SPRING 2013
LANDON M A G A Z I N E
ST
THE 21 CENTURY CLASSROOM Techniques Like Screencasting Are Changing the Way We Teach
Lower School students act as america’s founding fathers during the song “The Preamble” in Schoolhouse rock, the Lower School musical. Landon SchooL Board of TruSTeeS h. Sherman “Tiger” Joyce ’78, chair david M. armstrong, PreSidenT Joesph a Kenary, Jr. ’82, Vice-chair Steven B. Gewirz ’84, SecreTary carter hertzberg ’89, TreaSurer
TruSTeeS eMeriTi Peter J. fitzGerald, Sr. ’50 Knight a. Kiplinger ’65 Sam Lehrman h ’09 russell c. Lindner ’72 Lawrence L. Lamade ’65
Michael S. Banks ’92 Mario h. Boiardi Stephen W. comiskey francis “Mike” o. day iV ’94 Michelle L. freeman Jeffrey e. harris ’80 Wallace f. “hap” holladay, Jr. ’65 ernest d. Jarvis douglas Kiker ’93 Brigham c. Kiplinger ’99 Stephan e. Klingelhofer ’60 daniel L. Korengold ’69 John P. Leachman ’69 christopher n. Manning ’91 e. Brett McMahon ’85 amy r. Mehlman Tushar c. Patel ’81 h. Keith Powell Laura Zaimi
Landon MaGaZine
cLaSS noTeS ediTorS
headMaSTer
david M. armstrong
amory Barnes George Pappas
ediTor
deSiGner
Jean erstling
Polly Johnson, Polliwog design
aSSiSTanT ediTorS
PhoToGraPhy
Mary cunningham Lynn horowitch
Mary cunningham Lowell davis GoLandon.com Wendy Steck Merriman Landon School archives
conTriBuTinG WriTer
rob yunich
our MiSSion Landon School prepares talented boys for pro-
ductive lives as accomplished, responsible and caring men whose actions are guided by the principles of perseverance, teamwork, honor and fair play.
S IU S S UE E I N T H I S I NI TSH I S
F E AT U R E S
SPRING 2013
D E PA R T M E N T S
17 Landon Pride School spirit at Landon is a powerful force and a time-honored tradition.
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From the Headmaster
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Landon Today
17 Features
20 Broadening Horizons Landon’s new freshman diversity class, developed and taught by Tré Johnson, seeks to
27 Landon Alumni
challenge expectations and build acceptance of differences.
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22 Landon’s Bargain Boutique Torrey Hall is home to Landon’s gently used clothing store, Threads, which is thriving thanks to parent volunteers.
24 The 21st Century Classroom At Landon, teachers frequently use different pedagogical methods – screencasting, “flipped” classrooms, the Harkness approach, and others – to deliver lessons effectively to boys.
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SPRING 2013
LANDON M A G A Z I N E
THE 21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM Techniques Like Screencasting Are Changing the Way We Teach
On the Cover: Math teacher corson fidler records a homework lesson via screencasting – a narrated video that visually captures everything he is doing on his tablet.
Landon Magazine 1
HEADMASTER NOTES
Landon in the Community was reminded in a whirlwind
I
week or two over the winter just
For the third consecutive year,
how vast Landon’s outreach is
to our surrounding community. Our
Landon has been a community partner for Special
boys regularly benefit from our close
Olympics of Montgomery County
proximity to the nation’s capital, just as others gain from the actions of our Bears. In the days leading to Spring Break, Middle Schoolers fanned out across the Capital region for Mini-
drive and Bone Marrow Registry sign-up, and joining the Prep varsity hockey team in raising $72,000 for kids with cancer, to name a few. We also welcome young artists and musicians to Landon, sponsoring the Independent School Art Competition – showcasing 83 talented
mester, three days of concentrated study that gave them the chance to
students from around the region – and the Symphonette at Landon’s
explore the region’s art and architecture, follow the paths walked by
annual Strings Competition for high school students, won this year by
Lincoln and Douglas, delve into the world of spies and crime solvers,
a 12th grade student from Clifton, Va. We share our artistic talents off
or even work in our own greenhouse. Just a few weeks earlier, the
campus as well. Our boys joined the Richard Montgomery High
Upper School set aside a day for field trips to museums, galleries and
School Choir for a St. Patrick’s Day concert and sang at Evensong at
unique sites like the Naval Sea System facility at Carderock and the
the National Cathedral.
U.S. Department of Forensic Science. The community also comes to us. Dr. Connie Liu Trimble, for example, recently delivered the latest Alan Brinkley ’67 Lecture for our
In the past three years, we have expanded our engagement with Holton-Arms and other girls’ schools in the area, joining together at every division level for science experiments, art exhibits, concerts, and
seniors, speaking about her cancer research at Johns Hopkins
of course the traditional drama productions. For the fall, we are ready
University. She is one of many outstanding lawmakers, journalists and
to take the next step with Holton in cross-registration where we hope
executives who have shared their wisdom with our boys in the past few
to jointly offer AP Psychology, AP History of Art, comparative reli-
weeks.
gions (juniors and seniors), and an elective in Justice, the latter – in part
We also open our doors to serve others. For the third consecutive year, Landon has been a community partner for Special Olympics of
– online. As a school, we have always had a responsibility to prepare our
Montgomery County, hosting soccer and basketball tournaments and
boys for the world they will inhabit beyond the white rocks of Landon’s
their recent Health Expo, attended by Special Olympics CEO Tim
campus. Increasingly, I believe, they are already living in that space
Shriver. From January through March, Landon students have spent
and fulfilling their roles as contributing members of the broader
their Sundays helping to coach and train these young athletes. They
community.
even designed a fitness course for the Olympic Village expo. Within days of the Special Olympics event, varsity lacrosse players stepped up to serve in the Lindner Dining Hall for Soup ‘N Bowls, a fundraiser for the Brainy Camps Association of the Children’s National Medical Center. The list of service activities undertaken by Landon students in just a matter of a few weeks this winter is long: packing 25,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now, sponsoring the Red Cross Blood
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David M. Armstrong Headmaster David_Armstrong@landon.net
HOE OL W N E WS S S C H O O LS CN
Azalea Garden Festival: 60 Years Young Shining like a diamond, the Azalea Garden Festival marks its 60th anniversary on May 3 to 5. Festival Chair Carey Hollensteiner and Weekend Chair Sharlene Amitay hope to see all students, parents, alumni and their families at the Festival. Two Festival events have already been a sparkling success. In December, the 40th anniversary of the Greens Sale and Holiday Boutique raised $87,902 for student financial aid and faculty enrichment. Stacia Andrews and Elizabeth Powell organized the two-day event. With donations from Total Wine, as well as auction items from parents, alumni and faculty, the Wine Tasting and Auction brought in $40,000 more. The February event was organized by Lisa Henschel, Shari Kapelina and Lisa Mathers.
Wreaths chair rhonda amoroso creates a unique wreath for the 2012 Greens Sale.
Sodexo Nationally Recognized Landon’s food service provider, Sodexo, has won more than just the appreciation of hungry Landon Bears. At the World Economic Forum 2013. Sodexo earned the highest overall score and was the only company in its sector to attain Gold Class status. Sodexo was also honored for the largest improvement in its sustainability performance compared to last year, and it was recognized for its economic and social elements.
LANDON TODAY
From First to Last - Alumnus Challenges Peers to Finish Campaign
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hen the Landon united campaign was launched in 2007, the turf at Triplett field was the first project to be completed. a gift from Todd Boehly ’91 capped off the funding for that project. now Boehly has set his sights on finishing the entire campaign, pledging $1.5 million as the final increment to reach the goal of $52.5 million. By structuring his pledge as a challenge, Boehly asks others in the community to step forward to contribute the remaining funds to complete the campaign in the next 12 to 18 months. he asks others to “pull on the oars” to join him in moving Landon united to completion. Boehly, who graduated from William & Mary and attended the London School of economics, is the President of Todd Boehly ’91 Guggenheim Partners, a financial services firm based in new york and chicago. Last year, he was part of the consortium led by Magic Johnson that successfully bid for the Los angeles dodgers baseball franchise. While Boehly’s business ventures have taken him far from Landon, he has remained deeply loyal to the school. “Landon has teachers who matter and care,” he says. “i went there for seven years and continue to benefit from the education and experience. anything i can do to further the cause is important to me.” Boehly’s challenge pledge is directed toward endowment. he views endowment as the key to ensuring that Landon remains Landon, noting that the school has “unbelievable plant and property and equipment,” but not a commensurate endowment. he says, “if you care about the longterm viability of Landon – about its survival through thick and thin – the way to guarantee it is through endowment.” headmaster David Armstrong says, “Todd’s challenge to the community helps achieve two vitally important goals. first, by directing funds to endowment, he is helping to bring Landon more in line with our peers. Second, his pledge puts our goal for Landon united within reach. i know others will join him in showing their loyalty and love for Landon, and i look forward to the day when his generous gift completes this important campaign.” NEXT PRIORITY – one of the five initiatives of the Landon united campaign is protecting and enhancing Landon's facilities, and completing funding to renovate the Barton center lower level is next on the list. The planned $1.5 million renovation focuses on four areas, all spaces used daily by students. first is the Lower School locker room and visiting team locker spaces, calling for new lockers, fixtures, flooring and more. Second is the student-athlete team room. While the building currently houses a room for that purpose, the renovation calls for a modernized layout with new seating, smart boards and video equipment. The sports medicine facility is also in the plans, particularly carving out spaces for Landon’s trainers to hold private conversations and consultations. finally, the equipment room – and storage space generally – is targeted for expansion, so that supplies can be consolidated, and uniforms and gear can be gathered, washed, stored and distributed more efficiently.
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LANDON TODAY S C H O O L N E W S
Dana Krein Will Head Middle School After a national search, Headmaster David M. Armstrong has announced the appointment of Dana C. Krein to be the new head of Middle School, effective July 1. Krein currently serves as dean of Upper School students at Friends Seminary, a coeducational (K-12) day school in New York City. Krein is a 1998 graduate of Harvard University where she majored in Modern European History and was the starting goalkeeper for the women’s varsity soccer team. She received her master’s degree in Education, Organizational Leadership and Policy from the University of Maryland in 2008. At Friends Seminary, Krein teaches World History and serves as head coach of the men’s JV soccer team; she has also worked as assistant coach for the women’s varsity soccer team. As dean, she oversees student organizations, student leadership curriculum and disciplinary issues. She also assists with student recruitment and retention. Beyond her official duties at Friends, she is active professionally as a facilitator in the area of diversity and equity. She began her career in 1998 at Georgetown Day School where she taught History and was head coach for the women’s JV soccer, varsity soccer and JV softball teams. She was also a grade-level dean. In 2006, she moved to Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., and became a divisional dean and head of Summer School. “Dana has impressed us with her knowledge of Middle School teaching and learning methods; her understanding of the social and emotional needs of sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys; and her empathy and engagement with our students during her campus visit,” Armstrong said in making the announcement. He noted she was the unanimous choice of the search committee and “the right person for Landon at this time in the life of our Middle School.” 4 Landon Magazine
Heard at Landon “Excellence of performance will overcome any obstacle known to man.” Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, former president of Southeastern university and Ward 4 representative, quoting her father/Black history Month.
“People are tired of the bickering and yelling. We should be talking about the issues in a respectful way.” Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the civility caucus/George Boiardi ’00 forum for ethical reflection.
Brinkley Lectures Feature Post Columnist, Political Vets, Cancer Expert Washington Post columnist and Georgetown University profession E.J. Dionne, Jr. was the first lecturer in this school year’s Alan Brinkley ’67 Lecture Series at Landon. The lectures bring notable figures from the academic, cultural, and/or political world to speak to seniors of Landon and Holton-Arms School. Dionne reflected on the 2012 election season and American politics. The second Brinkley Lecture featured a discussion between Toni Verstandig P’08 and
“Find the courage to fight when you don’t know how the story is going to end.” DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the nfL Players’ association/Martin Luther King, Jr. day.
“Come on in. We need smart young people who are curious, and who aren’t satisfied with the first answer.” Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for the PBS newshour, on pursuing a career in journalism/Women’s history Month.
Frances Townsend P’13’19 on international politics and foreign policy. Townsend served as an assistant to President George W. Bush for homeland security and counterterrorism. Verstandig served as deputy assistant secretary of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State during the Clinton. The third and final speaker in the series was Dr. Connie Liu Trimble, director of the Center for Cervical Dysplasia and an associate professor of gynecology, obstetrics, oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins University. Trimble is a noted expert in the treatment and research of cervical cancer.
D E N T N E W S LANDON TODAY S T U D E N TS T UN EWS
“Be Brave and Shave” Raises More Than $70,000
L
andon and Georgetown Prep teamed up to raise more than $70,000 for “Be Brave and Shave,” which got both players and spectators excited before the hockey game between the two schools. The fundraiser supports the center for cancer and Blood disorders at children’s national Medical center. Many players and faculty from both schools symbolically joined those children who lose their hair because of chemotherapy, by getting their heads shaved. overall, 63 students and teachers on the Middle School, JV and varsity hockey teams from both schools raised money for the effort. a Middle School student before and after “Be Brave and Shave.”
National Academic Recognition for Eight Seniors Eight of the 78 members of the Class of 2013 have earned national academic recognition this year. • National Hispanic Recognition Program – Orlando Arevalo ’13 and Samuel Morales ’13 • National Achievement Scholarship Program Semifinalist – Isaiah Colclough ’13 • National Achievement Scholarship Program Outstanding Participant – Obai Kamara ’13 • National Merit Scholarship Program – Vinodh Balendran ’13, Jack Jundanian ’13, Luc Moseley ’13 and Harrison Voslow ’13, semifinalists. Balendran, Jundanian and Voslow were subsequently named finalists in the competition.
Briefly
Lincoln for Reelection!
Students in Sandy Murray’s Sixth Grade history class imagined what politics in 1864 would have been like with computers. his assignment called for the boys to create campaign posters for abraham Lincoln’s reelection. Students used a variety of recognizable Lincoln quotes and photos, including those used by Prithu Pareek ’19 above.
ASAP (After School Academic Program) is a new program in the Upper School for students identified by teachers as needing extra review. It provides additional instruction to Form III and IV students. The program is based on a similar program in the Lower and Middle Schools.
