Laurel School's Highlights Magazine: Spring 2018

Highlights A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LAUREL SCHOOL

inside

SPRING 2018 | Adventure Girls • LCRG: Tenth Anniversary • Junior Ring Chapel

Dream. Dare. Do.

6

LAUREL SCHOOL

The private school that knows girls best.

Highlights

| SPRING 2018

12

16

IN THIS ISSUE “Dear Sarah Lyman”, A message from Ann V. Klotz . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Alumnae Portraits: Kathy Chilcote Pender ’55, Marne Levine ’88 and Tamara Broderick ’03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Adventure Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 LaureLive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 LCRG: Tenth Anniversary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Junior Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Class News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Highlights | SPRING 2018 1

Dream. Dare. Do. MISSION STATEMENT

To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.

Highlights | SPRING 2018 HEAD OF SCHOOL Ann V. Klotz DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Benjamin Light EDITOR Venta Cantwell ALUMNAE EDITOR Julie Donahue ’79 CLASS NEWS EDITOR Megan Findling DESIGN AND LAYOUT Laurel School PHOTOGRAPHY Kimberly Dailey, Julie Donahue ’79, Downie Photography, Inc., Binnie Kurtzner Pappas ’87, Neal McDaniel, Renee Psiakis PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION Kathy Perris Torgerson ’65 CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES Beth Embrescia ’88 Highlights is published by Laurel School for alumnae, parents and friends.

Submit address changes to the Advancement Office at 216.455.3096 or bGreen@LaurelSchool.org Laurel School is an independent day school for girls, Kindergarten through Grade 12, with coeducational programs for two-, three- and four-year-olds. We are proud to be an inclusive and equitable school community, and we actively seek a diverse student body and faculty without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, handicap or disability, or sexual orientation.

LAUREL VALUES STATEMENT: Committed to building a just and inclusive world, Laurel girls are courageous, creative, ethical and compassionate.

LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

Downie DowniePhotography Photography

Highlights | SPRING2018 2018 33 Highlights | SPRING

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL, ANN V. KLOTZ

DEAR SARAH LYMAN:

LETTERS TO MRS. LYMAN

T

he idea arrives, unbidden, on a dark walk home from school to lovely Lyman House. What if the girls could write to Sarah Lyman?

What if they could tell her about what her school is like today? In my early years as Headmistress, I embarrassed my own two Laurel daughters when I once revealed to the Upper School at Chapel that I communed occasionally with Sarah Lyman and Edna Lake as I paced the house’s rooms with a querulous infant son on my shoulder.

“What would you do, Sarah? Edna?” I’d ask the walls, willing the wisdom of these two formidable women to guide me, to help me navigate so much of what was then unknown to me about leading a school.

“Mom!” my daughters howled, humiliated by their mother’s revelations. “You sound deranged.” The fact is that I love living in Lyman House knowing that other Heads at Laurel lived here, too.

As a life-long English teacher, the stories of traditions and customs at 1 Lyman Circle have always enchanted me. It is good for girls in the school now to feel connected to the legions of women who came before them. While the Senior Speech is woven through everyday life at Laurel today, I was sad to learn that Laurel’s essay writing contests had waned long before my arrival. While I am no Miss Andrews, I value giving girls the

4 LaurelSchool.org

opportunity to write for an audience. Perhaps, I thought to myself last fall, it was time to breathe new life into a tradition.

In recently refurbishing the front hall, we had moved Mrs. Lyman’s portrait to a larger wall, half way up the main staircase.

I had spent time explaining who the woman in the portrait was to many girls, new and returning. It was time to reach back through the years; after all, it was in 1927 that Mrs. Lyman built our school at 1 Lyman Circle. Ninety years of being at this address felt like a milestone! I enlisted some feedback on my idea from colleagues. During our Snowflake Assembly, the all-school gathering in the gym on the last day of classes preceding Song Contest, I announced a new contest: The Dear Sarah Lyman Letter Writing Contest.

I invited any girl who chose to enter the contest to write a letter to Sarah Lyman in which she described Laurel School and her life as a schoolgirl today. The best entries, I suggested, would be creative, detailed and specific. They would make use of strong verbs and interesting similes and sensory details.

Not every sentence would start the same way or be the same length. I promised to put several copies of Educating the Independent Mind, Hope Ford Murphy ’73’s history of the school, on the little bookshelf directly outside my office, so the girls could satisfy their curiosity about Laurel history. I set as a deadline the last Monday of January.

More than ninety entries arrived in the envelope on my office door or in my inbox. We carefully whited out the names of all authors in order to be certain judging was impartial and not influenced by affection or relationship. Every letter contained a wonderful sentence or phrase that I feel certain Sarah Lyman would have enjoyed.

A panel of alumnae judges including Kathryn Holzheimer Purcell ‘91, Associate Head of School, Julie Donahue ‘79, Director of Alumnae, and Hope Ford Murphy ‘73, Director of Studies, K-8, helped me to determine the winning letters while three members of the Class of 1946, Mary French Conway, Marcie Patt Thompson and Terry Horvitz Kovel, selected the Grand Prize Winner.

Here are a few excerpts from winning entries: Dear Mrs. Lyman, You are unapologetically ingrained into my life at Laurel.

Whether in an amusing myth of you haunting the theatre or a brief mention of your history during a Green Key tour, you somehow find a way to sneak your presence into my life every single day. When I think of you, I wonder if you ever realized the power of your legacy. Or if you even knew you were creating one. ...Would you be proud of the new generation of Laurel girls?

Would you join in the funky Alma Mater and laugh at the jokes thrown in Song Contest? ...you left Laurel with the reassurance that we know girls best....

Because every decade, every year, every month, every second girls are becoming women. Proud, unashamed, powerful women who are chanting odes of self-love, resilience, and individuality.

