Greens Farms Academy Spring 2010

Greens Farms Academy Magazine 43 Spring 2010

“Lifelong Connections

Finding a subject worth a lifetime of study Inside: “Miss Laycock…one just didn’t mess with her”—page 22 “When a natural disaster strikes…”—page 37

Matt Alexander '13

This spring, Janet Hartwell announced a K-12 World Perspectives Program to start in fall 2010. The curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, especially at the intersection of science and humanities. In Upper School the program is fully realized with a series of courses that address the three major global themes of health, climate and population. A small number of students may wish to apply for a diploma with a concentration in global studies. They will take additional courses related to the program, participate in off-campus service learning and write and present a senior thesis on a related topic. The director of the program is Mr. Jason Cummings, who teaches in the Spanish and English Departments in the Upper School and who also coordinates off-campus study and travel programs. More information to follow in the next issue of the GFA Alumni Magazine.

Through a generous donation from a GFA family, faculty may apply for a monetary grant to pursue summer travel that will enhance their teaching in the classroom. The travel grant committee is excited to announce six grants for the summer of 2010.

Elizabeth Cleary Chair, English Department Visiting the landscapes of America’s writers Amy Colbert Third grade England and the lives of Sir Walter Raleigh and King George III

La Ree Delahunt Fifth grade A focus on Athens and sites on the Peloponnese Marion Mapstone Chair, Language Department An immersion experience in Sénégal and Mali

Martha Russell Kindergarten China and Tibet Nicole Yates L.S. Art Art Nouveau in Austria and the Czech Republic

editorial

Greens Farms

Academy

Greens Farms Academy Spring 2010 Volume 19 The GFA Magazine is published twice a year for parents, alumni and friends of the school by the GFA Development Office.

Editor Alison Freeland

Associate Editor Natalie Heller

Editorial Assistant Nancy Fishkin Features

Alumni Editors

Lifelong Connections

12

Memories of Bolton and Laycock

22

Thoughts on Haiti from Peru

25

Susan Ball ’71 Rachel D’Agostino ’03

Design © Plaza Design www.plazadesign.com

Photo Contributors

Departments Editor’s Letter

2

Head’s Letter

3

GFA News and Events

4

Athletics

8

Arts

10

Alumni Events

16

Alumni News

24

Class Notes

26

Milestones

35

Covers & Masthead: Naru Photography Natalie Heller

In an effort to streamline our mailing list, we are sending one magazine per household. If you would like extra copies, please email afreeland@gfacademy.org.

Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor are welcome and may be edited for clarity and space. Please send all correspondence to Alison Freeland (afreeland@gfacademy.org).

Alumni News We welcome news from alumni, parents and friends of GFA. Please send your news and labeled photographs to Alumni News at GFA, or email them to alumni@gfacademy.org.

The following minimum digital file size is required to produce a high-quality image 2.5" x 3.5" • # pixels 375 x 525 pixels • 550KB/ .tif • 100KB/ .jpeg

printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks

Greens Farms Academy 35 Beachside Avenue PO Box 998 Greens Farms, CT 06838-0998 (203) 256-0717 www.gfacademy.org Greens Farms Academy is dedicated to guiding students through a rigorous course of study encompassing academics, arts and athletics.

Cover: Christopher Hisey, Sofi Rubinstein, OJ Burns and Janet Hartwell talk about their lifelong interests.

editor

A Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, With this issue, we’re changing the circulation of the GFA Magazine from summer and winter to fall and spring. Our apologies that this edition of class notes lags about a month behind. Thank you to all of you class correspondents who labor to get us news, and we’ll catch up with the fall issue.

© Naru Photography

The big news on campus of late is the launch of GFA’s World Perspectives Program, a K-12 focus on global and environmental studies starting in September 2010. The Upper School in particular will focus on climate, health and population, and some students each year will be eligible to graduate with a Concentration in Global Studies. Spanish teacher Jason Cummings, who is also working on his PhD in Hispanic Literature Cultures and Linguistics, is the program director. We’ll hear more about this initiative in the next issue of the Magazine.

In this issue, we look at some lifelong relationships, talking with four GFA faculty members who have amassed a lifetime of interest in their subjects. We hope you enjoy their stories.

Speaking of lifelong connections, Mike Rintoul is a current parent in the school. Mike attended GFA for seven years, as part of the class of 1984. His name may not ring a bell with you, but his great grandmother, Mary Bolton, is certainly familiar to all of us.

Mrs. Bolton, who was the founder of what we now call Greens Farms Academy, was a big believer in the English school system according to Rintoul. She began a school in Westport, educating first her own daughters, and then their friends. The rest is history.

Mike came to GFA in third grade, not talking much about the fact that his great grandmother founded the school. “I just felt a sense of responsibility and purpose that was pretty powerful,” he says. “I never talked about it because I thought it would be bragging, but I had an inner sense of the history and felt I had to represent the family well in my performance.”

With a grandmother and mother who attended the school before him, Mike now has a daughter in 7th grade and another daughter who will join the sixth grade in the fall.

He finds that “the core building is the same; the grounds are the same, but with great additions—symbols of the progress of the school. The history is much more prominently displayed today, something that makes me proud every time I walk down the hall.”

Many of us share his sentiments. Happy spring.

Mike Rintoul with his three daughters, from l to r: Ashley, Whitney and Caroline. The painting is of the Bolton School when it was at the corner of Wilton Road and North Kings Highway in Westport.

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Alison Freeland Director of Communications

head

From the Head of School March in Greens Farms is often dreary and muddy, with students and faculty eagerly anticipating Spring Break, a time to recharge batteries. One of the ways in which many of our Upper School students recharge is by traveling with Builders Beyond Borders, a local organization that does community service work in impoverished communities.

This year, the group worked in Peru. You will soon be hearing more about our new World Perspectives Program, part of which will involve international service learning.

Students from all grades are involved in some form of community service, whether it is Penny Wars to raise money for the people of Haiti or Harmony for the Homeless, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year by supporting the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

As I write, there are over 200 students and teachers from neighboring Bridgeport Schools in our Bedford Auditorium watching the Middle School production of “Peter Pan.” Soon they’ll all be in the cafeteria having lunch together.

© Naru Photography

Dear Friends,

Recently I was struck by the deep integration that community service has in the lives of our students and faculty. Veronica Lima, one of our Upper School Spanish teachers, took her Spanish 5 class to help Jorge Munoz in Queens. Munoz is originally from Colombia, and recently won the CNN Hero award. In his free time and with his own money Munoz, along with his sister, prepares food which they distribute to day laborers in the evening. Veronica found out about Munoz and his work from Jairo Mejía, a member of our maintenance crew at GFA, who is also Colombian. Since the Spanish 5 class had been working on a thematic unit about Colombia, Jorge’s work fit in well with the ideas they had been discussing.

