Haverford School Today Winter 2017

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HAVERFORD SCHOOLToday

HAVERFORD SCHOOL TODAY Crescendo: Music at Haverford


May 5-6 2017

See full schedule of events at haverford.org/alumniweekend.


14 feature Crescendo: Music at Haverford

21 26

spotlights In the Classroom 5 Faces of Haverford 6 Fall Lectures 8 Jay Greytok ’83 Jane Golden R.V. Paul Chan ’91 Ben Grant ’07 Things You Didn’t Know About ... 12 Mark McConnon, Middle School English Faculty Service Honorees 13 Arts Highlights 14 Profiles in Service 45 Charles Lukens Huston III ’53 Future-Ready 67 Jes Bickhart ’09 departments From the Headmaster 3 Around the Quad 4 Athletics 17 Parents 22 Alumni 38 Class Notes 42 Milestones 70 Reflections 72 covers Front: Upper School boys delight the audience at the winter concert. Photo: Kay Lim Inside front: VI Former Devin Weikert’s “The Lone Cabin,” painted at the 15th annual Big Timber Arts Roundup. Back: Third-graders learn the concepts of buoyancy and displacement by building their own Mayflower ship and sailing it across the pool.

HAVERFORD SCHOOL Today


Upcoming Events » haverford.org/calendar March

May

Best for Boys Speaker Series: 11 “The Boy Behind the Mask” Ball Auditorium

HSPA Annual Luncheon 3 Overbrook Golf Club

MAR

9 a.m.

April Davis R. Parker Memorial History Lecture: Daniel Ellsberg Ball Auditorium APR

MAY

10 a.m.-2 p.m. MAY HSPA Spring Fling 11 Quad 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

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7:30 p.m.

MAY Lower School Grandparents’ Day 12 Centennial Hall/Lower School 9-11:30 a.m.

MAY Lower School Philip Bishop Day 26 Sabol Field 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

June Upper School Honors Day 8 Centennial Hall 8:30-10:30 a.m. JUN

Commencement 9 Field House 2 p.m. JUN

For arts events, please see page 16. For alumni events, please see Class Notes on page 58.

CORRECTIONS

board of trustees, 2016-17

We erroneously omitted several colleges and universities to which the Class of 2016 matriculated, including: University of Southern California (2) University of St Andrews University of Virginia (4) Ursinus College Villanova University (4) Wake Forest University (3) Wesleyan University (2) Williams College Yale University

Elizabeth M. Anderson P’14 Oray B. Boston Jr. P’17 Caroline R. De Marco P’20 ’22 Randall T. Drain Jr. ’01 David B. Ford Jr. ’93, P’24 ’26, Treasurer Maurice D. Glavin ’83, P’14 ’16 ’20 William C. Hambleton William T. Harrington P’24, ’24 Brant H. Henderson ’74, P’12 ’14 ’18 John F. Hollway P’18 Jason W. Ingle P’22 Barbara Klock P’23 ’23 Jeffrey F. Lee ’95 George B. Lemmon Jr. ’79, P’12 ’19 Michael S. Lewis ’99 John J. Lynch P’10 ’12 Christopher J. Maguire P’16 ’19 George C. McFarland Jr. ’77 Sharon S. Merhige P’16 ’18, Secretary H. Laddie Montague ’56 John A. Nagl, Headmaster Jennifer Paradis P’20 Jennifer N. Pechet P’15 ’17 Amy T. Petersen P’15, Vice Chair Ravindra Reddy ’90 Peter A. Rohr P’12 ’13 ’15 Stephenie Tellez P’14 ’18 ’23 John C. Wilkins Jr. ’95 Thomas L. Williams P’17 William C. Yoh ’89, P’18 ’24, Chairman

Francis B. Jacobs II ’60 and John F. Osgood ’60 are Class Agents, and were not labeled as such in the Class of 1960 giving list. The Timothy J. O’Mara ’85 Scholarship Fund was established in 2014 by Joe and Helen O’Mara in memory of their son. The description in the Annual Report incorrectly read “John and Sara O’Mara.” We regret these errors and strive to produce an accurate and high-quality publication of which our community can be proud.

The correct list can be found at haverford.org/HST and on the College Counseling webpage. John A. Nagl, D.Phil. • assistant headmaster Mark Thorburn David S. Gold managing editor Jessica Covello editors Dawn Blake, Jessica Covello, Emily Gee • class notes editors Andrew Bailey ’02, Dawn Blake layout/design Emma E. Hitchcock • printer Pemcor, LLC., Lancaster, Pa. photographers Andrew Bailey ’02, Dawn Blake, Michael Branscom, Jessica Covello, Emily Gee, Jordan Hayman, Emma E. Hitchcock, Kay Lim, Patrick McNally, Candy Montgomery, Deborah Putter, Jim Roese, Tom Stambaugh ’90, George Wood ’75 headmaster

chief financial officer

Jessica Covello, Director of Marketing and Communications; 484-417-2764; jcovello@haverford.org Please send address changes to Disty Lengel at dlengel@haverford.org. about Haverford School Today magazine is published for alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends of The Haverford School. Nonprofit postage paid at Southeastern, Pa., and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2017 The Haverford School (all rights reserved). contact

address changes

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this publication. Special thanks to: Christian Atanasiu ‘01, Andrew Bailey ’02, Jes Bickhart ’09, Paul Bogaev ’71, Chuck Brodsky ’78, Jim Buck ’77, Bill Buck ’46, Eileen Buckwalter, Bob Burch ’72, Sam Caldwell, Duane Case, George Crawford ’68, Jeff Day, Donta Evans, Whitney Fairbrother, Stephanie Fell, Phil Giordano, Bill Golderer ’88, Lynn Grad, Jay Greytok ’83, Betsy Havens, Alex Hawthorn ’04, Mark Hightower, Rosalee Innocent, Tim Lengel ’07, Sam Linder, Charles Lukens Huston III ’53, Dan Keefe, Sheryl Kaufmann, Disty Lengel, Mark McConnon, Jill Miller, Candy Montgomery, Headmaster John Nagl, Piruz Partow ’94, Wilbert Roget II ’01, Cindy Shaw, Michael Stairs, Melissa Stamps, Alan Stepansky ’78, John Stroud, Christian Williams ’95, George Wood ’75. special thanks

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Winter 2017


FROM THE HEADMASTER

Let’s hear it for the boys By John A. Nagl, D.Phil.

When I talk with parents who are thinking of sending their sons to The Haverford School, I focus on the quality of the School’s academic program, which leads directly to our extraordinary college placement list. I talk about the success of our athletic program, not just in victories (SwEAp!) but also in building teamwork, character, and discipline. But I also tell them about something that they may not expect to hear about at a 133-yearold boys’ school: our exceptional fine and performing arts programs. My favorite story concerns Dox Aitken ’16, who earned the Rainear Shield last year as our best overall athlete. Dox played split end and cornerback, punted for Mike Murphy’s undefeated football team, and played midfield for John Nostrant’s undefeated and national champion lacrosse team in 2015. But Dox also played saxophone in our jazz band, and he felt great loyalty to that team, too – enough that he left an Inter-Ac lacrosse game at halftime of his senior year to perform in the spring concert! This story illustrates one of the best things about Haverford: it’s a boys’ school where the boys are free to explore all aspects of themselves. And so we see great athletes like oarsman and VI Former Shea Dennis performing the lead in the fall production of “Frost/Nixon” as a dark, brooding, entirely believable Richard Nixon, bringing the same determination to succeed on stage that he shows out on the river. Our boys can be everything they want to be, all at once – scholars and athletes and artists and performers. This issue highlights the excellence of our musical programs, and there is much to celebrate. The School has long been known for its a capella groups. The Middle School Celebrantes and Upper School Notables sing demanding and fun musical programs all over the East Coast and, in the case of the Notables, around the globe. My family was honored to travel to Bermuda with them in summer 2014, and an impromptu concert in the Hamilton town center remains one of my fondest memories. But over the past few years, what has long been a school known for vocal performance has increased its focus on instrumental music. In addition to our jazz band and orchestra, our first pep band, the Fantastic Fords, began in 2013 with Lower and Middle School boys. The Fantastic Fords are now 50 strong and added even more excitement to the most successful EA Day in school history on Nov. 12, encouraging the crowd as football won 21-19 to complete the swEAp in a nail-biter where fan support may have been the difference. I’m also proud of our faculty rock band, the Haligoluks, formed in 2013, who play faculty parties and the gala every year.

Led by Theater Department Chair and lead vocalist Darren Hengst and Head of Lower School, drummer, and bass player Ron Duska, the Haligoluks demonstrate the commitment of the faculty to find ways to express their talent beyond the classroom – a great example for boys who are searching for ways to find their place and make their mark. We hope you enjoy this edition of Haverford School Today, enumerating many of our successes and accomplishments over the past few months. As a former cross-country runner myself, I hope you’ll allow me to express particular pride in the fact that the Inter-Ac cross-country trophy, which we haven’t earned in 15 years, now sits in the Headmaster’s office next to the Heyward Cup, representing our overall excellence in athletics for a conference-record 16th time. We have much to sing about, here at Haverford. Come back and sing with us! John #9

Headmaster John Nagl with the Notables at the a cappella group’s annual reunion concert on Nov. 23. The event kicks off a festive holiday season of musical performances and service projects. Read more on page 40, and get to know the Director of the Notables, Mark Hightower, in Faces of Haverford on page 6.

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Service Learning Holiday service learning projects included a Toys for Tots drive that collected 130 toys and Share the Warmth trees decorated with more than 100 gloves, hats, and scarves for families in need. For the 15th year, third-graders held the annual Toy Sale, raising $1,225 for St. Barnabas Mission for homeless women and children. “From pre-k to the Upper School, the boys learn to exercise their kindness and character toward the good of others at a time of year when we are all mindful of how much need surrounds us,” says Jini Loos, Director of Service Learning.

Middle Grades Partnership Philadelphia By Donta Evans, Director of Community Life

“This week has really given me a head start for next year. It’s really raised my expectations for myself.”

Sixth-grader Jalen reflects on his week at The Haverford School as part of Middle Grades Partnership Philadelphia (MGPP), a pilot program that aims to help boys in Philadelphia immerse themselves in academic study and leadership. Jalen, a Class of 1959 Scholar, is noted as being academically talented, active in school and community activities, and exhibiting strong character and good citizenship. The pilot program took place during summer 2016 in partnership with Samuel Gompers School, which educates children from kindergarten through sixth grade. With the assistance of Gompers administrators and teachers, Haverford selected nine boys who are high performers, show leadership potential, and have supportive parents who believe in the power of education. Boys studied math, language arts, visual art, personal finance, and athletics under the tutelage of Haverford and Gompers faculty. Two rising Form VI Haverford students served as teaching assistants and mentors to the boys. MGPP has specific academic achievement goals for its participating students. We believe the program can motivate young men to stay focused and be the best students and people possible. As we look toward future partnership opportunities throughout the school year, we know that these interactions will also help Haverford boys grow into strong and conscientious men of character.

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in the classroom

The Dot

Each fall teachers often hear two words: “I can’t.” In order to change this mindset in our students, Kate Thorburn’s third-graders and their kindergarten buddies from Erin Sheehan and Katie Jones’ classroom meet to change fixed mindsets into growth mindsets. The gathering begins by estimating how many times in a day that everyone says, “I can’t.” Thorburn introduces the book Mindset, explaining that everyone has a choice to either learn with a growth mindset by trying and reaching for their goals or to learn with a fixed mindset by saying “I can’t.” To make a text-to-text connection, The Dot (a picture book) is introduced. In the story of The Dot, the main character has a fixed mindset about art. The book begins with the character repeating “I can’t” to her teacher. Through help and encouragement, the main character changes from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. This change allows the character to pass the positive feeling of a growth mindset to another student. To symbolize the two types of mindsets while reading aloud, Thorburn has the boys put up a stop sign when they hear the words “I can’t” and to push their arms up like a growing tree when they hear the character say “I can.” This physical interaction allows the boys to lock in the meaning of the two mindsets. When the book, The Dot is finished, the boys are encouraged to learn with a growth mindset. Each student from third grade and kindergarten participates in a hands-on project, decorating dots with an array of designs and colors. The dots are then glued onto a huge dot that hangs within the third-grade classroom to remind the boys to strive to have a growth mindset. Throughout the remainder of the year, the boys consistently use the term “mindset” in association with their studies, behavior, and social interactions. This helps instill the importance of approaching each day with a growth mindset.

in the classroom

Greg Jaffe “There used to be a common set of facts, ideals, and understandings of our nation’s problems, which enabled us to effectively debate solutions. That has changed.” Greg Jaffe, White House correspondent for The Washington Post since 2009 and a thoughtful observer of American politics and U.S. national security policy, visited campus on Dec. 2. Jaffe met with the editorial board of The Index and with the Government and

Politics class to discuss the current political climate and the increasing fragmentation of the media. He also spoke to Form I through Form VI boys during assembly, exploring the concepts of American exceptionalism and identity politics, noting important aspects of Barack Obama’s legacy, and highlighting the game-changing election of 2016. Jaffe is the co-author of The Fourth Star. He wrote the book while in residence at the Center for a New American Security, an organization of which Headmaster John Nagl was previously president. haverford.org

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f o s e c a F ford r e v a H

We are poets and scholars, thinkers and doers, aspiring athletes and stage performers. The thread that binds the patchwork of The Haverford School is our commitment to each other, our school, and our communities. In Faces of Haverford, a sliver of our students, parents, and faculty highlight what makes their Haverford School experience truly transformational. For more profiles, visit haverford.org/faces.

