Westonian, Winter 2015 by aldeia

WINTER 2015

The

Westonian Magazine

HOW TO

MAKE WORK MAKE MEANING

IN THIS ISSUE BEHIND THE NUMBERS: Westtown’s Annual Report for 2013–2014

The Westonian, a magazine for alumni, parents, and friends, is published by Westtown School. Its mission is “to capture the life of the school, to celebrate the impact that our students, faculty, and alumni have on our world, and to serve as a forum for connection, exploration, and conversation.” We publish issues in January and July. Editor Terry Dubow, Associate Head of School Managing Editor Lynette Assarsson, Associate Director of Communications Manager of Web Features Greg Cross, Associate Director of Digital Communication Contributors Kris Batley ’81, Director of Alumni Engagement Mary Brooks, Archivist Stephanie Ziemke, Director of Annual Giving Design Lilly Pereira Principal Photography Ed Cunicelli Additional Photography Greg Cross Tom Gilbert ’76

28 Tim Freeman ’87 with daughter Eleanor in his home office

We welcome letters to the editor. You may send them to our home address or to westonian@ westtown.edu.

CON N EC T

facebook.com/westtownschool twitter.com/westtownschool vimeo.com/westtownschool instagram.com/westtownschool

HEAD OF SCHOOL John Baird BOARD OF TRUSTEES Timothy B. Barnard Amy Taylor Brooks ’88 Martha Brown Bryans ’68, Assistant Clerk Beah Burger-Lenehan ’02

Luis Castillo ’80 Michelle B. Caughey ’71 Dayton Coles ’63 Molly Niles Cornell ’60 Robert Cottone Jacob Dresden ’62 Diana Evans ’95 Jonathan Evans ’73, Clerk Susan Carney Fahey

Davis Henderson ’62 Gary M. Holloway, Jr. Sydney Howe-Barksdale David Jones ’72 R. Kent Julye ’80 Jess Lord ’90 Hugh McLean ’57 James Perkins ’56 Robert P. Roche

Michael Sicoli ’88 Kristen Waterfield Edward C. Winslow III ’64 EMERITUS: David Barclay ’52 Arthur M. Larrabee ’60

WINTER 2015

The

Westonian Magazine

FE ATURE S

28 How to Make

Work Make Meaning

Alumna Rachel Clarke ’86 tells the story of how Westtown alumni and current parents have crafted jobs that generate much more than money.

36 Behind the Numbers: Westtown’s Annual Report for 2013–2014

Westtown is a mission-based school operating a $30 million budget. Learn how we do it. D E PAR TME NTS

02 LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

A message from John Baird

03 POINTS OF VIEW Westonian readers share their thoughts 04 NEWS FROM AROUND ’TOWN

What’s happening on campus?

10 PAST IS PROLOGUE The more things change… 12 STRATEGIC PLAN Creating an Action-Based Education 13 NEW PROGRAM Community Life BEHIND THE COVER Photographer and parent Ed Cunicelli sets up our cover shot on the Oak Lane fields.

14 FIELDS & COURTS What a fall in athletics! 16 FACULTY PROFILE Mastery Meets Mission: Nicole Vonnahme

18 ARTS GALLERY Performing arts 20 STUDENT VOICES Graduation Essays from the Class of 2014 26 ALUMNI VOICES The Alumni Association has something to say 68 ALUMNI PROFILE Sheri and Dayton Coles ’63 help Westtown innovate 70 A LOOK BACK You’re a Good Man, Charley Brown 72 ALL IN THE FAMILY The tradition continues 76 REUNION RECAP What a weekend! 78 CLASS NOTES Catch up on alumni news 101 FROM THE ARCHIVES The water must have been cold

LET TER F ROM T H E H EAD O F SC H O O L JOH N B A IRD

The View from my Window

Recently I had the pleasure of spending time with a group of alumni from the Class of 1965, who got together to plan their upcoming 50th reunion. They met on campus in order to take advantage of the opportunity to visit classes, talk with students and faculty members, and attend Meeting for Worship. As it happened, the Upper School students had requested to hold their own Meeting that day in the Meeting House, so the alumni joined the faculty for worship in the South Room. Out of the gathered silence, a colleague spoke about the seemingly miraculous circumstances which led him to be part of this community and reflected on the tiny probability (he’s a statistics teacher!) of this particular group being assembled at this moment. Another teacher expressed appreciation for the support and love she has received from this community, her “village.” I felt a profound sense of gratitude for this extraordinarily talented and dedicated group of teachers, who collectively create a supportive “nest” in which the souls, minds, and bodies of our students grow, and from which they take oﬀ and fly. I wish that every alumna and alumnus could experience the window into the everyday life and the current ethos of Westtown that these members of the Class of ’65 did. One of them told me that before coming, he had had worries about “whether today’s Westtown would be recognizable to us.” In our meeting at the end of the day, they confirmed that they felt a strong continuity between the Westtown that they remember and love and the exciting things that are happening here today. As one member said, “We’ve all drunk from the same well.” This issue of The Westonian will give you the flavor of what’s going on at Westtown as we begin to implement our strategic plan, develop Action-Based 02

The Westonian Magazine

Education initiatives and signature programs in all three divisions, and articulate the vision and lay the groundwork for our ongoing and evolving residential program. At this pivotal moment in our history, we are fiercely committed to sustaining and enhancing the vitality of our boarding program and the transformational outcomes it provides—and intent on ensuring that day students will feel well connected and integrated into the community. Also included in this issue is the Annual Report with great news about enrollment and information about how Westtown works, the challenges we face, and how we are meeting them. Rachel Clarke ’86 has written a piece on alumni and parents who are putting their faith and values into practice in “purpose-driven careers” that reflect the impact Westtown has had on their lives. You will also find a 60 percent increase in class notes and a 44 percent increase in photos inside! Clearly I am excited about our redesigned Westonian. We are getting much better at describing our distinctive strengths and building on them in ways that are true to our heritage and that provide direction and inspiration for the future. I hope you see that Westtown is a school on the move. We’re holding faithful to our core Quaker principles and practices and focusing not only on the future of Westtown but the future of education and how our graduates can have an impact on the world. If you haven’t been on campus for a while, I hope you’ll find an opportunity to do so this year and see for yourself. We look forward to seeing you and welcoming you back to the well.

LE T T E RS

Points of View WE LOVE MAIL! Please send feedback in any form you choose. Address it to “Editor” and share your thoughts about any aspect of the magazine. We will do our best to publish as many letters as will fit. We may edit for space, and we’ll always confirm with you what we intend to publish. Our email is communications@westtown.edu

READERS REACT TO ISSUE 1: SPRING 2014

When you grow up with change as a constant, being able to “go back” to see things as they were can sometimes take on an epic and disproportionate significance. When my last school tore down a historic and signature building in order to grow their footprint, I and my fellow classmates were left with a disconnect to our history there. I was afraid that the new Westonian would be another such “loss” to a special time in my life. I am, however, really pleased with the look and feel and, more importantly, the still evident purpose of the new Westonian. Thank you for continuing the legacy of “reaching out” in its redesign. I think you’ve captured the essence of Westtown in the new edition, as it still “feels” like the Westtown that still touches and shapes me. Thank you. ELIZABETH COLEMAN BRANNON ’91

I’m writing this morning to congratulate you and others involved in creating the new Westonian magazine.

I happened to pick up a copy in Central yesterday thinking it was just a special Alumni Day publication. It looks so professional and so befitting for a school that has such a long history and a great story to tell!

DINA PATUKAS SCHMIDT ’84

I have a complaint about the new Westonian —white (or light) print on colored or gray backgrounds. Sure, it looks pretty, but ‘old eyes’ (which a lot of alumni have) do not read this low contrast print very well. Any text should be printed in black on white (or very light backgrounds). There were some places where ‘readers’ and 100 watt lighting were not enough to make things readable for me.

I quite like the new magazine. The layout, graphic design, paper, printing and content are all nice. I have to complain, however, about the text in the bottom right hand corner of page 33: “a science faculty, two-thirds comprised by women.” I submit that the education in English I received from Masters Tom Woodward and Tom Spencer indicates to me that “comprise” (or comprised) would never take the preposition ‘by.’ Correct could be: “A science faculty that comprises two-thirds women” or “A science faculty two-thirds composed of women.” (Note that “comprise” must come before the number.) Many people would say “A science faculty that is comprised of twothirds women”—this (taking the preposition ‘of’) is a recognized usage but still technically incorrect in the grammar books. Look it up. Or ask your English teachers. I’m not an English teacher. I’m a scientist, but I did receive good English training at Westtown.

parent of Rebecca Schmidt ’17

CAROLYN COOPER BREAM ’59

PAM MUELLER ’77

JAY YEATMAN ’51

What a beautiful publication—WELL DONE! LIDDY DAMRON ELLIS ’79

Just wanted to tell you that both Bill and I loved your new magazine design format! This is actually the first time Bill bothered to read a Westtown publication, and he said that the design is phenomenal. I’d love to get another copy if you have extras. Congratulations! SUNNY COVALESKI

parent of Amanda Covaleski ’16 and Audrey Covaleski ’19

Thanks for all the hard work (and your team’s hard work). Clearly a lot of eﬀort, thought, and energy went into it. The design, the photos, and the writing are terrific. I hope others feel the same.

I just wanted to send along a note saying that I think that the new format for The Westonian is wonderful! The content is much more engaging than in issues past and with a very readable format. I love the new format and the new approach. As evidence, the only thing I don’t like is the weird “t” font used in the magazine’s title. It seems to violate your stated principle on page 22 of the spring issue that the “typography . . . should be clean, readable . ...” It is too loopy = not clean. Great job —I’ll be looking forward to future issues. CARL JOHNSON ’60

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News from Around â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Town

The Westonian Magazine

N E W S F RO M A R O UND ’ T O W N

A Changemaker School Creating a world where every child masters empathy—that is the mission of Ashoka’s Start Empathy program. Ashoka is a global network of social entrepreneurs whose vision is to enable “an Everyone a Changemaker ™ world: one that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges; one where each individual has the freedom, confidence, and societal support to address any social problem and drive change.” Late last spring, Ashoka invited Westtown to be part of their network of Changemaker organizations. In a letter to Westtown’s Changemaker Schools Committee, an Ashoka representative wrote, “We are inspired and encouraged by your commitment to cultivating empathy in your students, as well as your aspiration to ensure all children become changemakers.” We are thrilled by this designation, which affirms the very heart of our mission—to inspire leaders and stewards of a better world. Westtown is the only boarding school and the only Quaker school in the Changemaker School network, and one of only seven pre-K through 12 schools in the United States. The partnership with Ashoka is already paying off. Senior Zach Gambill was accepted to the Catapult Incubator, run by Ashoka’s Youth Venture Program. The Catapult Incubator is a program for high school students that offers a comprehensive business LEARN MORE curriculum, mentorship, and connection to thought about the Start Empathy leaders in technology, venture capital, and social program www. entrepreneurship. He’ll attend weekend workshops startempathy.org and seminars at the University of Pennsylvania through March. Zach’s project was a perfect match for the Catapult Incubator. As part of his Independent Seminar class, Zach says he is “pursuing the creation of a business that uses phytoplankton to feed people in malnourished countries at a very low cost while also maximizing nutrition potential.” He’s also enrolled in the Applied Scientific Research course in which he tackles the technical portion of his project—learning the nutritional value and growth factors of phytoplankton. Zach will attend seminars at the Catapult Incubator and explore partnerships in launching his business, NannoFood. Giving a student the opportunity to combine research, technology, and business to solve a pressing world problem is what being a Changemaker School is all about. Examples of students as changemakers abound at Westtown, from the second grade study of the coral reefs that culminated in a fundraiser to help save

We are thrilled by this designation, which aﬃrms the very heart of our mission—to inspire leaders and stewards of a better world. the reefs to the Middle School’s “Take Back the Tap” initiative that reduces the use of bottled water on campus. Westtown’s Action-Based Education puts students in the center of their learning, encourages exploration and discovery, and emphasizes real-world problem solving. It also reflects our deep commitment to service and, yes, fostering empathy in our students.

