Appletree Fall 2014

STEAM

Creative Solutions to Real Problems

A publication of The Elisabeth Morrow School

Fall 2014

Morrow Moment Although graduation is still several lifetimes away, our youngest students can see on their shirts exactly when we will call them alumni. We know their smiles will be equally bright that day.

APPLETREE

Fall 2014

Appletree is a publication of The Elisabeth Morrow School 435 Lydecker Street Englewood, NJ 07631 www.elisabethmorrow.org Articles, images and other contributions from the extended Elisabeth Morrow community are welcome. Contact the communications office at jabernathy@elisabethmorrow.org or 201.568.5566 x7208. All submissions are subject to review and submission does not guarantee publication.

Editor Jan Abernathy Director of Communications Design Erbach Communications Group

Content Contributors Michele Bower Aaron Cooper Tricia Eickelberg Phyllis Kesslen Sarah Rolle

Photography and Photographic Contributors Michelle Goldstein Shelley Kusnetz Robin Robison-Dillard Paul Sky Sammie Smith

in this issue

On the Cover A middle school STEAM student watches a 3D printer generate a tiny TARDIS, a time machine and spacecraft from the British science fiction television program Doctor Who, in the computer lab.

Letter from the Head of School

2

Appletree News

3

Full STEAM Ahead

6

Finding the Right Fit

8

How students and faculty display their engagement, their learning and their capacity to think.

Teaching and learning is a lifetime endeavor for our faculty; other news and events.

Learning at the intersection of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics will yield lifelong dividends for students.

In the secondary school placement process at The Elisabeth Morrow School, nothing is left to chance.

Graduation 2014

We salute our newest alumni.

10

Advancement 12 Morrow Society party honors outstanding leadership in the Apple Tree Fund; a focus on the supporters of The Elisabeth Morrow School’s mission.

Alumni and Parent Profiles

14

Achievement

16

Athletics

18

Honoring a veteran teacher; Parents Association activities.

The spring and fall highlights.

Class Notes

19

Then and Now

20

Scientific discoveries at EMS.

Our Mission: 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. Within our diverse community, we value tradition, innovation and the joy of lifelong learning.

a letter from the head of school Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Liberty Science Center twice in the span of 10 days to watch our students perform. On one Saturday, our seventh grade science students appeared as part of a National Chemistry Week presentation and then, several days later, our orchestra performed at the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) Biennial Professional Development Conference.

For National Chemistry Week, our seventh graders, the youngest participants by far, helped visitors experience chemical properties in six different experiments and explained the reasons the phenomena were occurring. They presented alongside college chemistry clubs from Princeton, Rutgers, Drew and many other New Jersey institutions of higher education as well as a few high schools.

For the NJAIS conference, themed Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Learning: Full STEAM Ahead, our orchestra students performed two pieces in front of approximately 1,300 New Jersey independent school educators and administrators. They were chosen from all the performing groups in the state to introduce the conference’s keynote speaker.

When our students perform, I am always impressed at the engagement and passion evident in their learning and with which they share their knowledge. Such engagement and passion is also clear every day in the classrooms and halls of our school. Engaged learning, deep analysis, iterative processes and the opportunity to share one’s work are all qualities that prepare our students to be thinkers and leaders for the future — our central aim as an institution.

“Engaged learning, deep analysis, iterative processes and the opportunity to share one’s work are all qualities that prepare our students to be thinkers and leaders for the future — our central aim as an institution.”

Not only are these qualities clear in our students while they attend EMS, but secondary schools repeatedly recognize our students’ capacity to think, their poise and maturity and their self-knowledge. They acknowledge the impact that our graduates have on their secondary schools after matriculation. Our students’ reputation in their high schools and beyond is quite satisfying and a testament to how we remain forwardthinking in the ways we maximize the relevance of their studies here to their work for the future.

The examples of student work on display both during National Chemistry Week and the NJAIS conference reflect the curriculum and approach that will be most effective in preparing our students for an uncertain future. STEAM education, with its focus on innovation, interdisciplinary connections and a process of design that is iterative, is among the most relevant for our future world, and I hope you enjoy reading about our ongoing initiative in this most exciting and crucial field (see page 6).

Within these pages, you will discover the many ways that our students, faculty and alumni display their engagement, their learning and their capacity to think. Please join me the next time some of our students share their knowledge and passion publicly; you will not be disappointed.

My best,

Aaron Cooper Head of School 2 APPLETREE

appletree news

Bright Ideas

by Jan Abernathy

One mark of a great school is educators who take the time to share their expertise with colleagues from other schools as well as increase their own professional acumen through workshops, seminars and classes designed to strengthen their practice and keep them at the forefront of teaching and learning today. On the following page, Appletree offers only a few representative examples of the professional development in which our faculty has participated.

Read more on the following page...

APPLETREE 3

appletree news

Bright Ideas

EMS Teachers Are Lifelong Learners Chilton House and Little School educators, including Lower School Head Beth Anne Brennan, Director of Early Childhood Programs Tricia Eickelberg and first grade teacher Jessi Almstead, increased their training in the Responsive Classroom methodology.

