Loomis Chaffee Magazine Spring 2022

Ma g azine

Spring 2022 VOLUME 85 |

NO. 2

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Judging from the enthusiastic students at the Winterfest dance in Loomis Hall, the annual late-February week of fun and surprises from the Loomis Chaffee Parents Association succeeded in chasing away the cold-weather doldrums.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

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Contents Spr ing 2 0 2 2

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Volum e 85

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F E AT U R E S

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Olympic Journal

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Anatomy of a Track & Field Meet

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Working Artists

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Alumni Authors

Kaleigh Quennec ’17 played for the Swiss national women’s ice hockey team in the Olympic Games in Bejing, China, this winter and kept a journal for us to follow the adventure through her eyes.

The spectacle that is a track and field meet can make your head spin. What is going on? Our primer can help.

Loomis Chaffee students in the visual and performing arts learn from and create art alongside teachers who are practicing artists themselves.

Writer Rebecca Pacheco ’97 joined a group of Loomis Chaffee student writers on campus for dinner and discussion of their craft. Our annual listing of new publications by alumni accompanies the story.

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ON COVER: Olympian Kaleigh Quennec ’17 plays for the Swiss national women’s ice hockey team. Photo: Swiss Women’s National Team

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EDITORIAL & DESIGN TEAM

Lynn A. Petrillo ’86 Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing

Becky Purdy Managing Editor

Cassandra Hamer Graphic Designer

Matt Ruffle Obituaries Editor

CONTRIBUTORS

Matt Ruffle John Cunningham Deidre Swords Paige Abrams Heidi E.V. McCann ’93 Chelsea Stuart Lisa Salinetti Ross Makhala Huggins Mary Coleman Forrester

SUBMISSIONS/STORIES & NEWS

Alumni may contribute items of interest to: Loomis Chaffee Editors The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor, CT 06095 860.687.6811 magazine@loomis.org

D E PA R T M E N T S

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From the Head Island News Faculty & Staff News Pelican Sports

56 58 64 72

Object Lesson Development News Obituaries Reflections

WEB EXTRAS Look for this notation throughout the magazine for links to online extras, from podcasts and videos to photo galleries and expanded news coverage.

facebook-square facebook.com/loomischaffee twitter-square twitter.com/loomischaffee instagram instagram.com/loomischaffee

Visit Loomis Chaffee online at www.loomischaffee.org for the latest school news, sports scores, and galleries of recent photos. You also will find direct links to all of our social networking communities.

For an online version of the magazine, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Printed at Lane Press, Burlington, VT Printed on 70# Orion Matte

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Photo: John Groo

Birding

By Sheila Culbert

he Loomis Chaffee campus can be a birder’s paradise. With its 300 acres of meadows, wetlands, woods, small ponds, and two rivers, birds and wildlife abound. But it is February as I write this, and winter birding requires patience and persistence. While temperatures can reach as high as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, it is more usually downright cold, and the birds are few and far between. Nonetheless, most winter mornings, if the trails are clear, my terrier Gracie and I walk down past the Power Plant, onto the Meadows and along the Farmington to the confluence of the rivers and then up along the Connecticut. During the week, we often stop halfway along the trail (We both have to get to the office, after all!), but on weekends, we can spend hours out here watching the common mergansers, mallards, and geese on the rivers. If we are lucky, we will spot the eagles, an osprey, or the hooded mergansers and amazing wood ducks. Even on a slow day we will see and hear a variety of sparrows, juncos, finches, wrens, cardinals, and several varieties of woodpeckers.

I haven’t always been a birdwatcher— certainly I don’t remember paying any particular attention to birds growing up in England.

I could tell a sparrow from a blackbird, but that was about it. The first time I was awed by a bird—what birder’s call their spark bird—I was a graduate student at Indiana University newly arrived from the United Kingdom, and I spotted my first cardinal in all its bright red fluorescent glory. Following Indiana and my move to New England, I learned to identify the most common birds, and I enjoyed watching them in a casual way.

I started to get serious about birding— perhaps even obsessive—only after my son Will died suddenly. Devastated, my husband Richard and I were full of questions that had no answers. The grief was all-encompassing and the pain intense, and there was little space to think about anything else. Gracie came

to us a few months later—a rescue dog with boundless energy who needed a lot of walking. I started to spend more and more time down on the Meadows with her. Long walks in the woods around campus as well as on the Windsor Locks Canal Trail and at Northwest Park in all weathers gave me time to think and to process my questions and thoughts; to try to understand what had happened and why. I never got the answers I wanted, but I did find peace and solitude and the space I needed to think. The walks helped to heal my soul and eventually the trails—alone but for Gracie— became my happy place.

I began to pay attention to my surroundings—to the quick movements in the hedgerows and woods, to the sounds of woodpeckers tapping and warblers singing. I began to ask questions about why the crows flew north to south over the Meadows in the mornings and the other way in the afternoons. Were they visiting the crow equivalent of the town dump for convivial conversation only to return home in the afternoons? Did the geese that gathered in their hundreds in the winter remain in family groups, or did the juveniles go walkabout meeting new friends? What was a solitary Snow Goose doing with all those Canada Geese? Why did some birds migrate and others did not? These questions, in turn, led me to books like Jennifer Ackerman’s The Genius of Birds and Helen MacDonald’s Hawk, and I started to look up birds first in my Peterson’s Guide and later, on the amazing Cornell University Ornithology app Merlin ID. I began to see where the Carolina wrens or the Baltimore orioles were nesting, to anticipate the arrival of the warblers, and to appreciate the hardiness of our winter birds. I started to notice birds that were new to me and to be able to identify a much larger range of species.

Before I knew it, I was a fully fledged birder.

Accompanying my new obsession with identifying the different species of birds was photographing them. Often, I could not tell

Continued on page 12

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Photo: Sheila Culbert

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Sheila Culbert To Retire in June 2023, Search for New Head Begins

WEB EXTRAS For a link to the Head Search webpage and to read Sheila’s announcement and Duncan’s related letters to the community, visit www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

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Head of School Sheila Culbert speaks to alumni in Founders Chapel during Reunion Weekend. Photo: Jessica Ravenelle

Sheila Culbert, Loomis Chaffee’s seventh head of school, announced in January that she will retire at the end of the 2022–23 school year, and an international search has begun for her successor.

Sheila, who was appointed head of school in 2008, will have served Loomis Chaffee for 15 years when she departs in June 2023.

In an email to the Loomis Chaffee community, Sheila wrote that in making her decision she thought about both her family and the school. Her husband, Richard Wright, the Orvil Dryfoos Professor of Public Affairs at Dartmouth College, plans to retire from the college. “I want to join him so that we may settle into our new life together,” Sheila told the community. She went on to write, “While I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Island, I also know that great schools need fresh leadership to continue their evolution, innovation, and excellence.”

Sheila received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom and then moved to the United States, where she earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Indiana University.

After six years at Phillips Exeter Academy, where she taught, lived in a dormitory, and coached, Sheila moved to Dartmouth, where she taught history and worked in the administration. Prior to her arrival at Loomis Chaffee, Sheila served as the chief of staff to

the president of Dartmouth and as the college’s interim vice president for communications.

“Sheila’s tenure as Loomis Chaffee’s seventh head of school and first woman in that role began with the 2008 global financial crisis and will end with a hoped-for dissipation of the coronavirus pandemic,” reflected Duncan A.L. MacLean ’90, chair of the Loomis Chaffee Board of Trustees, in an email that accompanied Sheila’s announcement. “Between these challenges, both of which she has handled with a strong work ethic, clear insight, and sound judgment, her achievements have been many, and her commitment to the health, welfare, and success of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni steadfast. We have been fortunate to have her confident, skilled, and decisive leadership usher our school into its second century.”

Under Sheila’s leadership, Loomis Chaffee strengthened its already excellent academic, athletics, arts, and residential programs; built two new dormitories as well as the Scanlan Campus Center and the new John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Center for Theater and Dance; raised $131 million for Our Time Is Now: The Centennial Campaign for Loomis Chaffee, surpassing the $100 million goal; and shifted the school’s once even ratio of boarding to day students to 70 percent boarding, which has expanded Loomis Chaffee’s appeal to families across the nation and around the

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world and led to record-breaking numbers of applications for admission and increased diversity of the student body. Sheila also oversaw the celebration of the school’s Centennial in 2014–15 and the creation of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, the Henry R. Kravis ’63 Center for Excellence in Teaching, the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, the Pearse Hub for Innovation, and the Loomis Chaffee Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

“A leader by example, Sheila always gives her best and inspires those around her to do the same,” Duncan wrote. “As a result, the school and its reputation are stronger than they have ever been.”

Shortly after Sheila’s announcement, the Board of Trustees formed a Search Committee for the next head of school, and Trustee Bruce Alexander ’61 agreed to chair the committee. A member of the Loomis Chaffee Board of Trustees since 2012, Bruce chairs the Board’s Audit Committee, is a member of the Finance Committee and Salaries & Benefits Committee, and brings a great depth of experience to the search. He served for more than 20 years as the vice president for New Haven and state affairs and campus development at Yale University. After retiring from that role in 2018, he has continued to work part time for the university on special

projects. Bruce also chaired the presidential search committee at Goucher College in 1993–94 and has served on many boards in New Haven and Baltimore.

In addition to Bruce, members of the Search Committee are Trustees Katherine Ballard P ’13, ’14, ’17; Neville Bowers ’01; John Bussel ’87, P ’21; Rachel Kort ’98; David Rogan ’76, P ’04; and Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan ’87; former Trustee Pauline Chen ’82, P ’20; administrator Lance Hall; and faculty members Neil Chaudhary ’05, Courtney Jackson, and Edward Pond. As chairman of the board, Duncan is an ex officio member of the committee, and Lynn Petrillo ’86, Loomis Chaffee director of strategic communications and marketing, is the committee secretary.

The Search Committee is charged with recommending to the Board of Trustees a single best candidate to lead the school starting in July 2023.

The committee met several times this winter, interviewed search consultants, and announced in March that it had retained the services of the international executive search firm Spencer Stuart as the school’s consultant in the search. The committee selected Spencer Stuart based on the firm’s experience; its broad and deep networks across multiple sectors, including independent schools and higher education; and its comprehensive

and inclusive search process. Spencer Stuart also served as the school’s consultant in the previous head of school search. Duncan says the firm is confident that Loomis Chaffee is well-positioned to attract a talented and diverse slate of candidates for this search. The Spencer Stuart team is led by Mary Gorman, who heads the firm’s Independent School Practice, and includes Chuck Jordan ’86, who is a consultant for multiple practice areas, including education.

The committee and Spencer Stuart next turned their attention to gathering information from the Loomis Chaffee community on the school’s aspirations for the future in order to clearly articulate the ideal profile for the new head of school. All of the school’s constituencies — faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni were asked for their input through surveys and conversations.

“It is important to us that the process involve input from all school constituencies and balance transparency with the confidentiality required to attract the best candidates,” Duncan said in a February letter to the community.

The school has launched a special Head Search section of the website to provide information and updates.

“A leader by example, Sheila always gives her best and inspires those around her to do the same. As a result, the school and its reputation are stronger than they have ever been.”

— Chair of the Board of Trustees Duncan A.L. MacLean ’90 Sheila meets with Innovation Trimester students in her office in Founders Hall. Photo: Jessica Ravenelle

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Paul Mounds ’03 To Speak at Commencement

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aul Mounds Jr. ’03, chief of staff to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, will deliver the 2022 Commencement address on May 29.

An accomplished public policy and communications expert, Paul has dedicated his career to public service, a commitment that comes as no surprise to those who knew him as a Loomis Chaffee student leader.

Before serving in Governor Lamont’s office, Paul was vice president of policy and communications at Connecticut Health Foundation, and he served as senior director of policy and government affairs for Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy from 2012 to 2016. Earlier in his career, Paul was deputy state director for outreach in the office of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and in various roles, including press secretary and federal grants coordinator, in the office of U.S. Congressman John B. Larson.

Paul is a trustee of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford and serves on several other boards and advisory councils in the Hartford area.

Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2007 from Trinity College, where he participated in the Legislative Internship Program, led Trinity’s football team to three New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships, and was named an All-Conference player his senior year. In 2021, the Trinity Club of

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Hartford presented Paul with its Person of the Year award, which honors Hartford area graduates of the college who have given outstanding service to the community or the college.

At Loomis Chaffee, Paul was elected senior class president, served as a resident assistant in Taylor Hall, and was a captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams.

Since his graduation, Paul has returned to the Island frequently as an invited speaker and supportive alumnus. Last August he spoke with the football team during preseason, discussing his experiences on and off the Island, the importance of setting team goals, and the need for accountability to self and others.

In September 2018, Paul addressed the junior class during a program focused on citizenship and leadership. He emphasized the importance of connecting to and learning from role models, and he urged the students to take on leadership roles, saying, “We need leaders, ... individuals willing to step up to drive change in our communities.”

Paul also has shared his public policy expertise with the Loomis community. In May 2020, as part of the school’s COVID-19 Speakers Series, Paul discussed ways that the state’s citizens and government had risen to the challenges of the pandemic and outlined Connecticut’s plans for reopening businesses and safely returning the state to a semblance of ordinary life.