Munoz and his sister Luz invited Veronica and her Spanish 5 students to help distribute food with them, and Jairo and our Lower School Spanish teacher, Nancy D’Ecclesiis, went along as chaperones. Our GFA group met Munoz at his distribution site in Jackson Heights and got straight to work. The students used their Spanish as they talked with a variety of people in the Latino community.

This kind of community service, really service leaning, is beneficial on so many levels and I am proud that this came from a collaboration with one of our maintenance staff, an Upper and Lower School Spanish teacher, and a group of seniors—truly a learning opportunity for all.

This afternoon our juniors leave for an overnight trip to work with the homeless in New York City. Often alumni from the area join them in this service. I can see all around me that GFA students have developed a passion for giving and helping, and by all accounts, this passion thrives in our alumni as well, and is one of their many lifelong connections with GFA. Kind regards,

Janet M. Hartwell Head of School

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GFA news

GFA finds new relationship with its apple trees For many years, GFA students and staff collected apples from the trees on campus and sold them or gave them to families picking up their kids after school. Many trees have disappeared over the years, but Lower School science teacher Sofi Rubinstein has a new use for the fruit. In the fall, Lower School students collect the apples and bring them to the front lawn where Ms. Rubinstein’s parents set up their hand-made apple press. The students wash and squeeze the apples and serve cider to the rest of the school.

CT State Science Fair Winners, L to R: Arash Kani, David SchmidtFellner, Jack Wood, Chris Friend

GFA Scientists Three Upper School students and one Middle School student were among the 166 finalists selected from over 15,000 entries at the Connecticut State Science Fair held at Quinnipiac University in March. Seniors Chris Friend, Arash Kani and David Schmidt-Fellner and eighth grader Jack Wood all presented work they have been researching with science teacher Dr. Freeman since the beginning of the year.

Each student won additional awards, including Jack Wood, who won 4th Place in the 8th Grade Physical Science Individual category.

Visiting Writers Indran Amirthanayagam was our Upper School writer in residence for several days in November. During his visit, Mr. Amirthanayagam visited classes and met with students in small groups and one-on-one conferences. Originally from Sri Lanka, he writes in English, French and Spanish. His latest work in English includes The Splintered Face: Tsunami Poems (Hanging Loose, 2008) and the new manuscript Uncivil War. Mr. Amirthanayagam, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, is serving as Regional Environment Officer for South America and resides in Lima, Peru.

Lary Bloom, writer and editor, visited with the Middle School. He is the author, among many other books, of the classic text, The Writer Within. He is on the faculty of the MFA creative writing program at Fairfield University and is a contributing writer for Connecticut Magazine, where his work has won two consecutive national awards. He has written columns for the New York Times and is known for nurturing young writers such as Wally Lamb to publication.

Lillian Lambert was the first African-American woman to graduate from Harvard Business School (1969), and went on to start her own business, which she sold after twenty-five years having reached $20 million in sales. Lambert spoke to students at the Martin Luther King Day ceremonies, telling them about her journey from a small farm in the segregated south to the halls of academia and then the world of business.

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Theatre News Visiting Coyle Scholars Concert violinist Robert McDuffie spent a day with GFA music students in October, playing, listening and telling stories. During his evening presentation to the public, McDuffie performed and shared anecdotes of his Georgian childhood and his journey to Julliard and beyond.

“The Price of Freedom”

a tale from Robben Island, South Africa

SEDICK LEVY former political prisoner TUESDAY, May 4th, 8 PM GREENS FARMS ACADEMY

The spring 2010 Visiting Coyle Scholar is Sedick Levy, a former political prisoner on Robben Island, South Africa (where Nelson Mandela spent almost 20 years) who now gives tours of the former prison to remind people of the price of freedom.

GFA Theatre News GFA Theatre is heading across town! The Upper School fall play will be performed at Westport Country Playhouse, November 12-14, 2010. Theatre teacher Stephen Stout says this opportunity for his students to perform in a professional venue is “part of the program’s ongoing commitment to offer challenges for all those students motivated to meet them head on.” The Playhouse went through an extensive renovation recently and offers a state-of-the-art facility in which to perform. It will also give the audience the ability to purchase comfortable reserved seats in advance and to see our Upper School students on a stage that has been graced by many of the great theatre artists of the past century. This opportunity has been funded by a generous member of GFA’s board of trustees.

Trustee News

Trustee News After nine years, Deirdre Daly Pavlis ’77, is stepping down from GFA’s board of trustees. Daly served as co-president with Jerry Schendel and most recently, with Jill Birinyi.

Janet Hartwell says of Daly, “She is so devoted to the school, and her boys have had a terrific experience here.

She’s been a strong advocate for faculty and for keeping our focus on good teaching at the school. She does voluminous work behind the scenes to make sure the school operates well. I have been tremendously fortunate to work with her.”

Also retiring from the board this year is vice president Jerry Schendel who has provided valuable leadership as co-president in the past and been instrumental in the development effort. Treasurer Holly Bannister retires after 10 years, also serving as chair of the Educational Policy Committee, which has evolved into a kind of think tank around educational issues in the school. Andrew Whittaker retires after six years, and Anita Gupta after four, all having given many hours of service to GFA. New trustees will be announced after the June board meeting.

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GFA news

Von Kohorn Address The 2009-2010 Von Kohorn speaker was Sarah Ostermueller ’94, Middle School math teacher and sixth grade dean. Ostermueller recounted her struggle with her father’s death and how she was able to find “her inner athlete” again as a result.

The Von Kohorn lecture is an annual event by which a faculty member addresses the Upper School on a topic outside of his or her daily classroom subject.

Visiting Artists A grant from the Maurer Foundation has allowed four professional artists to come to GFA this year, both to work with students and to address the public.

David Allen Dunlop has been called a “modern-day old master” whose landscapes draw from both Renaissance techniques and contemporary science. Last August, he won an Emmy for writing the National PBS television series, “Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop,” for which he was also the on-camera host.

Anthony Kirk is Scottish-born and arrived in the United States to begin his career as a Master Printer at the famous Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City. He later went on to establish Eldindean Press. In 1988, Mr. Kirk became Master Printer at the world-renowned Tyler Graphics until it was closed thirteen years later. In 1995, he joined the Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) in Norwalk, where he was later invited to become the Artistic Director/Master Printer.

Illustrator Neva Austrew works as a freelance artist in New Hampshire. Her intricate children’s books are worlds unto themselves. Austrew has said, “The thing that drives me to continue pursuing a freelance art career is the passion I feel for creating something beautiful that could help shape the ideals of an entire generation. Children’s books are well suited to reach an enormously receptive audience, giving me the chance to promote ideas of global equality, respect, and love.”

Deb Todd Wheeler is a sculptor, inventor and media artist. Her work examines the role of science in relation to our human lives through a lens that encompasses the nineteenth century and cutting edge robotic technologies.

She is on the Graduate Faculty of the Art Institute of Boston and the Massachusetts College of Art.

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Annual Giving Works in the Classroom GFA is proud to have 99% faculty participation in Annual Giving this year.