Lower Merion Township. My older sister graduated from Agnes Irwin and now she’s studying at Penn. I feel so proud of all their stories and their paths. I think everyone has made decisions and sacrifices to get me here, and that impacts me on a daily basis, in terms of what decisions I make. What do you think is the best thing about being a Ford?

The community. I still keep in touch with my teachers and coaches from Lower and Middle School – they ask me how it’s going and what I’m up to. It’s beyond the classroom – the teachers really care about you as a person. That’s not something you see or experience at every school.

Sam Lindner, Form V How long have you attended Haverford?

All my life – my mom was working here as the Assistant Head of Lower School when she got pregnant with me. She moved to work at Agnes Irwin when I was in first grade, so we looked at other schools, but I asked if I could stay at Haverford. The teachers here understand how to engage us in groups or through hands-on activities; we don’t sit at our desks and listen to lectures. Can you recount a memorable or inspirational teacher?

Mr. Palmer, Lower School science. Every 6

Winter 2017

day his class was so different, and his entire classroom – with the planetarium, and all the gadgets, and other things I’d never even heard of – was so interesting. It’s the coolest thing when you’re a little kid! I also appreciated the way he taught us. Most teachers teach you how to do something before you do it. Mr. Palmer would have us do something first, and then tell us what we’d just discovered. What makes you proud or happiest?

My family. My mom comes from a military family, and she moved around a lot when she was growing up. Now she’s Head of Lower School at Agnes Irwin. My dad worked hard and built his own company. Now he’s commissioner for Ward 4 in

Mark Hightower, Upper School Music How did you get into teaching?

When I was in elementary school, I was in an enrichment program where I tutored a boy once a week. Through that experience, and from a young age, I found fulfillment in helping others. In high school, I truly fell in love with music. Uniting music and teaching seemed very natural so I went into music education. I love it! What lessons do you hope your students learn?

I don’t hold any illusions that all of our boys are going to be professional musicians, but I hope that they have fond memories of their experiences with music at Haverford. Equally as important is


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teaching our boys to be people of integrity who care about others not because it looks good on their resume or because it’s a savvy political move, but because it’s the right thing to do. How do you further your own musical talents?

I think I’m able to gain a little more respect from students by being a practicing musician. I was recently invited to sing in China with the Princeton Singers, a professional chamber choir. I work with the St. Clemens Episcopal Church as one of their full-time singers. I like to play in several bands, like Haverford’s own faculty band, the Haligoluks. I tell students about my life as a musician and how through music I’ve met interesting people, traveled the world, and had incredible experiences – all because I stuck with something that I loved. What is rewarding about teaching at Haverford?

The caliber of the students and the collegial relationships with everyone on campus are two rewarding aspects. This is a special place, it’s a special community, and it’s a place where people look out for one another. I taught at a public high school in South Carolina where classrooms had locks on the doors and every room had a panic button with the police on call.

I remember having the job of “spotter,” which meant keeping an eye on the public areas of campus and, when needed, directing police and administration toward a student who may have started a fight or gotten out of control. That really puts our “problems” as faculty at Haverford into perspective. We are fortunate to have the level of resources, talents, and compassionate, intelligent people that we do.

Melissa Stamps, Parent How is Haverford “preparing boys for life?”

This school is remarkable, and it just gets better every year. The teachers always prepare and inspire the boys for the next big step in their lives. I think the teaching of character and core virtues is an integral and important part of the School. It teaches the boys, from Lower School onward, that character is who you are, not your reputation. This school lets my sons be who they are, and pushes them in the direction of their dreams. What do you think your sons would say is the best part of being a Ford?

The camaraderie. There really is a brotherhood here, and such a welcoming community. My sons have so much pride

for their school. Haverford is a part of them. Do you have a particularly memorable Haverford experience?

There are so many! The one that comes to mind is the eighth-grade graduation ceremony. To see 13- and 14-year-old boys get up on stage and perform without being embarrassed was remarkable. What I really love about this school is how everything is “cool,” from arts to robotics to music – everything is seen as a positive. I also recall seeing a class in Lower School in which the teacher had on the board five different ways to do a math problem. She said we all learn differently and we need to show kids there is not just one way to get the answer. That was so amazing to see. What are you passionate about?

My friends would say I’m the first one to volunteer for any kind of community work. I’m involved in the HSPA at Haverford and have served as EA Day Chair for the past two years. I work with the Women’s Committee for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I also run a pop-up clothing store for an organization called Our Closet once a month. My family and I feel blessed in so many ways, and I like to give back.

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Best BOYS for

SPEAKER SERIES

March 11, 2017 | 9 a.m. The Boy Behind the Mask Janet Heed Upper School Counselor Michael Reichert Consulting School Psychologist This talk will examine the complexities of boys’ emotional development and discuss ways parents can help their sons claim more authentic and healthy lives. RSVP at haverford.org/bestforboys

Joseph T. Cox Servant Leadership Symposium Jane Golden, Mural Arts Philadelphia

The Joseph T. Cox Servant Leadership Symposium was established in 2010 by a generous lead gift from Bobbie and Scott Addis ’74. Jane Golden of Mural Arts Philadelphia shared the transformative power of tenacity, passion, and empathy at the seventh annual Joseph T. Cox Servant Leadership Symposium on Oct. 7. Through a creative process that starts with engaging communities to determine their hopes and fears, Golden’s organization has created more than 3,800 works of public art. “We do projects that represent peoples’ lives: their stories, their struggles, their triumphs, their aspirations,” Golden proclaimed. “Beauty is powerful, 8

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Boys to Men

By Jay Greytok ’83, Head of Middle School

On Oct. 15, Head of Middle School Jay Greytok ’83 presented “Boys to Men: The Transition from Adolescents to Adults” as part of the School’s Best for Boys Speaker Series. Here, he shares takeaways on identity, masculinity, and other topics related to this critical time in a young man’s development. As our sons go through puberty, there is often little thinking happening regarding the decisions they make, the friends they keep, and the activities they undertake. This is a time where impulse and instinct go hand-in-hand as our boys begin the process of learning to be adults. They want to be independent young men but struggle in their efforts to make their own plans, build healthy relationships, and respect the values and feelings of their friends. Boys in middle school undergo the second greatest physiological and hormonal change in their lives next to birth. Typically, they are driven by peer relationships that change overnight as old alliances shift and new loyalties are formed, and some boys are at a loss to explain it.

but we also want meaning.” Mural Arts launched in 1986 as part of city mayor Wilson Goode’s initiative to create an anti-graffiti network. “For young people who may have felt they were unable to make change happen, public art was a way to control their own narrative,” she said. “As neighborhoods started to change, young people started to change.” Golden’s programs have since expanded to include art education, mental health rehabilitation, and restorative justice. Mural Arts partners with more than 200 artists each year to bring awareness to issues including immigration, homelessness, climate change, and more. “Our responsibility in 1986 was the same responsibility we have today, and that is to offer every young person every opportunity possible,” Golden noted. “I believe that art has a profound impact on people, but at the end of the day it is our humanity that lights the torch that leads the way.”

Finding the center in this process is often challenging and emotional. Here are some things parents can do to help: • Provide structure and responsibility with appropriate positive and negative consequences. Our sons are seeking more responsibility, leadership, and independence. • Be neutral and nonjudgmental, and when all else fails, ask for help. The School is available to provide guidance. • Model expectations and demonstrate consistency. Our sons will do what we do and say what we say. If we are consistent in our expectations, we will hear “that’s not fair” less and less. Finally, as difficult as this age is, enjoy it. Keeping a sense of humor and perspective will help with the realization that this too shall pass. Middle school boys are awesome lumps of clay that need to be shaped and molded appropriately before they harden into their adult selves. If we, as parents, keep working with them versus against them, chances are we will have a masterpiece worthy of display when they emerge as young adults.

Jane Golden is founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Moore College of Art and Design. She holds an M.F.A from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, and degrees in fine arts and political science from Stanford University.


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William Edward Gwinn ’86 Memorial Lecture R.V. Paul Chan ’91, M.D., M.S, FACS

The William Edward Gwinn ’86 Memorial Lecture was established by Byrd and Molly Gwinn in memory of their son, Will Gwinn ’86, who achieved the highest academic honors at The Haverford School and died of leukemia in his junior year. At the annual William Edward Gwinn ’86 Memorial Lecture on Sept. 22, Dr. R.V. Paul Chan ’91 shared his path toward becoming a world-renowned expert on Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of preventable blindness in children. Following a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at Harvard Medical School, Chan moved to New York to join the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College, New YorkPresbyterian Hospital, where he was unexpectedly thrust into providing ophthalmological care to pediatric retina patients. At the time, he had no formal training in ROP and was well outside his comfort zone. “When you’re in a situation with obstacles in front of you, know what you don’t know and face it,” said Chan. “Don’t turn away from the challenge. Embrace the opportunities in front of you.” “Don’t turn away from the challenge. Chan dove headfirst into understanding ROP, traveling Embrace the opportunities in front of you.” the world to study the disease and developing ways to better identify and manage it – a particularly daunting challenge in remote areas with little infrastructure and technology. ROP has been recognized as a global epidemic and NGOs such as Orbis International and Helen Keller International are working closely with Chan to develop strategies to prevent children from going blind from ROP. Chan first started working with Orbis International in 2010, providing assessments and education for their partners. A unique aspect of Orbis is its Flying Eye Hospital, which is another method of reaching vulnerable populations, and boasts a classroom of 50 doctors who can watch live surgery being performed aboard the DC-10 aircraft. Last year, Chan logged over 250,000 miles to help establish clinical, teaching, and research collaborations, as well as to increase access to ophthalmological care for children, in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. He and his team have developed systems using digital imaging, telemedicine, and tele-education approaches to improve access to care for neonates. These initiatives are providing effective training for doctors and enabling follow-up care to ensure healthy populations – all through a system that is sustainable, cost-effective, and portable. R.V. Paul Chan ’91, M.D., M.S., FACS, is a professor and vice chair for global ophthalmology at the University of Illinois-Chicago Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and the director of Pediatric Retina and Retinopathy of Prematurity Services at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. He received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and M.D. from the Temple University School of Medicine.

In the Arena Ben Grant ’07

On Oct. 17, Ben Grant ’07 shared his inspiration for “Daily Overview,” and spent time in an Upper School art class illustrating his creative process. In “Daily Overview,” an Instagram project he started in 2013, Grant curates and edits satellite images of various landscapes, from pivot irrigation fields to the world’s largest ports that show the way we live, waste, play, and harvest. “I believe the project harnesses the

incredible technology and vantage point of these satellites to better understand the intricacy of the things we have constructed, the sheer complexity of the systems we have developed, and the impact that we have had on the planet,” said Grant. For his book Overview released in 2016, Grant curated and created more than 200 original images by stitching together numerous high‑resolution satellite photographs. >> Learn more on The Big Room Blog: haverford.org/blog or on Instagram: @dailyoverview.

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THE BIG PICTURE

MEETING ROYALTY Volunteers from Tyler Arboretum taught our first-graders about monarch migration. The boys learned about tagging and recording data – and felt how ticklish butterfly feet can be – before releasing the monarchs for their annual flight south.

