21 minute read
ARTS OVERVIEW
Hilltop
ARTS NEWS FROM CAMPUS
THE ARTS Tapping Into Tradition
Students learn the sweet rewards of timber framing.
Sometimes the best way to understand a proverb is to put it into practice. The expression “Many hands make light work” took on new meaning when the woodworking class undertook the building of Kimball Union Academy’s new sugarhouse, located behind Flickinger Auditorium with easy access to KUA’s maple trees.
Students, taught by Darrell Beaupré ’86, worked together to carry dozens of hemlock beams into a makeshift workshop on Akerstrom Arena’s dormant hockey rink. With more than a dozen people shouldering the weight of the hemlock beams, they were able to make quick work of the task.
In the first timber-framing course offered at KUA, students dedicated several months to practicing the art of erecting a building without a single metal nail. Traditional timber framing utilizes carpentry practices brought to the United States by colonists and relies on a self-supporting network of timbers inserted into one another.
“I wanted to know how timber framing worked, how the wood locks together without nails or screws,” says Leo Barta ’25. “It’s a complex process and all of the measurements and cuts have to be precise for the building to fit together.”
Once the lumber was sourced from nearby Hartford, Vermont, and arranged on the floor like an oversized Jenga set, Beaupré introduced the class to the architectural plans and traditional tools used in New England timber framing for centuries. One lesson they quickly learned was that once wood has been carved or drilled away, it can’t be replaced.
Beaupré honed his instructions based on students’ individual response to the task. While some students embraced structural work and easily envisioned the steps ahead of time, others questioned each step of the process. Regardless of approach, each student gained new appreciation for the adage, “measure twice, cut once.”
“Seniors are leaving a legacy behind through this project,” he notes, “And first-year students are excited they’ll have it for the next three years.”
“I’m glad to be able to leave a physical mark on this school,” says Aidan Davie ’22. “I’ve enjoyed being a part of something that will entertain kids for years to come, while also helping the school become more sustainable.”
The 14-by-16-foot sugarhouse, which will house the Academy’s evaporator, was erected on time in mid-May with the help of many students, faculty, and friends who came out to support the project. In the coming years, plans for two additions—a cider room and a wing for firewood—are on Beaupré’s mind, but for now, everyone is looking forward to an exceptionally sweet sugaring season in 2023. K
AWARD WINNING
Alice Pan ’23 won a silver medal at the national level in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her oil painting Human or Trash?
46
People danced in the Spring Concert, a KUA record
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Music teacher Demitrios Papadopoulos was named conductor of the South Royalton (Vermont) Town Band. Outside of KUA, Papadopoulos plays with numerous community bands and the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble.
on this school.” —AIDAN DAVIE ’22
ON TOPIC
Shannon Moran ’22 completed a painting in her AP Art course that explored nature’s relationship to man in a post-apocalyptic world.
ON DISPLAY
Kate Gao ’22 and Briana Angelli ’22 received the KUA Permanent Collections Award this year. Gao’s oil painting of a self-portrait and Angelli’s pieces were selected by the all-school co-presidents and the head of school and will remain on display in the KUA collection.
THE RISING
Students worked together to erect a new sugarhouse.
A Focus on Community Wellness
Tong Meltzer, the director of wellness and counseling services, speaks about mental health among teenagers.
Tong Meltzer, M.S.W., joined the Kimball Union community in 2020, having worked at the Dartmouth College student wellness and counseling centers for four years and the Mountain Valley Treatment Center in nearby Plainfield. A native of China, where her family still resides, Meltzer first came to the United States as an international college student. She lives off-campus with her husband, Dustin Meltzer ’05, associate director of marketing and communications at KUA.
Tell me about your role at KUA.
I see my role as two different yet connected parts. One part is to focus on overall community wellness in a proactive way. The other is providing counseling services on a day-to-day basis. I meet with students and parents and work with outside support systems. If students need a higher level of care, I’ll provide case management with their providers. I also coordinate with dorm parents, advisors, and coaches when a student needs extra support.
How do you proactively work on mental health?
I work closely with the Student Life Office to map out the year and determine the areas where we need more awareness of topics critical to our student community. One area we’re focusing on right now is the ninth grade. We’re launching a new program for those students, and as part of that we’re using an online educational program that will offer well-being basics before kids even set foot on campus. We tested this with our current ninth-graders to see if it would be helpful and got tremendous feedback that helped us understand the topics that felt most relevant to them. In addition to offering an intro to mental health and common diagnoses, students will learn about topics such as coping skills, how and where to ask for help, and to how to help friends.
How receptive are students to discussing mental health?
