-
H OLDERNESS S CHOOL TODAY Spring 2012 Also Inside:
Catching up with Walt Kesler A visit from author Bill McKibben An Oscar for Nat Faxon ’93 Evidence of conspiracy from Peter Janney ’66 A life mystery solved by Justin Orr ’59
Sacred Studies Today’s students arrive more religiously diverse than ever before, and also knowing less about religion. What’s an Episcopal Church school to do?
This page: The pews of the Trinity Chapel, only the second Episcopal Church built in New Hampshire, and the site of the school’s opening sermon in 1879. It is still used each year for several school events. Photo by Art Durity. Front cover: Language teacher Lew Overaker, who is only semi-retired, serves as lay eucharistic minister during this spring’s confirmation service in the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Photo by Emily Magnus ’88. Back cover: The chapel choir performs during a winter service. Photo by Emily Magnus ’88.
Holderness School Board of Trustees Holderness School Today
Jonathan R. Baum
Volume XXVIII, No. 1
Grace Macomber Bird Frank Bonsal III ’82 Elizabeth Bunce F. Christopher Carney ’75 Russell Cushman ’80 The Rev. Randolph Dales (Secretary) Nigel D. Furlonge Tracy McCoy Gillette ’89 (Alumni Association President)
Charlie Day ’15 was one of our spiritual leaders at Girls JV Hockey Superstar games this winter.
Douglas H. Griswold ’66 Robert J. Hall James B. Hamblin II ’77 (Treasurer) Jan. R. Hauser Paul Martini Richard Nesbitt Peter Nordblom Susan L. Paine ’82 R. Phillip Peck
Features
Thomas N. Phillips ’75 Tamar Pichette William L. Prickett ’81 (Chairperson)
4
Sacred Studies The school’s affiliation with the Episcopal Church has
Jake Reynolds ’86
never been up for debate, but how we teach and practice
The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson (President) Ian Sanderson ’79
religion has always been argued about. Today’s students
Jennifer A. Seeman ’88
are more religiously diverse than ever, and also less
Harry Sheehy
knowledgable about religion itself. It’s an interesting
Gary A. Spiess
situation.
Jerome Thomas ’95 Ellyn Paine Weisel ’86
12 Headmaster Emeritus
Vehicles of the spirit Former chaplain Walt Kesler grew up with dreams of
The Rev. Brinton W. Woodward, Jr.
commanding a submarine. On the threshold of that command, he abandoned the Navy for the Episcopal
Honorary Trustees Warren C. Cook
ministry and Holderness School. We catch up with Walt
Piper Orton ’74
to find out how that worked out then, and since leaving
W. Dexter Paine III ’79
Holderness.
The Rt. Rev. Douglas Theuner
Holderness School Today
Departments 2
From the Schoolhouse
Editor: Rick Carey Editor Emeritus: Jim Brewer
3
Stopping By Woods
3
Letters to HST
15
Honor Roll
16
Around the Quad
30
Special Programs
32
Sports
36
Update: Faculty & Staff
38
Update: Former Faculty & Staff
41
Alumni in the News
50
Alumni & Parent Relations
52
At This Point in Time
Assistant Editors: Dee Black Rainville, Robert Caldwell, Emily Magnus ’88, Jane McNulty, Phil Peck, Judith Solberg, Melissa Stuart, Julie Walker, Amy Woods Photography: Emily Magnus ’88, Steve Solberg, Art Durity, Phil Peck HST is printed on recycled paper three times each year by the Springfield Printing Corporation. Please send notice of address changes to Julie Walker, Advancement Office, Holderness School, P.O. Box 1879, Plymouth, NH 03264, or jwalker@holderness.org. Julie may also be contacted at 603-779-5220.
Winter Carnival, the lipsynch part: page 24.
Schoolhouse From the
Phil Peck speaks to graduating seniors at the Trinity Chapel.
A little school with
Head of School Phil Peck notes that there are a lot of different things—in addition to the chapel and our spiritual leaders—that fit under the umbrella of spirituality at Holderness.
A
soul
LONG-TIME HEAD OF
school who
knows Holderness well recently told an alum-
build; the service orientation of our community outreach; a diversity program that helps in
nus that what distinguishes our community is
many ways to "build community across and
the fact that "Holderness is a school with a
among differences"; the communal nature of
soul."
There is no greater compliment
we
could receive than those simple words—“a
family-style meals; an outdoor program that is more than just climbing mountains; and athlet-
school with soul." Yes, we have terrific courses,
ics that focus more on sportsmanship than
superb athletics, great college placement, and
championships.
attractive facilities. But all those are for naught
Of course you can see this soul in the fac-
unless we are living the final words of our mis-
ulty who freely give of themselves to
sion statement, "to work for the betterment of
Holderness, and who find Holderness a calling,
humankind and God's creation."
a lifestyle, not a job. Or in our trustees, many
In this issue of HST you'll read about the
of whom are not alumni or parents, but friends
formal spiritual components of our community.
of the school who see something unique and
You’ll read how Pete Woodward in the late
special in this community's soul. You can also
1970's took us back to our roots by reinstituting
see this quality in guests like environmentalist
chapel twice a week, similar to the program in
Bill McKibben, who ultimately sees his work
place today.You'll also read about the spiritual
as an outreach of his deep Christian faith.
life strategic planning retreats we hold to keep
Finally, perhaps the best test of whether we are
us a dynamic spiritual community.You'll read
living our mission is what our alumni do with
about long-time chaplain Walt Kesler, and
their lives, and in this issue you'll read not only
about Bishop Dallas and the active role he
about the accolades our alumni have achieved,
played in the daily life of the Holderness com-
but also about their calling.
munity, and about the nature of
the theology
requirement.You’ll learn how the Episcopal
This calling has been in place since Bishop Niles helped establish a little school in
faith helps support the multifaceted nature of
the White Mountains with the motto Pro Deo et
spirituality at Holderness, and about the differ-
Genere Humano. My sense and hope is that in
ent services and locations where chapel occurs. But being a "school with a soul" is more
133 years that same sacred calling will be evident in this little "school with a soul."
than the formal spiritual programs. Having a soul has to do with what students and faculty do every day: the leadership and job programs that stress service leadership; the Special Programs and the qualities of character they
2
Holderness School Today
Phil Peck
Stopping By Woods
by Rick Carey
Something of a change at the top is in the offing for HST.
W
OW, HAS IT BEEN MORE THAN
two decades already? In 1991 I
was looking to move from the Alaskan Bush back to New Hampshire. I loved teaching in the Bush, but I wanted my
children to grow up in a more mainstream environment and within
have to skim over them with sound-bites, as many editors must do elsewhere. Starting on July 1, however, I’ll only be one of HST’s editors. Since 2007 I’ve also been teaching in Southern New Hampshire
reach of their relatives. Headmaster Pete Woodward, meanwhile, had
University’s low-residency MFA creative writing program, and on that
created a new half-time position—Director of Public Relations—and
date I’ll be assuming as well the duties of assistant director of that pro-
made my move possible by hiring me for the job. It wasn’t a lot of
gram. I’m hoping that this will also provide me more time to finish a
money, but within a few years my children were attending Holderness,
book project that has absorbed the last eight years of my nights and
a richer environment than I had dreamed possible for them. I much
weekends.
appreciated that.
Many employers would wish me good luck at that point and col-
One of my first job duties involved learning from Jim Brewer how
lect my keys. Phil Peck and this school, however, have proven flexible
to assemble and publish his tabloid-newspaper version of Holderness
enough to let me keep working here on a part-time basis. I’ll continue
School Today. During the 1990s, of course, with the arrival of desktop
to write and edit portions of this magazine. The balance will be turned
publishing and the internet, communication between the school and its
over to someone else.
constituencies got to be a much bigger job. Soon I was working fulltime with a new job title—Director of Communications—and in 1995 expanding HST from a tabloid to a magazine.
It’s time for a change of gears, and I look forward to doing just that in July. I’ll regret, however, having less than a full draught of this plum assignment. And I haven’t yet mentioned one of its greatest pleas-
The flow of information continued to expand, and in 2005 I
ures, which has been correspondence with the magazine’s readers and
stepped aside as Director of Communications to concentrate (mostly) on what I loved best about the job: writing and editing and assembling this magazine. And as Director of Publications (i.e., editor of this magazine) I really had a plum assignment.
the subjects of many of its articles. Sometimes, of course, this happens for unfortunate reasons. Once you publish a print-media magazine, you can’t pull it up on the website later and change something. Whatever it is, it’s just there. Therefore I
First, I got to tell stories about a school and a community with a
try to be careful in the first place about facts and names and typos and
treasure-chest of stories to tell. The history of Holderness—with its
everything else, but inevitably—even with a cadre of good proofread-
fires and financial crises and legendary heads and schoolmasters—reads
ers—something slips through.
like a good PBS miniseries. The school’s present era over two decades has been populated by more heads and schoolmasters on their way to
And so it happens that in our last issue US Marine Stephen Martin ’07, who returned from Afghanistan last fall to speak with our students,
being legendary, and alumni who do things that are even better than
was handed the wrong first name in his photo caption and the wrong
impressive—they’re interesting and varied, and reporters love that.
military affiliation in the accompanying article. That’s no way to treat
Second, I got to explore those stories at a length and complexity
an alumnus and a hero, but the gentle correction sent me by Diane
rare among even university magazines. This issue’s story on the
Martin, Stephen’s mother, is typical of the generosity, warmth, and
school’s spiritual life is typical in its matrix of history, biography, real-
grace of the community that this magazine serves.
world sociology and current events, educational philosophy, and school
It’s been a great pleasure. It will continue to be so.
planning. I’ve loved being able to dig deeply into these stories, and not
letters To HST Send letters about HST to Rick Carey, Director of Publications, Holderness School,
03264 WE
LOVE GETTING THE
P.O. Box 1879, Plymouth, NH 03264, or via email to rcarey@holderness.org. HST and are delighted
to see it grow and become better with each issue. A lot has changed since our son Stephen Martin was a student. The “oops” I refer to is in respect of the nice story you included on his presentation at school last fall on page 45 of the winter issue. Great picture of him with Nick Schoeder but Stephen is identified as Kevin—wrong name—and the story talks about him serving with the Army. With no disrespect to that branch, Stephen is very proud of being a Marine. Thanks and best regards for great work. Diane Martin
That would be STEPHEN Martin ’07, a member of the US Marine Corps, standing with photography teacher Nick Schoeder ’06 last fall.
Holderness School Today
3
The stained glass windows of the Chapel of the Holy Cross were made by Boston’s famed Connick glass studio in the 1940s.
S AC R E D
STUDIES
It’s not easy being a church school in a diverse and secular society. History tells us that it was never easy. But Holderness remains committed to serving the mind, body, and spirit in all its students. It’s a three-legged stool. So how is that third leg doing these days?
E
VEN IF YOU’RE
running an
independent school—as
was hearing different things about the future of religious practice and instruction at
opposed to the United States
Holderness.
of America—there are acts of
matter, Pete was careful, though he did say,
Congress, and then there are
“If you’re not really interested in being an
what we might call executive
Episcopal school, and having the chapel as
orders. Most of the time it’s
When asked himself about the
part of the school, then I’m not your guy.
good to work through Congress—which is
But if you’re at all warm to that idea, I
to say, to build consensus for a certain poli-
would consider the position.”
cy or practice by obtaining the support of the Board of Trustees and also the faculty,
Of course this wasn’t the only hot iron in the fire. Once the board decided that
students, parents, and alumni. We all agree,
indeed Pete was their guy, the new head
or at least a preponderant majority of us,
joined a community more in an uproar
and we all march whistling in that direction.
about co-education than religion.
There are times, however, when the
Pete had
been explicitly noncommittal about co-edu-
matter is so powerfully charged, and per-
cation during the search process, promising
haps so divisive, that the prospects for con-
he was prepared to lead in either direction.
sensus are dim. But you have to decide.
That fall, however, the board asked him to
That’s when a head of school sometimes
make a statement on the matter. Pete cast
just has to wave his or her hand and make it
his lot for co-education, and then he began a
so, one way or the other. For example:
testy process of consensus building that
Holderness School, the fall of 1977.
resulted in 1978—through an act of
The Rev. B.W. “Pete” Woodward had
Congress, as it were—in the Holderness
just succeeded the retiring Don Hagerman.
School for Boys becoming simply the
Don had been the first lay head of school in
Holderness School.
Holderness history, and among the three finalists in the search for his successor, only
During that same fall of ’77, however, Pete made another sort of statement, one
Pete was a clergyman, at that time chaplain
obscured somewhat to the larger community
at the Kent School in Connecticut.
by all the hoopla about girls on campus, but
During that search phase, all parties
one that had a more immediate impact on
were a little cagey on certain issues.
campus. He made chapel required twice a
Traditional chapel attendance had been
week for all students and faculty, Sundays
well-nigh curtailed in the wake of the cam-
and Thursdays, and later made theology a
pus turmoil of the 1960s and ’70s, and Pete
required subject for graduation.
Holderness School Today
5
“There are certain things that you don’t want to put up to a vote in running a school,” says Pete, “and things
it’s over’ at the conclusion of a service,” Weld wrote.
that if they’re going to be done, need
“And schoolmasters realize that adolescence, in
to be done quickly during a certain
school and often more markedly in college, is a time
opportunity in time. So I took that
when some boys go through periods of feeling
opportunity of transition at the top to
responsible to no one but themselves, and the fact that
reaffirm our relationship to the
religion is social does not enter their consciences:
Episcopal Church, and no, it was not a
there’s nothing in it for them, no need and no obliga-
popular decision in some quarters.
tion.”
Chief among the dissenters was my assistant head, Bill Clough ’57, but
Nonetheless there was no doubt in The Rev. Weld’s mind that it was worth it, at least in terms of
once the decision was made, Bill stood
the challenges of adulthood. “But it is our hope as we
by me and supported it. I’ll always be
watch boys slip into it, either in or after school, that
grateful to him for it, though I’m not
this stage is only temporary,” he continued, “and that
sure how he felt about it personally.”
with new responsibilities will come not only a return
So perhaps we weren’t all
of the old idealism, but also a return of the old habit
whistling, but we were all in the
of saying their prayers, and turning to the Church for
chapel singing hymns again, albeit at
strength.”
various levels of enthusiasm. But this is, has been, and probably always will
The Rev. Pete Woodward in the early 1980s.
prayers are being said, or that there are not at times boys who have no thanks to offer beyond ‘Thank God
be the situation at a broad-based church school in a nation of widespread religious
That “healthy debate” took on a much more strident turn during the tenure of Edric Weld’s successor, Don Hagerman. In some respects, the last two decades of the Hagerman years, the ’60s and ’70s,
diversity and an ethos of personal liberty and the con-
represent a high-water mark for American idealism, at
stitutional separation of church and state. The fact is
least of the political variety. The civil rights and
that there are always going to be complaints. The
women’s movements both benefited from the energy
question is whether it’s worth it.
of high school and college students who felt responsi-
THE OLD IDEALISM
and empowered, and who dared to challenge authori-
ble not just to themselves, but to those less privileged
A
T THE FOUNDING OF
Holderness, in 1879,
equality that Holderness enjoys today has its roots in
question was inconceivable. Church schools
that turbulence, both here and at large.
were founded, after all, to teach not only
reading and writing, but also a specific spiritual practice. So if you came to Holderness in those early
best in the question posed on the cover of the April 8, 1966 issue of TIME magazine—“Is God dead?”—and
own practice—though the school has never made that
that issue’s feature article by theologian William
a requirement for admission, and has always enrolled
Hamilton, who found in the Holocaust suffering that
students of other faiths. Whatever your faith, though,
he could not reconcile with faith in all-knowing, all-
you arrived at Holderness prepared to be immersed in
powerful deity. In those years many churches—even
the Book of Common Prayer.
the Episcopal—found themselves grouped with insti-
At the same time, writes school historian Judith
tutions held guilty of racism and sexism, and both the horrors of the world wars and the accelerating pace of
healthy debate between students and the administra-
scientific discovery made progressive thinkers won-
tion about what religion’s role should be in the cam-
der if religion might be outmoded.
pus experience.” For decades that experience was shaped like this: students applied themselves in the
At Holderness students raised these questions and rebelled against the church strictures that Don
classroom to Sacred Studies—which is to say, the
Hagerman had largely kept in place since the retire-
liturgy and theology of the Episcopal Church—
ment of Edric Weld in 1951. “The headmaster did his
attended morning and evening service on Sunday in
best to hear and address the concerns of the students,
the Chapel, and then two more services during the
hoping to minimize the students’ perception of the
week. Each evening after dinner students and faculty
generation gap as best he could,” writes Judith
also gathered for prayers in the Livermore mansion,
Solberg in This Tender Vine, her history of the school.
and then the buildings that replaced that mansion:
“In 1971, Hagerman acknowledged that ‘compulsory
Knowlton Hall, and then Livermore Hall.
attendance at chapel cannot assure worship or a stu-
The school’s sixth rector, The Rev. Edric Weld, was not surprised to find many of his boys restless
Holderness School Today
Those same decades also represent a high-water mark for American secularism, perhaps summed up
days, you were almost certainly Episcopal in your
Solberg, “there has been a recurring tradition of
6
ty on their behalf. The enhanced diversity and gender
and for much of its subsequent history, that
dent’s commitment.’” Subsequently Sacred Studies disappeared from
during these exercises. “No head of a Church school
the curriculum, and eventually mandatory chapel
deludes himself into thinking that all boys pray when
dwindled to once per week. And students could attend
“The great majority of students earn their high school diplomas and their undergraduate degrees without ever contending with
A LIVE RELIGIOUS IDEA.”
— Warren Nord, does god make a difference?
that service in the Chapel of the Holy Cross,
University of New Hampshire and finished his
or in a Plymouth church, or in an “approved
Bachelor’s in economics. Then, during a sum-
alternative format”—which is to say, a discus-
mer that he worked at Rockywold Deephaven,
sion group, or by attending a concert or per-
the family camp on Squam Lake, he attended
formance mounted in the chapel. “Eventually,
a service on Church Island presided over by
as the tensions of the 1960s and 1970s began
The Rev. Guthrie Speers, a man whose own
to ebb,” continues Judith, “[Hagerman] rein-
faith had withstood his experience as an
stituted a regular Monday morning chapel
artillery officer in World War I. Many of the
service.”
men under Speers’ command had been from
Still, it was a time when the relationship between the school and the Episcopal Church
Kansas, and after the war the minister had walked on foot through much of that state,
had grown tenuous at best. Then came Pete
visiting the families of each and every soldier
Woodward and the opportunity he saw for
who had died.
restoring it. At the end of that first school year, in May, 1978, the Board of Trustees
Speers’ sermon that day was based on Romans 5:1-5, which links faith, grace, joy,
voted to adopt this policy statement, authored
and suffering: “And not only so, but we glory
by Pete:
“Holderness School is an Episcopal
in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation
Church school by virtue of its direct relation-
worketh patience; and patience, experience;
ship to the Bishop and the Episcopal Diocese
and experience, hope: And hope maketh not
of New Hampshire, and by virtue of its one-
ashamed; because the love of God is shed
hundred-year long practice of liturgical cele-
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which
bration according to the Book of Common
is given unto us.”
