New Canaan Country School Bulletin Summer 2013 by Good Design

BULLETIN NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL

Our 75th Anniversar y Issue!

Class of 2013 | Students Go on Location

SuMMER 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin SuMMER 2013 Head of School: Timothy R. Bazemore Director of Advancement: Terry M. Gumz Editor: Brooke Springer Contributing Writers/Editors: Lisa Bazemore, Timothy R. Bazemore, Jackie Greiner, Terry M. Gumz, Claire Hunter, Mark Macrides, Moina Noor, Patricia Oakes, Topsy Post, Suzy Taylor, Cara Woods Photography: Steve Blazo, Diane Briggs, Hannah Casey, Nanette Gantz, Jackie Greiner, Terry Gumz, Jodi Hasbrouck, Betsy Hulme, Kate Lowe, Keri Kern, Morgan Nichols, Moina Noor, Topsy Post, Fraser Randolph, Shiva Sharram, Brooke Springer, Chi Chi Ubina, Elaine Ubina, Cara Woods, Torrance York Design: Good Design, LLC Address changes: communications@ countryschool.net On the cover: Ninth grade students visited several national parks as part of their Expanded Studies program.

rory Shinnick and Henry Seth of Team Blue rally their teammates during Blue and White day.

Board of Trustees 2012–2013 President: John M. Teitler Vice President: Karen K. Wood Secretary: Melanie J. Blandon Treasurer: Steven E. Rodgers Timothy R. Bazemore Alice Burnham Gary D. Engle Julie S. Halloran Thomas H. McGlade ’75 Sean McManus Lizanne G. Megrue Tina C. Miller James P. Parmelee Mathew M. Pendo Kara Ingraham Prawl Ashraf R. Rizvi Randall M. Salvatore Susan S. Schulz Lisa B. Sparks Judson B. Staniar Joseph P. Toce Jr. Stephanie Bowling Zeigler ’81 Faculty Representatives: Raphael Elkind Mollie Kirkland

Parents’ Association Executive Council 2012–2013 President: Julie S. Halloran VP Community Life: Lynne Byrne VP Community Service: Nancy E. Miller-Rivero VP Marketing & Communications: Chelsea Staniar VP Events & Secretary: Tracy McManus Treasurer: Uchenna Pratt

Alumni Council 2012–2013 President: Stephanie Bowling Zeigler ’81 Carl Brodnax ’76 Samuel A. Caulfield ’79 Philip A. Ford ’99 Corey M. Gammill ’95 Hugh Halsell ’59 Paula Kennedy Harrigan ’81 J. Spencer Mallozzi ’92 Kathie Shutkin Mandel ’78 Diane Monson ’51 Sandy Carr Motland ’58 Amanda K. Nisenson ’94 Marjorie Brush Priebe ’74 Carl E. Rohde ’66 Katherine O’Brien Rohn ’78 Kelsey Hubbard Rollinson ’86 Michael T. Sachs ’97 Richard E. See ’75 Mitchell L. Truwit ’84

Ex-oﬃcio Members:

Timothy R. Bazemore, Head of School Terry M. Gumz, Director of Advancement Cara C. Woods, Director of Alumni Aﬀairs

coNTeNTS

From the Head of School | 2 Vision for the Next Decade | 3

focuS Courage of the Heart | 4 Students Go on Location | 10 Our Year in Review | 12

GlImPSeS Country School Continues to Focus on ‘Mission Skills’ | 17 Fostering a Global View for Beginners through Grade 9 | 18 2012–2014 Faculty Chairs | 19

TraNSITIoNS Departing Faculty & Families | 20

ScraPBooK Deal Days Tag Sale 2013 Leadership Reception Grandparents & Special Friends Day Horizons 50th Anniversary Frogtown Fair Alumni Reunion

| | | | | |

25 26 28 30 38 40

alumNI NeWS Alumni Spotlight: Liz Barratt-Brown ’74 Events & Gatherings Class Notes In Memoriam

| | | |

32 34 42 54

Second graders Katie leBaron and cassie Warren enjoy frogtown fair.

eNdPIece Inspiring a Community | 56

Our Mission Statement

The mission of New Canaan Country School is to guide students to reach their intellectual, creative, moral, and physical potential. We value the imagination and curiosity of children and respect childhood as an integral part of life. Our teachers set high academic standards and challenge students to question, to think, to collaborate, and to act with integrity. The school works in partnership with families to teach personal, social, and environmental responsibility and to create a community that honors diversity and our common humanity. New Canaan Country School inspires students to be lifelong learners with the courage and confidence to make a positive contribution to the world.

f r o m th e head of school

In the pages that follow, you will see ample evidence that “fortune favors the bold” is not just our graduates’ motto, for the phrase describes this special year and the ambitious agenda we set for ourselves.

Read the Head’s Perspective blog: Head of School Tim Bazemore writes about emerging trends in education, leadership and campus life. nccsheadsblog.wordpress.com

The character of this year’s graduating class and the nature of their journey through the Country School grades suggested to me this year’s Closing Exercises theme: courage. In the pages that follow, you will see ample evidence that “fortune favors the bold” is not just our graduates’ motto, for the phrase describes this special year and the ambitious agenda we set for ourselves. Several examples of institutional courage stand out for me, beginning with the way we tackled the need to become more “culturally competent.” In the fall and the winter, Dr. Steven Jones taught faculty and parents the communication skills to be successful in this increasingly diverse world. Students did their part, too, as a delegation of ninth graders flew to Houston to learn firsthand how diverse teams create better outcomes and communities. Our Horizons Student Enrichment Program celebrated its 50th anniversary, recognizing the courage and vision of Headmaster George Stevens and the Country School parents in 1964. Throughout the year, we also had the courage to invite the entire community to join us in envisioning a thriving Country School 10 years from now. Over six months ninth graders, teachers, parents, trustees, and past parents and teachers came together to voice their opinions regarding what will make the school relevant and effective in the future. In over

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a dozen lively “vision forums,” we talked candidly about institutional strengths and needs and opportunities to be a leader in education. We don’t just believe in continuous improvement here, we pursue it as few other schools do. And in the daily life of the campus we witnessed courage of a different kind as children of all ages presented work and talent in the school’s auditorium. Illustrating one of Country School’s distinctive strengths, we watched swirling Lower School dancers and Greek actors, listened to skilled Middle and Upper School musicians, admired sixth graders presenting famous speeches and learned from eighth grade World Congress delegates. The poise exhibited by our students is always impressive. The courage to share your ideas and talents with a large audience is rare. To do it so well is remarkable. Education is, at its heart, about the courage to take risks and learn from mistakes. It’s about encountering new ideas and making sense of them relative to what you already know. That learning happens every day for every child, and it happens every year for the institution as well. We embrace the opportunity to examine what we do, whether that is technology integration, financial policies or strategic opportunities. The schools that are agile, innovative and confident prepare our children best for the future. Thank you for partnering with us in this most important endeavor.

Special thanks to the Committee for the Alumni, Parent of Alumni and Former Faculty Vision Forum: Emily Coughlin Basaran ’98 C. Daniel Bergfeld ’58 Steven Bloom ’03 Hilary Childs ’83 Amy Cholnoky P ’00, ’03, ’05 Daniel DiBiasio ’92 Amy Chan Downer ’72, P ’03, ’03, ’04 John ’47 and Tanis Erdmann P ’78, ’80, ’82 Heather Weed Goldberg ’89 Frances Irvine Thomas McLane ’46 George Post P ’63, ’65, ’66, ’68, ’81 Laura Saverin P ’03, ’06 Patricia Stoddard P ’71, ’72, ’75 Jared Synnestvedt P ’84, ’87 Jane Stoddard Williams ’72, P ’03, ’06

Vision for the Next Decade By Tim Bazemore, Head of School Over the course of the last six months, we have hosted more than a dozen “vision forums” to bring together our community—faculty, parents, ninth graders, alumni, parents of alumni, trustees, former trustees and former faculty—to imagine the future of New Canaan Country School. Faculty and staff who have been trained in a unique “future” protocol led an inclusive process that allowed us to “blue sky” the future without limiting our imaginations. Following these productive brainstorming sessions, I held a series of meetings with our administrative team, teachers and thought leaders from our parent community to identify common themes and outline emerging priorities. This type of process is what has kept

Country School, a nearly century-old institution, constantly on the forefront of education. While preserving our sense of community and respecting childhood remained underlying principles for all constituent groups, other priorities included: • Teaching real-world and creative problem-solving across the curriculum • Collaboration between faculty, students, parents, and other schools and organizations • Explicit teaching of mission skills (teamwork, resilience, ethics, creativity, curiosity and time management) • Cultural competence • Technology integration and skill development across all disciplines and grade levels.

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In 2004, I announced our Vision for the Decade at the Country School annual meeting. That vision centered on ensuring excellent teaching in every classroom, enhancing the upper grades (especially in science and the arts), and infusing the curriculum with themes of diversity, technology and sustainability. Almost 10 years later, we have made impressive progress on all fronts. We are again ready to share a vision that will guide us for the next 10 years. At this fall’s annual meeting and dinner, I will announce how we will continue to provide an exceptional education in the years ahead. I extend my deepest thanks to the many contributors to this process.

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Henry Seth ’13, Olivia McCaughey ’13, Lula Gallipoli ’13, Dylan Sardanis ’13, Addi MacKenzie ’13 and Cecilia Arntzen ’13

Courage of the heart The following are remarks made by Head of School Tim Bazemore during the 2013 Closing Exercises.