WEB EXTRAS To read more about Paul’s presentation for the COVID-19 Speakers Series, visit www.loomischaffee.org/magazine, and be sure to follow Commencement news on the website in late May.

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Happiness and the Power of Now Rebecca Pacheco ’97 addresses an all-school convocation in the Olcott Center.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

“Think of a single word that speaks to you, that captures how you’d like to feel when you leave this room,” Rebecca Pacheco ’97 told a hushed audience of 800 students, faculty, and staff members seated, with their eyes closed, in the Olcott Center. “Let your breath find a rhythm.

Breathe naturally. The next time you inhale, count to one. As you exhale, silently say your word.”

An award-winning yoga instructor, blogger, and author, Rebecca visited Loomis Chaffee in February to share her expertise in mindfulness and meditation as part of the school’s yearlong theme, “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

Using a series of exercises as well as relatable analogies, metaphors, poems, and life stories, Rebecca emphasized the importance of mindfulness and meditation in reducing stress and improving well-being.

“Mindfulness is holding the space for what’s really happening rather than ruminating on the past or guessing about the future to come, two places the mind loves to go, which often exaggerates stress,” she explained. And engaging in meditation provides “a place in your life where you don’t have to worry about doing it right,” she said. It calms your thoughts and allows you to think more clearly, sleep better, and improve your memory and patience.

During Rebecca’s visit to the Island, she also spoke with students in Seminars in the Common Good, worked with the boys and girls swimming and diving teams, and met with a small group of student writers as part of the “Dinner and a Draft” series sponsored by Loomis Chaffee

Writing Initiatives. (See page 52.)

After graduating from Loomis Chaffee, Rebecca earned her undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of Richmond. She founded and wrote the awardwinning blog “Om Gal” (2008–2015), and she is a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe on a variety of mind-body topics. She has written two books, Do Your Om Thing and Still Life: The Myths and Magic of Mindful Living. Rebecca has appeared on NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting Company and has been featured in Forbes magazine, The Huffington Post, Runner’s World, and Reuters.

Rebecca’s visit was part of the Hubbard Speakers Series, made possible by a gift from Robert P. Hubbard ’47.

Meditation calms your thoughts and allows you to think more clearly, sleep better, and improve your memory and patience, Rebecca explained.

Rebecca leads faculty, students, and staff in a stretch during her convocation talk.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

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Anthony Abraham Jack. Photo: Cassandra Hamer

Overlooked Disparities As Part of MLK Week, Author Discusses Experiences of “Doubly Disadvantaged” Students at Elite Colleges

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Anthony Abraham Jack, author of The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students, spoke at an all-school convocation in January about his research into the experiences of lower-income, first-generation college students, a subject he also understands from a personal perspective.

Professor Jack was the keynote speaker for Loomis Chaffee’s annual series of events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. Events also included student musical, dance, and spoken-word performances; a discussion of a recent reparations program in Evanston, Illinois; and a poetry slam featuring student, alumni, and local poets.

A junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and an assistant professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Professor Jack studies the overlooked disparities among lower-income undergraduates: the “Doubly Disadvantaged,” those who enter college from local, typically distressed high schools, and the “Privileged Poor,” those who do so from boarding, day, and preparatory high schools.

He explained his research from both a statistical and a cultural standpoint. “Although more than one out of every two students in college today are first-generation college students, only 14 percent of those students at competitive colleges come from the bottom half of the income distribution,” he said. At 38 highly selective colleges and universities in the United States, he said, there are more students from families among the top 1 percent of income earners

than there are students from families in the bottom 60 percent of income earners.

Lower-income students entering colleges and universities from their local public high schools often have had vastly different high school experiences than many of their college peers. Although they are intellectually capable, these students often struggle to make the connections and build the relationships with professors and classmates that provide the foundation for future success.

Professor Jack himself was the first person in his family to attend college, and except for one year of high school on scholarship at a prep school, he attended distressed public schools in the Miami area before entering Amherst College. Although he ultimately graduated from Amherst with honors and went on to become a Harvard professor, he experienced first-hand what many of the “Doubly Disadvantaged” students he interviews for his research describe.

Professor Jack told the Loomis community that he hoped his talk was “one of many conversations about the numerous responsibilities that diversity demands of all of us,” and he encouraged the community to continue ongoing dialogues about access and inclusion.

In her introduction of Professor Jack, Ashley Augustin, the school’s chief diversity officer and director of the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, urged students to ask themselves difficult questions that haven’t been asked before. “Let’s use

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A guest poet performs at the MLK Week Poetry Slam in the Scanlan Campus Center.

Photo: Lilian Hutchinson

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Dance Company students perform a piece choreographed for MLK Week.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

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The Chamber Singers perform "Peace in the Valley" by Thomas A. Dorsey during the all-school celebration in the Olcott Center.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

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The Step Team flashes the "LC" spirit sign after a performance for the community.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

this moment with Professor Jack to learn and challenge the way we see things,” she said. By doing so, the school both honors the memory of Dr. King and considers how to move forward for the betterment of the school community and as a model for others, she added.

Seniors Pilar Wingle and Ryan Fortani, co-vice presidents of the Student Council, also spoke at the convocation before Professor Jack’s address. In their remarks, Pilar and Ryan emphasized an increase in diversity on the Student Council while acknowledging that there is still work to be done.

“Having Student Council representatives with multi-faceted and under-represented identities has allowed us to empower different perspectives during council discussions, incorporate innovative ideas into task group brainstorming sessions, and capitalize on a variety of different avenues to find solutions to student body issues,” Pilar said.

“If we want to discuss change during MLK Day, during nationwide protests, or during times of remembrance, we need to find a way to teach students how to convey their thoughts and their beliefs that lead others toward internal reflection rather than external aggression,” Ryan added.

Later in the week, members of the student multicultural organization PRISM facilitated a discussion of the first-in-the-nation reparations program in Evanston, Illinois, designed to provide funds to Black residents whose families have felt the effects of decades of discriminatory housing practices.

The week’s events culminated with a poetry slam in the student center that featured Kassidi Jones ’14, junior Kirsten Lees, freshman Iris Sande, and several Hartford-area poets.

An all-school gathering for performances by student musicians, dancers, and spoken-word poets, originally planned as part of the MLK Week celebration, took place in February because of COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the winter term.

WEB EXTRAS To view galleries of photos from the student performances and the poetry slam, visit www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

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Birding | Continued from page 4 birds apart—especially the lbjs (little brown jobs in birding parlance)—unless I took a picture that I could use later for identification purposes. Eventually, the portraits became a goal in themselves, and I set out the best possible photograph of that bird, whether of the humble song sparrow or of a magnificent eagle. Over the last few years, my equipment has become more sophisticated and more expensive! And I have started to learn Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for cataloguing and processing my images. I take online courses not only on birds but also on photography, and I try to post a photograph every day to Instagram—a chronicle, if you like, of the changing seasons on the Island.

There is still a lot to learn—about both birds and photography. And that is a good thing for a teacher to do. It’s the best possible way to understand the frustrations and joys of the learning process, to practice patience and persistence, and to form new habits of mind. I still think of Will on my walks, and the memories are generally happier ones. He loved the outdoors and all manner of critters. The walks provide space for me to talk to him, although I doubt that he would have joined me for a February trek through the snow at 6 a.m.!

February can be cruel but also holds the promise of spring—the days get longer, the snowdrops and crocuses break through the soil, and the birds begin to take on their new plumage. Next time you are on the Island, I hope that you will explore the trails and that you will keep an eye out for the many beautiful birds that share our campus.

WEB EXTRAS To enjoy Sheila’s daily bird photos, visit www.loomischaffee.org for a link to her Instagram account.

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Alumni Share Practical Lessons in Personal Finance

Senior Abdelaziz Rickard asks a question of digital advertising expert Rico Roberts ’92, a guest speaker via videoconference during this winter’s financial literacy speaker series. Photo: Mat DeNunzio

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lumni in financial fields spoke to students about budgeting, debt, investment, and a range of other practical economic topics in a series of financial literacy seminars this winter.

“Financial literacy is vital information, but it isn’t talked about in schools,” says economics teacher Mat DeNunzio, who organized the series. “By engaging in these financial literacy topics, it is our hope that every student, irrespective of income or any other factor, understands financial literacy.”

The series, sponsored by the school’s Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, was inspired

by Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of economic justice and equality. The alumni met with students via videoconference.

In the first session of the series, Lew Wallace ’75, a former Connecticut state representative and an expert on financial planning, and Justin McIntosh ’17, an associate of the Commonfund Institute, engaged students in discussion of budgeting, saving, and investing money, encouraging students to start saving as early as possible, differentiate

between wants and needs, and prioritize investing in themselves through education.

Jacqueline Knights ’81, a senior finance professional and the director of debt management for the Oregon State Treasury, led students in a discussion of balance sheets, income statements, and the dangers of credit cards, and she explained how poor credit can lead to debt accumulation. She related these concepts to the wealth divide in the United States.

For the third session, Rico Roberts ’92, a digital advertising expert and the head of investor relations at FounderTribes.com, shared his experiences as a venture capitalist.

He highlighted disparities and inequities in the amount of financing received by femaleand minority-led startups compared with those led by white men, and he spoke to students about the need to dismantle the current system and his work to achieve this goal.

Mat led the final session of the series, focusing on the importance of investing and investment strategies.

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Gravitational Waves as Astronomical Tea Leaves The Evenings of Science series continued this winter with a presentation by astronomer and theoretical astrophysicist Eliot Quartaert, a professor at Princeton University.

Organized by Loomis Chaffee’s Physics and Astronomy Club and facilitated by the club’s president, senior Lillie Szemraj, the discussion focused on the convergence of black holes and neutron stars, gravitational waves that such events create, and discoveries resulting from study of these collisions.

“One of the triumphs of the last 50 or 60 years in the field of theoretical astrophysics is

L r o P Theoretical astrophysicist Eliot Quartaert discusses the measurement of gravitational waves during the Zoom presentation. Photo: Matt Ruffle

that we now know where in the universe the different elements were created,” Professor Quartaert said.

This discovery would not have been possible without the development of Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatories (LIGO), precision instruments that can detect even the smallest gravitational waves, Professor Quartaert explained. There are two LIGO observatories in the United States, one in Louisiana and one in Washington state, each measuring gravitational waves emanating from different areas of the universe. Using

Brain Hacks for Brainiacs

English teacher Andrew Watson, an expert on learning and the brain, tells students how they can study most effectively. Photo: Cassandra Hamer

“Study less and learn more” sounds almost too good to be true, but with the right approach, students really can train their brains to learn more efficiently and effectively, Andrew Watson, a Loomis Chaffee English teacher and an expert on learning and the brain, explained at a convocation this winter.

Using research-based techniques and interactive examples, Andrew illustrated for students three key ways they can best leverage their brains’ ability to learn information: retrieving information when studying, changing the environment to avoid distractions, and bolstering their health.

To study better, he said, students should focus on the idea of retrieval rather than review.

Trying to recall information before looking back at it produces more remembering than simply reading through it again, he said. He suggested creating flash cards and using visual hints and clues as effective retrieval techniques.

The environment in which someone studies also affects how well they retain information because the human brain works best when it focuses on one activity at a time, Andrew explained. A student volunteer helped Andrew complete an activity demonstrating this point.

Finally, Andrew noted that the brain, like the rest of the body, benefits from a healthy lifestyle, including eating well and exercis-

mirrors, magnets, and laser beams, these telescopes provide researchers with a new way of looking at the universe, he said.

Professor Quartaert earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree and a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University. He has received numerous awards for his scholarship and teaching, and he was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

ing regularly. Ample sleep, he added, helps the brain to process and solidify information absorbed during the day. If homework is everything that helps a person learn and if sleep helps you learn, then sleep is an aspect of homework, he deduced.

Andrew, the author of three books on learning and the brain, speaks with students and teachers around the world when he is not in the classroom at Loomis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in medieval history from Harvard University, a master’s degree in English and American literature from Boston University, and a master’s in education from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. He has taught and served as a curriculum leader at Loomis Chaffee, Concord Academy, and Philips Exeter Academy, and he previously served as dean of faculty at Loomis.

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IN CONCERT Conducted by music faculty member David Winer, the Loomis Chaffee Wind Ensemble performs in the Hubbard Performance Hall this winter.

Photo: Cassandra Hamer

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Artwork That Asks Questions

Melanie Carr amidst her artwork. Photo: Cassandra Hamer

Loomis Chaffee visual arts teacher Melanie Carr exhibited her work in a solo show in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in the Richmond Art Center this winter.

Deconstructing Constructs featured a series of nine colorful and engaging sculptures, paintings, and design objects intended to evoke an interaction with the viewer. The show included “Floor Structure,” a large grid feature that doubled as a bench in the middle of the gallery, and “Wall Hug,” a shelf that seemed to emerge from the wall, reaching out to the viewer.

Speaking to students at the gallery opening in February, Melanie explained the ideas behind her art. “It’s OK for you to not know what something is and let your mind

wander a bit and make your own connections for the work that you see,” she said. “The best artwork asks more questions than it answers.”

The exhibition coincided with two student shows in the Barnes and Wilde galleries: the 2022 Loomis Chaffee Annual Portrait Gallery and featured works from all art classes with an emphasis on photography and digital media.

