Harvey Magazine Winter 2023

HARVEY MAGAZINE // winter 2023

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FEATURES: HARVEY … FINDING TRUE NORTH

4

Well-Being and Peace of Mind: Alums Answer the Call

Six Harvey alums found their calling as health care professionals who share a passion for lifelong learning and helping others.

16

Homecoming Means Tradition

October 2022 marked the return of a traditional Homecoming and Alumni Reunion that drew the entire Harvey community out to reconnect and celebrate the year ahead.

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Rewilding Adventures: Ropes, Packs, and All Good Intentions

Jesse Spiegel ’01 discovered a way to combine his love of the outdoors with humanitarian work that resulted in a nonprofit adventure organization and an acclaimed documentary film.

22 Got Googliness?

Harvey Robotics Does!

Receiving a personal invitation to present at a Google-sponsored workshop in NYC, the Harvey robotics program answered the call and built on its nationally recognized reputation.

Cover: Jesse Spiegel ’01 (on left) climbs to new heights. Read his story on page 12. (Photo credit: Ben Schaefer)

The Harvey School

260 Jay Street, Katonah, NY 10536 harveyschool.org // (914) 232-3161 harveymagazine@harveyschool.org

HEAD OF SCHOOL

William J. Knauer

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Karen Grazia

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Chris Del Campo

ALUMNI EDITORS

Susie Danziger

Greg Janos

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Susie Danziger

CONTRIBUTORS

Isabelle Correa

Susie Danziger

Chris Kelly

William Knauer

Ray Lacen

Denise Smith

John Wahlers

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Gabe Palacio

Tim Coffey

John Brooks

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Karen Grazia

Abby Hassett

DESIGN

Good Design, LLC gooddesignusa.com

PRINTING

J. S. McCarthy Printers jsmccarthy.com

MISSION STATEMENT

Our purpose is to prepare and inspire students to become independent, adventurous thinkers and engaged, compassionate citizens in courageous pursuit of knowledge and truth.

CORE VALUES

» Passion for learning

» Respect

» Integrity

» Determination

» Excellence

From the Editor

At the onset of the new school year, something felt different. After two years of moving forward through difficult times, we sensed a renewal of spirit and a return to school as we used to know it. There is more laughter, more smiles, and more joy in the classrooms, down the hallways, and throughout campus. There are no limits on what a student can pursue — the door is once again flung wide open for discovery, exploration, and personal and intellectual growth.

We are inspired by our alums who face the challenges of the world with optimism and seek to give something back to ease the pain of others. They began to build this foundation at Harvey and have carried on throughout college and into each of their life’s work. Finding one’s passion, one’s purpose, one’s “True North,” is woven into the DNA of the Harvey community. Our goal is for students to find out who they are, for each to become their very best self, and chart a course through life that fulfills each of them.

Our robotics program continues to amaze us and others as they answered the call to present and demonstrate their robots at Google headquarters in NYC. At Homecoming, we honored our 2022 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees Alex McKown ’57, Greg Barnett ’93, and Dr. Nicole Wright ’05, as well as longtime faculty member Beth Visintainer. This past fall, we also recognized our Impact Award recipients, Jack Fasciana ’02, Deirdre Glascott P’19, and Harvey teachers Marcie Hajem and John Wahlers.

The Upp er School musical production of “Pippin” hit the stage in Lasdon Theater with Broadway flair, showcasing the brilliance of our performing arts students and faculty. How magnificent it is to be able to explore the arts to such an extent while also being an honors student, an athlete, or a mathematician. There truly is nothing more powerful than a student who believes they can make a difference in the world.

I hop e you enjoy reading about all the members of our Harvey community making their mark on the world. Sharing their stories with you brings me much joy.

Happy reading!

Karen Grazia, Director of Marketing and Communications

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Eileen Walker, Chair

Philip Bowers ’70, Vice Chair

Lara Casano ’95

Kevin Durkin

Ashley Foote

Jerri-Lynn Galgano, Secretary

Jonathan Kass

Edward W. Kelly

William J. Knauer, President

Ronice Latta

Wendy Lederer

Donna Leone

Joseph Plummer

Elizabeth Schwartz

Wallace L. Schwartz

Andrea L. Tessler

Dawanna Veneable

Lindsey Walker ’05

Clifford Wallach

Jennifer Waterhouse-Cooper

J. Eric Wise

Emeriti Trustees

Daniel K. Chapman ’73

Alice DeSomma

Barry W. Fenstermacher

Charles A. Krasne

Raymond G. Kuntz

Jeffrey Lasdon

Jane Petty

Frank A. Weil ’44

ALUMNI EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Lara Casano ’95, President

Pieter Catlow ’73

Erica Cheyne ’14

George Dallas ’64

Susie Danziger

Philip A. Eifert ’73

Daniel Galgano ’20

Andy Jamieson ’09

Greg Janos ’98

Alexander P. McKown ’57

Laurel Meredith ’88

Seth Morton ’57, Secretary

Greg Presseau ’98

Lindsey Walker ’05

HEAD’S COUNCIL LIST

Tracey Davies, P’19

Dennis Dilmaghani ’62

Lori Garbin, P’16

John Hughes ’68

Richard Ledes ’71

Vivien Levy, P’16, ’19

Lucy Lopez, P’19

Dave Raneri ’69

David Silk, P’14, ’17

Vanessa Williams, P’18

welcome from the head of school

Orienting Toward the Future

The theme of this month’s magazine is Finding True North, but what does that really mean? Bill George, a professor of management practice and leadership at Harvard Business School, wrote that True North is derived from our “most deeply held beliefs, values, and principles” and orients us, acting as a “fixed point in a spinning world — that helps us stay on track.” True North guides us in establishing long-term goals and setting strategic direction.

As a school, we need to continually reflect on the quality and value of our programs and practices and plan for their ongoing improvement in the years ahead. As I have shared previously, we began a comprehensive strategic planning process in the fall of 2020. This was an interesting moment to embark on long-term planning since so much of our time and energy was dedicated to the immediate task of keeping the school open and our students and staff safe from one day to the next. However, we ultimately found that the challenges raised during the pandemic pushed us to delve deeply into what makes Harvey unique and to explore how we can continue to evolve to serve the needs of our students.

Arguably, the North Star that guides the decisions and operations of any organization is its mission statement, and this is particularly true for schools. Given that Harvey’s mission statement was last updated in 2014, a primary objective of our strategic planning process was to examine the statement and determine if it needed to be altered to reflect the changing realities and goals of educating students in 2023 and beyond. Although the mission statement that served the school well for years was certainly accurate, it was more descriptive than inspirational or aspirational — and not particularly memorable.

With that in mind, by drawing on the survey data from the strategic planning process and meeting with a range of school constituents, we were able to identify a handful of meaningful, recurring concepts that emerged as the key beliefs and values of the school. Through a collaborative, iterative process of writing, collecting feedback, and updating, we arrived at an exciting, new, student-centered mission statement that clearly establishes the True North that orients us toward the future, while also remaining loyal to Harvey’s founding principles of Scientia et Veritas.

In October 2022, Harvey’s Board of Trustees voted to accept this mission statement and also approved a strategic plan that sets our overarching objectives as a school for the years ahead. Details of the full plan will be announced soon.

Onward with heart!

All the best,

William J. Knauer, Head of School

Our purpose is to prepare and inspire students to become independent, adventurous thinkers and engaged, compassionate citizens in courageous pursuit of knowledge and truth.

Well-Being and Peace of Mind: Alums Answer the Call

By Chris Del Campo

Stories of Harvey alumni choosing to make a difference by virtue of a career in the health care profession are as numerous as they are inspiring.

How fitting it is that a school founded by a doctor who was inspired by one has seen so many of its alumni forge careers as physicians, nurses, and other professionals in the health care industry. Their singular aim and focus is to help people in need of care. Among the many Harvey alums who have gone on to careers in the health care profession are two who have fully established themselves in the field and several other younger alums who are on the cusp of a career of helping people dealing with physical and mental health issues. We are delighted and proud to share their stories in this issue of Harvey Magazine.

f the most established alumni whose stories we share is Michael Blackman ’83, currently serving as the chief medical officer of Greenway Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. Michael is working in what is called medical informatics, a field that requires utilizing medical and computer sciences skills to improve health care and patient outcomes.

In his role at Greenway Health, Michael draws from his background in business and medicine to formulate strategies to create and manage health-care technology. After he graduated from Harvey where his interest in the medical field first came to him, Michael turned his attention to business, earning his A.B. (B.A.) from Brown University in 1987 and his MBA at the University of Michigan in 1990. Right after college he worked for a nonprofit organization in NYC, which led him to management consulting. When employed as a management consultant, he was working on a project related to health that rekindled his passion for medicine. He earned his medical degree in 1997 from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Michael said he was drawn to the medical profession because it offers “a variety of things one can do, and it makes a direct impact in helping others.” He also likes being in the medical profession because “it isn’t static.” He explained, “There are always new things to learn and new avenues to pursue.”

The 57-year-old husband and father of two grown children said being in the medical field today poses the challenge of being comfortable

with change. “The field is always evolving, and one needs to be a lifelong learner,” he said. “My current position is the result of taking risks and opportunities as they arose,” he added.

To those considering a career in the medical field Michael says the opportunities are many. “There are almost an endless variety of careers in health care, and you need to find something you love to do,” he said. One of the hazards those in the medical profession face is falling victim to what is commonly called “burnout,” becoming overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with the never-ending demands of the job. Having spent nearly half of his life in the field of medicine, Dr. Michael Blackman knows how much is asked of those each day in the business of caring for others. When entering the medical profession, he advises maintaining a balance between work and life. “Doing so helps avoid burnout and helps you maintain your enthusiasm when working with both patients and colleagues,” he said.

Following her graduation in 2001 from Harvey, where she had excelled in science classes, Diana Weisholz Cooke enrolled in Binghamton University and became interested in forensic science after taking a forensic anthropology course. “We had an assigned reading on ‘The Innocence Project,’ and it became important to me to pursue a career in this field to help ensure science was used

Right. Michael Blackman ’83 with his family in Whistler, British Columbia

The field is always evolving, and one needs to be a lifelong learner. My current position is the result of taking risks and opportunities as they arose.”

— MICHAEL BLACKMAN ’83

to help determine the perpetrator of a crime,” Diana shared. She went on to earn a B.S. in Cell Molecular Biology with a minor in biological anthropology and a master’s degree in Forensic Biology from the University of Albany.

Although her role in her field did not involve providing health care for those in need, her eight years as a criminalist in the forensic biology unit at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City from 2007 to 2014 helped provide closure and some peace of mind to those related to victims of serious crimes.

Diana said the role of a forensic scientist is “to examine evidence from a crime scene, do testing on possible biological samples found on the evidence, report the results, and testify when necessary in court.” It was a job Diana was well-suited for, a job that was not without its challenges. “Forensic science can be challenging if there is a backlog of cases and having to meet the demands of processing cases and reducing a backlog in a timely manner,” Diana said.

Today, Diana is a wife and mother of three young children ages 10, 9, and 6, and has been working as a senior research associate at Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science since 2014. Diana has been doing research in aging, working toward prevention, suspension, or reversal of disorders that decrease the quality and length of life. She keeps abreast of current relevant scientific research, performs scientific testing in the lab relevant to the research, reports accurate findings, and helps write scientific papers on such findings. “With conducting scientific research, I’m able to research diets and drugs that can improve quality and length of life,” explained Diana, whose work is of great importance in benefiting others.

D iana’s love of science, first sparked at Harvey by Mr. Kelly in physics, Mr. Osborne in chemistry, and Mr. Jackson in AP biology, blossomed in college and became a lifetime passion. Along the way, as both a forensic scientist and researcher, Diana has most certainly made a difference in the lives of many.

Left. Diana Cooke ’01 at work in the lab // Above. Diana with her husband and three children

Among the younger alums pursuing a career in providing care for people is Harrison “Harry” Solomon, Class of 2014, who cites his Harvey experience as a stepping stone along the path to becoming a doctor of osteopathic medicine, or D.O.

“Ms. (Lesley) Boltz was studying for her EMT exam one night during my senior year at Harvey, and I started to ask her questions about it,” Harry recalled. “Two weeks later I had applied to become a member of the Katonah-Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps where Ms. Boltz was a member.” Harry became an EMT and developed a passion for emergency medicine. “After responding to multiple calls on the ambulance, I knew that I had found my calling,” said Harry. To this day, he still rides on emergency calls with Ms. Boltz, whom Harry calls “an incredible mentor and friend.” While serving as an EMT, Harry spent some time shadowing an ER doctor at Northern Westchester Hospital, which is where he realized he wanted to take his EMS training to the next level and become a physician.

After receiving his B.A. in Psychology in 2018 from American University, Harry decided to pursue his true passion and enrolled at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O. Class of 2024.

Considering his love for his work as an EMT, and earlier in his life as a lifeguard, Harry’s desire to be an osteopathic physician seems to be a natural fit, given his passion to provide care for those in need. As a D.O., Harry will treat his patients holistically, considering each patient’s mind, body, and spirit to improve their health and wellness.

With a little more than a year before he graduates, Harry realizes there’s still some way left to travel to get to his final destination. “I absolutely love what I do and am very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, but the road is long,” he shared. “One of the greatest challenges ahead of anyone interested in pursuing a career in health care is the length of training and the commitment it entails,” he said. Asked for the advice he would offer to those considering a career in the medical field, Harry said, “It is very important for anyone interested in pursuing a career in medicine to take the time needed to make sure it is the right path for them and that they are doing it for the right reasons.”

Clearly, Harry has pursued his passion for all the right reasons. Lifeguard, to EMT, to a soon-to-be doctor of osteopathic medicine, Harry has proven his first priority is caring for the health and well-being of people.

