Appletree

A publication of The Elisabeth Morrow School

appletree 2011/2012

Everyone Here Gets to Play The value of participation at EMS

A New Touch Considering the union of iPads and Kindergarten

Good Morning, Mr. Cooper Q & A with the new Head

Seeds of Peace For one alum, heritage inspires leadership

Virtual Worlds Interactive games that teach communication and collaboration

appletree

a publication of The Elisabeth Morrow School

Editors Evan Brown Director of Communications and Alumni Aaron Cooper Assistant Head of School Dr. David M. Lowry Head of School

Copy Editing Jan Keshishian Rachel Tavel Kim Kaufman

02 Letter from the Head of School Witnessing our children embrace learning.

Editorial Assistance Beth Anne Brennan Penny Lippe Blair Talcott Orloff Jane Phend Sarah Rolle

Contributors Brandon Baxter ’08 Evan Brown Jennifer Brown Aaron Cooper Lindsay Hirschhorn ’09 Kara Lessin ’07 David Lowry Marianne Malmstrom Lisa Diaz '70 Nash Blair Talcott Orloff Rosemary Mills Russell Daniel Scher ’08 Basil Williams

Photography and Photographic Contributors Evan Brown Avery Cohen '08 Leslie Day (and Nature Photography Club 2011) Andy Escala Shelley Kusnetz Marianne Malmstrom Margaret Mulder Lisa Diaz '70 Nash Anoop Nebhnani '94 Eric Poggenpohl Nicoletta LaMarca '80 Sacco Hector Eduardo Salinas Samantha Smithline

Design Evan Brown

06 “Good Morning, Mr. Cooper” Q & A with Elisabeth Morrow’s New Head of School.

18 GAME ON! The Importance of Participation at The Elisabeth Morrow School Assistant Head of School, Aaron Cooper, weighs the advantages of participation in sports at the Middle School level.

40 Seeds of Peace Heritage Inspiring Leadership Daniel Scher ’08 talks about how his family history inspired his involvement in cultural conflict resolution.

Cover: EMS athletes compete over three seasons, fielding fourteen interscholastic teams for boys and girls. Ice Hockey is the only sport where boys and girls compete together.

The Elisabeth Morrow School An Independent, Coeducational Day School for Ages 3 to Grade 8

435 Lydecker Street, Englewood, New Jersey 07631 | www.elisabethmorrow.org

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A New Touch iPads Come to Kindergarten

Built for Children A Perspective on Little School

Alumna Profile Lisa Diaz ’70 Nash

Communications Director Evan Brown examines the challenge of integrating the latest technology into our Early Childhood Program.

Evan Brown writes about Little School and leadership with Principal Jane Phend.

“I was having a great time until August 19, 2005...”

34 Game To Play Learn Leveraging Virtual Worlds for 21st Century Learning Noted Technology Teacher Marianne Malmstrom talks about the use of remarkable online, interactive games within our EMS curriculum.

QR = Quick Response If you own a smart phone, such as an iPhone, Android or Blackberry, and it has a camera, you can download a QR code reader application that lets you snap pictures of these codes, which in turn tells your phone to perform a certain function, such as visit a website or send an email. We have placed a few of these squarish-patterned icons throughout this magazine; once scanned your device will connect you to a corresponding mobile web page. For example, scanning this code will take you to the EMS mobile website.

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Commencement 2011 In Words and Images

A Natural Eye Seeing May Be Just as Important as Studying

Commencement address by Harvard Freshman Kara Lessin Class of 2007.

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Communications: Admissions:

Info @ EMS – school e-communications

Our Busing Options

Development: Class Notes:

Dr. Day selects her favorite images from last year’s Nature Photography club.

Much More Than a Gift

News from Our Alumni

Letter from the Head of School During the last two eighth-grade trips to Washington, D.C., we had the honor of meeting with the newly appointed Supreme Court justice. In 2010 it was Sonia Sotomayor, and last year it was Elena Kagan. By dint of the projects that the students completed in history class and shared in advance, both of these impressive women met with our students for about 45 minutes, answering questions, talking about their backgrounds and experiences, and sharing their views on their new responsibilities.

To go “behind the scene” at the Supreme Court is stirring and humbling in itself, but to spend time, in person, with judges who are at the very top of our government, whom you only know from their media presence, is equally heady. As I reflect upon these visits, recalling the exchange of questions and conversation between our young students and the two Supreme Court justices, I find my convictions reaffirmed as to the cumulative value of an Elisabeth Morrow education. Aside from the good fortune of just being there and having this experience at this age (I certainly never had the equivalent), I noted that the significance of this meeting was not lost on our students. Try to imagine: there they were, our thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds, poised, articulate, well-mannered (and well-dressed), clearly wellprepared and thoughtful in their questions (charged with relevant information), but perhaps most importantly, highly engaged in the moment.

David M. Lowry, Ph.D. As we were leaving, the intern who led us to our meeting room pulled me back by the shoulder, slowing my pace so that the students were ahead of me. She said, “You know, we’ve all been talking about your students.”

“Oh, is something wrong?” I responded.

“Oh, no; we all noticed how polite and respectful they were. How incredibly knowledgeable they were about the Supreme Court and its major cases. What good questions they asked. It is rare to see a group like this. You are very lucky.”

For some, there are several quantitative measures that determine the success of a student or the quality of a school—tests, portfolios, placement, the acquisition of skills—but these things pale in their accuracy, in my opinion, when you are witnessing children embrace their curiosity, their desire to learn and to know. Truly, on these two occasions, our students were something to see. I was as proud as any parent would have been, but I have to disagree with that intern. Luck had little to do with it. On the contrary, luck does not propel these young people to this level.

The credit, in fact, lies with their families, their teachers and themselves—only when such synergy exists between home and school can such results be achieved. The intern complimented me on our students, so, in turn, I compliment you, our dedicated Elisabeth Morrow community.

Although I can offer no standardized measure, I have seen with my own eyes the value of our efforts.

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Mission

Core Values

Vision

The Elisabeth Morrow School pursues the highest educational standards in a supportive, creative environment. We challenge our students’ intellects, promote academic excellence, encourage independent thinking, and cultivate individual talents.

Our dedicated, experienced faculty fosters moral growth and social responsibility. In our culturally diverse community, we value tradition and innovation and the joy of lifelong learning.

• An educational environment committed to academic excellence and child-centered learning.

• The Elisabeth Morrow School will educate three-year-olds through eighth graders in a supportive, child-centered environment of restricted class size.

• An educational process symbolized by the Four C’s (courtesy, consideration, cooperation and compassion) that focuses not only on the intellectual, but also upon the social and character development of children.

• A passion for learning.

• A strong sense of community among students, teachers, families, administrators and staff.

• The Elisabeth Morrow School will prepare students to be proficient academically and strong of character.

• The Elisabeth Morrow School will attract, develop and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration.

• The student body and professional staff will reflect diversity of ethnicity, heritage and economic status.

• The Elisabeth Morrow School will be in a position of financial strength.

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“ Our emblem, like all symbols, has deeper meaning. e sun stands for illumination through knowledge. e moon reflects beauty and imagination, without which education would be narrow and bleak. e stars speak for our spirits, insights and aims, as schools, like ships, must have guiding stars. But it is the apple tree that has special meaning for Elisabeth Morrow and me; it represents the school's vision and vitality, its overflowing gis, and the promise that our dreams can come true.” ~ Constance Chilton, Head of School, 1930–1981

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2011 marked a change in leadership for The Elisabeth Morrow School Board of Trustees.

Basil Williams President, Board of Trustees, 2007–2011 Having the opportunity to lead a high caliber institution such as The Elisabeth Morrow School, which is held in such high esteem by our many constituencies, has been truly special for me. As I reflect upon my four years as President of the Board, I do so with humble pride in regard to all that we have accomplished.

During my tenure, I had the pleasure of working with thirty trustees towards achieving a number of significant milestones. Two accomplishments worthy of note are: • The growth of the school's endowment to almost $10 million.

This campaign was widely supported within our community

and a substantial portion of this figure was raised to benefit faculty compensation. The campaign also sparked successive annual increases in parent participation for • the Apple Tree Fund.

Our seamless and successful tenyear accreditation from the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. This was the first ten-year accreditation for our young Middle School. The report highlighted the strength of our academic program and the marked enthusiasm for our School coming from within our community.

These accomplishments have insured a solid foundation and

reputation for Elisabeth Morrow in the years to come. As I depart this office, I extend my thanks to all within our community for allowing me this opportunity. I am assured by the steps we have taken so far and I am excited about what lies ahead. I know the EMS trustees to be a dedicated and passionate bunch, worthy of our community's confidence. I am particularly pleased to pass the baton to Rosemary Mills Russell – a parent of EMS alumni, an eight-year veteran of the Board, and Vice President for three years. EMS is in capable hands, indeed. Rosemary will certainly be an excellent leader as the School moves forward.

Rosemary Mills Russell President, Board of Trustees At any time, being asked to serve as President of The Elisabeth Morrow School Board of Trustees would be an honor. To be asked at this particular time, as we plan for the next phase of the School’s evolution, is a rare privilege.

It is a busy and exciting time for EMS. As you know, the Board has selected Aaron C. Cooper as the seventh Head of School to replace Dr. David Lowry, upon his retirement at the end of this academic year.

Cooper, who came to the School in 2003 as Dean of Students and was promoted to Assistant Head of School in 2009, was selected after an inclusive and deliberative search process which began in May 2011.

The Board is extremely grateful to Ted Hunter, the members of the search committee, parent and faculty panels, and all who participated in the search process.

The other task for the Board of Trustees in the coming year is finalizing our new Strategic Plan. Last February, approximately fifty people gathered for a day of reflection and brainstorming – the beginning of the strategic planning process. That spring, six task forces (communications, enrollment, technology, academic programs, nonacademic programs, and human resources) met and provided an outline of the issues in each area, along with some recommendations for solutions. Some of the proposals are practical, rather than strategic, and may be implemented at any time.

Other initiatives requiring significant monetary or human resources must be further analyzed. In the end, the committee will recommend and prioritize a few select goals with an effective plan for how

they will be implemented and assigned accountability.

Our School has attained a reputation for excellent academic instruction in a supportive environment that challenges our students to develop all of their talents. It is easy to describe the current major projects of the Board of Trustees, but the responsibility of the Board in overseeing the interests of the School is ongoing. All the trustees, either directly or through our children, have experienced the benefits of an Elisabeth Morrow education. There is much that lies ahead for the Board and for our community in general, and I am looking forward to working with the trustees, faculty, administration, staff and parents as we enter the next phase of growth and development.

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“GOOD MORNING, MISTER COOPER.” Q & A WITH ELISABETH MORROW’S NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL

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On November 17, 2011, The Board of Trustees appointed Aaron C. Cooper as Head of The Elisabeth Morrow School, replacing David M. Lowry, Ph.D., upon his retirement at the end of this academic year. Mr. Cooper will become Elisabeth Morrow’s seventh Head of School. A few days after his appointment, Mr. Cooper sat down with Jennifer Brown, a reporter and writer for CBS Radio News, to share his thoughts and views regarding his appointment, the School and its future.

Jennifer Brown CBS News Radio

Jennifer Brown (JB): When you first got the news that you were hired as the new Head of School, tell me what you were thinking?

Aaron Cooper (AC): It is something that Kara and I had spoken about quite a bit, particularly since Dr. Lowry announced his retirement, and we knew that this was a possibility. The announcement for me was somewhat surreal, as it happened after a Board meeting where I had given a big presentation. After the meeting, I was asked to stay, and the Board Chair came in and offered me the position. I was thrilled. So, after being at this school now for nine years, knowing it really well, and having put a lot of thought into what can be the right next steps for the school, it is exciting for me to be the person who can help steer it in that direction.

JB: Looking at your bio, I realize that you have done just about everything at this school: you have coached, you have taught, you have helped these students find high schools. What made you seek this position?

AC: I can trace my aspiration to be a head of school back to my first couple of years in teaching. I loved being in the classroom. I took to it right away from the standpoint of being able to create, maintain and enhance – to put my mark on a culture of learning and respect. After several years in the classroom, though, I started to feel the desire to have a similar effect on a larger scale. To me, as a head of school, that is job-one; the person in this position drives, supports and formalizes a culture conducive to everyone's learning.

JB: About your early years teaching, do you have any fond memories so far at Elisabeth Morrow?

AC: I have been through much at this school, starting here when the school was just nursery through sixth grade, and then eventually adding seventh and eighth grades. One memory that stands out is the first boys’ basketball team that Gene Love

Aaron Cooper holding his youngest daughter, Charlotte, seated beside his wife, Kara, and oldest daugher, Julia.

and I coached. You should have seen the look on the boys’ faces when we won our first game. They were so excited and proud of their school.

The previous year, I got to know all of my players well, as I had them in my sixth grade Latin class.

So, personally, this win meant a great deal to me as well. I was hired to help design the Middle School program where one facet was the creation of extracurricular programs, including sports. It was a great deal of work. We brought in advisors, we had committees working on it, we devised a philosophy for the sports program and then we got to watch that come to fruition. The first win was a great moment, seeing the students jumping all around at center court in their green uniforms and it being here on campus. It felt like the middle school of EMS had arrived.

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JB: What is it like having your children attend Elisabeth Morrow? What’s your perspective as a parent?

AC: Julia is now in Kindergarten (she started in the three-year-old program) and Charlotte just started in the 3's program this year. So this is the first year that both of our children have been old enough to be in the school. I appreciate the fact that I get to work in the same place that my kids go to school. When I drive to work, I get to drop them off, walk them down to their classrooms and say good-bye. Then, at the end of most days, I am able to pick them up after school and take them home. Before and after school, I get to hear what they are looking forward to or what they did that day. You can't put a price on that; it is invaluable.