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N EWS F ROM ARO UND ’ T O WN

Lower School iLab INNOVATION, IDEAS, AND IMAGINATION We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to a generous gift from Sheri and Dayton Coles ’63, the Lower School iLab has been completed and students are beginning projects! The iLab was created to give students a specific space for the incubation of ideas, for invention, imagination, and impact. It is a space for design thinking, which invites students to find and resolve problems. Design thinking combines the subjective inquiry of the humanities, the objective truth-seeking of the sciences, and the creative and open-ended investigation of art and engineering. The iLab will be a place to hypothesize, investigate, build, test, fail, and rebuild, and where resources will be used wisely, creatively, and with playful purpose.

Q U I CK N O T ES

WALKING THE WALK With gusto and enthusiasm, 20 Westtown students and teachers added their voices to the breathtaking chorus of hundreds of thousands of people— one person for every 1,000 Americans —on the streets of New York City at the Climate Change March in September. That’s a really big crowd; in fact, the biggest climate march in history. Banners were flying, and signs were everywhere. The diversity of the crowd was striking: families with young ones, students in droves, people of every age, religion, ethnicity, and culture. The tone was ebullient, positive, and determined: peaceful assembly at its best. Democracy in action. It was wonderful to have Westtown School represented at this historic event.

The Westonian Magazine

MIDDLE SCHOOL SERVICE Service happens in all areas of the school and in many ways, but recently both 7th and 8th grades had dedicated service days. Seventh graders gleaned at Pete’s Produce Farm, collecting about 29 bins of kale and collard greens for the Chester County Food Bank. One group of 8th graders journeyed to Fair Hill, a Quaker burial ground with community gardens. They cleaned up the gardens, collecting limbs, branches and leaves. Then they had a tour where they learned the history of the grounds and that Lucretia Mott was buried at this important location. The other 8th grade group spent their day at La Mancha Animal Rescue, where they cleaned cages, exercised animals, and moved tons of cat and dog food—in the pouring rain. “Thank you is not enough. You all went way beyond the call of duty. I have never seen a group work so hard and give so much of themselves,” Susan Ledden at La Mancha wrote in a letter to students. Well done, Middle School!

NATIONAL MERIT SEMI-FINALISTS NAMED Congratulations to Abigail Kaplan, Alex Nunes, and Jerry Peng, all of whom have been named National Merit Semi-Finalists. Of the 1.4 million juniors (in 22,000 high schools) who took the PSAT last year, 16,000 seniors have been designated as Semi-Finalists. There is not one national cut-off number; instead, National Merit sets a state or cohort cut-off so that Semi-Finalists are distributed geographically. Westtown currently belongs to the “national boarding school” cohort, which has the highest Selection Index cut-off in the country, many points higher than the public or private schools in our area, let alone in other states. That makes their scores especially noteworthy! Well done Abigail, Alex, and Jerry!

N E W S F RO M A R O UND ’ T O W N

Solve This! IT’S YOUR TURN! Test yourself by working on some of the questions and problems that challenge Westtown students today. Solutions can be found online, and short videos of students and teachers will give you a glimpse of our distinctive approaches to curriculum.

It’s Puzzling

Teacher Jon Kimmel often exercises the minds of his math students with puzzles like the one below. Can you figure out the value of each shape? The total weight is 159. Each of the three arms is equal in weight. Bonus clue: Diamond shape and five other shapes are prime numbers. Visit the website to listen in as Emma Stavis shows how to solve this puzzle. WHAT’S THE VALUE OF EACH SHAPE?

NEED ANSWERS? GO TO

Riddle Me This

Dig out your high school Spanish and give this riddle from Profe Mónica Ruiz Meléndez a try! What am I? Oro parece, plata no es, el que no lo sepa un tonto es.

Less is More

How can we create less waste? Since Westtown’s designation as a Changemaker School, first graders have been discussing how they can be changemakers, how they can do their part to make the world a better place. They decided that they would concentrate on reducing waste in school, especially at lunch. Visit the website to hear Emma Brooks and Tyler Schmale explain how they’re creating less waste.

www.westtown.edu/thewestonian

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N EWS F ROM ARO UND ’ T O WN

PA E NE RGY D E VELO P MEN T AU TH O RI T Y

Awards Westtown $500,000 Grant We are thrilled to announce that Westtown School has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority. The PEDA Board of Trustees met on October 22, 2014, awarding 27 grants from an applicant pool of 184 organizations. Westtown School is the only independent school to be awarded a grant. “It was a highly competitive applicant pool and recipients had to have stellar applications and a great idea,” according to Katherine Heatherington Confer of PEDA’s External Aﬀairs Department. The funds will help That “great idea” is a significant redesign convert the central steam plant to a and upgrade of the steam system that is used to high-efficiency, heat the historic 1887 main building as well as hot water condensing boiler system. other campus buildings. The funds will help The conversion will Westtown convert the central steam plant to a reduce energy use by high-eﬃciency, hot water condensing boiler system. This conversion will reduce energy use by 28 percent. Additionally, LED lighting upgrades in Lower and Middle Schools and the Athletic Center will reduce electricity use by 50 percent in these areas. These are important steps toward Westtown’s goal of becoming a carbonneutral campus.

28%

COLLEGE BOUND The Class of 2014 has headed off to college. See photos of our students’ destinations from college shirt day and view the full list: www.westtown.edu/ collegebound

The Westonian Magazine

Honoring Coach Downey Thanks to the generosity of many donors, especially the Coltman Friends Foundation, and the exceptional work of our Facilities Department, the “new gym” has been renovated. In late September, we dedicated the Coach Downey Court in honor of our late friend and longtime coach, Tom Downey. The unveiling and dedication kicked off an all-school pep rally. All faculty, staff, and students gathered to celebrate Tom, our student athletes, and Westtown spirit. Fall sports captains and Brown and White Team captains introduced their teams to fanfare, and the Student Body Presidents led us in cheer. It was a grand occasion! Have you seen it yet? The upgrades to the floor, bleachers, banners, and new paint are stunning! The paint scheme shows our brown and white, still proudly and forever our school colors, accented with blue. We hope you’ll don your brown and white and cheer on our talented athletes as they compete in this premier sports facility this season and in seasons to come.

N E W S F RO M A R O UND ’ T O W N

HAVE YOUR SAY

When I think of Westtown, I think/feel/wonder… Westtown experience

I think about what the has been for today’s graduating class as so dramatically presented by the new Westonian. As an old grad who is approaching his 70th reunion, the Westtown I remember was a far diﬀerent experience. There were no Senior Projects, no student-driven Independent Seminars. Sustainability and robotics were not part of our vocabulary. World War II was waging throughout my years at Westtown. Each week at Collection Master Al Hay used a world map to bring us up to date on the proceedings of the war during the previous week. We learned about the sieges of Stalingrad and Leningrad, and the terrible loss of life during the battles in the Pacific. We worried about the boys who were struggling with the decision as to should they register as conscientious objectors or enlist in the service. The war in Europe finally ended in April of 1945 before we graduated. The boys in our class were sure they would be drafted as the war continued in the Pacific. Our education was very diﬀerent, but it was still a fine education taught by dedicated teachers. I am proud to be a Westonian!—DOUG RICHIE ’45

Too hard to say exactly...recent and in depth conversations with old (non Westtown) friends made me realize how much of who and what I am today is because I am an alum of Westtown. The

core

values of being kind, respectful and appreciative have really

hit close to my heart recently, and I am confident that those values will continue to be an integral part of everyone fortunate enough to be a part of Westtown.—SCOTT WATSON ’89

life-long friendships

I think of the wonderful made. I think of the four years of my life where I learned the most about myself and the world around me. When I think of Westtown, I feel sincere appreciation for all of the faculty, staﬀ, and peers that pushed me and encouraged me to speak my mind, try new things, and always do my best. I am forever grateful for the diverse opportunities that Westtown made available to me. —NIKKI SOLANO ’13

great big hug

I feel like I am getting a . I’ve always felt that people were genuine, sincerely cared, and nurtured both the students and the parents with open, welcoming arms.

I feel protected.

I don’t just mean that people are telling me what I can or can’t do to keep safe, because they’re not, and in fact, in a way never were. Actually, I once asked a faculty member for permission to walk outside at night (on school premises) because I felt it was important to my creative development, and he gave it to me. What I mean is that in the course of my life, for a sustained period of time, people honestly cared about how I felt, how I developed, what my interests were, and what I did with my life, and I am certain they trusted me. I don’t think I’ve betrayed that trust. Sometimes I feel this is the only thing keeping me going in a world where distrust seems to be the order of the day. —ARTHUR KINCAID ’59

—KIM HOLLANDER, PARENT OF ZACHARY DILUZIO ’09 AND JESSE DILUZIO ’14

Thank you to these five brave first submitters! Next issue, we hope to publish even more notes. The prompt:

Does the world really need more Westonians?

Send your responses to westonian@westtown.edu or to our street address with attention to Terry Dubow.