Students’ openness and willingness to discuss mental health falls on a spectrum. Some prefer to keep everything to themselves, and others are very open and vulnerable about their experience and want to help debunk the stigma around mental health and initiate conversations with their peers. A small group of students are trying to bring a chapter of Bring Change to Mind, a national nonprofit that encourages dialogue about mental health, to KUA. Some students have personally gone through a lot and don’t want others to feel alone on their own journey. They’re trying to be that someone they needed.
What issues are you seeing the most when it comes to teenagers and mental health?
The two major things I see among teenagers are anxiety and depression. These are the most common mental-health diagnoses anywhere, and it’s the same for our students. We’ve seen increasing numbers of kids who are having panic attacks or experiencing symptoms of depression but don’t understand what is happening to them or why they feel that way. We’re also working with kids who struggled at schools where they were relying on Zoom during COVID and are sorting through challenges with their social environment, such as how to make meaningful connections with others. We also see a lot of common high school issues as students try to figure out who they are, who their people are, and how they can feel accepted and liked. Teenagers are always sorting through a lot of interpersonal dynamics and experiencing different developmental stages.
Are there other impacts you’re seeing due to COVID-19?
I’ve been seeing a lot of kids coping with family deaths through the pandemic, and everyone has different ways of dealing with grief. Grief is not the classic five stages. It’s a messy process and our kids deal with grief in various ways and at their own pace. I always let them know I’m a resource when they’re ready to talk about it. The whole world and the country are going through some collective trauma and grief, and we can’t expect teenagers to just “figure it out.” That has a huge impact on their view of themselves and their relationships with others. I’m also seeing kids “languishing”—a term coined by sociologist Corey Keyes during the pandemic, which is defined as “apathy, a sense of restlessness or feeling unsettled, or an overall lack of interest in life or the things that typically bring you joy.” A good number of students are expressing the feeling of just being exhausted all the time and having little motivation to fulfill their daily tasks.
How do you work with faculty, coaches, and other adults to support kids who are in the Academy’s care 24/7?
The nature of our work in boarding school is that we have built-in skills of knowing how to talk to kids in a relatable way. Many adults are really invested in students’ lives beyond just the classroom interactions. They take time to know the students as unique individuals and care about their well-being just as much as their academic performance. We have a group of faculty from different areas of campus who meet weekly to identify students in need of support. We will also bring in other experts. For instance, we worked closely with a nationally recognized psychotherapist who specializes in working with anxious children and their parents. We all walked away with lots of new tools in our toolbox. Our faculty know they can direct kids to me and often I will give them a heads-up if a kid is dealing with challenges or needs a little extra TLC.
Is there advice you’d give to parents on how they can support their children’s social and emotional health?
The first step is to keep communication open and honest. Having a collaborative relationship with a teen is important. They appreciate being valued and they like to have their own agency. Trust feels good to them. Build an alliance with them so it feels good for them and for the family. It’s also important that as adults and parents we model the things we want our kids to do. When we’re exhausted and burned out, we can be impatient and may not be at our best. We’re all human and have our strengths and weaknesses, but be mindful of how you take care of yourself before you take care of kids. When you’re feeling off the first step is to go back to the basics: Are you sleeping? When was the last time you had a nutritious meal? Are you drinking water? Fill your cup before you fill others.
What if a kid is sleeping and hydrated but something is still wrong?
Don’t be afraid to seek professional support. Sometimes information coming from a different person trained to work on these issues can help them and help you. Remember that your perception of seeking professional health will help them and their willingness to receive help. That alliance is important. Make a practice of checking in and communicating that it’s okay not to be okay sometimes. K
“WE’VE
THE STAGE IS SET
“KUA is in such a terrific trajectory going forward,” says dance teacher Kay McCabe. At right: Brian McMahon and David Weidman
LAID THE GROUNDWORK”
Three faculty retire after a combined 83 years of service to the Academy.
fter dancing with a modern dance company in New York City, Kay McCabe came to KUA in 1996 to teach dance, growing the program steadily A through the years. One of her more notable achievements has been bringing students of all ability levels and areas of interest to the studio and the stage. “One thing I firmly believed then and I believe now is that dance is for everyone. Dancing is joyous and everybody is meant to move,” she says. McCabe often collaborated on the stage for the Winter Musical with colleague David Weidman, who arrived
“I LOVE THE at KUA in 1990 as the director of theater. He has served many roles during
FLICKINGER his time on The Hilltop, turning nearly
ARTS CENTER, every task into a “Weidman Production.” Throughout his tenure he also
AND THE served as academic dean, dean of faculty, COLLABORATION assistant head of school for academic affairs, assistant head of school, and most THAT HAPPENS— recently, director of strategic initiatives. PARTICULARLY IN He has built many KUA memories with his husband, Assistant Head of School
THE MUSICAL Tom Kardel. Chemistry teacher Brian McMahon —IS BEYOND also departs this year, after first stepping
COMPARE.” foot on campus in 1998. McMahon’s love of the sciences is matched by his —DAVID WEIDMAN passion for football and rugby. He lived and played rugby in England and Turkey before putting down roots in Meriden. He is a notable presence, often riding around campus on his orange bike in a well-loved KUA Athletics jacket with his trusty pup Celty close behind. McCabe, Weidman, and McMahon look back on their time at Kimball Union and talk about what lies ahead— for them and for KUA.