Prayer and the Doctrine and Discipline of the
Rich returned from that island powerfully
Episcopal Church.”
moved. Later that day he found himself talk-
THE SERMON ON THE ISLAND
grandfather of his girlfriend (and now wife,
ing about the sermon with Sid Lovett, the
S
CHOOL CHAPLAIN
Rich Weymouth ’70
was a student in the midst of those tur-
and Assistant Head of School) Kathy Lovett. Sid was a minister in the Congregational
bulent years. His grandfather had been
Church, a man who had faced his own sort of
an Episcopal bishop and he had grown
tribulations as a conscientious objector during
up in New Canaan, CT, in a family very active in the church. Rich himself was relatively so as a student here, singing in the choir
World War I. Sid asked Rich if he had ever thought about being a minister himself. Well, no, Rich
and serving occasionally as an acolyte for
told him. Sid told him that he should think
then-chaplains Whitey Hogan or Bill Judge. “I
about it: “You’re a person of faith, and you
was a person of faith,” Rich says, “but I didn’t
care about people. You’d do well with that.”
attach much importance then to the ritual side of things.” His plan after Holderness was to study
Sid encouraged Rich to apply for a Rockefeller Brothers Fund scholarship, which would finance a year at seminary while he
economics in college, and then to consider
considered the ministry. Several months later,
options that ranged from business to law
during a long walk on a drizzly October night,
school to Officer Candidate School in the mil-
Rich felt what he describes as “a strong sense
itary. But then things happened, the most pro-
of God’s call. I swept all the other possibili-
found of which occurred while Rich was
ties I was thinking about off the table.”
attending Denver University, an incident that he describes simply as “a conversion experi-
He applied for a Rockefeller scholarship, but was denied. At this point, however, there
ence, an inbreaking of the spirit of God in my
was no denying him. He paid his own way
own soul.”
into the Andover-Newton Theological
Rich subsequently transferred to the
The Rev. Edric Weld
Seminary, where he could prepare for ministry
Holderness School Today
7
Chaplain Rich Weymouth ’70 speaks to entering students last fall in the Trinity Church, which the Livermore family helped build in 1797.
in any of several Protestant denominations. He had actually grown apart from the Episcopal
Peter formally offered Rich that job. Rich asked St. George’s if they were flexible on any of
Church since his Holderness years. He considered
the issues he was concerned about. They weren’t.
serving in either the Congregational or Baptist
“So here I am at a place that’s very comfortable
churches, but conversations with New
for me, philosophically,” Rich says. “A small co-
Hampshire’s Bishop Philip Smith steered Rich
educational church school with a theology pro-
back into the Episcopal fold and to finishing his
gram, a Job Program, a service requirement, and
training at the Yale Divinity School.
both appreciation and respect for what we do in
Rich was ordained in 1981, six years after
the chapel.”
that night in October. There were tribulations along the way, which required considerable
THE STORM HAS ABATED
patience. He served four years as a curate in
R
Exeter’s Christ Church, and in 1984 became chaplain of the Salisbury School. Eventually, though, he and Kathy agreed that
journey. In effect, both the school and its current chaplain evolved to a point
where they could be comfortable with each other.
Blair to grow up on the campus of an all-boys
Pete Woodward had grown up in a part of Kansas
In 1994 the family moved to St.
that harbored various forms of bigotry—against
Christopher’s School in Virginia. Four years later
blacks, women, gays, etc.—and he had been
they saw an opportunity to return to New England
drawn to the Episcopal Church by its traditional
thanks to an opening for a chaplain at St. George’s
ecumenicalism and tolerance. Then he was
School. The interview process went well enough
inspired in the 1960s by the pioneering work of
for Rich to be offered the position, but Rich saw
California Bishop James Pike, who argued force-
that he and that school’s head shared certain dif-
fully for a place for all those groups in the church,
ferences about religious curriculum and the role of
and the ordination of women.
the chaplain.
At Holderness Pete not only pushed for more
At the same time, while mulling the job at St.
diversity—including religious diversity—but artic-
George’s, Rich got a call from Pete Woodward,
ulated a vision of spirituality that went well
whose roots lay in that same Kansas soil Guthrie
beyond what happened in the chapel. He revived
Speers had walked.
“I heard you’ve been inter-
viewing at St. George’s,” Pete said.
the student-run Service Committee, fortified the Job Program, initiated an association with Habitat
“How did you know that?”
for Humanity that grew into today’s Project
“Well, the tooth fairy told me.”
Outreach program, and emphasized the spiritual
Pete wanted Rich to come up to Holderness,
Holderness School Today
journey of faith that
they didn’t want their daughters Channing and
school.
8
ICH’S IS A PERSONAL
in some ways mirrors this institution’s
growth that accompanies any sort of service for
look around, and consider the job opening Pete
others. He pointed as well to the spiritual aspects
had. Rich made sure that St. George’s had no
of Out Back and other outdoor experiences, writ-
objection. He flew up on the evening of Good
ing in one of his “From the Schoolhouse”
Friday. “I never imagined I’d wind up back there,”
columns, “When we fully embrace nature for all
Rich says.
that it is, then we embrace and discover God as
2012 SPIRITUAL LIFE STRATEGIC PLAN well.” Pete took the school back into a tighter orbit with the Episcopal Church, and indeed there was much “healthy debate” within the campus community in the wake of that shift. But as early as the spring of 1978 he was able to report to the board that “the storm created by instituting chapel twice a week seems to have abated. I do not feel that chapel is under particular assault. Many of the services are filled with great singing and positive response.” And response continued to improve as in subsequent years both prospective students and faculty members were apprised of the practice, and arrived prepared—in general—to support and participate. Forty years after that realignment, however, healthy debate— and some amount of tribulation—continues. These days it has less to do with the fact that Holderness is a church school, and that chapel is mandatory, and more to do with the mere fact that this is
VISION STATEMENT A spirituality of connectedness—to others, to that which is greater than oneself, and to the breadth of God’s creation—is at the core of the Holderness Experience. We embrace our Episcopal heritage. We are respectful of others and appreciate our responsibilities to both the immediate community and the human family. Students play an active leadership role in our spiritual community and in our practices of worship. The chapel is a daily center of community life, drawing together the sacred and the secular, sheltering every member of our community, and fostering an ethos in which spirituality is not only respected, but celebrated.
religion we’re talking about, and with all the passions that this entails in an era of diversity, globalism, political and religious extremism, and also—well, let’s just say it—widespread ignorance.
A KNOWLEDGE VACUUM
D
ANIEL
R. HEISCHMAN
CALLS
it “the R-word.” Writing in
the spring 2012 issue of Independent School magazine
(“The Great Uncomfortable: Religion in the Sectarian and Secular Independent Schools”), Heischman says,
“Religion does not seem to be fading away in modernity. Indeed a
case can be made that religion’s place in world events is growing
OBJECTIVE 1: FACILITY As soon as possible enlarge the chapel into a multi-purpose facility that accommodates the entire community. OBJECTIVE 2: WORSHIP Continue the transformation of the worship life of the school to reflect both the school’s Episcopal heritage and the diversity of religious experience.
larger, not smaller—and thus requires that we consider its place in our school communities and curricula.” Heischman is the executive director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, and he says that this discomfort is the result of a great disjunction: between broadly held assumptions about religion in America and their true reality in our culture. As religion’s place in world events grows, Heischman writes, students in American schools are growing less familiar with religious terminology and with what various religious traditions actually believe and practice. Much of what they think they know comes from popular media, and there exist huge gaps “in knowledge about the subject matter among the most educated Americans.”
OBJECTIVE 3: CONNECTION Intentionally integrate and articulate the school’s spirituality of connectedness in all aspects of the life of the school. OBJECTIVE 4: STUDENTS Provide not just the opportunity, but the expectation that students will assume greater leadership and a degree of ownership in the worship and spiritual life of the school.
Why? Because schools in general have abandoned the subject entirely. Says Warren Nord, author of Does God Make a Difference? (Oxford University Press, 2010), “The great majority of students earn their high school diplomas and their undergraduate degrees without ever contending with a live religious idea.” Nor is this ignorance confined to atheists and agnostics. Heischman cites some facts from Timothy Beal’s The Rise and Fall of the Bible: “For example, fewer than half of all adult Americans (many of whom, no doubt, consider themselves highly religious)
OBJECTIVE 5: FACULTY Ensure that faculty support and honor the centrality of the spiritual life at Holderness. OBJECTIVE 6: MESSAGE Create a mission statement for the spiritual life of the school.
can name the first book of the Bible or any of the four Gospels. More than eighty percent of born-again or evangelical Christians believe ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is a biblical phrase. More than half of all graduating high school seniors (among them both believers and non-believers) guess that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife, and that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife (Joan of Ark?).” In general, says Heishchman, we just aren’t comfortable talking about religion, whether in the classroom or at the supper table, and the result is a knowledge vacuum: “Sadly, fanaticism and reli-
Holderness School Today
9
Assistant Chaplain Bruce Barton gious extremism—the very things that so many in the academic world most fear—prey upon such vacuums.” At the same time, though, many believers who practice their faith in organized churches have grown more flexible in that practice: “According to a recent poll from the Public Religion Research Institute, an increasing number of Americans believe that it is possible to disagree with their religion’s official teachings and still remain in good standing in their faith.” Similarly, more believers are attending services in traditions other than their own, marrying persons from other traditions, and strongly supporting the separation of church and state. These trends have largely escaped the notice of the media and would surprise many of us. “This new fluidi-
I find meaning in my life and what I do? We tend to
ty,” adds Heischman, “is certainly reflected in the reli-
emphasize substance over form, though of course there
gious makeup of the sectarian school of today. For exam-
are some aspects of form that you really can’t fiddle
ple, only about twenty percent of students in Episcopal
with.”
schools, nationwide, come from Episcopal backgrounds.”
That scaffolding, that substructure of form, is built from the timbers of the Episcopal liturgy, but it’s the sort
THE SCAFFOLD OF LITURGY
that stays open, that by design is never quite closed in.
I
“Our mission in part is to proclaim the faith, but it’s also
N
2001,
EXACTLY NINETEEN
percent of Holderness stu-
dents were Episcopal, and three fourths were either
to hear, to respond to, and to respect other religious tradi-
Christian or Jewish, with the rest professing no faith.
tions,” says Rich Weymouth. “That’s the balance we have
Today some twelve percent are Episcopal, and sixty-
to find—between embracing our own spiritual heritage
five percent come to school without a religious background. That remaining portion of believers may be small-
and also being open to other realities.” Balance is also a pressing concern to Phil Peck, only
er, but it’s also wider: Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and
Holderness’s second lay head of school in 130 years, and
Muslims.
himself a practicing Presbyterian. “I would never want to
So Chaplain Rich Weymouth finds himself minister-
run a school that wasn’t faith-based,” Phil says. “It’s such
ing to all varieties of religious experience. He also finds
an important part of my own life, and at first what was
himself busier than ever, partly due to his pastoral respon-
merely an attraction to me about Holderness has risen to a
Weld’s “idealism” is another word for that BASIC HUMAN TILT
TOWARDS THE SPIRITUAL.
Robert Frost
called it “innate helium” in his poem of the same name.
sibilities beyond this campus: the baptisms and marriages
sense of calling. I’ll go even farther and say that I would
and funeral services he performs, and the counseling he
never want to run a school that wasn’t Episcopalian.”
provides, to alumni and others in the larger community. In 2005 English teacher Bruce Barton—who was raised in an Episcopal family, had majored in religion at Hamilton
Character of Episcopal Schools, 2010), Phil defends that
College, and then did a year of advanced study at the
preference.
Dominican University of California—was hired as an
Douglas Theuner, then bishop of New Hampshire,
assistant to Rich. Now they’re both busy dealing with how generally
10
In his article “The School as a Spiritual Community” (published in Reasons for Being: The Culture and
“I remember when the Right Reverend
explained to our students that any number of languages may be used to approach the divine,” Phil writes, “but
unschooled today’s students are in any aspect of religion.
each community must agree on one, and language of
“We presume nothing,” Bruce says. “We spend a lot of
Holderness was Episcopal—a language that I know to be
time erecting scaffolding so we can begin to talk about
distinguished for its inclusiveness, its tolerance, its will-
these things from an adolescent perspective: What is my
ingness to question, and its readiness to challenge the sta-
place in the world? What are my responsibilities? How do
tus quo.”
Holderness School Today
By virtue of that inclusiveness, Phil believes that an Episcopal school is uniquely capable of maintaining a dynamic balance between mind, body, and spirit, where “spirit” is truly as long and sturdy as the other legs in that three-legged stool. He
and in the opportunity to spend a lifetime extending that welcome. Neither of these men was cast in that mold when he finished high school, Rich here and Pete in Kansas. But they had a
also believes that striking that balance needs to be part of the
scaffolding, a grasp of religious ideas, what Edric Weld might
school’s formal process of strategic planning, and he has made
have described as an “old idealism.”
enhancing the spiritual life of the school the object of two spiritual retreats attended by a broad cross-section of community
Weld’s “idealism” is another word for that basic human tilt towards the spiritual. The poet Robert Frost called it “innate
members—one in 2007, the other last January—and its own
helium” in his poem of the same name. He describes faith as “a
evolving strategic plan.
most filling vapor” that swirls compressed inside us:
One point of that plan—the necessity of expanding the Chapel of the Holy Cross—illustrates both the joy and the tribu-
“As in those buoyant bird bones thin as paper,
lation of serving a spiritually diverse community. Pete
To give them still more buoyancy in flight.
Woodward and his chaplain held services and celebrated the
Some gas like helium must be innate.”
Eucharist each Sunday of the month. Phil Peck, chiefly after a process of consensus building, moved that service back to Monday morning so that the entire community, day-students and
Whether idealism or a buoyant vapor or something else, Edric Weld felt that Holderness had to recognize and serve it. In
boarders and faculty, could attend. But at the chapel’s present
1950, during his last year at Holderness, and in response to a
size, staff members still cannot attend. Phil, Rich, Bruce, and the
student editorial in The Dial critical of the chapel requirement,
Board of Trustees want not only a larger chapel, but one with a
Weld wrote that ignorance is not one of America’s basic free-
performance space and basement rooms—in other words, a
doms. “Schools have considerable latitude and equal responsibil-
building that can be used throughout the week, rather than just
ity in selecting the knowledge to which they choose to expose
Mondays and Thursdays, and that can be both a geographic and
American boys and girls during school age,” he continued. “This
curricular center on campus. This, when it’s accomplished, will be the most literal
school has adopted the principle that as exposure to Shakespeare, mathematics, science, history, language, and physi-
expression of the Church’s inclusiveness. But Phil hears com-
cal education will probably result in an enrichment of personali-
plaints from one side of the spectrum that services are not held
ty, so will exposure to Chapel, prayers, and courses in Sacred
on the Sabbath, and that the Eucharist—in deference to other tra-
Studies.”
ditions—is now celebrated just once each month. Thursday night chapel—as it was during the Woodward years—remains a point-
Consider the effect of just a small exposure at a school that has no religious affiliation. Jay Stroud, a former faculty member
edly ecumenical service, one that welcomes speakers from a
and assistant head here, has recently retired as head of Tabor
wide palette of traditions and perspectives.
Academy. Last January, shortly after announcing his retirement,
In the words of one critic, this practice, in sum, amounts to “watered-down Episcopal mush.” From the other side of the spectrum, Phil hears what Holderness school leaders have
Jay wrote as follows to his old friend and colleague Phil Peck: “We had our Lessons and Carols—a very Episcopal service for this very non-religious school. Seeing all the kids, maybe a
always heard, though now in new terms—that this “mush” is
hundred of them, arranged in the chapel—kids from every cor-
Eurocentric, Christian-centric; that a focus on any one tradition
ner of the world, every race and most religions—is the most
is an insult to all others; that no sort of “requirement” should be
moving moment of Christmas for me.
attached to spiritual practice in the first place. Responding to
is some hope, with a common purpose, with some sense that we
Don Hagerman’s concession that “compulsory attendance at
are, in fact, all in this together; that
chapel cannot assure worship,” Rich Weymouth replies, “Nor
we can sing hymns that we may not
does its absence.” That old “healthy debate” lives on.
understand and likely wouldn’t
The school’s strategic plan for the spiritual life is aimed
believe in, but in the singing of
towards that balance that Rich and Phil endorse. This is part of
them the message is more real than
what informs the objectives that emerged from that most recent
the words of the hymn itself.”
retreat: first, to enlarge the chapel; otherwise, to continue in a
Always has been. There
At Holderness, of course, the
worship that reflects both the school’s heritage and the whole
medium and the message blend
diversity of religious experience; to integrate dimensions of spir-
together into an article of faith that
ituality into all aspects of school life; to nurture student leader-
we are all, indeed, in this together;
ship in this sphere of school life; to ensure faculty support; and
that “tribulation worketh patience,”
to create a mission statement for the school’s spiritual life. The
and then its corollaries: faith, hope,
other part is simply love of God and of this earthly Church.
and love.
Rich Weymouth’s own plan is, he says, “to remain faithful to the Gospel, exercise concern for all persons, and affirm the spiritual journeys of those of other faiths, as well as those of a no-faith background.”
Of course that was Pete Woodward’s
mission as well. Pete gravitated to that spirit of welcome that
Bible in arm, Rich Weymouth walks back to campus from a spring service at the Outdoor Chapel.
this particular church extends to the whole breadth of humanity,
Holderness School Today
11
Catching up with...
Walt Kesler Perhaps the most promising young submarine officer in the Navy, Walt Kesler left that for the Episcopal ministry—and Holderness School.
Vehicles of the spirit
A
S A BOY,
WALT KESLER read voraciously, and he
particularly liked books about submarine war-
fare during World War II. This included Edward L. Beach’s Run Silent, Run Deep, a story about American sub Captain E.J.