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Past is Prologue

1943

Not a lot has changed since the W O R K PR OGR AM’s inception in the early 1940s. While there is no longer a belt for wash, the core jobs remain essentially the same—set, serve, wash, re-set, Main Hall and dorm janitorials, gardening, and Work Bank. Students continue to learn about the value and dignity of work in addition to communication skills, time management, and leadership. The Work Program at Westtown is universal and perpetual. A RCHI VA L PHO TO CO URT ES Y OF M ARY B RO OKS, W EST TO WN S C H OOL ARC H IVES. 2 0 14 PHO TO BY E D C UNIC ELLI Pictured below foreground from left: Con Shea ’15, Steffanie Garzon ’15 (Work Program Head). Background from left: Marie Ochefu ’15, David Burke ’15

2014

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S TRATEG I C P L AN UP DAT E

Action-Based Education BY T E RRY DU B O W

We’re excited. Last June, the Board of Trustees approved The World Needs More Westonians, the plan that will guide Westtown for the next years as we design our way to becoming a more stable, sustainable, and visionary school. This summer, the administration began to make the plan operational by identifying our priorities, creating schedules, and engaging our faculty, staﬀ, and Board in the work. The plan’s vision stakes out a bold and, we believe, compelling ambition for Westtown over the next years: The world’s needs are profound, and Westtown must faithfully embrace its identity as a school of urgency and impact. We will become a recognized leader in developing the next generation of globally-engaged, scientifically-literate, spiritually-guided, and ethically-grounded leaders and stewards of a better world. The primary way that we’ll make this vision a reality is through vigorously and creatively re-imagining our program, which we define broadly to include work in all three divisions, our athletic and arts oﬀerings and, of course, the residential program. As scheduled, the Community Life Committee submitted their recommendations to John Baird in September, and we’re presently working through them in anticipation of next fall, which is the first year when students who entered Westtown in 7th grade or earlier will be able to choose whether to board as juniors and seniors. It’s gratifying to see just how powerful the residential pull remains. This year, a record number of local students chose to join the boarding program before the requisite 11th grade year—four freshmen and eight sophomores. As they always do, the residential faculty have approached this new year with renewed dedication to the program, infusing campus life with their imagination, good humor, and commitment to Westtown. It’s also important to emphasize that The World Needs More Westonians charts the course for an even stronger and more innovative academic program. While retaining the tried-and-true approaches that have inspired Westonians for generations, the plan boldly claims a distinctly Westtown approach that will prepare today’s students for lives of success and meaning. We’re calling it The Action-Based Education at Westtown. The Action-Based Education focuses not on the world we grew up in, but on the world our students will inherit. And what a world that is. It’s filled with confounding challenges, shifting technologies, and unseen possibilities. It has no operating manual, and what 12

The Westonian Magazine

rules it does have have also changed from those that organized the world when we were growing up. Schools need to adapt and innovate if we’re going to prepare this generation to thrive and lead. While many schools organize their curricula around high-stakes tests, we place action in the center of each student’s experience. We teach our students to see themselves not as passive consumers of knowledge or culture, but as active, deeply knowledgeable, and confident doers. The Action-Based Education results in part from our Quaker beliefs and values, which have inspired generations of Friends to take stands, to solve problems, to engage with the world as it is in order to draw it closer to how it should be. The Action-Based Education also comes from a recognition that the world has changed and that schools need to as well. Westtown inspires young people to adapt, solve problems, collaborate, and, perhaps most importantly, care. From the earliest grades, The Action-Based Education provides opportunities to “do” learning in a way that results in students who find their voice and use it to develop the rare confidence to take action, to declare themselves as leaders, to risk failure, and to stand up for deeply-held beliefs. Westtown’s Action-Based Education develops this confidence and much more because it goes well beyond the content mastery and skill acquisition that students need to get big things done in an unscripted world. As part of the strategic plan, our teachers will spend the next years developing new expressions of The Action-Based Education at Westtown. We already have some transformative ideas in play, including the development of Deep Dive graduation designations for Upper School students who pursue two-year experiences in Sustainability, Global Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship. In the Lower School, the new iLab (see pages 68 for more) places action, imagination, and problem-solving at the heart of each student’s experience. And action is at the center of much of what happens in the Middle School, such as the work 7th grade science students are doing as they design, build, and develop an elaborate turtle-capture study as part of the Lake Restoration Project. With its emphasis on program, engagement, and financial sustainability, The World Needs More Westonians is a plan that honors the history, values, and culture that have helped Westtown thrive for more than 200 years. We’re excited to share it with you. Expect a more detailed roll-out of the plan this spring.

NEW P R OG R A M

Community Life BY PAU L L E H MA NN ’9 9 A N D W H I T NEY S UT T E LL ’9 8

For 215 years, Westtown has prepared its graduates to be stewards and leaders of a better world. Ours is critical work, which is why we believe the world needs more Westonians, people who engage, who care, who see that of God in each individual, who act on their values with integrity and kindness. We feel deeply confident that Westtown’s modified boarding policy will help us achieve this goal. It is a bold and visionary move that will allow the school to attract and retain the highest-caliber students by creating the best possible program for both boarding and day students. We’re very excited that 2015–16 inaugurates the new residential program in which students who entered Westtown in 7th grade or earlier will have a choice about whether to join the residential community as juniors and seniors. For 2015–16, that amounts to 30 of next year’s 105 juniors and 32 of next year’s 105 seniors. In November, the school surveyed the parents of next year’s Upper School students who will have a choice to board as juniors and seniors, and the results were deeply gratifying and helpful (see sidebar). While we won’t know the final composition of the Upper School until next September, we feel confident that the program we’re creating will elevate the residential experience while also enriching the day program. As clerks of the Community Life Committee, we presented our report and recommendations to John Baird this fall, and now we’re busy developing an implementation plan. What follows are just a few of the highlights from the committee’s recommendations, that we hope provide a sense of the direction for the Community Life Program: Invest in a visionary dining room and student center to create a space where all community members can meet, work, and socialize.

Develop a signature grade-level experience, such as an overnight orientation trip, to build connections and relationships within each class. Continue to invite day students to dinner and study hall to maintain the open and welcoming community that we have always had. Make Friday nights (post-athletic contests) the highlighted weekend night with on-campus and “marquee” events. This will allow day students who are already on campus to stay for the Friday night activity. Increase the weekend budget to allow for more substantive marquee events and increased funding of student participation. Establish a clear and limited driving policy in which day students are allowed only to drive to and from campus. Cars will not be used during the day to leave campus, and they will be parked in a non-centralized location. Start a boarding scholarship program for students who demonstrate exemplary leadership. Create materials and programs to market the residential program internally and externally. Our work would not have been possible without the spirit of innovation and cooperation that has come from all corners of the Westtown community. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and believe the policies and programs we have recommended will support all Westtown families and keep our community connected and grounded.

BY THE NUMBERS

of 95 respondents say their child is likely or very likely to board in Upper School.

of 90 respondents indicated they are likely to join the residential program in 11th grade.

of 91 respondents agree that boarding is excellent preparation for college.

of 89 respondents believe the residential program will provide positive adult mentors for their child.

of 89 respondents are unclear about the value of the boarding program

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Fields & Courts It was an exciting fall season in Athletics! After a strong season, the Varsity Field Hockey team bested Shipley 2-1 in the Friends Schools League semi-finals. They demonstrated amazing skill and heart in the FSL final game versus Academy of the New Church, but ANC scored in overtime, with no time left, to win by one goal in this nail-biter of a game. Post-season play continued with a 2-0 win over Penn Charter in the PAISAA tourney. Boys’ Varsity Soccer had a season of highs and lows but ended strong. They beat Moorestown Friends 4-2 in the FSL semi-final to advance to the final. Although they played hard against Shipley in the See more sports updates online at championship game, they lost westtown.edu/ 4-1, for a second place finish in athletics the Friends Schools League. Cross Country had a successful season. Our runners consistently showed stamina and grace throughout the season, and several posted personal bests. The boys placed second, and the girls placed fourth in the Friends Schools League. Volleyball, Girls’ Soccer and Girls’ Tennis all had strong seasons, with young teams that show great promise for next year. We are proud of all our athletes!

The Westonian Magazine

All our athletes deserve crowded bleachers and noisy stands! Come to campus and cheer on our athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you can find team schedules on the athletics calendar online. If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come to campus, you can watch games live or on demand via Bleachers. To learn more, visit: www.gobleachers.com Athletics calendar: www.westtown.edu/athletics

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FACU LT Y PRO FIL E

Nicole Vonnahme

Mastery Meets Mission STO RY BY - % % Ć&#x201E; L PH OT O BY E D C U NI C ELLI

The sunlight-dappled room hums with activity. A little girl helps a classmate unzip his jacket and hangs it in his cubby for him. Two little boys sit together on oversized chairs sounding out words in a book. Their teacher stops to listen in and gently corrects their pronunciation. Across the room, a group of children assembles a musical marble run and giggle at their marbleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successful trip on their contraption. Their teacher laughs with them and praises them for working together so well. She moves to the SmartBoard and displays a series of sentences. The children gather in a circle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who can find a capital T?â&#x20AC;? she chirps, smiling eyes wide. Little hands jut into the air. Bubbly. Energetic. Caring. Patient. These are words we might all use to describe most teachers of very young children. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perhaps rarer to assign them terms like master teacher, innovator, and mission champion. Yet these all describe Nicole Vonnahme, Lead Teacher of the Lower Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Primary Circle program. Underlying Vonnahmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eďŹ&#x20AC;ortlessly chipper demeanor is a commitment to and passion for early childhood education. After studying at the University of New Hampshire, where she was a Family Studies major, she focused on the education of nursery school and kindergarten children and became trained in Reggio Emilia, an educational philosophy that focuses on discovery and exploration in a supportive, nurturing environment. When she saw that Westtown was hiring, Vonnahme jumped at the chance to apply because of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the pull of working at a Quaker school on such a beautiful campusâ&#x20AC;? and the family feel. She was eager to teach at Westtown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had never taught at a school that truly teaches the whole child. Here we create a learning environment that feels welcoming, safe, and is essentially an extension of home. Designing a curriculum around Quaker values and this beautiful land is the fun part.â&#x20AC;? Creating â&#x20AC;&#x153;an extension of homeâ&#x20AC;? in the classroom is important to Vonnahme, and it belies a greater purpose: to provide a safe and comfortable foundation for learning and teaching. Step inside her classroom and the comfort of home and family feeling is readily apparent. It is a warm, cozy space in which the children interact with easy confidence. 16

The Westonian Magazine

Vonnahme is thrilled with the Primary Circle program, which combines the pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten children. Now in its fourth year, Primary Circle has quickly become a signature program in Westtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lower School. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teaching kids for two years gives us deeper insights into individual students,â&#x20AC;? Vonnahme says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to observe and more acutely diďŹ&#x20AC;erentiate and address learning styles and development. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to have closer relationships with our students.â&#x20AC;? In Primary Circle, older students exhibit confidence, independence, and joy; even at this young age they relish being leaders of and collaborators with younger students. The opportunities for leadership help them develop greater sensitivity to the needs of others. The benefits for younger students are evident. They observe more sophisticated patterns of behavior sooner. They hear more advanced language and have exposure to more highlydeveloped problem-solving behavior. They are exposed to learning material that is ahead of grade level. Primary Circle has a two-year curriculum cycle so that children who start in Pre-K learn new material in the second year. Students are grouped by age for academic portions of the day. Kindergarteners are introduced to higher-level concepts in math and reading than their younger classmates, and Vonnahme and her assistant teachers provide lessons that are developmentally appropriate for both age groups. Lower School Principal Kristin Trueblood credits the success of Primary Circle to Vonnahme and her team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The self-reliance students gain comes from the seamless structure and support of our teachers, who understand developmental milestones. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the mastery of our teachers that makes it happen so well,â&#x20AC;? says Trueblood. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nicole is a remarkable teacher. She makes it look easy because she is flexible with young children while holding high expectations for behavior and learning.â&#x20AC;? After seven years at Westtown, Vonnahme remains energized by Westtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything we practice at Westtown starts here: solving conflict through eye-to-eye resolutions, becoming young stewards of our campus and community, Action-Based Educationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all of it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so exciting to be a part of it.â&#x20AC;?

FAC U LT Y P R O F I L E

Watch a video of Nicole at westtown.edu/ thewestonian

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The Arts Gallery

Learn more about the Arts at westtown. edu/arts

SING. DANCE. ACT. BUILD. LIGHT. Our students lift their voices in song, express themselves in movement, embody characters on the stage, bring instruments to life, fashion sets, and light up the stage. The Performing Arts at Westtown offer students many avenues to hone their gifts and talents. This gallery of photos is a glimpse of students learning, rehearsing, and preparing to shine on stage. We invite you to see the kids in action! Visit the website for the performance schedule. westtown.edu/artsschedule

The Westonian Magazine

T HE A R TS G A L LE RY

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Essays Class of 2014 Their experiences, in their own words — that’s what the speeches at Commencement are all about. It wasn’t always this way. Like most schools, Westtown used to invite dignitaries to deliver commencement addresses. Then, in 1969, a last-minute cancellation of the speaker necessitated some scrambling. It was decided that students would be selected to speak. It was such a success that a tradition was born. After all, noted John Baird in his address, “The voices we most want to hear on graduation day are those of our seniors.”