Because that is the difference between a girl and a woman.

A girl is only beginning to understand the power that she holds inside herself, but a woman has taken that power and is cheering it like an anthem and spreading it to anyone who will listen. Laurel, your legacy, is the place that knows girls best.

Laurel understands the long road of patriarchal discrimination and the years of objectifying that will follow you after leaving Laurel’s safe walls. Laurel prepares girls and teaches them of the world around them...I believe, no I know that you, Mrs. Lyman, are right there with us...

For this, Mrs. Lyman, I thank you. I thank you for forging a place that has let me understand the massive confusion that is being a girl...Your legacy is not a school; it is a community of people who fully embrace the journey of womanhood. Your legacy is a shining light in a world that is shadowed by darkness.

Your legacy, Laurel, cultivates hope inside of girls. And when we are fueled by hope, there is nothing that can stop us. Thank you.

— Coco Benger ‘19 My overall favorite Laurel moment was getting my class ring on November 29, 2017. That day makes you feel so special and more a part of the sisterhood than ever before. Mrs. Lyman, Laurel is my home away from home and I wouldn’t trade the experience of attending for the world.

— Micah Caldwell ‘19 Laurel represents a body that draws its strength from its past, grows throughout its presence and walks towards a stronger and brighter future. Thanks to you, we, as a Laurel community, have an alma mater, a beautiful campus that is still standing strong, and a legacy that we are trying to live up to every day.

With love as fierce as a gator, — Meri Gabriel ‘21

I know it’s been a while since you visited Laurel, so I’ve decided to help catch you up to date. Laurel is still on Lyman Circle in the building you helped build; we now have a second campus about 20 minutes away that’s called The Butler Campus. We use it for sports and outdoor education...We also have Green and White Day there. In fifth grade, you are put on either the green team or the white team (I’m on green). The middle school has a day at the end of the year in which we compete as teams in fun games, both athletic and academic, at Butler. Last year, the White Team was the victor!

— Krista Cantwell ‘23 We’re still fighting for equal pay, and we just called out many men for bad behavior. Life needs to get better for us, and I hope it will soon...Everyone finds a way and never snaps; they keep control and are sweet and polite to everyone. I would never change my school, even if I had a chance. Once a Laurel girl, always a Laurel girl.

— Natalie Casa ‘23 On my first day, I thought, “This is the worst day of my life...

But as I took my little steps through the long year, my shoulders started to come down from my ears, and I finally realized that I finally found a school that gets me! Now, let me tell you a story about how I said, “I can’t do this,” and a girl in my first grade class walked right up to me and said, “Yet.” I never forget to say “Yet” not only at school, but anywhere.

— Julia Fox ‘28 “Now at Laurel we have an exciting outdoor campus called Butler. I love going to Butler because we get to do challenging adventure courses and we get to go to a creek. In the creek we catch crayfish.”

— Claire Witalec ‘28 What emerges in almost every essay is the author’s love of her teachers, her time spent on the Butler Campus, and her sense of pride in belonging to the Laurel community. . . of being a Laurel girl. I believe that Mrs. Lyman and Miss Lake would join me in feeling proud of these talented authors, these reflective, articulate, impressive girls. What fun it has been to launch this particular contest.

I can’t wait for next year’s entries!

L

Highlights | SPRING 2018 5

ALUMNAE PORTRAITS PORTRAIT OF AN ALUMNA

Kathy Chilcote Pender ’55

By Ben Light, Director of Advancement

E

very day and in everything she does, Kathy Chilcote Pender ‘55 lives the mission of Laurel School as she strives to better the world. When Kathy arrived at Laurel as a Fifth Grader in the fall of 1947, she came from an eight-room brick schoolhouse on Fairmount Boulevard, located just west of Richmond Road in the Village of Beachwood.

There were only a handful of teachers at that school, and Kathy describes herself as shy and lacking confidence as a student.

And, while both that elementary school and Laurel’s Lyman Circle building were built in 1927, her experience at the two schools could not have been more different. Growing up at a time when girls were not encouraged to be independent, Kathy credits coming to Laurel School as life changing and believes that she would not be the woman she is today without the benefit of her Laurel experiences.

Her memories of Laurel are filled with teachers who were kind and patient and who deeply cared about their students.

They encouraged and challenged her to try new things and to step out of her comfort zone, and what she learned in her eight years at Laurel influenced the rest of her life.

6 LaurelSchool.org

When Kathy enrolled at Laurel, the legendary Edna Lake was the Headmistress and, like many of her fellow generation of Laurel girls, to Kathy, Miss Lake could have been 20 feet tall. Uncomfortable speaking in front of the class, Kathy was encouraged by Dorothy Jordan, her English teacher, to write poetry. This was a new endeavor for Kathy and Mrs. Jordan eventually convinced her to enter her work in a poetry contest, something Kathy had never before imagined.

Laurel also helped Kathy develop her appreciation of the French language and culture. In addition to teaching the girls to speak French, Elizabeth Gerfen hosted girls at her apartment for tea and took them to the Cleveland Museum of Art to view French paintings. Miss Gerfen nurtured Kathy’s love of the French culture, a love that has lasted a lifetime. Beyond instilling in Kathy a love for individual subjects, her teachers inspired her interest in teaching and her lifelong love of learning.

Each summer, when she goes to Chautauqua, Kathy is a proud member of one of the oldest reading clubs in the country. While sometimes she reads books that she would not have chosen on her own, she loves the adventures reading affords.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

She strongly believes that her commitment to volunteering and giving back to the community began at Laurel. As an Upper Schooler, Kathy volunteered with children with severe health issues at Fresh Air Camp, and she visited elderly patients at Highland View Hospital in Warrensville Heights to help feed and care for them.

