Bulletin Board | Spring/Summer 2008

bulletinboard S P R I N G / S U M M E R 20 08

Fo r A l u m n i , Fa m i l i e s , a n d Fr i e n d s o f E l m wo o d Fra n k l i n S c h o o l

w w w. e l m wo o d f ra n k l i n . o rg

Elmwood Franklin School is Western New York’s oldest pre-primary through eighth grade independent school, emphasizing high academic achievement, good study skills, and positive character development.

Elmwood

Franklin

accepts

qualified

students without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.

2008 • 2009 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Alice Jacobs, President Philipp L. Rimmler, Vice President Michael Hogan, Treasurer Grace Walsh Munschauer ’70, Secretary Paula Ciprich Shashi Davae

Gifts that keep on giving.

T H E E L M WO O D F R A N K L I N S C H O O L K E Y S O C I E T Y

Ravi Desai Matthew Enstice Annette Fitch Arthur Glick ’71 Alison Keane George Kermis Madeline Ambrus Lillie ’64 Eric Lipke Elizabeth Duryea Maloney ’70 Gail Mitchell

As you consider your investments in the future, we hope you will include investing in the future of Elmwood Franklin School and its students. The

M. Bradley Rogers Trini Ross Michele Trolli

Elmwood Franklin School Key Society recognizes individuals who have provided for the school through planned giving.

2008 • 2009 ALUMNI COUNCIL

One such gift is a Charitable Gift Annuity. Here are just some of the benefits: • A tax deduction for your gift • Guaranteed income for life • Annuity income is partially tax-free • Capital gains tax savings on appreciated property you donate • The remaining principal goes to Elmwood Franklin School when the contract ends

Stephen Kellogg, Jr. ’77, President Amy Decillis Bard ’86 Gitti Barrell ’71 Tricia Barrett ’92 Kristin Schoellkopf Borowiak ’82 Kary Fronk Clark ’91 Rob Drake ’96 Charles Hahn ’68 Susie Lenahan Kimberly ’64 Madeline Ambrus Lillie ’64 Kim Rich Lupkin ’80 Elizabeth Duryea Maloney ’70

W H Y WA I T ? P L A N YO U R L E G AC Y TO DAY. Call Julie Raynsford Berrigan at 716-877-5035 or visit www.elmwoodfranklin.org and select “Planned Giving” under the Giving dropdown menu to start planning your gift today.

Samantha Friedman Olsen ’00 Howard Saperston III ’85 Mary Franklin Saperston ’60 Eric Saldanha ’85

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S P R I N G / S U M M E R 20 0 8

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HEATHER SMITH ’90 Heather Smith really believes that young people can just press a lever and change the country

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EARTH DAY Astronaut Gene Cernan shares his unique views of our magnificent planet with EFS students on Earth Day

HERE I AM Holocaust survivors Sol Messinger and Bill Eisen share their stories with eighth grade students

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES 4

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

6

FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

8

TIME TRAVELER

A poem written collaboratively by the Class of 2008

10

CLASS OF

2008

18

PREP WORK

A look at the importance of play in education

22

MEET OUR PREP TEACHERS

24

THE FUTURE IS HERE

28

COME ALONG AND LEARN

With Prep I on their trip to the Williamsville Planetarium

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ALUMNI EVENTS

Graduate Brunch • June 8 All-Alumni Open House • June 6 and 7

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38 39 40 42 53

NEWS OF NOTE NAMES IN THE NEWS DAY TO DAY FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE CLASS NOTES

FAMILY TIES

Multi-generational families at EFS

50

ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE

By Madeleine McQueeney ’01

Eighth grade students planned, designed, and built cities of the future

The bulletinboard is published twice a year by the Development Office for alumni, families, and friends of Elmwood Franklin School.

C OV E R A RT

Nylon and wire abstract sculptures created by sixth grade students.

E D I TO R / W R I T E R

FOR CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Sally Jarzab

Please mail any address updates to Elmwood Franklin School Development Department, 104 New Amsterdam Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216, call 716-877-5035 or email development@elmwoodfranklin.org.

D E S I G N A N D L AYO U T

Rebecca Murak D I R E C TO R O F D E V E L O P M E N T

Julie Berrigan

visit www.elmwoodfranklin.org and select “Share Your News” under Alumni.

TO S U B M I T C L A S S N E W S ,

T E L L U S W H AT Y O U T H I N K

Please email opinions, editorials, and letters to the editor to sjarzab@elmwoodfranklin.org. Letters must contain sender’s name and contact information for verification.

4 FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

the curveball IS

OF TEN

JUST

A TEST

I thought I knew all about being a head of school.

After all, I’d already spent 17 years critiquing how others did the job. I thought I knew the things I did well and what I still needed to learn. I’d played many positions on the independent school team: teacher, coach, advisor, admissions director, division head, development officer, parent. Yet, I

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 5

was unprepared for some of the curveballs that were thrown my way as head of school.

I learned quickly not to ask the question, “Who does that?” The answer seemed invariably to be, “You.” Among the curveballs thrown my way that first year was fifth grade puberty class. The conspiracy theorist might think that this topic was purposely avoided during my interview and is nowhere to be found on my job description, but I like to think of it as a nasty pitch that had me off balance at first but that I’ve since learned to hit. After two years, there’s not a question the 5th graders can ask that will catch me off balance again. In the process, I’ve learned to anticipate the curveballs that come with the job and strategies to cope with them.

Although I’m a huge sports fan, I rarely count on sports figures for educational philosophy. Nor do I expect to find them on the op-ed pages of the New York Times. But just recently, that’s exactly where I found an interesting piece from former major league baseball player Doug Glanville, titled Hitting Curves (of All Sorts), on May 9, 2008. Just as I was reviewing the triumphs and challenges of the year and looking back on my first two years as head of Elmwood Franklin, I stumbled across this column that seemed to speak to my experience as an educator. And the more I thought about it, Mr. Glanville seemed to have captured one of the lessons we try to teach our students: “The curveball is often just a test.” We all have to face curveballs. Like a major league hitter, we sometimes only have a split second to decide to swing or let the pitch go. As Mr. Glanville writes, “We spend so much time

cruising along, looking to hit the straight and dependable fastball, that the audacity of something different can cause us to forget any and every tactic that once gave us comfort and success.” Most adults have developed ways to cope with life’s curveballs, but where did we learn this? And how do we know what to do when the situation is totally new?

Our students need to be prepared to hit the curve too, but teaching them how and when to swing and when to take a pitch is a long process, characterized by patience and practice. Prep is tee-ball. Like baseball tryouts, the teachers work hard in Prep to assess skills, try each “player” at each position to help determine where he or she might find success. They patiently build skills and, more importantly, build confidence through predictable routines, lots of encouragement, and trial and error.

By the time the students head off to first grade, they’re ready for live pitching. Just like on Little League baseball fields that are tailored to the skill level of the players, grades 1 through 4 provide opportunities for our students to grow and improve their skills. Their teachers only throw straight pitches so students can learn their own sweet spots. We expect each of our students to make an out from time to time, but they know they’ll have more opportunities and they learn from their mistakes.

As they transition to Upper School and prepare for the major leagues—high school and college—our students begin to see more and more curveballs. Academically and

socially, the game gets more challenging and our teachers work hard to support and encourage each student to be patient and disciplined and learn to deal with more challenges. Our Upper School students get batting practice everyday in the form of science, math, English, music, and the rest of their classes. They learn to master their approach to academics, athletics, the arts, as well as relationships with peers and teachers. EFS students demonstrate that they are prepared for every type of challenge that is thrown their way, and we provide them with the opportunities to step to the plate as often as it takes to develop their metaphorical swing. As Mr. Glanville points out, “You can win your battle with that curveball by just taking it in stride.”

This edition of Bulletin Board offers a few more baseball analogies. The article on our Prep department shows the benefits of playing the field. The feature on Heather Smith ’90—whose drive and focus brought her to her role as executive director of Rock the Vote—conveys the importance of keeping your eye on the ball. And our coverage of the all-alumni open house in June will surely have you rooting for the home team. It just goes to show that, whether in person or in print, it always feels good to touch base.

Sincerely,

Tony Featherston

6 FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

a message from T H E

B OA R D

P R E S I D E N T

I am writing this column a week after eighth grade graduation, the first in which one of my children was a graduate. As I watched this group of accomplished young men and women walk across the stage, I thought also of them as the four-year olds many were when they first entered Elmwood Franklin. Although the smiles are recognizably the same, the transformation in them is hard to believe. Among many other things, they all offered a firm handshake when they received their diplomas.

FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT 7

What a gift they were given, to spend many of their formative years in this unique school, literally growing up together. I can now understand why our alumni often say that coming back to EFS feels like coming home. On behalf of my own family, we will be forever grateful for the teachers, administrators, staff and caring community of parents and fellow students that make such an education possible.

The Board of Trustees has had a busy and productive year. As part of our work to prepare for the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) accreditation process, the Strategic Planning committee, working with the administration and utilizing input from our surveying efforts, revised and updated our Mission Statement and Statement of Purposes and Objectives. This exercise provides us with one succinct and uniform message to convey what an Elmwood Franklin education is all about.

These statements will appear in our publications and throughout the school. Board discussion on this topic also served to solidify in trustees’ minds the values that are held near and dear to our community and that need to be maintained as part of an EFS education. At the same time, we are mindful that we must be open to changes in our society that suggest the need for changes in our educational process.

At a more concrete level, many of you have seen our new dining room, completed over spring break. Many thanks to the trustees who led the design and construction effort in coordination with Tony, Ziggy and others, without a single school lunch being missed. Many thanks also to numerous generous donors without whose help the project could not have happened, including the Rimmler and Foley families who gave lead gifts to the effort. Thank you also to all of our Annual Fund and Auction volunteers, who year after year produce fundraising results which stand up to some of the most prestigious independent schools in the country. Our community’s

longstanding generosity is critical to our ability to enable Elmwood Franklin to remain in the forefront of pre-K through 8 independent schools.

