GFA Magazine Winter 2023

GREENS FARMS ACADEMY MAGAZINE | winter 2023

dynamic future spaces

Leaning into wonder: the arts

Dragon Nation’s banner seasonS

GFA engages students as partners in an innovative, inclusive, and globally minded community to prepare them for lives of purpose.

GREENS FARMS ACADEMY MAGAZINE

Winter 2023

Editors

Erin Cuomo

Michelle Levi

Design

Lindsay Russo

Photography

Carrie Amicucci

Yoon S. Byun

John Nash

Rhonda Spevak

Contributors

Carrie Amicucci

Eduardo Amorim

Ana Holwell

Samuel MacDonald ’23

John Nash

Aneesh Roy ’23

Greens Farms Academy does not discriminate against any person in admission, financial aid, program involvement, employment, or otherwise because of sexual orientation, race, religion, age, gender, national origin, or disability.

arts

50

46 athletics

A message from the head of school, BOB WHELAN

Architect and urban planner Kevin Lynch coined the phrase “wayfinding” in the early 1960s to describe the art and science of using signs, symbols, and other information to reveal elements of an environment to enable people to better understand a destination. Each year I have the privilege of watching new students and families discover GFA. It’s a process that features a range of program offerings, tours, and engagement with our students and faculty. On a recent revisit day for admitted students, one new parent described GFA as “effervescent,” noting that from the moment they set foot on campus, her children seemed to be “bubbling over” with enthusiasm for their courses, teachers, teams, and the school community. As you read this issue of GFA magazine, we suspect you’ll get a sense of what she meant.

The first half of the 2022–2023 school year had an elevated sense of vibrancy with a fall semester that felt more “like school” than at any time since the dawn of the pandemic three years ago. We felt incredibly fortunate to have an array of enrichment opportunities with visiting scholars and artists, athletic championships (page 50), and show-stopping moments in the PAC from performing arts (page 46). As the (longest-ever) magazine issue suggests, it has indeed been an “effervescent” fall.

And while daily life on Beachside can be fast-paced, the principles laid out by our Strategic Direction, Lives of Purpose (www. livesofpurpose.com) provide us with clear guideposts and mile markers that light the way. With the backdrop of an “education powered by purpose,” it was a joy to welcome a range of talented visitors to campus this year, including Dr. Jonathan Haidt, Dr. Lisa Damour, artist Jerry Craft, and Holocaust survivor Agnes Vertes to name a few, and to watch as GFA revealed itself to them and to learn from the impact they have had on our students (pages 14–27). You will read how some new faces in our visual arts faculty have brought unique expertise and energy (pages 40–43) and how our commitment to sustainability (page 28) has expanded and taken new forms.

We are pleased to unveil some ways we are leaning into the Lives of Purpose principle, “making space and time to connect and collaborate.” On pages 34–39, you can get a glimpse of some exciting developments (and see some renderings!) related to our building goals, including the Lower School Dining and Student Commons, and a vision for a state-of-the-art Athletic and Wellness Center.

Earlier this year, I sent an aerial photograph of GFA today to former Head of School Jim Coyle, who oversaw GFA’s growth from 1972 to 1998. His response upon first seeing the evolution of the campus and facilities was perfect: “My how you have grown.”

And while we look forward to what lies ahead, it is the thoughtful stewardship offered by past school leadership, the relationships forged by our faculty, and the connections our alumni develop with each other and with this place that our community is built upon. Enjoy features on two of our more recent alums (pages 74–81), a special interview between former Board Members (and much more) Lynne Laukhuf and Jane Kentnor Dean ’52 (pages 70–73), photos from alumni gatherings, and your class notes.

David Durkin P ’18, ’22, ’23, Chair of the Board of Trustees, currently in his twelfth year as the father of multiple Dragons, may have said it best when he congratulated new families for finding their way to the GFA community. “You know as a parent, either explicitly or implicitly, that your influence on your children diminishes a little each day. The influence this school has on your children is tremendous. The care and the love that they get here is incredible, and they will leave here better humans and better prepared for life than when they showed up.”

Whatever your relationship is with GFA, we’re glad you found your way here.

Each for all,

“My how you have grown.”

Jim Coyle former head of school

Board of Trustees

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

David Durkin, P ’18, ’22, ’23, President/Chair

Samantha Rorer Mooney, P ’18, ’20, Vice President/Vice Chair

Michael Blitzer, P ’24, ’27, Treasurer

Vani Bettegowda, P ’22, ’25, Secretary

Roger Ferris, P ’18, ’18, ’20, ’28

Ward Horton, P ’24, ’28

Gil Aikins, P ’33

Barbara Cona Amone, P ’23

Rebecca Bliss

Bill Bucknall, GP ’24, ’26

Sanford “Sandy” Ewing, P ’20, ’23, ’26

Meade Fogel, P ’27, ’28, ’28

Sandra Frost, P ’25, ’29

Roopali Hall, P ’31, ’33

Kristen McDonald, P ’21, ’23, ’25

Nadene McKenzie-Reid, P ’25

Thomas Murphy, P ’19, ’21, ’22, ’26

Sean Obi ’13

Kim Keller Raveis ’88, P ’23, ’25, ’28

Kate Roth ’90, Ed.D., P ’20, ’23

Don San Jose, P ’22, ’25

Gregg Tenser, P ’23, ’25

Angela Timashev, P ’21, ’23

Emily Von Kohorn ’96

Ex-officio: Bob Whelan, P ’24

new members

Gil Aikins, P ’33

Gil Aikins worked for several years on Wall Street at top-tier investment firms in fixed income and international equities; however, his passion for traveling and emerging markets finance led him to live and work in Ghana, South Africa, and Brazil. During this time abroad, he took a leap of faith to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. These early business ventures ultimately led to Gil founding Global Securities Consulting Group LLC in 2017 - a 100% owned and operated minority business enterprise delivering executive management, C-suite level consulting, and a range of operational and compliance services to broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other institutional financial market participants worldwide.

Gil graduated from Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT and earned his B.A. in English from William and Mary and an M.B.A in Finance from Tulane University. He also obtained a Certificate in Brazilian Studies from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) in São Paulo.

Gil served on the GFA Advisory Council from 2020 -2022 and has been an active volunteer (along with his wife, Natasha) in the GFA community. They live in Easton with their two daughters.

Roopali Agarwal Hall is a graduate of Amherst College with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. Roopali spent seven years at Lehman Brothers in the Investment Banking Division, working in the Leveraged Finance and Loan Capital Markets Groups. Later, she pursued her passion for healthcare and sports and earned her doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine in 2014. She has worked with many athletes of all calibers including members of the NHL, WTA, and NFL.

At Amherst, Roopali was captain of both the Women’s Varsity Tennis and Squash teams. Outside of her career, Roopali has been committed to supporting programs that provide opportunities to low-income high school students in both New York City and Connecticut.

While living in NYC she volunteered with Urban Dove, a youth development program geared towards reengaging students and helping them develop skills to stay on track in school and plan for their future. Here in Fairfield County, Roopali works with Future Five, providing high school students in Stamford with coaching and programs that help them reach their academic and career goals.

At GFA, she has served on the Advisory Council, as a GFA Fund Captain, and as a class parent. She lives in Stamford with her husband, Peter, and their two daughters.

Roopali Hall, P ’31, ’33

Homecoming

This year’s Homecoming celebration was filled with passion, excellence, community, and school spirit. Kicking off with the Alumni vs. JV soccer game, the alumni team held onto their title! Dragon Nation was certainly booming with energy as alumni, parents, current students, faculty, and staff came together to honor GFA athletes and spread Dragon camaraderie.

Bringing back popular Dragon Fair favorites such as the bake and merchandise sale, a community cookout, and the chance to cheer on our top athletes, the Parents Association made this year’s Homecoming a roaring success.

“Homecoming and Dragon Fair are always one of the first days of the school year where our community from oldest to youngest, plus alumni, gather back on campus. The energy is palpable and this year was a hit - thanks to all of you who volunteered.”

Beth Hempleman, P ’26, ’28, ’31 Co-chair of Homecoming Committee

An Evening of Shared Food, Stories, and Joy Returns to Campus

On November 4, a GFA signature event returned in person after three years and hundreds of GFA students, parents, siblings, and faculty and staff members convened in the McGrath gallery for a bright evening featuring food from dozens of heritages, an African Jollof rice cook-off, and a beautiful program filled with poems, music, and personal stories from across our diverse community. It was a quintessential GFA evening.

As the month of October came to a close, the middle schoolers took time learning, having discussions, and raising funds for breast cancer awareness. One of these great learning moments was in the midst of the Middle School Pink Out.

Meant as a day to raise awareness and start conversations, the middle schoolers gathered in the forum dressed in all pink. They spent the day learning more about the disease, and the steps to take for early detection.

Throughout the Pink Out event, students raised money for breast cancer research and were matched by funds crowdsourced from the 7th and 8th grade Halloween Dance, totaling almost $700.

Norma Pfriem Center, a local non-profit, joined the event and helped educate our students on the topic of cancer treatment and research.

Most notably, a Middle School legend, Carolyn Skiba, took the mic and talked about her own experience fighting breast cancer. Carolyn shared her experience with the illness, how she dealt with it emotionally and physically, and the lessons that came from it. One of her ways to look at her battle against the illness was to treat it like a triathlon, each step of the journey representing a different leg of the race. People who have had cancer are often looked at and called “survivors,” but Carolyn expressed that this term never

suited her. Being someone who tries to always look at the positive and keep an eye on the light ahead, “survivor” was too passive of a term for her. Carolyn said that anyone who goes through something like this has to fight, digging deep for themselves and their families.

A GFA parent said to her, “you are going to war,” which helped her come to terms with the decision that she is not a survivor, rather a warrior who was fighting a battle. In a moment of education and empathy, Breast Cancer Awareness Month provided the opportunity to present GFA middle schoolers with a new topic and wealth of knowledge that helped them open their eyes to people’s varying experiences.

Carolyn Skiba Assistant to the Head of Middle School

“Know your bodies, know any signs, and when you question it and go to the doctor, if they turn you away, keep listening to your body. If it is something, you can say ‘okay I was right’ and that empowers you as an individual to be proactive for your own health.”

Lower School

On November 17, the Lower School students took part in their first Big Build STEAM project of the year.

The goal?

Create a friend for the GFA dragon!

Prior to the Big Build, students were shown a video of the dragon walking around the school, clearly lonely and looking for friends to play with. With curiosity and wonder in mind, the assignment was to create a STEAM project that would be accessible and engaging for all students, Pre-K through grade four. The only guidelines were for students to work in groups to build new friends for the dragon.

The Lower School students made their way to the Coyle Gym to work on this project as an entire division. The countdown clock was set to 30 minutes, music played in the background, and students got to work, bringing their imagined creatures to life.

In the weeks leading up to the project, teachers collected recycled materials that the students would use to build their creatures. Each group began with a select amount of materials, and were given the opportunity to visit the large pile in the center of the Coyle Gym to collect more materials.

With a new sense of creative direction and collaboration, the lower schoolers eagerly await the next Big Build.

Grow HereDreams

Horizons GFA’s annual Fall Gala was back in person this year! With ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, P ’19, ’21 (former GFA parent and trustee) returning as host, the event marked a historic recordbreaking year in fundraising thanks to the GFA community, generous donors, and dedicated volunteers.

Proceeds from the event support Horizons GFA’s academic programming, technologic equipment, individualized socialemotional learning, SAT prep and tutoring, college guidance and visit opportunities, career training and placement, and more. The theme, “Dreams Grow Here,” was a testament to the incredible work Horizons does to provide students with the tools and opportunities to follow their dreams, Pre-K through college and career.

Christina Whittaker

Executive Director

Lisa Moore

Director of Academics & Family Engagement

Allison Rosen Director of Development

Monique Rutledge

Director of Operations & Enrichment

Luz Sanchez Program Assistant

Dr. Suzanne Barnett

Manager of College and Career Readiness Program

Brenda Moreno

High School Program Manager

th

Annual State of the School

Head of School Bob Whelan, the Board of Trustees, parents, faculty and staff gathered January 12, 2023 for the ninth annual State of the School. Towards the end of the program, Whelan gave audience members a look at the downfield goal to build a state-of-the-art Athletic and Wellness Center offering renderings and an architectural fly through of the envisioned space. Renderings of the new Lower School Dining and Student Commons were also shared.

Beginning with a cocktail reception, the event showcased the two student a capella groups, Harbor Blues and Beachside Express. Following the musical moment, David Durkin P ’18, ’22, ’23 shared an overview of the school’s financial outlook.

“This evening is about community, continuity, and a shared purpose, and it feels right that we are here together celebrating the ninth State of the School, with the school’s highest enrollment just two years shy of our centennial,” he said. Durkin outlined GFA’s expenses, revenue, and total endowment, and noted that continuing to grow total endowment remains a top priority for the school.

At last year’s State of the School, GFA’ Strategic Design was unveiled, and Whelan invited school administrators to join him on stage to recount some of the strides that have been taken toward these goals. After a video showcasing how curiosity fuels GFA students to “lean into wonder,” Head of School Bob Whelan invited Associate Head of School, Sue Teyan, to give an update on Inquiry, Advanced Inquiry and STEAM. With over 200 inquiry projects, participation is up 26 percent from last year.

Next, Jane Verlin, Head of Lower School, discussed program advancements in the Lower School curriculum and Reading Inquiry followed by Upper School counselor Stephanie Van Hatten, who gave an update on the growth of socialemotional learning and mental health.

Lastly, Director of Athletics and Physical Education, Eric Lee, talked about the athletic experience, giving testament to the unmatched support and care GFA athletes receive both on and off the field. See page 40 for more on the future building goals.

You can watch the State of the School video here.

Password: SOTS2023

“This evening is about community, continuity, and a shared purpose, and it feels right that we are here together celebrating the 9th State of the School, with the school’s highest enrollment just two years shy of our centennial.”

David Durkin P ’18, ’22, ’23

Jerry Craft

writes (and draws) his way into history

One of the pillars of GFA’s Strategic Direction, Lives of Purpose, is that deep learning begins with belonging. The school works to “strengthen our external connections by expanding programs that engage” and specifically bring talent to Beachside to work, listen, and learn alongside us.

On February 8 and 9, New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Jerry Craft spent two days immersed in our environment as a Janet Hartwell Visiting Fellow. The author of New Kid, Class Act, and the upcoming School Trip spoke at assemblies to all divisions, held an evening event for parents, conducted writing and drawing workshops, met with small groups of students, signed books, and dined with our faculty of color.

Craft’s work has earned him numerous honors including the John Newbery Medal, Kirkus Prize, and Coretta Scott King Award, yet he was quick to remind students that he did not always consider himself a writer or reader.

Always drawn to art (and superhero comic books), Craft’s early educators and parents did not always understand how his talents related to school work. “My teachers in seventh and eighth grade thought that comic books would rock our little brains. They felt like real books were like a steak dinner and comic books were like donuts or something,” he said.

Craft shared the “stress” that he said he felt as an African American boy, and later as a man, watching movies depicting black characters that were down on their luck or headed towards tragedy. The anxiety of knowing that for many of these characters the other shoe was always about to drop encouraged him to write a different kind of narrative, with

a different type of character, in a very different format – an educational graphic novel.

