Foote Prints Spring 2020

Foote Prints Spring 2020

The Foote School On the cover Head of School Carol Maoz helps students cross a balance beam in the Sacred Woods in June 2015 On this page Carol reunites with the students pictured on the cover on the steps of the Jonathan Milikowsky Science and Technology Building in February 2020

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From the Head of School A Bittersweet Farewell Farewell, Friend Over 11 years at Foote, Carol Maoz was a principled leader, a patient teacher, an inspired learner and a good friend.

Foote Falcons? Since When?

The surprising history of the Foote School mascot

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News at Foote Connecting the Dots Grandparents Day Alumni Achievement Award Children of Alumni at Foote Class of 2016: Where Are They Now? Young Alums Day Class Notes Why I Teach

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Foote Prints Spring20 50

Editor’s Note

Spring 2020 | Vol. 47 No. 1

The Foote School

50 Loomis Place, New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 777-3464 • www.footeschool.org Foote Prints is published twice a year for alumni, parents, grandparents and friends.

Editor Andy Bromage Class Notes Editor Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89

THE IMPAC T O F COVID -19

When we planned and put together this issue of Foote Prints, we could not have imagined all the ways that our world would change in such a short time.

This June, Foote School will say farewell to Head of School Carol Maoz after 11 years marked by big leaps forward for the school. We planned this issue last fall as a celebration of Carol’s years at the helm. We dug through the photo archives, gathered stories and quotations and raided Carol’s office for student-made memorabilia to document her tenure in an engaging graphic timeline (see page 18).

When Covid-19 hit the United States like a freight train in late February, this issue was 95 percent finished and the Foote faculty and staff were consumed with planning for the eventuality that campus would have to close and switch to online “distance learning.” Like schools across the country, that’s exactly what we are doing now. We’ll have full coverage of Foote’s distance learning experience in the fall issue of Foote Prints. For now, you can get a snapshot of our early foray into distance learning on page 5 and find much more information at www.footeschool.org/distance-learning.

From all of us at Foote, we hope you are staying healthy and safe at home. Take care of your loved ones, and we’ll look forward to gathering again with our Foote family in the near future!

Andy Bromage, Editor

02 | Foote Prints

Design AHdesign, Angie Hurlbut Thea A. Moritz Photography Stephanie Anestis, Andy Bromage, Joe Charles, Judy Sirota Rosenthal Copy Editor Anne Sommer Contributors Jody Abzug, Amy Caplan ’88, Joe Charles, Muffie Clement Green ’61, Cindy Leffell, Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89, Toby Welch ’73 Board of Directors J. Richard Lee, President George Atwood Richard Bershtein, Immediate Past President Kavitha Bindra Elon Boms Wick Chambers ’62 Constance ‘Cecie’ Clement ’62, Vice President Mona Gohara Rebecca Good Francie Irvine George Joseph, Vice President Nadine Koobatian, Secretary Michael Krauss Melissa Matthes Jennifer Milikowsky ’02 Stephen Murphy, Treasurer Annie Paul Jason Price Geert Rouwenhorst Alexandra Shor Kiran Zaman Ex-Officio Carol Maoz, Head of School The Foote School does not discriminate in the administration of its admissions or educational policies or other school-administered programs, and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or non-job-related physical disability.

From the Head of School

A Bittersweet Farewell in 2009, I set out to learn about my new community by writing letters to Foote alumni and asking them what made their years here special. The response was remarkably consistent: whether at Foote in the 1940s or 1990s, alumni spoke about teachers who deeply impacted their lives and a curiosity-based approach to learning that led to fulfilling careers in science, law, journalism, education, the arts and more.

W HE N I B E C AME HE A D O F S CH O O L

Over the past 11 years, I have had the privilege of leading Foote School and witnessing firsthand the impact our teachers and community have had on children. I’ve always known that the work of educators is a noble profession, and my years at Foote have only deepened that belief.

We help to shape the minds and spirits of children and young adolescents and, in doing so, help to make this a better, kinder, more just world.

Head of School Carol Maoz gets a hug on the Lower School playground.

Top Things I Will Miss About Foote

I count myself extremely fortunate to have worked alongside many gifted educators and leaders. Foote School has a faculty that is truly committed to children and that lives our school motto: Gladly will I learn and gladly teach. Our parent body is diverse in all ways and is devoted to our children’s education. Our students are curious, creative and interested in the world around them, and our alumni have an unrivaled affection for their school.

14 > Walking past the peace pole every day

Over the years, I have polled students, teachers and parents about what they love most about Foote and presented Top 10 lists at various events. Here you will find my list of the Top 14 things I will miss most about Foote. (I tried to make it 10 but it was just too difficult!)

9 > Sharing research and ideas at Parents’ Night and hearing

Foote’s next Head of School, Aléwa Cooper, is joining a remarkable community, one in which we care for each other and the world, and view learning as a path to a life full of joy and purpose. I wish her all success in leading Foote into the future.

Thank you for the opportunity to teach and learn with all of you. I am proud of the work we have done together!

Sincerely,

13 > The extraordinary library and the people who make it so accessible

12 > Maple sugaring and the Kindergarten pancake breakfast 11 > The intellectual stimulation of engaging with colleagues 10 > Teachers and students who care deeply about the world how appreciative parents are of Foote’s incredible program

8 > Working with F-STAND and the passionate beliefs of middle school students

7 > The insightful questions of our students of all ages 6 > Being a part of the most important and meaningful work: helping to shape young people into good human beings who care about others

5 > Grandparents Day 4 > Spontaneous hugs from lower school students 3 > Reading to sixth graders and their insistence that we keep reading more!

2 > The passion of the teachers and their commitment to students

Carol Maoz, Head of School

1 > The excitement of the first day of school—welcoming new students and families to campus

Spring 2020 | 03

Foote News in Brief Our New Head of School, Aléwa Cooper!

On February 25, the Board of Directors announced the appointment of Aléwa Cooper as The Foote School’s next Head of School. Aléwa is a dynamic independentschool leader whose values and vision align closely with those of the Foote School community. Her tenure will begin July 1, 2020, when Carol Maoz departs after 11 years of strong, steady leadership at Foote.

Our Head of School Search Committee selected Aléwa from among a pool of highly qualified candidates from leading independent schools as part of a nationwide search. The Search Committee was unanimous in recommending Aléwa to the full Board of Directors at its meeting on February 11, which approved her appointment with enthusiasm.

Aléwa brings to Foote two decades of experience as a leader and teacher in independent schools. For the past five years, she has served as Head of Lower School (grades Pre-K to 4) at Greens Farms Academy, an independent school in Westport, Connecticut, that serves 715 students in grades Pre-K to 12. At Greens Farms, Aléwa oversaw curricular initiatives in literacy, math and social-emotional learning; led diversity, equity and social justice work; and served on a schoolwide marketing committee to better understand the changing school landscape and develop enrollment management strategies.

with distinction as a teacher and leader at two New York City independent schools: 12 years as a Grade 2 teacher and Diversity Practitioner at The Nightingale-Bamford School, followed by three years as Lower School Assistant Director at Trevor Day School. For the past six years, Aléwa has served as a core faculty member of the Interschool Leadership Institute, mentoring and coaching aspiring leaders of color.

Aléwa is excited to join with faculty and parents who share her commitment to promoting the development of character and academic success in the next generation. “I am honored to be the next Head of The Foote School,” she says. “Spending time on campus with students, parents and faculty convinced me that Foote is a place where everyone teaches and everyone learns; I am eager to do both. I look forward to joining this special community and to writing Foote’s next chapter together.”

Aléwa’s colleagues describe her as dependable, calm, caring, loyal and authentic. She brings firsthand experience with many of Foote’s curricular initiatives, including Fundations and RULER; is attentive to differentiation and developmental approaches across grades K–9; has training in many facets of headship, including the accreditation process and trustee and governance relationships; and is multilingual proficient in Portuguese and Spanish.

The depth and quality of the applicant pool for this critical position reflect the outstanding reputation that The Foote School enjoys in the world of independent schools. We can all feel proud of that. Please join us in welcoming Aléwa and her partner, Markell, to the Foote School community and New Haven!

Aléwa earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education. Earlier in her career, she served

Rebecca Good & Rich Lee Co-Chairs, Head of School Search Committee

04 | Foote Prints

With gratitude,

Distance Learning Through the Pandemic found Foote conducting school in a way it never has in its 104-year history: students learning at home, connected through the internet, as a pandemic forced the world to rethink every aspect of our daily lives. When Foote “returned” from spring vacation on March 30, students opened their inboxes to find greetings from teachers and links to “Google classrooms” that would temporarily take the place of our light-filled campus classrooms. While less than ideal, the Foote community has risen to the occasion, with teachers and parents juggling incredible demands of home and work to provide the best educational experience they can for their children. Parents have provided photos of “distance learning” to help us document this unusual chapter in Foote’s history. Here are a few snapshots.

T H E FIR S T W EE K O F A P R I L A fifth grade student is helped across a stream by her father on a nature walk.

A first grade student reads with her younger sister.

An eighth grade student used his cat as inspiration for an algebra class assignment!

A third grade student made a colorful sign to encourage neighbors and passers-by.

> Find more photos on our website at www.footeschool.org/distance-learning.

A beautiful mandala of spring flowers and feathers assembled by a second grade student.

More than 200 students and teachers gathered online for a virtual morning meeting on April 3.

Spring 2020 | 05

Foote News in Brief

Mural Art for Columbus House two murals to brighten the dining room at Columbus House homeless shelter in New Haven. For the first one, Second graders with their woodland mural scene made for Columbus House each second grader drew a section of “window pane” looking out onto a woodland scene filled with owl, deer, foxes and other species the students were studying. For the second mural, teacher Susie Grimes drew inspiration from the Nature’s Gallery Court at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden; each second grader used trash and repurposed materials to create a different flower species for a mural that was practically exploding with bright colors. On its Facebook page, Columbus House praised the Foote students for doing an “amazing” job. “The Foote School’s long-term commitment to our mission has made an impact on the lives of so many—through financial contributions, gift Second graders with their botanical mural inspired by a similar cards, in-kind donations, cheerful artwork, advocacy and mural at UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden more. We are so grateful for your partnership!”

S E CO ND GR A D E R S CR E ATE D

Three Religions, One Unifying Message AN IMAM , A R A B B I AND A P R IE S T

From left, Rev. Ranjit Mathews, Imam Omer Bajwa, Rabbi Stacy Offner

06 | Foote Prints

walk into a school. … That isn’t the setup to a joke. It was the title of the fall speaker event sponsored by MOSAIC (Multicultural, Open-Minded, Supportive, Accepting, Inclusive Community). The evening talk for parents, students and faculty was held on November 20 in the Hosley Gym, and featured three guest speakers leading a fascinating conversation about three major world religions. The guest speakers were: Imam Omer Bajwa, Director of Muslim Life at Yale; Rabbi Stacy Offner of Temple Beth Tikvah

in Madison, Connecticut; and Rev. Ranjit Mathews of St. James Episcopal Church in New London, Connecticut.

The three spoke with humor and grace about their personal faith journeys and about finding similarities and embracing differences across Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The crowd of 70 listened with great interest and participated in a wide-ranging questionand-answer session that capped off an inspiring and enlightening evening. > Listen to a podcast of the talk at www.footeschool.org/podcast.

Poetry, Activism, Justice & Rights to welcome two renowned guests in December.

On December 5, Foote’s Amnesty International club hosted a talk for middle school students by Iranian feminist and activist Masih Alinejad.

A journalist and author, Masih gained prominence for her campaign challenging Iran’s strict law requiring women to wear hijabs—and for rallying others to her cause—and she now lives in exile in New York City. She was introduced by Foote parent and author Roya Hakakian. Amnesty later held a bake sale to benefit Masih’s cause.