In the upcoming year, the Board will continue our strategic planning process. Like most independent schools across the country, we will be grappling with the issue of affordability, maintaining a balance between sustaining our program at its highest level while keeping our tuition as affordable as possible.

Long-range financial planning, which allows for the growth of resources to continue to support financial aid, will be critical to meeting the challenges of our demographic and economic reality. We will also engage in a campus master planning process, to evaluate options for future facilities needs.

Finally, I would like to thank three outgoing trustees, George Bellows, James Gately, and Seymour Knox, IV, for their outstanding Board service and dedication to Elmwood Franklin. They will be missed. We welcome four new trustees in the 2008-2009 school year: Paula Ciprich, EFS parent and secretary of National Fuel Gas Co.; Shashi Davae, EFS parent, EFS Annual Fund chair and active EFS volunteer; Ravi Desai, father of three EFS students, physician, and former Board chair of Westminster Early Childhood Programs; and Brad Rogers, head of The Gow School. The Board looks forward to working with our new trustees, all of whom I am confident will bring dedication and unique perspectives to the table.

Thank all of you for your continued support and interest in Elmwood Franklin. I wish you a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,

8 E F S G R A D U AT E S

traveler T

I

M

E

Composed collaboratively by the CLASS OF 2008 Arranged by M A RG OT V I N C E N T ’ 85

E F S G R A D U AT E S 9

I wake up feeling like a brick.

Today, I will depart.

Letting my imagination wander, My mind opens like a window.

I carefully clutch years of memories.

In the darkness of my room, A melody comes into tune.

I am sitting on wood chips, Surrounded by purple pencils— The building blocks of my future.

The wind howls outside, Blowing me from my shelter.

Flowers bloom and burst— Empty trees turn to full color.

A blink ago, I am grasping my mom and dad’s hands.

Tears scream how I don’t want to let go.

I wonder who that is in the photograph, Wearing the itchy blue wool vest, Hair neatly combed, Walking into a rainbow room.

I flip on the light of my memories.

ZZZZZT—the power goes out.

In the predawn hours, I fumble for a flashlight.

The yellow beam illuminates my mind.

The clock of my heart strikes 8:30.

Doors swing open.

Running, jumping, sliding through the tunnel, I am a reclusive Blue Bear.

My life goal is flying high on the swing set.

Here is where it began.

Numbers in a countdown fly by.

Years fill with fun, sadness, happiness, learning and friends.

I take residence in my second home—my shelter.

This is the place that glistens with my proudest moments.

I splash around in my memories.

The waves wash over me.

My hands begin to slip.

I keep holding on.

I blink.

I walk through the halls.

They whisper of bruises, cuts, scars on the brain.

Trees of lost time race past my window.

I am carefree and happy— Crying with sadness.

Smiling so wide it hurts.

I am heading on a voyage, To the far-off land of no more basketball at recess.

There are friends I might not see again.

My face softens.

I remain strong.

I blink—it is inevitable.

My first day of third grade.

Friends on the playground, Around the World, Fourth grade immigration.

A trek across the great divide to Upper School.

My class, loud and proud, Changed me in ways I will never forget.

No one will erase years of cheers, Chills and thrills, Small classes, good teachers, Cookies for snack, non-dress-code Fridays.

These are permanent-markered on my heart.

Diving into Beaver Island’s Blue-Gray water, I swim through Egyptian tombs and Medieval Times.

Traveling past a Pi day party, I catch a glimpse of the sunny trails of Onyahsa.

Emerging from the water, Memories litter the sand.

Some are deep and vivid, Others are barely there— Washed over by the sea of experience.

I try hard not to blink.

Kissing Bridge, Letchworth, Quebec and Pathfinder.

All of the funny memories.

The ups and downs are a wild roller coaster ride.

I blink once, then twice.

It is time for me to go.

From this wonderful place.

From this wonderful life.

I have to hold strong.

I have to move on.

This day I thought would never come.

Why do I have to leave?

I can’t concentrate— Excited for a new beginning.

I don’t want to move on, I don’t want to go back.

Standing on the bridge of adulthood, I teeter on the edge of my childhood prime.

Have I packed the right things?

What do I need for this trip?

Now it is the end.

My new world will begin.

Destiny rests quietly in the palm of my hand.

I gently close my fingers.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Daylight’s shrill voice calls.

Snapping off the flashlight, rain begins to fall.

A chorus of bon voyage swells.

The end of one journey becomes the start of the next.

Stepping onto the bridge, I quickly see that it is sturdy, secure, makes no noise.

My bag is perfectly prepared and packed.

I walk over my fears— To my new life.

The sun breaks through.

Joy lines my heart.

Truth dances and smiles in my soul.

Soon there will be a rainbow.

the class of 2008 F R O M

L E F T

T O

R I G H T

Seated: Melissa Jacobs, Brianna Simmons, Madeleine Schlehr, Amanda Chinn, Sarah Abell, Taylor Gillespie, Sarah Miller, Danielle Trolli, Kylie Jones, Nicole Casacci, Grace Clauss Row 1: Christine Stephan, Kaitlyn Henry, Hannah Elsinghorst, Hijab Khan, Julia Liguori, Erica Dalton, Susan Winkelstein, Minerva Ringland, Eliza Kaye, Victoria Lester, Catherine Williams, Sukie Cleary, Ivey Spier Row 2: William Zacher, Lachlan Kellogg, Lucas Walsh, Nickolaus Osinski, Louis Jacobs Row 3: James Blackwell, Matthew Stefura, Ryan Tick, Zander Metz, John Loree, Murray Bibas, Gabriel Bialkowski, Aaron Markel, Paul Fix

E F S G R A D U AT E S 1 1

Sarah Abell Gabriel Bialkowski Murray Bibas James Blackwell Nicole Casacci Amanda Chinn Grace Clauss Sukie Cleary Erica Dalton Hannah Elsinghorst Paul Fix Taylor Gillespie Kaitlyn Henry Louis Jacobs Melissa Jacobs Kylie Jones Eliza Kaye Lachlan Kellogg Hijab Khan Victoria Lester Julia Liguori John Loree Aaron Markel Zander Metz Sarah Miller Nickolaus Osinski Minerva Ringland Madeleine Schlehr Brianna Simmons Ivey Spier Matthew Stefura Christine Stephan Ryan Tick Danielle Trolli Lucas Walsh Catherine Williams Susan Winkelstein William Zacher

Buffalo Seminary St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Nichols School St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Nardin Academy Sacred Heart Academy Buffalo Seminary Buffalo Seminary Sacred Heart Academy Nichols School Nichols School Miss Hall’s School Nichols School Berkshire School Buffalo Seminary Sacred Heart Academy Buffalo Seminary Nichols School Nichols School Buffalo Seminary Nichols School Nichols School City Honors Nichols School Nichols School Nichols School City Honors Clarence High School Park School Buffalo Seminary St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Nichols School Nichols School Buffalo Seminary Nichols School Nichols School Nardin Academy Nichols School

3

o t e

o f

fÄądence

CON

Heather Smith ’90 really believes that young people can just press a l e v e r a n d c h a n g e t h e c o u n t r y.

1 4 G R A D U AT I O N S P E A K E R

THAT “ROADLESS RULE”—WHAT HEATHER CALLS HER BUT RATHER THAN GIVING UP GOALS, HEATHER JUST MAKE REAL PROGRESS, SHE HAD TO NOT ONLY WORK CARED ABOUT THESE ISSUES TO BUILD A BASE OF POWER, If only all young Americans were as motivated as Heather Smith—then her job would be done. She wouldn’t need to make appearances on the Today Show and Larry King Live, be interviewed by Us Weekly, Esquire, and Glamour, work with artists like Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé, or speak personally with the Presidential candidates on behalf of the 45 million young Americans presently of voting age. She wouldn’t need to travel the country, carry two cell phones, or work past midnight most weekends.

If all young Americans were as motivated as Heather Smith, they would already be doing what she and the organization she runs are trying to get them to do: vote. And by voting, make their voices heard. As executive director of Rock the Vote, Heather truly believes—despite commonly held notions in Washington and elsewhere—that young people can make a difference in politics.

According to Heather, the days when the youth vote could be ignored are long gone. An estimated 44 million 18- to 29-year-olds will be eligible to vote in 2008, constituting 21 percent of the eligible voting population. There are more of them than there are seniors, notes Heather.

Considering the surge in young voter participation in recent years (in the 2004 national elections, young people went to the polls in numbers marking the largest single increase in turnout among this population ever—and in many of this year’s caucuses and primaries, turnout has doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled the rates from four years ago), Heather has good reason to expect that this November will see the highest young voter turnout in American history.

“The proposition that young people don’t vote has finally been proven wrong,” said Heather. “We have propelled candidates to victory in both parties and reinvigorated our democracy with millions of new young voters this primary season. [Young voters] are now poised to be decisive in choosing the winner in November.”

Heather says that her work is to build a movement.

“We understand that if a difference is going to be made, we have to be that difference. As good as the increased participation has been so far, we need to act now to ensure it continues, grows and will matter for what we all care about.”

This year, Rock the Vote aims to register more voters than ever before (two million to be exact), engage hundreds of thousands of volunteers in a national campaign, and foster communication that will sustain these efforts post-election.

“My organization was founded on the principles of freedom of speech and artistic expression,” Heather explained. “There was an attempt by our elected officials in Washington to censor our music, and in the spirit of rock-n-roll, we rose up. Artists like Madonna and Michael Stipe used their voices to encourage young people to use their right as Americans to fight back when powers tried to deny our fundamental freedoms.

Hundreds of thousands of young people responded by registering and voting. Today our music is not censored, but our freedoms and future are more at risk than ever before, as there is incredible hunger, climate change, and inequality around the world. And young people have the power to do something about it.”

G R A D U AT I O N S P E A K E R 1 5

FIRST BIG VICTORY—WAS LATER OVERTURNED. SWITCHED TRACKS. SHE REALIZED THAT IN ORDER TO ON ISSUES, BUT SHE HAD TO CONVINCE VOTERS WHO SO VICTORIES COULDN’T BE REVERSED IN THE FUTURE. And if ever there was a testament to the power of young people, it’s Heather herself. She was named one of Esquire magazine’s Best and Brightest of 2007.

