Westonian, Winter 2017

WINTER 2017

The

Westonian Magazine IN THIS ISSUE SOWING SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE: The Green Revolution and Westtown BEHIND THE NUMBERS: Westtown’s Annual Report for 2015–2016

Editor Lynette Assarsson, Associate Director of Communications Manager of Web Features Greg Cross, Associate Director of Digital Communications Contributors Kris Batley ’81, Director of Alumni Engagement Mary Brooks, Archivist Kevin Gallagher, Assistant Archivist Anne Burns, Director of Communications and Marketing Courtnay Tyus, Director of Annual Giving Design Lilly Pereira www.aldeia.design Principal Photography Ed Cunicelli Additional Photography Laura Bergsman Greg Cross Tom Gilbert ’76

BEHIND THE COVER Students Caroline Vonnahme ’28 and MJ Price ’30 were our hand models for this issue’s cover.

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 Winter and Summer.

We welcome letters to the editor.

You may send them to our home address or to westonian@ westtown.edu.

HEAD OF SCHOOL John Baird CON N EC T

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

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Amy Taylor Brooks ’88 Martha Brown Bryans ’68 Beah BurgerLenehan ’02 Luis Castillo ’80

Michelle B. Caughey ’71, Co-Associate Clerk Dayton Coles ’63 Robert Cottone Jeff DeVuono Jacob Dresden ’62, Co-Associate Clerk Diana Evans ’95 Jonathan W. Evans ’73, Clerk Susan Carney Fahey

Davis Henderson ’62 Gary M. Holloway, Jr. Sydney HoweBarksdale Ann Hutton Jess Lord ’90 Robert McLear Brenda Perkins ’75, Recording Clerk James Perkins ’56 Anne Roche

Michael Sicoli ’88 Danielle Toaltoan ’03 Kristen Waterfield Edward C. Winslow III ’64 EMERITUS: David Barclay ’52 Arthur M. Larrabee ’60

The

WINTER 2017

Westonian Magazine FE ATUR E

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Sowing Seeds for the Future

36

Bird by Bird

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Behind the Numbers

The Green Revolution and Westtown

A Tribute to John Baird

Westtown’s 2015–2016 Annual Report

D E PAR TME NTS

02 LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

A message from John Baird 03 NEWS FROM

AROUND ’TOWN

What’s happening on campus?

12 PAST IS PROLOGUE The more things change…

14 FIELDS & COURTS Season roundup 16 FACULTY PROFILE Tom Hay 18 ARTS GALLERY Performing arts

20 STUDENT VOICES Words from the Student Body Presidents 22 CAPE LOOK OUT A landmark’s history 66 ALL IN THE FAMILY The tradition continues 68 ALUMNI VOICES Paul Savage ’79 + Ben Hartman ’79 70 BOOKSHELF Books by alumni 72 CLASS NOTES Catch up on alumni news 85 FROM THE ARCHIVES The Boiler House

LET TER F ROM H EAD O F SC H O O L J O H N B A IRD

The View from my Window As I look ahead to the future for Westtown I also find myself looking back. For thirty-six years I have had the privilege of following a joyful calling in Friends education, culminating in 15 years at Westtown. When I reflect on the stepping stones that have led me here, I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude. I have been blessed to have people believe in me, challenge me, help me to find a sense of calling, and live into it. Friends schools are places where young people can reach their potential. They are also transformative for adults. I have been educated and changed by my students and colleagues, by board members and parents—and I am still a work in progress!

I am a “convinced Friend;” my introduction to Quakerism was through the peace testimony when I was turning 18. The Vietnam War was raging, and the news reports and photographs of its impact on civilians shattered the sheltered bubble I lived in and plunged me into a spiritual crisis. The draft made it impossible for me to avoid personal responsibility for the war. Conversations with my minister and friends led me to my first Meeting for Worship at nearby Radnor Meeting.

Initially I was struck by the differences between the Meeting and the Episcopal services I was used to; the open rectangle of benches instead of an altar and unprogrammed silence were unfamiliar. I was mystified by where the words came from. But, I learned that there is a spiritual community that views equality and peacemaking as essential to their faith, and was introduced to a process for seeking Truth that involved both inner search and outward witness. It was my first step in a journey towards Quaker education and Westtown, but if you had told me then that my search would lead me to where I am today, I would never have believed you. We have no idea of the possibilities that lie within.

After two decades of teaching, coaching, learning, and leading in Friends schools in Rhode Island and North Carolina, I left a community I loved to come to Westtown. The vibrant diversity of the student body and the rich tapestry of international students and families give the school a unique character. And the Quaker roots were deep - I, and my family, took a leap. It has been an unending journey of growth.

When I visited, the engagement of students, faculty, staff, parents, and students was dazzling. I will never forget the insistence of the group of students 02

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who interviewed me that whoever became Head must understand the school and be able to distinguish between things that might have to change and those that never should.

I have done my best to take that responsibility to heart. Those students, and thousands before and after them, have embodied the conviction that each member of the community takes ownership and personal responsibility for making the school the best it can be.

The combination of holding oneself and one’s community to high standards, and committing to never stop working to realize them is one of the things that should never change. Another is the fabric of relationships, nurtured by Meeting for Worship, in which every voice is valued. As former Head Earl Harrison wrote, these relationships form a community which “demonstrates that love is possible in a unit significantly larger than a family.”

A spiritually vital tradition must constantly be translated and adapted in order to remain viable and relevant in today’s dynamic world. At the same time, it must be deeply rooted in our mission and in our core purpose to develop and deliver a transformational educational program that prepares and equips a new generation of leaders to understand and work with others to address real world problems with imagination, courage, and hope. Our efforts to build a respectful and loving community are more important than ever. As we move into 2017, I encourage us all to continue to engage with one another, to listen, to learn, and to work together to advance the values of our community, and take them into the world every day. That is a legacy worth leaving to those who come after us.

News from Around ’Town

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TRANSITION COMMITTEE: A Message from Jon Evans ’73, Clerk, Board of Trustees

New Head of School You can read Westtown’s official announcement in its entirety at www. westtown.edu/hos

The Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Victoria H. Jueds as Westtown’s next Head of School. Tori, as she is known, currently serves as Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students at Princeton University, where she plays a pivotal role in academic, co-curricular, and diversity and inclusion initiatives for 5,200 undergraduate students.

We believe Tori’s dynamic vision, strength of character, and forward-thinking leadership make her the ideal person to lead Westtown today and continue the extraordinary work of John Baird and other distinguished Heads of School who have preceded her. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to welcoming Tori Jueds to Westtown in July 2017.

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 westonian@westtown.edu.

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I am pleased to announce the appointment of the Head of School Transition Committee.

This group will assist our new Head of School, Tori Jueds, in acclimating herself before she officially begins her work at Westtown in July 2017. The Transition Committee’s work is of finite duration, as once Tori is on campus and immersed in our community, other people and structures naturally will continue the welcoming and orienting processes.

Members of the committee are: Martha Bryans ’68 and Jake Dresden ’62, co-clerks, Marissa Colston, Lisa Cromley, Susan Fahey, Ted Freeman, Sydney HoweBarksdale, Kristin Trueblood, and Karl Vela ’03. We value the experience and perspective that these individuals bring.

Among other tasks, the Transition Committee will arrange opportunities for Tori to meet members of our community, attend several events on campus, and familiarize herself with school history, finances, enrollment, curriculum, student life, and governance.

We are grateful to have John Baird’s full support for this work and appreciate the warm welcome and collegial support that he has already extended. This year is one of celebration as we express our gratitude for John and Aminda’s many contributions to our community.

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Design Thinking Meets English Class Sixth grade English teacher Lisa Cromley knew that she wanted to integrate design thinking into her curriculum. Design thinking (DT) uses imagination, logic, and reasoning to design solutions to real-world problems.

Westtown teachers have been using DT principles for several years, but using DT projects in English and literature studies has not been as common.

Cromley also knew she would focus on the experiences of refugees. She decided to create a DT project using the book A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park, a fictionalized true story about a Sudanese refugee.

Meanwhile, Alicia Zeoli, one of Westtown’s Innovation and Technology Specialists, was accepted to Google’s Certified Innovator program, which requires creating a yearlong innovation project. She, too, wanted to focus on the refugee experience and design thinking in her project. She, along with her partner at another school, set about creating a resource for teachers who wanted to use design thinking principles to teach about the refugee crisis.

When Cromley and Zeoli realized that their projects shared a theme, they collaborated to create a joint project around A Long Walk to Water and the experience of Syrian refugees. Their curriculum included using the Global Read Aloud concept (the book is read aloud so students experience the book

together), assigning non-fiction articles about the Syrian refugee crisis, challenging students to discern a problem to solve, and then designing, prototyping, and presenting solutions. Important elements in DT are empathy and beginning with “how might we” questions. For this project, students considered How might we improve the migration experience of refugees?

In order to design an improved experience for refugees, students had to approach the material in a more personal way. Cromley says, “The empathy piece really got to shine because we made a list of the refugee’s needs as we encountered them in the book, then when Alicia did the brainstorming with them, she asked, ‘Which of these needs can you design for?’”

Students worked in small groups thinking about hydration, safety, climate, and the terrain as they

designed. One group designed “SCOGGles” - glasses with GPS capabilities. Another group designed a backpack with a built-in blanket and a float for getting across water. Each group also presented their projects.

Zeoli created videos of the students pitching their designs and posted the curriculum she and Cromley wrote on the website she created for her Google Innovator program.

Cromley admits that it took her some time to see how DT could be used in her classes. “It’s easy to see how DT applies to math and science, but through this project I finally got how it applies to English. It’s presentation skills, For link to Zeoli’s collaborating in a group, website and to see videos of the writing about your ideas, students pitching it’s problem solving, and their projects, visit critical thinking. It was www.westtown. edu/thewestonian very exciting to see it all come together.”

A RECORD GIFT The Class of 1966 set a school record in May for a 50th Reunion Gift with 100% participation! This record-setting gift included gifts to the Science Center, The Endowed Chair for Faith and Practice, The Class of 1966 Fund for Financial Aid, The George Hartwell Adams Memorial Scholarship, The Winslow Fund, and The Westtown Fund. It also included matching funds for an EE Ford Grant, which supports an Action-Based Education approach to teaching, connecting design thinking with student agency.

Many thanks to the reunion planners, who worked so hard to reach this first-time achievement and to all of the members of the class whose gifts will help the school continue to activate our students’ intellectual, spiritual, imaginative, empathetic, and athletic passions so they become agents of good in their own lives and in the world at large.

100%

PARTICIPATION in 50th Reunion gift!

Way to go Class of 1966—you raised over

$307,874!

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Green Strides Tour Westtown School was honored to be part of the annual U.S. Department of Education’s annual Green Strides Tour this year. Officials from the U.S. Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education toured Green Ribbon Schools around the country as part of their “Real World Learning” tour theme.

