in dance, the visual arts, and architecture provides this new lens and gives me a new perspective on the world.

I cannot express enough my gratitude for this amazing opportunity. I will continue to look to the past for the influence of culture on the present and carry that forward into the future with students here on the Hilltop.

Above, the Korea House meal—one of the most elaborate of our week in Korea.

Kevin Held teaches Latin 1 and heads the department of theater, speech & dance. He can be reached at Kevin_Held@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

11

F

A C U L T Y

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

2 0 0 6

Put your

hands together!

Math teacher Roy Williams in front of Keunjeong-jeon, the royal throne hall of Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, South Korea

BY ROY WILLIAMS It was the applause that did it. Hearing different languages and eating unusual foods told me only that I was abroad again. It was the applause that finally brought home to me the real difference, something I’d noticed previously in Seoul. The English teacher in Beijing asked us to introduce ourselves and to describe our academic fields. I stood up first, prepared for the groans and eye-rolling that commonly greet “I teach math.”

But for the first time ever, “math” generated not just a polite but rather a truly enthusiastic ovation.

At that moment, I realized I was about to answer a long-held question.

12 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Having taught mathematics for more than 25 years, I knew that the familiar “all Asians are good at math” was a stereotype. I also knew, however, that most of my Asian students, weak and strong alike, approach the subject with a genuine “can do” attitude. In contrast, I have encountered talented U.S. students with tremendous ability who do not perform to their true potential. It was my curiosity about these apparent cultural differences that lay at the core of my desire to participate in the Asia trip.

I hoped to find some answers. And by the time I encountered that applause in Beijing, I had been to schools in Korea and already I had come a long way

towards understanding the educational ethos of that country.

We followed the Beijing school visit with dinner at the home of a Chinese family nearby.

Our interpreter was Andrew, a young American from Oregon who had just finished a Student Year Abroad (SYA) program and had chosen to stay on with his Chinese family, attending the regular school system. I looked over his Chinese math textbooks: They covered the same material as honors precalculus at St. George’s. Andrew’s Chinese “brother” told me that he was determined to attend graduate school in the U.S. to study engineering, business or medicine. He was keeping his options open by studying as hard as he could in order to pass the university exams in China, the first step toward realizing his graduate ambitions.

Hesitating, he went on to explain that, from conversations with Andrew, he worried that his two years’ exam prep had left him behind the best U.S. students in terms of real intellectual growth.

Many Koreans and Chinese bemoan their education systems, believing that too much focus on university entrance exams stifles creativity.

Nevertheless, exam competitiveness, and the notion that math plays a vital role in whatever one hopes to accomplish in the future, certainly appear to instill that “can do” attitude—perhaps more accurately a “must do” attitude—with regard to math and science. The contrary “I am not good at math” mindset is alien.

Those who do not excel on the entrance exams and as a result fail to go on to higher education do pay a huge price in lost creativity. (This same criticism also has been leveled at standardized testing in the U.S.) In China and Korea, however, the drive for exam success appears to foster the attitude that math and science are simply two more subjects to be mastered, and that hard work and determination are the keys. More important, this attitude gels with students long after they have passed those exams, and it appears to create a fundamentally different view of math and the sciences.

As I read Andrew’s Chinese textbooks again I thought about the universal nature of the language of mathematics. Since my return to this country I have looked at my own students while visualizing their peers at work on the same topics in China and Korea. Many harbor the same goals and will be seeking careers in the same fields—possibly in

direct competition with one another. Ironically, because the U.S. possesses the finest graduate school system in the world, one that often leads to jobs at multinational corporations, U.S. students face global competition not only for spots in those schools themselves but also later on in the workplace.

My trip to Asia did not change my fundamental rejection of an educational curriculum driven by standardized testing. I am, however, a firm believer in meritocracy when it comes to education and employment. I want the planes I fly on to be designed by the best engineers, I want my surgery done by the best doctors, and I want my environment protected by the best scientists.

Unfortunately, too many U.S. students who possess great young minds are turning away from engineering, research, and science.

The “can do” attitude towards math and science that parents, teachers and students (male and female alike) in Korea and China demonstrated to me over and over again suggests that if we parents and teachers here adopt an attitude any less positive or proactive, we are letting our students down. In Korea and China in the old days, “the big ate the small.”

Now, “the fast eat the slow,” a mantra that seems to drive Korea to invest billions in a government hightech hotbed of innovation devoted to producing the next global technologies. Where are many of their very best minds trained? At the top graduate universities in the U.S. Why? Because the environment here encourages the innovative thinking that the Asian system often stifles. However, if our students are not getting into those schools in the very first place because, early in their education, we let them falter, then we can’t blame them or bemoan the influx of talent from overseas.

What can you do to help your children succeed in the global future? Never say to your sons or daughters, “It’s OK—I didn’t understand math either.” Instill in them the belief that if they work at it they always will do better than if they simply let it slide, and that, whatever their careers, what they gain by sticking in that honors class, may, just may, help them in the long run. Lead the applause for math.

Roy Williams teaches honors precalculus, AP BC calculus and multivariable calculus at St. George’s.

He can be reached at Roy_Williams@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

13

A C U L T Y

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

2 0 0 6

PHOTO BY ROY WILLIAMS

F

Technology à la Asia Science teacher Bob Wein on the Great Wall of China

BY BOB WEIN In the United States we view technology as a measure of our success. Our children want the latest camera/cell phones and they spend hours learning the ins and outs of the newest editions of video games. We can now have (for a price) smart homes, radio-tagged food with automatic shopping capabilities, inch-thick mountanywhere TV screens, and broadband hand-held access to all the published information in the English language. By contrast, not too long ago we inflated our chests when describing how we made last night’s dinner in a microwave. Of course that freed up enough time for us to learn how to play Space Invaders or Pong on the home Coleco set.

Back then the future of home computing was its paper-free record keeping. In college the quality

14 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

of a stereo’s sound was dependent on refrigeratorsize speakers, used to blast the HiFi sound out into the dorm quad.

Now speakers are approaching microscopic sizes for digital sound played from our pocket.

Yesterday’s new technology in the United States is today’s landfill. In Asia, where a significant fraction of our technologically-dependent tools or gadgets is manufactured, technology for their citizens is entirely different. What our tour of Asia showed me was amazing adaptability, some of which would not be considered “high-tech” by U.S. standards, though I would contend that this ingenuity does fall into the technology category when viewed in terms of how to solve most effectively tomorrow’s problems today.

The city of Seoul, South Korea, was a surprise to me. Set deep in a valley along both sides of the

Han River, it is cosmopolitan, with all the current shopping, deluxe cars stuck in ubiquitous traffic jams, and magnificent museums of culture and art to be expected in a developed nation’s capital.

What surprised me was the sprawl. As South Korea’s economy flourishes, the city spreads its tentacles along the water and asphalt arteries that feed the metropolis. While driving south through the suburbs, in order to visit a great example of technology-free living (the millennium-old Buddhist Jikji Temple) we passed construction sites where thousands of apartments were being built in hundreds of high-rise apartment buildings. It was, by contrast to American construction sites, an overwhelming shift in concept.

In the United States, construction proceeds in a very orderly, mandated fashion. First there’s the steel frame, followed by the concrete, then the brick, glass and finally the interior work. Usually this is done on one building, which is sold and then the next is started, built using the proceeds from the first. In South Korea (and later we saw the same in China) clusters of 20 or more buildings are built simultaneously and in a completely different order. After the first few floors of steel are erected, the concrete is started while the steel continues. By 10 stories the next crew starts the brick and then the glass. By the time the steel tops out, the first few floors are nearly complete. We could almost watch the Shanghai skyline rise before our eyes, as yet another of the world’s tallest buildings sprouted in this fashion.

How is this considered technology? After all, it is only concrete and steel wrapped in a protective layer of plastic tarps and bamboo. I would contend that imaginatively solving problems with available resources is the best example of real technology. The use of the ancient resource bamboo is no less a technology than the reliance of the empty Shanghai Stock Exchange on supercomputers to eliminate floor traders. With a housing crisis brought on by a shift in demographics, construction must be done at an alarming rate. The parallel-layers approach to construction in Asia helps alleviate a desperate situation.

Later during our drive out of Seoul, Roy Williams and I were fortunate enough to visit the

Electronic and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), one of Korea’s foremost research facilities. In a very real sense this is the cradle of Korean technology. After a meeting with the assistant director and a chief scientist, we saw homes and appliances of the future, most notably a robot with GPS sensors and image-recognition software able to greet your unexpected guests by name, escort them to the room of your choice, then play their favorite movie on a threedimensional video system, all of this while you are still coming home from the office. The scientists were justifiably proud of their developments. But, as a former researcher myself, what impressed me was the merging of many different ideas. In a sense they were solving a disparate challenge. The historian Mark Kurlansky wrote of the Roman Empire, “Their accomplishment was not innovation, it was administration.” I see the Asian technology community the same way.

While watching a live video feed of a World Cup match amid 300,000 Korean fans in the center of Seoul we saw people turning to view the game by way of live broadband telecasts on their cell phones (a cell phone’s small screen at arm’s length still appeared larger than the enormous screen at the front of the crowd). Do we need to be that connected? Are those fans “higher-tech” than our fans? Does it really matter? I suppose those are questions the answers to which are open to interpretation. It is clear to me, however, that being more technologically endowed does not imply winning a race. Maybe we should read the science headlines differently. Instead of wondering who is ahead in the race for technological supremacy and bemoaning the need for more scientists (Asia is trying to import scientists too), we should recognize that we meet our needs with our technology and Asia meets their needs with their technology. After all, at the moment the concrete shortage over there doesn’t affect dropped cell-phone calls over here. Perhaps a better question will be, what happens when we want the same thing?

Bob Wein teaches three levels of physics at St. George's to an impressive cross-section of interested and motivated students and can be reached, if you are likewise motivated, at Bob_Wein@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

15

F

A C U L T Y

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

Chapel cliché, North Korean Style Chinese Department Chair Tony Jaccaci and Assistant Head of School for Student Life Tim Richards at Kumgang Mountain in North Korea

BY TIM RICHARDS When I learned that I would be joining the faculty trip to Asia this summer, I was unsure about the potential pedagogical benefits of the experience. There is no high school psychology in Asia—at least not along the stops on our itinerary. The benefits would have to come from elsewhere. I encourage my students to push their own personal envelopes, but having never done anything outside of my own comfort zone, I have always felt a nagging hypocrisy. That changed this summer.

Part of my trip involved a three-day excursion to North Korea with Mr. Jaccaci and two members of the class of 2006, Jung Gun Oh and Christy Kim. We left Seoul on a bus for Kumgang

16 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

2 0 0 6

Mountain, North Korea (a place that has been in the news of late following the North Korean nuclear test), and five hours later we were sitting in a bus terminal a few kilometers from the DMZ. We lined up under a tent by bus number and passenger number. There were 12 buses each carrying about 20 people; we were on bus number 1, and I was identified as passenger number 1. I therefore had the dubious distinction of being the first to present my documents to the severelooking North Korean border agent.

Under his daunting military cap, his thinlipped scowl and condescending stare impressed upon me right away that he was in charge. It was an unsettling experience. To prevent inevitable anxiety, I had not spoken much to my family about the intense antipathy that exists between the United States and Kim Jong-il’s regime. Since cell phones were not permitted beyond the preDMZ station, we would be totally isolated for three days. We would be in a country the government of which regularly commits atrocities against its own citizens and teaches that Americans are “inhuman, promiscuous, and dictatorial.” This eerie thought gave me a real and eye-opening sense of powerlessness.

We passed by North Korean Army guards standing at attention on dirt walls lining the road 50 meters away and tanks on the hillsides covered by thatched huts. The Kim Jong-il pins— mandatory on the lapels of the North Korean workers—were a reminder of the power of the charismatic madman at the helm of this downtrodden country. Everywhere we turned, the unfamiliar, uneasy and bizarre greeted us. Our guide, “Captain Bek,” told us not to look any North Korean officials in the eyes, not to spit on the ground (for fear of repercussion for desecrating the benevolent leader’s property), and never to use Kim’s name. We were not permitted to take pictures of any North Koreans we encountered during our hikes and were allowed cameras only with minimal zoom.

I infuriated one of the North Korean “trail guides” by asking her to take a picture and then offering to show her how the camera worked. She seemed to resent genuinely my presence in her country and felt that I was condescending. We engaged another North Korean in conversation, and after he sang a song (in unintelligible

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY KEVIN HELD

English) praising the benevolence of Kim, we asked him to be in a photo with us. A more senior official immediately approached us, scrutinized our papers, and began to follow us. It wasn’t until we re-boarded the bus to the hotel that he desisted.

The next day another trail guide was even more direct, asking me rhetorically if I didn’t feel uncomfortable being in North Korea given the nature of the relationship between our two countries. As I wrote in my journal that day, “While not life threatening, it was definitely more than just uncomfortable for all of us. We are, while we are here, under their watchful eyes and Tony [Jaccaci] and I are more than a bit conspicuous. That was as uncomfortable as I have ever felt; it was on some level exciting (adrenaline) and on another, just scary.” I was unquestionably out of my comfort zone, and because of this discomfort I was able to understand more concretely than ever before the nature of the hostilities that exist between the U.S. and North Korea. Experience— uncomfortable experience—truly is a great educator.

The most intense, though mercifully brief discomfort I felt came the next day when we were going back through the checkpoint to re-enter South Korea. Once again we lined up by bus number, and once again I was the first to go through the process. The same nasty-looking guard scowled at me again, and in broken English questioned the validity of my passport and papers (why did some say “Tim Richards” and others “John Timothy Richards”?). He asked my age and then, seeming not to believe me, asked me my year and date of birth. Unbelievably, he also quizzed me on my passport number. Finally, he grimly handed me my documents and I passed through. I felt helpless, an unprecedented and disquieting feeling for me. Perhaps as a result, it was an exceptionally potent and unforgettable lesson. As we passed through the DMZ, we all celebrated with high fives and smiles. We had been gone three days, though in a strange way we had not officially been anywhere, as North Korea did not validate our visit with passport stamps.

There would be other uncomfortable moments during our trip, most a result of eating exotic food (duck tongue, feet and brains, cow

heart, snake, scorpions, octopus, and more). I believe that broadening my culinary experience also helped me grow, but the North Korea trip provided me extraordinary insight into the value of stepping outside one’s own personal safe zone and taking risks. I learned many lessons in Asia, but none as clear as how valuable experience is as a teacher and how taking risks can open your world. Leaving my comfortable Seoul hotel for the uncertainties of North Korea, I traveled as a student and consequently became a better educator.

Guards face off on each side of the border (top) and military trucks rumble by in the DMZ between North and South Korea (above).

Tim Richards is the assistant head of school for student life and teaches abnormal psychology. He can be reached at Tim_Richards@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

17

F

A C U L T Y

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

2 0 0 6

PHOTO BY KEVIN HELD

Assistant Head of School for Academics and Latin Department Chair Pat Moss and Spanish teacher Mafalda Nula in front of a fountain in Shanghai

Getting to know you

BY MAFALDA NULA When I signed up to go on this trip I had certain expectations. I wanted to meet with our Korean students and their families in their own country, and I wanted to witness how they behaved when they were the majority and spoke their own native language. Having been involved with international students at St. George’s for over 10 years, I also wanted to learn about their culture firsthand in order to help them adjust to our school culture better once they were here under our care. Last, but not least, I wanted to go shopping!

Well, my friends, I did these things and much

18 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

more. I learned that Korean families are very close-knit. Parents are willing to endure all sorts of sacrifices for the well-being of their families.

They work very hard in their jobs or businesses, or else they stay at home with their children. They would move from one side of Seoul to the other if necessary just to enable their children to attend a better school. Children, for their part, love and respect their elders and always act honorably.

I also learned that education is extremely important to Asian families. After all, fortunes are made and lost, and in Asia, precedent suggests that you may need to leave your family, your home, and even your country in a hurry when circumstances work against you. In some cases

this has meant swimming to safety, taking nothing but the clothes on your back, your set of values, your faith, and of course, your education.

It also became apparent that our foreign students assumed different personalities when they were at home. My favorite author, Jorge Luis Borges, believed in the multiplicity of man—that we are one person, but at the same time we are many others. I enjoyed seeing our students take on different personalities and be assertive leaders.

I was the student, the foreigner, the one who didn’t know what was going on. I was the one who didn’t understand what they were saying or where we were heading. However, Ellie Shin ’06, Yaelim Lee ’08, Henry Park ’97, Christy Kim ’06, Lydia von Boode ’05 and the other students were always there, taking care of me. I was humbled by their sensitivity and generosity.