Having started with Rock the Vote as a volunteer at age 26, she’s risen to its helm in just five years, surprising even herself in some ways.

“I never knew how to answer the ‘what do you want to be’ question when I was younger,” Heather said. “In grade school and high school I just learned as much as I could and figured out more about my interests and skills. In college, I pursued leadership opportunities, new experiences, and the subjects that intrigued me. I have always been ambitious and intellectually curious—I graduated from Duke University with a major in economics and public policy and minors in Spanish and documentary studies and photography.

When graduating from college, I tried to find a job that combined my interests and skills to make the most impact I could have on the world.”

That ideal led Heather to her first job as a grassroots organizer working on environmental and justice issues for Green Corps’ Field School for Environmental Organizing in Boston. “I was supposed to work on Wall Street or attend law school,” she said. “My dad kept faxing me law school applications, but I didn’t budge.”

Instead, just one year out of college, she found herself entrenched in a campaign to convince President Bill Clinton to protect 60 million acres of roadless areas in the national forests. She was invited personally to hear the announcement that, in a final executive rule, those pristine wilderness areas were to be protected. As she rode the bus to the White House, amid politicians and leaders of major environmental groups, she couldn’t help noticing that she was the youngest one there—

“by at least 25 years,” she said. On the bus ride back, she remembered, “calls started to come in—dozens of media outlets, eight senators, and thousands and thousands of students were gathered all around the country to celebrate this victory. I yelled out the update from each state after each phone call, and [the others on the bus] all looked at me with fear and envy: young people were starting an environmental movement.”

That “roadless rule”—what Heather calls her first big victory—was later overturned. But rather than giving up goals, Heather just switched tracks. She realized that in order to make real progress, she had to not only work on issues, but she had to convince voters who cared about these issues to build a base of power, so victories couldn’t be reversed in the future. “My interest in voting issues grew from realizing that real power lies in those that make decisions, and those decision makers are influenced by money and votes.

Votes seemed like the answer, as the majority of this country wants the same changes I do. Engaging young people in politics was a natural way to ensure that the issues we care about get addressed.

“And in 2004, I led the largest youth voter registration and get-out-the-vote effort in history and increased young voter turnout by the largest margins ever,” stated Heather. “We did it again in 2006. And now in 2008…”

Well, that’s to wait and see. But Heather’s not afraid of looking ahead. What does she envision, say twenty years fron now?

“I can’t predict the future, but I can dream. I hope our

1 6 G R A D U AT I O N S P E A K E R

country has restored its role as a compassionate leader in the world, that climate change policies as radical as the problem itself have been implemented, and that the racial and economic ills of our country are being addressed in thoughtful ways. The only way these things can happen is if we take our role as citizens seriously and rise up. So, more than anything, I hope that in twenty years I can look back at the youth movement that we are seeing bubble up today, marvel at how it evolved, and feel like I was a proud and righteous instigator and leader for the 45 million young voters in our country who stood up and demanded a better future.”

hanging out with my friends, taking pictures, getting outdoors as much as possible, and writing. Oh, and I guess this is work now, but I love seeing live music.

What motivates you in your work? In your life?

A desire to make social and political change to ensure a more just and sustainable world. A deep sense of right and wrong. And a belief that if something is not as it should be, it is my and our obligation to do something about it.

What’s the most fun you have in your job?

I love the people I work with. I believe that if I am going to work as hard as I do, I sure better be working with good people who I respect and have fun with.

LIFE AS A “ROCK” STAR Describe yourself in three words.

Passionate, hard-working, fun.

How have you changed since your EFS days?

I’m just as intellectually curious, empathetic and stubborn, but now I have more questions than answers. I guess you can say I learned humility and let my answers get questioned.

Any specific EFS memories that you particularly value?

EFS is fully integrated into my memories of childhood and early adulthood. In many ways, it is simply the setting for many of the memories I cherish: Getting to spend time with my grandfather who drove me to school often on his way to work (and refused to stop at red lights!), meeting some of the people who remain my closest friends like Judd Bruzgul and Brian Mathias, painting my first picture (a hobby I still enjoy), and recently I was reminded of a game we used to play at recess that we called ‘Baba the All-time Spider’ when I saw my former classmate Babatope [Ogunmola] on Jeopardy!.

Where do you reside?

I live in a beautiful home in Washington, DC, though I seem to split my time between LA, NYC, and DC. How do you spend your free time?

Free time is hard to come by these days, with the elections heating up, but I spend the free time I have

What’s the toughest aspect?

The toughest aspect is that the work is never done. In the quest for a more just and equitable society, there is always more to do.

What has been your proudest moment in life?

That is hard to say. I am proud to be invited to speak at EFS. I am proud when I have helped to change how a young person sees the world and their role in it—I get letters and emails often thanking me for mentoring or speaking with or simply inspiring them. I was proud when my nephew was born—I made quite a scene in the LA hotel lobby where I was standing when my brother called with the news and told me his name. I immediately checked out of the hotel and took a cab to the airport to get on the next flight to Boston. I am proud that I have so many great friends and family. And I am proud that I live my values through my life’s work.

ROCK THE FUTURE Heather Smith addresses the EFS Class of 2008 Rock the Vote is well-known for using tactics that straddle the line between news and pop culture. Heather Smith’s commencement address to the EFS Class of 2008 was no different, beginning with a preview of Rock the Vote’s new campaign promotion, a video clip of Christina Aguilera singing “America the Beautiful” to her infant son, wrapped in an American flag.

“

“

G R A D U AT I O N S P E A K E R 1 7

JUST 18 YEARS AFTER LEAVING EFS, I AM NOW LEADING A MOVEMENT OF MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN OUR COUNTRY AND HENCE DECISIONS THAT WILL IMPACT ALL OF US HERE AND BILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

Some excerpts from Heather’s speech: “… I've spoken to young people all around the country and I've heard this same refrain: It’s our future. It’s our time. It’s time to rock the vote. We are each one, but together we are many. And it is our duty and right to believe and to envision a better future.

And to fight for what we believe is right. So, I say to all of you, ask yourself why when you see something wrong. Ask what an alternative might be. I know you can’t vote yet, but you can volunteer. See the community and the country. Give back. Sign a petition, go to a soup kitchen, volunteer for a candidate of your choice. When you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself, you realize the way you can play a role in our country’s future. You don’t have to do what I did. But you can seek the opportunities to learn the country and world and explore what your path might be.

I ask you to do this, because our future depends on it.

We need to engage as young people to build a movement that confronts the common challenges that affect us here and around the world. At a time when the ice caps are melting, we need you to lead a global climate movement. At a time when the education system is struggling and college is not affordable for most, we need you to lead a movement for better wages for teacher and quality education for all. At a time when the city of New Orleans still has children living in empty trailers, we need you to lead a movement to help those in poverty in our country. At a time when our country is at war and our reputation abroad embarrassing, we need you to work for peace.

Our country, our democracy, the nation and world that you are being educated to participate in actively and ultimately, by definition, lead, needs you. As Bobby Kennedy explained, it takes just one blow against injustice to call forth that tiny ripple of hope.

The dream of freedom and a just society are yours to envision and yours to create. Honestly, the future is yours, if you choose to own it.

You have a task ahead. In the next phase of your life, you will go to high school, you will learn more about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses as students and as humans, you will explore your own sense of self and what it means to interact with a larger society. And you should enjoy that, enjoy your youth. I also encourage you to use your energy to explore the world outside the halls of your high school as well and envision the impact you can have on the world. Just 18 years after leaving here, I am now leading a movement of millions of young people that are impacting the presidential elections in our country and hence decisions that will impact all of us here and billions around the world. … Perhaps it was learned from my parents and grandparents who are here today, or overhearing conversations from the company they kept, or perhaps the incredible education and great opportunity to explore that the schools like EFS that I had the privilege to attend afforded me. But I have lived my short life from the precept that if something is wrong, you offer an alternative. And that if something is not right, it’s wrong. And it is our imperative to call out and change that which is wrong and to lead a way down a more righteous path.”

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E 1 9

prep work THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORK AND PLAY IS A FINER LINE FOR SOME THAN IT IS FOR

OTHERS. FOR PREP STUDENTS – AND THEIR TEACHERS – IT OFTEN DOESN’T EXIST AT ALL.

A list of rules hangs on the wall in one of the Prep classrooms. Some of the rules have to do with following directions, raising your hand, minding your space. The last one, which reads “Be ready to learn,” might bring to mind rows of children sitting silently at desks, attentively awaiting their teacher’s instruction. Well, it’s late morning on a typical Prep school day, and the kids are not in their seats. They are climbing on monkey bars, building with wooden blocks, working with picture puzzles, standing at easels with cups of brightly colored paints. They are gluing pom-poms and feathers onto paper. They are sitting on cushions reading books they have

chosen themselves. They are imagining they are veterinarians, caring for a menagerie of stuffed animals. They are following the rules of the classroom. They are indeed ready to learn.

This segment of the day is for what the Prep teachers might refer to as “self-directed, openended activity,” a pedagogical term for, more simply, playtime. Like all Elmwood Franklin teachers over the past century, they understand what contemporary researchers are now emphasizing: that play is not just conducive to learning, it’s essential.

2 0 FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

NOT JUST FUN AND GAMES Child’s play, as it turns out, is not mere child’s play. It is imperative to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children. In fact, play is so important to optimal development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child. So states a 2006 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) entitled, “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds.” The report was written in defense of play and in response to forces that have led to reduced recess in many schools.

monitoring, assisting, watching, and most importantly, learning—learning how the children think, how they move, how they interact, how they learn. These observations help the teachers understand their students in ways they couldn’t otherwise and are useful when the time does come to sit down for a lesson. Teacher Shellonnee Chinn finds this perspective valuable.