The tour was led by Wade Tomlinson, Director of Sustainability, Margaret Haviland, Assistant Head for Faculty and Program, and George Schaab, Facilities Department Manager. The visiting officials, as well as teachers from other schools who joined the tour, were impressed by Westtown’s sustainability education and practice. While observing the composting bin and solar-paneled chicken coop at Lower School, one teacher quipped, “My school talks about initiatives like this, but Westtown has gone ahead and implemented them. It’s inspiring.” Westtown was named a Green Ribbon School in 2013.

MLK CELEBRATION "What do you stand for? What will you move for?" Students of all ages made posters for their causes and marched in honor of Dr. King.

400th Victory!

Jay Farrow ’75, Head Coach of the wrestling team, brought home his 400th victory as a coach at Westtown. A strong 60-12 win over West-Mont Christian Academy in early December put Farrow at the 400 mark. Farrow is quiet and humble about reaching this landmark win and is eager to lift up past and present wrestlers for helping the program reach this milestone.

For Farrow, it’s never been about simply winning; he is as committed to his wrestlers’ off-the-mat lives as he is to their careers on it. “I hope my wrestlers will be confident, courageous, and have the mental and physical toughness to deal with adversity.” His recipe for success includes nurturing confidence and character in conjunction with technical skill building. This is not the only significant achievement in Farrow’s 30-year coaching career. Westtown Wrestling has won 20 of its 22 Friends Schools League Championship titles under coach Farrow’s leadership. With a dual meet record of 400-94-1, Farrow is also the most winning coach in Westtown School history. Under his leadership, Westtown Wrestling took home 17 Delaware Independent School Conference (DISC) Championships as well.

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INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL Twenty countries were represented with food, memorabilia, and music at this year’s International Festival. Thank you to all of our students and families who worked hard to make this an amazing celebration of cultures!

You can find a gallery of photos of this beloved event at www. westtown.edu/ thewestonian

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MISSION-BASED ARTS:

The Displacement Project The Performing Arts Department, under the leadership of Department Chair Will Addis, focused their fall semester curriculum on the experience of refugees and the displaced. The faculty entitled this department-wide program The Displacement Project aiming “to create work that both encourages new understanding and poses questions to be carried outside of the performance hall. This fall, we have dedicated our programs to examining the experiences of people who have been displaced by war, political pressures, and persecution both within our country and around the world.”

The Displacement Project grew organically from the theme of the semester which was “Looking for America.” While Addis was choosing the fall play, Robert Frazier, Instrumental Music Head, was conceiving of a similar focus for his classes. When they realized their curricula were dovetailing, they engaged dance teacher Jenny Bopp and choral music teacher David Fontes.

Addis says, “[It] came together through our department’s shared interest in mission-based performance, but we did

not set out to create an entire series of projects. Anon(ymous) was chosen as our fall play for a few reasons: I was particularly interested in exploring a topical play this fall. We had chosen ‘Looking for America’ as our theme for the season, and all of our plays tie back to that idea. We have produced relatively few plays by women or playwrights of color, and so I had that in the back of mind while reading. Iizuka is a wonderful female playwright of Japanese and Latina heritage and this piece seemed particularly appropriate.” The play is an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey featuring Anon, a Syrian refugee separated from his mother, who must navigate a chaotic journey through the United States as he searches for his family.

Thus, theater and musical performances featured works by refugees or

that focused on the refugee experience, and dance students created and choreographed pieces inspired by photographs and writings of Syrian refugees. Additionally, refugee artists visited with students and, as in the case of Malek Jandali (pictured here), performed with students as well.

Addis says that in preparation for the project, students learned about refugee experiences in the United States and abroad. Youssef Abara, a Syrian refugee, came to meet with students and share his story, which helped humanize the refugee experience. Students also collected images of refugees throughout time and news articles about the Syrian crisis. The images became part of the slide show that opened the play and the news articles were hung in the lobby of the theater.

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Election Season @ Westtown In 1948, Agnes Finnie and her history students staged the first mock convention at Westtown. This popular project began a longtime tradition of mock conventions, primaries, and elections.

Today the tradition is not only alive, but also was broadened this year in response to this unique and historic election season. Teachers in the Upper School History Department built election discussions into class time, held mock elections, and, for the first time, created evening residential programming to provide space and opportunity for in-depth discussions.

In fact, teachers in all divisions have paid close attention to students’ moods and responses, reminding them to be respectful and open, and guiding them in effective ways to engage in dialogue with someone with whom they disagree.

Leading up to the election, space was made in classrooms throughout the school for age-appropriate, thoughtful discussions and projects.

One evening before the election, boarding students were divided into two groups. One group watched video clips of John Oliver and Megyn Kelly, both of whom discussed voting, then each of the student political party club heads lead a discussion. Meanwhile, the other group broke into smaller groups to attend four mini seminars lead by teachers. Then the groups switched, so all were able to participate in each session. The teacher-lead topics were: the Electoral College, Voting Rights (15th and 19th Amendments, Indian Citizenship Act), Cold War Chessboard (how our foreign policy came to be), Apportionment, Big Government vs.

Small Government, Immigration (state 08

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profiles, policy approaches), and finally, Women in Politics.

On November 8th, the mock election was held in the South Room. Voter turnout was high with 311 voting. History teacher Deb Wood ’86 reported a victory for Clinton, with 74 percent of the vote.

Trump garnered 11 percent, and a combination of write-in, Green Party, and Libertarian votes made up the remaining 15 percent.

As we know, the mock election results did not reflect the results of national election. On Tuesday evening, faculty and boarding students watched the returns come in until “lights out.” On Wednesday morning, the community responded to the news that Trump had won. Emotions were high.

In an effort to ease tensions and calm emotions, teachers Whitney Suttell ’98, Kevin Eppler, Marissa Colston, and Ellen Abbott penned a letter that was read to Upper School students at Collection. “There is a wide range of reactions to this morning’s news—everything from satisfaction to relief to extreme disappointment and even fear.”

They reassured students that political institutions are bigger than any one person and that not everyone who voted for Trump believes the bigoted things he says. They reminded students that in our democracy, we honor the outcome of our elections and we continue to stand up for our values. “Bigotry is not a democratic value, and it is not tolerated at Westtown. As a school community, we stand by all of our students and families…It’s important to remember that today we, as a community, are guided by the same principles that guided us yesterday: that there is Light in each and

every one of us and it’s our duty to find and support that Light.”

Students of all ages came to school on Wednesday with some of the same feelings expressed by the older students, and even the youngest were aware that something big had happened in our nation. As Westtown teachers do best, they listened to all voices, they answered questions, and then they continued to teach in the way they always have: with a heightened sense of purpose, with dedication to our mission and Quaker values, and with focus on social action and responsibility.

In a letter to staff and faculty, John Baird offered thanks, support, and guidance to our adult community, and concluded with these important words: “No matter what our own responses are, we need to continue to listen to one another with respect and love and to hold one another in the Light. We will continue to stand for our mission and our principles of equality, diversity, community, and peace. We will support all of our young people and keep them safe - whatever their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, economic background, or political affiliation, and instill in them a sense of hope. This is hard work, and it is the most important work we can do. We are creating the next generation of leaders who will take what they have learned here and change the world, as Westonians have done for many generations. Now, more than ever, the world needs more Westonians.”

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CONFERENCES

ON THE ROA D

Take a seat!

After many years of providing a place to sit for countless Westonians, the Dining Room chairs have been replaced. But, not to worry, the old chairs have been given new life in new homes. Beth Pellegrino, Director of Food Services, reports that about 50 chairs will be kept for special use on campus and about 50 more have been sent to Goshen Friends School. Some of the ones needing the most care will be donated to a local church that will repair them, and those beyond repair will be recycled.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ROBOTICS

In early December, the Middle School robotics teams competed in the FIRST Lego League Robotics regional qualifier. Each team spent three months engineering their robots, programming missions, and completing an in-depth research project. Team 3598 completed the day in 9th place and was recognized by the judges for their “excellent use of sensors and impressive team collaboration.” Team 3599 completed the day in 5th place and was commended for “running a student-centered team” as well as “being flexible and respectful with the judges and their competitors.” Team 3599’s finish earned them a promotion to the regional championship in Philadelphia in February. Congratulations to both teams!

Seven faculty, led by Marissa Colston, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and five upper school students recently attended the People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA. Colston says that all were inspired and energized by the speakers, the carefully designed workshops, and the affinity group spaces the conference offered. “This year’s conference was all about the power of love igniting change,” says Colston. Brian Stevenson, author of bestselling book Just Mercy, challenged attendees to “get proximate” to where change is needed, impressing the need to get close to those who are marginalized to make real change. He spoke of the need to change narratives we might have around race and begin to undo the stereotypes that are so deeply imbedded in the culture. “We were also inspired by the poetry of 15-year-old Royce Mann who talked about his own white privilege and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and standing up as an ally for any kind of injustice,” she said.

Not only did the students come away from the conference inspired to act and help change the narrative about race, but also they emerged with new insights about themselves and a deeper understanding of their own experiences. “I felt like the multiracial affinity group for me was an amazing space because there were so many people that had the exact same problems and the same experiences that I have had,” says Joe Seyedroudbari ’19. For Lilly Fernandez ’18, the experience helped her feel empowered. “There are so many opportunities in our society to be the change in our ever-changing world. I have never known my place in what is happening around me. I just felt like a bystander, but now I am one of the 1600 activists that came out of SDLC. I am the white, Spanish, Cuban, cis woman ready to stand up for my beliefs and what is right to make the world a place where I am proud to be an American.”

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of these conferences is the opportunity for students to feel safe in expressing themselves on a topic that is sensitive, complex, and often contentious. “The love and support from everyone at the conference even when we were discussing very controversial and sensitive topics was unreal,” notes Ashley-Elizabeth Ochefu ’19.

The closing ceremony offered the opportunity to hear Congressman John Lewis, Hank Aaron, and Christine King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister, speak, which Colston remarks was a humbling experience for the teachers and students alike.

“They all shared a similar message of standing in love in the face of injustice and making good trouble for a better world.”

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Q U I CK N OT E S

[2]

[1] ATHLETES COMMIT TO COLLEGES Congratulations to these student athletes on signing with their respective colleges and universities: [1] Brandon Randolph (basketball-Arizona), Anthony Ochefu (basketball-Stony Brook), Cole Berger (golf-Lafayette) and Jacob Lukens (diving-Delaware)!

TRICK OR TREAT FOR UNICEF For one of their service projects, second graders decided to raise money for Unicef. They passed out Trick or Treat for UNICEF boxes to all of Lower School, and used them on Halloween themselves.

Children returned the full coin boxes to second grade. Students sorted and counted the money, which totalled a whopping $954.18! The money will be used for food, water, and medicine, and students learned how much of these resources this amount will buy. This integration of service learning, community building, and math skills is an excellent example of action-based education at Westtown.