Head of School Tim Bazemore presents Paul Woodberry ’13 with his diploma. Jaylen Craft ’13 and Rory Shinnick ’13

Elie Aliapoulios ’13

Lindsey Dewey ’10, Griffin Dewey ’17, Robby Dewey ’13 and Tori Dewey ’08

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Focus

n behalf of my colleagues, I want to say that truly we have enjoyed watching you grow and learn together over the years. Parents of the Class of 2013, it has been a professional privilege and a personal pleasure to make this journey with you, as the head of school, and as a friend and a fellow parent. You all have been supportive of these children and the school for so many years—thank you. Today we say good-bye to 22 ninth grade families and 19 eighth grade families, whose last children move on from our school. Thank you for our partnership, for entrusting your children to us and for your time and support. We will miss you! You all have been in our cafeteria. You know that the food is delicious and that our mission statement is painted on the wall. The ninth graders have spent many an hour contemplating the mission and know that it calls on us to “inspire students to have the courage…to make a positive contribution to the world.” What is courage? An act? A quality? Is it innate? Learned? Hemingway famously said that courage was “grace under pressure.” What does that mean? Today I want to speak about three forms of courage, and ask you to consider if you have learned them here. What are your first memories of courage? When you looked under your bed for scary monsters? When you first dove into a pool? One of my earliest memories of courage came from a comic book. As a child, every summer my family vacationed at Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks. On rainy days, we drove into a nearby small town named Inlet, where I would eagerly head for the drugstore and the rack of Classics Illustrated comic books. You won’t see these now, but in the 1970s, many great works of literature were featured in this series and published in comic book form. I loved them. This is where I first read many of the stories you know from school,

Hannah Casey ’13 with her mother Sarah O’Herron Casey ’80

Virginia Mahoney ’13 presents welcoming remarks

Cameron Gould ’13, Robby Dewey ’13, Ian Connelly ’13 and Sam Evarts ’13

Topsy Post with students Grace O’Halloran ’13, Lula Gallipoli ’13, Henry Seth ’13, Ben Strait ’13, Rory Tait ’13, Megan Schoenholtz ’13, Albert Huang ’13 and Emma Stevens ’13

Jane Schoenholtz, Teddy Schoenholtz ’17, Megan Schoenholtz ’13, Mark Schoenholtz, and Katelyn Schoenholtz ’12

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Mark Connelly and Ian Connelly ’13

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Moises Rivera ’13 and Leticia Alguera

Ninth grade speaker Jack Wood ’13 delivers his address.

Charlotte Connick ’18, Kate Connick ’13 and Georgia Connick ’11

(although you read the actual book versions), including The Odyssey, A Tale of Two Cities and Tom Sawyer. One of my favorites was The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane. In this Civil War story, Union soldier Henry Fleming struggled to become courageous in battle. I remember poring over every panel, marveling at Henry’s transformation from a yellow-belly who ran from the enemy to a “wildcat” who charged across the fields, into the gunfire. This story first taught me that courage was physical courage, or bravery. You are a class that knows about this kind of courage: the tragedy of 9/11 occurred in your first week in school. And we have witnessed this kind of courage often in recent months. Victoria Soto, a teacher’s assistant at Sandy Hook School, threw herself over her young students to save them from the murderer’s bullets. Carlos Arredondo ran through the smoke to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing to apply tourniquets to severed limbs. Becky Jo Evans tore through rubble with her bare hands to save children as the tornado still swirled in Moore, Oklahoma. We have introduced you to physical courage in safer ways. On the playing field against superior players, on the rocky slopes of the Appalachian Trail and high on a ropes course, you learned how to face your fears and move forward. We created these challenges because bravery is the least common form of courage; we normally don’t seek things we are afraid of. It’s possible to avoid physical courage and go on believing, as we all probably do, that we possess it. We don’t know, however, until we are tested. You have learned that courage is not lack of fear. It’s taking action when you are afraid. The second dimension of courage that you have learned here is moral courage. Every fall I ask you to choose the hard right over the easy wrong. It is not enough to have the wisdom to know right from

Jack Brill ’13 and Hannah Casey ’13

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wrong—that’s just a start. You have to know why a choice is right or wrong and then choose the right, regardless of the consequences. Like all students, you and your classmates have chosen both hard rights and easy wrongs over the years. I’m sure you can remember some of each. Your teachers have made a special effort to teach you moral courage. The Watsons, Helen Keller, Atticus Finch, Rukmani, Sydney Carton—you have read about many characters in literature who demonstrated moral courage, the ability to do what is good and just even when it is unpopular or dangerous. In history classes you studied examples of men and women who recognized injustice and summoned the moral courage to improve the human condition. Your teachers have taught you and challenged you to recognize oppression and to, as author Salman Rushdie wrote, “stand on the front lines of liberty.” The particular genius of this school is that we have given the experience of moral courage, not just the example. Those of you who went to the south on the civil rights trip in April understand. You sat in Ebenezer Baptist Church, walked across the Pettus Bridge and stood in the Lorraine Motel parking lot. You know what moral courage feels like. If you were a Horizons Friends Corps mentor, helped with the Special Olympics or went on a Midnight Run, you know that moral courage is about doing the hard thing and the good thing. We provided these experiences to teach you about your obligation to others. You are among the most fortunate, privileged young people in this country and in the world. This education your parents and we have provided cannot be only about your personal success. It has to be about you making the world a better place. Opportunities to exercise moral courage are all around us. Look for them and choose them. The third form of courage is less obvious than physical or moral courage. (Continued on page 9)

Focus

Paige Lewis ’13, Brooke Lowe ’13, Meghan Halloran ’13 and Kate Connick ’13

George Willis ’13, Jaylen Craft ’13 and Robby Dewey ’13 The Class of 2013

class of 2013 destinations

Elena Aliapoulios ��New Canaan High School Cecilia Arntzen ��Suffield Academy Luke Bazemore ��Choate Rosemary Hall Sanford Jack Brill ��Holderness School Hannah Casey �� Greenwich Academy Ian Connelly ��Millbrook School Kate Connick �� King School Jaylen Craft �� The Masters School Robert Dewey ��Deerfield Academy Samuel Evarts ��Millbrook School Lucia Gallipoli ��Loomis Chaffee School Cameron Gould �� Westminster School Meghan Halloran ��Deerfield Academy Albert Huang ��New Canaan High School Alice Hudson �� Greenwich Academy Lucia Lefferts �� Greenwich Academy Paige Lewis....................................... New Canaan High School & North American Hockey Academy Brooke Lowe....................................Brien McMahon High School Addison MacKenzie ��St. Luke’s School Virginia Mahoney ��St. Luke’s School Robert Marcus ��Greens Farms Academy

Claire Marshall ��Choate Rosemary Hall Olivia McCaughey ��Loomis Chaffee School Erin Murphy �� Ridgefield High School Ryan Musto ��Choate Rosemary Hall Patrick Neafsey ��Rye Country Day School Grace O'Halloran ��St. Luke’s School William Oliver Randon ��Episcopal High School Moises Rivera ��Choate Rosemary Hall Kyle Salvatore �� Taft School Dylan Sardanis ��New Canaan High School Megan Schoenholtz �� Taft School Henry Seth ��St. Luke’s School Rory Shinnick ��Greens Farms Academy Emma Stevens �� Westminster School Benjamin Strait ��Greens Farms Academy Rory Tait ��Choate Rosemary Hall Alyssa Thomas ��Emma Willard School George Willis �� St. Paul’s School John Wood ��Deerfield Academy Paul Woodberry ��St. Luke’s School Emma Zachary �� Ridgefield High School

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Kayla Connolly, Ryan Musto ’13 and Meghan Musto ’16

Kyle Halloran ’12, Julie Halloran, Meghan Halloran ’13, Todd Halloran, Christina Halloran ’16 and Will Halloran’12

Oliver Randon ’13

Claire Salvatore, Brandon Salvatore ’12, Cece Salvatore ’20, Kyle Salvatore ’13, Carolina Salvatore’17 and Randy Salvatore

Head of School Tim Bazemore presents Luke Bazemore ’13 with the Paul Johansen Award.

We believe in you, but what matters most is that

you believe in yourself.

Caroline Willis’11, Chris Willis, George Willis ’13 and Cindy Willis Erin Murphy ’13 and Alyssa Thomas ’13

C.J. Woodberry ’15, Paul Woodberry ’13 and Elizabeth Woodberry ’18

Linda Marshall and her daughter Claire Marshall ’13

Grace O’Halloran ’13, Lucy Lefferts ’13 and Alice Hudson ’13

Patrick Neafsey ’13, Kyle Salvatore ’13, Rory Tait ’13 and Cameron Gould ’13

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Focus (Continued from page 6)

Courage of the heart is the courage to carry on, the courage to be resilient. It is the mature recognition that life is a journey that includes great joy and great sorrow. It’s the courage that gives us humility and strength, the courage that allows us to recognize our own frailty and our common humanity. You are each on this stage today because you are successful. You have passed your exams and completed our requirements. But you didn’t succeed at everything we asked you to do. Over the years, you were cut from a team, did not get the lead role, failed a quiz or fell out with a friend. For all of your successes, there were setbacks as well. And that’s just how your parents and we planned it. Country School is well-known for respecting childhood. Some people think that means that we don’t challenge you enough. They’re wrong. What that means is that your teachers respect you and childhood so much that they create situations in which they know you might fail or fall short. You need to learn about mistakes and failure in childhood. That’s why every day they have encouraged you to take risks. That’s not about pleasing them or making your parents proud; it’s about you. We believe in you, but what matters most is that you believe in yourself. You need to learn to finish what you start, not blame others when you fail, try again, work independently. That confidence that your teachers have taught you is courage of the heart. It is resilience. It is the inner strength you need to make your way through a complicated and challenging world. As we have watched you grow up, we have seen you demonstrate courage of the heart. In a classroom presentation, leading an assembly, singing a solo, taking a face-off, you have carried on through nerves, fears, giggles and tears. Emma, Rory, Ellie, Ben, Moises, Addie, Sam—in your “This I Believe” reflections

you shared challenging personal circumstances that showed us you have learned courage of the heart. Ian, Virginia and James, in the face of heartbreaking tragedy, you have endured and you have inspired your classmates and the community to endure. You have shown us your remarkable courage of the heart. From Beginners C to ninth grade, your class has been called on to learn and show courage of the heart more than most. It is, I believe, your greatest attribute as a class. It has the potential to be the most important thing we have taught you. What is courage? It is, as Churchill said, “the first of human qualities… because it is the quality that guarantees all others.” Courage is the physical courage, moral courage and courage of the heart to make a positive contribution to the world. You leave here equipped with those virtues. We expect you to use them. In three months you will enter your next community, your next school. Start there. Have the courage to walk confidently through those doors, introduce yourself, reach out to others and ask that first question. Have the courage to contribute your talents and your good thinking to improve your next community—as you have done here at New Canaan Country School. Class of 2013, remember to thank your teachers and parents. They have done their best to equip you for a life of courage and contribution. In closing, we’d like to celebrate your achievements in two ways. First, I would like to present each of you with your very own medal of courage. It’s not exactly gold, but I encourage you to wear it proudly (but perhaps not in your new school). Second, we will plant a tree in your honor, a sugar maple back by the old red ice house. There it will watch over the youngest children on campus and bend to the sun and lean into the wind. Visit it at reunions. Watch it grow. Remember this is where your future began.