Harry’s 2014 classmate Lillian “Lily” Brouwer is also studying to be a physician. After having earned her B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior in 2018 at Barnard College, Lily, Harvey’s Class of 2014 valedictorian, took a few years to gain more work experience in the medical field before returning to school. She did clinical cardiology research for a year at Weill Cornell Medicine; worked in a cellular biology lab evaluating bone healing at

Above. Harry Solomon ’14 (center) with his fellow students, after earning his white coat

NYU; and spent the last two years before medical school working at Columbia Fertility Center, helping families conceive. Currently, Lily is a first-year student at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and expects to graduate in 2026.

Although her de cision to become a doctor came as a young adult, Lily had an inkling earlier on, first as a child and later as a teenager. Interestingly, her struggle with her own health sparked her interest in the medical field. “At 11 years old, I assumed the intolerable stomach aches I experienced after meals were the norm,” Lily said. “When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, it inspired me to seek answers for others as well. From that point on, each time a person I cared about fell ill, it strengthened my resolve to someday have the knowledge required to diagnose and treat them.”

Betwe en her sports-related injuries and her bouts with celiac disease, Lily grew to appreciate the knowledge of her doctors and the care they gave her. “I want to become a physician to help my patients overcome their pain, just as my physicians did for me,” she said.

At age 26, Lily now sees the role of a medical provider as being twofold — “to diagnose and treat patients and to help better the overall health of the community in which they live.” She believes physicians are uniquely qualified to speak to problems

they see in clinics and should leverage their respected status by engaging with stakeholders to mitigate social determinants of health. Her experience has opened her eyes to the racial inequities that exist. “When I worked in cardiac research at Cornell, I was upset to learn the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of blood flow to the kidneys had an adjustment for African Americans. After doing my own research, I learned that this difference in estimated GFR (eGFR) rate adjustment was based on only three studies published more than 20 years ago, and I thought about the implications of that. By assigning higher normal eGFR ranges to Black people, this could lead to false negatives, delaying a kidney failure diagnosis, dialysis care access, and placement on a kidney transplant list.” Lily said medical providers see these types of inequities firsthand and “must speak out on these examples of systemic racism in health care, and work alongside peers to question these criteria, do more research, and enact change.”

Lily c oncurs with classmate Harry Solomon that it’s a long, hard road to becoming a physician. She warns that there are bumps and pitfalls along the way but encourages those who aspire to be physicians to stay the course. “Even if you fail, learn from your mistakes and keep going,” Lily said. “If this is what you want to do, you can do it,” she said, adding, “This profession is one in which you need to be resilient, so do not let failure hold you back.”

I want to become a physician to help my patients overcome their pain, just as my physicians did for me.”

— LILY BROUWER ’14

Far Left. Lily Brouwer in her white coat // Left. Lily with early aspirations to be a doctor

One of our recent alums, Madeline “Maddy” Blinderman, Class of 2017, looks forward to the day when she can make a difference in helping people suffering from mental health disorders. She is currently working on obtaining her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut, after graduating from the University of Hartford in 2021 and earning a B.A. in Psychology. As was the case with Lily Brouwer ’14, the help Maddy received from professional care providers for her own affliction served to inspire her to pursue a career in helping people heal.

Maddy said her “Aha” moment came when she was in treatment for anxiety. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, I could help so many people the way my therapists have helped me,’” she shared.

“I felt a need to give back to the number of people who suffer with mental health difficulties.”

Maddy, who anticipated being an elementary school teacher when she was a senior at Harvey, said she chose instead to pursue mental health counseling and was motivated by her first college psychology class. “My professor

was a licensed marriage and family therapist, so hearing her stories inspired me,” Maddy said.

She has c ome to recognize that one challenge that occurs in the mental health field can be handling the tough cases. “It’s hard, but a therapist has to maintain a level of professionalism to keep the therapeutic relationship ethical and successful,” Maddy explained.

Maddy says physicians and therapists share one very important thing — they must do for their patients or clients what works best for them to help provide the appropriate remedies. “Just as it is in the medical field where doctors perform different surgeries and procedures based on what the patient needs, in the field of counseling, if someone needs cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or exposure response prevention therapy, then that is what we will work on with our clients,” she explained.

As she looks ahead, Maddy has set her sights on becoming a licensed professional counselor and also getting trauma certified and CBT certified. She advises those in high school to be ready to veer from the path they thought they’d follow and realize that they could very well end up in a far different place. “I did something totally different from what I originally enrolled in college for. It’s scary, and the journey is not easy, but it is so worth it.”

I did something totally different from what I originally enrolled in college for. It’s scary, and the journey is not easy, but it is so worth it.”

—

MADDY BLINDERMAN ’17

Below Left. Maddy Blinderman ’17 with friend Allie Michaud on her first day at the University of Saint Joseph // Below Right. Maddy celebrates her graduation from the University of Hartford in 2021.

Dr. D. “Ross” Henshaw ’83 recalls his youthful days at Harvey in grades four through eight as a time when he was more focused on athletics than academics, like most boys his age. Born and raised and currently residing in Waccabuc, New York, Ross loved playing sports and had no inkling as a boy that he would one day grow up to be an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine.

After graduating from Harvey, Ross attended boarding school and later earned his B.A. at Johns Hopkins University where he began to think about studying medicine. “I was introduced to medicine through my college roommate’s father, and watching him work made me realize how much I wanted to help people,” Ross shared.

Next stop along the road to his career destination was Columbia University, where Ross would study medicine and find his calling to be an orthopedic surgeon. “I remember going to my first surgery, which was a hip replacement, and I knew right away that’s what I wanted to do,” Ross recalled.

Ross’ love of sports did not lead to his becoming a professional athlete, but his involvement in sports told him how much an athlete’s success depends on staying healthy. It would seem a perfect fit for Ross to enter a field of medicine that helps both serious athletes and just us plain, ordinary folks who need a specialist to diagnose and treat damaged bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves. “As a former athlete, I love taking care of athletes young and old to get them back to their sports and passions,” Ross said, speaking of his sports medicine practice.

Ross advises young people who think they might want to study medicine that it involves “a very long schooling and training process that takes a lot of discipline, money, and dedication;

even when you are on your own, it is still a lot of work.” But it seems clear Ross would not choose a different path if he had it to do over again. “It’s an amazing career and privilege, but it is very competitive,” he said. To those young people undaunted by the challenging road ahead of them in pursuit of a degree in medicine, Ross cautioned, “Work hard because good grades and test scores, unfortunately, are still very important.”

Ross has certainly come a long way since his boyhood days shooting basketballs in Harvey’s McConnell Gym and romping on the lower fields of the campus near Route 22. With offices today in Danbury, Ridgefield, and Southbury, Connecticut, Ross has carved out a successful career during three decades time, making broken bodies whole again. Asked to leave us with a statement of his beliefs about the responsibilities of physicians, the one-time Neperan lad, now esteemed doctor, closed by sharing, “Our role as physicians is to help people get back to good health with care and compassion for those we treat.”

How proud Dr. Herbert Carter would be if he could see so many of those who attended Harvey throughout its 106-year history going out into the world to heal others. Some might dismiss “The Heart of Harvey” as merely a marketing catch phrase, but deeply embedded in those four words is the history of the school and its student-centered approach and emphasis. The stories of the six alums, the three well-established in their careers and the three aiming their sights on professions that will help others heal, serve to remind us of what Harvey does best — challenging young minds while offering them all the support they need to succeed. Harvey truly embodies, as Bill Knauer says, “rigor with heart.”

Left. Dr. Ross Henshaw // Right. Dr. Ross Henshaw in the operating room

REWILDING ADVENTURES: Ropes, Packs, and All Good Intentions

By Chris Del Campo

JOSEPH G. “JESSE” SPIEGEL ’01 has led quite a remarkable life since graduating from Harvey more than two decades ago. His story is one of a young, successful entrepreneur; a world traveler climbing some of the most challenging rock formations on earth; and a cofounder of a Colorado-based nonprofit adventure organization. Jesse is now a filmmaker, whose critically acclaimed documentary “Rewilding,” which he cocreated, coproduced, and directed, could very well soon lead to a spin-off TV docuseries. He’s packed a lot of living in a span of just 20 years, much of it spent doing what he loves most … undertaking adventures in the great outdoors.

Jesse, born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, attended Harvey with his brother, Ben ’02, before graduating and heading out to Colorado to attend the University of Denver Business School where he earned a B.A. in Marketing. When he was in college, he started the very first beer pong table company, which led to a partnership with a Chinese manufacturer and the opening of a factory to produce beer pong tables. In 2008, Jesse was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, which reported on his one-of-a-kind company. Selling the company some 10 years later allowed him the freedom and time to travel and do some serious hiking and climbing, which gave him time to think and formulate his vision of founding Rewilding, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to help errant young men find themselves by undertaking rugged outdoor adventures. Jesse now resides in Boulder, Colorado with his wife Megan Powell and their infant daughter, Leena.

O f all the ventures and successes of Jesse’s life to date at age 40, the humanitarian work that he and his business partner, Vitek Linhart, do for young men ensnared in the criminal justice system is dearest to Jesse’s heart. His interest in helping formerly incarcerated individuals between the ages of 18 to 35 stems from his own experiences when he ran afoul of the law in his mid-tolate teens. Jesse said his appearances in courtrooms, prompted by a series of arrests for “a lot of dumb choices” he had made, affected him profoundly. “Standing next to my parents and lawyer while wearing a suit and seeing young men of color standing alone, I saw firsthand how obvious conscious bias and unequal legal representation led to young Black men and boys being treated and sentenced differently from their white counterparts for similar charges,” Jesse recalled. “For me, even as a teenager, this was deeply disturbing and a call to action.”

The seed for his lifelong passion of climbing and hiking in mountain ranges was planted early in his youth.

“When I was 13, my parents began sending me to Estes Park, the base camp for Rocky Mountain National Park, to attend a climbing and mountain adventure camp,” Jesse recalled. “It was there that I fell in love with Colorado and the mountains,” he said. Jesse did not know it then, but, just a few years later, he would find his calling in Colorado.

Jess e and Vitek have long shared the same vision — that the not-for-profit organization that they cofounded would provide them a life of doing what they love to do and where they love to do it while making a difference in other people’s lives. “What we’re great at is being vulnerable, forming strong bonds with people, and getting them to really open up,” Jesse said. The natural landscape of the Colorado mountains allows them to offer participants in their program the opportunity for an extraordinary adventure, which Jesse describes as “a great medium to allow the chance to work as a team to accomplish a big and often scary objective.” Jesse said that completing an adventure safely requires trust, communication, and vulnerability. ”For men who often struggle with being vulnerable, who might see it as ‘feminine,’ the rugged ‘masculine’ backdrop of adventure grants them permission

to be vulnerable,” Jesse explained. He added, “Rewilding experiences result in really fun, exciting, difficult, and emotional adventures where ‘tough guys’ end up crying a bunch and opening up in ways they have never opened up before in their lives.”

To date, Jesse estimates that about 40 participants have undertaken Rewilding adventures — from skiing, to whitewater rafting, rock climbing, backpacking, mountain climbing, and fishing. He said that it’s difficult, however, to assess how many of the young men have made changes in their lives for the better and to what degree. One participant called Jesse to tell him that it took a year for him to become fully aware of just how much Rewilding had affected him, describing how it produced small changes in how he met each day and had led him to begin to take a divergent path. One participant said he was able to reconnect with his estranged sister after a Rewilding adventure. Another called to tell Jesse that he credits Rewilding and the conversations they shared for prompting him to run and catch up to someone to let the stranger know he had left his cellphone behind on a table at a restaurant. Several others have texted Jesse pictures of them hiking for the first time on their own. It may take a few years for a participant to redirect his life, but Jesse takes pride and some solace in seeing those who went through the program make some changes in their lives for the better.

When he thinks back to his brushes with the law, Jesse admits he made some bad decisions, but he also knows he wasn’t a bad person, just a young man prone to making mistakes. He sees his teenage self in those who come on Rewilding adventures in need of turning their lives around. He wants them to have a chance to find a new direction. “The young men I have met through Rewilding are not bad people. In most cases, just like me, they are and were kids making mistakes,” Jesse said. “The difference was, when I stood in front of that judge in my suit with my parents, they saw a kid. They spoke to me like I was a kid, and, ultimately, punished me like I was a kid, which was appropriate because I was a kid. Our participants and their peers don’t receive that same treatment in the courts.”

“THERE IS NO MAGIC SWITCH THAT YOU CAN FLIP THAT TURNS SOMEONE INSTANTLY INTO A NEW PERSON, ERASING A LIFETIME OF PATTERNS, EXPERIENCES, AND TRAUMAS,” JESSE SAID. “BUT WHAT I’M SURE ABOUT IS THAT WE PLANT SEEDS, INTRODUCE NEW IDEAS, AND PROVIDE NEW AND VALUABLE EXPERIENCES TO OUR PARTICIPANTS, and that becomes part of who they are.”

When asked what changes should be made in the criminal justice system to break the downward spiral of young men of color going in the wrong direction, Jesse said, “I don’t know the answer to that. It’s too big for me.” But what he does know is that Rewilding’s efforts can make a difference. “I’m tackling what I can, based on what makes sense and feels accessible to me,” Jesse said. “To me, that means helping individuals within my small sphere of influence … by helping them realize their own potential and gain some hope for the future.”

Jess e’s “Rewilding” documentary, accepted by two prestigious film festivals and screened most recently in New York City as part of the Chelsea Film Festival, features him and Vitek in a story of their adventure with 27-year-old Anthony Dejesus, a budding artist and former inmate of Rikers Island. Rewilding’s website bills the film as “an epic adventure through the rugged terrains of trauma, privilege, race, and incarceration.” Its footage at times contains awe-inspiring scenes of nature’s majesty. The film’s human story speaks throughout to the possibilities of young men discovering their individual self-worth and realizing they can redirect their lives away from the downward spiral that will rob them of a chance to make something of themselves. It is a film that tells you all you need to know about Jesse himself, a man who loves to share his life’s passion with those who are in most need of discovering a new, life-saving path to personal redemption and fulfillment.