“Sometimes the children experience things but cannot articulate what they are going through,” she says. “You often have to be the student of the student.” Alyssa Schwabe finds that the children have many things to impart. “I learn from them every day—from creative problem-solving to how to truly embrace the moment.”

PLAY AT WORK

The report cites findings that recess periods have been eliminated in 26 percent of kindergarten programs – and with some unfortunate consequences. Research indicates that the decrease in play may have implications on children’s ability to store new information, the discordant academic achievement between girls and boys, and the rates of childhood obesity, anxiety, and depression.

Besides the obvious physical benefits of promoting health and fitness, play equips children with some important cognitive benefits as well. Play is important to healthy brain development and has been shown to help children adjust to the school setting and to enhance children’s learning readiness, learning behaviors, and problemsolving skills.

Recess has an important function for teachers, too. For one thing, children’s joy is contagious. “There is no sad day,” says Prep coordinator Patti Scaffidi. “The children walk in with a smile on their faces, ready to start the day.”

Watching as children learn, grow, and enjoy themselves is a high-point for every Prep teacher.

And while the Prep kids are bustling about the classroom or running around the playground, the teachers are

While the report touts the importance of free play, it also recognizes the value of structured activity and instruction, which, of course, doesn’t have to mean that the fun is over. “All aspects of learning can be fun, exciting, and motivational,” says teacher Joy Cianciosa. In fact, the entire Prep environment could be described as playful. What other word could describe a teacher and a dozen children dancing around to a song entitled “Big Underwear” while wearing over their regular clothes— you guessed it—big underwear?

“That’s the kind of crazy things we do here sometimes,” says Joy, by way of explanation. A little girl with a brown ponytail and big red boxer shorts with stars all over tells it how it really is: “We do crazy things all the time!”

Even core academics, such as reading, writing, and math, often take a fun approach. In Shellonnee’s Prep II reading group, students team up against the teacher in a sightword reading challenge, cheering each other on. In morning meeting time with Eileen McCarthy, students develop math skills with a daily poll, tabulating how many children have a pet, how many like bananas, or how many have yellow daffodils growing in their yards.

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E 2 1

In Prep I, students participate in learning activities that revolve around a central theme and reinforce other aspects of the curriculum. The little veterinarians mentioned before, for example, were conducting their imaginative play in the middle of a unit on zoo animals.

Even snack time ties in the theme, as teacher Kathryn Murray makes food choices that corroborate lessons.

Students get to pretend they’re turtles as they munch on broccoli, blueberries, and “worms” (really sliced bologna).

How much fun is that?

“Children’s interests always drive the topics and themes covered in Prep,” says Kathryn. “The sky's the limit when it comes to the inquisitive nature of the young child. We try to position ourselves as a guiding hand, open to spontaneity and discovery, as together we explore the wonders of the world around us.”

PART OF THE WHOLE The role that play has in overall learning and development fits in with Elmwood Franklin’s “whole child” approach to education, which views each child as a unique and multi-faceted being.

Teacher Jill Jacobs finds that this philosophy serves to make her experience more challenging—and also more gratifying. “The continuing needs and challenges of the children have made me a better teacher—more understanding and accepting and very tolerant of different learning styles,” says Jill. “I am constantly readjusting my teaching style to meet the changing needs of the students.”

Not only is each child’s development complex, the different components of learning—linguistic, mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal—are all inter-related. And so it only makes sense that time on the playground would benefit time in the classroom, that the workings of the

imagination would fortify knowledge of the real world.

“We teach to the whole child: social, emotional, physical and cognitive. All areas of development need to be targeted,” comments Clare Buchheit-Edson. “I find children now come to us with a rather strong cognitive basis yet weaker social, emotional, and physical development. It is exciting to teach and watch the whole child flourish. I love helping to lay the foundation.”

In the late nineteenth century, when Elmwood Franklin School had its beginnings, the concept of educating “the whole child” was considered a progressive concept.

Contemporary research now corroborates its effectiveness—something that our teachers have known firsthand all along.

“I feel that EFS is special because all of the teachers approach learning from an angle that meets each student’s individual needs,” says teacher Marny Karassik.

“We work really hard to get to know the children’s learning styles and personalities to teach them the required material. Along with the specialists and the special area teachers, we work as a team to provide a well-rounded curriculum so that each student can succeed.”

“Success” and “playtime” are not always twin concepts, but in Prep, where little bodies need to move, little minds need to grow, and little beings need to laugh, they are inseparable. After all, what good is success—in school, in work, in life—if you don’t know how to enjoy it?

The full report “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds” is available online at http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playFINAL.pdf.

2 2 FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

Our Prep Teachers J oy C i a n c i o s a , P re p I Number of years at EFS: 17 Birthplace: Buffalo What she likes best about her job: “No two days are ever the same!” comments Joy. “And it’s fun to have a new beginning each September. No matter how many times I have done something, I can still learn something new from the children!”

Something you may not know about Joy: She taught second grade at EFS for 10 years before moving to Prep. “I even did my student teaching here with Sybil in third grade.”

C l a re B u c h h e i t- E d s o n , P re p I I Number of years at EFS: 27 Birthplace: Buffalo What she likes best about her job: “Each day is different,” says Clare. “Unpredictablity is the only thing I can count on.”

Something you may not know about Clare: She’s been called “Dr. Vermiculture” in reference to her love of worms (yes, worms).

Clare explains: “I have a worm bin in my basement which allows me to do vermincomposting on a year-round basis.” Each spring, as her students rediscover nature, she introduces them to the study of worms.

S h e l l o n n e e C h i n n , P re p I I Number of years at EFS: 7 Birthplace: Buffalo What she likes best about her job: “I love having the opportunity on a daily basis to captivate and stimulate a child’s love for learning. It is gratifying to teach and learn with – and from – a child. These experiences make you want to do it year after year.”

Something you may not know about Shellonnee: “Teaching is my second career. I hold a degree in economics and labor and was formerly a corporate supervisor and trainer in Washington D.C.” Shellonnee also says she loves the outdoors, sleeping in her

eight-person tent with her kids, fishing, and singing around the campfire.

J i l l J a c o b s , P re p I I Number of years at EFS: 6 (20 as a parent!)

Birthplace: New Jersey What she likes best about her job: The kids, of course. But also, she says, “the people I work with, and the independence and trust from the administration.”

Something you may not know about Jill: She was voted “hottest mom” among all of her daughter Eliza’s friends, spouses, and significant others at Eliza and Brian’s wedding last year.

Ka t h r y n M u r ray, P re p I Number of years at EFS: 20 Birthplace: Springville, NY What she likes best about her job: What Kathryn calls the simple moments—“the simple smile when I’ve helped someone, the simple wonder in the curious heart, the simple wonder in the curious eye, the simple magic that comes when the light of knowledge twinkles, the simple moments when I have touched a life.”

Something you may not know about Kathryn: “I love fast cars and to ride around town all summer in my convertible!”

M a r n y Ka ra s s i k , P re p I Number of years at EFS: 3 Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio What she likes best about her job: What other job encourages so much laughter and singing? “Singing is like magic,” Marny says.

“A few notes and my students are quiet and ready to listen.”

Something you may not know about Marny: A former cheerleader, a former competitive swimmer, and a current AC/DC fan, Marny says she “finds peace” in cleaning.

Pa tt i S c a f f i d i , P re p I I Number of years at EFS: 24 Birthplace: Buffalo What she likes best about her job: Besides the friendships she has formed with her fellow teachers, Patti lists the children’s enthusiasm as a bright spot. “There are no sad days; the children always walk in with smiles on their faces, ready to start their day.”

Something you may not know about Patti: “I am a super-fan for local basketball teams – St. Joe’s, Niagara University, Nazareth College – and have been for thirty years.”

E i l e e n M c C a r t h y, P re p I I Number of years at EFS: 25 Birthplace: Buffalo What she likes best about her job: “I play with children all day and have a wonderful team of professionals/friends who keep me balanced.” And even after a quarter of century in the job, Eileen says, “I am growing all the time – professionally, technologically, compassionately, creatively, and as a woman.”

Something you may not know about Eileen: She taught at Canisius College for a few years, teaching the education students there about “what to do on the first through last day of school.”

A l ys s a S c h w a b e , P re p I Number of years at EFS: 8 Birthplace: Buffalo What she likes best about her job: “I find joy in the excitement of the inquiries and imaginations of the children. I love to watch their genuine friendships flourish and their interests soar. They are my sunshine!”

Something you may not know about Alyssa: She describes herself as a “gourmet chef wanna-be,” though many of her co-workers who are treated to her culinary creations would argue with the “wanna-be” part of that description.

Meet Prep Standing (from left to right): Kathryn Murray, Joy Cianciosa, Marny Karassik, Alyssa Schwabe, Shellonnee Chinn, Patti Scaffidi Sitting (from left to right): Jill Jacobs, Clare Buchheit-Edson, Eileen McCarthy Not pictured here is Molly Clauss, who teaches music and Friendship Club to Prep students.

Molly was profiled in the Fall/Winter 20072008 Bulletin Board.

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE 25

T

H

here FUTURE

E

A N D

D O N

’

T

F E A R

–

I

I T

S

LO O K S

R E A L LY

C O O L

.

HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO VISIT A

industrial areas, power plants, transportation

BEAUTIFUL CITY THAT SITS ON THE LAKE

systems, communication systems, and all the

ERIE SHORE AT 42.93˚ N AND 78.73˚ W.

other civic necessities.