We spent a few days in the countryside. We went to Kumgang Mountain and there, on top of the hill, was a temple with a Buddha overlooking the valley. Immediately it reminded me of the Cristo Redentor which stands on top of the Andes Mountains at the border between Argentina and Chile, symbolically protecting the people. It also reminded me of another statue of Christ, the one on top of Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This Christ is overlooking the bay, again projecting the image of protector. In the same way, the Buddha appeared to be protecting his people, so I felt at home there.

It was while climbing this mountain that I heard a wonderful story about relationships.

According to this tale, relationships do not have a beginning or an end. We are here today, you and I, but we surely must have met before, in other times playing different roles. Further, there is no doubt that we will meet again, in another life playing other roles. Maybe this was happening already: I was the student, the tentative foreigner, the one who did not understand a word that anyone around me was saying, and the students— Ellie, Henry, Yaelim—were the teachers, the ones in charge!

I had similar experiences in China. In Beijing we met new friends, namely the students and the faculty of School Year Abroad, along with a Chinese family who invited us to dinner. We also visited with old friends, including our dear friend Carolyn Wallace Norton ’94 who invited us to

dinner at her home in Shanghai. Everywhere we went, people were kind and willing to share their time with us, and I was the hesitant foreigner, smiling politely. After leaving China I went to Spain where I visited my very good friend Conchita Kreisler and her husband. Again, I was welcomed with kindness and hospitality, and even though I knew the language, I was still the foreigner, the student, forever learning.

So, even after traveling around the world for almost a month, including nine flights covering 19,117 miles, three countries, eight cities, nine hotels, and countless meals, I cannot claim to be an expert on Asian culture, or admit that my philosophy of life has changed drastically.

However, I can say that although I already knew how it feels to be the member of a minority, I now know how lonely and lost you feel when you don’t even know the language. Likewise, I know how it feels when you don’t know whether or not it is appropriate to smile at someone or to look a person in the eye. As a result of this experience I am kinder, more patient and more generous with my time, and I am better prepared to help my foreign students adjust to our culture.

Additionally, I am motivated to travel to other parts of the world where students of ours come from in order to experience and compare other cultures. I love being the student!

Oh, I almost forgot. I will tell you about the shopping some other time.

Following their tour of Korea and China, faculty went their separate ways.

Mafalda returned home by way of Spain, where she attended a conference for Spanish teachers. With friends Conchita Kreisler (SG faculty 1976 to 1996) and her husband, she dined at a restaurant in Madrid called La Poloma. The cover of the menu is shown at left. “To me,” says Mafalda, “the picture symbolizes lasting friendship.”

Mafalda Nula teaches Spanish at St. George’s. She can be reached at Mafalda_Nula@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

19

F

A C U L T Y

T R I P

T O

K

O R E A

A N D

C

H I N A

2 0 0 6

Shanghai:

PHOTOS BY L ISA

HANSEL

Left: the Pudong skyline featuring the Oriental Pearl tower Opposite page, top: Jin Mao Tower Opposite page, bottom: Peace Hotel

an architectural wonder

BY LISA HANSEL Spherical formations, majestic spires and metallic crowns glint across Pudong’s dazzling landscape. The futuristic details adorn skyscrapers clad in aluminum, steel and glass as they thrust skyward with imperial if austere abandon. Their geometry, both curvilinear and hard line, creates a rhythmic energy that commands attention. Lining the eastern bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, the stunning architecture of the Pudong district is barely over a decade old.

When I first beheld this fascinating cityscape, I was mesmerized by its beauty and struck by its innovative character. There was something surreal and fantastic about what I was seeing. I quickly discovered that this collection of high-tech architectural gems was a fortunate discovery, an architectural treasure created by some of the world’s most renowned designers and engineers.

Needless to say, our entire group was in awe of the sculptural landscape and I thought I heard someone say, “We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.” Upon further investigation, I came to

20 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

realize that building design is a serious business in Shanghai, driven by modernization, technological advancement and national pride. The resulting impact is similar to what Dorothy must have felt as she approached the fantastically dreamlike Emerald City in the fictional world of OZ. I wondered, in the back of my mind, what great and powerful wizard had provided the resources and ingenuity to create such a magical place.

Standing tall at 88 floors, the glass and steel Jin Mao Tower, completed in 1998 by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, currently claims the title of China’s highest building. However, its soon-to-be neighbor, the 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will capture not only that title but also the coveted honor of world’s tallest building upon its completion in 2007. The Jin Mao Tower is well known for its tapering pagoda-like form, which steps gradually and rhythmically towards a spire at the top, reminiscent of art deco skyscrapers from the 1930s. I found this elegant building to be a successful merging of traditional Asian motifs with modern construction methods and materials. Another Shanghai landmark is the

“Jetson-like” Oriental Pearl TV Tower designed by Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd. This 1,535-foot structure resembles a giant needle piercing two very large spheres. Although described by some as a monstrosity, there is no denying that its presence has a major impact on the Pudong skyline.

In contrast, just across the Huangpu River on the western bank lie the historical buildings of the Bund. Built in the late-19th and early-20th centuries by Europeans, these buildings take on a much different character. My colleagues and I were fortunate to stay in the prestigious Peace Hotel, one of the Bund’s landmark buildings.

Constructed in 1929, this luxury hotel is well known for its roof terrace/jazz club and milliondollar view. Each night, after a day of touring, attending meetings and consuming great meals, we would gather on the roof to gaze at the kaleidoscope of city lights. Curiously, as we sat admiring this incredible show one evening, lights on buildings as far as we could see began to shut off, one by one until the illuminated skyline disappeared into the night. We discovered that, as a conservation measure per government regulation, the decorative city lights of Shanghai turn off after10:00 p.m. This came as quite a surprise, as we incorrectly assumed that the nightlife had just begun.

After returning from our trip to Asia, I began to study the architecture of Shanghai in greater depth. This not only served to heighten my enthusiasm for what I had just experienced, but also brought to my attention the idea that I had barely scratched the surface of the incredible richness and diversity that describe architecture in Shanghai. It is truly an architectural wonder, well worth a look if you are fortunate enough to make the journey. My visit to this striking city left me with an appreciation of the power of innovative architecture because it represents so well the spirit of the Chinese people and their fearless willingness to embrace the future. As I boarded the plane for home I found myself thinking, “There’s no place like Shanghai… there’s no place like Shanghai …”

Lisa Hansel teaches AP 3D studio art, architecture and digital video at St. George’s and she is director of the Hunter Gallery. She can be reached at Lisa_Hansel@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

21

Different takes H A P E L

T A L K S

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

C

Knowing God

BY LINDSEY MCQUILKIN ’07

Following is a chapel talk delivered on Nov. 2, 2006. hen I was five I saw an angel. As a child I suffered from a touch of insomnia—at night I simply could not sleep. I had a vivid imagination, and oftentimes, although there was nothing there, I dreamed up evil spirits scratching at my window, E.T. hiding under my bed, and a mouse-size man who drove into my room at night in a miniature red convertible. They all terrified me. One night in particular, I lay in my bed, unable to sleep, thoughts gallivanting about in my brain. The simple, instinctive fear that children have of the dark and the unknown gripped me, and it refused

W

22 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

to let me go. All of a sudden, I remembered something: Just the other day my mom had told me that if I ever needed help I could ask Jesus for it, and he would provide for me. Eyes wide open, I began to pray, “Jesus, if you’re there, help me not to be scared. Help me to sleep.”

Nothing happened. In my limited five-yearold mind, I understood that nothing really was there to scare me in the first place—nothing really would happen to me if I dared to close my eyes. Nevertheless, sleep refused to wash over me and I prayed the same prayer again. I looked across the room I shared with my younger sister and began to covet her relaxed breathing pattern and the peaceful, ignorant smile of sleep on her lips. However, my jealousy was not deep rooted, and soon enough, to pass the time, I decided that

I would pray for my sister—that she would have good dreams and stay asleep. It was then that I saw it.

Something floated into the room from the hallway. It was transparent and extraordinarily bright in the softest sense imaginable. I did not even realize that it was in the room until it had

IN MY LIFE, I HAVE COME TO LEARN THAT

I CANNOT

ALWAYS RELY ON THE TANGIBLE AND THE VISIBLE .

R ATHER, I TRUST

IN THAT WHICH SEE .

I CANNOT

THIS LEAP OF FAITH

... HAS NEVER FAILED ME.

nearly reached my sister’s bed. An overwhelming sense of peace stifled a scream in my throat. The light-being hovered near my sister as though to stand watch over her as she slept. In contrast to all of my earlier fantastic fears, which I knew sprang from my imagination, I felt something deep inside me affirming the reality of this presence. As I turned my head to the left to observe from whence this being had come, a powerful and gentle light overwhelmed me, and I was immediately asleep.

Looking back on this memory, taking my vivid imagination into account, I have often wondered if what I saw was real. Miles Davis once

said, “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” To me, that which is there refers to things I can wrap my rational side around. However, reasoning can take me only so far, just as music notes on a page can lead the musician only in a certain direction. In my life, I have come to learn that I cannot always rely on the tangible and the visible. Rather, I trust in that which I cannot see.

This leap of faith, this daring to look beyond the sheet music of life that lies in front of me, has never failed me. I have gone through challenging times in my life and dealt with my share of the blues, but ultimately it has been my willingness to sing out to God, even when it does not logically make sense, that has saved me and created the most beautiful music in my life. As a result of the difficult times that I have gone through, I have learned more about myself and what it means to be human. I have found that we are truly blessed when we reach above and beyond that which we expect and know. My angel was just lesson number one.

Maybe you haven’t seen an angel, but I want you to know that God is still real. It takes a leap of faith to recognize this—God is the music that we can hear, although we aren’t sure where it’s coming from. Most amazing to me is that once you make this leap of faith and you embrace the reality of God, He invites you to have a personal relationship with Him (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

However, relationships are something you have to work at if you want them to be meaningful. I have had to spend time “getting to know” God by reading the Bible and praying to grow closer to Him. Although this may sound extremely simple and even foolish to some, God is my best friend.

Maybe you think I’m crazy, but in the words of Cat Stevens, “I can’t keep it in, O I gotta let it out, gotta show the world, world’s gotta see, see all the love, love that’s in me.” FYI God is love … just in case you thought I was off on some extremely random tangent. So, basically I’m excited about what I’ve found. I’m not trying to force my faith on anyone—contrary to many people’s views of Christians today—I just want to give you a reason for the hope that’s within me.

Lindsey McQuilkin is a senior from Portsmouth, R.I. She can be reached at Lindsey_McQuilkin@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

23

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

C

H A P E L

T A L K S

The

Middlesex Chair

BY SARAH DICK ’07 Following is one of two chapel talks delivered on Nov. 9, 2006, on the eve of Middlesex Weekend. s you enter my kitchen at home, the most prominent piece of furniture in sight is a polished, brown and black wood chair. Fascinating, you’re thinking, as if you’ve never seen a brown and black wood chair before! This chair, however, is no regular King Hall-style heap of wood. It looks a lot like one of those thrones you find in the St. George’s bookstore, a seat with enough room for an ogre.

A

24 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Just as I did the first day the chair was placed in our kitchen, you might creep curiously towards it. And next, you might ponder the significance of the maroon shield painted on the backrest.

Then…then you might recognize this shield as that of our rivals: Middlesex. (Pllhhffhf.)

Middlesex is sitting in my kitchen! You may be saying to yourself, “What? The enemy, in the dragon’s lair? Preposterous!” Though I was equally appalled at such an intrusion, I was not in the least bit surprised.

I have grown up with Middlesex. In fact, I feel comfortable telling you all that I, Sarah Dick, was expected to, and nearly did, attend Middlesex

School. When I consider the number of relatives who have attended that school, there I would be the equivalent of a fourth-generation Grosvenor here.

Tracing all the way back to the early days of MX, my ancestry runs deep in the veins of that little Concord, Massachusetts zebra-striped preparatory school. My older brother went there and graduated in 2004 as president of the school.

Our mother graduated and served on the board of trustees for years. The curious wood chair in my kitchen was hers for that reason. And her father and stepbrothers attended as well. I grew up going to my mom’s reunions and brother’s baseball games at that school. Today, some of my closest friends attend Middlesex. I’ll say, finally, that my grandfather’s funeral was held in the chapel at Middlesex. That statement isn’t meant to somber the tone of this speech; I simply want to emphasize the connection between our rival school, and yours truly.

Why I came to St. George’s—well, that’s for another chapel talk, or some other venue in which you’re forced to find me interesting for a few minutes. I’m sure you could come up with a few reasons why St. George’s has a leg up on Middlesex. I know I could…Second Beach…

So. That’s me and Middlesex. We go way back.

But with the weekend games approaching, how about us and Middlesex? Over the next three days, students and faculty alike will have that glint in their eyes that hints at Middlesex Weekend and Middlesex Weekend only. Look around. You may think you all look pretty cool in your red-andblack clothing, but I hope you understand that this is not nearly the coolest part. Today is only the beginning of it all. Campus is about to go on a rampage!

I also hope you see something more to this whole Middlesex thing than cheering and hooting and losing your voice. For me, the connection to Middlesex is personal, because my family tree might as well have been planted in Concord. For you, it may not be so personal. It may be just another game that involves a bit of face paint. But during that game, be sure to keep in mind that the zebra is a weak Serengeti animal, and that dragons live in lairs with gold. Allow yourself to roar through the game and embarrass the striped animal, because they simply don’t compare to the

dragon in all of its glory. Better yet, look in the eyes of a Middlesex opponent and quote J. R. R. Tolkien: “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations.” And then bound away gleefully, child, because you have just defined the role of a St. George’s student-athlete—quoting a literary great while on the battlefield. Impressive.

So. Here is where I leave you, either with a life lesson derived from my extremely diverse and rich range of experiences at St. George’s, or with a quote to keep you thinking. I have chosen the latter. I took mental note of these Led Zeppelin lines while working in the art center one night as the song rang through the speakers. The title of the song couldn’t be more appropriate: The Battle of Evermore. It’s a long one, but listen up, St. George’s, because we’ve got to defend our castle on Saturday.

Oh the war is common cry, Pick up your swords and fly.

The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know.

Oh, well, the night is long the beads of time pass slow, Tired eyes on the sunrise, waiting for the eastern glow.

The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath, The drums will shake the castle wall, the ring wraiths ride in black, ride on.

Sing as you raise your bow, shoot straighter than before.

No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold.

Oh dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light.

The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance back. Bring it back.

At last the sun is shining, The clouds of blue roll by, With flames from the dragon of darkness, the sunlight blinds his eyes.

Sarah Dick is a senior from Beverly, Mass. She can be reached at Sarah_Dick@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

25

H A P E L

T A L K S

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

C

Gridiron Memories

BY JAMES PASSEMATO ’07

Following is another of two chapel talks delivered on Nov. 9, 2006 as Middlesex Weekend looms. ince this Saturday could be my last time playing football, I want to tell you all a quick story about my first football experience. I was 11 years old and anxious to try out this new sport. I had watched a little football but still didn’t know too much about the game.

The night before my first practice I met up with a couple of my friends at the high school to pick out my equipment.

Getting all of the equipment was more of a challenge than I had anticipated. There were so many different pieces to the uniform and so many

S

26 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

different pads! I had no idea what they were all used for. Anyway, once I gathered all my equipment, I went home and straight to bed, eager to experience this new and intriguing sport.

I arrived at the park at 8:45 the next morning.

The August heat was just beginning to rise as we pulled into the parking lot. I was very nervous and my body quivered getting out of the car. My uniform felt too small, but I figured I just wasn’t used to it yet. My mom sat in the car trying to comfort me but I was very intimidated. Some of these kids were massive and I was just a timid little sixth-grader. As my mom watched from the car, I walked towards the gate to the field, which eventually would become one of the most influential places in my life. As I went to enter the

gate, however, my excitement quickly diminished.

The coach called over from his truck, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

I glanced over but assumed he wasn’t talking to me. Then as he stared straight into my eyes, I asked him back, “Is something wrong?”

Almost laughing he said, “Where are your pants?”

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TIME YOU ALL HAVE PLAYING SPORTS .

THESE

GAMES WILL COME AND GO , AND BEFORE WE KNOW IT TIME WILL PASS AND ALL WE WILL HAVE ARE MEMORIES .

I URGE

YOU ALL TO MAKE A MEMORY ON

SATURDAY.

Now for all of you who don’t know what a girdle is, it’s the tight spandex that goes underneath your pants and holds your hip pads in place. A girdle is an undergarment, but I thought the girdle was my pair of pants. A couple of kids entering the park laughed at me as they walked past. As you can imagine, I was very embarrassed and wanted to run away from the park forever. Luckily the coach sympathized with me and helped me out. He had extra equipment

in his truck and he lent me a pair of real pants for the practice.