Aaron C. Cooper – Timeline Groton School - 1994 Haverford College, B.A. - 1998 Columbia University, M.A. - 2005 Faculty, Germantown Friends - 1998 Faculty, Peck School - 1999 Dean of Students, EMS - 2003 Assistant Head, EMS - 2009 Head of School, EMS - 2012

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Julia started the year I was promoted to Assistant Head of School, and that was significant for me as I moved away from being a Middle School employee to being a whole-school administrator. My initial task for this position was to become more familiar with elementary and early childhood education, as my background had been exclusively in middle school education. The combination of learning the position through my contact with teachers and principals, along with my experience as a parent watching my daughters go through this program and the effects that it has had on my girls' learning has very quickly helped me understand our program at a much deeper level than I would have otherwise. For instance, my daughter Julia has been here three years now, and to see her go from entering the school in the 3's program, having been just potty trained to being now, in Kindergarten, on the cusp of literacy – of reading and writing – has been wonderful.

I have enjoyed observing how all the different pieces of the program have worked together to help her get to this place. She loves everything about language: playing with words, telling and listening to stories, predicting their endings. To see that come to life in my child has been fantastic for me as a father and an educator.

JB: You have kids here, you've worn a great many hats here, and it is clear that you are familiar with the school. What challenges do you see heading your way next year?

AC: There are challenges and opportunities on a number of levels. One of our biggest challenges, which is over-arching and connected to all others, is maintaining and enhancing the sense of community that we have, both internally (between the faculty members of the school) and externally (with our families). We've seen a marked increase in the number of families where both parents are working full-time. We are also seeing farther geographic distance from which our families are coming. So it's important that this place feel like a home for students and parents.

JB: There are some big projects in the works for Elisabeth Morrow, in terms of the campus master plan. Tell me a little about that.

AC: This segues perfectly from your last question, because the underlying motive behind this initiative is community.

We’ve engaged an architectural firm to work with us to develop a campus master plan in conjunction with the Strategic Plan and to address our needs today as well as in the future. One of our big challenges here on campus is geographical in nature. The level of elevation within the campus separates us into lower and upper campuses and, to some degree, impacts the unity of our community and the feeling of being one school.

Also, with the advent of the Middle School, there is need for additional spaces. For example, we do not have a regulation playing field where we could host interscholastic games on campus, nor do we have a large multi-functional space for the whole school to gather, meet and celebrate as a community.

Our intent is to develop a specific plan to meet these needs and others while creating a common area which would unify the campus and benefit the entire school. This design more accurately reflects our spirit and our mission.

JB: So let’s turn toward the Strategic Plan. This is more about program?

AC: It's a bit more all encompassing than that. The Strategic Plan is the Board's blueprint for the future initiatives and direction of the School. While it speaks toward programs both academic and non-academic, it also includes human resources, technology, enrollment, and communications – basically providing direction for the School as a whole. It becomes the document that will steer our work as faculty and administrators. Now, as Head of School Elect, I will play a more active role in helping to articulate the different goals that we believe will make us as strong as we can be.

JB: Well, let's talk about technology a bit. There is so much new technology, new media, social networking – it's changing the way schools are approaching education.

There's a lot of talk about "no textbooks." There is a lot of talk about going "paperless." Kids are learning much more electronically. Where do you see current trends fitting into Elisabeth Morrow?

AC: I have a lot of thoughts about technology in education.

In general, I see technology as a tool that is used to enhance learning and it can have a number of different facets. Within our curriculum, I view us using technology to develop deeper, more significant connections between our students and what they are learning. Two instances come to mind. When a class is learning about other parts of our country or the world, it's easy to gather information and even talk to people who live in those places or are involved with those places. Using technology to garner those global

The combination of learning the position through my contact with teachers and principals, along with my experience as a parent, watching my daughters go through this program and the effects that it has had my girls’ learning, has very quickly helped me understand our program at a much deeper level than I would have otherwise.

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connections and awareness is something we want to develop further.

From a more practical angle, technology is a great organizer, in terms of information and applications.

One thing we are currently discussing is the use of a "device" to hold all your textbooks, hold all your notes and hold all your work that is accessible anytime via the "cloud." Not only does that make the backpack lighter for the students, but this way of managing and referencing information is also more relevant to the world today and more relevant for the kids growing up in this world.

JB: When I think about all this new technology, it takes training. How do you see yourself as Head of School supporting your teachers in this regard?

AC: This is actually something I have been working on closely as Assistant Head. We've formally established a faculty evaluation system. We call it Faculty Growth and Renewal, and concurrent to that I have been working with Sarah Rolle, our Director of Technology, to set up our expectations for faculty learning about technology. It has evolved from a series of training sessions, and it's currently a more teacher-driven program. Teachers target their own initiatives, and our technology team then assists them in the training they will need. It has become much more individualized. As Head of School, my expectation is that we all need to be learning technology – each person needs to take his or her next steps, and there are always next steps.

This way we can deliver the program in the most powerful and relevant way possible.

JB: Is there an example of technology use in the classroom that you think has been particularly successful?

AC: I have two that come to mind. One is in the second-grade study of culture. They have actually made connections with other schools around the world and have been in regular contact with a school in Australia working on a joint project discussing the differences between Australian and American culture.

Our students have even “Skyped” with the teachers there, despite the 14-hour time difference. So there's technology being used as a collaborative tool, connecting our students with children literally on the other side of the globe.

The second example is the work we are doing in the Middle School with virtual worlds, online gaming and scripting. It has been phenomenal. It is not so much about the content, but rather more focused on the skills students will need today, in terms of creativity,

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If you’re part of our community, no matter where you are, we’ve made an individual’s responsibility and integrity our business because these incidents (which can occur online, outside our academic day or off campus) filter back into our larger community and can have a significant negative impact. This weakens us, so we need to be able to address this issue with our community even outside the bounds of our school.

collaboration, communication, forming of community and character. All of those pieces integrate nicely within these types of games, and the students absolutely love them. So, there is a high level of engagement. The Elisabeth Morrow School is on the forefront of this initiative within independent schools.

JB: So when you say “scripting,” do you mean games where you read along and make choices?

AC: No, scripting is synonymous with programming.

Students can use programming language within the game to affect how the game goes, such as building a certain structure, animating certain features, moving from one part of the virtual world to another, or inventing the landscape within the game.

Students do this within teams and try to solve the challenges that exist within the virtual world.

JB: Something I read about every day in my job, as pertaining to schools, is bullying. Basically, parents feel like bullying is all over the place, at school, in texts, on Facebook and that schools don't do enough.

The statistics for middle schools are alarming; that this starts at such a young age, affecting both boys and girls. With your middle school background, what's your take on it? What do you feel needs to be done?

AC: I think the most important thing for the school is to establish a safe environment. I think this is something that we value and have always done quite well. If you look at the 4 C's (cooperation, consideration, compassion and courtesy), we have made this integral within our community from the youngest levels. We also offer programs such as Advisory and Responsive Classroom that help students connect with one another. This, along with the knowledge and care our faculty has for each individual student, which goes beyond any other school with which I have been associated, are dramatic steps in offering our students a safe environment.

Beyond that, we know that there may be incidents of students being mean to each other, teasing and bullying. What needs to be done (in fact, what we have already done) is draw a line in the sand and set a firm policy. For instance, as part of our antiharassment policy, we have an external component.

We know that bullying can and does take place beyond our walls, so we have decided to make individual responsibility and integrity our business.

These incidents, which can occur online, outside our academic day or off campus, filter back into our larger community and can have a significant negative impact. This weakens the community, so we need to

Mr Cooper had the opportunity to thank the faculty at a reception in his honor.

be able to address this issue even outside the walls of our school.

The other aspect is this: when an instance happens, the adults in the community must immediately address it.

As teachers or administrators, we must first find out what happened, and then we must determine the extent of it. When we have this information, we then must communicate effectively with the students and their parents in order to educate and begin the healing process. If it's bullying, genuine bullying, it’s a more serious issue – certainly nationwide it's an issue, and New Jersey has passed new anti-bullying legislation.

Nevertheless, we have to able to separate when it's "kids being kids," or when it is actual bullying, with intent to hurt or harm repeatedly. Of course, we have an obligation to teach our students how to manage their concerns within a community, but we have to be acutely aware when incidents become extremely hurtful or damaging. This is our priority here, we must be consistent about gauging these situations, know where that line is and work together to make sure everyone's health, safety and growth are attended to.

JB: Last question: what do you want children to take away from their Elisabeth Morrow experience?

AC: I would like them to take away two things. I want them to have a sense of what their interests are, what their strengths are, what their budding passions are – a sense of how they learn and who they are as a person; so in essence, self-awareness. I believe this is such an important element of their development, as they move from early childhood through early adolescence. The other thing: I want our students to have a joy of learning, loving to be challenged, loving to find out something new. I want them to come away with a strong spirit of inquiry – searching out questions as well as answers – because having a passion for learning serves people very well in life and certainly within their academic careers.

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A New Touch

iPads Come to Kindergarten

by Evan Brown

“We were looking for a way to be more innovative with technology in Kindergarten, making it more relevant at an earlier age.

I thought, what could we do?

How can we change things up?

And I came back to Beth and asked, ‘What do you think about this?’” ~ Sarah Rolle, Director of Technology April, 2010

October 2010 I am sitting in Dr. Lowry’s office in our weekly administrative meeting talking about the articles for the next Appletree publication. In a lull, I utter the following suggestion: “What about a technology article, or a story about the iPads in Kindergarten?”

The intersection of school and technology is not new and certainly nothing new for The Elisabeth Morrow School. We have computers in every classroom, in our libraries and four tech labs. Our students use technology for everything from constructing avatars, interacting within virtual worlds, producing multimedia projects, and online collaboration to video conferencing with students, teachers and speakers from anywhere on earth. Using technology in a meaningful way is a daily fact here.

May 2011 I am standing in a Kindergarten classroom. I have my camera, intent on collecting photos for publications. I am looking for compositions and there is so much to see in this classroom: abstract paintings and murals, colorful manipulative materials, beaming smiles, children deep in thought or interacting with peers. Visually, I see that the children are making Mother’s Day cards, but I am not fully gathering the nuance of the curricular objectives here; I am not seeing with “teacher eyes.”

One group of children is working on forming letters, carefully rendering their lines and curves in pencil to mimic the models presented. Another group is drawing, cutting and pasting hearts and happy faces on folded, colored paper, embellishing their cards. From time to time, a couple of students are called over to another table to work with letter formation on an iPad, tracing the lower case and capital letters with their finger. All the while, teachers are moving among them, guiding, prompting, suggesting and pointing out when a job is well done and why that is important. At first glance, there is nothing unusual here; we all made such cards when we were in Kindergarten. I can remember, many years ago, cutting out the models from a Sears catalogue, gluing them to bright construction paper and scrawling a warm message to my mom: “You are the best MOM.” Some of the girls in my class would make the “O” in MOM a heart.

Wait! iPads were nowhere in sight when I was in Kindergarten.

You Have to Start Somewhere In the early 1970’s, only a few Kindergarteners occasionally had the chance to peck away at the keys of a calculator, maybe adding a sum if they knew what addition was all about. The rest of us were given two red blocks, told to find

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two more red blocks from a box, asked to put them together in a group, count them, and then realized that, surprise, two plus two equals four. Maybe it is not too different these days. Physical objects, like blocks and Cuisenaire rods, still work exceptionally well in teaching math concepts to young minds. The difference is that teachers know that today’s young minds are born into a far more sophisticated age of personal technology. Technology was not a major factor thirty-seven years ago, but today’s children need a very different skill set, a fact not lost on the faculty of Chilton House, home to Elisabeth Morrow’s Early Childhood Programs (ECP).

When new technology enters a school, it is usually a top-down delivery. The more mature denizens are likely to get the latest tools. This is why it was so surprising to find the School’s first iPads in the hands of Kindergarteners. ECP Director Beth Anne Brennan explains: “We want to use iPad technology in a way that has an authentic impact on young children, empowering their own learning, sharing with peers so they feel important and responsible.”

Empowerment.

Cooperation.

Responsibility. The Elisabeth Morrow School has always been very watchful and intentional when integrating technology within the curriculum.

For Elisabeth Morrow’s Director of Technology Sarah Rolle, bringing iPads into Kindergarten was about picking the best tool. “Sometimes that involves technology and sometimes not.” Ms. Brennan concurs, “We will always be grounded in child development here, but again, we need to ask how we can use technology in a way that is productive, engaging, meaningful, safe and fun, while protecting what Kindergarten is all about.

Introducing iPads to very young children made sense physically, since the devices are a perfect size for little hands. As Kindergarten teacher Rachel Simonson notes, “There are no peripherals to manage. For most of the children, using a mouse effectively is still a challenge.” The iPad works by touch, by pressing, swiping or dragging on the screen, allowing for a level of independence. For Ms. Brennan, one of the more significant assets of adding iPads to the Kindergarten curriculum is their mobility.

“We know that little children don’t easily move from

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one activity to another. Changing activities and locations repeatedly can make focusing difficult.

Children do better when activities can ebb and flow within the borders of their classroom, and having the technology right here in the classroom supports this conviction.”

Incorporating iPads into Kindergarten was not as easy as it might sound. There was significant preparatory groundwork. The Parents Association purchased the iPads in June 2010. From there, the Technology Department “imaged” the devices, setting identical interfaces, protocols and apps on each device, which were then placed in the hands of the Kindergarten teachers. Throughout the summer, the iPads remained with the teachers.

Ms. Rolle explains, “I put on some apps for children as well as some for adults so the teachers would become comfortable with this new technology.

I experimented with a variety of apps, and if the teachers wanted to download more, that was great. We held a training session in June, just to make sure they were comfortable when they left for the summer. Once they were familiar with everything, we asked the teachers to look for apps that would be appropriate in their classrooms.” From the beginning, teachers used a shared Google document to make notes about what apps were interesting, engaging or useful for specific activities.

A trial run in the classroom came in the summer before the 2010-2011 academic year, when the iPads were introduced to Kindergarten teacher Janet Cohen’s Summer Explorations class. Adds Ms. Rolle, “I sat down with her and the campers to see how they would respond when told, ‘This week you’re studying animals, now draw something.’ We learned quickly that the children needed to play first. Although they could comprehend a drawing program and use their finger to draw, they just wanted to explore on their own.”