Landon Magazine 5
LANDON TODAY S T U D E N T N E W S
Three Years of ‘Extraordinary Teens’ Malachi Bostic-Wattley ’13 joins Vincent Kindfuller ’12 and Jordan Gear ’11 as the third Landon student in three years to be named an ‘Extraordinary Teen’ by Bethesda Magazine. Bostic-Wattley is featured in the March/April 2013 issue in a one-page profile titled “The Runner.” The profile includes a photo of Bostic-Wattley in a sprinter’s crouch and notes that he is an accomplished runner and captain of Landon’s outdoor track team. Dean of Students Harry Murphy talks about Bostic-Wattley’s character in the piece, noting that the Landon senior “just has this
way about him of getting others to do the right thing….” Art Teacher Thanasi Papapostolou is also quoted, saying of his student that Malachi is “persistent and holds realistic goals Malachi Bostic-Wattley ’13 was named one of for himself.” At the end Bethesda Magazine’s of the piece, Bostic“extraordinary Teens.” Wattley discusses his philosophy. He says, “We all have to respect that thing [that] someone else brings to the table.”
Reaching the Final Frontier
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n the fall, 12 Lower and Middle School boys participated in final frontiers, an annual engineering competition sponsored by the Maryland Space Business roundtable. The Landon delegation consisted of three teams (fifth grade, sixth/seventh grade and eighth grade) that competed in 12 events. The Landon stuform i students test their shuttle arm to see if it will lift a 100 gram mass dents earned three vertically 30 centimeters. awards: • 3rd place - 5th grade level Shuttle arm barrier and accurately strike a target on the event floor. • 3rd place in the 6th/7th grade level Shuttle Participants were Jahmal Banks ’20, arm event Ishmael Leggett ’20, Ryan Patterson ’19, • 3rd place in the 6th/7th grade level Golf Ball John Ramthum ’19, Armen Sivaslian ’19, Michael Carr ’18, Matt Welch ’18, Jonathan Barrage event. The objective of the Shuttle arm event was Augustine ’17, Jaydeep Sangha ’17, Will to construct the lightest arm possible that Sheldon ’17, Max Spiritos ’17 and Matt could lift a 100 gram mass vertically to a platWilkinson ’17. congratulations to our form 30 cm above a table. The goal of the Golf scientific Bears! — Mary cunningham Ball Barrage was to project a golf ball over a
6 Landon Magazine
a form i student and a holton peer design a device to keep an egg safe.
Eggs Are Falling From the Sky? Everyone is OK. The falling eggs were part of a collaboration between Form I Landon and Holton-Arms students. Students were split into co-ed groups and given limited materials, including straws, index cards and masking tape. Their mission was to construct a device that would protect an egg as it fell from various heights. One device protected its egg through a fall from ceiling height, more than four meters. Middle School Head Doug Norry said, “Most importantly, the boys and girls worked together, built something, and enjoyed the process.”
Students Helping Students Sometimes it’s easier to learn from a buddy. That’s the motivation for a new Upper School club, Student Organizational Support (SOS). Senior Marc Blatt formed the club after noticing some of his peers might benefit from advice from students who have proven success in the classroom. SOS provides about a dozen students with academic advice from other Upper School students. Mentors provide guidance in areas such as class and teacher expectations, and study tips. Director of the Teaching and Learning Center Marcos Williams ’65 serves as the clubs advisor.
S T U D E N T N E W S LANDON TODAY
Upper School Bears Day Out
upper School teachers and students visited the u.S. Marine corps Training and Museum in Quantico, Va., during the second annual field Trip day (above). Groups of 15-20 students and faculty visited the chinese embassy; naval Sea System command facility, the u.S. capitol, the Mexican cultural institute, u.S. holocaust Memorial Museum, newseum, national air and Space Museum’s Steven f. udvar-hazy center, national cryptologic Museum, national Gallery of art, and the u.S. department of forensic Science. a hike of old rag Mountain and a session on Meditation and Stress reduction Techniques were also offered. 4th Grade Wins Annual Games The Fourth Grade (Class of 2021) took home both the Landon Cup and Shrimp Bowl trophies in the annual soccer (3-0) and football (13-0) games, respectively. The Third Grade (Class of 2022) played with heart, but couldn’t overtake the veterans this year. During the games, Fifth Grade boys sold hot chocolate and raised $286.45 for the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Seven teachers and students attended the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) annual People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference in December. Attendees included third grade teacher Vanessa Burchett, fourth grade teacher Bobby Horsey, Middle School English teacher Laura Kulkarni and Upper School Dean of Students Harry Murphy, as well as seniors Malachi Bostic-Wattley ’13, Isaiah Edwards ’13 and Anthony Fullum ’13.
Briefly In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, all three divisions collected 53 baskets of food for two local charities, Community Ministries of Rockville and The Dwelling Place. a fourth Grader beats Third Graders to the ball in the Landon cup.
Luke Kurtz ’15 and Alec Merski ’14 attended the International Diplomacy and Security Conference, which introduced high school students in the Washington, D.C. area to the realm of international affairs through workshops and a crisis simulation. Landon Magazine 7
F A C U LT Y & S T A F F
LANDON TODAY F A C U LT Y & S T A F F N E W S
McGhee to Direct Learning Center Middle and Lower School Counselor Dr. Linda Fleming McGhee will move into a new role as the director of Landon’s Center for Teaching and Learning Resources when Marcos Williams ’65 retires on June 30, 2013. McGhee is already actively engaged with Learning Center activities at all division levels, as part of Landon’s assessment team. She and Williams are working together to prepare for the transition. McGhee says, “I will continue to use the
approach that is the hallmark of the school – a team approach that combines the efforts of parents, students, teachers and the CTLR to optimize a student’s access and utilization of the latest methods and technologies that facilitate organization and learning.” In addition to her work at Landon, McGhee runs a private practice as a psychologist and teaches personality assessment at George Washington University. She holds a doctorate in psychology and a law degree from GWU.
Art in the Science Room
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t's not unusual to see paintings on the walls of any division building at Landon, the P.a.c. or any art teacher’s classroom. But it’s not typical to find them on the walls of a science classroom. however, in Science teacher Jack Duquette’s classroom, there is a plethora. The paintings are all duquette’s creations. he painted a little in high school, but has been painting seriously Science teacher Jack duqette was one of only two teachers to have their work displayed and sold at the Greens Sale. as a hobby for four or five years. he was the only other faculty member to sell duquette began painting after he walked art at the Greens Sale besides Bartman. by an evening class taught by Walt Bartman, he paints multiple times a week at Landon chair of the Visual arts department, and he and at home as a form of stress relief. as he decided to join it. he has continued to learn works on a painting, he displays it in his from his fellow teacher ever since. “What you see is what you get,” says duquette of his classroom in the different stages of completion. “every day the boys come to the science painting style. a majority of his paintings are room and see the art i’ve created. i think it of landscape scenery with oil and acrylic encourages them to keep doing art too,” says paints. duquette. duquette says he’s been fortunate to sell — Mary cunningham some of his works, which he never considered until a parent asked if a painting was for sale.
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Linda McGhee will direct the center for Teaching and Learning resources.
doug norry ’90 will become headmaster at Triangle day School in north carolina.
Norry Named Triangle Day Headmaster Middle School Head Doug Norry ’90 has been named the new headmaster for Triangle Day School, a coeducational Transitional Kindergarten through Eighth Grade independent school in Durham, North Carolina. He will assume his new duties on July 1, 2013. “In his eight years as our Middle School head, Doug has built an outstanding faculty dedicated to our Middle School boys, leading by example,” said Headmaster David Armstrong. “We all look up to Doug, literally and figuratively, and we will miss the vision and focus he has brought to his alma mater on behalf of the Middle School boys.”
We Love Our Faculty a musician who’s played with aretha franklin, an english teacher born in Sweden, two former nfL players, and an artist who got engaged in the P.a.c. – all members of Landon’s faculty! Learn more about Landon’s faculty members online at www.landon.net/facultyprofiles.
F A C U LT Y & S T A F F N E W S LANDON TODAY
Teachers Learning From Teachers It’s no surprise that teachers love learning, so this year, the Upper School has instituted “Teacher Talks” to give faculty a set time when they can share and discuss ideas, topics, issues and themes relevant to teaching. Approximately once a month during lunch, a teacher speaks about a topic of their choosing, followed by a discussion. Presenters and their topics so far include: • Math teacher Corson Fidler – screencasting • Science teacher Sacha Place – creating co-educational opportunities • Counselor Dr. Andy Rhein – “The Value of Discomfort” • Librarian Dartha Dragnich – “The 21st Century School Library” Teachers Talks are organized by Assistant Headmaster John Botti, English teacher Ted Ogden and history teacher Bill Gordon.
richard Brockhaus
Michael hinchey
cathy Lamont
ray Miller
200+ Years of Service Sandy Murray
Bob oetting
Marcos Williams ’65
Briefly
Seven Will Retire in June
Under the leadership of John Bellaschi, Upper School history teacher, and Laurie Sears, assistant Middle School head, Landon is conducting the Self-Study phase of its twoyear AIMS accreditation process. Landon plans to submit the Self-Study to AIMS in early 2014 and host a visiting committee (with educators from other schools) in the spring of 2014.
The following members of the faculty/staff have announced their plans to retire in June, representing a combined 200 years of service.
History teacher and Cultural Transition Counselor Tré Johnson was inducted into the Peekskill (N.Y.) High School Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall. Johnson played nine seasons in the National Football League, mostly with the Washington Redskins. Johnson previously was inducted into the Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame. Middle School history teacher J.R. Bordley, a varsity lacrosse assistant coach and Form II head, spoke in January at the 2013 U.S. Lacrosse National Convention in Philadelphia. Bordley served on a panel with two other coaches to address the complex issue of recruiting high school student-athletes.
Richard “Doc” Brockhaus/1985 Subjects: Algebra; Precalculus; Calculus; Physics; Philosphy Sports: JV Baseball Activities: It’s Academic advisor Michael Hinchey/1996 Subject: Algebra Sports: MS Football; MS Track Activities: Scheduling Committee Cathy Lamont/1982 Subjects: Hispanic Language and Culture; Spanish II and III; all levels of US Spanish including AP; MS French and Spanish Activities: Diversity Support Committee, Asian Interest Club advisor, choreographer Ray Miller/1985 Subjects: Pre-Algebra; Algebra Sports: Varsity Baseball; JV Baseball; Freshman Basketball; various MS teams Activities: Equipment Manager; MS Athletic Director
Sandy Murray/1970 Subjects: 4th Grade/all; 6th Grade/all; 6th Grade History Sports: MS Golf; Varsity Cross Country; Track; LS Football, Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse and Track; 6th Grade Soccer and Lacrosse; IM Street Hockey and Basketball Activities: Sixth Grade Dean Bob Oetting/2001 Subject: Physics Sport: Freshman Football Activities: Habitat for Humanity, Theater Arts, Gender Equity Committee Marcos Williams ’65/1972 Subjects: 6th Grade/all; Spanish Sports: LS Football, Wrestling, Lacrosse, Soccer, Tennis Activities: Director of Center for Teaching and Learning Resources; LS Head; MS Dean of Discipline
Landon Magazine 9
A R T S U P DAT E
LANDON TODAY A R T S U P D A T E
in Guys and dolls, nathan detroit announces to his fellow gamblers and detective Brannigan that he intends to marry his long-suffering fiancée, adelaide.
Auditorium Becomes Rome, 1940s New York Early in the school year, Coates Auditorium was transformed into Rome in 44 B.C., as 12 Landon and 10 Holton-Arms Middle School students performed William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The production featured changes to Shakespeare’s language and changing two male roles into female roles. Landon’s Fred Zirm directed. In early 2013, Landon and Holton-Arms Middle School actors again changed Landon’s auditorium, this time into 1940s New York with their rendition of Guys and Dolls. Zirm directed the play for his third time.
Austen’s Classic Graces Holton Stage In the fall, Landon and Holton’s Upper School actors entertained Holton’s Lewis Theater with three performances of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Holton Drama teacher Elizabeth Zitelli directed 10 Landon boys and 22 Holton girls to create Austen’s 19th century England. 10 Landon Magazine
Mr. Bingley visits the Bennetts in the upper School production of Pride and Prejudice at holton.
A R T S U P D A T E LANDON TODAY
Seniors Hold Landow Gallery Shows Through the fall and winter, several senior studio art students got a taste of what it’s like to be a professional artist, with shows in the Landow Gallery. Ben Berenson ’13 kicked off the year with a solo show of his paintings and drawings, mainly portraits and figurative studies. Next was a group show with drawings from John Bair ’13, Alex Harvey ’13 and Aidan Kelso ’13. The new year brought John Wellington ’13 and his oil paintings to the Gallery. His works included three large depictions of cows, titled Petunia, Lucy and Walter. For each show, a reception was held during Upper School lunch, so the artists’ peers could enjoy the works. Middle School art teacher Aaron Brophy coordinated the exhibits.
Shakespeare Can Be Funny!
in January, John Wellington ’13 displayed his show, “Sacred cows,” in the Landow family Gallery. he was one of six seniors to have a gallery show.
Several Form I students had an “aha moment” this winter, when Middle School Drama Teacher Fred Zirm took the entire grade on a trip to the Shakespeare Theatre for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Zirm says, “Every year, it is wonderful to hear some students observe, ‘Hey, this is actually funny.’” Zirm continues, “Since Shakespeare wrote his plays for performance and not for publication, we try to give Form I a theatrical perspective each year when we read the play.” Before heading downtown, two actor/educators from the Shakespeare Theatre conducted a workshop at Landon to deepen students’ appreciation of the theatrical performance. After the show, boys had the chance to talk to the cast and director.
Briefly Landon artists – 41 students and 2 teachers – had the opportunity to display and sell their artwork at the 2012 Greens Sale. A total of 90 pieces were displayed, including paintings, ceramics, photography and pencil drawings. The Symphonette at Landon held two concerts on campus in the fall, including the annual holiday “Messiah” concert, plus the first part of the Young Strings Competition. In addition, the group held two free performances in Friendship Heights. Learn about upcoming performances at www.landon.net/symphonette.
Jazz in January one January morning, the P.a.c. was pulsing with Stevie Wonder’s “don’t you Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” Thelonius Monk’s “i Mean you,” and a special jazz rendition of “Landon forever,” as the Performing arts department presented its annual faculty Jazz concert. The concert featured full-time and adjunct band and orchestra teachers – including earl Jackson, Lee Gause, Paul Scimonelli and Joseph cunliffe, pictured above – performing classic and contemporary jazz based on a rough set list and improvised arrangements.