Richardson’s duel with Tateo Nakame, a brilliant Japanese
sub hunter. In the end, the U.S.S. Eel sinks Nakame’s flag-
In 1963 Walt was the Naval Academy’s top student. He joined the best from the other military academies in being honored by President Kennedy just weeks before the assassination. Walt is the second from the left.
ship. Richardson then sights Nakame and his officers in a lifeboat, and on the verge of rescue. Richardson pilots the Eel into the lifeboat. It’s a thrilling, but also vaguely troubling, conclusion. Beach had been a sub commander himself during the war, and he knew how to capture the moral ambiguities of warfare. He knew how to capture as well the adrenaline charge of men and fantastic machines tested to their limits. “I grew up thinking I would really like to drive a submarine,” says the school’s former chaplain. Which is exactly what he set about preparing to do. He grew up at and attended Phillips Exeter Academy, where his father—over a forty-year career there—taught German and served as a dean and then vice-principal. The whole family was active in Exeter’s Episcopal Christ Church (where current chaplain Rich Weymouth ’70 would serve as a curate in the 1980s), though Walt’s father, when he was a boy, had had a very practical reason for gravitating to the Episcopalians. “That was the one church that paid its choir boys,” laughs Walt. “Twenty-five cents each Sunday, an extra twenty-five if he sang a solo.” But Walt wanted to drive submarines, and in 1960, at the height of the Cold War, he earned an appointment to the US Naval Academy. There he posted the highest academic record in the history of the academy, and was its Brigade Commander in his senior year. His subsequent rise through the ranks was, well, meteoric. He served first aboard the Polaris-class ballistic missile submarine Thomas Jefferson, and then the Sturgeon-class attack submarine Guittaro. Then he became the youngest executive officer (second in command) in the Navy aboard the attack sub Pollack. So there he was at the helm of a machine much more fantastic than Edward L. Beach’s fictional Eel. These nuclear-powered vessels were bigger and more comfortable
12
Holderness School Today
than their World War IIera counterparts. They could run underwater as long as food supplies could last, more than two months, and their combination of stealth and weaponry made them—arguably—the deadliest vehicles ever devised by man. And there was plenty of adrenaline. The cat-andmouse games that Richardson and Nakame had played in Beach’s novel were unfolding throughout the world’s oceans between two potent submarine fleets, ours and the Soviet Union’s, both maneuvering for first advantage in the war that could break out at any second. And yet the Navy’s fair-haired boy, poised for his first full command, resigned his commission in 1976 in order to enter the Virginia Theological Seminary. “Well, there were a couple things involved in that,” Walt explains. “First, I was becoming more deeply involved in the Church, to the point where I had begun to feel a calling to the ministry. That had been building for years. Second, I had frankly become disenchanted with the Navy.” Well, there was Vietnam. Submarines weren’t involved much in what was happening there, but they could be if the war spun out of control, and Walt was frankly angry about the moral—and tactical—ambiguities of that whole enterprise. Also, he had climbed high enough up the ladder of command in the military to see how self-serving—and careless of the interests of their men or their country— officers could be, sometimes, as they jockeyed for promotion. “There was a lot of blatant hypocrisy,” Walt says, “and I knew I’d get in trouble if I stayed.” It was a sharp turn, from the conning tower of the Pollack to a theological seminary, but one made with Walt’s customary deftness. No surprise, Walt became student body president at VTS, and he was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1979. That spring Walt heard from New Hampshire Bishop Phil Smith—who had been the rector of Exeter’s Christ Church when Walt was a boy—that there was an opening for a chaplain at Holderness, where a new headmaster, Pete Woodward, was looking to expand the role of the Church in the life of the school. By then Walt was married with three children. He and then-wife Martha came up to
Holderness and decided that it would be a wonderful place to raise children and have them eventually attend school, just as he had at Exeter. Martha took charge of the school’s drama program, where she mounted some legendary productions and trained such actors as Derek Richardson ’94 (TV series Men In Trees, American Horror Story, Anger Management) and Oscarwinner Nat Faxon ’93 (see page 41). Meanwhile Walt presided over not only the Chapel of the Holy Cross, but also the Trinity Episcopal Church in Meredith. This was essentially two full-time jobs in one. On top of that he was Director of College Counseling, a math teacher, a dorm parent, and the coach of JV baseball. It begs the question of how murderously busy the chaplain must have been in this new career. “It’s been my experience that anybody who works at a boarding school is very busy,” Walt says.
O
N CAMPUS
Above left, Cadet Kesler at Annapolis with his brother Andy. Above, Walt at Holderness in the 1980s. Immediately above, the Kesler family then: Martha Ellen, Stefan, Martha, and Drew.
WALT ministered to a stu-
dent population that had a larger Episcopal segment than today’s—
thirty percent in the early ’80s, as opposed to twelve percent now—but was nonetheless largely ignorant of religion, Episcopal or otherwise. “I was lucky, though,” Walt says. “I was given the freedom to design my own theology courses, and I used those to build bridges between what I did and what happened elsewhere in the curriculum.”
Walt’s rise through the ranks was, well,
METEORIC.
One such course was “The Bible and the New York Times.” Assigned readings consisted of books from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the front and editorial pages of the Times. Students could find common elements in the sociology and politics of all
Holderness School Today
13
1999: At Cape May with brothers Jim, left, and Andy, middle.
those readings, and also evidence that humanity’s moral and spiritual dilemmas have changed little in two millennia. Another course focused on medical ethics—issues such as abortion, end-of-life care, and the allocation of scarce medical resources—while a survey course on religion (built around Huston Smith’s masterpiece, The World’s Religions),
It was like being handed command of the Eel halfway through Run Silent, Run Deep. “Yes, I
asked students to write biographies of historical fig-
arrived at an interesting time,” Walt admits. This K-
ures who were also people of faith in various tradi-
12 day school of 750 students and growing, a school
tions.
not affiliated with any church, had just sold all its
“What did I love most about Holderness?” Walt
buildings to a local high school. In no time at all Walt
says, speaking over the phone in May from the front
had to raise $30 million, design a new campus for the
porch of an old farmhouse on the shores of Cape
school, and get it built.
May, New Jersey. “That would be the sacrificial way the whole faculty lived on behalf of the students. This
It was a whole new version of “murderously busy,” but with higher stakes. By 1998 the money had
was a community of adults who truly cared about
been raised and the school relocated in entirety to a
every child in their midst.”
handsome 75-acre campus in the Dutch Branch sec-
B
Y
tion of Fort Worth. That provided the space for 1994
THIS COMMUNITY
had helped care for
and educate all three of the Kesler children:
Trinity Valley to keep growing to its present enrollment of 940.
Martha Ellen ’85, Andrew ’88, and Stefan ’91.
That was when Walt felt like driving something
On the porch at Cape May with Drew’s daughter Tess.
It was a big victory, one fought only on behalf of human possibility, and Walt retired from education at
new—not a submarine, not a chapel program or
the end of the ’98-99 school year. He worked for five
church, but rather an independent school. Like many
more years as the associate rector of the Trinity
other members of the Woodward faculty, he left to
Episcopal Church in Fort Worth before retiring entire-
become a head of school elsewhere—in Walt’s case
ly in 2004.
the Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas.
These days Walt splits his time between Fort Worth and this old family farmhouse on Cape May, a house handed down on his mother’s side of the family. Its kitchen dates back to the 1700s, and generations through Walt’s great-grandparents had worked the land. It became a summer place after that, with the farmland sold off in 2004. The gardens remain, though, and on this cool, cloudy day in May, he’s thinking that he should be getting those in soon. Walt wonders if independent school teaching might be a “genetic disease” in the Kesler family. Martha Ellen is teaching English at the Wayland Academy in Wisconsin, and Andrew is a physics teacher at Newark Academy in New Jersey. Only Stefan has been immune, so far—he’s working happily as an architect for the City of Dallas. Meanwhile their brilliant father has gotten to drive a lot of different things over the course of his life, but it’s been these vehicles of the spirit—schools and chapels and churches, and the sacrificial lives they require—that have transported him the farthest.
14
Holderness School Today
Grade 9 Miss Sarah Pendleton Alexander Miss Nikkol Lillian Blair Mr. Youngjae Cha Mr. Thien Thuan Chau Miss Emily Edge Clifford Mr. Parker Adams Densmore Miss Elizabeth Ruth Duffy Mr. Charles Hagen Harker III Miss Hope Elizabeth Heffernan Miss Rebecca Margaret Kelly Miss Seo Jung Kim Mr. John B. Kinney Miss Thao Phan Thu Nguyen Miss Cayla Anne Penny Miss Paige Elizabeth Pfenninger Mr. William Fletcher Prickett Miss Hannah Elizabeth Stowe Miss Qianyi Zhang
Grade 10 Miss Rebecca Ann Begley Miss Tram Ngoc Dao Miss Hannah F. Durnan Miss Racheal Marbury Erhard Miss Sarah Elizabeth Garrett Mr. Zihan Guo Mr. Perry Khalil Kurker-Mraz Miss Eliana Howell Mallory Mr. Thorn King Merrill Miss Danielle Elizabeth Norgren Miss Tess Margaret O'Brien Mr. Samuel Foster Paine Miss Lea Jenet Rice Mr. Young Soo Sung Mr. Matthew Davis Tankersley Mr. Parker Johnson Weekes Mr. Chance Jackson Cretella Wright Mr. Shihao Yu Mr. Ziang Zhou
Grade 11 Mr. Dylan Michael Arthaud Mr. Jacob Cramer Barton Miss Sarah Renard Bell Miss Elena E. Bird Miss Nicole Marie DellaPasqua Mr. Daniel Do Mr. Tyler David Evangelous Mr. Michael Laurence Finnegan Miss Jeong Yeon Han Miss Macy Winslow Jones Miss Mackenzie Reid Maher Mr. John Franco Musciano Mr. Caleb Andrew Nungesser Mr. Francis Parenteau Miss Celine Pichette Miss Kathryn Jane Sanger Miss Reeta Raquel Shrestha Miss Iashai Dominique Stephens Mr. Fabian Stocek Mr. Kangdi Wang Miss Yi Ling Wang Miss Ximo Xiao
Grade 12 Mr. Nathanial George Alexander Mr. Austin Geoghan Baum Mr. Keith Michael Bohlin Miss Ariana Ann Bourque Miss Josephine McAlpin Brownell Mr. Owen Tomasz Buehler Miss Marguerite Cournoyer Caputi Miss Samantha Regina Cloud Miss Eliza R. Cowie Miss Benedicte Nora Crudgington Mr. Ian C. Ford Miss Abigail Kristen Guerra Miss Hannah Morgan Halsted Miss Yejin Hwang Mr. Nathaniel Ward Lamson Miss Samantha Anne Lee Miss Haley Janet Mahar Miss Carly Elizabeth Meau Miss Kristina Sophia Micalizzi Miss Sara Parsell Mogollon Mr. Oliver Julian Nettere Mr. James Ornstein Robbins Mr. Justin Demarr Simpkins Miss Abagael Mae Slattery Miss Erica Holahan Steiner Miss Molly Durgin Tankersley Mr. Brian Alden Tierney Miss Isabelle Eden Zaik-Hodgkins
Grade 10 Mr. Kaelen Thomas Caggiula Mr. Reed Joseph Carpenter Mr. Joseph Patrick Casey Mr. Benjamin Dawson Coleman Mr. Perry Frank Craver Mr. Ezra Thomas Cushing Miss Margareta Evarts Davis Miss Hedi Barbara Droste Miss Hailee Christine Grisham Mr. Matthew Francis Gudas Mr. Mike Patrick Hogervorst Miss Eleanor Celeste Holland Mr. Oliver Lion Johnson Mr. Max Robert Lash Mr. Connor Jonathan Marien Mr. Scott Thomas Merrill Mr. Matthew Ford Michaud Miss Sarah Elizabeth Michel Mr. Adam Pettengill Mr. Amos Henry Pierce Miss Caroline Bridges Plante Miss Elizabeth Grace Powell Miss Emily Benoit Rasmussen Mr. Charles Shelvey Sheffield Miss Hannah Rae Slattery Mr. Jonathan E. Swidrak Mr. Mathew Benjamin Thomas Mr. Noah R. Thompson Mr. Nam Hoai Tran Mr. Edward Robert Wassman III
Grade 11 Miss Abigail Elizabeth Abdinoor Mr. Christian Robert Anderson Mr. Alexander James Berman Miss Hannah Susan Foote Mr. Jeffrey Michael Hauser Mr. Aidan Cleaveland Kendall Miss Olivia Grace Leatherwood Miss Choa Lim Mr. Oliver Turner Lowe Mr. Tyler Mitchell Mathieu Mr. Francis Gray Miles Miss Kendra June Morse Miss Saro Ntahobari Mr. Jesse Jeremiah Ross Miss Jacqueline Morgan Sampson Mr. Peter Pesch Saunders Miss Emily Irving Soderberg Miss Lauren Louise Stride Mr. Robert Patrick Sullivan Miss Danielle Lynn Therrien Miss Olivia Voccola Mr. Charles Norwood Williams Mr. Andrew Timothy Zinck
Grade 12 Mr. Jonathan Perkins Bass Miss Pippa Bancroft Blau Mr. David Kenneth Bugbee Mr. Christian Haynes Daniell Mr. Thai Trong Dao Mr. Peter Michael Ferrante Miss Lily Woodworth Ford Mr. James Blair Fredrickson Miss Rachel West Huntley Mr. Preston Jerome Kelsey Mr. Matthew Neville Kinney Miss Katherine O'Connor Leake Mr. William Marvin Miss Molly Brown Monahan Mr. Andrew Joseph Munroe Miss Patricia Porta Barbarin Miss Julia Baldwin Potter Mr. Nicholas Anthony Renzi Mr. Ryan Michael Rosencranz Mr. Reed Rowan Spearman Miss Stephanie Rachael Symecko Mr. Tino Andy Tomasi Mr. Alex Lee Trujillo
High Honors: Fourth Quarter
Grade 9 Miss Claire Michelle Caputi Mr. Nicholas Nye Conner Miss Leah Elizabeth Curtis Miss Sawyer Wen Gardner Mr. Peter Stanley Hastings Mr. Kevin James Horner Miss Lindsey Rose Houseman Miss Abigail Sargent Jones Miss Rhyan Leatherwood Mr. Luke Kai Lin Mr. Liam Appalachian O'Reilly Miss Margaret Emlen Peake Miss Christina Carson Raichle Mr. Jake Douglas Rourke Mr. William Whitmore Tessier
Honors: Fourth Quarter
Holderness School Today
15
Around the Quad
Academics Derek Eaton: geologist, grounds worker, and consultant to AP Comp.
T
HERE ARE SEVERAL GOOD
ways to approach
a rock. There is a poet’s approach—as in “Stone,” by Charles Simic, for example, or
“Oh, Lovely Rock” by Robinson Jeffers, or “Silica Carbonate Rock” by Fred Berry—or there is a geologist’s approach. In February, after John Lin’s AP Composition class had familiarized themselves
with those poems, they heard from a geologist, and one who works conveniently right on campus: Derek Eaton, now a member of Dick Stevens’ buildings and grounds crew, was also a geology major at Skidmore College. Derek spoke specifically about the rocks— and the geology—of the White Mountains. This not only provided a scientific context for those poems, and the rest of the nature writing that class has read about the region, but it prepared them for yet another way to approach a rock—as a hiker in winter. The class was composed of juniors looking forward to Out Back in March, and Derek’s visit
Derek in his other job, and as he appeared on the fall, 2010, cover of HST.
helped weave together not just Out Back and English literature, but history and science as well. Lovely rock? You bet.
The anatomy and physiology of human athletic performance.
I
N
APRIL
A NUMBER
of students
in Dr. Maggie Mumford’s
Anatomy and Physiology class
took a rigorous test—a physical
runner and Nordic skier. In the photo at left he’s taking the VO2
They went to Plymouth State
Holderness School Today
max test. “That’s a classic stamina test that measures one’s capability
Lab. There Dr. John Rosene, an
to deliver and use oxygen,” says
associate professor at PSU,
Maggie.
explained how the lab’s equipment
16
Junior Fabian Stocek is an endurance athlete, a top distance
performance test, actually.
University’s Human Performance
Dr. John Rosene, left, assists Fabian Stocek ’13 with the VO2 max test at Plymouth State University’s Human Performance Lab.
logical demands of each.
Fabian had VO2 max meas-
works and what its battery of tests
ured at being in the high 70s. “For
measures. He also took the time to
all you sports buffs,” added
discuss with students their various
Maggie, “that’s pretty darn good.
sports of interest and the physio-
G
reat essays about values and convictions—“This I Believe” essays—continue to come out of Peter Durnan’s AP English class. The form dates back to a 1950s radio series hosted by Edward R. Murrow, and it was revived in 2005 by National Public Radio. That network ran new essays for four years, and it was such a popular series that it continues on a website hosted by a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the form going, This I Believe, Inc. “Each day [in the 1950s],” explains the organization’s website, “Americans gathered by their radios to hear compelling essays from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller, and Harry Truman, as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists, and secretaries—anyone able to distill into a few minutes the guiding principles by which they lived. These essayists’ words brought comfort and inspiration to a country worried about the Cold War, McCarthyism, and racial division. “ In reviving the series, executive producer Dan Gediman said, “The goal is not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs. Rather, the hope is to encourage people to begin the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.” In our last issue of HST, we reprinted an essay by Haley Mahar ’12 about kickwax—an essay that was published on the website of FasterSkier, a ski news organization. In this issue, we have an essay by Maggie Caputi that has been published on the website of This I Believe itself—and also recorded there for your listening pleasure. You can also read and hear it on our website. And if you like the essay, write Maggie a letter about it—a real one. BELIEVE IN LETTERS.
I
THE handwritten kind, to be
specific; the kind sent in envelopes, marked
with postage stamps.
It’s too bad that they’re so rare
these days. The communication mediums of Facebook, Twitter,
email, and text messaging almost always prevail over this more
romantic and delicate art, which is generally considered obsolete. Most people prefer the speediness and convenience that accompany modern technology, as well as its promise of social safety. It’s easier—less scary—to write something on Facebook, where you can either delete
Maggie Caputi ’12 believes in letters— real, hand-written letters, on paper.
shelter on a slight hill… that I discovered AFTER I had tied my tarp down. The frustration of this whole endeavor was already unbearable, and it had only just begun. I was so unhappy, and when I crawled into my sleeping bag that night and opened my letters, I began to sob. I think I actually started to cry at the sight of my mom’s handwriting alone, before I had even started reading her letter. In it, she said the same loving and supportive things that she always says to me, but they were reaching me at the perfect time in my life. She and my dad both wrote things that helped me to feel stronger and less alone during my experience, and I will cherish their letters for-
your comment or just immediately correct yourself, or maybe rely on
ever. I will also cherish my brother’s, which affected me in a slightly
another user to abet your argument and support you even if you’ve said
different way. To put it simply, his letter surprised me. It possessed a
something stupid. When it comes to writing letters, things work a little differently.
certain tenderness that I had never seen in him. It was short, yet it conveyed a kind message of familial love and support, and it made me see
Our trusty U.S. Postal Service is without delete buttons. You send a let-
him in a better light. I connect this letter to the aforementioned Samuel
ter and it’s gone, and that’s that. There are no edits, no re-dos. That’s
Johnson quote that essentially describes a letter as a pure reflection of
why writing letters is such a special, unique practice. It requires discre-
character.
tion, creativity, and total attention. Letters are the perfect vehicle for expressing paramount thoughts and emotions, because the components
The art of letter writing is timeless and valuable, yet it has grown to be nearly nonexistent. Seldom does anyone ever consider picking up
of privacy and affection are so strong and apparent. A letter is, quite
a pen and paper to fill a page or two with a personalized, sincere mes-
possibly, the most personal interaction that can occur between two peo-
sage. Regardless of its fading prominence in the world of communica-
ple. As Samuel Johnson once said, a man’s soul “lies naked” in his let-
tion, I believe that letter writing is the best way to say the most impor-
ters, where “nothing is inverted, nothing distorted; you see systems in
tant things. Throw a compliment into a conversation with someone and
their elements, you discover actions in their motives.” This winter, when I spent three lonely days in the woods, the let-
you’ll see it go in one ear and out the other, but say it artfully in a letter with a little more detail, and your message will surely manifest itself.
ters that I brought kept me sane, as did my peanut butter and animal crackers. I spent the first hours of my little adventure setting up a pitiful
Holderness School Today
17
Around the Quad
A worldly Student Academic Committee reports to us all on what’s
happening around the world.