WEB EXTRAS To see the online version of Deconstructing Constructs, visit www. loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Photo Collagist Works with Art Students Visiting Artist Rashmi Talpade conducted a workshop with Loomis Chaffee students this winter that focused on the process and thinking that go into creating a collage with photographs.

The workshop coincided with Urban Legends in Modern Archaeology, an exhibition of Ms. Talpade’s photo collage work in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in the Richmond Art Center.

In addition to photography and collage, Ms. Talpade has focused on drawing, painting, printmaking, and ceramics during her art career, but she always has come back to photography as the basis for her work.

“When I start with a photograph that might inspire me, I just take it from there,” she told the students. The photographs she uses for her collages do not need to relate or even be similar to one another. “I like to create my own world,” she added.

According to her website, Ms. Talpade describes her work as speaking about history, humanity, and our place in it: “They are

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amalgamations of reconstructed landscapes that illustrate cultural history and its decline as well as modern development. … The viewer must engage with the work, or they will miss the details that reveal the optical play of visual depth, challenging perspectives and fictionalized worlds.”

Freshman Iris Sande, a participant in the workshop, said the exhibit and workshop inspired them to take a more unplanned approach to their own art. “Rashmi Talpade’s collages are seamless,” Iris said. “The way she combines photos taken across the world into a central, beautiful image is wonderful.”

Ms. Talpade, who lives in Wallingford, Connecticut, studied at Sir J.J. School of Fine Art in Mumbai, India, and moved to Connecticut 30 years ago. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in India and the United States, and three of her photo collages are in the permanent collection at the New Britain (Connecticut) Museum of American Art. Her exhibition on the Island ran through January 26.

Visiting Artist Rashmi Talpade and students create collages in the Mercy Gallery. Photo: Cassandra Hamer

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Sophomore Jessica Luo, sophomore Mercuri Lam, sophomore Brigham Cooper, senior Grace Thompson, and senior Isabella Jiang perform in Brainstorm in Founders Chapel.

Photo: Matt Ruffle

Students Craft a Compelling Play from Neuroscience

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he collaborative work of a small troupe of students culminated in January with their production of Brainstorm, a play about how teenagers feel and express their fears, hopes, and dreams.

The well-attended show, presented in Founders Chapel, was a production of Stage II, an initiative of the school’s Performing Arts Department.

The all-student cast and crew wrote and produced the play, based on a script template created by neuroscientists who researched the inner workings of the teenage brain. The actors and crew used the template to create a unique script showing how teenagers perceive and express their thoughts and feelings.

“It all comes together to create a play about the teenage brain, what defines a teenager, and how we grow up,” explains senior Jasper Gitlitz, stage manager and assistant director of the play.

The cast included sophomores Brigham

Cooper, Mercuri Lam, and Jessica Luo and seniors Isabella Jiang, Bill Ngo, Grace Thompson, and Kevin Zhai. Sophomore Sophia Li served as the show’s writer, and the production was directed by English teacher Miles Morgan.

The play was produced on the chapel’s stage with minimal props, allowing the audience to focus on the actors’ stories.

“The students impressed me every day,” Miles says.

“Our show relied on the cast’s creativity as writers and performers, but it also was built on trust and vulnerability,” he says. “I appreciate the amount of trust they put in me to shepherd this into its final form, but I really admire the amount of faith they had in themselves.”

Stage II was formed in the winter of 2020 to give students the opportunity to perform in scaled-down productions with smaller casts in unconventional spaces around campus.

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THAT’S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! SILVER-MEDAL ROBOT HAX Robotics, the school’s robotics team, placed second at the FIRST Robotics state finals in February. At the tournament, which took place at Sage Park Middle School in Windsor, HAX maintained its season-long perfect record in qualifying rounds by going 5-0 against teams from across Connecticut.

Earning a captain’s position as the team with the best record in the early rounds, HAX formed an alliance with two other teams, and the alliance won its semifinal match 2-1 but lost 2-0 in a tough final match. In addition to earning second place, the team was awarded the FIRST Tech Challenge Innovate award, which celebrates a team that shows ingenuity, creativity, and inventiveness in its designs.

Captained by seniors Alexa Becker, Asher Kornfeld, Jay Srivastava, and Andrew Park, the team began working in the fall to design, build, and program a robot that lifts and moves “freight” — whiffle balls and small, weighted cubes — from one area of the competition floor to a designated “shipping hub” in another area. The team advanced to the state tournament by winning a qualifying tournament earlier in the season. HAX also won the coveted Inspire Award at a tournament this year for the first time in the 14-year history of the program. The award is the top prize in the FIRST Tech Challenge program and is given to the team that is a strong ambassador for FIRST programs, a role-model team, a top contender for many other judged awards, and a gracious competitor, according to the FIRST website. Pearse Hub for Innovation (PHI) faculty members Ewen Ross and Jen Solomon advise the team.

MUSIC FESTIVALS Twenty-one Loomis Chaffee student musicians were selected for the 2022 Connecticut Northern Region Music Festival out of approximately 1,000 students who auditioned from 53 high schools in the region. Although the festival, scheduled for January, was canceled due

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to the Omicron wave of COVID-19, the musicians qualified to audition for the Connecticut All-State Music Festival in the spring. Nine of the Loomis musicians were selected for the all-state festival, which took place March 29– April 2 in Hartford. The regional and all-state festivals are run by the Connecticut Music Educators Association.

ART AWARDS Original works of art by five Loomis Chaffee student artists were exhibited at the University of Hartford this winter in the 2022 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards show.

The Pelican recipients of the regional awards were senior Jenny Pan, junior Rebecca Fowler, sophomores Chloe Kahn and Jessica Roy, and freshman Nathan Lam.

WRITING EXCELLENCE Twenty-three Loomis Chaffee student writers received awards for their original works of poetry and prose in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Connecticut Writing Region, sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

YEAR OF THE TIGER Students and faculty ushered in Lunar New Year with a student-led panel discussion and a celebration of food and culture in February.

The discussion informed the audience of the diverse ways that cultures celebrate the Lunar New Year. Sophomore Puffo Danchaivitjitr, an international student ambassador, organized and moderated the panel in collaboration with the Pan-Asian Student Alliance and the International Student Association. The following day, community members celebrated the Year of the Tiger with food and music in the Scanlan Campus Center. Participants enjoyed food from Thailand, Myanmar, Korea, China, and other countries that celebrate Lunar New Year.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS A 35-strong delegation of students represented the school this winter at the 48th annual Yale Model United Nations conference, where they discussed a range of global issues, developing resolutions addressing the Venezuelan refugee crisis, the Kashmir conflict, culture-conscious tourism, South-South cooperation, and other matters. Another Loomis Chaffee delegation participated in the Boston Model UN conference over Head’s Holiday.

DEBATE SUCCESS Loomis Chaffee hosted 13 schools in its annual debate tournament in January as part of the Debating Association of New England Independent Schools. Over the course of the day, teams debated both sides of the resolution that the U.S. Senate should be abolished. At this and other tournaments this winter, Loomis debaters performed well and collected accolades, continuing the debate team’s success from the fall and adding to the list of Loomis debaters who have qualified for the state finals. In its home tournament, Loomis won the second-place school award and the thirdplace team award in the advanced and novice divisions, respectively.

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Facult y & S taf f Ne w s The Windsor Human Relations Commission honored faculty member Lilian Castillo de Hutchinson in March with a Bridge-Builder Award. The awards are presented to people and organizations “that foster greater trust, understanding, and solidarity in the community.”

At Loomis Chaffee, Lilian teaches Spanish and is an associate director of the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. She also is the head coach of girls track and field.

Director of the Physical Plant Lance Hall was appointed to the Connecticut School Building Projects Advisory Council last fall. The council makes recommendations and creates standards and guidelines for major school construction, renovation, and alteration projects in the state. Lance fills a seat on the council designated for a member with experience in school safety.

Adam Banks joined the Island community at the end of January as the school’s new head football coach. Adam came to Loomis C ​ haffee from Amherst College, where he was a member of the football coaching staff for a decade and ascended to the role of quarterbacks and passing game coach as well as recruiting coordinator. Coach Banks previously coached at Georgetown University, where he had earned his undergraduate degree and had been a four-year letter winner in football. Immediately after graduating from Georgetown, Adam worked at the Potomac School in Virginia, assisting in the Athletic Department and coaching football, basketball, and track and field. Adam also has a master’s degree in education from Marymount University. At Loomis, Coach Banks replaced head coach Jeff Moore, who departed at the end of the fall for a position as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator with the football program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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PE L ICA N SP O RT S

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NEW ENGLAND CHAMPS! The girls varsity basketball team won the New England title in March for the first time in program history, with a 53-38 victory over top-seeded Thayer Academy in the championship game of the Class A New England Prep School Athletic Conference Tournament. Celebrating with the championship plaque are (front) sophomore Sofia Rincón, freshman Abby Congdon, sophomore Sam Mancini, sophomore Jess Roy, and freshman Izzy Cruz; and (back) head coach Adrian Stewart ’90, assistant coach Stephanie Bissett, junior Ellie Ross, junior Syd Hanley, junior Carys Baker, senior Emily Collins, assistant coach Caitie Cotton, sophomore Ke’iara Odume, assistant coach Chloe Alexander ’12, and freshman manager Cat Chadwell.

Photo: Stan Godlewski

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VARSITY RECORDS BOYS BASKETBALL 13-11 New England Class A Quarterfinalist

GIRLS BASKETBALL 17-10 New England Class A Champion

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CO-ED EQUESTRIAN 5 SHOWS Three Invidiual Qualifiers for Regional Finals

BOYS ICE HOCKEY 14-11 New England Martin/Earl Tournament Quarterfinalist

GIRLS ICE HOCKEY 14-7-3 Founders League Co-Champion New England Elite Eight Quarterfinalist

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New England Class B, 4th in Girls Slalom, 13th in Girls Giant Slalom, 10th in Boys Slalom, 13th in Boys Giant Slalom

BOYS SQUASH 4-7 New England Semifinalist

GIRLS SQUASH 11-6 Team Nationals Division 3, Third Place

BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING 5-4 Founders League Runner-Up

GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING 7-2 Founders League Champion

Photos: Stan Godlewski

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Freshman Lauren Berger, sophomore Leah Ozgun, freshman Michaela Howe, sophomore Jamnia Ai, junior Zoe Santilli, and sophomore Nessa Tang Sophomore Evan Gackstetter

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Senior Taku Noguchi Junior Maggie Johnson, freshman Grace Morin, freshman Chloe Obser, and senior captain Sophia Testa

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Sophomore Kingston Walker Junior Fiona Murphy Sophomore Ke'iara Odume

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Senior Shawn Meng Junior Jacob Hookman-Vassa Sophomore Kelly Stepnowski Junior Savannah Mills-Hall

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Kaleigh readies to play for Switzerland in the bronze medal game at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Photos: Swiss Women’s National Team

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Kaleigh Quennec ’17 Olympic Journal Kaleigh Quennec ’17, a for ward on the Swiss national women’s ice hockey team, was tapped to represent Switzerland in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Bejing, China, and in February, her lifelong dream of playing in the Olympic Games transformed from yearned-for goal to hard-to-believe reality.

At Loomis Chaffee, Kaleigh played on the varsity girls ice hockey team during her post-graduate year on the Island, and she had a lasting impact in her contributions to the team, says head coach Liz Leyden. With already strong athleticism and “excellent hands” when she arrived at Loomis, Kaleigh was a crucial member of the team, which went 14-7-3 that year and advanced to the semif inal round of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference Tournament. Among the big goals Kaleigh scored for the Pelicans

that year were a shootout goal to win the Patsy K. Odden Invitational Hockey Tournament at Taft in December 2016 and a huge goal in the team’s victory over Andover in February 2017, Liz recalls.

Kaleigh ’s infectiously positive attitude, love of the game, and commitment to the hockey team are still held up as examples to current-day teams. “She brought good vibes to every practice and game and made all the younger players on the team feel welcomed,” Liz says.

After Loomis, Kaleigh matriculated at University of Montreal, where she plays for the Carabins when she is not competing in tournaments with the Swiss team.

Liz has watched Kaleigh continue to improve as an athlete and hockey player in the inter vening years, and she points to Kaleigh ’s dedication to her f itness and the sport and her willingness to take

feedback from her college and national team coaches as key factors in her rise to the Olympic level.

To chronicle her Olympics experiences, Kaleigh kept a journal, excerpted below, for us to follow the adventure through her eyes.

December 31, 2021 I received THE call today. Insane! I am off icially on the Swiss Olympic national team to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Words cannot describe how I feel and how much pride I take in being able to represent my country on the biggest stage ever. Knowing how hard I’ve worked for the past four to f ive years, I am proud of myself. It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve dedicated so much of my time to this sport and to this goal. To f inally see

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We had a practice this morning and then packed all of our stuff into the bus for the airport. My dream was becoming more and more real. Arriving at the airport with all the same clothes and the famous rings on every piece of clothing that I had, I got goosebumps. It was actually happening. Unfortunately, t wo of our players will have to f ly out later [because of positive COV ID test results], but it’s looking good for them to come over despite the chaos with COV ID.

Teammate Dominique Ruegg and Kaleigh celebrate after Switzerland defeated Finland 3-2 in the preliminary round of the Olympic tournament.

Photos: Swiss Women’s National Team

“As an athlete all you do is dream of becoming an Olympic athlete, and here I am, writing on the plane, telling the world that I am officially an Olympian.”