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Emma Zachary ’13

Jill Stevens and her granddaughter Emma Stevens ’13

Robbie Marcus ’13

Alyssa Thomas ’13 and Vena Wilson-Waugh

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Florida Keys to study marine biology

yellowstone to study the reintroduction of gray wolves into the park

Grand Canyon and other national parks for a course on preservation

Deep South

to retrace the civil rights movement

Students go

On Location

through Expanded Studies Program By Brooke Springer

inth grade students at New Canaan Country School spend their spring semesters preparing for one-of-a-kind, immersive educational experiences. It starts in the classroom with rigorous study of a particular subject, and in April expands more fully in the real world when they go “on location” for a 360-degree view. “It’s really not meant to be sightseeing. It’s not just a field trip. It’s an opportunity for the students to take what they’ve been studying and quite literally expand on it beyond the classroom walls,” explains Head of Upper School Tim Delehaunty. Country School students begin taking single overnight trips in fifth grade and over the course of their Upper School years take multiple overnight trips. It culminates in ninth grade when they spend a week visiting places that directly connect with their coursework. Each year, four different Expanded Studies courses are offered. This year’s courses took students to the Florida Keys to study marine biology, to Yellowstone National Park to study the reintroduction of gray wolves into the park, to the Deep South to retrace the civil rights movement, and to the Grand Canyon and other national parks for a course on preservation. In each case, students took what they had learned all semester to a new level through this on-site learning. Reflecting on his experience at Zion National Park, Ben Strait wrote, “At the bottom was a pond-sized, emerald-colored pool … I sat on the flat side of a rock taking it all in. I had attempted to record the soothing sounds of the pool so that I could enjoy it back at home, but my attempt didn’t go through as planned. Seeing such a place made me realize the meaning of the trip—preservation.

We must preserve this beautiful place so others may enjoy its unmatched beauty.” Students in the civil rights history course imagined what it might have been like in Alabama in the 1960s, but also experienced the lasting effects of history. “To my surprise, racism was still relevant in many of the places we visited,” wrote Emma Stevens. “For example, we drove through towns that had a wealthier, white community on one side, and on the other a poor, black community. Also, at a church service the minister spoke about a segregated prom that was held just outside Atlanta a few weeks earlier. However, the moment that struck me the most throughout the entire trip was when we were visiting the capitol building in Montgomery, Ala., and we happened to come across a group of white people from Montgomery who were celebrating Confederate Day. There was a state representative speaking about Northern aggression and how everyone should fight to preserve the values their ancestors fought for years ago in the Civil War. … Watching this event made racism feel real. Before visiting the South and seeing this spectacle, racism felt so distant … it opened my eyes.” In previous years, Expanded Studies courses have included a study of post-Katrina recovery and Cajun culture culminating in a trip to New Orleans; a history course focusing on the Constitution and government leading up to a trip to Washington, D.C., with visits to Senate hearings and meetings with members of Congress; as well as a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, among others. For more student reflections on this year’s Expanded Studies trips, visit www.countryschool.net/expandedstudies.

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

OUR YEAR IN REVIEW

Eighth and ninth grade students hosted the Connecticut Special Olympics for the ninth consecutive year. Thanks to a gift from The Jeniam Foundation, a new boardwalk was built as part of the 35-acre outdoor classroom, allowing students better access to vernal ponds and trails.

auGuSt

September

The entire New Canaan Country School student and faculty body joined together to raise the flag, an annual tradition marking the start of the academic year.

OctOber

Alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the school gathered to show their â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cougar prideâ&#x20AC;? at the second annual Homecoming.

Ninth graders set off on the Outdoor Action Trip, a tech-free bonding trip at the start of their final year at Country School.

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Focus

The largest group to date of students and adults from Country School traveled to Houston, Texas, for the 25th National Association of Independent Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

Parents got to peek inside the classroom during Parent Visiting Day.

November

December

Students ran the show at the annual Lower School Arts Assembly, selecting the music, choreographing the dances and decorating the set. Kindergarteners took to the ice at the Winter Club for the annual Kindergarten First Skate.

Members of the Class of 2012 gathered for a pre-Thanksgiving alumni reunion. (See more alumni photos on page 35.) summer 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Horizons at New Canaan Country School celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala. (See page 30 for photos.)

The girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; varsity hockey team won the 14th annual Upland Country Day School Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ice Hockey Tournament for the second year in a row.

Country School became a founding member of the Mission Skills Assessment Teacher Network. (Read more on page 17.)

january

Former Board presidents gathered for dinner with current Board President John Teitler at the Gate House, home of Head of School Tim Bazemore.

february

Head of School Tim Bazemore was a co-presenter at the National Association of Independent Schools on the topic of mission skills assessment in middle school. (Read more on page 17.)

Alumni shared career advice at the Career Connections networking event. (Read more on page 36.)

Middle School students were so inspired by their summer reading, Wonder, a young adult novel by R.J. Palacio, that they wrote, choreographed and performed a musical adaptation.

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Focus

Middle School students participated in the annual Trade Route games.

The Parents’ Association hosted the annual NCCS Gives Back day of community service supporting various local nonprofit organizations.

The Parents’ Association hosted the biannual Deal Days community tag sale and Family Fun Night. (See photos on page 25.)

NYC Alumni Reception: Alumni gathered in New York City for a social event and to hear updates on their alma mater from Head of School Tim Bazemore.

march

april

Musician Harry Connick Jr. gave a master class for Middle and Upper School students. The students performed one or two pieces, many of which were original compositions, for the legendary musician, and he gave them some pointers. Upper School students performed Peter Pan.

Country School became a founding member of National Network of Schools in Partnership, that joins organizations that believe collaboration and partnerships are central to a strategy for improving equity in educational opportunities.

Students went “on location” from the Florida Keys to Yellowstone National Park to expand on topics they had been studying in the classroom through their ninth grade Expanded Studies classes. (Read more on page 10.) summer 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

The community gathered to celebrate a combined 65 years of service by Eric and Chris Garrison at a retirement party in their honor. (Read more on page 23.) Students helped carve, paint and erect a new totem pole made in woodshop.

Grandparents and Special Friends visited all divisions. (Read more on page 28.)

One lucky Beginner, Russell Lancaster, got to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;Head for a Day.â&#x20AC;?

May

Students showed their thanks during Teacher Appreciation Day.

june Alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff joined in some old-fashioned family fun at Frogtown Fair. Members of the classes of 1938, 1963, 1988 and 2003 celebrated milestones at their Reunion Dinners. (See more photos on page 38.) The 42 members of the Class of 2013 were graduated during Closing Exercises (Read more on page 4.)

Eighth grade students debated issues ranging from environmental sustainability to human rights during World Congress.

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Middle and Upper School students showed their school spirit during Blue & White Day.

GlImPSeS

TEAMWORK

CREATIVITY

ETHICS

RESILIENCE

CURIOSITY

TIME MANAGEMENT

CountrY sChool Continues to FoCus on ‘Mission sKills’ By Suzy Taylor, Sixth Grade Teacher and Mission Skills Teacher Network Leader New Canaan Country School has always emphasized the cultivation of character in our students. It is embedded in everything we do at every age in the classroom, in the hallways and on the playing fields. It can be seen in the key words of our mission: imagination, integrity, responsibility, confidence and humanity. While character education is inevitable in our school, our challenge is to consciously develop programs and curricula that enhance and assess what we are teaching. Teachers at NCCS are making progress in developing more deliberate and transparent instruction in character education, what we call “mission skills.” The mission skills are defined as resilience, teamwork, curiosity, time management, ethics and creativity. The Mission Skills Assessment (MSA) is one tool that we and many of our

peer schools are using to evaluate these characteristics in our students. Head of School Tim Bazemore was a copresenter at the 2013 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference. He participated in a panel discussion titled “Mission Skills Assessment: Assessing Character Traits in Middle School Students,” sharing the work he has done for the past several years as vice chair of the INDEX group. In January, NCCS became a founding member of the Mission Skills Teacher Network, with the goal of sharing best practices with other regional INDEX schools to continue to enhance the school’s character education program. All the participants share a common interest in supporting the development of

Summer 2013

mission skills at their respective schools. The first meeting, held at NCCS, included 12 teachers from four schools. At this meeting, we shared ideas, goals and successes in the area of character education and skills. We discussed definitions of character education, benchmarks and assessments, and defined future goals for the group and next steps. Since that first meeting in January, our group has grown to include pioneering teachers from additional schools. We interact online, sharing resources, ideas, challenges and successes. Our second in-person meeting is set for the fall, but in the meantime, NCCS students are benefiting from the enthusiasm, collaboration and commitment to develop the critically important mission skills in our students.