WINNING SCREENPLAY Congratulations to Alex Mortazavi ’19 who won “Best Youth Screenplay” at the Newark International Film Festival! Alex’s screenplay, Gehenna, was part of his portfolio work in Teacher Stephanie Tucker’s English class. Way to go, Alex!

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ON A MISSION Congratulations to 8th grader Mia Melendez who has been selected to serve on Harvard’s Making Caring Common Youth Advisory Board! The YAB will work with MCC “to make schools and communities more just, caring, and respectful places.” The 26 members of the 2016–2017 YAB were selected from nearly 200 nominations of students in grades 7–12. They represent 15 states across the nation and a diversity of backgrounds and identities. All YAB members have a strong commitment to MCC’s mission of building just, caring, and respectful communities.

A SMASHING SUCCESS! Thanks to all who came out for a fun day at FallFest 2016. Thanks, also, to event planner Megan Schlickmann and all the volunteers who made the celebration possible. Enjoy the gallery of photos at www.westtown.edu/thewestonian.

FEATURED IN CHRONICLES A piece about equity and inclusion written by Upper School biology teacher Celeste Payne is featured in the current issue of Chronicles of Quaker Education, Friends Council on Education’s newsletter. You can find a link to the online version at www.westtown.edu/ thewestonian.

LOWER SCHOOL FOOD DRIVE The Lower School food drive [2] held in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving resulted in a 700 lb. donation to the Chester County Food Bank! Many thanks to all in the community who contributed!

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS Congratulations to National Merit Scholarship (NMS) Semi-Finalists [3], seniors Molly Lynch, Tom Barnett, Elena Vilceanu, and Jane Mentzinger, and to Alyssa Rowshan, recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition Program!

16,000 National Merit Semi-Finalists have been designated on a state-by-state basis from a pool of 1.6 million juniors who took the PSAT in the fall of 2015. The majority of semi-finalists will advance to finalist status on the basis of their applications. All NMS winners will be selected from this pool.

The College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program, which identifies academically exceptional Hispanic/ Latino students, is an academic honor that recognizes about 5,000 of the 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the PSAT.

[3]

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Campus Kitchen Last spring, Westtown was designated a Campus Kitchen, one of only four high schools to join this national network.

Campus Kitchens recover and distribute food. Westtown’s Campus Kitchen Club works with CityTeam and the West Chester Senior Center to help meet the food needs of local senior citizens. The dedicated student team was busy this fall. (See sidebar below for details).

Faculty advisor Mitch Bernstein says that 20 students assisted in packing and weighing food and then delivering food to CityTeam and the West Chester Senior Center this semester, logging a total of 44 volunteer hours.

BY THE NUMBERS Delivered

887 POUNDS of rescued food to CityTeam Donated and delivered

165 POUNDS (11 TURKEYS) to CityTeam

Ran a “Turkeypalooza” turkey drive and donated

20

TURKEYS for the West Chester Senior Center—those turkeys provided

288

SENIORS their Thanksgiving dinner.

Join us in Thanking John Baird In recognition of and gratitude for his passionate leadership at Westtown and his successful efforts to lift up environmental sustainability as a core value in the school’s teaching, buildings, campus and operations, the Board of Trustees announces a fundraising initiative in honor of John by encouraging gifts to The John W. Baird Environmental Sustainability Fund.

John’s passion for sustainability education and action has played a pivotal role in shaping Westtown’s sustainability initiatives for more than a decade.

ABOUT THE FUND The John W. Baird Environmental Sustainability Fund was established in 2008 by a handful of donors with the purpose of environmental stewardship, and in support of John’s vision for the school. The charter states that the Fund will be used at the discretion of the Head of School for projects related to the environmental sustainability of Westtown School, as well as program-related initiatives.

The existing Fund will be endowed to continue the advancement of environmental awareness and to support priority projects on Westtown’s campus. The endowed portion will be determined by a spending policy established by the Board of Trustees and will, in essence, allow John Baird’s legacy and commitment to sustainability to live on in perpetuity. Gifts to this Fund after its endowment will continue to support new initiatives on campus. All uses of the Fund will be directed by the Head of School.

Your support of The John W. Baird Environmental Sustainability Fund will allow the school not only to honor John’s tenure, but also to advance our strong commitment to and vision for a sustainable world.

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE Online: www.westtown.edu/donateforjohn By mail: Make checks payable to Westtown School.

Indicate ‘JBESF’ in the memo line. Mail to 975 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA 19382, Attn: Advancement Office.

Stock transfer: If you wish to make a gift of stock please contact Becky Bernstein at becky.bernstein@ westtown.edu or 610-399-7839.

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1879 Past is Prologue

ARCHIVAL PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY BROOKS, WESTTOWN SCHOOL ARCHIVES

Teachers and students alike comprised the PATH COMMITTEE which created a labyrinth of named walking paths on school grounds during the 1879 summer session. Today, our Facilities Staff and Grounds Crew tend the paths made that long-ago summer and as well as the campus on which they were created.

This team of 26 people maintain and beautify our living and learning spaces both inside and out. They are also the hands-on guardians of our sustainability mission who manage resources, structures, power plant and sources, recycling and waste management, and cultivate and protect the natural environment that surrounds us.

2016 PHOTO BY ED CUNICELLI

2016

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Fields & Courts It was an exciting fall in athletics at Westtown!

Here are some highlights of the season: GIRLS SOCCER • 14-6 overall record • Friends Schools League Finalists • PAISAA State Champions! First time in program history • Sara Oswald ’19, Relly Ladner ’19, Natalia Santangelo ’20, and Natalie Neumann ’19 —FSL All League First Team • Val Thomson ’18 and Emily Coe ’20— FSL All League Honorable Mention BOYS SOCCER • Finished the regular season 4th in the FSL • George Ladner ’17 and Matt Dolente ’19— FSL All League First Team • Drew Thompson ’17 and Pierce Eldridge ’18—FSL All League Honorable Mention FIELD HOCKEY • Finished the regular season 5th in the FSL • Quaker Cup Champions defeating FCS in the finals • Sarah Cassway ’17 and Dewi Henry ’18— FSL All League First Team • Cate Cappuccio ’19—FSL All League Honorable Mention BOYS CROSS COUNTRY • Team finished 3rd in FSL Championships • Ryan O’Donnell broke the school cross country record and named to FSL All League First Team • Ethan McLear and Nick Hanchak— FSL All League Honorable Mention

See more sports updates online at www. westtown. edu/ athletics

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GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY • Finished 2nd in FSL Championships • Banning Cup Recipient—Lili Ladner • Paula Reeker ’19, Trish DeSouza ’17, and Lili Ladner ’17—FSL All League First Team • Leiya Stuart ’20—FSL All League Honorable Mention GIRLS TENNIS • Claire Burke ’20—FSL All League First Team

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FACU LT Y PRO FIL E

Tom Hay

Making History STO RY BY LY N E T T E A S S A R S S O N • PH OT O BY E D C U NI C ELLI

The first thing one notices is the meticulously groomed, snow-white handlebar mustache, an unexpected flair for a quiet and unassuming man. But as his students and colleagues know, there is far more to Tom Hay than his spectacular whiskers. He is a consummate teacher, a trusted mentor, a humble leader, and a beloved Westtown icon.

Tom’s love of history and teaching skills were undoubtedly influenced by being the son of another history icon, Al (Alexander) Hay, and his wife, Bernice Woodward ’31. Agnes Finney, a Westtown icon in her own right, also had an impact on Hay when she became his stepmother. He grew up on campus and was a lifer, graduating in 1969. After earning a bachelor’s degree at Earlham College and teaching at Abington Friends School for six years, he returned to Westtown in 1979 as Boys’ Dean. After ten years of deanship and earning a master’s degree in history, he became a full-time teacher again.

A master storyteller and perpetual history student himself, Hay is well-suited to teaching history. Margaret Haviland, Assistant Head of School for Program, says that when she came to Westtown, she immediately noticed students’ reverence for Hay. “There was this group of kids who loved him.

They’d see him and say, ‘There’s Tom Hay!’ They came from programs where history was just a set of facts. Tom wanted them to know facts too, but he was the first one to weave them together into a narrative that made sense to them. They all wanted to be in his class.”

Hay is a famously “old school” teacher. Although he eschews technology and favors lectures, discussion, and note-taking over projects, students are enthralled. “His classes are anything but archaic,” says fellow history teacher Whitney Suttell ’98. “In an era of constant distraction, kids find comfort in his straightforwardness. He teaches them to think and to see the relationship between the past and the present. Because their lives are dominated by screens and sound bites, there is something quite appealing about complex stories and pen and paper.” His students universally agree, and respond to his style and zeal for history. “Those fortunate enough to have had Tom in class have witnessed his commitment to students and his passion for history,” enthuses Alessandro Ceccarelli ’14. “Those that have 16

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had him as an advisor know the care and guidance that he offers his students.”

His commitment to the community is exemplified by the many leadership roles he’s held over the years and by his personal relationships. He tries to connect to every person who works at Westtown and tries to know their stories, too. He has a sharp wit and creates a sense of fun, often the architect of practical jokes. Still, he is measured and careful with his words, giving great consideration to how and when he expresses himself. Although he says that one of his greatest challenges has been “knowing when to keep my mouth shut,” colleagues see it differently, noting that his words are thoughtful, insightful, and cogent. “Tom doesn’t speak often in faculty meeting, but when he does, his simple words usually come at a time when we are struggling,” says Suttell. “Often he provides a crucial pivot to help us move forward.”

Hay asserts that his colleagues, too, have enriched his experience. “This place is an extraordinary gathering of adults.

It is the nature of schools that students come and go, and while they provide great joy and a sense of purpose, I have relied on the adults to support and sustain me over the years.” The feeling is mutual. Hay is one of the most in-demand mentors among faculty. As teacher Joseph Daniels puts it, “Quite simply, Tom is a teacher that the rest of us try to emulate.” Hay’s appointments as Co-Clerk of the Residential Life Committee and Clerk of the Head of School Advisory Committee are marks of the esteem, trust, and faith the entire community has in him.

As his 38-year career comes to a close, Hay reflects that Westtown has taught him to remain open minded and to always look for wisdom in others. It is his wisdom, his open mind, his care for students and community and, yes, his spectacular whiskers, that will be sorely missed.

The Hay Fund, newly established in honor of Al and Tom Hay’s 71 consecutive years of teaching at Westtown School, supports celebration of Faculty and Staff who have worked at Westtown for 20 years or more. Donations can be made to Westtown School with ‘The Hay Fund’ in the check memo line or online at westtown.edu/thehayfund.

FAC U LT Y P R O F I L E

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The Arts Gallery Learn more about the Arts at www. westtown. edu/arts

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Performing Arts gives students opportunities for creative expression through acting, singing, dancing, playing instruments, designing sets, providing light and sound, costuming, and stage managing. The stages are alive all year with performances from the youngest students to the oldest. Here is a spotlight on just some of the performances so far this year.