FO OTE WA S FO R T UNATE

Iranian activist Masih Alinejad speaks to eighth graders

On December 12, Foote welcomed poet and lawyer R. Dwayne Betts, who spoke to eighth and ninth graders in the Twichell Room. An award-winning poet who served eight years in prison as a young man, Dwayne read his poems to

R. Dwayne Betts reads from his book of poetry Felon: Poems.

students, spoke about his journey as a poet, and offered enlightened perspectives on race and the criminal justice system.

Book Fest Debuts THI S YE AR , the annual Book Fair got

Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson speaking to students as part of Book Fest

a reboot. “Book Fest” was a three-day celebration of literature in November that featured a pop-up bookstore in the Sturley Room with titles curated

by Foote’s librarians and R.J. Julia Booksellers. The event also featured a new release from Foote fifth grade teacher Jake Burt, who signed copies of his latest middle-grade fiction book, The Tornado. Capping off the event was an exciting visit from Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, the author and illustrator team behind The Real McCoys series, who shared wisdom and stories in workshops with students during the school day and held an afternoon book signing for the wider community.

Many thanks to the Foote PTC and the many parent volunteers for organizing this new and fun community event!

Spring 2020 | 07

Foote News in Brief A Week in the Life E VE RY WE E K O R S O, Foote’s communications specialist, Joe Charles, wanders

campus with his camera, documenting the range of learning taking place in classrooms. The resulting photographs, shared with parents in the weekly e-newsletter, reveal deep and authentic teacher-student connections; the joy of storytelling; music making and dancing; a desire to learn about others; and, in one instance, a most unusual expression of punctuation! Here is a week in the life of Foote last November.

Alison Moncrief Bromage tasked her eighth grade English students with finding creative ways to demonstrate their understanding of punctuation as part of a writing unit. One group of girls used aerial silks to form their bodies into quotation marks, exclamation points and other punctuation.

Latin teacher Tina Hansen discusses correct tense usage with ninth graders.

Chinese guest teacher Zhao Yu (Vincent) teaches Kindergartners a traditional Chinese children’s song about a boy and his pet donkey.

Fifth graders visited the Yale University Art Gallery to view artifacts and art as part of their study of Mayan culture.

Third graders learn cross-stitch during Early Connecticut Day.

First graders in Tina Cunningham’s music class hop and jump while singing “Shoo Turkey,” a call-and-response song by gospel and folk singer Bessie Jones.

Sixth graders load reusable bags in support of St. Ann’s Soup Kitchen.

Each bag was filled with food donated by the community and provides a full holiday meal for a person in need.

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Giving Day O N FE B R UARY 2 0 , Foote held its

second annual Giving Day, a 24-hour celebration of giving and spirit at the school. Students and Foote’s mascot, Falco, greeted parents on Loomis Place at morning drop-off with colorful signs and high spirits. A wall in the main hallway was covered with paper so students could write messages and notes of gratitude to their teachers and one another. Students enjoyed colorful Giving Day stickers, hypercolor pencils and temporary tattoos, as well as beautiful (and delicious!) foot-shaped cookies baked by receptionist Tristen Giovanelli. Online donors were treated to funny videos as donation milestones were reached, including a faculty four-square match that would rival anything on ESPN! Financially the day was a huge success, raising $58,000 for the Foote Fund from 350 individual donors (a 17 percent increase over last year) in just a single day!

Kindergartners in Susan Keegan’s class show off Giving Day tattoos.

> Watch the videos at

www.footeschool.org/giving-day.

Fourth graders enjoy foot-shaped Giving Day cookies.

Second graders proudly display their Foote spirit gear.

Foote on Ice brought skaters young and old(er) to Ralph Walker rink in New Haven on February 26 for a fun evening of fundraising and friendraising. Footies at the PTC-sponsored event twirled with friends; slipped and got back up; and devoured endless pieces of pizza from Big Green Truck Pizza. For dessert, everyone enjoyed home-baked goodies from Foote parents. All in all, it was a joyous way to spend a winter evening in New Haven.

FO OTE O N I CE

Foote skaters at Ralph Walker rink for ‘Foote on Ice’

Spring 2020 | 09

Foote News in Brief

Students act out a comedic scene in Harvey.

Comedy Takes Center Stage student plays served up a lot of laughs— and timeless messages about love, greed and the need to believe in goodness and the intangible qualities that make for a meaningful life.

In December, seventh and eighth graders performed Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prizewinning play, Harvey, about the tribulations of Elwood P. Dowd, who claims to have an invisible friend A ninth grader in The Miser named Harvey (who takes the form of a 6-foot-tall rabbit!). In February, ninth graders performed Molière’s The Miser, one of the playwright’s most popular works. The plot centers on the stinginess of a miser, Harpagon, which sets off a chain reaction of hysterical situations, mistaken identities and all-around great theatrical fun.

THI S YE AR ’ S

“The plays presented students with major challenges in both the performance and technical components, as all good plays should!” says Drama Chair Julian Schlusberg.

“The characters and plots forced our student actors to experiment, take risks and think boldly. Technically, the productions had to evoke the life of each play through lighting, sound, costumes, props, make-up and hairstyles.

Our students exceeded these challenges to create two really enjoyable pieces of theater!”

10 | Foote Prints

The technical crew for Harvey

Books We Love

Digital Foote Prints

Recommendations from Foote’s librarians PET

THE GIR L WH O SAILE D THE S TAR S

BY A K WAE K E E ME Z I

BY MATILDA WO O D S

Shortlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Pet is a jaw-dropping, completely original debut novel by Akwaeke Emezi.

From the very first sentence, “There shouldn’t be any monsters left in Lucille,” the reader is hooked. Jam, a transgender teenager, lives in a world where evil had been defeated, but then a creature named Pet emerges and it slowly becomes clear that heroes may be villains and fact may be fiction.

Emezi beautifully sets up a story that appears to be a classic tale of good vs. evil. This young adult novel does not fit neatly into one genre. It feels so much like realistic fiction, but then, there is that monster. Pet is an extraordinary, layered, honest read that is just right for these times.

The audiobook, read by Christopher Myers, is also wonderful.

—Jennifer Friedman

ILLUS TR ATIONS BY ANUSK A ALLEPUZ

In a village made of sunken ships, a fortune teller prophesizes that a sea captain will have a “brave and bold son” who will sail the seas.

Instead, to the captain’s dismay, the captain’s wife gives birth to Oona, another daughter. When the captain orders Oona and her sisters to travel south with their mother, escaping a bitter winter, Oona sneaks aboard his ship instead. Brave and bold indeed!

Marvels abound in this whimsical tale printed in blue type, with illustrations drifting across the pages to echo the magic of the text.

—Anna Stover

our new alumni e-newsletter, ‘Life on Loomis?’ Our debut issue last fall featured an interview with former Foote Latin teacher Carol Ross, as well as news about classmates and the latest happenings on Loomis Place. Below are headlines from the first edition.

If you have suggestions for interview subjects or article topics, or didn’t receive the fall newsletter and would like to, email Amy Caplan ’88 at acaplan@footeschool.org.

AR E YO U GE T TING

FO R ME R L ATIN TE ACHE R C AR O L R O S S : W HE R E I S S HE N OW ?

CR O S S ING B O R D E R S THAT D IVID E : S E VE NTH GR A D E R S E XP LO R E THE AR T O F S AN C T UARY CITIE S

KIT T Y AND THE MO ONLIGHT R E S CU E

BY PAU L A HAR R I S O N ILLU S TR ATI O NS BY JE NNY L Ø VLIE

Searching for a new superhero?

Look no further than Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue! In this fabulous new series for young readers, a girl named Kitty discovers that, much like her superhero family, she too has extraordinary powers. With newfound bravery she conquers her fears and sets off on nightly adventures to help felines in need! An exciting read for all!

LE AR NING A B O U T P L ANT A DAP TATI O N W ITH MR S . TOTMAN AT E D GE R TO N PAR K GR E E NH O U S E

—Katie Santomasso Spring 2020 | 11

Around Campus

12 | Foote Prints

The 2019–2020 school year kicked off with a community-wide art project called “Suspended Moods.” Designed by artist and Foote parent Megan Craig, the installation features more than 600 hanging bamboo sticks painted in colors that correspond to the moods of the students, parents, faculty and grandparents who participated. The project connects to Foote’s work with RULER, the program created by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to develop children’s emotional literacy and wellbeing. The sticks now hang in the Sacred Woods, a beautiful and thought-provoking symbol of the collective mood at Foote School at the start of the school year. Watch a video about the project at www.footeschool.org/moods.

Spring 2020 | 13

Connecting the Dots

Unearthing a Mystery, Clue by Clue found buried on a farm in rural New York and they had a few questions. Actually, they had a ton of questions.

T H I R D G RAD ERS W ERE EXAMINING ARTIFACTS

“Why is the silver coin worn out?” one student asked.

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“What made the nails dull?” asked another.

“Why doesn’t the doll have limbs?”

“How did the coins get stuck in a tree?”

These “artifacts” were part of an archeological mystery that engrossed Foote third graders for most of last fall. The project-based unit is based on a story about a farm in the fictional town of Portageville, New York, owned by the Green family. While exploring outside, the family’s young daughter, Jenny, finds a doll torso with a head made of porcelain; some old coins; nails with square heads; and three limestone slabs.

How did they get there? And what do they tell us about what this site used to be?

Like so much of the learning at Foote, the archeology unit was both challenging and exciting, as third graders worked together using the methods of scientific inquiry to solve an engrossing historical puzzle.

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Third graders simulated an archeological dig on the Lower School recess field, gridding a 40-by-60-foot plot into 10-by-10 squares that were preseeded by teachers with modern-day bathroom items.

The farm site in Portageville is the same size as the recess field dig, and each square comes with a bag of “artifacts” dating to the 1830s which students examine, measure, sketch and use to form hypotheses about the site.

Students choose one or two artifacts that interest them as the basis for a detailed drawing. Then they share their individual findings so the group can start recognizing patterns across the whole site.

While learning about concepts like scale, soil compaction and stratigraphy (the analysis of the layers of archeological remains), students keep detailed journals of their findings.

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Working together, students in each class create a hand-drawn map of the excavated site that indicates where artifacts, fences and stone walls were found.

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3 Students generate a long list of questions before making their final hypotheses about what the site used to be. Teachers reveal that the site was a one-room schoolhouse (which explains the traces of chalk residue!).

Finally, the children discuss whether the Green family should sell this piece of history to a developer or preserve it. It’s more grist for the mill, as Foote students unearth new layers of knowledge and a deeper love of learning.

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Spring 2020 | 15

Grandparents Day First graders performing “Under One Sky” at the all-school assembly

A fourth grade student with his grandmother

A fourth grade student with his grandfather

A third grade student with his grandfather

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Grandparents Day honorary chairs Len and Betsy Grauer welcome grandparents and special friends in the Hosley Gym.

An eighth grader works with his grandmother to complete an activity together

A Kindergarten student hugs her grandmother

First-grade teacher Kim Yap, with students and guests, releasing a monarch butterfly grown in the classroom

Spring 2020 | 17

Cover Story

Over 11 years at Foote, Carol Maoz was a principled leader, a patient teacher, an inspired learner and a good friend.

Farewell,

Friend

18 | Foote Prints

“Carol oversaw a huge transformation of the school while keeping the feel of Foote what it has always been.”

— zehra patwa, past parent and board member

2009 Carol Maoz, most recently the head of Upper School at Greenwich Country Day, becomes Foote’s ninth Head of School.

If you ask Carol what defines Foote’s approach to learning, her face will light up and she might wax lyrical just a bit: it’s teachers who really know their students; challenging academics that instill confidence; a focus on the arts and creativity; a globally inspired curriculum where students learn languages, songs and traditions from other cultures; and a philosophy that lets children celebrate what makes them unique and embrace each other’s differences.

Then she might pause, think for a moment and conclude: “But what Foote is really great at is cultivating good human beings.”