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Fostering a global view for beginners through grade 9 By Topsy Post, History Department Chair

As a part of our culture of continuous improvement, and in order to ensure that our curriculum remains relevant and incorporates best practices, each year we choose a particular subject area to review in depth. During the 2010–2012 school years, social studies coordinators Keira Cardinal, Mollie Kirkland, Kristen Ball and I, with help from Bruce Lemoine, conducted a thorough review of our social studies curriculum. From this, we hoped to ensure that we were following successful models and that we would give our students not only a breadth of exposure but also skills that they would carry with them after they left Country School. We hoped to foster a lifelong love of learning about history, learning about others and learning that where we are is based on where we have come from. We also wanted to be sure that our program encouraged the natural curiosity and creativity of childhood and fostered civic-mindedness. The Process The process included a survey of all NCCS teachers of social studies/history, visits to 18 peer schools, cross-divisional meetings at NCCS, a review of National Council for the Social Studies standards and themes, and research about what our receiving schools taught for history in either ninth or tenth grade. NCCS teachers then formed professional study groups to delve deeper and begin to make curriculum changes. The Discovery We found that Country School teachers loved what they were teaching, yet realized the need to make improvements. Priorities started to emerge. Developing a geography spiral and incorporating current events and civic awareness were identified consistently throughout the grades as areas on which to focus. In order to develop responsible citizens of the 21st century, the following 18

skills were also identified as areas that should be integral to our program: effective communication (oral and written), global and cultural awareness, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, effective use of technology, creativity and ability to make convincing arguments. In addition to these broader ideals, our teachers realized the importance of fundamental proficiencies that would lead to 21st-century skills—reading for understanding, making inferences, developing research skills (synthesizing information, note-taking, analysis and development of a thesis), making connections between historical events and current world events, and developing listening skills. The Results As a result of this two-year process, significant changes have been made to the social studies history curriculum from Beginners through Grade 9. “Establishing community and creating connections are cornerstones of our Social Studies program in Early Childhood,” said Ms. Cardinal, a Kindergarten teacher. In Early Childhood, parents are invited to come in to share a piece of their family and culture through song, dance and food. “The children are engaged and proud to learn about each other in a meaningful way,” said Ms. Cardinal. The children’s work is extended into music as children learn how to say hello in many different languages and to locate where the languages are spoken around the world. “We are always working together to find new and exciting ways to go into more depth with what we do,” said Ms. Cardinal. “Moving to a thematic approach, in the Lower School we have reassessed our social studies units,” explains first grade teacher Ms. Kirkland. “While this retains cohesiveness within a grade, it also allows teachers to retain aspects of the existing curriculum and explore new areas.” Themes include:

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in first grade Self and Others; second grade Community; third grade People of America; and fourth grade Justice for All. In Middle School, a “World Perspectives” unit was introduced in response to teachers’ concerns about being “Eurocentric.” “We consolidated our study of the Saxons and Vikings and piloted a World Perspectives unit, a two-week intensive humanities investigation of global issues through topics such as communication, education, economy and sustainability,” explains fifth grade teacher Ms. Ball. “We got the chance to be equals, global citizens figuring out our role in making our world a better place.” In sixth grade, the study of the Renaissance was extended to cover other cultures and regions including Japan, Iraq, Southern Africa, China, India, Central America and South America. Sixth grade teachers also included new geography initiatives to increase global literacy. “We made an effort to increase knowledge of contemporary issues through debates, public speaking and current events,” said Ms. Ball. “These changes have allowed us to give students a smoother transition between fifth and seventh grade history.” Perhaps one of the most significant changes made this year was in the Upper School. Because our students have World Cultures in eighth grade, they were not able to fulfill a high school requirement. To bring us into line with our receiving schools, a new ninth grade Modern World History course was introduced. According to the National Council for the Social Studies, “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.” We are confident that NCCS students will become more active, informed citizens ready to make a difference in their world.

2012–2014

FaCultY Chairs Faculty Chairs recognize and honor exemplary teachers and promote New Canaan Country School’s commitment to professional growth and expertise. These endowed funds support faculty compensation and training. Faculty Chairs are awarded for two years to teachers with a minimum of three years of teaching experience at Country School who demonstrate a commitment to engaging and inspiring students, creating curriculum to reach all learners and ongoing professional development. The head of school and assistant head of school select the chairs with input from division heads, the Board president, Parents’ Association president and student leaders. Faculty also submits nominations. The following faculty chairs were named at the 2013 Annual Meeting.

aron baCK Academic Technology Coordinator, Faculty Chair Mr. Back joined Country School five years ago as the school’s first academic technology coordinator. He has brought vision, ideas and action to technology integration, while respecting student needs and teacher goals. Mr. Back works closely with teachers to integrate the latest technology into the classroom. He’s also a Lower School computer teacher and teaches an Upper School video course. Mr. Back is committed to teaching how technology can open minds and improve education.

CarYn PurCell Science Department Chair, Upper School Science Teacher, Laverack Family Faculty Chair Mrs. Purcell has been a seventh and eighth grade science teacher in the Upper School for the past 18 years. For the past five years, she has been chair of the department. As department chair, she has rewritten the eighth grade curriculum to focus on chemistry and physics, and has infused environmental sustainability in the science program using the campus woods and Long Island Sound as extensions of the classroom. Mrs. Purcell models a commitment to professional growth, always learning, taking risks and sharing new methods with colleagues. She’s also a dedicated hockey, softball and lacrosse coach.

lauren roMeo Grade 6 Teacher, Holmes Family Faculty Chair Mrs. Romeo has been a teacher at Country School for the past seven years. She started as an apprentice, worked part time in student services, and is now a sixth grade teacher and acting chair of the Middle School English Department. Mrs. Romeo is committed to understanding each child’s learning process and profile, and is known by her students and colleagues for her upbeat and can-do style. Mrs. Romeo also coaches softball and field hockey.

Summer 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

TraNSITIoNS

| DEPArTinG faculty & families

terry Martino By Mark Macrides, Archivist For almost two decades, Terry Martino has been the anchor of the Upper School. Arriving in 1995, she quickly filled the front corner office of the Stevens Building with competence, grace and a friendly smile. She has assisted four successive Upper School heads without missing a beat. Terry’s knowledge, organizational skills and easy, low-key style were instrumental in assuring that each transition was smooth and effective for teachers, parents and, most important, students. Terry is the rare type of person who stands out not for doing the extraordinary, but for doing the ordinary, the essential tasks that make each day run smoothly, in an extraordinary way. Through her unwavering work ethic and pleasant disposition, she has earned the love and respect of the entire Country School community. As the glue that holds the Stevens Building together, Terry can be remembered in many different roles. From attendance to class lists, work program schedules to lunch table assignments, she

has planned and executed them countless times. Quick on her feet, Terry was always ready at a moment’s notice (and sometimes even less than that) to jump in and cover a study hall, fill in for an ill teacher and even chaperone a field trip! Terry could always be counted on to assist the office staff with mailings, phone desk coverage and any other administrative support needed. Above all, Terry, whose son Greg was a member of the Class of 1998, will be remembered most for her relationship with students. It was clear from her first day on the job that her primary interest in working at Country School was a love for children. As the first face they would see upon arrival and the last upon departure, Upper School students came to depend on Terry not just for the help she provided, but, more important, for the care and concern she expressed and the sincere interest she took in their daily lives here at school. To show their appreciation, students have honored Terry with cards and letters, parties and yearbook dedications. As Terry retires to spend more time with her husband, Carl, and their extended family, we wish her well and thank her for taking such good care of the Upper School for all these years.

Paul Mayo By Tim Bazemore, Head of School For 13 years I have had the opportunity to trade compliments or barbs with Paul Mayo as our rival pro sports teams play each other in the fall and spring. Whether his beloved Jets and Mets win or lose, Paul is always gracious, and he reminds me that it’s just a game and there is always next season. That characteristic good cheer and practical optimism have served him well as the leader of the most challenging work schools do: change culture and mind-set. After 17 years of effective work with students, teachers and parents, Paul is moving on to direct an exciting prep program at Pingree School in Massachusetts. Paul began his educational work here as a Middle School apprentice teacher. After assisting with English, math and social studies he became a lead math teacher in sixth grade. In the classroom, he demonstrated an easygoing manner with students, a warm and sincere listening style and an interest in developing curriculum with colleagues. He created engaging lessons using the stock market and other practical applications of math concepts. In addition to his teaching duties, Paul 20

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enjoyed coaching football and basketball in both our Middle and Upper Schools. As a teacher, Paul developed an interest in the local community and multicultural and service activities. He reached out to the Carver Center in Norwalk, helped the school establish partnerships with service organizations and promoted the need for our community to engage in conversations about diversity. His life experience and passion for diversity work led to a more prominent role, and in 2002 Paul became the school’s first diversity coordinator. That part-time role eventually became a full-time senior administrative position aimed at helping us to build an inclusive, safe community for everyone. In his role as director of diversity, Paul established an effective collaborative approach utilizing faculty, staff, student and Parents’ Association diversity teams. He partnered with division heads and the assistant head to plan professional development activities that included theory and practice. He represented the school on state and national diversity committees and made

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Meryl Aronin By Mark Macrides, Archivist For the past 17 years, Country School students, teachers and parents have benefited from the expertise of speech and language specialist Meryl Aronin. Over the years, Meryl’s professional knowledge, humility and gentle spirit have earned him the respect of the entire NCCS community. In spite of his part-time status, Meryl has displayed a loyalty and commitment to the school that has served the needs of the students well. His tendency toward big ideas and optimistic outlook about students and learning have enabled him to be a leader in building greater understanding of the kinds of structured support the school can provide. Meryl’s work assessing younger students for articulation, fluency, and expressive and receptive language skills has been invaluable for division heads and classroom teachers evaluating assessments and placement. His work consulting with teachers and intervening with students has helped many students over the years achieve the kind of success for which Country School is known and valued. The admissions process, as well, has benefited from Meryl’s ability to assess and screen potential candidates. His knowledge of child development, along with his language expertise, was always tremendously helpful in determining the overall potential of any candidate. Meryl has also been a valuable resource for Country School families, consulting often with parents about “home programs”

for speech and language articulation skills and working with children on a short-term basis to address their expressive and receptive language skills. Meryl has led many Lower School and Early Childhood workshops on grammar, syntax and vocabulary development. His partnership with the Lower School science department on developing higher-level thinking skills was very effective. One of his more significant achievements was designing and leading an all-school “fishbowl” faculty meeting tracking six NCCS students’ developmental journey from Beginners through Grade 9. This meeting was met with high praise from faculty and administrators and provided an important perspective of children as they move through the continuum at Country School. As Meryl moves on from Country School, we take pride in the work he has accomplished here and the incredibly positive impact he has had on generations of students. His knowledgeable and helpful approach to supporting children has enabled them to grow with confidence, and for that we are forever grateful. We also thank him for his kind and respectful manner as a friend and colleague, and wish him well.

presentations at workshops held by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools and the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference. One of his many significant contributions to NCCS was co-leading the annual ninth grade trip to retrace the civil rights movement in the southern states. Every April, students study and discuss the history and complexities of civil rights in America in the 1960s and then visit Atlanta, Birmingham, Selma, Memphis and other related sites. This is Country School at its best: powerful and memorable learning about issues that matter. Over the years, Paul’s interest in culture and identity led him to travel to South Africa as a member of an independent school delegation and to help seventh graders understand personal and peer identity issues in Life Skills. He has provided good counsel and good company to colleagues and parents, leaning into discomfort and celebrating successes. We are deeply grateful to this kind, humble and dedicated colleague for years of leading the complex and challenging work of school change.

