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Profiles of ResiliEnce SPECIAL ISSUE REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY
international collaboration
pg. 30
former faculty reconnect pg. 36
pg. 42
pg. 38
pg. 30
administrative team:
alumnae relations team:
winter 2011
William Christ Head of School
Dana Lovelace Capers ’86 Director of Alumnae Relations
Magazine Design by Jeff Schrader
Sue Sadler Associate Head of School Director of Upper School
Erin Reid Advancement Coordinator
Clarke Wilson Leslie ’80 Associate Head for Advancement Nancy Gladstone Director of Middle School Katherine Zopatti Director of Primary School Jane Brown Director of Early Childhood
editorial staff: Kathleen Osborne Editor
Cover Illustration by Jamie Morse facebook.com: Jamie Morse Paintings
Photography by Natalie Bell, Mary Boutton, Andrew Briggs, Alex Clemens ’14, Frannie Foltz, Laura Geither, Marc Golub, Heather Hughes, Jesse Kramer, Christy Lynch, Candy Neville, Kevin Reeves, and Megan Scherson
Vanessa Butler Creative Director Amanda Lietman Digital Media Manager
Sarah Johnston Director of Admission
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from the head of school
As they get set to enter the next chapter of their lives, it’s a rite of passage for HB juniors and seniors to reflect on how far they’ve come. Those of us who attended high school in a different century altogether know very well that these young women have their whole lives still ahead of them, but it’s nonetheless a worthwhile exercise to think about what brought them to this important threshold. Some would even say it’s necessary. In the words of the old axiom, “You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.”
In this issue’s cover story, “Rising Boldly” (page 12), HB editor Kathleen Osborne describes how five spectacular HB women – one former teacher, two alumnae, and two current students – have endured and overcome some very serious obstacles in their lives. (Osborne takes the reins from Terry Dubow, who skillfully oversaw the magazine for seven years. He has moved into a new position as HB’s Director of Strategic Projects. I know he will continue to achieve great things in that role.)
One of the great perks of my job is that I have a front-row seat in witnessing what it looks like when girls unabashedly embrace their success. I can tell you it’s a beautiful sight. My position affords me the opportunity to read some remarkable stories delivered in the form of college admission essays; to listen to an array of moving and insightful Senior Speeches; and to leaf through the latest editions of Specularia, a publication that seems to get brighter, bolder, and more effervescent with each passing year.
When we wrote our school mission statement, we included these lines: “At this moment in history there is a great need for women of vision and courage who are empowered for leadership in a multicultural and globalized society. We seek to answer that need by inspiring our students to achieve their utmost potential, and rise boldly to the challenges of their times.” While we were talking about the bigpicture challenges that the world faces – global warming, poverty, war, and the like – we also meant that we hoped our students would have what it takes to stand up tall in the face of challenges they might encounter in their own personal lives as well.
But like so many other things in life, success is all relative. One of the most poignant, honest, and admirable essays I’ve read in a while was written by a young woman who didn’t have a single straight-A report card to her name. In fact, she hardly had any As on her report cards at all. She had to work for every passing grade she received throughout her academic career. For years, she watched the other girls easily master subjects that were difficult for her to comprehend. There were plenty of days when she felt like throwing in the towel. Yet she never did. So just hanging in there became for her a major source of pride. It was a struggle, but she made it to the 12th grade. And when she arrived, she said she discovered that she is tenacious.
Author Paul Tough (who will be a featured speaker at HB next October) asked in a recent and widely read New York Times Magazine article, “What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?” Over the last 25 years, I’ve met generations of resilient women who have walked HB’s halls. And they’ve all taught me that the sweetest successes are the ones you really have to work for. So I’ve come to believe that the secret to success isn’t failure alone. Instead, the secret to success just might be failing to allow any sort of challenge to get in the way of where you’re going.
That very high mark of character is one she earned all on her own.
Bill Christ
contributors If you’d like to become a contributor to HB magazine, please email kosborne@hb.edu or call 216.320.8785.
Mary Boutton: Storybook Voyage, page 30
HB’s 2010-2011 Barry Faculty Fellow, Mary Boutton has taught in the Primary School since 2003. This summer, she fulfilled a lifelong dream and traveled to Sweden. There, she met teachers Michael and Maria Haglof, with whom she had forged an international educational partnership using an innovative curricular approach called Storyline. “Visiting Sweden and working with Michael and Maria has opened up a new world of learning for me and my students,” she says. “The support of Hathaway Brown, the Barry family, and my co-teachers has been phenomenal; it truly has taken a village to make all of this possible.”
Andrew Briggs: Drawing a Better Future, page 38
Andrew Briggs, son of Juliet (Evans) Briggs HB ’76, is the founder of Freedom in Creation, an organization that uses the arts to assist children in Uganda. In 2009, he teamed up with the HB Middle and Upper School art departments to construct murals and other collaborative projects, which he then shared with a group of Ugandan students upon his return to that country. Teachers Carol Stephenson and Debra Gressel have worked closely with Briggs to ensure that their partnership has been both purposeful and meaningful. These HB teachers plan to work with the Center for Global Citizenship to bring Briggs back to campus for a similar collaboration next spring.
Jane Brown: Big Ideas for Little People, page 40
Jane Brown has served as Director of the Early Childhood division for the past 14 years, and she continues to be entertained daily by HB’s youngest population. Together with Interim Director Dawn Keske, she has reimagined “Nammy’s Place,” the school’s Center for Faculty Childcare. Designed to help HB’s working parents more easily balance their careers and the demands of raising a family, the center is a beautiful, inviting, and educational space for children 6 weeks to 3 years old.
Morghyn Howard-Green: From One Alumna to Another, page 29
Morghyn Howard-Green is member of the HB Class of 2011 who completed her Senior Project with the Advancement and Alumnae Relations Departments and came back to campus to work with these departments as a summer employee after her graduation. In that role, she had the opportunity to interview the school’s oldest living alumna, 100-year-old Jean Latimer, a 1929 graduate. Howard-Green is now a freshman at Baldwin-Wallace College, and she works at the BW Alumni House.
Paul Maes: In Their Element, page 7
Paul Maes is new to HB and new to Cleveland. He joined the staff in July as the Director of Athletics, coming from his native Denver, where he held the same position at Denver Academy and Colorado Academy. He is a graduate of and former basketball player for the University of Northern Colorado, and he holds a degree in Special Education. After his first year of teaching, Paul decided to put his teaching and coaching career on hold while he played professional basketball in England, New Zealand, and France. He continues to be active on the international basketball scene, coaching and holding clinics for Athletes-in-Action, where he’s known as the “Shot Doctor.”
Jamie Morse: Rising Boldly, Cover Art; page 12
“After reading about the experiences of these five inspirational women, I created this painting as a symbol of the strength and power of their stories,” says HB Visual Arts Department Chair Jamie Morse. “To me, the sunrise, starkly going from dark to light, illuminating the five trees boldly rising, was a simple and powerful way to illustrate the energy, character and steadfastness of these women.” Morse, whose daughters Julia ’99 and Betsy ’03 attended HB, has been a professional painter for 35 years. He currently teaches Studio Art, Photography, and Art History in the Upper School, and he held the position of Dean of Students for 13 years.
contents
pg. 22
Cover Story
12 Rising Boldly Five HB women share stories of resilience 26 Getting Through It How the school prepares girls to rise boldly to their challenges Features
30 Storybook Voyage Fourth-grade teacher Mary Boutton travels to Sweden 36 Fans of HB Recent retirees and other former faculty members reconnect 38 Drawing A Better Future
pg. 39
pg. 27 next
issue
Andrew Briggs’ Freedom in Creation
40 Big Ideas for Little People The redesigned Center for Faculty Childcare Alumnae Profiles
11 Carolyn Tillinghast Powers ’61 29 Jean Latimer ’29 42 Alumnae Weekend 46 Harriet Holan Wolfe ’61 48 Laurel Blossom ’61 50 Edith Quintrell ’81 93 Sally Jean Bassichis Wagner ’44
Special Section Inside 2010-2011 Report on Philanthropy
News From North Park
6 Performing Arts 7 Blazer Sports in Review 8 Reading Journals 9 Saying Goodbye 10 Rockin’ Fundraiser 10 Anti-Defamation League 10 Global Citizenship Lunchtime Forum 27 Notable Woman 28 Graduation Ceremonies 39 Dining Services 52 HB Recognized 52 Seniors Honored
Class Notes 53 Alumnae News 91 What I Did at HB 92 Brides, Babies, Memorials
Several HB alumnae – including our own Director of Sustainability Torrey McMillan ’90 – have devoted their professional lives to promoting all aspects of sustainability: economic security, environmental integrity, social equity, and human wellness. The next issue of HB will focus on these topics, with profiles and updates about what’s happening in the field. Have an idea to share? Please email publications@hb.edu.
pg. 8
TAAL
, an annual evening of multicultural performances originally conceived and produced by Preeti Gill ’05, was held on Saturday, October 1. Audience members were treated to beautiful choreography and fabulous dancing by HB students and friends.
Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
In Their Element
by Paul Maes
First of all, I would like to thank everyone at Hathaway Brown for extending such a warm welcome to me and my family. All of the people we’ve met have been so supportive and helpful, which just proves what a wonderful place HB is. It was a wild, wet, and wonderful fall sports season, and I’ve come to understand that Northest Ohio tends to get a bit more precipitation than I’m used to in Denver. I remember making my way across the field at Ursuline College early this fall before an HB soccer match. I had a hard time just walking (slogging) across the muddy pitch. So I pointed out the boggy, marshlike condition of the field to the referees, thinking that they would at least consider the fact that the field might be labeled
unplayable. But they didn’t mention it. I looked over at the HB team warming up, at the players and coaches. Not a complaint. I looked over at our opponents warming up in the muck. It was pregame as normal. Was I the only one? Apparently, yes. Hathaway Brown’s clean white uniforms were all pretty much a nice chocolate color well before halftime. Players would run by making suction cup noises. The game went on. What I got from this was an appreciation of our kids’ toughness and willingness to play through notso-perfect conditions without complaining. Nobody grumbled. They seemed to enjoy it. We won. No more complaints from Coach Maes.
HB
Season in Review
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Varsity Golf ended as Sectional Champions, with Ashley Yarbrough ’13 qualifying and finishing 16th at the state tournament. Cross Country had more runners taking part than in the past five years and that number may double in size next year. Tennis had two doubles teams and one singles as District Qualifiers, sending the doubles team of Pauline Marting ’12 and Maya Ahuja ’13 to the state tournament, along with Ariana Iranpour ’14 at singles.
Volleyball got to the Sectional Championship match. Field Hockey made it to the State Final Four for the 10th year in a row, and finished as State Runner-Up. Soccer was an OHSAA Division II District Champion this year. As we close out the fall season and begin the winter and spring seasons, my staff and I will endeavor to maintain HB’s reputation as one of the premier allgirls’ schools in the Midwest, including in terms of its athletics. We want to do things right, and to evaluate how we’re doing along the way. As a part of this process, all fall student-athletes and their parents have been surveyed about their experiences. That feedback will be important in helping us to assess the strengths of our program. But we can’t do much about the weather. Photo Credit: Candy Neville
Go Blazers!