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here’s a small dry-erase board on the wall outside Head of School Carol Maoz’s office, where students can read inspiring messages and quotations left by Carol and write their own words of wisdom.

One quotation, posted by Carol, reads, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, ever goes unnoticed.” A fifth grader stopped by last fall to write, “Everyone is great in their own way.” On Early America Day, a seventh grader drew an outline of the United States, and inside it wrote the words “Everyone is equal!” Another student left Carol a simple note of appreciation: “You’re awesome. You make us happy!”

Carol’s dry-erase board serves as a tablet for a running conversation between teacher and student. But it is also a mirror, with students reflecting back the values that have defined Carol’s 11 years as Head of School: kindness, inclusivity, positivity and gratitude.

Foote School has grown in enduring ways during Carol’s decade-plus at the helm. A new building was constructed, academics were strengthened, Mandarin Chinese was added, playgrounds were renovated, a visiting artist program was established, student diversity increased, fundraising hit record highs, a summer program for underserved students was adopted and so much more.

Underpinning this was an emphasis on instilling good character in students. Indeed, during a decade when world events exposed the darker side of human nature, Foote School recommitted itself to kindness, not only as a moral value but with an understanding that when students feel accepted for who they are, they feel safe to take risks that stretch them academically and personally.

“Carol has strong principles which are never compromised, and she keeps the best interests of the children first in her decisions,” says Jane Shipp, a former Foote Board member and former Headmistress at Renbrook School. “She has invested heart and soul in the school. She is leaving a beautiful legacy that I hope will provide her with a multitude of happy memories.”

Spring 2020 | 19

(right) Carol Maoz poses as part of a still life for fifth graders in 2009.

2010

2011

Carol introduces curriculum review process, whereby two curricular areas are examined each year by a committee of faculty who visit other schools and read about best practices in professional journals in order to improve Foote’s academic program. First up: physical education and science.

Foote kicks off a comprehensive “self study” in preparation for its 10-year reaccreditation by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

Construction begins on a new regulation-size athletic field on the former site of the St. Francis Home dormitories.

Foote Annual Fund sets records for amount raised ($528,000), parent participation (71 percent, up from 44 percent in 2008) and faculty participation (78 percent, up from 59 percent in 2009).

New athletic field on Highland Street opens.

Maple sugaring introduced as new interdisciplinary unit in Kindergarten by brothers Jay and Pete Cox.

Cross Country introduced as a new fall sport. (below)

First interactive SMART boards installed in classrooms.

Community teaching garden planted between Highland Street athletic fields by faculty members Pam Harmon, Margy Lamere, Lynne Banta, Sarah Heath and Ângela Giannella. (left) Multicultural Affairs Committee becomes MOSAIC, with a new focus on bringing speakers and events to campus to educate the Foote community about different cultures, traditions and perspectives.

With Carol as co-advisor, a new student club, F-STAND (Foote Students Together Against Negativity and Discrimination), is formed as a forum for students to discuss topics such as stereotypes, bias, race, gender and positive friendships.

20 | Foote Prints

Foote becomes a founding member of INDEX, a nationwide group of K–8/9 independent schools that share best practices in teaching; enrollment, development and financial data; and a multi-year assessment of students’ noncognitive skills such as creativity, curiosity and resilience.

Ground is broken for a new science and technology building. (above)

2012

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2014

Ribbon cut on the Jonathan Milikowsky Science and Technology Building, creating new state-ofthe-art science labs, a tech lab, middle school classrooms and a ninth-grade classroom with a Harkness table. The building’s sustainability features—solar panels, LED fixtures, repurposed benches from Yale Bowl, bathroom tile made from recycled glass—serve as teaching tools for students. (above)

CAIS praises Foote in glowing reaccreditation report, highlighting outstanding faculty, high academic standards, a commitment to play and effective partnerships between home and school. “Evidence that Foote is living its mission was visible everywhere on the Foote campus throughout the entire visit,” the visiting committee wrote.

Lower School playground rebuilt to include new Luckey Climber, swings, sand pit and play structures. (below)

Two years after launching, the “Imagine Our Future” campaign reaches its $12 million goal to fund the new building, allowing Foote to remain debt-free.

Parent participation in annual fund hits a record high, at 87 percent.

Chinese is added as a modern language offering, with teacher Lely Evans hired to teach and shape the new Mandarin curriculum. (right) A committee of teachers and administrators creates Falco’s PRIDE (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, Excellence) as a common set of values for building good character in students. Excellence would later change to Empathy to reflect the importance of developing social-emotional literacy in students. (below right)

Foote alumnus Paul Giamatti ’82 speaks to Foote parents after a PTC-sponsored outing to see him perform in King Lear at Yale Repertory Theater.

New middle school playground (aka the “Big Toy”) opens. (above) A diverse group of parents, faculty, Board members and alumni gather to create a strategic vision to guide Foote’s next five years, focusing on teaching and learning; community and culture; and facilities and finance.

As part of an effort to strengthen math in the Middle School, Foote forms a chapter of MathCounts, a nationwide math program for middle school students to build confidence and improve attitudes toward problem-solving.

Six ninth graders and four faculty members travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and People of Color Conference, respectively—one of many initiatives that place a stronger focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Squash debuts as a new winter sport.

Spring 2020 | 21

2015

2016

2017

On Unite Through Understanding Day, a “peace pole” is installed at the center of campus which reads “May peace prevail on Earth” in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Latin and American Sign Language. (above)

Foote celebrates the school’s centennial with a year of events and learning activities, capped off by a three-day reunion attended by more than 1,000 alumni, parents, faculty and friends. (above)

Entire school participates in the “Unity Project” art installation to celebrate individual identity and collective diversity.

Foote reaches a record high for student diversity, with 37 percent of students self-identifying as students of color.

Horizons at Foote, a six-week, tuition-free summer academic enrichment program for lower-income New Haven children, debuts with 48 students in Grades K–2. (below) A formal outdoor education program is adopted in Kindergarten to promote play, problem-solving and resilience.

Foote’s MathCounts team finishes first in Connecticut at annual competition of middle schools. Team now includes more girls than boys.

Annual visiting artist program established with funds donated by family and classmates of Ellie Warburg ’45.

A new annual 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C., lets students experience U.S. history through visits to national monuments, museums and performing arts centers.

A new campaign, Secure Our Future, is launched with the goal of doubling Foote’s $9.3 million endowment in support of four priorities: sustain socioeconomic diversity; increase faculty of color; ensure robust enrollment; attract and retain the best teachers.

The Foote Fund (formerly the Annual Fund) achieves a 21 percent increase in giving for the centennial year.

22 | Foote Prints

With funds donated by alumna Margaret Wilmer Bartlett ’58 and husband Marshall, Foote launches a technology program, giving Chromebooks to every student in grades 4–9 and making iPads available for younger grades. (above) Campus ropes course rebuilt with funds donated by parents at annual PTC auction. (below) Foote holds a schoolwide Service Learning Day. Students and teachers participate in 48 separate service projects in 15 locations around greater New Haven. Groups clean up neighborhoods, refinish furniture for refugee families, perform songs for the elderly and more.

2018

2019

2020

A new “affinity group” gives parents a forum to discuss issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion with each other and school leaders.

Foote holds its first Giving Day, raising $45,000 from 325 individual donors in only 24 hours.

Foote welcomes its fifth Warburg Visiting Artist, visual artist Anna Lindemann, who works with Grades 5 and 6 to create imaginative stop-motion animation films.

Student affinity groups are created to help students form bonds around common experiences such as divorce, loss of a loved one or being a student of color.

School sustainability efforts reach critical mass, with energy-saving improvements, composting at campus events and some grades virtually eliminating classroom waste.

Foote adopts the RULER approach to teaching emotional intelligence, which was developed by Yale University.

On Earth Day, students and their buddies plant more than 500 native, pollinator-friendly perennials around campus, purchased with money from Environmental Action Group fundraisers and the PTC. (below) The Horizons at Foote summer program grows to 112 students in Grades K–6. (above) Three years after launching, the Secure Our Future campaign reaches halfway mark toward doubling the school’s endowment.

Foote reaches a new record high for student diversity, with 39 percent of children self-identifying as students of color.

A year ahead of schedule, the Secure Our Future campaign succeeds in more than doubling Foote’s endowment, to $23 million.

“Carol has invested heart and soul in the school. She is leaving a beautiful legacy that I hope will provide her with a multitude of happy memories.”

— jane shipp, past board member

(below) A story Kindergartners made for Carol in 2009 called “If You Give a Principal a School.”

Spring 2020 | 23

Around Campus

24 | Foote Prints

Fourth graders in Andrew Zielinski’s science class created a map of a town and then sprayed it with water to simulate runoff. The hands-on project helped students understand how a town and development impact a watershed.

Spring 2020 | 25

Alumni Achievement Award

Creating a Rechargeable World Nobel Prize-winner John Goodenough ’35 is a rock star of battery science and technology. rechargeable batteries, in which all the necessary puzzle pieces fit together, is no easy task. Yet this year’s Alumni Achievement Award winner, John Goodenough ’35, touched all of our lives by enabling a revolution in portable electronics with his pioneering work in the development of rechargeable batteries. John is a physicist who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the development of lithium-ion batteries. The modern lithium-ion battery is used worldwide for mobile phones, power tools, tablets and other wireless devices. His developments in battery technology played a large part in the proliferation of electric and hybrid vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries are also used as a complement to renewable energy sources that fluctuate over time, such as wind and solar power, thereby making these sources of energy more practical.

THE D E VE LO PME NT O F E FFI CIE NT

John has had a long and productive career in the sciences and is the oldest person to win a Nobel Prize. Writing in Class Notes in winter 2005, J0hn shared, “Science is an international endeavor that builds bridges between peoples of different cultures and serves all mankind. It has been a great privilege to be a participant.”

John Goodenough ’35 (left) in a photo from Mrs. Foote’s scrapbook of the school’s early years

26 | Foote Prints

John received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Yale University in 1943 and

John Goodenough ’35

his master’s and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago in 1951 and 1952, respectively. He began his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, where he laid the groundwork for the development of random-access memory (RAM) for the digital computer. John currently serves as the Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering at University of Texas at Austin.

Along with other materials scientists and engineers in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, he continues to research battery materials.

In the early 1970s, John became interested in finding ways to decrease the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.

He remains driven by an obligation to liberate future generations from dependency on fossil fuels. He posits that answers lie in harvesting energy from the sun and storing it in batteries as well as in developing affordable, safe and long-lasting batteries. “We believe that by doing fundamental research we can find applications that will be very useful for society. I think curiosity is very important, so being able to satisfy your curiosity is very fun.”

Foote Community Award

Making Science Matter John Cunningham has inspired budding scientists at Foote for 35 years.

Foote’s faculty in 1985 and is currently the longest-serving teacher. He is beloved by generations of students who discovered the wonders of the natural world and the rigors of the scientific method under his tutelage. His effectiveness as a teacher, advisor, coach and administrator flows from a passion for the natural world and a genuine love of teaching young children.

J O HN CUNNIN GHAM J O INE D

John is retiring in June and, for his many contributions over three-and-a-half decades, he is receiving the Foote Community Award.

John’s knowledge of science is both wide and deep. He is an experienced naturalist and a self-taught bird expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of ornithology. He builds his curriculum around authentic investigation, using his students’ curiosity as a guide. He initiated and has led for three decades a long-term water quality study of the West River and New Haven Harbor, a challenging project that gives students a rigorous high school-level field biology experience.

In high school, John was drawn to the nascent environmental justice movement, participating in the first Earth Day in 1970 and going door-to-door to collect

John Cunningham, then Head of Middle School, speaking at graduation in 2009

signatures for the first bottle bill. “I loved nature, and I could either read about the blatant destruction and extinction of species or try to do something about it,” John says.

