Fay Magazine, Fall 2013

FAY

Fall 2013

MAGAZINE

In this issue: Serious Fun! The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Alidad Hakimi ’83 Language Arts at Fay

Contents 2

Head’s Notebook: The Value of Fay’s Values

Rob Gustavson’s remarks from Parents’ Weekend 4

Fay School Magazine

Page 4

© 2013

Fay School 48 Main Street Southborough, MA 01772-9106 Phone: 508.485.0100 Fax: 508.481.7872 www.fayschool.org

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Kathryn Gaska Director of Constituent Relations

Fay Alumni Excel in Collegiate Rowing

The latest on Julia Bretz ’10 and Brendon Stoner ’07.

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Class Notes

Engagements, tales of giant northern pike, and news about our alumni athletes.

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Nicole Casey Stephanie Levine Publications Associates

Annual Report 2012-2013

Also in this issue: 20 Fay in Brief

Magazine Design Michéle Page Design Communication

On the cover: Anthony D’Angelo ‘15 and varsity football players, Fall 2013.

Photo by Ellen Harasimowicz.

My Own Self, At My Very Best, All the Time: The Fifth Grade Trip to Camp Merrowvista

A photo essay by Tyler Auer.

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Rob Crawford Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Photography Tyler Auer Ellen Harasimowicz Erin Ash Sullivan

From the Case Files: Language Arts Detectives Solve the Mystery of the Written Word

From Pre-K through grade nine, Fay students learn enduring skills that enable them to be effective readers, writers, and thinkers. Here are a few ways we help our students “crack the code” of language.

Ann Wardwell Director of Advancement

Erin Ash Sullivan Editor, Director of Communications

Alumni Update: The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Alidad Hakimi ’83

What is the spark that drives an individual to forge his own path in the world? Meet Alidad Hakimi ’83, entrepreneur, baker, and founder/owner of Lyon Bakery.

Robert J. Gustavson, Jr. Head of School

Gail Duffney Cirillo Director of Annual Giving

Serious Fun!

What do bee-shaped robots, multi-step word problems, and ancient Roman coins have in common? Learn about this year’s schoolwide theme, and how Fay defines “serious fun.”

25 Introducing New Administrators

Page 41

28 Sports Spotlight 39 In Memoriam 70 Inside Back Cover: Faculty Profile – Josh Pierson

Head’s Notebook: The Value of Fay’s Values Rob Gustavson’s remarks from Parents’ Weekend

A

s a father and Head of School, I’d like to spend a few minutes this morning reflecting on the value of a Fay education. When we contemplate the value of something, we think about its worth. This usually includes a consideration of its usefulness or importance. Saying something is a good value is different from saying it’s a bargain, however.

A bargain is something we can obtain more cheaply than expected, for less than the actual value. When we evaluate something and determine its worth to us, we base this judgment on our values—our own personal standards and principles regarding what is important in life. You can see, then, the close connection between value and our values: they are linked by this sense of intrinsic worth.

The relationship between our values and our actions is at the heart of integrity. A person of integrity acts in a manner that is consistent with his or her beliefs and principles, and the same thing can be said about an institution. This is why Fay and other independent schools create statements of mission and philosophy.

We articulate explicitly what we believe, what we strive to achieve, and how we intend to do it. I know all of you have read Fay’s mission statement, but I think it’s worth our taking a moment to review it together.

The mission of Fay School is to educate each child to his or her full potential through a broad, balanced, and challenging program that establishes a solid foundation for a productive and fulfilling life.

Your decision to enroll your child at Fay demonstrates your values, and it also reflects your confidence that

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you will experience value in return for your investment. But what exactly is the nature of this value you should expect to receive? I believe that the true value of your investment in a Fay education is, in fact, the values your child will acquire during his or her time here.

At Fay, we not only have a clear mission and philosophy on which to base our decisions; we also have five core values that guide our daily actions and interactions: academic excellence; earnest effort; honorable conduct; dedicated service; and wellness of mind, body, and spirit. We believe that these fundamental principles, attitudes, and mindsets are critical factors in achieving our goal of establishing a solid foundation for a productive and fulfilling life.

Three years ago I introduced seven additional, essential competencies that I referred to as “Enduring Skills for a Changing World,” and I suggested that these broad skills have become just as important as core academic skills such as writing, reading, and quantitative analysis. As I revisit these Enduring Skills briefly now, note the values embedded in their descriptions.

• Critical Thinking—The ability to listen well and question thoughtfully; anticipating possible consequences; maintaining curiosity and a desire to discover the truth; being open-minded; possessing confidence but not certainty.

• Introspection—Making time for reflection and extended concentration; self-knowledge; going beyond an awareness of what others think, and thinking for one’s self; seeking insight and understanding.

HEAD’S NOTEBOOK

• Discernment—Evaluating evidence and assessing the validity of information; seeing and making connections; synthesizing and making sense; thinking deeply and carefully; reaching informed opinions and responsible judgments.

• Problem Solving—Being focused not just on identifying problems, but working to find solutions; taking initiative and being actively engaged; being deliberate, mindful, intentional, and purposeful.

• Adaptability—Being flexible and patient, nimble and agile; having a high tolerance for frustration; maintaining self-discipline, resilience, and perseverance; demonstrating the willingness to change and the ability to grow and improve.

• Collaboration—Working together with others toward a common goal; focusing on a successful outcome as opposed to personal recognition; understanding and appreciating differences across cultures; moving beyond the limits of one’s own personal experience; demonstrating empathy and the ability to take the perspective of others.

• Leadership—Acting on one’s convictions; having intrinsic motivation; behaving ethically; being accountable for one’s actions and taking responsibility regardless of the consequences; possessing determination and a desire to make things better.

Our program is deliberately planned, designed, and coordinated to cultivate these core values and enduring skills in every student during his or her time at Fay, while also helping students to master core academic skills.

I’m sure many of you are aware of the rapid increase in free, massive, open online courses over the past couple of years. Recently I was struck by the mission of Khan Academy, an amazing online resource that offers free, high-quality courses on just about anything you can imagine. Khan Academy says its goal is to provide “a free, world-class education for anyone anywhere.” This is a noble endeavor, and I applaud them for offering this valuable service to a huge number of students who don’t have the opportunity to attend a school like Fay.

But as the father of three children who have attended independent elementary, middle, and secondary schools, I have seen first-hand that a world-class education is not just about helping students acquire academic skills.

Academic excellence is one of Fay’s five core values—and it’s a value we take very seriously—but it’s just one of our values. The other four, as well as the Enduring Skills, can only be instilled through thoughtfully designed experiences and meaningful interactions with other people. This is one of the most important reasons why Carol and I have made our own considerable investment to send our daughter to the west coast to attend Stanford University instead of having her stay at home and simply choose from the more than one hundred courses Stanford currently offers online to the public for free.

The relationship between our values and our actions is at the heart of integrity.

I can assure you Stanford is not a bargain, but for the reasons I have discussed, I think it’s an excellent value— and I believe the same thing is true about Fay. I don’t need to tell you that a Fay education is expensive. But there is a simple reason: it costs a lot to run a program that delivers this sort of value. Our campus and facilities are exemplary, but our largest expense—well over half of our annual operating budget—is compensation for our faculty, staff, and administrators, and rightly so. The only way to ensure that we honor your investment in your child’s future success is to maintain a vibrant learning community composed of outstanding people who embody a deep commitment to Fay’s shared values.

When students spend their days in this sort of environment for eleven years, or seven years, or even one or two years, it can change the trajectory not just of their future school experiences, but the rest of their lives. I appreciate the decision each of you has made to give this valuable gift to your child, and I hope you will find, as I do, that its ultimate value lies in Fay’s values.

www.fayschool.org | 3

se-ri-ous adjective \ˈsir-ē-əs\

Serious Fun Serious fun. These two simple words do a pretty good job of describing what it’s like to be a student at Fay. While it might seem surprising to see these words side by side, the phrase describes exactly the kind of experience that every Fay teacher strives to create in his or her classroom.

On the Fay campus, serious fun is learning that is both meaningful and engaging, with experiences that develop essential skills while also reinforcing the idea that the learning process is effortful, exciting— and full of joy.

Seriousness of purpose—the willingness to invest your best effort and do the work required to master a concept or skill—is part of Fay’s culture and traditions. Teachers model the core value of Earnest Effort and encourage it in their students, from Pre-Kindergarten block building to ninth graders analyzing the factors leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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• having important possible results or consequences • involving or deserving much thought, attention, or work • impressive in quality, quantity, or degree • being in earnest

fun noun \ˈfən\

• what provides amusement or enjoyment But what makes it fun? That’s the magic ingredient that’s hard to quantify, and Fay’s teachers will be quick to tell you that fun doesn’t (always) mean adding fancy props or the latest technology. While teachers certainly make use of the impressive resources available to them on campus, the “fun” is what happens when students make new connections, discover their autonomy as learners, and revel in the “aha!” moments that open the doors to understanding.

We’ve adopted Serious Fun as this year’s schoolwide theme to showcase how Fay teachers inspire their students in every division—in math, science, the humanities, the arts, athletics, and service to others.

So what does Serious Fun look like in action? Here are just a few examples.