Background: Upper School play, Anon(ymous). Clockwise from left: Middle School Winter Concert, Scenic Arts Design, Middle School Chorus, fifth grade play, Middle School strings practice, Upper School Winter Concert, second grade play, Upper School costuming and makeup, Upper School fall play, sound technicians at work.

The Westonian Magazine

T HE A R T S G A L L E RY

S TU DEN T VOIC ES

But in the end, we felt compassion for all the people around us, and knew that during the coming months and years, we would need to show support for one another.

Election Reaction

BY D EXT ER C O EN GI LBERT ’ 1 7 , STU DENT B O DY PRESIDENT

After having been up since 3 a.m. on the morning of November 9th, I walked into my first period class not knowing how my classmates would react to Donald Trump winning the election.

Everyone revealed their emotions quickly, for within ten minutes, half the class was in tears.

Some were disheartened because they felt that no matter how qualified they were, they could never succeed because of their gender. Others teared up because they were scared for what might happen to them because of their sexual orientation, race, or religion.

While some students in the school supported Trump, we knew from the mock election that most were Hillary supporters. For the rest of the day, the mood among both students and faculty was a mixture of sadness and anger.

Walking down the halls, it felt as though someone might burst into an angry rant while simultaneously sobbing.

Instead of doing this, however, over fifty students gathered in The Cave (the day student lounge) during a lunch period to have a discussion and to debrief about what happened. The discussion began with a student reading

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a poem they wrote on the way to school, and SHAE Club provided everyone with pizza so we did not have to skip lunch.

As we all sat around on the couches, benches, and floor, it became clear that none of us could really figure out what happened. The Westtown community takes pride in our love for one another, and it was hard to fathom how so many Americans were not motivated by love, but instead by hatred and fear. We talked for over an hour, and in that time, the conversation ranged from sadness for the results, to fear of what might come next, and to anger for the people who put us in this situation. But in the end, we felt compassion for all the people around us, and knew that during the coming months and years, we would need to show support for one another.

When it was time to go back to our classes, I looked around the room and knew that the compassion and love I had just witnessed is one of the quintessential qualities that defines Westtown.

That sense of community, that deep level of caring exhibited by everyone in the school, and the instinct to support each other is what makes Westtown a place that I will dearly miss.

S T U D E NT VO I C E S

A Letter to John Baird

BY IN D IA H E N DE R S ON ’ 1 7, S T UD EN T B O DY PR ES I D E NT

From my first day of Kindergarten, when I saw you clicking your heels at the Opening of School Assembly, I knew that you were special. Then later, when I saw you at my Kindergarten play, my 3rd grade African dance concert, the Halloween parade, our Brown and White Day, in the Meeting House, at community dinners, and at numerous Westtown sports events, you proved this to be true.

Over the last 15 years, you have become more than a friend to many members of this community—you have become family. Whenever you pass by students in the hallway, your kind and gentle “Hello, how are you?” can make our day. It is your sincerity, approachability, and serenity that we will miss the most next year.

This year’s senior class caroling experience really sums it up for me. As I was sitting in your house, with one hand cradling my hot chocolate and the other draped over my friend’s shoulder, and the sound of you and your wife’s voices singing along to your guitar in the background, I looked around the room

and was overwhelmed by the deep sense of community that you have instilled in our school. It was a proud and poignant moment for all of us as we were caroling together for the last time.

On behalf of Westtown students present and past who have thrived under your leadership, we want you to know that we are beyond grateful for everything you do. You have contributed to the nurturing of thousands of students’ hearts, minds, and souls, and your spirit will be carried forward in this community for years to come and in each and every place we go. You have striven tirelessly to understand and support all Westtown students in our mission to become “stewards and leaders of a better world” and we aim now to emulate your enthusiasm and deep commitment for the happiness, growth, and development of others.

We are forever Westonians and will forever hold you in our hearts.

We aim now to emulate your enthusiasm and deep commitment for the happiness, growth, and development of others.

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Cape Lookout

BY M ARY B RO O KS, A R CH I V I S T

It was a beech tree on a hilltop on the western edge of campus, its landmark status established generations ago as the best vantage point from which to watch arrivals and departures from Westtown.

An 1860s photograph in the school archives shows an already-mature tree from which one could then enjoy an unobstructed view from Cape Lookout—as it was already named—to the Farm House and beyond.

Having served as a much beloved beacon on Westtown’s campus for almost as long as the school has been in operation, the beech tree at Cape Lookout was taken down this past August, leaving bare a spot on campus and in many a Westonian’s heart.

Cape Lookout’s significance emerged in the school’s early years when the campus was divided into boys’ and girls’ bounds —and it was the girls who enjoyed unlimited access to the tree. There they could await friends and family arriving on horseback, by farm wagon or in the school stage—or greet or say good-bye to those traveling on foot to and from the Farm House which offered lodging and meals.

Also eagerly anticipated from Cape Lookout was the arrival of packages that had come from Philadelphia by train to the station on Street Road and were then conveyed to the 22

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school by wagon. Some unexpected visitors arrived at Cape Lookout in 1863, shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, when a camp for paroled Union soldiers was established about a mile from the school. In a letter home, Westtown student Deborah Yarnall reported that she and a classmate had ventured outside for a drawing lesson, only to find two paroled Union soldiers “sound asleep at Cape Lookout …”

By the 1890s, the tree had both a ladderlike set of steps up into the tree (signifying a change in policy from the school’s earliest years when climbing trees was forbidden!) and stone steps from the area down to the walking path along the road. The stone had been repurposed from the West and South entrances of the first main building, razed in 1887. When the Granolithic was completed in 1907, the tree marked the turn-around point for walks along that pathway with friends. And by the 1930s, when students on dates were allowed to walk together along the Granolithic during specified times, Cape Lookout became a popular stopping point where couples often carved their initials on the beech tree.

Like other areas on campus, Cape Lookout was spruced up a bit for the school’s Bicentennial celebration in 1999.

Facilities staff added newly-built oak stairs up the tree trunk. The school’s grounds

crew continued to nurture the stately beech by feeding its roots and installing cables to support its branches, but time eventually took its toll. Evidence of serious decay in the tree brought concern for the safety of those walking nearby or driving on Westtown Road below, so the decision was made this past summer to remove the tree.

Wood from the felled tree has been saved for future use in ways that will commemorate the original Cape Lookout tree. (Rather than sitting in the tree, perhaps one will be able to sit on a bench made from wood of the tree.) A tree (or trees) will be planted in the area to once again fill the spot and add to the natural beauty of the campus. James Walker, a former teacher of agriculture and principal of Westtown from 1925 to 1950, understood the importance of that beauty —and in particular, the once-towering beech tree at Cape Lookout—when he remarked that Westtown students were most lastingly influenced first by the campus trees and next by the teachers.

Views of Cape Lookout

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Sowıng Seeds for the The Green Revolution & Westtown

Futu!

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J U D Y

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IN x

1860, millions of Americans contended that the U.S. economy could not survive without slavery, using religion and history to rigorously defend slaveholding. Many Quakers, by contrast, were at the forefront of the abolition movement. In 1920, tens of millions of Americans reasoned that women didn’t need the vote since they would vote just as their husbands did. Once again, many Quakers played pivotal roles in securing women’s suffrage. Today, a hundred million Americans argue that the world’s population and economy cannot survive without fossil fuels and chemical agriculture.

As Friends did years ago, can we examine conscientiously our patterns of consumption and investment so that next century this belief will seem as indefensible as the pro-slavery and anti-suffrage mindsets of the previous centuries?

SUSTAINABILITY

BY THE NUMBERS

98% 16% of students take Ecology before graduating

reduction in electricity use since 2007

70% 55%

reduction in carbon emissions from heating and electricity since 2007

improvement in trash diversion since 2009

38%

local and organic food purchasing in the Dining Room

100%

grass-fed beef and free-range chicken in the Dining Room

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Every generation, by necessity, reconstructs the social narrative—the story and the thinking behind it that undergird our psyches, our schools, and our government. Fortunately, a sustainability narrative is emerging to replace the humans-as-consumers and planet as-shopping-mall/waste-dump story that has degraded the Earth’s living systems and resources. This new narrative affirms the intrinsic relationship between healthy ecosystems and healthy economies and communities.

While the Industrial Revolution focused on what we can extract from nature, the Green Revolution hinges on how much we can learn from her.

WHAT IS EDUCATION FOR?

How we educate children is the key to ensuring the shift to sustainable living for the long haul, and Westtown as a Quaker school is at the forefront of that shift. Head of School John Baird’s passion for sustainability education, reaching back to his first years in education as a

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science teacher, has played a pivotal role in shaping Westtown’s sustainability initiatives over the past decade. “Westtown has a unique opportunity to model global education, and what a sustainable school and a sustainable world could look like,” Baird wrote in The Westonian in 2005, and the school has pursued that vision with energy, resolve, and broadly recognized results.

Embracing the NAIS call to independent schools to take up the challenge as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, Baird formed a Sustainability Long Range Planning Sub-Committee in 2006 with the charge to draft a sustainability mission statement and envision how Westtown could transform its operations and programs to realize that mission.

At the Committee’s recommendation, Baird created a half-time sustainability position and formed a standing Sustainability Committee comprising Trustees, the Head of School, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and parents. Progress has been swift, as the numbers indicate

$645,000

from two PA grants: solar panels and energy upgrades

$1 million

from individuals for the Next Generation Endowment Fund, to match grant funds, and to support the John Baird Sustainability Fund

v n e z [see sidebar], and has engaged the full community in thinking about energy, food, waste, and above all, the curriculum.

But by far the greatest impact of Westtown’s initiatives has been on the thinking and actions of students, graduates, and their families. Their ambassadorship beyond Westtown is where the real action is taking place.

Ari Yamaguchi ’12 shared how he ended up an Environmental Science Major at Drexel University. “While I was at Westtown, sustainability practices and principles were so embedded in everything we did that I didn’t think twice about it. When I got to Drexel University I was surprised by the lack of awareness and apathy I saw about environmental issues, and realized I needed to become part of the solution. The moral voice in the back of my mind that pushes me every day to pursue my field is distinctly Westonian. I often joke that I can’t seem to shake my inner Quaker no matter how hard I try. Teacher Tim Loose’s Advanced Bio 2 evolution class provided the spark

to pursue the natural sciences, something I never would have considered otherwise. His teaching, within the context of Westtown’s sustainability focus, truly changed my life’s trajectory.”

A transformational education is exactly what Westtown’s founders had in mind when they envisioned the school.

Owen Biddle’s 1790 pamphlet, A Plan for a School, drew inspiration from the idea of “a garden enclosed” (Canticles 4:12) where young people could learn “obedience to the inward principle of light and truth” at an institution rooted in simplicity “without profusion or waste.”