This was a memory that I will never forget.

Sports are all about making memories that last a lifetime. This particular memory recalls one of the most uncomfortable points in my life, but now I can look back with a smile on my face and laugh at how stupid I was then. This was an embarrassing memory, but along with embarrassing memories come thrilling ones.

Sports can bring on the most exciting and memorable times in our lives. The friends we make and games we experience happen only once in a lifetime, but before we know it the moment has passed, and we can never go back. This just occurred to me at the beginning of the week. I have played football for six years now, and most likely I will close the book on my football career this Saturday against Middlesex.

The point that I am trying to make is to take advantage of the time you all have playing sports.

These games will come and go, and before we know it time will pass and all we will have are memories. I urge you all to make a memory on Saturday, one that you will be smiling about for years to come. Middlesex is our rival, and the games always finish with dramatic endings and emotional moments. I have many memories in my SG career, but none has the magnitude of the few I’ve taken away from the Middlesex games.

Every year teammates fall to tears as a victor is crowned. I have been here since my sophomore year and so far we have lost the last two games to the Zebras. I hope this year our team can swing the momentum and beat them on our home field.

My question to all of you is this: What will each of you do to make an impact on Saturday? We all have both good and bad memories from our past and from our time at St. George’s. However, time is scarce and for those of us who are seniors this will be our last opportunity to leave our mark on our fall sports. This is the last time we seniors will have the honor of putting these jerseys on for St. George’s. So I urge everyone this Saturday to leave it all on the field, to sacrifice yourselves for the good of the team, and most importantly…to BEAT THE ZEBRAS!

James Passemato is a senior from Everett, Mass.

He can be reached at James_Passemato@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

27

C

H A P E L

T A L K S

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH BICKFORD

Character comes from

what you can’t do Girls varsity soccer coaches Tony Jaccaci, Alyson Mulhern and Joe Elias celebrate the 3-2 victory over Lawrence Academy on Nov. 6, 2006.

BY JOE ELIAS Following is a chapel talk delivered on Oct. 5, 2006. any of you in this chapel have no idea who I am or know anything about me. That is fine, for in a few minutes you will know a bit more.

But first I want you to take a few moments to think about yourself.

Try to visualize something you are really good at. This may be academic, artistic or athletic, or it may be something more personal, like taking care of your younger siblings or an elder, or it may be something as unique as cooking a special dish.

Not all of us can be the best scholars, artists, or athletes, but we all have special talents that are unique to us. Take a moment to envision yourself at your best. How is this act perceived by others? How does it make you feel?

Savor this and be proud of what you can do.

Now, think of an activity that you are not so good at. Take your time and think of something that does not come easy to you. How is it perceived by others? How does it make you feel?

M

28 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Savor this experience as well; it is just as important as your earlier vision of excellence.

I would argue that it is these moments of adversity—not triumph—that truly define our character. How we deal, cope and adapt to our own individual differences and overcome obstacles tells the world who we really are.

We all have talents and we all have disabilities.

Some of us are not as organized, not as smart, not as strong, not as fast, or not as musical as others. Often, we let these perceptions bring us down because we judge ourselves in comparison to others. I caution you to avoid this tendency. They (whoever “they” are) are not you. Instead, I would challenge you to compare yourself to yourself, and judge yourself on the progress you make each and every day.

Take me for example: I am balding, short, and perhaps a bit opinionated. But did you also know that I am blind?

During the course of about 10 months between my ninth and 10th grade years of high school, my vision was affected by a disorder known as Stargart’s disease, which causes the suffocation of nerve cells, known as rods and cones, in the retina in a somewhat random pattern. In this initial stage my eyesight deteriorated from 20/20 to 20/200 in about 10 months. A second phase has now left my vision at 20/400. (For reference, imagine stepping out the chapel door and looking at the flagpole near the wall in the north field. Look at the top.You might be able to distinguish between a flag or someone’s boxer shorts up there, however I would have to climb halfway up the pole to know for sure what was flapping in the breeze.)

Based on these differences alone, I am inadequate. I deal with my inadequacies as best I can. The truth is that these inadequacies and the way in which I deal with them define me as an individual.

It is not the perceptions that personal differences bring that define us, but rather the manner in which we cope with these adversities.

My visual impairment makes most images that enter my eye appear blurry. This makes it extremely difficult to define shades and depth, which in turn makes it difficult to read, to see objects at a distance, even to recognize people. I have developed a whole host of coping skills that define me. They’re not right or wrong—they’re just me.

Every day I wake to a new adventure. Walking down stairs offers its own little challenge for me— not that it is too dangerous, but I do have to give

special attention to such a task. Passing people in and around school and giving a proper hello by name is always an anxiety-filled struggle for me. I hate not recognizing people until after they’ve passed by me. I may therefore mumble a name or give a generic “How are you doing?” Sometimes I can recognize a voice or a body image or even a person’s favorite jacket. These coping skills help to define me.

In my early years with this visual impairment, I coped by hiding my disability. I remember one time, early in my first year at college, when two of my friends and I were at a fraternity party about two miles from school. The friend who had driven and I were not drinking alcohol as we had hockey try-outs soon. By the end of the evening, he was in a situation where he had to drive a friend who had had too much to drink home in her car. He asked me to drive his car. I refused, stating that I had drunk too much, even though he knew full well that I was not drinking. We argued the point a bit. Meanwhile our third friend (in a drunken stupor) offered to drive.

Next thing I know, my sober friend with the car placed the keys in my hand and told me that he would follow me home. Rather than admit my visual impairment, I took his keys and drove extremely cautiously home. All was good until I reached the parking lot. Not having driven a vehicle in four years, I was out of practice and maintained my road speed in the parking lot. I banked around the Ushaped lot and zipped into the first available spot and slammed on the brakes. My friend, who had been following at a safe distance, went ahead and parked.

As he got out of his car he yelled, “What the heck were you doing?” I yelled back that I didn’t want to lose that parking space (of course, it was two o’clock in the morning and there wasn’t a soul nearby).

My friend and I took three courses together and therefore we did a lot of studying together. I was always burying my nose in the books to be able to read. Late one evening about two months later we were up studying and my friend finally asked the question, “Joey, what the heck is wrong with your eyes?” At this time I felt comfortable telling him that I was legally blind. His first response was not one of sympathy or compassion—he knew me too well for that. Instead he exclaimed, “And you drove my car!”

He continues to be one of my closest friends and is the current hockey coach at Tabor. If you see Mr.

Dineen at a sporting event, you might want to ask him about his Jeep Cherokee and Joey Elias.

The way I coped with that adversity was not right or wrong, but it does define my character.

Of course, there are many other stories that define who I am, some of which you in this room have been part of. Members of the varsity girls soccer team often see me use my camouflage binoculars to view their games. I often wonder what the opposing team and any spectators on the sidelines must think about this middle-aged man watching their team play, up close and personal.

Many of you have been witness to the “Elias Mumble” or “Elias Stare” on the path or in a classroom as I try frantically to match your image or voice with a name while I look off over your shoulder with a blank gaze. (This is because my strongest field of vision is actually on the outer rings of my retina.)

Some of our very own St. George’s teachers and friends of mine have experienced my difference firsthand. I know one who has steered me away from a green while playing golf in order to avoid losing the match, while another likes to fake a serve while playing tennis in order to get me moving in the wrong direction. They do not do this to be mean, but rather because they know me well and respect who I am and how I cope—and also perhaps because they do not want to lose to a blind man.

However awkward your differences may make you feel, remember that no one else could ever possibly cope with your individual disabilities better than you already do. So keep it up and judge yourself not in comparison to others, but in comparison to yourself.

I hope that you all understand that each and every one of you is unique. You are special, defined not just by your attributes, but also by your faults.

No one is perfect all the time. Celebrate your triumphs as much as you celebrate your own personal struggles. Both are important, and both make you who you are.

Thank you for your time, and a special thankyou to the girls soccer team and to the faculty, all of whom have helped me feel comfortable in sharing this with you.

Joe Elias is the day student advisor and a dorm parent in Diman. He is an assistant girls varsity soccer and girls varsity hockey coach. He can be reached at Joe_Elias@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

29

Reunion Weekend ’07 R

E T U R N I N G

T O

T H E

H

I L L T O P

Alumni/ae invited back May 18-20

PHOTO BY

ANDREA HANSEN

ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL REUNION WEEKEND 2007 Home Athletic Contests Saturday, May 19, 2007 Varsity Baseball vs. St. Paul’s 3:30 p.m. (Elliot Field) Varsity Girls Lacrosse vs. St. Paul’s 3:30 p.m. (Crocker Field) J.V. Girls Lacrosse vs. St. Paul’s 3:30 p.m. (South Field) Varsity & J.V. Boys Tennis vs. St. Paul’s 3:30 p.m. (Upper & Lower Tennis Courts)

30 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Mark your calendars for another great Reunion Weekend in May, says Reunion Weekend coordinator Ann Weston.

Scheduled events beginning Friday, May 18, are many and of special note to reunion classes.

As usual, the weekend kicks off on Friday evening with the presentation of the St. George’s distinguished alumnus/a award, the Diman Award. Following the Diman Award presentation will be a variety of evening events for individual reunion classes.

Saturday’s activities include Chapel tours with Jack Doll ’52, class visits, a picnic lunch on the front lawn, assorted home athletic events, and a formal dinner at the Stephen P. Cabot and Archer Harman Ice Center. Reunion class alums are encouraged to be on campus Saturday night, May 19, for this festive dinner celebration in honor of all the reunion classes.

A special alumni/ae chapel service takes place on Sunday morning, May 20.

Alums will be receiving an invitation to Reunion Weekend events in early March, but for now, save the dates—May 18-20. Please check online at www.stgeorges.edu for reunion class hotel and special event information. You’ll be able to register online after March for Reunion Weekend 2007.

REUNION CL ASSES 1937 • 70th

1972 • 35th

1942 • 65th

1977 • 30th

1947 • 60th

1982 • 25th

1952 • 55th

1987 • 20th

1957 • 50th

1992 • 15th

1962 • 45th

1997 • 10th

1967 • 40th

2002 • 5th

Russell Train ’37 to receive Diman Award Russell E. Train ’37, an ardent conservationist and tenacious proponent of environmental awareness in this country and around the world, will be presented with the St. George’s Diman Award on May 18 in a ceremony on the Hilltop.

The award is given each year to a distinguished alum with a record of exceptional service to the community and society as a whole. It is the school’s highest alumnus/a honor.

Train has devoted himself and his professional career to the preservation of our natural heritage.

He has served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as the first chairman of the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, as U.S. undersecretary of the Interior, and as chairman emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund. He has represented the United States at a number of international environmental conferences, and he has led U.S. delegations throughout the world to promote bilateral environmental cooperation between nations on a wide range of ecological issues.

Originally in government service as an attorney and jurist, Train became endeared to environmental causes in 1956 during a safari in Africa when he observed firsthand the fragility of the African wilderness. In 1959 he founded the Wildlife Leadership Foundation, devoted to helping emergent African nations establish an infrastructure that would oversee and maintain effective wildlife parks and preserves.

He has served on or chaired the boards of countless environmental organizations, and among his many official accolades are Conservationist of the Year as recognized by the National Wildlife Federation in 1974, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.

PHOTO BY

C. ANDREW YOUNG

Russell Train ’37 celebrates a career of service to the natural world with one of his admiring constituents.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

31

Hidden treasures W

e spend a lot of time thinking

PHOTO BY

QUENTIN WARREN

about the future at St. George’s— the future of the school, the future of education, the future of our matriculating students, you name it. To Jack Doll ’52, however, the fascination of the Hilltop revolves moreover around the past. The official archivist of St. George’s has dedicated himself to learning about, cataloguing, and remembering every possible detail related to the rich history of this celebrated place, whether tangible and physical or buried in lore.

32 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

He brought to our attention recently a relic in the chapel recognizable to many, perhaps, but truly known only to a few. It is a lovely silver chalice donated in 1911 by the Reverend Arthur Newton Peaslee, an Episcopal priest and a venerated St. George’s math teacher from 1903 until 1927. One of his students was John Nicholas Brown ’18, who would go on to donate the main chapel itself a decade later.

As is the case with so many items and artifacts scattered about the St. George’s campus, Peaslee’s chalice regularly goes unnoticed even when it is under the spotlight. It has been used in virtually every communion service held in the school’s great gothic chapel since the structure was built— and it continues to be used today—but few of the innumerable communicants whose lips have touched its rim fully realize the history, the significance, and the meaning behind it.

It was designed by Frank E. Cleveland, an artistic draftsman employed by the architectural firm of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson. Ultimately, Brown hired that firm to undertake the design of his chapel. The chalice was wrought by one Miss Helen Keeling Mills of New York.

Highlights include a Latin inscription in gold on silver around the base commemorating the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The midsection knob consists of goldpierced relief above and below a band of six cloisonné enameled panels that depict the Crucifixion with worshiping angels, St. George as a symbol of active life, St. Columba as the life of prayer, the lily as the Incarnation, the peacock as the Resurrection, and the rose as Paradise.

As Doll himself describes it, Peaslee “was a very devout high-church Episcopalian,” and he wanted the campus and its chapel “to have a truly appropriate piece of beautiful art as a communion chalice.”

—Quentin Warren

On board S

T U D E N T

D

E C K

L

O G S

F R O M

G

E R O N I M O

GERONIMO DECK LOGS: FALL 2006

BY ANNA MACK ’09 You are Geronimo. The dark blue of your hull glistens in the mid-afternoon sun, and dried salt crusts upon your deck. The blankets of your sails gently catch the wind. You move as a melody flows, note upon note, rolling with the waves. You are harmony.

Seven students sit in the cockpit on a blueskied, breezy afternoon. The first mate steers to Block Island. Captain McNally says to the first mate, “Pick a student, Miss Doroski.”

A moment’s pause, and then I hear my name; I look up and see her eyes on me. Minutes later, on the same blue-skied breezy afternoon, six students sit in the cockpit and I am aft of the mast, forward of the steering compartment, between both binnacles, at the helm.

It is not my first time steering a boat. I have had previous experience aboard Midnight, my dad’s beloved fishing vessel. But cats are not dogs and Midnight is not Geronimo. I grasp the leathery strap beneath my palms; it feels new and strange. The compass tells me that I am five degrees off course. I turn but my hands are clumsy and I react slowly. Now I am 10 degrees off

course. The sails flap in disapproval. The hull, which was heeling to port, reluctantly straightens.

We slog through the water. I am a strident note in Geronimo’s soft song of harmony.

I have learned aft from forward, port from starboard, red light from green and clove hitch from cleat knot. Charts are NOT maps and our compasses don’t always point true. I can tell you that there are nine portable fire extinguishers and three watertight doors on board. From above, Geronimo reads: WYC 7348, and from below, we draw seven feet of water. But fact is futile when it is time to steer. To feel is the key. One must be the boat to control it.

Under a dark sky dusted with stars, I am there again, aft of the mast, forward of the steering compartment, between both binnacles. The compass numbers glow. I close my eyes and ignore them. I know my course. I am on course when I hear the “hushsh” of the hull slicing through the waves, and feel the boat heel to port and the wind touch the right side of my face. The boat is singing. I am Geronimo.

Geronimo sits peacefully on the hook at Alligator Point off Cat Island in the Bahamas

Anna Mack is a sophomore from Bristol, R.I. She can be reached at Anna_Mack@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

33

On board S

T U D E N T

Campbell McNicol ’09 walks down the deck of Geronimo as Bahamian blue stretches clear to the horizon

D

E C K

L

O G S

F R O M

G

E R O N I M O

BY CAMPBELL MCNICOL ’09 The wind had picked up by five knots in the last hour, and by now the boat was pitching and rolling down six-foot swells. Occasionally, Geronimo would go hurtling headlong into a wave, dousing us with a spray of foamy-white seawater, much to our discontent.

With the glow of the full moon as our only source of light, we would be left in total darkness when a cluster of passing clouds found its way across the inky black sky.

It was late, or rather, early, seeing as we were into the wee hours of the morning, and we were exhausted. Lacey sat in the cockpit, her eyes randomly fluttering as she drifted in and out of sleep. George stood wearily at the helm, staring fixedly on the illuminated compass before him as he fought against its hypnotic effect on tired eyes.

I remember hearing the ship’s bell ring several times, and I let out a sigh of relief as I realized that we were on the last hour of our seemingly never-ending shift.

That first night watch was a rude awakening to what lay ahead of us. It offered a twisted perception of what was to come. Personally, I’ve

34 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

come to enjoy the night watches, and I really appreciate my time on deck in the darkness.