FEATURE

Think Like a Programmer: Bee-Bots in Second Grade

T

he Bee-Bot is just a little guy: about 5 inches long, bright yellow with black stripes, and great bulbous eyeballs that light up when he has completed a mission. Not very imposing, perhaps, but he and five Bee-Bot pals have made a big splash in second grade, where students are using them to learn the basics of programming.

The Bee-Bot can be programmed to complete basic movements—forward, backward, right turn, left turn—and second graders are learning how to use these basic commands to make the BeeBot traverse a space and complete an obstacle course.

First, the students write a ‘program’ by

giving the Bee-Bot a series of commands.

The students get immediate feedback as they watch the Bee-Bot complete the course and can modify the commands in order to refine his behavior.

“This project is a great real-world opportunity for students to practice problem solving and build their sequential thinking and spatial relations skills,” explains Primary School librarian Erin McNally, who has been working with the second graders on the Bee-Bot challenges.

Students are also reinforcing math skills as they explore basic concepts of multiplication and division. In a recent lesson, students used rulers to measure the BeeBot’s single unit of distance (six inches) and then multiplied by the number of Bee-Bot moves to calculate the total distance of an obstacle course.

As you might imagine, the Bee-Bot project is intrinsically fun—but it also provides important foundational knowledge for programming challenges that students will take on later in the year. The commands that the Bee-Bot responds to are analogous to the commands that students will use when they work with Scratch, a kidfriendly programming language developed by the MIT Media Lab. Perhaps one of the more inspiring aspects of the Bee-Bot project is watching what happens when the students fail. “As the students program the Bee-Bot, they make numerous mistakes,” Erin says, “but they never give up. Afterwards, we talk about how important it was to make those mistakes so they could find a better way to solve the problem. That’s where the fun comes in—watching the students persevere to find success.” www.fayschool.org | 5

Learning Gets Loud: The Sixth Grade Math Workshop the writing component is just as important—if not more important— than the answer itself.”

Math Workshop is a natural extension of the students’ regular math classes, where they keep a math journal for solving multi-step problems and reflecting on strategies. Math Workshop provides extra time for this kind of open exploration, with exciting results.

I

t’s not often that you’ll see eleven year-olds offer a fist-pumping “Yes!!” when told that they’ll be solving word problems. But that’s what happened when Math Department Chair Julie Porrazzo recently introduced a problem-solving project to a group of sixth graders.

She also offered a friendly warning. This was not going to be a typical math class, she said. And it might get loud.

This fall, the sixth graders have begun participating in a weekly stand-alone math workshop that supplements their regular daily math instruction. The purpose? To provide additional time for students to reinforce their understanding of math concepts with open-ended problems.

Math Workshop evolved from a math extra help session; the new projects emphasize real-world scenarios, hands-on tools, and lots of student collaboration—hence the extra volume. It’s a time when students are encouraged to share ideas, explore possible solution strategies, and extend problems with their own creative ideas.

“The problems are intentionally designed so there is more than one way to find the answer,” explains Lower School math teacher Tyler Auer. “The students must explain how they found the answer, and 6 | Fay Magazine 2013

In a recent class, for example, students were challenged to find the perimeter of a rectangle made up of seven smaller congruent rectangles. Some students worked independently while others peeled off in pairs or trios. Some groups drew models on the board while others talked through ideas and tried calculations.

This kind of open-ended problem solving is integrated throughout Fay’s

Pre-K through ninth grade math program, notes Julie Porrazzo. “It’s important to reinforce foundational skills, but we also want students to go broader and deeper in their questioning,” she says, “Math Workshop is excellent preparation for the advanced concepts that students take on in Upper School.”

FEATURE

Using Modern Technology to Recreate Antiquity: Latin Students Cast Ancient Coins

L

atin teacher Emily Gifford was looking for a way to help the students in her Latin 1 and Latin 2 classes understand the significance of currency during Roman times. Her solution: have students “cast” their own ancient coins using decidedly 21st-century methods.

First: the planning. Emily led the students on an exploration of Roman currency, discussing how coins functioned as propaganda throughout the Roman Empire. She challenged students to design their own coins, which included a Latin epigram and a representation of Roman art, such as a bust of an historical figure or a symbolic drawing. Students also wrote essays translating the epigrams and explaining their historical context.

Then: the making! Emily brought her students to the “Fab Lab” of Fay’s Innovation Center, which houses hands-on tools for

students to participate in the design and fabrication process. In addition to traditional woodworking tools and shop tools such as drills and soldering irons, students have access to a rear projection table and three-dimensional printers. There’s a digital laser cutter, a “subtractive” 3-D printer that cuts into foam with a dremel head, and an “additive” 3-D printer that extrudes drops of melted plastic.

Emily showed the students how to use CorelDRAW, a vector graphics editor, to convert their drawings to digital files.

Then, the students used the laser cutter to transform flat pieces of wood into beautifully rendered coins with raised lettering and images.

The final results are museum-worthy with their detail and historical references, and they provide a tangible reinforcement of the academic material. But while the final product is admittedly impressive, the process is what’s even more important. As students moved through the design steps from idea to model to final product, they

learned important lessons about how to see any project through to completion.

Moreover, in today’s “virtual” age, the genuine pleasure and sense of accomplishment that comes with crafting a tangible object cannot be underestimated. The Fab Lab gives Fay students the opportunity to re-learn what, generations ago, kids intuitively understood: that everyone has the ability to make things that are useful and beautiful, and that make the world a better place.

On Campus: Serious Fun in Action

J

osh Lesser ’06 took the idea of Serious Fun to heart in his Class Notes update: “What separates fun and serious fun? Fun is nice, but it does little today to turn me into the confident and successful young adult I want to be tomorrow. Serious fun is fulfilling,

rewarding, and lasting. So how am I taking fun seriously? After I graduated from Fay in ’06, I attended St. Paul’s School class of ’09, UCLA class of ’13, and I am now a rising first year law student at the Tulane University School of Law. The entire experience—the collection of memories, good and bad—has been serious fun. It is not always easy, it is not always hard; it is simply an attitude to embrace the good, the bad, and the ‘fun.’ It is the sign of a job well done.”

PICTURED LEFT: In Jennifer Telles’ art class, kindergarteners learned about the artist Wassily Kandinsky and created color studies inspired by his work.

Fifth graders took a daylong service trip to the Community Harvest Project, a local nonprofit farm that grows tens of thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables each year for local hunger relief organizations.

Upper School art students kicked off the fall term with a still life project.

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Lower School social studies teacher Jess Girouard shared nine primary source documents with her fifth graders—photos, articles, letters, telegrams—all of which told the story of a real individual who lived in the mid- and late 20th century. Jess showed her students how to look for details, connect facts, and draw informed conclusions about the person featured in the documents.

FEATURE

Ninth grade students lend each other a helping hand as they traverse an indoor ropes course during the fall class trip to Camp Merrowvista in New Hampshire. The annual trip is an opportunity for Fay’s oldest students to come together as a community and reflect on their goals for the year, as individuals and as a group.

Third graders brought together art and math as they explored algebraic patterns. Each student created a design, deciding which part of the design would grow over time and by how much. Students examined and wrote about the patterns within their designs, described the rules, and recorded the changes on a t-chart.

Pre-Kindergarten students work with scarves in P.E. class as they develop fine and gross motor skills.

Life Science is all about growth and change, so why not have students track their own? Seventh graders are taking six different personal measurements each month in order to practice measuring and chart their growth over the course of the year.

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An Entrepreneurial Spirit: Alidad Hakimi ’83

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FEATURE

by Erin Ash Sullivan

WHEN WE WALK INTO LYON BAKERY, Alidad Hakimi ’83 is deep in conversation with two of his employees. They’re all studying a large video monitor that takes up one wall of the brightly lit office, which shows a map of the Washington, D.C. area. The three men are trying to figure out a thorny problem: how to get thousands of loaves of bread to all their customers on time, all while circumventing the brutal challenges of D.C. traffic and ensuring that every loaf is delivered within just hours of having come out of the ovens.

There are lots of unknowns in the bakery business, Alidad remarks, but one thing is certain: it’s never boring.

Which is a good thing—because Alidad really, really doesn’t want to be bored.

Alidad’s spirit of adventure has led him on a fascinating path, one with numerous unexpected twists and turns. With the instincts of an entrepreneur, he has sought out unique business opportunities—and in the process, he has had a wonderfully rich career finding his own version of “serious fun.”

LYON BAKERY IS A LARGE WHOLESALE BAKERY situated in Southwest D.C. With 30,000 square feet, nine industrial ovens, and three truly enormous mixers, Lyon’s 95 employees supply breads to top restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area and as far out as Towson, Maryland to the north and Richmond, Virginia to the south.

It’s not surprising that D.C.’s restaurants would clamor for Lyon’s artisanal breads, which are chemical-free and made with all-natural ingredients. The product line, which changes frequently, includes standard favorites like rustic loaves, baguettes, brioche rolls, and breads with kalamata olives, walnuts, and raisins.

For someone who holds carbs in a special place in her heart (as this writer does), walking from Alidad’s office into the baking facility is a little like walking into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Each spotless room features state-of-the-art equipment, operated by bakers who clearly value the process of making a superlative product. The smell of fresh-baked bread infuses the space—and again, this writer wonders if this is a smell that one could ever tire of, even when surrounded by it eight hours a day.