This commitment to helping others is something that has defined Kathy’s life. After graduating from Smith College, she began her career as a teacher, and after completing master’s degrees in special education with a concentration on emotionally disturbed children and in counseling and psychology, she became a licensed family therapist. In her philanthropic, board and volunteer work at Beech Brook, a leading behavioral health agency that serves over 18,000 children, teens and families annually, and in her own private psychotherapy practice, she consistently has demonstrated a dedication to improving the lives of those who are less fortunate.

This dedication has made Kathy and her husband, Jim, pillars of the Northeast Ohio philanthropic community. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a nonprofit in the community that has not benefited from the support of the Pender Family. Much of this support has come through generous gifts from the Michael J. Pender Fund of the Cleveland Foundation, a fund established by Kathy and Jim in memory of their son Michael, who died at the age of 19 of complications from injuries sustained in a boating accident 11 years earlier.

What the Penders have chosen to support speaks volumes about their values as a family and brings meaning to Michael’s short life and solace to their own loss. Gifts through the Fund created the Michael Pender Quiet Room at University Hospitals for families who are in crisis and need a quiet safe harbor; they supported the International Children’s Theatre Festival at Playhouse Square, which includes live performances and attracts over 25,000 attendees. They sponsored a collaborative exhibit between the Western Reserve Historical Society and Beech Brook, which told the history of Beech Brook and how it began as the Cleveland Orphan Asylum. Each of these gifts, and many more like them, have fulfilled the mission of the fund to support children and families with special needs.

The list of the nonprofit committee and boards Kathy and Jim have served on include Beech Brook, Playhouse Square, Recovery Resources, Heather

[Kathy] strongly believes that her commitment to volunteering and giving back to the community began at Laurel.

Hill, Michael’s House, University Hospitals, Gilmour Academy, the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University and Laurel School. Their names are synonymous with philanthropy and one can measure their impact by the thousands whose lives have been improved through their care.

There is no question why the Distinguished Alumna Committee chose to present Kathy Chilcote Pender ‘55 with Laurel School’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. L Highlights | SPRING 2018 7

ALUMNAEOF PORTRAITS PORTRAIT AN ALUMNA

Marne Levine ’88

By Julie Donahue ’79, Director of Alumnae

W

hen Marne Levine ’88 addressed Laurel School’s Class of 2015 at its Commencement, she shared some of the twists and turns in her career but pointed to formative days at Lyman Circle. “Laurel had prepared me for more than I’d ever imagined,” she said.

“And it went so far beyond the math formulas and historical dates. . . Laurel taught me to think critically. My Senior year, I took an Ethics class. We tackled hard questions — euthanasia, the death penalty, among others — questions that don’t have obvious answers. And as our teacher, Mr. Huston, guided us through these minefields, we learned how to question our assumptions, debate effectively, take risks, listen with intentionality, and challenge each other to think more deeply.

These lessons have served me well. Because here is the thing,

8 LaurelSchool.org

life is full of questions that don’t have obvious answers. You have to open your mind in directions you didn’t even imagine.”

Certainly, as she herself sat in a robe waiting to receive her diploma at her own Laurel Commencement 30 years ago, Marne could not have imagined where life would take her. In many ways the question she posed to the graduates in 2015 —“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”— is telling of her life philosophy. By taking what she learned at Laurel— to think critically, to question assumptions and to have an open mind—she has charted her journey as a trailblazer.

As the Chief Operating Officer of Instagram, Marne manages the expansion of the community of over 800 million users who “capture and share the world’s moments” on the social network. Since being named the evolving company’s

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

first COO in 2014, Marne learns on-the-go as she identifies business needs and key priorities in a technology realm that is constantly changing. Prior to joining Instagram, she served for four years as Vice President of Global Public Policy at Facebook where she oversaw the company’s interactions with governments and non-governmental organizations. In 2017, she was one of three women recognized by the National Women’s History Museum with a “Woman Making History Award.” And, in December 2016, Business Insider named her the fourth most powerful woman in mobile advertising.

Marne began her career in 1993 at the U.S. Department of Treasury in the Office of Legislative Affairs and Public Liaison. Seven years later, she moved to Boston to serve as Chief of Staff for Harvard University President Larry Summers. After a stint as director of product management for Revolution Money, she returned to the public sector in the Obama Administration as Chief of Staff of the National Economic Council at the White House and Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy where she helped coordinate the development of domestic and international economic policy. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science and communications from Miami University and her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

She serves on the Advisory Board for LeanIn.org and on the board for Women for Women International, a nonprofit that helps women in countries affected by war and conflict. She also is a board member of LIFT, whose mission is to empower families to break the cycle of poverty, and The Urban Institute.

A champion for girls and women, “Marne believes that the best investment women can make is in each other,” notes Rachel Thomas, President of the Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation. “At Instagram, Marne often welcomes junior women into executive meetings so they can get exposure to new ideas and mentors. She has used her success to lift up other women.” For “helping to turn a scrappy startup into a global force,” for making choices even when she might have been afraid, and for working to empower women and girls around the world, the Laurel School Alumnae Association awards Marne Levine ’88 its 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award. L

Mr. Huston guided us through these minefields, we learned how to question our assumptions, debate effectively, take risks, listen with intentionality, and challenge each other to think more deeply.

These lessons have served me well.

Highlights | SPRING 2018 9

ALUMNAEOF PORTRAITS PORTRAIT AN ALUMNA

Tamara Broderick ’03

By Jeanne Stephens, Upper School English Faculty

I

n the early months of 2018, Young Alumna of Distinction Tamara Broderick ‘03 added to her extraordinary resume two prestigious new awards: a Sloan Research Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Career Award for her research project: “Robust, scalable, reliable machine learning.”

On top of earlier accolades, like an Army Research Office Young Investigator Program award and a Google faculty research award, the prizes and fellowships mark Tamara, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, as one of the nation’s most promising young scientific researchers.