There’s an eerie feeling of solitude during those several hours, usually from two to four a.m. when the radio is silent. It’s even stranger when we run out of tankers and other big ships to watch out for. After an hour or so, I begin to forget that Lacey and George are even there, as I let myself slip into my own world, completely absorbed by what is around me.

As my night watches multiplied, I noticed the different phases the night sky goes through.

There’s a point every morning where the sky is the strangest. It’s the darkest around three o’clock when the stars start to lose their initial shine, and the moon begins to fade towards the west. Not long afterwards, the sky becomes an off-gray color, just before the first rays of sun dance across the surface of the water. The white, puffy clouds in the sky develop a pinkish hue while the sky around them transforms into an extraordinary shade of purple. Usually, whenever we begin to see those telltale signs in the sky, we race below deck to rouse the next watch, knowing that the faster they get ready, the faster we can go to sleep.

It’s the unlikely things—like being able to tell what time it is, simply by looking up into the sky—that remind me just how much I’m already learning from the Geronimo experience. Every day, I’m amazed at how much all of us have learned and changed since the first day we set foot on this beautiful boat. I’ve come to appreciate the little things more than I thought I would. I take full pleasure in watching the night sky change, and I am fully captivated by the feeling of isolation it brings. And to top it all off, we’ve mastered the fundamentals of how to coexist peacefully, all seven of us, in the same room, smaller than any of our dorm rooms. That in itself is an amazing accomplishment!

Campbell McNicol is a sophomore from Mill Neck, N.Y. She can be reached at Campbell_McNicol@stgeorges.edu.

George Williams ’09 and a turtle establish eye contact—the beginning of a beautiful friendship

BY GEORGE WILLIAMS ’09 Our first week on Geronimo was one to be remembered. We left Block Island on a lateautumn Tuesday morning and we didn’t stop until we reached the top of Delaware Bay. One particular night I remember very clearly. We were rounding Cape May at the mouth of the Delaware River. The night was pitch black and the seas were running five to seven feet with the current against us. With me on my watch were Lacey Young and Campbell McNicol. I was well into a second hour of steering and the girls were on the bow trying to find out what was causing a noise up the mast. We were heeling a lot and we were pounding into the waves. Off our starboard side we had land, and off to port we had a tug and barge. I was terrified; I was so terrified I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else. I thought to myself: How in the world did I end up here?

Where are the sea turtles and the smiling kids I saw on the bulletin board in the front hall? What in the world did I sign up for? This was not what I expected.

After I was relieved at the helm I went straight to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Looking back on that night, surprisingly I

find that I’m really glad I did it—not that it was the most fun thing I’ve ever done, but because I can look back on it now as a good experience. I pushed myself outside my comfort zone. I did something new and exhilarating. Most of my trip has been like that: A moment or place or activity may not appear to be fun or valuable at the time, but when you look back, everything is worth it.

Among the best parts of Geronimo are seeing new places and interacting with people you have never met before. One of my favorite places is Charleston, S.C. I had never been there, but I’d heard good things about it. When we sailed in, the sun was setting. It was so low in the sky I could barely see, and what I could see didn’t look like much. I felt let down. But when I woke up the next morning and saw what I had missed the night before—a waterfront of beautiful buildings, streets and shops—I was very excited. I felt like a kid waking up on Christmas morning and finding presents under the tree. Over the next few days, I fell in love with the town. I loved the old meandering streets that lead you somewhere new every time you turn; I loved the market bustling with people doing everyday things; and I loved the old buildings that seemed frozen in time. It was one of those places where you felt at home the minute you arrived. Even though I was blatantly a tourist, I felt that I was part of the town.

When I asked people about Geronimo a few months ago, they often had trouble describing the experience. They would tell me that it was great and definitely worth doing, but that it would be a struggle and most of the time a constant source of pressure and anxiety. Now as I enter my fifth week on the boat I think I am starting to understand why they had trouble describing it. Geronimo is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It really is indescribable; it is something that you have to go through in order to understand fully.

George Williams is a sophomore from Rockport, Maine. He can be reached at George_Williams@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

35

Post Hilltop A

L U M N I

/

A E

I N

T H E

N E W S

SG authors in the news

Endorsed enthusiastically by a wide range of publications including the New York Times Book Review and The Economist is a fascinating account

by SG alum Ian W. Toll ’85 about the root beginnings and rocky genesis of this country’s naval forces. “Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy” traces the early development of the American fleet—from 1794 when President Washington called for the construction of six heavily-armed fighting ships to protect the country’s merchant flotilla from English and French men-of-war and marauding pirates along the Barbary coast of North Africa, right on through the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain. It is an absorbing chronicle of building, managing, living aboard and waging battle with some of the most magnificent sailing vessels ever assembled. It is also a revealing look at the politics of defense and the unlikely protocols of warfare at sea during a seemingly archaic time in our past.

The tribute “couldn’t put it down” generally is reserved for rave reviews of highly charged fiction brimming with fast-paced action and unresolved suspense. Infrequently is it applied to historical treatises with 40 pages of notes, 16 pages of bibliographical references, and 20 pages devoted to an index. In this case, however, the tribute flies. With keen awareness of the notion that, indeed, truth may be stranger than fiction, Toll paints a picture of America’s early bid at dominance on the high seas with a level of research and historical accuracy rivaled only by the pace of the text and the anecdotal velocity of the subject itself. His descriptions of battle conditions are up there with those of the celebrated Patrick O’Brian, who enjoys the luxury of poetic license.

Among the original six ships were the Constitution—dubbed “Old Ironsides” because of

36 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

Six Frigates The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy

by Ian W. Toll ’85 Illustrated, 560 pages, 2006: W.W. Norton & Company

her penchant for repelling 18-pounders like tennis balls—the Constellation, the Chesapeake, the President, the Congress, and the United States. Toll describes the partisan wrangling between Republicans and Federalists leading up to the 1794 Act to Provide a Naval Armament. He relates in dramatic and graphic detail engagements between the U.S. ships and their enemy counterparts in the Caribbean Quasi War with France, the Tripolitan War with Tripoli, and the War of 1812 with the British. He blends the seagoing vernacular of the day with dynamic profiles of the sailors and officers themselves—the harsh reality of life on a fighting ship, the staged, almost choreographic face of gallantry amid wholesale destruction and lurid death, the sporting respect between opposing captains in the heat of battle.

“Six Frigates” is a mesmerizing naval history and a brilliant narrative that takes us well beneath the surface of legend and lore and places us squarely on the quarterdeck of a hazardous if swashbuckling period in our country’s early growth.

—Quentin Warren

Sports Hall of Fame E L E B R A T I O N

O F

A

T H L E T I C

T

A L E N T

PHOTO BY

ANDREA HANSEN

A C

Head of School Eric Peterson (at podium) and Director of Athletics John Mackay (seated left) welcome 2006 Sports Hall of Fame inductees on the Madeira Hall stage (left to right): Ted C. Hersey, Judy Souza (accepting for her father George Donnelly), Martha Connolly (accepting for Van Leer Hoffman ’52), Robert L. Ceres ’55 (accepting for W. Timothy Gallwey ’56), Jerome R. Kirby, III ’74, Joan “Bege” Reynolds ’79, Anne Marie “Piep” van Heuven ’84, Joseph A. Kuzneski, Jr. ’82, Colleen Mary Fitzgerald ’88, and Jerald L. Pullins, Jr. ’93.

Past champions and friends capture the athletic spotlight H

A L L

O F

F

A M E

I N D U C T I O N

A packed house greeted 10 new inductees bound for the St. George’s Sports Hall of Fame on the evening prior to Middlesex Weekend during a spirited ceremony in Madeira Hall. They were joined on stage by varsity football players in crisp red-and-black game jerseys as they sat in chairs before the room to receive accolades and commemorative plaques.

Head of School Eric Peterson kicked off the event with a tribute from the podium, followed by Director of Athletics John Mackay who described the nominating process and the mechanics of inclusion.

Presiding over the ceremony itself was Sports Hall of Fame induction committee chair Thomas C. Sturtevant ’52, who introduced each inductee or representative with a prepared citation describing that

C E R E M O N Y

N

O V E M B E R

10, 2006

person’s special talents, more often than not sprinkling in an amusing comment or anecdote of his own off the cuff. Appropriately, the occasion was lively and reverential at the same time.

The Sports Hall of Fame was established during the Centennial Year 1995-96 to honor alumni/ae, coaches, teams and friends who have made significant contributions over the years to the athletic programs at St. George’s. The 2006 inductees included coach Ted C. Hersey, friend and sportswriter George Donnelly (deceased), and athletes Van Leer Hoffman ’52 (deceased), W. Timothy Gallwey ’56, Jerome R. Kirby, III ’74, Joan Thayer Reynolds ’79, Joseph A. Kuzneski, Jr. ’82, Anne M. van Heuven ’84, Colleen Mary Fitzgerald ’88, and Jerald L. Pullins, Jr. ’93.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

37

Taking big strides

SG student pushes summertime horizons Clay Davis ’09 (center) pauses for a photo op at 13,000 feet with her mother Marguerite and father Norwood

Fourth-former Clay Davis of Richmond, Va., rallied to the call of her active outdoor family last summer in June when, at the age of 15, she accompanied her father and mother to the 19,341-foot Uhuru summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. She was the youngest member in her group of 14 to complete the ascent, a weeklong trek organized by Berkeley, Calif.-based Wilderness Travel spanning no less than five ecological zones— the mountain’s grassy lower slopes, a band of thick forest and deep jungle, shrubby heath and moorland, alpine desert, and finally the rocky, icecapped summit itself. It was a physical test of endurance and acclimatization, an emotional ordeal that touched on anguish, exhilaration and everything in between, and a personal triumph defined by setting a goal and making it happen.

We sat down with Clay in the fall to find out how the adventure came about and what her impressions were as she prepared for it, undertook it and ultimately accomplished it.

38 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

What made you decide to climb Mount Kilimanjaro? How did the trip originate?

When my father retired six years ago he had a list of five things he wanted to do. Three of them were these: He wanted to sail across the Atlantic, he wanted to set up a scholarship to help kids at his old college in Virginia—a small liberal arts college called Hampden-Sydney—and he wanted to climb Kilimanjaro. He did both of the first two things, and a year ago in November he decided, “Okay, I’m going to climb Kilimanjaro next summer.” My mom suggested that she and I go with him to Tanzania and wait for him at the bottom. I said, “No way! I’m doing it too!” And then my mom got dragged into it. It was kind of a family thing.

A family thing. Is your whole family outdoorsy and athletic?

Oh yes. My father had a basketball scholarship in college. He has sailed across the Atlantic, and he has sailed around Cape Horn. My older brother Parker—he’s 36 now—well he actually did climb Kilimanjaro. Right after he graduated from college, he and two friends went hiking in Africa and they climbed it. My brother Tripp runs marathons and he’s also a really good soccer player. So it was, like, I’ve got to do something to keep up!

three hours to this beautiful camp at the bottom of a mountain called Mount Meru where we stayed for two or three days, just hiking and getting used to things. It was there that we met our head tour guide Alex. He was an amazing guy.

This was his 144th trip to the top of Kilimanjaro.

We also met the other people who were on the trip—there were 14 of us.

So by then you were really into this thing.

Did you have to train in any special ways?

Well I was in school, and the trip was scheduled for June which meant that I would have to leave right after exams. So I had to train here. I did a lot of swimming, because swimming would keep me in shape and help me with breathing. I did track too, because of the cardio thing. And I had to wear my hiking boots, these big, clunky things, all around school and to classes a couple days a week.

What about your parents? What did they do to prepare?

They had plenty of free time so they’d go hiking in the mountains around Charlottesville a lot. They also went to Colorado for two weeks, to go hiking in the mountains out there and get used to the high altitude. I’ve skied in Colorado all my life, so I was kind of used to the altitude, but I had never been above 12,000 feet so it was pretty interesting to contemplate Kilimanjaro at 19,000.

The three of us spent a week during spring break in Colorado Springs hiking and getting into condition.

Now, as you trained, as you plodded around school in those big boots, what were you thinking? What was in your head? Were you afraid?

I was nervous, yes. It was, like, a daunting thing—Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. At times I doubted that I’d make it all the way up. In fact, it didn’t become totally real until I got to Africa, until I was actually there, doing it.

Okay, let’s talk about how you got to Africa.

How did the trip unfold?

It was really odd, because I left literally an hour and a half after my last exam. We drove to JFK airport in New York and then we flew to Amsterdam. Then we took an 11-hour flight from Amsterdam to Arusha in Tanzania. Then we drove

Well, yeah. When we left that camp we drove about three and a half hours to the next place. We drove through all these savannahs, we saw animals everywhere, we traveled on paths that weren’t even roads—it was kind of an insane car ride.

We’d pass through little villages, and all these children would come out and wave, something I’ll always remember. Finally we got to the next camp in the Kilimanjaro National Forest and that’s when we met our porters.

These guys are amazing. There were, like, 90 porters for the 14 of us on our nine-day hike.

They carried food, water, toilets, tents, first-aid and communication equipment, our bags—each one carried 45-50 pounds. Some had hand-medown hiking boots given to them by people who had gone before us. Of course we had all this nice gear. It was insane! It was sad how fast they would, like, lap us! They would set up camp for us and prepare these great meals with cheese, and fruit, and meats, and always hot soup.

Anyway, at that point we were still in a lush jungle. There was a lot of soft mud on the ground, and we’d see all these monkeys in the trees and hear all these birds, and there were all these exotic flowers. I’d heard that we would be going though different zones, and as we hiked through the mud and jungle I began to see what they meant.

Gradually we noticed changes. The mud turned to dirt, and the dirt into dust. There was still brush, but we began to see a lot of desertlike plants. We still saw birds, but there wasn’t as much animal life.

Did you have the feeling that you were climbing a mountain? Could you see the top?

Well one night—I guess it must have been about four days into the hike—we camped out, and it was the first time we actually saw Kilimanjaro, way off in the distance. We had gone to bed—I shared a small, two-person tent with a 21-year-old girl named Becca. After a few hours I had to go to the bathroom, so I crept outside and

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

39

The lunch scene at 18,000 feet, with Kilimanjaro’s second highest summit Mawenzi looming in the distance

all of a sudden it was so bright! It was as if there were lights on! The moon was almost full and there were stars everywhere. I felt so close to the stars. And for some reason I turned around, and there was Kilimanjaro, against a blue and purple background, with that big moon and all the stars.

It looked like it was glowing. It was so beautiful!

There were a couple of wispy clouds, and there was the snow. And it was cold—really cold. I just stood there for about 15 minutes until I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. It was like, “We’re going to climb that? In five days we’re going to be up there?” It was impossible.

green shrubs on the ground, no more animals.

Then we had to go down about 500 feet into a canyon, and all of a sudden there were these weird tall plants with flowers at the top, and this waterfall, and streams everywhere, and these black birds, and you could see the side of Kilimanjaro above you. That night in camp I got sick, and for the very first time I questioned whether I could go all the way up. Others in our group were beginning to get sick too. At high altitudes, the capillaries in your brain expand in order to increase the amount of oxygen you’re getting. This causes a lot of pressure and in my case a migraine.

So you still had four or five more days to go.

What was that like?

What did you do for that?

We just walked and walked and walked, usually over a lot of rocks. There was never any technical climbing where you needed a harness and ropes and that sort of equipment, but it was scary at times, when you’d be on, say, a rock face.

We’d made it to 14,000 feet, and it was really dry, no more plants or vegetation except for grayish-

40 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

I took Advil to numb it, but it didn’t work that well. Anyway, at one point I looked around and said to myself, “Hey, I’ve made it this far, there are only a few days left, and I’m going to do this.” So the next morning we got up, and we had to climb this steep rock face. I think it’s called the Breakfast Wall. I’d never really done that kind of thing, and the porters, well they had 40-pound

packs on their backs and they just walked up it, while we were crawling on our hands and knees and all fours, trying to grab rocks and find places to hold on. At the bottom it was freezing cold, but as we climbed the sun came up and blasted us and we had to take off layer after layer. It was really miserable.

We had to go around the Western Breach to climb the other side, because last year a rockslide on our intended route had killed three people— something that my parents had “forgotten” to tell me! That day freaked me out because we were doing just that—climbing around on rocks—so that was a little troubling. We had to go up this really steep rock face, then down a long ridge, then back up on the other side to our camp.

But you were getting closer.

Yes, we were. That night was sort of a blur. We had made it to 15,000 feet, and our camp—called Barafu—was perched on the edge of a ridge between two canyons, and the wind blew really hard all night long. I mean, I’m a heavy sleeper, I’ll sleep through a hurricane, a train wreck, anything. But I woke up again and again, the wind was so loud, and it was frightening because you thought you were about to be blown right off the edge and into the canyon below.