O
NE MORNING
in February
they all came together for
the first time: the African
Cup of Nations, neutrinos, Vladimir Putin, and PFC Bradley Manning, who allegedly delivered secret US military documents to Wikileaks. All on the stage at Hagerman. They were there thanks to the student Academic Committee, which—on its own initiative—has assumed the task of reporting on events in the larger world to the school community. And with so many international students now on campus, events anywhere in the world often have personal import here in this community. The reporting began at an all-school assembly in January with two correspondents from the Academic Committee: Fabian Stocek and Zihan Guo. A month later, the bureau had doubled, with additional reports from
From the left: committee members Vincent Guo ’14, Fabian Stocek ’13, Olivia Leatherwood ’13, and Olayode Ahmed ’12.
Olivia Leatherwood and Olayode Ahmed.
They all came together for the first time: the African Cup of Nations, neutrinos, Vladimir Putin, and PFC Bradley Manning. All on the stage at Hagerman.
P
OETRY
OUT LOUD
IS
a national con-
something that happens just for love of the
more expertise in poetry among
subject matter and a desire to improve.
American high school students. But if someone says “14,” do you think, “Oh,
In the photo below, buckling down to that test, are Paige Pfenninger, Dylan
that’s the number of lines in a sonnet?” Or
Arthaud, and Jake Barton. Also taking the
do you think, “Oh, that’s our third discrete
test were Zihan Guo, Fabian Stocek,
semiprime number”?
Young Soo Sung, Kangdi Wang, and
If the latter, then the American Mathematics Competition is for you. The annual contest not only seeks to enhance the mathematics capabilities of our high school students, it serves as an entrance test for the even more strenuous American Invitational Mathematics Examination. The AMC test is tough enough on its own terms, though: 25 multiple-choice questions that grow progressively harder, all to be done within 75 minutes. This winter eight Holderness students assembled on their own time after dinner to help each other prepare for the AMC test in February. It was a great example of
18
what educators call “intrinsic motivation,”
test that includes among its goals
Holderness School Today
Qianyi Zhang.
The American Mathematics Competition— if you dare.
Rover’s master —as in the
Scientist John Callas
Mars Rover—takes us on a spin around the universe.
A
FRIEND IN A
high place
is always good to have, and Dickson
Smith—the father of Dickson
he swung down this way on Parents’ Weekend to speak to the community in Hagerman. Mr. Callas began with an
Smith III ’12—has one such
attempt to suggest the size of
friend in John Callas, who
the universe and how little we
works at NASA’s jet propul-
know about it. He then moved on to the
sion lab in Pasadena, CA, and is the scientist in charge of the
frontiers of what we do know,
space agency’s Mars Rover
and the prospects for life in
Project.
places other than earth. He
In February Mr. Callas
concluded with an exhortation
had a speaking engagement at
for us all to take better care of
Dartmouth. As a favor to Mr.
the one planet that is friendly
Smith and also to Holderness,
to life as we know it.
. . . a process where nearly 10,000
Salamarie Frazier ’12
poetry students in the state are winnowed down to ten. Our state finalist in the audible, and very competitive, sport of poetry. which was when Salamarie Frazier—who had previously won as a sophomore in 2010—emerged as our winner once again.
I
T’LL ONLY BE TRUE FOR THIS YEAR,
but it’s fun while it is
true—half of all Holderness School’s Poetry Out Loud
champions have been Salamarie Frazier ’12. And she is
the only Holderness student so far to make it through the
On March 20 Salamarie joined six other school champions from northern New Hampshire in the regional semifinals. “In the first round, Salamarie wowed the crowd with her rendition of Gwendolyn
wringer of regional competition to the state finals, a
Brooks’ ‘A Song in the Front Yard,’” said English teacher
process where nearly 10,000 poetry students in the state are
Peter Durnan. “She finished equally well with a recitation
winnowed down to ten.
of John Donne’s ‘The Canonization.’”
Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide recitation contest
Those performances punched her ticket as one of ten
sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts
eligible for the state finals in Concord on March 26. There
and the Poetry Foundation. Holderness has been taking part
she placed fourth, leaving her one step short of the national
for four years, and it begins with high school contestants
finals in Washington. But it was a brilliant effort, and the
choosing poems they love—and then, in English class and
community was reminded of how brilliant when Salamarie
as homework, analyzing the poem, memorizing it, and
finished her POL season by reciting “The Canonization”
finally developing a polished spoken performance of the
again during an April all-school assembly. That was good
poem.
enough for a standing ovation.
At Holderness dozens of contestants went through several rounds of competition in performing before panels of judges. The school’s finals were held on February 17th,
Holderness School Today
19
Around the Quad
The Arts
On guitar, Alex Trujillo ’12.
On keyboards, Dave Lockwood and Kangdi Wang ’13.
How good was that?
At the mic, Shihao Yu ’14.
T
HE SWEETEST
gar-
nish to Winter
On drums, Hannah Slattery ’14.
Parents’ Weekend
is concert mounted by music teacher Dave Lockwood’s band and chorus. Talent, skill, enthusiasm, and charisma: it’s all present in these well-rehearsed performers, a few of whom are seen here.
Drawing as an From the left, Michael Swidrak ’14, Caroline Plante ’14, Nicholas Conner ’15, and Sarah Garrett ’14 discuss their collaborative piece.
interactive process—it can be done, and done really quite well.
A
Holderness artists
created a second collaborative piece
worked together on drawings
that contains two drawings by Andy
COTERIE OF
that went on exhibit at the
Rey Center Gallery in Waterville Valley in February. We’ll let fine arts
Wu and Perry Kurker-Mraz—assisted
teacher Kathryn Field explain how it
in drawing the areas surrounding the
all worked: “The Drawing 1 students—
end product, but the process of draw-
Nicholas Conner, Sarah Garrett, and
ing as well.” The exhibition was titled
laborative drawing which focused on
“Community Colors: An Interactive
the study of structure in the human
Community Art Exhibit.”
head and hand. The Drawing 2 class
Holderness School Today
pieces, making it a collaborative process that celebrates not only the
Michael Swidrak, Caroline Plante,
Jess Osuchowski—worked on a col-
20
Munroe and one by Momo Xiao. Other members of the class—Jingyi
E
ERIE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT
explore the concept of
mortality in a unique, multidimensional way were on display at the Edwards Art Gallery throughout
January and February. The name of the exhibit was “Darkroom Flowers,”
and in it prize-winning photographer Adam Gooder
Adam Gooder’s Darkroom Flowers: spooky, beautiful, and “somewhat magical.”
twined together subject, process, and medium in haunting images that—in the words of Edwards curator Franz Nicolay—ride “the thin edge of superrealism and abstraction.” They also provided an almost forensic examination of the stark beauty hidden in the workings of time and death. Gooder begins with his subjects— flowers picked at various stages of decay. “Flowers, like the prints I make of them, are organic, textured, and— when one gets close enough—unique,” says Gooder. “Dead or dying flowers are a particularly good match for the antique look of these prints, and the way the grain makes some of them seem to dissolve into the ether.”
The photographer talks about his work with students in the Edwards Gallery.
The process is the nearly extinct procedure of Lith printing, which involves a different set of chemicals than standard darkroom printing. Lith printing takes longer and yields unpredictable results as the strength of the chemicals wanes over time. The result is that each print is
“Daffodil,” a Lith print.
one-of-a-kind. “What you end up with in the print is not necessarily what you might expect from the negative,” says Gooder. “But it matches my vision for this work: antique-looking, unique, and somewhat magical.” That antique look is abetted by the papers used by Gooder, which are extinct papers as much as thirty years old. “Some of these prints spent as much as an hour in the developer, until it was murky and exhausted,” says Gooder. “The combination of grainy film negatives, old paper, and worn-out chemistry makes these new prints feel like antiques.” He adds that the subtle browns, yellows, and pinks brought out by the Lith processing allows the prints themselves to “seem like they are moldering, dissolving, or decaying in some way.” Gooder lives in Cambridge, MA, and has exhibited his work throughout the Northeast. He teaches at the New England Institute of Art and the Art Institute of Boston. In January he attended the opening of the Edwards show, spoke to the whole school community about his work, and spent a day working with Franz Nicolay’s photography students on the art of printing lithographs in the
The images provided an almost forensic examination of the stark beauty hidden in the workings of time and death.
darkroom.
Holderness School Today
21
Around the Quad
The Arts
Dearly Departed, the winter drama class presentation—when the departed really, ahem, wasn’t so dear.
W
HEN THE
patriarch of the south-
ern Turpin clan keels over dead in the first scene, the struggle to
get
him buried—in David Bottrell and
Jessie Jones’s play Dearly Departed—
Holderness School Today
production of scenes from this play during a winter all-school assembly. The Turpins
involves the whole family, and it’s a strug-
manage to pull together at the end of the play, but this well-schooled group of
extended family don’t really work so well
drama class students worked together
together. Trouble starts with the not-so-
impressively all the way through.
and Surly” on the tombstone, and builds
22
The fun and laughter started right away with Monique Devine’s drama class
gle because the eccentric members of this
grieving widow, who wants to put “Mean
Among the undeparted, clockwise from above: James Fredrickson ’12; Isabelle ZaikHodgkins ’12 and Connor Smith ’12; Dickson Smith ’12 and Connor Loree ’12; and Molly Madden ’13.
from there.
Just a underpass? No, an art gallery now as well.
H
ALF THE
fun now
is getting there, at least if you’re get-
The new murals are assemblies of tile and mir-
ting to or from the main
rors and custom-made
campus and the new
ceramics put together by
dorms on Mt. Prospect
So Hee Park, Addie
Street. Thanks to an Arts
Morgan, and Hannah
in the Afternoon project
Foote. It’s the sort of art that
headed up by fine arts
Derek Eaton and Bob Thibeault do the honors of hanging the murals.
Isaiah Zagar.
teacher Kathryn Field, the
brings a new dimension of
pedestrian underpass
light to the underpass. So
under Rt. 175 is hung with
take your time the next
a series of mosaics
time you stroll through.
inspired by the work of
Enjoy.
Service
Haley Marhar’s service project
Thanks to Haley Mahar ’12, a child in Uganda owns
this year
his or her first book. And many more are in circulation.
involved—
S
ENIOR
HALEY MAHAR’S service project
of the books have become part of the school’s
this year involved—among other
lending collection, and others have been
things—a lot of heavy lifting. But if
given to students to keep. “In many cases,”
you consider all the great lives that have
says Service Committee Director Janice
begun with a child’s love for a good book,
Pedrin-Nielson, “this will be the first book a
then there is more lifting to come, albeit of a
child in Kampala has ever owned.”
different sort. The seed of this particular project was
in Rumney for foster children not yet placed into foster homes. The rest went to Mount
Khan Primary School in Kampala, Uganda—
Prospect Academy, a residential school for
and forged a friendship with that school’s
children who have suffered trauma in their
librarian. So this year Haley Mahar solicited
lives. “In both cases,” said Janice, “the
donations of books for that library not only
schools are partially funded by the state, and
from the Holderness community, but also
there is never enough money for all they
from Holderness Central School and the
need. So by offering books, we have support-
which were mailed to Uganda in December, and two more in March. Since each heavy
heavy lifting.
And the remaining books? Three boxes
began a year teaching first grade at the Aga
The yield was ten big boxes, two of
things—a lot of
went to the Salem Trust, a residential school
planted in 2010, when Maresa Nielson ’06
Plymouth Elementary School.
among other
ed their students, their classrooms, and their libraries.” So they’re not easy to collect and move, these physical paper-and-binding artifacts that
box cost $140 to mail, Haley and other mem-
don’t require the use of a Kindle, but in them-
bers of the Service Committee were selective
selves they can move lives and change histo-
about the books for Uganda: a variety of read-
ry—and just about always, it’s interesting to
ing levels, from primary to high school. Some
note, for the better.
Holderness School Today
23
Around the Quad
Service
The Memory Project: The privilege of being seen, recorded, remembered.
O
NE OF THE
richest aspects of
along with letters from the artists. So
its benefits are shared by all
far 30,000 portraits have been drawn
who participate. Fine arts teacher Kathryn Field has seen this in action since she asked her drawing students
of youths from 33 countries. This winter fifteen of those portraits came from Holderness. And as
this winter to participate in the
they were composed, the hearts of
Memory Project.
their artists opened just a little bit
The Memory Project began in
A portrait by Jingyi Wu ’14, and below, by Ximo Xiao ’13.
finally delivered to their subjects
public service work is the way
wider. “Because I’m painting her, I
2004 when an American college-age
truly want to make her smile,” said
volunteer, Ben Schumaker, resolved to
Abby Guerra ’12. “I want to make
find some way to build personal con-
sure the painting is the best it can be,
nections between Americans and the
because the last thing I want to do is
Guatemalan orphans he was serving—
disappoint her.”
connections that could also enhance the orphans’ sense of identity and selfesteem. That resolve has grown into a
Jingyi Wu ’14 considered the way in which her work addresses the mystery of identity. “Photos remind us of who we are,” she wrote in a per-
process that begins when photographs
sonal reflection after finishing her por-
are taken of children at orphanages
trait. “We are less aware of our exis-
throughout the world. The photos are
tence when we don’t know what we
then sent to high school art students in
look like. The child who receives this
the USA, Canada, and the United
portrait may start to think more about
Kingdom. Next, these students draw
who he or she is, and hopefully he or
portraits from the photos as they study
she will go deeper and find a self
the history and culture of their sub-
through someone else’s interpreta-
ject’s native country. The portraits are
tion.”
Community Winter Carnival brightens the dark hours of winter once more.
W
INTER
CARNIVAL is
Of special note, perhaps,
a many-splendored
is the “Dress Like a Faculty
thing: the Human
Member” contest. This year
Iditarod, the Barton
it coincided with an Asian
Olympics (marshmallow toss,
meal prepared by the kitchen
M&M roll, pie-eating con-
staff, served in a dining hall
test), a dodge-ball tourna-
decorated with items cele-
ment, a lip-synch contest, an
brating the Chinese, Korean,
ice-sculpture competition,
and Vietnamese New Years.
and several other weird com-
And some of the imitations
binations of competition,
were just spot on. The real
sport, art, and silliness. It
Mr. Solberg is the second
arrives at the end of January,
from the right. But you could
just in time to relieve the dol-
be forgiven for guessing
drums of winter.
wrong.
24
Holderness School Today
The Dress Like a Faculty Member Contest: Can you tell the real Mr. Solberg from Tyler Evangelous, Will Marvin, and Reed Carpenter? We didn’t say it’d be easy.
Martin Luther King Day: The intersection of class and privilege.
T
HE BENEFITS AND
trials of diversity
American society—race, gender, age,
diverse, and each year the Diversity
wealth, sexual orientation, religion, cul-
Committee focuses on one single dimen-
ture, and language—and suggested that
sion of that property on which to focus
action on behalf of the less privileged was
their educational efforts. This year’s theme
a much healthier response than guilt over
was class and privilege, and also the
the status quo.
organizing principle of the school’s cele-
Guest speaker Mariama Richards of the Georgetown Day School.
ways people experience privilege in
within any community are, well,
Then students broke into workshops
bration of Martin Luther King Day in
that in various ways explored the effect of
February.
privilege. School counselor Carol Dopp,
The day’s guest speaker was Mariama
for example, supervised several groups
Richards, Co-Director of Diversity at the
competing to create the best poster on
Georgetown Day School in Washington,
“fairness.” Unknown to participating stu-
DC. Ms. Richards defined the various
dents, though, was the fact that some groups had much more resources (markers, premade letters, posterboard, etc.) than others. “We had no idea how illprepared we were,” said a student in one of the less privileged groups. Exactly.
Katie Leake ’12 at work on her fairness poster.
A drawing by Gary Romaine ’60, a needlepoint by his mom, and an heirloom for Holderness.
S
OMETIMES OLD
memories come
visitors/staff/students could see it.
back to you unexpectedly. It
Holderness is, was, and always will be a
works that way sometimes at
truly unique experience. I trust this piece
Holderness too, and it happened in
of art work will become a part of the
February when an email from Randy
school and those who are fortunate
Romaine ’62 arrived on the desk of
enough to be a part of its world.”
archivist Judith Solberg. “I have a framed needlepoint of
Phil Peck with seniors Thany Alexander and Keith Bohlin, the house leaders of Niles and Webster, and the art work in the background.
During a season in which our new dorms won an important architectural
Niles and Webster,” Randy wrote. “The
award, it was all the more pleasurable to
picture was drawn by my brother Gary
see our oldest dorms receive this sort of
’60 and needlepointed by my mother.
artistic recognition. And that needlepoint
Both Gary and I dormed in Niles and
is now on display in the Head of
Webster in different years. It is very well
School’s office. Stop by any time to
done, and I thought it might be some-
have a look.
thing the school would like to have for permanent display in some area where
Holderness School Today
25
Around the Quad
Chapel Haroon Rahimi ’14 marks out common ground between Christianity and Islam in Thursday chapel.
O
NE OF THE YEAR’S
most memo-
rable Thursday night chapel talks was delivered in early
February by sophomore Haroon
time pilgrimage to Mecca. Haroon described each of these principles in considerable detail, explaining the meaning behind each, and all the while
Rahimi. Haroon is a Muslim from
stressing the history and beliefs that
Afghanistan, and he provided a very
Islam shares with Christianity.
personal introduction to the Muslim tradition by means of a series of ques-
Haroon emphasized common ground not just between these spiritual
tions posed to him by Chaplain Rich
traditions, but between us all as human
Weymouth ’70.
beings. “There are many more similar-
Rich asked Haroon about the five
ities than differences between us,” he
pillars of Islam: the creed, daily
said. “It is our duty to recognize that
prayers, fasting during Ramadan, giv-
fact and act on it in all that we do and
ing to the poor, and the once-in-a-life-
all that we are.”
At dinner after chapel: Sam Paine, Nicole DellaPasqua, Emily Rasmussen, Chaplain Rich Weymouth ’70, Haroon Rahimi, and Kathy Weymouth.
Residential Life An AIANH Excellence in Architecture Award for the school’s new dorms.
L
AST FALL THE NEW
WOODWARD Faculty dorm opened on Mt.
buildings are the first step in a campus-wide initiative to provide a low
Prospect Street. This winter that dorm and its companion facility
8:1 student-faculty ratio in all Holderness School residences. They are
were honored with a 2012 Excellence in Architecture Design
designed also to teach students the benefits of energy conservation.
Award from the American Institute of Architects New Hampshire Chapter (AIANH).