¡HOLA!

Our foreign language department chair, Valeria Bonasorte, attended the annual conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese in Panama City.

Ginny Smith, physical education teacher, presented at the NJAHPERD Lake Conference on Pre-K movement activities and at the NJAIS Biennial Conference.

Arts Department Chair Amelia Gold made a video recording for the International Suzuki Association of Book 1 of the Suzuki violin method for a new educational app that will be used by millions of students and teachers around the globe. Three teachers in the world were chosen to perform.

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Laura Greenlees, first grade teacher, attended the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education’s workshop on the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching reading, while third grade teacher Beth Goldman participated in the Great Schools

by Design session at the American Institute of Architects National Convention in Chicago.

Michele Bower, director of curriculum and secondary school placement, attended the Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities conference as well as the ERB Conference called Lighting the Pathway to Student Learning with colleagues Paul Baly, middle school head; Ms. Brennan; Kathleen Visconti, director of admissions and financial aid and Allison Egert, Ed.D., director of special learning services. Additionally, Dr. Egert attended Myths and Realities in Education: Executive Function, Attention, and Learning Differences at Harvard.

Focusing on science, technology and the environment: Lower school science teacher Carolyn Milne attended the Elementary Level STEM Education Workshop at The College of New Jersey – Center for Excellence in STEM Education.

Sue Tummarello, lower school technology integrator, and Sarah Rolle, director of technology, participated in an online course entitled Tinkering Fundamentals:

A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning, designed by instructors at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Ms. Rolle, Marianne Malmstrom, middle school technology integrator and Carolyn Bliesener, fifth grade teacher, attended the International Society for Technology in Education Conference in June.

In addition, Ms. Malmstrom conducted a presentation on Minecraft at the NJAIS Biennial Professional Development Conference.

Liz Leff, threes teacher, attended an NJAIS workshop on sustainability practices in independent schools.

Laura McConville, who, in addition to being a threes teacher, is the program coordinator for Little School for our Summer Explorations program, attended the American Camp Association Conference.

Sheri Abel-Colao, environmental education teacher, participated in a Van Cortlandt Parkbased workshop called “Project Learning Tree” as well as Project WET, a workshop held at Duke Farms in New Jersey.

News, facts and events from The Elisabeth Morrow School

Welcome!

New Parent Picnic

Celebrate

National Chemistry Week

20 Years

The Elisabeth Morrow School

Summer String Festival 2015 The Summer String Festival, The Elisabeth Morrow School’s premier music day camp for children from four to 13, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a gala performance and reunion of its alumni.

“When Summer String started out with only 77 campers, we could not have dreamed that it would grow to be the institution that it has become,” says Amelia Gold, music director of the Festival and arts department chair. “Although this is a competitive, audition-only program where children can really focus on their music, what makes it magical is our program’s focus on young children and how much fun our campers have.”

Last year, the program served 253 campers and 88 counselors, most of whom were former String Festival students themselves.

For many years, the Festival has had a robust financial aid program and busing from New York City, allowing many children from throughout the tri-state area and beyond to participate.

“This program is all about community and the love of music making,” Ms. Gold says. “During the Festival, the children’s hearts soar, their musical skills are deeply enhanced and their connection to each other as artists is a transformational experience for them.”

The New Parent Picnic, sponsored by the Parents Association, is held at the beginning of the school year on the lawn of Head’s House. Students and their families gather to share food and fun and get warmly welcomed into The Elisabeth Morrow School community.

“The Picnic is great for new parents to meet one another across the grade groups and begin getting integrated into the community,” says Adela Waymouth Skinner, Parents Association President. “It’s a nice way to create bonds that help people feel connected to the school and one another, and it gets the year off to a great start.”

The Picnic is followed by Family Field Day, where parent and middle school volunteers come together to organize games, activities and, yes, more food for the entire school community.

In October, our seventh graders again had the special opportunity to participate in National Chemistry Week at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, hosting their own booth with several demonstrations, interacting with the public and explaining the activities offered.

They were the only middle school group doing so.

Coordinated by the North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS), National Chemistry Week is a community-based annual event that unites ACS local sections, businesses, schools and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life.

This year’s theme, “The Sweet Side of Chemistry — Candy,” invited participants to think about the chemistry in candy making, certain properties of candy and much more.

“This is just one of the many opportunities we encourage our students to get involved in that allow them to have real-life, applied experience using the valuable information they learn in the classroom,” says Head of School Aaron Cooper.

EMS Welcomes New Faculty The Elisabeth Morrow School was excited to welcome new faculty and staff members to our school this year. Pictured (left to right) are David Messler, Amy Man, Stephanie Nebel, Kendra Pettis, Elizabeth Welch, Jane Zagajeski, Claire Santoro and Jim Ruff. Not pictured: Charlene Bishop, Trish Felix, Jennifer Forchelli and Kathleen Visconti.