The next day we had to climb a 500-foot debris field. It was like trying to climb up a wall of gravel. You’d climb up three feet, then slip back one. We had to go from 15,000 feet, up to 19,000 feet, then back down to 18,000 feet. I remember stopping for lunch and feeling miserable. I couldn’t eat. I started counting steps, because Alex would always motivate me by saying, “C’mon, just one more step.” So I started counting, and I got up to something like 647. We reached the edge of a ridge, and there was all this ice, and I remember getting up there and just sitting down. It was impossible to cry.

down, so there were only a few of us left. The second-youngest person in the group, this 16year-old girl named Emily, had become sick and had to go back down before we reached 18,000 feet. Once you get to 18,000 feet, you’re committed, you have to go all the way because of how the descent is routed.

I have to say that the last few hundred feet at dawn were the most miserable ones of all. It’s such a struggle, and when you come over a crest and think you’re at the top, you look up, and no, it’s over there! Everybody talks about conditioning, and naturally you have to be in good shape, but in the end it’s all mental. And when you get there—we made it to the summit at 7:40 in the morning on June 13—you’d think you would sit down and celebrate and have a look around, but no way! At 19,340 feet hypothermia is very real and you’re like, “Okay, we’re here, we made it, now let’s go back down.” You take a picture or two, and then it’s, “Let’s go.”

So you gathered yourselves together and started down?

That’s right. Believe it or not, the way the program is organized, you go all the way down to 10,000 feet on that one day! After spending nine days to make it up there, you come down in two.

It’s called the Mweka Route. It’s pretty painful. We had to make our way down this huge debris field, and since I hadn’t been able to eat for a day or two I was running on empty. I’d get 10 feet and fall, then another 10 feet and fall. I remember thinking that my muscles would just give out. But as you get lower and lower, it’s amazing, you start to feel better with every step you take. The air gets thicker and your strength comes back. I started to feel as though I could run a marathon! I made it down to the camp at 10,000 feet way ahead of all the others. In fact I did it in about half the time that Alex had told me it would take. It was a cool way to finish up the climb.

Whoa, the real deal.

That night it was colder than ever. We were camped on the Summit Plateau near a glacier called Furtwangler. The wind blew harder than ever before. We had to get up at 5:30 the next morning. Eight hundred feet away the summit looked close, looked easy, but no. We had to hike back and forth on switchbacks to get there, so the distance was much greater than it appeared. It was weird, because the porters had gone back intending to meet us at 15,000 feet on the way

Definitely. What an adventure! What an accomplishment! What an amazing 10 or 11 days. The rest of the summer must have paled in comparison.

Well, to be honest, after Kilimanjaro we went back to Arusha for hot showers, a real meal and a good night’s sleep in a real bed. Then we went on safari in the Serengeti for 10 days.

Well that’s a story for another day.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

41

Parents Weekend C T

.

2 7 - 2 8 ,

2 0 0 6

PHOTO BY

ANDREA HANSEN

O

Head of School Eric F. Peterson addresses students and faculty in the Dorrance field house

On Competition

BY ERIC F. PETERSON Following is an edited version of remarks delivered during Parents Weekend on Oct. 27, 2006. ood evening. On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students of St. George’s School, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to Parents Weekend. Whether you have come from the far side of the Earth or

G

42 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

across town, whether you arrived here several days or just minutes ago, we’re glad you’re here and we intend to do all we can to make this a valuable and memorable weekend for your family.

For those who arrived early enough to enjoy it, today was a perfect New England fall day.

Tomorrow, well, not so much. It looks to be more Old England than New England, so bring some rain gear. The vagary of local weather notwithstanding, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year. It is the one time when we are able to gather the entire extended school community, faculty, students, parents, siblings, pets, everyone, in one place at one time. It’s wonderful to see you all here together, but I imagine there are a host of different feelings around the room. Parents, I expect that you are excited to see your children, perhaps you’re looking forward to spending some time alone with them, and maybe you’ll even get a hug or two. Students, I’m guessing you have simpler, more straightforward wishes. You’re just hoping to get through the weekend without your parents embarrassing you too badly. Don’t bet on it.

Speaking as a parent—embarrassment is what we do best. Our very existence is embarrassing to you. We know it, you know it, so get over it. All jokes aside, I also imagine that many of you students are pretty tired at this point in the year.

That’s okay. You should be. You’ve been working hard for nearly two months with little time off, and even if you’ve been enjoying your experience here, you’re probably pretty drained.

I begin on this weary note, because as some of you know, Mrs. Peterson and I spent last Sunday running a marathon with about 40,000 other runners. Traveling along the course, growing increasingly tired myself, I found my thoughts turning to our school, to the races of various sorts that the students run every day, in the classroom, on the fields, in the dorms. Whether you recognize it or not, you’re each running some form of your own personal marathon, with opponents and challenges that are uniquely yours.

Thinking further of the many ways in which these personal races proceed, I wish to spend a moment tonight reflecting on the place and value of competition in our lives and the life of a school.

Before we get too far along, I should point out that I am a completely undistinguished runner. I don’t float along gracefully; I tend to pound ahead, heavily but steadily. Nor am I a speedy runner, at least over distance. My time in the race I just ran was almost exactly double that of the winner, which means that in theory, he could have won the race, gone out for a second 26 mile lap, and still nearly beaten me to the finish. Not only did I fail to win the race, I came in 15,169th place.

WINNING IS AN OUTCOME , COMPETING IS A PROCESS .

TOO

OFTEN IT SEEMS WE CONFUSE THE TWO .

...

THE COMPETITION IS WHERE THE REAL ACHIEVEMENT LIES .

No prize money or glory that deep in the pack. So since I had absolutely no chance of winning, why run? Why spend the time it took to train, and the effort it took to race, when I could not win? The answer lies of course in a love of competition.

I believe in the power of competition. It sharpens us, tests us, and gives us a real measure of accomplishment. It’s true and it’s honest, and just as you cannot talk your way through a marathon, you cannot fake real competition.

Competition gives our lives traction. Taken to

excess, competition can become corrosive, especially when it is framed as a zero-sum game, where one participant’s gain must come at a corresponding cost to another. I am proud to say that this cannibalistic model of competition is not common at St. George’s either inside or outside the classroom.

At the same time, most of us at St. George’s do like to compete, and I imagine that even more of us like to win. But winning, or victory, is not the same thing as competing. Winning is an outcome, competing is a process. Too often it seems we confuse the two. We focus on our desired result, winning, and overlook the value of the necessary process, competition. But in fact, no matter how much any of us loves to win and hates to lose, the competition is where real achievement lies. I started running because I needed to get in shape, and I thought that running would be the fastest way to do so. Up until that point, I hated running.

It was the closest thing to torture I could imagine.

But a funny thing happened—I started to like it. I liked the sense of accomplishment I felt when I finished a long run, I liked devising a training plan, and then executing it successfully, and I liked the solitude of my runs—no phones, no music, nothing but the sound of my breathing and the rhythm of my footfalls on the road.

Knowing that all of these efforts would be tested in a race only intensified my enjoyment. Of course, I knew I wasn’t going to win a marathon, but I began to realize that I could compete against all sorts of different opponents: the weather, the distance, my time, my own inertia. It wasn’t that I didn’t care how I finished. I always care how I finish, but I have come to care a great deal more about how I run, how I compete. The process has become as important as the outcome.

The same is true for each of you students in your work at St. George’s. You competed for admission to the school, to make a team, to earn a grade. You have begun, or you soon will, to compete for college admission. Sometimes you will “win,” and sometimes you will not. But in every effort, in each competition, there is value to be found. You can get better, learn more, discover a talent or produce some dazzling new work.

When you use competition to push yourself, you CONTINUED

O N N E X T PAG E

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

43

Parents Weekend O

C T

.

2 7 - 2 8 ,

2 0 0 6

grow and develop. In the end that is why you have come to this hilltop. To be clear, I am not suggesting that merely “trying” or going through the motions is good enough. Such sentiments are nothing more than a self-protective rationalization. Instead, I am suggesting that you do your absolute best, every time, in all you do.

That’s competing. That’s honest. If you do that, you will have succeeded, no matter the outcome.

But in order to truly compete, you have to take a chance. You must be willing to make yourself vulnerable to loss, regret, and failure.

You must recognize that your best efforts may not be enough, then forge ahead anyway. To some extent, every legitimate effort is inherently risky, in that it could fail in any number of ways.

Competition is also demanding. I had a coach once who posted a message during preseason which read, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

In the context of competition, I would add, “If it was safe, it wouldn’t mean much.” What I found in running is that while failure in so many forms is never far away, its presence heightens the challenge, and intensifies my enjoyment. As a result, the only road races I’ve ever run are marathons. Once I’d done one, everything else felt too safe, like I was hedging my bets. It is the ever-present and significant risk of failure that makes the races interesting for me. The poet T.S. Eliot spoke of this when he wrote, “Only those who are willing to risk going too far will know how far [they] can truly go.” In other words, until you’ve tested your limits, how will you know where they lie? Think for a moment about what you have personally achieved at St. George’s. Did your limits fall where you thought they would, or did you move beyond where you imagined them to be? And if you’ve not yet pushed yourself to those horizons, what are you waiting for? This is the place, now is the time to take those risks, to hazard the journey.

Beyond embracing the risk of failure, we must also come to accept the inevitable cost of competing. I’ve learned that no matter what, running a marathon is going to hurt. There just is no easy way to run 26 miles. There are times where stopping is an incredibly seductive option, where the siren call of rest and water and a snack is nearly too loud to resist. So far however, I have

44 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

always kept going, kept moving despite the discomfort because I’ve come to enjoy the rigor, the challenge of what I was doing. In all of our lives, but especially in your lives as students, discomfort looms. Most of the time, the first instinct is to avoid or relieve it. Put off working on that paper, do your hardest homework last or not at all, don’t go to the dance, quit the team where you’re not a star. Many of us stop when a situation becomes uncomfortable instead of pressing on. But we can change. We can learn to embrace the effort it takes to achieve our goals, to savor the challenge of competition. Doing so may not diminish the discomfort, but it puts it in the proper, larger context. What distinguishes the great from the ordinary, the worthy from the mediocre is a sense that competing is worthwhile precisely because of its difficulty.

So if winning is either impossible or a false measure of success, and just trying isn’t really enough, how can we measure our efforts? We do so with our goals. By setting specific, achievable goals, we establish an aim point, a target for our efforts. Beyond creating a structural framework for competing, such goals become a focal point for our imagination, our creativity, and our aspirations. They allow us to combine a sense of reality with the power of our dreams. In the case of the marathon, I went in with seven goals of increasing difficulty. Of the seven, I reached five and failed in two. If I wanted to keep score (and to be honest, I tend to) that’s 5-2 in favor of a successful race. So even though I knew I could not win the race, I was competing against myself, in the form of my goals.

The further challenge for each of us lies in setting goals that fall in the sweet spot between too easy and impossible. Too easy, and there can be no real pride in achievement; too hard, and we become discouraged. We have to find balance in the scale of our goals, to see clearly even while dreaming big. This need to grasp reality while imagining a bold future is what underpins the vision of the school’s strategic plan, and it’s what lies at the heart of the SG Initiative for students.

We want to look carefully at ourselves, assess our strengths and weaknesses, and then set the goals that will drive us forward, focus our priorities, and allow us to compete successfully as

ANDREA HANSEN PHOTO BY

Polly Murray ’10, trustee and Parents Committee co-chair Betts Howard Murray, fellow Parents Committee co-chair Wisner Murray and Francis Murray ’07 enjoy the Friday evening program on Parents Weekend. individuals and as a school. As students, you can practice this every day. Rather than just focusing on the end result, the “win,” which might be something like earning an A in math, identify five interim goals that you can control and achieve.

Work on planning what you need to reach those goals, and let the A happen if it will. Take control and shape your competition with yourself.

Manage the process, and successful outcomes will follow in one form or another.

No matter what we are doing, what race we are running, the ultimate benefit of competition is the learning it provokes within each of us. Every new challenge met and conquered, each goal achieved, builds our confidence and broadens our perspective. As a school, that’s why we’re here. We want each of you as students, and each of us as humans, to grow, mature, and learn. Yes, a victory can be sweet, but the sweetest wins come from the mud and sweat and toil of the hardest contests.

An easy triumph stirs us not at all. The challenge, the competition, is the source of our true reward.

In closing, I should point out that not all of the learning springs from our own efforts.

Sometimes competition creates in us an accidental new awareness, one that we hadn’t even known we were looking for. For example, I’ve been educated at good schools, worked at several others, and I teach English, yet until a few days ago, I had never seen the T.S. Eliot quote I described to you earlier in this address. So in the spirit of competition’s unexpected lessons, I’d like to thank the anonymous runner from Chicago on whose back I read the quote, last Sunday, somewhere around Mile Eight.

Thank you all once again for coming, and enjoy the weekend. Incidentally, for anyone who’s wondering about how Mrs. Peterson did in the race, let’s just say she’s a wicked good runner who’s a whole lot faster than I am…

Eric F. Peterson is the head of St. George’s School.

He can be reached at Eric_Peterson@stgeorges.edu.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

45

America in a global world T

E A C H E R

E

X C H A N G E

PHOTO BY SUZANNE HADFIELD

Dr. Dorothy Hakim visits St. George’s

BY ALEX MERCHANT ’08 The following story appeared in the October 27, 2006 edition of “The Red & White” Dr. Dorothy Hakim, a native of Mumbai [Bombay] who teaches at the Chinese International School (CIS) in Hong Kong, visited St. George’s for a week in early October as part of a teacher exchange program. Reciprocally, head of

46 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

the mathematics department Doug Lewis visited CIS last March, during which time he attended classes, met students and taught.

Hakim is a lifelong academic and holds five degrees: a Ph.D. from the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, two master’s degrees and two bachelor’s degrees.

When asked in an interview why she spent so much of her life studying, she said, “I have done it simply out of interest,” and added that “when you learn more, you understand how little you know.

I’m just on a quest for knowledge.”

After pondering the question further, Hakim thought it a little unusual and elaborated, “It’s not uncommon for an Asian person to study this much.” She suggested that “in countries like yours, you take education for granted.” By contrast in India, she explained, not everyone can get an education, and when someone is given the opportunity, he or she takes it.

“India didn’t have the structure,” she explained matter-of-factly, “so I moved on to other countries that did.” She stressed how people in the third world need to be innovative to compensate for the lack of development around them. “That is the only way third-world countries develop—because they are so limited, they must be innovative.”

In an interview, she said that St. George’s was on a par with CIS in most areas, the sciences excepted. “With science, St. George’s has good teachers working in mediocre facilities,” she observed, noting that at CIS “the facilities are better, and we have lab assistants to help with the experiments.”

Hakim, a biology and environmental systems teacher, said, “Science is the core subject.” The noticeable emphasis on science and math in Asia is made apparent by the regular underperformance of American students in these fields when compared to Asians.

“While American scientific research is widely admired,” suggested a report by the Asia Society entitled Math and Science Education in a Global Age, “there are grave concerns about the quality of math and science education to prepare students to be highly qualified scientists and engineers.”

Alex Merchant ’08 can be reached at Alex_Merchant@stgeorges.edu. He is the business manager and an editor at The Red & White.

Currently the newspaper is offering subscriptions to parents and alumni/ae for $20/yr, payable to St. George’s School; please include “Red & White” on the memo line, and send payment to Editor, Red & White, St. George’s School, PO Box 1910, Newport, RI 02840. To learn more about the Chinese International School, visit http://www.cis.edu.hk/.

PHOTO BY SUZANNE HADFIELD

In a chapel talk that Hakim delivered on October 12, she reminded students how lucky they are to have access to what a developed country such as the U.S. provides. “Unless you value what you have here,” Hakim said in an interview, “why would you appreciate what others don’t have?”

Since “the U.S. is the recognized leader of the world,” Hakim believes that St. George’s has a responsibility to expose its students to the world’s varied, dynamic and diverse cultures. “CIS sponsors a project week, during which students go into the world and learn and experience different cultures,” explained Hakim, suggesting that St. George’s follow suit. “The students come back different people.”

Hakim alluded to the glorification of the U.S. by her own students, and described the relief she experienced at “being able to breathe clean air.”

Speaking of her students, she remarked, “They want to be in the leading nation,” and she said that she was selected to visit St. George’s from a pool of more than two dozen eager teachers who applied.

Hakim indicated that she enjoyed her time at St. George’s, and went on to affirm, “You’re a great bunch, and I appreciate that you stay away from your homes when so much is changing in your lives.”

Dr. Hakim enjoys a pumpkin latte on a visit to Starbucks in Newport.