“The site plan and building design were developed to resemble a small New England neighborhood with the visual aspect broken into
The dorms were one of six projects singled out this year by the AIANH. According to Executive Director Carolyn Isaak, the Design
smaller components,” said the AIANH citation. “The LEED Gold-certified project serves as a template for sustainability programming at
Awards convey “the highest recognition of works that exemplify excel-
Holderness School, with student involvement in setting energy conserva-
lence in overall design, including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropri-
tion goals, exploring sustainability options, job site recycling, and ongo-
ate functionality, sustainability, building performance, and appropriateness with
said the jury in its comments. “The staff houses give the faculty families a sense of their own space, while being near the student residences. We
The facilities pro-
note the thermal performance, sustainability features, economy, and appropriateness of the project. The project demonstrates that LEED and
vide housing for 48
Energy Star set an appropriate standard. The massing and scale was well
students and resi-
resolved. Faculty houses have great proportions.”
dences for six faculty families. Segmented
“Our school was founded in 1879 with a charter that specifies ‘the highest degree of excellence in instruction and care-taking,’” said
into three-room pods
Holderness Head of School Phil Peck. “These dorms represent a mile-
around a central com-
stone in sustaining that charter, and we rejoice in an honor that belongs
mon living room, the
Plant Manager Dick Stevens, second from left, joined architects and builders in accepting the award.
Holderness School Today
The AIANH’s jury was composed of members of the Seattle, WA, architectural community. “This project has a quality that feels right,”
regard to fulfilling the client’s program.”
26
ing monitoring of electricity, propane, and water.”
to many people in this community, and to the donors and contractors who made our vision a reality.” Ward D’Elia of Samyn-D’Elia Architects worked with members of the Holderness School community in designing the buildings. They were built by Milestone Engineering and Construction, and the landscape architecture was done by Pelletieri Associates, Inc.
Sustainability A “professional bummer-outer”: Author, journalist, and environmental gadfly Bill McKibben speaks at the Hagerman Center.
“M
Y ROLE IN TALKS LIKE
these is that of
professional bummer-outer,” said
author and environmental activist
phere during the Holocene. That number is now much higher over most of the globe, and climbing. “I’m not by nature an activist, but I’ve found that mere
Bill McKibben in an all-school
logic and scientific fact don’t get the job done,” McKibben
address last January. “But unfortu-
said. “On one hand, we have all our best scientists speaking
nately, you have to know the scale of the problem as it exists now in order to understand the scale of
the change that’s needed to fix it.” That problem is global warming, an issue that McKibben defines as the most important issue of this century. The former New Yorker staff writer is the author of a dozen books on environmental affairs, including—most famously—The End of Nature, a 1989 best-seller recognized as the first book written for a general audience about climate change. McKibben is also the founder of 350.org, a grassroots campaign against climate change that has mounted 15,000 rallies in 189 countries since
“In your lifetime, you have witnessed the end of the Holocene, a ten thousandyear period of benign climatic stability.” 1989. Time Magazine has named McKibben “the planet’s best
calmly and logically into one ear of our political leadership
green journalist.”
about what needs to be done. On the other hand, you have the
“In your lifetime, you have witnessed the end of the Holocene, a ten thousand-year period of benign climatic stability,” McKibben told his audience. “Within just the past thirty years, we have seen ice decline by forty percent in the
fossil fuel industry—the most profitable industry on earth— bellowing into the other ear.” The talk concluded with a standing ovation at the school’s Hagerman Center. “Students and adults both learned
Arctic, and seen our oceans grow thirty percent more acidic as
much from McKibben's blend of facts and figures, basic sci-
a result of fossil fuel consumption.”
ence, political discourse, and documentation of activism,” said
Though mean global temperature has risen only by one
science teacher Maggie Mumford.
degree, he added, that has been enough to make our atmos-
Ms. Mumford also coordinates efforts toward environmental
phere four percent wetter—and to trigger a much increased
sustainability at the school. “Here at Holderness we are in the
incidence of flood, drought, and other extreme weather events
process of asking important questions,” she added. “How
across the globe. These have also triggered crop failures, and
should we heat our buildings in the future?
there are more to come, warns McKibben. Then beware of
our own electricity with renewables? We are also teaching our
famine, disease, and war. 350.org takes its signature number from the number of
Can we generate
students to become global citizens, and this visit couldn't have been more timely.”
parts per million that carbon compounds existed in the atmos-
Holderness School Today
27
Around the Quad
Sports Two Holderness athletes sign letters of
T
his winter two Holderness
athletes who helped lead
intent to NCAA Division I programs.
their respective teams to
berths in the NEPSAC championship finals signed letters of intent to play for NCAA Division I programs. Senior Olayode Ahmed was co-captain of the boys’ soccer team, and he’ll be playing next fall at IUPUI—which is to say, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. This is a new urban campus, and therefore a new sports program, managed jointly by these two Indiana Universities. The head coach there is Isang Jacob, who—like Olayode—is from Nigeria. And junior Gavin Bayreuther, an assistant captain of the boys’ hockey team, has committed early to play at St. Lawrence University in 2014.
Olayode Ahmed ’12, above, will play soccer at Indiana in the fall. Gavin Bayreuther ’13 is destined for St. Lawrence.
Gavin is a high-scoring defenseman who will be an even more important part of next year’s Holderness team. Then he will play a year of junior hockey before enrolling at the school
Ski Racing magazine at the J3 Junior
where his Holderness coach, Allie Skelley, once starred.
Olympics: “Slattery toasted the field.”
I
T’S GOOD TO
get some in
Ski Racing magazine. It’s
even better when the
word “astonishing” is used
heat. When Steffey exited
to Logan Slattery this
the course it left Slattery,
March, and the following is
Franconia NH and the
from Ski Racing’s report on
Holderness School, well
the J3 Junior Olympics in its
ahead of Spencer Smith in
March 20 edition:
second.
Holderness School Today
“Smith, Woodstock,
Eva Shaw claimed the final
Vt., and the Stratton
victories, in slalom, at the
Mountain School picked up
Marriot J3 Junior
the silver medal with bronze
Olympics—East at
going to Jonathan Schwartz
Sugarloaf, Maine.
28
George Steffey when he left the start house in his second
in that entry. That happened
“Logan Slattery and
Logan Slattery ’15, second from left, at the medal ceremony.
seconds, but then he was behind first run leader
“Slattery toasted the field by an astonishing 2.73
out of Brookline, Mass., and the Killington Mountain School.”
The weather was odd, but Holderness winter athletes did well all over the map and in all sorts of different sports.
Junior Olympic National Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah. There was some thrilling news on the alpine side as well. No less than six Eastern Team members qualified for the
Boys hockey enjoyed a 20-win season and took a #3 seeding into the New England School Athletic Conference championships. Fabian Stocek ’13, on the right, after finishing 3rd in the 10k freestyle, JO Nationals.
J2 Nationals at Mammoth Mountain, CA, where junior Kelly DiNapoli finished 9th in the slalom, and Elena Bird finished 16th. And at the J3 nationals at Sugarloaf,
I
T MAY NOT HAVE
been much of a winter
ME, Logan Slattery ’15 became national
in terms of cold or snowfall, but it was
champion in the slalom. “Slattery toasted
a great season in general for
the field by an astonishing 2.73 seconds,”
Holderness’s winter athletes. Boys hockey enjoyed a 20-win season and took a #3 seeding into the New England Prep School Athletic Conference
reported Ski Racing magazine in its March 20 issue. Meanwhile sophomore Racheal Erhard took third in the final race of the
championships. There they defeated
M.J. LaFoley Spring Series, and in so
Kent’s Hill 4-3 in the quarterfinals and the
doing won the series championship by a
Brooks School 5-3 in the semifinals. In
slim two points.
the finals they fought gallantly against
New Hampshire GS championship, fin-
She also claimed the J2
top-seeded Kimball Union Academy
ished second in the slalom, and helped her
before falling 3-2 in overtime. The end
team win the state’s Macomber Cup series
was heartbreaking, but the ride was won-
again. And at the British National Ski
derful for a team that Athletic Director
Championships three Holderness sopho-
Lance Galvin ’90 called “the best boys
mores—Henry Tomlinson, Max Lash, and
hockey team we’ve had since we became
Clark Macomber—finished in the top 25,
a Division I program at the end of the
with Henry finishing first among J2s. Snowboarders? A raft of eight quali-
1990s.” The news was just as good in snow sports.
In February the girls Nordic ski
team won the Lakes Region champi-
fied for the USASA Nationals, with six making the trip to Copper, CO, and posting many top-ten finishes. Ryan
onship, with the boys placing third. Both
Rosencranz raced in his second World
Haley Mahar ’12 and Fabian Stocek ’13
Cup event, while Peter Ferrante competed
won the individual championships. Two
with distinction on the FIS Freeflow
weeks later the girls claimed the NEPSAC
Tour—that includes a sixth in the
championship after all five girls finished
Brighton, UT, Slopestyle.
in the top 20 at the 6.2k skate race, and then took first and third in the 12k relay. Meanwhile Fabian Stocek won the boys’ skate race. In March Fabian went on to place third in the 10k freestyle at the
Holderness School Today
29
Special Programs: A Photo Gallery
Artward Bound
Project Outreach
30
Holderness School Today
Out Back Senior Colloquium Holderness School Today
31
Sports
Spring 2012: The Season in Review
There were a lot of celebrations like this one during the boys’ varsity ice hockey season.
In various sports, on various surfaces, it was simply a remarkable winter for the Bulls.
Basketball The boys varsity basketball team started the season with many new faces, including four of the five starters. In addition, this Bulls team was young, starting two sophomores and three juniors. All this contributed to the team’s struggles during the season and to a disappointing record. With wins and losses put aside, this team made large strides and improved on a daily basis. Some players adapted to a more physical game, while others elevated their skills to a new level. The coaches want to thank seniors, Keith Bohlin and Mike Gassman, for all their efforts. Both coaches are confident that the returning players will dedicate themselves to hard work in the off season, and they look forward to seeing this group mature together as a basketball team next season. Post-season recognition went to Josh Joyce, the team’s only freshman, who received the Most Improved Award, and Mike Gassman, a threeyear varsity player, who received the Coach’s Award. by Randy Houseman
The JV boys basketball team had a season full of growth. Starting 0-4, the young Bulls had to find their identity in order to come together as a team and improve. That is exactly what this team
Roland Nyama ’13, unimpeded to the basket.
did. The Bulls grew as individual players and as a team, and they learned what was needed to compete and be successful. Players such as Ryan Shumway, Noah Thompson, and Charles Harker, came into the season trying to find their way. They ended the season with enormous improvement in both skill and confidence. Steady upperclassmen like Dan
32
Holderness School Today
Do, Kangdi Wang, Andy Zinck, Will Marvin, and Caleb Nungesser helped shape this team as the season went along. The Bulls went on to have a winning record of 8-7, which made this season one I will always remember as a coach. by Mike Barney
In our inaugural season, the boys JV2 basketball team found ways to win, lose, and have fun along the way. Starting with five players, who were more comfortable kicking the ball through the hoop than shooting it, the boys quickly learned the rules and figured out the basics of the game. By the end of the season they looked like any other team—setting picks, rebounding, and draining threes. Although none of the players will be moving up to varsity next year, they learned a tremendous amount, and we look forward to many pickup games throughout the year. by Thom Flinders
Another rewarding season has ended for the girls varsity basketball team. If you watched the girls play this year, you witnessed how committed they were to each other. Our team had two seniors leading the charge, Patricia Porta and captain Abby Slattery. They will be missed next year! Captain Migle Vilunaite was a consistent leader who scored in double digits during most games; she also earned the honor of NEPSAC All-Star. Migle had plenty of help from her teammates Marissa Merrill (a junior) and Hannah Slattery (a sophomore), who also scored in double digits regularly. Captain Xajaah WilliamsFlores also played well and contributed on both ends of the court each game. Caroline Mure, Sarah Michel, and Saro Ntahobari all played with
year as one of the top goaltenders in New England, and junior defensemen Gavin Bayreuther, who was a first-team All-New England selection. Both Gavin and Andrew were co-recipients of the Coach’s Award.
Senior forward Nick
Renzi collected the Most Improved Award, and Junior forward Gordie Borek took home the Weston Lea Spirit Award. Along with Renzi, fellow seniors Connor Loree, Drew Walsh, and captain Shawn Watson all made excellent contributions throughout the season.
With many players
returning next year, the future looks bright for the skating Bulls. Thank you, seniors! by Allie Skelley
The boys JV hockey team relied on a combination of both new and experienced players to register one of our most successful and enjoyable seasons in recent years. Net-tender responsibilities were effectively shared by Matt Kinney,
NEPSAC All-Star Migle Vilunaite ’13.
John Musciano, and
T.J. Ajello. An
able group of forwards that included Thany Alexander, Will Tessier, Charlie Day, Carter Miller, Parker Weekes, and Matt Gudas led our offensive rushes. Treat Hardy, Steve
a lot of heart and contributed to the overall success of the team. At the end of the season the Coach’s Award was given to Abby Slattery, and the Most Improved Award went to Hannah Slattery. by Lance Galvin ’90
Although there was no JV girls basketball team the previous winter, this season we had a solid nine players commit to the team.
Because the majority of the students had
never picked up a basketball before, much of our focus this season was on fundamentals. By the end of the season, each girl was able to dribble with both hands, score a righthanded and left-handed lay-up, and accurately and aggressively play a man-to-man or 2-3 zone defense. The team was led by co-captains Iashai Stephens and Katie Draper. While we were unable to win a game this season, the girls made huge strides every game both on the offensive and defensive ends. This year’s Coach’s Award recipient is Iashai Stephens, and the Most Improved Award goes to Thao Nguyen. by Melissa Stuart
Hockey The boys varsity hockey team finished the 20112012 season with one of the best records—23 wins, 10 losses, and 2 ties—in program history. The Bulls continued their successful campaign all the way to the NEPSAC small-school championship finals where they lost to KUA in a tightly contested overtime game. The Bulls were led by senior goalie Andrew Munroe, who ended the
Page, Jonathan Bass, and Connor Smith also added some offensive punch along the way. Matt Tankersley, Connor Marien, and Sam Paine earned more ice time this year as well. A strong contingent of defensemen—Max Sturgis, Oliver Lowe, Christian Anderson, Jake Barton, Preston Kelsey, Amos Pierce, and Jules Pichette—combined their skills to regularly keep our opponents in check. Preston Kelsey earned the Coach’s Award, and Matt Kinney was recognized as our Most Improved player. by Reggie Pettitt
Julia Potter ’12 claimed hockey’s Most Improved award.
This year’s girls varsity hockey team showed that working as a team can lead to greater success than rallying behind a few leaders. Although this squad had a depth of leadership—from two-year captains Abby Guerra and Ari Bourque to their fellow seniors, Carly Meau, Julia Potter, and Sam Lee—this team prioritized team goals over any personal accolades. After a winless start to the season in the first semester, the Bulls went on to dominate at the St. Paul’s Tournament and to eventually avenged a controversial OT loss to St. Paul’s. The team’s performance continued to crescendo; by February they were 6-1-2, which included a 20 shutout over the eventual NEPSAC champions. Congratulations to Julia Potter for earning the Most Improved Award for her develop-
Goalie Andrew Munroe ’12, where the puck almost always stopped.
Holderness School Today
33
Sports
ment over four years on the team, and
Macomber series, and Rachael Erhard put together some great fin-
to Abby Guerra and Ari Bourque for
ishes in the Lafoley Spring Series to take the ladies’ title. Sadly we
sharing the Coach’s Award as the
were forced to cancel MJ’s Race for the first time in its twenty-year
team’s MVPs and incredible captains.
history. Coach’s Awards went to Lily Ford and Jeff Hauser. Our
by Susie Cirone
Most Improved skiers were Rachael Erhard and Harrison Alva.
At the beginning of the season, the
the kitchen and maintenance departments, as well as the business
outlook for the girls JV hockey
office, for keeping us fueled, funded and mobile. More thanks to the
Superstars was uncertain; the team
staff: Georg, Ben, Lori, Jeff, Eric, Jake, Chris, and all the folks at
graduated a slew of seniors in 2011
the Franconia Ski Club. We’ll be hoping for a good old fashioned
and introduced many new skaters at
real winter next year.
the beginning of the year. The early
by Craig Antonides ’77
Thanks to the faculty for supporting the effort. Thanks also to
part of the season was a little tough,
School alpine cocaptain Miguel Arias.
as so many were just learning how to
This past season began slowly, but as the man-made snow accumu-
skate and how to play the game. In
lated, conditions got better and better; our school alpine racers had
addition, going up against Exeter and
ample opportunity to improve their racing technique in gates and
St. Paul’s twice each to start the sea-
enjoy lots of free skiing as well. Coaches Christian Herzog and
son was hard.
Molly Rice appreciated the consistent efforts of all of the athletes
The second half of the season
regardless of the conditions and the weather.
proved to be vastly different, as the team’s record ended at 7-2-1. Each line figured out their system of play
and all were scoring in varied approaches and methods. Highlights
There traditionally has been a broad range of racing experience on the team, and this year was no exception. This year we even fielded a women’s JV team at the races in addition to men’s and women’s varsity teams. Notable team results included the boys’
for the season included the I-93 grudge match against New
first place finish at the Lakes Region GS championship and the
Hampton, and the tie game against KUA. The entire team should be
girls’ second place finish at the Lakes Region GS qualifying race.
commended for their dedication and enthusiasm for the team and the game.
Graduating school team lifers include Mitch Shumway (captain and recipient of the Coach’s Award) and Chris Daniell (captain, previous winner of the unofficial “fearless” award, and now official
by Margot Moses
winner of the four-year Most Improved Award). Captain Miguel
Alpine skiing
Arias is also graduating this year.
This year’s Eastern alpine squad had another fine season, despite Mother Nature declaring this “the winter that wasn’t.” With very little snowfall, the season started slowly and ended much more quickly than usual. There were many cancellations on both ends of the season, preparation for competitions was difficult, and establishing any momentum a challenge. But despite all the problems with the season, the team worked hard for results, and in the end, we had a quite successful season. Highlights included qualifying six skiers to the J2 Nationals at Mammoth Mountain, CA. Elena Bird, Kelly DiNapoli, Henry Tomlinson, Jesse Osuchowski, Max Lash and Jesse Ross represent-
The Nordic team got more than their usual amount of dry land training.
ed the Bulls on the East Team. Tomlinson and DiNapoli each had a 10th-place finish, and Bird had a 16th. We also had two boys make
Another outstanding individual effort was put in by Hannah Stowe (Most Improved Award), who steadily moved up in results each week in both slalom and GS to become a consistent scorer. Sookie Liddle was our top girls’ finisher each week, typically scoring in the top five, and she has set her sights on joining the Eastern Team next year.
We wish her well!
Luke Randle, Jack Kinney, and Jingyi Wu deserve special mention for their determination to keep up with the more experienced racers. We look forward to all returning and new athletes on this team in which improvement is part of the enjoyment of the sport. by Maggie Mumford
the J3 Olympics. Logan Slattery and Liam O’Reilly went to
Freestyle skiing
Sugarloaf, where Slattery won the SL.