“As a young African-American boy born in Harlem, the books that I saw that had anyone that looked like me, my mirrors, were either history or misery, right? Not that the books on Martin Luther King or Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman are not important – they are. But where were the books I could escape into?” he explained.

Craft’s work depicts “African-American characters, kids of color, living happy lives. They don’t have the weight of the world” on their shoulders.

“There are times in life when people are going to say you can’t do something. But you know it’s a good idea. I look at this as steps up the ladder. Each step got me closer to my goal, which is making books that I wish I had when I was a kid.”

If seeing yourself in literature creates the confidence to take chances, it is recognizing when to push on that makes those leaps into success stories, he shared.

“There are times in life when people are going to say you can’t do something. But you know it’s a good idea. I look at this as steps up the ladder. Each step got me closer to my goal, which is making books that I wish I had when I was a kid,” he said. Because of this determination, GFA students were treated to two special days with an award-winning author and illustrator who is redefining how stories are told and who they are told about.

Never Again

by Sam MacDonald ’23

On January 27, Sam MacDonald ‘23 Honored Holocaust Remembrance Day with a Moving Speech about his Judaism and the Importance of Continuity.

I am Sam MacDonald, I am a captain on the cross country team, climbing team, and track team, and I am proud to be a Jew.

That is just about all you will hear about me in this speech though, because I did not sign up to give a Friday speaker about the difficulties I’ve overcome in my life. Today, there is a much more important speech that needs to be given.

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Seventy-eight years ago today, Auschwitz was liberated and World War II started coming to an end.

The history of the Holocaust began when a man named Adolf Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany democratically in 1933. He took over the country with his Nazi party after refusing to work with any other political groups or compromise throughout the election process. After being appointed chancellor of Germany, Hitler gradually turned Germany into a dictatorship, with himself in command. In 1942, a little after 5 p.m., on Wednesday, April 12, the deaths of Arthur Kahn, Ernst Goldmann, Rudolf Benario and Erwin Kahn marked the first deaths of the genocide we mourn today. This event was the start of the chain of events known as the Holocaust, a systematic slaughter of Jews and other minority groups all across Europe.

In Greek, the word Holocaust has two parts, holos— complete, and kaustos — burnt offering. Burnt offering has

connotations in its roots of an offering for cleansing. In other words, Holocaust literally means the complete cleansing of the Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roma (Gypsies), Black people, Homosexuals, Disabled, and more, by the Nazi party. As a Jew, I will be talking about the Jews of the Holocaust, so keep in mind that what you hear from me is but a fraction of the tragedy.

In this speech, I will use the word “Shoah” instead of the word Holocaust. Shoah is the Hebrew term used to describe the event that took place from 1933 – 1945. It is directly translated to “catastrophe”, and refers to the end of the world, or doomsday, for our people. We use this word instead of Holocaust because it conveys the horror and tragedy of the event for the witnesses and victims rather than the “accomplishment” of the Nazis that the word Holocaust implies.

Does anyone here know how many people died during the Holocaust?

With that number in your head, The answer is 11 million. Six million Jews, and five million others were killed by Nazis in the Shoah. It pains me to know that likely, less than a tenth of this room knew that fact. Before the Shoah, there were over 16.7 million Jews alive. After the Genocide that number was 10.5 million. That is over a third of the Jewish population murdered. Or proportionally, the right sections of this room. In addition, where there were nearly 17 million

Jews alive before the Shoah, today we are at 15 million. If the Shoah felt like a long time ago, then think about the fact that there were more Jews in the world 90 years ago than there are right now.

Sharing so many statistics with you all is scary. The last thing I want is for you to walk away from this speech with only numbers in your head. What I want, is for you to understand why the word Shoah, the word “catastrophe,” cannot even begin to describe the horror in these victim’s lives. I’ll explain with a story:

In the back of the Sim Shalom Siddur, perhaps the most popular version of the Jewish prayer book, there is a section dedicated to stories about the Shoah. When I was in middle school, 11 years old, I flipped to the back of a Sim Shalom during prayers, and in that irreversible moment, I read the following story from a survivor, which I will warn you, is graphic, which I will never forget:

“November, 1944. Jewish children were brought by a truck to Auschwitz. A little boy jumped off holding an apple in his hand. Two Nazi guards were standing in the doorway. Suddenly one of them went over to the boy, grabbed his legs and smashed his head against the wall of the concentration camp. Then he calmly picked up the boy’s apple and the other guard told me to wipe “that” off the wall. About an hour later I was called by the first guard to interpret in an interrogation and I saw him eating the child’s apple.”

That boy, his family, and most likely every other prisoner on that truck were murdered by the Nazis. How can you continue a school day after that? If that boy was perhaps as old as you, what makes you safe?

At that moment, I was ripped from the room in which we prayed each morning. How was it that that story was real? That people could do that to each other? How have I spoken

to survivors, survivors who witnessed that?!

The word survivor has held a different meaning in my soul since that day. Each survivor carries with them, not only their own story, but the story of some portion of the 11 million who cannot tell their own anymore.

Since that day in 6th grade, I have heard a number of survivors’ stories to the point I cannot count. To help make these stories relevant to you all, I wanted to share some stories which come directly from our GFA community:

Here is the story of Isaac Lior, Lauren’s (’23) greatgrandfather. Isaac started a newspaper in Yugoslavia with a couple of Jewish friends when the Nazi party started rising to power. Isaac tried to warn people of the dangers of the movement, and when the Nazis took control of Germany and eastern Europe, Nazi groups in Yugoslavia got wind of Isaac’s writing. To silence him, Nazis showed up at his workplace, and took him and his friends away to a concentration camp. Shortly after, the Nazis started realizing that they were losing the war against the Allies, and they started killing jews faster, causing disorganization in camps. Amidst the confusion, Isaac was able to slip behind a bush one day, waiting until he no longer heard anything, and then miraculously escaping from the concentration camp. He was then able to relocate his family, who had been moving, staying with different families constantly, to evade the Nazis. When he came home, his wife fainted on the doorstep. Everyone in the family had thought he died. Later in his life, Isaac moved to Israel to help create the home he did not have during the Shoah, for Jews today.

Another story is that of the Lazar family, Emme’s (’26) greatgreat-grandparents. Monit and Medjat Lazar moved to Paris as a family of five before the Nazis came in. In 1940, the Nazis occupied France, and the Lazars had to hide in an apartment with their Christian neighbors to evade detection. Living essentially off the grid, Medjat and the family rarely

“The word survivor has held a different meaning in my soul since that day. Each survivor carries with them, not only their own story, but the story of some portion of the 11 million who cannot tell their own anymore.”

went outside, and when they did they brought all of their money with them so that they could bribe any suspicious Nazi guards. The children only left the house for school, and attended a Catholic school to avoid being taken away. During the occupation, the French, who were against the Nazi regime, taught their kids in school not to say anything if Nazis came in asking for Jews. One day, when Jinean, the middle child, was learning, a group of Nazi soldiers came into her class asking for Jews. Jinean and her classmates were 10 years old at the time, and as such, one oblivious or maybe just forgetful boy admitted to being Jewish without knowing the consequences. The boy was taken away by the soldiers, and almost certainly killed. The Lazars, with the help of a tight knit and amazing community, stayed in their neighbor’s apartment for two and a half years until the liberation of France started. For the Lazar family, there were thousands of families in similar situations, whose neighbors failed them and revealed them to the Nazis. Thank god that the Lazars escaped, and Emme is at GFA with us today.

As the number of years since the Shoah nears 100, we aren’t very far away from a time where no firsthand survivors will be left to tell the stories themselves. The duty will fall on us to keep their stories alive, and to make sure that history never repeats itself.

Today, I am proud to have this school as a community where I can walk around with a Kippah on my head if I want to. I am lucky to be in a situation, where instead of fighting for life and death, I get to educate on it.

I hope that you all learned a lot about the Shoah from this speech, and to end it off, I wanted to teach you all the phrase Am Yisrael Chai. Am Yisrael Chai is Hebrew for “The nation of Israel lives.” It refers to the Jewish people, and the fact that we will continue to fight antisemitism, observe our traditions, and keep the stories of the Shoah alive.

Thank you so much,

Am Yisrael Chai

An Evening with Georgia Hunter, P ’30

In late January the Parents Association hosted Georgia Hunter P ’30 and New York Times bestselling author to discuss We Were the Lucky Ones and her family’s unique history. When Hunter was fifteen years old, she learned that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. Her novel explores her quest to uncover her family’s staggering history. We Were the Lucky Ones demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can find a way to survive and even triumph. To a packed Lower School library, Hunter explained her journey through familial exploration and the process of writing a bestselling memoir.

“Today, I am proud to have this school as a community where I can walk around with a Kippah on my head if I want to. I am lucky to be in a situation, where instead of fighting for life and death, I get to educate on it.”

“Defend the Right Way. You are the Future.”

Visiting Speaker and Holocaust Survivor Warns Against Hate

“We aren’t very far away from a time where no firsthand survivors will be left to tell the stories themselves. The duty will fall on us to keep their stories alive, and to make sure that history never repeats itself,” senior Sam MacDonald said on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Weeks later, GFA was fortunate to have Agnes Vertes, President of the Child Holocaust Survivors of Connecticut, Jewish Historical Society Board member, documentary filmmaker, and survivor of Nazi Europe share her story.

Vertes explained that she feels duty-bound to speak to younger generations so that the horrific genocide, persecution, and hate that surrounded this most shameful period in our history can never be repeated. Her 2003 documentary “Passport for Life” does just that.

In her address to students, Vertes detailed several auspicious escapes from the Nazi grasp. At four years old, she escaped occupied Budapest, Hungary. The kindness of strangers and

friends, forged documents, and several close calls eventually led Vertes and her sister to safety. During one raid, the sisters and dozens of other children were confronted by Hungarian Nazis. Her sister, whom Vertes says was “awfully cute” went up to one SS soldier. “The guy melted, he picked her up, threw her in the air, and said ‘How can anyone but an Aryan child be as cute as this one?’ and my little sister saved a hundred Jewish children,” Vertes revealed.

She warned students about the ongoing prevalence of antisemitism. “I want you to remember that antisemitism has been around for a couple of thousand years and it never goes away,” she said, remembering how complicated it was for her as a child to understand the hatred surrounding her.

“Now, I want you to never hate. If you see signs of things going the wrong way, stand up and defend the right way. It’s up to you what kind of future you’re going to have. You are our future, and I trust you,” she said.

“I want you to never hate. If you see signs of things going the wrong way, stand up and defend the right way. It’s up to you what kind of future you’re going to have. You are our future, and I trust you.”

Dr. Donovan Livingston

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Assembly

On Thursday, January 19, GFA was honored to welcome Dr. Donovan Livingston during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Program. Weaving in history, commentary, spoken-word poetry and rap, Dr. Livingston brought GFA’s Middle and Upper Schools to their feet.

“I came here to talk about a version of Dr. King that we often take for granted, that we don’t often respect, admire, and appreciate in the same way as his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. [That is his] message about love and tolerance and turning the other cheek and nonviolence,” Livingston said. “I want us to lean into the uncomfortable version of Dr. King that we often neglect for the sake of sanitizing his legacy. I want us to get into what it means to really disturb the peace, to unsettle what it means to be comfortable in the face of incessant injustice.”

Throughout the assembly Livingston encouraged the audience to repeat one of King’s calls to action: “Flood the streets, disturb the peace.” He explained that, “peace is commitment to doing what you can, to using your power and privilege to solve really tough problems,” Livingston said.

He shared two moving spoken-word poems about his grandfather, a World War II veteran, who was failed by a broken system, and about his mother, who shares his likeness and dreams. Coming from a family that put social justice first, Livingston encouraged GFA students to do the same.“I see a beautiful swath of high school students who can change the world in a very meaningful, very powerful way.”

“I see a beautiful swath of high school students who can change the world in a very meaningful, very powerful way.”

dr. Donovan Livingston

Ronaldo John

Von Kohorn Address Speaker

Each year the Von Kohorn Address, named in honor of former Board of Trustees Chair Henry Von Kohorn P ‘93, ‘96, is given by a faculty member chosen by the Head of School. This year’s speaker was Middle School and Upper School World Languages faculty member Ronaldo John. In his address, he honored his village in Trinidad as the driving force in his life and career.

“The village, similarly to the community, is a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society,” said John. “Today, I invite you all into my village, to know the many villages that loved, supported, challenged, and nurtured me. As much as this assembly recognizes me, I want to in turn, recognize my villages.”

He noted the simple roots of his dream to teach that started at a chalkboard up against the walls of his childhood home. “My parents constantly encouraged me to work to my fullest potential and reminded me that I could achieve anything I set out to accomplish,” he remarked. Upon hearing an admissions representative from Trinity College in Hartford present at his high school, John was drawn to both the beauty of the campus and how attractive studying in the United States sounded.

“After an interview, my first trip to the US at the age of 17, a rushed go at the SAT exams and filling out the common application, I was accepted to Trinity. It took me a long time to begin to understand how much my life had changed in the span of six months,” he said.

During the application process, his mom became his college guidance officer, “never failing to give daily reminders” on due dates. After his acceptance, his mother did all in her power to make sure her son could afford tuition including the planning of a barbecue fundraiser to offset the cost.

“At that time, I felt slightly embarrassed because I felt like she was “begging.” Now I know that feeling came from a teenager who didn’t quite understand that there is no shame in asking for help,” said John.

“They understood the assignment, believed in me, and

wanted me to have the opportunity to elevate myself, and so they all gave of themselves, in whatever way they could have, to help me realize my dreams, a dream that I carried for them all,” he recalled.

John’s success at Trinity College landed him at GFA. Standing in front of the community as the Von Kohorn speaker, he hit on the importance of community.

“A thousand hands are on my shoulders, my village, championing me. From the guys in my childhood neighborhood, my schoolmates and teachers, my family and friends, my colleagues, and everyone who has poured

into me. They offered their counsel, and amplified me and my excellence even when I couldn’t see it, these villages helped me to become the man and the educator that I am today,” said John.

To conclude his address, John taught the GFA community a greeting he learned at a recent conference, ‘Sawubona’. From the Zulu tribe in South Africa, ‘Sawubona’ means ‘I see you.’

“Just as my villages see me, I see you, students of GFA.”

“A thousand hands are on my shoulders, my village, championing me. From the guys in my childhood neighborhood, my schoolmates and teachers, my family and friends, my colleagues, and everyone who has poured into me. They offered their counsel, and amplified me and my excellence even when I couldn’t see it, these villages helped me to become the man and the educator that I am today.”

Ronaldo John middle and upper school world languages

Dr. Lisa Damour

Hartwell Visiting Fellow

On Thursday, January 26, we were honored to welcome former Coyle Scholar Lisa Damour, Ph.D. to campus as our Hartwell Visiting Fellow.

Dr. Damour’s work and bestsellers, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls have provided practical guidance to students, parents, and teachers. Lisa’s visit with us landed a few weeks prior to the February launch of her book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents.

In engaging talks with our faculty, staff, middle and upper schoolers, Dr. Damour spent the day at GFA talking about mental health, particularly about the healthy ways people handle their emotions.