While in college, Tamara realized the potential of machine learning to impact people’s lives. An article in MIT News explains that “her doctoral work in machine learning involved developing algorithms that can speed computational analysis of large, streaming data sets, enabling computers to discover more and more hidden and meaningful structure.” One real-world application is the analysis of tumors; teasing out patterns in different types of diseased tissue could lead to new and more effective treatments. For those of us without degrees in computer science, we appreciate Tamara’s goal to make “machine learning methods be robust, explainable, and understandable — rather than black-box.” Her work may never

10 LaurelSchool.org

be understood by most lay people, but we will certainly benefit from it in myriad ways.

After graduating from Laurel in 2003, Tamara attended Princeton University, where she earned an AB in Mathematics and the Phi Beta Kappa award for the graduating senior with the highest academic average. On a Marshall Scholarship at the University of Cambridge, she garnered master’s degrees in both mathematics and physics. Returning to the U.S., she enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned an MS in computer science and a Ph.D. in statistics.

On the job market after seven years of post-graduate study, Tamara had offers from the jewels in the crown of America’s universities, and chose MIT, the school that twelve years before had invited her to its inaugural summer program for young women interested in engineering and computer science.

Tamara came to Laurel in the fall of 1999. Intellectually curious, hardworking, and focused, she promptly won the respect and affection of teachers and classmates. Her excellence was easily measured—for instance, by perfect grades and perfect scores on the college entrance exams— but far more significant and lasting were her deep engagement and her contributions to every class.

YOUNG ALUMNA OF DISTINCTION

As Dr. Reza Beigi, former Laurel physics teacher, puts it, “Tamara’s motivation was obviously a function of her overwhelming desire to learn . . . and to contribute.

The inner fire was there, and it was as hot as a blue hypergiant star.”

Dr. Beigi’s reference to a hypergiant star seems apt not only because Tamara herself is a superstar but also because Tamara’s very first authorship on a published paper, when she was still a Laurel student, was on a piece about cosmology, a paper that Tamara modestly acknowledges has “turned out to be a somewhat influential paper in astrophysics.” Recognizing her talent and her craving for knowledge beyond the bounds of a high school classroom, Dr. Beigi had helped her find a place in the lab of an internationally renowned physicist at Case Western Reserve University. Tamara notes that her early experience in publishing papers facilitated admission to graduate school as well as future research opportunities, but even in high school, her work received recognition, like the grand prize at the Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair, which sent her on to the Intel Science and Engineering Fair.

At Laurel, Tamara distinguished herself not just by her intelligence and her genuine interest in learning, but also by her humility and her eagerness to help others. Those same generous qualities endure years later, despite her many awards and achievements.

Katherine Ceicys ‘04, who nominated Tamara for the Young Alumna of Distinction Award, writes, “Tamara is a role model for Laurel students and alumnae for what she has achieved professionally, her willingness to encourage other women in her field, and her ability to make a fulfilling life in a challenging field. . . . [She is] an example of what a well-rounded life in academic research can look like. She not only teaches, attends, and presents at conferences all over the world, but she embraces the social side of the many different communities that she is in. She goes on hikes, boat rides, sightseeing adventures, dinners, reunions and other fun outings with her colleagues and former classmates. She seems to have so much fun in her work life.”

As Tamara looks back at Laurel, she recalls opportunities that directly contributed to her later success. For instance, she was able to double up on math by taking Algebra II as an independent study with Mr. Jeff Headman at the same time that she was enrolled in Geometry. She took Dr. Ellen Stenson’s BC

calculus and multivariable calculus sequence, a course of study that allowed her to pursue a math major at Princeton. She says that the analytical arguments she wrote in English, history, and language classes prepared her to write the extensive proofs required for advanced mathematics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. As the lucky teacher who taught Tamara in

Tamara’s motivation was obviously a function of her overwhelming desire to learn...and to contribute.

The inner fire was there, and it was as hot as a blue hypergiant star.

English class for three of her four years at Laurel, I was unsurprised to see Professor Michael Jordan of UC Berkeley comment that “Each of Tamara’s papers is a real jewel, well worth reading multiple times.”

Tamara thinks fondly of Laurel’s warm, peaceful atmosphere and special spaces like nooks on the third floor or especially the Garden Room, where one could nestle into the cushions and look out on a snowy scene. She expresses gratitude for teachers who were supportive role models and classmates who were friends. Even now, through social media, she finds the whole Laurel community rooting for her and for one another. At Laurel she felt encouraged to be her best self, and now she is paying that encouragement forward in her roles as teacher, mentor, and role model to a new generation of young women who strive to fulfill their promise and better the world! L Highlights | SPRING 2018 11

ADV ENT URE GIRLS LEARNING AT LAUREL

By Shannon Lukz, Primary School Faculty

12 LaurelSchool.org

LEARNING AT LAUREL

I

t is Tuesday afternoon and the hallway clocks read 3:20 sharp as a sea of girls ages 8-12 walk, run, or even skip down the hallway at Laurel School. A casual observer might think that the girls are late for the school bus, are hoping to be first in line at the Primary car circle or are hurrying to meet with a teacher. Their pace, sense of purpose and urgency, and focus could lead one to believe any of the above to be true, but they would be wrong. This particular group of girls is running, wogging (a term conceived by this group of girls which describes a very brisk walk on the border of a jog) or even skipping to Adventure Girls, an after-school program started in 2012 for Laurel girls in Grades 3-7. The program, which Chuck Allen and I started six years ago to increase fitness, promote outdoor exploration and activity, and encourage risk-taking, has turned into much more than that. Thanks to the work of Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls (LCRG), Adventure Girls has become a perfect canvas on which to paint the latest research on resilience, play, and all things important to the healthy growth and development of our girls.