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12 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ...

Mark McConnon Middle School English

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I’m from Minnesota; I grew up with the Mississippi River in my backyard.

I attended Georgetown University and studied English and theology. I intended to go to law school. At Georgetown I was on the crosscountry and track teams. I ran the 1,500-meter in 3:49 and became a steeplechaser because I was one of the slower milers on the team! I was the fifth man on the cross-country team that finished 6th in the country in 1989.

My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. I love teaching the story – there are so many different layers and depending on where you are as a reader, you can stay on top or go beneath the surface. It offers social commentary, allusions, and symbolism.

The National Championship crosscountry photo from Georgetown that hangs in my room was given to me by a student I coached at Gonzaga High School – he noticed it on the wall in a Pizza Hut in Arlington, Virginia, and the manager gave it to him.

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I never considered teaching until a professor of mine suggested it; spring semester of my senior year, I got a job assisting in a ninth-grade English class and loved it.

y S p ot l i g h

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We have three children – James ’16, a freshman at Saint Joseph’s University; Annie, a senior – and student body president – at Agnes Irwin; and Sarah, a freshman at Agnes Irwin.

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lt ac u

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Our dog, Scout, is a rescue from the SPCA. For 16 years I had a Vizsla, Eliot, named for poet Thomas Stearns Eliot.

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I want to get a small Winnebago and tour the country again; I’ve seen all the states but Hawaii and Alaska.

Mark McConnon is in his eighth year at The Haverford School and teaches Form I English and coaches Middle School cross-country. He has been teaching since he was a college senior at Georgetown University, where he earned a B.A. in English. He has held positions at Gonzaga High School, Gesu School, and Friends School Haverford. McConnon also developed an Educational Psychology course that he has taught at several local colleges.

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After graduating, I taught for the Archdiocese of Washington and lived with a group of teachers in an old convent and coached track and field and crosscountry at Gonzaga.

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I entered the Jesuits as a novice to become a Jesuit priest. Formation is 11 years long; I didn’t last past two years. The Jesuits taught me just how valuable silence is. I try to start each class at Haverford with the kids reading a selfselected book to slow down, get quiet, and focus on something in which they find pleasure.

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I met my wife, Joan, through Sister Mary Scullion at Project HOME. Joan is co-founder and executive director of the organization.

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National Championship Georgetown runners (from left): #213 Steve Holman (1992 Olympics, 1,500-meter); Mark McConnon; #212 Peter Sherry; #215 Mike McCracken; and #211 John Trautmann (1992 Olympics, 5,000-meter). Coach Matt Centrowitz (back right) set an American record in the 5,000-meter. His son, Matt Centrowitz Jr., won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in the 1,500-meter.


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Faculty and Staff Service Honorees Faculty and staff were honored at Thanksgiving assemblies for their service to The Haverford School. Alumni Executive Council President Branton H. Henderson III ’74, spoke at the assemblies to express gratitude for the School’s extraordinary educators, old and new:

“I am grateful for the long line of teachers and coaches at The Haverford School who shared their passions, expertise, and encouragements with me, and for the steady doses of wisdom and confidence they imparted.” For Henderson’s full remarks, visit haverford.org/news.

25 years of service John Nostrant – Athletic Director

10 years of service Joy Barrett – Lower and Middle School Counseling Maia Campbell – Lower School reading Ron Duska – Head of Lower School Justin Gaudreau – Upper School math Andrew Grossman ’96 – Middle School science Cheryl Joloza – Lower School science Roisin Petrone – Haverford Center John Stroud – Music Department Chair P.J. Vanni – Upper School physical education and health

New Master Teacher Promoted from Experienced Teacher

Steve Cloran – Upper School learning support Sue Laird – Lower School reading John Stroud – Music Department Chair P.J. Vanni – Upper School physical education and health Sam Walters – Upper School math Amanda Vos Strache – Upper School history

New Faculty Leaders Promoted from Master Teacher

Carol Ann Luongo – Lower School learning support Karen Suter – Middle School learning support

Top: John Nostrant with Headmaster John Nagl. Center: Honorees from the Lower School Thanksgiving assembly (from left): Roisin Petrone, Joy Barrett, Ron Duska, Maia Campbell, and Cheryl Joloza. Bottom: Honorees from the Middle/Upper School Thanksgiving assembly (from left): John Stroud, P.J. Vanni, Andrew Grossman ’96, and Justin Gaudreau.

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AROUND THE QUAD

Big Timber Arts Roundup By Bob Burch ’72

The Big Timber Arts Roundup is 15 years old and during that time, more than 1,000 students, actors, artists, and teachers have participated in what has become a great celebration of Montana and the arts. We’ve seen marvelous theater, recited sublime poetry, and listened to students’ stories read aloud to audiences gathered in a Montana cow barn. We’ve experienced the joy and excitement of meeting people with different backgrounds and experiences than our own, and have gotten to know them best through their art. This little experiment, conceived on the banks of the Yellowstone River, has become more than any of us had ever imagined. Like all magical ideas that are born and blossom into reality, so many people deserve the credit for the Roundup’s success and longevity – cooks and writers, cowboys and Shakespearean actors, all gathering together each fall in the hope that something special will occur. Like a blazing western sky, a mayfly hatch or the bugling of a bull elk, special things do indeed happen in Montana. When eighth Headmaster Joe Cox, Susan (my wife), and I conceived of the Roundup, we hoped to have a lasting impact on a few of the many dozens of students, and to gift them with our love of the west and its freedoms and wildness. We receive letters each year from students and teachers who express what we could only hint at; Montana has opened their horizons and made them determined to pursue their passion. For this we are thankful.

>> Read the full reflections and see more student work at haverford.org/bigtimber.

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Winter 2017

I packed my watercolor, paint, paper, and brushes into my bag and embarked on adventure into the wilderness with my friend. We hopped the cattle fence and climbed the hills of Montana. After 20 minutes, we had earned the perfect spot. Looking over a valley — while painting and listening to music — will be one of my most cherished memories. – Devin Weikert, Form VI

I found my special place under a large tree. Each day I would sit there resting my back against its wide trunk and just write. I pushed my pen to the paper and felt the ideas just flow. I felt free, unbarred, and unrestricted. In a small cabin with a crackling fire, professional artists listened to our work. Their feedback shaped my pieces and opened up new horizons of expression. – Tyler Campbell, Form V

At the Hobble Diamond Ranch, I worked with Barbara Van Cleve, a photographer who captures life in Montana. She helped me to capture the earth and the sky. The stars in Montana were extraordinary. On the last day I laid down in a field — it was freezing — to stare at the stars for an hour. I took the stars back with me to Philadelphia. – Taj Bland, Form VI


AROUND THE QUAD

Frost/ Nixon Upper School Play In choosing this year’s fall play, Theater Department Chair Darren Hengst decided on something that, as he put it, provided “the topical theme of politics, as we all brace for the election.” “Frost/Nixon” offered the boys the opportunity to research and understand our national history, and to discuss the choices we make and the consequences that follow, while honing their craft on-stage and behind the scences.

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AROUND THE QUAD

Spring Arts Calendar » March

April

May

MAR Upper School Musical: “Oliver!” 9-11 Centennial Hall

APR Inter-School Art Exhibit & 6 Inter A Capella Concert Wilson Hall/Centennial Hall

MAY Arts Festival 4-6 Wilson Hall

Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday/Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m./7:30 p.m. Middle School Play: 22 “The Outsiders” Centennial Hall APR

7 p.m. Stay up on the latest Haverford events by visiting haverford.org/calendar

MAY Playwrights in Progress 11 Ball Auditorium 7 p.m.

Lower/Middle School Spring Concert Centennial Hall 7 p.m. MAY

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Middle/Upper School Spring Concert Centennial Hall APR

27

7:30 p.m.

Winter Concerts The Middle and Upper School winter concert, held in Centennial Hall on Dec. 8, featured the School’s instrumental and vocal performing ensembles, including the Jazz Band, Orchestra, Centennial Singers, Celebrantes, Glee Club, and the Notables. The program included seasonal favorites, such as “Winter Wonderland” and “Carol of the Bells.” The Lower and Middle School winter concert was held on Dec. 12 and featured the Chime Choir, Fantastic Fords Band, String Ensemble, and Treble Choir.

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Winter 2017


ATHLETICS

GO FORDS Athletics

FALL SPORTS Cross-Country

Football

Head coach: Tim Lengel ’07 League record: 5-0 League finish: 1st place Team captains: Nick Magnani, Anthony Calvelli Individual accomplishments: All-Inter-Ac Second Team – Will Merhige

Head coach: Michael Murphy Overall record: 7-3 League record: 3-2 League finish: 3rd place Team captains: Tommy Toal, Chris Kober, Malik Geathers, Aaron Hudson Jr. Individual accomplishments: All-Inter-Ac First Team – Mallik Twyman, Peter Solomon, Aaron Hudson Jr., Colin Hurlbrink, Asim Richards All-Inter-Ac Second Team – Tommy Toal

• For the first time since 2001, the Fords are Inter-Ac Champions • Undefeated in Inter-Ac League dual meets • 3rd place finishes at both the George School Invitational and Westtown Invitational • 2nd place at States • 3rd win on EA Day in a row; won by a larger margin than last year

• • •

The team opened the season defeating Del Val Charter and extending the win streak from the previous seasons to 20 games, the longest in School history The team opened the Inter-Ac portion of the schedule with a thrilling come-from-behind, OT victory over Penn Charter The nonleague loss by three points to eventual No. 5 ranked team in 6A, Perk Valley, ended a 21-game winning streak for the Fords, the longest in School history

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ATHLETICS

• •

The two league losses, to Malvern Prep (by three) and Germantown Academy (by seven), were the first-ever losses suffered to those teams by the seniors The team rebounded to post a 21-19 win over EA in the big rivalry game, securing a 5-0 sweep of the Churchmen and keeping the sweater, while starting a streak for next year’s team to continue

Golf Head coach: Gui Costin ’85 Overall record: 26-9 League record: 22-8 League finish: 2nd place Team captains: Davis Rosato, Fred Hammer, Ed Garno, Jack McKnight

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Winter 2017

Individual accomplishments: All-Inter-Ac First Team – Davis Rosato, Sam Walker All-Inter-Ac Second Team – David Hurly, Cal Buonocore, Mac Costin, Peter Garno • • • • •

Sam Walker, who set both league and school records by winning three of six league tournaments played this fall, led the Fords in league play Peter Garno and Mac Costin won the first event of the season Davis Rosato played very well in league play and shot a 2-under par 68 to win the Inter-Ac individual title by five shots at Aronimink Golf Club The 2016 team was filled with five sophomores, including Sam Walker, David Hurly, Mac Costin, Peter Garno, and A.J. Aivazoglou. Rounding out the line-up were juniors Cal Buonocore and Tyler Roland and freshman Charlie Baker Haverford completed its sixth EA Day victory in a row, beating EA in a best ball format by seven shots led by Peter


ATHLETICS

Garno’s and Mac Costin’s 33. Since moving golf to the fall season, the Fords have never lost or tied on EA Day The team had very good play across the board in their 2016 campaign, and next year the line-up will be filled with a lot of young talent

Soccer Head coach: Bill Brady Overall record: 9-10-4 League record: 4-5-1 League finish: 4th place Team captains: Dean Manko, Josh Ridenhour, Caleb Clothier, Evan Scott Individual accomplishments: All-Inter-Ac First Team – Caleb Clothier All-Inter-Ac Second Team – Josh Ridenhour, Griffin Wada All-Main Line First Team – Caleb Clothier All-Main Line Second Team – Josh Ridenhour, Will Baltrus All-Main Line Honorable Mention – Griffin Wada All-Delco Second Team – Caleb Clothier, Josh Ridenhour All-Delco Honorable Mention – Will Baltrus, Nik Golz, Nick Pippis, Griffin Wada • • •

Advanced to the semifinal of the PAISAA tournament with upset wins over No. 5 Mercersburg Academy and No. 4 Episcopal Academy Come-from-behind win on EA Day, 2-1, sparked by goals from Nik Golz and Carnel Walker Lost to No. 1 in the nation, Conestoga, in double overtime. Although a loss, the belief in the team rose dramatically with

that gutsy performance. • Evan Scott converted a last gasp penalty kick to give the Fords their first conference victory of the year • Parker Gravina converted the winning penalty kick as the fifth shooter to advance over Mercersburg in the PAISAA tournament • Moving Evan Scott to center back and allowing Dean Manko and Solomon Dorsey to share minutes in the midfield changed the direction of the season • Griffin Wada emerged as a threat on all set pieces, both with his feet and in the air