“The definition of mental health has gone to a place that no psychologist would ever take it. When you hear people talking about it, they often equate being mentally healthy with feeling good or calm or relaxed or happy,” she said. “And yes, of course we should all get to feel those things plenty, but no psychologist would ever define mental health

in those terms.”

Damour explained that especially in times of distress, negative feelings don't necessarily equal a mental health concern. “You could start a day feeling good, calm, relaxed, happy, any variety of dumb things could happen that are going to ruin your day,” she said. “This means you're in distress but it's not a mental health concern. It means you're having a really lousy day.”

As for handling that lousy day, Damour talked about confronting mental health effectively, including listening to a playlist of music that fits the mood, making a favorite comfort food, watching a nostalgic show, going for a run, or, as her daughter did during the stressful college process, spraying a can of seltzer on the driveway.

“When psychologists say ‘effectively’ we mean they are managed in a way that brings relief and does no harm, that's what we wanna see,” said Damour. “The only time we have questions about whether or not there's a mental health concern is if it goes down another path, managing the feelings but with a price attached.”

“So, the number one way we help reign it in is we act as a steady presence. We listen, we empathize, this is the gift you can give your kid,” she said. One of the biggest things GFA students told her to talk to parents about was how stressful the college process is, and how students just might not want to talk about it.

Another place where students said “don't make it more stressful than it has to be,” is when they're upset about something that's happened, whether it’s academic or sports. “They said, ‘We're already upset. You might be upset too, but you getting upset with us about something we're already upset about isn't gonna help us.’ And I thought that was fair,” Damour remarked.

As for opening up and making a safe space for kids to feel comfortable enough to have conversations, Damour encourages parents to make home a vault, where everything said there, stays there, unless there is concern about safety.

For more from Dr. Damour, visit her website, drlisadamour. com, where you can find downloadable content, her podcast, Ask Lisa, and her new book.

Source: drlisadamour.com

Ways parents and families can help in times of distress to promote a communicative relationship, Damour encourages going through a few steps, pausing before each to see if it’s done the trick:

Listen without interrupting

Offer sincere empathy “That stinks!” or “I’m so sorry that happened.”

3

Validate distress “You have every right to be mad/sad/upset.” or “A good cry is the right thing right now.”

4

Support coping “Is there anything I can do that won’t make this worse?” or “Would some tea help?”

5

Express non-dismissive confidence “This is tough, and so are you.” or “As hard as this feels right now, I do think that you’ll get through it.”

6

Offer to help problem-solve “Do you want my help trying to tackle this?” or “Any ideas about what might work to make this better?”

7

Divide the problem into two buckets: Things that can be changed and things that can’t.

8

For the things that can be changed, brainstorm possible solutions

9

For what cannot be changed, support acceptance “There’s always some stuff we just have to live with.” or “Let’s focus your energy where it can make a difference.”

How to Make Our Kids Smarter and Stronger

On Thursday November 10th, GFA hosted Dr. Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D., as our Coyle Scholar. Dr. Haidt spent the afternoon with Upper School students and faculty, prior delivering his keynote speech, “What is Happening to Gen Z: How to Make Our Kids Smarter and Stronger” that evening.

Dr. Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality and how morality varies across cultural and political divisions.

During his talk, Haidt delved into the two basic mindsets of daily life, “discover mode” and “defend mode.” While generations pre-Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) may tend to live primarily in discovery mode, scanning for opportunities, those born into Gen-Z and later may spend more time in defend mode, scanning for dangers and in a scarcity mindset.

Dr. Haidt champions the concept popularized by Nassim Taleb of “antifragility,” and spent his time at GFA speaking with children and parents about activating ways to position younger generations to be more durable. Haidt offered that the concept of antifragility is when something gets better when it is challenged, encounters obstacles, or is threatened, i.e., an immune system becomes stronger as a result of encountering small stressors by coming into contact with a virus or bacteria. While children are stuck in defend mode, their more limited exposure to stressors hinders their ability to develop antifragility.

“In 2015 we had so many students who, as soon as anything went wrong, would say, ‘Oh my god, what are we going to do,’ and it didn’t make any sense until we realized they were stuck in defend mode. They were raised to be fragile and overprotected to the point where they couldn’t cope with the normal wind of everyday life,” Haidt said. “If you protect your kids from all threats and dangers, you’ll keep them safe,

with dr. jonathan haidt

but they won’t grow.”

Haidt explains that a big factor contributing to the increase in antifragility is the rise of social media and cell phone use.

So, what can be done to slow the spread of antifragility?

Haidt offers advice for both schools and parents. For schools, he suggests not allowing phone use, especially in middle school, and encourages parents to do the same in limiting social media use.

He also encourages parents to approach this concept with unity. “If you’re the only one that tells your daughter she can’t have Instagram, and everybody else does allow it, now she’s cut off. It takes coordinated action to encourage everyone to do it at the same time,” he explains.

Finally, Haidt offers advice for teens on how to get stronger:

• Less time on phone, more time with peers

• Far less time on social media. Post rarely.

• Ask adults to step back, give autonomy

• Seek out challenges, including “political” and viewpoint differences

“I urge them to seek out challenges, including seeking out people who are on the other side… actually, it’s thrilling when you learn new things, when diversity expands your world,” he says. “If you do all of these things, then I think you will maximize your chance of having a kid who lives his or her life in discovery mode, and that’s how kids grow to be smarter, stronger, healthier, and happier.”

“I urge them to seek out challenges, including seeking out people who are on the other side… actually, it’s thrilling when you learn new things, when diversity expands your world.”

Sustainability

By Aneesh Roy ’23

On September 21, Dr. Heenehan took students from GFA in Sustainability Inquiries to New York City to attend the Nest Summit held at the world-renowned Jacob Javits Center. The Nest Summit served as a climate action platform where a diverse group gave presentations covering a wide range of topics related to mobilizing climate-committed thinkers and doers from large companies, governments, and communities in general.

It was an early morning as we marched through the city from Grand Central to the Jacob Javits Center, a building that we would soon find out is incredibly energy efficient and sustainable. When we arrived, we met with Ms. Tran, a former GFA faculty member, who is now working at the Javits Center. She gave us a brief introduction to the Center’s brand new green roof, as well as, some of the systems they used to keep the building energy efficient and sustainable. One was “bird-proof glass” which was created to stop their building from being the top bird killer in the city. It was very encouraging to see how much they thought about their surroundings and their own actions.

We walked around for a little while, going through the rooftop garden and taking in the amazingly freshsmelling produce in the kitchen. We went on to ‘sip and

bite,’ their name for lunch, some of the items directly from the garden and from companies around the world. Our favorite was the chocolate from Grain de Sail, a company that makes their chocolate in France and ships it to the US and other countries by sailboat - the first ever to do so.

The final agenda items included attending two presentations which gave us some professional insight into larger-scale sustainability problems and how we can best combat them. After originally sitting with our backs against the wall, out of sight, we made the decision to move as a group to the front row. Upon moving we were shouted out by the speakers, praised for our “young spirit” and for trying to learn more about how to make a difference.

Overall, the Nest Summit experience was inspiring and exciting. We all appreciated the real-world applications and efforts of everyone involved that day at the Javits Center. It got our brains working on our own projects in the future. I encourage anyone interested in getting more involved in sustainability at GFA to reach out - it has been a gamechanger for us and has adjusted our outlook on large issues in the world that didn’t seem solvable before.

If you’ve paid any attention to the parking lot recently, you might have seen the four new electric vehicle chargers. Head of the Grounds Crew Thomas Barry says, “It’s a small step in the right direction - promoting more sustainable options in our community. Hopefully people will see the chargers the same way, as a reminder that we can always improve our impact on our environment, and use them if applicable.”

Senior Lily Lind, pushed to make these chargers a reality in her Sustainability Inquiry back in the 2020-2021 school year after noticing the recent growth of electric vehicles in town. She recognized issues with availability of chargers across town, and how that created a lot of hassle and potentially discouraged people from purchasing electric cars. She hopes that students and faculty who have long commutes to school and access to an electric vehicle, will be incentivized to spend a little more on a car knowing that the school would cover the charging fees.

“I remember the first day of school this year when I saw someone plugged into a station and ran towards Dr. H in the PAC, practically screaming with excitement! It was a lot of time in the making but very rewarding to see a project I worked on sophomore year come to fruition in my last year at GFA. It shows the students’ voices at the school, which makes me very happy,” said Lily.

Garden to Table:

The GFA Garden is a Fruitful Community Collaboration

As students and faculty members returned to our cafeteria this year, many rejoiced at the return of our beloved salad bar. Every day, Food Service Manager Scott Santoro and his team serve up fresh produce to keep our community humming. And lately, some of the ingredients nourishing us were grown on campus.

To follow the path of this special harvest from our GFA garden beyond the turf fields to the salad bar, it is important to note just how many community members had a hand in planting, maintaining, and harvesting the bounty.

Dragon Digest, GFA’s new newsletter, sat down with Dr. Heather Heenehan, Upper School faculty member and GFA’s Sustainability Coordinator, the educator behind the group effort and impressive payoff.

Let’s start with the picture of this salad. Where did it come from?

HH: I love this. I shared this photo with Mr. Whelan and it really says so much. This wheat berry salad, the tomatoes and the kale, came from the garden the morning it was served to our students. I brought the produce to our kitchen team who cleaned and washed and put it right in. That morning it was my Sustainability Inquiry class who did the picking but to understand where that salad came from, we have to go back to last spring.

One of the most incredible things about this is the number of students and community members that were part of that salad. Last winter, Analise Trani ’23, a student in her second year of sustainability inquiry work, placed the order for the kale and the tomato seeds. Once they arrived, Sustainability Inquiry students and Lower School classes, planted those

same seeds in the spring. Later in the season, my Upper School May Term students and Horizons Spring Academy students transplanted those seedlings into bigger pots.

One challenge of a school-run garden is that many of its caregivers leave in the summertime. This year we were lucky to have both community volunteers and our Horizons GFA summer students pitch in. They moved the plants from the pots to the garden and maintained their growth all summer. So that's GFA students, Horizons students, parents, families, grandmothers – all of them –out there, tending the garden, making sure that things are thriving throughout the summer – talk about Each for All in action.

Then comes the fall and a new crop of Upper School Sustainability Inquiry students out there harvesting. Many of them were a part of the planting with lower schoolers during May Term. So let’s just say there's a lot behind that salad.

How were you able to galvanize the community around this? It is one one thing to have classes out there and quite another to have volunteers all in the summer.

HH: Sophie Kurtz, our Lower School Science teacher, is my partner in all of this. I could not do any of it without her. Summer is hard because that is when the garden is most productive and the majority of our community members are not here.

I'm an enrichment teacher for Horizons over the summer, and I brought students out there for an extended enrichment program once a week. We tended the garden and explored nature journaling. Then we called for GFA community members and their families to come help during the shoulder weeks when Horizons was not on campus. Faculty members brought their children, lower and middle schoolers brought their grandparents to come and learn about the garden. One day we had a second grader who brought her mother and grandmother so there were three generations in the garden that day. It was awesome.

How did the garden fare during Covid?

HH: There have been community members contributing to the garden during the year and in the summer for as long as it has been there. In previous years, the produce was used in the Horizons program, for lunch and cooking classes. During the pandemic, our food had to be prepackaged, so last year we had a huge donation program where all of our harvest was donated through a group called Growers Row to the feed center in Bridgeport.

I have also always said “if you help in the garden you take stuff home.” So this past summer, the Horizons students were going home with bouquets of kale and bags of cherry tomatoes. And if the snow peas weren't so delicious and we didn't eat them on the spot, those would've gone home too!

If you had to say, how many people in this community were a part of the harvest for the wheatberry salad?

It is actually not all that hard a calculation and it is more people than you would think. Close to 120 community members helped produce those tomatoes and kale between all of the inquiry, May Term, and Lower School GFA classes, the Horizons classes, and our summer volunteers. Plus the Flik staff.

I also want to especially thank Scott Santoro and Genaro Gonzalez in our kitchen who are such huge allies of sustainability and using garden produce. I saw Scott on day two of the semester and he was already asking “what’s going on in the garden? When are we getting our vegetables?”

So if a reader wants to get involved in the garden, what is the next step for them?

HH: The more the merrier. I usually put a call out in eNotes for a couple of weeks at the end of the semester and will build a Google sign-up sheet. The community work days have worked really well where we designate a few days each season and have a bunch of people. They are social, productive and real connection builders.

A Year in the Life of the Garden

March & April

Preparing garden for Spring

like tomatoes, Carrots, Kale, Chard, Lettuce, Basil, and Snap peas.

Tower Garden

Planting seeds in pods and being very attentive to them during germination

• Transferring them when ready to the Tower

Maintaining the water level and using artificial light to help them grow inside the classroom or cafeteria

• Harvesting from the Tower Garden for the cafeteria when ready

July & August

Maintaining Garden

Continuing outdoor planting

Weeding crops, tying tomatoes, and pruning plants

Harvesting crops and bagging them for donations

• July- basil, kale, and lettuce

Early August- earlier crops plus tomatoes, zucchini, kale, onions and eggplant

Late August- earlier crops plus peppers, beans, and carrots

• Coordinating student, family, and volunteer work in the garden

• Cleaning out and preparing the greenhouse for seed starting

Starting to plant seeds in the greenhouse like

Spinach, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cantaloupe, basil, kale, tomatoes

Thinning seedlings to give them the space they need to grow and transplanting into larger pots

• Starting irrigation every day for 1 minute in the morning

Preparing the garden for the plants by weeding and adding soil

• Celebrating Earth Day!

September & October

Preparing garden for fall

Harvesting crops like chard, tomatoes, beans, carrots, chives, and corn

Planting fall crops

• Planting new perennial crops like blueberries (Fall 2022)

Weeding & cleaning garden beds

The GFA garden received an upgrade! As part of her HES (Human Ecology and Sustainability) Inquiry project, Analise Trani ‘23 designed a new sign to highlight the garden and let the community know about all of the hard work that goes into it throughout the year.

On her walks to softball practice, Analise would pass by the garden, not fully knowing what it was. It wasn’t until her sustainability class with Dr. Heather Heenehan that Analise realized how important the garden was, and how much it contributes to the GFA community.

“I know many people walk down the path and overlook the importance of the garden. I wanted to make something where people can value this type of thing,” said Analise.

With several of Dr. Heenahan’s classes, Analise spent last year analyzing the work that went into the garden each month, as well as getting in the weeds of it herself. Though this project did include lots of planting, Analise’s work extended as far as ordering seeds and getting the garden ready for the change of seasons.

When it came time to design the poster that would be going up in the garden, Analise was inspired by a poster

May & June

Planting & Planning

Making and finalizing a plan for each of the garden beds

• Hardening starter plants from the greenhouse outside before planting in the garden

Planting seed starts and purchased plants outside and considering companion planting

Planting seeds in the garden (direct-sow)

Did you know?

We are a Green Ribbon school

We are on the pollinator pathway

All of our composted material goes back into GFA property

Students from the Upper, Middle, and Lower School spend time in the Garden as do Horizons at GFA students, families and community members

Sustainability is part of the curriculum in each division. This sign was created by Analise Trani ’23 in an Inquiry in Sustainability course.