How Many Books Can One Person Read?
Photo Credit: Jesse Kramer
In April 1998, the Primary School
Prime Librarian Kathy Englehart has
program. Every student and teacher
Journal. “Librarians can be a tad
instituted its
HB Reading Journal
since then has received a beautiful
book in which to record their reading. Girls are given the gold-edged journals
in the fall of their kindergarten year. Parents and girls write down all the
books that the girls read and books
that someone reads aloud to them. By the end of fourth grade, each girl
has a wonderful documentation of her reading life and her amazing growth
as a reader. Some girls include photos
of themselves reading, some write
summaries of their favorite books, and some decorate with book stickers and stamps.
just begun her thirteenth Reading
www.hb.edu/magazine
obsessive-compulsive about things,”
A wide array of additional content related to all featured stories is available online, including videos, photo galleries, and Internet resources.
she says as she tallies up 13 years
of books. Grand total as of August 2011: 44,014 books. “And there’s
another 699 at last count since this
school year began,” she adds. “As I tell the girls, this is not a contest. I’m a
grown-up who reads children’s books. No wonder I can read so many!”
After teaching for several years in the Chagrin Falls School system, Susan
Susan L. Faulder, beloved HB teacher 1942-2011
came to Hathaway Brown in September 1970. While most of her time was spent teaching first- and second-graders in the Primary School, she also filled notable roles in the school’s Advancement and Communications offices during her 39year tenure. One of the highlights of Susan’s career was being the first recipient of the
O
During the ceremony, Jennifer Dowd ’83 recalled how much Faulder meant to her and her family during the time she spent as a student in HB’s Primary School and in all the years that followed. Several musical tributes were offered, and family members shared special memories with those in attendance before everyone moved to the Anne Cutter Coburn Reception Room to catch up and reminisce.
Anne Cutter Coburn Chair for Excellence in Teaching, a distinction she received in 1984. “Being part of HB’s culture taught me never to settle for mediocrity,” she said before her retirement. “The high academic and cultural standards made me who I am.” Susan touched the lives of several generations of young women, many of whom stayed in touch with her well into their own adulthoods. She also made many cherished friends during her years at Hathaway Brown. All of us will long remember her infections laugh, her refined sense of style, her care and compassion, her love of animals, and her legendary baking prowess. She certainly will be missed. From a letter by Head of School Bill Christ
Editor’s Note: Susan Faulder spent the last years of her HB career working in the school’s Communications office, where, among other things, she served as a valued contributor to this magazine. Her enthusiasm, wit, charm, grace, and attention to detail allowed her to craft interesting, compelling, and lasting stories about the life of the school and the people who love it. We were honored to be her colleagues.
HB
n Thursday, July 14, nearly 200 people – including HB alumnae and current and former members of the faculty – gathered in The Ahuja Auditorium to celebrate the life of Susan L. Faulder, a beloved member of our community for nearly 40 years. She lost her battle with cancer on July 3.
9
C
onflicts occur around the world when people become more interested in holding onto their large group identities as opposed to their own individual identities. But large groups are never as sophisticated as individuals. Therefore, physical borders become identified and psychologized; they need to be protected. And suddenly “Us versus Them” becomes an identity.
Dr. Vamik Volkan, three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, considered by many to be the world’s foremost expert on the psychoanalysis of terrorism Center for Global Citizenship Lunchtime Forum Friday, October 14, 2011
Historic Appointment
Diane Nichols, HB’s Director of Multicultural Affairs, recently was named to the Ohio/Kentucky/Allegheny Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League. She is the first African-American Christian to be appointed to this regional board for the agency that was established to fight anti-Semitism, bigotry, and extremism. “I am truly honored to have this pioneering opportunity,” Nichols says. “This is a civil rights organization that reaches many and makes a difference in the hearts and minds of individuals, while challenging the legal structures that support continued forms of discrimination.” As an ADL board member, Nichols will take part in various equity and justice initiatives that have been created in the region, and she’ll be a vocal advocate for the ADL programs that exist in local communities and schools. “Since I was in my early teens, I knew that I wanted to make a difference and help level the playing field for underrepresented groups,” Nichols says. “My journey has taken me along that path through my roles as a social worker, counselor, Director of Multicultural Affairs, ADL trainer, and now as an ADL board member. All of my hopes and aspirations are becoming a reality.”
On Saturday, October 15, HB Rocks! brought nearly 350 people together to celebrate the school’s “rock star” faculty and staff. The gymnasium was transformed into a cool concert venue where attendees noshed on a great spread and danced the night away. When all was said and done, the event raised $125,000 through raffles, auctions, and donations. The funds will be used to support professional development initiatives for HB staffers.
Among the highlights was the Faculty Auction, with unique experiences hosted by teachers and administrators up for bid. Items included a Shakespeare dinner with Head of School Bill Christ, customized Adventure Learning sessions, and knitting lessons with Primary School teachers. Numerous generous donors underwrote the event. Special thanks go to HB parents Asmita Goldblum and Holley Martens, who served as HB Rocks! co-chairs and to the dedicated Backstage Crew of volunteers.
Carolyn Tillinghast Powers ’61 Photo Credit: Christy Lynch
W
hat might Carolyn Tillinghast Powers’ class have
been like without her? It wouldn’t have been as harmonious, that’s for sure. This 1961 HB graduate loved to sing. She was a member of the school’s Ensemble and Glee Club.
But Powers almost didn’t come to the school at all, having
The first record of scholarship assistance at Hathaway Brown dates to 1894. It was a gift from of a group of HB alumnae for a sophomore student, so that she could finish her studies at HB. These young women believed passionately in the fundamental principle of educational access and the benefit of an HB education.
old. “It was crushing to receive that letter,” she recalls.
That’s when Powers’ maternal grandmother stepped forward
and funded her seventh grade year. Thinking of her future,
Powers decided to take the scholarship examination again. This time, she got the result she hoped for.
In the century that followed, scores of HB students have benefitted from financial aid while at HB, each understanding that were it not for the school’s firm commitment to this central belief, she would not have attended Hathaway Brown.
Throughout the next six years, Powers became actively
Today, HB distributes more than $3.5 million per year – 15 percent of its annual operating budget – to girls whose families have demonstrated financial need. In the last three years alone, applications for financial aid have increased 35 percent, as the cost of an independent school education becomes ever more challenging for both low- and middle-income Cleveland families.
World Affairs. She went on to great success at Wellesley
As we have throughout our history, HB remains dedicated to the precept of financial aid and increasing educational access for Cleveland’s talented girls. We do this on principle, as part of our history, mission, and our charge for the future. If you received scholarship assistance while at HB, we encourage you to share your story too. You may contact the Alumnae Office at 216.320.8778 or dcapers@hb.edu. Thank you.
involved in all that HB had to offer. She played field hockey
and basketball, served as class ring chairperson and art editor of Specularia, and was president of the Junior Council on
College and graduate school at Goucher. For 25 years, she used her skills, talent, and education to teach students with
diverse learning styles, a career dream that was born during her time at HB.
Powers’voice cracks a bit at the memory of her grandmother’s
and others’ generosity. “I get emotional when I think of what they did. It was life changing,” she says. “Without HB, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
HB
been turned down for a scholarship when she was 11 years
11
At this moment in history there is a great need for women of vision and courage who are empowered for leadership in a multicultural and globalized society. We seek to answer that need by inspiring our students to achieve their utmost potential, from the Hathaway Brown School mission statement and rise boldly to the challenges of their times.
Silvia Kenneweg always wanted to be a ballerina. Although it was nearly six decades ago and more than 1,000 miles away, she still chokes up a little at the memory of being a young girl in Havana and watching the world-famous prima ballerina Alicia Alonso perform.
Even now, she has the trademark good looks and regal bearing of a ballerina. She is stylish and attractive, with classic Latin features. Her dark hair is neatly clipped to frame her face and her lips are just the right shade of red to accent her smile. She exudes elegance and grace, and people can’t seem to resist the temptation to be near her. On a recent visit to the school where she spent 31 years teaching young women to speak Spanish, Kenneweg was exhorted almost every five minutes for hugs and handshakes by admirers of every stripe. Naturally, she obliged. She had allowed only one hour for this meeting, but by the time she got into her handicapped accessible van heading for home, nearly triple that time had elapsed. To the delight of all those who happened to run into her that day, though, she promised she’d be back. Multiple sclerosis has been Kenneweg’s insidious companion for the last quarter of a century. The disease has progressively limited her mobility, but it has done nothing to dampen her resolve. She can no longer walk on her own, and although excursions have their challenges, she and her husband, Bill, travel all the time. They’re even planning a trip to Israel soon.
by Kathleen Osborne Painting by Jamie Morse
Kenneweg is resilient. She said she’d soon return to Hathaway Brown. And everyone who knows her knows that she will keep her word.
HB
Five HB women share the stories of the full and satisfying lives that are not the lives they planned.
“Ballet was my first love,” Kenneweg explains. “I wanted to start when I was 3 years old, but no program would accept me until I was 5.”
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...
The print edition of The New York Times Magazine
featuring Paul Tough’s story
hadn’t even hit newsstands before it caused a stir. As soon
as it was published on The Times’ website, people began
posting the link on their Facebook pages, adding it to their blogs, and exchanging impassioned digital opinions about the implications of his assertions.
In mid-September, in a piece called “What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?,” Tough described how two prominent educators – one the headmaster of a tony independent school in the wealthiest section of the Bronx, the other a founder of a charter-school network that serves inner-city students – are teaching children to be people of character. For generations, parents have been wringing their hands over the fact that their progeny don’t seem to have the same iron constitutions that they themselves quite proudly possess. So it has become a rite of adulthood to commiserate with each other about how kids these days don’t know how to roll with the punches, and to regale your offspring with apocryphal accounts of walking to school barefoot in the snow, uphill and backwards both ways.
Through a series of narrative firsthand accounts, along with expert interviews and analyses of scholarly publications, Tough’s story underscores the notion that today’s young people indeed need help in dealing with stressors and obstacles, both of the everyday and the extraordinary type. And the reason they’re not that good at doing it on their own, he implies, is because the adults in their lives don’t let them try. “Being resilient is absolutely critical. It’s an invaluable skill to have. But we don’t really know yet how to teach it,” Tough says. “It is clear, however, that one way to learn how to deal with failure is to practice.” He explores the idea in much greater depth in his new book, The Success Equation (coming Fall 2012), but Tough already has piqued the interest of parents and educators by disseminating the theory that grit, perseverance, and tenacity are traits that actually can be taught. At Hathaway Brown, teachers and administrators were nothing short of giddy about the Tough article. They brought in dog-eared clippings, posted the computer printouts on bulletin boards throughout the school, highlighted their copies, and scribbled notes in the margins. They huddled together in the faculty rooms to share their impressions of the magazine feature, and called formal meetings to analyze it. Some of the division directors even forwarded the link to the parents of their students.