Quakers have traditionally approached difficulties by holding them in the Light and waiting, with a focus not on the problem but on the life that grows from it. In considering the dangers of climate change, we could borrow a framing query from green architect William McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle, “How do we love the children of all species for all time?” Examining our personal lives in that light, we might change how we source our food, our

energy, our material needs, and our transportation, and from that inner transformation will come the drive to pressure institutions and government to likewise protect the commons. The first motion is inward and personal; the second motion is outward. Students learn to attend to, as Quaker botanist Brian Drayton puts it, “the quiet voice of the Inward Monitor…[from] whence our clarity and our power come.”

OUR PLACE IN THE NATURAL WORLD

This extraordinary 600-acre “garden enclosed” with a cornucopia of habitats—wetlands, lake, creek, farm, meadows, and woodlands—provides an ideal setting for sustainability education. Close study of the campus reveals profound ecological truths, summarized by scientist and author Janine Benyus: nature runs on sunlight; uses only the energy it needs; thrives on and banks diversity; curbs excesses from within; taps the power of limits; fits form to function; rewards cooperation; recycles everything.

Students at Westtown are invited to imagine the human enterprise abiding by these laws, and thriving without environmental losers, sacrifice zones, excessive waste, food deserts, or climate disruption. Sustainable solutions abound when we look for them, since virtually every human need has already been perfected by four billion years of evolution: desalinate water? See how a cell membrane manages. Harvest water in the desert? Study the Namibian Beetle.

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Sequester carbon from the atmosphere?

Well-nourished topsoil does the job.

The current buzzwords—21st Century Education—conjure images of how we can train students to be more technologically adept and more sophisticated in how fast they can communicate with each other. But a complete 21st Century education needs a wider lens that encompasses a sense of wonder about the natural world and a firm grasp of our place within it.

In all three divisions, students spend time outdoors to foster both. As early as pre-K, students explore the campus in outdoor education classes, collecting specimens, observing wildlife, and learning how all the pieces fit together.

First graders create a field guide to campus birds; fourth graders create a small Lenape village; fifth graders design a vernal pool to catch sediment otherwise destined for the lake and to provide habitat for amphibians. At the student organic farms at Lower School and near the Farm House, they plant, harvest, cook, and eat a range of vegetables—a complete farm-to-table circle.

One balmy day last October, a Kindergartner wandered into the Lower School farmette (complete with solar powered chicken coop for four hens, raised beds, and an arbor laden with gourds) during recess. She asked Tim Mountz, Westtown’s Sustainable Agriculture Educator, affectionately called Farmer Tim, if she could sample something. He steered her to a gherkin plant, where she found a green fruit the size of her thumb resembling a miniature watermelon.

“Can I eat it?” she asks. “Sure. Tastes a bit like a cucumber.” Down the hatch it

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went, and she looked for more. “For my mom and dad,” she explained as she skipped back to the playground, one in each palm. Within minutes, two more children, then six came to hunt for gherkins. Their willingness to try a “new green thing” is what excites Mountz about his job. A master of heirloom seed saving, he plants open pollinated varieties so that students can expand their palates and learn about the diversity of seeds available to us.

“Right now 95 percent of the world’s food comes from only 30 species. These heirloom seeds are our food bank,” he explains. “Our best defense against climate change.”

In the Middle School, sixth graders are engaged in water testing of Chester Creek and owl banding in the Poconos, seventh graders design and build traps to study turtles at the lake before releasing them, and eighth graders design and build windmills as a part of an interdisciplinary study of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, the boy from Malawi who provided electricity for his village.

Middle School students learn canoeing skills at the lake before overnight trips on the Mullica River, the Delaware River,

and the Susquehanna. “After studying the healthy lake ecosystem at Westtown,” says science teacher Josh Reilly, “The eighth graders notice immediately how stressed the Susquehanna River is due to human encroachment. We teach ‘Leave No Trace’ camping, which quickly becomes ‘Leave the campsite better than you found it.’ They always pick up trash from previous groups, so they know firsthand that they can improve the environment.”

By the time students reach Upper School, a sustainability mindset is second nature, inspiring creative and wide-ranging projects. Historically, Westtown has promoted the natural sciences, and thanks to recent restructuring of science offerings, that trend is even stronger. The former sequence of a year of physics in ninth grade followed by chemistry in tenth and biology in eleventh kept many students from the more advanced science classes until senior year. Students still complete a full credit of physics, chemistry, and biology, but the classes are now split into two semesters, giving students flexibility in how they sequence their courses and the ability to enroll in life science classes before junior year. All sophomores now

x n e z AWARDS + RECOGNITIONS: • PA Department

of Education Green Ribbon School

take a semester of Ecology, and advanced science • EPA Green Power offerings include Partner for Astrophysics, purchasing 100% wind-generated Anatomy and electricity Physiology, Evolution, Independent Research Projects, Biology of Disease, and Design Engineering.

Enrollment in science courses has jumped 25 percent.

The campus provides boundless teaching resources. In her Advanced Evolution class, Biology teacher Mariska Batavia explains that, “Students photograph and identify over 100 varieties of flora and fauna on campus which they organize into an evolutionary tree to show how they are related.

Seeing the complex connections among species is critical to understanding how evolution and the natural world work.” Dex Coen-Gilbert, one of three seniors working towards a Deep Dive Certificate in Sustainability Leadership, is focusing on the species surrounding

the lake for his Independent Research Project, comparing his findings to lists created by students in the 1800s. “Just the other day, I had the privilege to see a bald eagle, a kingfisher, a pileated woodpecker, and a red-tailed hawk.

Throughout the project, I have learned most how surprising and transient the ecosystem is. Everything is in motion, yet connected.”

For their Independent Research Seminar, Molly Lynch ’17 and Julia Pavlov ’17 are investigating tardigrades, micro-animals also called water bears or moss piglets, that live in extreme environments from the Arctic to the rain forest to the deep ocean. “After ordering some online, we realized we could harvest them right on campus, so we foraged some from dew droplets on moss growing near the Head of School’s house,” says Lynch. “We are trying to understand how they adapt to climate extremes,” Pavlov adds.

Yiheng Xie ’17 is researching duckweed, a tiny aquatic plant plentiful at the frog pond, as a possible source for

THE ENVIRONMENT ISN’T THE BACKDROP. IT’S US. FOOD FOR THOUGHT • Our bodies are 65 percent water, comprised of molecules that have previously been in every body of water on earth: the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, the China Sea, and Niagara Falls.

• Every breath we take holds a few of the inert argon atoms that were breathed by Ghandi, Jesus of Nazareth, the dinosaurs.

• The recent Human Microbiome Project found that we carry on and in our bodies three times more non-human DNA than human DNA. • Each of us is a mini ecosystem, dependent on fungi, mitochondria, and bacteria to create the energy we need to move, think, and speak.

The environment isn’t “out there.”

It’s “in here.” We are made of it.

fuel. “My first idea was to use it to make biodiesel, but that turned out to be too volatile—a fire hazard—so I switched to biofuel. I’ve learned that duckweed is also a great water purifier,” he adds, clearly excited about his project.

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Interestingly, many major universities no longer offer courses in botany, entomology or ornithology, not because students don’t want to take them, but because there is no one to teach them.

Botany majors have dropped by 50 percent since 1980, and fewer biology majors nationwide are studying macrobiology, as the fields of molecular biology and genetics dominate. This deficit will have far reaching impact, as understanding complex living systems in order to protect them adequately requires experts in the field.

Chip Blake ’78 is a notable exception.

As he reflected in Westtown In Word and Deed for the bicentennial, “The biggest teacher of natural history that spring [of my senior year]…was the Westtown campus. In trying to see all the birds I could, I explored every foot of it: pine forest, meadow, orchard, swamp and farm and along the lake and Chester

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Creek…In the second week of May, the birds crashed over the campus in a tidal wave. Almost every tree, it seemed on some mornings, had a vireo or a warbler…seeing the birds that week was all that mattered...I wandered about, looking at all the campus’ life and, as I did, the way the world works, the cycle of the year, the logic of change, the wonder of diversity — all of this began to make sense in a way it never had in any classroom or book. Who I was, and whatI wanted to become was clear too…”

Blake is Executive Director of the award-winning Orion Magazine, considered by many to be the nation’s best environmental journal.

Solutions to climate change won’t come from the same thinking that created it, so educating students in design thinking is as critical as a grounding in science. The Lower School iLab, the Upper School Design Engineering lab,

and the Middle School collaboration and design projects get students to explore, tinker, and use their hands as they imagine the built environment in entirely new ways. In the Upper School design lab, students are charged with working in collaborative “start-ups” to create solutions for real world social and environmental challenges. The gateway technology of the 3-D printer can build a student’s design on the spot. From the printer, they move to machine tools, where they can manufacture from metal, not plastic, and make objects of substance and utility. “Failed prototypes are common for these grassroots innovators, but they always teach the designer,” says Steve Compton, who created the Design Engineering Class.

Sustainability principles find expression in co-curriculars as well. The two Farm Managers, Henry Zuckerberg ’17 and Kayla Shaffer ’17, organize work crews and meals using the pizza oven at the student farm to build community and immerse students in sustainable food production. “I feel like we are really accomplishing something. People want to join in,” Shaffer explains. “Our first farm event attracted five students.

Thirty-five came to the most recent one.”

When the conversation turns to wild food foraging in the Westtown woods with Teacher Tim Mountz, they light up as they list their finds: Ramps, Paw Paws, Morels, Spicebush, Chicken of the Woods, Hen of the Woods, Fiddlehead Ferns, Concord Grapes from a vine near the old barn. “When I go into the woods now, I know what to look for,” Zuckerberg

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I wandered about, looking at all the campus’ life… the way the world works, the cycle of the year, the logic of change, the wonder of diversity—all of this began to make sense in a way it never had in any classroom or book.

CHIP BLAKE ’78, Executive Director of Orion Magazine

reflects. “I make the connection between what I read or hear from Teacher Tim, and what I am seeing. It sticks.”

Last year’s head of Green Coalition Club, Leif Taranta ’16, filmed a video series promoting Westtown’s sustainability efforts and created The Green Coalition by merging Earth Service and Outdoor Clubs. “I am training now at National Outdoor Leadership (NOL) before beginning at Middlebury College in 2017 where I am thrilled at the prospect of working with environmental journalist and activist, Bill McKibben,

founder of 350.org.” Leif and classmate Molly Calvo ’16, were the first Westonians to graduate with Deep Dive Certificates in Sustainability Leadership. Calvo reflects that “the Westtown community holds everyone accountable for their actions, making it impossible to ignore questions of sustainability. These expectations morphed into personal values and helped me realize that I want to study architecture and environmental science to look for ways of combining nature with the built environment and social justice.” She is a freshman at Washington University.

This year’s Green Coalition leaders, Jay Scott ’18 and Ainsley Bruton ’17, also have ambitious goals for the club. “We hope to cut campus waste even further and educate the community about the health and ecological benefits of reducing meat consumption,” says Bruton. Scott emphasizes the intersectionality between environment and justice. “People of color are always affected first by climate change, so working to combat it, without question, is a social justice issue. All the Quaker testimonies are connected.”