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that I am getting rewarded for my hard work, perseverance, dedication, commitment, and energ y, I am truly happy.

January 24, 2022 My PCR test last night, along with those of four other players, came back positive this morning. We had expected that to happen because all f ive of us had had COV ID in the last 20 days, but it was still stressful. We had to stay in our rooms the entire day. We missed practice in the morning, and then practice was canceled in the afternoon for everyone.

I had to go the Zurich airport with the four other girls to get another test this afternoon, and we still have to do another test tonight and tomorrow.

January 26, 2022 Finally the day of the departure to Beijing!

As an athlete all you do is dream of becoming an Olympic athlete, and here I am, writing on the plane, telling the world that I am off icially an Olympian.

Unbelievable.

We did our check-in and walked through the airport as a team, and when we arrived at our gate, athletes from other countries were getting ready to board the plane as well. Holy cow, that was cool!

Ireland, Great Britain, Canada, China, and USA — they were all at the Zürich airport getting onto the same plane to make their dreams come true. Absolutely indescribable feeling that rushed through me.

We get to f ly business — man, that is cool. I was able to get a seat beside Bobby [teammate Sarah “Bobby” Forster], and we enjoyed a glass of red wine with our food to fully take in what was happening to us.

I’m so humbled to be experiencing this amazing journey with the team and especially to create memories with amazing people. For the past t wo years we’ve been struggling with uncertainties, doubts, and postponements. The amount of f lexibility, adaptation, patience, and dedication it has taken me and the team is astonishing. We don’t make nearly as much money as the men, and yet we still make our way to camps every month and push back our holidays to proudly represent our country.

The last t wo years have been so complicated with COV ID. We didn’t have a season at University of Montreal in 2020, but I made the Swiss national team for the 2021 World Championships in Calgary. Then I was f inally able to practice and play normally with the [University of Montreal] Carabins and still made it

to Switzerland to participate in [national team] camp, and then I stayed in Switzerland until the Olympics. The tough part in all of that has been the uncertainty of the next step, the next day. I love having my days planned ahead and knowing where and what I’m doing with whom, but these past t wo years it has been quite the opposite.

My 2021 summer was insane, for example. We were supposed to have worlds in Halifa x in April, but they got pushed back to May. Then less than 24 hours before our f light, the worlds were canceled.

A few weeks later they were rescheduled for August in Calgary, so I spent another summer at home, which I wasn’t ready for. My summer was f illed with hockey.

I like to take the summer off of the ice, but I had no choice. I went from Coppet, where I live, to Cham, where we practiced, one to three times a week for t wo months, paying for the train tickets and the tanks of gas. The trip takes about four hours and 15 minutes one way. It was hard mentally. Mom and my brother, Aidan, were gone, so it was an empty house as my sister, Adair, and Dad were working a lot.

It was tiring putting that much time and effort into extra hockey during what usually is our off-season, but whenever I get to the training center and see the team and realize how lucky I am to be in the position that I’m in, I would never

have it any other way. I get to represent my country every month of the year, and I get to inspire young girls around the world to pursue their dreams and continue to work hard and have fun while doing so. That is so rewarding to me. I am thankful for the opportunities that have been given to me and the people that I have met along my journey. It has helped me become the woman I am today.

I had a great start to my new university year this fall. We [the Swiss national team] had just f inished worlds in Calgary, where we lost to Finland for the bronze medal, which left us hungry for a medal for the Olympics. I was excited to get things going with the Carabins, especially after a year not being able to practice or play normally with them. We were so pumped to be together and start our season. It was a bit rocky at f irst but stabilized itself closer to Christmas. I f lew home before f inals to play in a tournament in Basel, which we won, and then spent time with my family. The question was: How do I avoid COV ID before the Olympics or get it before the f inal date?

Thankfully I got it after Adair and Mom, and I didn’t feel too bad. There were a few scares during my “recovery” with a positive test after having tested negative and not knowing if that meant anything.

Before our pre-Olympic camp, I was able to practice a few times with a few players, which allowed me to dust the rust off a little. My cardio fell a bit behind, but

it got back to normal quick ly, and I was happy to see the girls again.

With everything that has happened over the past couple of years, I think for everyone on the team being on this plane right now is a relief. We are all so excited to get started in Beijing.

January 27, 2022 Beijing. We made it, and we are here!

We got to the Beijing airport, and when we looked out the window, all we saw were airport personnel and volunteers in full-on white Minions costumes to prevent any COV ID-19 outbreak. It was something special to witness. We were directed to the f irst step of our journey, where Chinese customs agents scanned our passports and asked us questions.

Then it was the famous COV ID test. We had to do a nose and a mouth one. They were not gentle at all. Then we were able to get our visas checked and bags fairly quick ly. We were then off to the Olympic village. Despite being tired, the adrenaline kicked in, and we all looked out the windows. China. We had a lane only for us on the highway and will have this during the full tournament to avoid traff ic.

When we arrived at the Olympic village, we had to go through a few scannings and get our IDs checked before arriving at our apartment. It is big and spacious,

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The Swiss women’s hockey team arrives at the Olympic

and we have t wo cool views from different windows, one overlooking a part of the city and the other with a view of the Birds Nest, which is insane. I had only seen it on TV, but now we are a few meters away from it, and in a few days, I’ ll be in it waving my Swiss f lag for the Opening Ceremonies.

We had a quick off-ice session on Zoom when we got here because we had to wait for our PCR tests to get back before we could practice in person. Then we had snacks from the Chinese box we received until we could be released for dinner. It took a while, but around 9 p.m., we were allowed to go and eat at the dining hall.

January 27–31, 2022 The rink is insane! It’s huge! I’ve never played in such a big rink. The off-ice facilities are also cool. There is a cage with turf to stretch and then a weight room part with bikes to warm up or cool down.

The f irst few days have been tough because of jetlag and practices t wice a day, but it’s been fun. Seeing all the rings, the f lags, the different athletes — what a mind-blowing experience. At f irst we were just taking pictures, buying clothes, and walking around the village. It’s fun to experience day-to-day Olympic things like exchanging pins, meeting new athletes, and seeing Melo [Mélodie Daoust], my university assistant coach and friend who is No. 15 on Team Canada, but it also felt as though we were a bit in a

tourist mode.

A bit of tension/drama has arisen on the team — the usual, and I think it’s also because we are tired and anxious to get started with our games. Practicing for almost a week without a game day is tough mentally as you need a bit of a f ire and excitement to keep going in a tournament as big as the Olympics. The only preparation we’ve gotten so far has been a friendly game versus Japan in early January that we dominated. People are tired, systems [offensive and defensive strategies] aren’t going as well, team spirit is lacking, but I know that once the tournament gets going, we will gather our focus back to our goal, a medal. Two of our teammates made it to China on January 30 after having waited for a few more negative PCR tests in Switzerland, so that helped the team and brought a bit more emotion and joy to the table. We have stayed clear of any positive tests, so that’s good for us. However, the Russians are getting more and more positive tests, so we are aware that the danger is right around the corner and that we have to be careful, especially because our locker room is right beside theirs and we do our off-ice beside them.

February 1, 2022 We had to do a rookie challenge today.

It was actually very fun. We had to put on ridiculous tight clothes and go get as many pictures as we could with different

athletes from different countries. My team got second, which was pretty good, 20 pictures in 30 minutes. I was with Caro [Caroline Spies] and Alina Marti.

We had a blast, and we were sweating a lot! We had to wear our ridiculous outf its for the whole day and create a video with the Olympic song as a rookie group. We did a great job!

February 2, 2022 Picture day was awesome, the famous pictures with the rings on the ice. It was a dream come true. I couldn’t put into words what I was feeling, and honestly it’s not the f irst time that I had that happen to me during this trip. I was with some of my best buddies playing hockey in China at the Olympic Games — WAKE ME UP! I have so many pictures on my phone now it’s incredible. I’m so thankful for this opportunity. We haven’t been practicing our best, but it is coming along. I think we just need a bit of conf idence back within the group.

February 3, 2022 We f inally got to our f irst game day!

Huge game versus Canada! Always a special game for me as well, and unfortunately it didn’t go as we would ’ve liked it to have gone. We lost 12-1 — not easy, and we let in a lot of goals because we weren’t concentrated and focused during our shifts. They were amazing, but we could ’ve avoided such a big score.

Tensions were back within the team, and people were pointing f ingers, which wasn’t great especially because we are playing tomorrow again.

February 4, 2022

The Opening Ceremonies in the Birds Nest stadium.

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Game No. 2 — yikes, a 5-2 loss against Russia, and we didn’t play well at all.

We are having a tough time becoming a team. We were better than the Russians, but they came out wanting it more. We needed a reality check. Also we need to start focusing on us and what we have to do to win and play well. I haven’t played a lot, and I felt like a complete cheer-

“Tonight was the best thing that has happened to me. I was so proud and so happy to be here.” leader, so I talked to [head coach] Colin [Muller] about it to feel better about myself. Any way, it was something that I was expecting, so I am just trying to be a great teammate and not focus too much on the negative.

Tonight was the most memorable night of my life so far, the Opening Ceremonies.

I have never, ever, ever felt this way. We marched as a nation into the Birds Nest to show the world that we are Team Switzerland and that we were all Olympians.

Seeing [Thomas] Bach [president of the International Olympic Committee] speak and having the president of China yell out that the games were off icially open gave me goosebumps and got me emotional. That is the moment when I put my situation into perspective. I thought to myself, “I am an Olympian, and nobody can take that away from me, no matter whether there is COV ID or not, no matter whether I play 10, 18, or t wo minutes, no matter whether I score or not. I am an Olympian.”

Tonight was the best thing that has happened to me. I was so proud and so happy to be here.

February 5, 2022 Today was a day off bet ween games. We practiced and hung out. The Opening Ceremonies gave back a bit of f ire in everyone, and we are becoming more of a team. Colin had a big talk with us, and we did a reboot.

Game time! Kaleigh heads in to the rink in Beijing.

February 6, 2022 Game No. 3 versus USA was a much better one for us. We ultimately lost the game in the f irst period with some wacky goals, but we played a solid game, and our chemistry and attitude are becoming better. We are focusing more on the positive and less on what isn’t working or on the goals against. Today’s game was the beginning of our tournament, I think.

We were a team. My ice time hasn’t really changed, but thanks to Opening Ceremonies, I’ve been able to put it into perspective. And knowing that I have so many people in my corner and supporting from home, Stony, and Montreal gives

me energ y and happiness. (“Stony” refers to Stony Lake in Ontario, where Kaleigh has relished spending time at her family’s cottage since she was a baby. She describes it as “my happy place.”)

February 7, 2022 Game No. 4 against Finland. We were f ired up. We saw that Finland had also been struggling and not playing their best, so it was our chance to shine and take home the W. We played solid, we were compact, we fought, and we showed Finland that they aren’t walking away from China with a medal if they cross our path again. We won 3-2. I hardly

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played the f irst t wo periods, but in the third I had my chance and seized it. I was proud of myself. We were so happy and relieved. It gave us a conf idence booster that will help us a lot for the most important game yet, the quarterf inals.

February 8, 2022 We had the day off today. I hung out mostly with my crew. We enjoyed the sun, coffee, and pizza. We went to the big air competition to watch the t wo Swiss women compete. It was awesome.

Mathilde Gremaud got third and Sarah Höff liger got sixth. They are unbelievable athletes, jumping that high and t wisting and turning to then land back on their feet blows my mind. We were a big fan squad cheering them on, and I think they appreciated it a lot.

February 9, 2022 Expect the unexpected. Today we got news that our teammate Lisa [Rüedi] tested positive for COV ID. The poor girl had to be taken out of our apartment into an ambulance that brought her to an isolation hotel. We played Russia a few days ago, and they have had several cases and haven’t been respecting the rules or other teams, so we think it came from there.

Seeing Lisa leave as if she was an alien, having to handle this extra pressure from COV ID, and hating the Russians even more got to me, and I had a really tough day. We couldn’t practice, but we were able to do a workout outside that helped us even though the motivation and the vibe was off a little bit. I can’t wait to get back on the ice and get back to work and prepare for this medal.

February 10, 2022 As a team we are considered close contacts to Lisa, so we have to get tested t wice a day until we leave and can’t go to the recreational center or f itness center.

We are now limited to outside; the dining hall, where we must eat in a different area; and our apartments. We can’t even go watch other competitions in Beijing.

It’s tough and annoying, but it’s the way

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it is. I guess we will just be more dialed in to our goal. Good news is that we can practice at the rink today (with masks), so that will be good for everyone.

Crazy times. I am a bit mentally drained because of all of this, but we only have eight days left here, and we WANT this medal, so suck it up, buttercup.

February 12, morning Today is the quarterf inal game, and we all know how important this game is.

We’ve legit been waiting for this moment the whole tournament, and knowing the ROC [Russian Olympic Committee team] lost to Finland, we are in a similar situation as we were in Calgary [at the worlds]. I do not respect the Russians. They’ve not been respectful of the COV ID rules and other teams, and there is a scandal happening with a young Russian f igure skater who [has allegedly] doped. I know it’s not necessarily the athletes’ decisions, but I just hate them.

Any ways, they will be pumped to play us again and try and beat us after we beat them at worlds in Calgary, but we know that we are the better team and that we deser ve it.