The people at HB saw this essay as another black-and-white affirmation that their unique and deliberate whole-child educational approach is right on target. HB always has been the exception to the rule. Every girl on campus can tell you that she attends a school that was founded by its own students. In fact, it has become a Legacy Day tradition for Upper Schoolers to reenact the classic tale of the five intrepid young women who marched up the steps of Brooks Military Academy in 1876 to demand an education on par with the one the boys there were receiving. Even the school motto is patently anti-establishment: Non Scholae Sed Vitae Discimus. We Learn Not For School, But For Life. On the whole, HB girls are incredibly poised, skillful, articulate, and intelligent. But it’s a fact of life that difficulty and adversity often are unavoidable – no matter who you are or how well prepared you come. Sometimes, setbacks are downright inevitable. “There’s a thrill you get from having the right kind of fuel to sustain excellence over time,” says Catherine Steiner-Adair, a highly regarded clinical psychologist and regular consultant to HB. “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Upper School Counseling Director, Dr. Sheila Santoro, says a major component of an HB education is giving girls the tools they need to grow their self-confidence, self-esteem, independence, and motivation. “We show students how to use roadblocks as opportunities to learn more about themselves and what they’re capable of,” she says. “We teach them how to become resilient.”
But what about the times when circumstances intervene that are beyond your control? “When something bad happens, you can feel like there’s no end in sight,” says Steiner-Adair. “But you have to keep going. Frustration, delayed gratification, and even failure can be good for you. Going through hard times teaches you how to adapt, refine your focus, and advocate for yourself.” Plans are good, but people of all ages should be willing to accept the fact that plans can – and should – occasionally change, advises SteinerAdair.
Tough is encouraged that some of the schools he’s encountered are making concerted efforts to allow students to move outside their academic and personal comfort zones. “For an institution to try to build a culture that says it’s OK to try something new even if you’re not immediately good at it, that’s a very different approach,” he says. “There’s a certain amount of risk involved in trying something you’ve never tried before.” Plenty of children in this country receive the message from their parents and teachers that they are good only at certain things and those are the things that they should stick to. But those who are able to demonstrate that they’ve gotten through some type of adversity, the ones who have proven to themselves that they can solve their own problems – those are the people who will be able to persevere in spite of any obstacles they might face. They will have what it takes to rise boldly to the challenges of their times.
...
HB
Ambitious people have a tendency to map out their futures in their minds. Some even write out their goals and keep them tucked away in their pockets. Psychologists and career coaches will attest that’s a healthy thing to do. Having a plan will help keep you on track and traveling down the road in the direction of your dreams.
“Flexibility is remarkably valuable in life,” she says.
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PROFILES OF RESILIENCE Silvia Kenneweg Emily Weinberg ’12 Joy Johnson Nevin ’55 Shawneice Floyd ’12 Ellen Rogers ’70
Photo Credit: Vanessa Butler
Photographed in the HB Courtyard, September 2011
Silvia Kenneweg describes the first 15 years of her life as “paradise.” She was an only child born to
mature, refined, and highly educated parents on the beautiful southern coast of Cuba.
“I was given the best education and had a very structured youth,” Kenneweg says. “I started learning to speak English in the first grade, and I took piano and ballet lessons. My parents wanted me to be exposed to art and culture.” But the society around her was less than idyllic. By the early 1960s, Fidel Castro had come into power and more than 14,000 Cuban children were sent alone by their parents to the United States to avoid the perceived threat of being shipped off to work camps in the new regime. Kenneweg was one of those children. On July 28, 1961, she arrived in Miami alone, 15 years old and no money in her pocket. Her father had sent her with a big box of “the most expensive cigars on earth.” When a man at the airport offered her $20 for the lot, she took it.
On September 8, 1961, Kenneweg and her new roommate, Olivia, were personally greeted by the president of the college and his wife at the bus station in Macon. Olivia was 19 years old and she had a better command of the English language than Kenneweg. So the president’s wife asked Olivia if she would be willing to give a speech about the political situation in Cuba for a church gathering that was scheduled a few weeks later. On the day of the speech, though, Olivia became ill and Kenneweg had to fill in. “In Cuba, the only people who did any kind of public speaking were orators,” she recalls. “I was terrified.” But she mustered her courage anyway, and for two and a half hours she stood in front of the audience, answering question after question. Two days later, a steady stream of checks started coming in the mail from the churchgoers who had heard her speak. By the time she was 18, Kenneweg’s parents also had immigrated to the United States and her mother had taken a job teaching Spanish at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. The next several years were a whirlwind of activity. Kenneweg graduated from college, moved in with her parents, met and married her husband, Bill, and the two of them enrolled in graduate school together at The Ohio State University. Kenneweg continued her studies at OSU, completing a Master’s degree and all the required coursework for a doctorate.
Kenneweg began her career at HB in August of 1977. For the next three decades, she brightened the lives of her students and colleagues with her signature warmth, generosity, and ever-present smile. “I loved every minute of it,” she says. Her husband had a great job, her children were thriving, and she herself was happily teaching scores of young women about the history, culture, and language of the country where she grew up. Life was good. In 1986, nearly a decade into her tenure, Kenneweg was appointed Chair of the Foreign Languages Department at HB. That was the same year she would learn that she had MS. Kenneweg always prided herself on being physically active. When she could no longer do ballet, she took up tennis and she played it religiously. But when she started experiencing spasms in her right leg, she had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. It got so bad that she wasn’t able to play tennis anymore, and she knew she needed to do something about it. So on November 2, 1986, she had an MRI. The following day, her doctor called her at school with the news. “He was from Spain, so he gave me the results in Spanish,” Kenneweg recalls. “I know he was trying to be kind.” Kenneweg says she then asked the doctor two questions: “Is it terminal?” and “Do I have to quit working?” When she learned that she could continue to do most of the things she was accustomed to doing, Kenneweg was relieved. And she was determined to find a way to minimize the effect multiple sclerosis would have on her life. “I’m always following MS research, always asking ‘Do you have something that can help me?’,” Kenneweg explains. “I also have hope, faith, and a tremendous support system in place. My husband is a saint and he has a great sense of humor that has kept me laughing all these years. That’s a gift.” Kenneweg served as head of the foreign languages department for 22 years before she retired in 2008. During her last four years at HB, she relied on a motorized scooter to travel the halls, but her professional influence never was compromised by her illness. In many ways, continuing to teach enhanced her life. “When you are teaching, you are in a different kind of place. You are not thinking about yourself,” Kenneweg says. “You are just doing your best to use your knowledge and insights to help young women to broaden their minds so that they are able to go out and improve the world in some way.”
HB
For about a month, Kenneweg lived with her aunt and uncle in Florida before she accepted a scholarship awarded by the Methodist Church for her to attend Wesleyan College. She still recalls hauling the Army duffel bag stuffed with all 66 pounds of her clothing onto the Greyhound bound for Macon, Ga.
Her husband became a lawyer and started a job in Cleveland at the Walter Drane Co., a business he would eventually own. Kenneweg gave birth to her son, Bruce, in 1970. Sixteen months later, she welcomed her daughter, Christina. In 1975, her mother retired and moved to Cleveland.
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Photo Credit: Vanessa Butler
Photographed on HB’s Wolf Field, October 2011
“The first time Emily Weinberg tried zip lining was the last time.” So begins the story about the current Hathaway Brown senior that was splashed across a full page of The Plain Dealer this field hockey season. Sportswriter Bob Fortuna spent time with Weinberg, her mother, her coach, and her teammates to try and figure out what drove this standout athlete to overcome a devastating injury and return to the sport she loves. At 17 years old, Weinberg already has learned some life lessons that many people twice her age don’t yet understand. “I’ve figured out that you don’t always have to take the big risks; you don’t always need to be first,” she says. That knowledge, unfortunately, was painfully acquired last year when Weinberg broke her back in three places and her wrist in seven. June 27, 2010 was supposed to be a great day. Weinberg had just gotten back from Virginia Beach, where she tried out for a spot on a national junior field hockey team. She was planning to kick back with her friends and have a little fun.
Then something went wrong. “I don’t know if the rope snagged or my arm got stuck or what,” Weinberg says. “All I know is that I fell really hard right on my back. The pond was still 10 feet ahead. I hit the ground so hard that it made me pass out. And when I came to, the first thing I thought of was that I needed to make sure I wasn’t paralyzed.” Although her injury was severe, Weinberg says the life jacket she was wearing minimized the force of impact and may even have saved her life. Her panic-stricken friends dialed 9-1-1 and got in touch with her mother, who met them at the hospital. Weinberg spent the next three days as an inpatient, undergoing a series of tests. The first doctor who saw her said that she would need to refrain from any physical activity for at least six months. “I was really upset and angry,” Weinberg recalls. “I kept wondering why this happened to me. I didn’t know if I would ever be back to normal or if I would ever play field hockey again.” Weinberg has always been athletic and adventurous. An HB student from the time she was a preschooler, she began playing field hockey when she was in the seventh grade. While she was in the hospital, she received word that she had been accepted as a member of a Junior Olympic team.
When she was discharged from the hospital, after much of the initial swelling had subsided, she had an appointment with a specialist who concluded that the original prognosis was too grave. In a matter of days, she was cleared to perform routine physical activities, but she was still in so much pain that she had to rely on her mother and her friends to help her do even the smallest things. “It was awful,” she says. “I couldn’t even put my own hair in a ponytail.” Because she was injured during the summer and not while school was in session, there was plenty of time for Weinberg to devote to physical therapy. And in just a few weeks, the pain had subsided enough for her to make some real progress. But an important goal kept urging her on. “I love field hockey, and it was killing me that I couldn’t play,” she says. By September – three and a half months ahead of schedule – Weinberg defied the odds and was allowed to practice with her team. On October 15, 2010, she played in her first game after the accident. Weinberg estimates that it took her six months to get back into the shape she was in before she was injured. But with hard work and perseverance, she was an outstanding midfielder in her senior year. The team finished the season as State RunnerUp. A vital part of the Blazer offense, she was one of the district’s leading scorers and she’s already verbally committed to play field hockey at Georgetown when she graduates next spring. “I’m very lucky,” Weinberg observes. “Even though there can be bad times, there’s always something good somewhere on the horizon. If you don’t power through, you’ll have nothing to look forward to. And if you don’t have that, life would be pretty sad.”
HB
The sun was shining as she climbed up and grabbed the handle on the zip line that ran through the woods. She wasn’t wearing a harness because she planned to let go at the appropriate time so she could drop into the cool pond that was beckoning below. She had never ridden a zip line before, but Weinberg wasn’t scared.
Although it was extremely difficult to do, Weinberg surrendered herself to the fact that if she hoped to recover, she would have to follow medical advice and be completely dependent on other people. She had surgery on her wrist and she was fitted for a back brace.