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cover story

Full

STEAM

Ahead

by Sarah Rolle, Director of Technology

Imagine programming an electronic car to move around the floor or constructing musical instruments from recycled materials and learning about the physics behind high and low notes. What about creating a video game and playing it with controllers that you have designed and printed on a 3D printer or building a virtual tour using GPS technology?

Now imagine building a robot, constructing wearable art containing electronics or designing the blades for wind turbines, with the aim of producing as much energy as possible.

What do these all have in common? STEAM. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) and their intersection is pervasive throughout our lives. While the term STEAM may be new in our vocabulary, the concepts of interdisciplinary, open-ended and problem-based learning that help make education relevant for our students have 6 APPLETREE

long been embedded in the EMS learning culture. What’s new in our STEAM initiative is a focus on the iterative process that is naturally a part of engineering and design.

Much like combining literature and social studies in the humanities makes students’ understanding of the human experience come alive, connecting scientific and quantitative disciplines with art and design allows students’ natural capacity for innovation to thrive. This focus on innovation will be supported over time as teachers guide students to design solutions to real-world problems often including the use of new technologies.

A maker mindset (trying new things, playing with materials, creating and innovating) is integral to the iterative process that helps students learn that design and creation involve testing and revising over and over. Applying concepts learned in different disciplines helps students understand that there are many answers to a single problem. Students develop the patience to keep working on the same project over time and come to the important realization that the knowledge they gain can be applied to future challenges. The maker mindset is an integral component of STEAM. In order to provide the most appropriate learning environments in each division, the spaces where maker-type activities occur will vary.

The spaces and materials used in this program will evolve over time

as students help shape them. Through play and experimentation, students will test and give feedback to help develop these agile learning environments.

“Applying concepts learned in different disciplines helps students understand that there are many answers to a single problem. Students develop the patience to keep working on the same project over time and come to the important realization that the knowledge they gain can be applied to future challenges.”

EMS continues to have amazing opportunities for learning and, as our STEAM initiative grows over time, students will be better prepared for their future as they see the natural way in which different disciplines come together in the real world. This in turn will boost their thinking skills in all situations. Tinkering, playing and searching for answers to open-ended problems will prepare our students for their future, no matter what path they choose.

A STEAM GLOSSARY Maker Space These are spaces where individuals can gather to create, invent, and learn. They often have 3D printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies and tools, and more.

Tinkering The concept of exploring materials with a focus on finding new, different or improved uses.

Open Source Software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified.

3D Printing Any of the various processes for creating a 3D object. The primary process used is one in which successive layers of material are laid down based on a 3D model designed on a computer.

Programmable Microcontrollers Mini, specialized computer chips found in many household items.

They are also used to program wearable art and electronics, among other things.

Chilton House Tinkerers

by Tricia Eickleberg, Director of Early Childhood Programs

If you wander through the early childhood or kindergarten classrooms, you will notice busy children working with a variety of materials.

These manipulative materials are open-ended and help develop various skills as the children work with them. There is no one “right” way to play with them.

Much thinking and tinkering occurs as they construct, design and assemble the materials.

The unit blocks are also excellent for challenging the children to work creatively with a material that allows them to do something different each time they come to the area. With

both blocks and table materials, the children may be asking themselves numerous questions that encourage problem solving: • What can I do with this toy?

• Can I make something new with these shapes?

• How does this work?

• What if I try it this way today?

• Will it fall down if I build it high?

• Can I make a different design when I mix them up?

“Tinkering” is one of the words you will see a lot when talking about STEAM in education. It is natural for children to ask why

or how from the youngest ages. Hands-on experiences, with open-ended results, are extremely important to help develop good 21st-century thinking skills.

Teachers vary the materials that they have to help develop different tinkering skills. Nuts and bolts are used differently from pattern blocks, and both encourage children to think as they manipulate the materials. The work is constructive and purposeful, but self-directed.

Even with our youngest students, we are creating strong thinkers and tinkerers in developmentally appropriate classrooms.

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feature story

Mapping Out the Journey Finding the Right Secondary School

Finding the Right Fit — Twice “People talk about the secondary school process being stressful, but we really enjoyed it,” says Jodee Fink P’14, P’14.

Jodee and Larry Fink enrolled Claire and Regina in The Elisabeth Morrow School when they were 8 APPLETREE

kindergarteners. Then, they weren’t thinking about a time when the twins would have to leave EMS. “Even in seventh grade, when I would ask them where their friends were thinking of for high school, they would brush me off, saying,

‘We are all too sad and we don’t want to talk about it.’”

But soon enough, the family was immersed in the process.

Jodee worried that high schools would look unfavorably upon an application from one twin but

not the other. “It was great to be able to talk the process through with Michele Bower, director of secondary school placement, because she was able to assure us that schools understand that twins want to have their own educational

by Michele Bower, Director of Curriculum and Secondary School Placement

In the secondary school placement process at The Elisabeth Morrow School, parents and students get to know each other (and themselves) in new ways. As they begin the journey together, everyone benefits from the experience of navigating a complex and competitive process.