We asked three GFA teachers how Annual Giving dollars affect their classroom.

Sara Campolettano, Middle School Science “Annual Giving has funded great instruments for our labs. We use microscopes that have built-in cameras so we can take pictures of slides, download them onto my computer and project them on a screen. That allows us all to see the exact same images—very helpful for discussion and testing. Last year we created an interdisciplinary project with the art class where I emailed the slides to art teacher Denise Minnerly. She printed them out and the kids used them to make complex layered images in acetate. I appreciate every bit of what Annual Giving provides and I feel so lucky to be able to get all the supplies I need to make the experiments more interesting and fun for the kids.”

RoseAnn Martinez, Fifth Grade “Our SMART™ Board is amazing and the students are totally motivated to use its interactive features. There are so many ways that it makes teaching and learning more efficient and enjoyable. We use it to put students in work groups where we have their picture next to a project, and then the next week we can move the pictures around to change the groups they’re in. I use it to teach lessons with manipulatives, matrices, and graphs. We have used it to teach geometry concepts such as Area and Circumference of a circle. We had fun looking at YouTube video clips about Pi and even learned words to a song that helped students understand the concept. Our next unit is Egypt and they are already asking if they can create Power Point presentations to display through the SMART Board. From my perspective, there are so many uses of the Smart Board that save time and energy. With all the lessons online, I can access them and have them up on the board without having to recreate them.”

Elizabeth Cleary, English Department Chair “I don’t know what we’d do without The Visiting Writer’s program. It’s one of the highlights of the year, not only because these writers share the joys and struggles of their craft, but also because it’s a chance for the entire Upper School to have direct access to someone who is out there in the world doing the elusive but important task of writing.

These visits allow students to meet with authors in small group and individual sessions and provide a window into the world of a writer. For some students it is transformative.

I overheard one saying, ‘I never thought I was publishable until now.’ For a young writer, it is inspiration that is life changing.”

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athletics Fall 2009 Upper School Varsity Team Results Volleyball

Final record: 14-2

FAA Regular Season Champions

FAA Post-Season

Tournament Finalist

New England Tournament

Class C Champions Girls Soccer

Final record: 10-6-2

FAA Tournament Quarterfinalists

New England Tournament

Quarterfinalists Boys Soccer

Final record: 6-9-0 Field Hockey

Final record: 9-8-1

FAA Tournament Semifinalists Boys Cross Country

Finished undefeated

Canterbury Invitational Champions

FAA Champions

New England Class IV Champions Girls Cross Country

Finished 2nd at Canterbury

Invitational

Finished 5th at FAA Championships

Finished 4th in New Englands

(Class IV)

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GFA Captures Two New England Titles Tommy Ross ’10 Leaves His Mark The GFA Boys Varsity Cross Country team ended its season undefeated as FAA and New England Class IV Champions. Both Head Coaches Glen Colello and Alison Held say this was their best season by far. After the team won the New England Division V title last year, it was asked to move up a division. Not only did the team claim the Division IV title this year, but it finished with a winning score 75 points better than 2nd place Brooks School of North Andover, Massachusetts.

Leading the GFA pack was senior captain Tommy Ross who finished the challenging 5K course in 17:28 placing 2nd overall with teammate junior captain Evan Bieder paced just 3 seconds behind with a 3rd place finish and time of 17:31. Among the 114 participants, GFA placed five of its runners within the top 10 finishers; sophomore Peter Maturo placed 5th at 17:50, senior Charlie Proctor placed 6th at 18:00 and senior captain Tommy Bremer crossed the line in 10th place at 18:05. The future is promising!

An All-New England selection and captain for two years, Tommy has left his legacy on the GFA Cross Country team. When asked to describe Tommy’s importance to the program, Bieder commented that “Tommy has made the program into what it is, and made me the runner I am. A far superior runner when he came to GFA, Tommy could have easily gone off and trained on his own, but he didn’t. Tommy worked to develop other runners here, which eventually led to our championships.”

Even the top runners such as Ross and Bieder found their inspiration every day from their teammates, never questioning anyone’s commitment and dedication. Ross commented, “We picked a few goals at the end of the 2008 season; to repeat in the FAA and New Englands and to go undefeated. We accomplished all three and a huge part of it was the strength of the team as a whole.”

Alongside the boys team, the Girls Cross Country team made huge strides, placing 2nd at the Canterbury Invitational and placing 4th overall in Division IV New England Championships (after placing 9th last year in Division V). Junior captain Kaitlyn Morio placed 1st overall at Canterbury and finished in the top 10 overall at New Englands with a time of 20:54. Junior Rebecca Lavietes came in the top 15 with a solid time of 22:21.

Photos top l-r: Evan Bieder ’11, Tommy Ross ’10 and Rebecca Lavietes ’11

Emily Blum ’10 leads Volleyball to New England Crown The GFA Varsity Volleyball team (14-2) capped off a historic season that included FAA Co-League Champions, a runner-up in the FAA Post-season Tournament and defeating The Masters School (CT) 3-0 in the finals of the New England Tournament to capture its first title in school history. The team began their journey through the New England’s with a 3-1 win over Watkinson in the first round and then defeated King in the second round 3-2 before easily defeating Masters for the title.

GFA’s victory over The Masters School (CT) was a total team effort. GFA was dominant at net with the combination of senior Avery Kernan (22 kills and 8 blocks), junior Kat Norbom (16 kills) and junior Stephanie Garofoli (7 kills and 6 blocks) leading the way. The coordinated efforts of back line defenders senior Zoe Bennett, senior Sapna Patel, senior Christine Phan, sophomore Lucy Hoffman and junior Kat Norbom combined for 18 digs. Playing in her final match for GFA, setter Emily Blum (Milford) seamlessly linked the Dragons’ defensive and offensive power with 20 assists and 10 kills. “Emily also controlled the tempo of the matches as she has done all season,” said Head

Coach Paul Groves. “Keeping balls alive, getting all the hitters involved, those are two of Emily’s great strengths on the floor.”

The team’s five seniors were able to create a fun atmosphere of “work and play” under Groves that proved successful with the mix of experience of the team. With three new players in the starting rotation (two who had never touched a volleyball before), leadership and encouragement were crucial. Blum describes volleyball as a “sport of parts” working like a “conveyer belt.” When asked about the team, Blum attributed the team’s success to individual improvement, the heightened competitiveness and experience of the upperclassmen and the cohesiveness of the team when challenged.

For a team with low expectations in preseason, they enjoyed a Cinderella ending to their season. When asked about the season, Groves commented, “I think our team started the season somewhat under the radar, but the strong bond among the players allowed for great success in big games and directly led to the New England title. I could not be any more proud of the girls, it was a fantastic season.”

Wrestling: Senior Hewitt Gaynor was the CT State Champion at the Western New England Championships this year, wrestling at 130. (David Trofa ’03 won the title at 130 in 2002. Jack Conroy ’06 won the title at 140 in 2006. Will D’Agostino ’09 won the title at 103 in 2008 and again in 2009.)