Dozens of bells were ringing throughout the P.A.C. on a February evening when the Landon and Holton-Arms Upper School Handbell groups performed together for their first joint concert. Landon’s Advanced and Intermediate Handbells and Holton’s Upper School Handbells Choir performed solo pieces and, the ensembles combined for several songs.
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AT H L E T I C S U P DAT E
LANDON TODAY F A L L A T H L E T I C S U P D A T E
SEASON HONORS FOOTBALL Myles Allen ’13: all-Met honorable Mention, all-Gazette honorable Mention, all-i.a.c., offensive MVP Will Buckingham ’13: all-i.a.c., hanker award Robby Dunigan ’13: Special Teams MVP Jack Falk ’14: all-i.a.c. PJ FitzGerald ’13: Lunch Pail award Anthony Fullum ’14: all-i.a.c., defensive MVP Jackson Howard ’13: Lunch Pail award Obai Kamara ’13: all-Gazette honorable Mention, all-i.a.c. Peter Laco ’13: all-i.a.c., MVP Philip Peña ’13: all-i.a.c. Austin Petty ’14: all-i.a.c. David Spiritos ’13: hanker award
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Landon’s quarterback sets up a field goal kick for the senior kicker. The kicker was a starter on the varsity soccer team who moonlighted as the football kicker.
Football Wins I.A.C. Title
Seniors Guide Cross Country
Landon football won its 20th I.A.C. Championship title, after an undefeated season against I.A.C. opponents. This season the Bears beat St. Albans, 21-7, for the first time in several years. “Our success can be directly attributed to the willingness of the players to sacrifice for the good of the team,” says Coach Paul Padalino. “Many of the boys put aside their personal goals or desires for the good of the team.” He also cited the senior leadership as a reason for the team’s success. Padalino called the Bullis game the most exciting game of the season because the whole team played well and hard together and with tremendous fan support at an away game. “For the players and coaches, the wins over Bullis and St. Albans will be memories that last a lifetime,” Padalino says. “This championship was truly a team effort.”
Coach Addison Hunt attributes the cross country team’s good season to good leaders. He says, “The leadership of this year’s seniors was outstanding.” The seniors, including captains Adam Brill ’13 and Harrison Voslow ’13, did a strong job getting the team ready over the summer. They also led by example and increased the efficiency of practices, according to Hunt. The team placed second in the I.A.C., with Brill taking third and Kevin Soraci ’14 placing fourth in the championship meet. The team turned in its best performance, when it took first place at the inaugural Montgomery County Championship. Hunt notes that the team showed a lot of depth, with great results from the top runners and others, including Josh Michael ’13 and Ben Gilbert ’16.
F A L L A T H L E T I C S U P D A T E LANDON TODAY
crowd at home that Reed described as “magic.” After a great start to the season, injuries plagued the team, resulting in several losses, ending the season 10-5-1 overall and 5-4-1 in the I.A.C. The team did beat Prep a second time, making it the first time in several years that Landon has swept Prep. In the I.A.C. tournament, the team “went on a tear,” according to Reed, scoring nine goals in two games. The Bears were knocked out of contention on a penalty kick, placing them third in the I.A.C.
“Balanced” Water Polo Team Scores Winning Season The varsity soccer season ended with a record of 10-5-1.
Soccer Grows with Most “Pure Talent” In his 23 years as a soccer coach, head coach Bill Reed says this year’s varsity squad was “the best team I’ve ever had in pure soccer talent.” In almost every position there was an athlete whose primary sport was soccer, which helped the team start the season at 6-0. This included a 3-1 win over Georgetown Prep on a warm, late September Friday with a massive
“This season our players were the most balanced in terms of skill,” says head coach Walt Bartman, making it easy to rotate in subs and deal with injury. The team’s second game against Gonzaga was a “pivotal point” in the season, according to Bartman. “We found a rhythm that we were looking for all season and made very few errors,” he says. Though the Bears lost by two points, Bartman remembers it as the most memorable game of the season. With a 13-12 season, Bartman sees a bright future for the team.
SEASON HONORS CONTINUED CROSS COUNTRY Jack Bolen ’14: Most improved runner Adam Brill ’13: co-captain, all-Montgomery county, all-i.a.c., Most Valuable runner Ben Gilbert ’16: all-Montgomery county, Moco running all-freshman honorable Mention, captains award Josh Michael ’13: all-Montgomery county Kevin Soraci ’14: co-captain, all-Gazette honorable Mention, all-Montgomery county, all-i.a.c., coaches award Harrison Voslow ’13: co-captain
SOCCER Taylor Bryan ’13: rookie of the year Nick Dias ’15: coaches award Zach Fingerhut ’14: all-Met honorable Mention, all-i.a.c., all-Gazette honorable Mention, Most Valuable offensive Player, Goal of the year Seth Kaplow ’14: Most Valuable defensive Player Hal Pence ’15: coaches award Scotty Powell ’13: all-i.a.c., Most improved Player Marshall Peters ’13: co-captain, ll-i.a.c., all-Gazette Second Team, MVP Matt Underhill ’13: co-captain, all-i.a.c., all-Gazette honorable Mention, class of 1948 Gillespie Memorial award
WATER POLO Conor Collins ’13: co-captain, all-eastern Prep John Freeman ’13: co-captain Aidan Kelso ’13: co-captain, MVP Marcus Kindfuller ’14: all-eastern Prep Greg Kulp ’14: coaches award Trey Lundelius ’14: all-eastern Prep
coach Walt Bartman called the 2012 water polo team the most balanced team in terms of skills. Landon Magazine 13
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SEASON HONORS
Landon’s Goalie guards the net, helping the Bears to their eighth I.A.C. championship in a row.
BASKETBALL Jordan Marshall ’13: co-captain Isaiah Colcough ’13: co-captain Sebastian Wells ’13: i.a.c. Tournament Team
ICE HOCKEY Graham Shue ’13: captain, first Team allGazette, all-i.a.c., Brian fishman award Will Buckingham ’13: assistant captain, Second Team all-Gazette, coaches award Jack Barton ’14: first Team all-Gazette, all-i.a.c. Sam Kroll ’13: first Team all-Gazette, all-i.a.c., MVP Jack Sears’13: coaches award
RIFLERY Harrison Voslow ’13: captain, Potomac high School rifle League all-Metro honorable Mention, frank Parsons award Pravin Fonseka ’14: Potomac high School rifle League all-Metro honorable Mention Eric Kim ’15: rookie of the year Alex Liu ’14: Potomac high School rifle League all-Metro honorable Mention Grayson Ours ’15: Most improved
SWIMMING & DIVING David Baker ’13: co-captain, Senior coaches award John Freeman ’13: co-captain, all-i.a.c., Senior MVP Aidan Kelso ’13: co-captain, all-i.a.c., Senior coaches award Jeff Kopp ’13: co-captain, Senior coaches award Ryan Curto ’14: all-i.a.c. (diving) Trey Lundelius ’14: Junior MVP Garland Kennedy ’14: Junior coaches award Alex Ashy ’15: Sophomore MVP Austin Rose ’15: Sophomore coaches award Hayden Fralin ’16: freshman MVP Harrison Keen ’16: freshman coaches award continued on page 16
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Hockey Wins as a ‘Family’ There was one cheer, one word, which was repeated constantly during the varsity ice hockey season: “family.” It concluded every practice and preceded every period of every game. The Bears captured the I.A.C. title with a 4-2 win over Bullis on Feb. 15 and were seeded No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League (MAPHL) tournament before losing in the semifinals. Landon has won at least a share of every I.A.C. title since 2006 and captured the last two MAPHL championships. “The boys became a family this season,” coach Chandler Gammill says. “Their heart, hustle, and desire led them to all they achieved.” The team finished with a 16-4-2 record. The players renewed their commitment to helping others by participating in “Be Brave and Shave.” (See page 5 for more.)
Strong Defense Keeps Basketball Competitive Throughout a rough season, Coach Andy Luther loved the varsity basketball team’s attitude and heart. This season was the first in six seasons that the team did not return an allleague player, but the players always believed they could compete against any other team, even those ranked in the top 10. The team
The varsity basketball team never gave up when they were behind, especially during senior night when they beat St. Stephen’s & St. agnes 63-60. improved as the season progressed, and the defense kept games competitive. No opponent scored above 70 points in January or February, and only two teams scored more than 70 in December. The players also became better teammates and men, as Assistant Coach John Botti instilled values from Coach for America’s Joe Ehrmann. Together the players also volunteered at two Special Olympics basketball tournaments, doing everything from setting up to refereeing.
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Four Captains Inspire Swim and Dive Team The swim and dive team had a .500 season, but participants came together and worked as a team a little more than in past seasons, according to coach Walt Bartman. He attributes the team spirit and work ethic to the four senior co-captains, David Baker ’13, John Freeman ’13, Aidan Kelso ’13 and Jeff Kopp ’13. Each of these swimmers brought a different strength to the team. According to Bartman, Baker was the primary team builder; Freeman inspired the team with his speed in the pool; Kelso set a tone of sportsmanship; and Kopp motivated by always putting the team first. four senior swimmers worked together as co-captains of the swim team.
Competing for Fun
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ike any Landon sporting event, Middle School street hockey games are strategic, heated, even intense. But unlike many interscholastic sports, Middle School street hockey doesn’t have formal standings. The six- or seven-man teams are scrambled at regular intervals, so players and teams aren’t ranked. Several tournaments each season ensure that everyone has a chance to win. a nemesis one week is a line mate the next. form i student Sam Hanson ’18 says, “The whole team works as a unit. it’s pretty intense, and we play to win, but it’s really fun, also.” under the supervision of Middle School teachers Robert Brutus, Ann Liu and Mirian de Ossorno, 32 Middle School students come out to the Sport court each day. The sport has always been popular and is now in its 23rd in december, Middle Schoolers face-off in a intramural street hockey game. Street hockey has been a year. The sport began at Landon with guidance Middle School winter sports option for 23 years. from varsity hockey assistant coach hans farnstrom. for most of its history, Middle School history teacher Sandy team will go on a goal-scoring spree. in those instances, opponents Murray was in charge. adjust their approach. “if we’re down by a lot, we’ll pull our goalie,” says hanson. “With an extra player on offense, it’s the ‘clash of the clans!’” Street hockey provides numerous opportunities for leadership. for many Middle School students, street hockey is a great sports captains rotate regularly and select their teammates. Liu says, option that involves exercise, skill-building, teamwork and fun. as form “captains have a lot of responsibility. They have to insure that their team is ready for the game, their goalie is geared up, and if necessary, ii student Arslon Humayun ’17 says, “it’s upbeat, challenging and exhilasubstitutions are made fairly throughout. We expect them to be leaders.” rating!” Games tend to be fairly low-scoring, although from time-to-time, one — Lynn horowitch
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The wrestling team earned second place in the I.A.C., its highest finish in five seasons.
SEASON HONORS CONTINUED INDOOR TRACK & FIELD Anthony Fullum ’13: co-captain Josh Michael ’13: co-captain Dominique Seagers ’14: co-captain Malachi Bostic-Wattley ’13: first team allGazette, Landon record (6.59 in 55m dash)
WRESTLING Jack Albrittain ’13: co-captain, all-i.a.c., Most Valuable Wrestler Jackson Howard ’13: co-captain, all-i.a.c., coaches award Ben Goodfriend ’16: rookie of the year Matt Johnston ’1: Most improved Wrestler Jarett Witzal ’15: Most outstanding Wrestler
awards as of March 18, 2013
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New Landon Records Set in Indoor Track and Field
Wrestling Finishes With Highest Placement in Five Years
The indoor track and field team only competes four times throughout the season. Each week, team members spend two days on the track and three days in the weight room. They placed fourth in the Hoxton Invitational, the highest finish in 15 years of competing on and off, with team members scoring in 10 of 13 events. Anthony Fullum ’13 broke a Landon indoor field record with his 5'10'' high jump. Malachi Bostic-Wattley ’13 won the 55-meter dash, breaking the Landon record with a time of 6.59 seconds and setting a new Montgomery County record. This led him to be invited to the Eastern States Invitational where he placed 7th and advanced to the finals. Coach Addison Hunt says the team reached a new competitive level this year that will benefit future teams.
The wrestling team finished second in the I.A.C., its best result since the 2007-08 season. Clinching second place depended on winning the final match with Bullis. Coach Andy Katz called the match “a rollercoaster ride.” With several wrestlers bumping up a weight class, several key matches were won and some were unexpectedly lost. It came down to the last match. Miles Franklin ’15 had to pin his opponent, and he did. “The Bears prevailed 40-39 with the crowd going crazy,” said Katz.
What’s the Name?
Landon What’s the Word? Pride School spirit at Landon is a powerful force and a time-honored tradition. Nowhere is it more evident than on the sidelines at major sporting events, where students assemble, stampede, jump, cheer and sing to support their fellow Bears. By Lynn Horowitch
A Black Out October 27. A night football game at Bullis. A win would put Landon, at 5-2, in contention for the I.A.C. title. Bullis was undefeated with seven wins, having scored an average of nearly 40 points a game. Landon’s football Bears were ready – senior Myles Allen ’13 had been stellar at running back, and Landon’s defense had been stingy to opponents. Hundreds of other Bears were ready, too. A few days before, a group of Upper and Middle School boys gathered in the Banfield Academic Center during free time after lunch. They had been summoned by the three senior leaders of the Bear Club, Garrett Fellows ’13, Peter Laco ’13 and Marshall Peters ’13. Their task? To organize the student cheering section for the Bullis game, specifically to decide what color shirts Landon boys should wear. “It was a night game, so we thought black would look cool,” says Laco. Earlier games in the season had been “white-outs” (all white shirts) and “brown-outs.” The boys quickly agreed: it would be a black-out. Through sites including Facebook and Twitter and via e-mail and word-of-mouth, the news spread. School administrators worked with students to ensure that younger boys could ride a Landon bus to the game or be driven by older students. Upper School Head Ehren
Bears came out in black t-shirts to cheer the football team to a 12-7 win at Bullis. Federowicz and Dean of Community Life David Smith organized a cook-out at Landon before the game. Hundreds of Landon boys caravanned down River Road, arriving at Bullis decked out in black t-shirts. They gathered at the far end of Kline Alumni Stadium, Bullis’s main field that seats 2,000.