At our meeting spot in P201, the classroom morphs into a sort of locker room-slumber party as girls throw backpacks to the floor and begin to change for the afternoon session. They ask about the plan for the day as they decide which layers to pull out of their bulging packs. They have been begging to know what we will do at “AG” since we met last Tuesday. There are shouts of greetings and snacks are thrown from the brown bag labeled “Adventure Girls” as girls pull on various forms of Laurel activewear, munch on apples or granola bars, and chat with friends. Announcements about destination, departure time, and who will share inspirational quotes with the group are delivered above the constant, happy and excited buzz in the room. There is a constant stream of coming and going as girls ask to go get their shoes from their PE locker, fill their water bottle, or go find some mittens to borrow from the lost and found. Although the volume and level of activity in the classroom seems chaotic, a tremendous amount of self-care is going on during this transition time. Girls fuel up with food and water, choose clothing that will keep them warm and dry, or cool and comfortable, and get other necessary

information that will help them to prepare to successfully participate in this after-school adventure.

Each of the 12 sessions are, in fact, intentionally designed to address the five elements of resilience: self-care, relationships, creativity, purpose and growth mindset, as defined by LCRG. Although much of the first 20 minutes of each session seems to be heavily focused on self-care, it is also very much about relationships. As this multi-age group convenes each week, friendships are developed and fostered. The younger girls enjoy spending time with their gradelevel classmates outside of the classroom, and the older girls have plenty of opportunities to socialize with their peers and the group leaders, while taking on an important leadership role, sometimes without even realizing it. Whether at Laurel’s Lyman Campus or hanging forty feet up in the trees on the Adventure Course at our magnificent, 140-acre Butler Campus, girls are responsible for encouraging one another and supporting each other. They identify proudly as Adventure Girls and understand the importance of

Whether at Laurel’s Lyman Campus or hanging forty feet up in the trees on the Adventure Course at our magnificent, 140-acre Butler Campus, girls are responsible for encouraging one another and supporting each other. looking after the group. As they sprint up Laureldale Road in search of a clue for a scavenger hunt or find a partner for the Giant’s Ladder at Butler, it matters less which friend they are with, and matters more that they are being adventurous together.

The relationships built during Adventure Girls are the catalyst for important work to occur throughout the semester, including taking risks and tracking one’s growth over time. As the Laurel School bus rolls down I-271 (pre-rush hour!) transporting the group to the rock climbing gym, one of our three field trips of the semester, girls chat with their seatmates about which routes they climbed last time and how far they got.

They chat about which routes they want to try this time and how they might go farther. They also talk, a lot, about how excited they are to eat the pizza that will be delivered later. Over the excited voices, the Highlights | SPRING 2018 13

ADV ENT URE GIRLS group’s leaders are huddled in cold bus seats discussing the types of challenges to provide individual girls. The goal is always to hit the sweet spot: to provide the perfect amount of stress to push them, but not so much that they won’t take the risk, to help them build the skills needed to deal with stress in other situations and become more resilient.

Trips to the Butler Campus provide that same type of canvas on which the girls can naturally and informally measure their progress and chart their growth. They talk about going higher on the Catwalk or Swing Shot, two of the Project Adventure elements. Depending on the individual, “going higher” on the Catwalk might mean stepping off the top rung of the ladder, getting midway up the tree trunk that leads to the horizontal log forty feet in the air, or even walking all the way across that log. The “Challenge by Choice” mantra of Project Adventure has been adopted and adapted by AG to “Choose Your Own Challenge.” It is not a choice to not challenge oneself, but the appropriate challenge is a personal and individual choice. The girls take this seriously and realize that this choice is what is going to propel them to grow and become more courageous and brave in all areas of their lives.

This progress made by the girls, whether it is related to bravery, courage, communication, or creative problem solving, is frequently shared with parents, teachers, and of course, the girls.

14 LaurelSchool.org

Encouraging words and specific feedback about how a problem was solved or an idea was communicated, are often shared as the girls are tucked into their cars at the end of the day. From the outside, it might seem that AG is really about being risky, a little crazy, and having a good time together, but it is the work of the girls and the application of LCRG’s recent research about what is best for girls that makes it real, purposeful and meaningful. Even though the girls, especially the youngest ones, just see it as a whole lot of adventure, loudness, laughter and fun!

As the group’s leaders head back to P201 to debrief the day and begin to chart plans for next week, smiles and laughter are abundant as the day's adventures are recapped. Risks taken and progress made are discussed and celebrated, and areas where we can focus and support the girls are identified. We often reflect upon how proud we are of the girls and of the program. Adventure Girls has now grown to 35 girls in Grades 3-7 with lots of plans to continue to grow. This May, many of our First and Second Grade girls will participate in Junior Adventure Girls. It is rewarding to think that over 100 girls have participated over a six-year period. This means that over 100 Laurel girls are smarter risk takers, braver decision makers, better communicators and more daring females. Through Adventure Girls, Laurel students are building the courage and durability to fulfill their promise and better the world. L

LEARNING AT LAUREL

By Trey Wilson, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Upper School History Department Chair

A

s the Laurel community approaches its third edition of LaureLive, it’s important to note what a unique, real-world internship opportunity the festival offers to between 20 and 30 Upper School girls every year. By unique, what I really mean is: an opportunity unlike any offered by any other independent school in the nation.

For the participants in this internship opportunity, the owners and founders of Elevation Group — our producing partner — teach a class that meets regularly during second semester. The class provides a tangible, applicable overview of how the event is put together, with topics as diverse as: How to contractually book music talent and how to create a festival line-up; How to consider merchandising and vendor sales; How to plan for the layout/physical design of the Butler

Campus for the festival weekend; How to plan for weather and emergent situations; How to approach marketing; How many port-a-potties are needed for a weekend crowd of 10,000+.