What did you enjoy most during your time at KUA?
MCMAHON: I think in terms of the classroom what I enjoyed the most is having been blessed with students who came in and wanted to push themselves. I was lab-oriented, and we spent a lot of time doing experiments. Honors and AP classes were a good challenge for me and for them. I worked to deliver a program where chemistry made sense. One of my goals was to make sure that the study of the sciences at the next level was an option for all kids, at whatever level they were currently at. WEIDMAN: I have loved my colleagues and I have loved the spirit of being all-in. I am a real passionate person and I love to work hard. When I’m in, I’m in. I love the rural environment and I love the seasons and the school and the setting. I love the Flickinger Arts Center, and the collaboration that happens—particularly in the musical—is beyond compare. I love the students who do it all. I was privileged to work with a lot of really smart kids, and I also love working with kids who discover the theater by accident.
What are you most proud of?
MCCABE: I’m really proud of the Arts
ALL-IN SPIRIT
Weidman says “the collaboration … is beyond compare.”
Scholar program I did with Julie Haskell. It’s a fantastic program and it’s great to see kids dive in deeply. It lets them feel that sense of agency and accomplishment with their capstone project. To find your voice and learn how to use your voice is a great ability to have before you go to college. WEIDMAN: I had many memorable moments. One of the most moving and important works we did was on The Laramie Project, which was about the murder of Matthew Shepard. It was a play that was written on site. MCMAHON: When I think back to teaching there are always moments in the classroom you flash back to, usually in the lab. Those moments when a small group is working through a problem and students are arriving at the answer are so cool. When I think of football, some of my finest memories come from Carver Field. We had been on a losing streak for six or more years in a row to Vermont Academy and in my first year as coach we finally beat them. You usually associate memories with championships, but some of the best moments may have even been losses. It was just how the players show up and play out of their minds. And rugby, just the fact that we were starting up the program was magic. When I was playing in England before KUA, we would fly to Paris or Cairo on the weekends for a rugby tournament. Here we’re driving three hours to Connecticut, and it’s just as good because it’s always about the game.
—KAY MCCABE
—BRIAN MCMAHON
What will you miss most?
MCMAHON: My previous record working was four years at one school. I was uncomfortable with connections. Without realizing it, I developed so many connections here. I suffered a lot of loss and had medical issues of my own and it’s amazing how people come out to help you. Sometimes you don’t realize how great that is. I just found a note from a student in a box I was packing, and it was so uplifting because when you hear some of their comments it just makes you feel really good. The ones who had bad things to say just kept it to themselves! MCCABE: I’m going to really miss walking down that hallway of Flickinger—that sense of busyness and purpose that happens there. It will be strange not to do that. You spend so much time working with your body – the sensation of your feet on the floor or the stage. There’s this whole process you do every time. I always owned shoes I could take on and off as I moved between the dance studio, the hallway, and the stage.
David, Flickinger Arts Center has also been more than a building to you, hasn’t it?
WEIDMAN: Yes, I went into the theater and had a little quiet moment to honor the space for what it was for 32 years. I laid my hands on the floorboards. For an actor and a performer, the floor is important because it’s stable and secure, and when you’re nervous, you can rely on it. They’re replacing the floor this summer, and so I put my hands on the stage floor and said thank you for all the memories and the changed lives that floor had experienced.
Brian, you’re known for starting your classes with music. How do you decide what to play?
MCMAHON: It’s just what comes to me, although I always started the first day of class with “Fluorescent Adolescent” by the Arctic Monkeys. Back in the day I would play CDs on a boombox in the fitness center or the classroom. Then I moved onto Sirius and today I can play videos on the Smartboards.
How has this campus and this community changed during your tenure?
MCCABE: It has changed tremendously since I’ve been here. The spirit on campus is greater than it used to be. There’s a sense of positivity. Kids want to be here. The academic program is much stronger and the whole social-emotional health of students has changed. The idea of leadership has also changed in a positive way. Kids have in the forefront of their minds how to take chances and have agency and take care of one another. MCMAHON: When I was coaching football, the practice field was a roughly 60-yard field with a portable goalpost and pine trees cutting through it. It’s amazing when I look down there now and how much athletics has changed. The fields with turf and lights are one of the most sweeping changes. There’s something about playing a game under the lights. WEIDMAN: It has changed a lot. I was telling one of the finest actors I’ve
ON THE LINE
McMahon says some of his finest memories come from Carver Field. (second from right)
ever worked with about how the KUA student experience has changed. They’re more worldly and cosmopolitan. They’re ethical and care a whole lot about one another.