In fact, as iPads arrived in the fall 2010, the teachers had to be mindful of their students’ enthusiasm. “I was there with Michelle Goldstein on the first day,” says Ms. Rolle, “and it was the hardest thing. She showed the iPad to everyone, and the teachers had to say what they always do, ‘you have to sit still, wait your turn and listen.’ The children rose to the occasion, showing us that they had the self control, despite the fact that there wasn’t enough time for everyone to get a turn that first time.” Adds Ms. Goldstein, “They were all extremely excited. They all knew what an iPad was when they saw it. We needed them to understand how we were going to handle and use them. ‘This is how you hold it, this is how you turn it on, this is how you touch it.’ That was a concern for us.”

“We had them use the devices while sitting on the floor,” said Ms. Simonson, “to eliminate a drop. Or we had them use it in a nook, where it’s not easily stepped on.” Beyond establishing the rules, “We

The iPads have allowed our students to think about and share processes more, because it is not always about the end product. Critical thinking develops when students share and practice what they see others have accomplished

found that the ones who were more comfortable with the iPads were really good at guiding the children who were not. While there can be a fear that technology is isolating, we have not found that to be the case. They like to see what others are doing.”

Teachers made another important discovery.

Says Kindergarten teacher Annie Hur, “It brought a new excitement to learning. When we introduced iPads for handwriting, the children yelled, ‘iPads!’ Then, we would say, ‘Well, we’re only doing handwriting.’ Although we had been doing handwriting since the start of the year, the iPads infused the task with a new excitement.”

With this enthusiasm, the students started to share their experiences with each other and teach one another how they got certain results on the iPad. “That’s a big piece of our assessment,” adds Ms. Brennan. “The iPads have allowed our students to think about and share processes more, because it is not always about the end product. Critical thinking develops when students share and practice what they see others have accomplished. We are always going back to the process.”

“They do that informally right now,” says Ms. Simonson, “One child will ask, ‘How’d you do that?’ and the other replies, ‘Oh, I went into Cookie Doodle and this is where I found this, and that is how I did it.’

Which I think is terrific.” Ms. Brennan explains that teachers already sit, listen and note what children are saying when they are working. “This is where we assess their higher-level thinking and problem-solving skills. When children have the chance to be the teacher, it really has an impact; they are empowered by their own learning, and when they share it with other children, they feel important and responsible.”

Beth Anne Brennan Director of Early Childhood Programs

What Comes Next?

Sarah Rolle says to me, “I think that it’s your call how you focus your article. You can keep it centered on the iPad, but I think that technology has ramped up in certain ways because the Kindergarten teachers have been in the computer lab with the kids.” She is right: there is more to it than just iPads, and herein lies the story, at least for The Elisabeth Morrow School, and maybe for schools in general.

Technologies, like the iPads and the interactive white boards recently installed in many classrooms, are injecting excitement into teaching and learning.

Having tools such as iPads in Kindergarten affirms our belief that technology has a place at all levels in our school. It energizes students and teachers and revitalizes approaches to curriculum for students who live in a digital world. The success of iPads in Kindergarten had led to the introduction of iPads into first- and second-grade classrooms and into the Special Learning Programs this fall.

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COMMUNICATIONS

INFO@EMS Electronic Communications at The Elisabeth Morrow School Web elisabethmorrow.org Below our main navigation and image graphics, we offer a few modules that provide our community with up-to-date information. If it’s important to EMS, it is usually there.

News and Announcements: Offers updates, news and information pertaining to EMS. This section is also where you will find information regarding weather-related school closings (along with recorded messages sent directly to your email or phone). The News section is a “roll,” meaning it cycles through 5-6 stories at a time. You may toggle forward or backward through the roll, or pause it so it can be read. Almost all News files offer links or contacts to assist with supplementing the information provided.

Calendar: On the homepage, the calendar only shows 3-4 upcoming events at a time. If you wish to see the month or year, links are provided at the bottom of this module.

Buttons: Provides direct links to featured events, our blogs or significant programs at EMS (like school store, giving, summer programs or admissions open houses).

Mobile elisabethmorrow.org/mobile When accessing EMS online through a mobile device, you should automatically be directed to elisabethmorrow.org/mobile. If not, you can enter the address above on your mobile browser. For ease of 16

use, and loading, the site is basically a “capstone” and menus. News, Calendar and Directory are offered at the top of the menu. These sections usually reflect the items on the news module of our homepage, along with links to our two blogs. You can also access the Wednesday Envelope (see below) from the News menu at the top.

The items at the bottom of the menu are intended for visitors interested in EMS for their children.

The menu selection labelled “Contacts” offers emails and extensions to reach the various EMS offices.

Blogs elisabethmorrow.blogspot.com emsheadlines.blogspot.com We maintain two school blogs.

Blogs allow us an easy and timely way to post messages, links, pictures, slide shows, audio clips and video pertaining to our school. The School Blog features items from the day-to-day life at the School, while HEADlines is managed by our Head of School, Dr. Lowry, and features thoughts, insights and information pertinent to our community.

Sometimes it’s school news, sometimes it’s items relevant to our program and philosophy, sometimes it’s an article from Dr. Lowry drawn from his personal experience as an educator and parent.

The Wednesday Envelope Published weekly by the School and features forms, flyers, letters and information for the specific constituencies of our school. It is divided into subsections based on

our three divisions: Early Childhood, Elementary School and Middle School. Any number of the school’s offices may publish information here as well.

The Wednesday Envelope is considered a “push” publication, meaning we actively send it out to our community. We used a webbased program called Constant Contact for this mailing; every fall we take updated email addresses parents give to the business office and upload them to our Constant Contact mailing list. If you are not receiving this publication, and would like to, make sure your email is upto-date and on file with the business and communications offices. The Wednesday Envelope is also published on our website for parent reference. Follow this path: elisabethmorrow.org > Quicklinks > Wednesday Envelope. The files contained in the Wednesday Envelope are almost all PDFs. Emergency Notification The Elisabeth Morrow School uses Blackboard Connect as a primary emergency notification system.

Should an occasion warrant its use, this system enables members of our community to have important information and alerts sent to them via phone, email or both. Generally the School uses this system after significant weather events, such as strong storms, heavy snow fall or icy road conditions.

ADMISSIONS

our busing options With inquiries coming from farther aďŹ eld, EMS considers expanding its transportation options Fifteen years ago, The Elisabeth Morrow School drew its population from Englewood and the surrounding local communities, but the School is seeing an increasing number of families and interest from an ever-expanding geographic area within Northern New Jersey and New York City. As a result, we have seen an increase in requests for school bus transportation.

In response, over the past three years, the School has established bus routes into Manhattan as parents there explore alternatives to crowded schools, small campuses and wait lists. And with Elisabeth Morrow located a mere nine miles from the Upper West Side,

the commute "against the flow" of traffic, to and from the School, is surprisingly easy.

"City" busing is just a start, however, to a possible larger, longer-term initiative.

The School is considering expanding options for busing to other communities in New Jersey (in Western Bergen and Hudson counties) and in New York (such as Rockland county).

For more information about Admissions at The Elisabeth Morrow School, including transportation, contact Blair Talcott Orloff, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, borloff@elisabethmorrow.org or 201-568-5566 x7211

Currently about 10% of EMS students use busing services

Scan QR Code to visit our Admissions Office on your mobile device!

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BY AARON COOPER

Think back on your middle school days if you haven’t blocked them out! For many, the middle school years may be the most difficult years in one’s adolescent life.

Hormones, changing bodies, social pressures and academic stress can add up. In fact, the middle school years take students from the apex of childhood to the beginnings of adulthood, a significant and sometimes tumultuous journey.

If you can move past whatever negative memories you have of middle school, try to remember the positive times in those years. Remember the things that helped you get by; maybe it was a group of friends, perhaps it was a passion you poured yourself into, or possibly it was some club to which you belonged.

Whatever it was, you likely emerged from those years with a better sense of who you were and of where your interests lay.

As middle school educators, members of our faculty know that there are certain traits within strong programs that can help students overcome the myriad difficulties of this age.

• A broad program that ignites and engages interests in the students can inspire their focus: at Elisabeth Morrow, students can take six academic subjects, play an instrument, sing in a chorus, attend a club meeting and go to sports practice, all in the same day.

•

Middle school students need to feel a sense of belonging to a team or group during a time in their lives when they do not even feel as though they belong to their own bodies: advisory groups, dramatic productions, clubs, musical groups, and sports teams accomplish this aim.

• This is an age where children begin forming their identity – personally, intellectually, and socially – and they begin to learn the role that they play in larger groups: At EMS our students learn that the role they play on a team is important, whether it is in sports, the orchestra, a classroom or in an advisory group.

One program that fulfills much of what is necessary for middle school students’ development is athletics.

At Elisabeth Morrow, we have developed our athletics program to model that which is best for middle school students. Beginning in the sixth grade, students can choose from up to four sports each season. There are no cuts, so they automatically belong to their team, and each student who dresses for a game gets to play in that game, allowing students to learn how to play various roles on teams.

Andy Escala ‘83 is the Athletic Director.

“We are more of a throw-back [school], where participation is encouraged. We realize that there is more that students can get out of athletics without a win-at-allcosts philosophy. We teach students to compete and to work with individuals of different skill levels,” says the man who played three sports in high school and went on to play Division I baseball in college and professional baseball afterwards.

Gone are the days of the three-sport college athlete. Dying are the days of the three-sport high school athlete.

Specializing in a sport is becoming the norm. At Elisabeth Morrow, where we value, in the words of our mission, “tradition, innovation, and the joy of lifelong learning,” the model of participatory athletics without the requirement of experience or specialization, truly represents the “best of the old.”

The sports program also represents the ‘best of the new.’ The Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ mission includes fusing the “three Rs and the four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation).” These four Cs which are different from our familiar four, are crucial for success in the modern world. In its emphasis on teamwork, athletics directly

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targets collaboration and communication. In engaging with strategies, athletes exercise critical thinking and creativity. In Mr. Escala’s words, “Athletics is where people have to work together to achieve a common goal, where everyone’s individual talents are placed together for the good of the team.”

In this way, Elisabeth Morrow is preparing students for success in the modern world with a participatory philosophy that has been declining in our society for years in favor of a focus on individual success. At EMS, tradition and innovation are wrapped up together.

meeting immediately or their minds wander elsewhere. I have also learned that I – and their parents – hold onto the results of the game far longer than they do.

The Elisabeth Morrow teams have a wide variety of talent. Some teams have been very successful (the ice hockey, boys’ basketball, and volleyball teams have been undefeated in recent years) and others less so. But wins and losses are not the point: the goal is giving kids a sense of belonging, some enjoyment and exposure to sports and competition, and the experience of being on a team.

In its emphasis on teamwork, athletics directly targets collaboration and communication.

Over my years at three schools, I have coached many middle school sports teams. I have coached some that did not win (I particularly remember an 0-9 baseball season at my last school) and others that did not lose. Significantly, whether they won or lost, whether the team was terrible or excellent, the students have almost always acted the same way after games: For the first five minutes, they rehash the game – the excitement of a win or the disappointment of a loss.

Then, almost without exception, their focus changes to the new movie, that night’s homework, or some other activity that is important to them. Further, the success of a middle school team has no bearing on the level of commitment or enthusiasm from the players. In middle school, students play to be on the team, to have fun with their friends, and to learn something new. Winning is a smaller priority. As a coach, I have learned that if I want their attention, I have to hold a post-game team

Our graduates see the value in athletics, and many participate in high school. “The kids here get a chance to [experience] a little bit of everything. Even if they play [Junior Varsity], that’s participating. It doesn’t matter.

Not everybody has to be a superstar, but if they can learn it, enjoy it, and take it with them to the next level, they don’t always have to be the best. It’s just important that they play,” Mr. Escala says. (See box for two vignettes of our recent alumni and their experiences in sports at EMS and in high school.)

In engaging with strategies, athletes exercise critical thinking and creativity.

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Whether they are stars or just in it to participate, students at The Elisabeth Morrow School learn the benefits of athletics, both for long-term learning and a healthier lifestyle as well as for short-term strategy in navigating the sometimes-troubled waters of the middle school years.

PROFILES IN PARTICIPATION It was sometime during her fifth-grade year when Lindsay Hirschhorn ’09 learned that she would be required to play a sport in seventh grade. “I thought, ‘not good’,” Lindsay recalls. “I had played recreational soccer as a kid but I did not like it, and I was not very good.” Nevertheless, when seventh grade rolled around, Lindsay chose to join the volleyball team in the fall. Immediately, she realized that she liked being on a team. “I really liked volleyball; I remember being so surprised.” In the winter of that year, she chose P.E. class and in the spring, despite having a P.E. option, she chose to play softball. In eighth grade, Lindsay played volleyball once again, chose P.E. in the winter, and switched to lacrosse in the spring. During the year, as she applied to high schools, her thoughts began to drift to what activities she might want to join in high school. “I was [originally] not planning on doing sports in high school,” she remembers, “but then, during eighth-grade volleyball, I started thinking about playing.”

When she enrolled at Riverdale Country School (NY) in the fall of 2009, Lindsay looked into the volleyball team. “It had no cuts, which reminded me of EMS,” she said, “so I joined. I really liked the aspect of being on a team, of team

bonding, of being with and meeting new friends.”

Lindsay had such a good experience that season that she has become a three-sport athlete at Riverdale; she is a member of the gymnastics team during the winter and the track team during the spring.

Reflecting on two years of high school sports, Lindsay mentions that she is friends with a number of juniors and freshman because of her involvement on these teams. She recommends that, regardless of skill level or background, students join a sports team in high school. In the pre-season weeks before volleyball in her freshman year, she got to know other students, learned her way around campus, and was lucky enough to have some junior girls “take [her] under their wings” – all before the school year even began.

Looking back on her EMS sports experience, Lindsay says, “I am really glad that I had to do sports. I never ever in a million years would have [done so] on my own. Playing sports at EMS made me more willing to try new things.” This is particularly true for Lindsay, who was someone not otherwise interested in sports until her days in middle school at EMS.

Brandon Baxter ‘08 came to EMS as a fifth grader.

As a younger child, he had always loved sports and played informally at parks and at the playground. Though he did not have much experience with formal athletics prior to entering school, he knew that he wanted to play basketball at EMS but had not given much thought to other sports.

When seventh grade rolled around, Brandon had to choose between soccer and cross-country.