Homecoming Means Tradition

Homecoming Day was “made to order” with brilliant blue skies and the last ebb of summer warmth before the temperatures fell for the season. Starting before 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, the campus began to buzz with excitement, with Harvey students, families, faculty, staff, and alums flocking to campus for a day filled with Harvey spirit.

As it is for many schools, Homecoming is a great annual tradition. For Harvey, it’s a day to celebrate our community, support our current students and faculty, and welcome back our alums. We come together, no matter how many years it has been since graduation, and set aside a day to reflect on what Harvey means to us all. Our common thread is our Harvey pride and gratitude to a place where young people become their best selves.

The day began with a 5K race for varsity cross country, which resulted in senior Hudson Chris setting a new course record time of 18 minutes and 17 seconds and winning the race. Immediately following, the Harvey community got into the action and participated in a 5K Run/Walk with winners awarded medals and earning lots of Harvey cheers.

An Op en Skate at Evarts Rink was highlighted by the attendance of former NY Rangers star player Tom Laidlaw, who spent time talking with kids and giving them skating pointers.

Music by The Big Happy, featuring Harvey’s own middle school teacher Austin Morgan, set the energy on high, with original rap songs and a groove that permeated across the athletic fields and through the farmers market. With more than 25 vendors offering a large variety of goods and services to purchase, families walked away with jewelry, spirit wear, scarves, cheese, soups, chocolates, cupcakes, and other delicious treats. Even puppies were available for adoption! Hands down, the most popular booth housed Phil Lazzaro and his homemade pizza, which had long lines of people waiting for a tasty slice throughout the day.

The food tent stayed open for six hours to accommodate the fans of varsity soccer, cross country, volleyball, and football. The Harvey homecoming football game drew spectators all along the hill, showing their support for our players, win or lose. Homecoming 2022 will surely go down as one of the best in recent history.

“Homecoming is like a gentle breeze, picking us up and carrying us back in time to a place where we are always welcome and always accepted, and is forever a part of our lives.”

2022 Alumni Reunion

What a unique feeling it is for former students and alums to return to Harvey and step back in time to revisit special memories from an important era in their lives. For some, they are returning to a campus that they left not that long ago and seeing friends and faculty they connect with regularly. For others, they are not returning at all, but visiting a campus that replaced the school they attended more than 60 years ago. This past October, alums from Harvey’s first high school graduating Class of 1982, along with graduates across the decades joined the Homecoming celebration, reminiscing with friends over a delicious lunch under a tent on campus near the athletic fields. (Read more about the Class of ’82 on page 51 in this issue.)

A highlight of the celebration was recognition of several alums and faculty inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame. We proudly honored these deserving individuals in 2022:

» Alexander P. McKown ’57, for Extraordinary Service and Dedication to the Harvey community

» Greg Barnett ’93, the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding leadership and contributions in the field of athletics

» Dr. Nicole Wright ’05, the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding leadership and contributions in the field of music

» Elisabeth Visintainer, the recipient of the Outstanding Service Faculty Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to The Harvey School

An enthusiastic Harvey student panel of seniors Mya Dias, Lucy Durkin, Bennet Katzin, Emi Knauer, Jacob Weisberger, and junior Iliana Hellinger shared their Harvey experience with alums. Head of School Bill Knauer enjoyed sharing campus and facilities updates and answering questions from alums excited to learn more about Harvey’s plans for the future.

Got Googliness?

Harvey Robotics Does!

In October, Harvey’s Upper School robotics program continued to build on its impressive resume as a nationally recognized force in the robotics community when it was invited to demonstrate its skills and know-how at the Prep for Prep Robotics Workshop sponsored by Google, the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, and VEX Robotics, held on the Google Campus in New York City.

By Karen Grazia

obotics director Chris Kelly said Harvey’s reputation prompted VEX Robotics to invite the RoboCavs to give a demonstration at the Google workshop. “Harvey is known in the New York region for helping teams start and build robotics programs,” Mr. Kelly said. “Our students continually show outstanding sportsmanship and are always willing to help their competitors,” he added. Harvey’s strong record of success in regional and national events was also a major reason the invitation went out to the RoboCavs, who were the first New York team to win the VEX Robotics World Championship Excellence award. Mr. Kelly gives a lot of credit to John Wahlers, his co-coach. “Mr. Wahlers has also established Harvey’s reputation by successfully hosting the state robotics competition three times and running the biggest VEX tournament in the state each winter,” said Mr. Kelly.

This invitation was notable, given Harvey’s proximity to numerous well-respected robotics programs at neighboring high schools in Westchester and New York City. Being recognized by Google and the REC Foundation is an impressive validation and recognition of a robotics program that has flourished since its inception in 2014.

Having the opportunity to share our robotics program and knowledge with those new to robotics was a rewarding experience for four of Harvey’s advanced robotics students. Sophomores Logan Alexander, Meaghan Sullivan, and Ben Zilberstein, as well as junior Blake Friedman, along with Mr. Kelly, gave a presentation about the Harvey robotics program and VEX Robotics in general to the more than 100 Prep for Prep students in attendance. The Harvey contingent then delighted the observers with a demonstration of four advanced competition robots.

The Prep for Prep program provides educational opportunities for gifted students of color from all across New York City schools. All the participants had none to very limited experience with robotics, and the Harvey students were excited to teach what they know to the enthusiastic students.

“The energy in the room increased dramatically when our team started their robotics demonstration,” said Mr. Kelly. “Everyone in attendance, including

“THE ENERGY

in the room increased dramatically when our team started their robotics demonstration. Everyone in attendance, including the Google reps, were ramped up with excitement at seeing Harvey robotics in action.” — Mr. Kelly

PHOTO CREDITS: JASON STROHL, REC FOUNDATION

the Google reps, were ramped up with excitement at seeing Harvey robotics in action.”

“There was a lot of spirit and excitement,” said Logan. “When we allowed them to demo our robots, there were a lot of students stepping forward to take their turn,” he said.

The Prep for Prep students were eager to take the controls, guided by the Harvey students, and get a feel for driving a robot. Even though the Harvey robots are quite advanced, the Harvey team did an incredible job of instructing the students on the basics and giving them the opportunity to see what is possible in robotics engineering.

Blake noticed how engaged the students were in robotics and enjoyed fielding questions and explaining his role as the engineer on his team. “I do most, if not all, of the building on my team with Ben, who does the more complicated coding,” said Blake. “I analyze what objectives the robot has to do and figure out the design to accomplish that.”

Logan, Blake, and Ben talked about coding and building in their presentation, and then worked side-by-side with the Prep for Prep students for the afternoon.

“After our robotic demonstration, we walked around and helped the Prep for Prep students with building simple demo claw robots from kits,” said Ben.

“There was a blueprint they had to follow and build,” Logan said. “We showed them the foundations and the first steps you take, and answered questions.”

Meaghan presented Harvey’s award-winning engineering journals, and the response was overwhelming. The Prep for Prep students were eager to learn more about technical writing, how you start an engineering journal, and what goes into it.

“It was very exciting to meet a lot of people who were really interested in the engineering journals,” said Meaghan.

The engine ering journalist might not seem like the most exciting position on the team, but, in fact, it is a crucial role in robotics. “Documenting everything that is happening during the designing, coding, and building phases, talking about your failures and how they lead to your successes, that is what the engineering process is all about,” said Mr. Kelly. “It was truly a special moment for Meaghan to receive that recognition.”

“They really loved seeing the journal. It was really interesting for them,” said Meaghan. “When I was walking around helping, I noticed there were a lot of girls who were super-interested in robotics, which is really exciting to see because it is such a male-dominated field,” she said. “It’s great to see so much interest from young girls.”

The REC Foundation Event Engagement Manager for New York and Connecticut, Ryan Ulzman, was impressed by the Harvey team. “The Harvey team were polite, knowledgeable, and handled a very chaotic Q&A session with every little prep.”

“It was a privilege to attend and work with the Prep for Prep students,” said Mr. Kelly.

This opp ortunity continues to grow in scope for all the students involved and the Harvey robotics program. Mr. Kelly hopes to continue the relationship with Prep for Prep, VEX Robotics, and Google. “The students got to drive our robots and get a feel for what they can do, but they couldn’t really operate them as efficiently as you would want them to because Harvey’s robots are too advanced for beginners,” said Mr. Kelly. But in the spirit of education and mentorship, Mr. Kelly is excited to offer a solution.

“I would be more than happy to build intermediate robots with our robotics students as a class project. Then those robots will allow beginner students to see and work with the subsystems that we teach in the classroom,” Mr. Kelly said.

ILLUSTRATION©SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/VECTORIUM

Harvey is not new to sharing what we know about robotics. We’ve helped neighboring schools like Byron Hills, Mount Academy, and Rye Country Day School design their robotic spaces and set up their robotics labs. “We’ve shared our curriculum with more than a half dozen high schools wanting to know how we go about teaching robotics using the VEX platform,” said Mr. Kelly. “We also work closely with our friend and competitor, The Kennedy School, sharing information and practicing with them,” he said.

This spirit of collaboration and the search for greater knowledge are what make Harvey robotics stand out in a competitive field and has taken them to the VEX World Championships five times, with their win coming in 2021.

Harvey also competes outside the actual robotics arena, including participating in video, CAD, and online challenges. In 2020, the team’s video, “Our Robotics Journey,” came in second place worldwide. Harvey students won $500 for their program, and the video was shown in front of more than 10,000 competitors and parents on the jumbotron in the Kentucky Exposition Center Arena before the start of the World Championship Final match.

“ We have come a long way in a short time,” said Mr. Kelly. “All the credit goes to our students. Their commitment and passion is the secret sauce. Working with them is one of the greatest privileges of my career,” he said. “I am truly grateful.”

“DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING that is happening during the designing, coding, and building phases, talking about your failures and how they lead to your successes, that is what the engineering process is all about.” — Mr. Kelly

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State of the School Dinner 2022 Impact Awards

Lasdon Theater was filled to capacity at the annual State of the School, hosted by Head of School Bill Knauer, with Harvey families, boarding members, faculty, and staff, sitting down to a delicious dinner while listening to student speakers, hearing about the health of the school, and learning about campus updates and improvements now and in the future.

The 2022 Impact Awards were also announced, honoring members of the community who embody the Harvey spirit, give selflessly to the school, and have a profound impact on the community. This year’s four recipients answered that call.

Jack Fasciana ’02 came to Harvey in seventh grade living with dystonia, a neurological disorder, and graduated as class valedictorian. He went on to graduate from the Fordham Honors program and has actively raised millions of dollars for dystonia awareness, as well as arranging a donation of real estate to The Harvey School.

Deirdre Glascott P’19 was a board member from 2016 to 2022, a member of the development committee, and a parent ambassador who hosted receptions in her home. The impact she’s had on Harvey will be felt for many years to come.

John Wahlers, the director of technology and robotics teacher, came to Harvey in 1997 and has since handled all of the School’s technology needs and coaches our award-winning robotics team, the RoboCavs, as well as being in charge of Harvey hosting the largest VEX Robotics competition in the state each year.

Marcie Hajem, Middle School science teacher and dorm parent, also coaches girls basketball and creates costumes for both the Middle and Upper School theater productions. Marcie has impacted many

students at Harvey, especially the girls. She is known for being a comforting and empowering presence for Harvey girls, and a role model for girls pursuing an interest in science.

Our student sp eakers shared Harvey through their eyes, which is the best way to see our school. “It was just wonderful to come back together in one room again,” said Mr. Knauer. “I look forward to working with our amazing faculty and staff, and with our students and families this year.”

Jack Fasciana ’02, John Wahlers, Marcie Hajem, Deirdre Glascott P’19

Years of Service

Honored

35 Years

• Dianne Mahony, English, performing arts

30 Years

• Amy Schliftman, Evarts Rink part-time office staff

25 Years

• Dale Osborne, assistant to the director of Evarts Rink

• Doug Plaskett, Middle School history teacher, head coach of Middle School cross country and varsity golf

• John Wahlers, technology director, robotics teacher, and coach

20 Years

• Joanne Lombardi, assistant to Middle School head

• Jeannine Young, accounting associate, student accounts manager

• Beth Visintainer, assistant head of Upper School, English

Why I Give ASHLEY FOOTE P’24, ’25

A Word That Describes Harvey

Inclusive. We chose Harvey for our three children for the exceptional and unique learning experience made possible through small class size, caring teachers, and challenging academics. After joining the community, we were delighted to discover something else exceptional and unique about Harvey — a powerful and contagious sense of inclusion. We will never forget the support and encouragement that the upperclassmen gave to our seventh grade son who played on the varsity lacrosse team in 2019. Now an upperclassman himself, it brings us great joy to watch our son support and encourage his middle school teammates in exactly the same way. This sense of inclusion allows every child at Harvey to feel comfortable arriving as a new student, trying new things, giving and receiving encouragement, and knowing that they will always have the support of their teachers, coaches, and peers.

Why I Give

We are beyond grateful for the educational opportunities and experiences that Harvey has provided for our three children. We realize that our children have been and continue to be the beneficiaries of generous donations from earlier years, donations that have greatly enhanced the Harvey experience for all students today. With this in mind, we are delighted to contribute with a forward-thinking outlook to ensure that future generations continue to enjoy and benefit from all that Harvey has to offer.

Harvey Perspective Student Technology is Cutting Edge

By John Wahlers, Director of Technology, Robotics teacher

At Harvey, what drives us as educators is helping students dive a little deeper into learning, explore their curiosities, and find what truly excites them. Through many generous supporters, Harvey has been able to acquire advanced technology to benefit academic programs and curricula campuswide. Most notable, this cutting-edge technology has benefited our nationally recognized robotics program. Many students have entered the robotics lab, curious and willing to try something new, and gone on to find their true passion for engineering, architecture, coding, and computer science.