He majored in biology at University of Michigan and paid the tuition, in part, by working summers on the Ford assembly line and for moving companies. After earning a master’s in ecology and evolutionary biology, he worked as a field biologist with the Environmental Protection Agency.

His next job, as a full-time naturalist guide, found him leading trips through remote parts of Brazil, the Andes, the Galapagos Islands and elsewhere.

In 1999, John married Lower School music teacher Tina (Gray) Cunningham. The three Cunningham children all attended Foote: Sam ’04; Abby ’16 and Michael ’20.

Along with serving as a teacher and advisor, John served as Head of Middle School from 2008 to 2010. John also founded the student extracurricular club Environmental Action Group in 1988. Along with organizing beach cleanups, selling reusable water bottles and coordinating the annual Earth Day assembly, EAG established Foote’s tree trail, a guided tour of tree species on campus.

John Cunningham leading a field biology class at the West River in 2015

Thank you, Mr. Cunningham, for sharing your talents and passion for teaching with all of us!

Spring 2020 | 27

Alumni Children

W H O S AYS YO U C AN ’ T GO H O ME?

Four members of the Class of 1989 are now Foote School parents, with eight children spread across Grades 2–8 (and one graduated). They are among the 44 children of alumni currently attending Foote. We gathered the ’89 alums and their children for a photo and asked each to name their favorite Foote memory, tradition or activity.

Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89: Constructing “note passers” with ropes and pulleys in Jay Cox’s fifth-grade class Charlie Sudmyer ’23: The trip to Skungamaug River and all of fifth grade in general Ellie Sudmyer ’27 (not pictured): Studying Native Americans in first grade and visiting the Pequot Museum Peter Fitton ’89: May Day Keillor Fitton ’26: Watching the trees getting tapped to make maple syrup in Kindergarten Archer Fitton ’24: The overnight trip to Skungamaug river in fifth grade

28 | Foote Prints

Jeff Possick ’89: Four square. My brother and I went so far as painting a two-square court on our driveway at home to practice, much to our parents’ chagrin.

Graham Possick ’23: When the birds of prey visited in second grade Sarah Netter Boone ’89: Field Day. Go Grey!

Felix Boone ’25: Field Day. I like watching people compete, and I like to win, but I also enjoy seeing other people celebrate.

Penelope Boone ’24: The moment when I find out what teacher I have for the next school year Kurt Boone ’21: The sixth-grade Festival of the World

Children of Alumni Lexi Baez, daughter of Tim Gabbard ’05 Felix, Kurt and Penelope Boone, children of Sarah Netter Boone ’89 Nia and Violet Bradford, daughters of Kossouth Bradford ’87 Miia Brooks, cousin of Preston Brooks ’79 Ella Buxbaum, niece of Elyse Buxbaum ’87 and Deborah Buxbaum Myers ’88 Matias Candelo-Diaz, nephew of Yami Diaz ’99 Garretson and Natalie Curtis, step-cousins of Wendy Fischer Magnan ’82 and Brad Fischer ’80 Archer and Keillor Fitton, sons of Peter Fitton ’89 Julien and Sophie Gangloff, children of Amy Caplan ’88 Max Garsten, great-nephew of Ruth Healy ’43, Bill Healy ’44 and Kent Healy ’46 Kaylee Geballe, daughter of Joshua Geballe ’90 Jemma and Julia Grauer, daughters of Jonathan Grauer ’85 Olivia and Nolan Greenstein, children of Annie Berman-Greenstein ’96 Barrett Hansen, son of Chris Hansen ’86 Adrian and Ari Khachane, sons of Anil Khachane ’93 Benjamin Kruger, son of Avery Grauer ’87 Clyde Luckey, son of Spencer Luckey ’85 Gus and Mercer Nast, sons of Jonathan Nast ’94 Lucy Peterson, daughter of Owen Luckey ’83 Graham Possick, son of Jeff Possick ’89 Jack Randazzo, son of Laura Lovejoy ’84 Elle Soto, niece of Vanessa Soto ’98 Charlie and Ellie Sudmyer, children of Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 Eliza Wareck, daughter of John Wareck ’84 Levi York, son of Annie Wareck ’85

Spring 2020 | 29

Alumni

Class of 2016: Where Are They Now? Kara Amar Sara Amar Omid Azodi Julian Banerji Amelia Berk Richard Bershtein Grady Bohen Ida Brooks Daisy Brownfield Eliot Carlson Caroline Casey Erica Chang Rob Chiocchio Edie Conekin-Tooze Belle Crocco Abby Cunningham Sam Curtis Andrew Gee

30 | Foote Prints

Yale University Georgetown University Connecticut College Union College Boston Conservatory Choate Rosemary Hall ’20 Johns Hopkins University Yale University University of Chicago Yale University Hamilton College Skidmore College Worcester Polytechnic Institute Columbia University University of Colorado at Boulder Western Connecticut State University Choate Rosemary Hall ’20 Central Connecticut State University

Meg Gillis Gunnar Hanson Alex Harrison Ryan Holler Cyrus Illick Parker Jones Grace Knight Liz Koobatian George Kosinski Kayla Kowal Aaron Lake Kiki Levene Magid Tony Lewis Clara Li Kevin Mani Charlie Mason Renny Matthes Theriault Matthew McCarthy

Lafayette College Pomfret School ’20 Reed College College of Charleston Tufts University Choate Rosemary Hall ’20 Deerfield Academy ’20 Gap Year, University of Chicago Grinnell College Roger Williams University Boston University University of Denver Boston College Smith College Hopkins School ’20 United States Coast Guard Academy Fairfield University University of Vermont

The Class of 2016 and faculty advisors in seventh grade

Ian Mentz Elena Miko Maddie Milazzo Isaiah Miller Abby Mills Bruno Moscarini Maddie Mulligan Siraj Patwa Evie Pearson Raysa Pérez Connor Pignatello Liam Podos Jocelyn Royalty Isabella Sadik Daniel Santoro Sebastian Shin Neal Shivakumar Nicola Sommers

George Washington University Gap Year, Springfield College Saint Louis University Denison University University of Wisconsin Yale University University of St Andrews, Scotland Yale University Ithaca College University of Connecticut Syracuse University Choate Rosemary Hall ’20 University of Maine University of Colorado at Boulder Baylor University Washington University New York University Phillips Academy Andover ’20

Izzy Sorrells Tyler Stevens-Scanlan Damon Swift Henry Visconsi Anya Wareck Alex Wilkinson

Lafayette College Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Notre Dame University George Washington University Yale University

Spring 2020 | 31

Young Alums Day

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, alumni from the classes of 2017 through 2020 reunited on Loomis Place for Young Alums Day, gathering in the Twichell Room to greet friends and former teachers.

Pictured from left, Stella Wareck ’19, Andrew Crews ’18, Ayelet Kaminski ’19, Rhea McTiernan Huge ’19

Members of the Class of 2019. From left, Charlie Ferguson, Marc Pamelard, Aiden Goldblum, Hugo Chung, Wes Raymond

32 | Foote Prints

Teacher Jim Adams chats with Caleb Nyhart ’18

Teacher Wenyan Witkowsky speaks with Ramy Harper Mangels ’18

Members of the Class of 2019. From left, Ella Hopfner, Miya Imaeda, Lila Miller, Josie Cancro

Members of the Class of 2020. From left, Gabe McCray, Sean Johnson, Geffen Waterman

Members of the Class of 2019. From left, Jillian Rinaldi, Sophie Vulpe, Jasmine Xi

Spring 2020 | 33

Class Notes

“ Fred suffered a heart attack on July 15, underwent a quadruple bypass on July 17 and was married on July 19!”

—Class of 1966

1939

1949

Class Correspondent: Anne Campbell Clement shclement@comcast.net

The Class of 1949 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

1942 Class Correspondent: David Hitchcock Jr. hitchdl@aol.com

1943 Ruth Healy has been traveling a lot! She recently completed a trip on the Danube River leaving from Prague and she also visited Alaska in spring 2018.

1945 Class Correspondent: John Gardner jhgardner@earthlink.net

1946 We’d love to hear from you!

Please contact your class correspondent or Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 at asudmyer@footeschool.org to share news about you and your classmates, or visit www.footeschool.org/alumni.

Class Correspondent: Kent Healy kenthealymv@gmail.com

1947 Class Correspondent: Gladys Bozyan Lavine gblavine@gmail.com Renn Gordon writes, “Still playing golf as best I can, working part-time, and spending winters in Arizona. I was recently given a lifetime achievement award by Moffly Media.” Gladys Bozyan Lavine shares, “After many years in Rhode Island I am starting to move to a more manageable home near my daughter in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Change is good; packing up decades of memories is harder.”

1948 The Class of 1948 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

34 | Foote Prints

1950 Class Correspondent: Mary Pigott Johnsen jlmpjohnsen@west-point.org

1951 Class Correspondent: Emily Mendillo Wood birdofmilford@gmail.com

1952 Class Correspondent: Harald Hille harald.hille@gmail.com Lee Gaillard writes from Eugene, Oregon, where his wife, Ann, is the rector at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, “I was recently invited to join the Round Table Club of Eugene and last week gave a short presentation on the literature of World War I. In February I’m getting a full replacement for my right knee, which has had its issues since I messed it up playing soccer for Choate decades ago.

That done, I will be able to enjoy our Viking Danube River cruise in July when we’ll be celebrating Ann’s 60th birthday and our 35th wedding anniversary. At the moment, I’m rereading Moby Dick, which I do every 10 years or so. Walden is up there, too. Given the stage of life that we seem to have entered, it’s important to nourish our souls. I’d love to hear what others are doing in this area!” Nancy Osterweis Alderman writes from North Haven, Connecticut, “I continue to work on areas where substances and activities in the environment are harming health by running a nonprofit called Environment and Human Health, Inc. We work on policy changes to better protect human health (www.ehhi.org). Issues of concern include restricting flame retardants and e-cigarettes

(especially flavored ones), mandating the testing of town water systems for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which persist in the environment and don’t decay), taxing sugary drinks and regulating the application of pesticides on lawns and gardens. Harald Hille writes from Riverside, Connecticut, “I have pretty much stopped my translation work but find myself as busy as ever. I tutor and teach English as a second language at a center for immigrants nearby and am active in a local resist-Trump group. The impeachment process is filling the news cycle and that process will have been completed by the time these notes are published. The predictable outcome is frustrating but the effort is important. We’re working on the Senate and presidential races. Be well, classmates. See you at the 70th in 2022!” Serafina Kent Bathrick writes from Siracusa, Sicily, and Avoca, Wisconsin, “I still spend the winter in Sicily, writing and drawing a memoir, and spend summers in Wisconsin on my farm, where I still run a farm-to-table restaurant.”

1953 Class Correspondent: Robert Wing wing.1@osu.edu Jordan Mott is looking forward to becoming a great-grandfather in June 2020. Jordan’s granddaughter, Annie Lazor, won three gold medals at the Pan Am Games in 2019 in swimming and continues to train for the Toyko Olympics in 2020! Jordan stays in touch with Sarah Willard Penegar.

1954 The Class of 1954 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

1955 Class Correspondents: Nawrie Meigs-Brown nawrie@comcast.net

Lee Dunham wlhdunham@gmail.com Lee Dunham writes, “Our big news is the arrival of identical twin grandsons Emmett and Luke, each weighing in at over seven pounds. Our three other grandchildren also live nearby and we are fortunate to be able to give them some individual attention.

But twins will be a special and welcome challenge. Any advice on grandparenting twins will be most welcome. Otherwise, no great changes. Still in our house in Belmont, Massachusetts, completely retired as of February 1, and very lucky with good health and enjoying time with our sons and their families in the Boston area.” Barbara Currier Bell writes, “I’m pretty much settled in Maine now, as a citizen of Belfast, which is in the midcoast, at the northern end of Penobscot Bay. I’m living about 20 minutes away from the town where my daughter lives, so we see each other regularly, but we’re quite independent. She works in an architectural firm and does a lot of renovations that are true to historic designs

Phebe Thorne ’55 and family in May 2019 Spring 2020 | 35

and practices. For my part, I have two major commitments. One is to the Climate Crisis Committee for the City of Belfast, which some friends of mine and I started about two years ago. This is a huge commitment that our committee tries to keep on track and workable, sometimes without success.