Do you have a wish for KUA as you depart?
MCCABE: I really just want the art department to bust out of the halls of Flickinger and see more kids do more art. I want art to be in everyone’s life. Even the hockey player needs art. I certainly hope for the school to continue to be more diverse. Kids are getting to be more accepting of difference, and I want that to grow as well. I feel KUA is in such a terrific trajectory going forward. There’s a lot of excitement about what’s going on and the faculty feel it. You strike the stage after the show, and you leave it with so much potential. I feel we’re leaving it that way—we’ve laid the groundwork for the next people and what they’re going to bring to the kids. WEIDMAN: I feel we’ve had the strongest team we’ve ever had. The school is in good hands, and I feel confident. I’m not worried about the school and its success. All these things we’ve been yearning for are coming to fruition. I want the strategic plan to fly. I want the arts to continue to be a risk-free environment where kids can experiment and participate. I would like the importance of the arts and theater in the central life of the students and community.
So, what’s your next act?
WEIDMAN: I’m a very type A personality, and I told myself I was not going to be type A in retirement. I’ve been procrastinating important decisions about what I’m going to spend my time doing. I will be visiting my family during the start of school. It would be hard to be here for the start of school. I’ll also return to India, where I’m fluent in Bengali but can’t read and write it. I’m going to finally learn it. MCMAHON: I’m moving to Massachusetts, and I’ll take the summer to rethink things. The summer before I got here, I wrote a short story and part of me wants to go back and edit that story I wrote years ago. Back in the day I was in Cyprus, and I told myself, when I stop working I’m going to move to the coast of Cyprus. I might go visit and travel more. MCCABE: You grow into the job, and you make it larger and larger. It’s exciting to think about it as a new baby. My own life is like that, too—I have to transition into what that new baby is. Right now, it’s really in utero. I want to spend more time taking pictures. I’m also looking forward to seeing where that goes. My husband and I own a piece of property with my son. He has a farm and there’s 200 acres to be managed. There’s so much potential for for us and our lives. K
CREATE YOUR KUA LEGACY
Join the Daniel and Hannah Kimball Society, a group of forward-thinking individuals who support Kimball Union by combining charitable giving goals with estate and financial planning goals. Planned gifts are an inspiring way to support the Academy in the future while providing for your own and your family’s financial security at the same time.
I HAVE WATCHED KUA GROW AS AN INSTITUTION FOR THE LAST 50+ YEARS. NANCY AND I ARE IMPRESSED WITH THE ACADEMY’S LEADERSHIP AND LOOK FORWARD TO HELPING SECURE ITS BRIGHT FUTURE. ”
—DAVID POND ’64
DANIEL AND HANNAH KIMBALL SOCIETY MEMBER
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PLANNED GIVING CONTACT BROOKE HERNDON AT BHERNDON@KUA.ORG OR 603-469-2129.
Connect
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
INSIDE
38 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS 42 CLASS NOTES 48 FALL OBITUARIES 2018 35 49 LAST WORD
Connect
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
COMING HOME
Reuniting never felt so good. After a two-year pause on in-person Reunions, alumni returned to The Hilltop to reconnect with one another and the Academy. More than 160 alumni, their families, and the campus community came together to celebrate shared moments from the past and create new memories. Alumni—from as near as Meriden and as far as Europe—gathered to catch up with one another and learn more about KUA today.
Save the Date Reunions 2023: June 9-11, 2023.
Alumni from all classes are welcome to attend, with special celebrations taking place for classes ending in 3 and 8.
Middle Left: Tony Brockelman ‘53, Ted Johnson ‘52, Scott Philbrook ‘59, Jeff Cutts ‘73, Head of School Tyler Lewis, and Woodie Haskins ‘69 gather for lunch in Florida, 2022. Bottom Left: Georg Feichtinger H’02, P’89, ‘96 with Cory Tusler ’74,the men’s winner from the 2022 Fei Cup Bottom Right: From the Class of 2017: Tianjin Luo, Ogulcan Gorulu, Esme Juros, Zülal Özyer, Emu Haynes
“KUA friendships truly do last lifetimes, and I hope you can keep in touch with your favorites!” —MELISSA LONGACRE ’89
Top: The Classes of 1981 and 1982 gather outside the Barrette Campus Center at Reunion 2022. Bottom Left: Brittany Kainen ’17 and Caitlin Doyle ‘17 reconnect at Reunion.. Middle Left: Former faculty Chris Bossie and John Farnsworth with Bossie’s daughter Taga at Reunion. Near Left Top: Cynthia Howe H’20 P’06, ‘14 and Ogulcan Gorgulu ’17 Near Left Bottom: Rob Ludin ’81 and Joe Thibert ‘81, P’17