While the modern equipment is impressive—such as the huge mixer, which combines ingredients fed from gigantic tubes in the ceiling—Alidad is quick to point out how it all supports the artisanal baking process. The bakers are able to calibrate precisely the quantities and temperature of the ingredients at every step of the process to ensure that they won’t need to use the chemicals found in standard, mass-produced bread products.

While Alidad is faced with the unpredictable challenges of any business owner, Lyon is anchored by the constants of bakery life.

There’s the unrelenting schedule, the maintenance of sales and customer relations, and, of course, the constant cycle of baking the bread itself. In this way, Alidad says, “It’s a little like the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day.”

FEATURE

ONE THING THAT ALIDAD CERTAINLY COULD NOT HAVE PREDICTED is his path to Lyon Bakery. Alidad was born in Iran and spent his early childhood there, punctuated by summers in English boarding schools starting at the age of six. “It was not fun,” he notes.

“Little blankets and small snacks. Everything was rationed.”

So when faced with the option of heading to full-time boarding school at the age of ten, Alidad and his brother Shahryar solidly refused to go to England—which is what brought them to Fay, Shahryar in 1977 and Alidad in 1978.

Alidad and his brother were at Fay when the Iranian Revolution took place and the Shah was deposed. It was no longer safe to return home; their parents shuttled between France (where Alidad’s father had attended boarding school) and England (where his mother had attended boarding school). And because of the travel restrictions imposed on Iranian citizens at the time, Alidad and his brother were unable to reconnect with their parents. At one point, Alidad notes, they went two years without seeing their mother and three years without seeing their father.

For the next five years, Fay was home—and the Fay community embraced the boys. To this day, Alidad considers the families of Frank Salvoni ’84 and Plato Spilios ’83 his own—the parents of Frank and Plato took him in for summers and holidays and welcomed him as one of their own children. “Plato said that my Christmas presents were always bigger than his,” he jokes.

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On campus, Alidad lived in the then-brand-new Steward dorm.

He fondly remembers the relationships he developed with Fay staff, including his time working in the kitchen with Lew Maida and his hours helping school seamstress Barbara Dumont. He credits the Fay faculty for giving him not only a solid education, but also hobbies and passions that he pursues to this day. Former science teacher Bob Parsons took Alidad on his first fishing and shooting trips—and today Alidad continues to pursue his passion for sport fishing, traveling to such diverse places as Montana, Idaho, Guatemala, and New Zealand.

After attending Fay, Alidad headed south to Washington, D.C., where he graduated from Chevy Chase High School and studied finance at George Washington University. Alidad initially fell into the IT world and was part of the early-’90s Internet boom.

With two partners, he established a small company that developed database software that worked in the then-new Microsoft Windows operating system. The company did well and grew rapidly, but, Alidad notes, there was a problem. He was bored.

On the lookout for a new business opportunity, he connected with a friend who suggested that they capitalize on the success of the Starbucks model by opening a small artisan bakery. In 1995 Alidad and his partner hired a French baker from Provence and started a retail bakery. After a few years it became clear that it was going to be difficult to find success with a retail-only business model, so Alidad made the decision to venture into wholesale.

UP TO THIS POINT, ALIDAD HAD BEEN MOSTLY THE FINANCIAL BRAINS BEHIND THE OPERATION. But all that changed when they got their first big account: the Park Hyatt Hotel.

“We got a call from the chef there,” Alidad recalls. “He said, if you want our business, you’ll get us 41 baguettes by 6:00 p.m. I was so excited—but it was the weekend, and our chef refused to fill the order.

There was just one thing to do: I had to bake the bread myself.”

Which he did.

This unlucky-lucky event is what led Alidad to his passion for baking bread. “I realized that I needed to learn: I had to know the chemical reactions of yeast and gas inside and out, so I went back to school to study. I attended the San Francisco Baking Institute, and that’s where I really began to understand how bread was made—and how we could do it better.”

Ultimately, Alidad moved on from his first bakery business, establishing Lyon Bakery in 1999 with two partners, one oven, one mixer, and one table. With their first big customer delivery in March of 2000 to the renowned Taberna del Alberdero, Lyon’s client base grew, and it now stands at approximately 600 D.C.-area restaurants.

Today, Alidad relishes the daily challenges that his business brings and the excitement of being an entrepreneur. Not surprisingly, his wife Roxanna shares his entrepreneurial spirit, and she is the owner, managing partner, and studio director of Fuse Pilates in Dupont Circle, in Northwest D.C. “We enjoy it all,” he says. “It’s an adventure.”

Try It Yourself!

Odds are if you’ve

eaten at a restaurant in D.C., you’ve tasted

some of Lyon Bakery’s delicious bread. You

can also visit their stand at Union Market in

Northeast D.C., where they sell their wares to the general public.

FROM THE CASE FILES Fay’s Lang uage Dete Arts ctive s Solve Myst ery o the f Writ t ten W he ord

P

ut yourself in the shoes of a young child just learning how to read.

Those random marks on the page of a book? They’re a complete mystery, a secret code…and it’s your job to crack that code and “solve the mystery” of reading and writing.

From Pre-K through grade nine, Fay’s language arts teachers take on a unique challenge: equipping our students with the tools to “crack the code” of language, from understanding phonetic rules to deciphering Shakespearean English. At the same time, our teachers also foster the spirit of inquiry— the approach of a detective, if you will—that helps students to learn more about the richness of language, the world around them, and themselves.

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FROM THE CASE FILES

en: t r a g der n i K now PreK e tW a h W od o F t Abou

Lauren Roby’s and Jen Gallant’s Pre-K class is fascinated by food—where it comes from, how to make it, how we serve it. So in the fall term, the teachers led the students on a food inquiry, where the children conducted research and participated in hands-on projects in order to learn more about their topic.

The Pre-K dramatic play area was transformed into the Mortimer the Moose Restaurant. The children learned how to make sushi and ice cream. One day, they trekked to the Upper School Dining Room to interview Dan Maertz, SAGE Dining Director, about how he plans menus and cooks food for Fay students every day.

According to Lauren Roby, all of these activities are perfect opportunities to develop reading and writing skills.

Students are learning how to use language to get the job done, whether it’s labeling different apples for a taste test or writing a menu for the restaurant.

“Before the children did their interviews with Dan Maertz, they dictated their

questions to us,” Lauren explains. “Then, during the interview, the children took their own notes. Sometimes it was as simple as writing ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ and sometimes children approximated correct spellings to get more words down on the page. In this real-world context, we can help the children see how letters are associated with sounds.”

The students also conducted research on food by reading books in their classroom library. While the children may not be able to read yet, they’re doing important work as they explore the books: they’re truly like detectives as they use the images on each page to infer what the words might be. “The children learn to use context clues,” says Lauren. “If they see a picture of a spatula next to a word that starts with s, they can make an educated guess about what the word might be.”

FROM THE CASE FILES

en— t r a rg e he d T n i : K Two box e d ool Gra T a of t f i G

By the time students enter kindergarten, they’re ready for the gift of a “detective’s toolbox” to help them master the rules of English. This year, the Primary School faculty has adopted Fundations, a spelling and writing curriculum that focuses explicitly on phonetic rules and strengthens the skills that young learners need to be effective readers and writers.

The Fundations program spans from kindergarten to second grade. Head of Primary School Anne Bishop says that while each grade’s program is tailored to meet specific developmental needs, there is a consistency across grade levels that, over time, will help children begin to see patterns in language.

“Our students spend 20 to 30 minutes per day with Fundations,” Anne explains.

“Each week, the children focus on a group of words that share a phonetic pattern, whether it’s a beginning consonant like g- or r-, a diagraph like ch- or sh-, or a ‘glued sound’ like –ing or –ank.”

Teachers use a multi-sensory approach to build skills. Students learn not just by

drilling the words, but through speaking, writing, and hands-on activities where children “build” words using a magnet board and magnetic tiles. Through whole group, small group, and individual activities, children have the opportunity to visualize and internalize phonetic concepts.

Anne is excited about how this component fits with the Primary School’s overall language arts curriculum. “Our classrooms are language-rich environments, with at least 90 minutes per day of focused language arts instruction,” she says. “As students master the basics of reading, this foundational program equips students with the tools to tackle the challenges ahead.”

FROM THE CASE FILES

de: a r G Third nsics e r o F l Nove Third graders quite literally take on the role of detective for their fall literature unit on the mystery genre. Students read mystery novels in small, teacher-guided groups, and each student is armed with a “Case File” where they can take notes on their investigations.

Third grade teacher Maura Oare explains that the choice of a mystery unit is no accident. When students examine all of the components of a mystery—crime, suspects, location, clues, red herrings—they’re doing the same kind of close reading that a good reader does with any piece of literature, considering plot, characters, setting, details, problem, and solution.

“We talk with students about how any good narrative follows the ‘story mountain,’” Maura says. “It’s the same thing with a mystery: you’re introduced to the setting and the characters at the beginning of the story, and all is fine until the problem is introduced. Solving the mystery is the ‘falling action’ of the story.”

Maura notes that as the school year progresses, students begin to see the overlap between the structure of a mystery and other kinds of fiction. “Students will often come to me and say, ‘I know this is just fiction, but we could also characterize this as a mystery.’ They’re able to identify the features that we discussed earlier in the year.”

In addition to group novels, each third grader chooses a book to read independently, and during quiet reading times students track their progress in reading response journals. In these journals, students practice comprehension strategies that the teachers introduce during group instruction, such as summarizing, predicting, evaluating, questioning, connecting, and visualizing.