February 12, evening THE GA ME. It was an insane roller coaster of emotions as we took the lead and they tied it up. The last f ive minutes were chaotic. They scored a goal to take the lead, and we noticed that the puck had bounced on the boards, which was beside the bench and so it bounced right back to the defender who was trying to dump it in. We called a coach ’s challenge, and the goal was disallowed, thank God. We were still winning 2-1, but then the Russians scored with under three minutes to play. It was getting really tense, and their goal was close to an offside, but we didn’t want to challenge because we didn’t want to get a penalty if the refs overturned their decision. However, Alina [Müller], being the clutch player she is, scored right after the tying goal to make it 3-2 for us with t wo minutes to go. We had a late penalty with 1:47 to go,

so we were all on the edge of our seats.

I almost had a heart attack a few times.

But WE WON! We beat the Russians 3-2 to advance to the semif inals and play for a medal. I had to go to anti-doping right after the game, so I wasn’t with the team immediately after to celebrate, but we were all so happy and relieved.

February 14, 2022 Today we played Canada again, which we knew was a huge task — and rightfully so, as they beat us 10-3. We played well, though. Canada is just unbelievable; you can see that they’ve been together for a long time and that they have this boost of energ y to get the gold medal after having lost it four years ago. They are by far the best team in the tournament.

Lisa was released from her isolation as she was able to get t wo negative test results. We surprised her when she got back, and she was very emotional, which I can understand because she went through a lot of stress in the last t wo or three days.

February 15, 2022 My birthday! I have had one goal — make it to the Olympics and celebrate my birthday there. Mission accomplished.

We had a chill morning and played some mini games outside, which was hilarious.

The last challenge was to f ind me a gift without buying anything in 10 minutes.

All the girls did great, and I was so thankful for their participation and their love. I said “thank you” and got a bit emotional because it means so much to me to see people show their appreciation of me and see them happy to be around me. It was by far the best day ever, and my dreams had become reality. We had practice this evening too, which felt good for our big day tomorrow.

February 16, 2022 Bronze medal game. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as we wanted it to go, and I don’t think Colin was ready for the Finns to eliminate our best players [by stick-

ing to man-on-man defense with those players]. What to say. Just the fact that we had the chance to play for a medal at the Olympics blows my mind and humbles me. Not everyone makes it to the Olympics, and even fewer people get to compete for a medal game.

Any ways, the Olympics were done on a sad note. We wanted to go home with a medal, and we believed it was possible, but Finland deser ved it.

It’s been a bit tough since that game, seeing a lot of social media, receiving a lot of messages, and having f lashbacks to the game. You wish you had that beautiful bronze medal in your hand. That is sports for you. I am proud to have gone to the Olympics nonetheless.

February 18, 2022 We f lew home today. When we arrived in Zurich, all the parents were there with jerseys on and had cow bells to welcome

us home. It was special. My trip home wasn’t quite f inished, though, as I had to take another f light to Geneva, where I met my mom at the airport. It gave me so much joy to see her waiting for me with a huge “welcome home” sign and then later to reunite with my brother and sister and Dad. We had a fun night with close friends to celebrate everything that I had just experienced.

I don’t give myself too much praise usually, but this time I am saying it clearly: I am proud of myself. Making it to the Olympics has always been a dream, and I have had many obstacles and have not had it easy for the most part. But I battled through and believed, and I worked hard for it. My hard work, sacrif ices, energ y, dedication, and passion paid off, and I was able to experience the most memorable event of my life. I am forever thankful for the people in my life who have been there since the start, who have believed in me, who have helped me when times were tough, and who have celebrat-

ed my successes. Surround yourself with people who make you happy. It truly has helped me.

Late March I f lew back to Montreal on February 21 after spending a couple of days back home with my family and friends. I was still on a high and over whelmed with excitement and joy while I was telling all the stories from the Olympics. However, that high I was feeling became a very sudden low. I still had a season to f inish with my university team and playoffs were around the corner, but I had just experienced my lifelong dream and the hype and media of the Olympics. The excitement was all unwinding, and all of a sudden I felt empty. I had never felt that way, ever in my life. Until this day I can’t exactly put into words how I felt and why I felt that way. It was as if I was a balloon that had just been let go from someone’s hands, and I def lated quick ly. NO more energ y to do or think about anything.

Thankfully, I had a team surrounding me and hockey games and practices to keep my mind busy, but as soon as I wasn’t at the rink or playing hockey, I felt depressed. I am lucky enough to have an amazing support system with my family and my closest friends and teammates from back home and in Montreal, so I was able to talk about what and how I was feeling. However, nobody in my surroundings could understand the way I felt or help me in any way because they’d never experienced it. I relied on my teammates from the national team and talked to a few of them to share my feelings and get insights on how they were handling everything. It was a strange feeling and dark place to be for about a month, but with time things got better and I started feeling less empty. If ever anyone feels that way, one thing I would tell him or her to do is talk about it even if no one asks. Find a close friend or a family member and tell them how you feel. It helps a lot. Surround yourself with great people.

Kaleigh and teammate Alina Müller, who have known each other since they were 14 years old, pose by the Olympic rings on picture day.

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ANATOMY OF A

Track & Field Meet

BY BECKY PURDY

ILLUSTRATIONS CHELSEY FARRIS

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T

o a n ave ra ge s pe ct ator, a t ra ck a nd f ield m eet at Loom is Cha f fee a nd pretty mu c h a nyw h e re els e ca n s eem m ore like a t hree-r ing circus . Som e at h l ete s a re r u n n i n g on t he t ra ck, s om e a re jum ping over hurdles , s om e a re pa ss i n g a bato n . O t h e rs a re cat a pult ing over ba rs , s kipping into s a nd pit s , o r t h row i n g va r i o u s pro j e ct i les . A nd ever yt hing is ha ppening at once. What a re t h ey a l l do i n g? A n d h ow does a ca s ua l s pect ator know w here to look a nd w hat to c h e e r fo r ? To h e l p yo u u nderst a nd w hat it ’s a ll a bout , we of fer t his pr im er on a ty pi c a l t ra c k a n d fi e l d meet on t he I s la nd.

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The

LONG JUMP and

TRIPLE JUMP

a re contested on a r unway wi th a sand pit at t he end, a nd t he goal i s to jump a s fa r hor izont a lly a s poss i bl e. Jumpe rs s peed a long t he r unway, w hi ch i s the s a m e s ur fa ce a s t he t ra ck, unti l they rea ch a “boa rd” or pa inted box marki ng t he foul line. Their toes ca nnot touch t he r unway even a m illim ete r beyond the end of t he boa rd or t he jump i s rul e d inva lid, ca lled a “foul.” I n the l ong jump, t he at hlete t a kes of f f rom the board a nd la nds in t he s a nd pit . In the tri pl e jum p, t he boa rd is fa r t her b ack on the r unway, a nd t he jum per t a ke s one jump f rom t he boa rd t hen a hop and a jump before la nding in t he pit . I n both eve nts, jum ps a re m ea s ured f rom the front of t he boa rd to t he s pot in t he sand whe re t he jum per ’s body touched ne are st to t heir t a keof f. I f a jum per lands on he r feet but fa lls ba ck a nd catche s he rse l f w it h her ha nds , for inst a nce, the jump is m ea s ured f rom t he ha nd that re ache d fa r t hest ba ck into t he s a nd.

TRACK

The me a s u re s 4 0 0 m eters a rou n d o n t h e i n n e rmo st l an e, La n e 1 . Fo r r u n n i n g eve nt s th at a re l on ge r t h a n 4 0 0 mete rs, th e racers co mpl ete mo re t h an o n e ci rcu i t, or “ l a p,” o f t h e t rack . For th ese ra ce s , a n o ffi c i a l te lls th e com p eti tors h ow ma ny l a ps t h ey have l ef t ea ch t i me t h ey pa ss by t h e f i n i sh l i n e. In s o me o f t h e lo n ge r ra ces, su ch a s t h e 3 0 0 0 mete rs (7 1 /2 l a p s, wh i c h i s 1 . 8 6 mi l e s) , t h e fa stest ru n n ers c a n pu l l s o fa r ah e ad th at th ey ove r t a ke t h e s l owe r r u n n ers wh o a re sti l l o n a n e a r l i e r circuit of th e tra ck . Th e re i s n o pe nalty fo r b ei n g "l ap p e d, " n o r i s t h e re any sh am e i n i t, as eve r yo n e i s st r iving to ru n th ei r ow n be st t i me fo r t h e ra ce d i sta n ce. Tra c k a n d fie ld ath l etes of ten re fe r to a pe rso nal-b est p erform a n ce a s a " PR , " fo r pe rson a l record. I t ' s a go o d day o u t o n th e tra ck i f yo u h e a r a l o t o f te am mem b ers sayi n g, " I PR ' d! "

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FINISH LINE

A sp eci al ca m era at t h e of Loom is Cha f fee m eet s t a kes im a ges of ea ch pe rson crossin g i n th e f i n i sh l i n e i n t ra c k ra ce s . Th e c a mera connect s to a com puter ized t im ing system t hat co mpi l e s the i mage s so th at of f i c i a l pl a ce s a n d t i me s c a n b e deter m ined ba s ed on w hen ea ch r unner ’s tors o crosse s the l i ne. Thi s is wh ere th e term “ ph o to fi n i s h ” co me s fro m , m ea ning a ra ce is s o clos e t hat t he na ked eye ca nno t judge i t and a p h otog ra p h th at fre eze s t h e mo me nt mu st be cons ulted to deter m ine t he w inner. Ra ce t im es recorde d by the se system s are cal l e d “fu l l y-a u to mat i c t i me s ,” or F. A .T. I f stopwatches a re us ed, t he t im es a re ca lled “hand ti me s” and a re con si d ere d l e ss a cc u rate t h a n F. A .T.

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THE STARTER

is t he tra ck of f i ci al w h o gi ve s fin al in stru cti on s to ra ce rs , c a l l s t he m to th e sta rti n g l i n e, a n d m ake s su re everyon e re ce i ve s a fair start. An d d on ’t wo r r y. Th e st ar t ing p i stol i s a bl a n k h a n dgu n de sign ed n ot to d i sc h a rge a mmun it io n . Even so, i t i s fi re d st ra i ght u p in t h e a i r to sta rt a ra ce. A “false sta rt ” i s ca l l e d i f o n e o r m o re o f th e com p et i n g r u n n e rs m ove s b efore th e p i sto l i s fi re d.

Th e starter th en f i re s t h e pi sto l a se co n d ti m e, ca l l i n g t h e r u n n e rs back to th e l i n e for a n o t h e r st a r t .

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HURDLES a re ma de to be adj u sted to d i f fe re nt h e i ght s , de pe n din g on th e event a n d t h e ge n de r o f t h e co m p eti tors. For t h e 3 0 0 - mete r i nte rm ed i ate h u rd l es , t h e ba r r i e rs a re s et 3 0 in ch es h i g h for gi r l s a n d at 3 6 i n c h e s fo r b oys. For th e “ h i gh h u rdl e s ” eve nt s , whi ch a re ru n on a st ra i ght st retc h o f t he track ( 1 0 0 mete rs i n di st a n ce fo r girl s, 1 1 0 m eters fo r boys) , t h e h u rdl e s are set at a h ei g ht o f 3 3 i n c h e s fo r gi r l s and 39 i n ch es fo r boys . Th e h i gh e r s ett ing m akes th e hu rdl e s mo re di ffi c u l t to clear an d , th u s, re qu i re bette r h u rdl i n g te c h n i q u e. For a l l h u rdl e s ra ce s , t h e ba rri ers are p l ace d at ma r ke d, eve nly-sp a ced l ocati o n s o n t h e t ra c k, a n d co m p eti tors stay i n t h e i r de s i gn ate d lanes. Th i s i s why yo u s e e o ffi c i a l s a n d vol u nteers m ovi n g t h e h u rdl e s to di ffe re nt l ocati on s a n d s ett i n g t h e m at di ffe rent h ei g hts b etwe e n eve nt s . I n c a s e yo u ’re cu ri ou s, t h e h u rdl e s a re ra i s e d to 42 i n ch es for co l l e ge a n d O l y mpi c- l eve l m en ' s h i g h h u rdl e s ra ce s .

POLE VAULT A m ong t he m ost dari ng of fi e l d event s at a m eet is the pol e vaul t.

A s w it h t he high jump, the goal i s to j um p over a hor izontal bar wi thout knocking it down. Whi l e i n the high j um p, at hletes must use onl y t heir ow n s peed, jumpi ng abi l i ty, and technique to clea r the bar, a pol e va ulter us es a f lexib l e pol e to re ach greater height s . I n thi s eve nt, athletes r un a long a r unway, sti ck one end of t he pole into a box, and use t he pole to help la unch the mse l ve s up a nd over t he ba r. The Loomi s Cha f fee s chool record i n the pol e va ult is 1 4 feet-3 inche s for boys (set

by Rya n Dur kin ’ 1 8 i n 2 017 ) and 10 feet-0 inches for gi rl s (set by Ci e ra Hunter ’ 1 5 in 201 4).