Bustling with tourists and residents alike, this city enchants people with its beautiful

Omega, with its underground public transport,

waterfront, its close proximity to Niagara Falls,

domed park, wind turbines, and fuel cell

and its unique parks and architecture. Sound

factories, isn’t the only option. Other

familiar? It shouldn’t. It’s not Buffalo. At least,

possibilities include MECCA (an acronym for

not now. It’s the city of Omega—and it’s what

Modern, Efficient, Clean-climate Controlled

some EFS students think Buffalo will be, could

Atmosphere), a city in which agricultural,

be, in the year 2150.

residential and entertainment areas are housed in climate-controlled domes, and the City of

Eighth graders participated in the Future City

Vision, a concentrically designed city that

Competition, a part of Engineers Week, a

features vertical indoor farming and a carbon

national initiative that seeks to increase

nano-tube fiber optic communication system.

awareness of the engineering profession and technology and to help students better

The EFS teams competed against other regional

understand the practical applications of math

schools in January, scoring very well, particularly

and science principles. Students worked in teams

for first-timers (coming in 14th, 15th, and 19th

to plan, design, describe, and build a city of the

place out of 28 qualifying teams). Judging from

future (both a physical and virtual model),

their vision, our future is in very good hands.

complete with residential, commercial and

CLOCKWISE Cernan (left) and Schmitt aboard Apollo 17 during the final lunar landing mission in the Apollo program.

(12.17.1972) Cernan salutes the U.S. flag on the moon’s surface.

(12.13.1972) Cernan (left) and Evans under zero-gravity conditions aboard Apollo 17. (12.17.1972) Cernan driving the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the first extravehicular activity.

(12.10.1972)

Cernan walking on the moon.

(12.13.1972) Cernan coated with lunar dust inside the lunar module following the second extravehicular activity of his mission. (12.12.1972) Cernan checking out the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity. (12.10.1972) Cernan beside the lunar roving vehicle during the third extravehicular activity.

(12.13.1972)

CENTER The view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew while traveling toward the moon.

(12.7.1972) ALL IMAGES CREDIT OF NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER AND JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

THINKING BEYOND 27

A New Perspective on Earth Day Astronaut Gene Cernan shares his unique views of our magnificent planet.

FEW PEOPLE KNOW THE EARTH LIKE GENE CERNAN. WE MAY KNOW OUR OWN LITTLE CORNER OF THE EARTH, BUT WE DON’T KNOW ITS ENTIRETY. WE DON’T KNOW IT FROM 70,000 MILES AWAY, WHERE YOU CAN WATCH THE SUN SET AND RISE SIMULTANEOUSLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE EARTH. Captain Gene Cernan, who as commander of Apollo 17 in 1972 became the last man to step foot on the moon, visited Elmwood Franklin on April 22—Earth Day. The big-picture perspective he gained from numerous space missions makes him an effectual and inspiring Earth Day speaker.

“When I was young there was no Earth Day,” he told the fourth through eighth graders in attendance. “We took for granted the sun coming up, the breeze being clean, the water being clear. Now we are becoming more aware that we’ve got to be careful with it, that we must become more conscious of this unique, special planet that we live on.”

Earth Day is about responsibility, but it’s also about hope, something that Capt.

Cernan’s presentation supplied in no short order. He made it clear that it will be today’s children who must find a way to save the planet, and he has all the faith in the world that they can.

“Is there anything that’s impossible anymore?” he asked. “I urge all your

teachers—everyone—to go ahead and scratch the word “impossible” out of the dictionary.” For what seems unlikely, even unheard of, now, just might be tomorrow’s reality. “Dream the impossible,” he said, “and then go out and make it happen.”

“When I was a kid your age, and this goes back to World War II, all I dreamt about was flying airplanes. Going to the moon was only in comic books. Buck Rogers was the closest thing there was. I didn’t dream about becoming an astronaut, because astronauts didn’t exist. Now I’m standing here and telling you that I lived on the moon for three whole days.”

From the moon, he said, the Earth seems as small as a bead—but something about seeing it that way also makes apparent how big and important it really is.

“As you fly to the moon, the Earth seems very big at first, and then it gets smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller. The horizon closes in around itself, and all of

a sudden you see something that’s very familiar and yet very strange. You see the entirety of the world emerge, like a globe on your desk,” he said. “You can see from the icebergs of the North Pole to the snow-covered mountains of the South Pole, from the Atlantic Ocean across the entire coast of the United States, to the deep, dark blues of the Pacific Ocean, all in one glance.” He showed the kids a photo of the Earth from 70,000 miles away.

“You get way up there and you realize— hey, Earth is the only sailing ship you and I have to live on together. And it truly is a magnificent and beautiful planet. It’s our home.”

Capt. Gene Cernan’s presentation at EFS was underwritten by Delaware North Cos.

I M A G E C R E D I T : N A S A W W W. N A S A . G O V

Monster Flare On April 25, 2008, NASA’s Swift satellite picked up a record-setting flare from the EV Lacertae star. This flare was thousands of times more powerful than the greatest observed solar flare. A powerful explosion, star flares contain millions of times more energy than atomic bombs.

LEARNING ALONG 29

Come learn along and

with Prep I on If our solar system really is so large—

their trip to the one of the largest things a child can

Williamsville imagine—then how can it be that the Planetarium whole thing revolves around one small star? Join the Prep I students as they find some answers—by getting lost in space.

LEARNING ALONG 31

The Williamsville Space Lab and Planetarium,

located within Williamsville North High

School, is essentially a big, dark room. But it’s a special big, dark room, the Prep I students found out, as an enormous robotic star projector cast a realistically simulated nighttime sky onto the 30-foot-diameter dome ceiling and propelled its occupants into the lovely, starry blackness of space.

Facts about outer space are perhaps the most puzzling and intriguing pieces of information that children can learn: they are at once part of our universe and part of our imaginations. The many celestial phenomena reproduced by the star projector—moon phases, planetary motion, seasonal changes of the Sun and stars, constellations, and even a projection of the Earth—help kids better visualize the data they’ve studied, whether its Mars’ rusty red rivers, or Jupiter’s “gooey” air, or Saturn’s famous rings (which may be the broken pieces of former moons).

“We’re really moving!” marveled one student as the simulated stars began to swirl above the children’s heads, and she was right. The room was quite stationary, of course, but right here on Earth, as the students learned, we’re moving around the most spectacular star of all.

32 LEARNING ALONG

“We’re really moving” marveled one student.

Planet-gazing: the Real Deal

JUPITER The largest planet in our solar system is a

You don’t need a space shuttle—or even a

commanding presence in the night sky for much of the

planetarium—to see the solar system for yourself.

year. It looks like an intensely bright cream-colored

With a sky chart, binoculars (better yet: a telescope),

star, shining brighter than anything else in the night

and some perseverance, you’ll be viewing the planets

sky except the Moon and Venus. Jupiter is at

with your own eyes.

opposition in early July, when it appears brightest for the year and remains visible all night. Late in the year

MERCURY The solar system's smallest planet flits

it is visible only in the evening sky, dropping lower

back and forth from morning sky to evening sky

each night.

several times a year. It never strays far from the Sun in our sky, so it's tough to find in the glare. From the

SATURN Saturn looks like a bright golden star. It

northern hemisphere, it is visible in the morning in July

spends the year in Leo, the lion, and for much of the

and early November. The late-year appearance is the

year is close to Leo's "heart," the bright star Regulus.

best, because the planet will stand highest above the

It disappears behind the Sun in July and August, then

horizon. In the evening, Mercury is best seen in late

returns to view in the morning sky.

August through September, and mid-December.

URANUS Although it's the third-largest planet in the VENUS Venus, the dazzling morning or evening star,

solar system, Uranus is so far from the Sun that you

outshines all the other stars and planets in the night

need binoculars to see it. It spends the year in the

sky. It begins the year in the morning sky, low in the

constellation Aquarius. It stages its best appearance in

east shortly before sunrise. In mid-July Venus will

September.

appear in the evening sky, where it stays for the rest of the year.

NEPTUNE The fourth-largest planet in the solar system is so far away that you need a telescope to find

MARS Mars begins the year as a brilliant orange star

it. Neptune is in the constellation Capricornus and

high in the east at sunset. As the year progresses, it

stages its best appearance in August.

will grow fainter, shining only about five percent as bright in late summer as in January. It will disappear in the Sun's glare by around mid-October.

Courtesy of The University of Texas McDonald Observatory.

Meet Jake Jake, as he was introduced to the students, is the Spitz A5 star projector used to create the realistic simulated nighttime sky on the planetarium’s dome ceiling.

34 STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

Here I Am TWO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS S H A R E T H E I R STO R I E S

At right: Sol Messinger with his parents onboard the SS St. Louis during its 1939 voyage from Hamburg, Germany to Cuba. The St. Louis arrived in Havana Harbor on May 27 only to be turned away by Cuban officials and subsequently refused admittance to the United States. Fearful of returning to Germany, the passengers plead for refuge from world leaders, and on June 17 the St. Louis docked in Antwerp. Passengers were split among Belgium, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands after spending more than a month at sea. Despite having come close enough to swim to the Miami shore, many of the passengers onboard the St. Louis later died in the Holocaust.

36 STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

The bell rang just as Sol Messinger was at the point in his story when, after fleeing the violence of his native Berlin at the age of six, he and his parents escaped the detention camp where they were being held with help of the French Underground. He tried to sum up his harrowing story of loss, suffering, danger and—ultimately—triumph in a few sentences. “Finally, we came to New York City on June 24, 1942,” said Dr. Messinger, “and here I am.”

History doesn’t fit neatly inside a classroom period any more than a person’s life fits inside a single story. Talks by Holocaust survivors Sol Messinger and Bill Eisen to eighth graders, part of a combined history-English project, certainly showed this to be true. But there are always lessons to be learned.

“The point is,” Messinger told students, “these things can happen, and it is important to not allow them to happen again.”

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE 37

BILL EISEN

After listening to Dr. Messinger’s and Mr. Eisen’s stories, students wrote reports on the accounts and their reactions to them. Some excerpts:

“On May 8, 1945, Eisen and many others were liberated by the Russians. Eisen weighed seventy pounds and was in the hospital for four weeks. All the time, he was hoping that someone else in his family had survived. When he went back to his home, everything and everyone was gone. He came to Buffalo in 1947 to live with his uncle. …Eisen survived seven labor camps total and now works with the Holocaust Resource Center. He raised a family in Buffalo and calls them his ‘beautiful legacy’ he will leave behind someday. …Mr. Eisen believes it his mission to tell us about the Holocaust. He thinks that we should never forget what happened, so that it will never happen again. His message to us was tolerance of others, but he calls himself ‘a man who has lost hope.’ I think he should have hope. I believe that the world may have learned its lesson.”