Much as the Case File provides the structure for documenting their investigation during the mystery unit, the students’ reading journals serve as the place to record the “clues” in their reading that foster understanding. “We encourage the students to think like detectives no matter what the genre,” Maura says.

“We want them to become active readers.”

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FROM THE CASE FILES

de: a r hG t x i S r in u o An H e if L e th

Any good detective should be able to track a suspect’s movements and use the information to draw conclusions about that individual’s life. Fay’s sixth graders are faced with a challenge that is not so different.

For their “Hour in the Life” assignment, sixth grade teacher Maggie Cooper challenges her students to learn more about a family member, living or from the past, through personal interviews and family artifacts.

Based on this information, each student writes a personal narrative in the voice of his or her subject, reconstructing a typical hour in his or her life.

Last year, for example, Louie Lyons ’16 chose his grandfather, the journalist Louis Lyons, as the subject for his Hour in the Life presentation.

The project serves multiple purposes.

Primarily, it reinforces a key skill for all analytical writing: the ability to use concrete

evidence to draw inferences. In this particular assignment, any thought or action attributed to the subject in the written piece must be supported by documentation.

The assignment also challenges students to consider “voice” in their writing: how do you choose words and turns of phrase that convey an individual’s unique personality and “take” on the world?

Perhaps most interestingly, the “Hour in the Life” project gives students the opportunity to reconsider family members from a new vantage point—and to solve the “mystery” of their own origins. Your grandmother may “just” be your grandmother, but how does your perspective of her change when you envision her life as a twelve year-old girl?

ade: r G h Nint g the n i g n Bri ife L o t n Cano In the Upper School, students hone the reading and writing skills they will need for the challenges of secondary school and beyond. At its simplest, this includes the ability to find meaning in both fiction and nonfiction, and the ability to write a clear and persuasive analytical essay.

THE SCOTTISH PLAY, WITH SOCK PUPPETS! One great way to deepen your understanding of a great work of literature: write your own adaptation! Ninth graders adapted scenes from Macbeth and then filmed the scenes with a cast of sock puppets. Scan this QR code or visit www.fayschool.org/seriousfun to see the “cast” in rehearsal.

In the fall of ninth grade, students are faced with two challenging texts from the canon of English literature—Beowulf and Macbeth—that bring students’ investigative skills into play.

English department chair and ninth grade English teacher Paul Abeln notes that it can be easy for students to perceive this literature as inaccessible because of the archaic language and unfamiliar settings.

For Paul, the key to success is to help students find patterns and make connections.

“When first confronted with Seamus Heaney's Beowulf translation, students are intimidated by the Old English on the left and the modern on the right,” he says. “I spend the first days introducing them to simple Old English words, even playing with an online Old English translator. The students enjoy being able to find words they understand like byrnsweord (flaming sword) or hronerade (whale-road or ocean).”

Similar to the sixth grade “Hour in the Life” project, Paul also challenges students to connect to the text by creating their own “sub-narrative” through a creative art project. Students use the details from Beowulf to examine the story from a different perspective. One student recreated the diary (or in Old English, bóc) of King Hrothgar, complete with letters, personal notes, and an account of Grendel’s attack.

As students become more comfortable with the language, Paul helps them look for patterns of imagery in the modern translation—references to treasure, weapons, light, and dark. “This is the thread between our study of Beowulf and Macbeth,” he explains.

“In Macbeth, I encourage students to choose a sensory image—blood, darkness, wind— and trace it through the entire play. It becomes the lens through which students understand characters and major themes and ultimately the foundation of their analyses.”

FAY IN BRIEF F

FAY LAUNCHES LUNCHTIME CONVERSATION TABLES

ay students are learning how to say “Please pass the salt” in Chinese….and French, and Spanish, and Latin!

This fall, the World Languages Department announced the start of lunchtime conversation tables, where faculty, staff, and students can gather to enjoy a meal, participate in a friendly chat, and hone their language skills.

The tables are open to Upper School students, faculty, and staff, and participants can join any language table regardless of whether or not they are studying the language at Fay. One language table is offered each day— so students can practice more than one language during the course of the week—and the only rule is to be a good sport and immerse yourself in the experience as much as possible!

international boarders have jumped at the opportunity to sit at the tables for their home languages and quite enjoy mentoring newer speakers. “It’s a place where students feel comfortable—they can take risks with language and practice using new vocabulary in context,” she says. “And if students get stuck, they can talk about the culture and traditions of the home country.”

What about Latin, you ask? It turns out that Latin is not such a dead language after all: teachers host a weekly Latin table, where students practice their spoken Latin and also discuss Roman history and mythology in English.

Latin, math, and ESL teacher Emily Gifford has helped to organize the tables. She notes that

MATH UPDATE: DO YOU WANT TO GRAPPLE? Upper School students are now participating in a bi-weekly math challenge called the "Grapple Problem." These problems are designed to be challenging, open-ended, and accessible to all mathematicians, not necessarily requiring specific memorized rules or procedures. Grapple Problems are posted on a bulletin board in the Root Building, and students have ten days to submit solutions, complete with well articulated supporting arguments. All correct solutions earn points for the Red and White schoolwide competition.

Scan this QR code or visit www.fayschool.org/seriousfun to see how Nicholas Masri ’16 solved the first Grapple Problem of the year.

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Fran Pelaez, an eighth grade boarder from Mexico, enjoys learning new languages at the French, Chinese, and Latin tables—but he also likes sitting at the Spanish table: “I like teaching nonSpanish speakers about my language and helping them improve.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE iLAB: IT’S THE VOCABULATOR! Teachers are taking advantage of all that Fay’s new Innovation Center has to offer, including laser cutters, 3-D printers, and numerous other resources for designing and making. As a lighthearted, hands-on example of how to integrate language arts studies with technology, English Department Chair Paul Abeln has designed the “Vocabulator,” an interactive machine shaped like a tree that enables students to build vocabulary skills through the study of root words.

Students can press a button to select their grade level and a root word; then a “family tree” of words derived from that root, and leveled for each student’s developmental stage, light up for review and discussion.

FAY IN BRIEF

RACE TO THE FINISH: UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS BUILD AND RACE REMOTE CONTROL CARS

I

t’s safe to say that Activity was a highlight of the fall for a small group of Upper School students who participated in Eric Lane’s remote control (RC) racecar project.

Ten students met weekly with Eric to work on the RC cars, which were 1/10th scale, with a 14-inch wheelbase. Though the cars came fully assembled, the students had to take them apart and rebuild them for cleaning and maintenance. Many weeks were dedicated to painting and design in order to give the cars an appropriately fierce aspect for the racing that was to come.

Dan Maertz, SAGE Dining Director and a longtime RC car enthusiast, lent his expertise as students upgraded parts of the car to more durable metal components.

Dan explained the intricacies of bearings as students disassembled and reassembled the tiny transmissions, in preparation for installing more powerful motors down the road.

In October, Fay’s main quad was transformed into a mini-Indy racetrack, complete with hairpin turns and ramps. Arrayed at the starting line, the cars stood at attention, ready to scream into action, while their owners waited alertly on the sidelines, controllers in hand. After a few test laps, the race was on, and the cars screamed around the course at a top speed of 18 miles per hour. Some cars finessed the entire course, gracefully coasting in the air each time they shot across the ramps, while others twisted and fell, coming to an abrupt and undignified end.

Some students are already making improvements to their cars. Will Mandelbaum '14 has been busy soldering new connections to install a brushless motor, which will easily double the speed of these tiny racers from 18 to just over 30 miles per hour—enough to get a speeding ticket on Middle Road!

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FAY IN BRIEF

What are your hopes and dreams for the year?

Earlier this fall, kindergarten students brainstormed a list of what they hoped to accomplish before June and then created watercolor paintings to illustrate their ideas.

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FAY IN BRIEF

FAY ANNOUNCES NEW RESIDENTIAL SUMMER PROGRAMS Though it looks like winter outside, Fay’s Auxiliary Programs team is already planning for another great summer at Fay Summer Programs! We’re excited to announce two new programs open to students entering grades 5-7.

FAY ACADEMIC ADVENTURES

FAY OVERNIGHT CAMP

is an academic enrichment program for students entering grades 5-7. We are offering two two-week sessions, where students choose mini-courses that take a closer look at academic topics with a fun, hands-on approach. For example, students may have the opportunity to learn about the scientific process in a forensic science class, design and build a simple machine in our Innovation Lab, or write the next Great American Short Story in our creative writing class. Students will live in the Fay dorms and enjoy busy afternoons, evenings, and weekends with organized games, community-building activities, and day trips to local sites.

is for our day campers who just can’t get enough of Fay! These campers, who are entering grades 5-7, participate in our Day Camp program (see below) but add more fun to their afternoons and evenings by staying over in the Fay dorms and participating in activities and events with our Academic Adventures and English Immersion students.

We’re also delighted to bring back our two traditional programs: FAY DAY CAMP

FAY ENGLISH IMMERSION

will open in June for eight one-week sessions for campers ages 3-15. Campers will enjoy days full of fun and adventure, with daily swimming instruction, sports, games, arts, crafts, music, drama, dance, and outdoor adventure. As in previous years, campers ages 6 and older will also have the option of signing up for Specialty Camps that focus on specific topics of interest, such as robotics, horseback riding, circus arts, and individual team sports.