Bobby Wassman anchored the Holderness USSA mogul team, and
Nikkol Blair made the J3
did so single-handedly. Well, almost—Mr. Chapuredima played a key role, transporting Bobby through ice and snow (mostly ice) and providing the support necessary for Bobby to accomplish his competition training schedule. The Holderness mogul training program requires an athlete to step up to many responsibilities, athletic and academic. Bobby's accomplishments include competing in 16 USSA mogul events during a shortened competition season between January 7 and February 17. While little time between starts makes gains difficult, Bobby lifted his USSA points by 45 FSP. Bobby's focus on strengthening his technical base allowed for significant improvement in his course tactics and aerial skills. His energy for skiing moguls never waned amid icy courses, tough weather, and frustrating results. Perseverance has its rewards, as Bobby skied his two best results in his two final events at Stratton and at the Eastern Championships in Sugarloaf. His goal to execute Finals at Killington, while Rachael Erhard and Lea Rice went to the NJR FIS Finals at Whiteface. Once again we managed to defend the team title in the
34
Holderness School Today
consistent top-to-bottom competitive runs was achieved. For Bobby's dedication, participation, improvement, and energy, and for his outstanding friendship to all on the Waterville Valley
mogul team, the coaches proudly
Parker Densmore, who not only was a jump-
award Bobby the Holderness team’s
ing veteran, but also arrived on campus with
Most Valuable Skier Award.
his own custom jumping suit. For his commitment and proselytizing efforts
by Nick Preston
on behalf of the program, Parker was the
Nordic skiing
recipient of the Coach’s Award. The Most Improved Award went to two jumpers, each
It was a banner year for the Nordic ski team.
following a different path to success: the fear-
Led by senior team captains
less high-flying Jeffrey Hauser, and a persist-
Haley Mahar and Reed Spearman, the
ent and determined Chris Daniell. Thanks to
Nordic team numbered in the mid-
all for another fun season.
thirties - the largest team in memory
by Doug Kendall
at Holderness. A vigorous mix of seasoned skiers and enthusiastic rookies, the team hunted with enthusiasm for
Snowboarding
early snow, practicing in thinly cov-
Despite some early season weather chal-
ered parking lots in Franconia Notch
lenges, the Holderness snowboard team con-
and rejoicing when snow finally cov-
tinued to excel in all levels of competition.
ered our home trails.
Zachary Harmon, Kevin Horner, Oliver
The boys’ team welcomed the arrival of Czech phenom Fabian Stocek, a junior who dominated the race courses in our league, winning
Johnson, Ben Grad, Nam Tran, Joey Casey,
FIS finalist Paul Pettengill ’12
virtually every race he entered. Rising
and Tyler Moffa all made great contributions in the boys’ Lakes Region competitions. The girls were anchored by Zoe Grant, Haley Michienzi, Rachel Huntley, Molly Tankersley,
star sophomore Drew Houx also had a break-out season, earning
Christina Raichle and Yazhi Li. Both teams finished near the top in
top-ten finishes consistently in our league. Other skiers were sen-
both Giant Slalom and Slopestyle competitions.
iors Brian Tierney and Thai Dao; juniors Axi Berman, Aiden
Six of the eight riders who qualified for the USASA
Kendall, G.P. Lee, Francis Miles, and Charlie Williams; and a pas-
Nationals traveled to Copper, CO, for that event. Leah Curtis,
sel of ninth- and tenth-graders.
Hannah Halsted, Peter Ferrante, Justin Simpkins, Ryan
Fabian and Drew both raced in the
Eastern High School Championships, and Fabian earned a third-
Rosencranz, and Paul Pettengill made Holderness proud with sev-
place finish at Junior Nationals in Park City, the best result for a
eral top-ten finishes.
Holderness skier in over a decade. On the girls’ side, Haley finished consistently at the top of
2012 was also a great year for our FIS Alpine Snowboarders. Ryan, Hannah and Paul often found themselves qualifying for
the result sheet, culminating her season with a stunning win in the
finals against some of the best racers in the US and Canada. Ryan
Lakes’ Region Championship race. Seniors Bee Crudgington,
then went on to compete in his second World Cup, which was held
Pippa Blau, and Maggie Caputi all had great seasons. Joining them
this year in Telluride, CO.
was a strong core of skiers including junior Emily Soderberg,
into uncharted territory by competing in the Freeflow Tour, where
sophomores Celeste Holland, Eliana Mallory, and Hannah Durnan,
he finished sixth in the Brighton, UT, Slopestyle.
and ninth-graders Lizzy Duffy and Cayla Penny. The girls ran
Peter Ferrante also brought Holderness
This year our Most Improved rider was Yazhi Li , and the
away with the Lakes Region title and look to be a powerhouse
Coach’s Awards went to Peter Ferrante and Ryan Rosencranz.
team for seasons to come. Haley, Celeste, and Hannah all repre-
by Alan Smarse
sented New Hampshire at the Eastern High School Championships. Most Improved Awards went to Cayla Penny and Qianyi Zhang on the girls’ side, and to Drew Houx on the boys’ team. Coach’s Awards honored team captains Haley Mahar and Reed Spearman. by Peter Durnan
Ski Jumping Despite the scarcity of natural snow this year, the ski jumps at Proctor, were kept in excellent condition, and the ski jumping team made a record number of visits to the hill. Adding to the attraction of fine facilities was the coaching expertise of Proctor’s Tim Norris (only nominally retired) and our own Walter Malmquist ’74, who continues to volunteer countless hours, deep knowledge, and boundless enthusiasm to Holderness jumpers. Many students tried out the sport this year, some just once, others over several trips. Veteran Steph Symecko was joined by some of her senior classmates who finally got around to trying the sport late in their Holderness careers: Brandon Marcus, Ian Ford, Josie Brownell, and Justin Simpkins. Juniors psyched to return next season include Macy Jones, Perry Kurker-Mraz, Fabian Stocek, and Aidan Kendall. Ninth-grader Gibson Chushman, with his powerful springs, showed much promise for success in the
Hannah Halsted ’12 also made the FIS finals.
years to come. Our most faithful participant was ninth-grader
Holderness School Today
35
Update: Faculty & Staff
Words of our fathers Writing and speaking from a national platform, Robert Caldwell begins at the beginning, with his father, who made shirts.
I
T’S A GOOD THING
for Holderness
School that Robert Caldwell’s father made shirts. “From the day I was able
to understand concepts, my father told
me that he would prefer a customer
popular presentations: “New Age
who bought from him every season over one
Philanthropy,” about new models for
who made one big-time purchase,” Robert
fundraising in nonprofits; and “Insights and
writes in “The True Measure of Loyalty,” an
Stories About the Motivations and Attitudes
article published in the February, 2012, issue
of High Net Worth Individuals.”
of Currents magazine. “His successful career
Two more important speaking engage-
in shirt manufacturing was based on an
ments are on the horizon: one for the
important objective: building lifelong rela-
Independent School Association of Northern
tionships with customers. He cared about
New England in October, and another for the
these relationships and created loyal cus-
Association of Fundraising Professionals in
tomers in the process—people who helped
November.
his business grow in good times and weather bad times.”
Head of School Phil Peck admires Robert’s ability to combine a command of
That was a valuable concept for the boy
the latest data on donor behavior and goals
who would go on to become this school’s
with new ways to apply all that to the
Executive Director for Advancement and
specifics of the Holderness community.
External Relations. At Holderness he devotes
Collins, in his recent book Great by Choice, talks about the need for leaders to apply
loyal community members—alumni, parents,
empirical creativity,” says Phil. “That seem-
and friends who wear their Holderness shirts
ingly paradoxical blend of data and creativity
for a lifetime, and who provide support to the
is part of Robert's DNA, and his leadership
school because of what it represents in terms
in advancement at Holderness and on a
of relationships, values, and aspirations, in
national scale is based on this quality. I love working and learning from Robert because
Robert has done so well at this—and at such previous posts as St. Andrew’s School,
he is a learner, someone who is always seeking to make himself and Holderness better.”
Bucknell, Dartmouth, St. Lawrence
We might add that it’s also because he
University, and Hebron Academy—that he’s
he likes his work and the people it involves.
making even more of a name for himself in
“The informal education I unknowingly
the field of advancement. Besides that
received from my father expresses itself in
February publication on how a school best
my own career each day,” he writes in
cultivates and maintains that critical sense of
Currents. “The word that best describes him
loyalty, Robert served this winter on the
is ‘philanthropist.’ Not by the standards of
planning committee for a national conference
today’s definition, but rather the deeper
mounted jointly by the Council for the
meaning derived from the word’s original
Advancement and Support of Education
Greek roots: deep love of humanity. He
(CASE) and the National Association for
demonstrated an altruistic concern for human
Independent Schools (NAIS).
36
“Jim
himself not to loyal customers, but rather to
good times and bad.
This
welfare in the lifelong relationships he nur-
San Francisco event was attended by 1200
tured. Not a bad lesson to learn and pass on.”
professionals, and there Robert provided two
Holderness School Today
Robert Caldwell speaks at the CASE/NAIS conference in San Francisco.
“The word that best describes my father is ‘philanthropist.’ Not by the standards of today’s definition, but rather the deeper meaning derived from the word’s original Greek roots: deep love of humanity.”
A
SSISTANT
HEAD of
school in January. “Today the
Macomber has been
Downhill, tomorrow the
living in Switzerland and
Super Combined (which is a
trotting the globe during his
run of Super G and Slalom in
year on sabbatical—all by
the same day). We got to see
way of learning how schools
the crowds, and meet her
across the world build both
friends and teammates. After
community and a sense of
the race Julia took a couple
globalism among their
runs with us and joined us for
diverse populations, and
lunch (I have never seen
speaking on the subject at
Anna ski so fast!). Julia was
such events as the the
gracious, funny, and thought-
Association of Boarding
ful as always, a great ambas-
Schools global symposium in
sador for Holderness School
Washington, DC, this spring. And if you live in Switzerland, you get to see some great World Cup ski
Jory Macomber speaks at a TABS global symposium and catches up with Julia Ford ’08 at a World Cup race.
Cup,” Jory wrote to the
School Jory
and the United States on the world ski racing stage. GO, JULIA!” We suspect Jory and his
racing. These days that also
family have been pretty good
means that you get to see US
ambassadors on their own
Ski Team member Julia Ford.
sort of stage, and we look
“We are here in St. Moritz,
forward to welcoming them
Switzerland, lucky enough to
back this summer.
Jory Macomber in Washington, DC., above, and to the right, with Julia Ford ’08 and his daughter Anna in St. Moritz.
get to be fans for Julia Ford as she races in the World
Pete Hendel and some Holderness parents test themselves against the best at the Masters World Cup Nordic Ski Championships.
B
USINESS
DIRECTOR Pete Hendel—
who is on sabbatical this year as
part of the Henderson/Brewer
Chair program, but who has been spend-
ranging from thirty to over eighty, from thirty nations. Among those athletes, besides Pete, were John Brodhead and Gina Campoli, the parents of Luc
ing a lot of time in the office anyway—
Brodhead ’06; and Frank Hurt, the father
met up with several past parents in March
of Demian Hurt ’90.
while competing in the Masters World Cup Nordic Ski Championships. Held in Oberweisenthal, Germany, the MWC drew 1200 athletes, their ages
Racers competed in four races over eight days. Pete and John both raced in 10k, 15k, and 30k events, along with the relay race.
Welcome, young Matthew Cirone!
M
ATTHEW
HARTLEY Cirone—the son
of math teacher Frank Cirone and
history teacher Susie Cirone—
officially and physically joined the
John Broadhead and Pete Hendel in Oberweisenthal.
Holderness community on April 26, 2012. Among the welcomers, of course, are his brothers Nico (3) and Cam (5).
Holderness School Today
37
Update: Former Faculty & Staff
As Jay Stroud calls it a career at Tabor, he shares an old newspaper clipping and a Christmas thought with colleague Phil Peck.
“There is some hope, with a common purpose . . .”
I
N
DECEMBER TABOR Academy Head of
School—and former Holderness faculty
member—Jay Stroud was cleaning out
standards of achievement, accountability, and
his files. He came across an old newspa-
discipline that Anderson described as “elite” in
per clipping, “yellow with age,” says
Jay—a
May, 1977, Boston Globe column by
every aspect of his job, Jay’s uncommon grace
Holderness.” Jay made a copy of it and mailed
and characteristic humility have been his hall-
it to Phil Peck, saying, “I remember Don [then-
marks,” writes Tabor Dean of Faculty Richard
Headmaster Don Hagerman] wasn’t too happy
Roller in an announcement about the retire-
“This private school has no litter prob-
his profound respect for every member of the
are no cigarette butts outside buildings because
Tabor community has been universally appreci-
boys may smoke only in a certain corner
ated.”
important part of the explanation for that lack
at six, but instructors wear jackets despite the
of litter or cigarette butts at Holderness in the
It was unfashionable because it was so different from what was going on in public
the balance of his December letter to Phil. Here we’re getting into something spiritual, and it
Anderson. At Holderness he saw students who
matters even at a non-denominational school
were hard-working and inquisitive, and who
like Tabor.
could be dismissed from the school if they cre-
newspaper piece about Holderness.
who taught challenging material, and who
school. Seeing all the kids, maybe a hundred of them, arranged in the Chapel—kids from every
measure up. At last Anderson applauds what he sees as the “elitism” of a good independent school, and
Christmas for me,” Jay wrote. “Always has been. There is some hope, with a common pur-
Of course Don Hagerman bridled at the
pose, with some sense that we are, in fact, all in this together; that we can sing hymns that we
use of the word “elitism” in a newspaper piece
may not understand and likely wouldn’t believe
about Holderness. Don ran a school that took
in, but in the singing of them the message is
pride in just the reverse, that liked being a
more real than the words of the hymn itself.”
down-to-earth and unpretentious sort of inde-
That sounds just about right, and it sug-
pendent school, and in succeeding years so
gests one important reason—besides pride—
have Pete Woodward and Phil Peck. And
why people use the recycling bins around here,
Holderness was founded in the first place as a
and no doubt at Tabor too. Jay Stroud is closing
poor clergyman’s alternative to more “elite”
out a career as a great New England school-
Episcopal schools. In January we would discover why Jay
master, a smart man with elite standards and the common touch, and how fortunate we are
was cleaning out his files. That was when he
that seventeen years of that career were devoted
announced his retirement from Tabor at the end
to Holderness.
of this school year, relinquishing his place in
school heads in New England.
Holderness School Today
corner of the world, every race and most religions—is the most moving moment of
concludes “that with more elitism there would
June as one of the most senior independent
38
“We had our Lessons and Carols—a very Episcopal service for this very non-religious
could be dismissed themselves if they didn’t
be less mediocrity.”
word “elitism” in a
’70s, and the same general lack of litter today. Jay touches on just this sort of thing at Tabor in
schools at the time—at least according to
ated discipline problems. He saw instructors
at the use of the
In fact that word “community” may be an
boys don’t wear jackets to class, only to dinner
warmth. It’s all so unfashionable.”
Hagerman bridled
ment, “Jay’s joy in working with adolescents has served as a model for his colleagues, and
lems,” Anderson begins. “At Holderness there
behind a wooden fence. Because it is May,
Of course Don
1977, but without the severity and sense of exclusion that can give elitism a bad name. “In
Peter Anderson entitled “About class at
about this piece, but I thought it was terrific.”
Jay, left, retires with the Tabor Day trophy his school won last fall. Is that what he was waiting for?
For twenty-four years, Jay has burnished the reputation of Tabor and upheld those same
By all means, let us sing.
M
Y APOLOGIES FOR THE
mass message, but this seemed the
easiest way to let a core group of people important to
me know some of my news: however, my reason is
thrilling, and has just gone public. I am leaving New Hampton School to become the Head of School at the Beacon Academy just outside Manila, Philippines! My husband Paul and I have been speaking of working
Former Holderness teacher, coach, Director of College Counseling, Dean of Girls, and Dean of Students Marty Elkins will be starting a new job this summer. After leaving Holderness in 2001, she became Director of College Counseling at the Groton School. In 2009 she assumed the same responsibilities at the New Hampton School, but now she’s got a bigger job ahead of her. We’ll let her explain in an email she sent to her friends in February.
somewhere else in the world for a long time. This opportunity fell into our laps when several folks on the founding board of this endeavor contacted me. They were all either graduates of Phillips Exeter, Groton, or St. Paul's, or currently had children at those schools. I will be the head of the high school part of a K-12 program (the Beacon School) on a campus thirty minutes outside of Manila—starting July 1, 2012. The academy currently has 85 students, will have 120 by next August, and a growth plan to hit 300 in five years. The school hopes to start a boarding program as well. The Beacon Academy vision—to be the finest independent school in Asia, with the curriculum of the International Baccalaureate and the pedagogy of Phillips Exeter's Harkness system—is certainly lofty, but it also resonates deeply with me, as I have been an administrator, taught, coached and lived in independent schools for more than thirty years; attended Exeter with Harkness; and saw how it transformed my own child. My husband Paul is a 33-year independent school man, and will become the academy's first Dean of Students. I cannot express—yet—how much I will miss my time with many of you at various times past, current, or future. Do not doubt
Marty and Elk caught up with former history teacher Pete Rapelye at the dedication of the Woodward Faculty dorm last fall.
that my thoughts will be with you all, and I hope I can find some way to stay in touch via email, iChat or Skype! Better yet, anyone traveling to Asia better come see us—an hour by plane from Singapore, 2 hours from Hong Kong, and 3-plus hours from Tokyo! I believe we will be leaving the States in mid-June or so; we are NOT selling our house in New Hampshire because we want to come home for some of the breaks each year—usually June and December—and because our daughter Cordy wants to be able to go there to escape Boston. When we have a new address in the Philippines, I will send it along. Best wishes to you; perhaps you will soon hear of our fabulous students and of our outstanding new school in the coming years!
Love to all,
An announcement from Marty Elkins, the latest former Holderness hand to become a head of school. She and Elk are off to Manila.
Marty
Ms. Marty T. Elkins Director of College Counseling New Hampton School
Holderness School Today
39
Update: Former Faculty & Staff
“Inspired Leadership”
California’s Midland School, headed by Will Graham ’72, steps to the fore of the sustainability movement.