Following tradition, the Landon students stormed the Stadium, flags waving, boys roaring, small boys and young men together running for the Landon student section. By any estimate, the Bears outnumbered the Bullis fan section by a significant number. The student cheering section is just that. Landon Magazine 17
L-L-L-A-N
No girls allowed! No fathers, no mothers – only current students. The leaders of the Bear Club stand in front of the bleacher seats, energizing the crowd, shouting, jumping and cheering. The seniors lead the students in calland-response cheers: “What’s the name? Landon! What’s the word? Pride!”
While coats and ties have given way to tshirts – and even no shirts – the game-day tradition of charging toward the field endures.
A Tradition of Spirit While social media and coordinated color schemes are fairly new phenomena, a strong student cheering section at Landon games is a long-standing school tradition. Marcos Williams ’65, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources, was captain of the cheerleading squad as a senior. Asked by head football coach Ed Barton to move up from the JV squad to play on the varsity team his senior year, Williams told him, “I’ll do the team more good on the sidelines,” leading cheers and rallying the fans. Williams recalls wearing his letter sweater and leading cheers at lunch before big games. The night before the St. Albans game, Landon would hold a bonfire pep rally. During games, Williams and the other cheerleaders led the students in many call-and18 Landon Magazine
response cheers. “‘L-L-L-A-N’ one group of students would yell,” Williams says. “Another group would reply ‘D-D-D-O-N.’” For a period of at least several years, girls from Holton-Arms School served as Landon cheerleaders. Isabelle Schnider P’04, ’12, ’19, ’22 and Holton Class of ’82, was a cheerleader for four years of high school. She remembers wearing a royal blue and white skirt to cheer for Holton’s field hockey and basketball efforts, and a brown and white skirt to cheer for Landon football and basketball games. “We loved it!” Schnider says about coming to Landon to cheer. As a mother to four Landon football players, Schnider still enjoys cheering
on Landon Bears. “It’s really special to me,” she says. “I’ve been driving down the front drive since I was a girl. It’s such a close-knit community, it’s kind of like a family.”
Social Pull When Upper School Head Ehren Federowicz surveyed freshmen about life at Landon as part of their required Foundations course, the number one response about what they liked at the school was the display of Landon pride. Federowicz credits the senior class with building this sense of school spirit throughout the student body. “They bring so much positive energy and create a wonderful presence,”
D-D-D-O-N! Federowicz observes. “They build a social pull, making it cool to root for your fellow Bears.” In fact, students rooting for their fellow Bears happens across all activities and divisions. Before the It’s Academic team heads to competitions, Upper School students provide a rousing cheer of “We…Know…Stuff ” at assemblies. Middle School students cheer when Form II students deliver their “This I Believe” speeches at Middle School assembly. The Middle School held its inaugural Spirit Week this winter, as a result of a suggestion made to the Student Council by Form
II student Bilal Wurie ’17. For the week leading up to the President’s Day long weekend, Middle School students had Landon Pride/Brown and White Day, PJ Day, Jersey/Team Spirit Day and Celebrity LookAlike/Super Hero Day. Almost every boy and most teachers participated – a division-wide display of spirit. In Lower School, the seeds of school spirit are sown through the Shrimp Bowl and Landon Cup competitions between the Third and Fourth Grades in November. Participants get their first taste of being cheered by their
fellow Bears. Spirit Week leading up to these games adds to the excitement. The depth and breadth of school spirit at Landon may be rare, if not unique. Bill Reed, History department chair and head varsity soccer coach, says, “I’ve worked at three schools over the years and coached at several dozen others, and I’m continually struck by the school spirit at Landon. It’s a large part of why I love coaching at Landon so much. It’s cool and to some extent expected to attend games.”
Landon Forever
LEFT: holton cheerleaders donned brown and white skirts and Landon letter sweaters to support the Bears in the 1980s. BOTTOM: a soggy crowd stays dedicated during a soccer game.
All of this cheering helps. Landon won the Bullis football game 12-7, en route to an outright I.A.C. title. About that night, Varsity Football Head Coach Paul Padalino says, “The fans were tremendous – loud, positive and supportive.” He continues, “The fans’ entrance from out of the dark fields into the light of the Stadium got all of the players really excited and helped our team to victory.” Peters, who plays varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse, says that players commonly look over at the cheering section during games. During the game against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes in the fall of 2012 – an orange-out – the skies opened up midway through the game. The field was soaked, the players were soaked, and the fans were soaked, but everyone stayed to the end. Landon came up short that game, losing 21. Peters says, “The cool thing is, even when we lose, the cheering section chimes in with Landon Forever.” Varsity Hockey Coach Chan Gammill recalls the first time he observed the fans singing Landon Forever at the end of a game. It was four seasons ago with 1:32 seconds left in the final period versus Mt. Saint Joseph, with Landon ahead by 5-2. He says, “Fans from MSJ just stared with gaping mouths…because of the brotherhood that was being exhibited between the players on the ice and the students in the stands.” Gammill continues, “Alums joined in and soon the whole building was a deafening rendition of the school song sung with so much pride.” Landon Magazine 19
Broadening Horizons Former NFL player-turned-teacher Tré Johnson helps boys understand issues involving gender equity, socio-economic status, sexual preference/orientation and religious philosophy through a new diversity class for Form III students. The course is part of a larger initiative at the school and is the first step towards the creation of a broader diversity curriculum. By Rob Yunich
group of Form III (ninth grade) boys were mesmerized watching a video of a running back during class one day. After racking up 1,911 yards and 35 touchdowns during the 2012 season, the running back was featured on a Wheaties box, interviewed on ESPN and “Good Morning America” and was the guest of National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell at Super Bowl XLVII.
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In this case, the running back was Samantha Gordon, a nine-year-old girl from Utah. A discussion followed the screening of the video, led by history teacher Tré Johnson. It was part of Landon’s newly required diversity class. Johnson showed the example to demonstrate something to his students that was “outside the norm of what society believes is normally a male role,” he says. For the first time this academic year, all Form III students are taking Johnson’s diversity class, which is offered once per eight-day cycle. It’s part of Landon’s larger diversity initiative, led by Len Armstrong, head of the Lower School and acting director of diversity and community. According to the diversity committee’s mission statement, “Landon is committed to offering a comprehensive program built on supportive and welcoming traits of inclusivity.” Approximately 32 percent of the student body and 17 percent of the faculty and staff are people of color. “We want to educate the boys that a lot of people are different from them,” Johnson says. 20 Landon Magazine
The diversity class syllabus cover uses gummy bears to represent diversity among Landon bears. “We want to teach them to respect everybody and that just because people are different doesn’t make them the enemy.” In conjunction with the diversity initiative, Johnson and Head of the Upper School Ehren Federowicz agreed that it was time to offer a required freshman class. Johnson’s background in social work, his personal experience battling discrimination and stereotypes, and his success as an NFL player made him the perfect candidate to lead the boys. “Earlier in my life, I was always seen as the big, athletic guy,” says Johnson, who holds a bachelor’s degree in social administration and a master’s degree in social work from Temple
University. “Many people are surprised to learn that I teach and am involved in so many intellectual pursuits. You can only be an athlete for a finite time, but your mind can grow exponentially every day of your life.” As students move through the Upper School, there are several academic options that increase diversity awareness, including two African American history classes, the required full-year humanities course for Form V students, a “Black Voices” senior English elective, and two other electives that cover very specific areas: “Civil Rights in America” and “Critical Issues in the Middle East.” There are also two extracurricular clubs, the Multicultural Student Alliance and the
Ally Council, which provides a forum for students and faculty to openly discuss topics such as gender, race and sexual orientation. “We’re trying to figure out ways to create programs that better support our students,” Federowicz says. “There are things in place but there’s also room for improvement.” “We’re only in the crawling stages of creating a broader diversity curriculum, and this is a great start,” Johnson says. “When we teach them as freshmen, we get three more years to work on it.” The Form III diversity class is split into six subject areas: race, gender equity, socio-economic status, sexual preference/orientation, religious philosophy and reflections for the Landon community. Each module is covered over approxi-
“Landon students come from so many areas and backgrounds and they see the world through different lenses,” says Upper School Head
diversity teacher Tré Johnson leads discussions during his new class, providing a safe place for students to express their opinions.
Ehren Federowicz. “Without time to vet ideas and perception, we create opportunities for misunderstandings. This is a wonderful way to spend freshman year, helping students respect each other.” mately three class periods and includes at least one video and plenty of time for discussion, giving students an opportunity to present thoughts in an immediate, safe forum. Students also are tasked with creating journals to reflect on each module and compile assignments on topics such as ways to combat racism and assessing personal qualities. “This class has provided insight on how fortunate we are to go to Landon,” says Mark Ebo ’16. “We don’t always experience what others do. This class teaches us how lucky we really are and what we can do to help improve
society. There’s a whole other world out there.” Johnson also likes to make sure that the media screened during class contains some shock value and encourages discussion that could be uncomfortable at times but ultimately broadens the students’ horizons. Videos include the documentary “Miss Representation” about gender equity, “A Question of Race,” and “The One Percent” about socio-economic status. “The One Percent,” for example, depicts the extravagant lifestyle of the top 1 percent of wage earners in the United States and discusses the gap between their average annual income (approximately $1 million) and the country’s median household annual income ($42,979.61 in 2011, but less in 2006, when the documentary was made). It was created by Jamie Johnson, an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. “Landon students come from so many areas and backgrounds and they see the world through different lenses,” Federowicz says. “Without time to vet ideas and perception, we
create opportunities for misunderstandings. This is a wonderful way to spend freshman year, helping students respect each other.”
Landon School Diversity Mission Statement
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andon School fully embraces the ideals of diversity. Within its culture, curriculum, and throughout its broad community, Landon is committed to offering a comprehensive program built on supportive and welcoming traits of inclusivity. furthermore, Landon endeavors to develop in its students the skills and attitudes needed to interact productively with others by acknowledging and understanding differences, speaking and acting with integrity and compassion, and committing to an intellectually respectful world view.
Landon Magazine 21
Landon’s Bargain Boutique
There is a small, bustling menswear business right in the heart of Landon’s campus. Every Thursday morning for one hour Torrey Hall is home to Threads, an open store front with racks of clothing and volunteers waiting to help every customer. By Mary Cunningham 22 Landon Magazine
$15? That’s awesome! “
ood morning!” says Cathy Poston P’15’20. “What are you looking for today?” Every Threads customer is greeted when they walk through the Torrey Hall door. Whether he or she is looking for a shirt, tie or pair of pants, Threads co-chairs Poston and Becca Goldberg P’15 know the inventory so well, it’s easy to point the buyer to the correct section of the store. Threads sells gently used dress code items, including athletic attire, at nominal costs the Landon community. A project of the Landon Mothers Association, the store is run entirely by parent volunteers. Mothers, fathers, students and even faculty can be found shopping the rolling racks of clothes outside the front door, even in the cold winter months. Though Threads is officially only open Thursdays from 8:15-9:15 a.m., Goldberg and Poston occasionally stay open through Middle School recess or even Upper School break to accommodate students.
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“Threads isn’t about the profit. It’s about the service to the community.” — Cindy Peters, Associate Director of Communications/ Parent Programs
“Fifteen bucks? That’s awesome,” says a student who popped into the store between classes because he needed appropriate shoes. Men’s blazers and shoes are $15. Boy’s blazers and Landon sweatshirts are $10. All other items sell for $5. “Threads isn’t about the profit,” says Cindy Peters, associate director of communications/ parent programs, who assists the volunteers with Threads. “It’s about the service to the community.” The store was started to help families comply with Landon’s dress code, and
Volunteer Lisa hertzberg and co-chair cathy Poston sort and label the new clothes that have been donated to Threads. the profit that helps other aspects of the School has been an added bonus. Last year, Threads brought in several thousand dollars worth of profit, a number which has grown each year. Proceeds go first toward sustaining the business, but that cost is minimal. The rest assists the financial aid special activities fund (25%) and community service efforts (75%). Each division gets a percentage of the community service dollars based on the number of students in the division. Threads has been around in various locations for many years. Judy Alter P’94’07 resurrected Landon’s “Second Gear” shop around 2000, initially running it out of her home. For a few years Threads was run out of several closets around campus including in the Barton Alumni Athletic Center. In 2008, Lilo Cunningham P’10 took over and found Threads a home in the basement of Andrews House. There Threads started growing, but it was still hard for many shoppers to find. In the fall of 2010, then-chair Tiffany Hani P’15’16 moved the growing store into its current home. The move gave Threads more visibility, and business has flourished for the last three years.
Goldberg and Poston agree that the store is busiest and gains many shoppers during the August sale – the two full days during Orientation that Threads is open. “The August sale is when our inventory is best,” says Poston. “It is booming.” The inventory is boosted by donations left over the three summer months when Threads is closed. “It’s a community-building event,” says Goldberg. “People come, stay and talk.” The co-chairs encourage families, especially new to Landon families, to come to Threads, not only for the clothes, but because it’s a great place to meet other parents. Sharon Keegan P’11’16’18’20 now volunteers at Threads after being a customer at the August sale. “I heard about it when Kevin [Class of 2011] was here, but I never found it,” says Keegan, who had three younger sons enter Landon this year. “Cathy called me and said, ‘You have to come to Threads.’” Keegan did and was hooked. “Once you find us, Threads becomes your favorite place to shop,” says Poston. Regardless of the reason a parent or student comes into Threads, thanks to the efforts of the co-chairs and other parent volunteers, everyone walks away happy. Landon Magazine 23
The 21st Century Classroom Flipped classrooms. Screencasting. Harkness approach. Experiential learning. All Kinds of Minds. Blended learning. At Landon, these are more than buzzwords. They are some of the pedagogical approaches in use in all three divisions. By Lynn Horowitch hat is the best way to teach Landon students? There is no simple answer to this question. Landon classrooms are dynamic places, where teachers frequently use different approaches to deliver lessons effectively to boys. As Assistant Headmaster John Botti says, “From mini-lectures and student projects to small-group discussion and the utilization of advanced technological platforms, professionals at Landon intentionally seek pedagogical variety so boys may develop the skills, content knowledge and habits of mind required of a preparatory education.”