But as a longtime environmentalist, I need to keep on doing what I can. The other commitment is to a healthy life outdoors. I have a friend who’s about my age and about the same speed physically, so we usually spend as much time as we can during the summer hiking, canoeing, boating, biking, and birding, and in the winter downhill or cross-country skiing, with more birding.

If the weather won’t allow, then we go to the local Y. Being more active physically was one of my goals in moving to Maine, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to find company in that. Nancy Ely Kales invited me two summers ago to Mount Desert Island, Maine, where she and her husband spend their vacations, and we had a lovely visit. Her home is the hub for her many friends and family there, including muchloved dogs.” Doug Crowley shares, “Our youngest, Georgia Crowley Lieber ’88, her husband, Matt Lieber ’85, and their 7 year-old-son, Theo, moved back to New Haven from Madison, Wisconsin. They have been staying with us while they search for a house, and it certainly is a change to have a ball of energy flashing through the house after years of an empty nest.” Sherwood Willard has a son getting married on May 9.

He writes, “I always look forward to catching up with classmates! I spend lots of time with grandkids, volunteer wherever I can and travel.” Sherwood submitted his note from Argentina while hiking in Patagonia.

1956 Class Correspondent: Will Amatruda willtam88@hotmail.com

1957 Class Correspondent: Kevin Geenty kevin@geentygroup.com Kevin Geenty is still working and managing his rental buildings. His daughter, Kristin, now owns and manages Geenty Group Commercial Realtors. Mikki and Kevin spent New Year’s Eve in Manhattan, which has 36 | Foote Prints

become a tradition for them. Kevin recently bought a 1930 Ford Model A convertible with a rumble seat. Tim Gaillard won a “Best of Show” award for his furniture at a local arts and crafts show in summer 2019. Tim also visited his brother, Lee Gaillard ’52, in Oregon after his knee replacement surgery.

1958 Class Correspondent: Barry Stratton barrystratton@yahoo.com Bruce Reynolds is planting a hardwood forest on his family’s ancestral lakeshore home in Wisconsin and also writing poetry.

He is hoping to put some verses into a book this year. Kerry Triffin reports that he is doing lots of hiking with his wonderful dog.

Kerry is volunteering with the Crisis Text Line and also with Connecticut Hospice.

Kerry has two daughters, one in Miami, Florida, and the other in Stowe, Vermont, and three grandchildren. Kerry writes that he leads “a happy life with Liz, the love of my life.” Perry Miller shares, “Sandy and I retired from Yale School of Medicine three years ago and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our two children, Chris and Ann, and four grandchildren, aged two months to six years, also live in the Boston area. I am now embarked on my next career, writing fiction. Visit www.perrymillerauthor. com.” Daniel Goodenough and his partner, Carol, retired from The Brookline Center and Harvard Medical School, respectively, in 2010 to a family farm in New Hampshire.

Their retirement project is to try to live sustainably with vegetable gardens, local buffalo, lamb, chicken and fish, together with solar panels and an electric car. They have two granddaughters who are the centers of their existence. Susan Sherk shares, “After many years as an applied cultural anthropologist working for educational institutions, governments and the private sector, I worked for the last 20 years as a senior associate of AMEC Foster Wheeler, primarily in the Canadian arctic and globally until retiring four years ago. I now volunteer full-time, managing a physical, and theatrical, arts circus as well as a cultural arts Biennale, both located in Newfoundland but with national and international links, performers, artists and audiences. For 30 years I’ve lived outside of Newfoundland’s capital city, St. John’s, on a lake with a small hobby farm and in the summer on the northeast coast of

Newfoundland in a small ‘outport’ community.

I’m about to become a great-grandmother and still continue to explore global areas of interest primarily pertaining to Central Asia. My mother and father (now deceased) both taught at Foote many years ago, as did my sister, who also attended the school, so I feel a longtime connection with the institution.” We extend our sympathy to Margaret Wilmer Bartlett, whose husband, Marshall Bartlett, passed away on September 11, 2019. All of our hearts and prayers are with Roz Farnam and her family as she fights a brain tumor.

1959 The Class of 1959 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

1960 Class Correspondent: Happy Clement Spongberg happyspongberg@earthlink.net Happy Clement Spongberg moved with her husband to a retirement community in Westwood, Massachusetts, in November 2019. She writes, “We are thoroughly enjoying everything on site! Steve and I and our daughter Nia and her partner, Mollie, spent almost the whole day of September 8, 2019, with Margie Howe Emmons at her family’s Rockywold camp in Holderness, New Hampshire. We were joined by Muffie Clement Green ’61, Sam Clement ’65 and his wife, Barbara.” Elizabeth Reigeluth Parker writes, “After 20 years I have left Carolina Ballet and am now in the hunt for a part-time position in the nonprofit world.” Bill Henning reports that his son Basil was married on August 17, 2019. Pat Fiorito Oakes has two grandsons: Calder and Jonah. She recently vacationed with her family in Canada. Richard Hooker and his wife, Donna, had a very satisfying trip to the Netherlands and Belgium in 2019. We extend our sympathy to Elizabeth Reigeluth Parker, whose mother, Mary, passed away in July 2019 at the outstanding age of 101.

1961 Class Correspondent: Muffie Clement Green m_c_green@sbcglobal.net

1962 Class Correspondent: Donald O. Ross doross48@gmail.com Class Correspondent Don Ross writes, “I have heard from several members of our illustrious class of 1962, but the most interesting news comes from Tom Robbins, whom most of us have not heard anything from in many years. Tom spotted that Callie Woodman Quarrier lives on the St. Lawrence River, where her husband’s family has lived and raced boats for over 100 years.

I am hoping our classmates have had a chance to read Tom’s article that appeared in the January issue of Thousand Islands Life.

Fascinating to read about Tom and Callie’s connections to the St. Lawrence. Looks like Tom’s great-grandfather, Wilson Darling Craig Wright, and my great-grandfather, Charles Appleton Terry, bought islands in the St. Lawrence River about the same time early in the 20th century and, judging by photos in the article, had boats that looked very much the same. Thank you, Tom, for reappearing in our lives, and I hope we see you at our 60th reunion in two years. We also heard from Ellen Warren Faller, who visited Tanzania last year and sounds like she is still at the top of her game with world windsurfing. Many of you may have heard about the closing of our beloved Peabody Museum for three years, as restoration and

updates are implemented. Fortunately, Ellen is at the museum regularly to assist with the safeguarding and movement of numerous collections. One of our two Foote board members, Cecie Clement, writes that she is still very happy working with the Yale Center for British Art, another jewel in the New Haven landscape. The biggest missed opportunity amongst our classmates was that Amos Galpin came back to the East Coast, to Andover, Massachusetts, early this year for a wedding and stayed at a familiar spot for the two of us: The Andover Inn. Sadly, Amos did not know until too late that his old pal and Foote classmate, Sam Howe, lives less than a mile from The Andover Inn. Good reason to come back in May 2022, Amos! Sam misses you! We also heard from Debby Stilson Abbott, who is still a practicing psychologist and tending to her farm near Pomfret. Last fall Debby added a second grandchild to her entourage. Biggest news from Alden Shattuck is that ‘nothing is new in my life from my last submission.’

And from this scribe’s quarters, aging but still playing as much tennis as I can, and now doing a good deed for my beloved city of Newport, by volunteering for the Newport Historic District Commission.

Susan said I did not need to join another organization that is regularly criticized and where I am more than likely to be pilloried by angry residents, but I couldn’t resist.

Looking forward to hearing from more of

you. Hope all is well and that you have not stopped misbehaving.”

1963 Class Correspondent: Susan Stratton susanstratton4@gmail.com George Reigeluth writes, “We had a big year, adding multiple grandchildren both here and abroad on both my wife, Alison’s, and my side of the family. We are in Hartford, Connecticut, with a new house on Elizabeth Park that was built in 1900 and we are having a blast doing it over. My 101-year-old mother, Mary, whom some of you may remember, died after a struggle with stomach and liver cancer. What a force majeur. Hope you all are well. Remember, exercise is the number one thing to do to maintain your health—especially as we get no younger.”

Katherine Arnstein, who lives in Brighton, Massachusetts, writes, “My significant other of 32 years, Lenny, passed away at the beginning of October after a three-anda-half year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Sadly, he was only 68. I am the executrix and there is a lot of work settling his estate.

My one piece of advice to all of you is to start now getting rid of the stuff you really don’t need any more so your loved ones don’t need to deal with it. Otherwise I am doing well, working part-time, volunteering, walking, taking Zumba and strength training

Happy Clement Spongberg ’60 took this photo of, clockwise from left, her daughter Nia, Muffie Clement Green ’61, Margie Howe Emmons ’60, sister-in-law Barbara Clement, Sam Clement ’65, husband Steve, and daughter-in-law Mollie, in New Hampshire in September 2019.

Spring 2020 | 37

Two days after quadruple bypass surgery, Fred Alford ’66 married Mandi Haines on July 19, 2019, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Foote alumni in attendance were Kendy Alford ’63, Janet Alford Eltorai ’72, Henry Alford ’77 and Cam Henning ’65. classes and seeing Katharine Adams Walker from time to time.” Judith Hull, traveling between New Hampshire and Boston, writes, “I continue to enjoy my job as Master Gardener Coordinator for Grafton County, New Hampshire. Lots of neverused skills plus reliance on my academic experience have come in handy. Feeling great, I have been roving around Boston as often as possible, even on my own, using the T and my feet, just like old times. Please be in touch if you visit the White Mountains.

We love to show off the local views!” Mary Stevens shares, “After over 40 years in the West, we’ve returned to the East Coast to be closer to grandchildren and other family members. We couldn’t be happier! Both Jock and I are retired although I’m keeping civically active, particularly in the areas of voter registration and the climate crisis.

We certainly welcome old friends to visit us anytime in Guilford.” Susan Stratton reports that her advertising career is still vibrant and remains interesting after these many years. “Retirement is somewhere in the not too distant future. Judith and I shared a brunch in Wellesley in August, catching up on our lives, politics and solving all the problems of the world!” We extend our sympathy to George Reigeluth, whose mother, Mary, passed away in July 2019 at the outstanding age of 101.

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1964 Class Correspondent: Verdi DiSesa verdi.disesa@gmail.com

1965 Class Correspondent: Eric Triffin eric_triffin@aya.yale.edu We extend our sympathy to Jenny Byers, whose mother, Jane, passed away on January 2, 2020.

1966 Class Correspondent: John N. Deming Jr. jndjr@yahoo.com Fred Alford had quite a summer in 2019! He suffered a heart attack on July 15, underwent a quadruple bypass on July 17 and married Mandi Haines on July 19! We extend our sympathy to Douglas Reigeluth, whose mother, Mary, passed away in July 2019 at the outstanding age of 101.

1967 The Class of 1967 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates,

please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

1968 Class Correspondents: Rob Clark rclark@perrigo-inc.com Leland Torrence lelandtorrence@optonline.net

1969 Class Correspondent: Meg McDowell Smith megsmithvt@gmavt.net We extend our sympathy to Geb Byers, whose mother, Jane, passed away on January 2, 2020.

1970 The Class of 1970 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

1972

David Coffin ’75

Class Correspondents: Amy Estabrook heyamo@snet.net Cathy Hosley Vouwie chv79@hotmail.com

1973 Class Correspondents: Peter Hicks phicks@websterbank.com John Persse johnpersse@bhhsne.com Peter Bigwood writes, “After 38 years in the industry, I have been appointed president of Mecalac North America, a French manufacturer of construction equipment.”