(formerly known as the Summer International Student Program) will be offered for one four-week and one six-week session and is open to English language learners ages 10-15. Students live on campus in dorms, study English in an immersion setting for the first half of the day, and then practice their developing skills in the afternoon in activites with English-speaking participants from the Day Camp and other camps.

Questions about our summer programs?

Contact Bob Rojee, Director of Auxiliary Programs at rrojee@fayschool.org or 508.490.8247.

Fay Summer Programs welcomed a number of alumni back as camp staff last summer. Back row, left to right: Alexandra “Zan” Ruskowski ’08, Lesedi Malete ’08, Ezeanne ‘Shawn’ Fonge ’09, Mike Dougert ’09 , Cam Bowen ’07. Front row, left to right: Madison Rosenwald ’08, Jessa White ’08, Julianne Tournas ’09, and Hadley Lapham Horner ’91.

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Learning All Year Long: Faculty Professional Development

F

ay teachers love learning, and this summer many Fay teachers used generous grants provided by endowed funds and the Parents’ Association to explore new ideas and prepare for the fall by becoming students themselves. Here are some examples of projects funded by the Faculty Enrichment Fund, Curriculum Innovation Grants, and Fay’s Professional Development budget:

Focus on Mathematics Learning Center teacher Elizabeth Senecal spent a week at Mount Holyoke College’s Developing Mathematical Ideas program studying the best ways to explain whole numbers and fractions.

Art as a Teaching Tool: Pre-Kindergarten teacher Lauren Roby took two art classes: a drawing course and a photography course. The courses have helped her guide students as they work on their own art, and she has been applying her photography skills to document children’s learning.

Digital Literacy: Library Director Sharon Lux attended the University of Rhode Island’s Summer Institute in Digital Literacy. Sharon has incorporated what she learned about new media into a new class for seventh graders called Information Literacy.

Cross-Country Research: Upper School teachers Tim McCauley (science) and Emily McCauley (history) prepared for their interdisciplinary course Diagnosing the Modern World (DMW) with a cross-country trip to visit farmers, wind energy installations, national parks, and dams. This year’s DMW course focuses on topics related to food and energy.

iTunes U: English Department Chair Paul Abeln, Math Department Chair Julie Porrazzo, History Department Chair Bruce Chauncey, and history teacher John Beloff received innovation grants to develop online versions of their courses using iTunes U. These courses provide a digital text that teachers can adapt to meet the needs of the students in their classes.

Design Thinking Workshops Seven Fay teachers spent a week in Cambridge at NuVu Studios, an MIT spin-off that teaches design thinking to students and educators. Director of Innovation Peter Fearey, Science Department Chair Tim McCauley, Math Department Chair Julie Porrazzo, English Department Chair Paul Abeln, Lower School science teacher Cecilia Owens, Kindergarten teacher Katie Zerega, and Primary School science teacher Jennifer Telles learned about some of the technologies we added to the Innovation Lab this year.

Thanks to a gift from the Parents’ Association, the school has purchased a laser cutter, which enables teachers and students to quickly prototype and test design ideas. Using similar equipment at NuVu, Fay teachers created an electronic talking moose that reminds students of things they need to do, a fishing rod holder that alerts people when fish are on the line, a coffee cup holder that keeps itself level, and a new set of manipulatives that students can use to create art.

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FACULTY AND STAFF

Lower School Homevisory: Lower School teachers Kara Mertz (Spanish), Andy Long (science), and Devan Fitzpatrick (English) developed a formal curriculum for the Lower School “Homevisory” program to support the social, emotional, and academic needs of fifth and sixth graders.

Extended Topics in Algebra: Math Department Chair Julie Porrazzo collaborated with math teachers Katie Long and Joe Buteau to develop Extended Topics in Algebra (ETA), a new course for students who arrive at Fay with some exposure to both algebra and geometry—in particular, international students whose curricula don’t match American math models.

ETA supports math students as they move beyond straightforward algorithms to problem solving in context.

Poetry with Robert Pinsky: Lower School teacher Dava Dunne studied poetry for a week at Boston University with former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.

Robotics: Upper School science teacher Eric Lane spent a week learning about kid-friendly robotics at Carnegie Mellon University.

Nurturing Creativity in Young Learners: Head of Primary School Anne Bishop spent a week at Stanford University’s Bing Nursery School attending a workshop called “Nurturing Young Children's Creative Thinking,” where participants focused on supporting young children in their search for meaning in the world around them.

Travel Adventures: Numerous Fay School faculty traveled abroad to places like China, Vietnam, and Hungary, while others explored new intellectual territory closer to home, pursuing graduate coursework as they completed master’s degrees, teaching workshops for other educators, or working in Fay’s summer programs.

Fay Welcomes New Administrators Matt Heard, Head of Upper School

Ann Wardwell, Director of Advancement

Fay is delighted to welcome Matt Heard as the new Head of Upper School. Matt has a bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College, and he received his master’s degree from Columbia University’s Klingenstein Center for Private School Leadership.

Prior to joining Fay, he was the Assistant Head of School at Tuxedo Park School in upstate New York. In that role, he was responsible for secondary school placement, faculty and staff hiring, and faculty professional development; he also taught Upper School physical sciences and leadership classes. Matt was also a sixth grade science teacher at Greenwich Country Day School and a leadership instructor at the Chewonki Foundation. He is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School in Alaska and a registered Maine Guide.

Ann is a familiar face to many at Fay, as she is a former Fay parent—to Sterling, Class of 2006, and Julie, Class of 2009.

Prior to joining Fay, Ann was the Director of Advancement at The Governor’s Academy, where she was responsible for the creation and implementation of overall fundraising and alumni relations initiatives.

Ann previously worked as Director of Development at Choate Rosemary Hall. Having witnessed the benefits of a Fay education firsthand, she is a passionate supporter of the School.

She is particularly excited about keeping young alumni connected to Fay and is looking forward to a special “cluster reunion” scheduled for June 7, which will bring together the classes of 2006 through 2013. www.fayschool.org .fayschool.org | 25

E

ach fall, as the leaves begin their transition from green to gold, the fifth graders embark on their annual trip to Merrowvista in beautiful Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. Over three days and two nights, the students climb rock towers, solve low-ropes challenges, build rafts, sing songs, learn to compost, and play games. These activities are both intensely challenging and incredibly fun as they push each student to live up to Merrowvista’s motto: “My own self, at my very best, all the time.”

Living away from home for two nights can be its own challenge. The students quickly find, however, that chores that are boring at home can be quite entertaining when done with friends and loud music. Meals take on special significance at Merrowvista. They are a time of responsibility and fun. Like lunch at Fay, students are responsible for setting and clearing tables. At Merrowvista, they also sweep floors, wash dishes, and weigh their leftovers to understand their impact on the Earth.

Every meal ends with song challenges. Many students remember and still sing “60s Party” and “Great Big Moose” years after returning from the trip.

The highlight of the trip is always Council Fire—a powerful ceremony held in an open-air rotunda on the final night of the trip and repeated when the students return to Merrowvista as ninth graders. At Council Fire, students share reflections on their experiences and consider how they have grown individually and as a class over the course of the trip.

This fall was my fourth trip to Merrowvista, and each year I am amazed at how unique and meaningful each group makes every trip. The fifth graders never really feel like fifth graders until returning from the trip, and their memories of songs, fears overcome, and challenges bested unite them in ways that will last well beyond this year.

Tyler Auer teaches math in Fay’s Lower School. He joined the faculty in 2008.

My Own Self, At My Very Best, All the Time: The Fifth Grade Trip to Camp Merrowvista Photo essay by Tyler Auer

r

Another successful fall athletics season— with Fay’s teams boasting an impressive overall record of 81-47-10.

Sports Spotlight

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

T

wo varsity teams boasted undefeated records this fall: both volleyball and cross country ended the season 8-0. The boys cross country team celebrated their third straight year of capturing the Larz Anderson Championship title. The competition, which took place on October 23 and featured 125 runners from 12 different schools, showcased the effort and skill of Fay’s harriers, who thrived during a season of hard training. Fay finished with a total of 41 points, beating Park School (the second-place team) by nearly 60 points.

Co-captain Shivam Sharma ’15 won the race, and three of his teammates also won medals for finishing in the top 10.

LEADERSHIP UPDATE: THE CAPTAINS’ COUNCIL Fay athletes continue to develop leadership skills that take them far beyond Fay’s courts and playing fields.

Director of Athletics Rob Feingold met with this season’s team captains three times over the course of the season to focus on leadership.

The team captains, who are voted on at the beginning of each season by their teammates and coaches, had the opportunity to meet with the St. Mark’s Athletic Leadership Council. At the meeting, Fay captains talked with St. Mark’s athletes about the qualities of a successful captain and the daily challenges of being a leader among peers.

Rob Feingold looks forward to additional leadership training with team captains for the winter and spring seasons.

GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER also had a winning season, with a record of 9-3-1.

Captains Caroline Dawson ’15, Avery Asherman ’15, and Corina Kotidis ’15 led a focused and determined group of athletes.

VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY finished with a record of 10-2-1, their only losses coming against Shore Country Day (a team that was undefeated throughout the season and gave up their only goal to Fay). Fay’s field hockey program continues to be strong at all levels; all teams had a combined record of 21-5-3.