While most of his friends were joining the soccer team, he realized that he did not even know how to play. Another friend, Jordan Lungo ‘07, convinced him to try cross country running. Brandon remembers the first year being tough, with him and two classmates running in Jordan’s shadow the entire season. Nevertheless, Brandon was the team’s top finisher at its final meet that season.

After the fall season, Brandon played on the basketball and baseball teams.

He spent the summer between the seventh and eighth grades at his grandmother’s house in New York. There were not many other kids his age in the neighborhood, so Brandon rode his bike every day for hours at a time. The bike riding gave Brandon an unplanned fitness boost, and he came into eighth grade faster and stronger. The Eagles cross country team races most of its meets at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, one of the most famous cross country venues in the country. The races include many independent schools from New York, and more than 200 runners routinely toe the line in the boys’ races. Throughout the season, Brandon finished no worse than third in those races, posting a best time of 9:46 for the 1.6-mile course (an average pace of 6:06 per mile).

At the end of the basketball and baseball seasons, the time came for Brandon to choose a high school. He was still unsure of his athletic plans beyond EMS. “My mom helped me out on that one,” Brandon remembers. She pushed him to pursue his talent in running in addition to academics. As a result, Brandon chose to matriculate at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, NJ. Brandon had a strong freshman year at Don Bosco, running for the freshman and JV teams while the Varsity team became New Jersey State Champions. His sophomore year, Brandon became one of the top seven Varsity runners. He finished 72nd in the State Meet of Champions (he was the 12th fastest sophomore in the entire state) as Don Bosco repeated their State Championship.

Entering his junior season, Brandon was looking to be one of the top runners for his team and state when his mother’s job changed and he had to move to California. He enrolled at the Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, CA, near Los Angeles. In his junior season, Brandon was undefeated in league meets and won the league title. He went on to finish 11th in the Division 5 (small schools) state meet. In addition, Brandon was a star during the track season for both Don Bosco and Sierra Canyon, and he is now in the midst of his college search, where he hopes to continue to pursue running in addition to his love of history and English.

Despite all his success at the high school level, Brandon reflects, “Middle school is the center for my love of running and focus on running.” Without his experience at EMS, he might not have ever found the sport.

Lindsay Hirschhorn ’09

Brandon Baxter ’08

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Good afternoon parents, family, friends, faculty, trustees, and graduates...

Kara Lessin Elisabeth Morrow ’07 Philips Exeter ’11 Harvard ’16

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Graduates, you and I have had a similar year. We’ve both woken up viciously early for standardized testing, filled out unbelievable numbers of forms, squeezed essays into boundaries that seem too small, interviewed, and prepared to take the “next step.” Most of this, I’m glad to tell you, will slip away from your memories until it comes time to apply to college. However, there was one paper I wrote while applying to high school that to this day remains clear in my mind. I drew from this essay even as I mulled over my own looming deadlines this past December. In it, I described lunchtime at Elisabeth Morrow.For those “lifers” graduating today, perhaps you do not yet realize how special your midday meal here is.

For us, it is normal to see samosas, kimchi, matzos, dumplings, sushi, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all in one room. It’s normal to trade these and hand around the extras. I myself was a “lifer” at EMS, so let me tell you this: high school will be shocking in many ways, not the least when you realize that not everybody had a dress code, not everybody knows how to give a good handshake, and not everybody has been to an International Day that is truly international.

I was lucky enough to attend a high school with students from 36 different countries, with multiple socioeconomic levels, religions, and political persuasions. Opportunity to experience “the other” at my school was everywhere. It was an incredible time, but I’m thrilled to tell you that whatever school you’re going to, wherever you see life taking you, you will be exposed to newness and differentness. You are, after all, true members of the computer generation. Your life has been and will be interwoven not only with the lives of the people with whom you go to math class every day, but also with those whose Tweets you follow and to whose YouTube channels you subscribe. From Englewood, New Jersey, you experienced Egypt’s revolution, Haiti’s earthquake, Chile’s mines. Perhaps some of your classmates have moved to different countries. If they have, I’m willing to bet that you stayed in touch with them using Facebook.

As you move from being a citizen of EMS to a citizen of your high school, then your college, and eventually find yourself to be a citizen of the world, I hope you will cherish EMS’ Four C’s: cooperation, consideration, compassion and courtesy.

We can all imagine these fundamentals being laid down in a time long before ours. But the word “fundamental” comes from the Latin “fundamentum” and it means “foundation, beginning, basis.” The Four Cs have been essential during your time at EMS; so too are they going to be essential during your time after EMS. I have learned about the vastly different city-states that made up the Greek empire in Mrs. Lipman’s class, the two sides of the Revolutionary War in Mrs. Cohen’s. So, too, did you.

Intellectually, you know all about difference. As you go to high school and meet a whole new group of people, you will need to employ every last bit of your cooperation, consideration, compassion, and courtesy. You have been fostered in an environment in which everyone abides by these fundamentals, and the results are extraordinary. It’s time to remember them and bring them to places that haven’t seen them and need them. Graduates, you and I are both opening the doors to worlds bigger than we can imagine. But you have been so wellprepared. You are the Elisabeth Morrow class of 2011. You’ve taken Mrs. Bower’s current events quizzes. You can recite the Four C’s in your sleep. As you become the class of 2015, take a moment to think about the combination of the two.

In my high school’s deed of gift, it was written that “goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind.” As you depart from Elisabeth Morrow, a practically utopian school where difference is beauty, know that you step into a turbulent world with dissimilarities. But you have years’ worth of knowledge from EMS lunches, and you have the Four Cs worth of goodness. Class of 2011, your future will be an incredible one. But before you start celebrating that, celebrate your past and the role that Elisabeth Morrow played in it. Congratulations.

The Four Cs have been essential during your time at EMS; so too are they going to be essential during your time after EMS.

COMMENCEMENT • 2011

THE ELISABETH MORROW SCHOOL • CLASS OF 2011 Samuel Aghassi Gus Anthon Ana Bandazian Jane Buquicchio John Chung Alexander Daibes Eva Gurian Emily Gruber Alexander Hamme Gabriela Homonoff Jacob Hyman Julia Hyman Daniel Lein Kensley Lipka Nicole Lugo Isabella Martin

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Riverdell High School Northern Valley Regional High School (Demarest) Northern Valley Regional High School (Old Tappan) Convent of the Sacred Heart Dwight-Englewood School The Masters School Academy of the Holy Angels Trinity School Bergen County Academies Bergen County Academies Dwight-Englewood School Dwight-Englewood School Horace Mann School Academy of the Holy Angels Academy of the Holy Angels Bergen County Academies

Michael McFarland Nikolas Menne Sara Merker Ali Meyers Caroline Myers Selen Nehrozoglu Simona Newman Rafaela Peralta-Vasquez Leah Primak Viveca Riley Emily Rule Egan Sachs-Hecht Jaclyn Schmaus Daniella Sheerins Teddy Swenson Basil Williams Sandrine Yesilian

Peddie School Morristown-Beard School Phillips Academy (Andover) Academy of the Holy Angels Linden Hall School Academy of the Holy Angels Peddie School Dwight-Englewood School Dwight-Englewood School The Gunnery The Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School Academy of the Holy Angels Academy of the Holy Angels Westminster School Dwight-Englewood School Academy of the Holy Angels

DEVELOPMENT

Much More Than a Gift The Elisabeth Morrow School is eager to maintain, improve, and initiate engaging and inspiring programs filled with activities and projects that go beyond the predictable. As a result, the School asks its constituencies for continued contributions and support. When the school — through our volunteer-driven program — asks for donations above and beyond tuition dollars, we do so to ensure that our teachers and administrators have the means to provide the experiences we offer which add up to an outstanding and reputable education.

Tuition revenue goes toward the operating budget, including such items as utilities, building and grounds upkeep, materials/equipment, insurance, transportation to athletic games and field trips. The largest expense of all is faculty compensation. Institutional expenses add up very quickly. There may seem to be significant funds coming in, but on-going expenses consume them quickly.

Independent schools understand that their value lies in the educational advantages they provide to students.

They have lower student-teacher ratios, specialized and enhanced programming and highly educated teachers, many with advanced degrees. All of these are a priority for The Elisabeth Morrow School, with particular emphasis on hiring the very best teachers available.

At Elisabeth Morrow, we know that inspired and passionate teaching plays a significant role in the development of children. It is important for us to supply our faculty with the funding and assistance they need to support their convictions and creativity, as we ask them to provide an experiential context for their students.

For example, for a fifth-grade history unit on Westward Expansion, students held a video conference with a classroom in California. When eighth graders study federal government, they travel to Washington, where, among other activities over the past two years, they were able to meet and talk with Supreme Court

Justices Sotomayor and Kagen. When our youngest students were introduced to writing, our teachers integrated iPads into their classrooms and initiated noted programs such as Handwriting without Tears.

There are multiple examples of enrichment and innovation at all grade levels. Simply put, our School firmly believes that children learn best when they are actively engaged. When a person gives to the Apple Tree Fund (our annual fund), regardless of the amount, that gift represents his or her affirmation of the quality of these programs, as well as his or her wish to see such programs remain effective, current and evolving for years to come.

Last year, through the generosity of our constituencies (parents, alumni, faculty, former parents, friends), we raised $675,000 for the Apple Tree Fund, giving us a well-balanced budget and the ability to provide our rich and engaging programs for our students.

There is no question that the current economic environment presents challenges to families, businesses and schools alike. Even with this, those who understand the strengths that EMS instills in its students came through with impressive support. Philanthropy is tightly woven into the fabric of our School. Giving is a reflection of the School's community: it demonstrates satisfaction and faith in the institution, support of the institution’s mission, and a desire to see the institution grow, prosper and innovate.

We take pride in The Elisabeth Morrow School’s wellearned reputation, aspiring to make it better with each passing year. Your generosity helps us maintain our mission and work toward our goals.

It is important for us to supply our faculty with the funding and assistance they need to support their convictions and creativity, as we ask them to provide an experiential context for their students.

The Elisabeth Morrow School • Development Office (201) 568-5566 x7223 | giving@elisabethmorrow.org www.elisabethmorrow.org > Giving > Make A Gift

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Built for Children A Perspective on Little School “The Little School was given a new building specifically designed to educate young children. Down the hill from her mother’s home, a model school was erected as a living memorial to Elisabeth Morrow’s vision. As the decade came to a close, Miss Chilton bent low to shake the hand of each and every student entering the new building on Lydecker Street, echoing the graceful movements of Miss Morrow, who had always treated children with dignity and respect by looking them in the eye and firmly grasping their hand.” ~ Tracy Peter-McKee The Elisabeth Morrow School, 75 Years, 1930 to 2005

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by Evan Brown

Two years ago, when I got the call to come to interview for my position at The Elisabeth Morrow School, I was curious.

Therefore, one Saturday in the spring of ’09, I rode from Queens to Englewood to see what might lie in store. It took a while to get there, but when I finally found the white shingle sign on Lydecker, I pulled over, parked my bike and walked up the stairs. I stopped at the first landing to catch my breath and take in the view. My first impression: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” This place was like no elementary school I had ever seen.

When you climb the steps from the visitors’ lot, you pass vaulting trees with rustling leaves, flowering gardens, scurrying chipmunks, singing birds and the faint sound of trickling water in the distance. It is also not unusual to encounter wandering deer or wild turkeys that drop in from the neighboring woods. There are no gates or thresholds here.

There are no tall buildings, no statues, sculptures or imagery of any kind to remind you that this is a place of learning. Just a beautiful walk, a fluttering flag, cottage-like buildings, and, when school’s in session, the students getting a handshake and a “good morning” at the door, leading inside to teachers and classmates who are always glad to see you.

If you are an Elisabeth Morrow alum or parent, there is nothing revealing about any of this. You may be saying, “So what? Okay, I get it.” But, take a moment to remind yourself that this place is exceptional. For most people, myself included, we went to elementary school in glass and brick oblongs, or concrete pillboxes, surrounded by burned-out grass fields, some shrubbery and an acre of asphalt enclosure. There was no

Mrs. Jane Phend

forest, no courtyard, no babbling brook, no smiling teacher at the door looking to shake our hand, let alone wish us “good morning.”

Furthermore, extra help wasn’t a one-onone situation, unless you were the only one in detention. I am not saying that EMS is the only wonderful elementary school out there. I am sure there are plenty. Yet, it is important to keep in mind that The Elisabeth Morrow School, by most measures, provides an exceptional experience. This was and is a school built for children.

“With its profound understanding of children and the developmental stages of their growth, The Elisabeth Morrow School challenges and nurtures each child’s journey toward maturity. The atmosphere here is calm and purposeful: busy hands and minds at work, with an emphasis on respect for all.”

Little School Principal

Walking on that path toward Little School, you may see Mrs. Jane Phend, Elisabeth Morrow’s Principal of Grades 1 – 4, standing at the door, carrying on the tradition of Elisabeth Morrow and Constance Chilton, greeting each and every student. She possesses a quiet and serene demeanor, a perfect fit for these pastoral surroundings. When asked about the handshake, I expected to hear that it was a tradition, and you have to keep up with traditions. Well, yes and no; instead, she says, “The handshake helps me make a connection, recognize them by name and make a personal comment as time permits.” It is no hollow gesture and more than just a common courtesy.

The handshake symbolizes a significant characteristic of our school, as it has been since the beginning. It is a sign that we treat children with dignity and respect. “I enjoy working with students,” she continues, “I like to get to know them, understand their needs and their strengths. When children have an idea to talk about, whether a community service project, an assembly idea, or a concern on the playground, I like to hear those ideas and try to find a way to incorporate them.”

~ Dr. David Lowry, Head of School

In a school marking its eighty-first anniversary, however, tradition does remain important. For instance, the third graders still study colonial America and culminate the unit by enacting a colonial schoolhouse, and children and teachers still dress the part, dipping candles, weaving fabric and trying out the stockade. “While traditions may help to define who we are,” says Mrs. Phend, “we try to balance tradition with innovation and newer approaches to pedagogy and curriculum.”