Seventh Grade: Discovery

Eighth Grade: Decisions

The search for a new school requires many decisions: boarding or day, large or small, near or far, single-sex or coed. The threes-through-eighth grade education that EMS offers allows families to choose a school that takes their adolescent’s desires into account while reflecting the values and priorities of the entire family.

Our eighth graders have a busy fall as they attend open houses, complete applications, schedule interviews and take admissions tests. It can be a

We begin the spring trimester of seventh grade with a parents’ orientation meeting to discuss the nuts and bolts of the process and a panel discussion for these families with parents of recent graduates. Separately, we invite admissions directors to another panel to discuss their schools.

In May, we host a large Secondary School Fair with representatives from dozens of day, boarding, parochial and public magnet schools. We also encourage parents to visit school websites to get a good sense of the institutions’ offerings and culture. Families then meet with the Director of Secondary School Placement through the rest of the school year and summer to discuss their child’s learning profile, interests, options and begin to generate “the list.”

experiences.” Very quickly, the girls settled on their own locales — Claire liked the suburban campus feel of the Masters School, and Regina wanted the bustle of New York City and chose a single-sex education at the Spence School.

“Our students have always impressed high schools with their intellectual interests, talent and maturity.” stressful time, but our students participate in a weekly class called Decisions that makes the process easier by helping them prepare for interviews, organize their materials and answer their questions about the process and high school life.

Beginning in January, with the application process largely completed, the waiting game begins. Our students have always impressed high schools with their intellectual interests, talent and maturity, so we receive a lot of positive feedback about how our students are faring in the process. As the students are notified, we help families sort through their options and pick the best fit for them. By the end of the spring, they have all found a new home.

Knowing each of our graduates well and allowing them the space and time to develop their myriad passions is the key to their success in the secondary school process and in life. We are proud guides on the journey, but the accomplishment is truly our students’ own.

“Academically, the transition could not have been more seamless,” Fink says. “They are both exactly where they want to be, and could not have been better prepared for the challenge of high school.”

Regina Fink ’14 and Claire Fink ’14 APPLETREE 9

graduation 2014 On June 20, 40 young men and women officially became The Elisabeth Morrow School’s newest alumni. Head of School Aaron Cooper challenged the graduates to use their capacity to think, their poise and maturity and their self-knowledge to advance their reputation in high school and beyond.

Rosemary Mills Russell,

Board President:

Everyone grows up physically; most people mature and expand their knowledge. The world would be a boring place if no one changed after eighth grade. You have accomplished a tremendous amount in your time at Elisabeth Morrow. The school and your parents are proud of your academic accomplishments and awards, the acts of kindness and compassion you have exhibited and your artistic achievements. But within each of you exists the opportunity to do more.

August DuBeau ’14: At EMS, we have learned how to not only be a student but a friend, or just a decent human being. At other schools, sure, you’re going to learn basic math, English, history and so on. But here, we learn to treat each other with respect, in addition to academics. We’ve learned sympathy, empathy, respect — pretty much everything you need to learn in order to give and earn respect.

Now, leading into the big and scary real world, that means that us eighth graders will be prepared for anything that comes our way, whether it be a job interview or simply making small talk. I’m confident in saying that every one of my classmates has the social skills that they will need to succeed throughout their entire lives.

Natsuko Takashima ’10: After realizing all of this myself, my advice to all of you graduating eighth graders is to slow down and not to feel the need to rush to find your destination. Let yourself 10 APPLETREE

explore and continue to try new things. Even if you think that you aren’t interested in something, you will never know until you try. If you already know what your passion is, open your heart to everything you come across. Don’t let fears of failure restrict you. And even if you fail, it’s all right; failure is something you should learn from, not fear. Because failure is not the end but the beginning of your journey.

And, therefore, don’t let your focus revolve around heading toward an idealized final goal but step back and take your time to see the opportunities around you. No matter what, you will find where you belong, and everybody here today — your friends, teachers and family — is always there for support.

From 2010–2014, two or more EMS graduates have matriculated at the following secondary schools: 30 18 15 13 8 8 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2

Dwight-Englewood School Academy of the Holy Angels Bergen County Academies Riverdale Country School Horace Mann School Masters School Bergen Catholic High School Hackley School Academies @ Englewood Blair Academy Dwight School Fordham Preparatory School Lawrenceville School Paramus Catholic High School Peddie School Saddle River Day School Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School Convent of the Sacred Heart Loomis Chaffee School Spence School Trinity School

From 2010–2014, three or more EMS alumni have matriculated at the following colleges and universities:

Nurture the seeds that have been planted here and help them grow. Your years at EMS are a wonderful start and you will always remember your time here. Indeed, many years from now, you may reflect that the core of your success is due to a specific teacher who inspired you.