BOYS VARSITY SOCCER continues to thrive and saw their best season in years, with a final record of 6-6-1. The team took seventh place in the A division of the Eaglebrook Tournament, with two wins, two losses, and three ties on that day. The team tied their final game of the season against Belmont Hill’s freshman team (which finished with a record of 14-1-1), a match marked by chilly weather, brisk movement, physical play, and relentless pressure from their talented opponents.

VARSITY FOOTBALL ended the season 2-4. One undeniable highlight was the team’s fourth straight victory at the “Split-F” Bowl, the annual Fay-Fenn rivalry game that is named after the trophy the winning team brings home to display for a year: a football with a red F and a blue F. The dramatic end to the game was truly one of those “miracle moments” that sports fans remember for a lifetime.

With the score tied at 6-6 and ten seconds on the clock, Fenn had possession of the ball on their own 12-yard line, on 4th down. Immediately after Fenn’s center snapped the ball, Anthony D’Angelo ’15 scooted around his defender and blocked the quarterback’s surprise punt attempt. The ball ricocheted into Fenn’s endzone, where defensive end Jack Chen ’14 fell on the ball for a winning touchdown. Coach Chris Kimball noted, “It was a great example of a team deciding its own fate. The coaches were resigned to a tie, but the players had a different outcome in mind, and they made it happen on their own.”

Scan this QR code to see footage of the blocked punt and winning touchdown.

30 | Fay Magazine 2013

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

Fay Alumni Excel in Collegiate Rowing hile Fay may not have its own crew team, Fay alumni are making a name for themselves in the rowing world. Brendon Stoner ’07, currently a senior at Dartmouth, was selected to row with the USA World Under-23 Team this past July in Linz, Austria, where his heavyweight eight won the silver medal.

Brendon was selected for the team after an intense month at the U.S. Rowing national team selection camp in Providence, Rhode Island, which included frequent races in a highly competitive setting. Brendon’s efforts won him a spot in the top boat, and after just a few weeks of training together, the team faced the challenge of competing against top teams from around the world.

Brendon rows on Dartmouth’s first varsity eight and is described by his coaches as tenacious and driven, with a work ethic that inspires his teammates—and that clearly inspired the U.S. team in Linz. After a third-place finish in the opening heat, the team was in last-place at the 500-meter mark and then made a dramatic comeback, crossing the finish line only three seconds after New

Zealand’s boat. The men’s eight was one of four U.S. crews that won medals at the event.

Also making her mark in the world of rowing is Julia Bretz ’10, who is a freshman at Duke University. Julia is a relative newcomer to rowing, having taken up the sport when she started at Lawrenceville as a sophomore. After demonstrating innate skill and strength in her novice year, she attended a high performance camp for the U.S. Junior National Team. Julia ultimately served as captain for the Lawrenceville team and competed at Club Nationals, where her boat raced at the intermediate level and placed third.

Julia rowed on Duke’s B crew at the Princeton Chase Regatta on October 26, the team’s only regatta of the fall season. Julia’s boat placed 24th in a field of 52 boats, crossing the finish line at 15:56:66 and defeating A entries from Georgetown, Texas, MIT, Rhode Island, George Washington, and Rutgers.

Julia loves the physical and mental challenges of rowing, as well as the way she has to push herself to excel both as an individual athlete and a member of a team. “Rowing your best stroke is not as effective as rowing together as one,” she says.

And while Fay may not have offered crew as an athletics option, Julia is quick to note how Fay prepared her for the sport by emphasizing the values of hard work and leadership. “Being Red Color President at Fay really prepared me for being a leader,” she says, “and this is something I take with me wherever I go, whether or not I’m a captain. It’s important to know how to elevate the people around you as you elevate your game.”

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CLASS NOTES 1936 FAIR GOODALE writes, “We are starting our second year in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where we are in driving distance of four of our five children.

Our 15 grandchildren are scattered around the eastern half of the country, as are our four great grandchildren.We have the usual aches and pains of advancing age, but much enjoy living in Duxbury. We had a family reunion of 53 this summer—great fun.”

1941 We’ve heard from KENNON JAYNE, who reports that he is “fortunate to be still alive and kicking at age 87! And my classmate ARTHUR WILLIAMS is still in there, holding on to life. When I think back to 1941 with Mr. Fay as headmaster and Mr. Brackett keeping us in line, I feel fortunate to have

experienced those formative years at Fay School. All of my five children, all boys, or, I should say, grown men now, often ask what Fay School was like, because they went only to the public schools. I try to describe Fay, and that makes me feel so lucky!”

celebration. I try to stay younger by continuing to compete with the weights in the Senior and USATF meets throughout the East and by coaching the sport in the spring.”

1950 THOMAS SHEFFIELD shared this exciting news: “On October 2 I received La Légion d'honneur from the Consul Général de France for my role in the renaissance of the Alliance Française de Chicago 1977 - 1988. Vive la France!”

1951 ALAN BROOKS reports, “On October 16, I retired from Westminster, after completing my 52nd year working at the school, most recently running the school's yearlong 125th anniversary

David Rassin ’57 and his wife, Glennda.

Pictured above: Primary School watercolors inspired by the poem “I Planted a Tree.”

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CLASS NOTES

1957

1959

DAVID RASSIN checked in to let us know that he and his wife, Glennda, were recently featured in the Galveston County News for their extensive collection of breastfeeding art. The collection includes more than 100 pieces from around the world in a variety of media, including oils, watercolor, chalk, posters, scrolls, ceramics, and pottery. David is a semi-retired professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and Glennda is a retired social worker and childbirth coach; both continue to be advocates for breastfeeding because of its medical and social benefits.

DANIEL GOMEZ OBREGON shares this news about a recent visit to Fay: “I had the greatest experience of my life this summer. I visited Fay on June 26, 54 years after my graduation, along with my wife Maria Luz and my youngest son Juan Camilo, 13. You cannot imagine how it felt—there are no words to describe the ‘miracle’. I emphasized to Juan Camilo that I was just his

1958 DAVID HARRIS checked in to share information about one of his littleknown skills: fireworks expert! Each summer, he helps coordinate a fireworks show in New York State. Here he is with one of the six-inch shells that they shot last summer. He writes, “Next year the

David Harris ’58

date will be July 5 at 9:00 p.m. at the Ausable Club, St. Huberts, New York.

We keep it open to the public, and everybody is invited. You will not be disappointed!” You can see a video of the very impressive finale at http://tinyurl.com/qeu4356.

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE Former faculty member Bobbie McLaughlin visited Fay recently for a special visit.

Bonnie is the daughter of longtime faculty member Robert Shields, who taught at Fay from 1943 to 1967 and served as assistant headmaster from 1953 to 1967.

Bonnie had a chance to visit her childhood home, Goodnow House—which is now part of the Primary School—and to see her father’s portrait. Bonnie had the unusual privilege of attending Fay as a first grader despite the fact that it was a boys’ school at the time, and she recalled that the boys were required to pull her chair out for her when she entered class. Bobbie returned to Fay after college as a ‘faculty wife’ and taught art on campus from 1967 to 1969.

Daniel Gomez Obregon ’59

age when I attended Fay. I´m 70 now, and I have four children: Daniel, age 42, who has two children; Mauricio, age 40; Lolita, age 31; and Juan Camilo, age 13 years. We flew from Bogota, Colombia to attend my 50th reunion at Tabor Academy, and from there we drove to Southborough. We visited the beautiful campus, and it was really gratifying to see all the great changes, but difficult to recognize the old traditional places I remembered. The feeling of going back in time 54 years as I entered the dining room was awesome. Seeing the picture of our old headmaster, Mr. Reinke, and the old moose hanging from the wall made me shiver.”

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CLASS NOTES

1972

1975

1978

FRED HAACK reports that his daughter, CHRISTINA HAACK ’06, graduated from the University of New Hampshire this past June. Christina graduated from the UNH Media and Communications School and is presently living in New York City, working as a production assistant on the CBS show Elementary, starring Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller.

ALICE HARLOW RONCONI writes, “All is well in Las Vegas. I have been travelling frequently to Florida to visit my dad, BROOKS HARLOW '49. My sister, LIBBY HARLOW ROBINSON '78 hosted my son, Armando, me, and my brother, BROOKS HARLOW III '81 and his family, on the Cape this summer. We all flew in to see her daughter, Mimi Robinson, in Les Miserables as Eponine, her dream role. She did an amazing job!

Libby, Mimi, Armando and I stopped at the Harlow Homestead in Plymouth during the visit and took pictures outside the Sergeant William Harlow house. Libby, Mimi, and I were together again in September at Marquette University for a brief weekend. Mimi is

EMILY ROBERTS WICK has this news: “We had a wonderful Class of '78 reunion, thanks to HOLLY CURTIS PARMENTER and all her hard work contacting the class. Also, big thanks to classmate JIM SHAY and his wonderful wife, Monica, for hosting a cocktail party for us at their beautiful home! It was a nice summer with some horse shows in Saratoga Springs and Saugerties, New York, and in Dorset and Manchester, Vermont. We visited and spent time in Five Islands, Maine, Vineyard Haven, and Chatham, and we were really grateful to have both CHAPPIE WICK '12 and GRADY WICK '02 home together for the summer together! Chappie started her junior year at Ethel Walker and loves it. Grady

Fred Haack ’72, wife Lita, and daughter Christina ’06 at Christina’s graduation from the Univeristy of New Hampshire this past June.