GFA donates produce to centers and local organizations. We use some produce in school lunches. people who spend time in the garden are also welcome to take some home!

Dr. Heenahan shared in class. Involved in everything from the line work illustrations to the layout and colors, Analise worked with GFA’s Creative Director, Lindsay Russo, to create mockups for the sign that is now displayed proudly in front of GFA’s garden.

Along with a breakdown of how the garden operates month to month, Analise included several facts about the garden and GFA:

• GFA is a Green Ribbon School.

• We are on the pollinator pathway.

• All of our composted material goes back into GFA property.

• Students from the Upper, Middle, and Lower School spend time in the garden as do Horizons at GFA students, families and community members.

• Sustainability is part of the curriculum in each division.

• GFA donates produce to centers and local organizations. We use some produce in school lunches.

Analise hopes to continue working in sustainability as a minor or extracurricular when she pursues her bachelor’s degree at Western New England University next year.

“We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us.”

Jenny Uglow

Spac

Spac es

of the Future

At GFA, “we make space and time to connect and collaborate.” That is the statement made in our Strategic Direction, Lives of Purpose, and one that has been honored historically as a primary institutional promise.

On January 12th, at the State of the School, Bob Whelan, key administrators, and the Board of Trustees announced several future building priorities that would, as the Strategic Direction states, create spaces “for students and faculty to engage in collaborative learning, design, and innovation” and that “support joyful community life.”

These two architectural goals would be the backdrop to countless mission moments as GFA students chart their lives of purpose. And while the plans are impressive on their own, the process by which they were imagined is perfectly Each for All. Each space started with the question of how we can better serve our students, involved creative prototypes and community input, and finally sits squarely within larger institutional goals.

Lower School Dining and Student Commons

Propelled by the necessity of the pandemic, in 2020 the Lower School tented a portion of the courtyard and immediately witnessed the opportunities brought by the (albeit defacto) central space. For some background, GFA’s current cafeteria was built in 1964 when our school was less than half of its current size. We credit past leaders and architects for creating a space that has held up through so much growth and yet recognize the challenges a single dining space for over 715 students creates.

Last summer, GFA broke ground on a Lower School Dining and Student Commons that creates a vibrant new community hub. From morning arrival until the conclusion of after-school activities and clubs, the centrally located Commons is designed to be the heart of the Lower School. Its rendering features 3,000 light-filled square feet that are warm and welcoming, designed to support learning and growth. The Commons, expected to open its doors in September, allows for two lunch seatings PreK-Grade 1 and Grades 2-4 with age-appropriate seating, serviced by an adjacent new satellite kitchen and servery, and will house after-school programming, evening meetings, receptions and programming for Horizons GFA. Its contemporary design by Roger Ferris and Partners blends seamlessly with the traditional stone courtyard and allows for a fully indoor

“To have an age-appropriate space where students can engage in meaningful learning is so important,” said Jane Verlin, Head of the Lower School during the State of the School. “Every moment is a learning opportunity for our students to develop the skills they will need as they navigate the world.” One foundation, she explained, of raising globally-minded humans is set by teaching them that they are responsible for something that is bigger than themselves. The new Commons will provide the backdrop for students to engage with one another in conversation not facilitated by an adult and to care for a space that is truly their own.

Enhanced Lower School Assembly Space

Whelan and Verlin also announced that the all-purpose Lower School Assembly Room which houses assemblies, music classes, plays, and more for our youngest learners will receive a significant upgrade. The redesigned assembly space will provide the Lower School community with a bright, attractive multi-purpose room that can accommodate students, faculty, and guests in various seating arrangements. With the addition of a raised ceiling and a modest stage, the learning space will enhance the regular music instruction that currently takes place there and elevate important

flow from much of the Lower School to the main school building.

Lower School program moments such as assemblies, visiting speakers, and performances.

The updated space will rise to the level of the mission moments students have there – whether it is delivering their first solo, giving public speaking a try, or convening as a community to hear a speaker.

athletic and Wellness Center

Over the holidays, Bob Whelan sent former Head of School Jim Coyle a framed aerial photograph of GFA’s current campus footprint. Coyle’s warm reply was “my how you have grown.” He is right. GFA’s people and program have been steadily reshaped in the years since Coyle as Head of School.

“As we view downfield,” Whelan said during the State of the School, “it is our responsibility and opportunity to look at this resource, this facility, and to say how do we create the opportunity for young people to create lives of purpose.” Together with Eric Lee, GFA’s Athletic Director, he listed the incredible success of so many of our athletics teams since the addition of the wrestling room, squash center, and the turf fields.

He announced that in partnership with the Board of Trustees, GFA engaged campus master planners to ideate

how spaces inside the school currently used for athletics could potentially be used if the school capitalized on zoned land behind the Squash Center. He then shared exterior images and an impressive architectural rendering “flythrough” of a downfield building objective – the Athletic and Wellness Center. The proposed building would support not only athletic achievement but also student connection, mind-body awareness, socialization, and stress reduction. Features could include a state-of-the art fitness center, fitness and yoga classrooms, personal athletic storage, an indoor track, basketball, and two squash courts with seating.

Visit livesofpurpose.com to learn more about GFA’s Strategic Direction. Scan the QR code below to view GFA’s ninth annual State of the School.

You can watch the State of the School video here.

Password: SOTS2023

Athletic Center

“As we view downfield, it is our responsibility and opportunity to look at this resource, this facility, and to say how do we create the opportunity for young people to create lives of purpose.”

Bob Whelan, P ’24 Head of School

Athletic Center

Renderings by

Leaning into Wonder

new Faces in GFA’s Visual Arts Department

Students at GFA are given the time, tools, space, and coaching to lean into their curiosity. This intellectual freedom and its fruits are evident across all disciplines, but maybe none as boldly as in the visual arts – a department that has welcomed several new faces this year. These newest visual arts faculty members had some interesting takes on ‘the how’ of teaching creativity. For a video featured at the State of the School, we interviewed three of the four new members of the team. Their new energy, fresh takes on just what can and cannot be taught, and their own professional experience have had big impacts on our students and community.

Denis Dalesio is a new Upper School visual arts teacher who brings his ongoing work as an artist, and the experiences that

role offers with him, to the classroom. He believes young artistry should not be stifled.

“I don’t really stop ideas. I don’t want them to be discouraged from something that they came up with. So, what ends up happening is we discuss ideas, they work through it, and then I guide them along the way to developing it, enhancing it, creating more content from it, and maybe opening up more cerebral doorways into these ideas that they might not be able to see. Most of the time, it’s the student leading the way as I’m just there being a catalyst,” he explains.

In interviews with several Upper School students taking art inquiries or classes, almost all of them mentioned

how helpful it was for them to see Dalesio’s own professional struggle. He agrees.

“For me as an artist, one of the most important things is to show that I care about this so much that it bleeds into my teaching,” he said. “I think them seeing me paint alongside them or draw alongside them, just encourages them to really be like, ‘Oh, this is actually cool. He’s doing new things. I want to try that.”

“You could think of schools as places that generate curiosity as their major product. It’s a motivator for work and it brings all of us energy. Students will tell us what they’re curious about in ways that are sometimes subtle. We have our syllabus which is like a map and sometimes a student will do something that is off-map. And rather than bringing them back into what our plan was, we need to notice that and shift the plan to think that that off-map moment is important.”

Nina Yuen Chair of Visual Arts Department

In November, Alfonsina Betancourt, another new face in the Upper School Visual Arts department, took her Upper School photography class to Waveny Park in New Canaan. She explains that her “goal as a teacher has always been to teach [students] how to look at and connect with the world. I always tell them that by bringing attention to something intentionally, we make that thing powerful.”

Photography with a side of meditation? Absolutely. Her GFA classes incorporate mindful elements “because ultimately, the way that they become better as photographers and artists and creators, it’s connecting with themselves. I don’t want them to be doing a good photograph that anybody could do. I want them to take a photograph that only they can do. The only way that they can get there is by knowing themselves.”

“I’m a lifelong learner and I’m modeling that for my students. They see me working in new ways, stretching myself,” laughs Michele Sommer, the third new faculty member joining the Upper School Visual Arts Department.

“The premise of my entire art curriculum is inquiry. It’s seeing and tackling a problem, figuring out the creative process and the right questions around that problem to innovate, to make something – a new idea going forward, a whole new way of feeling alive,” she explains.

How does she view her role in this process? Where does the teaching start and stop in an arts classroom?

“My responsibility is to get that wheel turning. I have to come with something that is going to engender curiosity,” she says “I have to light that spark.” Together with Anthony Valles, Sommer, Betancourt, and Dalesio joined Yuen this year to reimagine visual arts at GFA.

As Bob Whelan noted, “young people are born curious and somewhere along the way they have a tendency to actually self-censor. Something that is enormously important to our teachers is how do we find the ways to keep that aperture open?”

GFA’s visual arts department seems to be working on the antidote.

scan to watch the video

“My responsibility is to get that wheel turning. I have to come with something that is going to engender curiosity. I have to light that spark. And I think the creative process around curiosity is kind of stoking that curiosity.”

Michele Sommer

Visual Arts Department

Enneagram Bracelets:

Art and Mental Health Unite for a New Project In Identity

Co-curricular work has been a mainstay in GFA’s Middle School for years. With an exciting new project, art and mental health united for a project in identity. In November, Middle School counselor Jackie Woods and Visual Arts teacher Julia Byrne combined art and self-awareness in an engaging project. Eighth grade was introduced to the Enneagram Test, an evidence-based personality test that breaks human personality traits into nine different categories.

Julia Byrne visual arts teacher

“I noticed in eighth grade especially, kids are really starting to form their sense of self and their own sense of identity,” said Woods. “What’s great about the Enneagram test is that you can solicit strengths and weaknesses and the different components of yourself that you need to grow.”

Woods detailed that growth mindset is something that GFA really emphasizes in Middle School. The Enneagram test seemed the perfect conduit for channeling that self-awareness and growth, and with creativity in mind, it was an engaging project that helped the eighth graders get to know themselves and their classmates better.

When it came down to incorporating the art portion of the project, Woods was inspired by seeing the wrists and water bottles of middle schoolers around GFA. Several students love friendship bracelets, whether it’s exchanging them or fidgeting in class, so Woods thought it an awesome exercise to combine the test and bracelets.

While taking the test, Woods and Byrne made sure that students were aware that this is not a diagnosis and shouldn’t be taken as absolute. After a conversation about each personality type, students took the test and were given their results.

From there, each personality type received a different color designation, and the bracelet making commenced.

“A lot of the kids had done it before so they jumped ahead to make more intricate bracelets, but it was really fun seeing the kids who had never done it before go through the process of learning how.” said Byrne, noting that though it can be frustrating getting over the hurdle of learning how to do

something, finally getting it is rewarding.

With a printed page for each personality type, students learned more about their results and were encouraged to come up with a goal-oriented intentions for themselves while they were making the bracelets. Woods explained that the purpose of this exercise would hopefully carry on past the conclusion of the project, reminding students of their intentions when wearing the bracelet.

Woods said there’s this assumption that mental health means “oh there’s something wrong with me,” versus it just being a part of someone and a part that they can accept. With this project, Woods hopes the eighth graders can apply this exercise to other areas of their lives.

“Developmentally, it’s a really great time for eighth graders to explore that sense of self and individual identity. They’re launching into what academics they’re really into, they’re getting into their eighth grade speech where they get up and talk about a part of themselves, so it’s a nice pairing to that,” Woods said.

Throughout this exercise, Woods and Byrne say the students were hungry for information, and beyond curious to take the test and learn more about themselves in a way that was evidence based.

“Learning about this can help you self reflect and think about who you are as a person, your strengths and weaknesses. I think it was really nice for the kids and myself to learn about that,” remarked Byrne.

“Learning about this can help you self reflect and think about who you are as a person, your strengths and weaknesses.”

Upper School Theater Board Presents

The Lightning Thief

Q: This play is about a lot more than someone being framed for stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt. Do explain.

A: While the plot does follow the quest for the bolt, at its core the message of The Lightning Thief is that the things that make you different are the things that make you strong, and by embracing your unique abilities, anyone can be a hero. Throughout the show, the characters learn how to view what sets them apart as something to be proud of, and as something that can bring them together. Percy’s arrival at Camp HalfBlood finally gives him a place where he feels like he belongs, and that sense of community appears throughout the story, both inside the story as the characters look out for one another on their quest, and outside of the story, as the actors create a community among themselves.

Q: Why did it appeal to you personally and why do you think it is such an important message for kids of all ages?

I was in fifth grade when the first book came out, so they were the series I followed growing up. I was also diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in second grade, and I found these traits frequently being referred to as something that would set me apart in a negative way. However, within the world of The Lightning Thief, I felt seen by the characters who assured me that these traits were not meant to hold me back, but rather things that would simply help me navigate the world in a different way. They repeatedly prove that they succeed because of the traits that set them apart, not in spite of them, and that things like learning disabilities are an asset, not a fault. While not everyone is living with a learning disability, I think the idea that the traits that set you apart are what makes you strong is a great one for all ages.

Q: This is your first play at GFA. What have you learned about this school and its people in the process of directing it?

That the “Each for All” motto really extends into every aspect of the day! From a production side, so many of my fellow faculty members have reached out asking how they can help out with the show, which has made me feel so welcome in the community. However, my favorite part has been getting to know the cast of the show. I’ve spent the past two months watching these young actors, many of whom met for the first time in September, take on this show and find their own place of belonging in the theatre, and I’m reminded of why I loved the books as much as I did. The sense of community described in its pages has come to life both onstage and through the rehearsal process, as they’ve formed new friendships and strengthened old ones by celebrating each other’s unique strengths. While we are approaching the “last day of summer” for this production, my hope is that this cast feels a little more prepared to take on the monsters of the world knowing their camp friends here in the theatre always have their back.

The Upper School’s production of the Percy Jackson Musical, “The Lightning Thief” was an inspiring success. GFA’s new Theatre Director, Kellie Comer talks about the inspiration behind the play, and the message it sent to all involved.

Holiday Concert Series

In December, each division’s choral, band, and orchestra group put on their annual Winter Concert.

Lower School

As usual, the Lower School brought joy and an enchanting performance to their Winter Concert on December 15. With an array of winter and holiday tunes, the pre-k through fourth graders brought the magic of the season to life.

Middle School

In a montage of new and old Spotify top hits, the Middle School introduced new logistics for their Winter Concert on December 7. Usually on the stage, the choral risers were placed on the floor in front of the stage, allowing for better visuals, easier flow, and a pleasant audio experience.

Upper School

On December 13, the Upper School also saw innovative change this year - surround sound style. With a big platform in the middle of the theater for solo and small group numbers, the orchestra and band were placed in front of and on the stage, with readers positioned by the side doors. While music bounced around the entire theater, the Upper School played with seamless transitions, continuously flowing from one song to another.

GFA musicians of all ages came together and performed beautifully at each of our Holiday concerts. The reimagining of the Upper School Holiday Concert is one of the new ways in which we are partnering with the students in the Performing Arts.