We are thrilled to share that Harvey’s robotics program has added three major new tools to our arsenal. This past fall, we added a Creality CR-10 Smart Pro 3D Printer, which replaces several aging 3D printers. The new printer offers the ability to print larger objects, as well as with greater speed and reliability. The printer is already critical to the new drone program as well as a benefit to the Artificial Intelligence and Create US Open robotics programs.

Another exciting technology acquisition is the WAZER Waterjet Cutting Machine, which can cut virtually any material. WAZER cuts metal and is excellent for soft materials such as plastics and composites. It also allows for the precision cutting of tiles, glass, and stone. Harvey plans to use it to cut plastic and metal parts with both functionality and aesthetic benefits. At the highest levels of competition, high-quality, exactly machined parts and replacement parts increase durability and reliability, and impress award judges.

The biggest acquisition, and one we’ve been waiting two years to get, is the Tormach PCNC 440 CNC Milling Machine. Tormach is a leading-edge milling machine company, and, by

learning computer numerical control (CNC) machining students are exposed to a widely used manufacturing process that employs automated, high-speed cutting tools to form designs from metal or plastic. The PCNC 440 is a benchtop mill that makes it possible for schools, small manufacturers, knifemakers, hobbyists, and beginners alike to become machine shops. The PCNC 440 is the perfect entry into the world of CNC machining.

The 440 will allow students at Harvey to machine to exacting and repeatable specifications, 3D parts made of wood, plastic, aluminum, and brass. Machined parts will be used in our Artificial Intelligence and Create US Open programs. Students must learn Computer-Aided Design to design parts, and the implementation of teaching these software, materials, and techniques will be of immense value to any students with a future in engineering.

It’s also pretty heavy! The milling machine itself, without the accessories, weighs 450 pounds. The Harvey Maintenance Department constructed a ramp down the stairs to the Upper School robotics lab, and it took six adults to rope up the machine and lower it down the ramp to the lab floor. Once its case was constructed, an engine hoist was required to lift it to its permanent position.

Harvey junior Sam Kiamie, although not part of the robotics program, is deeply interested in CNC machining and has led the charge to assemble the 440, assisted by senior Aiden Yankwitt. Sam and Aiden have begun to machine the first items, working with wood now, and, as they gain experience, they will begin to machine plastic and aluminum. The process takes a great deal of time, patience, and expertise. We expect competition-worthy parts by the first of the year, and, once they are done turning, calibrating, and testing the machine, they will then instruct other students on how to use it.

It’s exciting to see these technological advances igniting the minds of our students and making it possible for them to build and create instead of just imagine.

Middle School Experiential Learning

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1. Nothing but smiles from sixth graders O’Launi Ebanks, Aoife Lazzaro, and Karen Dey

2. Aidan Natal ’28 and Daniel Kiamie ’27 get colorfully creative in their after-school art elective.

3. Robert Lawrence-Comerford ’27 takes on the ropes course at Boundless Adventures. //

4. Eighth graders Katya Stephens and Beatrix Mackil take their Latin studies outside. //

5. Jordan Sheppe ’27 exudes positivity in the classroom. // 6. Seventh graders Benjamin Tobias and Markus Jones work together on a project.

// 7. First-week smiles from sixth graders Isolda Corena and in background, Helena Klein //

8. Eighth grader Jake Acosta is focused in this science lab. // 9. Adalaine Hayes ’27 examines light prisms in outdoor science class.

In Their Own Words Profiles from the International Student Program

Fernanda da Cunha Alexandre ’24

My full name is Fernanda da Cunha Alexandre from Terra Rica, Paraná State, Brazil. I am 17 years old and in the 11th grade. I am an only child and all my family still lives in my hometown, which, by the way, is my favorite town. Terra Rica is a small town but it is full of outdoor activities and good restaurants.

Sinc e I arrived at Harvey in the fall, many things have enchanted me, like the food, the teachers, the whole structure of the school, and the opportunity to play sports in all seasons. After playing basketball in the winter, I intend to play tennis in the spring.

I like how international students are so well-received and loved by everyone. I have a dream of studying in an American college. I intend to study kinesiology, and I believe that Harvey will help me a lot to fulfill this dream.

Mariona Bascuñana Amat ’24

My name is Mariona Bascuñana Amat and I am from Martorell, Spain. I am 16 years old and a junior at Harvey. In Spain I live with my parents and my older brother Gerard who is 18 years old and my younger brother Toni who is 14 years old. My home town is located about 30 minutes from Barcelona. It is not a very big city but,

compared to Katonah, it is, as it has about 24,000 inhabitants. My host family is the Vicente family. The mother is Jessica and she has two children, Lucas and Stella. One of the activities I have done with them is to make pumpkin bread. I really like American food although I find it quite unhealthy compared to my country.

My favorite subjects are biology and math. I like biology because I like learning about how my body works, and I like math because it is the same in all the countries. What I want to study in college is mediology or forensics, or something related to corpses and mysteries.

I played soccer in the fall and in the winter I decided to play basketball, which is a sport that I really enjoy playing. What I like about Harvey is all the opportunities the school has to offer.

Jaime Mendoza Sancho ’25

My name is Jaime Mendoza Sancho and my hometown is Madrid, Spain. I am 15 years old and a sophomore at Harvey. In Madrid, I live with my parents and my big sister, who is 16 years old. My host family lives in Stamford, Connecticut, and I am very happy staying with them. Sometimes I go with them to the mall where they have a bakery and I like to watch them working.

My favorite subject is physics because I have loved science ever since I was a child. In the fall term, I played soccer because it is my favorite sport, and in the winter, I am planning to ski. What I like most about Harvey is that it offers many opportunities to play sports. I decided to join the Investment Club. I find the financial sector interesting and I would like to study finance in college.

One last thing I enjoy about being at Harvey is that I get to eat hamburgers.

Łukasz Daszczyński ’24

I am Łukasz Daszczyński from Warsaw, the capital of Poland. I am 17 years old and a junior at Harvey. Back home, I live with my father and visit my mother often. I am an only child. My hometown is rather large, with more than two million permanent residents. It is, as you’d expect, much different from Katonah. Warsaw is loud, crowded, and very polluted. I think coming to Harvey is very beneficial for my physical and mental health.

My favorite subject is robotics. I’ve always been interested in engineering. The resources available in the robotics lab and our teachers’ expertise allow me to explore this hobby through experimentation, which I’ve always wanted to do. During my free periods, you can usually find me in the basement debugging 3D printers or doing something even more exciting.

I have elected to join the Debate Club. I enjoy the respectful exchange of opposing ideas. It helps me either strengthen my own arguments or change my way of thinking about a subject.

I like being proven wrong because the best thing to do when you’re wrong is to change your mind.

My host family are the Koronowskis. They own a motorboat, and Mr. Koronowski took me for a cruise on the Hudson. I enjoy being on the water very much, and it was a great experience.

I’ve been interested in astronautics for as long as I can remember. The career I

would like to pursue is one in the aerospace engineering field. Put simply, I like building things that do things, and flying off into space on a controlled explosion is about the most awesome thing to do.

I c onsider bagels one of America’s greatest gifts to the world. Bagels aside, what I like most about life at Harvey is probably the time, space, and support it offers to students for their personal development. The freedom to forge your skills and gain experience on your own is something painfully absent in the Polish school system, and I’m humbled by the amount of trust and support that we’re granted here.

Sukie (Norawee) Vongveeranonchai ’23

My name is Norawee Vongveeranonchai and I am from Bangkok, Thailand. I am 18 years old and a senior this year at Harvey. Bangkok is a big city with a population of about 67 million people. Katonah is a very small town with lots and lots of mountains and reservoirs. Back in Thailand, I lived with my grandmother, my mom and dad, and my 13-year-old sister. My hosts are Nacho Gomez and his wife Laura Sandoval who took me out to a Peruvian restaurant, which was very good.

My favorite class is Statistics. I like reading data sets, graphs, and making predictions. I love playing basketball, so I decided to do cross country in the fall to get in shape for the basketball season. I hope one day to be a pro basketball player. I want to be the first Thai to play in the NBA.

I enjoy participating in clubs at Harvey. Being in clubs gives students some relaxing time doing activities we enjoy. I chose the Blacktop Basketball Club because it’s the sport that I like, and I can meet more people who share the same interests. My most favorite thing about Harvey is that it offers us a lot of activities that we like to do.

One of my most favorite things about being in this country is eating American food — pizza and Chipotle, if that second one even counts.

Belén Ayala Abad ’26

My name is Belén Ayala Abad. I am 14 years old and I am in ninth grade at Harvey. Back home in Cartagena, Spain, I have two little siblings: Ana, who is 9 and Juan who is 12, and I live with them and with my father and my mother. Cartagena is a little town, which is very different from New York in a lot of ways. New York is so much bigger. One of the biggest differences to me is that in Spain I used to live in a flat in the city center, so I could walk to school, or go anywhere by walking, but here, you have to take the car to go mostly everywhere.

My host family is a pretty typical family: a mother (Stephanie), a father (Chris), and three little children; Mila, who is 5, Brooklynn who is 4, and Lincoln who is 1. I really like them, and I am grateful that I have them as they are very nice to me and make me feel at home in Carmel, the town where they live. Since I arrived, I have already met most of their family, as one day we had a family dinner where I met them, and they also took me one day apple picking, which is a typical thing of this area and I was so excited about it because I had never heard about it.

Scho ol has been going very well for me at Harvey since the beginning of the school year. At first, it was a little difficult for me to adapt to everything as it is a big change, but now, I am getting used to it. The teachers were very nice from the beginning and that helped me, as they are very understanding. My favorite subjects are science and math as they always have been, but I don’t know yet what I want to do in the future. I just know that I want to study a career related to science. For after-school activity, I did cross country for the fall and in the spring I will do

tennis as it is a sport that I like very much. For clubs, I joined the Yoga Club because it’s a time when I can disconnect myself from everything and relax.

My favorite thing about Harvey is that, unlike my old school in Spain, being in school here is not just going to class. There are a lot of clubs and after-school activities that you can join, which makes everything better to meet new people and to do what you like. One of my favorite things about New York is that I live in a very small and peaceful town, but, at the same time, I have New York City really close, and New York is one of my favorite cities. I have always wanted to go there, and now I am making my dream true.

Gabriela Pastor Iriarte ’24

My name is Gabriela Pastor Iriarte. I’m 16 years old and a junior at Harvey this year. I was born in Madrid, Spain, and lived in the city until three years ago when my family moved to a town called Mostoles. My family is composed of my mum Ana, my dad Juan, and my sister Alejandra, who is three years younger than me. Mostoles is smaller than Katonah, and the main difference is that we don’t have as much forest as there is here. Also, Mostoles is warmer and it doesn’t rain that much.

My hosts, the Halsey family, are amazing. I live with Susan, my host mom; Steve, my host dad; Stephanie, my host sister; and Kyle, my host brother. I am very lucky because I live with one of my best friends, Lucia Falque Moreno, another international student.

My favorite courses are Biology and Music Production. I like Bio because I get to know the environment, and I like Music Production because it is a class that I could never take in Spain and I have the liberty of making my own music. I would love to study medicine. Since I was a little child I have always wanted to help people.

The club that I chose is Yoga Club because I thought that it could be interesting and I had never done yoga before. I play volleyball, and my team is incredible. We are always having fun and training hard so we can win the championship.

My favorite food in the U.S. is peanut butter. We have it in Spain but it’s not the same. Here you can find peanut butter everywhere. I think I made the perfect choice to come to Harvey. It’s an incredible school where they give me the opportunity to do lots of different activities. I like that everyone tries to be your friend and make you feel like you are at home.

Vincent Andren ’23

My name is Vincent Andren. I am a senior at Harvey. I am from Sweden and live with my mom and my younger brother. I currently live in Gothenburg, which is Sweden’s second largest city.

It is a relatively big city, with a population over 500,000. The city is gorgeous with a lot of beautiful buildings and nature. It is a bit different from Katonah, mainly due to the architectural differences, yet I enjoy Katonah and I can clearly see its charm.

Academically, my favorite subject is economics, and finance overall. I found it incredibly interesting and chose therefore to join the Investment Club. Besides school, I used the weight room in the fall and play hockey in the winter. In the spring, I plan to play golf. I would say that golf is my favorite sport, yet hockey is the sport I have played all my life.

On the we ekends I go to my host family — the Marvin family, which I can say, without a doubt, I very much enjoy doing. I think it is a privilege to have a family here when you are abroad — someone you can talk to, and someone, besides those at school, who cares for you. It has been a great experience having such a great host family, and I will very much thank

them for a great deal of my life. So far, it’s been an incredible experience. Later on in life, my plan is to work in finance. It has always been my greatest interest, and the thing I always enjoyed learning about most both academically and outside school. From one end to another, it has really been a shock foodwise, and the size of the portions here are enormous, especially the pizzas! The pizzas here so far are my favorite food, and the big size just makes it better.

Olaf Gorski ’24

My name is Olaf Gorski from Warsaw, Poland. I am 17 years old and a junior at Harvey. In Warsaw, I live with my mom, dad, my 20-year-old brother, and my dog. I love my family. My hometown is the big city Warsaw, the Polish capital with a population of around two million. As a big city it doesn’t have much in common with Katonah. My host family is the Gueli family. They are really nice. They took me to games, and it was really fun.

My favorite subject is robotics. I really feel like I’m learning a lot and it is so much fun. I joined the Debate Club as I feel that debating skills will be beneficial for me in the future. I did theater for the fall term’s after-school activity. I plan to play basketball in the winter and am considering baseball for the spring.

I never knew what I wanted to do in my life, but I always wanted to be an astronaut, scientist, basketball player, or actor.

My favorite American food is bagels. I just love them. What I like most about Harvey is the closeness to people.

Steve (Yanyu) Liu ’26

My name is Steve Liu from the city of Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province. Unlike Katonah, Chengdu is a big city and has no snow. At home, I live there with my parents and my youngest brother. Scienc e is my favorite subject because it is easy and fun. I enjoy reading about history. I ran cross country in the fall. For a career, I would like to be an official in the government. The b est thing about Harvey is that I have met a lot of people and they are friendly.