1973 JEFFREY JAY, pictured below with an enormous northern pike that he caught in Canada, reports that he is busy “seven days a week” managing his health care investment firm.

Alice Harlow Ronconi ’75 and Libby Harlow Robinson ’78 with sons Armando Ronconi and Seamus Robinson at the Harlow Homestead on Cape Cod.

Jeffrey Jay ’73

34 | Fay Magazine 2013

doing the "college tour," and Marquette is in her consideration set. While there, we all got to see my son, Armando Harlow Ronconi, in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels as Lawrence Jameson.”

is an amazing young man of whom I am very proud! We are grateful to all the people from our Fay family who helped and supported our navigation through difficult times. We will never forget it.”

CLASS NOTES

1981 JORGE MESTRE was married to Lee Branson on October 26, with TED NIBLETT as his best man.

Ted Niblett ’81, Jorge Mestre ’81, and Maria Mestre ’84 at Jorge’s wedding.

1982 A message from AMY DIBUONO GRAHAM: “Mel and I are still enjoying our jobs at Brooks School. We get to meet lots of potential students who visit from Fay, even though all three of my kids go to Shore—KRISTEN CONNELL has to forgive me over and over again every time we talk for the lapse in loyalty. I work with Bobbie Crump here at Brooks, who helped us battle the mighty Shore female athletes on the fields and courts back in the day. We are looking forward to attending my oldest son Marty's soccer game at Fay later on this month. My parents, Nick and Jackie DiBuono, will be in attendance, along with my sister MARYBETH RILEY '80, who lives in Southborough with her husband, Paul. MB just had a wonderful time at her Suffield reunion with old friends. Her oldest son Ben is a senior at Brooks this year—it’s wonderful to have him on campus! I've enjoyed staying in touch with Bill Claire and Jane McGinty, and I am hoping to get them up north for one of our openings in the Lehman gallery at Brooks. But first I need to get down to the Metrowest region to hear the Allens play! I also wanted to mention

what an excellent time my family and I had visiting JOHN LAMEYER and RICHARD THOMAS and their families up in Castine, Maine. Beautiful children and cool to see them all playing together. Everything changes and nothing changes.”

Call for Nominations: Fay Alumni Awards

1989

Founders’ Day on Saturday, May 3, 2014:

WIM TAYLOR wrote in with this news: “My wife Amanda and I live in Washington, D.C., and we both work at American University. She completed her doctorate at Harvard in May of 2013 and is now a faculty member teaching International Education in the School of International Service at AU. I work as the Associate Director of Employer Relations in the Kogod School of Business. We both enjoy our work and are passionate about education, which is why I have established Elephant in the Room Consulting (www.elephantintheroomconsulting.com), a firm that develops strategies for students to maximize their time on their college campus. I have had some fantastic results developing strategies and tactics to help my student successfully launch their professional careers. On top of all that, we have two beautiful sons,

•

Fay’s Office of Advancement needs your input! We are now accepting nominations for two alumni awards to be presented at

, presented to a current or former member of the Fay faculty who represents Fay’s core values and has demonstrated unsurpassed commitment to his or her students.

•

, presented by the

Alumni Council to a Fay alumnus or alumna in recognition of actions exemplifying Fay School’s motto, Poteris Modo Velis.

All alumni are eligible for the Alumni Award, and all current and past members of Fay’s faculty, alive or deceased, are eligible for the Faculty Recognition Award.

Please email your nomination to Kathryn Gaska at kgaska@fayschool.org by January 17. Include the name of the nominee and two or three sentences about why you feel this individual is deserving of the award.

Quinlan and Coleman, sons of Wim Taylor ’89

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CLASS NOTES

1999

Quinlan, age five, and Coleman, age one. They are a handful, but they keep us on our toes.”

RYAN FAWCETT checked in to let us know that he is currently pursuing his MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

1991 Artist LISA PIASECKI had a show at Studio #581 in Jersey City, as part of the “Open Studios” event, which showcased 70 open artist studios, six exhibition openings, and live performances.

Lisa’s recent work is inspired by the weight of water.

2003 We’ve received the news that JOEL MANDELL is engaged! Joel proposed to Lauren Ross on September 7 at Stetson Hall, Northeastern University, where they met the first week of their freshman year. Joel Mandell is the brother of DANIEL MANDELL ’02 and the grandson of Margaret Ford of Bridgewater, Connecticut. After Fay,

1993 In March of 2013, COURTNEY O'NEIL COHEN '94 and fellow alumna VANESSA RAPTOPOULOS '93 teamed up to open their own business in the fine and fashion jewelry industry. They own and operate a showroom of 20 designers in midtown Manhattan called Luxe Intelligence.

Clementina Suels ’95 with her daughters on her summer trip to Fay.

1995 CLEMENTINA SUELS was able to make a quick visit to Fay and followed up with this note: “We just left Fay, and it has changed a lot! I was so excited to walk down memory lane... I got to go inside Webster House and showed my girls my old room! I was telling my husband that it felt surreal to see my girls playing in the playground where I went to school.”

1997

Vanessa Raptopoulos ’93 and Courtney O’Neil Cohen ’93

1994 LIZ CASWELL KIRKPATRICK has announced the birth of her son, Macallan Reed Kirkpatrick, who was born this fall.

36 | Fay Magazine 2013

NICHOLAS CHANDLER writes, “It's been quite a while since I checked in. After getting my LLM in banking & international financial law at the London School of Economics & Political Science in 2010, I spent a while longer practicing law before moving out to Sacramento and switching careers.

Currently I am at Morgan Stanley in training to be a financial advisor, and if any Fay grads live here or in the Bay Area and want to get in touch, I'd be happy to catch up. I'm pretty easy to find on Facebook, or at nwchandler@gmail.com.”

Joel Mandell ’03 and his fiancée, Lauren Ross.

Joel graduated from Nashoba Regional High School and then from Northeastern, where he double majored in marketing and finance. A graduate of North Hunterdon High School of Annandale, New Jersey, Lauren earned

CLASS NOTES

Keep in Touch!

Send your news and photos to Erin Ash Sullivan, Director of Communications, at esullivan@fayschool.org.

her doctorate in physical therapy from Northeastern. She works for ProCare

Rehabilitation in Clark, New Jersey, and Joel works for Southwire Company.

Lauren and Joel enjoy many sports, hiking, spending time with friends and family, and their dog, Kaiya. They make their home in Westfield, New Jersey. A June 2014 wedding is planned.

LAURIE BOURETTE has been accepted to the masters program in exercise science at the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University.

2005 NATHAN BOURETTE graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He is working with the M3 Advisory Group in Newton, Massachusetts as the Director of Client Services.

Josh Lesser ’06 with his mom, Christine Schneider.

2006 CHRISTINA HAACK graduated from the UNH Media and Communications school and is presently living in New York City, working as a production assistant on the CBS show Elementary, starring Lucy

Save the Date!

Fay School’s first-ever Young Alumni Reunion for members of the Classes of 2006 through 2013 Saturday, June 7, 2014 Kick off the summer by reconnecting with your Fay friends!

Stay tuned for your invitation, which will include specific information about time and location.

www.fayschool.org | 37

CLASS NOTES

Liu and Jonny Lee Miller. She reports that the hours are tough, but it’s a great start for her ultimate goal of a career in movie and television production. JOSH LESSER took our schoolwide theme, Serious Fun, to heart, in his update, which you’ll find in the “Serious Fun” article on page 8 of this issue.

2010 OLIVIA FLEMING has this news: “I am spending my freshman fall semester of college at Northeastern's international program in London and am having a fabulous time exploring everything that this metropolis has to offer! It is such an incredible experience to have the opportunity to study somewhere and use the

city's resources, such as Spitalfields and the numerous museums, to enhance my classwork.”

2012 We’ve heard from DIEGO POO: “I just started 11th grade in Mexico, and things are off to a great start. I was chosen to represent Mexico in a Model United Nations in New York City, and I’m organizing one of our own here in my school. All the Mexicans from the 20112012 year get together once a month to eat and chat, and we have become great friends. I already started looking at colleges on the east coast, so I might peek in soon at Fay. Best of luck to everyone.”

Fay’s alumni runners continue to shine! On November 1, St. Mark’s varsity boys cross country team won the Independent School League Championship, with the boys junior varsity placing third overall. Jack Hartigan ’12 was the winner of the JV race, and Jared DePietri came in seventh; Matt Thalmann ’14 came in 15th for the varsity race. Pictured here are Fay alumni currently running for St. Mark’s: Matt Flathers ’12, Patrick Egan ’12, Liam Busconi ’13, Jack Hartigan ’12, Jared Depietri ’11, Matt Thalmann ’14, Willy Lyons ’11, and Nick Hadlock ’14.

38 | Fay Magazine 2013

In Memoriam WILLIAM E. NEWTON ‘49 July 24, 2013 William Elbridge Newton, 80, a longtime resident of Rhinebeck, New York, passed away on Wednesday, July 24, 2013 at his residence. He was born on June 8, 1933 in New York, New York, the son of the late Carl E. and Mary Barrow Newton. Mr. Newton attended Hunter College and Harvard University. Prior to his retirement, he was a professor of science for various educational institutions. He is survived by his brother, Thomas E. Newton of Manchester, New Hampshire, and several nieces and nephews.