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

Molly Farnsworth By Twee Haﬀner Since she arrived in 1995 as an apprentice teacher in my Kindergarten classroom and parent of Susanne, Mary, Martha and Peter, it has been a joy to work beside Molly for the past 18 years as a colleague and friend. I have treasured our time together and enjoyed sharing daily events each afternoon with giggles and laughter while we learned from each other. Molly has always built up others, listened and believed in collaboration. She was constantly working on perfecting her skills with a curiosity and passion for the young child. Her belief in experiential learning led her class on field trips to the garbage museum, the town mulch pile and the NCCS drainage system. Her sense of beauty always balanced these trips with an annual trip to the fabulous Lee azalea gardens as well as proper afternoon tea parties in her own backyard garden. Molly has all the qualities that make a great teacher: curiosity, confidence, compassion, keen intellect, grace and a vibrant personality.

Her abundant energy was obvious in the way she would always sled and skate with the children as well as finding many other ways to participate in their activities. The annual KF puppet show was a perfect example of Molly’s understanding of project-based learning and her ability to engage the children in designing their own learning experiences. Her classroom was always alive with a wide variety of activities: painting, weaving, sewing, block building, observing animals and creating projects during free choice time. Her sense of humor was always front and center, exemplified by the annual April Fool’s Day visit of substitute teacher Mrs. MacGilleycutty to the Kindergarten. Dressed as an older lady with a wig, glasses, heavy Southern accent and a dash of charm, Molly never ceased to surprise her students. I will always remember Molly’s warmth and caring way. Her witty presence brought joy to the Thacher community. In faculty meetings she was always available with a new idea, and her vision was instrumental in the Kindergarten full-day planning as a voice for preserving much of what was valuable about the program. I will miss her cheerful ways and pleasant camaraderie in the early mornings, particularly in these past few years when she has been so very supportive of me through a difficult time. Molly retires to spend more time with her husband, Peter, and their family. I am comforted to know that we will hear much more about Molly’s endeavors as she has a wonderful sense of life and purpose. Her grandchildren will be most fortunate to have much more of their grandma in their lives. In the words of Wordsworth, Molly will be remembered for “those little unremembered acts of kindness.” I will miss my friend Molly; she made me a better teacher and a better human being.

Carla Murphy By Terry Gumz, Director of Advancement, and Jackie Greiner, Associate Director of Advancement Since joining the Alumni and Advancement Office in May 2006, Carla Murphy has been a vital and key member of the team. Although hired as database manager and director of research, her actual titles merely skim the surface of the many roles she fulfilled during her years at Country School. With an affinity for problem-solving, it didn’t take long for Carla to become the school’s “go-to” person for all things database-related. The bane of existence to many of us, database or technology conundrums were simply entertainment to Carla. Finding solutions provided the excitement in her job. Whether loading class lists or course pages, sending email blasts or creating directories, entering gifts or managing the Parents’ Association auction database, nothing seemed beyond her realm of expertise. Although not our webmaster by title, she was certainly our “behind-thescenes” master, managing portals, address changes, family and business updates, online directories and event registrations. When she couldn’t find the answer to a problem, she invented it. 22

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She was our data wizard extraordinaire. Undeterred by her 45-minute drive, she managed to deliver daughter Andrea to school in Ridgefield at sunrise and was still among the first to arrive at Country School each morning with daughters Eva ’13 (Grade 9) and Erin ’19 (Grade 8), and dog Greta, with harp in tow—while many of us were still at home eating breakfast. A tireless worker, Carla seemed to be on email day or night. Whether you needed a list, an answer or a solution to a problem, her response never took longer than an hour. Despite moving on to a new adventure mid-year, Carla’s commitment to Country School did not waver. She has continued to be a resource not only to the Advancement Office and Parents’ Association, but also to the Academic Records Office and the Technology Department. She will be missed both on campus and online; we wish her well in her new role at Sacred Heart University.

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Chris and Eric Garrison By Mark Macrides, Archivist Chris and Eric were two of the first people I met when I came to campus in 1985. Eric had arrived in 1979, and Chris joined the staff just three years later. I was impressed by their friendliness and eager to learn from them since they knew the ropes. In her various roles, Chris has always been a champion of that behind-the-scenes work that is so essential to the life of the school. In her multifaceted position as director of transportation she juggled class lists, bus routes, development work and much more. In her earlier years here, computers as we know them today were yet to come and most of that work, which was so important to the school’s daily life and success, Chris did on a typewriter. What amazed me most about Chris was the way in which, at the appointed hour, in super-human fashion, she would put aside her office work, gather her coat and hat, and proceed to her school bus, which was always comfortably and familiarly parked out back, and for the next hour or so, drive her route spiriting children safely to and from school. I can only imagine the comfort those children and parents through the years felt when they saw the friendly face of Mrs. Garrison pull up to their stop. In every office Chris had, she hung a Country School photograph from the ’50s or ’60s of a young boy sitting in a chair much too big for him reading a book. I remember a time when we were moving offices and that photo went missing. Chris would not rest until I found the original and made her a new copy. I believe that speaks volumes of her love for children and her understanding of the value of the work she did for them. When I think of Eric, the word “mentor” immediately comes to mind, and I imagine there are a few thousand former students out there who would have the same thought. As I got to know Eric in his roles as a seventh and ninth grade English and history teacher, drama instructor and director, Horizons Junior Program director, musician, historian, Bulletin editor and…I could go on…I began to gain a better understanding of the independent school world and the type of teacher that belonged there. Eric immediately stood out to me as a person who cared first and foremost about teaching. When, after a few years, I was asked by Nick Thacher to take over the audiovisual department, I thought I was qualified until I came face-to-face with the sound and light equipment in the old Assembly Hall. I need not have feared, for Eric, with his immense knowledge of anything music and theatre-related, was there to help. The great thing about Eric’s help is that he doesn’t just come and do it for you; he shows you how to do it and explains why you do it that way, so that the next time—or in my case, maybe the time after that—you would be equipped to do it yourself. This he does because he is a teacher to the core, and in any situation it is natural for him to share his experience and expertise. I will always be

grateful for that in the same way I imagine hundreds of burgeoning rock band students felt about having a mentor like Eric on campus to nurture and support their particular musical interests, be it the guitar or the drums or even how to record a track. I was fortunate over the years to have known Eric in many different roles, side-by-side at the sound and light board for countless concerts and shows, depending on him to organize the rock bands and set the amps at a non-deafening level at the annual student Happening, and late nights helping him and Lynn Donahue build sets for the plays. The camaraderie of these long nights was a comforting reminder of the many “all nighters” I had pulled in college. They were also lessons for me in the depth of commitment teachers like Eric were willing to make to create experiences that spoke to the school’s mission and the needs of children. It was through conversations with Eric about the importance of preserving and promoting history that led to my interest in the school’s archives. Eric was always available to edit a piece I had written or comment on an idea for a story or exhibit. His commitment to and understanding of school culture was important in his work shepherding the Bulletin along for decades. Some of my most impressive memories of Eric were from the seventh grade Gettysburg/Washington trip that I was fortunate to chaperone four years in a row. Here I marveled at Eric’s expertise as a historian, his knowledge of the Civil War and his ability to turn every moment of those trips into a rich and relevant learning experience. He had a way of making the trip and the history within it a personal experience for all of us. We stayed in local places, met local people that Eric knew from prior years, and really experienced not only the historical sites but what life and culture was like in a part of the country away from our own. As times change and the world moves forward faster, we don’t necessarily see as many teachers making 30-plus-year commitments to independent schools. It is important for all of us to remember that career educators like Eric and Chris Garrison, who dedicated much of their lives to NCCS, were instrumental in helping to shape the values and mission we all hold dear today. From bus routes to backstage and on to the battlefields, we will treasure their contributions always.

summer 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

DEPARtinG FAMiliES This is a bittersweet time for us at Country School. Below is a list of departing families who have been with Country School for five or more years and other families who have graduating ninth graders or have eighth graders who are moving on. We will miss the families who have given so much to our school and wish the students well as they embark on the next step in their academic careers. Eighteen years • Carolyn & Morten Arntzen Hannah ’05, Camilla ’09, Christian ’12, Cecilia ’13 • Nancy & Rick Gould Taylor ’06, Alexander ’07, Charlotte ’10, Cameron ’13 Seventeen years • Karen & John Wood Elizabeth ’07, Caroline ’10, Jack ’13 Fifteen years • Mary Pat Greeff Doug Greeff Hilary ’08, Eugenie ’14 • Linda & Jenkins Marshall Jenkins ’10, Henry ’12, Claire ’13 Fourteen years • Caroleigh & Win Evarts Eliza ’08, Sam ’13 thirteen years • Sarah & Skip Grow John ’10, Hannah ’12, Charlie ’14 • Heidi & George Laub Nick ’09, Kristin ’10, Andrew ’12, Elizabeth ’15 • Alice & Bill† Mahoney Jo Jo ’10, Virginia ’13 twelve years • Lisa & Tim Bazemore Luke ’13 • Sallie Gibson Jim Frederick Bobby ’05, Cole ’11, Tyler ’16 • Kate & David Lowe Oliver ’09, Avery ’11, Brooke ’13 • Cindy & Chris Willis Caroline ’11, George ’13 24

Eleven years • Anne & Jonathan Carr Henry ’12, Melanie ’14, Charlotte ’17 • Alison Keating Rob Hedlund Cuyler ’10, Chase ’14 • Kathi Holz & Michael Zachary Emma ’13 • Lee & Jeff Marine Crosbie ’12, Blair ’14 • Karen & Shel Wappler Sarah Wappler Balsley & Thomas Balsley (Parents of Thomas Balsley ’21) Sam ’07, Ivy ’11, Will ’14 ten years • Susan & Mark Santero Kerri ’09, Beau ’11, Holly ’14 nine years • Elizabeth & Sean Carney Tyler ’14, Emma ’17, Tad ’19, Thomas ’22 • Andrea & Nick Chermayeff Tati ’14, Max ’16 • Pat & Julio Mendoza Frank ’14 • Nancy Geary & Gordon Walker Harry ’15 Eight years • Jiling Huang Jingxiong Huang Karen ’09, Albert ’13