LYRA PISCITELLI

My parents have told me that I learned how to speak by pointing at things and shouting, “Da!” They would say the name of whatever object had caught my attention, and I would try to repeat it. This would continue for a good half hour or so until I had absorbed all that I could. I don’t remember much from those days, but I imagine that I was hungry for sound, savoring every vibration, every change in pitch, every tap of the tongue against the teeth. Seventeen years later, not much has changed. I am still fascinated by the same sounds that my parents used to repeat over and over again, the sounds that quietly constructed a home for my thoughts and forged my identity without my noticing. I now collect vowels, consonants, and inflections the way I used to collect simple words for the objects around me. I fall in love with every brand of gibberish I hear on the subway, listening intently to words that I can barely hold on to, many of which escape me altogether. Curiously enough, the only thing I love more than language is silence. For all the energy that I spend chasing after every elusive sound, I know that it is in the silence that follows that I absorb their true meaning. Sometimes I become so absorbed in the sounds I hear around me that I forget what they mean. In silence, I find something

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infinite that language has never been able to provide for me, and I have witnessed some of the most profound words and the most profound silences at Westtown. When you go to a boarding school, silence isn’t always easy to come by. From the minute we wake up until lights out, we are exposed to a cacophony of sounds that are uniquely “Westtown:” the radio blasting from the bathroom on G2, the clatter of plates and utensils at Community Dinner as soon as community sharing is done, the constant buzz of conversations drifting up and down Main Hall. During my time here, these sounds have become dear to my heart, but I worry sometimes that we get lost in all the commotion, that we say and hear hundreds of thousands of words every day without making an eﬀort to understand the truth that lies beneath them, somewhere beyond the limits of simple sound waves. This brings me to what I believe is Westtown’s greatest gift: its perfect balance between turbulence and stillness. You can feel it in our campus, where bustling school buildings are only a five-minute walk away from a serene lake. Indeed, students here are not only articulate; we are also wellversed in silence. Just as the sounds of faculty children running gleefully about and utensils clinking against cups to signal a mealtime announcement make

Westtown what it is, so do the school’s many silences; the brief pause before Community Dinner, after the ringing of the bell of mindfulness in World Religions class, between the last name called for collection attendance and the resounding cry of “SENIORS!” Of course, the biggest “pause” happens on Thursdays, when students and faculty gather in a simple old stone meetinghouse to partake in the Quaker tradition of Meeting for Worship. We sit in shared silence, some of us waiting for a divine message, some simply reflecting on the past week, and others not-so-subtly catching up on lost sleep. I use this time to savor the silence that I so rarely let into my life. In one of my favorite poems, Wallace Stevens writes, “I don’t know which to prefer,/The beauty of inflections /Or the beauty of innuendos, /The blackbird whistling/Or just after.” For me, Meeting for Worship is when all the “just-afters,” the spaces between the words I have heard all week long, come together. All the dramatic pauses, the thoughtful hesitations, and the cutoﬀs midsentence are concentrated into one hour. The still, silent expanse that they form harbors a reality that words can only hope to convey. When Meeting begins, I place my feet flat on the floor and take several slow, deep breaths. As the room settles, I slowly untangle myself from the string of words that I’ve been dragging along with me during the week. Sometimes someone will stand to share a message. There is something enchanting about a single voice penetrating the silence, but the most magical moment always happens just after the speaker has finished, and the sound disappears as quickly as it came. It is the echo that remains in my head that leads me to believe that silence is not the enemy of words; it is a home for the ones that have already been spoken.

S T U D E NT VO I C E S

We sit in shared silence, some of us waiting for a divine message, some simply reflecting on the past week, and others not-so-subtly catching up on lost sleep. I use this time to savor the silence that I so rarely let into my life. BILLY HAVILAND

ADHD. What kid doesn’t have it these days? In 8th grade I was diagnosed with the tormenting disability after multiple, tiring one-on-ones with doctors. Being ADHD defined my life. Everything, from making friends to paying attention in class, was made more diﬃcult. I was now labeled. I struggled in middle school with finding myself. I didn’thave one thing that defined me, except for the fact that I was the kid with ADHD. My class was made up of 16 other kids who seemed to have their own thing that made them who they were. I had this deficit that clung to me. I struggled with this until the end of my 8th grade summer. The search for the perfect high school for me was extremely stressful. I had to make sure that for the next four years, I would be in a place where people would notice me for things other than my attention deficit disorder. It came to the very end of the summer, until I finally found out that I was accepted to Westtown School. At first I saw Westtown as the place that I

would be forced to go since I am from a legacy family that dates back to the early 1900s. I thought of it as kids being locked up in their cell-like dorm rooms, blocked oﬀ from the outside world. I imagined this long brick building as a prison. ‘Why would I want to bring my ADHD here?’ I thought. My parents told me that this would be the best thing for me. I would enjoy my experience here, and living on dorm would put me a step ahead of some of my friends who were going to day schools. I reluctantly bought in to their game plan, and before I could blink, I was enrolled at Westtown School. I remember how frightened I was to just get out of bed on the first morning before pre-season soccer.

I was putting myself in an environment with new people. When I thought about it, I realized that this was the first time I had done this in 11 years. I attended Media Providence Friends School from pre-k to 8th grade. For the first time in 11 years, my environment was changing. I thought I would never be able to deal with all of the stress of such a top-notch high school, especially with the thought of my ADHD hanging over my head all of the time. This ADHD thing really began to feel more like a rain cloud, getting ready to burst at any moment, which it did. But this rain was not the rain of sorrow or burden. The rain that fell from the cloud was like the rain on one of those nice, calming spring days. The

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Whether it be on the soccer field or in the classroom, I was welcomed by you with open arms. You have taught me how to become a better human being. I don’t know what I would have done if I had not attended Westtown School.

kind of rain that welcomed in new things and made a stormless mark. What this welcoming was, was the pre-season soccer camp that I attended a week before school started. I was thrown into a mini-camp with 30 or so other boys. I realized that everyone there had the same goal. The goal was made clear: make the varsity squad. I can vividly remember myself being out on the field and having to ask to come oﬀ because I had become too tired. My head was spinning. I was not just tired because of the physical nature of the game, but because I was confused. How could I be cooperating and getting along with these boys so easily, whom I had never spoken a word to before? I did not get what I was expecting from this camp. I got more than I had expected. My head was still spinning when I found out later in the camp that I did not make

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the varsity squad… nor the JV squad… but the JVC team. I got through pre-season with more friends than I had a week earlier. I now knew 30 or more other boys, some of them being freshmen whom I would share class with. I noticed that I was already making moves in the right direction by hardly doing anything at all, just playing soccer. This is what Westtown can do for you. Next came school. The moment we had all been dreading. I knew I was not the only worried incoming freshman. What I didn’t know was whether I was the only one with ADHD. Would other kids outside of soccer accept me? Would I struggle in class and have to drop out of high school like so many other troubled kids in the U.S. have to do? My pessimistic mind wandered all over the place. It was challenging to slow my

brain down. I knew what they always said, “Great minds think alike.” But what if one of those minds is impaired? Does that still have the same impact? Am I considered one of these so-called “great minds” like my other classmates would be? I went into my first day of school very cautiously. I stayed by myself all day until lunch. I remember this moment so vividly. I walked into the dining room to see that everyone else was sitting in their separate friend groups. It was not a surprise to me; it was what I expected. Typical high school picture, right? You have the smarties to the right, the basketball table to the left, the group of loud senior girls, the soccer player table, the tennis… but wait. Go back for a second - the soccer table. I walked up to the table slowly, trying to see if there were any seats left. I noticed one open next to Jeﬀ Novak. I walked over to the table, and before I could say anything, Jeﬀ said, “Billy! One more seat, come and join us.” “Phew,” I thought. The wall of insecurity about finding new friends was knocked down. I knew everyone at the table, and I connected with them instantly. This is what Westtown can do for you.

S T U D E NT VO I C E S

I couldn’t believe that I had fit in so quickly. Without much struggle, I was able to make new friends and began to discover my new home. Those few days made me come to the conclusion that I had made a bad hypothesis. I thought that I would be held back by my ADHD and not be able to make friends and thrive in a new community. The outcome was totally diﬀerent. After the first week of school, I fit in so well that I felt like I had already known my classmates years before I arrived at Westtown. My ADHD did not hold me back. This is what Westtown can do for you. I have gained 119 new family members since I enrolled at Westtown. My class. The class of 2014, you have no idea how much you mean to me. You guys have helped me to fight oﬀ a deficit which I thought would hold me back forever. Whether it be on the soccer field or in the classroom, I was welcomed by you with open arms. You have taught me how to become a better human being. I don’t know what I would have done if I had not attended Westtown School. My outlook on life might have been the same as it was four years ago, dull and uninspirational. The class of 2014 has been my inspiration. I have hit my goals. In freshmen year, I thought I would never make it. I am happy to say that this year, I finally made the varsity soccer team, and I was co-captain of the varsity track team. I am here to tell you not to let a disability hold you back. Run with it, and strive. This is what Westtown has done for me.

KATIE SCHICK

I thought I understood it. That I could grasp it. But I didn’t. Not really. Poverty slaps you in the face, and my heart throbbed with irony. Those two weeks were such a precious gift, but also deepening burden, so meticulously disguised as a leisure holiday. Controversy, confusion and angry opinions spat riveting thoughts at me from inside my own head. I lifted my

eyes slowly to scan my cluttered bedroom. I saw all of my things. Disgusting. I slouched in my baggy t-shirt, quiet, just hours since safely arriving in New York after our long travel from our little town of Ollantaytambo, Peru. No mountains, no fresh air, and no beautifully-decorated, colorful people. I sat, cheeks flushed, with a blanket draped over my shoulders, ignoring the buzzing cell phone in my hands as I flipped through my hand-written, 110-page journal that I had so carefully kept, where I had described every detail in fear of forgetting. Suddenly I hated my things. I hated my clothes, the hot running water, my soft carpet, and abundance of food, all of it. I hated everything I owned that I knew they didn’t. Most of all, I hated that I had spent my entire life nonchalantly wearing nice things, attending an incredible school, and helping myself to seconds each night without much appreciation. Suddenly, everything I owned, I loathed. Why things are so heartbreakingly unfair is the hardest question I’ve been challenged with in a long time. Why was I born into a place where many people don’t know that they should be thankful every single day for not having to wear yesterday’s clothes, or eat yesterday’s dinner for all three of today’s meals. Why can’t everyone see the face of a child, smeared with mud and grit, sitting alone in a busy market, wearing ripped pants, a mismatched shirt, and a big smile on his little pristine, wideeyed cheeks, bursting with a laugh so contagious it almost kills you. And last of all, the one agonizing question that tormented me to no end: Why did I need a lucky opportunity and bank account to recognize this? The answer came to me throughout a string of nights full of scrutiny and confusion. It was the people that got to me, their faces. I studied them everywhere I went, searching for a happiness that I had yet to find. I found it in a little girl who I never even talked to. I only saw her for a few seconds, and yet her

face still resides in my mind. She was filthy, streaked with multiple days’ worth of dirt. She wore a mix of colors and a red sun hat that covered the top of her long, dark hair and shaded her equally-dark eyes. She had a tire at her feet, and a piece of metal ran through the middle. Bent over, one hand on each side, she wheeled the tire around, chasing after it. A huge smile spread across her face, and she toppled over with laughter. She grinned, got up, and again began to run. Her home, the size of a single bedroom, was made of brick and clay. The one-room house was hardly big enough for a few people and had no furniture. There were no windows or chimneys, which caused severe respiratory illness in the community. There was no running water, and guinea pigs ran free. In one corner of the room was a goat’s head. Eyes, organs, and all spilled out from behind, as it just sat there to rot and be eaten by the flies. She sleeps on this ground. She eats on this ground. She will grow up here and probably die here. It tore me up. Outside, she still stood smiling in the sun. If you have ever witnessed with your own two eyes a misted cloud roll over the peak of a mountain as the sun sets, carefully and slowly caressing all of its tarnished, bumpy curves, sliding down its base and subtly settling in a valley, creating a blanket of protection as the people below fall into a somber sleep, you have witnessed peace. This was serenity so surreal, so deep, and so profound, it was as if the mind becomes free of the body, beginning a selfreflection so wonderful that attempting to describe it could not possibly do it justice. After spending all day climbing, I sat, surrounded by grasses and small plants that could withstand the 14,000feet altitude. This day-long climb was a week into our trip to Peru, and little did I know the night would bring me such peace of mind. It took me that night on that mountain to realize that this dirt-smudged, crazy, beautiful little girl was okay.