Cici (Chenxi) Feng ’26

My name is Cici Feng. I am in ninth grade at Harvey and I am 15 years old. My hometown is Tianjin, China. There are three people and a cat in my family: my mom, my father, A+ (my cat’s name) and me. I don’t have any siblings. My hometown is a city next to Beijing, and it is one of the Chinese municipalities. I live in Ms. Menacho’s house on weekends and holidays. My favorite subject is math because when I was in seventh grade I met a very good math teacher. She made me feel that math is really interesting. I really enjoy the process of solving math questions. I haven’t chosen any club yet, but I will try to learn something in Japanese. I also want to try to play tennis because I play badminton. I think they have some similarities. When I was little, I wante d to be a fashion designer, but now I just want to earn more money. I don’t have a particular favorite food because I like to eat all the delicious food. I like the friends and teachers in school. I think they are very friendly.

Upper School Collaboration & Connection

1. Class of 2022 Senior Bridge students share their enthusiasm during a class exercise. // 2. Ninth graders Sophia Collum and Wyatt Bland give their student council election speech. // 3. AP English students act out Sophocles’ Oedipus trilogy on the Quad. // 4. Ninth graders Tory Janush and Jesse Baron study in the art center gallery. // 5. Seniors Sam Levine, Brandon Mallon, Marcus Diaz, Bradley Lederer, Hayden Smelser, Charles Treseler, Jacob Weisberger, and Spencer Whitman enjoy lunch on the Quad. // 6. Talia Spector ’23, Juliet Jaques ’23, Riannah Wallach ’24, Angelica Salazar ’24, Phoebe Lichtman ’24, and Loveleigh Viera ’23 get into the Halloween spirit. // 7. Seniors Savannah Thompson and Talia Spector in the gallery // 8. Jaime Mendoza Sancho ’25 studying in the library // 9. Olaf Gorski ’24 learning the ropes on a dorm trip at Boundless Adventures //

10. Seniors Alison LaForce, Mackenzie Grady, and Emi Knauer investigate pond ecosystems in AP Environmental Science. // 11. Sam Schwartz ’25 and Sam Kiamie ’24 jam together in a music room. // 12. Harvey Student Ambassadors volunteer packing weekend meals for needy students in New York and Connecticut.

Got weeds? Bring in the goats!

That’s just what we did beginning in August 2022, when we partnered with Bedford 2030, a Katonah-based grassroots organization supporting climate change projects in the local community, on one of their invasive species initiatives. Teaming up with the Town of Bedford and Bedford 2030, Harvey hosted a herd of 33 goats to assist in the removal and management of an infestation of invasive vines and plants on campus. Goats provide an environmentally healthy way to revitalize soil health, maintain native tree canopy, and preserve groundwater health.

This plucky herd of goats, owned and operated by Fat and Sassy Goats of Beacon, New York, arrived on campus Aug. 11 and went right to work over the next three weeks, clearing an impressive two acres of invasive plant infestation.

“In the past, we have used human labor to clear specific spots on campus, but that tends to be slow and inefficient, particularly for large overgrown areas,” said Head of School Bill Knauer. “We do not use herbicides or pesticides on campus, so we were committed to pursuing a natural approach to vegetation management.”

Not only has the pilot initiative been a huge success thus far but also it was a treat to have the goats roaming on parts of our campus. While Harvey will be working with a consultant to develop a long-term plan to eradicate the invasive species on campus, there is no doubt that utilizing goat power combined with human power is a winning combination for natural land management.

“This pilot program proves that the goats are an effective first measure that can be followed by humans to remove the root systems of the invasive plants and then reintroduce native trees, plants, and grasses,” said Mr. Knauer.

We hope that Fat and Sassy goats will return in spring 2023.

“The goats cleared and weakened the plants in late summer before the invasive vegetation went dormant for the winter,” said Mr. Knauer. “So when they return next spring, they will return to the same area and prevent the plants from reestablishing themselves in the area.”

Be dford 2030 will also be analyzing the effectiveness of employing goats in natural land management in conjunction with Harvey.

The c ontinuation of this initiative also provides educational opportunities for Harvey students. “Our teachers will begin to explore ways to connect student learning with the future return of the goats to campus, particularly in our science classes,” Mr. Knauer said. “We introduced a new AP Environmental Science course this year, and the goats provide a real-life outdoor classroom for those students to study invasive management.”

But the lessons don’t stop there, according to Mr. Knauer. “From a more general perspective, this project has also allowed us to communicate important messages to our students about creative problem solving, sustainable practices, and collaboration with our wider community,” he said.

< DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: PETER MICHAELIS

BEFORE AFTER

“We had a great experience working with Jenn Balch and Donald Arrand at Fat and Sassy Goats, and we anticipate working with them in the future.”

— Bill Knauer, head of school

Fall Sports Wrap

Harvey’s fall sports season certainly had its share of noteworthy highlights, none any bigger than the boys on the varsity cross country team winning not one but two league championships. The boys, led by the Fabulous Five — seniors Hudson Chris, Bennet Katzin, and Jordan Freund, along with sophomores Felipe Torres and Will Hargreaves, took their second straight Housatonic Valley Athletic League (HVAL) championship and capped off their marvelous season by capturing the first-place trophy in the New England Prep School Track Association Division 4 meet in November.

Meanwhile, the boys varsity soccer team had another terrific season, handily beating every HVAL opponent except the Cavs’ archrival and No. 1 seed Wooster who, for the second straight year, won the HVAL soccer championship, relegating Harvey the runner-up two years straight. The girls varsity soccer team, without a win in their first 10 games, turned their season completely around by winning five of their last seven games. The girls’ season ended with a loss in the HVAL playoff quarterfinals. The varsity volleyball team had a solid season, finishing with a winning record in the HVAL but falling in the league semifinals. The Harvey football team had a shot for a bowl bid, but the Cavs lost in their regular season finale, ending their season with a .500 record against NEPSAC 8-Man League rivals.

At the conclusion of the season, the following players earned league honors and team awards:

Varsity CROSS COUNTRY

All-New England

Hudson Chris

Felipe Torres

Bennet Katzin

Adalay Shalov

HVAL All-League

Hudson Chris

Felipe Torres

William Hargreaves

Jordan Freund

Bennet Katzin

Adalay Shalov

MVP

Hudson Chris

VP

Adalay Shalov

Top Newcomer

Felipe Torres

Most Improved

Kathleen McCulloch

Cavalier Spirit

Bennet Katzin

Sportsmanship Award

Jordan Freund

Boys Varsity SOCCER

(11-9)

All-WNEPSSA

Clayton Collum

All-NEPSAC

Clayton Collum

All-NEPSAC

Honorable Mention

Elijah Cornell

HVAL All-League

Clayton Collum

Patrick Cuneo

Elijah Cornell

HVAL All-League

Honorable Mention

Dylan Kluge

MVP

Clayton Collum

MIP

Hayden Zhang

Kirk Ortega III

Best Defensive Player

Elijah Cornell

Best Offensive Player

Patrick Cuneo

Coaches Award

Dylan Kluge

Sportsmanship Award

Khalil Aguilar

JV Cavalier Award

Daniel Wood

Girls Varsity SOCCER

(6-12-1)

HVAL All-League

Amani Carty

Juliet Jaques

All-WWNEPSSA

Amani Carty

Juliet Jaques

MVP Offense

Juliet Jaques

MIP Defense

Liz Hurley

MIP

Phoebe Lichtman

Cavalier Award

Pamela-Skye Watson

Sportsmanship Award

Loveleigh Viera

Varsity VOLLEYBALL

(9-13; 7-5 HVAL)

All-NEPSAC

Iliana Hellinger

All-NEPSAC

Honorable Mention

Gabriela Pastor Iriarte

HVAL All-League

Iliana Hellinger

Gabriela Pastor Iriarte

MVP

Iliana Hellinger

MIP

Celia Baer

Cavalier Award

Kira Ortega

Sportsmanship Award

Iliana Hellinger

Varsity FOOTBALL

(3-4 overall;

3-3 NEPSAC 8-Man)

NEPSAC All-League

James Miller

Bradley Lederer

NEPSAC

Honorable Mention

Daniel Gasch

Charles Treseler

MVP Offense

Daniel Gasch

MVP Defense

Bradley Lederer

Coaches Award

William Bland

Sportsmanship Award

Nekia Bland

Bradley Lederer

The Sean “SJ” Breen Lineman Award

Nekia Bland

Charles Treseler

Rookie of the Year

Wyatt Bland

The “Sullivan” Cavalier Award

(Most Valuable to the Team)

James Miller

“The Mitch” (Mitch Thompson Award, given to the player who best exemplifies heart, hustle, and love of the game)

Josiah Ellis

Daniel Gittleman

Samuel Levine

Top Student-Athletes Fall Term

Iliana Hellinger ’24 and Hudson Chris ’23

JV VOLLEYBALL

Maroon (1-8)

Sportsmanship/Coaches Award

Grace Shepard

Navy (2-6)

Sportsmanship Award

Phoebe Schwarz

Coaches Award

Maeve Lazzaro

Phoebe Schwarz

Middle School

VOLLEYBALL

(9-2)

MVP

Olivia Bailey

MIP

Adalaine Hayes

Cavalier

Yamila Jackson

Sportsmanship

Sydney Boothe

Middle School

SOCCER

(5-5-1)

MVP

Theo Yanni

Cavalier Award

Johann Fueting

Coaches Award

Stephen Millette

Sportsmanship Award

Zak Boujid

Middle School

CROSS COUNTRY

MVP

Aidan Garcia

MIP

Neel Mistri

Cavalier Award

Lilah Groff

Sportsmanship Award

Lee Birch

Middle School

FLAG FOOTBALL

(3-5)

MVP

Zach Roberts

MIP

Theo Leyva

Cavalier Award

Robert Lawrence-Comerford

Sportsmanship Award

Zach Roberts

Artistic spotlight

Previous Page. Senior Kara Freedman gave a showstopping performance as the Leading Player in the Upper School fall musical production of “Pippin.” // 1. Artwork by Ellie Florin ’24 //

2. Artwork by Giselle Grant ’25 // 3. Artwork by Senna Lieber ’29 // 4. Artwork by Lucien Fried ’25 // 5. “Pippin” cast members Jacob Weisberger ’23, Olaf Gorski ’24, Alexa Williams ’24, Lukasz Daszczynski ’24, and Logan Kreisberg ’26 // 6. Senior Ari Klein lends his humor and exuberance to King Charles in “Pippin.” //

7. Issi Ovelar ’23 dazzles as Fastrada in “Pippin.” // 8. Artwork by sophomore Ryan Byrne // 9. Digital photography work by Sophia Beldotti ’25 // 10. Ceramics by Sophie Feldman ’24 // 11. The cast of “Pippin”

alumni news

Dear Harvey Alumni,

At some point in each of our lives, we have all reflected on what our “True North” is — our inner sense, or calling, of what we want to accomplish in our lives. It’s a combination of our values, beliefs, and our purpose. As a compass points toward a magnetic field, our personal “True North” directs and pulls us forward, keeping us on track or aligned with what is true for each of us.

The pull created by our “True North” and the sense of clarity of purpose are critical ingredients of success. In other words, you must know where you’re headed and why you’re headed there. Our values play a large role in finding our inner sense or calling. They come from our individual life stories; our upbringings; what we believe; as well as our time at Harvey, the formative years of our lives.

As I reflect on my time as a student at Harvey, I am grateful for the foundation that was laid, which helped me to find my “True North.” Harvey provided, and continues to provide, an environment that fosters exploration, creativity, and opportunity for each and every student, laying a framework that enables individuals to find their inner sense or calling.

In this issue, we profile fellow alums who have found their “True North” within the medical field. My hope is that each of you continue to seek your “True North’’ in all aspects of your life and that you never stop following your internal compass.

Warm regards,

Lara Casano ’95, Alumni Association, President

Upcoming Alumni Events

The Alumni Reunion and luncheon at Homecoming 2022 in October was amazing! Check out page 16 for the recap. Keep updated on all alumni events and happenings by reading the email Alumni Newsletter and visiting harveyschool.org/alumni.

Save the Dates

• Spring Alumni Day: April 15, 2023

Enjoy varsity games, campus tours, and lunch under the alumni tent on the Harvey campus.

• New York City Alumni Networking: May 4, 2023

This annual event is one of our most popular and highly anticipated dates of the year, when Harvey alums across many decades come together to network. Harvey alums love helping other Harvey alums. Share your business knowledge and advice, or just catch up with old friends. Location to be decided.

Alumni Happy Hour

We had a nice turnout for our Alumni Happy Hour at the Crab Shell Restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut, August 25, 2022. With first drinks and food on Harvey, alums from several decades who live within the tristate area enjoyed a beautiful evening by the water, catching up with old friends and reminiscing about all things Harvey.

1. Benjamin Shapiro ’09 and Tim Carpenter ’09 enjoy this summer get-together. //

2. Seth Morton ’57 chats with Director of the Harvey Fund Isabelle Correa. //

3. Director of Development Susie Danziger catches up with Jackie Walker ’03.

Scan the code to update your contact information so that you stay connected to receive all things Harvey Alumni related!

Imagine the Possibilities

At the heart of a Harvey education are the connections that are created among the members of the community. It is not merely academics, athletics or arts that are the cornerstone of a Harvey education. We are most fully defined by the people who are part of this dynamic community, where students are encouraged to find their passions and become their best selves.

Harvey students have created a community where they support each other’s quest for excellence rather than compete against one another to prevail. Harvey students focus on how to improve their own performance and do better every day, which has created a culture that fosters growth, risktaking, and exploring outside one’s comfort zone in pursuit of lifelong learning.

The relationships between students and teachers often grow into friendships that last a lifetime. Our alums stay connected to their teachers, coaches, and advisors, seeking advice in every aspect of their lives from school, to work, to family, and beyond.