After a semester of considering the planning of the event as a whole, the girls then work an area of the festival of their individual choosing: some work backstage; some greet and manage the site logistics of the bands; some work in the merchandising tent; some work in the VIP tent.

Many of the girls often gain experience in media interviews about LaureLive, and, just this month, all of the girls attended a terrific forum at the Cleveland City Club called “Silent No More: #MeToo and the Music Industry.”

We hope to see lots and lots of Laurel community members at LaureLive 2018 on June 9-10! L

The LaureLive D3 has allowed me to see the behind-the-scenes work and even taught me how to pull some of the curtains back.

LaureLive has taught me that hard work and determination can turn an idea into a music movement that inspires and entertains.

— Valerie Zborovsky ’21

— Meri Gabriel ’21

My LaureLive experience makes me feel more a part of the Laurel community and gives me an out-of-the-classroom experience that better teaches me about the music industry.

LaureLive has given me the opportunity to discuss and think about real life operations problems and learn more about the music industry.

— Victoria Hagen’20

As someone who’s passionate about music, the LaureLive experience has opened my eyes to parts of the business that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to learn about and that will help me in a career that I hope to have later on in life.

LaureLive has been such an incredible experience so far because it has given me insight into a career that I wasn’t aware of.

— Catherine MacGregor ’21

— Christina Murgiano ’18

— Isabella Atzemis ’21

16 LaurelSchool.org

LCRG TURNS

TEN! S

ince 2007, Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls (LCRG) has helped to shape the experience of a generation of girls and young women. Every Laurel girl benefits every day from LCRG’s placement at the heart of a Laurel education. This year, LCRG is ten years old, ten years strong, and what a decade it has been for Laurel School, for girls, for those who have learned with us as we put the world’s best research to work for girls!

At Laurel, we know double-digits matter, so, we marked the tenth birthday of LCRG with a school-wide celebration.

All 640 students—from our Early Learners up through our Senior Class—and faculty and staff, too, all wearing “Strong Girls Change the World” t-shirts, assembled in the gym to a KidzBop version of Beyonce’s Who Runs the World? Girls Do! Ms. Klotz reminded everyone that LCRG helps to make and keep us strong by bringing important research about girls to Laurel.

We use this research in everything we do at Laurel—from the ways we teach and how we learn about taking tests and the kinds of activities we encourage students to participate in to the way we arrange our school spaces and schedules. We gathered to celebrate the strong girls and women at Laurel who are working to change the world and the strong men in our community who are our allies and supporters.

LCRG Director Sarah Wilson, Director of Research Dr. Tori Cordiano and Executive Director Dr. Lisa Damour joined Ms. Klotz at the podium for a

trivia quiz featuring aspects of LCRG research at play in classrooms. Among the questions we asked: Name one way that LCRG helps Laurel girls be strong?

What is LCRG’s favorite three-letter word?

(Hint: It’s how you fill in this sentence: “I’m struggling to understand what I’m learning in class; I will learn it, but I don’t know it ____.”) What is one way to help women join and stay in careers in STEM? And what are the five components of resilience? The girls answered each question with gusto, earning an A+!

Next, thirteen girls, one each from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade, came to the podium to explain how LCRG had made them strong and how they hoped to change the world. After some more fun, we sang the Alma Mater and took an all-school photograph to commemorate the day. The party continued at lunch with cupcakes.

And, later that night, we welcomed more than 350 parents to the Chapel for a community forum sponsored by the Laurel School Parents Association. We were delighted to have the opportunity to share a Top Ten list of LCRG research findings, each one on a topic covered in an LCRG research monograph, which are always available to current Laurel families and alumnae via our website.

The aim of all-girls’ education is not simply to teach girls, but to empower them for life. And the work of LCRG is to push the benefits of an all-girls’ education as far as it will go. Laurel graduates strong girls who change the world. That work begins the minute a girl steps foot on campus. It starts with our youngest students as they learn about resilience as wide-eyed Kindergarteners.

Growth mindset, in particular, is a focus throughout Primary. We teach that effort and risk-taking are a girl’s best friends.

The curriculum in the Middle School draws on evidence that hands-on, experiential learning helps girls master new concepts, develop problem-solving skills and broaden how they think.

In the Upper School, we focus on helping girls to develop a powerful purpose. Research demonstrates that

having a strong sense of purpose and devoted mentors reinforces a girl’s commitment to her studies, continues to build her resilience, and points her toward the work of improving the broader world. Our Upper School schedule was designed with purpose in mind. “Dream.

Dare. Do.” periods (known internally as D3 days) provide time to explore, discover and pursue emerging passions in one of four research-based curricular themes: civic engagement, entrepreneurship, global studies and STEAM. Over spring break the last two years, girls who are part of Capstone have met with Laurel alumnae in Washington, DC, San Francisco and New York City to learn how those women are changing the world.

Those connections across generations matter for girls; they need to understand how the women who came before them struggled, failed and, through resilience, continued to work hard and to find personal and career satisfaction.

The reach of LCRG allows us to introduce our girls to strong women who do change the world. Jodi Kantor, the New York Times investigative journalist whose reporting inspired Starbucks to revise its scheduling practices on behalf of its workers, and moved Amazon to grant paid paternity leave to its employees, visited Laurel School in May. Ms. Kantor and her colleague, Megan Twohey, won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting that broke the Harvey Weinstein story and triggered the entire #metoo movement. As it is the work of Laurel School to educate girls who will grow up to speak truth to power; we could not think of a better, or more timely, role model to provide to our students.