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See, our lives overlapped for that split second that we made eye contact, and then each of us zipped off on two very different roads. Somehow that second was there for a reason, and the lessons I took away from her were for me to apply to my home in the States. “To be sad is to offend creation,” said a man I met in Peru. Realizing the differences in two cultures does not mean ignoring the poverty or denying wealth, but ridding your own life of guilt and burden. It means to embrace the people in front of you. When I arrived home, I came back to a community that didn’t understand, that I felt would never understand what I had experienced. I felt alone amongst all of my friends. I returned to Westtown, eager to reunite with my classmates and hear

about the other projects. When their stories began to unfold, I realized I had fallen victim to my own assumptions, unable to really comprehend what they had learned. I quickly drew the parallel, between myself and the small girl, who knew nothing of each other, came from diﬀerent backgrounds and diﬀerent families, but shared that moment together, taking pieces of each other with us as we departed. With my four thousand dollars and my plane ticket to Peru, the irony, I realized, was that my time at Westtown has provided me a similar opportunity. Each and every one of us, geographically dispersed, coming from our own families and separate lives, are all moving through this incredible and exciting chapter together. In our time here, despite financial divide,

geographic barrier, and diﬀering political or religious opinions, Westtown has given us a safe space to bask in each other’s company. Our diverse community of culture, religion and race opens our eyes to people diﬀerent from us, and in doing so, brings us closer as a family. You see, Westtown has taught me that happiness can come in any situation, and love can be shown in any circumstance, much like the families, children, and even stray dogs I had the privilege of meeting in Peru. No possessions or amount of money determine the amount of joy in a person’s life. Things such as sitting with your best friends in the Dining Hall for an extra hour after dinner, the way the water on the lake mimics the orange horizon of the leaves in a burning red reflection of the trees in the fall, and late-night talks with your roommate, these are the things that create joy, that create love, and that create Westtown School. I can truthfully say my 12 years here have given me enough joy, best friends, and experiences to last an eternity. We now move to the next chapter, and to leave each other’s sides, just as the little girl and I went our separate ways. My Westtown family and the lessons they have taught me are forever embedded in my heart, and I thank Westtown School every single day for giving us our own infinity.

In our time here, despite financial divide, geographic barrier, and differing political or religious opinions, Westtown has given us a safe space to bask in each other’s company.

The Westonian Magazine

S T U D E NT VO I C E S

I look to my right and see 119 friends. I see 119 beautiful, talented, eager, familiar faces. I see 119 ways the world will be changed. I see 119 reasons why I am proud to say I am a part of the Westtown Class of 2014. MANNY VILMATELO

Let’s start with a brief moment of silent worship. Thank you. We are all here today to honor and celebrate the class of 2014’s commencement from Westtown School. I was chosen as Valedictorian to represent my class at graduation, and I am more than grateful to be given this opportunity. A word that gets thrown around a lot here at Westtown is “legacy.” I may be up here giving this speech, but this is more than just about me and my class. We are all representations of our family’s legacies. We, the class of 2014, have inherited and learned so much from our parents, advisors, mentors, and each other. With the knowledge you have all passed down to my classmates and me, we were able to make it through the year and get to graduation. On behalf of the class of 2014, I would like to thank all of you in attendance for your support and being there for my classmates and me when we needed you. You have shaped us all into the young men and women we are today. Thank you. The literal definition of a legacy is anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor. But at Westtown, “legacy” can mean a variety

of things, from a knick-knack that’s passed down from a senior to a junior to the traditional senior run that’s done on the morning of graduation. This idea of “legacy” that we all have is not only about following old traditions but also starting new ones. Not only did we, the class of 2014, all uphold the reputation and respect that comes with the title of being seniors, but we have also left an astonishing mark on this community. At the same time, we managed to make senior year our own. We grew more comfortable around each other. We learned to love and embrace one another’s diﬀerences. We learned to value one another. We were able to all come together and accomplish great things, be it plan a week full of fun games and activities or volunteer and do some community service. We followed

most traditions and dared to start new ones, like the moose horns. For the Class of 2015, I challenge you guys to do the same next year. Don’t strive to recreate what my class or other classes have done before us. Remember to do senior year 2015’s way. And as for 2014: we made it! Since coming to Westtown, I knew there was something special about my class. Every single one of us is so unique. Every single one of us has a drive to do more in the world, to get out there and get active. I look to my right and see 119 friends. I see 119 beautiful, talented, eager, familiar faces. I see 119 ways the world will be changed. I see 119 reasons why I am proud to say I am a part of the Westtown Class of 2014.

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ALUMN I VO I C ES

Westtown Alumni Association BY T E D MO O N ’ 7 3, PR ES I D EN T, W ES T T O WN A LUMN I A SSO CIATIO N

This past June, the 119 seniors of the class of 2014 gathered in the Greenwood to receive their diplomas and instantly became the largest class of graduates in Westtown’s history. The number of graduates was a bit of an anomaly, as future classes will number approximately what they have numbered for many years—around 100, but we welcome the Class of 2014 to the Westtown Alumni Association (WAA) with enthusiasm and great hopes for active years ahead as alumni. All students who have attended Westtown, both graduates and former students, are automatically members of the Association. We maintain our friendships and connections within our own classes and classes close to us and, as alumni, often expand our Westtown connections to Westonians who graduated long before or after us. The Alumni Association is a wonderful resource for networking, for employment, social action, and camaraderie. The Association is an organization whose structure is independent of the school. Our board of managers is made up of alumni from a range of decades, and we value that diversity. We encourage input of any kind from alumni, including nominations for board Please stay in touch, share your thoughts positions that open every year. We also encourage or concerns, and send alumni to use the WAA Board as an outreach tool your questions to waaboard@gmail.com and group with which concerns can be shared.

Members of the WAA Board at their September meeting. Back row: Kris Batley ’81, Bob Batley ’81, Pete Lane ’57, Ted Moon ’73, Kevin Moore ’79, Tom Rie ’63, Cleo Elkinton ’67. Front row: Abby Myer ’04, Dina Patukas Schmidt ’84, Wendi Grantham ’85, and Tim James ’63.

The Westonian Magazine

“Many [alumni] hold a genuine love for the school and gratitude for the transformative eﬀect that [it] has had on their lives.” My first year as president of the WAA Board has been a full one, part of which has been filled with a lot of conversation about the modified boarding requirement. One year ago, in November of 2013, I called a special meeting of the Association in order to have an opportunity to engage in open dialogue with the Head of School, John Baird, the Associate Head of School, Terry Dubow, and the Clerk of the Board of Trustees, Jonathan W. Evans ’73. About 100 people were in attendance, and we had a successful meeting in terms of observations, cares, and concerns being heard. Notes from that meeting are posted on Westtown’s website. I encourage all alumni to familiarize themselves with the information in those notes. There are alumni who are still quite concerned about the boarding program and the future of the school. Why do alumni care so much? Many hold a genuine love for the school and gratitude for the transformative eﬀect that the school has had on their lives. That is why alumni care so deeply for Westtown, want to stay connected, and want to see it flourish in the 21st century. Your Alumni Association can be part of that. Please continue to be involved and learn about what is happening on Westtown’s campus and in its program today. Change is happening, and yet in my observations, the essence of what was experienced by Westonians who preceded all of us, as well as us living alumni, remains the same. I hope that this year will be a rewarding one for Westonians, wherever they gather in the world. I hope that alumni will stay in contact with each other and with Westtown, serving not only to support the wider world but also to serve as a voice to Westtown to help guide those who are working hard to keep it a great school. I look forward to hearing from you.

2014-2015

Westtown Fund We all love choice, which is why, starting this year, the Westtown Fund will allow donors to direct gifts to areas that inspire them while helping us enhance those elements that make Westtown a magical place. Direct gifts to: Financial Aid Campus Care Faculty Support Student Program and Services Athletics Program Technology Areas of Greatest Need

We hope you find your passions in one of these areas. Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to contact Stephanie Ziemke, Director of Annual Giving, with any questions! You can reach her at stephanie.ziemke@westtown.edu or 610.399.7922 You may make your gift online at

www.westtown.edu/wfdonate

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The Westonian Magazine

HOW TO

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SUN.Â

That was one of the first words our daughter, Eleanor, ever said. Not only did it make us cry, but it also seemed appropriate, because she is the sun around which my husband, Tim Freeman â&#x20AC;&#x2122;87, and I orbit. Every milestone is a miracle, and every sweet smileâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and there are manyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is exquisite.

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THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR OUR JOY;

her progress has been remarkable. In 2011, Eleanor was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation that causes Rett Syndrome, a neurological disorder that mainly affects girls. Eleanor is incredibly lucky in that she does not have the worst of the symptoms that are associated with Rett. She has global developmental delays, but not the seizures, feeding, sleep, and behavioral issues that can render many Rett girls virtual prisoners in their own bodies. At five, she is just starting to say some more words and to run in a walker. While Tim and I are thankful for these steps, both literal and figurative, we have been haunted by all of the girls who are afflicted. In 2013, after twenty years as a professional fundraiser, Tim quit his job as the vice president for development at the Woodrow Wilson Foundation in Princeton and became the program director for the Rett Syndrome Research Trust. RSRT has one goal: to find a cure for Rett. Tim’s job is to raise money, all of which goes to scientists who are working on achieving this goal. “When I left my job at Woodrow Wilson and started working for RSRT,” he says, “I was doing it for what felt like a selfish, or at least self-involved, reason—I wanted to help find a cure for my own daughter. It’s a year later, and I’ve now met about 75 girls and women with Rett Syndrome. Most of them have much more severe symptoms than my daughter, and many are suffering physically and emotionally. I lie awake at night with images of their faces, and I think I have to do more for them. Every day when I step into my office is my chance to help change their lives, and my own daughter’s, too.” Tim is just one of the members of the Westtown community who is working in what some call “purpose-driven” careers, in short, finding deep meaning in one’s given profession while still being successful. While generations of Westonians have long embraced this ethos in their respective fields—whether it’s the arts, education, conflict resolution, or the environment—it is a movement and mindset that is gaining momentum both nationally and globally. Changing the face of the workplace is crucial, especially during a time when, according to a 2013 Gallup poll, just 30 percent of employees in America feel engaged at work. In a New York Times article called “Why You Hate Work,” Tony Schwartz and Christine Porath report that “employees are vastly more satisfied and productive… when four of their core needs are met: physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work; emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions; mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done; and spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.”