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Flipping for Math While his students are at their P.E. class, Fifth Grade teacher Steven Micciche is busy in his empty classroom. First he piles textbooks to roughly eye level on a desk. Then he places a flip video camera on top of the books. Next he switches on the video camera and teaches a lesson on probability and chance. 24 Landon Magazine
Then he posts the seven-minute video in the student portal on the Landon Web site. Watching it will be the assigned homework for every Fifth Grade student. Micciche is road-testing a “flipped” classroom, where new topics are introduced via video as homework and class time is used to fill out worksheets and problem sets. It is a relatively new approach that has been developed to meet “digital natives” where they reside. Several weeks into the test run, the flipped approach appears to be working. The boys appreciate that their homework is relatively brief and provides flexibility. “Mr. Micciche puts everything you need to know on the video,” says Conor McLaughlin ’20. His classmate Max Huberman ’20 says, “If you don’t get it, you can pause and go back.” Many of the boys have full schedules with after-school sports and activities; with video assignments, they can get their homework done on an iPhone or iPad while they are
traveling. Micciche can access the portal to make sure that each student has opened the video. He uses class time for them to complete problems that would historically have been a homework assignment. Moving among the boys, he addresses individual questions and ensures that each student has mastered the material. From Micciche’s perspective, the approach has several benefits. “I get to see what they’re doing during class time.” He has seen firsthand what the latest research shows, that students today have difficulty focusing for long periods of time. “They’re born with the tech-
form ii students engage in a harkness-based discussion about ancient history with guidance from history Teacher chandler Gammill. nology, so it makes sense to use it.” He recognizes that the flipped method is more typically used with older students, noting that the approach puts a lot of responsibility on his students. “But I trust my boys, and math is perfect for this.”
Around the Table During the summer of 2011, a group of Landon Middle and Upper School history teachers attended a workshop at Phillips Exeter Academy on using the Harkness teaching method in the classroom. The Harkness approach calls for students, usually no more
than 15, to sit around a table with their teacher to discuss a topic as equals. Inherent in the Harkness approach is a challenge to students to listen carefully to their peers to build on others’ insights with guidance, when needed, from the teacher. History teacher and Form II Dean Chandler Gammill attended the Exeter workshop. He was initially skeptical about using the Harkness approach for his eighth grade students. “I thought it would be a huge leap for the boys,” Gammill says. “But I decided to try it, and the boys showed me it worked.”
One Tuesday afternoon, Gammill’s Form II Ancient History students gather in his classroom. He begins with a traditional question and answer approach. “How does Augustus Caesar die?” After a few questions are answered, Gammill is satisfied that the boys have grasped the basic facts. Now it is time for a more qualitative Harkness discussion. He launches the discussion with the prompt “What was the greatest achievement of Augustus?…BAM!” The boys offer different answers (“82 new temples,” “aqueducts”) and build on each other’s thoughts (“I’d like to add on to what Jack was saying…,” “Going Landon Magazine 25
Teachers and Students
Stevie Brown uses the Writer’s Workshop approach to develop the writing skills of every fourth Grade boy. back to what Nate said…”). Gammill steers the conversation, asking the boys to consider how the emperor derived his power, leading them to a conclusion that Augustus was an effective leader because he understood his limitations and empowered his underlings to contribute and lead. Gammill finishes by comparing Augustus to Mike Shanahan, the head coach of the Redskins. The boys absorb the lesson about leadership, made relevant through their own observations, real world comparisons, and gentle guidance from their teacher. While his students carry on the discussion about Augustus Caesar, Gammill is charting their participation on his tablet, drawing arrows to connect students’ names to indicate who has commented after whom. At regular intervals he stops and projects a diagram of the students’ discussion on a smart board. The boys can see how active they have been, who has dominated the conversation, who hasn’t spoken up at all. By the end of the class, 26 Landon Magazine
numerous arrows emanate from each name.
Justice Through Blended Learning Starting next fall, history teacher Bill Gordon will offer a new option for Landon and Holton-Arms seniors: a blended learning class on Justice. While Gordon has taught a course on Justice using traditional methods, in this new incarnation much of the material – lectures, presentations, explanations – will be presented via videos and/or podcasts posted online. There may also be online “office hours” in which students can interact via text and/or video. This new approach will blend with more traditional elements, as the class will meet as a seminar one evening per week for 90 minutes. Adapting Justice to a blended format provides several benefits. It opens the class to students who might have encountered a scheduling conflict. It also makes it easier to coordinate with Holton’s schedule.
Landon teachers are students themselves, learning new methods in several ways. Many take advantage of professional development opportunities during the summer, attending conferences, seminars or training sessions. Fourth Grade teacher Stevie Brown attended a week-long Summer Writing Institute at Teacher’s College at Columbia University for training in the Writer’s Workshop approach developed by Lucy Calkins. She and Fifth Grade teacher Trish Rhodes also attended a refresher class in the approach at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School. They both use it to teach writing to every Fourth and Fifth Grade student. In other cases, teachers teach each other. Upper School math teacher Corson Fidler has shared his experiences with screencasting – recording a computer screen lesson for distribution to students – with his peers at Landon through the newly implemented “Teacher Talks” program. For the last several summers, Marcos Williams ’65, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources, has organized training sessions for various departments at Landon in understanding and teach-
“I decided to try Harkness, and the boys showed me it worked.” — Chandler Gammill, Form II Dean
ing “All Kinds of Minds.” The Math and Art departments are the next in line for this training, which focuses on building teachers’ expertise on different learning styles and how students learn using the latest research. Using different approaches is a means to an end. Given Landon’s rigorous curriculum, Botti says that it’s important for teachers to test new methods, recognizing that “the more variety, the more chances you have to hook a boy.”
C L A S S NC L AOS STNEO T ESS LANDON ALUMNI These entries represent alumni submissions through december 31, 2012. Send your news to class notes, alumni office, Landon School, 6101 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, Md 20817. or submit them through the alumni portal at www.landon.net or by e-mail to alumni@landon.net 1942 Class Agent/Secretary: Fred Weekes John Beatty ’42 died on August 13, 2012. After Landon, he attended Georgetown University, then served as a lieutenant during World War II aboard a destroyer minesweeper in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. After the war, he completed his undergraduate studies, graduated from Georgetown’s law school, and began his legal career at Furey and Wise. He later worked as the Washington general counsel for Kraft Foods and became vice president of Kraft for government affairs. He served on the board of the Salvation Army and was a volunteer for the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.
conference in Pakistan in March 2012 to give a paper on Indian Muslims. In September, Ted visited the Dordogne Valley and Brittany.
1945 Class Agent/Secretary: Ralph Meima
mates with two living in Europe. Pat Buck became an honorary member of our class that evening. On Saturday evening, Henry and Alicia Ravenel invited all attendees to their home in Chevy Chase for a pre-dinner party. Dinner was at the Doubletree Inn and then we said our ‘adieus.’ Our thanks to the Alumni Office for their efforts in making this reunion one of the best!” From the Alumni Director: A special thanks to Bill for helping to organize the troops!
1946 Charlie Hobbs won the Kupka Award this year. Ralph Meima ’45 and Max Bernhardt helped Charlie celebrate, along with his wife, and other family members including brother Allen Hobbs ’50 and nephew Rick Wilson ’83. Read more on page 29. Duncan K. McDonald reports, “Doing pretty good – still duck hunting and fly fishing – very little flying.”
1948 Class Agent/Secretary: Jack Yates Gil Bogley ’48 writes, “Had a great afternoon in March with Jack Yates ’48 doing the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. Learned that we are both playing ‘IT’S YOURS’ tennis still.” nick Gill ’73, John Gill ’75, Bob hanson ’43, calvin cobb ’76, chuck Boteler ’41 and Matthew Gill ’03 helped John Gill ’42, pictured center, celebrate his 90th birthday.
Bob england ’52 is an expert on the nike missile system. he shared his expertise with members of the history department during reunion weekend.
1949 Class Agent/Secretary: Jim Miller
1950 Walter Johnson ’42 writes, “Wife and I visited Vietnam and Cambodia this year, 2012.”
Class Agent/Secretary: Bob Norris
1951 Class Agent/Secretary: Rody Davies
1943 Class Agent/Secretary: Bob Hanson
1952 Class Agent/Secretary: Bill Gawler
1944 Class Agent/Secretary: Bud Bernton Ted Wright spent two weeks this fall in North Carolina, and visited Steve Shafroth in Chapel Hill. Ted stopped in Fairfax, Va., where his son and family live. He attended a
Bill Gawler reported on the 60th reunion: “We arrived with a good class nucleus – Gawlers, Kriners, Kilbournes, Longs, Ravenels, Lee Derrick, Luke Finlay, Bob England, Fred Gignoux, Jay Phelan – not too bad, considering that we were 22 class-
Lloyd B. Kriner ’52 says, “our 60th reunion was wonderful. Landon looks great, and all the people there are a credit to Landon!” Lloyd stands with his wife, Priscilla, in the Lehrman atrium during reunion weekend. Pictured in the wall photo is George Kriner ’43, Lloyd’s brother. Landon Magazine 27
LANDON ALUMNI
Grizzly Bear Following His Own Rules
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hen founding an antiques business factories. commuting from Vermont, Munro and with his wife, Maggie, several years a partner built a business with 180 employees ago, Sir Alasdair (“Atty”) Munro ’44 that created almost 2,000 housing units in old had three rules: 1. all items had to be Scottish factories throughout connecticut and (reflecting Munro’s heritage as a descendant Massachusetts. Then the law changed. “That from a line of Scottish baronets). 2. They had to business came to a screeching halt,” Munro be antique. 3. Munro had to be able to says. lift each using only his left hand. Time for another encore in 1992: founding To those rules, Munro might have alba antiques, from the ancient name for added another: this business had to be Scotland. “i was the only dealer in the u.S. different from those he had done previexclusively in Scottish antiques,” Munro says. ously. years ago, Munro read an article he and his wife traveled up and down the east in The Wall Street Journal recommendcoast presenting at antiques shows. That led ing that a person should have three difhim to write Scottish antiques, issued by ferent jobs, “none the same as any Schiffer Published Limited in 2003. Munro says other,” as Munro recalls. he took it to heart, that it is “the only book of recent vintage on building successful careers in different areas. Scottish antiques.” after graduating from Landon, where he Munro has a son Keith, daughter Karen, four now retired and living in Vermont, Sir alasdair (“atty”) Munro ’44, had several careers, all different, grandchildren, and twin great-granddaughters. excelled on the soccer team, Munro went to an all successful. inset: in 2003, Munro published a accelerated program at Georgetown, graduating work on Scottish antiques. now retired, Munro has changed careers once in two-and-a-half years. next was the army. Just again, at age 85. his current role? “chief cook after World War ii, foreign-born males had to enter the military or be suband bottle washer” and serving as caretaker for his wife, who has ject to permanent deportation. Born in Scotland, Munro held a British alzheimer’s, at home in Vermont. passport, but had lived in the Washington area for most of his life. he — Lynn horowitch joined up and served two stints in the military. Munro also earned his M.B.a. at the Wharton School, finished his military service and joined the training program at Mccann erickson in 1952. at the advertising agency, he worked on accounts such as nestlé, John hancock Life insurance and coca cola. in 1957, Mccann sent Munro to hortly after World War ii, atty Munro was walking with some Lausanne, Switzerland, for nestle's european version of a program at friends on Wisconsin ave, just north of the district line, and harvard Business School. This was a one-year program, all expenses saw a young girl hit by a car. ambulance service was available paid, including a Swiss farmhouse overlooking Lake Geneva. “Tough only from d.c., and the girl died before help arrived. Munro and a duty!” Munro says. couple of fellow army veterans pooled their resources – they had he rose up the ranks of the coke account, part of the team that develreceived payouts for their military service – and bought a used ambulance. Munro or one of his friends would take the ambulance oped the memorable “i’d Like to Buy the World a coke” campaign, and home each evening and respond to emergency calls at night by ended up moving to atlanta to be closer to his client. he was doing well picking up a partner and rushing to the scene. The group grew professionally, happily married and raising a family, but ready for something new. rapidly, working with don dunnington who had been active in Munro asked himself for the first time, “What to do for an encore?” he emergency response in the area prior to the War. They were soon enjoyed skiing in Vermont, so he built a chalet and moved there. “no job based in a basement garage off of Bradley Boulevard, where or anything,” he recalls. he and a friend got into the real estate business Munro recalls taking turns sleeping in one of two bunk beds. in the 1970s and ended up marketing 400 condominium units in the burThese were the roots of the Bethesda-chevy chase rescue geoning Sugarbush and Mad river ski resort areas. Squad, which now serves 94,000 households with 150 profesin the late 1980s, Munro shifted his attention again, taking advantage sionally trained volunteers. of a law that provided tax breaks to people who invested in renovating old
A Man and an Ambulance
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C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
1953
1960
Class Agent/Secretary: Don Whalen
Class Agent/Secretary: Joe McCain
1954
Rufus King III writes, “Enjoying retirement – as a senior judge and mediator – who knew this end of life could be so good!”
Class Agents/Secretaries: Paul Kern, Joe Sears Gaillard R. Nolan writes, “I am pleased that our grandson, Parker Richardson Nolan ’22, is a third grader and played in his first Shrimp Bowl this fall. He loves Landon and is now playing the cello. We ran into Jennie and Skip Rideout at Grandparents’ Day.”
Dick Stowell and his wife Safari attended a Landon event in Houston in the fall. Dick and Safari recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.
1961 Class Agent/Secretary: Brooks Brown
1955 Class Agent/Secretary: Murray Simpson For the second year in a row, Murray Simpson attended the Alumni Holiday Luncheon with his son, Walker Simpson ’81, and grandson, Quinn Simpson ’11. Quinn even managed to win one of the raffle prizes, a Landon tie! Ted Prince also attended the Landon Alumni Holiday Luncheon. Since there were so many Grizzly Bears in attendance, Ted had to find a table by himself. Do not feel bad for Ted as he was joined by six women from the Landon staff, who sat with him. Ted was heard to remark afterwards, “Best Landon event I have ever been to!”
1957 Class Agent/Secretary: Doug Parsons
1958 Class Agent/Secretary: John Hardisty
1959 Class Agents/Secretaries: Bud Miller, Peter Kiernan Jeff Fort attended a Houston alumni event in October 2012. Jeff spends a good deal of his time at his West Texas ranch, where he raises longhorn cattle. This spring he is slated to give a commencement address at Sul Ross State University, in Alpine, Texas.