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Seven years • Kristen & Joseph Schlim Kendall ’08, Jaime ’12, Camryn ’14 Six years • Carla & Phil Murphy Erin ’13, Eva ’14, Andrea ’16 • Kuldip & Ranjit Samra Aman ’11, Harlene ’14 • Robin & Mathis Shinnick Rory ’13 Five years • Jennifer & Walt Hauer William ’18 • Julie & Bo Marcus Sammy ’10, Shelby ’11, Robbie ’13, Katherine ’16 • Ellen & Paul Molter Paul ’14 • Lorraine & Brendan O’Halloran Grace ’13, Aidan ’14 • Pamela & Bill Randon James ’09, Oliver ’13 • Deborah Fins & Don Strait Ben ’13 • Vena Wilson-Waugh & Ian Waugh Alyssa Thomas ’13

Four years • Leticia Alguera Moises Rivera ’13 • Dorothy Brill Randy Brill Jack ’13 • Jennifer† & Mark Connelly Ian ’13 • Kristin Gallipoli Frank Gallipoli Lula ’13 • Betsy Moreno Berger Michael Moreno Henry ’14 • Wendy Sardanis Harry Sardanis Dylan ’13 • Tara & Mike Vessels Chase ’14 • Stephanie Joyce & Jim Vos Sophie ’14 • Kristine & Nick Voulgaris Katie ’14 three years • Kate & Glen Balanoff Whitney ’14 • Amy Jebrine George Jebrine Olivia ’14 • Aimee & Doug Mueller Tighe ’13 • Reggie & Dennis Olmstead Reece ’14 † deceased

DEPARtinG FACulty & StAFF Lisa Elmore, Upper School Math ...................................3 years Amanda Fillio, Middle & Upper School Creative Arts ........... 1 year Magnus Olander, Middle School Spanish ....................4 years Cara Woods, Director of Alumni Affairs ......................4 years

ScraPBooK

| Maggie + Riley Newport

Greg Kern with HIS son Christopher 'Topher' Kern

Co-chairs Corinna Taubner and Tracey Riccardi with Tim Bazemore

Ella Kurtz

Sanny Warner + Tina Jones

Kelley + Chris Barnett with son Thomas Barnett + Kitty Rawlings-Green + Abby Barnett

Bailey + Skyler Gendason

John Hastings

Tim Bazemore + Genaro Gonzalez

Susie Wagstaff + Emma LeBaron

Biannual community tag sale raises funds for tuition assistance After months of preparation, Family Fun Night and Deal Days finally arrived April 19. The Watson Gym was brimming with donations, and the selection offered something for everyone at this giant community tag sale. As shoppers entered the space, they were greeted by inspiring furniture vignettes. Friday night sales were brisk as Country School families and staff took advantage of the exclusive shopping preview, snapping up lamps, rugs, furniture and much more. Members of the larger community lined up early Saturday morning, eager to gain â&#x20AC;&#x153;early-birdâ&#x20AC;? access to the sale. The gym was quickly emptied of its wares, remaining items were sent to local charities, and the Deal Days signs were tucked away until the event returns in 2015. Content shoppers were seen driving away with their finds, but their happiness will certainly be surpassed by the joy felt by each student who receives an education thanks to the funds raised for tuition assistance. Thank you to our Deal Days Chairs Tracey Riccardi and Corinna Taubner and Family Fun Night Chairs Kristine Gore, Tina Jones and Sanny Warner.

Summer 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

ScraPBooK

| leadership rECEPTion

On a warm spring evening in May, leadership donors to the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Fund and Ninth Grade Endowment Fund gathered on the terrace of Karen and John Woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful home. Head of School Tim Bazemore thanked everyone for their generous support and applauded Annual Fund chairs Lisa Sparks, Patrick Connors and Karen Wood and Ninth Grade Endowment chairs Kendra and Kevin Seth for their successful leadership.

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1. Jim Parmelee, Heather Raker and Jeff Sparks | 2. Matt leBaron, Matt and nicole Cribbins | 3. Subodh Karnik, Smita Singh, David Strine, Marnie and Jon Gizzie | 4. tracey Riccardi, Brennen Strine and Mariko leBaron | 5. John and Barbara Burns with terry Gumz | 6. Carolyn woodberry shares a laugh with Sarah oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Herron Casey | 7. Jed and Kerry Stevens | 8. Pauline Musto, Claire Salvatore, tim Bazemore, Mara neafsey and laura Parker | 9. Jennifer and Jack Sanders | 10. Bill oppenheim, Jack wood, Joe toce, Ellen oppenheim and Peggy toce | 11. Steve Rodgers and Matt leBaron | 12. Carol and Jack liebau with Karen wood | 13. Alec Casey and Claire Salvatore | 14. John teitler and Riz Rizvi | 15. Eric zeigler, lisa Sparks and Patrick Connors | 16. Morten and Carolyn Arntzen, Chris and Cindy willis and Marianne Buchanan | 17. James Andersen and Eric zeigler, Brooke Connors, Joyce Andersen | 18. tara Coniglio, Alicia Meyer, Megin wolfman

ScraPBooK

| GrAnDPArEnTs & special friends day

5 3 Grandparents & Special friends day was may 8, 2013. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

oliver lefkowitz and Phyllis marchand annabell adams and marianne reifenheiser â&#x20AC;&#x2122;58 russell and Prudence robertson with grandson russell Tarrant audrey magnusen and Vida magnusen Brooke leBaron and faith leBaron dick field and mimi Pastor mackenzie coffield and mayzie coffield Peter crisp and charlie Von Stade chuck and cyrus Pearson liam Griffiths and Natalie abrams luke Bazemore, mario musto, ryan musto and Jack Wood Sylvia cooper and Skyler Gendason milton Walters and Beckett Walters Janet deBard and Jack Johnson caitlin Neafsey and rilla Neafsey

viSit ouR onlinE MEDiA GAllERy FoR MoRE PHotoS FRoM GRAnDPAREntS & SPECiAl FRiEnDS DAy At www.CountRySCHool.nEt/MEDiAGAllERy.

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summer 2013

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

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| Horizons 50th Anniversary

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1. Isabella Serrano, Taylor Stokes and Susan Zhou present the Horizons Golden Globe to emcee Brian Williams. 2. Annika Sotirhos and Sara Alvord 3. Barbara and Jeff Erdmann with Liz Logie 4. David and Lucy Ball with Steve and Wendy Baker 5. John Hastings, 7 Rob Rohn, Jane Schoenholtz and Clifton York 6. Diane Scanlon, Sophie Cabot Black, and Charlie and Patty Delana 7. Jed and Kerry Stevens

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11 8. Tim Bazemore, Lydee Hummel, John Ziac, Amy Downer Brian and Jane Williams and Nick Thacher 9. Angela Zhou, Susan Zhou, Taylor Stokes, Melissa Serrano and Isabella Serrano 10. Holly Parmelee, Tracy McManus and Julie Halloran 11. Roy Pfeil, Topsy Post and David Posen 12. Karen Wood, Liz Logie, Terry Gumz andLynn Quinn

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13. Tracey Riccardi, Saira Rizvi and Mariko LeBaron 14. Susan Schulz, Bob Schulz and Suya Basta 15. Tim and Theresa Delehaunty with Julie Bostwick and Francie Irvine 16. Nancy and John Ziac 17. John Ziac and Bill Buchanan

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

The Horizons Student Enrichment Program at New Canaan Country School held its 50th anniversary gala celebration on March 2 at the Greenwich Hyatt Regency. Emcee Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News and former Country School parent, helped recognize seven honorees for their extraordinary support of the program over many years: Tim Bazemore, head of New Canaan Country School; Amy Downer, former Horizons board chair and current Horizons National board member; Lydee Hummel, former Horizons board member and current member of the Horizons Board of Governors; Roy Pfeil, former Horizons board chair and current co-chair of the Horizons Board of Governors; Nick Thacher, former head of Country School and Horizons board member; Jane Williams, former Horizons board chair and current chair of the Horizons National board; and John Ziac, Country School director of finance and operations and Horizons board member. A crowd of approximately 450 people enjoyed a live auction, dinner and dancing to the music of New York City Swing. The event was co-chaired by Sarah O’Herron Casey ’80 and Anne-Lie Kleeman. Horizons was founded in 1964 by Country School’s late headmaster, George Stevens, who saw the bucolic campus sitting empty during the summer months and started what amounted to a fresh air camp. In the 50 years since, Horizons has grown to a year-round K–12 program providing local students from low-income families with hands on academic, artistic and athletic opportunities. All Horizons members of the class of 2012 graduated from high school, and 96 percent of them enrolled in college in the fall—a remarkable feat when compared to their peers in the Stamford and Norwalk public school systems, where high school graduation rates average 77 percent.

For more information about Horizons, visit www.horizonskids.org.

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

inspiring the

nEXt GEnERAtion

The New canaan country School alumni award is presented each year to honor an alumna or alumnus who best embodies the statement from the School’s mission: “New canaan country School inspires students to be lifelong learners with the courage and confidence to make a positive contribution to the world.” Previous winners include: 2011–2012: 2010–2011: 2009–2010: 2008–2009: 2007–2008: 2006–2007: 2005–2006: 2004–2005: 2003–2004: 2002–2003: 2001–2002: 2000–2001: 1999–2000: 1998–1999: 1997–1998:

matt Heineman ’98 rick ackerly ’60 Ted Hoagland ’47 Patricia Gates lynch ewell ’41 Hardy Jones ’58 elizabeth Spelke ’64 l. Paul Bremer ’56 edmund l. resor ’66 William a. Shutkin ’80 emily mead ’41 Keith H. Brodie ’54 Samuel Sachs ’50 elizabeth S. crow ’61 Hedrick Smith ’47 Jonathan B. o’Brien ’53 & Joan dominick o’Brien ’53 1996–1997: Peter Goldmark ’55 If you have any recommendations for other alumni to consider for this award in the future, please email name and background to alumni@countryschool.net. Thanks!