Steve Curwood ’65 would agree.

Executive Producer and host of Public Radio International’s award winning program, Living on Earth, Curwood writes on the show’s website, “[In 1970] when the first Earth Day rallies got

underway, I was slow to get in line. As an African-American I was busy marching about civil rights and fighting poverty.

As the son of a single mother, I was busy marching for equal rights for women.

As a concerned citizen and Quaker, I was busy marching against the war in Vietnam. Let the white guys march for the environment, I said. Let them rally to keep open space so they can ride to hounds, while I work for a better world.

“But over the next 20 years things changed, and I changed, too. As a society, we made a lot of progress on many of the problems of 1970. Poverty and racism didn’t disappear, but far more African-Americans and other minorities won more good jobs and acceptance...

By Earth Day 1990, my own young son [James Curwood ’99] was telling me that environmental change was the most important, under-covered story going.

And I realized that he was right. Of all the issues Americans marched about in 1970, only the environment has gotten worse...our relationship to our environment, and what we do to it, is as important as any other part of our lives. And it’s our job to bring you the information you need to make the choices that will determine our future.” Living on Earth, now in its 25th season, is aired by 270 Public Radio stations.

Since sustainability touches on nearly every aspect of our lives, every subject area can lift it up. At Westtown, religion classes explore the myths that undergird our relationship to the natural world, and history classes examine the overlap of class, race, and environment. “Land granted to Native Americans, for instance,” history teacher Deb Wood notes, “is continually vulnerable to the

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U.S. Government’s changing interpretation of historic treaties. The power is in the hands of the government, not First Americans. Similarly, low-income communities suffer from polluting industries much more than affluent neighborhoods. And a final example: the five-year drought in Syria made worse by climate change has clearly accelerated the refugee crisis. Our students grapple with these environmental justice issues, and propose solutions in their Social Action projects.”

HOW SHALL WE EAT?

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How the world will feed itself sustainably is another topic that Westtown is tackling head on. “There is a beautiful interplay between dining, community, and sustainability at Westtown,” says Beth Pellegrino, Director of Dining Services.

“The meal is the message. We label the apples from the local orchard, or the milk from Bailey’s Dairy in Pocopson so that students know where their food comes from. Students wander into the

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kitchen all the time asking for more of the ‘good yogurt’ or the grass-fed beef.

And nothing gets them as excited as eating food from the student gardens that they grew themselves. They are becoming savvy eaters, and that makes my job incredibly satisfying.” Thirty-eight percent of the school’s food is locally and organically sourced, with the goal to reach 50 percent by 2020. The Common Market recently awarded Westtown a Certificate of Appreciation for the nearly 35,000 pounds of food it has purchased from 150 local farms, and the kitchen anticipates being awarded “Green Restaurant Certification” in 2017.

Surprisingly, Dining Room costs have not gone up. “The reason is simple,” says Pellegrino. “Fresh, locally produced food tastes so good that waste has plummeted.

I can’t remember the last time we had to throw out a tray of untouched food.

When we do have a partial tray of leftovers, we freeze and donate it to CityTeam in Chester, which serves people in extreme poverty.”

This [Lower School] garden encapsulates the values this school represents. It is a tangible reminder of the curriculum, the values, and the stewardship efforts of the school.

DAVID BAUMAN, PA DEPT. OF EDUCATION

Since composting began in the Dining Room a few years back—combined with placing all trash containers both inside and outside campus buildings next to ones for recycling—landfill waste has dropped 55 percent and hauling fees have been halved. Now recycling is second nature to our students. “My music students one year returned from a regional concert with bags full of iced-tea bottles to recycle because the host school didn’t recycle,” reports music teacher Robert Frazier. “They couldn’t bear the thought of hundreds of bottles ending up in a landfill.”

THE NEGAWATT – ENERGY CONSERVATION

Schools use lots of heat and light, and Westtown is no exception. The school’s energy sources since 1799 have run the gamut from wood to coal to oil to natural gas, and now increasingly to wind and solar. A large-scale PV array is on the horizon for the campus, and the school already purchases 100 percent wind energy from off campus for electricity.

Conservation has been key: In 2007 Westtown hired the consulting firm of Practical Energy Solutions, a B Corporation owned by Westtown parent of alumni and Meeting member, Paul Spiegel, and where Ben Pressman ’05 is an engineer. Managing the ten major school buildings efficiently, conducting energy audits on 23 faculty houses, and upgrading inefficient heating and cooling units has dramatically reduced costs.

George Schaab, Director of Facilities, recalls a pivotal moment at an early Sustainability Committee meeting. “[Environmental lawyer] Baird Brown ’64 pointed out that the biggest step Westtown could take in reducing emissions would be to replace number 6 fuel oil in the steam plant with cleaner-burning natural gas. That stuck with me, so when the chance came to convert our boilers, I jumped on it. At the same time, we had been shrinking demand on the central plant by putting geothermal systems in major buildings: Guerster House, Balderston, the new science building, and now five faculty homes. Since 2005, we have cut demand on the plant 33 percent.

And because we purchase 100 percent wind generated electricity, the EPA recognizes Westtown as a Green Power Partner. I am enormously proud of that.”

The PA Department of Education named Westtown a Green Ribbon School in 2013 and the state has awarded two substantial grants to Westtown in the past eight years: A $145,000 grant from the Growing Greener Fund, matched by generous individual gifts, for solar panels on the Athletic Center; and $500,000 from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) for LED lighting

ALUMNI CHANGEMAKERS

Inspiring changemakers is a Westtown tradition, as this sampling of alumni sustainability advocates illustrates.

SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Tony McQuail ’70 and Fran Fuson McQuail ’70, founding members of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, have farmed with draft horses for 40 years at their 100-acre Meeting Place Organic Farm. “We need to redesign our society so that most of what we need to live can be created with energy from the food we grow. People need to know it is possible, doable, and enjoyable.”

Daniel Mays ’04, owner of Frith Farm in Scarsdale Maine, has created a productive CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). “Though I was head of the Earth Service student club and aware of environmental issues while at Westtown, it was when I studied sustainability from an environmental engineering perspective in graduate school [at Stanford] that I fully appreciated our planet’s situation.

Westtown instilled a sense of righteousness and activism in me that meant once I grasped the full scope of our trajectory, I had no choice but to let this understanding inform my major life decisions.”

GREEN DESIGN

Architect Peter Doo ’71, who runs a green consulting firm in Baltimore, was named in 2016 a Living Building Challenge Hero by the International Living Futures Institute for “inspiring change in the way buildings are designed, built, and operated.” Living Buildings generate more energy than they use, becoming part of the solution. Peter also designed Westtown’s Balderston Commons, an Energy Star Building which includes geothermal heating and cooling and roof shingles from recycled tires. Peter has designed net zero energy and LEED certified buildings including a straw bale building for Friends Community School in Maryland. “I help owners and architects achieve their sustainability goals and I credit Westtown for instilling an appreciation of community and the importance of making things work for everyone.”

Landscape Architect Kate Farquhar ’01 designs at Roofmeadow, a landscape architecture and civil engineering firm in Philadelphia. “Tagging along on Westtown birdwalk breakfasts and peeper hunts, and riding the old sled trail on a Flexible Flyer are outdoor experiences that made me who I am. I’m lucky that I grew up in an intergenerational community of nature enthusiasts—it’s the best way to learn.”

With her belief that art and activism play a central role in making environmental systems visible and meaningful to the public, she also teaches drawing and field ecology in PennDesign’s Department, and coordinates programming for the Penn Program for Environmental Humanities WetLand Art Residency/Design Lab.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Attorney Bob McKinstry ’71 is helping to pave the way towards carbon regulation.

“I was counsel of record on behalf of climate scientists who submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA,” Bob reports, “where the Supreme Court, consistent with our position, reversed the Bush Administration’s denial of a petition to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles under the Clean Air Act. I have since represented clean energy utilities in supporting Obama Administration rules regulating emissions of conventional and hazardous air pollutants from fossil-fired power plants. I have written quite a bit on regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act and am currently active in ‘Call to the Bar: Lawyers for Common Sense on Climate Change.’ I suspect the clandestine swimming I did at the lake while a student has inspired my environmental work.”

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for Middle and Lower Schools, the Main Building, dormitories, and the Athletic Center, and a high-efficiency boiler for the Main Building. The school matched the PEDA grant, and the improvements have been guaranteed by the engineers who designed them to cut $55,000 from the school’s annual energy budget and an additional $20,000 a year in labor and maintenance costs—a 15 percent annual return on the school’s investment.

Over the years, energy and waste-hauling savings, earned income from solar generation and PECO utility incentives, major grants, and individual contributions have averaged annually in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

LEADERSHIP + INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Westtown became one of the first independent schools in the nation to dedicate a half-time staff position to sustainability, correctly reasoning that without a point person, too many good ideas would stay just ideas. Sustainability Director Wade Tomlinson, whose position is endowed by generous gifts to the Next Generation Fund, divides his time between the Sustainability Office and teaching history in the Middle School. He has repeatedly lobbied, often with his students, both the US Congress and the PA Assembly on the Green Schools Initiative and on bills that relate to sustainability and the environment.

His most recent trip to Harrisburg yielded an unexpected outcome; a contingent of eight staffers from the PA and US Departments of Education and the PA Department of Environmental Protection asked to tour the campus to learn about Westtown’s sustainability efforts. Their feedback speaks for itself.

“This dining facility is amazing!” remarked David Bauman from the PA DOE. “And the kids—they are a dream come true. The teachers must do so much background work to have the level of conversation that I see here. The food is superb and contains so many healthy options. How do you do it? How do you

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offer so much in the way of local and organic foods for so many kids? I am simply impressed —beyond impressed.

This is an example to us all.” Bauman was also struck by Westtown’s sustainable agriculture program, woven into the curriculum. “This [Lower School] garden encapsulates the values this school represents. It is a tangible reminder of the curriculum, the values, and the stewardship efforts of the school.”

The visitors were equally impressed with the LEED Gold science building.

“I can tell the science building is a place where students can be involved in their learning on a deep and fundamental level,” observed Elizabeth Williamson from the Department of Education.

“The views from the windows combined with the indoor iLab exemplify Westtown’s commitment to a 21st century education that takes into account both student creativity and stewardship of the campus.”

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The school’s sustainability focus has had wide impact: shifting mindsets, dramatically reducing emissions, benefitting the school’s bottom line, and inspiring other schools to follow suit.

Throughout the tour, the conversation was open and positive about the possibilities of legislation to encourage all schools to follow Westtown’s lead. If Pennsylvania were a country, it would be 25th on the list of carbon polluters worldwide, so the effort to green the state’s schools is a priority. “It is in everyone’s best interest to foster a sustainability mindset,” Tomlinson notes. “Most Fortune 500 Companies do because it triggers enormous savings as well as unexpected business opportunities. And I suspect that Westtown graduates will be prime candidates for

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sustainability leadership in these companies.” Wynne Lewis ’08 is one to keep an eye on. She is currently earning her MBA at Copenhagen Business School, focusing on businesses guided by the triple bottom line: people, profit, and planet—a concept she heard about first in Westtown’s Business and Society class.