Keep these memories in your heart and forge ahead.

Remember who you are, but do not let anyone stop you from becoming who you can be.

Robert A. Kachikian P’14, P’21 and Trustee: Teachers know that they connect with so many of their students but are seldom told so. Go up to some of your teachers today, and thank them.

15 11 9 8 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4

New York University Columbia University George Washington University University of Pennsylvania University of Michigan Harvard University University of Chicago Washington University Yale University Barnard College Boston College Carnegie Mellon University Georgetown University Bucknell University Colgate University Emory University

4 4 4

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Syracuse University Tulane University University of Southern California Cornell University Northwestern University Holy Cross University Johns Hopkins University Lehigh University Muhlenberg College Rice University Rutgers University Tufts University University of Miami Wesleyan University

APPLETREE 11

advancement

Morrow Society Festivities The Englewood home of Daphné and Bill Helms was an elegant and inviting setting in which to celebrate leadership donors at our annual Morrow Society reception in September.

“Our donors to the Apple Tree Fund, especially members of Morrow Society, have displayed incredible generosity once again,” says Board President Rosemary Mills Russell. “It is because of them that we are able to provide this extraordinary environment in which our students can grow as critical thinkers and leaders.”

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APPLETREE 13

alumni and parent profiles

A Writer’s Roots at EMS

by Jan Abernathy

In the fifth grade, Pamela Moses ’82 collaborated with classmates on a book that her teacher deemed good enough to put in the Morrow House Library. Now, decades later, Moses has seen her first novel published to critical acclaim.

The Appetites of Girls, published this summer by Amy Einhorn/ Putnam, is a beautifully told tale of four college suitemates and their relationships to their families and food. It garnered good reviews and major magazine coverage. Moses, who now lives in Englewood Cliffs with her husband and two children, says that she sees a bit of herself in each of the characters, and enjoyed “writing about different women, each struggling with her relationship with food and how she eats and the much more profound struggles of being true to oneself and following one’s own dreams.”

The path to becoming a novelist was not a short one, the author says. “The first draft of the book took me three years. I started when my children were babies, and my son is now 12 and my daughter is almost 10. I worked on it off and on for almost 10 years.”

Prior to pursuing writing full time, Moses, who is hard at work on a second novel, taught English at the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City. Her experiences at EMS would form the foundation of her teaching style. “I always tried to be encouraging and bring out the positive in my students because this is what my teachers at EMS did for me. They focused on my strengths.”

After EMS, Moses attended Riverdale Country School and received a Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature from Brown University and a master’s degree in English from Georgetown University. Two teachers who really stand out for Moses were first grade teacher Miss McGavin, who is still a family friend, and Mr. Owen, who taught fifth grade, whom she describes as “just an incredibly creative and original teacher.”

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Photo: Erich Hüggler

“I always tried to be encouraging and bring out the positive in my students because this is what my teachers at EMS did for me. They focused on my strengths.”

Pamela Moses ’82

Miss McGavin’s classroom “was just magic. She was so incredibly creative. She was always teaching us all kinds of unusual poems.

We even wrote a play together as a first grade class,” she says. As for Mr. Owen, “He had so much respect for us and for our minds. He treated us as mature enough to handle all kinds of sophisticated, interesting and abstract ideas. I worked on the book project with two friends — we came up with the story, did the art and bound it.

When he asked us if he could put our book in the school library, it was such a thrill and made us feel like we accomplished something important.”

One of Moses’ closest friends today was a best friend from her EMS days, and, she says, the way that she was treated at EMS has had a profound impact on her life.

“From the time that we were in preschool, there was someone to shake our hands and to greet us, and that showed we were important enough for an adult to do that. It gave us a sense of dignity and told us that it mattered that we were there. That’s stayed with me and it has shaped me,” she says.

The Apples Fall Close to the Tree

by Jan Abernathy

For the Ranawats, attending The Elisabeth Morrow School is a family affair.

“I started here at the very beginning of my schooling,” Dr. Anil Ranawat ’86 explains. “I enrolled because my older brother was here — Chet graduated in 1983. Before him, my brother, Amar, graduated in 1980.”

Now, Dr. Ranawat is continuing the tradition. His son, Cooper, is in first grade and daughter Viviana is in the fours. Dr. Ranawat and his wife, Dana, a psychologist, moved from Manhattan to Tenafly two years ago. “We knew that you couldn’t compare EMS to any school in New York in terms of space and safety. This school is a combination of elite academics and diverse liberal arts exposure. It’s like a city on a hill, and the older you get, the further you can climb,” he says.

Dr. Ranawat attended Horace Mann after EMS, like his siblings, and later went to Duke University and medical school at Cornell University. He did additional sports medicine training at the University of Pittsburgh before moving to the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Now, Dr. Ranawat, also assistant team doctor for the New York Mets and Rangers, practices there in partnership with his father and brother, Amar.

“This school is a combination of elite academics and diverse liberal arts exposure.