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Photo Credit: Natalie Bell
Photographed at her home in Richmond, Va., October 2011
Joy Johnson Nevin began her HB career as a seventh grader in 1949. In those days, she jokes, “by cracky, you learned.” It was a different time, and not much attention was paid to nurturing girls’ psyches then, Nevin recalls. Nonetheless, she feels that the superior education she received in those years set the course for the rest of her life. “I’m eternally grateful to HB,” she says. “The school – my teachers, my classmates – taught me a lot. And because of the curiosity they inspired in me, I’m still learning.” A “happy survivor” of 14 different moves around the United States and Canada, Nevin, who will turn 74 on her next birthday, is an advocate for adaptability. After graduating from HB in 1955, she attended Connecticut College for two years. Then she married John, a Princeton alum and “Type A workaholic,” and she’s spent the rest of her life picking up and setting down roots with him. “One thing about moving is that it helps you to become flexible,” Nevin says. “You truly begin to understand where other people are coming from.”
“It wasn’t easy,” the perpetually upbeat Nevin concedes. “You go through the grieving process each time you’re uprooted. It can feel in some ways as if your soul has been assaulted.” With all of her relatives and childhood friends still living in Cleveland and her husband working many long hours, Nevin says it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to allow loneliness to set in. So she made it her mission not to let that happen. Some of her moves were more challenging than others, as Nevin and her family had to find ways to deal with changes in the environment (an accumulation of 177 inches of snow during one winter in Ottawa, Canada, for instance) and changes in culture. “Moving from Maine to Mobile, Alabama – in August – was a huge shock, as was going from Connecticut to Richmond, Virginia, where in 1990, memories and prejudices of the Civil War were still alive and active,” she says. From her “happy-ever-after” home on the Virginia countryside, Nevin rattles off in order the places she’s lived. Cleveland. Upstate New York. California. Kansas. Canada. Maine. Mobile. Connecticut. In each small town or city, Nevin says she has made treasured, lasting friends and learned more about who she is and what she brings to the world. For instance, years ago she discovered a passion for volunteerism as a hospice worker and an affinity for ministering to others as an ordained deacon and elder of the Presbyterian church.
In 2002, she chronicled her experiences in a paperback: Get Moving! A Joyful Search to Meet and Embrace Life Transitions. It provides a bird’s-eye view of her family’s trek across the U.S. The publication also offers a healthy dose of Nevin’s homespun advice, a smattering of quotations that inspire her, and honest accounts of the occasionally messy parts of a life lived in constant flux. “I wanted the book to be a metaphor for accepting change,” she explains. “Because we all have to deal with it, whether we choose it or not.” Eventually, when the appropriate time arrives, the Nevins will move one last time: to a local retirement facility because they know they cannot live in four different locations with each of their offspring and their families. Instead, they plan to remain in Richmond, where they can continue to enjoy their productive and meaningful lives. Leisurely vacations that were out of the question while her husband was a full-time executive are now a somewhat regular part of Nevin’s life. But just because he is no longer working doesn’t mean that she’s going to veer off her path. “I’m not a Women’s Libber, but I do have my own identity,” Nevin says. “And it’s so important – no matter what your age – always to have goals.” So she’s hard at work compiling her next book, a straight-talk guide for shifting into the retirement years. She plans to call this manual Get Over It! Although relocating has at times brought along with it some unwanted adjustments, Nevin counsels that when you change residences, you don’t have to leave everything behind. “Moving allows us to take with us those ‘portable’ interests or passions – aside from families – that are dearest to our hearts,” she says. “Even a passion as simple as taking daily walks can produce positive effects. For me, that’s a time to repeat my mantra: ‘Let Go, Let God.’”
HB
Now officially retired, Nevin’s husband was a paper company executive following an extended tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force at the height of the Cold War. Twelve years into their marriage, the young couple already had four children and had moved seven times.
“Sometimes the best way to make yourself feel better is to make others feel better,” she says. “In doing for others, you do for yourself.”
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Photo Credit: Vanessa Butler
Photographed in the Worldwide Communications Center, October 2011
Shawneice Floyd is hard to miss. She’s the only student at Hathaway Brown who has neon hair. This bubbly senior is simply magnetic. When
you see her in the halls, she’s always surrounded by people. And she’s always smiling. Her alternating wardrobe of colorful headscarves and wigs in hues of bright pink and green scream out for you to notice that the 17-year-old has a great big personality and she’s not afraid to show it. Floyd has always been a daring sort. She came to HB as a fourth grader and she started to spread her wings right away. The thing she says she likes most about the school is that it offers all sorts of opportunities for meeting new people and learning about cultures different from her own. She enrolled in Spanish in the Primary School, and continued learning the language throughout Middle School. She studed French during her freshman year and then in a special independent study program when she was a sophomore.
“It was really heartwarming for me to learn that although people may look a little different from each other, we all deal with lots of the same issues,” Floyd says. “I wish more people could realize that.” After that trip, Floyd was hooked on traveling abroad. She enrolled in the HB Global Scholars program, which provides students with a foundational knowledge about the world, global issues, and international relations. Girls in the program engage in relevant discussions and develop critical-thinking skills. “It’s been amazing so far,” Floyd says. “Being a Global Scholar has shaped my life in a way I didn’t expect.” An assembly she attended in 10th grade gave her the idea to participate in School Year Abroad (SYA) and she worked with CGC Director Joe Vogel to plan a sojourn to Spain that would run the length of her junior year. “I really wanted to get away and be independent again,” she says. Although her mother was reluctant to let her travel so far from home and be gone for so long, Floyd was convinced that the opportunity was too great to pass up. So she spent the next year of her life overseas, exploring the beautiful municipality of Zaragoza, Spain. “It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had,” Floyd says.
One of those classmates, Hannah Smith, traveled from Delaware to Cleveland this summer to give Floyd the hot pink wig she has been wearing since she lost her hair to chemotherapy. Before she spent her junior year abroad, Floyd detected a strange lump near her groin on the left side. When she asked her doctor about it, she was assured that there was no cause for concern. Over time, the lump seemed to dissipate. But while she was in Spain, it came back. This time it felt sore and it was much larger than before. Six weeks after Floyd returned to the United States, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma, a cancer that causes tumors to develop from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. “Nobody else in my family has ever had cancer,” Floyd says. “We were shocked.” She had barely settled back into her normal routine at home when she began seeing Dr. Margaret Thompson, a pediatric oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic. After the diagnosis, Floyd spent five days in the hospital, where she underwent surgery to remove the tumor and launched into a very aggressive treatment regimen that called for two rounds of chemo. She was understandably shaken, she didn’t feel well, and she was losing her hair. Still, Floyd says her spirits were lifted by the regular visits she received from her classmates and teachers. “A lot of people came to see me. I had at least two HB visitors a day,” she recalls. After a week and a half at home, Floyd returned to the hospital for the second round of treatment. The rest of the summer was spent recovering from the effects of the devastating news and the medication that was fighting the cancer. “It was a very weird time,” Floyd says. On September 17, Dr. Thompson called to tell Floyd that her most recent PET scan showed that the treatment had worked. She officially was declared cancer-free. These days, Floyd is making the most of her senior year. She’s recently discovered a love of film and she’s considering majoring in film studies in college. She says she’d love to one day use her SYA experience to make some sort of documentary set in Spain. “I wouldn’t trade my life’s most challenging moments,” Floyd says. “In those moments, you learn the most about who you are and what you’re capable of. Half of what you learn in life you’re not going to learn in a classroom.”
HB
As an Upper Schooler, Floyd also has been actively involved in the school’s burgeoning Center for Global Citizenship (CGC). In fact, she played an integral part in running the successful 2008 International Education Symposium, which brought educators from around the world to HB’s campus to explore the global issue of water scarcity. At the close of the Symposium, Floyd had a chance to travel back to Brazil with IES representatives from St. Francis College. She spent three weeks in San Paolo, where she took a crash course in Portuguese and she immersed herself in the Latin American culture.
The land and the people she encountered in Spain were vibrant, colorful, and exciting, but Floyd’s favorite part of the adventure was the time she spent at school. All juniors and seniors enrolled in SYA, Floyd and her classmates became a family of sorts.
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Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
Photographed in the HB Atrium, May 2011
“Prickly” feelings are Ellen Rogers’ favorite. A member of the HB class of 1970, Rogers is an accomplished businesswoman, author, motivational speaker, and mother of five. She also once was a self-proclaimed “tragedy snob.” Rogers has been knocked down more times than she cares to remember. But she’s never been knocked out. Many of her life’s important events have been punctuated by loss. She married her first love in the hospital ward where her father was dying. After they had two children together, she lost her husband to cancer. She had a stepdaughter through her second marriage who died of melanoma when she was only 23. She endured a bitter divorce. And her son Ned became paralyzed and brain injured in 2005 after a catastrophic car accident. “But it hasn’t been all bad,” she insists. Rogers has become a proponent of prickly feelings in recent years. When she was a high-powered marketing executive who was working full time and raising a family, she was too busy to notice the little signs the universe sends you when something meaningful is happening.
The author of Kasey to the Rescue, an inspirational story of how a small capuchin monkey made a big difference in her family’s life, Rogers was invited to address the Upper School students in an assembly focused on the theme of resilience. At the start of her presentation, she recalled for the girls that when she sat in their place, Margaret Hamilton, a 1921 graduate of HB who went on to play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, once stood on that very stage and told Rogers and her classmates that they could be anything they wanted to be. “I believed her,” she said. Rogers went on to explain that she experienced one of many prickly feelings in her life when she received an email about an organization called Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled. The message appeared in her inbox the same day that she had floated the seemingly far-fetched idea past her quadriplegic son of adopting a monkey service animal to assist him in his recovery and rehabilitation. She took the feeling as a sign to move forward with her plan. When Kasey the monkey came to live with them, Ned and his mother really needed all the help they could get. But they had no idea that a little furry animal would be able to transform the daily tasks of life into a life worth living. She described how Kasey became part of the family, lifted everyone’s spirits, restored a certain sense of order, and inspired everyone to constantly set new and more satisfying goals. At the close of Rogers’ talk, which she titled “A Twig of Hope,” the girls in the audience jumped to their feet and cheered.
At a post-presentation brunch sponsored by HB’s Center for Girls’ and Women’s Leadership, Rogers told a group of students that time and distance had not weakened the bond she and her classmates shared. “There’s a strength that comes from knowing you have a group of people who will be there for you no matter what,” she said. “My life wouldn’t be the same without the women in this room. I wouldn’t be standing here today without them.” Rogers has a naturally happy disposition. She’s funny and exuberant, and she’s a fabulous speaker. Still, if she were able to choose, she says she would not have chosen to become a tragedy snob. She wishes she could have spared her five children from the pain they’ve experienced in their lives. Before Ned’s car accident, she was looking forward to the days when she would no longer have to pay babysitters to watch her children, she could come and go as she pleased, and she could devote more time to the consulting business she had created. Those days never came.
HB
Although she’s returned to campus for Alumnae Weekend and other events, it had been more than several decades since Rogers was onstage - the last time may have been for a piano recital during her senior year - in what’s now called The Ahuja Auditorium at HB. But on a recent fall morning, you wouldn’t have been able to tell.