We are sad to report that Joel Chetrick passed away on August 12, 2019. Joel’s wife, Nahoko Nakayama, shares, “He had great memories of The Foote School. My daughter and I would like to thank everyone for your friendship with Joel.”

1974 The Class of 1974 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

We extend our sympathy to Polly Byers, whose mother, Jane, passed away on January 2, 2020.

1975 Class Correspondent: Jessica Drury sjsaz@optonline.net Class Correspondent Jessie Drury writes, “It seems premature to be writing this update as my class is coming in hard to its 45th reunion, and it will be then that much is celebrated in the ever-evolving, wild, accomplished lives of the alumni of the Class of ’75. But unwilling to turn my back on the Class Notes and still smarting from missing the last edition, I feel it my God-given duty (if that god is Susie Grimes, who had just about had it as class secretary) to deliver something to keep our class on the tip of every other class’s tongues. And

Reveling in Music an accomplished musician, children’s educator and tour guide—and says he owes all his success to playing recorder.

DAVID CO FFIN I S

He didn’t learn it in Jean Shepler’s class (David only vaguely recalls the longtime Foote music teacher). Rather, he learned recorder from the family nanny, beginning at age 4. “We lived in the Yale chaplain’s house on Wall Street and a young music student named Grace Feldman would leave us drawings in our chicken-wire fence.

She eventually became our babysitter and later our live-in nanny.”

“Every job I’ve ever had traces back to the recorder,” adds David.

As a 19-year-old college undergraduate, David heard a song with a haunting melody called “The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance” played on solo recorder, from an album by Revels, the Bostonbased traditional music group. “I said ‘I want to play that tune!’ I wrote a letter to the director of Revels and he invited me to come and audition.”

That was in 1979, and David has been a performer with Revels ever since and has served as emcee of the popular Christmas Revels shows since 1990, sharing his stage wit and rich baritone voice with hundreds of thousands.

From that work, David was recruited to put together a living-history boat tour of Boston Harbor featuring live actors and music, which he performed. That, in turn, led to a job leading narrated boat tours for Save the Harbor, which every summer gives 10,000 inner-city children the opportunity to learn about marine biology and swim on the beaches of Boston Harbor islands.

Since 2000, David has run two music enrichment programs in Massachusetts schools: “Music from the King’s Court,” which explores early wind instruments such as the recorder, gemshorn, cornamuse and rauschpfiefe; and “Life at Sea,” an imaginary whaling voyage in which students learn sea shanties accompanied by David’s concertina.

Sea shanties weren’t David’s first genre, but it may be the one he’s most associated with thanks to his performance of “Roll the Old Chariot” from a 2010 maritime festival, which has been seen 3.7 million times on YouTube.

David’s voice and visage are now reaching new audiences through the Amazon Prime movie Blow the Man Down, a dark comedy about a murder in a fishing village in Maine. David sings the movie’s soundtrack and appears in a few scenes.

“I love that I get to interact with people and make a difference in their lives.

Everything I do is about connecting with people.”

Spring 2020 | 39

so with no fluid segue, I will begin. First, go immediately to the nearest bookstore and grab Sarah Blake’s recent triumphant novel The Guest Book. Her modesty precluded her from mentioning this when I sought out class news, so I have stepped in. Our playwright, Joan Osborn, has been working on another piece but says she has spent the last year wringing her hands over the state of the entire planet. Her concern about clear and present dangers has led to canvassing, leaving voicemail messages for lawmakers, protesting with her friends from Indivisible and resisting the forces of evil 120 characters at a time, all in an effort to keep the lights on where the cameras are conveniently broken and the guards are asleep. She has also adjusted her grip on her forehand, volley and serve, with mixed results. Grim reality trumped Joanie’s next play when Roger Smith reported that he and Duby McDowell crossed paths at the Charles Street Jail. Oh woe is me with bitter tears of lament until I remembered that the jail has been converted into a hipster joint where such groovy luminaries as Roger, Rachelle, Duby and Josh go to hang. The summary of the evening from Roger was thus: ‘Spending time with Duby always makes me very happy! If she is not a BFF, they don’t exist.’ Contemplating crashing the Boston party is Julian Chang, whose work in China has been momentarily interrupted: ‘I have been involved in a variety of private-sector education and training roles in Shanghai for the past five years and am now teaching part-time there.

I returned in December to take my 13-yearold son to the new Star Wars land at Disney World. I am now in Cambridge interviewing for more permanent positions and waiting out the virus situation before going back to finish my teaching obligations.’ Eschewing the Boston landlubbers, David Coffin proves that the sea really can run in one’s veins. ‘I have just finished my 40th year performing with the Cambridge-based Christmas Revels, a yearround performing arts organization that celebrates traditional songs and dance from different cultures around the world. As Revels’ artist-inresidence, I travel to schools throughout New England, presenting two enrichment programs, one based on the recorder (3rd graders typically) and one celebrating New England’s maritime tradition through an imaginary whaling voyage from my ancestral home of Nantucket. I also manage the 40 | Foote Prints

narration program for Boston Harbor Cruises, hiring and training narrators for our history tours of Boston Harbor, and run the thrill ride Codzilla, our 45-mph stunt boat that will get you wet and leave you hoarse. During July and August I continue to take more than 10,000 underserved youths out to the harbor islands for a day of chaos, mayhem and swimming. Never a dull moment. www.davidcoffin.com (See profile on previous page.) Morgan Stebbins, who feels he has to remind me every time he writes that he once went by Michael, continues to make me feel slothful and lumpy both intellectually and physically.

After apologies for potential redundancies, Morgan jumped in with this: ‘Even if it’s stale, it’s not fake news! My wife, Jenn, and I still live in Garrison. We’ve lost touch with Jonea since Jenn stopped teaching yoga at the local place (where we all used to meet). We still have our wolf dogs and I’ve become a dog trainer to go along with being a Jungian shrink. (Dogs are much more fun.) I’m training for another go at world triathlon championships in Maui, which apart from the questionable sense of doing a race there, is pretty awesome. And finally giving some talks on Jung-related things, one on Synchronicity in New York in April, where I still have my office across from hizzoner Bloomberg on 79th Street.’

In reference to Jonea Gurwitt, I am happy to report that she and Duby both said yes to the dress. I’ll leave the details for our next gathering. This year will be a landmark one for many of us in this class. In wrestling with the implications, I have become a devotee of eye cream, believing, somehow, that rigorous daily application will reverse years of abject neglect. I would beseech each of us to consider contributing to our class’s scholarship fund that provides educational opportunities for those who might not have the chance to call themselves Foote School alumni without it.”

1976 Class Correspondent: John Holder johnholder@comporium.net

1977 Class Correspondent: Elizabeth Daley Draghi gdraghi@sbcglobal.net

1978 Class Correspondent: Stephen Fontana stevef1701@aol.com We extend our sympathy to Daniel Bloom, whose father, Harold, passed away on October 14, 2019.

1979 Class Correspondent: Bonnie Welch bonniewelch@taftschool.org

1980 Class Correspondent: Liz Geller Brennan gelbren@aol.com Liz Geller Brennan‘s daughter graduates from college on May 9. Liz hopes to see classmates soon. We extend our sympathy to Eamon Roche, whose mother, Jane, passed away on February 1, 2020.

1981 Class Correspondents: Nicolas Crowley nyjcrowley@hotmail.com Jennifer LaVin jen2766@gmail.com We extend our sympathy to Paud Roche, whose mother, Jane, passed away on February 1, 2020. We extend our sympathy to David Bloom, whose father, Harold, passed away on October 14, 2019.

1982 Class Correspondent: Bethany Schowalter Appleby bethany.appleby@gmail.com Kate DeVane writes, “I am just about to head off to Tokyo and Kyoto as the parent ambassador for the Boston Higashi School, which my son Mark now attends.

The Boston Higashi School is a school for children with autism. The school has been life-changing for my son, who has nonverbal autism. I am really honored to have been asked to go. Meanwhile the rest of the family is still happily installed on Martha’s Vineyard, where dogs and horses seem to rule our lives.” Clark Thompson shares,

“I recently had dinner in New York City with Mike Drury, Mark Osborne and Steve Holt.

2019 was a year of travel for my company, Consensys, working with global financial institutions to develop next-generation solutions for digital assets and securities processing. I was recently in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel, and was invited to Dakar, Senegal, by the U.N. to speak of my experiences building a rural banking system in the Philippines. We traveled to Ireland for Thanksgiving to visit our daughter, Lydia, who graduated from St. Andrews and is pursuing a masters in biodiversity and conservation at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. My son is currently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a nice break with us all over the holidays.” Bill Martin writes, “Life is chugging along here in Colorado. Last year was a big transition time for me, as I moved on from my job with the state of Colorado after 15 years in pursuit of a new gig in the private sector at a company called Trimble.

My work still centers around GIS mapping and database and land records management but extends into different client areas all over the world. I try to get out and ski, bike and hike as much as possible and am now chasing our twin boys (who are 10) all over the ski slopes. They go really fast!” Thomas Fontana shares, “We are waiting out another New Hampshire winter. I vacillate between happiness when it isn’t cold and snowing and despondency because I know it should be colder and snowing more. At the very least, it is getting lighter each day, so I

Perry Grossman ’82 and his family in South Portland, Maine, skating at Thompson’s Point outdoor ice skating rink unequivocally feel better about that!” Kate Brooks Laing writes, “Not much to report except that we built our empty nest home as a net-zero house, which is fantastic.

We have no utility bills, no furnace, no fossil fuels. I get to see Alexia Prichard a few times (not enough) a year and I can

unequivocally say that her Staci is a great addition to our Foote family. We also went to Chicago recently and stayed with Liz Levy Toole and her wonderful family. We had a blast. Can’t wait to go again.” Clinton White writes, “After spending one year in Tunisia heading up the USAID/Libya mission on advancing U.S. priorities, I am now based in Barbados for four years as the Regional Representative of the USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean mission. This includes the island countries of the OECS, Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas. Our work in the region directly supports U.S. foreign policy priorities, fortifying efforts to stem crime and violence and promoting sustainable development growth programs. One of the best aspects about the job includes working with the youth. If anyone plans to visit Barbados, please let me know, as my wife and I would be happy to host you.”

We extend our sympathy to Denis Roche, whose mother, Jane, passed away on February 1, 2020.

1983 Class Correspondent: Brinley Ford Ehlers brinleysf@aol.com

1984 Class Correspondent: Ann Pschirrer Brandt annie.brandt@rocketmail.com We extend our sympathy to Anne Roche, whose mother, Jane, passed away on February 1, 2020.

1985 Class Correspondent: Carter LaPrade Serxner lapserx@gmail.com Katherine Bingham Moorehead is in her tenth year as dean of St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida. Her most recent book Angels of the Bible: Finding Grace, Beauty, and Meaning was published on October 1, 2019.

Clinton White ’82 (middle row, fourth from left) on a trip to Saint Lucia, where he read for second-grade students at the Anglican Infant School Spring 2020 | 41

1986

Jessica Pritchett ’88

Class Correspondent: Jody Esselstyn jesselstyn@gmail.com

“ I like to see a product I created positively impact others.”

The Beauty of Change has an entrepreneurial spirit and passion for creating innovative cosmetic products. The daughter of a New Haven pharmacy owner, Jessica nurtured dreams of starting her own business.

Last fall, after two years of planning, Jessica launched Ooli, a line of unisex products specifically formulated for African-American hair.

JE S S I C A P R ITCHE T T

“For people who wear their hair in locks, product can build up and look unsightly,” she says. “I wanted to create a product where you didn’t have to worry about product build-up and that had ingredients that address concerns such as thinning or dryness.”

Jessica lives in Brooklyn and works as an attorney in the technology industry, and she worked for all of 2018 and most of 2019 to get six Ooli products through lab testing and ready for market.