T
HE
MIDLAND SCHOOL of Los
Olivos, CA—which is headed up
by former faculty member Will
another three percent of our campus electricity use. They write technical reports and become community teachers
Graham ’72—continues to build a
at Santa Barbara’s Earth Day. The
national profile for its work on behalf of
Midland Model—three percent per
a national education problem: the crucial
year—demonstrates the viability of tak-
importance of renewable energy.
ing cumulatively consequential steps
Midland is one of two schools—
toward grid neutrality over a generation.
along with Hotchkiss in Connecticut—
As of 2011, twenty percent of our cam-
featured in a spring Independent School
pus electricity needs are met with grid-
Magazine feature on renewable energy
tiered, student-installed arrays.”
programs: “Changing the Story: Making
Of course the value of the program
Renewal Energy Central to Learning,”
in terms of energy savings is amplified
by Lise Goddard and Joshua Hahn.
by what the students learn as they first
“Midland School has taken a holistic
install the program’s components, and
approach to achieving carbon neutrality:
then write and teach about it.
make it educational and spread it out over many years,” the authors write. The article describes the ethos of environmentalism bound into the
Students heat their own cabins and showers with wood fires, tend the
by 2020 in its energy use, and toward that end has acquired a 280-acre farm
school’s founding in 1932. Students heat
near its campus and is building a bio-
their own cabins and showers with wood
mass central heating facility.
fires, tend the school’s organic gardens,
Paul Chapman, author of The
and participate in the same sort of Jobs
Environmental Sustainability Movement
Program that Will experienced at
in K-12 Education (NAIS, 2012), likes
Holderness.
what he sees at both schools, and he
Midland students are also supplying
school’s organic gardens.
At Hotchkiss, meanwhile, the school has vowed to be carbon-neutral
likes at Midland what Will and
the engineering muscle for the school’s
Environmental Program Director Lise
gradual shift to solar power. “Every year
Goddard are accomplishing personally.
since 2003,” writes Ms. Goddard, “our
“What makes both schools stand out,” he
tenth-grade chemistry students have
writes, “is their inspired leadership.”
worked alongside a solar electrician to install a 3-kW PV system that meets
Former Development Director Doug White is now a Columbia professor, and is still a busy author and consultant.
C
OLUMBIA
University
announced this winter
that Doug White, this
school’s former Director of Development, has been named
ors include receiving the 2002 ‘Distinguished Service Award’
Continuing Education’s
from the National Capital
Master of Science in
Planned Giving Council
Fundraising Management pro-
(Washington, DC).”
“Doug has led organizations in developing ethics and
Holderness School Today
have raised more than $800 million dollars. His many hon-
to the faculty of its School of
gram.
40
announcement. “He has been responsible for efforts that
Doug is also the author of books on planned giving and the ethics of philanthropy.
strategic planning policies,
He is teaching a seminar at
donor relations, planned and
Columbia on the work of non-
major giving, and capital cam-
profit boards in the fundrais-
paigns,” said the university’s
ing arena.
Alumni in the News
The Arts
Legging it out with Angelina.
W
HO WILL RISE AND WHO
will fall in
the Hollywood film industry has
currently under development at Mandate Pictures, and its script generated enough buzz in the film
always been notoriously hard to
industry to prompt Alexander Payne (director of
predict, but give credit to Variety
About Schmidt, Sideways, and other hits) to ask the
magazine, which four years ago
tabbed an unknown writer named Nat Faxon ’93 as a “Screenwriter to Watch.” Then, one Sunday last
January, millions were watching as Nat stepped on to
actor buddies to write the screen adaptation for The Descendants. “Nat and Jim are rare among today’s screenwriters for the humanity with which they write and
Hollywood’s biggest stage to accept an Oscar for
their lack of interest in gimmick or contrivance,”
“Best Adapted Screenplay.”
Payne told Variety in 2008.
The screenplay—co-written with Jim Rash— was for the hit film The Descendants. Adapted from
After the Oscars, Payne told the Los Angeles Times that he was grateful for all the different
a novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings,
approaches Nat and Jim gave him for capturing the
the drama was directed by Alexander Payne and stars
novel. “They paved a path for me because they’d
George Clooney as a land baron in Hawaii who tries
been through the book quite a few times,” he said.
to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is
“They gave me the luxury to pick and choose what I
injured in a boating accident.
responded to.”
So Nat Faxon is now one half of the hottest
On stage at the Oscars, the two comedy vets
screenwriting team in Hollywood, though he also
provoked something of what passes for much ado in
remains what he was on his arrival in Hollywood—a
Hollywood. Their Oscars were presented by actress
working actor, comedian, and producer. After per-
Angelina Jolie, who wore a Versace black velvet
forming brilliantly in Martha Kesler’s stage produc-
gown with a hip-high slit in one flank. On the red
tions during his Holderness years, Nat went on to
carpet outside, and on stage within, Jolie posed with
Hamilton College to major in theater.
one long leg thrust entirely out of the gown. Nat and
Then he con-
tinued his training as a member of The Groundlings,
Jim then struck the same pose in
the company that performs at the Los Angeles
their tuxes as they cradled their
improvisational comedy club of the same name. It
statues.
was there that Nat struck up a friendship with another unknown aspiring actor, Jim Rash. Nat worked his way into the main company of The Groundlings by 2001, and since then he’s had
It was funny. Was it also mockery? Gasp! The debate raged for some time on the internet. “I had just seen her pose and I
starring or supporting roles in such films as Orange
thought it was bold and fun,” said
County, Slackers, Club Dread, The TV Set, Beerfest,
Jim to the Hollywood Reporter.
and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story; and on such
“And you know what? We have
TV series as Grosse Pointe, Reno 911!, Joey, Navy
exactly the same legs.”
NCIS, and Mad Men. He’s also appeared in commer-
Nat also denied any disre-
cial campaigns for Holiday Inn and Blockbuster. You
spect. “Angelina’s supremely
can catch him on sports channels these days in a Kia
hot,” he said. “There’s no way to
commercial featuring basketball star Blake Griffin.
do anything but honor her.”
There were always long stretches of disappoint-
In a different sort of way,
ment and not much money between such jobs, how-
Nat Faxon is also supremely hot.
ever, until—wrote Variety in 2008—“the two actor
His phone should be ringing a lit-
buddies decided to take matters into their own hands
tle more steadily, and whether it
and write parts for themselves. The result: a handful
involves acting, writing, produc-
of high-profile film and TV sales that may well turn
ing, or even directing, he’ll prob-
the two comedy vets into leading man material.” Their first feature-length film script—entitled
One day, waiting for his phone to ring, actor Nat Faxon ’93 decided to try writing as well. Now he owns an Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay,” and a little tabloid controversy as well.
ably have plenty of options—as well as good-looking legs.
The Way Back—is a comedy/drama centering on the relationship between a boy and his mother against the backdrop of a summer water park. That film is
Holderness School Today
41
Alumni in the News
The Arts
Statue #2: Casey Carroll ’04 is becoming a regular member of Oscar-winning film teams.
T
HIS WAS A VERY
good Oscar season
for Holderness. We want to lead off with Nat’s Oscar, of course, but
we should also mention the Oscar that
Casey, right, on Oscar night with producer Glen Zipper.
enced by the Manassas Tigers of Manassas, Tennessee—and by the businessman, Bill Courtney, who volunteered countless hours to coach and invigorate a
was won with some in-the-trenches help
dormant program in the heart of the ghet-
from Casey Carroll ’04.
to that had 17 players and had gone 6-54
Casey works for Exclusive Media— a film production company based both in Beverly Hills and London—which took
the previous six years before he arrived. It looks like it’s good to have Casey on your team, since he was also part of
home an Oscar in February for Best
the coalition of independent producers
Documentary Feature. That film, The
and artists assembled to make The Hurt
Undefeated, is the story of the 2009 high
Locker in 2008—a film that won six
school football season as it was experi-
Oscars that year.
A
MONG THE ARTISTS WHO
performed at Artward
“Magical”
Bound this spring was Kyle Carey ’03, whose
2011 CD of original songs (in the Celtic
Americana mode), Monongah, made a lot of year-end
is the mot
best-of lists. These include Top Album of 2011 from Illinois’ “Celtic Connections” radio show; Best of 2011 from Florida’s “The Waking Hours” radio show; Top
juste.
Five of the Year from “The Celtic Show” in Alberta, Canada; Patricia Herlevi’s Top Ten from World Music Central; and #8 in the year’s Top Twenty from the “Johnny’s Garden” music blog. At Holderness Kyle was accompanied by noted
Kyle Carey ’03 performs at AB, makes year-end “best” lists.
Boston guitarist Jordan Tice. She performed songs from Monongah, as well as a few that she plans to include in her next CD. Reviews continue to appear for Monongah. “Finally released in Europe after an autumn launch in the US and Canada, the debut album from Alaska-born but extensively traveled Kyle Carey is, quite simply a delight,” writes Jeremy Searle of Britain’s Rock ‘n’Reel magazine. “Drawing from both the American and British folk traditions, the songs, including some very fine originals, are beautifully crafted and performed. . . .And ‘magical’ is the mot juste for this album. Assured, confident, enchanting, and irresistible, it sticks to the CD player like glue, as does the finger to the Repeat button.” After Artward Bound, Kyle left for a successful two-week tour of the Netherlands. During the rest of the spring she and two band-mates toured the Northeast, and made radio appearances on New Hampshire Public Radio’s The Folk Show and WMUA’s Celtic Crossings. Stay current at her website: www.kyleannecarey.com.
42
Holderness School Today
With Jordan Tice, left, on guitar and harmony vocals.
Books
“Closer to a reckoning.”
I
N
1964,
THE FALL OF HIS
junior year, Peter
Janney ’66 went home for Thanksgiving and learned that his best friend’s mother— Mary Pinchot Meyer—had been
Mitchell, who claimed to have witnessed Crump killing Ms. Meyer, was not the Georgetown math professor he claimed to be. Rather he was a well-known figure in
murdered, gunned down while
CIA covert operation circles,
she walked along the C&O Canal
and a man whose home
towpath in Georgetown. A day laborer
served as a CIA safe
named Ray Crump was arrested near the
house. And Peter finds
scene and charged with the murder, but
that his own father,
Crump was later acquitted. The case
Wistar Janney, may
remains perhaps Washington, D.C.’s most
have been among
troubling unsolved murder.
those complicit in
Among its disturbing aspects is the constel-
what happened that
lation of figures connected to Ms. Meyer, which
November afternoon.
include her brother-in-law, the journalist Ben
Film director Oliver
Bradlee; her former hus-
Stone says that Mary’s
band, CIA officer Cord Meyer; and her lover,
Mosaic is “a fascinating
President John F.
story . . . . Peter Janney’s
Kennedy, whom she had
unsparing analysis moves us
first come to know when
closer to a reckoning.” The book’s introduction
they were both students at
is written by Dick Russell,
Choate in 1936.
whose 1992 opus The Man
Peter himself is the
Who Knew Too Much is one
son of a CIA officer, a man who could never dis-
of the classic texts contest-
cuss the nature of his
ing the conclusions of the
work at home. Peter went
Warren Commission Report.
on to a career in clinical
And Russell is as much
psychology after his
moved by the book’s emo-
schooling, but after 25
tional power as he is by its
years he shifted gears. He
revelations. “Mary’s Mosaic
went to the Duke business
is a story about intertwined
school, and then to
destinies, about human
Hollywood to work as an
strength and weaknesses,
independent film produc-
and finally about the forces
er. He remained troubled
of good and evil,” Russell
himself by that 1964 mur-
writes. “The book makes a
der, however, and now
reader consider those possi-
he’s also an investigative
bilities within each of us,
journalist and author—
even if what unfolds is on a Shakespearean stage.”
and another advocate for the belief that JFK was killed not by a lone gun-
A May article in the Boston Globe recognizes
man, but by the machinations of a conspiracy, one
why Oliver Stone, for one, would like this book
that later saw the need to also eliminate the
(“Peter Janney on JFK confidante Mary Pinchot
President’s mistress and destroy the diary that she
Meyer’s death,” 5/26/12). “Janney’s 584-page tome
kept.
reads like a John Grisham thriller crossed with an Peter’s book, Mary’s Mosaic: The CIA
Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary
Peter Janney ’66 has a personal link to an unsolved 1964 murder. His new book argues that there is a dark connection between that killing and the Kennedy assassination.
“Janney’s 584-page tome reads like a John Grisham thriller crossed with an Oliver Stone movie.” —Boston Globe
Oliver Stone movie,” says the Globe. “Its sprawling narrative offers spies galore, missing docu-
Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace,
ments, a sprinkling of Georgetown glitter, Cold
was published by the Skyhorse Press in April and
War geopolitics, and even a role for LSD guru
benefits from the author’s many family connections
Timothy Leary.”
to the CIA and Washington insider communities. He discovers, for example, that William L.
Holderness School Today
43
Alumni in the News
Roots
A Heart-of-America Story Justin Orr ’59 digs through tangled family roots to fill a vacancy in his heart and confirm his Native American heritage. It was all so unexpected.
I
N HIS EARLY TWENTIES,
Justin Orr ’59
spent a summer doing something he
visit to his sister and an aunt in Portland, OR. In casual conversation his sister dropped a
wouldn’t have thought he was qualified
comment about some event that had happened,
to do—manage a teen-aged Native
she said, “around the time you were adopted.”
American dance troupe, and occasional-
ly perform with them. His father, Clifford L. Samuelson, had
Say what? Oh, you didn’t know? “It was just a tremendous sort of shock,
arranged that job for him. He was a high-rank-
and rather a cruel one at that,” Justin says.
ing clergyman in the Episcopal Church, an
“You spend your entire life thinking you’re
official who oversaw all the church’s rural
one person, and suddenly you find that really
parishes and Indian missions. “That was fun,”
you’re someone quite different. It wasn’t real-
Justin says. “And you know, when you’re
ly handled very well by my parents—my
young, you take opportunities as they come
adoptive parents.”
and don’t necessarily think things all the way through.” He did a lot of thinking, though, once he
The young man Justin thought he was had lived a quite different life from the other children of his birth mother, a woman of the
learned about his qualifications—not as a
Snohomish and Cowlitz nations of the Pacific
dancer, but as a Native American—during a
Northwest. Mary Sanchez, a reporter for the Kansas City Star, summed it up this way in her story, “After a half-century of doubt, KC-area man solves ancestral mystery” (1/9/12): “While Orr practiced for violin recitals, lived in a spacious apartment in Gramercy Park in Manhattan, and attended a prep school, [his half-siblings] were climbing to the tips of fir trees and then roaming, tree to tree, high off the ground. They spent every day outside, swimming and rowing from one small island to the next, stuffing newspapers into the cracks of a rickety rowboat so it wouldn’t sink.” For Justin it was a sheltered life of privilege that became more complicated once Justin’s adoptive parents divorced in 1946. Justin took the last name of her mother’s second husband, Robert Orr, and the reconstituted family moved to a fixer-upper in Plymouth, a Cape built in 1775: “No doors or windows in place, a ladder to the upstairs, an outhouse in the back, fifty acres, all for $2,400,” Justin says. “Then it was just a given
Gramercy Park, 1940s: Justin stands in front of Clifford and Rosamund on the right, with his sister to his right. Family friends fill out the photo.
44
Holderness School Today
San Juan Island, mid-1950s: Agnes Burr Jameson and her children. default—found himself with a new job as executive director of that center. The Heart of America Indian Center is flourishing once again, and pulling in grants from foundations throughout the Midwest, but in a culture where so much depends on proof of tribal membership, Justin began wondering hard about that I’d go to Holderness when I was old enough. My dad became great friends with Herb Waters, and we used to go to all the Gilbert & Sullivan shows in Carpenter.” Robert Orr was an architect, cartoonist, illustrator, and landscape designer. Rosamund Orr became a teacher in one of the state’s last oneroom schoolhouses, and Justin attended Holderness as a day boy. “Of course the more I look back, and the farther away it becomes, the more important and meaningful those years become to me,” Justin says. “There was just a great faculty there, all pulled together from the tag-ends of the war.” Justin went on to the University of New Hampshire, but his years there were interrupted by two years of service in the US Army. In Germany he taught GED courses to other servicemen. After college, and a short stint in politics working behind the scenes for then-Governor Walter Peterson, Justin went to work for the Citizens Conference on State Legislatures, which was based in Kansas City. That was 1969, and Justin became a permanent resident of that city, raising a family and going to work for various federal agencies with offices there—such as Health & Human Services—after three years with the Citizens Conference. At Health & Human Services, Justin had charge of the “Indian Desk,” and one of the urban non-profits he funded was the Heart of America Indian Center, an agency that provides food, shelter, job referrals, and alcohol counseling to needy Native Americans. The organization was badly mismanaged at the financial end, though, and after retiring from federal service, Justin—almost by
His sister dropped a comment about some event that had happened, she said, “around the time you were adopted.” Say what? Oh, you didn’t know?
who he really was in terms of that culture, and what proof existed. He approached the question with some trepidation. “Perhaps his story was among the many tragic efforts to ‘help’ Native Americans,” wrote the Star. “Would he find that he was one of the babies essentially stolen from their mothers? Sent away under the pretense of ‘schooling’ or for ‘medical’ checks when the infants were actually offered up for adoption to more ‘civilized’ white families? The practice was prevalent in the Northwest, where Orr knew his birth parents had lived.”
T
HE ANSWER
required a lot of
detective work and a little good luck. “A volunteer at the
National Archives in Kansas City spent hours working with Orr, tracking down documents and retrieving
the paperwork that outlined his mother’s life,” continues the Star. “Her first marriage license, a maiden name, and her death certificate led Orr to call a [San Juan Island, Washington] library to get the obituary. He was encouraged to also check with the San Juan Historical Museum.” San Juan Island, and its town of Friday Harbor, is nestled in Washington’s Puget Sound. The day after Justin called that museum, a
Plymouth, 1960: Robert and Rosamund Orr
Holderness School Today
45
Alumni in the News
Roots
Friday Harbor resident named Jerry Jameson hap-
them know. They can handle it. I think my mother
pened to walk into the building. The museum
was afraid I wouldn’t love her if I didn’t think she
director told an astonished Jameson that he had a
was my birth mother. When I learned the truth,
half-brother in Kansas City.
this suggested to me a vulnerability in her that I
So Justin knows now that he is among the sons of Agnes Burr, who became Agnes McKay and had five children before her husband died in 1938 of tuberculosis. Justin, born in 1940, was the
Nothing has ever changed Justin’s sense of good fortune, though. “I got a real opportunity in
result of an out-of-wedlock relationship. He was
life,” he says. “I know that, and I’ll always be
delivered in secrecy at home by his grandmother,
grateful for it. My adoptive parents were two bril-
given up for adoption, and never mentioned again.
liant people who did something very brave—and
His mother remarried, and—as Agnes Jameson—
very Holderness-like, I think—in adopting a
had six more children, with one dying in infancy.
minority-race child way back in 1940.”
San Juan and the surrounding islands are beautiful, but life there was hard for this family.
Justin Orr
never knew was there. Nonetheless it changed my relationship with her, and not for the better.”
And what about his birth father? Justin knows only that his name was Alan Hall, he was
“The Jameson family had lived meagerly, often
34 in 1940, hailed from South Dakota, and listed
surviving off deer, rabbit, fish, and clams gathered
his occupation as “laborer.” Justin is trying now
at low tide,” says the Star. “The house did not have electricity or plumbing until the mid-1950s. And those improvements only followed the military death benefit when one son died.” “She was a warrior,” Jerry Jameson told the Star about their mother. “She saved our life many times. It was about survival, just putting food on the table.” She died in 1994, at
Don Latham ’58 once taught art and music at Holderness. Inspired by Justin’s story, Don did this painting of a Snohomish warrior as a gift for Justin.
the age of 85, six months after her second husband died.