So how can we succeed at doing good in the world while doing well? How do we make work feel less like, well, work? And for Westonians in particular, how do we, as our alma mater says, stay “strong in truth and deed”? 30

The Westonian Magazine

TONY ROSS ’87 CEO of Opportunities Industrial Centers of America

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PASSION MEETS PROFESSION

If you look at the website of the Opportunities Industrial Centers of America, you will find a perfect example of this combination of passion and profession. There is an impressive photograph of Tony Ross ’87, the organization’s national president and CEO, sharply dressed in a suit and tie. Ross radiates confidence and professionalism, with just a hint of that sly smile that charmed his Westtown classmates— and that got him elected Student Body President his senior year. Ross is responsible for running the OIC, founded in 1964 to provide education, training, and support services to the disadvantaged and underserved. “No day is ever the same,” says Ross, laughing. “I fulfill a variety of roles from policy advocate, fundraiser, communicator, and counselor.” Underlying those daily duties is the OIC movement’s founding principle: “Offering a Hand Up, not a Hand Out,” to millions of people across the world, regardless of race. This tenet comes easily to Ross. “I have always been driven by a need to make a difference for people,” he says.

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“I have always been driven by a need to make a diﬀerence for people. Westtown reinforced my desire to be an agent of positive change.” — TO NY RO S S ’87

PAUL SPIEGEL Founder, Practical Energy Solutions Parent of Jeremy Spiegel ’14 and Josh Spiegel ’17

“Westtown reinforced my desire to be an agent of positive change.” He continues, “I often reflect that Westtown shows you how good people can be. So many people influenced me… from roommates, teammates, coaches, Student Union for Multicultural Awareness, and teachers. No individual or group of people has a monopoly on talent and ability. I am unwavering in the belief that all people have the potential to make a contribution and positive difference in society.” Karabi Acharya ’82 shares this need to incorporate the greater good with her career. “There is a line from the movie Erin Brockovich that I often think about,” she says. “‘It’s time away from

my kids, of course it’s personal.’ For me, if I am not directly contributing to building a better world and if I am not finding joy, then it is not worth the time away from my kids.” Acharya works at Ashoka Innovators for the Public in Washington, DC, where she “finds and elects leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows—people who are changing the way we do things, changing systems in ways that benefit more people. We work on strengthening the skills in young people to be changemakers, skills such as empathy, teamwork, and leadership. A part of this effort is the selection of Changemaker Schools who are doing this well. I nominated

Westtown, and they are now part of this powerful network.” Acharya’s experience as a student at Westtown was critical to her decision to work at a place like Ashoka. It is that experience that she described in her “parent’s statement” for her daughter Keya’s admission application to Westtown: “When I was a Westtown student, my favorite place on campus was the theater. I was a techie, worked every show and virtually lived in the theater. Thirty years later, I realize that the things I learned in the theater have been some of the most valuable things I learned at Westtown. I learned that good shows require grit and hard work; that when you notice a problem, solve it; that it takes a team of teams to pull off a show; and most importantly, that we can produce magic—something far greater than the sum of its parts. I experienced what Margaret Mead said long ago: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’” Katharine Cornell Barnard ’91, a family practice doctor who works at a clinic in Worcester, Massachusetts, had a similar transformative experience while a student at Westtown. As a student in Rick Newton’s Spanish class, she saw him combine history, culture, and language. She then went on to work on public health projects in Latin America and to teach English as a Second Language with AmeriCorps in Providence, RI. “Being involved with immigrants was eye opening,” she says. She now works with that population very closely—“mostly Spanish-speaking folks in a low-income setting”—and finds herself returning to Teacher Rick’s teachings. “His approach informed my choices,” she says. “I have a career in family medicine that is interdisciplinary and broad-based. I get to see these people and families over the years.” Katharine is married to classmate Daron Barnard ’91, a biology professor at Worcester State University. She works part-time to strike a more tenable work/

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PHOEBE KITSON-DAVIS â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77 Manager, Agency and Community Partnerships at the Chester County Food Bank

The Westonian Magazine

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life ratio, which can be hard to achieve. Both she and Daron have chosen to scale back on their career paths. “We are very lucky to have found balance in our lives,” she says. “I’m now in a position to do some mentoring for other young women [who are seeking advice about balancing work and family]. I also focus on issues that are specific to women, including pregnancy and breast feeding.” Ordained Presbyterian minister Phoebe Kitson-Davis ’77, former faculty, found her sense of balance by combining her deep faith with her career. “Westtown taught me the value of each individual person,” she says. “That ‘there is that of God in every person’ was so deeply ingrained. It helped shape me and the relationships I have built with people I have met around the world and in my own backyard. I learned to listen and to come to consensus when working with others. I also learned to listen and trust myself.” Kitson-Davis is now the Manager for Agency and Community Partnerships at the Chester County Food Bank in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Food Bank is a non-profit organization that serves the hungry of Chester County, Pennsylvania. They grow, store, and distribute over two million pounds of food per year to over 100 organizations, including food cupboards and meal sites. While she cites former faculty and staff members Jim Morris, Judy Nicholson Asselin, Hugh Cronister, Brad Quin, and Tim Loose as major influences, it was former Upper School Principal and Latin teacher Anne Wood who said something that Kitson-Davis

has never forgotten. “We were struggling to be all things to all of the students placed in our care,” she says of her post-grad years as a teacher, Assistant Admissions Director, and lacrosse coach. “Teacher Anne was so wise. She said, ‘You know, we are not working with a finished product. We are guiding them in the direction that they are to go.’ I found that to be so true of my Westtown experience. The school’s role in my life was not to lead me to be complete or finished, but rather ready to launch into the world as a young person capable of making good choices and the tiny bit of the corner I inhabit better, safer, and brighter for all involved.” “B” THE CHANGE

Westtown has inspired not only students but parents to change their careers. Paul Spiegel, father of Jeremy ’15 and Josh ’17, remembers visiting the school for the first time. “My wife really wanted my older son to be in a place with personal attention where he couldn’t fade into the background,” he says. “Sometimes when you walk in somewhere, you get a sense of place, a feeling. It feels right immediately. That’s what happened with Westtown.” When Jeremy started 2nd grade, Paul started going to Meeting for Worship and to Head of School John Baird’s Quakerism 101 classes every Thursday. A regional vice president at a large civil engineering company, he found himself wanting to go in a new direction. “You start to examine your life,” he says. “You realize you want

“The school’s role in my life was not to lead me to be complete or finished, but rather ready to launch into the world as a young person capable of making good choices…” — PHO EBE K I TSON-DAVI S ’ 7 7

more than a paycheck. You want a job with purpose.” So in 2006, Spiegel quit his job and started Practical Energy Solutions. “It’s about the power of people to make a difference,” he says.“The core values: helping clients reduce their footprint and reduce fossil fuels, having people connected to their energy use and what it means, and to understand the positive influence with what they’re doing.” Spiegel practices what he preaches and has created a company where people want to come to work every day. “We have flexibility around work hours and training,” he says. “We also have some volunteer work as part of our employees’ monthly hours because we’re only as strong as our communities are. Anything we can do to improve the community helps us.” Practical Energy Solutions was recently named a “B-Company,” a designation awarded by B Corporation, a company co-founded by Jay Coen Gilbert, father of Dexter Coen Gilbert ’17 and Ridley Coen Gilbert ’18. B Corps, as in “benefit corporation,” puts metrics behind businesses that want to be socially and environmentally responsible. Once a company meets a specific set of criteria, it is given the muchdesired certification. Among some better-known B-companies: online eyeglass retailer Warby Parker, the King Arthur Flour Company, and Ben and Jerry’s. The benefits of working for a B Corporation? Among many other perks, B Corps are 50 percent more likely to offer at least two weeks of paid leave for illnesses and/or holidays compared to mainstream businesses. An overwhelming percentage of B Corps give flex-time work schedules, jobsharing programs, time to volunteer, and either a wellness program, health counseling services, or subsidized childcare services. The companies also focus on sourcing their supplies from women and ethnic minorities. This attention to an employee as a whole person, not just an employee, is resonating with a new generation. “Fifty

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percent of the global workforce is comprised of Millennials,” Coen Gilbert says, “and the one thing that most distinguishes them from their parents is that they want to make money and make a difference at the same time. They want work-life integration, not work-life balance. It’s about building schools, fair-trade supply chains, and sustainable businesses to solve problems rather than create them. The B Corps movement represents a return to those values that say we want to bring our whole selves to work, and we care about the people we work with.” To some, the combination of earning a living and doing good in the world may seem an unlikely one. Coen Gilbert has a different way of looking at it. “There is always tension in any intentional community around money,” he says. “That could be in any faith. The synthesis here is that there’s nothing inherently wrong about success if it’s shared. The framework is about faith and practice. The nice thing about doing it through business is that you’re putting faith into practice through one of the most powerful man-made forces in the world: capitalism. At the end of the day, business is a tool. It is how you use it. We’re either informed by our highest intentions or by our baser motives. You can use a hammer to build a house or to beat someone over the head.” For the past seven years, Coen Gilbert has been co-teaching a Business & Society class at Westtown on social entrepreneurship. “One way to think about it,” he explains, “is that it’s an applied religion course. It’s one thing to read about prayers and priests and the Holy Book. It’s another to think about it in the marketplace, applying your ethical center to how you deal with people, the marketplace, how you invest, suppliers, how you treat employees. It’s about all of the choices we make. Is work about just getting paid or is it about how we want to treat people in the world? You can make a difference and make money at the same time.”