Laurel girls are equal to the challenges they confront; they walk in the world with grace and purpose, resilience and integrity, imagination and generosity of spirit, determined to better the world. They are brave. They are determined. They are strong. A Laurel education unspools long past a girl’s commencement. Alumnae and parents know that the benefits of a Laurel education are conferred over a lifetime. L

Highlights | SPRING 2018 17

Junior Chapel

E

ach November a special assembly is held in honor of the Junior class. Class members vote on the faculty member to make a special address at the chapel; this year the Class of 2019 selected Rich Kawolics, Upper School science teacher and Director of Speech and Debate. Though the speech is, of course, best experienced in its whole as a journey, for the purposes of the limited space in this publication, an abridged version follows. Full text can be found at www.LaurelSchool.org/Highlights.

18 LaurelSchool.org

LAUREL TRADITIONS

Act I – Question Why does Laurel School set aside this time each year to recognize the members of the Junior class? I asked you that same question when we gathered in M209 just over a month ago, and you all gave me pretty much the same answer.

This event, you said, is a celebration of your coming of age, marking your elevation to leadership in the school community. I’m sure that’s what you’ve been told; in fact, when I asked some of my faculty colleagues that same question, they said pretty much the same thing. But although you — and my colleagues — have a tendency to be right about matters like this, in this case I think you are quite wrong. Allow me to explain.

After examining cultural examples of traditions marking “coming of age” and leadership, and how they don’t quite fit with the spirit of Junior Chapel, Mr. Kawolics proposes an alternate purpose for their gathering, by first sharing a story.

Act II – Dream I’m going to tell you a story or, at least, part of a story. In 1987, a young author named Neil Gaiman was hired by DC Comics to reimagine some old ideas with a more contemporary feel. Shortly thereafter he began developing a series about The Sandman, an eternal being also called Morpheus who reigns over the world of dreams. The Sandman went on to become one of the most successful comics of all time, and was also one of the first series to develop a significant readership among young women.

When the story begins, Morpheus has just escaped after 70 years in captivity. Unfortunately for Morpheus, one of his [power-giving] possessions has fallen into the hands of a demon, so Morpheus must descend into the depths of Hell in order to get it back.

[He] finds himself locked in a battle ... of shape-shifting one-upmanship, a cosmic rock-paper-scissors on an epic scale. The idea is for Morpheus and the

demon each to transform themselves into something that can defeat the other, until one of them becomes something that cannot be defeated. It starts slowly; when the demon becomes a wolf, Morpheus becomes a hunter on horseback. And when Morpheus transforms into a spider, the demon as a snake is ready to devour him.

The battle becomes more complex when ...the demon as exploding star is ready to destroy Morpheus’s world, but Morpheus embraces the star as a “Universe, encompassing all things.” And that is when the demon delivers what he

in fact we are gathered here today not because you have come of age or become leaders of this school. We are gathered here because for us, your parents and teachers, you are in fact:

Act III – Hope Wow; that’s a heavy burden to place upon you. That’s especially true since you and I might have slightly different ideas about what it means when I say “you are hope.” After all, you have grown up with what might be best described as the “hope trope,” an idea popularized by Hollywood producers and screenwriters

Hope is why humans form communities. Hope is why immigrants cross oceans and borders. Hope is why parents have children. Hope is why people build schools. Hope is why my colleagues and I teach. intends to be the winning stroke: “I am the dark at the end of everything.

The end of universes, gods, worlds, ... of everything.”

The assembled hordes of demons gasp in shock, believing that Morpheus has truly been defeated. Until Morpheus says just three words: “I am hope.”

And there you have it, for there is nothing in the universe, nothing in the human imagination that can ever defeat hope. Hope is why humans form communities. Hope is why immigrants cross oceans and borders. Hope is why parents have children. Hope is why people build schools. Hope is why my colleagues and I teach.

Class of 2019, I propose to you that

perhaps more than all others over the past 50 years or so. You know the formula; I’m sure you can name at least a dozen movies or series where character X says to the hero “you’re our only hope!”

If you need a contemporary example, just think of the character Eleven in the Netflix series “Stranger Things”. When the town of Hawkins has all but given up in its battle against a demogorgon, it is Eleven who represents all the hopes of the town that things can turn out well in the end. Classic Hollywood Hope Trope.

But that’s not what I intend here.

Instead, “you are hope” means that we believe – or, rather, we demand – that you will make the world better. There is good reason to believe that our trust in you is well justified. No, I do not refer to your

Highlights | SPRING 2018 19

LAUREL TRADITIONS

obvious academic strength, your vast knowledge of current events and popular culture, or your talents as athletes, as debaters, as artists, or as performers.

I also do not refer to your competitive spirit, especially because that particular asset has a tendency to become a liability when you turn it toward one another.

Instead, I think the reason for such optimism lies in something that I cannot easily describe. This may sound ridiculously trite, but there is something about your class that simply inspires confidence. I see this nearly every day, in my classes or in random conversation in the hall, and I still can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Perhaps it is your intellectual curiosity; perhaps it is the way you push back against ideas that do

20 LaurelSchool.org

not sit well with you; perhaps it is your willingness to face down even the most daunting challenge. Or perhaps it’s none of those. All I know is that when I look at you, and talk with you, and really listen to you, I get a glimpse of your future, and that glimpse fills me with confidence. I certainly get that feeling about individual students in just about every class, but I haven’t felt that way about an entire class in quite a long time. And that’s why I can say to you that I have no doubt that a world left to you is left in the best of possible hands. And that, Class of 2019, is what it means to be hope.

So I don’t know if you realize it or not, but that’s quite a plot twist. You see, when you first asked me to speak to you, I just assumed that I would speak

about you, because after all, this is the Junior chapel. I imagine that’s what you expected too. But as it turns out, in the absolute height of irony, today’s Junior Chapel is not about you. Not entirely, at any rate. It’s about us, your parents and teachers. It’s about our hope, our deep, unwavering belief that you, the Class of 2019, are worthy of inheriting – and changing – our world. And that is something far more important than your coming of age or rising to school leadership.