Water Polo Head coach: Kevin Van Such Overall record: 17-9 League record: 6-2 League finish: 2nd place Team captains: M.J. Tricolli, Ross Harryhill, Charlie Ryan Individual accomplishments: All-Inter-Ac First Team – M.J. Tricolli, John Nelligan, T.J. Brooks Easterns All-Star Team – M.J. Tricolli, T.J. Brooks • • • • •

Beat Penn Charter at Penn Charter for the first time in School history Achieved 17 wins in a season – the highest in School history Finished 2nd overall in the league, up from 4th in 2015 Finished 4th at Easterns water polo tournament (8th overall) Capped off the season with home win on EA Day, 12-5

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ATHLETICS

COACH’S CORNER By Tim Lengel ’07, Head Coach, Cross-Country

I’ve spent two years as head coach of the wonderful sport of cross-country at The Haverford School. As a graduate of the School, this is a role that is particularly meaningful to me. I ran cross-country at Haverford from seventh grade through graduation. I was a four-year varsity runner and team captain as a VI Former. After graduating from Haverford in 2007, I went to Williams College to study history. I started my career in Richmond, Virginia, teaching Upper School history and working with the girls’ team at Collegiate School for four seasons under the mentorship of Weldon Bradshaw and Matthew Richardson. In 2015, I returned to Haverford and couldn’t be happier. Our cross-country team has achieved so much over the past two years. Following in Coach Bryan Skelly’s steps, the team has won on EA Day for three consecutive years. This year, we won the Inter-Ac League title for the first time since 2001. We were also undefeated in league races. Coach Long and I strive to build a culture of teamwork, friendship, and cooperation to go with the hard work that the sport entails. In addition to coaching cross-country, I teach Honors Government and Politics, Honors Contemporary African History, Modern Middle East History, and United States History. I work on the Haligoluk and am faculty adviser for the Amnesty International Club. I love how closely coaching and teaching are related – in each, you’re trying to get young men to learn more about themselves and their places in the world through careful practice, determined action, and thoughtful feedback. What I see in the classroom informs how I coach, and what I see out on the course each afternoon tells me more about my students.

HAVERFORD/EA DAY

Pancake Breakfast & Spirit Gear Faculty, staff, alumni, parents, students, and friends gathered together in The Haverford School Dining Hall on Nov. 12 to enjoy a hearty breakfast before cheering the Fords on to victory in the athletic events. Form I parents, headed up by Lauren Sullivan, served approximately 2,400 pancakes and all the trimmings to guests before heading off to the games. (Left) EA Day Co-chairs Melissa Stamps and Debbie Wood, and Jennifer Rodack; (top) Pancake Breakfast Chair Lauren Sullivan, Robin Sumner, and Amorette Mason; (bottom) and parent volunteers David and Tracy Reller and Eric Haron helped serve a delicious breakfast to Haverford/EA Day attendees.

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Winter 2017


ATHLETICS

EA DAY/SPIRIT WEEK 2016 Following a week of school spirit activities – including trivia, dodgeball, a talent show, banner painting, and field games (the Class of 2017 won the Form competition overall) – the Fords varsity teams defeated Episcopal Academy in all five events on Haverford/EA Day. It’s the first sweep in 20 years and the first five-sport sweep (golf was added in 2011).

GOLF – 192-199 CROSS-COUNTRY – 27-32 WATER POLO – 12-5 SOCCER – 2-1 FOOTBALL – 21-19

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PARENTS

Maroon & Gold Society The Haverford School honored leadership donors at its Maroon & Gold Society Party on Oct. 5 at Appleford. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres from Catering by Design and musical entertainment by Peter Smyser. The Maroon & Gold Society was established in 1997 to provide special recognition for leadership gifts of $2,500 and more. (clockwise from right) Jennifer Porges and Joseph Manko Jr.; Dick Graham ’52 and his wife, Mary; Keith Dalton and Headmaster John Nagl; Wendy Mahoney Russell and Eric Russell.

HSPA Gala Patrons’ Party Spirits were high on Nov. 5 at The Haverford School Parents’ Association Gala Patrons’ Party, graciously hosted by parents Anthony and Cole Costa (third-grader Anthony). The gathering is held annually in advance of the main event to honor those supporting Haverford’s gala at the top two participation levels, as well as all corporate sponsors. The Gala Patrons’ Party was a huge success bringing together benefactors to celebrate another year of collaboration between parents and the School. (From left) Patrons’ Party host Dr. Anthony Costa, Haverford School third-grader Anthony Costa, Gala co-chair Beth Zemble, Gala co-chair Amber Dixon, and Patrons’ Party hostess Cole Costa; Gala Silent Auction Committee member Lisa Getson-Brown and her husband, Richard; Gala Corporate Sponsor Ann Aerts won a reserved parking space for Haverford/EA Day in a drawing at the Patrons’ Party.

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Winter 2017


PARENTS

HSPA GALA 2016

’80s REWIND

Boom boxes, Rubik’s Cubes, neon lights, and life-size cutouts of Madonna, Princess Diana, President Reagan, and other ’80s icons took guests back in time at the HSPA Gala, held Dec. 3 at the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue. More than 350 parents and friends of the School bid on live and silent auction items, dined, and danced to ’80s tunes played by the School’s house band, the Haligoluks. Clockwise from top left: Marcus and Delphine O’Rourke with Alison and Rob Hastings ’86; Jackson and Erica Goodwin; Gala co-chairs Amber Dixon and Beth Zemble; Lois and Symon Erskine with Ashley and Joe Allen; Anna Mauro, Headmaster John Nagl, Shawn McMurtry, and Marybeth DiNubile.

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PARENTS

HSPA Perfect Present This shopping extravaganza is an annual Lower School tradition. This fun and festive event allows boys to work with a personal shopper to choose gifts for family, friends, teachers, and pets. Volunteers transformed the Multipurpose Room into a winter wonderland, putting everyone in the holiday spirit. Perfect Present co-chairs (from left) Leigh Ross and Marion Brewington assisting boys with gift selections.

HSPA Hav-Afford Recycle Sale Twice each year, the HSPA hosts the Hav-Afford Recyle Sale, making gently used uniform items and Haverford apparel available to the community. Pictured (from left) are Jennifer Herrmann, Carolyn Harkins, Alison Hastings, Sofia Brady, Stephenie Tellez, Sandy Lazovitz Pressman, Connie Lees, Kim Keszeli, Ardis Costello, and Kristin Vollmer.

HSPA Pumpkin Fair Chaired by Jill Ravenscroft, Amy Briddell, Jennifer Garzia, and Jonelle McDaniel, the Pumpkin Fair was a spook-tacular kick-off to the fall season. The boys visited the Neil Buckley Wrestling Pavilion for games, prizes, raffles, pumpkins, and treats.

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Winter 2017


PARENTS

MORE THAN A TREE Dr. Duska gives kindergarten students a lesson in art to assist with fine motor development.

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ndo sce Cre

llo Cove sica Jes by

Light is streaming into the third floor of the Lower School through the maroon and gold fall trees while fifth-graders discuss the aesthetic, instrumentation, time period, and composer of a piece they’ve selected. In the Centennial Hall classrooms, middle schoolers are layering guitar chord progressions and strumming patterns with original lyrics as part of a songwriting project. In the Upper School, boys are analyzing music throughout history, from simple one-part Gregorian chants to complex symphonies. Haverford’s music department – as with performing and visual arts – has flourished over the past several decades. Haverford was one of the first schools in the country to form an a cappella ensemble (the Notables), to adopt and adapt the Zoltán Kodály Method, and to establish a sequential music curriculum. Extraordinary educators, remarkable boys, and ardent alumni continue to demonstrate what is possible in the study and performance of music when you combine hard work with opportunity and compassion. Music is a beating pulse at Haverford, and brings life to our campus and our community.

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Winter 2017


. 6, J k ’4 . Buc Family Band: William C h fat k( uc nB hlo Ma

Tracing the history of music in Philadelphia through the fabric of Haverford, Bill Buck ’46 takes us back to a time with poodle skirts and bobby socks, big bands and the jitterbug. “We’d spend time at The Last Straw on Lancaster Avenue, or my brother Jim ’42 and I would take the train into the city in our suits and ties for movies and dancing,” recalls Buck. The Earle Theatre and Fox Theatre, both of which opened in the early 1920s, were hot spots. There was no music program at Haverford in Buck’s days, but he played in the Buck Family Band along with his parents and brothers, J. Mahlon Buck Jr. ’42 and Alexander K. Buck ’49. Lilly Daché, an accomplished milliner and a friend of his mother, designed the curtains for the bandstand. On weekends, the family would pile into their station wagon and bring the groove to friends along the Main Line and in Bucks County. “We had a Webcore recording machine; we’d cut the records ourselves but the quality was awful,” laughs Buck. “The records weighed about a pound each and you’d only get one song per side.” Buck also played in a Dixieland band in college and spent 20 years singing for the Suburban Squires a cappella group, which he joined in 1952 after serving in the U.S. Army. The 1940s and ’50s saw the rise of jazz legends John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday, all of whom played in Philadelphia frequently and put the city on the map as one of the country’s preeminent jazz capitals. “Jazz started with Dixieland out of New Orleans and is characterized by guys taking solos within the framework of the melody of the song,” explains Phil Giordano, who teaches percussion in Haverford’s Conservatory. “But bebop jazz really took hold in Philly; players would use the chord progression of the song to improvise new melodies on the spot.” Giordano recalls listening to jazz greats at Philadelphia’s Clef Club, Pep’s, and the Downbeat Club. After a brief drought in the 1970s and ’80s, the city’s interest in jazz was reinvigorated with the 1987 opening of Ortlieb’s in Northern Liberties. Of course, jazz represents just one slice of Philadelphia’s music scene, which also boasts the preeminent Philadelphia Orchestra, dating back to 1900; the Academy of Music, the country’s longest operating opera house still used for its original purpose; the esteemed Curtis Institute of Music, which graduated world renowned composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Samuel Barber; and other cultural icons and landmarks. Former Upper School music teacher Michael Stairs, who worked at Haverford from 1986-2012, describes the city’s music scene as “vibrant.” In addition to being an organist with the Philadelphia Orchestra for 30 years, he still plays the 113-year old Wanamaker Grand Court Organ at Macy’s in

The B uck

Music in Philadelphia

er ), J. Ma hlo n

r). the Bu o ck (m Jr. ’ uck 42, pp B Alexa a n K e nder K. B uck ’49, and Grac

Center City. “In the organ world, Philadelphia has four of the greatest symphonic organs in the country,” says Stairs. “We have wonderful visitors from all the corners of the earth who come to hear this instrument.”