Christopher Hisey, Performing Arts Department Chair

FALL SPORTS

While the GFA soccer programs brought home a couple of different trophies this fall sports season, they weren’t the only teams to have success in their respective arenas. All five of GFA’s varsity sports advanced to the postseason once again.

The Field Hockey team, led by captain Analise Trani ’23, advanced to the semifinals of both the FAA and NEPSAC Class C tournaments. In the New England tournament, GFA posted a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Canterbury, exacting revenge for an overtime loss during the regular season.

Due to injuries, the GFA Volleyball team—which featured two new co-head coaches after the retirement of longtime veteran coach Paul Groves—never had its full line-up available to it, yet still managed to qualify for postseason play. Annie Dizon ’23 and Lily Lind ’23 were the captains who kept the team together through a season of transition for the Dragons.

Over on the Cross Country trails, GFA saw its team race in both the FAA and New England championship meets. The Dragons produced six All-FAA runners (Grace Horton ’24, Hadley Rosow ’26 and Jordan Moss ’25 on the girls side; Sam MacDonald ’23, Brendan Howard ’23 and Devin Agah ’24 on the boys) and two All-New England runners (Agah, Howard).

Thisfall sports season, the Greens Farms Academy soccer programs took center stage.

When the dust settled, the GFA girls’ soccer team stood as the FAA champs for the first time since 2005 while the boys varsity team won its first-ever New England Prep School championship.

The Dragon boys defeated Vermont Academy 1-1 (6-5 in penalty kicks) not only claiming the 2022 NEPSAC Class C championship, but also exacting revenge on the team that kept GFA from the title tilt the previous year.

“Twelve months ago, we lost to this team on penalty kicks and today we got on the bus and said we’re coming back,” Coach Mira said. “And this is what we did. This was our focus and today we turned it into reality. It was awesome.”

The Dragons lost six of their first 10 games this season as they tried to find themselves following last year’s graduation losses and a few other players not returning to the team.

Since the 11th game of the season, the Dragons went 6-1-2 to advance to the New England championship game and the rematch with Vermont Academy. A little bit of luck turned the tide in the final. Trailing by a goal, Harry Harmston ’24 was fouled just outside the box, and the lethal striker fired a direct kick on goal where fellow tri-captain Andrew Bellissimo ’24 finagled his way into the situation. The ball deflected off Bellissimo, then off a Vermont Academy defender and into the net for an own goal that tied the game at 1-1.

After that, GFA goalie Matt Maged ’23 was brilliant, making 12 saves

through regulation and two overtimes to send the game into penalty kicks.

From there, Matvey Timashev ’23, Luke Laferriere ’23, Andrew Bellissimo ’23, Mark Freeman ’24, Bento Silva ’24, and Max Laferriere ’23 made their penalty kicks. But, Maged made two saves that made the ultimate difference, making the Dragons New England champs.

To get the final, the Dragons gave a 100 percent team effort. Maged missed the Dragons’ NEPSAC quarterfinals against Pingree, but back-up goalie Jared Buckman ’25 stepped up in that game, making a huge penalty kick save in GFA’s 1-1 (4-2 PKs) win that thrust the Dragons into a semifinal matchup against Millbrook.

In New York, GFA raced out to a 3-0 lead against the Mustangs as Harmston scored two goals and Jackson McBean ’25 scored another to send the Dragons into the championship game for the first time since 2008.

The week prior, GFA Girls Soccer got to lift the league championship trophy after a stunning 2-1, come-frombehind win over league rival St. Luke’s, in New Canaan on the Storm’s own turf.

“One hundred percent, it’s better than I imagined,” said Andrew Henry, GFA’s fifth-year head coach. “I don’t even know what’s going on right now. I’m dizzy. Down 1-0, playing horrible, but we figured it out. It required some work, but we figured it out. These girls have been resilient all year.”

GFA trailed 1-0 at the half, after not playing well, but in the second half the Dragons found the equalizer.

Piper Rothman ’26 sent a shot on goal that rebounded off the goalie and was kicked back into the net by Camille Ewing ’23.

“At halftime, Andrew was talking to us about the importance of following up shots and we hadn’t been implementing that in the first half,” Ewing said. “We had to make sure to follow up shots because we knew the ball would be on the ground. We just had to follow through.”

Rothman also proved she was listening to her coach at halftime.

“She had just been screamed at for not being confident,” Henry said. “High risk, high reward. And there was Ca-

“They work together, they fight together. One goes out, another one picks her up. You can’t ask for anything more.”

Andrew Henry, Girls soccer coach

mille, our two-year captain, who only played about 10 minutes in our semifinal win, and she got her moment today. She attacked the rebound and got it in. Unbelievable.”

Later in the half, Lauren Lior ’23 fired a long shot that shorthopped the St. Luke’s goalie and bounced in for a 2-1 advantage.

“I don’t even really remember what I did. It’s crazy,” Lior said. “I just wanted to get it on target.”

From there, goalie Mae Morelli ’26 and the defense did the rest, clinching GFA’s tournament title despite losing key center back Charlotte Walter ’24 in the second half to an ankle injury.

“We call them The Unit,” Henry said. “They work together, they fight together. One goes out, another one picks her up. You can’t ask for anything more.”

The Unit only gave up one goal in three FAA playoff games and the squad’s performance in a 2-0 win over Greenwich

Academy in the semifinals was top-notch.

“Yeah, that was by far the best defensive game we’ve ever played,” center back Julia Johnson ’25 said. “Everybody in The Unit had their best game.”

And another unlikely star led the offense as Emma Orenstein ’23 scored both goals to give GFA the win.

“I never score goals,” Orenstein said with a laugh. “I got the two goals, but it was just a great team effort.”

Lior and Beatrice Schlein ’25 notched the assists. For Ewing and Orenstein to have such moments in the FAA championship run was special to everybody in the program.

“It was amazing,” Lior said. “I’m so happy for them, having seen them grow so much over the years as players.”

“Twelve months ago, we lost to this team on penalty kicks and today we got on the bus and said we’re coming back. And this is what we did. This was our focus and today we turned it into reality. It was awesome.”

chris mira, boys soccer coach

Fall Postseason Honors

League and Regional Awards

Dozens of GFA student-athletes earned postseason honors on a variety of levels this fall sports season.

Most notably, GFA boys’ soccer senior Matvey Timashev earned the distinction of being the NEPSAC Class C Player of the Year.

“It meant a lot to me, to my family, to my friends,” Timashev said. “They all know how much time and effort I’ve put into this sport, ever since I was younger. So, getting this kind of accolade my senior year of high school, it just means so much. It’s 100 percent the icing on the cake. As if winning the championship wasn’t enough already, this award really touched my heart.”

Timashev played defense for the Dragons, a role often overshadowed by players putting up the statistics with goals and assists.

While the Dragons gave up 19 goals over their first 10 games, starting the season with a paltry 4-6 record, Timashev and the team got stingy down the stretch, giving just one goal or less in six of their last eight games—five of which were postseason showdowns.

“The qualities that set him apart are his character and leadership,” Mira said. “Matvey’s poised, clear-headed, positive presence was the cornerstone of our team’s performance. His willingness to shoulder the responsibility of being the last man between our opponents and our goalkeeper infused his teammates with confidence.”

BOYS SOCCER

ALL-STATE: Matvey Timashev, Matt Maged, Harry Harmston

ALL-FAA FIRST TEAM: Matvey Timashev, Harry Harmston, Matt Maged

ALL-FAA SECOND TEAM: Mark Freeman

ALL-FAA HONORABLE MENTION: Ethan Eckert

NEPSAC CLASS C PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Matvey Timashev

ALL-NEPSAC FIRST TEAM: Matvey Timashev, Harry Harmston, Matt Maged

ALL-NEPSAC HONORABLE MENTION:

Ethan Eckert, Mark Freeman, Jackson McBean

NEPSSA ALL-STARS:

Ethan Eckert, Harry Harmston, Matt Maged, Matvey Timashev

WNEPSSA ALL-STARS: Matt Maged, Mark Freeman, Matvey Timashev

GIRLS SOCCER

ALL-STATE: Lauren Lior

ALL-FAA FIRST TEAM: Julia Johnson, Lauren Lior

ALL-FAA SECOND TEAM: Ava McCormick

ALL-FAA HONORABLE MENTION: Ella Conopask

ALL-NEPSAC: Julia Johnson, Lauren Lior

WNEPSSA ALL-STARS: Julia Johnson, Lauren Lior

FIELD HOCKEY

ALL-FAA FIRST TEAM: Lilly Hogan, Analise Trani

ALL-FAA SECOND TEAM: Grace Almeida, Cate Lafreniere

ALL-FAA HONORABLE MENTION: Livia Orenstein

ALL-NEPSAC FIRST TEAM: Analise Trani, Grace Almeida

ALL-NEPSAC HONORABLE MENTION: Lilly Hogan, Cate LaFreniere

WNEPSFHA ALL-STARS: Analise Trani, Grace Almeida

CROSS COUNTRY

ALL-FAA FIRST TEAM: Grace Horton, Sam MacDonald

ALL-FAA SECOND TEAM: Brendan Howard, Devin Agah, Hadley Rosow, Jordan Moss

ALL-NEPSAC: Devin Agah, Brendan Howard

VOLLEYBALL

ALL-FAA SECOND TEAM: Devin McCormack

ALL-FAA HONORABLE MENTION: Annie Dizon.

DRAGONS at the Next Level

Nineteen Greens Farms Academy student-athletes were honored this year as part of the school’s annual commitment ceremony and NCAA National Letter of Intent Signing Day celebrating their successful quests to play sports at the next level.

The events honored GFA students who received pre-admission commitments and assurances from Division I and II colleges in the form of National Letters of Intent, “likely letters” from Ivy League institutions, and other official documentation.

Friends and family members were on hand to celebrate.

The athletes who were honored included: Girls basketball player LyNeta Brand (Franklin Pierce,) girls tennis standout Lane Durkin (Wesleyan,) baseball players Charlie Lafreniere (Amherst) and Joel Strand (Amherst,) wrestlers Tyler Shea (Franklin & Marshall) and Zahir Felix-McLean (Cornell,) boys lacrosse player Luke Laferriere (Colby College,) girls soccer player Lauren Lior (Swarthmore,) boys tennis player Davis McDonald (Boston College,) girls lacrosse player Laci Raveis (Bates College,) field hockey player Analise Trani (Western New England,) girls soccer player Ava McCormick (Colorado College,) golfer Eli Kennon (Louisville,) girls tennis player Charlotte Calderwood (Davidson,) boys soccer player Charlie Yates (Colgate,) girls basketball player Paige Fourtin (Mercy College,) and wrestlers Chris Murphy (Army,) and Steven Burrell (Virginia.)

GFA Head of School, Bob Whelan, and Director of Athletics and Physical Education, Eric Lee, look forward to acknowledging additional recruited student-athletes as they gain acceptance into their selected colleges.

WINTER SPORTS

The winter sports season saw some big transitions inside the Coyle Gymnasium as two new head coaches took over the Dragons programs.

Girls Coach Maria Conlon led the Dragons, which featured just two seniors in LyNeta Brand and Paige Fourtin, to a 20-6 record this season.

The Dragons advanced to the FAA semifinals and the NEPSAC Class B semifinals, losing to St. Luke’s in both contests.

One highlight for the GFA girls this season occurred during Senior Night against Ethel Walker when a junior stole the show as Molly Keaveney set a new school record by making 10 3-point shots in GFA’s win. She finished with a careerhigh 32 points.

Postseason awards went to Keaveney ’24 and Ryley TatePadian ’25, both of whom were All-FAA Second team selections. Brand also earned All-FAA Honorable Mention status.

For the boys, a squad with just two seniors in captain Matt Maged and Charlie LaFreniere, new coach J.J. Hoffstein led the Dragons to an 8-16 mark this season. The squad did save its best moments for late in the season.

Seeded eighth in the NEPSAC Class C tournament, sophomore Joel Nash scored 38 points to lead the Dragons to a stunning 79-76 victory over top-seeded King to advance to the semifinals. A cold-shooting night doomed the Dragons in a semifinal loss to Harvey, but the Dragons have plenty to build on moving forward. Nash was named All-FAA Second team for his efforts.

Out in the Squash Center, the GFA boys squash team posted a 9-4 regular season record and put up another strong showing at the High School Nationals.

After winning the Division III national championship a year ago, the GFA boys program was bumped up to Division II this season.

At nationals, the Dragons finished 2-2 with both losses coming by 4-3 scores. No. 6 player Jacob Robinson ’24 went undefeated, winning all four of his matches. Seeded 15th in the 16-team field, the Dragons went toe-to-toe with secondseeded Crystal Springs Upland in the first round. With the match tied 2-2, Crystal Springs recorded two straight wins to clinch the match as the Dragons fell by a 4-3 score. Oscar Hecker ’25, Owen Hecker ’26 and Jacob Robinson won their matches in that round. The Dragons then fell again by a 4-3

score to Milton Academy in the first round of the Consolation 1 Bracket. Eddie Xue ’24 got a win along with Oscar Hecker and Robinson.

Relegated to the Plate Bracket, the Dragons dominated Penn Charter by a 7-0 score. Xue, both Heckers, and Robinson got wins as did Aidan Weismann ’25, Brady Melnick ’23 and Jack Kendall ’24. In the Plate final against Westminster School, the Dragons notched another win, this time by a 6-1 score.

WRESTLING

a championship season

The Greens Farms Academy wrestling program just capped off the most successful season in program history with three dominant championship-winning victories, and one national championship effort by a senior wrestler.

“We are so proud of our wrestling program and everything they accomplished this season,” GFA’s Director of Athletics Eric Lee said. “This group of athletes worked so hard over the course of the winter and what was achieved is a great credit to the student-athletes, and the coaching staff.”

At the 2023 Prep Nationals in Maryland, the Dragons, under coach and former GFA wrestler Jack Conroy, placed fifth overall - the highest finish in school history and best performance among all New England prep schools.

Senior Steven Burrell competed at 215 pounds, bringing home not just the national title in his weight class, but also the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Nate Taylor ’24 finished as Prep National runner-up at 190 pounds while Xavier Giles ’24 was second at 175 pounds.

Prior to their strong showing at Prep Nationals, the Dragons dominated the regional scene like few prep schools before them. GFA won the Fairchester Athletic Association (“FAA”) Championship on January 28, the Western New England championship on February 11, and the overall New England Prep School Championship on February 18.

The team did so in impressive fashion.

At the FAA Championships, the Dragons went undefeated, beating each league squad in a dual match to win the title for the third year in a row.

One week later, the Dragons put all 14 of its wrestlers into the championship matches of all 14 weight classes. As impressive as that was, all 14 of those GFA wrestlers also

won Western New England titles as the Dragons amassed a whopping 400.5 points to easy outdistance runner-up Brunswick’s 239.5 points.

At the New England Prep School championship tournament, held at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the Dragons finally won the overall prize after three years of bringing home the “Small School” championship.

The Dragons garnered 348.5 points to outdistance Northfield Mount Hermon (282.5) and Belmont Hill (272) to take the title.

Twelve Dragons wrestled for New England championships with nine student-athletes winning titles.