When you join the ever-growing group of people who have chosen to make provisions for Harvey in their estate plans — including bequests, charitable trusts, life insurance, real estate, or other tangible property — you are making an investment in the future by giving our students opportunities to create connections today that will lead to unlimited possibilities in the future.

D epending on your circumstances, a planned gift may not only greatly benefit The Harvey School but also may provide some significant tax

Herbert Carter Legacy Society

Laurance Baschkin ’77

Pieter A. Catlow ’73

Daniel K. Chapman ’73, Trustee Emeritus

John G. Davis ’50

Peter S. Duncan ’65

Ronald W. Duncan

Rowena and Barry Fenstermacher, Headmaster Emeritus

John French III ’47

Richard Hermmann

Paul Hollos ’52

Gene S. Lasdon

Jeanette and Jeffrey Lasdon, Trustee Emeritus

Patrick O. Peterkin ’78

Linda and Gerald Pollack

Dawn Stuttig

class notes

To submit a note or share your Harvey memories, please contact your class agent or the alumni office at alumni@harveyschool.org.

1941

Class Agent: Jim Wood, (914) 922-1559, jimandtwink@gmail.com

1952

Rossiter Langhorne sends greetings to all his classmates and colleagues. He arrived back in Wyoming from the U.K. in late March to a very cold, snowy end of winter. Since then, he’s been training pretty heavily (senior cycling) but won’t make a final decision about Huntsman Senior World games until the end of this month. He was sorry to miss Alumni Day at Harvey. He returned to the U.K. in autumn and then went on to the Philippines to visit family and to catch up with their foundation there. He had been unable to visit previously due to pandemic restrictions there. He expects to return to the U.S. in March 2023, and he hopes to visit Harvey in late spring. In the meantime, Ross sends his very best wishes to one and all until we meet again.

1956

Class Agent: John Crawford, (540) 247-8810, celect@comcast.net

1957

Class Agent: Alex McKown, (718) 392-1373, alexander.mckown@gmail.com

Will Rosenbaum is still practicing veterinary medicine part time and has been married for 46 years. He has two teenage granddaughters and splits his time between Maine and North Florida.

1961

Class Agent: Sandy Gabel, (919) 693-8099, sandy.gabel@icloud.com

1965

Class Agent: Rev. Malcolm Starring, (603) 444-6016, mfstarring@gmail.com

In July and August 2022, J. Gary L’Hommedieu defended his dissertation and was awarded a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Central Florida.

J. Gary L’Hommedieu ’65

1968 // 55th Reunion

Class Agent: Alex Edwards-Bourdrez, (631) 754-1041, alexb2@gmail.com

1972

William (Bill) Fallerman recently shared his fondest memories of Harvey — waking up in the dorms, walking up the hill, and having breakfast. He wishes he could go back and do it all again. Bill said he truly appreciates everything Harvey offered.

1973 // 50th Reunion

Class Agent: Phil Eifert, (914) 232-6489, peifert@yahoo.com

1977

Gregory Alker moved back to the East Coast and now lives in Bethel, Connecticut, with his wife and kids. His children are wrapping up their senior year at Marist College. Gregory and his wife, Susan, have

a small law firm, the Alker Law Group which they established in New York. They focus mostly on corporate and tax law. Greg says they are making new friends in the neighborhood and are hoping to get together with some old friends as well.

1978 // 45th Reunion

Class Agent: Patrick Peterkin, (203) 655-9917, p_peterkin@yahoo.com

1983 // 40th Reunion

Class Agents: Melinda Frey Arkin, bentleyshop@aol.com; Joshua Rosenthal, (970) 385-4723, weplay@bresnan.net

Michael Blackman is the chief medical officer of Greenway Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more about Michael on page 6 of this issue.

1984

Class Agent: Herbert Sloan, (203) 438-0051, hjs1988@yahoo.com

1987

Noah Zeiler has been busy setting up classrooms in Ethiopia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. He is resting now in Australia and will return to work in January 2023.

1988 // 35th Reunion

Class Agents: Charles Collin, (860) 263-7972, chascolin@gmail.com; Laurel E. Meredith, (917) 280-5233, laurel.meredith@gmail.com

1989

Class Agent: Chris Abrenica, (914) 556-8344, cabrenica71@outlook.com

1990

Class Agent: Peter Hall, (518) 369-1991, hallpeter1@gmail.com

Melissa Bardin Galsky found that Harvey continues to be present in her life. Her son Noah attended a Boston University high school program with Harvey Head of School Bill Knauer’s daughter, Emi, this past summer. Since then, Noah and Emi have become friends. It’s a small world after all!

Congratulations to Jennifer Rogers Trapani and her husband for completing their first Half Ironman!

1991

Scott Feldman recently moved to Eugene, Oregon.

Noah Zeiler ’87 setting up classrooms abroad

Gregory Alker ’77 with son

Gregory Alker ’77 with his wife, Susan, and daughter

Jennifer Rogers Trapani ’90 in Half Ironman

HARVEY’S FIRST HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING CLASS Reaches Milestone 40 Years!

This year’s Homecoming and Alumni Reunion was extra special for the Class of 1982. Not only did they celebrate 40 years since graduating Harvey but also they are our first high school graduating class. In addition, 1982 class members Nanette Baratta and Audrey Daniel were the first female graduates from Harvey, pioneering the way for many young women to follow in their footsteps.

Classmates from classes throughout the 1980s met up at Homecoming this past year to reconnect, share stories from the past, and laugh about their memories on the Harvey campus.

After the October 22 festivities concluded, Nanette hosted a beautiful alumni gathering at Westmoreland Sanctuary in Mount Kisco, N.Y. In attendance at this heartfelt mini-reunion were alums Randy Acker ’84, Nanette Baratta ’82, Frank Baratta ’84, Thomas Jaffe ’85, Thatcher Krasne ’86, Paul McMahon ’85, Ann Paul ’85, Robert Reale ’82, Chip Taylor ’83, Lisa Varnberg ’86, and Leslie Weissman ’84.

Happy 40th to the Class of 1982

Daniel J. Ackell

Nanette C. Baratta

John H. Burbank III

Sean D. Carr

Robert L. Chait

Charles L. Craig, Jr.

Christopher K. Crnobori

Craig A. Cunningham

Audrey Daniel

Scott H. Davidson

Gary F. Donino

Stephen W. Ellis

David H. Fawcett, Jr.

Jeffrey J. Fields

Daniel P. Gray

Andrew B. Hascoe

Gregory J. Kelly

Richard D. Kirkpatrick

Stephen J. LaSala

Anthony P. Lowenstein

Peter B. Maxtone-Graham

Sean E. McCabe

James S. Nager

Randall L. Nufer

Basil Okolue

Robert M. O’Neil

Todd Otis

Timothy R. Paxton

Robert H. Richards, Jr.

Robert F. Reale, Jr.

Christopher A. Ronan

Marc D. Sahr

Eric Smolin

Alexis C. Thompson

Yale W. Veber

1. Class of 1982 at Harvey graduation // 2. Thomas Jaffe ’85, Lisa Varnberg ’86, Paul McMahon ’85 // 3. Alums from the 80s enjoy a gathering at Westmoreland Sanctuary in Mount Kisco following Homecoming 2022. // 4. Thomas Jaffe ’85, Ann Paul ’85, Paul McMahon ’85

1994

Class Agent: Russell Stamm, (781) 329-3004, rcstamm@rcstammco.com

Paul Bell became President of 33Across Inc. in January 2022.

Jeremiah Kevin Conboy is a supervisor at Chubby’s Hardware in Pound Ridge, New York and in August 2021, welcomed son Hunter Robert Conboy. He is sad to share that he lost his father, Dr. Kevin Conboy, to cancer in August 2022.

1995

Class Agents: Lara W. Casano, (347) 539-7301, lcasano@harveyschool.org; Raphael Miranda, (917) 520-7808, mirandaraphael@hotmail.com

Erik Rosner started a new position as Director of Market Access at Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

1996

Class Agents: Keith Harrigan, (412) 853-9392, kh1843@gmail.com; David Stark, (336) 771-5303, dlstark@kpmg.com; Jeannette Brandt Stark, (336) 771-5303, jeanettemstark@gmail.com

Jeanette Brandt Stark has been promoted to Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Piedmont Advantage Credit Union.

1997

Class Agent: Blayre Farkas, (561) 929-1802, carolynfarkas@gmail.com

1998 // 25th Reunion

Class Agent: Greg Janos, (845) 857-7688, gjanos@harveyschool.org

1999

Class Agent: Amy Albert Morello, papillia@hotmail.com 2000

Gabriella Geysel Schwager met up with John DePalma ’01 and Greg Janos ’98 this fall in Stamford, Connecticut, to introduce them to the famous yacht crew from Bravo’s monster hit reality TV series “Below Deck.” Gaby handles marketing and publicity for many of the show’s stars through her company Star Marketing Group, LLC based in Florida.

2001

Class Agent: Jennifer J. Vogeney, (914) 494-9397, jenn.j.vogeney@gmail.com

Diana Weisholz Cooke has a master’s degree in Forensic Biology and is currently a senior research associate at Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science. Read more about Diana on page 7 of this issue.

Jesse Spiegel is taking on big adventures with his nonprofit organization Rewilding, including a documentary feature film. Read more about Jesse on page 12 of this issue.

REFER A FRIEND TO HARVEY!

Small classes, inspiring teachers, rigorous academics, and an array of extracurriculars instill in students a passion for lifelong learning and the confidence to pursue individual passions.

Baby Hunter, son of Jeremiah Kevin Conboy ’94

Gaby Geysel Schwager ’00, Eddie Lucas, John DePalma ’01, Captain Lee Rosbach, Greg Janos ’98, Colin Macy O’Toole

2002

Class Agent: Tiffany Franqui Hamilton, (845) 612-9858, travelsize84@gmail.com

Erin Klarsfield welcomed baby Cali Aubry Fox in July, and they couldn’t be more excited.

2003 // 20th Reunion

Class Agent: Jaclyn Walker, (914) 319-1699, JaclynMarisaWalker@gmail.com

Edward Lawrence is happy to report that he is engaged to his best friend and getting ready to “tie the knot.” He says asking her to marry him was the best decision he ever made and he’s “the happiest and healthiest he’s ever been.”

Jennifer Billingsley Richardson won the “Connecticut Library Association 2022 Intellectual Freedom Award” in May for her work on the Dr. Seuss Panel.

2004

Class Agent: Maria Neri, (845) 279-5234

Matthew Fierstein married Melanie Abrams on May 5, 2022.

Geoff Gates moved to Los Angeles in 2019 to run the social media and content team at the Los Angeles Lakers. Since starting at the Lakers, Geoff has had to navigate Kobe Bryant’s passing, a pandemic, and an NBA championship. As someone who played basketball all his life (and at Harvey!), Geoff said working in the NBA has been “a dream come true.” Geoff is also now engaged to the love of his life, Noora, and they can’t wait to start their lives together. The couple plan to stay in LA for the foreseeable future, but who knows where life will take them! Geoff spends his free time riding his bike in the Santa Monica mountains, hiking, and traveling.

Kimberly Zinaman Gevint started a new position in August as Manager, Community Outreach and Strategic Partnerships at Trellus Health.

Nicholas Hertz and his wife, Madeline, welcomed daughter Claire Alexander Hertz September 2, 2022 and said, “We are so thrilled she joined us!”

William McMorris started a new position as vice president at Touchdown Strategies.

Samuel Miller said “I do” in July and reports their “dream wedding became a reality” and thanked all in attendance for making the day so special. He says, “With the love of my life by my side, I will never have a bad day.”

Steven Shapiro completed his CTE certification courses at a SUNY institution, making Dean’s List with a straight 4.0 GPA.

2005

Class Agent: Brian Ryerson, (914) 329-6863, ryersonb@gmail.com

Lindsay Forth welcomed daughter Harley Anne Vochis almost a month early, April 9, 2022 at 5:19 a.m. weighing a whopping 4 pounds, 14 ounces. “She’s the cutest and healthiest little peanut,” shared Lindsay.

Diana Bondy Leung got married July 3, 2022. She currently lives with her husband and dog in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, where she works with Gwinnett Public Schools as a school psychologist serving three elementary schools.

Geoff Gates ’04 with wife, Noora. Inset: LA Lakers Championship ring

Harley Anne Vochis, daughter of Lindsay A. Forth ’05

Diana Bondy Leung ’05 on her wedding day

2006

Class Agents: Gregory Jurschak, (914) 260-8133, gjurschak@gmail.com; Teresa Neri, (914) 462-7440, teresa.neri12@gmail.com

2007

Class Agents: Doniella McKoy, (914) 960-9375, donimckoy@yahoo.com; Alexandra Pugliese, (914) 760-0119, alexandra.m.pugliese@gmail.com

Meredith Hanson made a “mini-move” to Beacon Hill last year in hopes of expanding her work opportunities and for her own personal growth. She reports that having a base in Boston allowed her to cultivate new friendships and clients who, not surprisingly, all have a connection to Nantucket, where she called home for the past 11 years. She says, “The Nantucket community prides itself on supporting all island entrepreneurs. The business community is like one big team, and we all root for each other’s success.” Meredith says she met a wonderful guy who is now her fiance and shares her passion for Nantucket. They split their time between Hingham and Nantucket, giving them the best of both worlds. Meredith says, “No two parts of the island are the same — the vegetation, the lighting, and the terrain are all different.” She says she feels like partartist, part-explorer every time she heads out to work on a new project.

Sarah Salice is working as an art therapist at Silver Hill Hospital.

Mariel Simens started a new position as a marketing manager at Acast.

Claire Wunderlich is currently living in San Antonio and attending San Antonio College for her associate degree/certification as a Sign Language Interpreter. This program typically takes about 4+ years to complete. Claire works in catering part time, doing a variety of events in and around San Antonio as well as other locations in Texas such as Llano, Floresville, Uvalde, and Laredo.