The “best of the old and the best of the new” mantra has been with the school since its founding, the axiom coined from a quotation written by Elisabeth Morrow in a letter to her mother. Today, whether the lesson involves iPads or creative writing, the priority for Little School is to provide an engaging educational experience that speaks to all aspects of a child: mind, body and character. “Skills and concepts can be taught or learned in any context,” says Mrs. Phend, “however, when teachers engage the children, actively bring them in, subjects are more easily and thoroughly mastered.”

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Mrs. Phend’s approach is the norm at Elisabeth Morrow, not an exception. She simply leads a division of experienced and passionate educators, all focused on providing experiences that captivate the focus and attention of students, building one experience upon another. The Elisabeth Morrow School is fortunate to have such a cadre of experienced professionals. Over half of the faculty and administration have worked at EMS for 10 years or more. For that reason, when Dr. Lowry mentions “profound understanding,” the observation is rooted in fact: our teachers and administrators have accumulated many years of working with children.

In Mrs. Phend’s case, she has been an educator for over forty years, including twenty at EMS and six years at the helm of Little School. She and her faculty understand the developmental characteristics of the elementary school student. In particular, they recognize this as an age when students take significant steps toward establishing character and autonomy. To this end, “Our priority is to meet the children where they are and provide a curriculum, both cognitive and social, that fosters positive growth and the mastery of skills and content.”

“What I learned about teachers from shadowing students in school is that I absolutely admire teachers who love their subject, who love children, who love the developmental arc of the age they are teaching. Every time I run into a teacher who doesn’t love the age he or she is teaching, I can sense it; it always feels tragic and terrible.”

Providing hands-on, engaging projects and activities for a class of children is hard work. Says Mrs. Phend, “From the simplest questions posed by students or teachers, to the choices of literature used in our instructional reading program, or to the problemsolving tasks in mathematics that may be integrated with other areas of study, there is a great deal to consider. Our teachers recognize the academic, social, physical and emotional needs of the children they teach and plan accordingly.”

Just down the steps from my office is a third-grade classroom where, last year, the students decided to substitute stability balls for chairs. Apparently, it is good for developing core strength, the abdominal and back muscles of our torso. Whether they do or do not is irrelevant. The point is that the teacher, Mrs. Bliesener fielded this suggestion from students, had them talk about and research it, and write up their own rules and guidelines. When I last looked in, they are still using the balls.

~ Michael Thompson, Ph.D. Excerpt from “The Pressured Child,” lecture given 4/16/06, New York, New York

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Think about that. A room of young children?

Bouncy red balls? Seven hours a day, five days a week? Seems like a gigantic distraction at first, but they have it working. Here is my take: first, the idea had to be entertained and taken seriously. Second, the children had to be guided in procuring the balls and establishing their own rules for use, including consequences. Third, they had to be guided to manage and oversee their own procedures, calling upon more mature behavior as they used the balls for seats. It is not groundbreaking and it has little to do with the content of the curriculum, but everything to do with developing responsibility and initiative. As Mrs. Phend pointed out, “We have a clear sense of mission, which is by no means just academics. Our teachers work hard to help children become balanced individuals, supporting their strengths, creativity and interests, as well as challenging them and assisting them when perseverance is needed.”

The stability ball initiative, as with many other aspects of EMS, is not necessarily embedded in the curriculum. These endeavors are unplanned, and require additional attention beyond everything else the teachers must cover. In many other schools, this suggestion coming from the students would never have been taken seriously. Very few teachers or administrators would want to initiate such a project, let alone guide it over the course one year to another, from one class to the next. Yet, such activities occur here, all the time. Why? This faculty loves children.

They love the “developmental arc” of the age they are teaching and it shows in every morning handshake, every full-on colonial day, in every red, “bouncy-ball” student suggestion. A great education is as much empowering students with the capacity and initiative to make their ideas come to life as it is about passing along the “core” skills and knowledge that comprise a more traditional academic syllabus.

It is a gorgeous and serene walk up the steps to Little School; sometimes we miss these qualities in our hurry to get inside or because it is a trip made so often we no longer register the beauty in the details.

We do the same with education. In our hurry to get from point A to point B, from grade to grade, with a single destination in mind, perhaps we sometimes fail to see what is important along the way. Remember that this school was built for children, both in mission and in facilities. We can ponder the right balance between “best of the old” and “best of the new” in what we teach, but these things are marginal when we consider, how we teach.

For The Elisabeth Morrow School, few things possess the same degree of priority as treating children with dignity and respect. Mrs. Phend remarks: “I realize that the years students spend in Little School are only a small piece of their educational journey, but their time here sets the building blocks for who they become as middle schoolers, for high school, and beyond.”

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The

NATURAL

EYE Seeing may be just as important as studying.

The following images were taken by the members of the 2010-2011 Nature Photography Club and selected by Elisabeth Morrow Science Teacher Dr. Leslie Day.

Club Members: Daniel Lein Alex Lein Alex Hamme Jeffrey Richardson Lauren Park Anna Lockhart Anakatrina Zeidwig Michelle Tu Abby Rivoir Mia Quinn Breanna Kelly

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Elizabeth Harris Emma Michiels Catherine Grieco Caroline Hyer So Young Jang Emma Loring Adelina Latinsky Advisors: Leslie Day Nancy Dorrien

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“ The heart of ‘21st Century Learning’ is not about the tools, it is all about learning how to learn.

Helping our students become proficient and independent life-long learners is central to their success in navigating through uncharted change.”

GAME TO PLAY

BY MARIANNE MALMSTROM TECHNOLOGY TEACHER · THE ELISABETH MORROW SCHOOL “21st Century Learning” and “21st Century Skills” are two of the most commonly used phrases in education today, but what do they really mean? More importantly, what do they mean in terms of your child’s success?

When hearing the term “21st Century Learning,” many conjure images of fancy computer labs and classrooms equipped with smart boards. Others think in terms of cutting-edge software and Web 2.0 tools that allow students to create, collaborate and publish online.

While these are all tools that are reshaping our culture, simply learning how to use them does not prepare students to successfully adapt to a constantly changing world. The heart of “21st Century Learning” is not about the tools, it is all about learning how to learn. Helping our students become proficient and independent lifelong learners is central to their success in navigating through uncharted change.

Pat Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools, identifies five essential skills for success in the 21st Century: creativity, critical thinking (problem-solving), communication, collaboration and character (citizenship). While these skills do not always get the priority they deserve in a culture largely driven by content mastery and test scores, they have always been an integral part of our mission at The Elisabeth Morrow School. Following that mission has served us well in navigating rapid change and keeping our program relevant. Before adopting new technology or creating new curriculum, we always measure how well it will help us achieve those fundamental goals.

Over the last ten years, emerging technology has opened new modes for communication. Our school responded in 2003 by creating curriculum designed to help students understand and use multimedia effectively.

We felt it was important that students be able to express their ideas as clearly and persuasively through images, sound and video as they do using the written word.

Knowing that technology would continue to evolve, we chose to focus on fostering the skills of communication rather than teaching how to use specific tools. Our early work in this field was ahead of the curve and, subsequently, has earned us a reputation as a leader in teaching media literacy. That curriculum continues to serve our students well today.

As we move forward, we constantly look for authentic ways to bridge technology with opportunities to develop essential skills and proficiencies in learning.

One of the most unexpected vehicles for doing this is through the use of games. At first, this may seem counterintuitive, as we tend to think of school as being a sanctuary for serious work. While we may not think of games as serious, there is much that they can teach us about learning. In fact, they offer a unique platform to address all five skills that Mr. Bassett identified as essential for success. More important, a well-designed game engages the player in a constant cycle of learning.

As players master each new level, they are skillfully guided to tackle more complex tasks. The challenges are carefully structured to build skills by having players apply previously gained knowledge to new problems. If you have ever played a game or watched a gamer play, you have observed the inordinate amount of time that can be spent on mastering a new challenge.

New Media: Goldmines for Learning In 2009, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration formed an “Online Safety and Technology Working Group” to promote online safety for children. The committee’s recommendations called for children to work online with trusted adults in order to help them form healthy and safe norms. Think of it in terms of learning to drive a car. We do not give teenagers a few lectures on driving safety, throw them the car keys and turn them loose. That would be insane.

Instead, we spend a great deal of time teaching, modeling and driving with them before they are allowed to drive independently. We need to adopt the same attitude with technology. By carefully selecting technology that young people use in their everyday lives, we can leverage those platforms to engage students, develop essential skills and learn core subjects while modeling appropriate behavior.

Virtual worlds and massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) are two platforms that can help us accomplish these goals. Students love them and innovative educators see these spaces as goldmines for learning.

Virtual worlds are 3D spaces that allow users to interact with each other using avatars. These spaces give students a unique opportunity to participate in creating their own learning environments. Each world typically starts with land, sky and water and is

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programmed with a physics engine that simulates gravity, weather and light cycles. Users transform the landscape and create all of the buildings, vehicles and other objects that populate that space. These objects can be programmed to perform behaviors that interact with the environment and the other avatars. The complexity of each building is only limited by the user’s imagination and skill.

Lessons within a virtual world typically start with a simple challenge, such as designing a community center. Things quickly become complicated when constraints are added, such as limiting the number of building units students are permitted to use or insisting that everyone agrees on the design before the building starts. Students love the opportunity to stretch their imagination and show what they have created. The complexity of their building grows as they become inspired by each other. It is amazing to watch how freely they share their newly gained knowledge. There is a constant buzz, as students move about the room helping each other and sharing what they have learned. The work is so complex that it is impossible for anyone to be an expert in all areas. The community only thrives when each member contributes his/her area of expertise to the group.

Arising conflicts and disagreements become part of the learning process, as students negotiate and resolve their own problems.

MMOGs provide a different kind of learning opportunity. Using scripted stories, these platforms allow players to interact with others online as they complete challenging tasks within a storyline. Since many quests require a team to successfully complete the task, the ability to collaborate, communicate and solve problems is critical. Each character specializes in a specific set of talents. Players have to manage a great deal of information and adeptly juggle multiple skills in order to play optimally. Much like sports, team challenges are only successful when each member performs his/her job well. These games are highly engaging and incredibly complex.

What Makes a Game a Learning Tool?

In choosing MMOGs, we look first at safety followed by what the game will deliver in terms of complex, engaging and imaginative play. For grades 4–6 we have been using Quest Atlantis, a game designed exclusively by educators. The platform allows students to interact with teachers and students from around the world, as they help the “Atlantians” rebuild their “Arch of Wisdom.” In Middle School, World of Warcraft offers a more sophisticated storyline with all the action required to engage young teenagers. But, do not be fooled! Just because it is fun does not mean that there is not complex learning taking place. Students have to learn teamwork quickly to make progress, and there is little tolerance for “slackers.”

We have added two new games this year, LEGO Universe and Minecraft. Both represent a new kind of game design that is a hybrid of virtual world and

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“ By carefully selecting technology that young people use in their everyday lives, we can leverage those platforms to engage students, develop essential skills and learn core subjects while modeling appropriate behavior.�

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MMOG, offering a mix of scripted play and the ability for the user to create content.

LEGO has raised the bar for online play with their first MMOG. LEGO Universe is a graphically beautiful game designed to inspire creativity.

The storyline calls for players to work together to “save imagination.” Similar to other MMOGs, players customize their characters and specialize in a specific set of skills. Diversity is always helpful when teaming up to complete complex tasks such as smashing dragons. LEGO breaks away from traditional MMOGs by giving players their own property where they can build using virtual LEGO bricks. Additionally, basic programming skills are introduced as players give their creations “behaviors” using a child-friendly interface. All of this is done with safe play as a first priority. Chat is kept appropriate through a game filter that allows only pre-approved vocabulary. Community monitors are online 24/7 to keep an eye on the play and immediately address any complaints of abuse.

We use LEGO Universe in grades 4–8. One of the most fascinating things to observe is the role-playing that takes place both in and out of the game. This is true no matter what the age. There is a constant level of chat as players move seamlessly between stepping into the role of the character and back to reality in order to discuss strategies and provide help to fellow players. Once, the entire class spent over 30 minutes working together to complete a single group challenge.

They continued to work as a team, repeating the task several times until everyone earned the achievement.

Online games are often thought of as solo activities, but nothing could be further from the truth when playing MMOGs. Minecraft is one of the most unusual and compelling platforms that we use. When you first look at the archaic graphics it is hard to imagine why students are so passionate about this game, but they are. It is actually more of a virtual world than a game because there is no story or script.

What sets it apart from other virtual worlds is the constant threat of danger.

The day/night cycle is accelerated to intervals of 15 minutes, and when it is dark the monsters come out.

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“ Over the last three years, our students have shared their work at four international online education conferences. They were also invited to speak at a conference held at Kean University.”

Each Minecraft world starts as an untamed wilderness filled with creatures both docile and dangerous. Players “mine” the materials required for construction and “craft” tools needed for building and survival. Resources may be scarce or hard to locate. One runs the risk of losing everything that has been collected if his/her avatar is killed. There are plenty of

opportunities for players to stretch their imaginations if they can find the resources and survive the monsters that lurk in the dark.

The open nature of play in Minecraft is excellent for schools.

Learning to build is easier than most other virtual worlds. This makes it accessible for younger players.

Additionally, private worlds can be created for each class and

customized according to specific goals. Monsters can be turned off, and players given unlimited resources for building. We currently use Minecraft with grades 4–8 but have plans to introduce it in grades 2–3 later this school year.

Worldwide, Minecraft has generated one of the most creative and innovative communities in gaming. Dr. James Paul Gee, Professor of Literacy at Arizona State University, maintains that the real literacies for the 21st Century are developed within these interactive communities that grow beyond the game. We have observed that with our own students as well. They like to research changes in the new updates and compete to find the coolest “mods” (programs created by community users to modify the

game). Students often approach us with suggestions for game play or ideas for projects. They watch videos online documenting incredible feats of construction and then try to emulate them in class. While we maintain project wikis to document the work we do on all platforms, some of the Minecraft students have taken ownership of their wiki, customizing it to meet their needs.

Powerful Results Educators are becoming increasingly interested in understanding the connection between playing games and learning. Over the last three years, our students have shared their work at four international online education conferences. They were

also invited to speak at a conference held at Kean University. Teachers at The Elisabeth Morrow School are welcomed to play with the students as part of their on-going professional development. It is a positive opportunity for both students and teachers to interact in a way where their roles (as teachers and students) can be interchangeable. In this way, games level the playing field for learning. Adults can find it extremely humbling the first time they play a MMOG. They typically walk away with a new insight about the complexity of the game, gaining appreciation for the skills it takes to play successfully.