Rogers spent her entire childhood at HB. To this day, she remains close with many of her classmates. In fact, the first two rows of the auditorium were filled for Rogers’ presentation with women who graduated alongside her four decades ago. There to give her moral support as well were Rogers’ mother, her sister, Lynn Rogers Vail ’74, and several members of her class, too.
After the accident, doctors told Rogers that she should have no reasonable expectation that her son would ever breathe, talk, or move on his own. But early in his recovery, Ned stunned medical professionals when he began to do all three.
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Although Kasey has been an amazing influence in her family’s life, Rogers is her son’s primary caretaker. The days are long, the work is intense, and the “foreverness” of the situation can sometimes be overwhelming. Rogers wouldn’t have it any other way. She feels that the circumstances of her life have uniquely prepared her to fill this important role. “I’ve learned how to be strong even when I didn’t think I could be,” she says. “Hathaway Brown laid for me the foundation of resiliency. Non scholae sed vitae discimus is part of who I am.” And she’s passed that resolve along to her children. One day not long after Ned’s accident, Rogers and her daughter Maddie made a quick trip to the drug store to get a few necessities. Some of their neighbors were at the store that day as well. Maddie got the sense that they were staring. “She thought that everyone was feeling sorry for us,” Rogers recalls. Her first instinct was to comfort her daughter and explain that their neighbors surely only had good intentions. But before Rogers could get out the words, Maddie threw back her shoulders and locked arms with her mother, triumphantly proclaiming, “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us! We’re strong. We can do this.” And they marched their way through the aisles with their heads held high. Rogers says she’s never felt a pricklier feeling in her life.
Getting Through It On a recent fall afternoon, tennis icon Billie Jean King made an impromptu visit to HB and offered the students some sage advice: “When you come across a problem, you can’t go around it; you can’t go over it; you have to go through it.” At some point in her life, each and every HB girl will be forced to confront some sort of challenge. Those challenges may be large or small, personal or professional. It doesn’t matter what the issues are – what matters is how they are overcome. That’s why a team of experts has designed numerous programs to equip HB students with the tools they will need to confront their challenges head-on. Each division offers its own set of initiatives to empower girls and strengthen their resolve in times of need. “The ‘three Rs’ in Prime are designed to build character traits that we feel are imperative to girls’ success at HB and in life,” says Primary School Director Kathy Zopatti. Those three Rs are Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience. Inside and outside of the classroom, students in kindergarten through fourth grade are encouraged to treat others as they would like to be treated, to be reliable, and to persevere and learn from their mistakes.
Psychologist Suzanne Schnepps also works with girls in this division to discuss such things as the value of friendship, safe risk-taking, and how to deal with disappointment. Middle Schoolers can tap into the expertise of Counselor Lisa Lurie, who teaches a special Wellness course that emphasizes better understanding and awareness about how everyday decisions can impact your life. In these years, “everything – social life, extracurricular activities, and schoolwork – seems to heat up at once and the girls often need some guidance to stay on top of it all,” Lurie says. “We try hard to help the girls find balance.” At the same time, Lurie says it’s important for girls to have room to make mistakes in Middle School so they can find ways to recover from setbacks on their own. A similar approach is taken with ninth through 12th graders. “Within our daily interactions with our HB students, we are frequently coaching them to set goals, to be proactive, to problem solve, and to advocate for themselves,” says Upper School Counselor Dr.Sheila Santoro. “It’s one of my main responsibilities to assist students in developing healthy coping skills when things do not go as planned. It’s amazing to witness the inner growth in selfesteem and confidence they gain during those four years.”
Some Resources Provided to the HB Community: Counseling Services – available to faculty and students as needed throughout the year Wellness Classes – offered at every level Middle School Academies – nineteen semester-long classes focused on skillbuilding and collaboration TRUST – student mentors work with younger students to develop awareness of multiple perspectives and differences College Counseling – to help Upper School students and their families navigate the college admissions process Center for Girls’ and Women’s Leadership – promotes the link between leadership and self-esteem Advisor and Mentor Programs – pairing each student with a faculty member to guide her through the year Sports Psychologist – consults with HB athletes and coaches Professional Development Opportunities – faculty members learn how to spot problems and direct girls to the appropriate resources Parent Education Sessions – outside speakers and HB experts offer advice on a variety of topics related to the challenges girls face during their youth and adolescence
Billie Jean King spent some time getting to
know HB fourth graders before she addressed an assembly of Primary and Middle school students during her recent trip to campus. She even was kind enough to pose for pictures with the Upper School tennis teams. King was introduced to the HB assembly by Isabella Godsick ’20, a student in Lois Cameron’s fourth grade class who has chosen the American icon as the Notable Woman she will portray in the spring. King’s visit and presentation were organized by Godsick and her mother, Mary Joe Fernandez, who has had her own storied tennis career. While she was at HB, King told the girls about her career, her inspirations, and her impact on the world. She stayed for more than an hour, sharing advice, insights, and amazing memories. “Being famous is not what everyone thinks it is,” King said. “But being accomplished is great.”
Photo Credit: Marc Golub
She advised the fourth grade students that if they want to be champions in life, they should do these three things: Keep learning how to learn Remember that relationships are everything Be problem-solvers King said she was pleased to discover that HB students are encouraged to be resilient because “champions always adjust or adapt.” When one of the girls asked her what she would most like to be remembered for, King replied, “I don’t know. I’m not finished yet.”
HB
Every year, HB fourth graders choose a Notable Woman to profile for a special end-of-year project. On Thursday, October 27, they got to meet one of the most popular choices – and one of the most notable women in American history and sports – in person.
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“
When confronted with a challenge, we have turned it into a success. Even more impressively, though, when confronted with success, we have shared it with those around us. Sienna Zeilinger, Class of 2011
’’
135th Commencement Ceremony, June 10, 2011
8th Grade Closing Exercises, June 6, 2011
All Graduation Photos by Kevin Reeves
4th Grade Closing Exercises, June 7, 2011
A Visit with Jean Miller Latimer ’29 by Morghyn Howard-Green ’11
On a recent summer day, she and I spent the afternoon together touring HB and enjoying each other’s company. Mrs. Latimer gave me great advice that applies to HB students of the past, present, and future: “Go ahead with all that HB has given you,” she told me. A strong believer that no other school can give what HB has to offer, Mrs. Latimer went on to Smith College after she graduated from HB. She majored in botany and history there. Some years later, Mrs. Latimer found her way back to HB, working in Alumnae Relations in the ’60s and early ’70s.
As we made our way past Mr. Christ’s office, memories of Headmistress Mary E. Raymond — who was, according to Mrs. Latimer, a “good old-fashioned headmistress” — came up. When I asked her what she remembered most about Headmistress Raymond, Mrs. Latimer said that she could still see her signature in perfect cursive across the bottom
of the report card. She fondly recalled how she told her mother that card was “something that I have to keep.”
Mrs. Latimer was part of a very important piece of HB history: the move from 97th Street in downtown Cleveland to our current campus in Shaker Heights. She spoke about how on 97th Street, Laurel School was right next door to HB, the two separated by a small fence that the girls jumped frequently. When I asked how she felt about the move to 19600 North Park, she said “it was just something we did.” She said spending three years at the campus on 97th and two in Shaker Heights gave her many opportunities to see and do new things around the school. When we arrived at the Athletic Hall of Fame, Mrs. Latimer told me that she played basketball during her time here. She looked out in amazement at the Aquatics Center - the newest addition to the school. All afternoon, Mrs. Latimer spoke with such pride about HB and all that it stands for. During lunch she stated that HB has always been “specific in what they offer … not in a boasting way but in an informational way.” She went on to say that contact with HB brought her something she
“didn’t expect.” Her daughter said that the “people you meet along the way” are just as important as the HB journey itself.
Since you never know where you might meet an HB sister, Mrs. Latimer advises current students and young alumnae to “always tell people that you went to HB.”
This last living member of the “Immortal 47” is still keeping busy. She’s a member of a book club with the “movers and shakers of Cleveland,” which she says keeps her sharp. Before Mrs. Latimer and I said goodbye that afternoon, she told me that she has “always loved HB.” I know that’s something that most alumnae — myself included — can also say with pride.
from one alumna to another
HB
Mrs. Jean Miller Latimer graduated from Hathaway Brown in 1929. She is the oldest living member of the “Immortal 47,” the nickname she and her 46 classmates bestowed on each other. Mrs. Latimer celebrated her 100th birthday March 4 with her daughter, Patricia Latimer ’65, and friends.
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storybook
voyage
A travelogue
by Mary Boutton
Throughout the 2010-2011 school year, students in Mary Boutton’s fourth grade class at Hathaway Brown worked together with youngsters in Michael and Maria Haglof’s classes at Alvboda Friskola in Skutskar, Sweden. The international partnership was centered on Storyline, a creative experiential curricular approach used throughout HB’s Primary School. The two groups of students read Astrid Lindgren’s book Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter, a tale of a young man and young woman who inhabit either side of a castle that has been split in two. HB students played the female character, Ronia, while the Swedish students took on the role of Birk.
In addition to acting out many aspects of the book through keeping journals from the characters’ perspectives and completing service projects as the characters might, the students got to know each other as real people — and became friends — by using blogs and videoconferencing technology. And this summer, Boutton traveled to Sweden to personally deliver half of a mural created by HB students to be joined with the other half designed by the Swedish students. As HB’s 2010-2011 Barry Faculty Fellow, Boutton was able to participate in this inspiring trip through the generosity of Thomas C. Barry and Martha Barry Horsburgh ’65, the children of Harriet Mullin Barry ’32.
All Photos by Mary Boutton
sweden May 29 – June 4, 2011 The gleaming wooden floors and futuristic architecture of Arlanda Airport in Sweden matched the images I had been studying for months in preparation for my trip to Scandinavia. However, there was no way I could have prepared for the quiet gentleness and seemingly infinite hospitality of its people.
That evening we drove to Gavle for a homemade dinner at Michael and Maria’s apartment near the waterfront. We were surrounded by beautiful views from the glass walls as we dined on herring salad, Swedish meatballs, rhubarb cobbler, and lingonberries. Enjoying the endless daylight, we hiked for two hours around Gavle, viewing the winding river, sculptures, and the oldest part of town. Finally, after being awake for almost 48 hours, I fell asleep with the sun still shining.
At 3 a.m. the next day the sun was shining again! Michael and I drove to Gavle’s teacher’s college to meet with a professor to discuss issues in Swedish education. Many of its oldest traditions are being challenged by the current political party and there is a lot of controversy over testing and licensure. We returned to Alvboda Friskola and Skyped with my HB students at 2 p.m. The Swedish and HB students modeled their new Ronia T-shirts, a gift from HB, as they finally assembled the two halves of the castle they constructed during our Storyline project.The pen pal partners from both schools shared their final thoughts and said goodbye.
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I landed in Stockholm in the early morning hours on May 30 sleep deprived but excited to begin my adventure. My host, Michael Haglof, drove me directly to Alvboda Friskola in Skutskar, where I toured the school, met the head of school and faculty, and talked with my students’ pen pals. After a delicious lunch of lingonberries, fish, and salad, I returned to Michael’s classroom and shared with his students the alternative endings to Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter written by my HB students. They enjoyed the endings but were shocked that some of my students decided to have Matt, a main character, die. Apparently Matt was a revered character in Swedish children’s literature, and killing him off was not acceptable! I presented the children with the Robber Stories book written and published by my students as a gift for their Storyline partners.