2008 // 15th Reunion

Class Agents: Gretel Coleman, (914) 234-0907, gretelcoleman@gmail.com; Dylan Hackley, (914) 482-5318, dhack@me.com

Christine Smith Bauereis started working in emergency veterinary medicine and this past summer moved to Massachusetts with her family.

Gretel Coleman started a new position as a special education teacher at Winston Preparatory School. She also met up with classmate Rachel Camoia March at the US Open.

2009

Class Agents: Andrew Jamieson, (203) 273-3884, andrewjamieson91@icloud.com; Erika Osborne, osborne7937@gmail.com; Peter Sorenson, (914) 438-7486, psorenson68@gmail.com; Megan Taylor, (914) 234-6205, meg.kerrytaylor@gmail.com

Andrew Jamieson is happy to share that he started a new position in July as Associate Director of Development at The Harvey School.

Alisa Langer got married in June and is now Mrs. Medeo!

Claire Wunderlich ’07

Christine Smith Bauereis ’08 with her family

Rachel Camoia March ’08 and Gretel Coleman ’08 at US Open

Alisa Langer ’09 celebrates her wedding day.

Veronica Jean Seltzer ’09

John McDermott accepted a new position at the University of Mississippi as their Director of Esports Programs. He says he loved his time at Long Island University and is forever grateful for the experiences he had there.

Noelle McKoy is officially #whartonbound! She reports that after eight amazing years at the Long Island Railroad, she started her MBA journey in August at The Wharton School as Toigo Fellow with the Toigo Foundation. She thanks her amazing support system which includes Management Leadership for Tomorrow, her mentors, her family and friends. “It has been a long road but I finallymade it,” she shares.

Sean O’Brien got engaged to Kara DeBeane in January 2022 while on vacation in Costa Rica.

John Ongaro is pleased to announce that after 20 months of night and weekend classes, he has finished his MBA from Fairfield University Dolan School of Business. He is the Director of Operations and Head of Flex Labor Operations at Point Pickup Technologies.

Spencer Wiesner is proud to share that he was selected for promotion to technical sergeant (E6). “I truly could not have achieved this without the great mentors, leaders, and peers that I have worked with throughout my military career,” Spencer says. “Thank you to all of my friends and family for your continued support, and I am excited to start this next chapter with this new rank and at a new base.”

2010

Matthew Sullivan started a new position as Legal Analyst at MBO Partners PWC Managed Review.

Alyssa Trombitas got engaged this summer to Liv “Rocky” Vincent. She credits Liv with helping her to become more patient, thoughtful, and resilient.

2011

Class Agents: Amelia Slater, (914) 874-7436, ameliajslater1@gmail.com; Nicolette A. St. Lawrence, (914) 707-0414, ns669@cornell.edu; Konrad Testwuide, (914) 953-9006, ktestwuide@gmail.com

Rachel Dimowitz is a SourceAbled Solutions Specialist at Rangam Consultants.

Malik Garvin returned to Harvey this past summer with Ice Hockey In Harlem (IHIH) campers ages 5-17 to work on their ice hockey skills at Evarts Rink. Malik is the program’s director and brought along Boston College hockey team captain Marshall Warren. Not only did the campers play hockey, but they also utilized the entire Harvey campus for other outdoor activities.

Jason Keller started a new position as a tax manager at Andersen.

Justice Koonce started a new position as Technical Project Manager at Kaseware.

Elizabeth Shovron has been promoted to Director of Marketing and Communications, Denison Edge at Denison University.

2012

Class Agents: Brandon Hickey, (845) 270-8670, hickbg05@gmail.com; Brett Marks, (914) 815-1686, brettmarks94@gmail.com; Nicole Pugliese, (914) 760-7148, npug@umich.edu; Julian Rissetto, (914) 539-1175, j.rissetto@icloud.com; Maya Sank, (203) 803-5850, mayasank7@gmail.com; Daniel Schonning, (203) 788-6811, danny.schonning@yahoo.com; Natalia R. St. Lawrence, (914) 707-0406; Mikhyle Stein, (914) 419-4615, mick909@gmail.com

Sean Hennings got engaged to Jackie Commins in May.

Mr. Knauer and Malik Garvin ’11

Greg Janos ’98, Boston College’s hockey team captain Marshall Warren, Malik Garvin ’11

Andrew Abt ’10, Phil Lazzaro, Connor Welles ’10, Jason Keller ’11, and future Cavalier Tadhg Lazzaro get together for a little rugby.

Aaron McBurnie started a new position as Recruitment Sourcing Partner at Bloomberg LP.

Russell Pober started a new position as Associate Director, OOH at Publicis Media.

Samantha Rettie started a new position as Media Director at Horizon Next.

Maya Sank got engaged August 19, 2022, and says she is “feeling like the luckiest girl in the world!”

2013 // 10th Reunion

Class Agents: Sharif Koonce, (914) 356-1553, skoonce29@gmail.com; Karina K. Lambert, (914) 844-9123, karina.k.lambert@gmail.com; Ben Walant, (203) 947-4541, bwalant@gmail.com

Raquel Belkin just completed her second year at Union Theological Seminary where she is pursuing a Master’s of Divinity, concentrating in interreligious engagement. Her favorite part about Union is the learning that happens outside the classroom in the conversations with her fellow students, most of whom have beliefs different from hers.

Abby Hassett is happy to share that they started a new position in September as Communications Associate at The Harvey School.

Gabrielle Kahn welcomed a baby daughter, Scarlett Giselle Scalzitti, June 14, 2022, at 7:16 a.m., weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces. Gabrielle reports that she is the happiest baby and growing so fast! They are enjoying every second with her.

Bradley Rothschild started a new position in Enterprise Business Development / Communications, Media & Technology (CMT) at Salesforce.

Brittany Sullivan officially completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Sacred Heart University. She thanks everyone who contributed to her amazing journey.

Leila Zuaiter started a new position as Senior Consultant at Deloitte.

HARVEY ALUMS & STUDENTS Enjoy a Night at the Theater

Alums John DePalma ’01, Andrew Heitner ’03, Julia Mallon ’18, Maya Sank ’12, and Sean Sasso ’00 attended “MJ the Musical” on Broadway December 1, courtesy of Harvey. The alums and 35 Harvey performing arts students and faculty enjoyed a great show. It was a wonderful evening of music, dinner, and laughter.

1. John DePalma ’01, Andrew Heitner ’03 and guest, Maya Sank ’12 with fiance, and Julia Mallon ’18 with her boyfriend. // 2. Maya Sank ’12 with Harvey Performing Arts teacher Melanie Gambino, and current Harvey students.

Newly engaged Maya Sank ’12

Raquel Belkin ’13

students

2014

Class Agents: Christian Artuso, (914) 462-0302, cjartuso@aol.com; Erica Cheyne, (914) 708-9482, ericacheyne@outlook.com

Christian Artuso is working as an investment operations analyst, CS at Northern Trust Corporation.

Lily Brouwer is a first-year student at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, after earning her B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior in 2018 from Barnard College. Read more about Lily on page 8 in this issue.

Amanda Cummings started a new position as a business affairs assistant, theater and talent, at ICM Partners.

Corey Eisenband competed in the Rhode Island Open, finishing third with rounds of 66 (4), and 69 (1) for a 5 total. The hole-in-one came on the 18th hole of the first round to put Corey into the lead going into the second day. Unfortunately,

he didn’t play well enough the second day to win but still a nice finish! Corey will play in Q school for the PGA Tour Latin America in the fall and hopes to get his tour card, working his way onto the Korn Ferry tour through that.

Michael Goodkind is now currently in Utah as the in-arena host with the Utah Jazz NBA basketball team.

Anderson Greenwood got engaged July 6, 2022.

Robert Palladino accepted a new position as a senior financial analyst with Matterkind. Reflecting on his last day at Publicis Health Media, he is reminded of

how extremely grateful he is for his time and for the growth he achieved there. He is eager to start the next chapter of his career and the new and exciting challenges that come with a new role.

Taylor Robinson set up a Zoom with Harvey’s Cultural Partnership Class this past fall to connect Harvey students with Ukrainian refugees.

Zachary Schwartz started a new position as a production assistant at Fox News Media.

Brittany Smith is a social media strategist at Spectrum Science.

Anderson Greenwood ’14 proposal

Taylor Robinson ’14 Zooms with Harvey

Beth Visintainer and Phil Lazzaro catch up with Jasmine Brouwer ’16 and Natasha Stein ’14 on the Harvey Quad.

Michael Goodkind ’14 reporting on the Utah Jazz NBA team

Harry Solomon is currently a third-year medical student at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. As of now, he is interested in pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine. Read more about Harry on page 8 of this issue.

Natasha Stein stopped by the Harvey campus with Jasmine Brouwer ’16 and was happy to see Phil Lazzaro and Beth Visintainer at LZ’s Pizza Night in the Quad.

2015

Class Agents: Julia Chatzky, (914) 420-6876, jbc310@gmail.com; Richard Hicks, (914) 233-6825, hicks.ricky1@gmail.com; Brendan Kneitz, bkneitz24@gmail.com; Ariana Weaver, (914) 703-0008, arianaweaver@gmail.com

Brett Gantt has started his own clothing company called Health Clothing. Can’t wait to hear more about his venture! Brett was part of this year’s Homecoming farmers market.

Richard Hicks says he is “extremely thrilled and humbled” to announce that he has secured a position as an integrated media associate for UM Worldwide. Ricky says, “After a long road less traveled that consisted of four different colleges and approximately six years of my livelihood to achieve my bachelor’s degree, it was a journey with no regrets. I look forward to growing in the field of media and advertising, and I appreciate all those who have had an impact on my growth as a man in this world.” He thanks Steven Golus and The Boyd initiative for the opportunity for young minorities such as himself to be educated on the media and advertising spaces and providing him with the skills to go about his job search with confidence.

Ricky als o wants to remember three men who had a giant impact on the man he is today. “I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the wisdom and leadership these three provided me as I traveled through life as an African American boy with no father. Rest in Peace to Coach Dom Narcisco, Coach Rollie Massimino, and Coach Lou Madison,” says Ricky.

John Mather has completed his summer training and will be working at the Classical Charter Schools this school year as a SETTS teacher, teaching small groups of grades two to four students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

Danni Qu graduated from the Imperial College Business School in the MSc Economics & Strategy for Business program in the U.K. She is looking forward to her next chapter in the U.K.!

Jameson Scarsella started working in July as a Content Producer for Consensus Digital Media in Washington, D.C., where he lives. Follow him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jamesonscarsella.

Andrew Scherl says it was an honor to play baseball for Team USA and represent his country, bringing back a medal with “such an awesome team and group of guys.”

Mark Siegel recently graduated from the NYS Trooper Academy.

David Solano started a new position as Senior Associate at Spark Foundry.

Lauren Suna started a new position as Vice Webmaster at The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET).

“I can’t wait to help bring the JET community together through our online presence,” says Lauren.

Brett Gantt ’15 at Harvey’s 2022 Homecoming farmers market Mark Siegel ’15 is a NYS Trooper.

Ariana Weaver ’15

2017

Class Agents: Joseph Bakas, (914) 708-6131, bakasjoe@gmail.com; Alexandra Barber, (914) 414-7353, lgbarber1999@gmail.com; Jewel Li, (914) 920-1409, lijewel1117@gmail.com; John Wise, (203) 637-7876

2018 // 5th Reunion

Class Agents:

Ariana Weaver, currently a student at Wake Forest University School of Business to obtain her master’s of science in management, recently gave Harvey Director of College Counseling Meg Booth a private tour of the campus.

Jane Weisenberg started a new position as a Client Development Executive at Kantar.

2016

Class Agents: Hannah Herrera, (914) 714-5407, Hannahv_herrera@yahoo.com; Tyler Levy, (914) 572-3020, bbhockey22@gmail.com

Jasmine Brouwer caught up with Phil Lazzaro and Beth Visintainer at LZ’s Pizza Night in the Quad when she stopped by campus with Natasha Stein ’14.

Madeline Blinderman started graduate school in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the University of Saint Joseph. “I am so excited to see what this new adventure brings,” says Madeline. Read more about Madeline on page 10 in this issue.

Talene Boyajian started a new position as a junior graphic designer at Raycon, Inc. Talene says, “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to work with such an amazing team!”

Emma Carillo is attending Sacred Heart University for her master’s degree in social work.

Marissa Annechiarico, (845) 546-2011, marissa.annechiarico@yahoo.com; Yulanda Huang, (203) 947-2885, hjuewei@163.com; Chloe Savitch, (914) 393-9432, cbsavitch@aol.com; John Sullivan, (914) 217-6364, johns2388@aol.com

Sadie Albert graduated from Cal Poly College of Science and Mathematics, with a bachelor of science in Public Health. Sadie was also awarded the WWLL Player of the Year for lacrosse.

Yulanda Juewei Huang started a new position as a Global M&A Legal Project Assistant at UPS.

James Jackson graduated from Clark University with a dual BFA in Screen Studies and Music Technology. “I am incredibly grateful for the last four years. I would not have been able to do it without my lovely family, amazing professors, and all of the incredible friends I’ve made along the way,” says James. The experiences that James had at Clark have set up an exciting future for him. James also shares that his short film, “I, The Camera” has been selected to be screened at the Texas Short Film Festival.

Lily Koenig is starting a new position in Client Acquisition at Meltwater.

Victor Mizzaro started a new position as a financial representative at Fidelity Investments in the Greenwich branch.

@HarveySchoolNY

facebook.com/TheHarveySchool instagram.com/theharveyschool

Ryan Gross started a new journey as Director of Events with The Board. “Crafting and delivering experiences is rooted in my being,” says Ryan. “With an ever-growing love of cultivating community, mixed with a newfound passion for company culture, I am thrilled to be back designing spaces while working with a group of great young professionals … and so ready to throw some epic parties.” Ryan is on the lookout for any interesting NYC-based venues, DJs, performers, aerialists, tech, treats, drinks, influencers, artists, and creators.