It is important that parents also understand this technology. If we are to help children develop healthy and safe norms online, we need the entire community involved. At school, we provide safe spaces and play alongside our students. Students want to continue to play at home and often ask parents to create accounts or purchase the games that we use in school. As always, it is important that parents be aware of where their children play online. We encourage parents to ask questions, observe play and even join the game.

Virtual worlds and MMOGs hold some important keys to keeping our schools relevant in a rapidly changing world. We have observed and documented the learning that takes place in these unusual spaces. It is clear that they are conducive to fostering essential 21st Century Skills.

Students find working and playing in these spaces highly engaging. When given a challenge, they often exceed the expectations of the assignment.

Beyond the academic lessons, students just want to play. When they are given the time and opportunity to do this, they astonish us with the complexity of their ideas and how much time they are willing to invest in making them a reality. It is powerful to watch them take ownership of their own learning as well as take responsibility for solving their own problems. Clearly, play is an essential part of learning in the 21st Century.

Marianne Malmstrom was recently selected as a National Association of Independent Schools, Teacher of the Future – recognizing expertise and innovation in teaching technology.

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Seeds of Peace Heritage Inspiring Leadership

by Daniel Scher ’08

family embarked on a “heritage” Several years ago, my journey to Eastern Europe where we

When I stood at Auschwitz, imagining myself in a line heading towards death, my first emotions were those of anger and hatred...

Now, looking back on this moment, I wonder if revenge would have been satisfying.

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visited the small town in Belarus that had been my great-grandmother’s home. We walked from what had been her house toward a seemingly innocent field that looked like the perfect place for kids to run around.

On this innocent field, my great-grandmother’s family and friends took their last breaths after being lined up in a pit and massacred. On that same trip, my grandfather took us to visit a small local school to which he had donated several computers. I never understood why my grandfather chose to make this donation until very recently. At the time, he told me he wanted to teach the younger generations to respect and appreciate Jews. He calmly explained that the purpose of the trip was not to remind me to hate people who had caused us pain, but to learn how to create understanding among people I’d encounter later on.

I have discovered that my grandfather’s lesson is a hard one to learn. When I stood at Auschwitz, imagining myself in a line heading towards death, my first emotions were those of anger and hatred. I thought of all the things I might have done to fight back; I felt ashamed that so many Jews had simply accepted their fate. Now, looking back on this moment, I wonder if revenge would have been satisfying. The longer I think about it, the more confused I become about the answer.

My doubts about revenge led me to think a great deal about the current situation in the Middle East. Many people profile Muslims as terrorists and killers without ever actually getting to know any of them.

The media helps us to form these conclusions while ignoring the underlying facts: many people in the Middle East want peace, education for their children, prosperity and safety. Once we recognize that, we may be able to make progress towards peace in the Middle East.

My interest in the subject only intensified. I decided to attend Seeds of Peace, a leadership development program in Maine focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the tensions between India, Pakistan and Afghanistan or South Asia. The goal of Seeds is to empower young leaders from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank, Gaza and America with information about the “other side” of a conflict so that young people develop the skills to see beyond stereotypes.

It’s difficult to put the experience of attending Seeds of Peace into words. John Wallach, Founder of Seeds of Peace, said, “Treaties are made by governments, peace is made by people.” From the Seeds program, I hoped to build on what I began last summer when I attended a program at Brandeis University called Genesis. Genesis focused on bringing Jewish high school students from all over the world to Massachusetts to develop a greater understanding of the diversity within the worldwide Jewish community. Teenagers from Russia, the

United States, and Israel, each with a different level of faith, came together to share their Judaism. One way of doing this was a Friday night Sabbath activity (referred to as Sichot), during which two different students, usually strangers, were encouraged to talk to each other one-onone for at least an hour. I found this technique to be very successful because I had a chance to find common ground with everyone. Once people discover the ways in which they are alike, they begin to forget the ways in which they are different. I hoped to become one of those who could embody that message and teach it to others.

In addition to looking at international conflicts, Seeds also sponsors a program to help resolve tensions between Maine citizens and immigrants from Africa.

Each session has a total of 170 Seeds and this is the 18th year of Seeds, making the overall Seeds family around 4,500-people strong. Seeds of Peace is not designed to get one to agree or disagree; it is a unique process intended to be the beginning of a lifelong discussion. The entire camp is centered around the hour-and-a-half that we spend together in daily dialogue sessions. The rest of the day is spent like any other athletic camp: playing soccer, swimming, baseball, art, drama, dance, music, volleyball, etc. We all have such a great time playing sports together that, when it comes to our discussions, it is much easier to put aside our past hatreds and stereotypes.

Leading up to my time with Seeds of Peace I was feeling a combination of feelings – scared, nervous, and excited. Before I became part of the Seeds family, I thought of Palestinians and many other Arab people as suicide bombers whose goals in life were to terrorize innocent populations. As an American, I wondered what my role would be. Not being directly involved in either the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the one in South Asia, I wondered if I would be accepted and what credibility we Americans would have in discussions. I was not sure how I would act if I were placed in the Middle East dialogue group. Growing up as an American Jew my allegiance was to the Israeli point of view. After the process, however, I learned that where my opinions fall does not matter. Arguing about events and trying to prove that you are right does not accomplish anything.

What is important is being able to learn about others’ perspectives. If we want to change the world we have to be able to talk to the people who do not agree with us and understand that, for the most part, we all want the same thing: peace.

Tensions were high during the beginning of camp.

When the Americans arrived, everyone, from Palestinians to Indians, were dancing and cheering. The rest of the camp thought highly of Americans. Some of the stereotypes were not very flattering, but almost everyone respected America. I was surprised how important American opinions were to them and how hard they worked to influence us. When the Israelis arrived, however, I noticed that none of the Palestinians cheered; it was very quiet. As the first week progressed, campers mainly stuck to their delegations. Israelis would spend time with Israelis, and Palestinians with Palestinians and so on. Communication was difficult because international Seeds were nervous and had trouble speaking English so they stuck to their native languages.

There were times when dialogue sessions became very intense, accompanied by a lot of screaming and yelling. As camp continued, however, Seeds became more comfortable with each other and with speaking English.

One of my Palestinian friends, Yehia, came to camp to tell Israelis they were wrong. His brother worked for the government in the West Bank and was arrested 19 times by the Israelis. He was released after a mere five years because of medical reasons. Imagine growing up under these circumstances – a country you are already taught to hate has basically ruined your older brother’s life.

Are you going to grow up wanting peace? No. If he had not come to Seeds of Peace, I bet he would have joined a radical party. Though he may never agree with Israelis on many issues, he became friends with Israelis and learned to understand them. He was able to put aside the horrible things done to his brother and put a human face on Israelis. His story moved me so much that at the end of that session, I went up to him and gave him a long hug. He thanked me numerous times for listening to and understanding him. Then, there was my friend Karam from Gaza. He spoke about how his neighbors died because they did not have the medicine they needed. He told us about how he gets electricity for two hours a day and does not have running water. He concluded his story by turning to me saying, “Americans have to understand our suffering and help us. My people are suffering everyday and we live like dirt. Please, Americans have to help us. We have nothing. Go home and tell people of our lives and please help us.” I was so shocked by this. Coming to Seeds I did not expect this role. I did not know what to do.

Every day I worry about Karam. Two months earlier, I would have had no sympathy for either Yehia or Karam. I would not have listened to either of their stories. Now that I am home I try to message Karam everyday because I fear that

Daniel Scher (bottom, center) and his bunkmates from Seeds of Peace.

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Arguing about events and trying to prove that you are right does not accomplish anything...If we want to change the world we have to be able to talk to the people who do not agree with us and understand that, for the most part, we all want the same thing: peace. something might happen to him and I would not know.

The Palestinians’ stories of suffering opened my eyes.

However, just as I developed an understanding for the Palestinian side, the Palestinians developed an understanding for what the Israelis were going through.

One of the Israeli girls talked about her father’s experiences in Gaza. He was the head of the economic branch and social administration and was forced to drive an armored car to work everyday. The Palestinians living there would throw stones at his car when he was driving to and from work. Another girl from Haifa now has to live in fear of a war between Israel and Hezbollah because if war breaks out, Haifa will be bombed.

Imagine having to fear for your life when doing the most basic things like driving to work. When we had to leave camp, I felt guilty coming back to my nice home in New Jersey. I appreciate the most basic things of life, like running water, electricity, and food. I know my friend in Gaza has none of these. I remember when the Northeast was hit with a terrible storm in March of 2010 and most of Northern New Jersey was out power for a week we all complained, but the people in Gaza live like that everyday.

During the Gaza War, they had to live without food, water, or electricity for 24 days and we complained about six.

They have electricity for two hours every day and we complain when we lose it even if it’s just for five minutes. If I want to go to the next town over, it’s a five-minute drive. I appreciate the fact that I don’t have to wait at a checkpoint.

Two of my bunkmates became amazing friends at camp. They live 15-minutes away from each other. One is Palestinian the other is Israeli so they will most likely never see each other again. Being born in America, no matter how wealthy or poor, is a gift. For the most part, we are sheltered from everyday violence that shakes other parts of the world, we are able to speak our minds and not have to worry about our safety, and we can live our lives everyday knowing that we will come home at night. Most of all, we are able to travel the world without being turned away at borders because of our nationality.

Seeds of Peace has helped me appreciate the most basic things about life, right down to where I was born. It has been an amazing, life-changing experience, not just for me but also for all the other Seeds that shared this experience with me. The most important thing I developed from Seeds was hope because I saw a transformation in the way that the kids from both sides of the conflict respected each other’s points of view.

Before I went to camp, I saw Palestinians as suicide bombers who only wanted to destroy Israel. Slowly that stereotype changed. Now, I see everyone from Seeds as someone I love, trust, and want to hear from regardless of nationality, religion or heritage. When I saw my Palestinian friend, Yehia, and the others of his delegations crying when

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the Israelis left camp, I realized that if one person can change, the world can change too.

Albert Einstein once said “It is easier to break an atom than a prejudicial thought.” Seeds of Peace has already broken the prejudicial thoughts of thousands of young people like me. John Wallach was right: Peace is not just a ratified treaty but rather it’s a contract between people for building a better future. Seeds of Peace teaches that the human element of peace-making cannot be ignored. It has inspired my fellow campers and me with the realization that, whatever our nationality, we share the same hopes, fears, dreams and aspirations. We all seek a future of peace.

Since camp I have spoken about my experience to numerous organizations including the students here at Elisabeth Morrow School. I plan to visit the Middle East to see my friends this summer and I hope to stay in touch with them through Facebook and Skype. I am currently looking to study a combination of political science, international relations, Arabic, psychology and economics in college. At Tenafly High School, I am an active member of both my varsity debate team and the honors marching band, thanks to Mrs. Gold.

EMS built the groundwork for my appreciation of community and the importance of accepting cultures different from my own. It was a special treat to have the opportunity to lead an assembly. I always learned a lot from the speakers at the assemblies while I was at EMS, and I have always hoped that one day I would have the ability to lead one myself. As to the person I have become, I owe much to EMS. Without Mrs. Bower I certainly would not have developed my passion for current events, history, and debating subjects which I continue to pursue in high school.

Without Mr. Cooper I would not have become interested in historical texts from ancient Rome; and without Senora Bonasorte, my desire to learn foreign languages. I have continued with Spanish, I took a year of Chinese, and I started studying Arabic.

When I visited this past spring with other Seeds, I was impressed with the level of student engagement and openness in the small group discussion we had at EMS. The students opened up a lot more than I thought they would and it reflected the openness and knowledge of the community as a whole.

I would like to thank everyone on behalf of the Seeds family for donating the Middle School Founder’s Day Carnival proceeds to Seeds of Peace. It means a lot to us as an organization and a family and has meant so much to me, personally, as well. ~ Daniel Scher ’08 is a Senior at Tenafly High School

FACULTY

MARIANNE MALMSTROM SELECTED AS NAIS

“TEACHER OF THE FUTURE” Marianne Malmstrom, technology teacher and faculty member at EMS since 1991, was selected by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as part of its inaugural Teachers of the Future Program. The NAIS Teachers of the Future were selected from a large pool of nominees who inspire academic excellence in students and who serve as opinion leaders among their colleagues and peers.

The Teachers of the Future were also chosen for their expertise in particular areas – environmentalism, globalism, technology, and equity and justice – which NAIS believes are hallmarks of a high-quality education for the 21st Century. As one of only 25 teachers nationwide chosen for the program, Marianne will lead an online discussion forum designed to share innovative ideas and teaching techniques, from which she will create a demonstration video to inspire others.

Marianne has thirty plus years of experience as both a teacher and administrator. Her passion is working with students and keeping education relevant in a rapidly changing world. As a technology integrator for the Elisabeth Morrow School, Marianne follows trends in how students use technology in their everyday lives. With this information, she then draws on her extensive teaching experience to create new learning environments designed to develop essential 21st century skills and literacies. She has worked with

colleagues to develop a school multimedia program that has received two awards of excellence from WLIW’s Celebration of Teaching & Learning.

Her current work is focused on using virtual worlds and MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games) to foster healthy norms in online communities, while giving students opportunities to collaborate and solve problems in highly creative spaces (see article on page 35).

In 2010, Marianne was recognized by the New Jersey State Legislature for excellence as a leader in education and honored for her eight years of service as a trustee for the Vincent K. Tibbs Child Develpment Center. As a volunteer for ISTE (International Society of Technology Education), Marianne has organized and led several online projects including two international festivals to celebrate the emerging art of machinima (video created using 3D virtual worlds). She has presented at numerous professional conferences and maintains a website to document her work.

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FACULTY

Dr. Leslie Day Publishes Her Second Book Fifth- and eighth-grade science teacher Dr. Leslie Day recently published her second book, Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011). It follows her original 2008 book, Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City.