It’s like a city on a hill, and the older you get, the further you can climb.”

Viviana Ranawat ’24 and Cooper Ranawat ’22

Having so many fond memories of EMS made coming back for the interview “major déjà vu,” Dr. Ranawat says. “It was my first time seeing the Cohen Center, but I could never forget Chilton House, Morrow House and even the Gymkhana.” He also remembers Field Day, assemblies and the Greek Olympics, where he was recognized for artistic talent, as particular highlights. “I was always a history and science guy, not really an arts guy, so being encouraged to write a play and getting positive feedback in something outside of my comfort zone made a huge impact on me.”

One thing that Dr. Ranawat noticed upon his return is how diverse EMS is today. “I love that my children’s classrooms mirror the world that they live in. It was an immediate draw.”

But the greatest gift for this father is seeing how much his children love EMS. “It’s no longer daddy’s school — it’s their school.”

Dana and Anil Ranawat ’86 with Viviana and Cooper.

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achievement

Proud to be Part of EMS History 20-Year Teacher Lori Lowell is a Second-Generation EMS Educator

by Jan Abernathy

For Lori Lowell, working at The Elisabeth Morrow School runs in the family.

“My mother, Elsie Lowell, introduced me to EMS 40 years ago when she became an early childhood teacher in Chilton House,” Ms. Lowell says. “This was at a time when Miss Chilton herself greeted each person who entered the building with a handshake. I would sometimes be asked to help out in a classroom when one of the teachers was absent, and so in this way, I got to know first-hand what a special place that EMS is.”

Over her 20 years at EMS working in both the classroom and aftercare program, Ms. Lowell has changed classrooms 12 times, taught with eight partners and worked for four principals. Her own sons, Graham and Nigel, attended our school, where they were taught by Carolyn Milne and Sandy Malko, both of whom are still here today, as well as Mary Hawkins, for whom the Chilton House Fair is named.

“It is wonderful knowing that families here care very much about their children’s education, have done their research, and when they have chosen our school, they have chosen wisely.”

Now a kindergarten teacher, Ms. Lowell is fortunate to have taught both the fours and first grade, so she is well aware of where her students are coming from and where they are going.

“When I came back to kindergarten, I understood fully how quickly students could adapt to the demands and structure of Little School,” she says. “That helped me see that the preparation that we gave them in Chilton House was very solid. The children were excited to take on new challenges.”

Ms. Lowell, who also works in the aftercare program, says that while the early childhood program has added many enrichment activities to its curriculum and continued to evolve its approach to literacy and numeracy, the strength of the program lies in the fact that there are two teachers in each classroom, and they each bring their own ideas to the program as well as allow the children the chance for discovery through play. “We have always been committed to integrated learning while still maintaining an open-ended approach,” she says. For example, Ms. Lowell says, she is passionate about block building in kindergarten because it’s such an open-ended material that develops so many skills as students work cooperatively. “Children can

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Ms. Lowell in her kindergarten classroom.

build anything in a group that they can imagine. It reaches into so many areas of learning.”

Over the summer, Ms. Lowell completed a picture book titled L is for the Little School, which helps illuminate the history of EMS for young children through the use of archival photography and memories shared by Patricia Hooven ’33 and Joan Van Alstyne Johnson ’34. The book ties neatly into the first grade social studies curriculum in which students learn more about the school. “I felt that it was important for the history of the school to be documented for our students while we still had many primary sources to draw from,” Ms. Lowell says.

Proud to be part of that history, Ms. Lowell says that it’s the community at EMS that makes the difference. “It is wonderful knowing that families here care very much about their children’s education, have done their research, and when they have chosen our school, they have chosen wisely.”

Book Fair Delights Readers of All Ages

by Jan Abernathy

The EMS Book Fair, a signature event sponsored by our Parents Association, was held November 11 through 13. In addition to a vast selection of books for all ages displayed in the Peter Lawrence Gymkhana, the Fair featured authors Elisha Cooper and David Lubar reading to students, and book talks with Middle School Head Paul Baly, Lower School Head Beth Anne Brennan and Librarian Claire Santoro. Of course, a very special part of the Fair was the traditional Kindergarten Flashlight Picnic, at which families picnic together in the evening and then take a “trip up the hill” to the Book Fair.

“The Book Fair highlights our Parents Association at its best, sponsoring events that raise much-needed funds for our school while deeply strengthening community bonds and providing an educational experience for our students,” says Head of School Aaron Cooper.

An Antique Restored Elisabeth Morrow’s nieces Constance M. Fulenwider, Elisabeth M. Pendleton and Reeve Lindbergh with the antique Morrow family dollhouse discovered at school last year, now lovingly restored for a new generation of children.

APPLETREE 17

athletics

Spring

Although the girls softball team had a losing season, the girls who came out for the team learned a lot about the sport. In addition to learning how to slide, steal and bunt, the girls all improved their throwing, fielding and batting skills over the course of the season.