PA State Senator Tom Killion also requested to tour the campus recently with Tomlinson. He has introduced Growing Greener III to the legislature to fund projects statewide and is the first Republican pushing for this bipartisan legislation to be renewed. “I have been here [to Westtown] many times and usually because of something ‘green’ going on at your campus. Westtown has long been known in my district as a green leader. It is a school with an impeccable reputation and its lead in environmental education and land management is an example to us all.”

The school’s sustainability focus has had wide impact: shifting mindsets, dramatically reducing emissions, benefitting the school’s bottom line, and inspiring other schools to follow suit. The work is not done, the new narrative nowhere near complete, but it is evolving. By faithfully attending to how we manage the campus and how we instill in students a sense of ecological reverence and a passion to let their lives speak, Westtown is moving that narrative forward.

Judy Nicholson Asselin ’71, was a longtime teacher of Middle School English and theater at Westtown, and served as Westtown’s Sustainability Director for seven years. Now retired, she stays connected to Westtown by serving on the Campus Master Planning Committee and as a Class Connector.

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Bird by Bırd

A TRIBUTE TO JOHN B AI R D

B Y

L Y N E T T E

A S S A R S S O N

P H O T O S

B Y

E D

C U N I C E L L I

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e is gentle and soft spoken, but is quick with a wry and sometimes silly sense of humor. He offers a greeting to whomever he passes and knows them by name. His tie (which often has a Cubs logo on it) is always endearingly a bit askew. His white hair seems to defy the work of a comb, but it usually means he’s just been for a walk across the campus that he adores. He carries a yellow notepad with crinkled pages almost everywhere, tucked into the crook of his arm. His countenance, marked by kind eyes, is that of a listener and attuned observer.

These details are subtle indicators of the attributes that make John Baird the leader he is: an unconventional, joyful, peoplefocused continuous learner with a profound sense of community.

His tenure at Westtown has been marked by his deep affection for students, faculty, and staff, his tireless efforts to preserve the beauty of the campus, and by his devotion to creating and fostering mission-centric, values-driven programs.

Above: Baird on a seventh grade canoe trip.

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V I S IONARY John Baird might recoil from the label of “visionary,” but those who work closely with him count him as just that. His years at Westtown have included significant changes and initiatives—including the creation of a new mission statement— ones that have managed to stay true to the foundational principles of the school.

His initiatives have included upgrades to physical spaces, changes to academic programming, competitive compensation for faculty and staff, and strengthening the Quaker dimension of the school, among countless others.

From the beginning, Baird saw the school in a way that his predecessors had not: as a cohesive three-division school.

Prior to his arrival, attention, energy, and resources tipped toward the Upper School. While the expansion of Lower School had been approved before his

headship, it was completed in Baird’s early years. He knew that an expansion of space in itself was not enough; in order to strengthen program and to have families think of Westtown as one school, work needed to be done to create both a curricular continuum and a sense among faculty of shared purpose. He challenged faculty to look for ways to weave together subjects and themes, so teachers from all three divisions took on a years-long curriculum study that revealed ways to integrate their curricula, and for students in different divisions to learn from and with one another. Some of the outgrowths of that have been a pre-K to 8th grade math program, seventh grade /pre-k book buddies, a more expansive history curriculum, and a whole-school approach to teaching, as he says, “the distinctive beliefs and values of Westtown.”

Baird also understood early on that for the school to thrive, its story needed to be told. In 2002 he asked the school to conduct a young alumni survey, and was emboldened by the positive results concluding, “We are strengthened in our conviction to hold fast to the values and practices that make Westtown School what it is, and to find more compelling ways to get our message out to students and families who would benefit greatly from a Westtown education and would contribute to the community, but who don’t know about us yet.” (Westonian, Summer 2003) By 2004, a marketing campaign was underway designed to illuminate Westtown’s strengths and distinctions. This was among the first marketing pushes to employ an outside agency to do market research, conduct focus groups, and from them to create promotional materials. There was an

uneasiness among some faculty about marketing and anxiety about whether marketing itself were “Quaker.” Over time it became understood that the financial stability of the school relied, in part, on attracting students and families.

It was Baird’s gentle but persistent reminders about the realities of the marketplace and his fast adherence to Quaker values that changed the culture around communicating Westtown’s distinctions and value. Trustee Ed Winslow ’64 says, “...even as he has enhanced Westtown’s competitiveness among independent schools, John has also deepened and expanded an authentic, contemporary Quaker character in the school.” Margaret Haviland, Assistant Head for Program, agrees: “John has

helped us lift ourselves out of this bubble around us and made us realize there is a world that doesn’t understand Westtown, that we have a story to tell, and that there is nothing wrong with telling it in a way that’s understandable outside Westtown.”

Baird’s sustained efforts toward a diverse and inclusive school are emblematic of his commitment to the work of creating authentic community. He, along with Margaret Haviland, has made diversity and identity training for faculty a priority, dedicating time and professional development funds to prepare teachers for diverse classrooms in which there is keen appreciation of and respect for difference. He appointed the school’s first Multicultural Board which comprises faculty from all three divisions,

“I believe that effective leadership requires listening, patience, decisiveness, integrity, compassion, courage, resilience, reflection, openness to continuing revelation, and a sense of humor.”

—JOHN BAIRD

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“...even as he has enhanced Westtown’s competitiveness among independent schools, John has also deepened and expanded an authentic, contemporary Quaker character in the school.”

—ED WINSLOW ’64, TRUSTEE

administration, alumni, and students.

The Multicultural Board “seeks to listen broadly and identify community needs in order to inform its goals and actions and to implement the strategic initiatives related to diversity and inclusion” (Multicultural Board Mission Statement).

In 2015, Baird created the position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion —expanding the previous position of Diversity Coordinator and elevating it to an administrative level—and hired Marissa Colston. “His leadership has allowed my position to exist, thrive, and be supported,” says Colston, adding, “He is someone I partner with to plan larger goals regarding diversity and inclusion...

He collaborates, listens, and helps guide us to the right place.”

Bringing the school and its programs into the 21st century has been a high priority for Baird. He is particularly proud of the development of the science program and of the renovation and construction of the Science Center that has revolutionized the way students experience science. He credits the faith and courage of the Board of Trustees to invest in it. “The facilities were outmoded. We were at the bottom of a recession, enrollment was declining and we said that we needed to do something to improve the facility and improve the

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program. Even though enrollment was down, more and more kids were taking science courses and the robotics program was taking off. We wanted to be able to develop something new.”

The LEED Gold Science Center was completed in 2014. He has high praise for the science faculty who revitalized the curriculum. “It’s impressive how they have transformed the program.

The growth of design engineering, the use of campus, the fact that virtually every Upper School student will now take Ecology—it’s become a hallmark of the school.”

Baird was one of the principal architects of both the Strategic Plan of 2005 and of its revisioning and update approved by the Board of Trustees in 2013 and implemented in 2014. The Strategic Plan includes imperatives that will position Westtown as 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” (excerpted from the Strategic Plan Mission Statement, 2014).

The Plan, itself visionary, is the ultimate expression of Baird’s steady and constant hand in moving the school forward while tending its roots.

P R EC I OUS PAT C H OF E A RTH AND WATER In Baird’s 15 years, he has maintained an unwavering passion for and commitment to the campus and environment. He hired Westtown’s first Sustainability Director, Judy Asselin ’71, understanding that teaching stewardship and integrating sustainable practices is essential to both our mission and to how we live.

Under his leadership, Westtown created its first Sustainability Mission Statement which says, in part, “The school’s decisions and actions will be guided by their environmental and educational impact now and in the future so that in meeting the needs of today’s Westonians we will support the mission, longevity, and future prosperity of the institution and the larger world.” Environmental

stewardship has been a central theme in Baird’s tenure and appears as a guiding principle in both the Strategic Plan and the 2016 Campus Master Plan. The lake restoration project, the green building policy, careful land management, and the moves toward sustainable dining all have his fingerprints on them. (For more on Westtown’s sustainability mission and practices, see The Green Revolution at Westtown on page 24.)

A nature and bird lover who rejuvenates himself with walks on campus, Baird is effusive when he talks about the care of campus and nature. “The new Campus Master Plan will focus on how we are going to integrate this gem of a campus into our learning process. The school was built from the ground up from materials that came from here and there has always been a focus on natural science and an appreciation of nature.

There have been wonderful geologists, and ornithologists, and there was a bird museum...there has always been this appreciation for what Tom Brown called, ‘This precious patch of Earth and water.’

Developing that into an ethic that is integrated across the divisions—and not just throughout curriculum, but in the whole way we operate—is what I mean about taking our roots and weaving them into a fabric that is contemporary and is going to prepare kids for the future. And it’s Quaker.”

SERVANT LE ADER “I believe that effective leadership requires listening, patience, decisiveness, integrity, compassion, courage, resilience, reflection, openness to continuing revelation, and a sense of humor.” Baird has lived by these words, ones he wrote as part of his personal statement to the Head of School Search Committee in 2001 (Westonian, Spring 2002). His dedication to those in all corners of the community at Westtown is evidenced by his attentiveness to them. Gestures both grand and small signify a man who is a listener by nature, a compassionate, courageous, and spiritual leader, and one who searches

for that of God in everyone. He is not a removed presence sequestering himself in his office, but takes opportunities to be among community members. He often lunches with students and staff. He attends Meeting for Worship. He can be found on the sidelines and in the theater cheering on athletes, musicians, and actors. He participates. He is accessible. He knows every inch of the campus. Lower School Principal Kristin Trueblood puts it like this: “John has a great sense of humor which makes the intense work of educational leadership easier. He sees the best in everyone. His leadership is hopeful, practical, spiritual, detailed, and humane.”

Trustee Emeritus Arthur Larrabee ’60 adds, “He nurtures a culture that is empowering, welcoming, and supportive of the great diversity of the people, the whole community.”

Above all, he is a collaborator who creates opportunities for others to shine. Many use the words “empowering, patient, and trusting” to describe him and tell stories of how he has not only encouraged but also nurtured growth and leadership. Asselin says, “John is that rare administrator who leads by giving others the chance to lead, while providing counsel and wisdom along the way, but never in a dictatorial or overbearing way. An exceptional listener, he inspired me to do my best by supporting each and every sustainability effort we launched.” Assistant Head of School, Jay Farrow ’75 shares, “His leadership style and caring nature provide employees and students with a sense of emotional safety and family.”

A longtime dual focus of Baird’s has been on professional development and compensation, both necessary to the retention and attraction of excellent faculty. Market research bore out what teachers had felt—that Westtown was below industry norms in compensation of its employees.