Eve O’Brien started a new position as gallery assistant at Galerie Lelong & Co. New York.

Sidney Piekarski has been promoted to Office Associate at PDP Industries.

Sydney Penn graduated from Skidmore College in May with a double major in education and psychology, earning departmental honors in education. She completed her senior thesis earlier in the spring and won the SGA Senior Leadership Award. “I loved my time at Skidmore and am looking forward to beginning my career as a teacher,” says Sydney.

Aidan Roberts is thrilled to announce that he has accepted a full-time offer to join National Hockey League’s NFT & Blockchain content division as a production assistant. “Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to this point,” says Aidan. “I am incredibly excited to get started!”

Chloe Savich graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors in theater and psychology from Union College. She

JARED PERAGLIA ’18 Student Academy Award Winner

Jared Peraglia ’18 graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts in the spring and joined United Talent Agency as a News and Broadcast Assistant. During the summer, Jared received exciting news that his thesis documentary for NYU, “Here to Stay,” was selected as a finalist for this year’s 49th annual Student Academy Awards. His film went on to be chosen as a Student Academy Award winner in the Documentary Short Film category.

The film is a 30-minute documentary chronicling the grassroots election campaign of a political novice, Giselle Martinez, a 23-year-old Mexican American woman who went on to win a seat on the Newburgh City Council in 2022.

Jared was understandably thrilled about hearing his film is up for an Oscar. “It’s an honor to be recognized by the Academy and to be among such an inspiring lineup of student work,” said Jared.

The film was also selected for the 23rd annual Woodstock Film Festival (WFF), which was held in September.

is currently on the job search, looking for positions like stage manager, theater teacher, or guidance counselor/school psychologist. Chloe eventually plans to pursue a master’s degree.

2019

Class Agents: Treshawn Felder, (347) 792-7458, joel@harlemlacrosse.org; Charlotte Levy, (914) 238-1099, charlottehailey16@gmail.com; Sebastian Wallach, (914) 763-2579, sebski01@gmail.com; Courtney Warren, (914) 755-6960, courtrw1@gmail.com

In June, Andrew Baron was working as a business valuation intern in Valuation, Modeling, and Economics at EY.

Harrison Fontaine is now a certified drone pilot under FAA’s Part 107. He is looking forward to utilizing this skill in both his personal and professional endeavors. During the summer, Harrison interned at the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. He worked within the Office of Emergency Management’s State Watch Center.

Sophia Scarsella is in her senior year at Cornell University. She interned over the summer at Greenberg Traurig, LLP and is interested in becoming a lawyer.

2020

Class Agents: Allan Dilone Rodriguez, (914) 393-3642, allanedilone@gmail.com; Daniel Galgano, (914) 763-0461, dpgalgano@gmail.com; Ryan Piken, (914) 628-4166, rypenguin57@gmail.com; Cameron Thomas, (914) 736-6565, cameronthomas155@hotmail.com

Joshua Shapiro held summer internship positions at Profimex in financial consulting and private equity, and at Flow Control Group in finance.

(pictured above) Harvey faculty and staff came out in support at the Woodstock Film Festival: Chris Del Campo, Bill Knauer, Jared Peraglia ’18, Susie Danziger, Phil Lazzaro, and film subject Giselle Martinez.

Daisy Grossman ’19 visits Phil Lazzaro at Harvey.

2022

Regimantas “RC” Ciunys was accepted on a full scholarship to the University of Maryland Baltimore County to play Division I basketball for the Retrievers.

Christopher Marlin committed to play baseball at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois as an infielder and pitcher. He is studying sports management.

Amanda Mohamad started her first semester at the University of Miami as a broadcast journalism major. When she isn’t in the studio reporting on one of eight University of Miami’s news shows, “News Break,” she is interviewing the Hurricane’s football fans at Hard Rock Stadium and beyond on behalf of Red Cup Miami (@redcup.miami on Instagram). With Red Cup Miami, a student-run branch account of Red Cup News, Amanda primarily contributes to their TikTok (@redcupmiami) and Instagram content. Additionally, Amanda interviews students on campus for the social media of Distraction Magazine (@distractionmag on TikTok and Instagram).

Erin Phillips took first place in her first equestrian competition as part of the Virginia Tech Hunter Team.

NOTES FROM Faculty & Friends

Dr. Jeanne Schumacher worked at Harvey for 10 years as an Upper School science teacher and as a teacher for over 35 years, before embarking full time with her plant-based company, Simply Plant Based. She is a firm believer in “walking the walk” and is fully committed to inspiring people to change their health destiny through a nontoxic, whole foods, plant-based lifestyle. “I believe food is the best medicine and helps us get our bodies back to a state of health when faced with dis-ease,” says Dr. Schumacher. Today, Dr. Schumacher shares her knowledge through motivational and educational lectures as well as on her website — www.SimplyPlantBased.net.

Luis Breidenbach Klein ’22 playing soccer for Eastern Nazarene College

Amanda Mohamad ’22

Erin Phillips ’22

John DePalma ’01, RC Ciunys ’22, Greg Janos ’98

Regimantas “RC” Ciunys ’22

Christopher Marlin ’22

in memoriam

ALUMNI Gilman “Gil” Ordway ’40 May 30, 2022

Wilson Jackson, Wyoming resident Gilman “Gil” Ordway died May 30 surrounded by family at his Ranch View home, overlooking his beloved Fish Creek Ranch. He was 97. The following was provided by his family.

Jacks on Hole has lost a quintessential local. Humanity, an exemplar. Mother Nature, a peerless friend and champion.

Born May 7, 1925, during his 97 years, Gil touched innumerable lives with his wit, intelligence, generosity, and gentleness. He was determined to live a life that reflected his passions, values, and beliefs. He possessed a deep compassion and fierce love for Jackson Hole, conservation, and the natural world.

Gil moved to Jackson Hole in 1953. He ran the Fish Creek Ranch as both a working ranch and dude ranch until 1977, and then converted the guest quarters into modest rental cabins. For guests who appreciated humble quarters in a world-class setting, summers as part of the “Fish Creek Family” became the pivot around which their year turned.

No formal obituary could do justice to Gil’s long and remarkable life. Instead, family, friends, and colleagues have contributed anecdotes and observations capturing pieces of Gil’s character, his deeds, his journey on Earth. With luck, these verbal tiles will form a mosaic-like glimpse into Gil Ordway — an extraordinary man who, in his own quiet, understated way, lived an extraordinary life.

Gil is survived by Marge, his wife of 50 years, and daughters Kitty and Gigi, son Griffin, six grandchildren, and five greatgrandchildren. A celebration of Gil’s life was held June 14 at St. John’s Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made in Gil’s name to the Jackson Hole Land Trust at JHLandTrust.org

George Dandrow ’50 August 7, 2022 (Lifelong Donor to Harvey)

Charles George Dandrow was born August 18, 1935, in White Plains, New York, and passed on August 7, 2022. He is preceded in death by his mother, Helen Ahlquist; father, Charles George Dandrow; and

siblings Thomas Maguire and Carol Dandrow. George is survived by his wife of 62 years, Nancy, and his daughters Christina and Hillary (Newman); son-in-law Randall Newman; grandchildren Atticus, Christian, Lucas, George Dandrow, and Vincent Newman; nephews Arthur Steuer, Mike Maguire; and niece Sally Derning.

George graduated from the eighth grade class of The Harvey School in 1950 and from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in 1954. He then attended Cornell and Columbia Universities before coming to West Lafayette to attend Purdue University. While at Purdue, he earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature before finding his true calling and earning his MSW from Indiana University in 1970. He then went on to work at Purdue Hospital as a mental health therapist as well as a founding member and lifelong practitioner at Mascouten Family Institute in West Lafayette , Indiana. He was proudly certified as a Gestalt therapist. In high school, he was an All-American swimmer and never lost his love for the water. In 1958, he enlisted in the Army and spent his tour of duty as the assistant swim coach at West Point Military Academy in New York.

G eorge loved laughter, food, good company, poetry, prose, a lively intellectual discussion, and helping people wherever and whenever. Later in life, George found joy through his art.

There will be a remembrance celebration with a date yet to come. Please, in lieu of flowers, donate to your charity of choice.

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin’d choirs where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see’st the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.

This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

—Shakespeare, Sonnet LXXIII

Matthew “Matty” Kurtz ’86

June 6, 2022

Matthew Samuel Kurtz, 54, known to his myriad of friends as Matty, died unexpectedly, Monday, June 6, at Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His former wife, Kimberly Kurtz, and his daughter Tessa Lee, 20, were at his side; while his son, Ryder James, 18, who was away at school, was with him by phone.

After graduating from Harvey, Matty went to the University of Denver, where he was a proud member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. He was an all-county hockey player and Number One player on the tennis team all through his high school career. At DU he continued to play hockey and any sport that involved a ball or a puck.

Matty loved music and was devoted to the Grateful Dead. He traveled far and wide to enjoy the guitar solos and the community. He graduated with a degree in communications, but his real major in college and in life was friendship. He never met a stranger, and the relationships he made at Harvey, and at DU, in life live on.

The focus and great loves of his life were his children, Tessa and Ryder. He loved them beyond measure. They survive him, as does his mother, Millee Taggart Ratcliffe; sister and brother-in-law, Heather Allyn and Rob Nagle; and a large, loving extended family,

FORMER FACULTY/STAFF

Edward Phillips Connors

July 26, 2022

Edward P. Connors was a faculty member, coach, and dorm parent with his wife Hope S. Connors from 1959 to 1961.

Outdoorsman, athlete, coach, teacher, mentor, traveler, tour guide, environmentalist, gardener, art historian, musician, and so much more, Edward P. Connors lived life with passionate enthusiasm and loved nothing more than sharing his sense of adventure with his family, students, friends, and colleagues. And thanks to his leadership in helping create Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness Area and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, he made a positive impact on the lives of an even wider circle.

Born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois, he attended Fessenden School, Taft School, Yale University, and Harvard University. After teaching at The Harvey School and Lake Forest Country Day, he moved with his equally adventurous wife, Hope, to Colorado in 1964 to teach at Denver Country Day School, Kent School for Girls, and Kent Denver School until 1993. Not content simply to teach, he was always working to leave the world a better place for future generations. That desire resulted in what he felt was his greatest accomplishment: the 1975 designation by Congress of the Weminuche Wilderness Area in Southern Colorado. Edward, as a leader of the Colorado Open Space Council (COSC), worked with many others to help establish what is now the largest designated Wilderness in Colorado. His effort included giving testimony for a 1973 Senate hearing on “Colorado Wilderness Areas.”

While president at COSC, a consortium of 34 environmental and outdoor recreation organizations, internationally renowned

artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude recruited him to serve as their spokesperson on the environmental impact of their 1972 ground-breaking temporary installation “Valley Curtain” in Rifle Gap, Colorado. His environmental activism in the late 1960s and ’70s also included leading the Rocky Mountain Center on Environment. In 1971 he was named Environmentalist of the Year by the Colorado Mountain Club.

Edward believed his other great achievement came in the 1980s when, as President of the Board of Trustees (1985 to 1987) at the Denver Botanic Gardens, he formally advanced the idea of a “culture tax” to his counterparts at the Denver Zoo, Denver Art Museum, and the then-Denver Natural History Museum. The ensuing collaboration and work of those organizations, as well as other groups that ultimately became part of the seven-county Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), helped secure voter authorization in 1988. Since then, the SCFD has generated more than a billion dollars in funding for arts and culture in the Denver metropolitan area.

Be cause of his passion for flowers and plants (probably initiated while he helped his mother establish the Victory Garden program in Chicago during World War II), and fascination with the history of gardening and landscape design, the Garden Club of America named him an Honorary Member-at-Large.

For more than 20 years, Edward served on the advisory board of the Whitney Western Art Museum, a division of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and was later asked to serve on the board of trustees of the Center itself. During the long twice-annual drives to Cody, Wyoming, for board meetings, he always visited the black-footed ferret captive breeding program in Meeteetse to follow the progress of reintroducing populations of this presumed extinct mammal. He also would return to his favorite valley in Yellowstone National Park to systematically document for the National Park Service the decades-long natural reforestation after the 1988 fire.

His expansive curiosity was rooted in a fascination with history, particularly of art and world cultures, while the splendors and diversity of the natural world filled his imagination with wonder. Understanding the past, he pushed for a better future, hoping to provide young people with a healthier, more loving and accepting world in which to live. Sharing his classroom over the years with more than 2,400 young minds inspired him daily, and the successes and creativity of former students gave him great pride. One of the first coaches to introduce lacrosse in schools west of the Mississippi, he also coached young men in football, skiing, and hockey. He especially enjoyed transitioning to coach women’s ice hockey and lacrosse, where he nurtured the spirit of team camaraderie and good sport.

His survivors, whom he introduced to adventures around the world, include his wife of 63 years, Hope Stout Connors, and children: Timothy Phillips Connors and wife Kendra Connors; Andrew Lamarche Connors and husband Rémy Rotenier; Hope Bayard Connors; and grandchildren, Hamilton Phillips Connors, Lachlan Cryder Connors, and Hope Balsam Brown.

There was a celebration of Edward’s life in October at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Our Alums: ForeverForeverHarvey Connected

Often you hear that the friends you make in high school are the ones you keep for a lifetime. That’s very true for many Harvey alums!

To keep that connection strong is important. We don’t want you to lose touch with those friends or Harvey. That’s why we invite you to scan the QR code below to visit our one-stop alumni page for all things Harvey!

What’s coming up soon?

2 9 23

You put the heart in Har ey

Mark your calendar to join us for Founders Day and our third annual Harvey Day of Giving celebration February 9, 2023.

We invite our entire community to join the fun and participate in special challenges as we host on-campus activities, cut the Founders Day cake, and share videos throughout the day. All proceeds go to the Harvey Fund and directly impact our students and teachers, as well as help maintain our outstanding academic programs.