During her visit to campus to accept the 2013 Alumni Award, liz Barratt-Brown ’74 inspired the next generation of tree huggers, fourth graders Kate Scarborough, Amalia Calderini, Meghan Sisk, Sydney Coffield, Phoebe naylor and Audrey Magnusen.

a l u m ni

| spotlight

Environmental Attorney Liz Barratt-Brown ’74 Receives Alumni Award Liz Barratt-Brown ’74 returned to her first alma mater to receive the 2013 New Canaan Country School Alumni Award on May 17. Throughout her career as an international environmental lawyer, she has drawn upon many of the values instilled in her from a very young age at Country School, she told the audience, which included fellow alumni, current students and faculty, and her favorite teacher, Pat Stoddard, during the award presentation. As an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the nation’s largest and most effective environmental organizations, Ms. Barratt-Brown has advocated for critical national and global environmental problems. Ms. Barratt-Brown started her career with NRDC in 1981 after graduating from Brown University in the first class of Environmental Studies majors. After half a decade in Washington, D.C., working for NRDC and for Senator Lautenberg on Capitol Hill, Ms. Barratt-Brown returned to Connecticut to get her degree from Yale Law School. Her love for nature began early, fostered by teachers who encouraged her to explore the 75-acre campus at New Canaan Country School and at New Canaan Nature Center, where she loved to catch frogs. “I have so many memories being here at school from Beginners through ninth grade and out on this beautiful campus,” she said. Most recently, Ms. Barratt-Brown has worked to raise the profile of Canada’s boreal forest and against the strip mining and drilling for oil from the “tar sands” region of Alberta’s Boreal forest. She was central to the launch of and continues to work on the campaign against the high-profile and controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline that would cross the Great Plains on its way to deepwater ports in the Gulf of Mexico. She encouraged the students to take action on issues that matter to them. “You have to get out there and take a risk and sometimes push yourself beyond your comfort zone,” she said. “Because when you work on an

issue, it makes you so much more optimistic that you can solve the problem.” In the 1980s, Ms. Barratt-Brown worked to stem acid rain in both Canada and the eastern U.S. In 1990, the Clean Air Act was revised and included a provision that has resulted in halving acid rain pollution. In the ’90s, she led a successful campaign to stop the clearcut logging of some of the last temperate rain forests in the world. Together with groups from around the world, she crafted a “markets” campaign to enlist buyers of old growth forest products, most notably retail giant Home Depot, to help protect 5 million acres of forest in British Columbia’s “Great Bear Rainforest.” This work stemmed from an earlier campaign to conserve a million acres in Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Sound. She later worked in Manitoba to protect millions of acres of forest threatened by hydropower development. All of her work was done partnering closely with native leaders and local environmental groups. Ms. Barratt-Brown has also worked on critical global environmental problems. In 1992, she represented NRDC at the Rio Earth Summit and in negotiations leading up to the adoption of “Agenda 21” and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Rio. She continued to work to strengthen the climate change treaty for many years after the summit. One of her proudest achievements was crafting, while working with Senator Lautenberg, the nation’s first community right-to-know act on toxic chemicals, called the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI requires facilities handling chemicals to disclose their release to the air, water and land. It has been a critical tool in assessing and protecting communities, first responders and workers near these facilities. Ms. Barratt-Brown serves on the board of the Center for a New American Dream and was a cofounder and board member of ForestEthics. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Bos Dewey, and their two children, Barratt and Eliza. They also run an olive and sheep farm in Mallorca, Spain, where they produce organic and Slow Foodregistered extra-virgin olive oil, and host weddings, retreats and family gatherings. summer 2013

Liz Barratt-Brown ’74 (right) is congratulated on her award by her favorite teacher, Pat Stoddard.

“ Y o u h av e t o g e t o u t th e r e a n d t a k e a r isk a n d s o m e ti m e s p u sh y o u r s e l f beyond your comfort zone. B e c a u s e wh e n you work on a n iss u e , it makes you so much more o pti m isti c th a t y o u c a n s o lv e th e p r o b l e m .”

New Canaan Country School Bulletin

a l u m ni

| Events & Gatherings

Homecoming 2

NCCS hosted the Annual Homecoming for all members of the school community on Oct. 13, 2012. The varsity soccer, football and field hockey teams played stellar games, and children of all ages participated in a campus “Fun Run” with coach Will McDonough and the NCCS Cougar. Members of the Alumni Council, along with a great group of local NCCS alumni, joined in the festivities. 1. Seventh grade girls and the NCCS Cougar | 2. Tucker ’90 and Oliver ’22 Golden with grandfather Arthur Golden P ’90, ’94, ’98, GP ’22 | 3. Alumni Council members Diane Monson ’51 and Carl Rhode ’66 | 4. Sarah ’80 and Alec Casey P ’13, ’15, ’15 | 5. Bea Whitton ’06, Libby Whitton ’09 and Lindsay Whitton Christ ’98, with Emi Coughlin Basaran ’98, her husband, Hakan Basaran, and their son, Henry, and Emi’s father, Ron Coughlin P ’94, ’98, ’02

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ALUM N I

Class of 2012 Reunion Almost every member of the Class of 2012 came back to campus to celebrate the class’s first official reunion as NCCS alumni on Nov. 20, 2012. They enjoyed catching up with faculty and each other. A special thank you goes to Class Representatives Olivia Consoli and Christian Arntzen for helping to spread the word and encouraging classmates to attend.

1. Class of 2012 members Susanna Baker, Lucy Baldwin, Hannah Grow, C.J. York, Henry Carr, Kevin Pendo, Dylan Rathbone, Diego Blandon, Will Landis and Grant Galasso reunite with their 2011–12 homeroom teacher, Jean O’Dell. | 2. Members of the Class of 2012 at their first NCCS reunion | 3. 2012 classmates Mackenzie Lewis, Kat Norton, C.J. York, Maggie Small, Brandon Salvatore, Alec Bickerstaff, Jack Lane and Kevin Pendo with faculty member Andrew Dole.

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

NCCS Career Connections presented by the Alumni Council

On Thursday, Jan. 10, Country School alumni from a variety of professional fields participated in a panel discussion followed by a networking and cocktail reception that drew alumni from a range of class years. Special thanks are due to Sandy Carr Motland ’58, chair of the Career Connections committee, the Knowles Family (Sue II ’61 and Jim Knowles P ’89, ’92, ’94, ’97, GP ’22) for graciously hosting the event at the Roger Smith Hotel for the third year running, as well as Stephanie Bowling Zeigler ’81, Alumni Council President and panel moderator and panelists: Chris Bean ’83 P’14, ’15, ’17, Director, MacGuffin Films Ltd.; Chandler Bewkes ’97, Assistant Brand Manager, Oikos Greek Yogurt; Daniel DiBiasio ’92 & Past Trustee, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley; Jenny Hess ’81, Special Events Consultant; and Joe Toce P’98, ’02 & Trustee, Managing Director, WTAS. 1. Chandler Bewkes ’97, Ashley Vereschagin ’97 and Tracy Brislin ’97| 2. Daniel Dibiasio ’92, Sandy Carr Motland ’58, Joe Toce P’98, ’02 | 3. Emmy Burleigh ’03, Caroline Downer ’04 and Flora Birnbaum ’04 | 4. Career Connections moderator Stephanie Bowling Zeigler ’81 P ’14, ’17, ’20, and panelists Daniel DiBiasio ’92, Chandler Bewkes ’97, Jenny Hess ’81, Chris Bean ’83 P’14, ’15, ’17 and Joe Toce P’98, ’02, with Margaret “Anne” Moritz Slaughter ’81, P ’11, ’14 in the audience.

1st annual nyc

Alumni Reception for the 35 and under crowd

There was a great turnout at O’Casey’s in New York City on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. This first-ever young alumni event is sure to become a great NCCS alumni tradition.

NYC Reception

Alumni from the Classes of 1948 to 2005, gathered April 4 at PS450 in New York City, at which Head of School Tim Bazemore updated the crowd on current happenings at NCCS.

1. Greg Moroney (GCDS ’96, fiance of Jen Cavanaugh ’00), Allie Cavanaugh ’05, David Mandler ’01, Brooke Cavanaugh ’01, Emily Mendez-Penate ’01, Hillery Williams ’01 and Jen Cavanaugh ’00. | 2. Peter Garfield ’77 and his wife O Zhang | 3. Jay Gunther ’56, Joel Post ’81 and Alan Frese ’48. | 4. Director of Advancement Terry Gumz with Dede and Chris Christopherson GP ’18, ’20 | 5. Scott Hendrickson ’93, Suzy Gibbons Owen ’94, Ryan Oakes ’93, Oliver “Ollie” Butler ’93 | 6. Debbie Tauber ’85, Peter Garfield ’77 and Josh Ziac ’86 P ’15, ’17 | 7. Jay Gunther ’56 and Head of School Tim Bazemore | 8. Alexandra “Xandy” Peters ’04, Patrick Barragan ’04, Andrew Williams ’04, Carl Brodnax ’76 P ’11, ’16 and Emmy Burleigh ’03

4 1. Brian Cotter ’02 and Lee Cochran ’02 | 2. Carolyn Silverman ’03, Reid Colligan ’02, Connor O’Rourke ’02, Anne Greenwood ’02, Annie Rauscher ’02 and George McGinniss ’02 | 3. The Class of 2004 made a strong showing at the NYC gathering at O’Caseys. Front row, left to right: Hank Wyman, Holly Donaldson, Nikki Bongaerts and Eliza Kontulis; back row, left to right: Dan Gleason, Andrew Williams, Channing Tookes, Reilyn Zaro, Kelsy Craig and Patrick Barragan. | 4. Ashley Vereschagin ’97, Matt Heineman ’98 and Chandler Bewkes ’97

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

ScraPBooK

3 5

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ScraPBooK

13 12

14 frogtown fair was on

may 18, 2013

rrigan ’81 9. Paula Kennedy Ha an ir 1. dania Zein, megh Bo Harrigan with the d an Griffiths, madeleine nie an r hte daug abe mccarthy, morgan ra 10. Head of School Tim de Sta von ot in and Talb Bazemore takes a turn Shannon 2. andrew dole and booth ng nki du the bulldog Walsh with lester the w Williams ’04, donnell 11. andre 3. mimi and Paige mc g Tookes ’04 and nin an ch returns 4. The fire engine ride ragan ’04 Bar Patrick e as a perennial favorit y rice childs ’94 itne Wh 12. Sam ndfa5. John Beattie ’63, and her son and gra , George Grove ’38 ’63 ilds ch 17 r Sam childs ’63 the and Tim Bazemore 13. Kurt Nelson and his n cel6. Seventy-fifth reunio daughter Vivian ve ’38 on the ebrants George Gro a visitor takes a ride 14. and Bill Helm ’38 ned carousel shio -fa old hael 7. former teacher mic 15. miller Burr mcNaught with marnie nd 16. Teacher raphe elki and mcNaught Hinze ’87 , ’93 oy offr Ge 17. evan d her children matt Schneider ’93 an d an n use gn ma 8. mark s est gu their Steve rodgers

viSit ouR onlinE MEDiA GAllERy FoR MoRE PHotoS FRoM FRoGtown FAiR At www.CountRySCHool.nEt/MEDiAGAllERy.