Music At Haverford: Then In the 1960s and ’70s, many Haverford students gathered at The Main Point in Bryn Mawr to hear the iconic voices of James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Bruce Springsteen. It was also during this time that Haverford began to find its own voice. From building a sequential pre-k-12 vocal, choral, orchestral, and music technology curriculum around the Zoltán Kodály Method to producing children’s operas and all-school musicals, Haverford’s music program saw tremendous growth beginning in the 1970s under the guidance of Sean Deibler. National Acclaim: Introducing the Zoltán Kodály Method

Sean Deibler was one of the first Americans to implement the Zoltán Kodály Method in the U.S. and brought national acclaim to Haverford shortly after beginning work as a Lower School music teacher in 1969. Fifth Headmaster Davis Parker (1966-87) granted Deibler’s request for one year of leave to study the Zoltán Kodály Method at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. He was the first American to earn a diploma from the institution and was also the first American teacher at the Kodály Musical Training Institute. “Sean’s teaching created a stir at Haverford,” reflects Lynn Herson Grad, former music teacher (1983-2006) and music department chair. “His students in Lower School (fourth-sixth grade) were singing folk songs and music of the great masters. They were reading music as fluently

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analyzing, and applying the folk music of this country to the curriculum. You can imagine the challenges of developing the curriculum with limited exposure to American folk music. Sean was so extraordinary and so brilliant that he synthesized the Kodály method and brought it forward in an American way.” Innovating: Sequential Music Curriculum

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Winter 2017

Sc ho ol Qu a

as they could read sentences in a story. Boys competed in sight-singing contests, performed in children’s operas, and participated in the Haverford School Boychoir. Word of the boys’ artistry spread through the professional world and, before long, music educators were coming to Haverford from across the country and around the world to watch this brilliant man with classrooms of highly accomplished boys.” Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) believed that music is essential to human development, that every individual is entitled to a musical education, that musical education should be sequential and logical, and that the voice is the best initial method of training. Kodály also believed that children could appreciate the highest level of music if exposed to it at a young age. By beginning with folk songs and singing games – a genre that most children come to school being somewhat familiar with – art music of great composers could be successfully introduced. Grad was first introduced to the Kodály method when Hungarian instructors, who had studied with the man himself, came to the U.S. to teach a pilot program. She estimates that at the time, there were fewer than 75 people in the U.S. who had received training in the Kodály method. “The young students in the pilot program were singing beautiful artistic phrases in a collaborative way and could sight-read music; I was entranced,” says Grad. That experience, coupled with a Kodály master course during college, solidified Grad’s passion for music. She gained admission to the Kodály Musical Training Institute, where she met Deibler. “One of the precepts of the Kodály philosophy is that you teach music education through the mother tongue,” explains Grad. “So the Hungarian teachers would use their own folk music, ordered in a logical sequence, to teach each musical element. In the pilot program, these Hungarian teachers were teaching American children while learning,

The Hav erf ord

ler eib D n Sea

Haverford’s pre-k-12 music curriculum, rooted in the Zoltán Kodály Method, is a spiraling sequence that begins with the familiar and advances toward the unknown, uncovering more sophisticated patterns and combinations over time. “Music is a complex layering of technical skill, emotional understanding, and creativity that is best learned when students have the opportunity to experience it in multiple ways; moving, listening, reading, writing, improvising, and performing,” notes Lower School music teacher and former Music Department Chair Duane Case. In the Lower School, the music curriculum follows the concept of “prepare, present, and practice.” In “prepare,” boys experience a new note or rhythm before they know the name of the note or how it works. In “present,” boys hear the note and begin to move to it, then they learn its name and symbol. In “practice,” boys implement what they’ve learned and are introduced to another concept, with the curriculum overlapping from one element to the next. Grad was instrumental in establishing the sequential pre-k-12 music curriculum – a concept that was unheard of at the time. “Haverford was the first school in the U.S. in which there was a continual sequence of music instruction,” says Grad. “Every boy, every teacher used the same methodology and terminology. 71 r 19 As the boys advanced through e t in ,W each grade, we knew their rly e t r level of musical literacy and what they could perform; we never began at the beginning.” The curriculum continuity began with vocal and choral music and soon evolved to encompass instrumental music and


Lynn Grad

Michael Stairs

th wi rad nG Lyn

music technology. In the Middle School, Grad introduced guitar, which was a welcome accompaniment for boys whose voices were on the cusp of changing. She also launched the School’s first technology lab. “It allowed the students to apply their music literacy skills so they could write music, compose music, arrange music, and have a virtual orchestra at their fingertips,” says Grad. Wilbert Roget II ’01, composer with LucasArts, recalls the influence that Grad and her technology lab had on his life and subsequent career. “We learned how to sequence music in Finale using E-mu Proteus hardware synthesizers,” recalls Roget. “Later on I bought a software program that let me compose at home, so I began writing original music as well as transcribing by ear all of my favorite video game soundtracks. Eventually, I began writing my own game scores, found some independent game development projects on the Internet that I could contribute to, and the rest was history.” Stairs worked with Grad to build the Upper School curriculum, in part by taking cues from the boys. “We started with ear training and sight singing in the first year,” recalls Stairs. “Then we added a history of Western music with more advanced musical theory. The boys didn’t want to stop learning music so in the third year, we created independent study.” “Lynn was never wrong,” notes Stairs. “She knew the talents of the young men she was passing to me in Upper School. Boys learn so well by friendly competition – they figure out what they have to do to meet the skills of their peers. Often, they get to sounding marvelous.” Although Haverford offered a jazz ensemble at the time, seventh Headmaster Joseph P. Healey (1992-98) felt the next step for the School was an orchestral music program. Grad brought Michael Heaney from Australia to Haverford to teach the Suzuki method, one that worked in concert with the Kodály philosophy. “Michael put together a string orchestra that incorporated the most talented students in every division,” says Grad. “They were playing Telemann and Bach within a couple of years; it was incredible.” Vocal Performances

In the 1970s and ’80s, it was an Upper School tradition to put on an annual Gilbert and Sullivan opera with elaborate costumes and an orchestra. There was no theater department, so the performances were led by the English department. “Edward Hallowell was an English teacher with great influence here at Haverford,” recalls Jim Buck ’77 (nephew of Bill Buck ’46), who sang a cappella during college at Princeton University before co-founding The Tonics, a Philadelphia-area a cappella

stu de nts

pe rfo rm ing at

. the W 1991 hite House Holiday Concert,

group, in 1990. “He introduced the Gilbert and Sullivan productions to the Haverford community. Edward was very much a sympathizer with Victorian England; he had gone to graduate school in Cambridge and brought a lot of English traditions back to us. The shows made Haverford a magnet for talent from around the Main Line.” Stairs introduced all-school musicals (including faculty) in collaboration with the English department. The first was “Oliver!,” directed by English teacher Tim Blankenhorn. Stairs’ hiring also marked the beginning of the Notables, an Upper School a cappella group and one of the nation’s first such ensembles.

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ll during construction ial Ha tenn n e C

Having a vocal program in a boys’ school presents a unique challenge, as boys experience a change of voice during adolescence. In many cases a young boy develops exceptional vocal range and agility, which can then become elusive during the voice change. Haverford had, for some time, adopted a European model for dealing with the voice change whereby musical instruction simply was not offered during those years. In 1989, a group of gifted and motivated Middle School singers requested that Grad provide a choral experience. The achievements of these boys, who later became the Celebrantes, prompted then-Head of Middle School Michael Cunningham to enlist Grad in developing and teaching a full Middle School curriculum. Grad and Stairs continued to innovate, and developed the means by which a Middle School boy whose voice had changed sufficiently could participate in Glee Club, a choral group for tenors and basses. This completed choral sequence promoted exceptional advances for the boys, ensuring Stairs a rich pool of vocal artists to form the Notables. “It was under the guidance and genius of Michael Stairs that I first discovered a strength that I did not know I possessed,” says Bill Golderer ’88. “In those days, there was a select singing group that traditionally was made up of seniors. When I tried out and didn’t make the cut, it was painful and made me question whether I would ever really belong. It was in this moment that I was invited to reframe the experience and build something from scratch. Mr. Stairs took me aside and said, ‘This school has enough talent and enough committed young men for a second group, don’t you think? If you think you can convince people to join, I will help you rehearse.’ I didn’t know until then that I had inside me a desire and a knack for the “startup.” Under the mentorship of Mr. Stairs and with Tyler Bell ’89 as a best friend and co-conspirator, we put in motion a group of remarkable diversity of age, interest, and ability – all of whom agreed to meet weekly at 7 a.m. to bring forward what would become

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Winter 2017

the Notables.” Stairs’ impactful work at Haverford was recognized in 1998 with the inaugural Grace and Mahlon Buck Chair in Music and the Performing Arts, established by Jim Buck ’77, his father, and his two uncles. Outside of Haverford, Stairs’ musical gift brought joy to many from the time he was a young boy. He was riveted by the sweet sounds of the piano and organ as a child, and picked potatoes to pay for lessons. The son of a Baptist pastor, Stairs went to church at least twice every Sunday. “I found where the key to the organ was hidden, so I would sneak into the church and play to my heart’s content,” laughs Stairs. In addition to being an organist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, he assisted on the organ at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and played Pope Francis into St. Martin’s Chapel in St. Charles Borromeo Seminary during his 2015 visit to Philadelphia. He also performed in 1976 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the Eucharistic Congress, at which Mother Teresa spoke. “At the end of the mass, Mother Teresa broke out of the police line – she didn’t want to stay in the procession,” says Stairs. “She came over to me, touched my elbow, and said, ‘My son, you play beautifully.’” In addition to learning and performing under the tutelage of masterful teachers, singers at Haverford had – and continue to have – opportunities to share their sound with the rest of the world. The Haverford School Boychoir performed at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the State House, and a 76ers game, in addition to various locales nationwide. “There were choirs from around the country at Carnegie Hall, but the Haverford boys were the only ones singing with artistic phrasing,” beams Grad. “Our boys were asked to stand up and demonstrate the way the phrases should be sung. It was a moment of tremendous pride for me.” High achieving students of Grad’s also auditioned for and were accepted into Honor Choirs of the American Choral Directors Association. The Honor Choir experience


provided students with challenging repertoire, extensive rehearsal time, and the opportunity to sing with other accomplished musicians under the direction of highly respected conductors. A World-Class Venue

Haverford’s burgeoning and lauded music program demanded a performing arts venue that matched the caliber of its musicians. “In the ’70s, we had to have a stage built on the floor of Ryan Gymnasium to have a space large enough to perform,” states Jim Buck. “I don’t recall having mics or sound … we had to work extra hard to project our voices toward the audience.” The answer was the 650-seat, state-of-the-art Centennial Hall, which gained the attention of media across the country when it was completed in 1984. As reported in a 1990 Philadelphia Inquirer story, the architectural firm Dagit & Associates designed the theater at a cost of $4 million in cooperation with acoustical consultant Robert Hansen. Deibler was instrumental in the design process, meeting regularly with the architects to ensure that every detail – the acoustic design of the classrooms, professional stage lighting, orchestra pit, practice rooms, chairs and music stands, even a formal Austrian opera curtain – would be the very best to inspire and support the boys in achieving their highest potential.

Music At Haverford: Now Eighth Headmaster Joseph T. Cox (1998-2013) is often credited with bringing the arts into focus at Haverford. “Joe Cox redefined what it meant to be a young man,” says Jim Buck. “A modern

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man isn’t just someone who is strong. A modern man is someone who is ethical, someone who cooperates, someone who builds community.” Music Department Chair John Stroud strives every day to build that modern man, and to inspire students to engage with music throughout their lives. He believes that continually opening the door to new modes and types of music is critical to fostering this lifelong love of music. To that end, all Haverford boys learn to play violin in kindergarten using the Suzuki method, developing fine motor skills on a difficult instrument and culminating with a recital at the end of the year. They are exposed to string ensemble beginning in first grade, while second-graders sing as part of Coro Primo (choir). Fourth- and fifth-graders have the option to play in one of two chime choirs, and the Fantastic Fords concert band is open to boys in fourth through eighth grades. Guitar is introduced to all boys in Middle School, and by the time they get to Upper School, they are confident in their musical interests and abilities and can pursue more specialized studies. Boys learn the theory governing how music works, as well as the evolution of music in a historical context, and can explore songwriting and digital music production. “At Haverford, our boys are eager to try new things,” says Stroud. “When we do things, we do them well, and the boys respect excellence. I think that helps to overcome some of the social concerns associated with music at other schools.” Outside of his duties at Haverford, Stroud is Associate Music Director of the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale. He sees his department’s continued involvement in the wider community as critical to fulfilling the mission of the School. “We want the absolute best for our students here at Haverford,” continues Stroud. “We’re committed not just to excellence in teaching, but to being at the top of our fields professionally. This lends a high level of professionalism to the classroom experience, and helps us deliver on our aim to prepare boys for life.”