Warrick E. Elrod III died on October 7, 2012. Rick was born in Chicago on April 13,
1942, attended Landon, graduated from the University of Virginia, and studied law at G.W. University. Following several years with Exxon Oil, Rick established a successful contracting business. Rick lived with his wife, Jane Heffelfinger Elrod, in Ashburn, Va. Joe Ford writes, “News for the alumni magazine? Hmmm...I am reminded of the lyrics of a song I heard sung by Burl Ives maybe 55 years ago: ‘Oh, my liver, my lungs, my lights, my legs/ They’re baning me/ They’re baning me/ My heart is sad and/ My breath is bad and/ I think I’m going crazy.’ You have to work pretty hard to find the meaning of lights as used in this song. Other than that, life is just hunky followed by dory.”
Alumni Honor Their Own he Landon alumni association presented its annual honors at its holiday Luncheon, held on december 21. Lawyer and volunteer activist Charles Hobbs ’46 received the anthony e. Kupka ’64 distinguished alumnus award. Henry Dudley ’66, a former chair of Landon’s Board of Trustees and president of the alumni Board, charles hobbs ’46, winner of the anthony e. Kupka ’64 received the W. Landon Banfield ’50 distinguished alumnus award, and henry dudley ’66, winner of the W. Landon Banfield ’50 award for outstanding Service, with award for outstanding Service. headmaster david armstrong at the alumni association’s annual a yale graduate, hobbs is a holiday Luncheon. lawyer in Washington, d.c. who has dedicated his professional life to furthering rights for american indians. he began his law career in 1958 after graduating from law school at George Washington. he formed hobbs Straus in 1982 with Jerry Straus and Bobo dean. in 1993, hobbs was honored at the national congress of american indians’ national convention for distinguished service to the indian community. dudley joined the Board of Trustees in 1986 and guided Landon as board chair on two separate occasions. he also was a co-chair of the Landon forever campaign in 2000 and served as alumni Board president. on numerous occasions and through numerous roles, dudley has brought his fellow alumni together. he oversaw the annual alumni Picnic and has chaired his class’s reunions, often hosting their reunion dinners at dinners at his home with his wife, ann. dudley, now retired, served as a senior vice president of riggs Bank. he attended the university of Virginia and received an MBa from Virginia’s darden School. his son, henry, graduated from Landon in 2003.
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French and Bob McConnaughey hosted Nancy and Lowell Davis during the summer at their home in Thetford, Vt. Bob continues to coach boys and girls basketball at a local private french and Bob Mcconnaughey ’61 school. French (who in Thetford, Vt. for several years was the Head of School at Concord Hill School where Nancy Davis teaches) and Bob venture frequently to Dartmouth College for lectures and athletic contests
1964 Class Agents/Secretaries: Bill Bennett, Tom O’Bryon Michael Finn writes, “I took five years off from 2006-2011 to test the waters of retirement and did end up sailing to Europe and the Caribbean and had a wonderful time but am now back practicing cardiology in Louisiana full time.”
(mostly) and enjoying the Berkshires and living closer to our grandchildren.” Nancy and Lowell Davis had breakfast with Wilbur Thomas at the Perkins Restaurant in Edina, Minn. Wilbur has retired from teaching Economics, but keeps in shape with his recumbent bicycle. Wick Walker has written a new book, released on Amazon on December 1, 2012. Read more on p. 37.
1965 Class Agents/Secretaries: Sandy Murdock, George Wenchel
1962 Class Agent/Secretary: Frank Nuessle
1963 Class Agent: Bill Triplett Class Secretary: Jeff Steele A special reminder to members of the class of 63, your 50th Reunion is coming this fall. Rest assured that Bill Triplett and Jeff Steele are already making plans.
Mike finn ’64 aboard his boat, Kativa.
John Hanks writes, “Good to see classmates Skip Meyers, Larry Lamade, Knight Kiplinger, and Joe Marshall at Tom Dixon’s Memorial. Bill Prindle’s talk was wonderful and captured the spirit of the man exactly.”
Richard W. Grant reports, “Mary and I are living in Pittsfield, Mass. She came out of retirement to be interim academic dean of Miss Hall’s School. I am still happily retired
The class of 1965 captured the alumni anniversary cup for the fifth straight year and eleventh time overall.
1966 Class Agent/Secretary: Fred Ball
Grizzly Bears’ Concours d’Elegance The 1955 Mercedes 300 SL coupe (gullwing), owned by Knight Kiplinger ’65 (pictured above with headmaster david armstrong), received 42% of the votes to win the People’s choice award at the Grizzly Bears’ concours d'elegance during reunions weekend. John hardisty ’58 organized the car show and provided three of the 11 cars featured. 30 Landon Magazine
Henry Dudley won the 2012 Banfield Award. Fred Ball kept the crowd rolling with some humorous remarks. Also there to help celebrate were classmates Bill McKelway, Greg Martin, Bruce Adams, Rob Bordley and Ralph Williams. Read more on p. 29.
1967 Class Agent/Secretary: Mike Poore Mike Poore reports that the class celebrated its 45th at Positano Ristorante in Bethesda.
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
To those who were there, you know who you are. Those who couldn’t make it, you were missed!
1969 Class Agent/Secretary: Jack Leachman Brian Adams and his wife, Anne, enjoyed lunch with Nancy and Lowell Davis in St. Croix Falls, Wis. Both Brian and Anne are retired from the National Park Service. Anne stays active with horseback riding, and Brian can always be found on a golf course. Anyone traveling near their home will be welcomed with a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies. Nancy and Lowell Davis spent an evening with Charlie Brown ’69 at his bed and breakfast home in Piermont, N.H. Charlie’s B&B hosted several Landon-connected folk who attended weddings on consecutive weekends in August 2012 for the son and daughter of Bob Wipfler, a Landon teacher and coach for 20 years.
charlie Brown’69 at his bed and breakfast in new hampsire.
1970 Class Agents/Secretaries: Bill DePuy, George Hill, Hannes vanWagenberg
Rick Kellogg attended an alumni event in Houston in October 2012. Rick has a farm in western Pennsylvania, and we learned that he drives to his farm, because his dogs won’t fly! Rick is active in the Episcopalian Church and enjoys volunteering in the certification process of their schools.
1971 Class Agent/Secretary: Sandy Gordon
1972 Class Agents/Secretaries: Andy Somerville, Dan McDermott About the 40th Reunion, Andy Somerville writes, “Old friends came from near and afar; Billy Eacho and Donna flew in from Austria. Mark Adkins flew in from Saudi Arabia with his wife, Stacey. Tommy Osgood came from Santa Fe, Steve Myers from New Orleans, Amy and David Van Roijen from Charlottesville, Jeff Peterson from Pennsylvania, and Winkie and Bill Bierbower from Annapolis. Locally: Peter Craig, Susan and Dan McDermott, Tommy Leachman, Rosalie and Richard Norair, Susan and Alan Geolot, Sun and A.J. Miele, Lynda and Davy Camalier, Rebecca and Tom Hamilton, Debbie and Spence Chubb and Tommy Korengold. Although my wife, Shannon, and I hosted our get together, much of the credit should go to Peter Craig and Dan McDermott. No one wanted to leave, but we finally disbanded with the promise to keep in better touch.”
Lax Invitational Benefits Boiardi Foundation he capital Lacrosse invitational was held on Landon’s campus in october to benefit the Mario St. George Boiardi foundation. The all-day event featured a tournament between top men’s lacrosse teams including Team uSa and cornell university. Before the tournament, players hosted a free youth lacrosse clinic. The foundation honors the legacy of George Boiardi ’00 by raising funds that help to cultivate and nurture youth through academic and athletic endeavors.
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1973 Class Agent/Secretary: Bruce McNair Glenn Scoggins writes, “Thank you for including news about me in the recent issue of Landon Magazine. I’ve been in touch with classmates such as Jay Hawfield and Jeff Slavin for the first time in decades.” Bruce Tanous has two sons in Form IV at Landon, Teddy ’14 and Louis ’14, who are working hard and having a great time!
1974 Class Agents/Secretaries: Doug Perkins, Franklin Salisbury
The class of 1972 at its reunion. front row: Bill Bierbower, Jeff Peterson, andy Somerville, Spence chubb, david Van roijen, Peter craig. Second row: Tom hamilton, richard norair, dan Mcdermott, Tom osgood, Mark adkins, Steve Myers. Third row: a.J. Miele, Bill eacho, allan Geolot, Tom Korengold, Tom Leachman. Landon Magazine 31
LANDON ALUMNI
Profile
Righting a Historical Wrong
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magine: you answer the phone and the after defending his now law partner in a title person on the other end tells you they can dispute over such a painting, hamilton and Lloyd P. prove your parents owned a $3 million Goldenberg realized that purchasing stolen art was a painting stolen during the holocaust. The huge liability for art collectors and that little was caller tells you he can help you get it back and being done to address it. Together they created Translegally own it. Would you want the painting? art international to provide a potential owner with a Tom Hamilton ’72 hopes you would because record of due diligence. Trans-art researches the he specializes in just that – reclaiming art that history and provides proof that the buyer attempted was stolen from Jewish families by the nazis – to determine the art wasn’t stolen. and he’d like to help you get it back. Today, hamilton’s work is conducted through his in the 1990s, the archives of items confislaw firm, Byrne, Goldenberg and hamilton where his cated by the nazis were opened to the public, current challenge is to convince the courts to place which made tracking lost art from the era less equity and fairness ahead of the statute of limitadifficult. however, the process still isn’t easy, tions, usually two to six years. The u.S. State according to hamilton. The crimes occurred department stresses the importance of recovering decades ago, the original witnesses are nazi-era stolen items and supports the prosecuTom hamilton ’72 recovers nazi-era stolen art. deceased, the documents are limited and in tion of these cases disregarding the statute of limiGerman (which hamilton doesn’t speak), and then there’s a big legal tations. despite these proclamations, hamilton notes, most courts have issue. yet to see past the statue of limitations and still rule in favor of current “on an event that occurred 75 years ago, the statute of limitations has owners (over descendants of the people from whom the art was stolen). expired. on the other hand, the holocaust was a major historical injushamilton, who is based in Washington, d.c., has had the most suctice, and it’s known that these paintings were forced from the hands of cess in new york jurisdictions because new york law takes into account Jewish collectors,” says hamilton, who has degrees from yale, the factors such as the hardship to the parties. one of hamilton’s biggest university of Virginia Law School and the Georgetown Law center. cases, involving several Picassos, was settled against the Museum of hamilton got into the art recovery business trying to protect art colModern of art and the Guggenheim foundation. lectors who might unknowingly purchase a stolen piece. even if an art “There is little doubt that when you can recover a painting, or comcollector legally purchases a painting that was stolen from a previous pensation for it, you know you’ve helped right a historical wrong,” says owner, current u.S. law favors the person from whom the painting was hamilton. “it’s a challenge that involves justice and fairness.” — Mary cunningham originally taken. 1974 continued Jim Bullion ’74 is director of the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations at the Department of Defense, reporting Jim Bullion ’74 in to the Undersecretary for Policy. afghanistan for business. His team helps the Afghan Ministry of Mines tender its mineral and oil and gas properties to international investors and identifies opportunities and vehicles for investors. 32 Landon Magazine
Michael Sapourn ’74 is practicing law in Florida and D.C., specifically insurance litigation. His daughter, Shannon, is a Florida Gator, and his son, Paul, just finished his fourth form and is a tight end on the varsity football team at Holy Trinity. Michael writes, “Glad we moved to Florida.”
1975 Class Agents/Secretaries: Stephen Gordon, Hunt Mitchell
1976 Class Agent/Secretary: Dek Potts Dek Potts reports that his son, Stephen ’09, successfully completed his second grueling six week Officer Candidate School course at Quantico this summer. He will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps upon graduation in May 2013. Dek also shared that fellow classmate and long time Delta Captain, Jimmy Hodges ’76, has given Stephen advice and encouragement along the way
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
1977 Class Agent/Secretary: Greg Gosnell The Class of 1977 held its 35th Reunion at the home of Deidre and Paul Adkins. In true Class of 1977 form, almost everyone was there, nobody took any pictures, and nobody can remember exactly what happened. We look forward to the 40th!
the industry, including The DAM Book, www.dpBest-flow.org, www.shutha.org, as well as other research, outreach and education efforts over the last decade. It’s a high honor for me to get this award, and I’m humbled to be recognized by this group.”
Class Agents/Secretaries: Stephen Bou, Allan Plumley Kevin Cahill says, “Enjoying life volunteering full-time to run my grandfather’s non-profit, The Deming Institute. Splitting time between our homes in Los Angeles and Sun Valley, Idaho. Drop me a note if you are in Sun Valley – I have plenty of mountain bikes and would love to show off our trails!” Chris Connor will retire from the Navy JAG Corps in 2014. Jack Oakes reports that he is still enjoying working and living in Charlottesville. He attended his first Alumni Holiday Luncheon in many years.
1979 Class Agent/Secretary: Doug Yale Peter Krogh received the Individual Innovation Award from the Library of Congress’s National Digital Stewardship Alliance. Peter reports, “I’m receiving the award for the Peter Krogh ’79 work I’ve been doing in
1982 Class Agents/Secretaries: Scott Johnston, Rocky Kern
Roger Blumenthal says, “It was great to see David Landow and Jay Minkoff back for their first reunion in 35 years. Many thanks to Andy Marsh, Holden Bank and Ross Clark for also making long trips back to Bethesda.”
1978
thing new and a little more family friendly than banking. Kids are good ages for me to be around more (Charlie, 13, Lauren, 11 and Harrison, 8).”
astrid and Boyd Mchugh ’79 attended the wedding of Sara Wipfler in august. Sara is the daughter of Bob Wipfler, a former Landon faculty member. The wedding was held on the grounds of Bob’s summer camp, camp Kingswood in Piermont, n.h.
1980 Class Agent/Secretary: John Sanders David Levy reports that Verdi Consulting, Inc., the business he runs with his wife, Mariama, was named for the second year in a row to the “Inc. 500”, a list of America’s 500 fastest growing private businesses. Verdi, ranked number 317, provides accounting, financial and mortgage compliance and claims consulting to federal clients.
The Class of 1982 held its 30th Reunion at the home of Cecilia and Joe Kenary, with a fantastic turnout: Rocky Kern, Ed Semans, Curt Winsor, Chris Tousimis, Kevin Coward, Mugs Mickum, Dino Flores, John Simmonds, George Pappas, Scott Johnston, Samu Qureshi and Julian Saenz. Members of the Holton Class of 1982 stopped by: Kristin Pumphrey, Themis Economos and Karen Harbert. Nancy and Lowell Davis caught up with Michael DeVaughn and his family for dinner in Richfield, Minn. Many athletic activities keep Michael’s wife, Michelle, and children, Nathan, Audrey and Charlotte, busy.