“I worked with cosmetic chemists who are African-American, so they knew what I was looking for. They helped me with texture and how to keep costs in a certain range. Nothing is over $26 because my customer is sensitive around price.”

Presently, Ooli sells direct-to-consumer over its website, oolibeauty.com. But 42 | Foote Prints

Elisha Cooper’s newest book, River, was released on October 1, 2019. It is about a young woman canoeing down the Hudson River, from the wilds of the Adirondacks all the way to New York City. It’s also about adventure, tugboats, moose and peanut butter! Elisha spent the fall visiting bookstores and book festivals and even sent the Foote library some signed copies!

the brand’s profile is growing, thanks to a successful social media marketing campaign tied to Black History Month.

After a slow start last fall, Jessica says Ooli was on target to post earnings in the six figures for March and is anticipating expanding distribution and hiring someone to assist her.

Meanwhile, Jessica is hard at work preparing for the launch of her next venture, a CBD-infused skincare line called Loud Elixirs (loudelixirs.com).

“I’ve become a CBD devotee,” says Jessica, referring to cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive component of marijuana.

“CBD helps with depression and anxiety and is a great pain reliever.”

River, by Elisha Cooper ’86, was released on October 1, 2019.

1987

Loud Elixirs products will sell for less than competitors, and a portion of every sale will go toward organizations working to decriminalize marijuana.

Prosecutions for marijuana possession have hit communities of color especially hard, and Jessica wants to be a part of turning the tide.

Class Correspondent: Jonathan Levin jdlevin@stanford.edu

“I wanted to let people who might be afraid of the $90-to-$100 cost for CBD products try something cheaper, and to do something socially responsible as well. There are a lot of skin care products that have CBD, but there aren’t a lot of black women in this space.

The Class of 1988 needs a class correspondent. If you are willing to help collect news from your classmates, please contact Amy Stephens Sudmyer ’89 in the Alumni Programs Office at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

“I really like to see that an idea I created is able to positively impact other people and support me,” she adds.

We extend our sympathy to Alice Roche, whose mother, Jane, passed away on February 1, 2020.

1988

We extend our sympathy to Caleb Wertenbaker, whose father, William, passed away on January 17, 2020.

1989

Peter Weir Clarke ’93

Class Correspondent: Toya Hill Clark trose7@hotmail.com Sarah Netter Boone writes, “Our Footerelated highlights of 2019 are that our oldest child, Wolf Boone ’19, is a student at Wilbur Cross High School and is still in touch with his Foote buddies. Amy Stephens Sudmyer and I spent an awesome joint family vacation together in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic. And lastly, I spend time both socially and for community causes with Allyx Schiavone ’85.”

1990 Class Correspondent: Amy Cohn Crawford amycohncrawford@mac.com David Holley is celebrating 20 years living in San Francisco. David works as a senior project manager for a virtual event company. David and Nakia Hamlett recently visited Alcatraz together.

1991 Class Correspondent: Bo Bradstreet ebradstr@gmail.com

1992 Class Correspondent: Katie Madden Kavanagh katieblee@hotmail.com

1993 Class Correspondent: Jenny Keul jennykeul@gmail.com Peter Weir Clarke works as a special effects artist in Los Angeles, California, where he builds, programs and runs robots. For the past 10 years he has worked as an animatronics designer and puppeteer for Legacy Effects and has worked on many movies, television shows and commercials.

Recently he was the lead mechanical designer for the Baby Yoda puppet from the Mandalorian series, as well as a key puppeteer on the show. (See profile this page.)

Monster Maker

a seizure when you walked by it in the gallery.”

dominated by computer-generated effects, Peter Weir Clarke makes movie monsters the oldfashioned way—building and operating them by hand.

In the mid-2000s, Peter was hired to work at Legacy Effects, a firm that grew out of the company founded by Stan Winston, the so-called godfather of creature effects. With Hollywood films dominated by CGI effects, it was an uncertain time to be joining an old-school effects company, but it has provided 15 years of steady work.

IN A FILM IND U S TRY

As a mechanical designer for Legacy Effects, Peter has built animatronic robots, dinosaurs, zombies and aliens.

Recently, Peter had the opportunity to create and puppeteer the most buzzworthy character in Hollywood: Baby Yoda from the Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

Like many of his generation, Peter grew up on The Terminator, Jurassic Park and other films with memorable animatronics.

While in graduate school at Rhode Island School of Design, Peter took an interest in electronics and mechanical sculptures and a teacher suggested he move to Hollywood to work in special effects.

“I didn’t even know what that meant,” Peter says.

But in a leap of faith, Peter did move to Los Angeles and he found a job on Craigslist making props for a haunted house. It was a “terrible, minimumwage job,” he recalls. But it connected him with other special-effects artists as well as his next job, building mechanical sculptures for the artist Daniel Joseph Martinez.

“He hired me to build an animatronic self-portrait of himself that would have

TV commercials still use a lot of mechanical effects because, unlike films, they don’t have time for the post-production work that digital effects require. For TV advertisers, Peter has helped build mechanical sasquatches, giant food monsters and the Lunchables platypus and jackalope.

Peter was picked to work on the Baby Yoda project because of his experience with digital design and 3-D printing.

“My job was to give it as much personality as I could.”

The project required intense secrecy; every day his phone was checked to make sure he wasn’t smuggling photos of the not-yet-public Baby Yoda character.

Peter’s newest project is a screenplay for what he calls a “socially conscious satirical zombie movie.”

“I like that my job has a performance aspect to it. It’s really fun to be able to make something and bring it to life on set.”

Spring 2020 | 43

1994 Class Correspondent: Arna Berke-Schlessel Zohlman arna.zohlman@gmail.com

1995 Class Correspondent: Jack Hill seaburyhill@aol.com

1996 Class Correspondents: Brett Nowak nowak.brett@gmail.com Katy Zandy Atlas katy91@gmail.com

1997 Class Correspondent: Eliza Sayward elizasayward@yahoo.com

1998 Class Correspondents: Andrew Lebov aklebov@gmail.com Elisabeth Sacco Klock saccopotatoes@gmail.com

1999

Becca Williams ’00 at her October 12, 2019, wedding to Todd Dodick in upstate New York. Her sister, Emily Williams Corvino ’97, is to her left and Foote friend Jess Nuzzo Scott ’00 is to Becca’s right.

Chicago last year, where she is working as a nurse practitioner. They are headed to New Zealand for their honeymoon in April 2020.

2001 Class Correspondent: Cassie Pagnam cassie.pagnam@gmail.com

2002 Class Correspondent: Hope Fleming hope.fleming@gmail.com Jennifer Milikowsky married Tylan Calcagni on September 1, 2019.

Class Correspondent: Jeremy Zuidema jmzuidema@gmail.com

2000 Class Correspondents: Alex Kleiner alex.m.kleiner@gmail.com Shannon Sweeney smsweeney07@gmail.com Elizabeth (Libba) Cox Burke and her husband, Sam, welcomed a son, William (Billy) Richard Burke, on October 17, 2019.

Becca Williams married Todd Dodick on October 12, 2019, on a vineyard in upstate New York. Foote friend Jessica Nuzzo Scott and Becca’s sister, Emily Williams Corvino ’97, were both in the wedding.

Also in attendance were past and current Foote faculty Polly Fiddler, Karla Matheny, Nancy Manke and Amanda Diffley. Becca, Todd and their dog, Molly, moved to 44 | Foote Prints

Jennifer Milikowsky ’02 married Tylan Calcagni on September 1, 2019. Foote Alumni shown from left are: Tyler Ibbotson-Sindelar ’02, Alex Wiske ’04, Tylan Calcagni, Jennifer Milikowsky ’02, Matthew Milikowsky ’95, Clay Wiske ’02 and Ryan Harrity ’98.

2003

2006

2009

Class Correspondent: Adam Shapiro adamshapiro1488@gmail.com

Class Correspondents: Adam Gabbard adamdgabbard@yahoo.com

Class Correspondents: Chris Blackwood christopher.blackwood@tufts.edu

After two nominations, Diane LaPosta won an Emmy Award for a piece on mental health and suicide for CNN. Diane is a producer for Anderson Cooper on AC360 and has been writing and producing for nine years.

Audrey Logan logan.audrey@gmail.com

Eva Kerman edk2123@barnard.edu

2007

2010

Class Correspondents: Kenny Kregling kregke01@comcast.net

Class Correspondents: Brandi Fullwood brandi.n.fullwood@gmail.com

Symphony Spell symphony.spell@gmail.com

Clay Pepe cppepe@rollins.edu

2008

Cameron Swift lives in Norwalk, Connecticut, and works as a senior infrastructure engineer at ISG in Stamford.

2004 Class Correspondents: Dillon Long know33@gmail.com Dana Schwartz danaschwartz5@gmail.com

2005 Class Correspondent: Gabriella Rhodeen gabriella.rhodeen@gmail.com

Class Correspondents: Michael Milazzo michael.milazzo12@gmail.com Kate Reilly Yurkovsky kate.yurkovsky@gmail.com

2011 Class Correspondents: Nate Barton natebarton95@gmail.com Britney Dumas bdumas13@gmail.com

Class of 2015, fifth-year reunion. Back row from left, William Rosenbluth, Adelyn Garcia, Jonah Berman, Neal Sarin, Donovan Lynch, Zev York. Front row from left, Zach Pine-Maher, Victoria Fletcher, Becca Radebold, Madison Sakheim, Madison Mandell, Juli Perino, Helen Ruger, Sydney Osborne, JJ Hellerman, Li Goldstein, Sid Lewis-Hayre.

Spring 2020 | 45

2012 Class Correspondents: Harrison Lapides yalehockey20@comcast.net Cassidy McCarns cmccarns@bates.edu Peyton Swift works as a fellow at Savi, a social impact technology startup in Washington, D.C., that is working to solve the student debt crisis by helping the 44 million student loan borrowers better understand their debt, lower their payments, and enroll in a plan that will help them on the path to student loan freedom. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her dog, Sally.

2013 Class Correspondents: Lawson Buhl lbuhl@umich.edu Anika Zetterberg azetterb@skidmore.edu

2014 Class Correspondents: Robinson Armour rarmour22@amherst.edu Sophia Matthes Theriault sophiamtheriault@gmail.com

2015 Class Correspondents: Anli Raymond anliraymond15@gmail.com Will Wildridge william@wildridge.org Zev York writes, “Around 20 students from the class of 2015 met a few months early to celebrate our fifth-year reunion back at home in New Haven. After staying past our welcome at a downtown restaurant, we ended up next to the fireplace at my house to eat Modern Pizza, happy to have all reconnected as adults.

There are too many updates to list, but we are all hoping to continue this tradition going forward. With luck we will repeat the night before our 10th! We are hoping that several more of our classmates will join us next time around. Everyone would love to catch up and hear what’s going on in your lives!”

See photo, page 45.

46 | Foote Prints

Joey Rebeschi ’18 (left) at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, in summer 2019 with the director of the production and an audience member.

2016 Class Correspondents: Omid Azodi omid.azodi@gmail.com Evelyn Pearson evie.pearson11@gmail.com

2017 Class Correspondents: Graley Turner graleyturner@gmail.com Hilal Zoberi hzoberi20@choate.edu Nathanial Krauss is president of the Choate Student Activity Center Tech Crew and captain of the Choate Robotics Team that made it to the FIRST Robotics Competition New England Championships. Nate is also a Day Student Prefect. Nate writes, “One of the biggest things that I’ve done this year was manage the Choate 2019 Pep Rally. Over the summer I went to the United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar and to the FBI/Yale Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy.” Mikayla Oko will be joining the American University class of 2024.