Wayne Cahilly of the New York Botanical Garden writes, “with wonderful illustrations, photographs, and descriptive text, Leslie Day has given us a handbook for naturalists, sidewalk denizens, apartment dwellers, dogwalkers, and bicycle riders. Pick a tree, introduce yourself, shake a branch, and settle

on a park bench with Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City. No New Yorker should be without this book.”

Brigitte Griswold of The Nature Conservancy writes, “Leslie Day’s latest book is a must read for urban, suburban, and rural dwellers alike – her work is at the forefront of a new conservation era that celebrates the incredible biodiversity thriving in the heart of our nations’ largest city.”

Day, an EMS teacher since 1997, is hard at work on her third book, a Field Guide to New York City’s birds.

Rebecca Gove Organizes Latin Conference at EMS On November 4, while EMS was holding parent-teacher conferences, something else was happening. Twenty-four Latin teachers from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut gathered in the Morrow House Music Room for a workshop entitled, "Latin for 2011." The workshop was organized by Middle School Latin teacher Rebecca Gove and cosponsored by The Ascanius Youth Classics Institute, an organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge of Latin, Greek, and the Greco-Roman world. Matthew Webb, Executive Director of Ascanius, presented fresh and innovative ideas for the teaching of Latin to middle-school students and explored new, engaging classroom activities that focused on reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and translation. The workshop participants

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were eager and enthusiastic, and everyone loved the handson, fast-paced approach that Mr. Webb brought to the workshop. The teachers came away with some exciting possibilities for this year's curricula, including learning games, kinesthetic activities, listening and speaking activities, and multimedia and technology-based exercises. Mrs. Gove shares her love of the Classics with her students every day. Now, thanks to her initiative and leadership, that dedication extends to dozens of colleagues in the area.

ALUMNA PROFILE

LISA DIAZ ’70 NASH I was having a great time until August 19, 2005...

It was a beautiful Friday morning, and I was walking down a main street in San Francisco when there was an underground electrical explosion. The good news: only one person got hurt.

The bad news: that one person was me. I wound up with second and third degree burns over 40% of my body and ended up in hospital for two months, followed by two years of therapy.

Today, you couldn’t tell anything ever happened to me, but that day changed my life. I tell people my story so they don’t waste their time on this planet. Everyone says to live your life like it could end in the next five minutes. I really understand that. I made the decision that, when it was time to go back to work, I wasn’t going to do anything I wasn’t passionate about and that didn’t make a permanent, positive impact on the world.

Currently, I run a great nonprofit called Blue Planet Network, www.blueplanetnetwork.org. We have created a global online network and partnered with nearly eighty organizations around the world to bring safe drinking water to those in need. There are one billion people in the world, and one in six can’t get clean water to drink. Without something as simple as clean water, you get sick, very sick, or you die. With safe drinking water, kids can go back to school, women can take care of their families, entire communities get economic opportunity. All this costs only $30 a person. That’s another thing I love about this work. We know how to solve the safe drinking water crisis, and the solutions are simple and effective.

The hard part is changing ways of living and ensuring that communities have been trained and have the tools to manage their clean water systems.

So, every day, I wake up knowing I love what I do and that I’m making a real difference in the lives of others. It might have been an unusual career path in the end, but it got me to a great place.

I am a strong believer in down time and balance, or whatever you want to call it. I’ve got a great husband, Michael, to whom I’ve been married for twenty-five years. We have two incredible daughters: Sarah (leaving college) and Mary (entering college).

We live south of San Francisco in a house we built almost twenty years ago. We travel together a lot; this past summer, we took the girls on a safari in Tanzania.

Michael and I both believe that experiencing different cultures is the best education one can get. We love living in the Bay Area where there are many ex-New Jerseyans, great weather, a diverse population, the great outdoors and the great city of San Francisco (although we like living just outside of it to enjoy sunshine instead of fog!).

Beyond EMS: Attended Dwight School for Girls and Swarthmore College.

A World Traveller, Lisa is currently CEO of Blue Planet Network.

My family had lived in Englewood when I was a baby, but moved away. When we returned, my parents knew about The Elisabeth Morrow School and wanted me and my brother, Jim Diaz (Class of 1972) to go there because they knew the teachers were great and helped kids love to learn. I attended third through sixth grades. We graduated in the Gymkhana, which was pretty new back then. I only wish The Elisabeth Morrow School had a branch out in California for when our daughters were young.

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Milliren, our math teacher. She made me so excited about math that I wanted to be a math teacher. Some of my favorite memories: • Mr. Brost was our Choir Director and he took us into NYC to the Hotel Dakota to sing for Leonard Bernstein and Lauren Bacall at Christmas time.

• We sang “The Apple Tree Song” to anyone who would listen.

• Miss Chilton was the Head of School and always had her door open, just off the library, to any student who wanted to come talk to her.

• We’d greet Mrs. Anderson in the morning and she was always there when something went wrong.

• I was in lots of plays.

• Playing tug of war on Field Day for the white team (loyalties die hard).

• Listening on the radio in my English class to the Mets when they were in the World Series in 1969.

• Getting so excited about writing a history paper on Egypt in the third grade and pretending to be Cleopatra when I presented in class the next day.

I met my best friend, Diane Barzman Heiman, at EMS and we’ve been close ever since. That’s one of the things I love most about EMS: the great friendships I made, and still have.

For anyone who would like to learn more about Blue Planet Network, please visit www.blueplanetnetwork.org.

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ELISABETH MORROW ALUMNI Evan Brown, Director of Communications and Alumni · 435 Lydecker Street, Englewood, NJ 07631 · 201-568-5566 · alumni@elisabethmorrow.org

CLASSNOTES Ellen VA Starratt, ’46 “Congratulations on the EMS 80th Anniversary.

I am still traveling and playing a lot of tennis, as well as working with hospice and oil painting.

This year Dick and I have been to the Black Sea, Istanbul, Ephesus and Athens. In April, I traveled with my sister, Keats VA Smith (class of ’39); we cruised the canals, rivers and lakes of Holland and Belgium. Dick and I are off to Vietnam in October.”

Marshall Umpleby, ’41 “To celebrate our 50th Anniversary in March, my wife, Mimi, and I spent 10 days on the big island of Hawaii, along with our two daughters, Sarah and Amy and their respective partners.

We enjoyed glorious weather, sunny beaches, and scrumptious food! How lucky we are!”

Bob Gambee ’52 Star Lawrence and Bob Gambee met at EMS in the first grade and graduated together in 1952. They have just produced their seventh book together: Princeton Impressions.

Gambee takes the photos and writes the text while Lawrence, Managing Editor at W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., Publishers, edits and distributes.

Bev Holmes Prevost, ’54 Bev, therectory@aol.com Ned, rectorned@gmail.com “The big news from me is that after 18 years as Rector at Christ (Episcopal Church Winnetka outside Chicago and 41 years as a parish priest, my husband Ned retired in May. We have just moved to our first home! (All the others have been rectories for the churches served in Connecticut and Illinois.) We now reside in Worcester, Massachusetts. We are happy to be back on the East Coast, within an

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hour-and-a-half of the ferry to Cuttyhunk! We are looking forward to seeing classmates Gaylen Hicks Bent, Anne McClanahan Bourne, and others from those early years.”

In July, Bev and Ned welcomed their first granddaughter, Grace Elizabeth Guenther, born to their daughter Elizabeth Prevost and son-in-law Mike Guenther. In October, her grandfather Ned baptized her in Grinnell, Iowa, where Grace’s parents are professors at Grinnell College. Baby Grace wore a beautiful 1884 christening gown—the fifth generation to wear it! .

George Merriam, ’59 “When we met in April 2009 to celebrate our class’s 50th reunion we searched in vain for the time capsule our class had buried in 1959.

At that time Adrienne Anderson, then the Alumni Coordinator, was going to check with classmate Phil Demartini, who thought he might be able to recall the site of its burial when he returned to campus for a visit; failing that, she was going to ask PSE&G whether someone from their buried-cable and pipe service might be able to pay a visit with their ground-penetrating radar to look for signs of it in the likely area. I’m wondering whether any of that scenario actually played out, and whether the long-lost time capsule of the class of ‘59 has been unearthed?”

• Editor’s Note: To our knowledge, Mr. Demartini has not been in the New Jersey area. Mrs. Anderson did rent a metal detector and searched for the capsule to no avail. She has left the post of Alumni Coordinator and PSE&G has not been called, but perhaps they will be able to help.

Sam Davis, ‘64 Sam is a partner in Davis, Saperstein and Salomon, P.C. a seventeen lawyer personal injury and product liability firm in Teaneck, New Jersey and Manhattan. Through The Burn Advocates Network Ltd, a not-for-profit, he founded SABABA, the first camp for burnscarred children in the Middle East. The camp recently completed its third session. Shortly after the earthquake in Haiti he led a campaign to ship fifty tons of medical supplies and create a physical therapy unit at the Justinian University Hospital. He is currently organizing a team of surgeons, nurses and therapists in collaboration with Holy Name Medical Center to develop The Haiti Burn Center and Network in North Haiti. Sam recently celebrated his 25th anniversary to Susan, who is a Financial Adviser at Morgan Stanley in Ridgewood.

Scan QR code to give on-line using smart phone.

“For over eight decades, generation after generation of parents have supported the place that has educated the mind, heart and character of each of their children, just as it does with yours, today.

Your generosity has enormous impact and your gift serves to enhance every aspect of The Elisabeth Morrow School.� ~ David M. Lowry, Ph.D., Head of School

The most valuable gift we can give our children is an exceptional education.

The Apple Tree Fund Development Office

435 Lydecker Street, Englewood, NJ 07631 (201) 568-5566 x7223 | giving@elisabethmorrow.org www.elisabethmorrow.org/giving

Above: Nicoletta LaMarca Sacco ’80 & Steven Sacco.

Below: Francesca LaMarca Sacco (10) & Felice LaMarca Sacco (13), with Pupcake.

Lucy Muhlfeld Kazickas, ’65 Lucy is the owner of two American artisanal cheese stores called Lucy’s Whey, one in East Hampton, NY and one in Chelsea Market, NYC. Kathy Holub, ’66 holub.k@gmail.com “I’m a consultant in dispute resolution and a lecturer at Columbia and Harvard Law Schools. In other words, I teach lawyers, senior executives, and others how to negotiate. I also mediate disputes and provide private coaching. I’m particularly interested in helping resolve family disputes involving estate planning and inheritance.”

Irisita Azary, ’68 azarylee@gmail.com Irisita and her husband, Roger Lee, and their sons Alexander Paul (11) and Christopher Philip (5) will be in Heidelberg, Germany for about a year and a half where Roger will be doing a sabbatical at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. Irisita and the boys will be learning German, although the French she learned from Mrs. Moss at EMS will also come in handy. She would love to hear from old friends.

Beverly Hinton Beers, ’69 “I am living in Pennsylvania with my husband, Howard. We have four children: Joshua, who is studying abroad in Greece; Daniel, who is about to graduate high school; Samuel, who is finishing 9th grade; and Esther, who is completing 6th grade. My brother James Hinton (’75) lives in Florida with his wife, Josie.

Anthony Nahas, ’69 anthonynahas@yahoo.com “I am happily living in Paris, France. I return to New York for work on a regular basis and visit Englewood once a year. Each time, I’m overcome with a flood of wonderful memories!

I do wish to visit EMS soon.” Anthony has four children: Arthur, Ambrose, August and Zoe.

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Carlese (“Lese”) Dunton, ’70 Lese Dunton has written an ebook called Mystics in the City. She is also the editor of an online publication called “The New Sun,” which “seeks to find the best in life and give it good coverage.”

Nicoletta LaMarca Sacco, ’80 Pictures above: Nicoletta LaMarca Sacco ’80 & Steven Sacco. This was taken at our weekend home in Roscoe, NY, Presidents’ Weekend 2011. Below: my children, Francesca LaMarca Sacco (10) and Felice LaMarca Sacco (13) with our dog, Pupcake.

Julie Strauss Greeley, ’80 “I am currently living in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I live with my husband, Todd Greeley, and our two daughters: Jane (10) and Kate (8). I was a practicing attorney for six years with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and have been doing recruiting since 1999. I am currently the Managing Director at CitiStaffing, a company that I started with my partners in 2001.”

Jared Hertzberg ’87 “Since receiving my PhD in physics in 2009 from the University of Maryland, I have been a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, doing nanotechnology research in the Department of Material Science and Engineering. I have to thank the early training, encouragement and freedom to think creatively that EMS offered me in the areas of science and mathematics, with teachers like Mrs. Milliern, Mrs. Dunne, Mrs. DiPaolo and Mr. O’Leary. I am also happy to report that last fall I married Ms. Gwen Glazer of Lancaster, PA, and we were lucky to be able to invite two old friends of mine from EMS to our wedding.”

Robert Maurizi, ’87 rob@robmaurizi.com Robert started his own web design and development company, RHM Interactive, and has two children with his wife Katie: Nicholas (6) and Thomas (3).

Beth Thomas Cohen, ’88 bcohen@bsquaredpr.com www.bsquaredpr.com www.twitter.com/bsquaredpr www.twitter.com/beththomascohen “I opened a NYC-based fashion PR company in January of 2009, which works with emerging fashion and accessories designers. We just had our second daughter, Lila James Cohen, born on October 3, 2010. She joins big sister Aiden Rae Cohen. We reside in NYC and I still speak to many of my EMS friends: Chris BrillEdwards, Matt Cohen, Jason Watson, and Alex Perez, just to name a few...”

Sandy Puljic, ’88 spuljic@sbcglobal.net “Last May (2010), I completed my Master’s degree in human development with a specialization in early childhood education, and graduated from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA. I then spent several months enjoying time with friends and family back East and in Croatia. I also traveled to other magnificent parts of Europe such as Prague, Venice and Budapest. It was an unforgettable experience. Now, I am happily back in Pasadena exploring various careers in child development. This is such a gorgeous, active and vibrant area. I love the immediate access to nature along with the historical and cultural opportunities this suburb of Los Angeles has to offer.”

Elizabeth (Jefferies) de Villegas ’88 Elizabeth and her husband Arnoud along with their son Felix, welcomed a baby boy, Adrien, on November 9, 2010, in Newport, RI.

Top row: Anoop Nebhnani ’94, Dr. Samantha Brenner ’94, Eric Piazza ’94.