Others who competed for the Dragons during the triple crown championship run were: Niall Glynn ’25 at 106 pounds, Harry Kittredge ’26 at 113 pounds, Brady Kaupp

’25 at 120 pounds, JT Schneider ’24 at 126 pounds, Ben Zuckerman ’25 at 132 pounds, Joey Iamunno ’24 and Joseph Stoerzinger ’24 at 138 pounds, Ronnie Christolin ’24 at 144 pounds, Tyler Shea ’23 at 150 pounds, Ryan Schneider ’26 at 157 pounds, Zahir McLean-Felix ’23 at 175 pounds, and heavyweight Chris Murphy ’23. April Torres ’24 won the New England championship in her weight class, while Izzy Kittredge ’25 also competed.

GFA coach Jack Conroy ’06 said, “This year’s season was a special one. Often times you have the guys to achieve at the highest levels but for whatever reason things don’t come together. Injury, lineup, matchups whatever the reason they don’t workout. I can say confidently this is the best team we have ever put out top to bottom. Each person on this team contributed in a way that made an impact. They left the team better then when they got here. They have accomplished something special and set a precedent for the teams of the future.”

“I can say confidently this is the best team we have ever put out top to bottom. Each person on this team contributed in a way that made an impact. They left the team better then when they got here. They have accomplished something special and set a precedent for the teams of the future.”

Jack Conroy ’06 wrestling coach

SQUASH

hits a record high

The Greens Farms Academy girls squash team capped off the best season in program history by placing third in New England, producing two New England champions, and winning the consolation bracket at High School Nationals.

“My team did their best and played well since the beginning of the season,” Coach Biby Castorena said. “We supported each other in every match and trained hard in every practice. My girls trusted me to guide them all the way to this point and for that I will forever be grateful.”

Castorena’s squad went 9-4 during the regular season leading up to the New England championships.

At the regional championships, Riley Meyer, playing No. 5, and Alexis Campbell, playing at No. 7, both went undefeated through four rounds of play to be crowned as New England championships.

At High School Nationals, the Dragons bounced back from a heart-wrenching first-round loss to win three straight matches, the last of which was a 5-2 win over Roland Park to win the Consolation 1 Bracket.

No. 4 Jordan Moss and Campbell won all four of their matches to go undefeated over the course of the three-day tournament.

Against Roland Park, Adelle Rubinchik, Jordan Moss, Riley Meyer, Jackie Elsener and Alexis Campbell all earned victories as the Dragons ended the tournament on a positive note.

The day before GFA had beaten Blair Academy 5-2 with all five of those same Dragons also earning wins.

On Friday, GFA found itself in position to win its opening match by taking a 3-2 lead against Berkshire School. The Dragons couldn’t finish the job, however, dropping its last two matches to fall into the Consolation Bracket with a 4-3 defeat.

After that first round loss, the Dragons bounced back by routing Shipley by a 7-0 score. All seven Dragons, including Sahana Bettegowda and Emily Xue, won their matches by a 3-0 scores.

While Moss and Campbell went undefeated during tourney play, senior captain Rubinchik went 3-1 as did Meyer and Elsener.

“My team did their best and played well since the beginning of the season. We supported each other in every match and trained hard in every practice. My girls trusted me to guide them all the way to this point and for that I

will forever be grateful.”

Mariana “Biby” Castorena girls squash coach

A GFA favorite, the “Pack the House” athletic showcase returned for its 13th year with a standing-room only crowd for every event from Friday night’s wrestling event to the final buzzer of the Dragons’ boys varsity basketball win on Saturday. The new two-day format allowed even more of Dragon Nation to cheer on the winter teams and featured wrestling, boys and girls basketball, and boys and girls squash.

Our Dragons won four out of the five contests while raising over $2,000 for Full Court Peace, a Norwalk-based nonprofit that brings together diverse groups of players through the love of hoops.

Friday night’s wrestling match—held in the Coyle Gym instead of the Bedford Gym— was a hit! A huge crowd witnessed the Dragons stun defending New England champion Northfield Mount Hermon with an overwhelming 44-17 score.

Going into the match, GFA coach Jack Conroy ’06 said, “I’m super excited to showcase wrestling. It’s a rare place that appreciates wrestling and GFA has really embraced our wrestling culture, and we’re excited to show people what we’re about.”

In the second match of the night, Harry Kittredge ’26 earned a 12-6 decision that got GFA on the board. While the Dragons still trailed 8-3 one match later, the squad ran off four straight wins to take a 22-8 lead.

On Saturday, the Coyle Gym hosted a basketball doubleheader. The girls basketball team, which entered the game with a 10-2 record, hosted a very strong Putnam Science Academy team. Facing one of the top prep school teams in the state, the Dragons fell 59-46.

With the ‘House’ close to packed, the boys took the court and a balanced scoring attack and the season’s best defensive effort carried the Dragons to a big 78-36 win against Wooster School to cap off the weekend.

Meanwhile, over in the Squash Center, GFA hosted crosstown, public-school rival Staples, notching two wins. The boys were victorious by a 7-0 count while GFA won the girls match by a 5-2 score.

Centennial From the Archives

In advance of GFA’s upcoming Centennial in 2025, we are taking a look back. Please email Ana Holwell, Director of Alumni Relations, at aholwell@gfacademy.org if you recognize anyone in these archive photos.

Save the Date!

Friday, May 19 – Saturday, May 20

Contact Director of Alumni Relations, Ana Holwell at aholwell@gfacademy.org with any questions or interest in volunteering.

Alumni Soccer Game

As usual, the annual Alumni vs. JV Boys Soccer game was a smash. Several faculty joined the alumni to help hold their winning title during our Homecoming Weekend celebration.

Thanksgiving Gathering

This year, we were excited to host the Thanksgiving Gathering at Local Kitchen and Beer Bar in Fairfield. There were over 40 alumni in attendance from the Classes of 1960-2022!

Jane Kentnor Dean ’52 Lynne Laukhuf

It’s hard to find two people who know more about Greens Farms Academy than Jane Kentnor Dean ’52 and former Assistant Head of School, Lynne Laukhuf. Luckily, they were willing to sit down and share some of their experiences while reminiscing about their time at the school and looking ahead to its Centennial in 2025.

Jane Kentnor Dean graduated from The Bolton School in 1952 along with seven other young women and headed off to Wellesley College. Her path brought her back to GFA multiple times in different capacities including as a Trustee, Director of Development, and parent to alumna Susan Pratt ’82. She has been a wonderful resource for the GFA community over the years and still attends many events at “her” school.

Lynne Laukhuf was hired in 1984 as the School Librarian under former Head of School, Jim Coyle. Over the years she held a variety of roles and became Assistant Head of School in 1999. Her son, Adam Laukhuf, graduated in 1995. Laukhuf retired in 2013 and recently finished her term on the Board of Trustees. She is remembered fondly by decades of GFA alumni who enjoy seeing her at reunions and is still very active in the community. She is currently on GFA’s Trustee Committee for Equity and Inclusion.

Lynne Laukhuf:

Jane, I’m so glad we are finally doing this. You’ve had many connections to The Bolton School, The Laycock School, and Greens Farms Academy. Tell me first about Bolton. How old were you when you started?

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I started at Bolton in fourth grade. I had gone to two or three other schools but my mother was never satisfied. She thought if she enrolled me in Bolton I would shape up and I ended up

loving it. When I was in third grade at the Pequot School there were 45 other kids in my class, so to go to Bolton where there were six or eight of us in a class was really fun. It made me want to learn. It was very inspiring and we started learning French, which was wonderful.

Lynne Laukhuf:

And you have been a Francophile all of your life and gone to Paris on your own for years. Do you credit Mrs. Bolton?

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I give a lot of credit to Mrs. Bolton and Miss Laycock. Mrs. Bolton ran the lower school, and her sister, Miss Laycock was in charge of the Middle and Upper Schools. They believed in teaching and were wonderful educators. Mrs. Bolton could have taught a rock how to read. Miss Laycock had faith in her students which gave us confidence. They were also British, which was exciting.

Lynne Laukhuf:

I understand that you and your friends had something to do with our school motto, “Quisque pro omnibus.”

Jane Kentnor Dean:

Yes, we had wanted uniforms and Miss Laycock pointed out we would hate having uniforms and her compromise was that we could have a patch, which we could put on whatever jacket we wanted. I think it was Wenche (Vank) Wollmar Johnson ’52 and Ann Merrifield Hoopes ’51 who started the process. Vank designed the shield. I remember a teacher explaining that a shield had certain requirements - it had to have specific elements to be a real shield. So we came up with the design and motto “Quisque pro omnibus” or “Each for all,” which is exactly the way the school was and still is.

Lynne Laukhuf:

At the time, The Bolton School wasn’t at its current location on Beachside Avenue.

Jane Kentnor Dean:

No, we were in a Victorian house on King’s Highway and Wilton Road in Westport, now the doctor’s offices. I can remember studying for an exam in the bathtub because there wasn’t another quiet place. Our library was probably 15’ x 15’ and had a dining room table and a few bookcases. A parent at the time, Lucie Bedford Cunningham, would pick her daughter, Lucie, up and be relieved that the big old Victorian building hadn’t burned down, which got her thinking about moving. When the current building on Beachside Avenue came on the market she knew the owners and got the gears in motion. Bolton was originally a for-profit school so they incorporated and founded the Kathleen Laycock Country Day School. Another parent, Jack Upton, father of Mary Upton ’60 and Elinor Upton Biggs ’64, took the lead on that with William Reeves, whose daughters Ann Reeves ’60 and Carol Reeves Parke ’54 attended Laycock, but it wouldn’t have happened without Lucie Bedfod Cunningham’s courage, connections, and support.

Lynne Laukhuf:

Now, former Head of School, Nancy Lauber ’51, graduated from Bolton the year before you. Do you have any memories of her?

Jane Kentnor Dean:

Yes, she was a good friend of mine at school. She was an incredible athlete and fun. I loved spending the night at her family’s house because they seemed so sophisticated. She was a wonderful

The Bolton Country Day School, c. 1952

The Bolton School Senior Class of 1952

Past

Head of School and we were also on the Board together.

Nancy Lauber would attend Laycock class reunions and the group would end up telling her one or more mischievous things they had done at school. She would say with a little smile, you know, I actually did know that.

Lynne Laukhuf:

Speaking of alumni and reunions, I think our alums have had their own unique experiences here over the years. Students feel so connected to each other and the faculty. They come back for alumni events and they’re all together and you think, boy, something right happened here.

Jane Kentnor Dean: Yes, it’s like that with many classes.

Lynne Laukhuf: Let’s talk about the Board of Trustees a little bit. You were on the Board twice.

Jane Kentnor Dean: Lucy Bedford Cunningham, mother-in-law of Ann Merrifield Hoopes ‘51, played a significant role in the school becoming a non-profit. They created a Board of Trustees and Ann was on it and thought I should join. It was in the early 1960s. I served my term and eventually went back on for a second one. I was then hired to fill a development role by Jim Coyle. I remember being told to stay home from a Board meeting when they discussed the need for a development role. Several of us had been pushing for it for a while. So, I started working from home, calling people, looking at yearbooks, and finding people. I then got an office, the former bathroom on the second floor of the mansion is where my desk was.

Lynne Laukhuf:

And that’s when you and I first met when Jim Coyle was Head of School, and you were the Development Director. I was the Librarian and you had made a donation to add books to the library. You wanted more contemporary fiction.

Jane Kentnor Dean:

You know, the reason I did it was very selfish. I lived in Wilton so I didn’t have time to go to the public library in the evenings. And on a Friday especially, I’d want to have a book to read. Generally, I’d go to a secondhand store that I knew in Martha’s Vineyard and get books and give them to GFA so anyone, including myself, could enjoy them.

Lynne Laukhuf:

You’ve been a library supporter all your life. We have a special connection there as well. Back to Jim Coyle. Jim hired me and just like Miss Laycock, who saw your potential, he encouraged me to take on more responsibility. I’m so grateful to him for that. It was like I was a student and he could see my potential. He was like that with all of the faculty and I got where I did at GFA because of him.

Jane Kentnor Dean:

Jim Coyle is excellent. I was on the selection committee when he was hired. His connection to the school dates back to the 1950s. His mother, Mrs. Coyle, drove a van for the school at one point and his sister, Dianne Coyle Putnam ’56 attended Bolton. I missed a meeting the first time the Board met him but I was at the next meeting and I voted enthusiastically for him.

Lynne Laukhuf:

And after Jim Coyle came Peter Esty.

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I never worked for Peter Esty. I was working at a national non-profit in New York City by then, but he helped to create a school that you wanted to support.

Lynne Laukhuf:

Peter Esty opened the school up to the outside. He challenged the faculty and stretched people. He brought in the Harkness method. I eventually became Assistant Head of School during his tenure.

Mary Bolton

Kathleen Laycock

Nancy Lauber ’51

Leadership and present

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I always felt very much a part of the school when Peter Esty was Head even though I wasn’t working there. And then, Janet Hartwell came along and by then I was retired. I’d been in Europe and I got home and there was a message from Janet Hartwell that GFA was looking for an interim Director of Development and I was thrilled to work there again.

Lynne Laukhuf:

I remember having lunch with you at school during that time. It was great fun. Janet Hartwell became Head of School in 2003 and she knew that she wanted to expand the school. I remember thinking, oh my gosh, she wants 80 kids in each class. We don’t have enough room. But she expanded the buildings as well as the classes. We did a long-range plan, and part of that was coming up with the World Perspectives Program which just changed the game. It put us on the map. She also understood the importance of athletics and she worked to develop the sports program. She really knew what she was doing.

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I didn’t work as closely with her for long, but it was a real thrill.

Lynne Laukhuf:

Now that we’ve discussed the past, let’s talk about the upcoming Centennial. This is a big deal. A hundred years. Any thoughts about that?

Jane Kentnor Dean:

It’s a huge accomplishment especially when you think about how this little school started.

Lynne Laukhuf:

And then think about it continuing for another hundred years.

Jane Kentnor Dean: Oh, I think it will.

Lynne Laukhuf: What would you hope for in the future?

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I hope it never loses that feeling, the “Each for All.” It may seem simplistic, but it’s absolutely not.

Lynne Laukhuf:

I feel the same way. Thinking of the future, a hundred years from now, clearly with the development of artificial intelligence and technology it is hard to predict what education may look like.

Jane Kentnor Dean:

I think that morality and responsibility are two things that we’re going to have to expect more of from educational institutions.

Lynne Laukhuf:

Yes, and I’ve seen the importance of what Bob Whelan is doing, having speakers come in. The school has become a resource for parents. It always was, but Bob Whelan is also opening the doors to a broader community that is getting to know GFA.

Jane Kentnor Dean: Yes, I see the importance of that.

Lynne Laukhuf: Well, Jane, you and I will not be around in a hundred years to see what happens.

Jane Kentnor Dean: Are you sure?

Lynne Laukhuf: (Laughing) I don’t plan to be, but you may be! You are my role model, so I’m happy to follow whatever you do and I’m so glad that we have this shared history with GFA.

Jane Kentnor Dean: Your friendship is such a gift, Lynne, and I’m still learning from you and GFA.