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STARTING BLOCKS Spr inters — r unners w ho compete at t he s hor ter dist a nces — may us e st a r t ing blocks to he l p prope l t hem for wa rd at t he begi nni ng of t heir ra ces . The blocks can be a djusted to a n at hlete’s pre fe rre d foot pla cem ent s , a nd t he pads in com binat ion w it h t he runne r ’s st a r t ing crouch help him acce lerate to his top s peed q ui cke r t ha n if he st a r ted f rom a standing pos it ion w it hout blocks. For s pr int event s , you m ay he ar the st a r t ing of f icia l’s fa m ili ar thre e com m a nds : “Runners , t ake your m a r ks ,” inst r uct ing competi tors to step into t heir block s and crouch w it h t heir ha nds poi se d on t he t ra ck behind t he st arti ng l i ne ; “Set ,” for t he r unners to rai se t heir hips a nd prepa re to spri ng for wa rd; a nd t hen, w he n al l compet itors a re com pletely sti l l , the st a r t ing gun is f ired, s ig nal i ng t he ra ce’s st a r t .

THROWING EVENTS i nc l u de t h e

discus, sh ot p u t, a n d j ave l i n fi e l d eve nt s . Ap tl y n am ed, t h e di s c u s invo lve s th row i n g a we i ghte d di s c (2. 2 po u n d s for g i rl s , 3 . 5 po u n ds fo r boys) as far as p oss i bl e. M o st di s c u s t hrowe rs sp i n on th e t h row i n g c i rc l e be fo re sen d i n g th e di s c u s fl y i n g.

Th e shot p u t u ses a we i ghte d ba l l (8. 8 pou n d s for g i rl s , 1 2 po u n ds fo r boys) th at ath l etes t h row a s fa r a s t hey c an . M ost sh ot pu tte rs exe c u te a spe ci al sl i d e a n d t u r n , o r a s pi n , wit h in th e th rowi n g c i rc l e be fo re h e av in g th e sh ot p ut . Wh i l e t h e eve nt ta kes arm stre n gt h , s u cce ss re lie s p ri m ari l y on ex pl o s i ve l e g st re n g th an d ref i n ed te c h n i qu e. Th e jave lin i s a sp ea r- l i ke i mpl e me nt t hrown , as i n th e ot h e r t h row i n g eve nt s , for m a x i m u m di st a n ce. J ave lin t h rowers ru n i n a s e qu e n ce o f st ride s an d cross- ove r ste ps towa rd a “fo u l l i n e” to g a i n ma x i mu m propu lsio n for th ei r th row. Th e a n gl e and hei g ht of th rows i n a l l t h re e eve nt s are m aj or facto rs i n h ow fa r t he im p l em ent trave l s .

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SPIKES E xcept in t he dis cus a nd s hot put, m ost t ra ck a nd f ield at hletes we ar s piked s hoes , or “s pikes ,” to a i d t heir per for m a nces . Pointed s p i ke s in t he ba ll of ea ch s hoe im prove t ra ct ion on t he r unning, j um ping, or j avelin-t hrow ing s ur fa ce a nd are ver y light-weight . Their des ign al so keeps at hletes m ore on t he bal l s of t heir feet t ha n t hat of regular s nea kers or t ra ining s hoes .

RELAYS a re fo u r- pe rs o n eve nt s i n w hich ea ch tea m m em ber r uns a s et dist a nce a nd m ust pass a

baton ( a h ol l ow, a l u mi n u m st i c k) to t h e n ext tea m m ate. The excha nge, or ha ndof f, m ust t a ke pla ce wi thi n marked zon es on t h e t ra c k o r t h e re l ay i s di s qua lif ied. I n m ost Loom is Cha f fee m eet s , tea m s com pete i n the 4 x 100 - m eter a n d 4 x 4 0 0 - mete r re l ays . Th e 4 x 1 00 is es pecia lly excit ing beca us e it involves precisi on hando ffs d on e at top s pe e ds a n d u s u a l l y “ bl i n d,” w it h t he recipient rea ching ba ck for t he baton w it hout l ooki ng.

The 4 x 4 0 0 i s thr i l l i n g to watc h — a n d co mpete in — beca us e it is t he la st event of t he m eet , a nd cl ose l y co ntested m eets c a n co me dow n to t h i s fi n al relay to deter m ine w hich tea m w ins t he overa ll com peti ti on.

SCORED

A t ra ck an d f i el d me et i s by a ss igning point s to t he top f inis hers in ea ch event, and the te a m th at a ccu m u l ate s t h e mo st po i nt s w i n s t he m eet . The num ber of point s ea ch pla ce receives de pe nds on t h e n u m b er of te a ms co mpet i n g a n d t h e l evel of t he m eet . I n dua l m eet s , w here two tea m s com pete he adto - h ead , f i rst p l a ce s co re s fi ve po i nt s , s e co nd pla ce s cores t hree point s , a nd t hird pla ce s cores one poi nt i n e ac h of th e 1 5 i ndi v i du a l eve nt s , a n d a w i n ning relay tea m ea r ns f ive point s w hile a s econd-pla ce re l ay e arns no ne. In ch a m p i o n s h i p me et s — Lo o mi s C h a f fee com petes in t he Founders Lea gue Cha m pions hip and the New Eng l an d P rep S cho o l Tra c k A ss o c i at i o n D i v i s ion I Cha m pions hip at t he end of t he s ea s on — s ix place s score po i nts i n every eve nt , w i t h 1 0 po i nt s fo r fi rst pla ce, eight point s for s econd, s ix for t hird, four for fourth, two fo r f i f th , an d on e fo r s i xt h .

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Working Artists

By Matt Ruffle

Photographed by Cassandra Hamer and Jessica Ravenelle

Junior Sofia Mansilla felt a spark of recognition this fall while listening to artist and Loomis Chaffee art teacher christian.ryan talk about their work at the opening of their exhibition, Working Against Grain, in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in the Richmond Art Center.

A digital art student, Sofia heard familiar themes in the way christian spoke about the creative process even though christian and Sofia work in different mediums.

“I was surprised because they were talking about it in the same way I like to talk about my own art,” Sofia recalls. "I have the same feelings and speak in the same way when I interpret my own art.”

Sofia had discovered the synergy of creating art alongside teachers who are working artists. Her experience is not unique at Loomis Chaffee. In art studios, music practice rooms, dance studios, and theater spaces across campus, students see their

visual and performing arts teachers engaging in creative endeavors much like those the students themselves are navigating. The parallels are intentional.

“We feel that it is vitally important for students to see an artist in action because it brings up different questions and allows students to see their teachers in a different light and see the work that goes in to creating art,” says soprano Susan Chrzanowski, the school’s choral/vocal director and head of the Performing Arts Department.

“Watching practicing artists in action can have a powerful impact on students,” Sue says. “They see that we are active role models, learning, being vulnerable, and working toward mastery, just like our students.”

On the pages that follow, we explore this creative synergy with 10 Loomis Chaffee teacherartists in the visual and performing arts.

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Stacy-Ann Rowe ’97 Full circle “Working as an artist and teaching at the same time has been great because young minds are so inspiring to me. The students push me to think outside the box,” says visual arts teacher Stacy-Ann “Ro” Rowe ’97, who will be the head of the Visual Arts Department beginning next fall and also is an assistant director of communications and an associate director of the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

“My artwork is full of colors and cultures from around the world,” she says. “As I work on my craft, I find inspiration and ways for my students to express themselves in the digital world through art as well.”

Ro’s recent work includes “Rise,” a colorful work of graphic art that was the inspiration for one of music teacher Netta Hadari’s compositions, and she is working on a show slated for the spring of 2023. “There will be seven major art pieces created digitally and completed in acrylic paint, spray paint, and air brush,” she says. “The theme will be a play on the seven heavenly virtues — Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Forgiveness, Kindness, and Humility.”

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Ro says she first fell in love with art when she was a student on the Island. “As a freshman here, I took a drawing class with Mrs. [Marilyn] Rabetz and I was hooked,” Ro says. “I went on to major in graphic design as an undergraduate and earned a master’s degree in media design.”

Just as Marilyn helped spark Ro’s passion for art, Ro now shares that enthusiasm with a new generation of Loomis Chaffee students.

“The way she practices her art and shows students what she is working on and talks about her work — it’s really inspiring,” says Sofia Mansilla, who is enrolled in Ro’s Graphic Design and Digital Art class. “I know that Ms. Ro is not just there to tell me what to do, but we actually discuss how to do it. This is because she is always doing art outside the class and thinks about her art like I do.”

Like Ro when she was a Loomis student, Sofia has discovered her own passion for art, inspired by what she describes as the diversity of talents and professionalism of her art teachers. “I didn’t know this world

before coming to Loomis,” Sofia says. “It was like a seed inside of me that was missing water. When I came here, it felt like my teachers were giving me water and my art just blossomed.”

Netta Hadari

Collaboration and Inspiration “I’m learning with and from students all the time,” says Netta Hadari, an accomplished violinist and conductor who teaches music theory, leads the chamber music ensembles, directs the Orchestra, and gives violin lessons at Loomis.

Netta loves to collaborate. “If I can work with people who are fun to work with, interesting, and open-minded,” he says, “I am completely happy to surrender my ego to the process.”

This collaboration was evident in his most recent performance on campus, which included two pieces that he composed. The compositions, “Rise” and “Happy Old Marriage,” were inspired by the work of artists Stacy-Ann Rowe ’97 and Jennifer McCandless, both of whom teach in the Visual Arts Department.

Netta explains that he began working on the compositions as a way to collaborate with his visual arts colleagues. He composed each piece based on the impressions evoked when viewing their artwork, and he says his pieces are musical expressions of those emotions and ideas.

His work with students has a direct relationship to the compositions he works on outside the classroom. He often takes inspiration from the insight his students bring to his classes. “Working with students makes me a much better musician, composer, and arranger. They challenge me and really stretch me as a musician,” he says.

In Netta’s view, music is another way for students to build teamwork through creating or interpreting a piece. “It’s not just learning the notes, rhythms and playing together,” he says. “The music itself does something. The sound, the combination of notes, rhythms, and instruments ... softens us. It is something that puts us in touch with our humanity.”

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Mark Zunino The Artist’s Life Being a working artist is just part of life for printmaker, painter, and art teacher Mark Zunino. His latest projects sit on easels surrounding his apartment in Harman Hall, where he is the dorm head, and in his classroom space. “They’ll sit there while I do my teaching. That’s the work that sustains me,” he says.

“It just becomes part of what you do,” says Mark, who has been drawing, painting, and printmaking for most of his adult life. “It’s about always having something on the easel.

There is nothing very mysterious about it. It’s just who I am.”

Mark has exhibited his prints and paintings in many national exhibitions, including at the Flint Institute of Art, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, and Vose Galleries in Boston as well as in exhibitions in Wales, New Zealand, and the Czech Republic. His work is in the permanent collections of the Aberystwyth University in Wales, the Boston Public Library, and the Smith College Museum of Art, among others, and in private collections throughout the United States.

As much as Mark teaches his students the foundations of design, drawing, painting, and printmaking, Mark’s students also help him

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to better understand his work as an artist.

“The thing I love about teaching is that you live vicariously through your students,” he says. “My students’ ideas do not necessarily come back into my practice, but they do get me thinking about art in a different, refreshing way.”

“My students’ ideas … get me thinking about art in a different, refreshing way.”

Susan Chrzanowski

Artists Are Human Too A fixture at Loomis Chaffee for the last 24 years, Susan Chrzanowski directs the Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers, runs the lesson and Guest Musician programs, gives voice lessons, and is responsible for music, theater, and dance programming as the head of the Performing Arts Department.

A professional singer, Sue performed for the Loomis community on numerous occasions early in her tenure. Although she does not have time to perform as much as she once did, “the artistry never goes away because we teach new pieces all the time,” she says.

It is important for students to see their teachers perform, even in small ways, like accompanying the choir on a piano, according to Sue. “Students see us every day, at every practice or rehearsal, playing piano, conducting, or playing other instruments,” she says. “They get to see us fail and adapt and try again.”

Sue also sees the profound impact a practicing artist has on the students who take classes in the arts. The students come to appreciate not just the work that goes into being an artist, but also that teachers and students are all learners, thinking about process

and learning from their mistakes just as much as their triumphs, she says.

In essence, students are witnesses to the creative process. “Whether students observe us perform a quick demonstration in class or a full recital,” she says, “they witness us engaging in our chosen profession, which is a significant part of our lives that gives us joy and direction.”

“Students see us every day, at every practice or rehearsal, playing piano, conducting, or playing other instruments.”

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Jennifer McCandless Juggling the Classroom with Creation Sculptor Jennifer McCandless, head of the Visual Arts Department, is working on several exhibitions, and is showing some of her work this spring at the Ely Center for Contemporary Art in New Haven, Connecticut.

“I am working with three separate groups of women, one on an exhibition inspired by hair, one exploring ideas behind public art, and another that reimagines an artist’s relationship to exhibiting, collaborating, and selling works,” she says.

Meanwhile, Jen teaches well-enrolled courses in ceramics and sculpture at both introductory and advanced levels. Her students’ creativity inspires and challenges her.

“I assign projects that are skill-based but that allow for a great inventiveness on the part of my students,” Jen says. “When they think up a piece and are excited to come to class every day, it is very rewarding for me as their teacher.”