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arts

Video Paul Shapiro is in his tenth year at GFA and is the creator of Greens Farms Arts and News (GFAN), where students can express themselves through documentary, narrative, satire and animation. At GFAN #35 this fall, one highlight was the narrative film “Flux” by Wyatt Gordon ’10. An ambitious student in the Advanced Alternative Video class, Gordon wrote, directed, produced, shot and edited the piece. The video follows a teen boy dealing with peer pressure and relationships. Video teacher Paul Shapiro commended Gordon for making a film that was “funny, emotional and sensitive, dealing with teen issues in a mature way.”

Shapiro says his classes operate much like a “media center” as students often brainstorm together and get help from the photography students who share the workspace. Shapiro’s goal is to empower students’ creativity. Whether students aspire to be serious filmmakers or just want to learn filmmaking for fun, he welcomes them. “As the world becomes a more visual place,” Shapiro says, “I believe a good foundation in filmmaking is a useful tool.”

Theatre

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Thirty-four actors, three stage managers and an assistant director put on the ironic musical “Urinetown,” this fall, with book and lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis.

Art Awards PIEA (Photo Imaging Education Association Exhibition):

Selected out of 6000 entries from 9 countries John Doelp and Ryan Eckert, Honorable Mention Galen Haas, Matt Alexander, Leah Jennings, Alex Krebs and Caroline Vanacore were exhibitors National High School Photography Competition at Drexel University: 22 Students selected for the exhibit (best year ever) and a total of 26 prints of the 150 to be exhibited, selected from 2200 prints from over 20 states Matt Alexander, Grace Backe, Zoe Bennett (2) 3rd Place, Hayley Brown, Margot Bruder, Chris Buonanno, Jenn D’Agostino, John Doelp, Ryan Eckert, Amelia Garland, Stephanie Garofoli, Corinna Gavin, Lee Glicklich (2) Honorable Mention Maggie Harwood, Brian Hirschfeld, Olivia Jack, Madison Leonard, Julie Rchardson, Ariana Scianna, Rebecca Stock, Sarah Verrill (2), Kiera Wood (2) Images-Shoreline Alliance for the Arts: The most prestigious photography exhibition in the state Andrew Glicklich Stamford Art Association: John Doelp, first place; Grace Backe, Stephanie Garofoli, Alex Flecha-Hirsch and Taylor Schendel were exhibitors Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards:

Studio Art This past fall, the Advanced Alternatives 3-D sculpture students were required to work solely with recycled and found objects, both natural and manmade. Their first assignment was to take an everyday object that held memories or specific resonance for the artist, and change the scale to make a specific statement. Katherine Norbom ’11 used leftover materials from when her brother went to college to make a sculpture of her dog. Freddy Mezidor ’11 collected lost sneakers and created a tennis racket out of corrugated cardboard and cut up sneakers. Studio Art teacher Nancy McTague-Stock believes “it is important for students to work with materials they can salvage.” As the proverb goes, “What is one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.”

Another project was to create a work of art to be incorporated into an item potentially found at a fashionable commercial establishment. The exhibition entitled “AVANT GREEN” was featured at the opening night of evening holiday shopping hours at J. Crew in Westport and then at the Westport Arts Center in December.

“The Good Earth,” an exhibition at the Darien Nature Center (January 24 through March 20) featured sculptures that this year’s senior Advanced Alternative students made out of natural objects found at the beach. Students had one period to grab dry, natural items and create a 3-D sculpture and produce an artist statement.

Amy Kubie, Watercolor Painting, Gold Key Award Rebecca Stock, Photography Portfolio, Gold Key Award Olivia Jack, Photography, Honorable Mention Kiera Wood, Photography, Honorable Mention Sisam Acharya, Mixed Media, Honorable Mention Sapna Patel, Drawing, Honorable Mention A Cappella At the Wyvern Invitational a cappella Festival at the Kingswood-Oxford School in January, the Beachside Express won an award for Best Choreography and the Harbor Blues won awards for Best Arrangement (Elizabeth Woodson’s arrangement of “I Don’t Want You Now”) and Best in Show. Six groups participated from public and private schools.

GFA freshman Clay Garner has received local acclaim as an up-and-coming singer/songwriter.

Now he’s been chosen by the New York Songwriters Circle as one of America’s most promising teenage artists. Seven young musicians from around the country were invited to showcase their work in New York City’s Bitter End Club on March 15th. The Songwriters Circle said they were giving them “the opportunity to perform on the same brick walled stage that helped launch the careers of Norah Jones and Gavin DeGraw.”

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Some of us are fortunate to find a passion early in life that leads to a career doing something we love. Following is a look at four GFA faculty members who knew early on that they had found a subject worth a lifetime of study.

feature

Lifelong Connections Janet Hartwell and the lure of the Middle East The first opportunity for Janet to travel to the Middle East came after

Janet and John continue to travel to the Middle East whenever pos-

University when she visited a friend in Tehran. She ended up getting a

sible. Janet recalls a particular Easter Sunday several years ago when

teaching job and staying for three and a half years and meeting her hus-

they were in an ancient square in Damascus in Syria. “We were standing

band John there. “It was the lure and romance of Persia that first cap-

near one of the old gates at noon and the Muslim call to prayer came

tured my imagination,” she says. “I fell in love with the history of Iran

over the loudspeakers. At the same time, we could hear the Easter

and then I saw some of the tribal life and was struck by the beauty and

service being broadcast. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection

resilience of the people. Growing up in England and visiting Ghana,

of Christianity and Islam and the history of people coexisting with and

I had known I wasn’t interested in living in a country that had been

then separating from people of other religions.”

under colonial rule. I was drawn to the history and mystery of the Middle East.”

When the Hartwells aren’t traveling, they’re reading. Janet has read most of historian and novelist, William Dalrymple, whose works cen-

That experience in Tehran led to another teaching job in Saudi Arabia,

ter around India. She also reads history, biographies and novels from

where Janet and her husband John lived for the next seven years, allow-

Afghanistan, Persia and Egypt. “The novel as a genre hasn’t been as

ing them to travel even farther to Singapore, Hong Kong, Borneo and

strong in the Arabic tradition as poetry, but we’re beginning to see a lot

Indonesia. “I loved being in the Middle East and seeing where we could

of good fiction and memoir come from those cultures. I’m thrilled that

travel and learn about history and gain exposure to culture.”

some will be part of the GFA English curriculum this year.”

Her strongest memories are of the sense of ancient history, especially

As she speaks, Janet is getting ready for a trip to Jerusalem and Jordan,

among the tribes and nomads they met. “In Iran we were in the beauti-

which she has dubbed her J2 journey. But, she’s also thinking ahead.

ful city of Esfahan and became friendly with a man who managed a

“I know it could be difficult,” she muses. “But I have been thinking a

carpet and antiquities shop. He was from the Bakhtiari tribe, which is

lot about Yemen.”

thought to have the purest Persian lineage. The queen of Iran in the 1950’s, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, was from that tribe. The resilience

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and strength of the women, the beauty of the carpets they wove, their

Janet Hartwell has been Head of School at Greens Farms Academy

oral history, all made a deep impression on me.”

since 2003 and lives on campus with her husband, John.