ALLEN P. SPAULDING, JR. ‘58 June 5, 2013 Allen Perkins Spaulding Jr., of Buffalo, founder of WTG Energy Systems, died June 5 in a plane crash on Cuttyhunk Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts near Martha’s Vineyard. He was 70 years old.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Spaulding attended Fay and graduated from the Park School in 1962. He served in the Army and was stationed in northern Italy for three years. He later graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

A creative trailblazer, he founded WTG (Wind Turbine Generator) Energy Systems in 1974 in Buffalo, well before alternative sources of energy were considered viable and necessary.

His company erected several windmills in Vermont, Oregon, Nova Scotia, and South Wales, where he served as chief designer and was a passionate advocate with a team of engineers who shared his vision for harnessing wind power.

WILLIAM “BRUCE” MANN ’60 January 6, 2013 William Bruce Mann was born on January 22, 1945 to Douglas and Doris (Fish) Mann in Framingham, Massachusetts. After attending Fay, Bruce graduated from Worcester State College, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration, followed by two master’s degrees in counselor education and communication disorders.

Bruce was a veteran of C Troop, 11th Armored Calvary Regiment U.S. Army, and he served in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1970. As a Staff Sergeant, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal, among other decorations and badges. His unrelenting loyalty, initiative, and perseverance brought him wide acclaim and inspiration to others during his military career. The VA was a monumental part of his life, and he worked for the Veterans’ Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, counseling veterans and their families.

Prior to retirement, Bruce worked at the IRS in public relations.

He enjoyed nature and the outdoors. He was an antique enthusiast, an excellent woodworker, an avid skier, and a skilled athlete. He had a great appreciation and love for music and poetry.

Bruce is survived by his wife of 17 years, Mary; two children, Kimberly Mann DiMasi and Justin, from his first marriage to Cleo Mann Malcolm; a brother, Roscoe “Rocky” Mann ’63; four grandchildren; a nephew; and other family and friends.

During the last decade of his life, he dedicated himself to the design and building of a home that would exist entirely off the grid. He was within just a few months of completing this project when he died.

Survivors include his wife, Holly; his mother, Anne W. Spaulding; a sister Anne S. Rose; and two brothers, Frederick A. Spaulding ’64 and William V.R. Spaulding.

www.fayschool.org | 39

478 students • 66 acres of campus • 20 countries represented by Fay’s boarders 46 classrooms with built-in projectors • 4 world languages offered • 36 athletic teams for grades 5-8 • 688 pages read by students in the fifth grade book club • 4 students honored for their achievements in the 2012-13 National Latin Exam • 109 original poems, stories, and essays by students printed in Fay’s literary magazine Frontiers • 9 ceramic wheels • 450 commendations earned by Primary School students at Primary School Meetings •10 10 intramural sports programs • 73 % of faculty with advanced degrees • 53 newspapers and magazine subscriptions available in the Fay library • 387 networked computers for faculty and students • 120 iPads •20differentsports • 9 SMART- Boards in classrooms • 0 losses by the 5/6 girls lacrosse team • $ million provided in 2012-13 for financial assistance • issues of Moose Mag written and miles traveled produced by second graders • blocks in a on Romanesque arch designed and built by ninth grade geometry students • 16 finalists in School spring trips the Upper SchoolUpper speech contest • % secondary school placement • countries represented at Taste of Nations 478 students • 66 acres of campus • countries represented by Fay’s boarders classrooms with built-in projectors • world languages offered • 36 athletic teams for grades 5-8 • pages read by students in the fifth grade book club • students honored for their achievemedals and essays by students printed in Fay’s literary magazine ments in the 2012-13 National Latin Exam • original poems, stories, won by Fay’sSchool students at Primary School Meetings •10 Frontiers • 9 ceramic wheels • commendations earned by Primary 10 intramural and field and magazine subscriptions available in the Fay library sports programs • % of faculty with advanced degrees •tracknewspapers athletes at the • 387 networked computers for faculty and students • SMART- Boards in classrooms • 0 losses by 2013 Hillside the 5/6 girls lacrosse team • $ million provided in 2012-13 for financial assistance • issues of Moose Mag written and produced dedicated Jamboree by second graders • blocks in a Romanesque arch designed and built by ninth grade geometry studentsteachers • finalists in the Upper School speech contest • 100 % secondary school placement • 41 countries represented at Taste of Nations 478 students • 66 acres of campus • 20 countries represented by Fay’s boarders classrooms with built-in projectors • world languages offered • 36 athletic teams for grades 5-8 • pages read by students in the fifth grade book club • 4 students honored for their achievements in the 2012-13 National Latin Exam • original poems, stories, and essays by students printed in Fay’s literary magazine Frontiers • 9 ceramic wheels • commendations earned by Primary School students at Primary School Meetings • intramural sports programs • 73 % of faculty with advanced degrees • newspapers and magazine subscriptions available in the Fay library • 387 networked computers for faculty and students • SMART- Boards in classrooms • losses by the 5/6 √ offered in in 2012-13 for financial assistance • issues of Moose Mag written and produced by secgirls lacrosse team • $courses million provided Fay’s library ond graders • 17the blocks in a School Romanesque arch designed andbooks built byinninth grade geometry students • finalists in the Upper School Upper speech contest • 100 % secondary school placement • 41 countries represented at Taste of Nations 66 acres of campus • 20 countries represented by Fay’s boarders 46 classrooms with built-in projectors • 36 athletic teams for grades 5-8 • pages read by students in the fifth grade book club • students honored for their achievements in the 2012-13 National Latin Exam • original poems, stories, and essays by students printed in Fay’s literary magazine Frontiers • 9 ceramic wheels • 450 commendations earned by Primary School students at Primary School Meetings • intramural sports programs • 73 % of faculty with advanced degrees square • newspapers and magazine subscriptions available in the Fay library • networked comfeet music puters for faculty and studentsof• spaceiPads •20differentsports • SMART- Boards in classrooms • losses by the 5/6 girls lacrosse in Fay’s seats in Harris Theater performance groups by second graders • 1.8 million provided in 2012-13 for financial assistance • issues of Moose Mag written and produced team • $1.8 Innovation Lab 17 blocks in a Romanesque arch designed and built by ninth grade geometry students • 16 finalists in the Upper School speech contest • 100 % secondary school placement • 41 countries represented at Taste of Nations • $1.8 1.8 million provided in 2012-13 for financial assistance • 2 issues of Moose Mag written and produced by second graders • 17 blocks in a Romanesque arch designed and built by ninth grade geometry students • 16 finalists in the Upper School speech contest • 100 % secondary school placement • 41 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Every number tells a story.

109

1,562

18

109

68

16,000

2,050

350

11

THE 2013-2014 FAY SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND Numbers matter.

And your participation makes it possible.

Our goal is 100% participation and $1.575 million.

These numbers just begin to paint a picture of the experience of every student at Fay—from engaging and meaningful academics, to arts, athletics, and advisory programs.

Please give today. Your generous gifts made before December 31 help us to meet our financial needs for this calendar year.

Gifts made before June 30 help us meet our fiscal year requirements.

As a gift-supported institution, Fay relies on the generosity of its community to make its program possible. Tuition covers only about two-thirds of all the costs inherent in a child’s school day. Your support is essential, and your gift demonstrates your belief in Fay’s mission.

Thank you!

Faculty Q&A

Making Music Serious Fun: Josh Pierson Now in his tenth year at Fay, Josh Pierson has introduced many Fay students to the joy of playing ensemble music. A graduate of Williams College with a master’s degree in education from Boston University, he teaches instrumental music in the Lower and Upper School, including String Ensemble, Concert Band, and Jazz Band.

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO TEACHING MUSIC?

My number one job is to help my students enjoy the experience of making music as part of a group. I want them to find joy in the process and feel the excitement of making a piece performanceworthy. For me, music was the way I met new people and developed friendships.

Music is a language students can use to share experiences with other kids and quickly find something in common.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE MUSIC FOR THE ENSEMBLES?

I try to choose pieces that are both playable and challenging. I like to mix some pop arrangements with our more traditional selections, though it’s surprising what turns out to be a group favorite. We’re currently working on James Swearingen’s “Chesford Portrait,” a staple in the concert band repertoire, and the students love playing it. I told them how much I enjoyed playing it in high school, and that may have helped trigger their enthusiasm.

Josh is involved in many aspects of campus life. He’s a dorm parent in the Village Boys Dorm, a coach for the varsity boys soccer team, and now, a Fay parent: his daughter Lena started in Pre-Kindergarten this fall. His varied experiences give him a unique view of what it’s like to live and work on campus.

HOW DOES BEING A PARENT, COACH, AND DORM PARENT CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WORKING AT FAY?

As a coach, I’ve learned so much about being a teacher; it’s so rewarding to watch the students come together and grow as a team.

And as a dorm parent, I’m able to connect with the students in a different way—we enjoy downtime together and have conversations that would never take place in the classroom. It has been a good place to be for my family (wife Kay, children Lena, 4, and Cole, 1)—and my kids love getting to know the students. Lena especially loves feeling so connected to the community.

WHAT IS YOUR INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE?

The alto saxophone is “my” instrument, which I’ve played since fourth grade. I also play trumpet, trombone, drums, piano, guitar, banjo, and bass. Every few years I try to pick up a new instrument!

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