It’s a truly valuable and powerful gift we offer you today, this absolute belief in you as the architects of the future world.

Will you prove yourselves deserving of that trust?

That is what we all hope. L

ALUMNIFIRE

Leverage the power of the Laurel Alumnae Network!

The Laurel School Alumnae Association announces the launch of Alumnifire, a networking platform that allows you to take advantage of the power of the Laurel alumnae community.

The platform is populated by Laurel alumnae willing to open doors and offer personal and professional advice. By signing up, you’ll have the benefit of browsing the network and connecting with fellow alumnae.

Are you searching for an internship or job or maybe some career guidance?

Moving to a new city and want the recommendations of locals? Looking to give back to the next generation of Laurel girls or be a role model for current students?

sign up today at: https://laurelschool.alumnifire.com Register through email, LinkedIn or Facebook. It only takes a couple of minutes and all communication can be managed through your email inbox.

Join us in unlocking the enormous potential of our alumnae community!

Laurel School, One Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

Highlights | SPRING 2018 49

RESTAURANT ROLL Wednesday, April 25, 2018

in Shaker Square

As the skies cleared and one of the first warm days of spring arrived, nearly 40 alums gathered at Shaker Square for the 11th annual Alumnae Restaurant Roll. The sold-out event brought together alums from the Classes of 1943 to 2013 for good fun, lively conversation and delectable food and drink—including the crowd-pleasing Grand Marnier soufflé! The evening kicked off with appetizers at Doug Katz’s Fire Food and Drink followed by a migration across the Square to Edwin’s Restaurant and Institute for dinner. Edwin’s founder Brandon Chrostowski shared with the group his mission of helping formerly incarcerated Clevelanders transition from jail to jobs, breaking negative cycles in the community (Knife Skills, a documentary about Edwin’s and its mission was an Oscar nominee this year). Special thanks go to Janet Abbey ’83, chair of this year’s Restaurant Roll, and Marge Zellmer ’70, whose idea for a progressive dinner for alumnae inspired this beloved spring tradition!

1.

2.

6.

5.

1. Nancy AuWerter Cockley ’62 and Addair Levine ‘13 2. Susan Eigner Regal ’78, Ann Boughner ’78 and Laurie Eigner Aronoff ‘76 3. Melissa Yasinow ’02 and her mother, Paulette Balin Yasinow ‘72 4. Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97 and Rosemary Mudry ‘02 5. Alumnae await their delightful dinner at Edwin’s

50

LaurelSchool.org

4.

3.

8.

7.

9.

6. Mhoire McGrath Cade ’83 and Susan Opatrny Althans ‘80 7. Ann Schaffer Shirreffs ’76 and Barb Bigley Hallal ‘76 8. Sisters Diane Bissett English ’70 and Barbara Bissett Kitchen ‘68 9. Kathy Coffman ’02 and Gausia Chowdhury ‘02

LEGACY FOR LAUREL

LYNNE ROSSEN FEIGHAN ’55 Meet Lynne Rossen Feighan ’55, an alumna who is as passionate about her financial legacy at Laurel as she is about her Laurel family legacy: daughter Alison ’80 and granddaughter Laney ’14. Son John and grandson Alex both attended PreK. In Upper School, Lynne was one of two students who commuted daily to Laurel from the west side; she considers the energy expended on bus and rapid well worth the experiences that awaited her at the top of Laureldale. Years later, married with a family, Lynne and her husband, John (their first date was Junior year at a Laurel dance), moved to Shaker and bought a home within two blocks of Lyman Circle.

Lynne’s professional career at Laurel began in 1974 in the then one-person Alumnae Office. Over the next two decades, as Director of Development, Lynne partnered with four Heads of School, a corps of devoted volunteer leaders and a growing staff to establish a comprehensive program of fundraising.

Alumnae, parents, grandparents and friends responded generously to appeals to strengthen faculty salaries, endow scholarships, underwrite curriculum and enhance the physical plant. A planned-giving program also was launched to offer opportunities to invest in ways that would benefit Laurel in the future. The Prentiss Society helped keep enthusiastic donors informed and engaged in the School’s mission and its needs. The Laurel School community became a powerful philanthropic force.

“I am so fortunate that my career in development allowed me to ‘sit at the table’ with remarkable women and men whose good faith and financial actions helped a Head of Laurel School to realize her vision,” she notes. “Admittedly, I beat the drum for years to give — give — give but I do follow my own advice. Early on, when I first sat down with an attorney to make a Will, I took the simple and meaningful step — and it is a simple step — of advising her to include a gift to Laurel. This bequest is at the heart of my estate plans and hopefully it will help advance Ann Klotz’s vision.”

JOIN LYNNE IN BECOMING A MEMBER OF LEGACY FOR LAUREL BY MAKING A PLANNED GIFT TO LAUREL SCHOOL.

This can be as easy as listing the school in your Will or estate plan or making the school a partial beneficiary of your retirement account.

Legacy for Laurel members, like Lynne, ensure that Laurel School will provide the same education for future generations of Laurel girls who will walk through these dear walls.

HERE IS WHAT IS ON “LYNNE’S LIFETIME ACTION LIST”:

√ Contribute to Laurel School annually. √ Make a Will. √ Include a bequest to Laurel School. √ Share plan and its legacy goals with children.

Membership in Legacy for Laurel is extended to all alumnae, parents, parents of alumnae, faculty and friends who make a provision in their estate plans to benefit the School.

For more information about joining Legacy for Laurel contact the Development Office at 216.455.3033.

LAUREL SCHOOL | est. 1896 Laurel School One Lyman Circle Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

LaurelSchool.org /LaurelSchool

@LaurelSchool

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO. 701