Greg Mott celebrated his 50th birthday by enjoying a $50 bottle of wine, taking a 50minute dog walk, luxuriating in a 50-minute bubble bath and engaging in 50 seconds of heavy exercise. Now what could be better than that?!
1981 Class Agents/Secretaries: Bill Adkins, Landon Banfield, Walker Simpson Greg Smith writes, “Just started teaching strategy in the local business school — University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. With the sale of the bank where I was CEO, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to try some-
Michael deVaughn ’82 with his family: wife, Michelle, and kids, nathan, audrey and charlotte. David Rodler writes, “Jenny and I have been married two years now, and last year we bought a house backing up to Rock Creek Park just inside the D.C. line near Silver Spring. I am still working at SK&A as a principal in charge of the Structural Repair and Restoration Division. Business is good, and Landon Magazine 33
LANDON ALUMNI C L A S S N O T E S
1982 continued life outside of work is full and wonderful. I am very lucky to have (daughter) Sarah and Jenny in my life.”
1983 Class Agents/Secretaries: Steve Amitay, Patrick Gorman, Dave Roberts
Randy Bloom, Rob Butz, Scott Byron, Scott Eisen, Bob Elliott, Brian Harris, Matt Hayes, Allen Hobbs, Phil Hough, Greg Jaffe, Kurosh Majd, Paul McLenaghan, Hunter Montgomery, Dean Nordlinger, James Quigley, Ted Rogers, Lloyd Smith, Tom Sokoly, Eric Spates, Jeff Stern, Chris Thompson Bob Weiman.
N.H. As a Dartmouth grad, Steve is returning to familiar territory. Steve writes, “Please let any Landon students interested in Dartmouth look me up. I would be happy to talk with them or meet them as they pass through on college visits.”
Steve Amitay, Patrick Gorman and Ed Rogers are so excited about their upcoming 30th reunion that they decided to show up at the Class of 1982’s 30th.
1984 Class Agents/Secretaries: Brian Charles, Scott Harris, Pat Kenary
1985 Matthew Holleran was featured in Forbes in October 2012. The article, entitled “Matt Holleran: Silicon Valley’s Business Freemium Go-To Guy,” details Matt’s work in the field of start-up venture capital and in helping new businesses find free funding and expertise. Tom Scott was highlighted in on September 2, 2012, for his creation of the Nantucket Project, “a downsized version of the Aspen Ideas Festival and TED conferences,” held in October. The article noted that attendees included leaders from government, academia, business and the media.
Members of the class of 1987 at their 25th reunion: Phil hough, Greg Jaffe, Brian harris and randy Bloom. Dean Nordlinger became a partner of Piliero Mazza PLLC in Washington, D.C., in July 2012. Dean heads the Corporate and Business Law Group. Steve Kahl has relocated from teaching at the Business School at the University of Chicago to a teaching position at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover,
Steve Kahl ’87 now teaches at the Tuck School of Business at dartmouth college.
1988 Class Agents/Secretaries: Mark Knebel, Rob McCeney Rob McCeney attended the Houston alumni event in October 2012. He moved to
1986 Class Agents/Secretaries: Dan Berger, John FitzGerald, Nico Taborga
1987 Class Agents/Secretaries: Mark Amorosi, Paul McLenaghan, Hunter Montgomery Hunter Montgomery reports, “Class of 1987 had a great 25th reunion weekend. Twentyfive guys made it back to the events over the weekend – party at Mark Amorosi’s house, football game and big dinner on Saturday night on campus. In attendance: Mark Amorosi, Tom Atherton, George Ballman, 34 Landon Magazine
25th class reunion with Mark amorosi ’87, Than acuff ’87, hunter Montgomery ’87, Ted rogers ’87, Tom atherton ’87 and Scott Byron ’87.
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
Houston to work for Deloitte, Waterhouse, Cooper in their Mergers and Acquisition group. Rob is married with two small children and at the time of the Texas gathering was headed on a family vacation at Disney that included his parents, Jim ’60 and Bobbi McCeney.
1989 Class Agents/Secretaries: Brian Rodgers, Lee Schinnerer
1990 Class Agent/Secretary: Doug Norry Jim Hickey attended the Houston alumni event in October 2012. He has three children, ages 6, 8 and 10, and is busy managing money. He enjoyed hearing about Landon, and welcomes anyone who comes to Houston to look him up! Harmar Thompson and his wife, Christie, welcomed son, Grymes Thompson, on July 15, 2012. Grymes weighed 9 lb. 5 oz. and measured 21½ inches tall. Harmar reports, “After eight years with Lowe Enterprises, I now work for LCOR in their Washington, D.C., office.” He focuses on new commercial real estate opportunities in the greater Washington region, continuing to expand the company’s large diversified portfolio of residential, commercial and mixed-use properties.
harmar Thompson ’90 and his wife, christie, welcomed a son, Grymes Thompson.
The class of 1992 celebrated its 20th reunion at the home of Kary and Bill Magruder ’92. Back row: Michael Banks, clay curtis, akbar hamid, Bill Magruder, ed Burman, adam Wenchel, James cassidy, Jeremy norman, Mac hooks, rajan Singh, Jason reddish. front row: Spencer Tseng, clayton Weber, andrew Morse, Kevin Boler, Jon hooks.
1991 Class Agent/Secretary: Chris Manning
1992 Class Agents/Secretary: Mike Banks, James Cassidy, Bill Magruder Kevin Lewis is a freelance journalist with a
weekly column in The Boston Globe and a daily online column with National Affairs. He currently lives in New Zealand where his wife, Katherine (Kate) Alter Lewis, is an emergency medicine doctor at a hospital in Auckland. Kevin and Kate have three daughters, ages 10, 8 and 6. They expected to return to the Washington, D.C. area by fall 2013.
TRIBUTE 1977-2012 Evan Bliss ’96 andon alumnus Evan Bliss ’96 passed away suddenly in Bethesda in august 2012. Bliss worked for the henry Jackson foundation on the data management team, conducting research in africa on hiV/aidS. he had just returned from a business trip to africa prior to his passing. at Landon, Bliss played varsity soccer and lacrosse and sang with the chamber Singers and Bearitones. While at Kenyon college, Bliss set lacrosse records for most goals and assists for a single season and college career. in addition to athletic achievements, Bliss was an accomplished singer, guitarist and songwriter. one of his songs, Love is the dancefloor from the final album he released entitled Shhhpow!, won a Billboard songwriting award in 2011. his friend and Landon peer Justin Fishkin ’97 started a record label for
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which Bliss recorded. fishkin says, “evan felt a deep responsibility to write songs that were honest and raw and gave listeners the sense that he was having a personal conversation with each of them.” Bliss and his wife, Mary Graham Bliss, had lived from 2010-2012 in Managua, nicaragua, where she worked for the uSaid. Bliss is survived by Mary, his parents, donald and nancy Bliss, and his younger brother Bion Bliss ’99. Landon Magazine 35
LANDON ALUMNI C L A S S N O T E S
1993 Class Agents/Secretaries: Brooks Brown, Danny Mensh Michael d. healy, iii ’93 and his wife, christina, welcomed their second daughter, ashley anne healy, on July 18, 2012, born at ucLa Santa Monica hospital. christina writes, “We are over the moon and overjoyed at such a blessing and future holton girl-tobe.” Okorie Johnson says, “Things are going well here in Atlanta. My wife, Heather Infantry, and I celebrated 12 years of marriage in August, and we have two cute little girls: Zora, 9, and Beli, 6; they keep us busy!” Okorie is no longer teaching English at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He left in May of 2011 to produce a film, Canopy. He is hoping to begin principal photography in the spring, with a theatrical release in summer 2014.
okorie Johnson ’93 with his wife, heather, and daughters, Zora and Beli.
1994
Billy Walsh ’94 and his wife, Wendi, welcomed their third child and second daughter, dixie caroline Walsh, on September 5, 2012, at 8:16 p.m. She weighed 7 lb 3 oz. and measured 19 1/2 inches tall.
1995 Class Agents/Secretaries: Chris Cox, Andy Hotchkiss
Bruce Kennedy ’96 and his wife, Maggie, are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Bruce Lee Kennedy iii, on october 4, 2012. They are enjoying life living in federal hill in Baltimore. alex Taylor ’96 and his wife, Julia, welcomed son, elias Standish Taylor, on July 3, 2012 at 9:08 p.m.
Chris Cox writes, “We moved this summer. I took the head of Upper School position at a small independent school called Nansemond Suffolk Academy in Suffolk, Va. It was a really hard move leaving Colorado after 10 years, but this was a great career opportunity. We bought a small farm, about three acres, that overlooks the water, and my boys love it.” Tom Dawson reports that he and his family moved to Baltimore at the end of 2011 for his new job at Laureate Education, a company that owns colleges and universities around the world. Shortly after moving, Tom and his wife, Jenn, welcomed their second child, Kevin. Tom writes, “Big sister Caroline is still adjusting (not to mention her parents). Have made contact with fellow Class of ’95ers Scott Stephens and Geoff Hengerer. If you find yourself in Baltimore, please look us up.”
Class Agent:/Secretary Penn Leachman Coddy Johnson is now executive vice president of Finance and Operations at Activision.
Teddy Sears was featured in GQ magazine’s style section in January 2013. Additionally, he will be in a new American television drama series on Showtime.
1996 Class Agents/Secretaries: Steve Burman, Preston Miller 36 Landon Magazine
John frekko ’97 and nick Barquin ’97 report, “Many members of the class of 1997 gathered at the home of Kelly and John frekko. after getting past the ‘where are you now questions,’ the group quickly reverted to old times. needless to say, the expression ‘never let the facts get in the way of a good story’ was very relevant. front row, left to right: raman Singh, John frekko, david Kahn, Travis Martz. Second row, left to right: Pace Bradshaw, nick Barquin, Justin fishkin. Back row, left to right: Matt dankner, Jeremy Joseph, chris McLean.
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
Bears in Print check out these recently published books authored by Landon alumni and faculty!
John frekko ’97 married Kelly o’neill on august 4, 2012, in Washington, d.c. They recently bought a house in Spring Valley, d.c., and John now works as an attorney in the General counsel’s office at the advisory Board company. Pictured from left to right, Grant higgison ’97, Matt frekko ’90, John and Kelly, chris McLean ’97, nick Barquin ’97, dave Maginnes ’97 and Justin fishkin ’97.
1997 Class Agents/Secretaries: Nick Barquin, John Frekko, Travis Martz
1998 Class Agent/Secretary: Billy Fort BJ Coleman has launched a web site for his company, Coleman Entertainment Group (CEG), which he founded in 2009. CEG is a full-service fashion and entertainment-based communications firm specializing in styling, public relations, marketing, branding and communication strategies for clients. For more information, check out www.colemanentertainmentgroup.com. Nicholas Olson was married last June to Jackie Maloney. Both Nick and Jackie are teaching at The Key School in Annapolis, Md. Nick is teaching Upper School history and Jackie is teaching 3-year-olds. John Pontius writes, “I am the newest associate at Kundra, a tax law firm located in the Rockville Town Square. My practice areas are tax controversies and international tax. My commute is now a seven-block walk.”
cabell hobbs ’99 married Leslie anne Schultz on november 19, 2011, in charlottesville, Va., at the university of Virginia chapel. Landon alumni in attendance included: James Langdon ’99 as best man, david Langdon ’00, erik Vachon ’99, Thad Minshall ’99 and Mike Boyd ’99.
1999 Class Agents/Secretaries: Matt Coursen, Cameron Coursen, Matt Haney, George Vincent Justin Shackleford recently transferred to New York City from the D.C. area. He is currently a vice president in Wells Fargo’s Fixed Income division. Justin writes, “Really looking forward to catching up with some of the Bear alumni in the area.”
in his memoir, The Warrior’s Silence, Ord Elliot ’62 reflects on his time as a Marine rifle Platoon commander in the Vietnam War. he discusses the emotions that underscored his experience of combat, how his understanding of war changed, and the warriors who marched with him.
children of the Wind by Ed Sundt, former teacher in and chair of Landon’s english department and Middle School head, is a novel that tells the story of a boy who has lost his parents, a man searching for a lost childhood, and their unexpected connections with each other. Wick Walker ’64 presents the war in afghanistan and Pakistan through 13 interrelated stories that capture life and death in Goat Game: Thirteen Tales from the afghan frontier. The stories span two decades in the turbulent and little-understood region as al-Qa’ida evolves and reveals itself to america and the world.
Landon Magazine 37
LANDON ALUMNI C L A S S N O T E S
nii amaah ofosu-amaah ’00 married Sara di Bonaventura on June 16, 2012, at the Memorial chapel on the harvard campus in cambridge, Mass. Pictured (from left to right): Teddy Lamade ’00, Brian Gelfand ’00, cameron archibald ’00, Sara and nii amaah, Bobby higgins ’00, Jimmy Mackey ’00, robert fogarty ’00 and Jaye andrews ’81. other Landon attendees were Myke cohn ’99, alexei Kudla ’00, Steve Sorkin and andy Luther. Michael Petrash ’01 is in his final year at the denver university Law School. in January 2012, he travelled to new Zealand and bungee jumped at the site where bungee jumping was invented.
2000 Class Agents/Secretaries: Teddy Lamade, Kevin Shooshan Cameron Archibald is now associate marketing manager of Yoplait at General Mills. Stewart Crosland graduated from Notre Dame in 2005 and Washington and Lee Law School in 2010. He is now an associate at Williams and Connolly in Washington, D.C.
2001 Class Agents/Secretaries: Jimmy Barter, Duffy Phelps, George Purcell, Christian Sears Andrew Forth is a recent graduate of McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and is currently working at Deloitte as a senior consultant in Strategy and Operations for federal practice. Dave Peters is back in D.C. and working as an appellate defense counsel at the Navy Yard. “So far the job is interesting and will afford me the opportunity to be barred and argue before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Navy/Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. This was my first choice job as a Marine.” 38 Landon Magazine
2002 Class Agents/Secretaries: Chase Bourke, George Williams Andy Blechman started at Columbia Business School in August 2012. Zach Crystal is serving as a percussionist with the Oklahoma City symphony for one year. Teddy Diefenbach co-founded Rad Dragon, an independent game development studio based in Los Angeles. Rad Dragon released a phone app on November 8, 2012, called “Shove Pro.” Check out the link: www.press.shovepro.com. It could be the next Angry Birds!