OJ Burns and his Odyssey What compels a man to read the Odyssey 32 times? In OJ Burns’s

ing the year. “I promised I would make it to Thanksgiving and then quit,”

case, it’s deeper than the love of the book; it’s the love of teaching it.

he remembers. “Then I said Christmas. Then spring break.”

A college experience when he saw beyond plot to the subtext in a work of literature changed his life. “I was given something I felt I could give to others,” he says. “I had professors who taught me how to think and write about a book. Ever since, I’ve been asking myself how I can do that for my own students.”

OJ moved to Greens Farms Academy in 1978 and is still perfecting his trade. “I’m constantly learning from the students. It’s important for a teacher to watch and listen as much as to talk. Observing the students—their body language—tells you a lot about what’s working in the classroom. And it’s never the same. In one year, the students may

OJ says that his understanding of how to read literature came later in

be interested in the women in Beowulf, and then you don’t hear that

life than it should have. “If I had been at a place like GFA in high school,

interest again for several more years. The kids think I’m so smart, but it’s

I would have gotten so much more out of college. Now I can give the

really all that I’ve learned from them.”

tools to students in high school. It’s so gratifying to hear from our alumni that they arrive at college with the ability to write and to interpret texts. To see a kid develop—to watch the evolution—that’s what gets me.”

It was his senior year at Hamilton when OJ seriously considered becoming an English teacher. He took an education course and ended up in a local 8th grade classroom to observe. By the end of the first day, he declared himself ready to teach. The supervising teacher was surprised, but eventually let him do it. “I taught every day after that,” he remembers, “I felt so comfortable in the classroom.”

That comfort was challenged in his first teaching job in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where four of his ninth graders were actually arrested dur-

Teaching can be a humbling experience. “You think you have a great idea or a great book,” OJ says, “And it doesn’t work. You have to be willing to adapt. It’s also a profession where you don’t necessarily get to see the results of your work until, if you’re lucky, many years down the line.”

And does he really have to re-read the whole Odyssey every year in preparation for class? “Yes,” he says simply. “If I don’t, the students will come up with something I don’t remember. They keep me on my toes.”

In 2002, OJ Burns won the Charles H. Dietrich award for excellence in teaching. He was able to experience his own odyssey in the summer of 2009, exploring Greece on a Faculty Enrichment Travel Grant.

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feature

Chris Hisey, the Conductor Chris thinks his involvement with music started pre-birth. His mom

In Connecticut, Chris now seems to sit atop a musical empire.

was a professional musician, who served as the director of the

Besides his day job teaching at Greens Farms Academy, he conducts

Westport School of Music and played piano and organ while she was

the Civic Orchestra of New Haven, the American Chamber Orchestra,

pregnant. She remembers that when Chris was young, “he flapped his

the CT Valley Chamber Orchestra and the GBYO. He’s been at GFA

arms to classical music in the back seat of the car.” There was

for ten years, and for someone who never imagined himself teaching,

no question he was going to play.

is hooked.

Starting piano at age five and viola in the fourth grade, Chris played

“I look forward to being with the kids every day,” he says. “Conducting

both instruments until a music teacher suggested he make a choice.

is my first love and always will be, but I believe music helps us get

“You can be really good at several instruments,” the teacher said,

through difficult times. I get enormous fulfillment seeing what music

“but you want to be amazing at one.” He chose the viola, and his high

does for my students’ lives.”

school life included playing in the school orchestra, a string quartet, and the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra (GBYO), plus singing in a choir, men’s vocal ensemble and the Fairfield County Chorale.

For college, Chris attended the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and studied with viola teacher James Dunham.

In college he also took conducting classes and put some orchestras together to give him practice. That led to a master’s degree in conducting from Bowling Green State University and then a return to Connecticut where he started working with the GBYO again.

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Chris Hisey came to GFA in 2000 and is a celebrated conductor in Connecticut.

Sofi Rubinstein and the Outdoors Sofi Rubinstein walks into the faculty lounge at GFA to check

College took Sofi to UVM where she majored in Environmental Science

her mail; two walls are lined with open mailboxes. In Sofi’s box,

and worked at nearby Shelburne Farms in Environmental Education.

someone has left two hen’s eggs. One of them is blue. Sofi doesn’t

After college she worked in Colorado, leading backcountry ski nature

even blink. She has grown used to being a point person for all things

tours. Then she got into the classroom. “My master’s degree is in edu-

environmental, animal-related or outdoors at Greens Farms Academy.

cation,” she says. “I knew I wanted to teach. When I was looking for my

Sofi spent her childhood in upstate New York with two artists for parents and in a decidedly natural environment. She remembers her

next job, I came to GFA and the setting captured me—the beach, salt marsh and Audubon trails. I wanted to be here.”

aunt and uncle living in a geodesic dome house next door, but that was

Now Sofi teaches science to all Lower Schoolers. “I get them for six

before the family bought 25 acres in Saugerties with a house and barn,

years,” she says. “I can really work with them and create science experi-

where Sofi spent most of the rest of her childhood outdoors. “Every

ences. For some of them it’s their first time walking to a marsh, collect-

day when I got home from school,” she says, “My dad and I would walk

ing critters from the beach or looking for tracks in the woods. I love

about a mile to a pond and see what we could find along the way.

teaching what I love. Environmental stewardship starts young. They

My dad was always building things out of hay bales. We had rings and

need to make the connection with the earth first, and then they’ll want

trapezes, a homemade cider press, and we picked a lot of berries and

to protect it later.”

made jam. My mom is more the agricultural person. Her gardens are amazing and the house and property are covered with plants, trees,

Certainly, it worked for her.

vegetables and flowers.”

Life at the Rubinsteins was also non-commercial. The family was always

Sofi Rubinstein came to GFA in 2008. This summer she will be

thinking about what they could make and create themselves and what

getting married at her parents’ home. It will be an outdoor wedding.

they could do outside. “I still don’t enjoy shopping,” Sofi confesses.

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alumni

Denes Classic The GFA community came together the evening of Friday, January 8th to honor Ed Denes and participate in three heated games of basketball while alumni, parents, students and faculty cheered from the stands. The Boys Varsity Basketball team played against the young alumni team in the first game and lost by two points.

Almost the entire senior class played against the Fabulous Faculty and lost in double overtime by one point. The third game was the faculty versus the older alumni, and the faculty came out on top with a final score of 54-48.

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Young Alumni Basketball Team: Back Row: (l to r): Mike Pavlis ’08, Rob Hill ’08, Jeff Thompson ’06, Ed Denes, Josh Gault ’01, Andrew Foster ’08 and Marc Powers ’09.