-Minnie Ringland

SOL MESSINGER

“Mr. Bill Eisen was born in Miechow, Poland in 1918. In 1940, he was sent to the Ghetto where he was tortured, starved and beaten. In 1942 the Ghetto was liquidated.

People marched from the Ghetto to the trains. At the train station, Nazis selected people to go to the [labor] camps.

They sent these people off in one direction, and those who were not selected for work were sent off to be liquidated. …When Mr. Eisen was sent to camps, he was used as a tailor.

He made the SS uniforms. He claims that because he was useful in these camps, the Nazis spared his life multiple times. …Mr. Eisen told us that he survived because he had a mission. The mission was to pass on the message that genocide is a terrible thing and that if you see something wrong happening, the worst thing that you can do is to be a bystander. Mr. Eisen is a powerful speaker who touched my heart and soul with his compelling story about surviving the Holocaust, an unforgettable tragedy. … His story had an impact on my life. I will get involved when something is wrong. I will try never to stand by and watch people be hurt physically and emotionally.”

-Catherine Williams

38 NEWS OF NOTE

NEWS

OF

NOTE

Heads for a Day Enterprising students Parker Sanders (top left) and Ravi Davae (top right) each recently served as Head for a Day, assisting Mr. Featherston with his busy day by handling such pressing matters as deciding the dress code and choosing the lunch menu.

Great Job! Third graders Emma Zurowski (bottom left) and Parker Sanders each spent some time on the Elmwood Franklin front lines as Mrs. Kellogg’s assistant for a day.

Tell Me Another One Spell-binding storytellers Karima Amin and Sharon Holley (pictured bottom right with fifth grader Ryan Bronstein) spun

some African tales for Lower School students in January as part of the Prince Family Lecture Series.

And the Winner Is Publications produced by the Development Office recently received honors in two separate awards competitions. The Bulletin Boa rd magazine received a silver medal in the Excalibur Awards sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America's Buffalo/Niagara Chapter. The Annual Fund desk calendar received a bronze medal in the Excalibur Awards and another bronze medal in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards, a competition that includes entries from major universities from around the world.

NAMES IN THE NEWS 39

NAMES

IN

THE

SPORTS NEWS The third/fourth grade boys’ basketball team took the 2007-2008 league championship in the Father Schaus Knights of Columbus fourth grade play-offs.

The girls' Buffalo Ken-Ton Catholic League basketball team claimed the 2008 City Championship.

The girls' Independent League basketball team clinched its first ever undefeated season.

The girls' lacrosse team had an undefeated season in 13 games against East Aurora, Nardin, Amherst, and Williamsville South and out-of-state contests against teams from Sewickley Academy, Quaker Valley, and Mount Lebanon.

Blue-Gray co-captains for the second semester were Jaci Smith and Noel Andersen, Blue co-captains; Charlotte Jacobs and Joey Todaro, Gray cocaptains. The winning teams for 20072008 were girls’ Gray and boys’ Gray.

STUDENT NEWS Sixth grader Will Lahood took first place in Western New York, and ninth place nationally, in the elementary school National French Contest. Sixth grader Helen Boisaubin placed second regionally and tenth nationally. In the high school division, eighth graders Sarah Miller came in second regionally and sixth nationally; Erica Dalton was third regionally and eighth nationally; and Sukie Cleary placed fourth regionally and tenth nationally.

Eighth graders Minnie Ringland, Sarah Abell, and Amanda Chinn received silver medals in the 2008 National Spanish Exam, competing against mainly high school students. Nick Osinski, Kylie Jones, Aaron Markel, Eliza Kaye and Lucas Walsh received honorable mentions.

NEWS

National Junior Honor Society inductions in January included 21 new members: seventh graders Kayla Brannen, Alexis Bruzgul, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Kyle Cramer, Sarah Duncan, Maxcy Gayles, Emily Glick, Jourdan Green, Samuel Hausmann, Alexander Herer, Noah Horan, William Kuettel, Kenneth Lipke, Alec Long, Molly Mathias, Michelle Moreland, Autumn Rolack, Jordan Serotte, Valentino Tomasello and Thomas Westbrook and eighth grader Ryan Tick.

Pushing Up the Sky Awards were presented in February to fifth graders Ned Mathias, Ellie Powell and Tilly Powell; sixth graders Marc Cangé and Annie Cleary; seventh graders Will Kuettel and Angelina Buscaglia; and eighth graders Julia Liguori and Dani Trolli. In May, awards were given to fifth graders Joshua Biltekoff and Jenna Rich; sixth graders John Bassett and Sarah Obletz; seventh graders Jordan Serotte, Alec Long, Noah Horan and Lizzy Cappuccino; and eighth graders Gabe Bialkowski, Nicole Cassaci, Minnie Ringland and Hannah Elsinghorst.

Sixth graders Kristin Tiftickjian, Amber Chinn, Grace Louise Munschauer, Rachael Barnes and Matt Morris comprised the EFS team that took first place out of 48 teams in the middle school division and fourth overall (among 320 teams that included high schools) in the spring Stock Market Game.

Three EFS students placed in the 2008 SPCA poster contest: Joelle Cianciosa, Caroline Hogan and Isabelle Schlehr.

Eighth grader Paul Fix made his national television debut as an actor with an appearance on CBS’ “As the World Turns” in May. Seventh grader Maxcy Gayles traveled to Ghana in December with his father, Dr. Kenneth Gayles, as part of the Association of Black Cardiologists’

continuing education conference, where he met President J. A. Kufuor, chairman of the African Union.

Eighth grader Kaitlyn Henry performed with the 2007-2008 Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus Chamber Choir along with sisters Alayla ’05 and Alyssa ’07.

Prep II student Michael McClure won a gold medal for his piano performance at the Stamford Kiwanis Music Festival in Niagara Falls, Ontario in April.

FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS Prep I teacher Marny Karrasik welcomed daughter Anna Grace on June 5.

French teacher Marigrace Papagni had her photography on exhibit at the Charles Burchfield Nature Center this spring and took third place in the amateur photo category.

The photography of Debby Clark ’63, Dee Drew, Marigrace Papagni and Ziggy Piadlo was on display in the Anderson Lobby of the Johnston Theatre throughout the spring and summer of 2008.

PARENT NEWS The 2008/2009 Annual Fund will be chaired by Shashi Davae, Nena Rich and Scott Saperston ’86.

Chairs for Auction 2009 are Amy Appelbaum and Jessica Enstice ’89.

Dr. Andrew Cappuccino was named an Outstanding Citizen of 2007 by The Buffalo News for his medical care of injured Bills player Kevin Everett.

BOARD AND CORPORATION NEWS Corporation member Robert D. Gioia was named an Outstanding Citizen of 2007 by The Buffalo News for leading the effort to streamline hospitals in WNY.

4 0 D AY TO D AY

D

A

Y

T

O

D

A

Y

La montagne

Open with care

Old-school sounds

The seventh grade class stands in front of the Mont-Sainte-Anne, famed for its ski slopes, on their trip to Quebec in May.

Seventh graders filled and sent care packages to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.

Science teacher (and drummer) Steve Rao performed with his band, Ibis, in May, treating students to some soulfunk-groove-rock that was just perfect for a little break-dancing. The show was later broadcast by WBFO-FM 88.7.

Feel the rhythm

Pedaling toward progress

Cultural exchange

Celebrated musician Wendell Rivera brought his Latin rhythms to the EFS stage in April. Spanish teacher Maria Pesquera joined the performance for a demonstration of bomba, a dance rhythm native to Puerto Rico.

Percussionist Francisco Quiñones and science teacher Steve Rao accompanied, as the students and teachers were led through a hands-on show of drumming and dancing. The assembly was part of a multidisciplinary unit about Puerto Rican heritage.

Roswell Park Alliance members presented tips on bicycle safety to Lower School students in May, after fourth graders held a dress-down-day fundraiser for Roswell’s new Pedal Pals program. When combined with proceeds from the Upper School Multi-Cultural Food Festival in March, the student-sponsored donation to Roswell Park Cancer Center totaled more than $1,500.

Several members of the Bantu Youth Council, an organization of young Somali refugees, visited EFS in January to share their culture with the second graders who sponsored a book drive.

The teens told about their adjustment from living in homes of mud, cooking over a wood fire, and standing in line to draw water from a well to their new lives here in Buffalo. Not everything was an improvement, however: “We hate snow!” they agreed wholeheartedly, though pizza and chicken wings got the thumbs-up.

D AY TO D AY 4 1

Making friends through books

Stars on ice

Boogie shoes

Second graders ran a book drive to benefit Somali refugee children now living in Buffalo. New books were collected, wrapped, and donated to families in an effort orchestrated by parent Susan McGennis.

Upper School students participating in the “Around the Town” Option visited downtown’s Rotary Rink in January for some ice skating.

Prep students welcomed their moms to school in May and let loose at a dance party on the EFS stage in celebration of Mother’s Day.

E=FS2

Girl Power

El deslizador de crystal

Student Aris Acharya transformed into Albert Einstein, relatively speaking, for the third grade’s Famous People Convention in March. Students prepared creative projects and presented oral reports on the famous person of their choice.

Thomas Colson, the author of a book series entitled A Girl Named Pants, shared his motivational stories with EFS students in May.

The famous glass slipper—and everything else in Cinderella—got a Spanish translation as eighth grade Spanish students presented their own version of the fairytale classic en Español.

Family sing-a-long

High stepping

These boots are made for walkin’

Fifth grader Natalie Harden welcomed her father Harold, a noted choir leader, to music class in March.

Dancers from the Rochez Academy of Dance (including a few of our EFS students) performed traditional Irish step dance in the theatre in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in March.