He and Margaret Haviland have devoted time and resources to the creation of a faculty salary band system to incrementally adjust salaries and titles to more closely reflect those in benchmark schools. Work toward and research for staff salary alignment is underway. “Improving faculty compensation and strengthening how we hire, retain, and develop outstanding

teachers is absolutely one of John's greatest achievements,” says Paul Lehmann ’99, Co-Director of Athletics. “He has made faculty and staff culture one of his highest priorities and the results speak for themselves.” His commitment to faculty excellence is also reflected in the faculty review system put in place several years ago. The frequency and depth of the peer review system has grown. “John had a vision for a faculty culture in which adults feel safe, part of a team, supported, and encouraged to grow. Over time, ‘encouraged’ became ‘expected’ so that the faculty culture evolved into one with a growth mindset in which professional development and excellence were expectations. It’s not the school he inherited, but it is the school he leaves,” says Haviland.

Always a teacher at heart, Baird says that his participation in two Senior Project trips provided some of his most extraordinary experiences at Westtown. Baird and former principal, Eric Mayer, took a group of students to New Orleans to do clean up work in the 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina. Years later, he joined the Israel/ Palestine Senior Project. “Those two Senior Projects gave me the opportunity to live and breathe with kids for a period of time doing something that was, to me, profoundly important and profoundly moving and

“He has a remarkable ability to model individual spiritual strength and renewal, as well as to lead the school community from a deeply spiritual place.”

—JON EVANS ’73, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

significant,” he reflects. They were firsthand experiences of what our students experience but also had personal impact on him. Ever student-focused, Baird appreciates that he has been able to periodically flex his teaching muscles while at Westtown. He taught Poetry of Westtown with Andy Crighton years ago, and co-taught The Literature of Baseball with Libby Rupp—both classes also happen to be nods to his passions.

When asked to describe his leadership style, he modestly demurs. “That’s somebody else’s call, but what I aspire to is servant leadership. Robert Greenleaf

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Baird’s sustained efforts toward a diverse and inclusive school are emblematic of his commitment to the work of creating authentic community. .

developed that concept. It’s the idea that a servant leader should turn everyone in the organization into a leader.”

“He has completely embraced, from the very beginning, the idea of being a servant leader,” says Haviland. Some get frustrated sometimes that he waits to make a decision —but he wants to make sure that he gets it right. Susan Temple ’68 [former Lower School Principal and Associate Head of School] said to me once, ‘the most important thing you can do is to remember that there is a human being sitting in the chair across from you.’

He never had to be told that.”

O H C A P TA I N , O U R C A P TA I N It goes without saying that there many difficult aspects of school leadership.

Baird has navigated Westtown through its share of squalls—staffing changes, unpopular decisions, and student discipline. He admits the hardest part of the job is letting people go. “Whether it’s an adult or a student, that moment when you have to separate someone from the school is, hands down, the worst.” Those who work closely with him attest to his ability make difficult decisions when they are warranted and point to his empathy and compassion while making them.

“He has never flinched from the hardest measures where they have been

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required,” says Winslow. “In how he has done those things, he has shown most clearly who he is.”

But the litmus test of a leader is how one weathers storms. Baird’s and Westtown’s storm came in the form of a financial crisis and the subsequent change in the boarding policy.

In the wake of the national financial crisis in 2008, Westtown, like all independent schools, faced its own financial challenges. After a record enrollment in 2008, the years following showed a slow but steady decline in enrollment as families, too, felt the effects of the recession. Baird and the Board of Trustees knew that it was necessary for the school to find creative and mission-centric ways to adapt to the changing marketplace in order to reverse the declining enrollment while preserving the essence of the school and enhancing programs. It was a tall order, but one Baird was determined to fill. He knew it would require careful consideration of the two-year boarding requirement for local juniors and seniors.

Baird appointed committees to visit a wide variety of day and boarding schools, to assess the local market, and to form focus groups and listening sessions with parents, students, and alumni. After many months of both individual and collective soul searching and discernment, Baird accepted – and submitted to the Board – the recommendation of the Residential Life Committee to change the boarding requirement which would give families who enroll their children before eighth grade a choice of whether to board their children in eleventh and twelfth grades. Children who entered in eighth grade or after would still be required to board. In the spring of 2013, the Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation.

The modification of the boarding requirement was an historic and controversial moment in the school’s history, not only because it changed a longstanding policy, but also because it caused a tumult among some alumni. While many were supportive of the school’s decision, some were worried that even by partially removing the requirement—what many

saw as the defining experience of a Westtown education, the fabric of the school would begin to unravel. It was a painful time for many and no less so for Baird himself, who says he was initially surprised by not only the reaction to the decision, but also by the questioning of the integrity of the process and school leadership. “We worked incredibly hard to take into account all these points of view and I thought we came up with a very creative synthesis which emerged from the listening process we had undertaken. I, somewhat naively, thought that once we reached that decision and articulated it that people would trust the decision. We thought they would feel that there was an opportunity to be heard and they would understand. I didn’t realize how much work we had to do to communicate the thoroughness of the process and the integrity of the commitment of the leadership of the school to maintaining the qualities that people valued so much.” Although Baird admits that it was the most difficult patch in his Westtown career, he is also grateful that through the choppy waters he gained an understanding and appreciation of the “ferocious commitment to what the school had done” for alumni.

Those who worked with Baird throughout this process, and even those who observed from afar, are unified in their admiration for how he navigated both the consideration of how to find a creative, sustainable solution to the challenges that precipitated the change in the boarding requirement, as well as the rough waters that followed the decision.

“Throughout this difficult time, John provided steady, cheerful, optimistic, and knowledgeable leadership,” says Martha Bryans ’68, Co-Clerk of the Board of Trustees at the time and Co-Clerk of the Residential Life Committee. “He approached this project by gathering a group of dedicated and divergent thinkers and provided resources, information, time, and expansive space for our work. John’s unflappable demeanor and confidence in the reality that a ‘way would open’, as Friends say, is a memory that I cherish.”

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Baird’s instincts to make the tough decisions are paying off. Though the future will tell how the boarding change will go down in the school’s history, early indicators are positive. Attrition is at an all-time low, enrollment is increasing in all divisions, and admissions goals are climbing accordingly. And, as hoped, the first classes with a boarding option have overwhelmingly chosen to board.

“The change to the boarding requirement is one of John's greatest achievements. The ability to help navigate the school through this controversial decision was difficult. There is no question that the change to the boarding policy has better positioned Westtown for the future. John has helped the school evolve as we stay strong to our Quaker roots,” says Lehmann. Larrabee agrees and adds that it is his relationships that helped the change come about. “The change in the boarding policy is both his greatest challenge and his greatest achievement. He shepherded a solution to the boarding challenge with his interpersonal skills and relationships,” Tom Hay sums it up well: “During John’s tenure, Westtown has faced some of its greatest challenges in history. We are fortunate indeed to have had John at the helm as many difficult decisions were made and myriad changes affecting all areas of school life were implemented.

John guided us and sustained us.”

NOURISHING Q UA K E R VA LU E S It was Westtown’s “leadership and stature among Quaker schools” that drew Baird to Westtown in the first place, but it has been his own leadership that has deepened and strengthened the Quaker dimension of the school. A convinced Quaker himself, he has been especially dedicated to fostering curriculum and programs that reflect Quaker values and testimonies. He has ensured that all new staff and faculty receive an orientation in Quakerism and what it means to be a Quaker school. He has challenged faculty to amplify Quaker testimonies in their teaching of all subjects, a challenge that

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“And that’s how I feel about my career here. I didn’t know if I’d last the first year here, but I just kept going. One bird at a time.”

—JOHN BAIRD

has been richly met, as evidenced by the many commendations on the Friends Council on Education’s recent Quaker Self Study, the results of which were published in the Summer 2016 Westonian. “We never can lose sight of who we are and what makes Westtown Westtown,” Baird says. “The Quaker Self Study was important for me because it reaffirmed just how vibrant and widely shared that commitment to the Quaker principles and their expression in the curriculum and program throughout the school is.” Indeed, teachers and staff uniformly agree that there is a profound sense of Westtown’s Quaker mission and that Baird has both modeled and championed it.

Haviland notes, “We are school that will live and die by our mission, and I wouldn’t have said that when I was first teaching. When I first came here, nobody said to me, ‘How does your history class support the mission of the school?’ and now it’s part of all we do. That’s him.”

Others echo that sentiment. “He has a remarkable ability to model individual spiritual strength and renewal, as well as to lead the school community from a deeply spiritual place,” Says Jon Evans ’73, Clerk of the Board of Trustees.

“I admire and deeply appreciate the fact that John's leadership and daily actions bring Quaker testimonies to life in the Westtown community and well beyond.”

BI R D BY BI R D Baird says that his legacy is for others to decide, but how he has approached the enormity of his job emerges from a conversation about books. An avid reader, Baird’s favorite books and how he talks about them also provide insight into the kind of leader and man he is.

One is Bird by Bird: Some Instruction on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott. Baird becomes animated as he describes the story that gives the book its name. “Her brother had to do a report on birds. The night before it’s due he hasn’t started and he becomes panicked. He asks his father, ‘How am I ever going to get this done?’ His father replies, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’” Baird pauses and smiles, “And that’s how I feel about my career here. I didn’t know if I’d last the first year here, but I just kept going. One bird at a time.”

If Baird declines to define his legacy, myriad other voices fill the void, each of them echoing the others. His legacy will be one of courage and change, innovating while preserving Quaker values, and leading by the examples of compassion, care, and love for the school community. “John leaves for his successor a school which is poised to fulfill its mission for generations of Westtown students to come,” says Hay. Indeed, Westtown School is as strong as its roots are deep and, as Larrabee concludes, “is a better place for John Baird having been here.”

Baird will graduate with Class of 2017 and click his heels one last time at Commencement in June. That “signature move” captures the essence of the man this community knows, respects, and loves: joyful, whimsical, open, and a bit daring.

Special thanks to Kevin Gallagher, Assistant Archivist, for additional reporting.

C L A S S NO T E S James E. Armstrong served as Westtown’s engineer for twenty years, arriving at the school in 1886 as the new main building was erected along with a Boiler House outfitted to supply steam heat throughout the building. The school settled in its new home in 1888. By December of that year, ever conscious of the economy of its resources, the school circulated both small handbooks and printed signs (for the dormitories) regarding “winter management of the heating and ventilating appliances.” Specific guidelines for best practices on dorm regarding windows, doors, and transoms were included. On the first floor, the handbook noted, “… it is of primary importance that carelessness in leaving the outside doors or windows open, should be strictly avoided, otherwise it will result in waste of steam in the building.”

From the Archives

1888 W IN TE R 2 0 1 7

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975 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA 19382-5700

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Kick Up Your Heels Westtown School Auction March 4 Alumni Weekend May 12 - 14 13 Annual Golf & Tennis Outing May 23 th

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