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PERSONAL NOTES

Alan Stepansky

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♫ Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the country’s oldest symphony orchestra. Alan Stepansky ’78 was a principal player with the organization for 10 years and began his career with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. These experiences established his reputation in the music world early on in his storied career. For many orchestral musicians, playing with a symphony – a secure, stable, and predictable job – is often a lifelong career. For Stepansky, the call to teach was persistent and grew louder with time. “I was very inspired by the teachers that I had all the way through Haverford; they influenced my passion and desire to teach,” he notes. Stepansky reflects on his years at Haverford beginning in sixth grade, singing with Sean Deibler’s boychoir. “It was a very influential and inspirational experience for me; there was incredible energy and vitality in the choir,” says Stepansky. “Roman Pawlowski stretched the boundaries of what I considered music. His knowledgeable and worldly perspective had a huge impact on me, and his passion was infectious.” Stepansky spent time growing up listening to his father – a physician – play the violin in a string quartet that practiced at their home in the evenings. His brothers, Paul ’69,

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David ’73, and Robert ’75, played violin and piano, but it was the cello that spoke to Stepansky. He got his first cello on his seventh birthday and has been playing ever since. “The repertoire for the cello is vast and comes from some of the greatest musical minds and composers of all time,” says Stepansky. “The instrument has its own set of challenges, which increase with the diversity and complexity of the many styles and forms of music in which the cello performs.” “The six Bach Cello Suites are some of the best known pieces for cello. Those are pieces that I have been playing all my life and teaching regularly. I never tire of them because each one is a miraculous representation of musical genius.” Today, Stepansky performs as a soloist and chamber musician, and has an active career in the recording studios of New York, where he is the solo cellist for many major motion picture soundtracks as well as a performer on the albums of artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Sting. He spends much of his time working with serious music students on the art of performance and musicianship. “Great art of any kind inspires you to see life in a very meaningful way – beyond that, the act of being a musician requires you to learn to be comfortable performing in public and to achieve a real mastery of your instrument,” says Stepansky. “I’m not teaching my students only to play in an orchestra, or chamber music, or a solo setting, or a film score, or an album recording … I’m trying to find that central source of musicianship that allows them to be adaptable and to perform at a high level in all of those situations.” Alan Stepansky ’78 is a Professor of Cello at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and Manhattan School of Music; Director of Chamber Music at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts; and Cello Faculty Artist of the Music Academy of the West. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a degree from Harvard University where he studied music theory and musicology and received the Horblit Prize for outstanding musical accomplishments.


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just made sense to me – there’s this a intersection of math and logic, plus an emotional aspect,” says ig ’04, d es Alex Hawthorn ’04, who has helped manage sound design for several Broadway shows. “We have evolved a logical system via physics – why pitch and octaves work the way they do, the difference between an étude and a symphony … it’s a system worth following, and also worth breaking. It gives you this wonderful playground to explore.” While at Haverford, Hawthorn sang in the Lower School choir and played piano and guitar fervently through Middle School. When he got to Upper School and wasn’t cast for the musical and didn’t make the cut for the Notables, he decided to join the stage crew in Centennial Hall. As his theater responsibilities increased and time became squeezed, he was forced to cut music from his life and focus on dramatics. Although it was a difficult decision,

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♫ “There’s a photo of me reaching through the bars of my crib to play the piano beside it,” laughs Chuck Brodsky ’78. “I took piano lessons starting at the age of 5 and was playing by ear in junior high school. I found a real spirit of discovery in music.” In college, Brodsky bought a guitar and embarked on the quest of collecting experiences and stories to become a singer-songwriter. “I sought adventure,” says Brodsky. “I hitchhiked from Philadelphia to San Francisco when I was 21 and ended up spending 15 years there. Those years were critical to my development.” Brodsky played at open mic nights, which eventually progressed to opening act performances and then headlining shows. For three years he traveled throughout Scandinavia and also spent time living in a kibbutz in Israel. “I played music on the street, listened to people’s stories, and absorbed it all.” Back in the U.S., Brodsky went to the 18-day Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and shared his music around campfires following the concerts. “I was surprised and delighted by the way people were reacting to my songs,” reveals Brodsky. So he carved a niche for himself. “I treat my music as an art form, with connections to traditions that go back hundreds if not thousands of years,” explains Brodsky. “I’m rooted in the romantic notion of tradition and bringing meaningful stories to others.” Some call Brodsky a troubadour, others a modern-day bard. He just calls himself a songwriter, but he does believe in the idea of keeping history alive through songs and poetry. Brodsky has performed in Denmark, Ireland, England, Scotland, Latvia, Lithuania, Israel, Canada, and across the U.S. at established music venues and folk festivals. He also puts on storytelling shows, songwriting workshops, and house concerts, and several of his songs have appeared in film and television. “My song “Radio” was used in the 2003 film of

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the same name,” says Brodsky. “It’s the story of a high school football coach who took a developmentally disabled young man under his wing. Writing that song – about ordinary people doing extraordinary things – opened my heart in a big way to other stories and experiences.” When Brodsky returned to Haverford’s campus recently to speak with Middle School boys about life as a songwriter and independent touring musician, he was moved by the breadth of the music curriculum and the words of the Honor Code hanging throughout the halls. “Haverford shaped me into becoming a person who could see value in deeper things,” says Brodsky. “It gave me such a solid foundation as a human being. But before I came back to campus, I underestimated the role that Haverford had in my life. I am so delighted to see the ways the School has grown to become a progressive place where music has real importance.” Chuck Brodsky ’78 attended Pennsylvania State University. He has recorded 11 albums, and 20 of his baseball story songs have a home in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s sound recording library.

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Hawthorn’s fire for theater was fueled and he enrolled at New York University to pursue a career in lighting design. While spending several weeks in Fundamentals of Stagecraft, a course that examined scenery, lighting, sound, and costumes, Hawthorn had a light bulb moment. “I realized that sound design was going to be the way for me to get music back into my life, and how I would combine my two passions of music and theater,” he says. Hawthorn took his talents on the road as a freelance sound designer after graduating from NYU. When we spoke, he was loading equipment from a warehouse in northern New Jersey for “In Transit,” an a cappella Broadway musical for which he is the associate sound designer. One of the goals of a sound designer is to give every person in every seat the same sound experience. The process starts by reviewing drawings of the theater and the scenery and sketching out the “speaker plot” of the show, where the speakers – sometimes up to 300 of them for Broadway shows – will be positioned. Getting the speakers into the venue and positioned correctly can take up to six weeks depending on the size and scope of the show. Then, it’s time to put the speakers to work. “Once we’re set up in a technical manner, we bring in the actors and the costumes and put the lights on them to make everything look magical,” says Hawthorn. “We work 16-hour days, six days a week, for six weeks. Then, we show it to an audience.” Hawthorn and his crew attends the first dozen performances, taking copious notes about what sounds may need to be tweaked, whether the order of particular scenes needs to be modified, and whether sound cues or re-orchestration is necessary. He also pays attention to opening week reviews to help the crew achieve the ideal audience experience. Hawthorn believes that communication is at the heart of great sound design. “I learned how to communicate at Haverford,” he says. “It’s important to know how to approach and talk to other musicians and to the orchestrator. While they are interested in the notes that every musician should be playing, I’m coming at it from a different angle. The verse in a particular song may be full of energy, but if it starts to fall apart in the chorus, maybe we need to move the strings to a different section. It takes a village to create a magical, beautifully fulfilling show.” Alex Hawthorn ’04 has worked throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Asia with his company, Sound Mind Designs. He studied theater design at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

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Ch rist ian

ist l o i v Atanasiu ’01,

♫ “At Haverford, art and music were integral parts of a comprehensive education,” says Christian Atanasiu ’01. “It was the first place where I experienced the social and community aspects of music, and a shared appreciation of this form of art.” Atanasiu is the son of professional musicians – a violinist and cellist. He played violin at a high level as a child, pursued the viola as a student at Swarthmore College, and entered conservatory at age 24. In a competitive world where musical success is often determined by age 21, Atanasiu was not a typical conservatory student and was initially met with some doubt. However, he believes that he was able to learn well and work quickly because of the foundation in analytical and critical thinking that he received at Haverford. “Teachers at Haverford took time not just to explain what things were, but why things were,” says Atanasiu. “A lot of people who end up on the professional performance track don’t even finish high school if they go into a specialized program. They miss a certain part of their education. They might be able to recognize basic emotions, but they haven’t explored their meaning or significance. There are so many different ways to express passion, for example. How do you judge between different kinds of romanticism? How do you go from romanticism to expressionism? These were foreign concepts for most students in conservatory, but I had already had these conversations with teachers at Haverford.” Since 2011, Atanasiu has been the associate principal violist for the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker (Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra) and Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German National Opera on the Rhein), where he performs roughly 60 symphonic concerts and 120 operas annually. This was the first audition Atanasiu took, and the job was his (musicians typically engage in dozens of auditions before winning a job). “Apart from the Met, every other opera house in the U.S. rehearses for about two weeks, then has two weeks of


Travel to the set of a Broadway musical, a house concert in Texas, or the banks of the Rhine River for an orchestra performance by visiting haverford.org/HSTmusic.

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performances, and continues that cycle,” says Atanasiu. In his first year with Deutsche Oper am Rhein, he rehearsed six operas and played 25, each one averaging about 75 pages of music. “When you have to learn 30 operas in one year, there simply isn’t enough time to learn every page of music,” he says. “You have to learn how to read music as it comes to you on the sheet.” Atanasiu is one of about 11,000 orchestra musicians employed by the German government. “The city of Berlin spends 20 times as much on the arts as the entire National Endowment for the Arts,” states Atanasiu. “Art music tradition exists in Germany in a way that it doesn’t anywhere else; it’s the idea that art exists only for itself and to express emotions, feelings, ideas, or concepts – or a lack of these things.” One of his favorite career moments is when he toured last year with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, playing nine concerts in three days at the Tokyo International Forum. “We sold out 5,000 seats every night, playing Hector Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” to standing ovations,” says Atanasiu. “A lot of Japanese orchestras are technically clean and proficient but not very interesting. We’re maybe a little more passionate and intense, and even wild.” Christian Atanasiu ’01 is an associate principal violist with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and Deutsche Oper am Rhein. He earned a B.A. from Swarthmore College, as well as a master’s degree in music and a Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes College.

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♫ Grammy and Emmy award-winning music director and composer Paul Bogaev ’71 is filled with vigor. On a recent visit to campus, Bogaev took over the piano in Mark Hightower’s classroom and played “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” from “Oliver!,” a musical that is close to his heart. He serves on the board of the New Paradigm Theater in Connecticut, which just reinvented the story of Oliver Twist. Bogaev was the show’s music director and also played Fagan, the leader of the young pickpockets. “Our theater supports underprivileged kids in the arts, and my work with New Paradigm is one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” says Bogaev. “We modernized the score by adding funk and hip hop, and brought in an incredibly talented multigenerational, multicultural cast.” Among Bogaev’s credits are the Oscar-winning “Chicago” and “Dreamgirls,” and Broadway sensations “Aida” and “The Lion King.” He has worked with Whitney Houston, Elton John, Phil Collins, and Bono and Edge of U2. He was commissioned to write a choral version of the Gettysburg Address, accompanied by Glenn Close. Bogaev is a visiting lecturer at Princeton University on “Springsteen in America.” “I’m all over the place,” he laughs. “I like a number of things.” Growing up, his music soul was fed at The Main Point in Bryn Mawr, where he reveled in the sounds of James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Bruce Springsteen during the 1970s. While Bogaev’s fascination with Springsteen may have started within the walls of The Main Point, it goes a bit deeper. “My father, Dr. Jules Bogaev, saved the life of Philadelphia mobster Phillip Testa, the “chicken man” referenced in the first line of “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen.” Bogaev has covered some of Springsteen’s work, which is how he landed the Princeton University gig. “In a way, I’m getting back to my rock ‘n’ roll roots,” he says. At Haverford, Paul sang in and accompanied Glee Club and performed in several Upper School plays. After graduating, Bogaev attended Cornell University for one year, then went to New York City to study privately and pursue acting before gaining admission to The Juilliard

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School. Bogaev nabbed the lead in “Hair” at age 21 and continued to expand his repertoire by pursuing conducting. His interests and passions intersected at the highlight of his career: being asked to take the music of Elton John and turn it into Broadway’s “The Lion King.” “I got to do everything – arrange it, co-orchestrate it, conduct it,” gushes Bogaev. “We’re about to open a company in Korea. The show just hasn’t stopped!” Throughout the incredible breadth of conducting, composing, arranging, and performing, at least one thing has remained consistent: the importance of infusing emotion into every interaction. “This field isn’t easy; there’s big highs, but also big lows,” admits Bogaev. “The best thing I ever learned was from a Hungarian piano teacher at Juilliard: ‘express, don’t impress.’ You may play technically well, but can you convey emotion? “Impress” is for you, but “express” is for others. Instead of using music to show off, can you use it to create an experience for others?” Paul Bogaev ’71 studied at The Juilliard School and is a visiting lecturer on “Springsteen in America” at Princeton University. He served on the Haverford Leadership Council from 2008-10 and was named Distinguished Alumnus in 2003.