First grade “cowgirls” pay a visit to the shoemaker in their class play, a modern adaptation of the traditional tale “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”

F

d覺rector of R

O

M

T

H

E

deveLop ment

FROM DEVELOPMENT 43

ON BEHALF OF OUR 374 STUDENTS, I SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR GIVING YOUR TIME, TALENTS, AND RESOURCES TO OUR GREAT SCHOOL. As you have seen in prior pages, Heather Smith ’90 was our 2008 commencement speaker and what a speech she gave.* We were honored to have Heather at Elmwood Franklin. She connected very well with our graduates, and they too seemed to connect with Heather. Everyone in our audience, regardless of age, affiliation to our school, or political leanings, walked away with a clear message: the Elmwood Franklin School Class of 2008 will be among our country’s leaders some day and in that process, they are sure to spark some important changes.

Our Alumni Council suggests potential graduation speakers each year (and they certainly outdid themselves this time!). The Council also organizes the alumni open house event we re-instituted two years ago. More than 40 alumni returned this year, with many joining us for a memorial tribute to former headmaster Russell Anderson.

A variety of alumni, former trustees and former teachers and administrators wrote in with their memories of Mr. Anderson. The memories were compiled into a book that was presented to Russell’s daughter, Sarah DeVantier ’68, during the open house. Not having known Mr. Anderson, I found it to be insightful and inspiring to read what so many of you wrote. Several former faculty members highlighted Russell’s sense of humor, yet also wrote of his dedication, the high standards he set, and the deep service he provided Elmwood Franklin. Our graduates from the ‘60s and ‘70s recalled reading The Buffalo Evening News each day, raising money for the Buffalo Zoo (which we still do!), and being served tea on Wednesdays. The stories were very moving and it was more than clear that Mr. Anderson left an incredible impact on so many of our community members. I offer one quote to best summarize his impact. Cynthia Sass ’76 concluded her letter with, “I have always believed that if you touch one person’s life in a positive manner, and help them become a more

productive member of society, then your life was well worthwhile. From my perspective, I am lucky Mr. Anderson was on this earth and in my life during my formative years.” Thank you to everyone who wrote in with remembrances of Mr. Anderson.

During alumni open house weekend, some alumni took a tour of the building and in doing so, noticed a few things have changed. Our refurbished Upper School, state-ofthe-art Johnston Theatre and just-completed dining room renovations were showcased on the tour. (Our upcoming Annual Report will share photos and details on the completed dining room project.) For anyone who missed the alumni open house, please know we welcome visitors anytime during the year. Simply call the Development Office if you are headed our way.

As another school year comes to a close, I’m pleased to acknowledge our many hardworking parent, alumni, alumni parent, Board, Corporation, and grandparent volunteers. Without you, we would not be Elmwood Franklin School. We are most grateful for your leadership of and commitment to Elmwood Franklin. On behalf of our 371 students, I sincerely thank you for giving your time, talents, and resources to our great school. We hope to see many of you back in the fall!

Enjoy the summer months,

Julie Berrigan *Heather Smith’s full speech is available online at www.elmwoodfranklin.org and select “Events” from the Alumni dropdown menu.

44 ALUMNI EVENTS

Graduate Brunch

E F S C L A S S O F 20 0 4 H E A D S TO C O L L E G E

Members of the EFS Class of 2004 gathered for brunch at the home of Tony Featherston and Helen Roy on June 8, 2008. With high school behind them and new adventures ahead, these young adults took the opportunity to visit with their EFS friends and share their memories and plans for the future.

Sylvia Blackwell Joe Bruzgul Allie Burger Javier Buscaglia-Pesquera Elizabeth Carrato Maxwell Collins Joshua DiNardo Clark Driscoll Neal Fatin Tyler Finn Kerry Freeburg Zoe Friedlander Julia Friedman Shahirah Gillespie Alexander Giotis Anastasia Hare Michael Hong Sarah Hunt Sarah Hotung

University of Pennsylvania Kettering University St. Lawrence University Illinois Institute of Technology Unknown at time of publication Hofstra University University of Utah SUNY Geneseo Buffalo State College Union College Unknown at time of publication New York University Union College Amherst College University of Pittsburgh Wheaton College University of Virginia The College of Wooster Tufts University

Julie Keresztes Rachael Kermis Seymour Knox V Evin Koleini Michele Kujawa Christopher Modrzynski Lauren Maloney Ethan Notarius Emma Papagni David Parker Brendan Rich Jordan Russell Trelsie Sadler Emily Simmons Benjamin Sorgi Abigail Stark David Szymkowiak Christine Walker

Amherst College Cornell University Lake Forest College Tufts University University of Pittsburgh Manhattan College Worcester Polytechnic Institute SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Allegheny College Buffalo State College University of Mississippi SUNY Geneseo Washington and Lee University Brown University Pace University Williams College SUNY Geneseo Gettysburg College

ALUMNI EVENTS 45

WHO W A S

J U N E

there 6

A N D

More than 63 years of Elmwood Franklin history filled the school lobby and theatre during the All-Alumni Open House the weekend of June 6 and 7.

Members from the Class of 1944 to the Class of 2007—and anything in between—stopped by to reminisce and reconnect.

At right, Dr. Julian Ambrus participates in the memorial tribute to Russell Anderson. A book compiling personal tributes from those who worked, studied, or volunteered with Mr. Anderson was presented to his daughter, Sarah Anderson DeVantier ’68.

J U N E

7 ,

2 0 0 8

46 ALUMNI EVENTS

RIGHT Alumni Council president Steve Kellogg ’77 speaks at the memorial tribute held Saturday for former headmaster Russell A. Anderson.

FAR RIGHT Deb Clark ’63 (right) catches up with fellow alum Beth Waagen ’71.

RIGHT Board member Liz Duryea Maloney ’70 (far left) greets alumnas of the Class of 1969 (from left to right) Susan Sanderson Kimball, Wendy Flickinger Ross and Lisa Sandoro Schaus.

FAR RIGHT Alumni parent Teckla Putnam (left) and former faculty member, alumni parent and grandparent Diane Ivins

RIGHT Alumni Council member Eric Saldanha ’85 and Corporation member Barbara Hourihan Downing FAR RIGHT Former faculty member Sue White (left) and Varney Spaulding Greene ’57

RIGHT Alumnas of the Class of 1944 gather to remember their years at EFS. (From left to right) Mona Hammerly Sprecker, Julia Smith Dutton and Alma Owen Strachan FAR RIGHT Young alums Brett ’06 (left) and Ethan ’04 Notarius

ALUMNI EVENTS 47

FAR LEFT Head of Lower School Susie Barrett Green ’62 with (from left to right) alumni parents Drs. Julian and Clara Ambrus, and board member Dr. Madeline Ambrus Lillie ’64.

LEFT (From left to right) James Gardner ’98, Marisa Kaminski ’00 and Dayle Hodge ’97 catch up in the library media center.

FAR LEFT Frank P. Wilton and Corporation member Annette Stevens Wilton ’48 LEFT Alumni Council member Susie Lenahan Kimberly ’64 (left) and Varney Spaulding Green ’57 mingle with fellow alums.

FAR LEFT Sandy Kennedy Springer ’64 (left) and faculty member Sybil McGennis catch up in the Anderson Lobby.

LEFT Attendees of Saturday’s Open House gather in the Johnston Theatre for a memorial tribute to Russell A. Anderson.

FAR LEFT Head of School Tony Featherston (left) with Dr. Julian Ambrus and Sarah Anderson DeVantier ’68

LEFT (From left to right) Alumni Council member Tricia Barrett ’92 chats with faculty members Rose Gardon and Susie Barrett Green ’62.

4 8 FA M I LY T I E S

family T

I

E

S

MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILIES

at Elmwood Franklin

There is a sizable group of alumni and students who are

Middle row, from left to right:

making a family tradition out of an Elmwood Franklin

• Jeremy Jacobs ’77 and Melissa Jacobs;

education. This group makes up a valuable resource for

• Louis Jacobs, Jr. and Louis Jacobs ’78;

Elmwood Franklin’s future. Not only are their families

• Stephen Kellogg ’51, Stephen Kellogg III ’06,

shaped by the school, but the school is inevitably

Lachlan Kellogg, Stephen Kellogg, Jr. ’77, Carolyn

shaped by their families. What’s more, some families, like

Kellogg Darby ’80 and Justin Kellogg ’82

the Clauss, Kellogg, Miller, Williams, and Zacher families, have been a part of Elmwood Franklin School for more than 50 years.

Bottom row, from left to right: • Barney Walsh ’69, Lucas Walsh, Samuel Walsh ’01 and Benjamin Walsh ’03;

Ten graduates in the EFS Class of 2008 have a parent and/or grandparent who is an alumnus/a of Elmwood Franklin School.

• Reginald Williams, Jr. ’45, Catherine Williams and John Williams ’72; • Nini Augspurger ’59, Darcy Zacher ’84, William Zacher and Holly Donaldson ’57

Top row, from left to right: • Sarah Abell and Charles Lee Abell ’48; • Grace Clauss and Molly Clauss ’74; • Sukie Cleary and Missy Cleary ’72

Not pictured: • Sarah Miller, Robert Miller, Jr. ’68 and Evelyn Gurney Miller ’42

FA M I LY T I E S 4 9

50 ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE

MADELEINE MCQUEENEY ’01 reflects on soccer balls, field hockey sticks, and

the value of a well-rounded education.

T H E

fırst T I M E

I

E V E R

PICKED UP A FIELD HOCKEY STICK WAS AT ELMWOOD FRANKLIN.

AT THE TIME I WAS AN ADAMANT SOCCER PLAYER, RELUCTANT TO GIVE IT UP IN ORDER TO EXPLORE ANOTHER FALL SPORT. IN SEVENTH GRADE, HOWEVER,

I WAS GIVEN THE OPTION TO PLAY

BOTH FIELD HOCKEY AND SOCCER, WHICH ALLOWED ME TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING NEW WITHOUT RELINQUISHING THE OLD.

CONSEQUENTLY,

EIGHT YEARS AFTER

FIRST PUT A STICK IN MY HANDS,

NCAA

I

DEBBY CLARK

HAD

WAS HOLDING A GOLD

TROPHY. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF MY

LIFE, BROUGHT TO ME ON THE MOST FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL BY

ELMWOOD FRANKLIN. BUT

WITHOUT THAT FOUNDATION,

NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THAT FIELD.