Later that afternoon I visited Maria Haglof ’s classroom and participated in a Viking Storyline.
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That evening, we enjoyed a sunny country picnic dinner at Michael’s parents’ farmhouse in Lunda. The house had been in the family for generations and included a summer house, wood-fueled hot tub, barn, smokehouse, and colorfully painted outhouse. The next morning I returned to Alvboda and participated in gym class with 8-year-olds, English class with 12- and 13-year-olds, and playground time with the kindergartners. I shared information about the similarities and differences between our schools with several faculty members and the head of school. At 2 p.m. the pen pals Skyped with each other as a group for one last time and reflected on their friendships and what it meant to them to work together on the Ronia project. After Skyping, the Swedish students and I hugged and said our goodbyes. I was very touched and wished I could take them all back to HB! Our final evening in Gavle we drove to the Baltic coast, boarded a small motorboat, and headed out to an island in the Swedish archipelago, where
Michael and Maria had a summer home. Maria prepared a delightful picnic of smoked fish, herring in a cream sauce, and lingonberries. Then we hiked around the small rocky island, enjoying the sound of the water lapping on the shoreline and the soft cushiony feeling of moss beneath our feet. The peace and beauty of the island was seductive and we didn’t want to leave. We lingered well into the evening, but it didn’t matter because the sun was still shining! After a healthy Swedish breakfast, I left for Stockholm. My first stop was the Vasamuseet featuring the warship Vasa that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. I then walked over the Djurgardsbron Bridge from Djurgarden, through Ostermalm, and into the City Center. From there I boated to Gamla Stan, the oldest part of Stockholm, dating back to the 13th century. I shopped along the famous Vasterlanggatan, visited Stortorget (a beautiful town square surrounded by old buildings that was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520), and saw the Stock Exchange Building and Nobel Prize Museum (Nobelmuseet).
Still going strong, I visited the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) and its gorgeous chapel. Finally, I toured the Palace Church (Slottskyrkan), a 700-year-old Gothic cathedral containing the famous sculpture of St. George and the Dragon, the silver and ebony altar from the 1650s, and the Parhelion Painting that portrays a light phenomenon observed over Stockholm in 1535. I ended up on the island of Kungsholmen, outside of Stadhuset, Stockholm’s City Hall and the site of the Nobel Prize dinner. The evening ended with a very long walk along Norr Malarstrand toward my hotel. The next morning I took a steamboat to Drottningholms Slott on Lake Malaren, west of Stockholm. The ornate palace with gorgeous gardens dated back to the late 17th century. That afternoon I took a formal tour of the interior of the Stadhuset and saw the fabulous Blue and Golden Halls. The day ended with another walk through Gamla Stan and dinner at an outdoor café.
oslo June 4 – 5, 2011 My stay in Oslo felt very “Old World,” from the charming Hotel Bristol on Kristian’s Gate, to the lovely Aker Brygge harbor, and to the 700-year-old Akershus Slott. I had the unexpected opportunity to share in a citywide music festival, enjoying Norwegian rap! A visit to the Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum (the World War II Resistance Museum) was inspirational. Back at the harborfront, I toured the ceremonial hall of Radhuset (Oslo City Hall), the site of the Nobel Peace Prize award. The painting Work, Art, and Celebration filled an entire wall, while beautiful mosaics covered the other
three walls. The evening ended with an idyllic tour on an old wooden sailboat through the Oslo fjord. My last day in Oslo included a visit to Bygdoy to see the Vikingskipshuset (Viking Museum), with Viking ships preserved from the 9th century and the Kon Tiki Museet. Back in the city I stopped at the Nasjonalgalleriet (national art museum) to see Munch’s The Scream and the Royal Palace (Det Kongelige Slottet).
myrdal, flam, & balestrand
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June 8 – 9, 2011
Following a four-hour cruise to Bergen through the North Sea archipelago off the western coast of Norway, I entered Bergen’s Vagen Harbor lined with old buildings from the Hanseatic League. I had a fresh shrimp sandwich at the fishmarket, then headed off for Rosenkrantztarnet (Rosenkrantz Tower) a defense post and residence built in 1560, and Hakonshallen, a Gothic ceremonial hall built in 1261. A tour of the Hanseatic League Museum finished the day.
The following morning I cruised through the Fjaerlandsfjorden to Fjaerland, where I viewed the Norwegian Glacier Museum and then toured the glacier spurs of the Jostedalsbreen Glacier and the Boyabreen and Supphellebreen glaciers. Then I had tea in a darling little town called Mundal.
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Trains, planes, and automobiles … After taking a taxi to a train from Oslo to Myrdal, I transferred to the Flamsbanen Railway from Myrdal to Flam, an incredibly scenic ride through the mountains of Norway. Gaining 2,835 feet in altitude along the 12-mile ride, I went through more than 20 tunnels and saw the barren towns of Voss and Geilo. At Flam, I boarded a steamboat for a trip through the Aurlandsfjorden and Sognefjorden to Balestrand, where I spent the next two days. The trip through the fjords was eerie due to the fog that slowly engulfed the boat. The hotel smorgasbord included elk, several types of herring, eel, mackerel, salmon, and numerous other varieties of seafood.
June 6 – 7, 2011
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norway The following day I toured Hakonshallen (Hakon’s Hall), then took a leisurely walk in the rain through the Bryggen area along the harbor. I rested at Mariakirken (St. Mary’s Church) built in the 11th century, then I found the Leprosy Museum. When I entered the Domkirken, Bergen’s Cathedral dating from the late 12th century containing a large Rieger organ with 61 stops, I was invited to hear a student’s graduate exam organ recital. For more than an hour I experienced the most beautiful organ music imaginable.
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June 10 – 13, 2011
In Copenhagen I stayed in Christianshavn on the CPH Living houseboat. Sights included the iconic Little Mermaid statue, the Opera House, Copenhagen City Hall and Tivoli Gardens. I spent the evening sitting on the top deck of the houseboat, taking in the view of the city and chatting with visitors from around the world. Sleeping on the boat was like returning to the womb — it gently rocked with the waves, and a cool breeze from the water made curling under the down comforter a blissful experience.
During the flight home the next day, I was full of gratitude to the Barry family and HB for making this amazing adventure a reality. Stepping outside of my everyday life for a few weeks helped to inspire my teaching as well as meaningful changes in my everyday life, particularly in the areas of sustainability and leading a healthy lifestyle. I still dream of Scandinavia and try to pass on the happiness, peace, and well-being that surrounded me every day while I was there. While classroom massages may not be possible at HB, I hope to model the Scandinavians’ gentle and nurturing educational methods.
Michael and Maria Haglof made a reciprocal visit to HB October 24–27. They met with the current fifth graders who participated in the Ronia Storyline last year, as well as this year’s fourth graders, who are working on two new cooperative projects including a literature-based Storyline and a shared blog investigating the native people of both countries. Mary, Michael, and Maria also were also recently invited to make a presentation on their cooperative Storyline project at the International Storyline Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland in August 2012. Their presentation will focus on instructing teachers from around the world on how to design and implement cooperative Storyline projects that will allow their young students to form international friendships and develop genuine appreciation for cultures different from their own.
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The following morning included a danish pastry in Denmark for breakfast. Rosenborg Castle from the 17th century contained the crown jewels, costumes, and gorgeous furniture and paintings. Nyhavn Canal was jammed with people, restaurants, shops, and boats. While walking along Stroget, an all-pedestrian main street between Nyhaven and Radhuspladsen (Town Hall Square), I encountered a Mardi Gras parade held in June because it was too cold to wear skimpy costumes in February!
My final day included visits to three famous castles. Kronborg Slot was the castle said to have inspired Shakespeare’s setting for Hamlet. Christiansborg Palace is the royal family’s residence, and Fredericksborg Castle, also known as the Danish Versailles, was the most elaborate castle in Scandinavia.
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faculty news
FANs of HB When Dr. Glenn Looman retired from his post in the Middle School Mathematics Department last spring, he was determined not to lose touch with the school where he spent 24 years of his career. “Hathaway Brown has been an important part of my life,” Looman says. “I didn’t want to let that go away.” Looman has kept in touch with many former members of the HB faculty and staff, many of whom continue to meet regularly for lunch and other get-togethers. He knew that even in their retirement, many of those people longed to have a closer connection with the institution. So he and Head of School Bill Christ came up with a plan to establish a Faculty Alumni Network – HB FAN for short. The program was launched at the beginning of this school year and Christ says he’s very excited to see how it shapes up. In a letter addressed to nearly 400 people who have left HB in the last 15 years through retirement, relocation or job change, Christ wrote, “Whether you spent one year or 30 at HB, I can assure you that your presence has been and will continue to be felt in these halls – and in the hearts of students – for an exponentially longer time.”
HB FAN is open to anyone who has ever been employed at HB, regardless of the position he or she held. The program aims to bring these one-time colleagues back in touch with the school and to tap into their creativity and wisdom for the benefit of today’s students. Response to the initial outreach has been encouraging, with scores of HB teachers and administrators asking to have their names added to the list. Many already have been back to campus for some educational and social functions. Look for them in the future at Alumnae Weekend and other traditional events as well. For his part, Looman says he’s very pleased that he will be able to continue his relationship with HB. In fact, he never really left. Throughout the summer, he taught math skills to incoming third and fourth graders in the Superstart program. He regularly volunteers with the Middle School FIRST LEGO League of young robotics engineers, and he continues to tutor students on campus several afternoons a month. Looman came to HB in 1986, the same year that Christ took over as Head of School. “The growth and changes I witnessed in the school since that time are truly astonishing,” Looman says.
He always was a member of the Middle School faculty, teaching both science and math to young women in HB’s fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. He also served for more than a decade as the director of the WEST Fellowship program and he was chair of the math department for many years. He earned his Ph.D. five years into his tenure. His favorite part of being a member of the HB faculty, Looman says, was playing a role in the lives of so many students through the years. Looman’s brother-in-law Patrick Sheane Duncan wrote Mr. Holland’s Opus, the classic 1995 movie about a composer-turned-teacher that earned actor Richard Dreyfuss an Academy Award nomination. That year, Duncan gave Looman a signed copy of the movie’s screenplay for Christmas. “I was very touched to learn what Pat chose to call the man in the title role,” Looman recalls. A native of Holland, Mich., Looman shares the same first name with Dreyfuss’ character, Glenn Holland. The movie was a marvelous tribute to an educator who was taught by his students that one person’s influence can make all the difference. The tagline on the poster reads: “It’s not about the direction you take. It’s about the direction you give.”
by Kathleen Osborne
Former Middle School faculty gathered for lunch in September. Front Row (l–r): Viv Barrett, Lynn Wood, Mary Lynn Harper, Nancy West; Back Row (l–r): Nicole Twells, Phyllis Grumney, Roberta Hardacre Photo courtesy of Nancy West
Three other longtime HB faculty members – Dan Pierce, Sylvia Salaff, and Linda Wohlever – also retired at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Each of them similarly affected the courses of hundreds of young women’s lives. Dan Pierce started at HB in 1987. At a special send-off luncheon for the departing employees, Christ explained that Pierce came to HB with a mandate to elevate the math program, a task in which he succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. Pierce served admirably as the Chair of the Upper School Mathematics Department for more than 20 years, and he was a fabulous mentor to countless students and many new teachers. The Class of 2010 dedicated their yearbook to him, citing that he always was “extremely flexible, understanding and fair,” with a passion for math that he enthusiastically and helpfully shared with all of his students, even offering to meet with them any time of day.