Girls lacrosse had a breakthrough season this spring, with its first win in many years. The team went on to win three more times throughout its season. The girls had goals scored by almost every attacker this season, which showed depth and the ability to utilize all talented players.

Boys lacrosse finished a productive season at 3–5. The team began the season with a thrilling, come-from-behind overtime victory against Montclair Kimberley Academy. It finished the season by winning the rubber match against Dwight-Englewood with a gritty 6–5 win.

Fall

The girls soccer team showed tremendous effort and camaraderie with passing as their strong point. Their soccer skills improved throughout the season and they had one tie and five losses.

In its second year, EMS’ flag football team played four games, going 3–1 against St. David’s School.

The girls volleyball season opened up with a loss to Dwight-Englewood but came back to win their second match of the season against Tuxedo Park. Although their season record was 2–6, the girls pulled out an exciting win in their last game to end the season on a high note.

Our cross country team showed a lot of improvement over the course of the season. The last two races showed almost every runner setting a personal record for time.

Girls tennis had a productive, fun season. Their most successful matches were against Saddle River Day School and Montclair Kimberley School. The level of play improved throughout the season.

The boys soccer team worked hard this season in a campaign that saw them earn two wins, one tie and five losses. Even in their tie and losses, even when pressured by stronger and more skillful teams, they always found ways to mount an offense and tally goals.

18 APPLETREE

class notes HOW TO SUBMIT CLASS NOTES Please submit alumni news and updated contact information to Phyllis Kesslen, director of alumni relations, at alumni@elisabethmorrow.org.

1987 Dr. Jared Hertzberg and his wife, Gwen Glazer, are the proud parents of a new son, Lev Glazer Hertzberg, born on June 25. Jared works as a physicist for IBM’s Research Lab in nanotechnology and his wife is a librarian and writer, working for Cornell University. They reside in Ossining, NY.

1989 Danny Foster, Emmy®-award-winning producer, speaker, educa-

IN MEMORIAM Thomas R. Harshman ’75 Appletree was saddened to receive word of the passing of Thomas R. Harshman ’75, who died in 2011 of an infection related to diabetes. He is survived by his parents, Richard and Mary Harshman; a brother, Edward Harshman and a sister, Cecily H. Johnston.

Harshman, who lived in Providence, RI, graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, in 1979 and earned his A.B. from Princeton University in 1985, having taken two years off to participate in piano competitions. He earned his Ph.D. in English from Brown University in 1995, and was an adjunct faculty member at numerous colleges, usually in the Providence region, and most recently at Rhode Island College.

Class of 2010 Summer Reunion

tor and internationally recognized architectural designer, will present an adapted version of his TEDx Talk Looking Verses Reading: Filmmaking Architecture to our students this month. His work and presentation showcases his passion for increasing understanding and appreciation of the built environment.

Forster’s skill as an interpreter of architectural concepts first emerged as host/producer of the Discovery Channel’s Build It Bigger.

With co-executive producer Steven Spielberg, Forster created Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero, which chronicled the effort to rebuild lower Manhattan in the wake of 9/11. Principal of Danny Forster Design Studio, Forster teaches at his alma mater, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and Syracuse’s School of Architecture. He is currently working on several film, television and architectural projects worldwide as well as lecturing internationally on architecture, engineering and sustainability. Forster resides in New York City.

Unearthing a Treasure In early September, Christopher Barr ’86, who was visiting the area to attend brother Andrew’s ’89 wedding, stopped by EMS to show his own children where he attended school. Unfortunately, his wife’s wedding ring disappeared in the sandbox on the Chilton House playground. Despite an extensive search that day, no ring was found.

The next Monday, second grader Simoné Chariell ’21 was busy digging in the sandbox and came upon a lovely ring, which made its way to Tricia Eickelberg, director of early childhood programs. The Barrs were thrilled that their treasure had been found. Mrs. Eickelberg remembers Christopher, who was in third grade the year she began teaching at EMS. He is now working in Washington, D.C., as a staffer for the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee that covers the Middle East and North Africa. He fondly remembers his time at EMS and many of its traditions.

Christopher extends a huge thank you to the Rowbottom Family, who helped look for the ring the day it was lost. And he is particularly grateful to Simoné for choosing to dig in the sandbox that following Monday.

Simoné Chariell ’21 with Mrs. Barr’s ring.

(From left to right) Top: Sam Kirsch, Ben Kesslen, Josh Davis, Jaeho Lee, Niall Higgins, Emily Latinsky-Ortiz, Ashley Bryan, Bryan Rubin; Middle/Center: Rebecca Federman, Sofia Joseph, Victoria Lavinio, Natasha Nouri; Bottom: Phoebe Mattana, Lena Woo, Rachel Park, Isabella Oropeza

FROM THE BOOKSHELF Elizabeth Milne ’86 has published her first book, Accelerated Financial Closing with SAP (SAP Press). The book explores the entire financial close process from financial accounting to entity and corporate closing. It illustrates how to maximize the potential of SAP financial solutions and disclosure management to meet the latest regulatory and reporting requirements. This one-stop resource shows readers how to manage data integrity issues, optimize financial close processes and handle system integration.