LUCIA JACCACI TO BE NEXT EXCHANGE TEACHER IN HONG KONG THIS MARCH History teacher Lucia Jaccaci talks about CIS on the eve of her upcoming trip to Hong Kong as a participant in the teacher exchange program: “As I prepare to embark on the SG/CIS exchange this March, I am excited professionally on several fronts. Having been at St. George’s for 10 years now, I am looking forward to immersing myself in CIS and getting a firsthand look at another school’s curriculum, student body, and faculty. I am particularly interested to learn more about the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program and its bilingual curriculum. Finally, as the teacher of an Asian Civilization course at St. George’s, I am thrilled to be able to spend some time in Asia to learn more about the region’s history and culture.”

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

47

Traditions 4 9

PHOTOS BY

T H

A

N N U A L

P

I E

R

A C E

CHERYL JENKINS

Tension mounts on the starting line (above) as Pie Race contenders shake off any last-minute jitters and set their sights on the furious competition about to unfold. Birthday cakers Tori North ’07, Ellie Myers ’08, Hannah Burroughs ’07, Allie Boynton ’08 in the baseball cap, and Gabby Angiolillo ’07 (below) try to hold it all together in the heat of the moment.

Sophomore defends Pie Race title

BY DOUG LEWIS Sophomore Phil Royer of Portsmouth was number one across the muddy finish line of the 49th annual St. George’s Pie Race held on November 14. Royer completed the 2.2-mile course in 12:35, becoming the first repeat Pie Race winner since David Mitchell in 1999. Senior Halsey Richartz of Old Lyme, Conn. finished in second place with a time of 13:05, just inches ahead of freshmen Teddy Swift of Carlisle, Mass., and John Karol of Westwood, Mass., who finished third and fourth, respectively. English teacher Alex Myers was the first faculty finisher with a time of 14:30 and Ben Jaccaci, the 15-month-old son of teachers Tony and Lucia Jaccaci was the youngest finisher.

A total of 89 students, faculty, staff, and friends of the school completed the race, run traditionally around the school’s hilltop campus.

The Pie Race was founded in 1957 by physics teacher and track coach Ted Hersey as a

48 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

lighthearted way of promoting school spirit. Sonamed because top runners are awarded homebaked apple pies as prizes, the Pie Race has evolved into what newspaperman Damon Runyon once described as “one of St. George’s warmest and wackiest traditions.” Runners typically wear outlandish garb and attempt to outdo each other with their zany antics. This year, several senior boys wearing red capes and Burger King masks pedaled bicycles throughout the race, a large group of junior and senior girls duct-taped themselves together to form a birthday cake, and three students wearing skin-tight pink leotards flopped backwards around the course pretending to be salmon swimming upstream. Sophomores Hannah McQuilkin, Callie McBreen, and Izzy Evans dressed as the “Rod Squad” to honor their Spanish teacher Catherine Rodero.

Day students Mary Behan ’10 and Linnea Bostrom ’09 of Middletown were awarded the coveted Last Runner Finishing Before Sundown in Cedar Rapids Prize with a less-than-stunning time of 39:10. After the race, Behan said, “It’s not that slow, considering we ran backwards.”

Approximately 20 pies were awarded at a school assembly three days later.

Math Department Chair Doug Lewis records finish times (above left), accompanied by Administrative Technology Coordinator Ed McGinnis who grimaces as he watches his bid for a fresh-baked apple pie vanish before his eyes. Competitors feel the burn (above) in a desperate sprint down the main drive. Seniors Austin Sanchez-Moran, Aaron Zick, and Francis Murray (below) hang up their running shoes to provide musical support for the assembled crowd.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

49

PHOTO BY HOLLIE TOWEY

They came, they loaded,

Development Office Assistant Toni Ciany, Science Department Chair Steve Leslie, Green Power Parts President Ryan Lenartowick and his assistant Charlie Waddell load equipment awaiting recycling onto the Green Power Parts truck.

they carted away Computer recycling on the SG campus

BY TONI WALLACE CIANY he recent founding of Green Power Parts, a computer recycling company in Bristol, R.I., laid the groundwork for a partnership that will end up benefiting not only the school and the fledgling company, but also, and most important, the environment we all share.

On a warm and sunny October 3, thanks to the local proximity of Green Power Parts, St. George’s was able to recycle safely and

T

50 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

responsibly 47 CPU processors, 41 IBM laptop computers, 30 laptop hard drives, 10 CD ROM drives, two dozen laptop batteries, keyboards, switchboxes and splitters, 15 modems, 18 battery back-ups, 20 wireless access points, a dozen monitors, hubs and printers, five power switching systems, three large boxes of wires and assorted connectors, two routers, and four dozen boards and network cards. In describing the amount of heavy metals and toxins diverted from the landfill, Steve Leslie, head of the science department and director of marine affairs,

commented, “We could recycle every sheet of paper on campus for 10 years, and the environmental benefit would still pale in comparison to what we have diverted from doing damage today.”

The items filled an entire office. One by one they made their way onto a huge truck, dutifully loaded by SG faculty member Mr. Leslie, staff

”WE COULD RECYCLE

CAMPUS FOR

PHOTO BY TONI CIANY

EVERY SHEET OF PAPER ON

10 YEARS,

AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT WOULD STILL PALE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT WE HAVE DIVERTED FROM DOING DAMAGE TODAY.” —S TEVE LESLIE, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

members Carleton Hennion, Ed Morin, Toni Ciany and Hollie Towey, and Green Power Parts associates Ryan Lenartowick and Charlie Waddell.

The majority of so-called computer recycling companies ship components to Africa and Asia where they languish in enormous mounds of techno-trash and leach dozens of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into groundwater aquifers.

Green Power Parts, on the other hand, defined by its founder as a “green company with firm roots in the concept of reuse as well as recycling,” employs

CPUs and monitors collected await recycling. a unique approach: Each component first is analyzed to determine its type and reuse potential, then delivered to a particular partner based on its material content. For example, the ABS plastic shell becomes building material for home improvement stores; glass, copper, tin, aluminum and other metals are recycled; and some CRT tubes are reused in similar technology.

Indeed, in an effort to illustrate the potential value of recycled computers, Mr. Lenartowick hand-plucked the gold pins from dozens of used computers and posted their weight on E-Bay for bidding, which sold for $380.00. He then donated these proceeds to A Wish Come True, Inc. In contrast to the fairly innocuous gold pins, there are some decidedly dangerous components in the computer recycling business as well. For example, even if a computer monitor is unplugged for six months, the copper yoke still can hold a charge in excess of 35,000 volts, enough to kill a grown man. Hence, the demanufacture of these units is potentially lethal, requiring technical expertise and delicate manipulation.

With so many details to consider in the handling of what these days is referred to as “ewaste,” one might conclude logically that part of CONTINUED

O N N E X T PAG E

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

51

HOLLIE TOWEY PHOTO BY

From left: Steve Leslie, Ryan Lenartowick, Charlie Waddell, Network Manager Ed Morin, Toni Ciany and Assistant Network Manager Carleton Hennion ’94

the environmental solution is to make a concerted effort to reduce the constant acquisition of newer, better, faster computer hardware. However, this is not a realistic option, given the planned obsolescence built into the electronics manufacturing process. As St. George’s computer network manager Ed Morin put it, a CPU is only as quasi-permanent as the software it manages. In other words, once Microsoft decides to replace a program such as Windows 98 with Windows 2000, for example, it phases out the technical support for the prior version. This phase-out necessitates that users upgrade to the next version, or be left behind with no technical support. Furthermore, the newer the software program, the more RAM and processor speed required to run it, and while RAM often can be

52 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

supplemented, processing speed cannot, which in turn necessitates the purchase of all new expanded hardware.

So, in order for the school, or any business for that matter, to stay supported by Microsoft, it must replace equipment and peripherals constantly. St. George’s does this on what Mr. Morin describes as a “five-year upgrade cycle.” He says, “We must phase out approximately 15-20 machines every year, and replace them with the new version. This year Microsoft is introducing Vista, and in a few years XP will be phased out entirely. By that point, we will have had to replace all of our XP models with Vista.”

Which explains the epic proportion of computers and peripherals and their constant accumulation in landfills, dumps and container ships headed to isolated corners of distant continents, and why it is extremely important that collectively we find responsible strategies to reduce and recycle this unending march of metal and chemical flotsam and jetsam. Although hardly the complete answer to the problem, St. George’s School is proud to have forged an alliance with an environmentally responsible recycler, who recently reported the results of our fledgling computer recycling initiative. Mr. Lenartowick wrote, “The total weight of the project came in at over 4,176 pounds. For most projects, after allocation of the various components to reuse and recycling, this would have translated into a cost of $800 to the client, but in an effort to encourage and support the school’s continual participation in e-waste recycling, GPP is donating what would have been their profit back to the school.”

For a process that otherwise would have contributed two tons of bulky hazardous waste to a near-capacity landfill with the dubious distinction as the highest geographic point in Rhode Island, $800 to plow back into developing a more comprehensive campus recycling program is certainly the sweetest kind of icing on the cake.

Toni Ciany is a development office assistant at St. George’s and a great champion of recycling and sustainability efforts. She can be reached at Toni_Ciany@stgeorges.edu.

St. George’s students

PHOTO BY

ED MCGINNIS

Robotics class members Tom Evans ’09, Ben Jenkins ’07, Hendrik Kits van Heyningen ’10, West Resendes ’08, Tripp Seaman ’07 and Ben Lewis ’10 (seated) demonstrate Lego mindstorm robots they built and programmed.

meet manufacturing robots

BY ED MCGINNIS The Introduction to Robotics class visited KVH Industries, Inc., on Friday, January 5 for a truly enjoyable educational experience. Middletown, R.I.based KVH is an international leader in the development and manufacture of innovative mobile, high-bandwidth satellite communications systems, tactical navigation products, and fiberoptic paraphernalia. The class was greeted by Martin Kits van Heyningen, President and CEO, also father of Hendrik Kits van Heyningen ’10. After an informative briefing on a satellite TV antenna including a review of the programming code, the students proceeded to the testing area where a similar satellite TV antenna was mounted on a tilt table designed to reproduce the recorded motion of a boat at sea on a stormy day. The motion of the table simulated the motion of a ship so accurately that just looking at it made our stomachs queasy, yet the TV reception did not miss a frame.

After their visit to the testing lab, students tried their hand at inserting one of the more than 400 miniature screws that go into the new TracVision automotive satellite TV antenna. Frustrated by the difficulty of the task and the glacial speed at which the boys were able to complete it, the group proceeded to the fabrication plant to learn about the

company’s manufacturing robots, programmed to glue and screw the antennas together. The boys found these robots to be fascinating, and all were relieved that they did not have to finish the antenna assembly they had started.

The visit concluded with a ride around the parking lot in KVH’s demonstration vehicle, an impressively painted, tricked-out SUV that features both high-speed Internet and cable TV. In spite of the driver’s best efforts, the antenna remained locked onto its satellites. In the end, it was difficult to get the boys out of that vehicle and back into the bus to return to St. George’s. Upon arriving back on campus, the only question heard from any of them was, “When do we get cable TV and Internet in our buses?!”

Ed McGinnis is the administrative technology coordinator at St. George’s. He teaches robotics programming and laptop computing and coaches girls JV soccer and JV baseball. He can be reached at Ed_McGinnis@stgeorges.edu.

Note: SG’s 69-foot sloop Geronimo has KVH’s awardwinning TracPhone on board. This marine satellite communications system offers fully automatic operation and dynamic stabilization, even in the roughest seas, and it has been time-tested on Geronimo for over eight years.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

53

Community Service L W A Y S

A

F O C U S

O N

T H E

H

I L L T O P

PHOTO BY

KIT LONERGAN

A

Lydia Willie ’09 and Hannah McQuilkin ’09 paint buildings as part of the thirds girls soccer team service project at the Healing Co-op, a Middletown program that supports counseling for women with cancer.

Community outreach and support take on many forms at St. George’s Contributions of time, talent and funds have been hallmarks of a busy year on the Hilltop, as the St. George’s community continues to extend its open arms to benefit local causes in the Newport and Middletown area. Recognizing worthy charities and pitching in when manpower is needed are at the top of the school’s consciousness, and the combined effect of solid support by a lot of SG people in many different forms points to an impressive record of positive involvement in the community at large.

At least four dress-down days netted sizable contributions for targeted charities. Davis Archer ’07 organized one for the Jamestown Community Farm in Jamestown, R.I., and came up with $1,015. Young Liberals drummed up $1,024 for Common Ground and Katrina relief. The varsity

54 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

soccer team generated $894 for Project GOAL, an after-school youth academic and athletic soccer program based in Providence. And the Community Service Council pulled in $1,040 for Child and Family Services of Newport County, not to mention additional donations amounting to $1,400 to benefit group homes and to provide shoes for sponsored girls.

Each of the St. George’s athletic and afternoon groups devoted at least one practice day to local outreach. Varsity and JV football worked on Second Beach to clean up trash and help close the beach for the winter. Thirds girls soccer and thirds football offered their services to the Healing Co-op, a Middletown program that supports counseling for women with cancer. The Special Projects group, thirds field hockey, JV girls soccer, thirds boys soccer, the Community Service Council and the athletic trainers all helped to distribute flyers throughout Middletown for the school’s Feed-A-Friend drive (see “Successful Feed-a-Friend drive benefits local needy,” facing page). Cross-country girls worked with Thompson Middle School in Newport training participants for a meet. Cross-country boys addressed a mass mailing for the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Center. Varsity field hockey worked at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County teaching younger girls and boys how to play field hockey. JV field hockey held a local coat drive in Middletown to benefit Lucy’s Hearth, a local shelter for women and their families. And the yearbook staff spent an entire evening working in the Soup’s On roving soup kitchen at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Newport.

Upcoming projects are already in the pipeline.

As we go to press, arrangements are in place for the school’s annual MLK Jr. Day clothing drive (Clothe-A-Friend) on January 15. The Community Service Council anticipates helping out on behalf of the Potter League for Animals, the American Cancer Society, AIDS Quilt of Rhode Island, Bridges Inc. in Jamestown, local retirement homes, and the Newport Hospital.

Additionally planned are other clothing collections for Aquidneck Island distribution and for needful American Indian reservations in Montana.

PHOTO BY

Gerald Ye ’08, A Cappella Ensembles Director Annie Laurie Tuttle, Kathryn Connor ’08 and Sofia Covarrubias ’08 use shopping carts to transport donations from cars into the MLK center. difference,” Assistant Chaplain and Community Service Coordinator Kit Lonergan told students in assembly the next day. “While it was a good time, we also took part in a serious movement to help our own community.”

COBLE

Handbells at the hospital

PHOTO BY L ISA

More than 150 students, faculty and staff members helped collect nonperishable food items on Oct. 22, 2006, for the annual Feed-a-Friend Drive to benefit the Martin Luther King Center in Newport.

Food collected from Middletown residents, who leave donations on their doorsteps for pick-up by the students, helps stock the center’s pantry for Thanksgiving and the winter months.

“You fed 1,000 people today,” MLK Center Executive Director Amanda Frye Leinhos reported to St. George’s students after the donations were brought in and sorted. She estimated that students collected approximately 12,000 items of food to be distributed in food baskets.

The drive required volunteers to spend from two to four hours on their day off to help those less fortunate. Jenny Chung ’09, Lindsey McQuilkin ’07 and Annie Walkingshaw ’08 served as student coordinators, helping to map out driving routes for adults and make assignments.

Earlier in the month, several SG sports teams took a day out of their practice schedules to canvas the area with fliers reminding residents about the drive.

“That kind of compassion makes a huge

PAT HADFIELD

Succesful Feed-a-Friend drive benefits local needy

During the lunch hour on Dec. 8, 2006, at the request of Newport Hospital Volunteer Services Head Lisa Coble, members of both St. George’s Handbell Choir ensembles visited the hospital to ring in a bit of holiday cheer as the Christmas season got under way. Pictured at left, Annie Ireland ’09, Merrill Pierce ’09, and Will Barrett ’07.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

55

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

Faculty notes

Kevin Held receives Champion for Youth Award Every year at an all-day training workshop appropriately dubbed the ReEnergizer Conference, the Student Leadership Training Program (SLTP) based in Marshfield, Mass., calls attention to the development and empowerment of student leadership by presenting a slate of Champion for Youth Awards. SLTP seeks to help student leaders recognize those members of their schools and communities who make a positive, significant difference in the lives, careers and education of young people. One of the best parts of this award is that it provides the opportunity for student leaders to catch others doing things right.

56 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

On November 25, 2006, Head of the Department of Theater, Speech & Dance Kevin Held was chosen as a recipient of this award for his dedication and commitment to the community at St. George’s.