Sometimes working with her students and seeing their creative ideas blossom pushes her out of her comfort zone into an area with which she is unfamiliar. The intro-

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duction of the glass program four years ago was one such moment. When a glass kiln was incorporated into the curriculum, Jen researched and experimented alongside her students as she and they learned glass-making techniques.

Juggling teaching with creating her own work has been challenging at times, Jen acknowledges. “Mostly, I work on my own pieces on weekends and during the summer,” she says. With support from Loomis Chaffee, she has done residencies around New England in the summer, allowing her to focus exclusively on her sculpting.

Her creative process begins in her mind.

“I have a sort of alternate universe in my own imagination that I am very in tune with and where I invent my pieces before I ever set them to clay,” she says. “The fun of that keeps me happy and loving life in general, and I want that for my students.”

Jen’s career as an artist has grown to the point where, after 15 years on the Island, she is leaving teaching at the end of the school year to focus exclusively on sculpting. She and her husband, former Loomis faculty

member Alexander McCandless, will live at their home in Burlington, Vermont, where Jen has a studio and is a well-known member of the arts community.

Jen reflects on many positives in her time on the Island. “The successes have been many, working with incredible artists at the Mercy Gallery, getting to know our visiting artists, and learning all sorts of new techniques that I then get to teach to my students,” she says.

Jen’s students’ creativity inspires and challenges her.

David McCamish

In the NEO As a working actor, Loomis Chaffee theater teacher and director David McCamish recognizes and understands the process his students undergo — and the feelings they experience — as they prepare for and act in a show.

“It helps me look at the work through an actor’s point of view,” he says. “I know what it’s like to be nervous on stage. I am adept at knowing how to communicate a story from the boards.”

Working as a teacher, actor, artistic director, and director in various theater programs in the Hartford area since 1996, David knows the local theater scene from the inside. The last two years have been exceptionally hard for actors, directors, theaters, summer stock programs, and others involved in theater, including his students.

“I am always learning from my students,” he says. These days, that includes understanding the frustration of performing in different venues, including outdoors and online, in all kinds of weather.

This spring, the students and Performing Arts Department presented the musical Spamalot in the newly renovated Norris Ely

Orchard (NEO) Theater, part of the justopened John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Center for Theater and Dance.

David hopes the show allowed the community to recognize the hard work and diligence of his students over the past two years, and he looks forward to “educat[ing] a new group of students about the thrills of live theater in a new space.”

Being a teacher and working actor “helps me look at the work through an actor’s point of view,” David says. “I know what it’s like to be nervous on stage.”

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Kenneth Fischer A Dual Career Jazz pianist, keyboardist, music teacher, and jazz ensembles director Kenneth Fischer has been an educator and performer throughout his adult life.

The two aspects of his career complement each other. “Often I teach the same music that I am currently playing professionally with my classes,” Ken says. “I find that teaching [these same pieces] gives me

new insight into the music.”

With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, Ken began his career as a freelance pianist, playing with several prominent jazz musicians, including the Brubeck Brothers and Dave Brubeck. He currently performs with the Other Orchestra, Charter Oak Jazz, and the Norman Johnson Group

and can be heard on the Norman Johnson Group’s recordings “If Time Stood Still” and “Get It While You Can” on the Pacific Coast Jazz label.

Ken taught for 26 years at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts before continuing his career on the Island, where he directs the Jazz Band and the Jazz Improvisational Ensemble and teaches music.

“Often I teach the same music that I am currently playing professionally with my classes.”

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christian.ryan

The Journey of Creating Art Multidisciplinary artist and visual arts teacher christian.ryan sees a direct relationship between their work as an artist and the students they teach.

“The work that I do in the studio feeds back into the classroom, and the work I do in the classroom feeds back into my art,” he says.

In the five years christian has been teaching at Loomis, they have continued to work professionally, creating new pieces for exhibits both on campus and in Greater Hartford.

Working Against Grain, christian’s interactive exhibit this fall in the Mercy Gallery, included 14 pieces involving sound, simple motors, and sleek figures — all created from reclaimed wood, most of which was sourced from trees recently taken down on the Island. christian hoped that the kinetic works encouraged interaction and reaction from the student and faculty visitors.

One of the things they have always been able to do as a teacher-artist is communicate what working as an artist and being a creative thinker means and looks like, they say.

“My teaching practice has definitely influenced my studio practice,” they say. “When

teaching, I have to be really clear. I have to understand how to specifically communicate to teach students a certain skill.” This specificity helps christian in their own work because it “makes me think in a clearer manner when working on my own projects.”

Students need to know the importance of being flexible in the creative process, they say, because part of the process is the journey each piece of art takes. Many of the pieces in Working Against Grain, for example, had their start in a creative research trip that christian took to France with funding from the school.

“The piece, whether it’s a sculpture, a video, a painting, or a print, may start in one place and end in another place entirely,” christian says.

Students need to know the importance of being flexible in the creative process, christian says, because part of the process is the journey each piece of art takes.

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David Winer Wealth of Experience When junior Benson Wang, an accomplished tuba player, was looking at high schools, he became interested in Loomis Chaffee because of music teacher and Wind Ensemble Director David Winer’s extensive background in both playing the tuba and conducting ensembles.

“He has a wealth of experience,” Benson says. “As a musician, he has helped me to break down a piece and truly understand it before I go on auditions or perform.”

With 45 years of teaching, performing, and conducting students in orchestras, festivals, and private lessons, David passes along to his students the many lessons he has learned as a professional tubist, conductor, and music teacher.

A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, David played professionally with Arthur Fiedler, Henry Mancini, Rostropovich, Aaron Copland, the Canadian Brass, and many other famous musicians.

In addition to his tuba playing, David has conducted at more than 70 music festivals.

“Conducting is teaching,” David says.

“On the absolute basic levels, you are teaching what the music is about.”

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Like Benson, David was inspired by his own music teachers and mentors, and he understands that spending time with working musicians can have an important influence on student musicians.

As a young child, David was surrounded by music. “My Dad played jazz recordings all the time when I was growing up,” David reminisces. His uncle, Bob Winter, was an accomplished jazz pianist who played with the Boston Pops (starting with John Williams and then with Keith Lockhart) and taught at the Berklee School of Music for decades. “I remember being ‘dragged’ to shows to hear my uncle play and being mesmerized by the music,” David recounts.

David became seriously interested in music as a junior in high school. “I was lucky to have a wonderful old Italian gentleman, Maestro, who was a World War II veteran, as my first music teacher in high school,” he says. “He made me love what I was doing with the tuba, and it was very inspiring.”

Melanie Carr

Art as Exploration When working with her sculpture or drawing classes, visual artist Melanie Carr focuses on helping her students to understand the process rather than the final product. She often works alongside her students to allow her students to get “sneak peaks” of her own creative process.

“Teaching informs my work,” she says.

“Being in the classroom has got to be the greatest gift for me because the fresh eyes, responses, questions, and curiosity of the students push me to do things that I haven’t done before.”

In her first year on the Island but with two decades of experience as an artist, gallery director, art collector, and teacher, Melanie frequently talks with her students about the importance of recognizing the process and the thinking that go into works of art.

“Art is not so much about technique as it is about the thought process,” she says. “I just want my students to be on that passage.”

Deconstructing Constructs, an exhibition of her work in the Mercy Gallery this winter, centered on the idea that art is not

necessarily definable. Melanie’s sculptures, paintings, and design objects in the exhibit were purposely created to be viewed as works of art and as functional pieces of furniture. She encouraged visitors to interact with her art, which further informs her creative thinking.

“I am extremely interested in people being active in their viewing, touching, and experiencing my work with their entire body,” she says.

Melanie frequently talks with her students about the importance of recognizing the process and the thinking that go into works of art.

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Alumni Authors

Rebecca Pacheco 52

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A

uthor, blogger, and acclaimed yoga instructor Rebecca Pacheco ’97 shared a meal and conversation with a group of student writers in February as part of the “Dinner and a Draft” series sponsored by Loomis Chaffee Writing Initiatives.

Responding to questions from the gathered students in the Burton Room, Rebecca discussed her writing process, techniques she uses when she sits down to write, and the development of her writing style and voice.

Rebecca’s most recent book, Still Life: The Myths and Magic of Mindful Living, was published in August 2021. She is also the author of Do Your Om Thing: Bending Yoga Tradition to Fit Your Modern Life, published in 2015 and called “one of the top 10 yoga meditation books every yogi needs” by Yoga Journal. Rebecca is a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe on a range of topics, and her award-winning blog, “Om Gal,” which ran from 2008 to 2015, led to her first book.

Putting her ideas into practice, Rebecca asked the students to write for 10 minutes about their day, what they did, what they saw, and what they heard. “Put yourself in the perspective of the witness,” she said as the students began to write. “That’s how writers move through the world.” The exercise helps writers tap into descriptive details in their writing, she explained.

On the morning after the Dinner and a Draft event, Rebecca spoke about mindfulness and meditation at an all-school convocation as part of the Hubbard Speaker’s Series. (See page 9 for more on her convocation address.)

During her dinner with the student writers, Rebecca emphasized the importance of taking time to write every day, even if it is only “a few sentences or a poem you have rattling around in your ear.” She said this practice makes it easier for a writer to develop consistency in their style and allows them to stay in touch with their own voice.

Rebecca also advised students to read as much as they can to discover the kind of writing they enjoy reading, and then try experimenting with that style in their own written work. She and the students shared the names of some of their favorite authors with each other.

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Recent Books

by ALUMNI WRITERS These books have been published or have been brought to our attention in the last year. The editors ask alumni to send updates and corrections to magazine@loomis.org for inclusion in this annual list.

Nicholas Fox Weber ’65 iBauhaus: The iPhone as the Embodiment of Bauhaus Ideals and Design Anni & Josef Albers: Equal and Unequal Charles Manson ’70 The Second Karmapa Karma Pakshi Stephen Cushman ’73 The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today Larry Rothfield ’74 The Measure of Man: Liberty, Virtue, and Beauty in the Florentine Renaissance Anthony Florence ’76 Hell’s Heaven: A Metamorphosis in Costa Rica Frank Bruni ’82 The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found Dave London ’86 More Social Than Distant: A Pet Peeves (Quarantine) Collection Mark Oppenheimer ’92 Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood Peter J. Capuano ’93, editor (with Sue Zemka) Victorian Hands: The Manual Turn in NineteenthCentury Body Studies Dan Oppenheimer ’94 Far From Respectable: Dave Hickey and His Art Michael T. Jordan ’96 Mojo Momentum: Maintaining Motivation for Work, Life, and Your Future in a World of Obstacles Tory Henwood Hoen ’02 The Arc: A Novel

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Photo: Jessica Ravanelle

O bject Le sson

Inquiring Minds Want to Know:

Who Were Allyn, Ludlow & Wolcott?

And Did Pelicans Really Compete Against Greyhounds?

By Karen Parsons

Loomis Chaffee History Teacher & School Archivist

Over the last few years, the Archives has noticed an uptick in questions about the history of club sports. “Object Lesson” is here to answer these questions and more!

nicknames too: Green Machine, Big Blue, Crimson Wave.

When did club sports begin?

When not playing interscholastic sports, Loomis boys played on their club teams.

Sports included football, basketball, hockey, soccer, cross country, wrestling, baseball, and lacrosse with some added in or phased out over the years. Up until the early 1970s, tallies for the annual championship were kept through the year, and teams could earn “scholarship points” with academic achievement. The formal full-year program eventually drifted out of use and was replaced with club offerings in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse with teams created each season. Andy Herson ’96 noted, in a letter supporting these clubs, that they encouraged students to “socialize athletically.”

Clubs began at Loomis in 1929. A faculty committee recommended replacing the three dormitory teams to make for more even competition. The new plan assigned each student randomly to one of three teams, known as A, B, and C. Two years later, the school adopted Allyn, Ludlow, and Wolcott as team names. The 1931 yearbook noted, “The direct result of this [naming] was to make the clubs seem more real and a more integral part of the school.”

Who are Allyn, Ludlow, and Wolcott?

These names belong to families who settled in Windsor during the 17th century. It’s not clear why these were chosen or by whom, but they stuck with the teams for almost 50 years.

Each club had a patch bearing its name and color. Student creativity made for some clever

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How did students participate?

What about The Chaffee School?

The student-run Chaffee Athletic Association formed in the school’s first year, 1927, to encourage individual participation in “healthful sports,” such as hiking and daily exercise. In

1931, the Athletic Association divided the entire school into two teams: the Pelicans and the Greyhounds. Students enjoyed this athletic rivalry that encouraged sportsmanship, team cheers, and school pride, even as the school eventually introduced limited interscholastic sports.

When The Chaffee School opened, it adopted Loomis’ mascot, the Pelican. Shortly after, students conducting genealogical research discovered two Loomis family coats of arms.

One bore a pelican, the other a greyhound. The greyhound became Chaffee’s official mascot, and both were used for clubs.

Were club games just for fun?

Yes — and no! As evidenced by legendary 1960s and 1970s Wolcott coach Al Beebe’s extensive notes and diagrams, these were not informal pick-up leagues. Al kept a 13-page playbook for his Club A basketball team with a full-court defensive press, inbounds plays, and zone and man-to-man offenses and defenses.

His football plays — the Power V Formation and the Kansas City Spread Offense were just

O bject Le sson

two of about three dozen — were mounted on sheets of cardboard. It’s easy to imagine the Beebs with these in hand at the center of a time-out huddle.