The Westonian Magazine

“The B Corps movement represents a return to those values that say we want to bring our whole selves to work…” —JAY COEN G ILB ERT

Westtown’s social entrepreneurship class (Business and Society) has inspired many of its graduates to intern at B-Lab. Chris Farrow ’11, Isabella Wilcher ’13, and Zack Gambill ’15 spent last summer working there, and past B-Lab workers include Maya Manning ’09, Elsa Mayer ’12, Rachel Wortman ’13, Katie Keys ’13, and Najha Zigbi-Johnson ’13. And that high-profile company, Warby Parker? Wynne Lewis ’08 is an employee. CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

Last January, Tim’s parents held a fundraising concert for the Rett Syndrome Research Trust at Swarthmore College’s Lang Concert Hall. We sent invitations to all of our friends and family in the area—including many Westtown alumni—as did Tim’s brother, Ted Freeman (current faculty). We assured people that there was no pressure to come out on a cold January Sunday, although of course it would be great to see them and have their support. But come they did, in the most amazing and beautiful of ways. Soon Lang was filled with Westonians from all different graduating classes, including past and present faculty. I will not soon forget being surrounded by many of my Lower School classmates: Averil Smith Barone ’86, Tina Riviello ’86, Erik Michaelson ’86, and Jamie Watson ’86. Peter Taylor ’86 and his wife, Lily, made the trek from South Jersey, and Oliver Dickerson ’86 just happened to be in town that weekend and came with his

mother. Ellen Cutler ’87 got the catering company for which she works to donate drinks. Cathy Coate ’72 and Jeannie Spackman Hall ’79 were there with bells on. And then came Peter ’57 (former faculty) and Juliet Lane (former faculty), Denis (current faculty) and Judy Nicholson Asselin ’71 (current faculty), Spencer (current faculty) and Charmaine Gates (current faculty), Norman (former faculty) and Cathy Robinson (former faculty), and Jon Evans ’73 (Clerk of the Board of Trustees) and Melissa Graf-Evans (current faculty), all with smiles on their faces. Many other alumni who weren’t able to attend—including Sam ’57 and Mary Ann Baker Wagner ’58, Heather Hoerle ’77, Chris Marshall ’86, Diana Mark Rowland ’87, Betsy Christopher ’73, and Bob Bishop ’74 — made generous contributions and sent messages of support. As we posed together for various Westtown pictures, I felt myself choking up. Here, in one room, was a group of people whose only common experience was being at Westtown School. Some of us were there for thirteen years; others for only one. But standing together to support my daughter and the thousands of girls who need a cure, it was as if we were one tribe, powerful in numbers and love. And seeing Tim standing on the dais, having changed his career to help change our daughter’s life, made me so proud. Are we “living to do thee honor”? You bet.

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} JAY COEN GILBERT Co-Founder of B Corporation Parent of Dexter Coen Gilbert ’17 and Ridley Coen Gilbert ’18

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ALUMN I PR OFILE

Philanthropy at Work

How Might We Change Lives? STO RY BY - Ć&#x201E;

L PH O T O BY E D C UNI C E LL I

The Innovation Labâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;iLab for shortâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;has the feel of a start-up, with a whiteboard wall, retractable power cords mounted from the ceiling, and carts filled with glue guns, packing tape, and any number of pens, markers, and cutting implements. Westtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lower School students use all of these tools as they practice real-world problem-solving using a highly-regarded, cutting-edge approach known as Design Thinking, that was developed and refined at Stanford University. The iLab opened this fall as the result of the generosity and vision of Sheri and Dayton Coles â&#x20AC;&#x2122;63, who began contemplating a gift to Westtown because Dayton benefited tremendously from his years at Westtown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel both a responsibility to support future generations of students and great joy in helping Westtown fulfill its mission,â&#x20AC;? he says. They considered how they might support the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outstanding science program and inspire an interest in science and technology throughout the school. After they sponsored a biology room in the new Science Center and supported the Lower and Middle School robotics programs, they remained deeply interested in finding ways to encourage creativity and entrepreneurship in Westtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest students. The iLab idea came from Kristin Trueblood, Lower School Principal, who shared a vision of renovating an outdated room in the Lower School â&#x20AC;&#x153;to create a space where children who see the world spatially and in 3D had a place to demonstrate their way of thinking,â&#x20AC;? she explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Future engineers and architects need to have opportunities to experience competence and confidence.â&#x20AC;? The Coleses loved the idea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It worked for us,â&#x20AC;? Dayton says. The initiative is directed by Lower School teacher JeďŹ&#x20AC; Waring, who is busy ensuring that the gift challenges students to be creative and helps to inspire further innovation within the school. He uses the Design Thinking process, that begins with an elegantly clear question: How might we â&#x20AC;Ś.? Students finish the question in any number of ways that identify and solve authentic problems that real human beings face. They then move through a cycle of inspiration, inquiry, imagination, and invention and impact. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wonder to watch. In the 4th grade, that process led students to ask, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How might we improve the ways we recycle, repurpose, and reuse 68

The Westonian Magazine

cardboard in Lower School?â&#x20AC;? They worked through the Design Thinking process and developed prototypes to redesign the basement where recycling is collected. While they now live outside of San Francisco, CA, the Coleses raised their three children in State College, PA, where, as members of the Meeting, they helped found State College Friends School. Sheri became a founding teacher and taught in the school for fifteen years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love Quaker education,â&#x20AC;? Sheri says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We attend to the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. We pose challenges, we talk about solutions, we create innovations, we sit quietly and make space for mind and spirit to work.â&#x20AC;? The Coleses focus their philanthropy on science, medicine and inspired education. Dayton, a member of Westtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of Trustees since 2011, is surprised that science has become such an important part of his life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I avoided science all through Westtown and college and graduated with very little interest in it.â&#x20AC;? Instead, he became a lawyer and eventually began working in the pharmaceutical industry. When their daughter Emily developed Type 1 diabetes as a three-year-old, he developed a passion to help find a cure. He began volunteering with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and learning the science behind the pursuit of a cure. He is now a national figure, traveling around the country to speak about the progress researchers are making to develop therapies and, ultimately, cure this disease. The Coleses invested in the iLab in part to inspire the next generation of social entrepreneurs who will develop the skills and mindsets needed to solve seemingly intractable problems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The iLab combines problem solving, collaboration, analysis, and fun. It encourages all the right things for kids. It also challenges the faculty to think in some new ways. And it positions Westtown at the forefront of this kind of exciting and innovative education.â&#x20AC;? Westtown may well be the school that hatches the next great thinkers and innovators in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. Westtown supporters and donors like Dayton and Sheri can help make that happen.

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A LOOK BACK

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a Good Man, Charley Brown STO RY BY ) % - < Ç&#x2013; Ç? L PH OT O CO UR T ES Y O F W ES T T O W N A RC HI V ES

Charles K. Brown III, or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Master Charley,â&#x20AC;? as we so fondly knew him, touched the lives of thousands of people during the three decades that he and his family were at Westtown. He may have come to teach math but in doing so, he accomplished so much more. In 1938, after graduating from Hamilton College, Charley spent a year in New York City. His short time there convinced him to pursue teaching, and he began attending Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends. He enrolled in education courses at Cornell University and joined Ithaca Friends Meeting. He entered Civilian Public Service and, when war was declared on Japan, he served as a firefighter and surveyor in federal forest lands in the California mountains. Ellen â&#x20AC;&#x153;Poohâ&#x20AC;? Baily â&#x20AC;&#x2122;38 visited the Coleville C.P.S Camp for eight days, and by the time she left, they were engaged. Charley transferred to Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry, where he was an orderly Above: Master Charley wearing one on a ward for mental patients. of his favorite sayings. Right: At his He joined other conscientious desk in 1956. objectors who aimed to expose and ameliorate the inhumane conditions the patients endured. In March of 1944, while Charley was still at Byberry, he and Ellen were married, a union that thrived for 63 years until her death in 2011. In 1947, Charley and Pooh moved onto Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; End, where they would remain for the next 10 years. As his son, Baird Brown â&#x20AC;&#x2122;64, put it, â&#x20AC;&#x153;sometimes Charley went to the dorm, and sometimes it came to him.â&#x20AC;? When Charley heard that a boy

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was the target of afterhours mischief (and was going to be thrown in the Frog Pond), Charley slept in the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bed and surprised the raiding party. On another occasion, boys collected turtles from the lake and released them on the dorm after lights out. Surely the most dramatic intrusion occurred when a boy shiking across the roof of the deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apartment fell though the skylight and landed on Poohâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drafting table! A believer in open communication, Master Charley always wore a red tie when he planned on giving an exam. Earl Fowler, former faculty, who interviewed Charley in 1982, explained that â&#x20AC;&#x153;there was nothing he would have liked to have taught other than math, perhaps because both Quakerism and math are looking for the truth. If he had any success, Charley said, it was not due to the most recent fads in teaching, but due to his experience as a Friend, which made him a good listener. He listened to the questions that his students asked, rather than listening for the ones that he wanted asked. The students felt supported because they were heard; they thought they might even know something.â&#x20AC;? Charley counseled generations of Westonians as a teacher, dorm parent, dean, college counselor, coach of the Second Association Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Soccer Team, and the leader of a softball team called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Charley Horses.â&#x20AC;? He taught with fairness, respect, and a great sense of humor. At his memorial service in the Westtown Meeting House on September 14, 2014, Judy Nicholson Asselin â&#x20AC;&#x2122;71, current Faculty, a former math student of Charleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Charley was the spiritual anchor for the school. He was the crystal around which the rest of the crystals form.â&#x20AC;? Charley is survived by his sisters, Janet Seehausen and Nancy Cox; his children, Baird Brown â&#x20AC;&#x2122;64, David Brown â&#x20AC;&#x2122;66, and Eliza Brown Allison â&#x20AC;&#x2122;71; grandchildren Hannah Marzynski, Felicity Brown â&#x20AC;&#x2122;00, and Eliza Brown; and great-grandchildren Jacob and Levi Marzynski.

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All in the Family WE P RO U D LY W E LCOME LEG ACY CHILDREN, and this year they make up 10 percent of our total enrollment. We strive to support alumni who want a Westtown education for their children, and this year alone nearly $1 million in financial aid was granted to alumni families. We are proud of our history and traditions, and we celebrate the next generation of Westonians here! !1

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The Westonian Magazine

A L L I N T HE FA M I LY

Stay Connected More than 6,600 Westtown alumni are all together in one place, right now. The new EVERTRUE ALUMNI MOBILE APP is an easy way for you to connect with other Westonians. This free tool allows you to look for alumni by geography, profession, class year, and so much more! Download the EverTrue App in the Apple App store or the Google Play store and search for Westtown School.

(1) LOWER SCHOOL Front row, left to right: Francisco Benbow ’25 (Chris Benbow ’90/CF), Santiago Benbow ’23 (Chris Benbow ’90/CF), William Suttell ’28 (Whitney Hoffman Suttell ’98/CF), Zachary Krawchuk ’25 (Lara Rogers Krawchuk ’88). 2nd row, left to right: Alexandra Smedley ’25 (Christopher Smedley ’93), Emma Brooks ’26 (Amy Taylor Brooks ’88/FF/ BOT). 3rd row, left to right: Olivia Leh ’23 (Jamie Richie ’88/CF), Maya Brooks ’24 (Amy Taylor Brooks ’88/FF/BOT)William Rowland ’24 (Diana Mark Rowland ’87), Livia Resnik ’23 (KerryLynn Butler Resnik ’86), Taylor Nason ’23 (Thomas Nason ’79). Back row: Joseph Farnan ’22 (Joseph Farnan ’91), Jackson Smedley ’22 (Christopher Smedley ’93) (2) MIDDLE SCHOOL Front row, left to right: Adelayne Fennimore ’20 (R. Swain Fennimore ’85), Avery Bohn ’20 (Nathan Bohn ’83/CF), Timothy Novak ’20 (Deborah Bacon Novak ’85), Jocie Resnik ’21 (KerryLynn Butler Resnik ’86). Back row, left to right: Rebekah James ’21 (Lauren Johnson James ’92 & Bruce James ’90), Jacob Polovina (Jennifer Goldsmith), Julia Castillo ’19 (Luis Castillo ’80/BOT) (3 ) CL A SS OF 2018 Front row, left to right: Katherine Lane (Lucy Haviland Lane ’75), Cameron Bream (Kevin Bream ’82), Richard Roosa (Kathryn Swartz Roosa ’81), Charles Hammond (Charles Hammond ’87). Back row, left to right: Anna Harrison (Bruce Harrison ’81), Eric ButlerRoberts (Nina Butler-Roberts ’90), Wade Sansone (Donald Pennell ’62). Not pictured: Carter Dear (Marion van Arkel Dear ’83/CF) (4) C L A SS OF 2017 Front row, left to right: Charlotte Abrams (Ann Homeier ’76), Sarah Cassway (Rustin Cassway ’84), Sarah Harpster (Mary Hurd Harpster ’81), Ellen Herrick (Eve Kipp Herrick ’83), Rebecca Parker (Glenn Parker ’77). Back row, left to right: Zachary Wright (Stefanie Fairchild ’83), Jade Jeffords (Anna Roberts ’84), William Driscoll (David Fairchild ’77), Maxwell Starr (William Starr ’83). Not pictured: Rebecca Schmidt (Dina Patukas Schmidt ’84/FF)

Follow us on Facebook Stay up-to-date on what is happening at Westtown through the Westtown School Facebook page, the Westtown Alumni Facebook page, and the Westtown Athletics Facebook page. Learn about upcoming events, celebrate alumni successes, and follow your favorite teams. Want to Watch a Game? If you can’t make it back to campus, you can still watch Westtown athletes on our fields and courts live or on demand. Premium Bleachers accounts get access to home games, and free Bleacher accounts are also available for select games. Activating your account is easy and just takes a minute, so don’t miss a minute of the action! Subscribe or login at gobleachers.com.