James Coyle

Peter Esty

Janet Hartwell

Bob Whelan, P ’24

MAYA EBBESEN ’15 A ONE WOMAN SHOW

As founder of the U.S. branch of Made by Mama, GFA alumna Maya Ebbesen ’15 is an entrepreneur, working globally to put artisanal food and lifestyle products in the kitchens of people all over the country.

For Ebbesen, pure curiosity brought her to her career. She knew as early as high school that being an entrepreneur was a calling, but it was during business school at Georgetown undergrad that her interest solidified.

While visiting her sister, Eva Ebbesen ’19, in Denmark after college, Ebbesen fell in love with the simple and clean products from the company her sister was interning with.

“I was so impressed by everything they were doing. I asked Eva if she would email her boss to see if he would be willing to meet with me,” Ebbesen recalls. “Morten Hassing-Kjær, the president of Made by Mama, happened to be playing around with the idea of growing the business in the U.S. but had absolutely no mechanism for doing that. It sort of perfectly fell into place, so we started this partnership.”

A brand rooted in design, Made by Mama is more than just an aesthetic lifestyle. While the products capture the minimalism of Scandinavian Design, Ebbesen said the brand intently focuses on slowing down, appreciating artisanship, and knowing where your food comes from. “It’s an ethos of living. It’s being intentional about how you eat, what you eat, the experience of cooking, of eating.”

Mainly self taught, Ebbesen said her first year at the helm of Made by Mama U.S. has been about navigating all things business and entrepreneurship, from finding a warehouse and fulfillment partners, to FDA compliance and importing. Today, Made by Mama is in more than twenty-five stores across the country and growing. At its core, Ebbesen explained the brand will mostly focus on e-commerce. By connecting with consumers directly, she hopes 2023 will be about continuing to foster relationships with her customers.

Ebbesen touched upon one of the main lessons she’s learned thus far, “It’s great to listen to people’s opinions and be inspired by what other people think, but I’ve learned if I listen too closely to everyone else’s opinions, I can’t hear the sound of my own thoughts.”

While Ebbesen has learned to listen to herself there have been many other influential voices along the way. A “lifer” at GFA, attending from kindergarten through 12th grade, Ebbesen credited the school and faculty for helping to

shape her as a lifelong learner. Looking back to Lower School, Ebbeson recalled crying when she found out that Patti Hiller was going to be her teacher. Mrs. Hiller had a reputation for being tough and she lived up to it in the best way. According to Ebbesen, 4th grade turned out to be one of the most meaningful years in her education. “She (Hiller) is iconic and is one of the people who taught me how to be disciplined, which is one of the most important qualities I’m finding for being an entrepreneur.” In Middle School Robbi Hart had an immeasurable impact on Ebbesen and her siblings, Eva ’19 and Sofia ’21, supporting her well after she was a student in her class.

In the Upper School, Ebbesen remembered a new faculty member, Dr. Kurt Mederer, who everyone called Doc, challenged the way she thought and learned. “Doc would make you sit in that very uncomfortable position of publicly

Dreaming is actually an amazing way to spend your time. Not only is it pleasurable and cool to explore yourself and your life as a person just for the human experience, but it’s also actually productive, because it helps you develop an inner compass of who you are, what you want, and what feels right to you.

not understanding or knowing the answer. You’d have to just sit there and be uncomfortable. And ultimately by sitting with that discomfort you realized you actually did know the answer. You just had to poke around for it a little bit.”

As the sole owner of Made by Mama U.S., Ebbesen is a one woman show and has had to navigate many situations she didn’t originally know the answers to over the past year. Built with passion and drive, she travels both nationwide and internationally to check up on warehouses, train fulfillment teams on how to package items, and connect with the European branch.

Ebbesen’s perspective on entrepreneurship has shifted as she’s come to experience it for herself, “I think there’s a lot of talk out there about it (entrepreneurship) having this very stressful, abrasive energy. I’m actually finding it to be much more exploratory. I’m finding that business is a lot more like

art than I ever thought it was. It’s a lot more personal. It’s a lot more creative. It requires a state of being that I didn’t realize. It’s not all about what you do, it’s also about where your mind is, where your soul is and being aligned so that you can make choices and drive things in the right direction.”

With this new perspective, Ebbesen hopes current students at GFA allow themselves to dream. To spend time imagining a life they might want to live and trying on different possibilities to see how it feels.

“Dreaming is actually an amazing way to spend your time,” she encouraged. “Not only is it pleasurable and cool to explore yourself and your life as a person just for the human experience, but it’s also actually productive, because it helps you develop an inner compass of who you are, what you want, and what feels right to you.”

RASHAD NIMR ’13

Success Through Identity

By empowering students to discover their place in the world, GFA is at the forefront of building globally minded leaders. For Rashad Nimr ’13, his journey flows through both GFA experiences and familial roots.

The youngest of three, Nimr came to GFA in the second grade. His brothers Rakan ’08 and Ramzi ’10 were a few years ahead of him. As a Palestinian-American, Nimr grew up visiting relatives in Amman, Jordan regularly in the summers with his family, and traveled to the West Bank on his own multiple times, including a stint as a camp counselor the summer after his senior year of college.

At GFA, Nimr was involved in a variety of extracurriculars, including the Beachside Express and several other performing arts programs. Nimr’s favorite classes included English with Ms. Cleary and Ms. Schwartz, the latter of whom he still sees regularly, and who he credits with helping him to

think more critically. The Global Studies Program, where he did a thesis exploring the experiences of LGBT Palestinians in the Palestinian-Israeli context, was another highlight.

“There aren't a whole lot of high schoolers who are able to explore issues like that at their schools. I’m still able to draw on aspects of that research in the work I'm doing now which is amazing,” said Nimr, who worked as an inclusive development advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention and recently joined the Agency’s Foreign Service.

While at GFA, Nimr also led several early diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), and leading the Upper School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, QUEST. As one of the few openly gay students at the time, Nimr said it

was helpful having a space like QUEST to find allyship and affirmation. Just before he graduated in 2013, Nimr gave a GFA TedX talk where he discussed the facets of his identity, including his heritage, sexuality, and stutter that have influenced his life experiences.

“Being someone who comes from identities that are historically marginalized and underrepresented, it can be hard to see how those pieces of you ultimately make you stronger—especially when society consistently makes you feel less than. I was able to explore who I am in the spaces I was in without having to change these aspects of who I am,” Nimr remembers. “For me, the experience of being loud about the things that I’m often told to be quiet about has been so significant. I talk every day about being a person who stutters. I have to, because that's how I interact with the world and how I speak. I also can’t hide being gay with a partner who I hope to travel the world. I can’t hide that I have an Arab name. All of these things are visible aspects of who I am no matter what, and I credit the spaces I grew up in as helping facilitate finding power not in spite of these identities, but because of them.”

After graduating from GFA as one of the Class of 2013’s co-valedictorians, Nimr went on to the University of Penn-

sylvania, where after trying out pre-med and pre-law, he became a Middle Eastern Studies major. During his collegiate career, he interned in Jordan, with Human Rights Watch, and worked at a refugee organization in Philadelphia.

“I was really interested in working in places where issues were happening rather than handling situations after they happen,” he said.

After undergrad, Nimr went to the London School of Economics for a masters degree in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies. From there, he dove into the world of international development, humanitarian assistance, and peacebuilding. Nimr hopped around to a few different entry level jobs including with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Save the Children, and was onboarded as a Crisis, Stabilization and Governance Foreign Service Officer at USAID this past August.

As a Foreign Service Officer, Nimr will be overseeing several programs and initiatives including democracy, human rights, governance, and stabilization projects, and will continue his work to include historically marginalized and underrepresented groups in foreign assistance and humanitarian aid.

“There aren’t a lot of 27-year-olds who are able to work on really specific issues that they’re interested in. I feel fortunate that I’m able to actually work in these areas—for example, leading the U.S. government approach to inclusion of persons with disabilities and LGBTQI+ communities in conflict prevention programming--but also find balance, seeking outlets where I'm able to do other creative things,” Nimr remarked, who is currently working on a cookbook inspired by his Palestinian-American identity.

Nimr has a busy year ahead as he will find out where his first post will be in the next few months and go to language training to prepare for his foreign embassy assignment, while also planning to move from Washington, DC alongside his fiancé, Ahmad.

While giving a piece of advice for GFA students, Nimr encourages them to stay focused on their own path, and not look to others for their own experiences, while also stressing the importance of exploring interests outside of the workplace. He also mentions the importance of finding power in who you are, as you are, without the need for changing yourself for others.

“I’m extremely happy to be in the place that I’m in and be able to work on the issues that I’m interested in, but I also have outlets where I’m able to do creative things in my personal life, and amazing people who support me through it all. It’s important to realize that everyone has their own journey. You can't necessarily look to others for your own experiences and your own path. We are told we need to have a clear narrative of who we are and what we want to do, and that's not always true. Oftentimes the narrative happens afterwards,” he remarked. “Ultimately, we're all figuring it out. Beyond work, education, and the usual markers of success, finding likeminded community and comfort with your own identities is the key to succeed in anything that may come next.”

Ultimately,

we're all figuring it out. Beyond work, education, and the usual markers of success, finding likeminded community and comfort with your own identities is the key to succeed in anything that may come next.”

Class Notes

1951

ann Merrifield hoopes

I’m having a timeout in Florida after a busy Christmas season with many piano singalongs to play for! I’m expecting a second great-grandchild in April and finishing a memoir which was fun to write and put in lots of added pictures dating all the way back to 1933. I’m having a big birthday on March 30 and all the family is coming, which adds up to about 40 people!

1952

Jane Kentnor Dean

In early December my daughter, Susan Pratt ’82, and I were in Texas and spent a wonderful 24 hours with Bets Kolliker Davis ’52 and her husband, a retired lawyer whom we lovingly called “Cowboy.” They have been at a few of our Bolton reunions in the past. Bets is a very accomplished artist and I loved being able to see her work at last. They live in Bryan in a beautiful house that Bets helped design with an architect. The tall scale is perfect for hanging many of her large pieces of art and her smaller ones, as well as those from her father’s collection. Mr. Kolliker was also an artist and Art Director with Hearst when we were at Bolton School. Bets’ studio is

full of light as well as beautifully designed for all her equipment. Having been in many shows and sold many paintings, she now only participates in invitational shows. Family-wise, most of their children and grandchildren live nearby and have graduated from Texas A&M and several are lawyers. In other news: I have moved into a nice apartment in a retirement community one mile from the center of Southport where I have lived most of my life. I’m so glad to be here after Long Covid made me realize that I was actually getting older and needed to feel more secure “in case.” But, I still can go to Greens Farms Academy events easily! My daughter, Susan, comes often from her home on Martha’s Vineyard.

1958

Jean du Pont Blair

I am fortunate with the background I received from Miss Laycock’s to have run both the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon 25 years in a row! Forty years ago I founded the New Orleans School of Glassworks and Printmaking Studio. I have been teaching glassblowing and printmaking for 40 years. The courses are completed through metal sculpture and torch-working. I am the oldest lady on Team USA for sporting clays and the only one my age to com-

pete in last year’s world championship in Italy. My hobby is racing pigeons. Each one of our students at glassworks had their own pigeon for the 75th-anniversary lift-off for the landing of D-Day to race to 50 states.

1966

Betsy Spalla Whidden

Tom is “gently” transitioning into semi-retirement which gives us more time on our boat this winter. We have been spending it in the Coconut Grove area with short hops to Ocean Reef, Palm Beach, and the Bahamas. Our two grown children are doing very well and we are very proud of them. Our three grandchildren, (16, 15, and 12) provide plenty of adventures! Wishing all the best to my classmates!

1970

Judy Chapman Proctor

The class of 1970 is New Zealand bound with Cindy Emerson Keefer ’70 and her partner as well as Annabel Larkin Amour ’70 traveling there in February and hoping to meet up. Ched and I have just returned from a terrific trip and we certainly could have stayed longer.

1972

Susan Boone Durkee

Susan continued to have a very successful year with her commissioned portraiture. Amongst her clients in 2022 were the philanthropic Whittingham family of Stamford, CT, and the former President and CEO of Webster Bank, James Smith.

1974

Allen Hardon

We have had a great year and look forward to a repeat performance next year. We will be spending the summer at our

home in Massachusetts from June 15-Sept 15. If you are in the area, please look us up. Happy New Year to all!

1975

Tom Powel

Celebrating 67 years of age and continuing to grow my photography business Tom Powell Imaging (tompowelimaging. com). We are the premiere imaging service to the Fine Art industry worldwide.

1979

Margaret Lo

Since 1995, I have taught Shotokan karate, first at Princeton University, then at Northwestern University where my wife is a professor of neurobiology. In January of this year, I am expanding classes into Chicago.

1980

Nina McHale Hudock

My husband Dave and I are still living in Northern Virginia accompanied by four dogs and two cats. Our sons, Dylan and Erik, are graduating from James Madison University this spring. We are spending time on Martha’s Vineyard for a few months every year and still spend every New Year’s Eve and Memorial Day with Sukey Timpson McGolrick ’80 and her family. I stay in touch with Del Auray ’80 also and see him on the Vineyard and have watched him race his Porsche. I hope everyone is doing well!

1982

Susan Pratt

It was SO FUN to see so many people from our class at our 40th reunion, yikes! Let’s do it again!

Margaret Lo ’79 teaching Shotokan karate

Allen Hardon ’74

Ched and Judy Proctor ’70 on a recent trip to New Zealand.

1983

Jimmy Bebon

In December 2021, Jackie Reiss Bebon ’84, and I sold our house in Easton, CT. We had 28 great years in the old place and raised four incredible children there. Now that we are empty nesters, yeah all the kids have moved out, we decided it was time to downsize and sell while the market was hot, thank you Covid! We got lucky and sold at the height of the market to a great person, designer Christian Siriano, who fell in love with our house at first sight and bought it within 12 hours of touring it, yeah for us! We ended up buying a barn in Newtown, CT that was built in 1850 and converted into a house in 1950. We are almost finished with our total renovation and remodel of the place and loving it! This past September a group from the Class of 1983 got together in Newport Beach, CA to celebrate our classmate, Chuck Klink, who has been battling cancer for the past three years. This was our second year getting together in Newport to play with Chuck (Chuckfest II), and we are already planning Chuckfest III for Sept 2023. Finally, this May the Class of 1983 will be having our 40th reunion, and we are hoping everyone can come back to the farm and be a part of it. We will definitely be partying like it is 1983!

Dawn Murray Burnett

Work at Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown Museum continues, this year we’ve added more historic foodways programming and continue to grow our school programs and visitation. I have been asked to recreate a sampler from 1771 for display at The John Marshall House in Richmond that was done by Marshall’s wife when she was six. My husband and I continue to enjoy traveling, last year visiting St. John’s and Alaska. This year we look forward to visiting Greece in the fall.

1984

Pam Carter

It’s been an exciting year weather-wise. I had the opportunity to head out to Central California to my fave haunt, the Carmel Highlands, where we relocated mountain lions, wolves, and other animals with large ranges over the Christmas-New Year’s holidays. Our last week there was an eye-opener, as the floods and mudslides had just begun. However, up to 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevadas? I hope you skiers brought reserves with you. I am looking forward to the rest of the ski season and hope to hear from you. I will be traipsing back and forth between coasts as is my normal routine. I will hopefully be working on a new album or two and possibly venturing to Japan to work on my flight, language, and music skills professionally in the near future. Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and productive 2023!