Front Row: (l to r): Jay Cronin ’09, Henry Ciocca ’05 and Pete Berg ’06.

The Senior Class (2010)

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Washington, D.C. On November 5th, 2009, GFA alums living in the Washington, D.C. area gathered at Zola restaurant in the International Spy Museum. This year’s D.C. party attracted the largest crowd to date with more than 30 alumni and friends in attendance.

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The Fabulous Faculty Team The Alumni Team (1975-1999): Marc Gare ’86, Lee Isenstein ’87, Ed Denes, Andy Glascoff ’96, Alex Wiser ’96, Craig Lieberman ’89, Danny “The Pearl” Tower ’88 and Alex DeFeo ’99

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Walter Winans, Sandra Waugh Winans ’69 and Susan Ball ’71 Andrew (friend of alum) Megan Miller ’04, Olivia Newhouse ’06, Tyler (friend of alum) and Lexie Herman ’07 Nina McHale Hudock ’80 and friend Lorie Mariana Ciocca ’09 and Curren Bell ’07 John Swain ’01 and Andrew (friend of alum)

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(L to R) Back row: John Swain ’01, Ed Denes, PJ Hoffman,’08, Web Leslie ’08, Megan Miller ’04, Olivia Newhouse ’06, Hugh McBride ’06 and Bradley Brache ’95.

Front Row: Rachel D’Agostino ’03, Nina McHale Hudock ’80, Susan Ball ’71, Sandra Waugh Winans ’69, Curren Bell ’07, David Jones ’79, Mariana Ciocca ’08, Lexie Herman ’07 and Ariel Waldman ’92.

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Despite the rain, nothing dampened the enthusiasm. More than 400 alumni, students, faculty, former faculty and parents returned to GFA on Saturday October 24th to celebrate Homecoming 2009. Alumni gathered in the Coyle Gym for the annual Alumni Soccer game, students enjoyed the dunk tank and inflatables, and fans gathered to cheer on the Girls Varsity Volleyball team as they played King.

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Erica Atkinson Applestein ’95, Nicole Chardovoyne ’95, Ed Denes The Alumni Soccer Team: Jim Bebon ’83, Peter Rose ’82, Deering Rose ’83, Jerry Bozentko ’88, Justine Fellows (faculty), Jamie Kendall ’04, Carlos Guzman ’04 The Class of 2009: Colby Smith, Mark Warburg, Mariana Ciocca, Grace Hawkins, Kevin Tyler and Anna Birinyi Deering Rose ’83 and son John get spirited with face paint Faculty Jim Fitzpatrick, Colby Smith ’09, Anna Birinyi ’09 and Ed Denes Head of Athletics Tauni Butterfield and Marc Powers ’09 Students cheer for Girls Varsity Volleyball in the Coyle Gym The Girls Varsity Volleyball team takes on King

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Boston GFA hosted a Boston event this fall at The Liberty Hotel. The evening included visits from past faculty and alumni, and as the Boston alumni community continues to grow, we look forward to future events in this beautiful city.

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1. Kimmie Keefe ’01, Hilary Archer ’01, Michelle Cole ’01 and Vivienne Pustell ’04

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2. Zachary Harrison ’00 and Danielle Mollet (former faculty)

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3. Rob Hill ’08, Ed Denes, Meredith Koch ’08, Peter Berg ’06 and Trip McDermott ’06

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Young Alumni Panel Six alumni returned to GFA for the second annual Young Alumni Panel from Pomona, Carnegie Mellon, UVA, Emerson, Pitzer and Elizabethtown to speak to the Upper School about their college experiences. Topics ranged from studying abroad, choosing a liberal arts college cover a conservatory, and taking advantage of the unexpected opportunities that college offers. Alumni relayed how well GFA prepared them for college and offered good advice to students, many of whom are in the midst of the college process.

Thanksgiving Gathering The traditional day-after-Thanksgiving Alumni gathering at the Southport Brewing Company continues to draw a lively crowd.

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Left to Right: Morgan Peterkin ’08, Nick Wagenseller ’06, Miguel Silvestri ’09, Martha Stout ’09, Kelly Lau-kee ’09 and Andrew Foster ’08

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Willy Franzen ’02 and John Collins ’02 with friends Amy, Mollie and Laurie Katie Flynn ’05, Ed Denes, Jenny Satinover ’09, Matt Flynn ’09, Gordon Thompson ’08 and Andrew Foster ’08 Tracy Brock, Jon Brightbill, Adam Dixon, Rebecca Brock Dixon ’95, Nicole Ganim Brightbill ’95, John Brock ’97 and Major Brock ’06 Ricky Woodward ’07, Eric DeFeo ’07 and Ali Norton ’09 Class of 2009: Bobby Corroon, Chris Garofoli and Mark Warburg David Cole ’04, Christian Wakeman ’03, Katie Flynn ’05 and Jill Greiner ’05 Will Franzen ’02, Joscelyn Wippern ’02 and Alan Weitzer ’02 Anni Satinover ’06, Joe Weitzer ’05 and Alex Brown ’06 Rich Del Bello ’02 and Maggie Moore ’02

10. Judy Chapman Proctor ’70, Susan Butler ’70, Melissa Warner Norton ’71, Kendall Crolius ’71, Peggy Gilliland ’71, Susan Ball ’71, Olivia Munroe ’71 11. Chris Saxe ’74, Jeremy McWhorter (faculty), Ed Denes and Tom Proctor ’05 12. Class of 2001: Michelle Cole, Caroline Saxe, Amanda Glendinning, Drew Barrett 13. Class of 2004: Elizabeth Hawkins, Nicole Barrett, Christina Ducruet, Blake Leonard, Peter Bergschneider, Dayna Foudy 14. Christopher Robin ’92 and wife Lauren, Courtney Lynch ’95, Jolina Glage D’Elia ’95 15. Krysta Cihi ’06, Rose Ann Martinez (Faculty) and Scott Delahunt ’05 16. Chris Saxe ’74 and Martha Gates Lord ’74

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California Events San Francisco On Thursday February 25th, GFA hosted a great event at the San Francisco Art Institute overlooking panoramic views of the waterfront. More than 30 people were there, including current and past Heads Janet Hartwell and Peter Esty, current faculty members Lynne Laukhuf, Jason Cummings and Dianne Schlosser and former faculty member Florence Rink. The next day, GFA alum Othar Hansson ’83 hosted a GFA group on a wonderful tour of the Google offices.

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A view from the San Francisco Art Institute Class of 2003: Jen Levi, Juliana Garofalo and Doug Markey Laura Lengyel ’63, Jennifer Howland ’69, Susan Ball ’71, Ginna Denues ’70 and Cid Young ’69 Robin Starr ’00, Janet Hartwell and Alex Schrobenhauser-Clonan ’04 Laura Hoover ’87, Rachel D’Agostino ’03 and Laura Lengyel ’63 Lynne Laukhuf, Alex Sloan ’87, Todd Stallings, Roz Koether Stephanak ’82 and Othar Hansson ’83 Head of School Janet Hartwell, Juliana Garofalo ’03, Jen Levi ’03 and former Head of School Peter Esty GFA faculty members visit Othar Hansson ’83 at Google during their visit to California

Los Angeles On Saturday February 27th, the alumni relations team was down the coast, hosting an event at The London West Hollywood in L.A..