(5) CL A SS O F 2016 Front row, left to right: Caroline Tien (David Tien ’73), Madeline Roberts (Lee Parshall Roberts ’85, David Roberts ’84), Chase Winham (Carolyn Mayo ’84/FF), Claire Murphy (Betsy Christopher ’73/FF), Annabelle Carter (Abigail Robinson Carter ’86). 2nd row: Keya Acharya (Karabi Bhattacharyya Acharya ’82), Rebecca Wortmann (Richard Wortmann ’83), Kathryn Novak (Deborah Bacon Novak ’85), Dylan Gray (Elizabeth Morton Gray ’85), Rosalie Dear (Marion van Arkel Dear ’83/CF), James Duffey (Sarah Jane Bacon Duffey ’79/CF). Back: Samuel Pinsky (Elizabeth Hepps Pinsky ’83), Evan Sanders (Jennifer Fenander ’86) (6) CL A SS O F 2015 Left to right: Christopher Bream (Kevin Bream ’82), Maxfield Strode (W. Bradlee Strode ’78), Melissa McLaughlin (Kathryn Packert McLaughlin ’79)

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( 1) WEAVER Scott Weaver ’81, Amanda Weaver ’14, Susan Weaver Karper ’76 ( 2) ABBOTT Ellen Jensen Abbott (CF), William Abbott ’14

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(7 ) ASSARSSON Lynette Assarsson (CF), Madeline Assarsson ’14

( 12) BROWN Elizabeth Brown ’14, Mark Brown ’82

(8 ) N’GARNIM Charlie Chase ’56, Joanne Chase Carnes ’80, Nicholas Carnes ’12, Habib N’Garnim ’14, Susan Chase N’Garnim ’83, Art Chase ’88

( 13) MARTIN Jordan Martin ’14, Gregory Martin ’84 ( 14) PINSKY/HEPPS KEENEY Kaitlyn Hepps Keeney ’10, Betsy Hepps Pinsky ’83, Rowan Hepps Keeney ’14, Max Pinsky ’14, Marcia Hepps ’73, Sam Pinsky ’16

( 3) SCHINDLER Peter D. Schindler, MD (FF), Claudia Schindler Callahan ’87, Trent Schindler ’14, Devon Schindler ’12, Tom Schindler ’78

(9 ) DOBBINS Malinda Dobbins ’11, Katira Dobbins ’14, Shelagh Wilson ’85 (CF)

( 4) CULCASI Patrick Culcasi ’18, Ian Culcasi ’12, Kim Culcasi (CF), James Culcasi ’14

(10) ROBERTS Lee Parshall Roberts ’85, Todd Roberts ’14, David Roberts ’84

( 15) STONE Forrest Stone ’88, Donald Stone ’57, Ajah Stone ’14, Kitara Stone ’01 (now goes by Siri Om Stone Fuller), Gregory Stone ’80

( 5) NOVAK (front L–R) Dotsy Jacob Bacon ’60, Kathryn Novak ’16, Deborah Bacon Novak ’85, Timothy Novak ’20 (back) Sean Novak ’11, Jeffrey Novak ’14, Bert Bacon ’60

(11) DIETSCHE Scott Henderson ’78, Jennifer Perkins ’78, Randall Henderson ’88, Anna Henderson Dietsche ’80, Julia Dietsche ’14, William Dietsche ’11, Alan Henderson ’92, Janet Hetzel Henderson ’53

( 16) FAIRCHILD Molly Wilson Fairchild ’77, Hannah Fairchild ’14, Ruby Fairchild ’08, Kit Woods Fairchild ’53, Grace Fairchild ’12, David Fairchild ’77

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( 6) ELLIS Katherine Ellis ’14, Robert Ellis ’82

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CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2014! Many of our newest alumni hail from Westonian families, and we celebrate their connections to Westtown at Commencement. Enjoy this gallery! WON’T YOU JOIN US? We welcome students who follow in the footsteps of their relatives to become Westonians. We encourage alumni to inquire about admissions and to discuss the financial tools available to you. Likewise, if you know of someone who would benefit from a Westtown education, please call the Admissions Office at (610) 399-7900!

( 17) GRAF EVANS Rachel Graf Evans ’08, Melissa Graf-Evans (CF), Jeremy Graf Evans ’14, Jon Evans ’73 (FF/BOT), Hannah Graf Evans 10, (seated) Lucretia Wood Evans ’38 ( 18) HAVILAND (front L–R) William Haviland ’14 Lucy Haviland Lane ’75, Dorothy MacFarland Haviland ’42, Amy Haviland Karwoski ’81 (back) Tom Haviland’ 78 (FF), William Frederick Haviland ’77 ( 19) LUDLAM John Ludlam ’12, Gayle Greenway Riggio ’63, Abadie Ludlam ’14, Julie Greenway Gentile ’66, John Ludlam, Jr. ’73 ( 20) PISCITELLI Cynthia Harvey ’77 (FF), Lyra Piscitelli ’14, Judith Weller Harvey ’51, David Harvey ’51, Cyril Harvey ’74 ( 21) MUDGE Alice Mudge Iwasa ’66, Jared Mudge ’71, Isabelle Mudge ’14, Alden Mudge ’69.

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( 22) HALL Elizabeth Spackman ’10, Donnie Spackman ’12, Patti Spackman (FF), Gray Hall ’11, Jeannie Spackman Hall ’79, Amelia Hall ’14, Averyl Hall ’08, Sharp Hall ’06, Chad Spackman ’76, Rick Spackman ’77

Key: CF=current faculty, FF=former faculty, BOT=Board of Trustees

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5oth Reunion for

classmates returned for either the first or second time

Who would have thought that three nights and three days of planned 50th reunion activities would have left many classmates pleading “…not enough time. I didn’t get a chance to catch up with Jen or Barb or Arthur or Pete”? Half a century later, amazingly, everyone was recognizable by appearance or voice or laugh. The reunion book, with an exquisite painting by Warren Krebs as the cover, gave us all a head start catching up on our looks and our lives, and the forward spoke to our many paths, which our face-to-face conversations further divulged. Early birds arriving on Thursday were treated to a lovely evening gathering at the home of Craig and Sandy Kalemjian. Then on Friday some of us attended Friday classes to connect with present students and faculty. And many more visited the wondrous new science building and other campus sites, providing fodder for further reminiscence.

live outside the U.S.

Our tours of Westtown present and the Westtown Assembly revealed a school that is marching ahead of its time to prepare students to face and to participate

BY THE NUMBERS

67 28 4

classmates

spouses/partners

adult children attended

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The Westonian Magazine

productively in a world of the future. Westtown continues to provide a legacy to its students with its Quaker values, community spirit, and ability to stimulate a desire to learn.—MARY BELL Friday evening found us partying and testing our memories in a much larger group at a restaurant. We had to be encouraged to stop talking and eat! Saturday began with classmate Sandy Ross on bagpipes leading the class to the morning alumni meeting. We were certainly not the geezers we remember watching from the class of 1914 fifty years ago, were we? Classmates Bob Schaﬀner and Ed Winslow received special recognition for their contributions to the ongoing well-being of Westtown. And Bill Palmer gave a wry and entertaining accounting of the class gift. Seventy percent class participation! Lunch in the Cabin brought more classmates, with the bonus appearance of former teachers Anna Jane Stickell Krebs and Bertha May Nicholson, and the best opportunity to catch most of us for a reunion photo. And then, once again, Lydia Willits Bartholomew generously

PHO TO S CO U RTE SY O F T I M LO OS E (F F ) A ND BOB FRYSIN GER ’64

R E U NI O N R EC A P

the Class of 1964 opened her pastoral country home for our Saturday evening party. Sunday brunch and Meeting for Worship in the Cabin were lightly attended but a powerful cap to an already heady, fun, and emotionally evocative weekend. One person said during Meeting: “I am not a Quaker. I did not graduate from the school. But the four years I spent from 6th to 9th grades were the happiest of my childhood; Westtown holds my heart.” This reunion once again showed us all to be far more interesting and revealing than we could possibly have been as adolescents, and aware that our powerful bond is our shared Westtown experience. David Carter put it best when he took the Quaker aﬃrmation that “there is that of God in each of us,” and added, “there is that of Westtown in each of us.” We departed with the determination to keep up our renewed links, poignantly aware that for each reunion, fewer of us will be attending. —DAGNY HENRY AND NAN BUTTERFIELD

Thanks to Dave Carter, Mary Bell, Barbara Reeves, and Jan Kelsey for kindly submitting their reunion memories. Special thanks to the Reunion Committee for the classmate contacts, book production, and event planning. We know who you are, we are so impressed by your eﬀorts, and we are forever in your debt. *A very sad footnote is that Sam Hogenauer, faculty child and Westtown attendee from Grades 1–12, died on July 7, 2014. His attendance at the reunion was particularly poignant since he shared that he had Stage 4 lung cancer, having already been a survivor of esophageal cancer for 11 years. Sam was so diligent over the years in keeping the class connected. He was always calling or emailing, generally nudging class members to stay in touch. On the reunion committee he was incredibly influential in helping locate people and securing their attendance. Sam was sick when we last saw him, but he was Sam, ever positive, ever the Westtown supporter.

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: STORIES These brief biographies submitted for our 50th reunion are about individual journeys, each one engaging to read. But collectively, powerfully, they tell of our generation: a story of seeking, finding, loving, losing, triumph and tragedy—tales of events both ordinary and extraordinary. Classmates and families have shared in these pages, with trust and openness, stories of our varied pasts, the straight and narrow as well as the widely meandering, stories not reading as confessionals, but as lives led.

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Class Notes

To read the class notes, please sign into the alumni portal.

C L A S S NO T E S Camaraderie and outdoor adventure, always part of a Westtown camp supper. Having shared a feast of bread and butter, frizzled beef, gooseberry jam, and coffee, the girls gathered on Elephant Rock in Chester Creek, metal dishes in hand.

From the Archives

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975 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA 19382-5700

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