2018

Andrew Crews writes, “I’m a sophomore at Choate, where I’m a Gold Key tour guide, so I’m able to show the school to Foote students who are applying. I volunteered for Justin Elicker’s winning mayoral campaign in New Haven last summer.” Patrick Curran shares that at Cheshire Academy he is “doing lots of homework and studying for the SATs.” Sian Lewandowski attends Williston Northampton School and traveled to China for a month during summer 2019 to further her Chinese learning. Sabrina Carlier traveled over summer 2019 with a Choate group, including several other Foote alumni, to the Wind River Range of Wyoming to participate in a National Outdoor Leadership School trip. Sabrina is an active member in the Arts Concentration Program at Choate and has acted in five theatrical productions and worked technical theatre on other productions. In summer 2019, Joey Rebeschi traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, with the Hopkins Drama Association. He performed Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors in the Fringe Festival. The Fringe is the largest performing arts festival in the world.

2019 Class Correspondents: Josie Cancro josie.cancro@gmail.com

Class Correspondents: Alexandra Collins alexandrabcollins03@gmail.com

Malachai York malachai@yorkfamily.net

Pablo Rollán pabloo.rollan@gmail.com

Eesa Sabooh shares, “I have been at Cheshire Academy and enjoying 10th grade. I joined three bands as a bass guitarist and am doing sound design for the theater production.”

In Memoriam Walter Bacon ’39 May 7, 2019 Mary Hemingway James ’42 February 2, 2019 Edith Cook Smith ’45 August 19, 2019 Thompson Bradley ’48 September 22, 2019 Donald William Newberg ’48 June 17, 2019 Learning support teacher Cara Given McNelly and husband Michael welcomed a daughter, Riley Ann McNelly, on October 6, 2019.

Sallie Brown ’49 January 27, 2020 Joel Chetrick ’73 August 12, 2019 Robert Palumbo ’83 February 20, 2020

Faculty and former faculty members Amanda Diffley, Polly Fiddler and Karla Matheny enjoyed the celebration at the October 12, 2019, wedding of Becca Williams ’00.

Faculty News

Former Faculty News

Learning support teacher Cara Given McNelly and her husband, Michael, welcomed a daughter, Riley Ann McNelly, on October 6, 2019.

Former kindergarten teacher and Director of Admissions Laura Altshul’s third book of poetry, Looking Out, was released by Antrim House on September 24, 2019.

Laura Altshul’s third book, Looking Out

Spring 2020 | 47

Around Campus

48 | Foote Prints

Spring 2020 | 49

Looking Back

Foote Falcons?

Since When?

The surprising history of the Foote School mascot

BY CINDY LE FFE LL

the falcon, is a ubiquitous presence in school life today. From athletic team uniforms to the Falco’s PRIDE posters that remind students about the importance of being a good friend, the falcon is everywhere. Indeed, you can’t buy much at the school store (the Falcon’s Nest) that isn’t emblazoned with the school’s popular mascot.

THE FO OTE S CH O O L’ S MA S COT,

And yet the story of how the falcon became Foote’s mascot remains a bit of a mystery.

Science teacher and longtime ninth-grade advisor John Cunningham—an expert ornithologist—recalls that around 1990, ninth graders decided that Foote needed a mascot and surveyed fellow students to generate ideas. The falcon, which has been known to nest in the cliffs of nearby East Rock Park, apparently won out. From there, however, recollections of faculty and students I spoke with get slightly fuzzier.

50 | Foote Prints

Former head of school Jean Lamont with Dillon Long ’04 in the falcon costume made by his mother, longtime science teacher Leslie Long

Kindergartners from the Class of 2026 hold the stuffed Falcos they received from their ninth-grade buddies at the opening assembly.

The cover of the 1991 school yearbook (Foote Steps) features a student-drawn falcon. After that first appearance, the falcon popped up with some regularity in yearbooks, issues of SPI (the student newspaper) and elsewhere.

It would be more than a decade until the falcon took the form of a student in a feathered costume. On the morning of Field Day in 2003, ninth grader Adam Shapiro ’03 halfjokingly told his friends that he was going to dress up as the school falcon. He called over to Costume Bazaar, the longtime State Street costume shop owned by Foote friend Ort Pengue, and rented the closest thing he could find to a falcon outfit (technically it was an eagle, but close enough!).

The Foote falcon made its first appearance on the 1991 yearbook cover.

Over the costume, Adam recalled that he wore an old team football jersey. And he dubbed himself Falco. Falco took to the field and waved excitedly to all the kids. Adam remembers having such fun. He loved the joyful smiles Spring 2020 | 51

Kai Takahashi ’09 with the Foote falcon logo he designed for the school’s centennial in 2016

he saw on his classmates’ faces as he toured the field.

Adam was neither maroon nor gray that day, just Falco.

From this unique perspective, he could appreciate seeing the whole school gathered together.

Adam wanted the fun to continue in future years. So at 8th Grade Recognition Day that year, he unexpectedly interrupted the program to make an announcement.

With a feather in hand, he declared that the following year, Dillon Long ’04 would be Falco, and he handed the feather to Dillon. Thus was born the tradition of “Passing the Feather” when Falco announces who will have the honor of being the mascot the following year.

Leslie Long, longtime science teacher, was the Student Council advisor in those years (and, coincidentally, the mother of Dillon). In 2004, she sewed a Falco costume for Dillon to wear. She bought a black judge’s robe, cut out hundreds of feather shapes from colored jersey material and sewed them onto the robe. She bought a falcon head and feet to complete the costume. Falcos wore this costume for more 52 | Foote Prints

than 10 years until a new one was purchased for Foote’s centennial celebration in 2016.

Dana “Danny” Smooke ’10 was Foote’s first female Falco.

She received the feather from Brett McGwire, the 2009 Falco. As he passed her the feather, he recited an original poem ending with the line “…it is no fluke that the next Falco is Danny Smooke!”

Falco began making more appearances during the school year. Danny danced as Falco during the Yali assembly.

All the Chinese guest students clamored to get their picture taken with Falco. Falco now appears at the annual yearbook assembly and signs yearbooks. Danny remembered carefully practicing her Falco signature. (Now Falco has a talon stamp to make signing hundreds of yearbooks easier.) Even though the costume was heavy, hot and sometimes awkward, she felt honored to be chosen as Falco and loved making the younger students smile whenever she appeared.

Today, Falco makes additional appearances during the year.

At the opening assembly, Falco is there when the ninth

Ninth grader Chase Douglas ’14 (right) “passing the feather” to new Falco mascot Dylan Sloan ’15

graders present a Falco stuffed animal to each of their Kindergarten buddies, a tradition started by Head of School Carol Maoz. Falco’s Foote spirit has also been translated into Falco’s PRIDE, our school’s values: Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, Empathy. When the new Kindergartners receive their own Falcos, they learn the meanings of these community expectations.

Falco got a makeover just before Foote’s centennial in 2016.

Kai Takahashi ’09 designed a new, modern falcon logo that adorns all Foote athletic gear and the gym floor. The costume made by Leslie Long 13 years earlier was retired.

Falco now wears a new “featherless” felt costume. Some students disliked the change, with one even lodging his complaint in a humorous “Fashion Police” column in the SPI. While any change in tradition can be hard, Falco’s Foote spirit remains the same strong presence to this day.

Cindy Leffell volunteers as Foote’s head archivist, co-chairs the Centennial Campaign and served on the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2018. Her two children, Alex ’09 and Dahlia ’11, are Foote graduates.

S TUDENT S WHO HAVE PL AYED FALCO 2003 2003–2004 2004–2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016–2017 2017–2018 2018–2019 2019–2020

Adam Shapiro Dillon Long Nathaniel Moore Killian Appleby Walker Luckey Miles Margulies Brett McGwire Dana Smooke Rob Williamson Max Sbriglio Ian Ono-Gerow Chase Douglas Dylan Sloan Elena Miko Imaan Jabarkhail Mia Sloan Jacob Eder Zainab Khokha Spring 2020 | 53

From the Archives

54 | Foote Prints

Members of the Class of 2008 performing in Anne of Green Gables as eighth graders in 2005.

From left, Lucca Markese, Rachel Meyers, Kelsey MacCray, Bo Peard

Spring 2020 | 55

Why I Teach I believe that all people want to be known, cared for and valued for who they are.

BY TO BY W E LCH ’ 7 3

in the classroom around 7:00 a.m., about an hour before my students. I fine tune plans for the day, make a list of students to check in with, email a couple of parents, and consider how students responded to yesterday’s lesson summarization for their biography project and what I can do to further develop that skill.

More than anything, that hour lets me clear the decks so I am 100 percent present for students when they arrive.

I U S UALLY AR R IVE

Teaching is a humanistic endeavor. I believe that all people want to be known, cared for and valued for who they are.

As students enter each morning, I ask about last night’s homework, I inquire about a sibling’s birthday celebration, I wonder with them about what will happen next in the class read-aloud book. Before we can build our knowledge of essay writing or long division, we must set a firm foundation of trust.

A sense of trust is central to a student’s willingness to take risks, to see failure as a growth opportunity and to persevere.

Early in the school year, I make it a point to let the students know that I am a poor speeler, spelller… speller. I believe that it is important to model the kind of learner that I am encouraging students to become. Learning is not about achieving perfection, but rather about recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses and developing strategies to become a stronger student. I think it is important to have students name the challenges they face and to then devise tactics together to support growth in that area.

I first discovered that I loved working with children during three blissful summers as a camp counselor. That experience propelled me into a 38-year career in education. I started at Foote as a Mixed Age Group assistant and then a Grade 4 teacher thanks to then-Head of School Frank Perrine taking a chance on me. After two years on Loomis Place—having benefited from the mentorship of Laura Altshul and Saylor 56 | Foote Prints

Heidmann—I headed west to Vashon Island in Washington state, where I taught in independent schools and, in 1995, founded Harbor School, where I served as head for 13 years.

It is important to me to be in a school where innovation and creativity are encouraged, celebrated and shared. Over the past six years, my colleagues and I have implemented a variety of initiatives: parent-teacher conferences that include students, and indeed are led by students; a 1-to-1 laptop program; a buddy program with elderly residents of Whitney Center in Hamden; and new collaborations with New Haven-area nonprofits. We have made significant changes to the Social Studies curriculum that have challenged me as an educator to take the complex topics of immigration and slavery and make them accessible to 9- and 10-year-olds. Several years ago, I worked with a colleague to bring a weekly mindfulness practice into the classroom. I very much appreciate the opportunity we have as teachers to take an idea, shape it to fit the needs of our students and implement it.

All of this makes for a full day. On my walk home, I often find myself reflecting on the day. What keeps me coming back to the classroom is the students—the root of all my work. Just recently, one of my students took it upon himself to put together a “box of encouragement” containing notes of support for his peers. Teaching fourth grade doesn’t get much better than that! I teach because I believe that I can have an influence on the kind of person each of my students is to become and because it’s among the most important ways I can positively impact the world.

Toby Welch ’73 is a Grade 4 teacher at Foote. He served as a Grade 4 assistant teacher from 1981 to 1983 and returned as a head teacher in 2014. Previously, Toby founded and was the head of Harbor School, an independent K–8 school on Vashon Island, Washington state.

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Thank you teachers!

You have worked so hard, and sacrificed so much, to light the way for us during this pandemic. The entire Foote School community is filled with gratitude for your creativity, your courage and your commitment!

The Foote School 50 Loomis Place New Haven, CT 06511 www.footeschool.org (203) 777-3464

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ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Notice: Postal regulations require the school to pay 75 cents for every copy not deliverable as addressed. Please help us contain costs by notifying us of any change of address, giving both the old and new addresses.

Mark Your Calendars

Oct

Grandparents Day

Nov

Young Alums Day

Friday, October 9, 2020 Grandparents and special friends are invited to visit grandchildren’s classrooms, participate in faculty-led minicourses and enjoy an all-school assembly.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020 Graduates and students from the classes of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 are invited back to Foote to see classmates and former teachers.

Foote Prints Vol 47.1