Elizabeth, the daughter of our beloved science teacher Carolyn Milne, has more than 15 years of experience improving software solutions for multinational and multi-billion-dollar organizations. She currently manages the accounting and financial close portfolio for SAP Product Marketing.

Headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, with locations in more than 130 countries, SAP is the world leader in enterprise applications in software and software-related service revenue. Elizabeth is a graduate of Lehigh University’s College of Business and Economics and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

APPLETREE 19

class notes

then & now

2009 Vivi Ren attends George Washington University and is interning as campus strategist and brand ambassador for Modern Guild, which provides online mentoring for college students.

2014 August DuBeau sings in the Masters School’s male a cappella group The Naturals, and started his first year of study at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege program for viola.

YEAH YEAH YEAH! Congratulations to former EMS student Karen O (AKA Karen Lee Orzolek) on her first solo album. The lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs recorded the lo-fi set, which The New York Times calls “a time capsule and a burst forward” in 2006 and 2007. She is now touring in Europe.

Early African-American Alumna Shares Her Story

Science has always been a hands-on endeavor at The Elisabeth Morrow School and our students participate in robotics and learn basic programming in Little School. Our archives are filled with pictures like the one above. Can you help identify these students and the year this was taken? This photo pairs perfectly with the one below of a student fine-tuning a project he made in his robotics elective.

by Jan Abernathy

Caroline B. Jackson Smith ’58 visited one Friday afternoon in the late summer and shared her story with us. One of EMS’ earliest black students, she is now Professor of Theater and Africana Studies at Oberlin College.

“Our family was introduced to EMS by Caroline B. Chapin, who was one of the founders of the Englewood Urban League and in the first graduating class at the Dwight School. My grandfather went to Andover and Harvard due to the support that organization provided, and he and Miss Chapin remained close. She later supported my father and uncles there as well,” Smith says. “When I was born, my parents named me after her, and she was my godmother.”

Smith entered EMS in 1956, when she was four. Historical records show that the EMS board first considered a black candidate for admission (who was also introduced by the Urban League) in 1952.

All of the other students were white, and though there seemed to be some controversy around admitting her, Smith says, “I had no negative feelings being there. I remember the big birthday parties and how clear it was to me that I was around people with much greater resources. I have strong memories of spending a lot of time playing, and of play being valued as learning. My favorite memories are of the bright, sunny rooms and the beautiful grounds.”

Later attending Englewood Public Schools, she says that she was well-prepared by the EMS curriculum, commenting that “my first grade teacher was impressed by my reading skills.” Her younger brother, Bill, attended EMS, and her mother was a piano teacher here before heading a large social service agency in Bergen County.

The family later moved to Cambridge, MA. Smith attended Yale University. Pleased that EMS is now so committed to being a diverse, inclusive environment, she is glad she returned. “I still feel a strong sense of connection, and visiting reminded me of how much I was a part of this world as well as the community I lived in.”

20 APPLETREE

SAVE THE DATE Adult Alumni Party

Tuesday, January 27, 2015 • 6:30–8:30pm The Brickyard Gastropub, 785 Ninth Ave, New York, NY

Let’s Reconnect

“I never knew school could be like this.”

“After visiting EMS and spending one morning there, my son said to me, ‘I never knew school could be like this. Please, can I go here?’ He is now a college freshman and still recalls his years at EMS as some of his best. He soared, both intellectually and emotionally. The other day, he said to me, ‘Mom, I just hope one day I can send my kids to EMS. It is truly an amazing school.’ ”

Your gift helps The Elisabeth Morrow School to continue to be the amazing school students dream of sending their own children to.

Ways to Give: The Apple Tree Fund can accept gifts by check, American Express, MasterCard, Visa or appreciated securities.

• To give online: www.elisabethmorrow.org and click “Giving.”

• To make a gift of securities, please contact Penny Lippe in the development office at plippe@elisabethmorrow.org or 201.568.5566 x7222.

Corporate matching gifts enable you to double, or even triple, your gift to EMS. Simply complete a matching gift form from your company’s human resources department and send it to EMS along with your gift.

The Apple Tree Fund

giving@elisabethmorrow.org www.elisabethmorrow.org/giving

The Elisabeth Morrow School 435 Lydecker Street Englewood, NJ 07631 Return Service Requested

calendar of events Tuesday, January 27.................................Alumni Party 6:30–8:30 pm Location: Brickyard Gastropub, 785 Ninth Avenue, NYC For guests 21 and older Thursday, February 5............................ Winter Social Location: EMS For adults in our EMS community Friday, May 15......................................................Field Day Tuesday, June 9...............................................Graduation Monday, June 15........................ Triple A Camp Week String, Jazz, Theater, Sports and June Express June 22–August 7....................Summer Explorations August 10–14......................... Summer String Festival