I

ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE 51

EIGHT YEARS AFTER DEBBY CLARK HAD FIRST PUT A [FIELD HOCKEY ] STICK IN MY HANDS, I WAS HOLDING A GOLD NCAA TROPHY. Elmwood Franklin’s all-encompassing education ensures

As both my major and college choices suggest, I also

that every one of its students has the opportunity to gain

believe that the more well-rounded a person’s education,

a strong foundation for his or her future. The school’s

the more prepared he or she will be for future

commitment to the promotion of novel activities, ranging

circumstances—both personally and professionally.

from field hockey to math projects, lays the groundwork

Elmwood Franklin’s provision of such an education

and allows students to realize that there exist possibilities

certainly encouraged these beliefs, as I learned early on

outside the box. By the time I graduated, I had not only

that knowledge in many areas of study is perpetually

received an amazingly well-rounded education, but I had

useful. Thus, while I am unsure of where I’ll be twenty

also gained a propensity to try new things. It is this

years down the road, I am sure that I will have

propensity that not only fueled my interest in new

experimented with many different types of careers to find

subjects in high school, but also caused me to choose a

the one that suits me best. I am also sure that my liberal

collegiate major in a subject that I had previously only

arts experience, which began in Prep, will help me excel in

dabbled in. While for a time I had considered majoring in

whichever field I choose.

economics, I ultimately chose psychology because of my interest and desire to learn how people work. As someone unsure of my future career, I also liked psychology because

Madeleine McQueeney '01 has completed her junior year at

I saw it as applicable to a wide range of fields—any in

Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she is studying

which one has to deal with people. As it turns out,

psychology and economics. In November of 2007, Maddie

however, psychology is a notoriously tough major to

and the rest of the Bowdoin College field hockey team

complete at Bowdoin. And upon my discovery of this fact,

completed the seventh perfect season in Division III history,

I might not have had the fortitude to follow through on

capturing Bowdoin’s first-ever NCAA Championship.

my desires without an educational foundation based on

Maddie will split her time this summer between New York City

work ethic and perseverance—another gift bestowed

and Dartmouth before traveling to Argentina in August

upon me by EFS.

with her team.

52 ALUMNI EVENTS

If you live in New York City, live near New York City, or just need an excuse to visit New York City

SAVE THE DATE

S E P T E M B E R 2 4, 2 0 0 8

N E W YO R K C I T Y 2 0 0 8 FA L L E F S A L U M N I R E G I O N A L G AT H E R I N G Vi s i t w w w. e l m wo o d f ra n k l i n . o rg f o r m o re d e t a i l s .

CLASS NOTES 53

Alumnas of the EFS Class of 2004 celebrate their high school graduation. From left to right: Emma Papagni, Michele Kujawa, Abigail Stark, Emily Simmons and Lauren Maloney.

Justin Mason Bishop ’99 (pictured above with his mother) graduated from Hawaii Pacific University in January 2008.

1965

1981

Florence (Sonie) Urban Hunn lives in Brunswick near the cities of Albany and Troy. Her older son David works at HSBC and younger son Henry works for NESCO. Both sons live in nearby Troy.

Robert Rich III is president of ROAR Logistics, an intermodal marketing company and third party logistics provider that works directly with railroads and trucking companies.

ROAR Logistics was honored as a "Fast Track 50" company by Business First of Buffalo for the second consecutive year. The company ranked #13 on this year's list.

Brooke Tetz is currently living in Kennebunk, ME and writes, "I am the accounting manager for the New Hampshire SPCA. My daughter Kristin (29) is a pediatric nurse in Tampa, FL, and my son Jared (27) is a restaurant manager in Boston, MA. I am so glad to be back in touch with Buffalo."

1990 Babatope Ogunmola appeared on the TV game show Jeopardy! on February 5 and 6 as a one-time champion.

1968 Suzanne S. Murray-Bissonnette writes, “I think of EFS with such fondness, and I still keep in touch with Peggy Anthone, Marcy Kelley (Kitty) and Laurie Brouse. The legacy of an outstanding education remains with me, and I’ve been fortunate to provide my kids with a similar legacy in Connecticut. Best of all, I’m almost through it. Hillary is a junior at Sarah Lawrence and twins Austin and Hunter are sophomores at Tufts. Go Blue Team!”

1969 Susan Sanderson Kimball writes, "what I miss most is PE!"

1991 Stacie Greenfield is currently working in marketing research in London, England. She enjoys London and the traveling opportunities in Europe.

Samantha Friedman Olsen ’00 welcomed son Owen Thomas on March 5.

long-lost friends. Email me at marni.turell@gmail.com.”

Catherine Decker wed Jay Knower in October 2007. She works as a freelance writer and illustrator and lives in Plymouth, NH.

1994 Katherine Moore Rapp and her husband Mark teach English at Amherst Central High School. They just welcomed their first child, William, in March.

1996 Eliza Jacobs writes, "I married Brian Fiore on June 2, 2007 at the Genesee Valley Club in Rochester. I also began working at PBS as associate director of research in August 2007. Brian and I live in Alexandria, VA.”

1998 1992 Marni Feuerstein Turell writes, “I just finished my pediatric residency at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital and recently joined PrimeHeath Pediatrics in the east side suburbs of Cleveland, OH. I live in the University Heights with my husband Jeff, my son Levi and my beagle Trio. I would love to hear from

David Moore received his master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University in May 2008.

He is the project/forestry manager for the New York Restoration Project, a program founded by Bette Midler in 1995 which aims to reclaim, restore, and develop under-resourced parks, community gardens, and other open spaces in New York City.

54 CLASS NOTES

Do you live locally? If not, do you ever return IT DOESN'T MATTER AS ALONG AS YOU'RE home to visit? Either way, Mr. Tom Ryan has AN ALUM OF ELMWOOD FRANKLIN! a program for you. We are looking for

BLUE OR GRAY?

alumni to come back in the fall, winter, spring and/or summer to see how your athletic skills have kept up (or not kept up).

Based on interest, we would like to host an alumni soccer game in the fall, basketball contest in the winter, badminton

tournament in the spring and a golf outing or softball game with cookout in the summer.

Think you are up for the challenge? If so, please call Tom Ryan at 716-877-5035 or email tryan@elmwoodfranklin.org. We hope the first alumni athletic event will be in September 2008.

1999

2003

2007

Justin Mason Bishop earned his B.S. in military diplomacy and international relations from Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) in January 2008. Since his sophomore year at HPU, Justin has interned at CUBIC Corp., a defense company that deals with defense applications and public transportation security systems. He also assists in predictive modeling for defense systems. Justin began graduate school at HPU in January and will continue to work at CUBIC.

Katie Dryden enjoyed her first year at Yale University.

James Dryden just finished his first year at Canisius High School.

2000 Samantha Friedman Olsen and her husband Andrew welcomed son Owen Thomas on March 5.

Ian Simmons was recently named a Class of l960 Scholar in Economics at Williams College. The award is given for high academic achievement in economics.

2002 Alexandra Hare writes, "Last January I was accepted as the 2007-2008 season performance intern for the French theater company, Théâtre de la Chandelle Verte. We're performing Le Jeu de L'Amour et du Hasard by Marivaux; I'm playing the role of Silvia."

2004 Zoe Friedlander graduated from Buffalo Seminary and is heading to NYU in the fall.

Shahirah Gillespie was named an outstanding young Western New Yorker by The Buffalo News in June, recognized for winning the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. She will attend an apprenticeship in genetic research at Cornell University this summer and will attend Amherst College in the fall.

Rachael Kermis was profiled in a June edition of The Buffalo News for her participation in the International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer in San Francisco this July. She will present findings of a study she and a team of researchers from Roswell Park Cancer Institute conducted concerning the link between throat cancer and the virus that causes cervical cancer.

2005 Moriah Camp was named a WKBW-TV Super 7 Athlete of the Week in January.

She plays basketball at Nichols.

In Memoriam 1937 Berenice Hewitt Lothrop passed away in March 2008.

1939 Nelle Sanders Graves passed away on November 3, 2007.

1941 Frances Grammer Stevenson passed away on June 17, 2008.

TO S U B M I T N E W S O F N OT E A N D C L A S S N E W S , visit www.elmwoodfranklin.org and select “Share Your News” under Alumni.

You can email photographs to development@elmwoodfranklin.org.

WHAT DO EFS STUDENTS BECOME WHEN THEY

pilot

grow up?

tree surgeon • jewelry designer • funeral director • political reporter

stuntman • entomologist • museum curator • race car driver • hand model beekeeper • pastry chef • Shakespearean scholar

physicist

competitive surfer • translator • midwife • feng shui practitioner • hurricane tracker geologist • sleep researcher

crime scene investigator • publicist

entrepreneur • acupuncturist • civil engineer • performance artist computer animator

dolphin trainer • classical pianist • sports photographer

wardrobe stylist • deep sea fisherman • restaurateur • haz-mat safety specialist research librarian • rock star • bed-and-breakfast owner

park ranger

comic book illustrator • firefighter • fashion buyer • wedding planner fortune cookie writer • travel writer • concert promoter • wedding planner...

THEY BECOME EFS ALUMNI CAREER SPEAKERS!

We’re looking for EFS alumni who are willing to share their career stories with our Upper School students during the next school year. Alumni from all class years, backgrounds, and professions are invited to take part. The Speaker Series will feature three to four speakers throughout the year in Elmwood Franklin’s Johnston Theatre.

CONTACT Julie Berrigan at (716) 877-5035 or jberrigan@elmwoodfranklin.org.

elmwood franklin school 104 New Amsterdam Avenue Buffalo, New York 14216-3399 phone 716.877.5035 fax 716.877.9680 www.elmwoodfranklin.org TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI: If this magazine is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Development Office by phone 716-877-5035 or by email development@elmwoodfranklin.org with the correct mailing address.

Thank you.

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