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

s c r a pb o o k

| alumni REUNION

Reunion 2013 was, by all accounts, a huge success, with a record turnout of more than 100 alumni and guests coming to NCCS to join in the festivities. Highlights from the weekend included: • An amazing presentation from Alumni Award Recipient Liz Barratt-Brown ’74 to Upper School students, faculty and staff on May 16. • 75th reunion celebrants George Grove ’38 and Bill Helm ’38, along with his wife, Eleanor “Nella” Lloyd Helm ’43, also celebrating her 70th reunion, making the trip to NCCS from Vermont and New Hampshire, respectively. • Fabulous musical entertainment at the reunion cocktail reception by members of the band Dexter, featuring Jona Ziac ’88, on bass and guitar. • From California, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida and D.C., to Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts, alumni traveled from near and far to reconnect with each other and the school. A special thank you to our terrific reunion chairs, who rallied the troops and encouraged classmates to attend: • 1938 (75th Reunion) George Grove • 1963 (50th Reunion) Sam Childs and Reg Morgan • 1973 (40th Reunion) Steve MacKenzie • 1988 (25th Reunion) Sharon Gibbons Teles and Sanny Burnham Warner • 2003 (10th Reunion) Steve Bloom, Liza Carey and Haley Priebe

New Canaan Country School Bulletin s u m m e r 2 0 1 3

ScraPBooK

AttEntion ClASSES EnDinG in 4 & 9: nEXt yEAR iS youR yEAR to CElEBRAtE! if you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Alumni office at alumni@countryschool.net or (203) 801-5687. it’s never too early to start planning!

1. class of 1963 50th reunion, front row, left to right: connie Wootton Nichols, Betsy Jones Zwick, lucy adams Billings, Jane mccall Politi and lee martin de Young; back row, left to right: John Beattie, Jim Goodwin, Sam childs, reg morgan and ann “Bambi” Bradley Sigurdsson. 2. chris downer’03, Nick downer ’03 and Kari cholnoky ’03 arrive for the reunion cocktail reception in the Stevens Building. 3. 75th and 70th reunion celebrants Bill ’38 and eleanor “Nella” ’43 Helm and George Grove ’38 4. members of the class of 1973 celebrated their 40th reunion at a dinner hosted by Steve ’73 and lisa macKenzie. left to right: Tom reed, don o’Brien, lore childs macdonald, Nick childs, laura Taylor, Steve macKenzie and Brooks Tanner. 5. Jona Ziac ’88 performs at the reunion cocktail reception with his band, dexter. 6. reunion archival display created by NccS archivist, project and events manager and creative arts teacher mark macrides. 7. It was too rainy for the 10th reunion celebrants to play lawn games, as was originally planned, but everyone had fun hanging out before the cocktail reception and class dinner. 8. class of 1988 25th reunion, front row, left to right: Susie rankin Weber, courtney altschul olsen, elizabeth Blabey Janiga, Sharon Gibbons Teles, Jona Ziac; back row, left to right: Wendy Holding, Win Burke, Sanny Burnham Warner, amanda Bryan Briggs, Justine ambrecht mullin, matt Shackleford. 9. Peter farnsworth ’03, Steven Bloom ’03 and Steven’s parents, Barbara and Gary Bloom P ’98, ’00, ’03, enjoy the reunion cocktail reception. 10. devon degen (guest of Ben Simpkins ’03), Ben Simpkins ’03, carolyn Silverman ’03 and emmy Burleigh ’03 check out the archival display. 11. Warming up for their 10th reunion in 2014, friends from the class of 2004, Patrick Barragan, dan Gleason, andrew Williams and channing Tookes came back to campus to celebrate their ninth reunion this year. 12. class of 2003 10th reunion, first row, left to right: charlotte mezoff, Kari cholnoky, carolyn Silverman, emmy Burleigh; second row, left to right: eric epstein, Jonathan Spector, connor Burleigh, Ben Simpkins; third row, left to right: Steven Bloom and Peter farnsworth viSit ouR onlinE MEDiA GAllERy FoR MoRE PHotoS FRoM AluMni REunion 2013 At www.CountRySCHool.nEt/MEDiAGAllERy.

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New Canaan Country School Bulletin

eNdPIece

Inspiring a community

early school buses waiting for departing students

By Mark Macrides, Archivist

ecently I became interested in the history of bus transportation at Country School. Research led me to the early scrapbooks, specifically to the 1941–42 school year, where there was reference to transportation. What is fascinating about this particular school year is that it was the first year the United States was directly involved in World War II, and throughout the scrapbook are references, direct and indirect, to the school’s involvement in the war effort. It is interesting to read through this scrapbook, so similar to the 80 or so others, with accounts of academic advancements, athletic events and school plays, yet also peppered with references to supply shortages, air raid drills and tire rationing. The subject of tire rationing attracted my curiosity along with a letter from then-Board President John F. Caskey. Written just weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, the letter makes reference to tire rationing affecting school transportation, which, at that time, was the responsibility of the parents. With tire shortages on the horizon and many parents preoccupied with war responsibilities, NCCS was challenged to rethink its methods of transporting students to and from school. A committee of trustees, parents and teachThe lend-lease locker ers was quickly formed to form created by students to gather information about items on loan

New Canaan Country School Bulletin S u m m e r 2 0 1 3

look into the feasibility of bus service. At the annual meeting held on Jan. 26, 1942, a ballot was presented to the parent body containing three questions related to the establishment of bus transportation. Over 80 percent of the families affected voted “yes” to buses, and with specific recommendations by the administrative committee, service was instituted for the second half of the school year. It is always exciting, through the understanding of our history, to discover the motivation behind many of the programs that we take for granted. I was eager to learn more about what else the war might have inspired in the Country School community of 1942 and turned the pages to a story titled “The Lend-Lease Locker.” Students then—as they are now—were eager to find ways to make a difference in the world. Awareness on campus about the war provided them with opportunities to think about service. The Lend-Lease Locker, which took its name from the United States’ wartime policy of supplying Great Britain with critical supplies, was designed by students as a way to, in their words, “pool our interchangeable resources and start a Lend-lease system of our own.” The system recommended establishing a “Coop. Bureau” that would sort and store supplies that could be used by one group when not in use by another. The students even designed a form to provide information about the materials that were on loan to the Locker. With this system, the students were able to develop an effective response to the need to conserve material goods in the face of the shortages created by the war. Today, it is difficult to imagine a typical school year in the face of a world war, but not hard to imagine a typical Country School response to problem-solving and service learning.

The Welles Society Established in 1996 and named after Country School’s first headmaster, Henry H. Welles, the Welles Society recognizes and honors those alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends who have made special provisions to support the school in their estate plans. If you would like more information on how you might be included in this distinguished group, please contact Terry Gumz, Director of Advancement, at tgumz@countryschool.net or 203-801-5633. Member Anonymous ’46 Anonymous P ’76 Pauletta and Ralph Beaty GP ’14, ’16 C. Daniel Bergfeld ’58 Karen Brody P ’99 Loocie Brown ’74 Susan Haigh Carver ’51 Margaret Childs P ’85, ’83, ’76, ’75, ’73, ’73, ’72 Judith Bricken Flanagan ’63 Timothy Gilbert* ’56 Jack D. Gunther Jr. ’56 Heather Winters and Cary Holcomb P ’10 Robert Hubby ’54 Lorna Layton Kellogg ’83 Sarah Storm Lockee ’55 Charles T. Lusk ’56 S. Brinton Luther ’76

Mrs. Walter Mansfield* P ’63, ’64, ’59, ’58 Robert McKay ’81 Sandy Carr Motland ’58 Katie and Kenneth F. Mountcastle P ’78, ’69 Jonathan O’Herron* P ’80, GP ’15, ’15, ’13, ’09, ’08, ’07, ’06, ’05, ’05, ’03, ’03, ’02 Joanna Pennypacker* ’45 Jane Pollock* P ’63 Joel S. Post ’81 Linda* and George Post P ’81, ’68, ’66, ’65, ’63, GP ’00, ’95 Heidi and Douglas Riggs P ’02 Patsy Rogers ’52 Kathy and Peter Sachs ’54 P ’99, ’97, ’03 John W. Stokes* P ’87, ’82 Steven Tower ’65 Dart Winship ’42 Sarah Mleczko Woolworth ’73

Current Faculty and Staff Elizabeth Hulme Holly and Bruce Lemoine P ’08, ’06, ’05 Former Faculty and Staff Albert “Ben” V. Bensen* P ’72, ’67, ’66, ’63 Jean Caldwell* David Crandall ’77 P ’08, ’09 Ann Martin DiLeone P ’78, ’74, ’72 Anneliese and Breni Gastrich Sue and Guthrie* Speers P ’77, ’75, ’73, ’72 Marilyn Starr Pat and Hudson Stoddard P ’75, ’72, ’71, GP ’06, ’03 Sarah and Nicholas Thacher P ’88, ’85 *–deceased P’–parent class of GP’–grandparent of alumni class of ’–alumni class of

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Calendar of Upcoming Events Homecoming ..................................................................................Saturday, Oct. 19 Young Alumni New York City Reception ................................Wednesday, Dec. 4 New York City Reception ..........................................................Wednesday, April 9 Spring Event & Auction ...................................................................Saturday, May 3 Frogtown Fair and Alumni Picnic................................................Saturday, May 17 Reunion Dinners: Classes ending in 4’s and 9’s ..........................Saturday, May 17

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