Sylvia Salaff joined the Upper School World Languages Department as a Spanish teacher in 1997. She also served as a mentor, she oversaw the Peer Tutoring program, and she chaperoned many student trips abroad during her tenure. She is another retiree who has not been able to resist the pull back to HB. For the first few months of this school year, you could still see her in the halls every day, as she continued to serve as a substitute teacher and tutor. Now happily retired, Salaff enjoys having the free time to devote to caring for her house and nurturing some of her interests, including reading, taking walks, going to concerts, and doing yoga. She joined the Faculty Alumni Network and says she’s grateful for the opportunity to stay connected with the school. “As intense and demanding as teaching is at HB, I enjoyed the freedom that I always felt within the curriculum,” she says. “The energy that one feels at the school is hard to find someplace else. The students are truly interested in learning, and they are a pleasure to teach. I will miss the warm environment, and the remarkable, hardworking, and intelligent colleagues who are always striving to be better teachers.”
Linda Wohlever, another math teacher, came to HB in 1998. In addition to illuminating complex concepts for many young women in the classroom, Wohlever also acted as the faculty advisor for the Strnad Fellowship Program for a number of years, and she was the moderator of the Upper School Math Club. She now tutors students who are preparing to take standardized tests while she also is spending some wellearned leisure time with her children and grandchildren. She says she always enjoyed the camaraderie of her professional peers at HB, but the people she will miss most of all are the young women who came to school every day eager to learn. “The school is the students,” Wohlever says. “They make HB the phenomenal institution that it is.” If you are a former member of the HB faculty or administration who would like to join the Faculty Alumni Network, please visit www. hb.edu/pastfaculty to add your name to the list. Questions may be directed to kosborne@hb.edu or call 216.320.8785.
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“I think that the movie captured the important fact that teachers give much more to students than just an academic education,” Looman says. “They also give students a sense of worth, confidence in their abilities, and a sense of direction and purpose. The success of their students over the years truly is their opus.”
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Drawing a Better Future Freedom in Creation began with an understanding of the possibility of relationships of reciprocity that impart a sense of global responsibility and meet tangible human needs in underprivileged communities. Intent on assisting with communities affected by the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda, a war involving 65,000 child soldiers and the displacement of nearly 2 million people, FIC began its efforts in 2006 to provide therapy for war-affected children through art. It became increasingly apparent that therapy for trauma had to be coupled with investments in potable water, as available water sources and wells were nonexistent or completely exhausted. To provide water and address the grievous stigmas former child soldiers faced upon return from captivity, we designed a model that enables the children to participate in the process of restoring the communities they once were forced to tear down. We provide art as therapy, exhibit the children’s artwork as a platform for global education, raise funds for wells, and credit the children with having helped in the process of bringing a basic and vital resource to their community – one many of us in the United States take for granted: water. In 2009, an academic collaboration with Hathaway Brown connecting the classroom with the real world affirmed these objectives. Liaising with Joe Vogel, director of the Center for Global Citizenship, we designed curricula to enrich classroom learning with insight into the ongoing work of FIC in Uganda. Lectures were given addressing such things as body image
in relationship to consumerism and its impact on the global community, the role of the arts in humanitarianism, the global water crisis and gender issues, and the importance of sustainability. To complement the lecture series, the Ugandan children’s exhibition “The Story of Freedom” adorned the HB atrium. Moved by the exhibition and numerous conversations, the HB girls decided to “join hands” with the artists of FIC and created collaborative banners which I brought to Uganda for our children to complete. And the partnership continued to expand. FIC was awarded $2,500 toward the rehabilitation of a well, generously given by the HB Middle School GROW Foundation. Thanks to that gift, the P7 School of Gulu, Uganda, now has a functional well that provides water and encourages health. The nearness of the water source minimizes the time and distance women and girls spend collecting water, therefore increasing educational opportunity and decreasing acts of gender violence in remote unprotected areas. The collaborative banners from this HBFIC initiative have since been exhibited in 13 countries around the world with the Semester at Sea program through the University of Virginia and, most recently, in Barcelona, Spain.
by Andrew Briggs
With the conflict pushed into neighboring countries, our community is transitioning its focus from humanitarian crisis to development. To spawn creative development and counter the stagnancy of displacement and reliance on international aid, FIC has designed a Center For Sustainability that connects art as therapy and education, water issues, and the building blocks of agrarian entrepreneurship. At our functional farm, FIC children are learning about animal husbandry as they become familiar with dairy goats for the first time, they tend to pigs, do their own composting and rain harvesting, and utilize irrigation systems. Within two years, our Ugandan farm will be completely self-sustaining. It also will fund local art and education programs, enabling international assistance to be leveraged all the more for water. The Center for Sustainability will complement our Global Village Education programs and serve international academic communities by connecting the classroom with the real world with international Skype calls, summer classes, and field research. To view a special video presentation about the HB-FIC collaboration, please visit www. hb.edu/magazine.
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orrey McMillan has come back to campus as the Director of the Center for Sustainability. A member of the HB class of 1990, she founded Lorax, the school’s environmental issues club, while she was a student in the Upper School. She also initiated the schoolwide recycling program that is still in existence.
These students of Carole Rounds appear to be enjoying each other’s company as they take a break for a group photo. If you know who they are (or if you’re one of them), please email hbsalum@hb.edu and tell us the story behind the image. We’ll share what we learn in the next issue.
In this new role, McMillan is collaborating with HB’s Dining Services program, which consistently has received the highest praise from Sodexo, a world leader in food and facilities management. The school scored grades of A+ in 2008 and 2009 and a 99 percent rating in 2010 for food and physical safety.
Most notable about HB’s Dining Services is its commitment to offering a wide assortment of fresh, locally sourced foods. The school follows all of the guidelines of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint venture to combat childhood obesity created by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The Dining Services team works closely with the Center for Sustainability to ensure that food and waste are properly recycled and menu items are provided through responsible farming techniques and reputable vendors. No trays are used by diners to cut down on the amount of serviceware to be stored and cleaned on a daily basis. All of the eggs come from cage-free chickens, and the fish is all certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Torrey McMillan ’90 with her dog, Carson (named for Rachel Carson, one of the founders of the modern environmental movement)
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Can you help us identify the girls in this picture?
McMillan brings to the position more than 10 years of classroom teaching experience, ranging from elementary to university level. An expert in sustainability education, she has presented nationally on both curricular integration of sustainability and systems thinking. She will lead HB’s sustainability planning process, assist and enable curricular integration of sustainability principles and practices, create opportunities for student action to address sustainability challenges, and build partnerships with organizations regionally, nationally, and globally to advance sustainability efforts.
The program serves 1,000 people - including students and faculty in kindergarten through 12th grade - every day in the bright, airy, and spacious 300-seat, 4,318-square-foot Margery Stouffer Biggar ’47 and Family Dining Hall.
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Nammy’s Place Interim Director Dawn Keske with one of her young charges
by Jane Brown
Hathaway Brown has the welldeserved reputation for excelling in the area of science research, so it really was no surprise recently to see our very youngest population engaged in an expedition to study the foraging habits of mammals in preparation for winter. Our Nammy’s Place toddlers were going on a serious bear hunt.
This was just another day in the life of these adventurous young scientists, who routinely engage in taking things apart, putting things together, experimenting with color and design (think Jackson Pollock) and singing with the improvisational flair of the truly inspired. No surprise that they all need afternoon naps.
The creation of a Center for Faculty Childcare came about through the vision and determination of Nancy West, who endowed Nammy’s Place upon her retirement from a long and generative career at HB, culminating in several years as Director of the Middle School. The Center is named in honor of the title West’s
Nammy’s Place has certainly met that need. As expressed by Kristin Kuhn, Nammy’s Place parent and Director of Early Childhood and Primary School Admission, “My daughter Mackenzie always looks forward to coming to ‘school’ in the morning. Nammy’s Place provides a warm and loving environment that’s also rich in learning — her language skills have grown by leaps and bounds, and she has new things to tell us every day!” In the spirit of innovation that characterizes every program at HB, Nammy’s Place continues to incorporate new curriculum and best practices in the field of early learning. The 2011–2012 school year was launched after a summer of research, renovation and restructuring, which included a visit by the entire Nammy’s Place faculty to Pittsburgh’s nationally recognized Cyert Center. Dawn Keske, newly appointed Interim Director of Nammy’s Place, has been pivotal in orchestrating the changes to the Center environment.
Speidel also will be offering child development seminars to our Upper School girls who have committed time and energy to working in Nammy’s Place, learning firsthand the importance of balancing family and career. When our oldest students come together with our youngest, the Center truly becomes a community that underscores HB’s mission — a place where we all are learning for life.
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Photo Credits: Vanessa Butler, Laura Geither, & Megan Scherson
Nammy’s Place, our Infant and Toddler Center for faculty parents, is now entering its second decade.
As West explained, “We were losing so many excellent teachers who were highly motivated to continue in the classroom, but couldn’t find the quality of childcare that met their expectations. Being Hathaway Brown faculty, these parents were looking for more than a safe and comfortable place to leave their young ones, although that was certainly a priority. They were looking for a setting that would address the developmental needs of the whole child.”
“Our goal was to create spaces in the room that would meet the needs of each age group, from the infants to the older toddlers,” she said, “and the new design accomplishes that beautifully. In order to support our very committed Nammy’s Place faculty as we move forward, we have also contracted with Amy Speidel, a nationally known child development consultant, who will be a consistent on-site presence this year.”
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These determined and intrepid naturalists had done their homework, and knew what they were looking for. “Bears are big and have soft fur and eat honey,” I was told by one explorer who enthusiastically agreed to be interviewed (and incidentally had quite a lot to say on a number of unrelated topics.) “And they sleep ALL winter.” The hunt turned out to be highly successful, with several bears intercepted and taken to Nammy’s Place for further study.
grandchildren bestowed upon her when they were young.
may 20-21, 2011
2011
Alumnae Weekend
We welcomed more than 150 alumnae back to campus this May to reconnect with HB faculty, with each other, and the school. Alumnae from all classes and decades were in attendance, while those whose graduation years end in 1 and 6 celebrated special milestone reunions. One of the weekend’s highlights was a festive reception with current and former faculty members. In addition, we inaugurated an exciting new tradition during the Alumnae Luncheon, with Gail Evans, a leading women’s leadership expert and bestselling author of Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman, delivering a dynamic address.