More than 40 alumni were in attendance despite a driving rain that kept the event indoors rather than on the rooftop. Jackie Dorsey Schmidt from the Bolton class of 1941 was an honored guest. Special thanks go to Patrick Kanehann ’85 and Scott Rackett ’85 for their efforts in helping to pull this lively group together.

Thank you also to Alumni Council President Roz Koether Stephanak ’82 who made her role bi-coastal by flying with husband Brian to join in the festivities in both cities.

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Gabriella Fash, Nick Fash ’96, Sarah Mihalec Maloney ’97 and Eric Lane ’97 Class of 2001: Christine Daley, Emily White Blass and David Mack Chuck Klink ’83 and wife Lily Chang Jackie Dorsey Schmidt ’41, Joyce Smith Jackson ’66 and Susan Ball ’71 Eric Lane ’97, Susu Hauser ’99 and Sarah Mihalec Maloney ’97 Darrick Lin ’96, Adam Dixon ’98, Elizabeth Scouler ’03, Blake Leonard ’04, Ashlee Wilson ’04 and Evan Winsor ’05

7. Class of 1982: Roz Koether Stephanak, Deb Harrington Conoscente and Mara Dolan O’Day 8. Joyce Smith Jackson ’66, Josephine Wallace ’76 and Susan Ball ’71 9. Mylien Pham, Scott Rackett ’85, Patrick Kanehann ’85 and Tiffany Kuzon ’89 10. Emily Blass White ’01, Elizabeth Scouler ’03, Christine Daley ’01, Rachel D’Agostino ’03, Blake Leonard ’04, and Ashley Wilson ’04

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alumni/ae

Carol Reeves Parke ’54 shared some wonderful stories about the early days of The Bolton School and Kathleen Laycock Country Day School for Girls.

I was astonished to learn how small Miss Laycock was—only 5 feet tall?

She seemed 6' tall to me, of course, in 8th grade. She had an excellent figure, stood ramrod straight without being too stiff about it, wore her hair in an impeccable white bun, & always wore suits, often with a nice little jabot. Very professional. One Just Didn’t Mess With Her! I actually think she had a sense of humor (she must have) but did not show it much to us. She wasn’t an ogre—she often was pleasant—but you knew you had to measure up at every point, and it kept us on our toes. I’m guessing she didn’t think much (if at all) about things like psychology, teaching/ learning styles, or ADHD, and I wonder how she went about recruiting those good teachers. One of them, our biology teacher, was just out of Connecticut College (my alma mater, later) and she was terrific.

Miss Laycock used to coach hockey as well as teach Latin, in addition to running the school. She ran the school from a desk in a second floor hall closet that we all called “the cubby,” and we all dreaded a summons to it. As I recall, the cubby was right outside the classroom we were in one year, so that year there was little escape—though she spent more time darting about the school doing this and that than in her cubby. At any rate, Miss Laycock used to accompany us to hockey practice, and one freezing cold, foggy day when we were trudging from the old Victorian house on Rt. 153 uphill about a quarter of a mile to the playing field, hockey sticks in hand, Miss L’s voice came out of the dampness in her inimitable accent: “This is GOOD ENGLISH HOCKEY WEATHER, girls!!”

As you can see, I have never forgotten it.

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even though I expect that she had some excellent financial backing by then. For one thing, she’d run her part of the school alone, no PTA, no Trustees to deal with, etc., and she probably liked it that way. I know that my dad, William Reeves, did some of the school’s legal work during the transition; he took great pride in showing me around the Greens Farms building when I visited Southport as renovations were being done to bring it up to code as a school facility. He was a partner (finally, senior partner) at the Bridgeport law firm eventually named Pullman, Comley, Bradley and Reeves, but was unassuming about his many civic contributions—it never crossed my mind that he was so instrumental in the founding. He always got on well with Mrs. Cunningham ( later known as Lucie Warren), and I bet he did with Miss Laycock, too. He respected and appreciated accomplished women with high values and ethics.

That poor headmaster, [Mr. Posey] who did a hard job but only lasted a year...another bunch of interesting stories there, I’m sure. We all knew Nancy Lauber well, as she was terrific at sports, great fun, and only a few classes ahead of us. In those days, EVERYBODY was on a sports team. We couldn’t have fielded a team, otherwise—and we held our own against bigger schools when we (occasionally) played them. We practiced basketball at the Westport “Y” (no gym, of course).

And don’t you wish you were a fly on the wall when the Trustees discussed changing the name from “Laycock” to GFA??? Can you imagine what an adolescent boy would do with the name “Laycock???”

I loved the phrase that went something like, “Miss Laycock graciously accepted the name change.” She would have known perfectly well why, without anyone spelling it out for her. I wonder how old she was when she retired, and also when she died.

Bolton’s was definitely an alternative school in those days—very small classes, not much choice in curriculum—but what there was, was taught very well indeed.

I think a lot of old-timers take great pride in GFA and what it has become, but I hope GFA today takes equally great pride in its remarkable headmistresses and beginnings. What courage for those two women to set out, like that, all alone.

It must have taken enormous courage for Miss Laycock to take the risk she did [moving and incorporating the upper grades in her own school]

Above: Class photo of the Bolton School in 1927; The Bolton School Crest; The Kathleen Laycock Country Day School for Girls Crest; The Greens Farms Academy Crest

Memories of a GFA Alumni Couple Arthur & Abby (Kracov) Sesselberg Class of 1982 Being a GFA couple has some unique aspects to it. It seems as if most couples meet in college or after graduation in the workforce. Having met when we were so young back in 1977 or ’78, our shared history is unique in that it starts so early. We have the same frame of reference for a lot of important events in our lives. It makes reunions and gatherings easier. Most people would have to give a lot of background information to their spouses about class trips, teachers, and high school friends, but we have that built into our marriage. While we were not each other’s dates, we did sit together at the first ever GFA prom.

That still makes us laugh. We also agree that knowing someone for so long means having a lot of confidence in their character.

There wasn’t much dating going on within the school when we were at GFA, so there is no sense of surprise or loss that we didn’t start dating earlier.

We did start in 1992, and married 2 years later. We were fortunate to have a head start in having been friends back at GFA. Back then, when we went to movies and out to eat at Ships or The Farm Shop (now Tiffany’s and Friendly’s) it was always in a pack. When we started “hanging out” together in ’92, there was a built in comfort level based on those experiences.

There have been some fun and funny moments when GFA classmates learned we were dating, and then getting married. Again, GFA wasn’t a big dating environment so it’s not like we were the class couple.

Now we have 2 boys, Harry 11, and Graham 7, and when classmates see them they remark on how much they look like one or both of us, so that’s another fun frame of reference.