Travis Meyer is living in New York City and working as a consultant for IBM. He taught for two years in New England and got a Master’s in Public Policy at the University of Maryland in 2011.
doug faron ’02 ran into cord Peters ’12 and Marshall Peters ’13 at a Peters’ family wedding in Vermont in January.
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
Andrew Riotto has started an e-commerce site and is looking to make new partnerships with retail brands ranging from big box stores to fashion brands to department stores. If any alumni work in this industry in business development or marketing, feel free to contact Andrew. George Williams writes, “On the day of our 10-year reunion, Landon celebrated the life of Mr. Dixon who passed away this fall. Several teachers, family members, past students and close friends spoke at his memorial service. They all referenced his love of Shakespeare, Ella Fitzgerald, classical music and most of all, Landon. At the memorial service from the Class of 2002 were Ben Shand, Crispin Vary, Andrew Fenwick, George Williams and Chris Ourisman.” James J. Gnall ’03 married Kristin Clamage in Napa Valley on September 29, 2012. Landon alums who attended were Johnny Gnall ’99 and Joe Gnall ’06, the best men, Charlie McCombs ’03, groomsman, and Stro Ashburn ’03.
2003 Class Agents/Secretaries: Austin Bordley, William Jolley, Peter Lamade Raleigh Martin plans to finish his Ph.D. in geology at the University of Pennsylvania this spring. He recently got to meet geologist Tom Hanks ’62 at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting.
currently developing larger film projects. He has also released a live music video and his third music album. He also created the sound for a project that appeared in the Smithsonian museum. To learn more, go to iscottm.com. CJ Orr has been in New York City for four years. He was an institutional fixed income trader and is now working at Orr Associates Inc. with his father. He writes, “I have the opportunity to work with Dick Walker, a great guy who bleeds brown and white!”
Winston Brady ’05 married rachel Katherine Lee on June 30, 2012, at first Presbyterian church in Wilson, n.c. in attendance were Blake elder ’05, Peter yerkovich ’05, Ben rosen ’05, Brady, andrew Geolot ’05 and B.J. Keyes ’05.
2005 Class Agents/Secretaries: Philip Mufarrij, Brendan Reilly
Arian Arfaian recently joined the technology team at EverFi. Arian joins other Bears working at EverFi for Chief Technology Officer Adam Wenchel ’92.
Landon Hosts First Black Alumni Event lumni spanning the 1970s to 2000s turned out for Landon’s first black alumni networking dinner, held on february 8 in the Banfield alumni room. The event was attended by Howard Hill ’78 (former alumni Board President), Kenny Jenkins ’78 (former Board of Trustees and alumni Board member), Tiger Joyce ’78 (chairman, Board of Trustees), Richard O’Connor ’86, Roger Bourcicot ’94, Sterling Scott ’99, Leonard Bennett ’99, George Purcell ’01 (current alumni Board member), Langston Shaw ’02, Adam Rashid ’05, and Quentin West ’06. Dwaine Alleyne ’00 (current new york alumni Board member) was in town and joined the event. current members of the Landon community in attendance included: Len Armstrong, John Botti, Robert Brutus, Vanessa Burchett, Lowell Davis, Ehren Federowicz, Barbara Goodwyn, Ernie Jarvis (current parent and Board member), Tre Johnson, Linda McGhee, Doug Norry ’90 and George Pappas ’82. Doug Nettles, fifth Grade teacher and advisor to the Multicultural Student alliance, commented, “This was an awesome event because it bridged the gaps between the generations of african americans. They were able to communicate their experiences with one another, which i hope to use to educate our current students.”
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2004 Class Agents/Secretaries: Gregory Naing, Ted Wolynec Zach Klurfeld recently left Boston to teach history at the Knox School on Long Island. Scott Mallory works as an ESL teacher in Vancouver while pursuing his personal projects. He just finished working as a 3-D artist at Side Effects Software. He recently created the short film Economic Terrorism and is
andrew forth ’01, chris evans ’02, former faculty Mark Woodson, Burnell holland ’01 and Seythe Mccoy ’01 at the first annual Black alumni networking dinner.
Landon Magazine 39
LANDON ALUMNI C L A S S N O T E S
2005 continued
HOMECOMING: NOVEMBER 10, 2012
Ben Ganzfried hosted a Landon event in Boston on August 24, 2012. He was joined by Marcus Parrish ’06 and Jay Buckingham ’04. Brandon Goodwyn is enjoying the recent success of Texas Chainsaw 3D, for which he was an assistant cameraman, living in Louisiana during the filming. He is an associate producer with Story House Productions in Washington, D.C., and filmed a documentary on bounty hunters in Oklahoma.
Tony Mills ’05 married andrea Grace Klock on august 10, 2012, at St. Michael’s in old Town, chicago, with a reception at the chicago club. Landon alumni in attendance included Tony’s brothers, Philip Mills ’03 and Brendan cronin ’89, as well as daniel Brill ’05, doug Gates ’03, John hanle ’05, ryan Jones ’05 and Brendan Shea ’05.
2006 Class Agents/Secretaries: Conor Cassidy, Michael DeFranco, Anthony Naing Jason Pohanka is in New York, working in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs. He works closely with Vikram Vish ’07. Jason writes, “We were one year apart at Landon but have become good friends working together.”
40 Landon Magazine
cLocKWiSe froM ToP: Mike diMeglio ’08, nate harris ’09 and christian Sears ’01; The Middle School band performs; The football team and upper School students celebrate after winning against St. albans; John ’42 and nick ’73 Gill.
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
REUNIONS WEEKEND: OCTOBER 18-20, 2012
cLocKWiSe froM ToP LefT: Pierce Smith ’62, ord elliot ’62, frank nuessle ’62; nick freeman ’09 and his fifth Grade brother; Members of the class of 1957 celebrate their 55th reunion including (bottom row) Maury Povich, Bill Green, Bill rough, Morris davis, (standing) raymond Weiss, Pete Sendroy, Tom camp, Ward Smith, robin hoar; class of 1962 50th reunion dinner; Paul Kiernan ’62 and his fourth Grade pen pal meet for the first time. Landon Magazine 41
LANDON ALUMNI C L A S S N O T E S
The class of ’07 came together for its 5th reunion in october 2012. Top row, left to right: Pearson nibley, Jonathan Kelly, adam Silver, Michael Ticehurst, carl frederique, adam rahman, connor reilly, ryan Moore, Pierce Boisclair, John cappel, alex amaro, andrew Baer, Tim Watson, Joe Tkac. Bottom row, left to right: Kevin raesly, Patrick Kain, Spencer flajser, JJ carbonell, david edelman, alex de La Pena, Joe Kiernan. after attending the football game on Saturday, they met up in Georgetown at Mason inn.
2006 continued William C. Quartner founded a new apparel and fashion company, Spruceling, based in Philadelphia. Spruceling is an online marketplace for parents to buy and sell their children’s gently used, outgrown clothing. The idea is to help parents save money, reduce clutter and put the clothing to good use. Learn more at www.Spruceling.com.
In the fall, Will Snyderwine headed off to teach at St. Paul’s School in London and coach the U14 rugby team there. Before leaving for the U.K., Will stopped by to help Coach Farnstrom instruct the two Bear kickers.
Chipper Jones is currently the owner and district manager for Vector Marketing & Cutco Cutlery in Baltimore, Md.
Class Agents/Secretaries: Cullen Cassidy, Nick Freeman, Brian Reilly, Blake Shue
Class Agents/Secretaries: Spencer Flajser, William Patch
Stephen Potts successfully completed his second grueling six-week Officer Candidate School course at Quantico last summer. He will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps upon graduation in May 2013. After the mandatory six months of Basic School, he plans to go to Pensacola for a two-year flight training program.
We’re Looking for a Few Good Men!
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42 Landon Magazine
Class Agents/Secretaries: Chase Bakaly, Chipper Jones, Mike Kelly, Ammar Mian
2009
2007
e’re looking for alumni in the classes of 1946, 1947, 1956, 1968 and 1985 who want to serve their class as a class agent or secretary. interested? contact director of alumni Programs George Pappas at george_pappas@landon.net or 301-320-1005.
2008
cullen cassidy ’09 set a new dead lift record for Marquette Men’s Lacrosse team, knocking out 208k.
2010 Class Agents/Secretaries: Halter Cunningham, Will Joyce, Kai Kight, Nick McGuire, Jack Strabo
C L A S S N O T E S LANDON ALUMNI
Members of the class of 2010 cheered on Joe Mcdonald ’12 at a GW basketball game this winter. Pictured on the court after the game are daniel Sunshine ’10, Blake harwood ’10, robby Salter ’10, Joe Mcdonald, austin dabney ’10 and Mike Thornton ’10.
Keegan Dolan earned a scholar-athlete award at Washington & Lee University playing baseball this past fall.
2011 Class Agents/Secretaries: Paul Adkins, Patrick Burr, Jack Falvey, Quinn Simpson
2012 Class Agents/ Secretary: Sellers Garrett, Shehrose Mian, Nathan Bubes, Cyrus House, Cord Peters Recent articles in The Washington Post and Washington Times featured Joe McDonald ’12, a freshman at George Washington University. The Times story notes the extra
steps that George Washington took to recruit McDonald, including attending football practices at Landon on frosty afternoons.
Cord Peters ’12 is writing for The Chronicle, Duke University’s daily independent newspaper.
In Memoriam Barton Biggs, English teacher 1958-1961. July 14, 2012.
Carl Steinmetz, father of Scott ’76 and Doug ’79. December 14, 2012.
John Beatty ’42, father of Jack ’75 and brother of Bob ’44 and Dick ’51. August 13, 2012.
Dr. Ralph E. Greene, Sr., father of Ralph, Jr. ’79. July 22, 2012.
Ann Maguire, wife of Cary Maguire ’46. January 3, 2013.
Curtin Winsor ’82. December 11, 2012.
David Marsh ’47. December 14, 2012.
Leonard Williams, parent of Jamie Williams ’91. September 5, 2008. [Belated news received December 2012.]
Warrick E. Elrod III ’61. October 7, 2012. John McConnaughey ’63, brother of Bob ’61 and David ’70, and uncle of Bob ’89. October 9, 2012. Paul Southwick, father of Tom ’67 and Peter ’69. July 20, 2012.
Patty Liberatore, mother of David Straub ’98 and Patrick Straub ’01. July 15, 2012. Michael Ward, father of Mike ’09. January 3, 2012.
Mark Hoffman ’72. December 20, 2012. John Buckingham, father of Dan ’75, David ’76, Tom ’81, Rick ’82 and Susan, and grandfather to Jay ’04 and Will ’13. October 17, 2012. Betty Ann Mitchell, mother of Hunt ’75. November 9, 2012.
Correction:: in the 2011-2012 annual report, the gift from Stephen L. Gordon ’75 should have been listed as “in memory of Marlin Perkins.”
TRIBUTE 1919-2012 Jane Riddleberger ane riddleberger, widow of former headmaster hugh riddleberger (19701981), passed away on november 9, 2012 in Boca raton, fla. Throughout her adult Jane and hugh life, Mrs. riddleberger riddleberger was a staunch supporter of her husband, to whom she was married for 50 years before his passing in 1992, and of the schools he led. hugh riddleberger served as headmaster of various independent schools in Pawling, new york; new york city; Grosse Pointe, Michigan; as well as at Landon. after their tenure at Landon, the riddlebergers retired to chestertown, Md, where they lived prior to moving to Boca raton. Mrs. riddleberger is survived by numerous friends, three children (hugh riddleberger, Patty Truitt, and elizabeth cundy), seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
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Landon Magazine 43
FROM THE ARCHIVES
furry mascot
THE TWO BEARS: Who are #27 and #10? What game/year/field is this? Judging from the hair and clothing styles, we are guessing that it was the late 1970s or early 80s. if you recognize anyone or have any information on the mascots, send an email to communications@landon.net. read the article on school spirit on page 17.
Lunch Room Mystery Solved!
Thanks to Andy Hotchkiss ’95, we now know Danny Phillips ’95 is eating lunch with Danny Malasky ’93. Thanks, Andy!
44 Landon Magazine
Letter to the Editor The “Commencement Attire” photo in the [Fall 2012] Landon Magazine gave me a very nice memory of my son Adam’s graduation outfit. This was in 2000, when the instructions that came home said that a blue jacket was required with white trousers. As for the shirt and tie, however, the sheet simply said that a dress shirt and tie were required, and that “most boys choose light blue or white”. There was no restriction as to the color of the tie. Adam wore a pale lime green shirt and a figured purple tie that also included some of the same green, and I must say, he looked quite smart. With his 6'3" height and his colorful outfit, we had no trouble picking him out of the group. Perhaps his choices are the reason Landon now has a stricter Commencement dress code! Thanks for the memory. — Laurie Sieminski, mother of Adam ’00
Day Camps - Arts - Sports - Music Enrichment - Academics Boys & Girls - Ages 3½-17 June 10 through August 23
www.landon.net/summer 301-320-1044 Landon School - 6101 Wilson Lane - Bethesda
Maybe It’s Time for a Change. Styles change. Times change. You’ve updated your look; perhaps it’s time to update your estate plans and consider a planned gift to Landon. We have had over 50 new planned gifts in the last two years. These new members of the Legacy Circle are passing along some of the benefit they or members of their family have received from Landon. We can help you in considering different options that may be right for you and your family. To learn more, go to www.landon.net/plannedgiving.
QUESTIONS? Contact George Pappas, director of planned giving, at 301-320-1005 or at george_pappas@landon.net.
Landon SchooL 6101 WiLSon Lane BeTheSda, MaryLand 20817
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Bethesda, MD Permit No. 7027
a d d r e SS S e r V i c e r e Q u e S T e d Parents: If this issue is addressed to a son who no longer maintains an address at your home, please send current address information to the Alumni Office at alumni@landon.net.
SAVE THE DATES 60th Annual Azalea Garden Festival May 3-5
’03 & ’08 Reunions october 3-5
Homecoming Saturday, november 2 Varsity football vs. Georgetown Prep Brett Bates ’17 won Best overall Work at the form ii Landon/holton-arms art Show.