B
ESIDES
JERRY, JUSTIN has found another
half-brother and two half-sisters. These days Justin is battling emphysema and it’s
San Juan Island, late 1980s: five grown Jameson children with their mother Agnes. Jerry is the second from the right in the back row.
become difficult for him to travel, but he has
shared letters, photographs, and hours of conver-
to learn what became of him. “I may not suc-
sation on the phone with his birth family. He has
ceed,” he admits.
learned, for example, that his mother grew to be
he’s found on his mother’s side, and the welcom-
being Native American. “Here she is rejecting her
ing siblings he’s found as well. In his original
Native side, and I’ve spent my life running full
petition for help from the Bureau of Indian
bore toward it,” Justin says. “It’s just how we
Affairs, Justin wrote, “As with many adoptees,
move as human beings.”
there is a vacant place in my heart, soul, and
He has also learned—curiously enough—that each of Agnes’s sons, all eight of them, along with one of her daughters, served at one time or
That vacant place, painfully open for some fifty years since the summer he became an Indian
another in the armed forces, including himself of
troupe manager and dancer, has now been filled— right there in the heart of America.
And Justin has advice for adoptive parents. “Be honest right from the start,” he says. “Let
Holderness School Today
being—and a need to complete who I am.”
course. All five branches of the military are represented.
46
But he’s immensely grateful for the success
ashamed of her heritage, preferring not to admit to
Service
E
VEN IF YOU’RE A
managing director at a big
vated to its early 20th century grandeur and con-
investment firm like, say, Babson Capital,
verted into supportive housing, complete with a
it’s good not to forget where you came
spectacular event venue. SCAN’s 2012 Spring
from. And Jerome Thomas ’95 is particularly
Gala brings that child (today an accomplished adult) back into that building’s now regal ball-
“Imagine a child who once begged on the streets . . . .”
room to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of love.” Jerome was known as Peewee back in those days. He was one of the many children and their families in desperate circumstances and receiving
mindful that way. Last fall he came back to
support from SCAN. His mother succumbed to
Holderness to talk to students about issues of class
AIDS when he was 14, but thanks to SCAN
and privilege in a school community and in socie-
Jerome was able to go to Holderness instead of
ty at large. This spring—besides returning to
into a foster home, and here he maintained a B+
Holderness again, this time to help lead a group
average, starred in two sports, became school
on Out Back—he lent his star power to “Inspiring
president, and went on to Columbia before attend-
Potential,” a major fundraising event for SCAN,
ing the Harvard Business School.
the Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network, the social service organization that helped get him into Holderness twenty years ago. “Imagine a child who once begged on the
Jerome Thomas ’95 keynotes a fundraiser for SCAN.
Resilience, love, and potential are bound up in the fabric of that story, and so is commitment. That homeless child called Peewee was not only the main draw to an event in the refurbished
streets beside his drug-addicted mother growing
Prince George Ballroom on Manhattan’s 27th
up and obtaining his MBA from Harvard Business
Street in May, he also now sits on SCAN’s Board
School,” read SCAN’s flyer for the event.
of Directors. He’s taking a hand himself in finding
“Imagine a notoriously violent homeless shelter
bright futures in the city’s most disadvantaged
(where that child once lived), meticulously reno-
youngsters, and also never forgetting the past.
Jerome, second from the left, on OB in March.
Business
The only Dominican “to sell out a corporate venue in Boston without playing baseball.”
I
F YOU’RE A FAN OF
Improper Bostonian maga-
zine, then surely you’re a fan of its annual “Singular Sensations” feature, its winter
“roundup of the city’s most desirable
and promotions company that leverages social media in community building.” BostonTweetUp, jokes Joselin, has made him the only Dominican “to sell out a major cor-
bachelor/ettes.” To be included in that roundup,
porate venue in Boston without playing base-
it’s not enough to be single and to have soulful
ball.” But his chief line of work continues to be
eyes. You also need to be successfully doing
LITBeL Consulting, an operation that special-
something interesting. So it’s just inevitable that
izes, the founder says, “in wrapping marketing
Joselin Mane ’91 would be considered such a
around technology to help grow my clients’ busi-
sensation. The bio doesn’t hurt either. “The youngest and only son in a Dominican family of five, he
nesses in more efficient ways.” His success there landed him on the cover of Mass. High Tech magazine in April, 2010, for a feature story
was raised by a single mother in Lawrence,
titled, “Big names in on-line marketing also
meaning he knows how to relate to a busy
thrive face-to-face.”
woman,” says the Bostonian. “After a full schol-
Joselin Mane ’91 is a “singular sensation,” applying social media to building community.
The Bostonian agrees about the face-to-face
arship to Holderness School, he studied engi-
part: “A master at networking, he’s full of charm
neering at Northeastern and climbed the corpo-
and intelligence, along with boundless enthusi-
rate ladder until IBM featured him in a full-page
asm and energy.” You can be part of that net-
ad praising his work helping the furniture giant
work yourself by following Joselin on either of
Herman Miller save a million dollars a year
his two twitter accounts:
through e-learning. From there, he went on to
http://twitter.com/JoselinMane or
start LITBeL Consulting in 1999, but his latest
http://twitter.com/BostonTweetUp.
endeavor is BostonTweetUp, an event planning
Holderness School Today
47
Alumni in the News
Sports
T
Champ twice over: Julia Ford ’08 wins the national downhill AND the NorAm Cup series.
O WIN AN
overall series
title in international alpine racing, you need
place standing, forty-one points behind Ford.” The NorAm Cup series is
not only versatility—podium-
held at mountains in the
level skills in a variety of dis-
United States and Canada, and
ciplines—but also consistency.
attracts up-and-coming young
You have to finish at or near
ski racers from all over the
the top from week to week,
world. It’s a training ground
from mountain to mountain.
for the elite World Cup circuit,
In the NorAm Cup series, Julia Ford ’08 has demonstrat-
where Julia has already made several starts as a US Ski
ed that consistency not just
Team member. Julia, in fact,
week to week, but from year
notched her first World Cup
to year. After finishing second
points in January this year
overall in the final NorAm
with a Super G 25th at Bad
Cup standings for three con-
Kleinkerchim, Austria.
secutive seasons, she wrapped up her first overall champi-
This year Julia also won her second straight national
onship on March 23 in a race
downhill championship at
at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec.
Aspen, CO, in February. She
“American Julia Ford
dominated the five-race Aspen
solidified her first overall
series with five consecutive
NorAm Cup title after finish-
first-place finishes: two in
ing twelfth in today’s [slalom]
Super G and three in down-
race,” reported Ski Racing
hill.
magazine. “Teammate Abby Ghent grabbed the second
I
N
APRIL NINA Cook Silitch
’90 made a little bit of history in the town of Tromso,
Norway—she became the first
Depending on how fast you can manage all that, it’s two to four minutes of lungbusting frenzy.
though, that Nina’s first-place time was better than that of 16 of the 28 world-class male athletes who participated in the
North American to win a
sprints. She lives in Chamonix,
World Cup event in the
France, with her husband
demanding (and Eurocentric)
Michael Silitch ’79, one of the
sport of ski mountaineering. This was a sprint race that
world’s most accomplished mountain guides, and Nina is
actually took place in Tromso’s
currently second in France’s
central square, once truckloads
ski mountaineering rankings.
of snow had been brought in,
She is also founder and presi-
and was conducted over a
dent of the Chamonix Ski
series of elimination heats.
Alpinisme section of France’s
Each heat involved a straight
Club des Sports.
uphill climb, followed by a series of kick-turns, and then a
In an email to Phil Peck about her win, Nina thanked
portage on foot, and then
her former Nordic coach for
another uphill climb, and at
“helping me get started in the
last a descent involving both
love of kicking and gliding.”
skating and travel over uncom-
Phil’s reply: “Awesome, Nina!
pacted snow (off-piste).
I am so proud of you, and
Depending on how fast you
pleased for you. Talk about
can manage all that, it’s two to
achieving a dream!”
four minutes of lung-busting frenzy. It’s interesting to note,
48
Holderness School Today
Nina raises her skis on top of the standings in Tromso.
The first American to win a World Cup ski mountaineering event? The answer is Nina Cook Silitch ’90.
photo Mark Washburn
Gabas Maldunas ’11 enjoys an attention-grabbing rookie season for Big Green.
A
T THE BEGINNING
of April,
English teacher Peter Durnan happened to be on vacation and
I
VY
LEAGUE basketball is pret-
ty good these days, as Jeremy
Lin, lately of Harvard, now
rebounds led the Big Green in
you. And this year the Dartmouth
both categories as he knocked
men had a rough time in that
down seven field goals, including
league, finishing at 1-13. But the
his first career three-pointer. He
Big Green is a young team, and
also led Dartmouth with 33 min-
the future is bright in Hanover if
utes on the floor while making
you consider all the Dartmouth
two steals as well. On Saturday,
freshmen who won Ivy League
he nearly duplicated his numbers
Rookie of the Week honors this
at 21st-ranked Harvard with a
season. Three different players
team-high 15 points and 9
won that honor more than once
rebounds, five coming at the
over the course of the season,
offensive end. His performance
and none more often than Gabas
helped the Green enjoy a six-
Maldunas ’11, a forward who
point lead with 15 minutes to
won it four times.
play before the Crimson rallied
Here’s what Gabas did in early January, for example, as described on Dartmouth Big
Next year we think Dartmouth is going to be holding
Green, the college’s athletic web-
more of those leads, thanks to that recruiting class led by
by registering his third double-
Gabas.
ing to another US Ski Team member. It was an awesome comp and lots of fun. I’m glad you and Emery managed to
’12 now attends Dickinson College.
Want to see how well this girl can soar
They were eating dinner at a restaurant
and do moguls? Check out these clips
with booths and with TVs tuned to
from the 2012 Nationals on Youtube:
sports channels. Peter happened to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZy
notice that a freestyle skiing event was
Bxf7K2M0.
That would be “Sophia” as in
for a 63-47 lead.”
site: “Maldunas began the week
catch it!”
look—it’s Sophia!”
Tuesday. His 15 points and 10
of the New York Knicks will tell
in Carlisle, PA, where Emery Durnan
on. Suddenly Emery announced, “Papa,
double of the season in a 67-59 home loss to Bucknell on
Sophia also placed seventh in the moguls, and she was one of two Holderness athletes competing at the
Sophia Schwartz ’09, and that day, on
Nationals. Also present was Scott
NBC network channels, were the USSA
Nelson ’10, who had a pretty good
Freestyle National Championships—and
weekend himself, taking seventh in the
Sophia was being interviewed after hav-
dual moguls and ninth in the moguls.
ing won a quarterfinal heat in the dual moguls. Actually it was a delayed broadcast, since the Freestyle Nationals had already been concluded at Vermont’s Stratton Mountain during the fourth weekend in March. Sophia now attends Dartmouth, and Peter emailed her there about that sighting. “I’m so glad you saw the Nationals broadcast!” Sophia wrote back. “That’s so funny because I happened to watch the broadcast with my
Sophia Schwartz ’09 soars (yes, we mean both senses of the word) at the USSA freestyle nationals.
Frisbee team in a pizza restaurant also in Pennsylvania! Nationals went really well, and I ended up fourth (my best result ever!). I received some TV time because I managed to take down the third-ranked girl in the world before los-
Holderness School Today
49
Alumni & Parent Relations
A
WELL-MADE BOOK IS
a work of art
travel books). And there was his family life,
you’ll find that some of the books
which gave him two sons, one of whom—
in the Alfond Library are adorned
Peter—is a Kenyon alumnus, Class of ’83.
with some bonus art—a hand-
in enough history to know the importance of
how that book was purchased for the library:
honoring the past, and he’s puzzled when the
“From the Bequest of Michael E. Goriansky,
past is neglected. “You can go through the whole city of Lowell, and you won’t find one
The words frame a woodcut of a New
model of or tribute to the Lunar Command
England winter scene: a sentinel pine, a lone
Module,” he says. “What’s wrong with the city
house with smoke rising from its chimney,
and state government there? And the voters?”
snow-blanketed hills, a night sky pricked with stars. The woodcut is signed “MG 47,” and
Mike came to Holderness as something of a connoisseur of independent schools, and he par-
betrays the influence of Holderness School’s art
ticularly liked—besides the mountain trails—the
teacher in those days, the brilliant Herb Waters.
way this school was run. “We students were
It’s an outdoor scene executed by a young
pretty much in charge of our own activities, and
man who came to love the outdoors during his
I liked that,” he says. “I feel very strongly about
three years here—after one year at Philips
the school.”
Andover, and another at St. George’s—and who began to nurture another lifetime passion, a love
Mike has donated two report cards signed by Edric Weld to the school archives, and his
of books, during that same time. And Mike
endowment of the Goriansky Book Fund is
Goriansky has made room for both in a life that
another way of honoring the past. It’s also a way
has been full of much else besides.
of getting more of these books he loves into the
Mike’s father was an architect who practiced in Manhattan but raised his family first in
The book plate on volumes bought by bequest of Mike Gorianski ’48 is a window into an extraordinary life.
By now Mike has been personally involved
somely designed book plate that specifies just
Class of 1948.”
MG47
for photography and book collecting (especially
in and of itself, but these days
Queens, and then Brooklyn, before the family
hands of ongoing generations of students. These days Mike lives in rural Boxford, MA, in a setting perhaps less mountainous, but
moved to Chestnut Hill in Massachusetts. After
otherwise not so different from that picture he
Holderness, Mike went on to Kenyon College,
carved into wood almost seventy years ago. In
where he majored in psychology, but he wasn’t
that picture a road goes by that lone house and
able to graduate from Kenyon until 1956—
curls over the hills. A road can take you to some
thanks to a hiatus of four years service in the US
pretty distant places, but it can also bring you
Navy. He was part of the ground crew for a
home again.
Lockheed P2V-2 Neptune, a plane that flew out of the Atsugi air base in Japan and conducted
Holderness Summer Outings
reconnaissance missions along the coast of Korea. That was in wartime, and Mike earned both
Mid-July: Join us for a Baseball Game Location & Date TBD.
Thursday, July 26th: Join us on Nantucket hosted by Dexter ‘79 P ‘14 and Susan ‘82 P ‘14 Paine.
Mid-August: Holderness Golf Outing Location & Date TBD.
Thursday, August 16th: Join us on Martha’s Vineyard hosted by Jeffrey and Nancy Randall P ‘06.
a UN Service medal and a Republic of Korea War medal for service at Atsugi. After the war Mike went with a different surveillance plane, a UP-29, to Enewetak Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, to play a role in Operation Castle. That was a series of hydrogen bomb tests exploded on Bikini Atoll in 1954. In civilian life, and after Kenyon, Mike found himself to be much more an engineer and executive than a psychologist.
He worked ten
years for the Avco Corporation in Lowell, MA, helping to make heat shields for ballistic missiles and for the Apollo Lunar Command modules. It was a time in which he met and talked with many of the Apollo program’s astronauts. Later he worked in Cambridge for American Science and Engineering, designing and building the x-ray equipment used to protect against terrorism in airports around the world. At the same time there was the outdoors— long public service on the trails and open space committees for North Andover, MA, and four trips to the Himalayas; a trip to Kharkov, his father’s birthplace in the Ukraine; and passions
50
Holderness School Today
Friday, September 28 – Sunday, September 30th: Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.
For more information please visit: www.holderness.org Melissa A. Stuart Director of Alumni Relations 603.779.5228 mstuart@holderness.org
Holderness School Today
51
At This Point in Time... by Judith Solberg
E
ACH COMMENCEMENT,
the school gives
an award in the name of the Rt. Rev.
Dallas were almost legendarily committed to the school. Bishop Dallas was instrumental in the
John T. Dallas, who served as the
board’s decision to keep the school open after the
Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire
1931 fire; he remained so integral to the board
from 1926-1948. As we come to the
that he was one of the first to receive the title of
end of the tenure of our current bishop, our com-
“Honorary Trustee” in 1960. He kept an active
munity has been reflecting on his service to the
interest in campus life, and became a charter
Church and to our school, with immense grati-
member of the school’s Cum Laude Society (he
tude. It seems a fitting time to remember the serv-
thanked Don Hagerman for the honor by com-
ice of another man who served us all, and to
menting that “You have a wonderful sense of
acknowledge the impact that he had on our
humor”).
school.
And of course, Dallas is remembered with
Bishop Dallas’ tenure almost mirrored Edric
great affection and respect by the Holderness
Weld’s term as headmaster. Weld, who had
alumni who knew him. Some remember climbing
described himself as “a senior at boarding school
by his side on Mountain Day, and afterward going
who, casting about for a vocation, had declared
to his home in Bethlehem for refreshments. Sixth
‘The last thing I want to do is to teach school,’”
formers recall their spring dinner, hosted by
credited Dallas with bringing him around to a
Dallas either in Bethlehem or at the Bishop’s
willingness to serve at Holderness. He recalled:
House in Concord – although during wartime, the
“[I] acted on the supposition that if a bishop asks
bishop made a point to come to the Holderness
“We popped popcorn, played 78 rpm records of the latest hit tunes on a wind-up Victrola, and even designed, built, tested, and raced several kinds of paper airplanes while using the Diocesan stationery.” you twice, you ought to
campus for the event instead.
say yes… Such is the
Other alumni simply recall the man as a caring
power of bishops, espe-
friend. As students, several got into “a fair amount
cially of such a one as
of mischief” at the Bishop’s House, at his indul-
Bishop Dallas.” Bishop Dallas had his
Bishop Dallas wasn’t so sure about getting involved with Holderness, notes archivist Judith Solberg. But he came around.
gence: “We popped popcorn, played 78 rpm records of the latest hit tunes on a wind-up
own hesitation about
Victrola, and even designed, built, tested, and
becoming involved with
raced several kinds of paper airplanes while using
the local Episcopal schools.
As is true today, the
the Diocesan stationery.” But as these boys
bishop served as ex officio President of the Board
became men, they fished with the Bishop, were
at Holderness School and a few other institutions.
married by him, and had him baptize their chil-
Some years into his tenure, Dallas wrote to James
dren. He became family.
Godfrey, the Chancellor of the Diocese of New Hampshire, to protest this fact: “It seems unfair
As a longtime friend and support to the Welds, Dallas wrote a poignant letter to them on
and unbusinesslike […]. If any one of these insti-
the occasion of their retirement. It culminated in
tutions wants my help, whether it be big or little,
the assurance that “Everywhere your lives have
the institutions should be allowed to say so and I
touched, you have brought life.” When the Dallas
should be (or my successor) allowed to acquiesce
award is presented to “the senior who clearly
or decline in the same way as you or any other eli-
exemplifies loyalty and dedication to the Judeo-
gible citizens.” Initial reservations aside, of course, Weld and
Christian ideals of the School,” we are declaring that Bishop Dallas touched all of us as well.
Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE
Holderness School Chapel Lane P.O. Box 1879 Plymouth, NH 03264-1879
Change service requested
PAID Wht Riv Jct VT Permit No. 86