o ch S sic n Mu ♫ The home of Piruz ol

Pir uz

Par tow ’94, Brookly

Partow ’94 was filled with music from an early age. “My parents, both from Iran, were big fans of classical Persian music,” says Partow. “My father was an engineer, but played the Persian tar. That fostered my passion for music.” Partow has fond, vivid memories of singing in Haverford’s boychoir and learning from talented music teachers. “I remember doing an independent study in classical Persian music during my senior year with Mr. Stairs

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and Mr. Mercer,” recalls Partow. “It affected the trajectory of my entire life. I’ve spent the last eight or nine years playing the Persian tar. I write and perform with a world country band, Vatan.” Playing the tar enabled Piruz to bond with his parents and with Persians. “To be able to go to Iran, and for them to see somebody born and raised in America take such interest in their classical music … that was special. It all started with that intense study at Haverford. It laid a foundation and base for me that allowed me to find my own voice as a musician and an artist.” Music also provided some solace for Partow. “Music played a companion in the alone time that a Haverford School student needs to better himself,” he states. “It also played a role in sports. When Neil Buckley [wrestling coach] was away, we would blast Led Zeppelin and classic rock. I listened to my Walkman on the way to a wrestling match or a soccer game, and listened to the radio with teammates on the way to row. Music made these experiences more genuine and got me through it, really.” Following his studies at Haverford, Hobart, and the University of the Arts, Partow lived in Brussels, Belgium, where he worked in several orchestras, taught music, and toured in European jazz bands. Partow began working at Brooklyn Music School (BMS) in 2006 as the school’s string department director. The adventure began while he was on tour with legendary jazz drummer George Reed in 2003 and received a call from the then-executive director of BMS. She asked him to teach violin to six classes of 30 third-graders in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and he eagerly agreed. “To pull it off and see them perform gave me a taste of my power and ability to communicate music,” says Partow. Most recently, Partow has launched a partnership with alumni of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. BMS is adopting the principles of positive reinforcement and applying them to music education. “Positive psychology acknowledges this fear of being judged,” he says. “We take the concept of trauma and the pedagogical learning of an instrument, and create a growing and learning opportunity. Our faculty use various tactics to provide a positive and enriching experience for our inner-city student base.” Partow is committed to making music as accessible as possible through financial aid and scholarships, despite having a relatively small endowment and limited funding. “I received a scholarship to complete my senior year at Haverford,” he reflects. “That opportunity has enlightened me to pass an education onto countless other families that probably wouldn’t otherwise have music for their children.” Piruz Partow ’94 is executive director of the Brooklyn Music School. He was a “lifer” at Haverford. Piruz earned a B.A. in music theory at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts. In addition to leading Brooklyn Music School, he plays the Persian tar in his world country band, Vatan.


Ge o

♫ An expertly crafted, properly tuned instrument can pay homage to a masterful work and the performing musician. George Crawford ’68 has spent nearly 45 years restoring grand pianos, painstakingly deconstructing, examining, and rebuilding these beauties over a six-month period. Crawford’s grandfather, father, and mother played piano, and he started playing at age 7. By high school, he was getting gigs at Haverford School functions along with a classmate. “I can’t say we were very good, but we got along,” laughs Crawford. Crawford has enjoyed tinkering since he was a kid. “When I first started developing an approach to designing soundboards, I thought back to Haverford – the topographical maps we created in elementary school and the line drawing techniques we used in shop class,” he says. “Drawing out the contours on the edge of the soundboard, using a router to step the thickness of the soundboard, and then blending it with a sander produced excellent results. At the time, the way people would trim the edges of a soundboard was pretty crude and inaccurate – they’d just thin it out with a belt sander.” Crawford went to work at a motorcycle shop after graduating from the University of North Carolina with a degree in early childhood education. He was unsure of the next step in his life, until his father showed him some news articles about piano restoration. “My father talked about piano restoration being a dying art,” recalls Crawford. “I was involved in the early environmental movement and had started to think about recycling pianos, so this seemed like a good fit. I completed a home study course out of Florida for $300 and immediately landed a job in the music department at the University of North Carolina.” Crawford went on to work for the some of the titans of the piano industry: Kawai Piano in Santa Barbara, California; Bechstein Piano in Paris; and Lechmere Piano in Boston. In 1992, he started Aardvark Piano Restorations and has since installed more than 500 new piano soundboards on Steinway and Mason & Hamlin grand pianos. Crawford has rebuilt all of the pianos at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University for the last 25 years. “Pianos are the only instruments, other than big percussion, that a musician doesn’t bring with them to perform,” says Crawford. “It is very demanding on a piano technician to suit specific needs of multiple pianists on a single instrument.” Most pianos coming through Crawford’s shop were built between 1900 and 1920, with the oldest restoration being an 1870 Chickering. Steinway pianos cost around $100,000 and can be restored for $25,000 – a process that takes place only about once every 100 years. Approximately 70 percent of restoration work deals with deconstructing and reconstructing the strings, metal plate, soundboard pinblock, and thousands of mechanical parts. The remaining portion of the work is refining and balancing the piano to get the right

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power and touch needed by a client. “Some of the work is rugged using a chainsaw, and some is using a needle to soften the hammers to balance and blend the tone,” explains Crawford. Crawford keeps his art alive in part by serving on the advisory board of the North Bennet Street School, the oldest industrial school in the country with programs in piano technology, cabinet making, bookbinding, violin making, locksmithing and other esoteric careers. He has also served as president of the Boston Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild. Crawford says, “Being able to share some of your knowledge and mentor the future is a reward unto itself.” George Crawford ’68 has operated Aardvark Piano Restorations since 1992. He has installed more than 500 soundboards, primarily rebuilding Steinway grand pianos. Crawford attended the University of North Carolina. He is a member of The Haverford School’s Athletic Hall of Fame (1966 wrestling team).

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ALUMNI

The 2016-17 Haverford School Board of Trustees (Front row, from left): Oray B. Boston Jr. P’17; Jennifer Paradis P’20; Jason Ingle P’22; Caroline De Marco P’20 ’22; Maurice Glavin ’83, P’14 ’16 ’20; Jen Pechet P’15 ’17; Bill Hambleton; John Nagl, Headmaster; Brant Henderson ’74, P’12 ’14 ’18; David Ford Jr. ’93, P’24 ’26, Treasurer; Michael Lewis ’99; Barbara Klock P’23 ’23; Sharon Merhige P’16 ’18, Secretary; Stephenie Tellez P’14 ’18 ’23; Jack Lynch P’10 ’12; Liz Anderson P’14; (back row) Ravi Reddy ’90; Laddie Montague ’56; Peter Rohr P’12 ’13 ’15; George McFarland Jr. ’77; Randall Drain Jr. ’01; Jay Wilkins Jr. ’95; Bill Harrington P’24 ’24; Bill Yoh ’89, P’18 ’24, Chairman; Tom Williams P’17; John Hollway P’18; Jeff Lee ’95; and Geordie Lemmon Jr. ’79, P’12 ’19. Not pictured: Amy Petersen P’15, Vice Chairman; and Chris Maguire P’16 ’19.

New members of the 2016-17 Board of Trustees (From left) Michael Lewis ’99, Laddie Montague ’56, Jennifer Paradis P’20, and Stephenie Tellez P’14 ’18 ’23. Not pictured: Ravi Reddy ’90.

Members of the 2016-17 Alumni Executive Council (Front row, from left) Peter Hennessey ’95, Steve McConnell ’89, Greg Murray ’03, Drew Mozino ’58, Alumni Association President Brant Henderson ’74, Headmaster John Nagl, and Rick Garrity ’01; (middle row) Robert Corcoran ’82 and Director of Alumni Relations Andrew Bailey ’02; (back row) Senior Director of Major Gifts George Wood ’75, Rob Hastings ’86, Henry Faragalli ‘86, Mike Reese ’98, Turk Thacher ’62, Sam Barnett ’65, Avery Cook ’93, Austin Hepburn ’75, Lathrop Nelson ‘93, Alumni Association Vice President Josh Levine ’94, and Thomas Lindberg ’07. Not pictured: Harrison Jacobs ’91, Alumni Association Secretary Jack Kirkpatrick ’88, Casey O’Rourke ’05, John Silverthorne ’68, Jay Wright ’96, and Geoff Wright ’01.

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ALUMNI

Alumni Regional Receptions Denver (Right) Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ’70 hosted Denver area alumni for a reception at the Governor’s Mansion on July 7. After the reception, alumni and friends attended a Rockies vs. Phillies baseball game at Coors Field.

Washington, D.C. (Below) Washington, D.C., area alumni gathered at Old Ebbitt Grill for their annual reception on Oct. 27. Special guests included Associate Headmaster Brian McBride ’82 and Athletic Director John Nostrant.

New York (Above) New York City area alumni gathered at the New York Athletic Club for the annual reception on Dec. 8. Alumni from the 1950s to mid-2000s reconnected and reminisced. Special guests included Headmaster John Nagl and Board Chairman Bill Yoh ’89.

Chicago (Left) Chicago area alumni gathered at Palmer House Hilton during the Chicago Cubs championship playoff run on Oct. 20.

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ALUMNI

T he BrownlowSociety FOR YOUNG ALUMNI

More than 60 young alumni gathered at 333 Belrose Bar & Grill (owned by chef Carlo deMarco ’82) on Nov. 11 for the annual Brownlow Society-Young Alumni EA Day event. The group heard from Headmaster John Nagl, Athletic Director John Nostrant, and the fall athletic coaches on what turned out to be a 5-0 sweep on Haverford/EA Day!

T he Notables Reunion

Past and present Notables gathered on Nov. 23 in Centennial Hall for a reunion a cappella concert. A group of 17 students kicked off the night with “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Say Something.” Twenty-two alumni then joined them for 11 songs, including “Precious Lord,” “For the Longest Time,” “Hooked on a Feeling,” and “Lonesome Road.”

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ALUMNI

Annual T hanksgiving BREAKFAST AND SPORTS

Annual Thanksgiving football Maroon (1996-2009) and gold (2010-16) teams of alumni competed in the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl. The maroon team won, 52-46, on the final drive of the game. Chris Ambrogi ’09 was named the game’s MVP for his outstanding performance on the field. This marks the 7th consecutive win for the older alums!

Annual Thanksgiving soccer Alumni from seven decades (1950-2010) played two hours of spirited soccer against combinations of varsity players aided by a few college-age alums. The game ended on a golden goal bicycle kick by Jeremiah White ’00. While no team was declared victorious, based on the huge attendance, including Coaches Tatta and Brady, it’s clear that the entire Haverford soccer program was the winner.

Annual Thanksgiving breakfast Alumni fuel up before the day’s athletic contests.

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Charles Lukens Huston III ’53 Take us on the journey from your Haverford graduation in 1953, to retiring from Lukens Steel Company in 1990.

Following graduation, I attended the University of Virginia until 1954, when I received my draft notice. While waiting for my military orders, I enrolled in Spring Garden Institute (SGI) in Philadelphia and earned a diploma in mechanical technology. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in April 1956, where I applied my drafting skills, learned at The Haverford School and SGI, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Tactical Weapons Design Headquarters. Fast forward to 1960. Following my honorable discharge, I began my employment at Lukens Steel Company in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, as a draftsman’s apprentice in the product engineering division. Then, I moved on to steel making operations where I helped to design on-the-spot, one-of-a-kind handling devices to carry hot ingots. In 1981, I transitioned into advocacy work as Lukens Steel’s Vice President of Government Relations. As part of this work, I testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriation Subcommittee on Trade, to successfully argue on behalf of the American Iron and Steel Institute fair pricing “Buy American” provision. At the time (and still today), foreign imports were “dumping” their steel products in U.S. ports of entry. You are a direct descendant of Rebecca Lukens, Lukens Steel Company’s founder and our nation’s first female industrialist. What lessons were passed down from Ms. Lukens?

courageous in her devotion to a steel production facility. That facility has lasted to this day, serving the needs of our nation and of others around the globe. While it has been 63 years since I graduated from The Haverford School, I have benefitted from realizing that graduating with the rank of the last in my class gave me the incentive to advance forward and upward in whatever position of life I find myself facing. Haverford teachers and sports coaches built the ultimate life model.

ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT

PROFILE IN SERVICE

What role did Lukens Steel Company play in the history of our country?

Steel manufacturing and processing is the backbone of any industrial nation. Many steel companies have downsized or gone out of business in the U.S., but Lukens Steel Company, founded in the early 1800s, still exists as a division of the worldwide steel corporation ArcelorMittal. The company operates in Coatesville and Conshohocken, where it bought the former Alan Wood Steel Company in 1980. Lukens’ steel was used to construct the World Trade Center, the Tappan Zee Bridge, the world’s first nuclearpowered submarine (“Nautilus”), as well as tanks, aircraft carriers, sailboats, and other applications that required specialty military and commercial steel. Charles Lukens Huston III ’53 is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Huston Foundation, a private family charitable foundation created in 1957.

She was ahead of her time, steadfast in her Quaker beliefs, and haverford.org

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“The greatest gift I have ever been given is the opportunity to get an education like the one I am getting at Haverford. My life has been transformed entirely for the better. My greatest hope is that Haverford continues to receive support so more kids like me – boys just as worthy and deserving of this wondrous opportunity – can receive the same education, so more lives can be transformed.” – Jose , VI Former

IN JUST 10 MINUTES, YOU COULD HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON THE BOYS AT THE HAVERFORD SCHOOL EITC – OSTC – PKTC Programs (State Tax Credits) Critical funding benefits more than 160 Haverford School students from under-resourced families starting with our pre-k program through our senior class. Through the Educational Improvement (EITC), Opportunity Scholarship (OSTC), and Pre-K Scholarship (PKTC) programs, state tax credits are available for companies that do business in Pennsylvania and make a gift to The Haverford School for our tuition assistance program. How do the tax credit programs work? You complete and submit the online application on July 1. Once approved, your business will be notified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and write a check to The Haverford School, instead of to Harrisburg. Up to 90% of the amount given is then returned to your business as a state tax credit. In effect, it costs a dime to give a dollar. For the PKTC program, businesses may receive a 100% tax credit up to the first $10,000 and receive a tax credit equal to 90% for any additional amount donated. For more information, please visit www.haverford.org/eitc or contact Matt Nierenberg, Major Gifts Officer, mnierenberg@haverford.org or 484-417-2794. You can also apply directly to www.newpa.com/eitc. The form is quick and simple.


Jes Bickhart ’09 As a development executive with Gidden Media, what do you foresee as the future of content distribution?

We’re in the age of alternative reality and virtual reality. The best content on both of these platforms will originate the same way we have been telling stories for decades – through content development and specialized blue collar, physical production. We will see massive consolidation of theater chains and media companies. If you want to go to the theater to see the latest blockbuster, you will pay a premium; expect the highest quality projection, sound, seating, and in-seat dining. With virtual reality, you will be able to watch Ridley Scott’s Gladiator in a 3D rendering of the Coliseum … from anywhere in the arena. You can sit courtside at a live 76ers game without leaving your living room. Alternative reality will project a wall-sized virtual television in your living room with emails tracked to your coffee table surface, simply by putting on glasses – and contact lenses soon after. Note a favorite Haverford School memory or teacher.

I still remember that dusty ethereal aura of opening night on stage in Centennial Hall: the curtain still closed, waiting for the drum solo from Phil Collins in the dressing room … there was definitely something in the air those nights. I remember the philosophical conversations with Mr. Dall that had us reeling with laughter, reciting “O Captain! My Captain!” on top of my desk in Mr. Ranzer’s English class, and Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” in Worth’s. I remember early mornings in the gym before the sun came up and long warm-downs in the pool afterward. I remember becoming fascinated with web design

in Mr. Archer’s computer class and staying late after sports to build my first website on cheesesteaks. I remember reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream facing the wall in Mr. Kopp’s room and failing my first paper in Mr. Duffany’s class because I couldn’t quite figure out how to diagram a sentence correctly. What was your inspiration for your side venture, Tideturner?

In college, my best friend and I built websites and apps to solve everyday grievances that we were unable to solve through traditional channels. Tideturner is the amalgamation of years of experimenting. At Haverford, I was a co-chair of the Service Board; this experience led me to ask why we still haven’t solved some of the significant issues that continue to plague our world. I built Tideturner to make giving simple. With a “set and forget” donation platform of $10 a month, people can choose one of seven charities to donate to each month, and they receive frequent updates on the impact of their gift.

ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT

FUTURE-READY

What makes you proud?

I am most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to build and maintain a great relationship with my family despite being 3,000 miles away. Accolades, projects, and jobs come and go, but if you do it right, relationships last a lifetime. Jes Bickhart ’09 is a development executive at Gidden Media, as well as a filmmaker and photographer. He is co-founder of Tideturner, a giving platform that encourages millennials to connect with causes and make real, impactful change in their communities. Jes graduated magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in film and television production. haverford.org

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CLASS NOTES

MILESTONES

` In Memoriam The School has learned of the following deaths. Available obituaries can be found online at haverford.org/obits. 1935 John Watts Roberts ` June 14, 2016 1937 Dr. John J. Gartland ` Nov. 21, 2016 1938 William Bradford Whiting ` Aug. 15, 2016 1941 John Watts Baer “Jack” Bausman III ` June 9, 2016 1942 Francis Thomas “Tom” Adams Jr. ` July 12, 2016 1943 Charles Ernest “Ernie” Buzby III ` Sept. 15, 2016 1944 Dr. Thomas Douglas Graff ` April 26, 2016 1945 John Pealer Troxell ` April 5, 2016 1946 Dr. Elmer Rambo “Bo” Lindsay ` March 23, 2016 1947 Dr. Albert Gould Davis “Dave” Philip ` March 28, 2016 1947 Charles Andrew “Reds” Rowland Jr. ` May 18, 2016 1947 Harry Creci Yarrow Jr. ` July 12, 2016 1948 Edward Ernst “Ed” Gardiner ` Dec. 26, 2015 1948 Peter Hoadley Sellers ` Nov. 25, 2014 1948 Dr. John Anwyl Tucker ` April 12, 2016 1949 Richard Stuart “Dick” BreMiller ` April 27, 2014 1949 A. Webster “Web” Dougherty Jr. ` Aug. 4, 2016 1951 Michael Myers “Mike” McFall ` June 27, 2016 1952 Joseph E. Holmes Kennedy ` June 21, 2016 1952 John G. Freney ` Nov. 28, 2016 1954 Peter K. Rosengarten ` December 2016 1956 Bernard Albert ”Benno” Sack Jr. ` May 13, 2016 1957 Dr. Ralph Taggart “Tag” Geer ` Oct. 13, 2016 1958 John F. Christie III ` Nov. 1, 2016 1963 Joseph Gumbes “Joe” Barker ` April 8, 2016 1965 Abdel Aziz Hassan Sabry El Kholi ` Jan. 29, 2016 1972 Michael Lee Madden ` Sept. 3, 2016 1974 James Roy Derrick Jr. ` May 18, 2016 1980 Ira Milton Saligman ` July 31, 2016 2001 Andrew M. Hoffman ` Aug. 11, 2016 Faculty Edward O. “Ted” Shakespeare II ` July 2, 2016

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Marriages 1975 George Wood married Nina Weisbord on Nov. 26, 2016. 1991 Brady Kramer married Pauline Mita on Sept. 24, 2016. 1997 Pete Hoffmann married Sarah Gamble on Nov. 5, 2016. 2001 Jon Crowell married Sydney Waldron on Oct. 8, 2016. 2001 Brendan Kent married Amy Dymond on May 7, 2016. 2001 Dave Turner married Colleen Torrence on May 7, 2016. 2002 Louis Abruzzese married Alli Stanfield on Oct. 1, 2016. 2003 Todd Carabasi married Maria del Mar Tovar on April 16, 2016. 2004 Imani Hutty married Laura Iheanachor on Sept. 4, 2016. 2005 Matt Marcucci married Aly Gibson on Sept. 9, 2016. 2006 Jake Rogers married Jessica Kwon on Oct. 2, 2015.

Births 1996 Stuart Ambrose and Megan McNulty welcomed son Huck Michael Ambrose on July 9, 2016. 1996 Chris and Lainey Phelen welcomed son Madoc August William Phelen on July 24, 2016. 1997 John and Janine Helwig welcomed son Mathias Emile Helwig on Oct. 20, 2016. 1999 Luke and Britt Ogelsby welcomed son Asher Mils Ogelsby on Sept. 28, 2016. 2000 Scott and Anne Fagan welcomed daughter Hannah Leigh Fagan on Aug. 18, 2016. 2000 Andrew and Kelly Anne Serke welcomed daughter Anna Louise Serke on July 13, 2016. 2000 Austin and Mary Tellam welcomed son Teddy Tellam on Oct. 5, 2016. 2001 Topher and Cathleen Grossman welcomed son William Martin Grossman on Oct. 24, 2016. 2002 Dan and Mary Bracey welcomed daughter Stirling Elin Bracey on Aug. 30, 2016. 2002 Dane and Kerri Collins welcomed son Louis John Heilei Collins on Oct. 17, 2016. 2003 Justin and Ashley Drinkwine welcomed son Jackson Everett Drinkwine on Oct. 27, 2016.


Making a gift to The Haverford School is easy. Write a check mail it in one of those Haverford Fund reply envelopes that you’re collecting on your desk!

Pull out your credit card

Go to the Venmo app

and make a donation online at: haverford.org/onlinegiving

and send your gift (@thehaverfordschool).

Call me Cindy Shaw (P’16 ’19) at 484-417-2788 if you would like to make a pledge. I’ll send you a reminder when your payment is due.


REFLECTIONS

Bringing teaching to life By Eileen Buckwalter and Rosalee Innocent, pre-kindergarten teachers

The Haverford School’s pre-kindergarten classroom is defined by exploration. Haverford is one of the few schools across the country adopting integrated learning, a topic we presented to educators at the Staff Development for Educators Conference in Orlando, Florida. By teaching subject areas through a thematic unit, students learn more, are better able to retain facts, and have a heightened ability to apply the lessons to broader concepts. Research has shown that children taught under this approach have better overall comprehension and can aptly consider various perspectives, assess information, and work cooperatively. What is integrated learning? At Haverford, we define integrated learning as a combination of subjects, helping students make connections across curricula in a way that mimics real life. This approach to teaching is not new; it originated in ancient Greece under Socrates and Plato, and was demonstrated through the work of educators and child development experts, including John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Howard Gardner, and Benjamin Bloom. These individuals believed that all studies grow out of relations to our common world, and that to reach higher forms of thinking, subjects should not be taught in isolation but should be taught congruently, in ways that engage various methods of learning. Integrated learning is flexible and deliberate, and requires three approaches: 1) adult-led learning: introduce a concept and allow for exploration; 2) child-directed learning: investigate the concept through creative play; and 3) teachable moments: create spontaneous learning opportunities for students to apply the knowledge. In pre-kindergarten, we practice integrated learning by encouraging deep focus on the themes of the Atlantic Ocean, Lenape Native Americans, holiday traditions, China, Russia, England, and Philadelphia. Within each of these themes, we teach math, language arts, geography, writing, science, history, and wellness. We know that boys learn best through sensory, hands-on

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experiences, and that they are motivated to succeed when they are engaged. During their study of the Atlantic Ocean, for example, the boys transform their classroom into the layers of the sea. It’s filled with the animals that live along the coastline, the architecture that one might see along the beach, the types of rocks and debris that are common to the area, and the varying environments that exist from Maine to Florida. They measure the length of a whale, study shapes and patterns in creating their own lighthouse, and examine various textures found in the ocean. The boys learn new vocabulary like “mammal” and “abyss;” we first provide a formal definition of the word, then the students retell the definition using their own words, create a picture that represents the word, and engage in games, journaling, and dramatic play to internalize the word. This frequent use of words, concepts, and sounds, reinforced in our classroom’s auditory processing center, helps bolster the boys’ expressive and receptive language skills and builds capacity for working memory. Integrated learning is key in fulfilling Haverford’s aim to be a leader in educating boys. We are equipping boys with the skills they need to be successful – not only in pre-kindergarten and the Lower School, but as collaborators, problem solvers, and productive members of the community.

Want to hear more from our extraordinary educators?

The Big Room Blog haverford.org/blog


May 5-6 2017

See full schedule of events at haverford.org/alumniweekend.


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