Bottom row: Stephen Samouhos ’94, Ph.D. with his fiancee Danielle Brown, Dr. Alex Sailon ’94, Charles Shin ’94, Emily Hackel ’94 and friend Lisa Van Eyndhoven

Carissa Sachs, ’89 carissaivy@aol.com Carissa is engaged to Mark Weiser. She works as an educational consultant and a special needs advocate in NYC. Jamie (Grossmann) Silver, ’89 “Recently my husband and I established the Jackson Gabriel Silver Foundation (www.jgsf.org) to fund disease research and find a cure for our son, Jackson, and other children who suffer from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). EB is a group of devastating and often fatal blistering disorders that affect children from birth. Children with EB lack the critical proteins that bind their layers of skin together.

Fewer than 20,000 individuals are affected by EB in the US. The Jackson Gabriel Silver Foundation funds scientific research with the goal of treating and curing this disease. To learn more about the work the foundation is doing or to get involved, go to www.jgsf.org.

Emily Cohen, ’90 emilyglidden@hotmail.com Emily and Ryan Cohen have a son, Cayden Cohen, born 5/10/10. After many years away, Emily hopes to return to EMS for a campus tour.

David Rand, ’90 David@HarrisonRand.com HarrisonRand Advertising, launched in 2009 by brothers Jason Rand ’81 and David Rand ’90, was recognized last week by the NJ Ad Club at their annual competition, The Jersey Awards, receiving awards in 10 categories.

HarrisonRand also received a total of 9

additional awards from the Art Directors Club of New Jersey, the International Hermes Creative Awards and the Insurance Marketing and Communications Association. The firm is built upon the strong foundation of excellence set by their founder and grandfather, Harold Harrison, who launched the business in 1941 and was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 1986 and their mother Daryl Rand, also a member of the Hall of Fame and Vice-Chair of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce. In addition, HarrisonRand Advertising has also been selected as one of the recipients of this year’s prestigious New Jersey Family Business of the Year Award sponsored by PNC Bank, New Jersey Monthly, the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship and Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Jackie DeAngelis, ’92 “In October of 2010, I moved to Bahrain, where I’ve been working as CNBC’s Middle East Reporter, contributing business and political stories in the region to the network’s global coverage. The timing of my move allowed me to be in a perfect position to cover the unrest that broke out in the region as my first major story. Despite the instability in this part of the world, I am planning to see my assignment through to 2012.”

Teddy Tennis is a new fun way for toddlers to learn to play tennis using music and teddy bear stories. Jordana lives in Cresskill with her husband Jason and their two-year-old daughter Emma.

Charlotte Mouquin Voznesenskiya, ’94 charlotte@rushartsgallery.org Charlotte Mouquin married Alex Voznesenskiy on July 16th, 2011. Charlotte is now working as Gallery Manager for Rush Galleries. This includes Rush Gallery in Chelsea and Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn. Rush Galleries is part of Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a 501c3 organization founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons. The galleries cater towards emerging artists who are underrepresented. They also take an open call for artist submissions and curator submissions. To learn more about the organization please visit: http://www.rushphilanthropic.org and www.rushartsgallery.org. In addition to spearheading two art events for the “Love Yourself” project, which was part of the “LES Festival of Ideas” headed by the New Museum in May, Charlotte also curated and was part of several other shows this year, including “Sculpted Memory Artists,” Rush Arts Gallery (February 2011), and “Mmm...I Want to Eat That Art” (April – May 2011). Charlotte also continues to expand her career as an artist.

Jordana (Kirsh) Berger, ’93 jordana@teddytennis.com Jordana recently partnered with Gordon Uehling, owner of Tenafly and Bogota Racquet Clubs and together they have started Teddy Tennis, a unique program for 2- to 5-year-olds.

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Matthew Marco, ’95 matt@matthewmarco.com “After spending the last six years in the Bahamas, I am now enjoying life in New York City and seeing a lot of fellow EMS alumni whom I have remained very close with over the years. I am currently acting in the capacity of an International Consultant in the fields of Real Estate and Private Equity.”

Christopher Kelly, ’96 Christopher recently earned his medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he was awarded the Janeway Prize for the highest achievements and abilities in the graduating class. Over the summer he is looking forward to celebrating his second anniversary with his wife, Leah, and starting as a resident in internal medicine at New YorkPresbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.

Lauren Mavroudis Camarinos, ’96 Lauren married Michael D. Camarinos on June 25, 2011.

George J. Hill, ’97 Ghill1701@gmail.com “I am working as an Academic Advisor and Freshmen Seminar instructor at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. One of the successful projects I designed for my class is a rocketry/goal setting project. My students think of goals they have, and also impediments to reaching those goals. We write the impediments on a piece of paper, and the goals on a model rocket. We then launch the rocket, so they can see their goals taking flight.

In the class, I try to help the students learn the skills they need to overcome some of the obstacles to their goals. We have done this project for two semesters, and it has been a huge success.” George is married to Tara Selivonchik-Hill.

Daniel Maroti, ’99 www.Danielmaroti.com www.thepowderkegs.com Daniel has been traveling around the country with his band, everywhere from Milwaukee to St. Louis, Tulsa, Austin, Shreveport and New Orleans.

Ariel Davis ’00 Ariel recently completed her Master’s in Education Policy at Tufts University. She was a volunteer at SABABA and is returning to NYC to work.

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Jordan Levine, ’01 Jordan just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Political Science. He is now working in investment banking in NYC. Alexa Davis, ’02 Alexa recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University with a B.A. in History. She will be working as a paralegal for at an international law firm in NY for two years, after which she will attend law school.

Alexandra Levine, ’02 Alexandra was an English major at the University of Pennsylvania, and just spent her junior year semester abroad in Rome, interning with the marketing department at American Express.

Christopher Lo, ’02 Christopherkimlo@gmail.com “After completing high school at Dwight Englewood, I went off to Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. I am currently a junior double-majoring in Operations & Supply Chain Management and Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Communication Design. Last summer I worked for IAC’s College Humor and this summer I’ll be heading out to Palo Alto to work at Facebook. I am also in the midst of two startups. One is an iPhone app called Cloudy, which is available right now on the app store, and the other startup is called The Karma Seed (www.thekarmaseed.org).”

Mark Stancher, ’03 Mark is thriving as a math major at Boston College.

Alana Davis ’04 Alana is a junior at Boston University. She has volunteered at burn camps in the U.S. as well as Israel. She put her EMT training to good use as a surgical support tech in Haiti.

Josh Levine, ’05 Josh is a senior at Horace Mann, where he was just named Editor-in-Chief of Mannikin (Horace Mann’s yearbook). He will be studying in Spain for the summer.

Jungi (Jeffrey) Kim, ’06 Jungi Kim, who attended the Elisabeth Morrow School by the name of Jeffrey Kim, attended The Groton School in Massachusetts. Jungi graduated last summer, and is currently attending the University of Pennsylvania.

Avery Cohen ’08: accomplished coxswain for Cold Spring Harbor High School.

Avery Cohen, ’08 Avery is completing the 11th grade at Cold Spring Harbor High School in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. She is up for a coxswain position for the Junior National Crew Team. During the past three years since she left EMS, Avery has become an accomplished coxswain and is currently being recruited by NCAA Division 1 colleges.

Hyun Ji Park, ’07 hjkwd91@hotmail.com “I am a student at Columbia University, Class of 2015. I am considering biomedical engineering as my major.”

Vikram Kumar, ’07 Vikram was recently accepted to Columbia College at Columbia University. He writes, “I will always cherish the memories of my time at EMS. I believe that EMS gave me an excellent foundation for high school. No one else had read Romeo and Juliet in seventh grade!”

Joshua Davis, ’08 Joshua is a freshman at Dwight Englewood.

He plays guitar and percussion and sings lead for his band Wudstank. He also volunteered as a music instructor for two sessions at SABABA. Josh plays tennis for the J.V. squad at Dwight Englewood and practices Brazilian jiu jitsu.

In Memoriam Goh Endo, ’06 Goh Endo, a pioneer member of the first eighth grade graduating class in 2006, passed away November 29, 2010. A student at EMS from the fourth grade, Goh is remembered as living life by the tenets of the Four Cs. Conscientious, kind, and thoughtful, Goh put passion and energy into everything that he did. A cellist, Goh stayed in touch with EMS as a counselor at the Summer String Festival from 2006-2010.

Each summer, he would return to campus to offer warm greetings to those he knew and to work patiently and enthusiastically with the campers.

Goh’s desire was to live in a world of compassion. His senior thesis at The Master’s School focused on deciphering the many meanings of Ki, which, according to Eastern philosophy, is a basic life energy that connects all living things. During his junior year at Rutgers, he followed with a

research paper entitled, “Where is the Love?”; the theme being that care and love are the keys to a healthier society, regardless of advances in knowledge or technology. An excellent student while at Rutgers, Goh was working towards a physics and philosophy double major.

In Goh’s honor, The Master’s School initiated the Goh Endo Memorial Fund to promote compassion, mindfulness and generosity. Goh will remain dear to the hearts of those who knew him, and many will carry on his quest for a more thoughtful and compassionate world. For information regarding this fund, please contact: Penny Lippe (plippe@elisabethmorrow.org) or Aaron Cooper (acooper@elisabethmorrow.org).

Jaenet Newell Guggenheim, ’75 Born December 5, 1963 in Lenox Hill Hospital New York City Died April 5, 2011 in Santa Fe, NM. Beloved Daughter, Sister, and Aunt. She was a beautiful beacon of light that pulled out the best in people.

“As you may or may not know by now, our beloved daughter Jaenet – described by one friend as “a beautiful butterfly who found life too hard” – succumbed to her battle with depression last Tuesday afternoon. After much reflection, we have decided not to have a service locally.

Instead, as a memorial, we are asking all of you who knew her and loved her to write something to her, for her, or about her and email it to me (below). We would like to remember all the good times that she brought to us; if you have a funny story or

memory please share it. We will put all of your letters into book form and post it on the internet. We will also make a few–a very few–"real" books for those who request one.” ~ Gae Eisenhardt “Jaenet was my sister no matter what. We were friends to the end. She has finally found the peace she looked for so long... I will always miss you!" ~ Maire Guggenheim ’74 “Jaenet was my sister, mentor, coconspirator and friend. She made my childhood funny and filled with adventure. I will miss her but I know that she is now at peace. I love you Jaenet." ~Galla (Eisenhardt) Purwin

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Julia Appleton Flitner Lamb (From NYTimes). Julia Appleton Flitner Lamb, conservationist, died peacefully December 3, 2010 at RiverWoods, Exeter, New Hampshire in her 93rd year. Daughter of Gertrude (Wellington) and Stanwood Edwards Flitner formerly of Englewood, New Jersey and Cornwall, New York. Graduate of Dwight School and Vassar College. Fought for preservation of scenic Palisades, Hackensack River and the Hudson River Highlands watershed. Early advocate for open space, recycling and local foods. Founding advisory member Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference, Citizens Advisory Council to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, past president Greenbrook Sanctuary, Palisades

Preservation Coalition, Englewood Shade Tree Commission, Women of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and League of Women Voters. Recipient of Ford’s 1972 National Conservationist Award. Predeceased by her husband, Albert Richard Lamb, Jr, MD; survived by four sons Albert Richard Lamb III of Cambridge, Mass, George Stanwood Lamb of Vail, Colo, Thomas Appleton Lamb of Laguna Beach, Calif, Peter Flitner Henshaw Lamb of Kittery Point, Maine; five grandchildren, three daughters-in-law. Services private. Contributions may be made to “Julia’s Fund,” New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, 446 Market St., Portsmouth, NH 03801.

William Edward Ix Jr. William Edward Ix Jr., of Tenafly, NJ, passed away on December 26, 2010. Survived by his wife of 59 years, the former Jane Earle Taylor of Elkins, West Virginia.

He was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Air and graduate of the Princeton University class of 1946. He is survived by five children; William Edward Ix III, Jonathan Taylor Ix, Jeffrey Drayton Ix, Gregory Stewart Ix, and Elizabeth Earle Ix. Also survived by eleven grandchildren; William Edward Ix IV, Timothy Larkin Ix, Jennifer Marie Ix, Jonathan Taylor Ix, Michael Louis Ix, Sarah Ann Ix, Megan Elizabeth Ix, Katelyn Taylor Ix, Leigh Stoughton Ix, Gregory Stewart Ix Jr., Charles Edward Buccellato, and two brothers; Robert Edward Ix and Raymond Edward Ix. Former

industry and community service: A Vice President of Frank Ix and Sons N.Y., a Knight of the Sovereign and Military Order of Malta, President of the Textile Salesmen’s Association and 1975 Man of the Year Award, Textile Manufacturer’s Institute, Officer and Trustee of The Weavers Club, Officer and Trustee of the Dwight-Englewood School, President Of The Knickerbocker Country Club, Trustee and Board Member of the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and Englewood Healthcare Systems, President of the New Jersey Seniors Golf Association, and Trustee of the Princeton University ’46 Memorial Fund.

The Elisabeth Morrow School Diversity Statement The Elisabeth Morrow School values the rich dimensions of diversity embodied within each member of our community. We understand that each person is unique, with a distinct individuality that encompasses (in alphabetical order) age, gender, physical abilities, political view-points, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual

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orientation and socio-economic status. Diversity in an educational environment must move beyond simple tolerance; it is among our highest priorities to provide a safe, positive and nurturing environment in which to appreciate and understand difference.

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Show your school pride with EMS apparel or accessories.

Visit our On-line Store: click the button on our homepage.

Visit our Live Store: look for posted flyers around the school or look for announcements in the Wednesday Envelope.

Live store items are on display in the Chilton House and Morrow House reception areas.

Snap the QR code to visit the store on-line!

The Elisabeth Morrow School 435 Lydecker Street, Englewood, NJ 07631 (201) 568-5566 | www.elisabethmorrow.org

The Elisabeth Morrow School 435 Lydecker Street Englewood, NJ 07631 www.elisabethmorrow.org 201-568-5566

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A NEW HANG OUT! Tucked away behind Little School, the Brook Playground is one of the more beautiful places for children to play on the school grounds. This fall, the playground features all-new facilities.