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All Alumnae Weekend Photos by Kevin Reeves
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Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
Photographed with a portrait of Anne Cutter Coburn
Harriet Holan Wolfe ’61 A native of Rocky River, Ohio, Harriet Holan Wolfe, M.D. entered HB as a boarder when she was in eighth grade. Although it was difficult to be away from home, she took great joy in the process of learning. HB teachers helped her to see the world – and her place in it – in new and interesting ways. Wolfe was especially grateful for the mentoring by Miss Bruce and Miss Jensen, and she was a proud recipient of many yellow “smiley notes” from Miss Coburn. She was highly respected by her teachers and classmates alike, and was voted Honor Girl during her senior year – the first West Sider to be so honored.
Before working on her doctorate, she spent a year teaching German at a junior college in Paducah, Ky. The following year, she moved to the West Coast and into a Ph.D. program at the University of California Berkeley. Although she enjoyed studying Germanic languages and literature, Wolfe’s experience teaching in Paducah had caused her to realize that being a German professor wasn’t her calling. So she decided to find a way to fulfill her original life plan
Her next stop was Yale University, where she completed her psychiatry residency and returned to her love of teaching, serving as a faculty member for six years. In 1985, Wolfe moved to San Francisco and became an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCSF Medical School, a position she still holds today. Three years later, she met her husband, child analyst Gil Kliman, M.D. The two married in 1990 and adopted their daughter, Becky, when she was a newborn in 1992. As she balanced career and motherhood, Wolfe continued her education, specializing in psychoanalysis. She graduated from analytic training at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis in 1994 and she is currently a Training and Supervising Analyst there. She has held multiple leadership positions locally and nationally in her specialty, working in areas ranging from strategic planning to assessment of teaching methods and progress in learning.
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She attended Smith College, starting with premed but switching to German as a language still useful in science as well as a vehicle to see the world. During her junior year, she joined the first Smith Junior Year Abroad Program in Hamburg. When she returned to the United States, Wolfe finished her undergraduate degree and enrolled in a graduate program in Germanic Languages and Literature at Columbia University, where she received a Master’s degree.
of becoming a physician. She attended a postbaccalaureate pre-med program at Berkeley, then came back to Cleveland as a student at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine.
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Laurel Blossom ’61 Although she didn’t seriously devote herself to the art form until she was in her 20s, Laurel Blossom has been a student of poetry her entire life. She enrolled at HB in kindergarten and she fondly recalls lessons from that time that broadened her scope of understanding. At home, her mother used to read the poems of A. A. Milne to Laurel and her sister, Elizabeth Blossom Heffernan Meers ’70. In Upper School, Blossom was a member of Drama Club, she served as editor for The Review, and she wrote several poems that were published in Specularia. After graduation, she studied English at Vassar College. She finished her Bachelor’s degree at Radcliffe College. Blossom is the author of Degrees of Latitude, a book-length narrative published by Four Way Books in 2007. Her most recent book of lyric poetry is Wednesday: New and Selected Poems (Ridgeway Press, 2004). Earlier books include The Papers Said (Greenhouse Review Press, 1993), What’s Wrong (Cobham & Hatherton Press, 1987), and a chapbook, Any Minute (Greenhouse Review Press, 1979). Her work has appeared in a number of anthologies, including 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day (Random House, 2005), and in national and international journals including Poetry, Pequod, The Paris Review, The Carolina Quarterly, Deadsnake Apotheosis, Many Mountains Moving, Seneca Review, and Harper’s. She is the editor of Many Lights in Many Windows: Twenty Years of Great Fiction and Poetry from The Writers Community
(Milkweed Editions, 1997), and she serves on the editorial board of Heliotrope: a journal of poetry. Her work has been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and the Elliston Prize. In addition, Blossom, who has been an avid swimmer throughout her life, has edited an anthology of literature called Splash! Great Writing About Swimming (Ecco Press, 1996). Blossom has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, and Harris Manchester College (Oxford University), where she was elected Regent Emeritus in 2008. In 1976, she cofounded The Writers Community, the esteemed writing residency and advanced workshop program that is now a program of the YMCA National Writer’s Voice. She serves on the boards of the Laura (Riding) Foundation in Vero Beach, Florida, and the Musical Arts Association in Cleveland. She belongs to The Explorers Club in New York City and she lives in rural South Carolina with her husband, Leonard Todd. She has a daughter, Becca, and two grandchildren. Blossom and her sister are part of a long line of HB women. Their grandmother, Elizabeth Bingham Blossom, graduated in 1899, greataunt Frances Bingham Bolton graduated in 1902, and aunt Martine Vilas Conway is a member of the class of ’49. Niece Virginia ’84, and greatnieces Elisabeth ’16, and Jennifer ’19 also have carried on the HB tradition.
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Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
Photographed in the Carol and John Butler Aquatic Center
Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
Photographed in an Upper School History classroom
Edith Quintrell ’81 Edie Quintrell has always been interested in the world beyond her door.
International Studies, where she received a Master’s degree in International Affairs.
She began her Hathaway Brown career as a seventh grader, and by the time she graduated in 1981, she had received the Janet McGean Memorial Award and was named Honor Girl. She was Student Senate President, an exceptional scholar, and was a standout player on the Varsity Tennis and Lacrosse teams.
The next 16 years saw her ascend through the ranks at the U.S. government-run Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), assessing political risk for U.S. companies investing across the globe. During that time, she met her husband, Ruben Perina, a native of Argentina who spent 25 years working for the Organization of American States. The couple settled in Washington, where they continue to balance their busy travel and work schedules while raising daughters Anna, 18, and Natalia,16.
Quintrell earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Princeton University. Inspired by the positive experience she had living abroad and studying languages while she was in high school, she spent one summer in college living and studying in Madrid, Spain, and then spent a semester during her junior year in Bogota, Colombia. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and returned to Bogota to study political science at the Universidad de los Andes. Upon returning to the U.S., Quintrell worked in Washington, DC, for a nonprofit organization that provided donated health equipment and computers to schools and hospitals in Latin America. She subsequently enrolled at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced
Before she left OPIC, Quintrell was Vice President for Insurance. Today, she is Director of the Operations Group of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group. Her team is responsible for underwriting political risk insurance guarantees to facilitate private investment into the world’s poorest countries. Quintrell counts several of her classmates among her closest friends, and she is a member of a four-generation HB family. Her grandmother Dorothy Stearns Hornickel was a member of the class of 1917; mother Ella Hornickel Quintrell graduated in 1945; and sisters Margie Quintrell Madding ’ 72 and Josie Quintrell ’ 76 attended HB. Quintrell’s niece Laura ’07 also is a proud graduate.
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But the place Quintrell really flourished was in the World Languages classrooms. She started at HB by taking French and soon felt a pull to learn Spanish as well. The French-speaking skills she gained behind the desk were deepened and strengthened when she spent the summer between her junior and senior years living in Switzerland.
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HB lauded as employer Over the last several months, Hathaway Brown has been recognized and honored several times for the quality of life it promotes on its campus and in the region. In the spring, HB became a four-time NEO Success Award winner, a designation bestowed on top-performing companies by Inside Business magazine. The publication measures organizations’ business success in sales, growth, and profitability. In August, the Employers’ Resource Council named HB to the NorthCoast 99 for the 12th year in a row. The program was created to celebrate the “99 Great Workplaces for Top Talent in Northeast Ohio.” The school has received the award every year that nonprofit organizations have qualified. And in September, Neoconomist magazine added HB to its World-Class Asset Index, alongside the Cleveland Orchestra, the Sherwin-Williams Company, and other great regional institutions. Neoconomist reports on the companies and organizations that give Northeast Ohio the leading edge in the U.S. recovery.
SENIOR SCHOLARS Twenty-three Hathaway Brown seniors were recognized by the National Merit program in October for their outstanding performance on the preliminary SAT. This remarkable number represents 30 percent of the HB class of 2012. National Merit Semifinalists: Claire Ashmead, Madeleine Barr, Sarah Forcier, Emily Gudbranson, Erika Jobson and Sarah Young
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National Merit Commended Students: Isobel Blakeway-Phillips, Caitlin Clapacs, Hazel Crampton-Hays, Heather Hagerling, Jennifer Jones, Rachel Leizman, Elissa Lowenthal, Shannon Montague, Samantha Morford, Emma Phillips, Kaelyn Quinn, Kristin Ronzi, Gillian Rosen, Hannah Spaeth, Mimi Toohey
Search for “Hathaway Brown School Alumnae Group” and join the group today.
National Achievement Semifinalists: Shawneice Floyd, Elissa Lowenthal
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National Hispanic Recognition Scholar: Sam Santoscoy
Mary E. Raymond Legacy Society today, i made a difference in tomorrow
I
attended Hathaway Brown in grades 9 through 12. They were wonderful and important years. I am grateful to HB for setting my life’s pattern - the love of learning and the importance of giving back.
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When my younger son, Bob, went to college, I decided to do the same at age 48. We graduated on the same day - he with a law degree from Tulane, and I — at age 51 — with an Art History degree from William and Mary. Later, I earned a Virginia Real Estate License and also became Vice President and Program Chair for the American Association of University Women.
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Another bonus of my HB years has been the Williamsburg visits of several classmates: Molly Bell Meacham, Jean Irvin Poffenberger, Sarah Jane Gause Knaub and Betty Jane Caldwell Weimer. Sally Jean Bassichis Wagner ’44 Williamsburg, Va.
Sally Wagner is a member of the Hathaway Brown Class of 1944. She is a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, now living in Williamsburg. A grandmother of three, she is an active volunteer and she continues to take classes at William and Mary’s Christopher Wren Association of Lifelong Learning. She has generously included HB in her estate plans. Photo Credit: Heather Hughes
To learn more about how you can become a member of the Mary E.
Raymond Legacy Society or other ways to support Hathaway Brown, please contact Mary Rainsberger, Director of Gift Planning, at 216.320.8115 or mrainsberger@hb.edu.
19600 North Park Boulevard
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122
mark your calendar www.hb.edu/upcomingevents IDEO Alumnae Reception:
December 16, 2011, Anne Cutter Coburn Reception Room, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Watch live stream at www.hb.edu/live.
Learning for Life Speakers’ Series:
January 30, 2012, The Ahuja Auditorium, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Alexandra Fuller
Back to School for Grownups: February 2, 2012, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Spring Dance Concert:
February 24 & 25, 2012, The Ahuja Auditorium and Anne Cutter Coburn Reception Room, 7:00 p.m.
Orchestra Concert:
March 1, 2012, Atrium, 7:00 p.m.
Learning for Life Speakers’ Series:
March 7, 2012, The Ahuja Auditorium, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Adam Goodheart
Carnival! April 22, 2012 Alumnae Weekend: May 18 - 19, 2012 Alumnae of all graduation years are invited.
136th Commencement: June 8, 2012 HB students take team-building to new heights as they tackle the recently installed high rope elements in Courtland Woods. The existing Adventure Learning course also was expanded to offer fresh ways for the girls to develop confidence and leadership skills.