Accolades from the presentation included the following: “Kevin is the backbone of student activities at St. George’s. He tirelessly seeks to make the quality of life for each student at the school better. As advisor for the Entertainment Committee, he provides the best possible entertainment throughout the year. He drives students to various locations within the community and even opens his personal refrigerator to them. He is actively engaged in every aspect of the school community, but never is too busy to help someone when they need it.”

Aaron Zick ’07 endorsed those sentiments: “Mr. Held is the heart, soul and backbone of this school. He is the one go-to guy. You can go to him for anything, any problem or anything you need help with, and he will always readily help you out.

If Mr. Held were to leave the school, he would leave a void that could not be filled by anyone else. Many parts of the school would cease to function. The impact of Mr. Held’s presence on this campus is impossible to measure.”

Bullock presented with Donald “Dee” Rowe Mentor Award History teacher James Bullock was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 6 at the University of Rhode Island. Bullock, who is heading into his ninth year as head coach of the St. George’s varsity boys basketball team, also is this year’s recipient of the Donald “Dee” Rowe Mentor Award, named after the former University of Connecticut men’s head coach who served from 1969 to1977. The award is given to a high-school or prep-school coach with

distinguished achievement in the area of mentoring young athletes.

English teacher Patricia Lothrop was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship to study the culture and societal values of Japan at San José State University last summer during the month of July. The NEH funds graduate-level seminars that range in length from a week to a month and cover widely varying topics in the humanities.

Most of the 15 participants selected for this particular seminar were history and social studies teachers, drawn from across the U.S. and from U.S. military bases in Japan. After morning lectures and discussion revolving around the history of Japan, participants were given handson cultural learning experiences including several opportunities to practice forms of the tea ceremony, and to watch and learn koto and samisen music, Noh and kyogen drama, dance, kendo, Buddhist ritual, calligraphy, ikebana, and the making of rice sweets. Lothrop’s seminar paper, comparing the aesthetic concepts iki and miyabi, is posted on the San José State University website at the URL Patricia Lothrop practices the indicated below: Japanese tea ceremony. http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/anderson/site_pages/ index.html#

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

Lothrop awarded NEH fellowship

Cheryl Jenkins completes independent school gender report Ten years ago, SG Director of Counseling and Health Education Cheryl Jenkins, Ed.D., became the principal investigator for the Independent School Gender Project. In her capacity she gathers survey data from students and adults in 33 independent schools across the U.S. and Canada. “I collect the survey data, work with my husband to analyze it, and write the national report and the report for each individual school,” she told us. This past summer, she presented national results at a conference held at the Hotchkiss school in Connecticut. In September, she presented results for the Baylor school in CONTINUED

O N N E X T PAG E

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

57

Faculty notes Tennessee at a faculty inservice. In December, she presented national results at The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) conference in Washington, D.C. And in January she was scheduled to present results for St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Tex.) to the faculty and parents there.

The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) is a voluntary membership organization serving almost 300 schools in the U.S., Canada and abroad. It was developed in 1976 as a committee to address boarding school enrollment issues, but since then the association has evolved to meet the changing needs of its members by introducing comprehensive programs and initiatives for admission directors and staff members, residential-life faculty and staff members, counselors, school heads, and other administrators. It convenes annually. Dean of Students Katie Titus attended the 2006 TABS conference held at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Washington, D.C., from November 29 to December 3. The event was titled “Living through Learning,” and featured two keynote speakers— Michel Martin, award-winning journalist and NPR host, and Dr. Mary Carskadon, researcher and authority on adolescent sleep. Titus arrived on Friday, Dec. 1, to take part in two days of the program which amounted to three sessions on Friday and two more on Saturday. Among the seminars she attended were “Orienting Students to New Responsibilities in New Settings,”

58 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

PHOTO BY QUENTIN WARREN

Katie Titus attends annual TABS conference

“Fostering Leadership in Girls,” “Utilizing Proctors to Enhance Residential Life,” “Helping Freshmen Adjust to Residential Life,” and “Elected Student Leaders Who Really Lead.” Her primary focus was to generate ideas related to the residential program and student orientation at St. George’s, and to learn how other schools encourage leadership in their students. Said Titus, “TABS was a wonderful opportunity for me to engage in meaningful discussions with other deans of students about how we do our jobs.”

Highlights S

T U D E N T

A C H I E V E M E N T S

PHOTO BY

Two St. George’s students new to the Hilltop this year came to us by way of special programs that encourage high-performing students to apply to independent schools.

Helen Sun ’08, a new fifth former, is the first student to attend SG from mainland China. Her family is from Shanghai and she comes to SG through a program called ASSIST (American Secondary Schools for International Students and Teachers), a nonprofit educational and cultural exchange organization that sponsors student and teacher exchange among 15 countries and the United States.

Third former Jesse Pacheco ’10 (on right in photo above) from the Bronx, N.Y., comes to us through CitySquash in New York. A Fordham University-based urban youth enrichment program, CitySquash uses organized team-building skills, mentoring and community service to help its participants “fulfill their academic, athletic and personal potential.” Needless to say, squash is a vital part of the athletic component. Several SG alums including Doug Douglass ’80, Rosie Wiedenmayer ’93, and Jerry Ouderkirk ’94 are involved with the organization.

Reflecting on her time with CitySquash in a speech delivered at the Racquet and Tennis Club in New York City last spring, Pacheco said, “Over the past three years, CitySquash has challenged me and helped me reach my goals. One big goal that I set for myself was getting accepted to boarding school. … I couldn’t believe it when I found out that I got

ANDREA HANSEN

Paving the way— unique programs channel students to St. George’s

into St. George’s.” She went on to emphasize that “CitySquash has given me confidence. My three years on the team have helped me feel more comfortable trying new things and meeting people. Just like being at the starting line of a race, I always know that with the right preparation there is nothing that can keep me from reaching the finish line.”

Paula Pimentel ’09 and Jesse Pacheco ’10 at the Middlesex games on Nov. 11.

Eliza Richartz ’09 wins high school sailing championship The first annual Rhode Island High School Singlehanded Sailing Championship attracted sailors from 10 area schools to Newport Harbor on December 3, 2006, for a day of brisk competition in light to medium air beneath sunny skies. The regatta comprised a total of seven races sailed in Laser Radials against the backdrop of a tawny Newport waterfront buttoned up for the winter. Eliza Richartz ’09 sailed solidly and consistently, winning the day and placing first overall in a field of 16 sailors.

“I had been struggling with the Laser Radial

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

59

Highlights

T U D E N T

PHOTO BY J EFF

S TEVENS

S

Richartz (left) crosses one competitor and gets the bow out beneath another in her successful bid at the Rhode Island High School Singlehanded Sailing Championship in December.

ever since leaving the Optimist, all because of my size, windy conditions and inexperience in the boat,” said Richartz. “So it felt great to win against some veteran Radial class sailors. For me, the medium to light-and-shifty conditions were excellent. Not having known about the regatta until the morning it was going to be sailed, it was great to go out there and win the whole thing.”

The regatta was staged out of Sail Newport, organized by Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, R.I., and sponsored by Laser Fleet 413 and the Vanguard Sailing Center. Other schools represented included Providence Country Day, Lincoln, Bishop Hendricken, Moses Brown, Prout, North Kingstown, East Greenwich and Barrington. Rhode Island is the first state to hold such a high-school sailing championship.

Eliza’s brother Halsey Richartz ’07 is a senior at St. George’s and a stalwart member of SG’s varsity sailing team.

Providence Journal announces 2006 fall AllState Independent Stars The Providence Journal named five St.

60 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

A C H I E V E M E N T S

George’s athletes to its slate of 2006 fall All-State Independent Stars, honoring them with photo head shots and flattering write-ups in the sports section of the newspaper. Sarah Dick ’07 was recognized as a two-time Providence Journal Independent Star and a two-time Independent Schools League (ISL) all-star for her outstanding performance in varsity field hockey. Allie Conti ’08 was awarded all-star honorable mention in the ISL as a sophomore last year and first-team allISL honors this time around, also for field hockey.

Joe Tatum ’07, one of the top soccer goalies in New England prep-school ranks for three years running, received his second consecutive ISL firstteam all-league nod. Kevin Corkery ’07, a threesport standout in football, hockey and lacrosse, earned praise as one of the top linemen in ISL football for his second straight year. And Lily Posner ’07 earned ISL first-team all-league honors in soccer for the second year in a row and ProJo Independent Star recognition for 2006.

St. George’s student lives in Egypt on international exchange Victoria North ’07 spent a month in Cairo, Egypt, this summer after being selected for a merit-based scholarship by the international exchange organization AFS-USA. North studied Arabic five days a week and gained a deeper understanding of Middle Eastern culture.

“I also lived with a host family and I ended up living more like an Egyptian than a tourist,” she said.

North climbed the tallest mountain in Egypt, Mount St. Catherine, commonly known as Mount Sinai where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments.

“I saw the sunrise from the summit,” she said.

“I also swam in the Red Sea and, on a dare, literally drank from it.”

She served as an informal ambassador to the

United States, she related, and also met with Dr. Salama Shaker of the Egyptian Embassy.

But what struck her most were the many different lifestyles she witnessed.

In the El Farafrah Oasis, North spent time with an NGO (nonVictoria North ’07 governmental organization) and the Bedouins who lived there.

“I cooked with them, played patty-cake and hideand-seek with the children, and learned to dance from the women,” she said.

On one occasion during her usual walk to school, she asked about a group of people she saw standing by the side of the road every day. They were refugees from Sudan, mainly Darfur, and were waiting on the street in hopes of finding a job, housing and food.

“Poverty can easily be seen on the streets of Cairo, a place where a rich family can live right next to a poor one, but these were refugees who came to Cairo in hopes of a new life,” North said.

“They had been driven from their home and I finally saw a part of what it means to be involved in a conflict like this. Egypt, and living in a Middle Eastern culture, became real to me then and I was no longer just a tourist appreciating the wonders of that land and culture—I also saw the faults and tragedies that it possesses.”

Arete Award presented to Sarah J. Harrison On December 1, 2006, English teacher Patricia Lothrop, Ph.D., presented Sarah J. Harrison ’09 with an Arete Award for academic excellence to commemorate the fourth-former’s

exemplary work on a special project related to her honors English class. Lothrop’s citation read as follows: “Many scholars agree that the Japanese classic, the Tale of Genji, is the world’s first novel.

It was written by a woman, around the year 1000 C.E., for an audience of courtiers whose lives were filled with poetry, music, dance, perfume, calligraphy, and color. There are over 800 poems in the text, since poetry, elegantly written and presented, was the medium of communication between aristocratic men and women. Almost immediately, illustrations, on scrolls and then screens, also became part of the story’s attraction for this elite.

“Because of the strong connection between the text and the arts, the Tale evokes creative responses even today. As well as writing analytically about it, my sophomore honors class is annually invited to produce some artwork that mirrors the arts in the Tale. Some very fine projects have resulted from this opportunity, but even among these, Sarah Harrison’s recent Genji project stood out. Sarah produced a mini-novel of some six pages, set in the same time period as Genji, and the same milieu, and reflecting the constraints of court life. Hers is a tale of conflicted characters, caught, like Genji, in faithful but unhappy love. Sarah also wrote four poems, integrated into the story in traditional fashion, subtly reflective of the lovers’ feelings. She then created presentation versions of each: rolled into a scroll, hidden in a box and in a shell, and inked onto autumn leaves, acknowledging the aesthetic values of the Heian period. Finally, in an appendix, she analyzed these poems. Her overall project reflected a sensitivity to the aesthetic preoccupations of Heian Japan, as well as to the Tale of Genji itself, and testified to an admirable level of initiative and effort. I am pleased to nominate her for an Arete Award, for the excellence of her achievement.”

Sarah Harrison ’09

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

61

Arts

PHOTO BY

QUENTIN WARREN

A

M

U S I C A L

W

I N T E R

“Pippin” to heat up Madeira Hall as winter musical The winter musical this year, in rehearsals as we go to press, is “Pippin” presented by the department of theater, speech & dance.

Performances open to parents and the public will run in Madeira Hall on Saturday, March 3, 2007, at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, March 4, 2007, at 2 p.m.

Charged with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the musical tells the tongue-in-cheek story of Prince Pippin, the son of eighth-century King Charlemagne and a young man on a personal quest to find meaning and passion in life and discover his true calling. He endures a war, experiences love, becomes involved in politics and relinquishes the privileges of royalty before settling down with Catherine and her son against the disparaging advice of the Lead Player.

The musical opened on Broadway in October 1972 under the direction of Bob Fosse and ran for 1,944 performances. It features the hit songs “Corner of the Sky,” “No Time At All,” “With You,”

62 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

“Magic to Do,” and “Spread a Little Sunshine.”

Auditions conducted by director Betsy Durning were held at the end of November and production work began right after Thanksgiving.

The role of Lead Player went to Will Bruce ’08.

Pippin will be played by Francis Murray ’07 (surrounded in rehearsal by adoring women, above). Other leading parts include Michael Suhr ’07 as Charles, the Holy Emperor of Rome; Ryan Warren ’07 as Berthe, Pippin’s saucy grandmother; Matt Bakios ’08 as Lewis, Pippin’s vain halfbrother; Devon Plachy ’07 as Fastrada, Pippin’s stepmother and the mother of Lewis; Hailey Feldman ’08 as Catherine, the pretty widow who falls in love with Pippin; and second-grader Margaret Durning as Theo, son of Catherine.

The cast also includes a sizable chorus of ensemble players handling the roles of soldiers, beggars, nobles, and peasants, along with a fulltime in-house band.

PHOTOS BY

WILLIAM MASON ’08

Rock Guild rocks on

Madeira Hall pulsed to the beat of homegrown rock on Sunday evening, Jan. 7, as the 2007 Winter Rock Guild put on a smooth, spirited show featuring a range of styles, tastes, and performers. From rap to alternative rock to blues and even a hint of pop, the stage was energized with unrelenting talent and musicianship supported by rich stage lighting and ethereal smoke. It was a great opportunity for St. George’s to take rock on the road, and everyone involved— including the audience—made the most of it.

Kip Geddes ’07 got the ball rolling with a crowd-pleasing rap rendition of the Beastie Boys song “Sabotage,” accompanied by Austin Sanchez-Moran ’07 on bass, Aaron Zick ’07 on drums, and Francis Murray ’07 on electric guitar.

This was followed by a high-octane version of the Hives tune “Hate to Say I Told You So,” sung by Rem Myers ’07, and backed by Sanchez-Moran on bass, Nick Kiersted ’09 and Matt Gaydar ’09 on guitars, and Andrew Arcidiacono ’07 on drums. Ben Jenkins ’07 and Brett Lyall ’07, both new to the guild, performed the Blink 182 number “All the Small Things” with Arcidiacono on the drums. Benjamin Bilsing ’08 played the keyboard and a very busy Sanchez-Moran hung in on bass behind Alex Layton ’09 and his guitar on Layton’s spot-on cover of “The Scientist” by Coldplay. Layton then took the stage by himself

and nailed the great John Mayer tune “Why Georgia,” after which he ripped into “SemiCharmed Life” by Third Eye Blind backed by Sanchez-Moran on bass and Andrew Meleney ’08 on drums. Morgan Beeson ’08 sang the Fray tune “How to Save a Life,” joined by Zick on the piano, Sanchez-Moran on bass, Meleney on drums and Murray on the acoustic guitar. Trevor Nichols ’07 performed two numbers, “Someday”

by The Strokes and “Creep” by Radiohead, backed

by Murray, Sanchez-Moran and Zick, with Myers filling in on rhythm guitar for one of them. Other players included Nancy Grosvenor ’07, who played solid rhythm behind Murray’s lead on a highlight of the evening, the Beatles epic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Davis Archer ’07 played the keyboard and Geoff Pedrick ’08 played bass while Sanchez-Moran sang lead vocals during the finale, the Allman Brothers classic “Whipping Post.”

Said stalwart guild member Francis Murray as he reflected on the evening, “There were a lot of different people performing in the guild this year, which is one part of what made it so successful.

There was a style for everyone, and there was no one song that stood out as vastly better or worse than another. As musicians, being able to share your love of music with others is something that I think all of us really enjoy.”

Matt Gaydar ’09, with Andrew Arcidiacono ’07 on drums and Austin Sanchez-Moran ’07 on bass, gets down to business churning out Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut” (above left), as Nick Kiersted ’09 chimes in with a guitar solo between his legs (above).

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

63

Athletics A L L

S P O R T S

2 0 0 6

PHOTO BY

ANDREA HANSEN

F

Fall sports review Girls varsity soccer captain and MVP Lily Posner ’07 at the Middlesex games Nov. 11.

On Thursday, November 16, 2006, St. George’s held its annual fall sports awards assembly in Madeira Hall to honor the fall sports teams and present the major school awards.