07 Edward Grey ’85 (bottom right) at a celebratory dinner with Scope Fluidics, S.A.

1985

Edward Grey

I am pleased to share that my colleagues and I at Clairfield International acted as advisors to Warsaw, Poland-based Scope Fluidics for the sale of its subsidiary, Curiosity Diagnostics, to Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE: BIO) for $170 million. This transaction was great not only for the rapid, high multiplex molecular diagnostics sector but also for greater recognition of the depth and breadth of intellectual capital in Poland’s biotech sector.

1986

Julie Gisondi-Mazzia

I’m still living in Switzerland, close to Geneva with my husband, Olivier, and two boys: Max 13, and Hugo 11. I’ve been with my current company BD since 2019, now leading the Catheter Care business for the EMEA region. I’ve caught up with my sister Stephanie (Gisondi-Little) ’90 and Lisa Brovender Hayes ’86 and her family a few times in Fairfield and Westport over the last few years but was sorry to miss the last reunion. I hope to see everyone again in the nottoo-distant future!

1988

Susan Tainter Beard

My husband and I have been living in Sag Harbor, NY for 20 years now with our two children, Cricket (15), a sophomore who attends Westminster School, and Lachlan (14) an 8th grader at Pierson Middle High School. I’m having a great time at the beach where I, fortunately, get to see Adrienne Ruger Conzelman ’88 when she’s out East. I’m a decorator and am staying busy with projects locally and on the East and West Coasts. I still keep in touch with Amy Ruger Whiteley ’89, Christine Tomson Grenney ’88, Kristy Ferguson Wackerman ’88, Pam Burian Badger ’88, Kim Keller Raveis ’88, Lis Bartol Reed ’88, and Gay Lindsey Baker ’88, who I had the most fortunate and best surprise run-in at the Palm Beach airport with her sister Amy Baker Zabele ’86 the other weekend! The Best! Looking forward to our big 35th reunion this year!

Yvette

Liem Yoon

What a year - we are officially empty nesters now. Our daughter is a junior in college and our son just started his freshman year. With the kids out of the house, I am now able to focus on myself a bit. I am lucky enough to be able to spend more quality time with family and friends (including my Dad, who still lives in the same house) while continuing my part-time work. Health-wise, I am managing ok and trying to keep active and moving, though sadly, my competitive tennis days ended long ago. My sister, Michelle (Liem DeGroat ’85), is still in Cohasset and keeping busy but overall doing well - her twins are also juniors in college and her youngest is a senior in high school. I wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023 - the year of the rabbit. I can hardly believe this year is also our 35th reunion!?!

1989

Oliver Pursche

I’m proud to share that I’ve published my second book, Money Can Grow on Trees: When You Take Care of It. It is a graphic novel focused on financial literacy and geared toward high school students and young adults. The stories and lessons are based on my personal experiences and observations as a financial professional.

1990

Adam Lippman

I’m continuing my important work to help preserve natural spaces, educate hikers, and lead environmental volunteers through my roles as Volunteer Coordinator in Westchester County Parks and as an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner. Of course, I am still making art and music, with several art shows and performances in the area. My new album “Some Things Cast Long Shadows” is on all streaming sites and I’d love to see my fellow alumni at a show!

1992

Justin Lacche

Justin came out of early Swoosh retirement to co-lead the

new era of emerging technologies at Nike & the Nike 6453 Alumni Association. “I would highly encourage current GFA students and GFA alumni to look at the sports industry to advance science, equality, innovation & economic prosperity,” Lacche said. Reach out anytime: Justin.Lacche@outlook. com, 971.325.1684. Cheers.

Jamie Millington

I hope all are doing well. Kelly and I are still living in Fairfield and doing well. Kelly’s travel business has taken off and taken us around the world as she scouts out new locations for her clients to visit and vacation. My real estate team, The Millington Team at William Raveis Real Estate, continues to grow and thrive. I now have eight agents working for me and we continue to climb. Last year we were in the top 10% company-wide for sales volume. So, if you are looking to buy or sell in Fairfield, New Haven, or Litchfield Counties, give me a call! After 25 years in politics, I “retired” a couple of years ago when I was on top of the game. However, I have come back. I am no longer running for office, but I am advising others. I was also reappointed to a second term as Police Commissioner in Fairfield. I have four more years before I hit a term limit, but I am enjoying working with the Department and community in a far less political capacity.

1996

Darrick Lin

I work part-time for the NHL - Anaheim Ducks, Live Nation (FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine, CA, and the Observatory in Santa Ana, CA), for my family on a legal case, and on other projects that I invest my time in.

Brian Reich

Brian is the new Director of Speechwriting for the U.S. De -

partment of Health and Human Services. He will be writing for the Secretary and other leaders on the full portfolio of health care, public health, human services, and other issues.

1997

Max Rosenberg

I am very proud to announce I have recently won re-election to my position as Judge of District #47 in Stratford, CT. Concurrently, I have restructured my law firm which is now, Rosenberg & Hite, LLC focusing on bankruptcy, personal injury, and workers’ compensation. My sons, Zohar and Asher are still at St. Josephs in Trumbull and we are beginning to look at colleges. In my spare time, I have taken up painting with acrylics again.

1999

Phil Goughary

It’s been a busy handful of years! I still broker refined oil products and financial derivatives thereof and took on partial ownership of Echo Energy in Houston in 1999. In addition to that, I co-host a Houston-based podcast with professional actor, Brian Chambers called Neighbors Don’t Knock. NDK can be found just about anywhere podcasts are hosted, as well as on YouTube. Brian and I founded a production company, C&G Communications, under which we produce our show and a handful of other shows for a small Houston customer base. Gone are nights and weekends, but it’s been a lot of fun!

2001

Katherine Nieroth Ghirardelli

After almost 22 years away from Fairfield County, Katherine Ghirardelli and her family of five recently moved back to Westport, CT after living for +10 years in Boston, MA. She

10 Max Rosenberg ’97 being sworn in by his father at VFW 9460 (Veterans of Foreign Wars), while his wife holds the bible used to commemorate lost soldiers.

11

12 Neighbor’s Don’t Knock, a podcast hosted by Phil Goughary ’99

Katherine Nieroth Ghirardelli ‘01 and her family

is looking forward to reconnecting with the GFA community and raising her three children, Emma (7), Maddie (5), and Jack (2) alongside her husband John in the greater Westport area. They currently live in the Saugatuck area close to Main Street and Coffee An’ and are excited to reconnect with old classmates from GFA.

Rebecca Harbster Pincus

In late 2022, I left the Department of Defense to become Director of the Polar Institute, in Washington D.C. The Polar Institute is a program of the Woodrow Wilson Center, a nonpartisan, Congressionally-chartered policy think tank focused on foreign affairs that serve as President Wilson’s official memorial. I’m happy to be serving in a policy-oriented role where I can advance solutions to Arctic and Antarctic challenges.

2002

Melissa Barnes

After 15 years as a successful marketing exec including a stint as Rent the Runway’s Head of Brand and most recently the CMO of Trade Coffee, Melissa started her own home brand. Sense of Spencer (https://www.senseofspencer.com/) curates unique home accents, which, along with design ideas and styling tips, help amateur decorators put the finishing touches on their interiors.

2003

Sophie Dila

Sophie Dila and Dirk Marple were married on August 6, 2022, in the presence of close friends, family, and their dog Chaco in the beautiful mountain town of Crested

Butte, CO. They are looking forward to visiting with former classmates and teachers in May at Sophie’s 20-year reunion!

2004

Stephanie Strohm Lando

My graphic novel adaptation of Part of Your World, the Little Mermaid-inspired novel in Disney’s Twisted Tales series, publishes in June 2023. This was my first time working with established Disney characters, which was a lot of fun. Up next, it’s off to Neverland with a Peter Pan graphic novel.

2005

Katie Flynn

Katie and her husband, Michael, welcomed their first child, Hazel, on May 19, 2022. Katie’s jewelry company, Mineral + Mine, is celebrating its 15th year of business. Life in Colorado is wholesome and rewarding!

2006

Maggie Meloy Foscue

Maggie and her husband Macon welcomed their first son, Macon Foscue V (“Mac”) on May 2, 2022. They are still loving their warmer life in North Carolina, and are planning a European vacation this summer.

2007

Katie Cassetta

My team at the Aspen Institute has launched the premier U.S.-based climate change convening called Aspen Ideas: Climate. The event, a spin-off of our flagship Aspen Ideas Festival, is held each March in Miami Beach. If you’re in the

13 Melissa Barnes ’02 newest endeavor, Sense of Spencer.

14

Sophie Dila ’03 and Dirk Marple were married in Crested Butte, CO over the summer.

Stephanie Strohm Lando’s ’04 new graphic novel Part of Your World will be available in June.

climate space, join us! More info at aspenideas.org. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work with several GFA alumni on these events including Lucy Biggers ’08, Alex Perr ’06, and Chris Temple ’07.

2008

Dan Gagliano

Well, I gave up teaching. I know, hard to believe, but it was for the best. I am still based in Washington, D.C., and working now as a strategist and analyst at Lockheed Martin. Not exactly sure what I am doing on a day-to-day basis, but I am loving it. Get in touch if you come down to D.C.!

Meredith Koch

Christmas came early for us this year! My husband, Ryan Hayes, and I welcomed our first child, Grant Matthew Hayes, into this world on December 14, 2022, and I got promoted to Manager - Clinical Engineering for Medtronic’s Surgical Robotics division. It’s been a year to remember and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Will McCalpin

Will McCalpin relocated back to Brooklyn, NY in 2020 after six years in the Bay Area. He works in healthcare tech and spends most of his weekends exploring music venues and coffee shops around BK. Will recently spent a few days out in L.A. where he got the chance to get together with Alex Perry ’06, as well as JP Garofalo ’08 and his sweet baby girl Cece. Looking forward to the 15th Reunion in May!

2009

Miguel Silvestri

I got engaged to Molly Gordon in May! Much love to all my GFA fam.

2012

Lauren Muller Ballassi

Lauren married Gregory Ballassi on August 21, 2022.

2015

Nick Puljic

Hayes Marcus ’15 and I got engaged in January. Since graduation, we have been living in NYC with our three-year-old dog, Spooky. Hayes began her nursing career at Lenox Hill Hospital, where she is now a Nurse Manager for Orthopedic Surgery. I started a fintech company, Stock Unlock, that recently got seed funding, and we’re working to raise a series A sometime next year.

2018

Avery York

I graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest University in the spring of 2022 where I majored in Environment and Sustainability Studies and minored in Psychology. I am now pursuing a career in education as a 2nd-grade apprentice at New Canaan Country School.

Faculty

Former English and philosophy teacher, Chris Brown, moved to sunny Naples, FL, where he would be delighted to see any former students if they’re in the area.

16 Katie Flynn ’05 with her husband, Michael, and daughter, Hazel.

17 Maggie Meloy Foscue ’06 with her husband, Macon, and son, Mac.

18 Meredith Koch ’08 with her husband, Ryan, and son, Grant.

ABIGAIL ARMS

CLASS OF 1965

Abigail Arms (Age 73) Of Alexandria passed away May 19, 2021 after a long brave battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Abbie did not go gently into that good night. Abbie was the daughter of the late John Taylor Arms III and Jean Abberley. Abbie grew up in rural Connecticut and as a child was happiest riding a pony, playing tennis or otherwise being outside. During college she suffered from a misdiagnosed burst appendix that led to multiple surgeries. After college she earned a Masters in Economics and worked as a corporate banker in New York City. Abbie eventually returned to school for her law degree and had an illustrious career as a public servant at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission before joining the law firm of Shearman and

Sterling LLP. Abbie was a mentor and role model to many young lawyers, particularly women. As an adult her love of the outdoors continued, especially boogie boarding, bird watching and bike riding. She never let her lung disease slow her down. Abbie managed to ride a bike with an oxygen tank strapped to its fender and walk the shore with an oxygen tank in her backpack. One of the best and happiest days of Abbie’s life was when after her lung transplant she completed the 27th Between the Waters Bike Tour on her beloved Virginia eastern shore. Abbie was a very kind, thoughtful and generous person and will be greatly missed by her many friends and family. Abbie had a caring heart for those who live on the margins and taught us the importance of generosity to others. Prior to her illness, Abbie served on the board of United Community a non-profit that has for over 50 years served those in need in the Route One community in Alexandria. For decades, Abbie was also deeply involved in the life of Christ Church, Alexandria, including serving as Junior Warden on the Vestry. Abbie was a brave and deeply compassionate person, touching so many lives with her kindness, integrity, love and generosity.

ALEXANDRA HEATLEY CLASS OF 1985

Alexandra “Lexy” M. Heatley, 55, of Hancock, passed away peacefully and surrounded by the love of her family on July 27, 2022, at her home.

Lexy graduated from Greens Farms Academy in Greens Farms, CT, and graduated from Marietta College, Marietta OH with a degree in education. Lexy was active on campus and was in Sigma Kappa sorority even serving as the president. She earned her Masters of Education from Boston College, and attended Antioch New England College studying Education Leadership, earning her New Hampshire Principal Certification.

In 1989, Lexy began her accomplished career as a special educator at Wells Memorial School in Harrisville, NH where she taught for five years. She then accepted a position at Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, MA where over her 14 years there, taught students with learning disabilities, served as a teacher consultant, was a homeroom teacher, oversaw the “Learning Advantages at Dexter” (LAD) program, taught Latin, and was an administrator. Lexy left

the role of “officially” teaching and became the Executive Director of Fleur de Lis Camp. In March of 2010, Lexy joined the ConVal School District first as a Title I teacher, then as a Special Educator at Great Brook Middle School, and for the last three years has served as the Assistant Principal at Great Brook. Lexy’s passion for educating all is evident by the many former students and colleagues who share the tremendous impact Lexy had on their lives. She met students “where they were at” and served as a strong mentor to many.

FRANK MORI PAST TRUSTEE

Frank Richard Mori of Westport, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on November 22, 2022, in the company of loved ones.

Frank was a beloved father, grandfather, brother and friend who impacted the lives of all he knew.

A wise man with a generous heart and a burning dedication, he was a teacher of knowledge by trait. Frank lit up every room he walked into with his infectious charisma and grace. His mark on the world will survive through the people he touched and the

legacy he built. Born on October 9, 1940 to the late Frank Mori and Margaret Whipple in Jersey City, Frank graduated summa cum laude Dartmouth College and went on to earn his master’s degree from Harvard Business School. Frank was a titan of industry, starting as a manager at the General Foods Company and working his way toward what would be a long and distinguished career as President and CEO of Anne Klein and CEO of Donna Karan International, where he played an instrumental role in developing the foundations of the fashion industry as it is known today. In his retirement, Frank devoted his life to his family and friends; raising his newborn daughter, planning trips around the world with his beloved family of 10, never missing a tee time, and never letting go of a friendship. Frank was a philanthropic man who served on the Board of Directors of the Stride Rite Corp., Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp., Dillards Inc., and Horizons.