As we approach our 15th wedding anniversary, we continue to enjoy getting together with our classmates. In fact, right before Christmas a classmate (Susan Pratt) put together a gathering and we had around 16 people show up. Considering the time of year, and the not huge lead time, that’s pretty impressive for a class of 52. Both of us were able to attend with no need for introductions, so that made it all the better. We’re both proud of our shared GFA history and feel very fortunate the school brought us together.

Clockwise from top: Arthur and Abby; The Sesselberg family and sons Graham and Harry

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alumni On a Saturday in November, eight alumni and thirty-six GFA students worked as volunteers in homeless shelters and soup kitchens in New York City. Every year the junior class participates in a program organized through a non-profit called the Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP). They take the train into the city on Friday evening and spend the night at the Quaker Friends Seminary in Manhattan which houses a homeless shelter. This year alumni were given the opportunity to meet up with the juniors on Saturday morning and help them prepare meals together and serve them to the homeless. The students and alumni involved helped feed over 900 people that weekend. Below are excerpts of the reflections written by four students from the junior class about their experience: This fall, I shared a humbling experience with three of my classmates and two GFA alums, on our YSOP trip in New York where I met and learned from many new people when we cooked and served food to the homeless who came to the Park Avenue Christian Church. The cooks who had volunteered their time were war veterans, one from Vietnam; they were benevolent and generous towards us and the people who needed food.

They did not lose their patience once, and constantly told us how thankful they were to have us there to help them out. It was fulfilling to see the smiles on the faces of the homeless men and women when they heard that they would get to enjoy a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal that afternoon.—Alison Hutchison The YSOP trip was the complete opposite of what I had anticipated. Over the weekend I had the opportunity of meeting a truly intelligent, articulate, warm-hearted group of people who had simply experienced a few bad breaks in life. It was an indescribable feeling to be able to prepare a meal and serve food to these people; something that I will certainly consider doing again if given the opportunity. One of the aspects that added to this memorable experience was the involvement of the GFA alumni. It was great to be able to connect and relate to former students of GFA while helping less fortunate people at the same time.—Evan Bieder Part of the YSOP trip was breaking all expectations. I would be lying if I said I thought I would enjoy myself at first, but that view was very quickly changed as soon as I started really working with people to get things done. Everyone had wisdom to share that I felt I could learn a great deal from.

I was honestly surprised by how much fun I could have just interacting with people I would never have been able to meet without this program.

Being able to help people was a unique and rewarding experience, and it was one that I would never have had without GFA and the YSOP program.—Travis Miyashiro That first night when we made dinner, played games and talked with the homeless men and women who had come to eat, I could tell that the fact that we were there was greatly appreciated by all of our guests. Preparing the meal with friends, teachers and alumni volunteers from New York actually was a great bonding experience but when it was time to feed the more than four hundred people in line, the eager and happy expressions on their faces to see a hot meal reminded me that the whole purpose of this trip was not to benefit me or my classmates but rather to help those less fortunate.—Caroline Sullivan

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Prash Akkapeddi ’92, Andrew Grosso ’92, Karima Hassan ’92, Sirisha Akkapeddi ’00, Rachel D’Agostino ’03 and Nikhil Ramchandani ’95

after the bell

Thoughts on Haiti and Lessons from Huaraz, Peru Sophie Dila ’03 Almost 40 years ago, an earthquake the magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Peru and devastated the Andean district of Ancash, taking the lives of an estimated 80,000 people. Huaraz, Ancash’s capital city, crumbled to the ground. The quake destabilized the northern wall of Mount Huascaran, which broke off, creating a landslide of epic proportions that buried the urban town of Yungay. Only a couple of hundred children and teachers survived the Yungay landslide because they were hiking on hills above the city. The surviving children were dispatched to orphanages around the world.

Today, Ancashinos sit in their adobe houses watching devastating images of Haiti on dated TVs. Politicians and international aid workers should turn to Ancash as a developmental case study to help maneuver the unsteady waters of Haiti. What happens to an already impoverished society when a natural disaster strikes?

Peru lacked the resources to help their own people and turned to the outside world for rescue. What resulted in Ancash was a massive influx of international aid and support, but despite different types of financial involvement, 16 of Ancash’s 20 provinces remain in the two poorest economic tiers, and some areas are still in shambles.

One of the major challenges we Peace Corps volunteers face in Ancash today is what we call the “culture of receiving.” Since 1970, Ancashinos have become accustomed to receiving international aid, mostly in the form of money. Eager Peace Corps volunteers seek opportunities to start grassroots development projects, but often are not taken seriously, because to the Ancashino eye, a Gringo equals a greenback.

When a national disaster strikes, basic morality implores us to get involved. International financial aid over a period of time is certainly necessary. But once the proverbial dust has settled, is prolonged international aid sustainable? When does international financial aid stop helping and start stripping a society of its national fabric and sovereignty? What happens to national and personal responsibility and self-esteem? In Tumpa, I often encounter a general lack of motivation, low self-esteem and apathy in the townspeople. Is 40 years of outside financial involvement more beneficial or detrimental to the growth and development of people from societies like Ancash?

Alternatives to long-term international financial involvement could include development programs like the Peace Corps Response whose volunteers donate a few months to a year to educate people on healthy lifestyle techniques or micro-business strategies to help in the transition from crisis situations to peace. More widely known is the Peace Corps, whose volunteers live and work in developing countries partnered with host country nationals who seek to empower positive change and growth in their own communities. One human being extending a helping hand to another, offering knowledge instead of cash, is a resource that should not be underestimated. The international community should examine alternative options to financial aid that help developing communities transition to build their own countries with dignity so the citizens can really “own” their development.

If the Haitian people want to become a sovereign, self-sufficient, developing nation, the international community should examine appropriate alternatives to providing financial aid over the long-term. Otherwise, the Haitians might rely too heavily on external support for the foreseeable future, obstructing the way for organic, national development.

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Marriages 1. Stephanie Carendi ’99 and Henning Lyche Christiansen in April 2009

(no photo) Charlie Sussman ’01 and Brooke Elizabeth Stetson on May 30, 2009

(no photo) Christiane McNamara ’97 and Paul Carroccio on June 27, 2009

2. Laurel Ried ’97 and Ben Langworthy on July 11, 2009 5

3. Juliet Gisondi ’86 and Olivier Mazzia on August 14, 2009

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4. Michelle Gallagher ’00 and Christopher Backus on August 15, 2009 5. Ariana Mass ’88 and Luke Ferrandino on August 15, 2009 6. Emily Klein ’99 and Jonathan Epstein in September 2009 7. Caitlin Brandon ’01 and Kevin Downey in September 2009

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(no photo) Susan Collins ’00 and Christopher Zink on September 19, 2009

8. Leslie Omohundro ’02 and Tom LeClair on September 26, 2009

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9. Emily Pulice ‘02 and James Clifford on March 13, 2010

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