Among the highlights was the outstanding performance of Coach Kelly Richards’ field hockey team which finished second in the ISL, earned a number-two seed in the New England Class B playoffs, and wound up 16-3. The squad was led by senior captains Sarah Dick ’07 (Walsh Bowl as MVP, All-ISL), Lily Reece ’07 (honorable mention All-ISL) and Hattie Kerr ’07 (honorable mention All-ISL). Among the team’s top players were Allie Conti ’08 (All-ISL, captain-elect), Sam Moran ’08 (honorable mention All-ISL, captain-elect), Ellie McDonald ’09 (honorable

64 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

mention All-ISL), Leslie Muzzy ’09 (honorable mention All-ISL), Ashley Dockery ’07, Betsy Stavis ’08, and Tori Curtis ’09.

Girls varsity soccer under head coach Tony Jaccaci finished a successful 9-7-2 (6-5-1 ISL) with a stunning victory over archrival Middlesex, narrowly missing a berth in the New England Prep Class C tournament. The squad was led by senior captains Lily Posner ’07 (MVP, All-ISL), Alyssa Hood ’07 (honorable mention All-ISL), and Heather Mitchell ’07. Leading contributors to the team were Lindsay White ’08 (Most Improved Player), Hillary Moatz ’08 (Coaches’ Cup), Annalise Mascarenhas ’08 (captainelect), Jamie Mey ’08 (All-ISL, captain-elect), Megan Leonhard ’09 (captain-elect), and Lindsey Brooks ’10.

Linda Evans’ girls cross country team had another successful season this fall, taking second at the Newport County meet, third at the New England Class C championships, and a respectable eighth-place finish at the ISL meet.

The harriers were led by senior captain Alex Cahill ’07 (Coaches’ Cup, All-County), along with Kathryn Connor ’08 (Galvin Cup as MVP, honorable mention All-ISL, All-County, captainelect), Ryan Warren ’07 (Most Improved), Sophie Domanski ’10 (All-County), Charleen Conlogue ’08 (captain-elect), and Samantha Buechner ’07 (All-County).

Boys cross country experienced an improved season under Coach Patrick Durning, with a 412 (3-9 ISL) record along with a third-place finish at the Newport County meet. Senior captain Phil Yamartino ’07 (Coaches’ Cup, AllCounty), Geoff Pedrick ’08, Joseph Astrauskas ’07 (All-County), Eric Muhlbach ’07, Alex Merchant ’08 (Galvin Cup for MVP, All-County, captain-elect), Pete Johns ’08 (All-County, captain-elect), and Francis Murray ’07 (Most Improved) provided a solid foundation for the squad all season long.

Coach Mark Pruitt’s boys varsity soccer squad had a frustrating season, playing well against the top league teams in many tight contests, though unable to reflect that in their record. They ended the season at 3-8-6 (2-7-3 ISL). Captains Joe Tatum ’07 (MVP, All-ISL, NEPSSA All-Star), Seung Kang ’07, and Ben Haack ’07 led the squad, with significant

contributions from Chris Fogg ’08 (Coaches’ Cup, captain-elect), Max Fowler ’09, Carmen Boscia ’09 (captain-elect), James Ridgely ’08 (McIlhinny Most Improved Player Award), Parker Knisley ’08 (captain-elect), Thomas Growney ’08, Sean O’Brien ’07, Phil Royer ’09, and Chase Uhlein ’08.

Coach John Mackay’s varsity football experienced a frustrating and disappointing 0-8 season this fall. Despite the losing record, the squad made brave strides and many younger players emerged to make their mark for the future. The team was led by senior captains Kevin Corkery ’07 (Thayer Cup as MVP, All-New England, All-ISL) and James Passemato ’07 (Claggett Cup, aka Coaches’ Cup), and enjoyed good play from Devin O’Rourke ’08 (honorable mention All-ISL, captain-elect), David Eads ’07, Bennett Byrd ’08 (captain-elect), Geoff Johnson ’07, Brad Purdy ’07, Andrew Remick ’07, Mike Shaw ’07 (Most Improved Player), Drew Miller ’09, Doyle Stack ’09, Dan Simonds ’07, Will Barrett ’07, Austin Sanchez-Moran ’07, Kyle Corkery ’08 (captain-elect), Brian Lowry ’08, and Whit Curtin ’08.

With a 2-2-1 record in varsity contests against Aquidneck Island nemesis Portsmouth Abbey, St. George’s stands tied in the 2006-2007 Diman Cup Standings. Boding well for the future, records of .500 or better from several sub-varsity squads (JV football, boys thirds soccer, JV girls soccer and girls thirds soccer) undoubtedly help St. George’s look forward to the 2007 season with plenty of anticipation.

—John Mackay, Director of Athletics

All-New England Prep Class C honors for senior Kevin Corkery Kevin Corkery ’07, co-captain of the 2006 St. George’s varsity football team, earned All-New England Prep Class C honors for his play as a lineman on the Dragon squad. Offensively he emerged as the team’s most effective lineman for two seasons in a row, and on defense he led the team in tackles this past fall with 75. Additionally,

Kevin earned first-team All-ISL honors for the second straight year, and as the team’s Most Valuable Player he was the recipient of the Thayer Cup. Kevin hopes to continue his gridiron career at St. Lawrence University next year.

Chris Corkery Scholarship recipient named Fourth former Dan Fortunato from Princeton, N.J., has been named the first recipient of the recently established Chris Corkery Scholarship, which will be awarded each year to a scholar-athlete who is Dan Fortunato ’09 particularly enthusiastic about his or her studies and who enjoys participation in interscholastic sports.

Corkery, who passed away in July 2005, served on the faculty at St. George’s from 1958 to 1972 as a history teacher, athletic director, dean of students, and admission director. He was the varsity football coach for nine seasons and also assisted in coaching basketball and baseball.

While at St. George’s, Corkery received a Fulbright-Hayes grant and studied at the Ateneo de Manila in the Philippines in the summer of 1968. He was also awarded a Guggenheim Scholarship to study at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1970.

He was inducted into St. George’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

An anonymous donor stepped forward earlier this year to provide an initial investment of $100,000 to establish the Corkery Scholarship “to honor [Chris’] memory and to further his work at St. George’s.” Upon learning of the scholarship’s creation, another generous donor immediately pledged an additional $25,000 to the fund, and since then several former students of Corkery’s have donated as well. To date the Alumni/ae Office, led by Development Officer Bill Douglas and volunteer Bob Shann ’61, has raised just over $150,000 in cash and pledges for the scholarship.

Fortunato ran with the cross-country team last fall and this winter plays defense on the boys varsity hockey team.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

65

Athletics S G

V S

.

M

I D D L E S E X

G

A M E S

•

N

O V

.

11,

2 0 0 6

PHOTOS BY ANDREA HANSEN

Jordan Watson ’09, Emma Byrd ’09, Julia Eads ’10, Lauren Hilton ’09, Kasja Mashaw-Smith ’09, Lulu Keszler ’09 and Caroline O’Connor ’10 take Middlesex weekend spirit up a notch as they rally together for an afternoon of Dragon solidarity.

Nick Biedron ’09 swoops in from above as he and Gerald Ye ’08 converge on a loose ball in boys JV soccer.

66 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

Trevor Nichols ’07 sports full-on war paint before St. George’s takes the field.

Zebra hooves pound the turf at his heels, but running back Brad Purdy ’07 breaks free for a decisive gain against Middlesex and sets his sights on the end zone.

It’s all concentration as Sarah Dick ’07 leads the charge for girls varsity field hockey.

Kelsey Crowther ’08 heads one for the Dragons in the victorious girls varsity soccer tilt.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

67

Classrooms L

E A R N I N G

O N

T H E

H

I L L T O P

Science teacher Holly Williams takes her AP biology class outside to see the “zillions” of beechnut seeds on the ground in order to generate questions about biology. They discussed reproductive success and evolution—as in, what is the cost to the tree to make all those seeds?

Williams says, “Mostly I was trying, right from the get-go, to encourage them to think like biologists.”

PHOTOS BY

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Robert Larkin discusses comparative advantage and gains from trade with his AP economics class.

68 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

English teacher Lucy Goldstein introduces the syllabus for her D period English II class.

Head of the Science Department Steve Leslie passes out textbooks to his fall semester elective course in marine biology.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

69

MAJOR

DATES SET FOR

2007-08

Tuesday-Sunday, Sept. 4-9 ..........................Students return Monday, Sept. 10 ............................................Classes begin Friday-Saturday, Oct. 19-20 ........................Parents Weekend Monday, Oct. 22..............................................School Holiday - Students return by 9 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 17 ............................................Thanksgiving break begins at 11:05 a.m. following classes Monday, Nov. 26 ............................................Students return by 9 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 14..................................................Holiday break begins at 7 a.m.

Thursday, Jan. 3 ..............................................Students return by 9 p.m.

Saturday-Monday, Jan. 26-28 ....................Mid-Winter Break Friday-Sunday, Feb. 15-17 ............................V Form Parents Weekend Saturday, March 8 ..........................................Spring break begins at 11:05 a.m. following classes Tuesday, March 25..........................................Students return by 9 p.m.

Friday, May 16-Sunday, May 18 ................Reunion Weekend Monday, May 26 ............................................Prize Day Monday-Friday, June 2-6 ..............................Underform Exams Saturday, June 7..............................................Students depart following SAT testing

70 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

O G D E N NA S H SO C I E T Y P RO F I LE : Jill Renaud Roosevelt ’79 New York, N.Y.

A wide variety of planned giving opportunities available to alumni/ae, parents and friends of St. George s Extended SG family can help future generations of students During my time at St. George’s I received a great education and made many lasting friendships. As a born and bred New Yorker, the school opened my eyes to many experiences that I would not have had if I had stayed at my allgirls school in Manhattan.

My mother was very fond of SG and the friends I made there. When we lost her to cancer in 2004 we asked that gifts be made to the school in her memory.

Although I have always supported the school through the Annual Fund, this is when I first started thinking of how SG could fit into my long-term plans. As a former not-for-profit fundraiser (before I went into real estate), I was familiar with estate planning strategies and ended up choosing a bequest as a way to make my memorable years on the Hilltop live on after I am gone.

We rent a cottage in Newport every summer so St. George’s is never far from my thoughts. I see the chapel almost every day—on my drive to the farmstand in Middletown or during my jog along the Cliff Walk. I run into alumni/ae everywhere: my best friend’s husband, a fellow real estate agent, the man I sat next to at a wedding in Napa Valley—all SG graduates. As alumni/ae we are an everexpanding family and I hope that through our gifts, the school will continue to nurture young hearts and minds for many years to come.

Jill Roosevelt and her husband Andrew live in New York, NY. A vice president/director at Brown Harris Stevens, a real estate firm in Manhattan, Jill joined the Ogden Nash Society (ONS) in 2006. She may be reached through the Alumni/ae Office or via e-mail at jroosevelt@bhsusa.com. The ONS recognizes and honors those alumni/ae, parents, and friends who have generously included St. George’s School in their estate plans. To date, the society has 186 members.

F OR

Jill Renaud Roosevelt ’79

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION , PLEASE CONTACT :

Bill Douglas St. George’s Planned Giving bill_douglas@stgeorges.edu or (401) 842-6730 Visit our web site at www.stgeorges.edu/plannedgiving

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

71

On Campus N

E W S

F R O M

T H E

H

I L L T O P

St. George’s receives “Best School Website” award In the 2006 WebAward Competition produced by the Web Marketing Association, St. George’s was recognized as having the “best website in the school industry category,” according to SG’s Internet marketing consultant and web software provider WhippleHill. Judging criteria included design, innovation, content,

technology, interactivity, copywriting, and ease of use. The accomplishment is particularly noteworthy given that nominations for the best website in each of 96 industry categories came from interactive agencies and website marketing departments in more than 33 countries around the world.

The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to define and promote high standards for Internet marketing and web development worldwide. The international WebAward Competition, now in its 10th year, is considered the premier website award program in existence today. It is overseen by a staff of organizers, judges and volunteers comprised of professionals in the fields of Internet marketing, online advertising, PR, and website design.

The award represents a striking tribute to a website presence that is fluid and changing, colorful, informative, and dedicated to showing the Hilltop in its truest colors, both to those within the fold and to those who have come across it for the first time. See for yourself at www.stgeorges.edu.

72 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

PHOTO BY I LONA

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, Barton St. Armand presented the American Studies class with a slide lecture on 19th-century American Romantic painting in Madeira Hall. St. Armand, a professor of American Civilization at Brown University, has published widely on 19thcentury American literature, painting and culture. His talk, organized by English teacher Jeff Simpson, discussed the link between the painting of the period and the literature.

TIPP

American Romantic painting the focus of Madeira Hall slide lecture

TIPP PHOTOS BY I LONA

Asian chef brings Korean cuisine to St. George’s Asian chef Hak Joon Kim of Seoul, South Korea, visited St. George’s Oct. 25-28 to prepare authentic Korean meals for students, faculty and parents as part of an international traveling-chef program sponsored by Sodexho Inc., the company that manages the school’s dining services.

While on campus, Chef Kim oversaw a cooking station of traditional Korean condiments during lunch for the student body and attended a reception for the parents of Korean students at Merrick House, the home of Head of School Eric F. Peterson, on the Friday evening of Parents Weekend. He needed an interpreter at all times, and students organized by Hyun Seung Kang ’07

took on that task.

This year, St. George’s has 13 Korean students.

Thirty-nine-year-old Kim is married and lives with his wife and two children in Seoul. He performed his mandatory military service between 1987 and 1989 and went on to work at a restaurant called HaePoong Jeong, beginning a distinguished culinary career. In 2001, he joined Sodexho Korea.

During his visit to the U.S., Kim went to four high schools in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in response to commitments by all of them to offer a greater variety of food from the native lands of their diverse student bodies.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

73

Traditions C

H R I S T M A S

F

E S T I V A L

2 0 0 6

PHOTOS BY

TOP LEFT: The

ANDREA HANSEN

festival begins as hooded torchbearers shuffle into the chapel.

TOP RIGHT: Four years of jesters are represented as 2006 jester Findlay Bowditch ’10 poses with choir members Anna McConnell ’09, Alex Merchant ’08 and Georgia Glassie ’07, all of whom played jesters in past festivals.

ABOVE LEFT: Angels ABOVE RIGHT: The

Alia Eads ’08, Harriet Manice ’08 and Lily Posner ’08

Chapel Choir in candlelight

74 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

TOP LEFT: Third-form TOP RIGHT: Mistress

pages Kevin Martland, Jake Shimmel and Garret Sider compare notes.

of the Feast Nancy Grosvenor ’07 introduces the boar’s head with, appropriately, The Boar’s Head Carol.

ABOVE LEFT: Will

Bruce ’08, Santa (played by senior prefect Phil Yamartino), elf and prefect Andrew Arcidiacono ’07 and Chris Cooke ’08 cheer on students and faculty in the games.

ABOVE RIGHT: In a hair-raising scene from The Mummer’s Play, the dragon, played by Krista Pattemore ’07, judo-kicks St. George, played by Patrick Herweck ’07. After a brutal struggle, St. George emerged, of course, the final victor.

S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

75

Want SG logo merchandise?

Mini club travel bag • $35.00

Polar fleece scarf • $22.00

B o o ks t o r e : 1 - 4 0 1 - 8 4 2 - 6 6 6 2 O n l i n e p u r c h a s e s : w w w . s t g e o r g e s . e du

76 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 0 7 W I N T E R B U L L E T I N

In this issue:

S T. G E OR G E ’S

Taking stock: implementation of Strategic Plan gathers momentum FACULT Y

AND STAFF CONTRIBUTIONS:

STUDENT

CONTRIBUTIONS:

BY

ALEX MERCHANT ’08

Reunion Weekend Sports Hall of Fame Athletics Faculty Notes Student Achievements Class Notes

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

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. George’s School

2007 Winter Bulletin

The Middlesex Chair BY SARAH DICK ’07 Knowing God BY LINDSEY MCQUILKIN ’07 Dr. Dorothy Hakim visits St. George’s Gridiron memories BY JAMES PASSEMATO ’07

2007 St. George’s School

They came, they saw, they carted away BY TONI CIANY Character comes from what you can’t do BY JOE ELIAS Shanghai: an architectural wonder BY LISA HANSEL Korean traditions BY KEVIN HELD Sophomore defends Pie Race title BY DOUG LEWIS SG students meet manufacturing robots BY ED MCGINNIS Transforming experiences abroad BY PAT MOSS Getting to know you BY MAFALDA NULA On Competition BY ERIC PETERSON Chapel cliché, North Korean style BY TIM RICHARDS Put your hands together BY ROY WILLIAMS Technology à la Asia BY BOB WEIN

winter Bulletin