What are some highlights?

During the spring of 1942, Loomis canceled its interscholastic athletics “for the duration” of World War II as part of the national conservation of gas and tires. In the absence of competitions against other schools, the Loomis boys rallied around their club teams. Headmaster Nathaniel Batchelder reflected a few months later, “[T]he plan turned out to be an astonishing success. There is a fever pitch of excitement over the campus much of the time … [with] the enthusiasm, the spontaneous cheering sections, and the hard-playing teams. … Many people are convinced that the elusive feeling of unity known as ‘school spirit’ has never been better.”

Top: The 1948 Chaffee Pelicans MIddle: Greyhound basketball team 1934–35 Bottom: Pelican basketball team 1934–35.

Opposite page: Patches for several of the Loomis club sports teams.

Photos: Loomis Chaffee Archives

In 1929, a second outdoor ice rink was constructed in the Meadows to accommodate the student body, which had grown in 15 years from around three dozen students to almost 200. The newly reorganized club program inherited the outdoor rink on the so-called Hockey Pond by the causeway, and the “First Squad” played on the new rink. This was a watershed moment in the school’s commitment to making space for everyone to play on a team, whether club or interscholastic.

Stan Shimkus directed club sports for decades before his retirement in the 1970s. Al Beebe remembered the program as Stan’s “monumental achievement” and “[stood] in awe of … the pride of belonging shown by [students]. It was the Stan Shimkus Show.” The North Gym, home to club basketball for many generations, was renamed Shimkus Gym in honor of Stan.

And while some alumni/ae surely have their own personal highlight reel from clubs, Richard J. Osborne ’69 captured the program’s enduring philosophy in his junior-year essay titled, “In Defense of the Non-Jocks.” Referring to then Athletic Director Ralph Erickson and Head of School Fred Torrey, Richard wrote: “The beauty of the system is the organization. You are a Wolcott man from the day Mr. Erickson tells all the new students not to steal towels or cheat on PE test, until Mr. Torrey hands you your parchment.”

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Photo: Jessica Photo: JessicaRavanelle Ravenelle

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STAY ENGAGED

The Common Good Society

Reunion Weekend 2022 June 10–12, 2022 Registration is open!

The countdown to Reunion is on, so make your plans today.

Classes ending in 2s and 7s: This is your year! We will celebrate classes ending in 2s and 7s, and welcome 0s and 5s, and 1s and 6s to join the fun on the Island.

To register and find out more about the weekend, visit www.loomischaffee.org/ reunion

Lars Johansson ’01 with his wife, Danielle, and their three children

“Contributing to the Annual Fund is a way to send a message of thanks each year back to the Island for the formative experience I had while I was there,” remarks Lars Johansson ’01. “And as a practical matter, I know the Annual Fund is an important part of the financial equation for Loomis Chaffee in that it provides critical funding for faculty, staff, programs, and financial aid, all of which are essential parts of the experience. I’ve always wanted to do my part to contribute.”

Lars has contributed a gift to the Annual Fund each year since graduation. As such, he, along with 1,487 fellow alumni, are members of the important Common Good Society, which recognizes donors of five or more consecutive years of giving.

The Common Good Society, named in recognition of the

school’s mission to inspire a commitment to the best self and the common good, honors donors who demonstrate loyal support — at any level — every year. The school is immensely grateful to Lars and others for their consistent and reliable generosity and would not be the exceptional educational institution that it is today without their support.

Beginning in the 2021–22 fiscal year, we are excited to welcome to the Common Good Society parents, parents of alumni, and friends of the school who qualify for membership based on their five years of consecutive giving.

For more information on the Common Good Society or to make your commitment today, please contact us at annualfund@loomis.org or 860.687.6274.

Questions? Contact Michelle Carr at michelle_carr@loomis.org or 860.687.6815.

Pelicans at the Ballpark Join Loomis Chaffee alumni at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford and at Boston’s Fenway Park to root for your favorite team.

Saturday, July 9, 2022 7:15 p.m.

Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Fenway Park Thursday, July 14, 2022 7:05 p.m.

Hartford Yard Goats vs. Harrisburg Senators To register and for more information, visit https://www.loomischaffee.org/alumni

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New Fund Supports Students of Color

Mark Terrero ’76

“I arrived on campus in the fall of 1973 an introverted, nerdy young man and was embraced into the Loomis Chaffee culture on so many levels and warmly welcomed and mentored by upperclassmen, teachers, coaches, and staff. We were, on our Island, a community united: equal, included, and diverse. Inclusive learning was and is at the heart of the LC experience. Teachers’ offices or homes were always open for students. Thoughtful questions from teachers like Joffray, Archibald, Knowles, and so many others created the foundation for our learning. In turn, these foundations provided us with a tremendous head start to our college and life experiences.

“Giving back to Loomis Chaffee is an honor. I’m joining a group that will support the next generation of students who will experience the pure joy of learning and sharing within the LC community and beyond.”

— Mark Terrero ’76

For more information about planned gifts and the John Metcalf Taylor Society, please contact Associate Director of Development Heidi E.V. McCann ’93, P ’23, ’25 at 860.687.6273 or heidi_mccann@loomis.org. www.loomischaffee.giftplans.org

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Thanks to a thoughtful and generous group of Loomis Chaffee graduates, a new fund has been established to help support students of color.

The Alumni Fund for Students of Color was created with the intention to enhance the scholastic and extracurricular experience of students and assist student-led organizations and affinity groups through the work of the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Available to either individuals or groups who apply, the intention of the fund is to be open to any and all students who identify as students of color.

If you are interested in making a contribution to this fund, please contact Chelsea Stuart, senior associate director of development, at 860.687.6816 or chelsea_stuart@loomis.org.

STAY IN TOUCH CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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Page name: Loomis Chaffee Alumni Tweet to and follow @LC_AlumniNet Go to LinkedIn and search for “Loomis Chaffee alumni.”

WAYS TO GIVE Gifts to the Annual Fund are more than just dollars and cents.

Your gift — at any level — signifies your belief in the transformative power of a Loomis Chaffee education.

There are many ways to support Loomis Chaffee.

ONLINE

WIRE TRANSFERS

The quickest way to support Loomis Chaffee is online at loomischaffee.org/ giving. Here you can make your gift by credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or ApplePay. You can also call 860.687.6276 to provide your credit card information over the phone.

Donors may support the school by making their gifts via domestic or international wire transfers. Electronically transferred funds should be payable in U.S. dollars. Please notify our office in advance of your intent to wire funds.

RECURRING GIFTS

If you are 70 ½ or older and own a traditional or Roth IRA, you can transfer up to $100,000 in a given tax year to a public charity of your choice, including Loomis Chaffee.

Recurring gifts are a great option for donors who want to maximize their contribution, with the convenience of automatic renewal. Donors can give to Loomis Chaffee in monthly or yearly installments at loomischaffee.org/ giving.

CHECK Donors can make checks payable to: “The Loomis Chaffee School.”

DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a type of giving vehicle that allows donors to easily support their favorite charities. Donors also may be eligible for certain tax benefits. An increasingly popular charitable option, DAFs are an excellent way to both simplify charitable giving and facilitate your strategic philanthropic goals.

JOIN LC Connect Loomis Chaffee’s alumni engagement platform LC Connect is an online community and resource for alumni that makes it easier than ever for Pelicans to stay connected to each other and with the school.

LC Connect is an opt-in networking platform, powered by Graduway, that enables alumni to: Find and re-engage with fellow alumni through the online directory and groups

IRA TRANSFERS

Expand professional connections through mentorship opportunities and a job board Stay up to date with Loomis Chaffee news and activities through an alumni events board and the school’s social media channels

STOCK TRANSFERS Gifts of securities can offer significant tax advantages and are easy to make.

Donors avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation and receive a deduction for the fair market value of the stock. Please refer to the “How to Contribute” tab on the Giving page of our website for transfer instructions.

Have on-the-go access through the LC Connect mobile app

Every gift matters, especially yours. Make your gift today. The 2021–22 Annual Fund ends on June 30.

Further details on how to support Loomis Chaffee can be found on our Ways to Give webpage at www. loomischaffee.org/giving-section/howto-contribute.

Register at www.loomischaffeealumni.org

Share Your News with Your Classmates Alumni news notes now appear exclusively on Loomis Chaffee alumni social media accounts, which can be viewed publicly. These include the Loomis Chaffee Class Notes Instagram account and the Loomis Chaffee Alumni Facebook page. Follow us and submit your news today!

@LCCLASSNOTES

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PHILANTHROPY DAY

SUCCESS FEBRUARY 24, 2022

The strength and spirit of the Loomis Chaffee community were on full display as we celebrated our 10th Philanthropy Day. This amazing effort secured a generous $125,000 challenge gift from Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan ’87 in support of our students, faculty, and staff.

1,276 DONORS

$525,730 RAISED

DONORS BY AFFILIATION

46%

ALUMNI

24%

PARENTS

9%

PARENTS OF ALUMNI

7%

FACULTY AND STAFF

15%

STUDENTS

7%

GRANDPARENTS AND FRIENDS

* MANY OF OUR DONORS ENJOY MORE THAN ONE AFFILIATION TO THE SCHOOL.

GIFTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Canada | China | France | Hong Kong | Mexico | Nigeria | Saudi Arabia | South Korea | Taiwan | Thailand | Ukraine | United Kingdom | Venezuela

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ALUMNI CLASSES WITH THE MOST DONORS BY DECADE

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

Loomis Class of 1952 (9) Loomis Class of 1969 (9) Chaffee Class of 1971 (16) Class of 1987 — 35th Reunion (29) Class of 1997— 25th Reunion (26) Class of 2004 (20) Class of 2011 (15) Class of 2022 (84)

We Appreciate You!

CURRENT STUDENT GIVING BY CLASS

Class of 2024 (99) Class of 2023 (81) Class of 2025 (76) Class of 2022 (51)

TOP DESIGNATIONS

Thank You!

Greatest Need Financial Aid Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

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Obit ua r ies

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1937 Henry Eaton, on June 27, 2014.

A three-year student from New Canaan, Conn., Henry finished his high school education and graduated from Middlesex School before attending Harvard University. Like many members of his generation, Henry served in the United States Army during World War II. Commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant, he rose to the rank of Captain during the war and was transferred to Southern France where he was decorated with a purple heart for wounds received in combat. He was honorably discharged in 1945. After leaving the army, Henry was an International Forest Products Executive and an entrepreneur, also serving as a consultant for companies worldwide. Outside of work, Henry was an author and inventor and enjoyed skiing, tennis, and world travel. According to his family obituary, he is remembered for making renowned contributions to the Boy Scouts of America, as well as forwarding numerous other economic development, social, historical, and human service initiatives. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, of over 50 years, Gladys Foote Eaton; two daughters, Penelope Eaton Onstott and Barbara Gay Eaton; two brothers, Frederick William Eaton and Peter Kissel Eaton; and his sister, Eleonora Eaton Brooks.

Henry was survived by his second wife, of nearly 25 years, Phyllis Eaton; his daughter Wendy King and her spouse; four grandchildren; four step-children and their spouses; seven step-grandchildren; 20 step-great-grandchildren; and one step-great-great-grandson. A private ceremony was held in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, near where he spent many delightful years with family and friends.

1941 David William Armstrong Jr., on April 6, 2021, in Helena, Mont. A one-year student from Worcester, Mass., Dave was involved in the Ski Club and the Ludlow Club and was a member of the Library

Committee. He was active in football and the rifle team. A World War II veteran, Dave entered the service in September 1942 where he began serving in the Army Air Corps. He was transferred into the Army Quartermasters Corps in January 1943 and was sent by boxcar with 40 dogs, several sleds, and harnesses to Camp Rimini War Dog Reception and Training Center in Rimini, Mont. At Camp Rimini, he led the training of over 850 sled dogs and 100 pack dogs as well as teaching his fellow soldiers how to be mushers and handlers. He was eventually transferred to the North Atlantic Wing AAF Search and Rescue Unit in Stevensville, Newfoundland, where he aided in the recovery and rescue of downed personnel and sensitive equipment from aircraft wreckage in Newfoundland, Greenland, and Baffin Island. In December 1945, he was discharged from service as a Technical Sergeant. After the war, he married Alice M. Larson and, using the G.I. Bill, he attended Colby College and received a masters from New York University soon thereafter. Dave was the executive director of the Boy’s Clubs of America at Augusta, Ga., Richmond, Va., and Ludlow, Mass. He retired as administrator of the Montana Veterans Affairs Division in December of 1982.

In retirement, he served as an American Legion Department Service Officer, was a co-founder of the Montana 500 Sled Dog Race and served as treasurer of the Montana Mountain Mushers.

He also served on the advisory council of the Michael Kellner Foundation for Animals. Preceded in death by his parents, wife, Alice, brothers Robert and Phillip, and great-grandchild Jasmine, Dave was survived by his sons, David, Erick, and Mark; his five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on April 26, 2021, at Spring Meadow Lake Pavillion in Helena, Mont.

1943 William Howard Godson III, on December 21, 2021, in Newton Center, Mass. A three-year student from Yorktown, Va., Bill was

involved in the Political Club, the Sophomore Reception Committee, and the Ping Pong Club. He was active in football, basketball, and track and served as a library supervisor during his time on the Island. Bill attended Princeton University before beginning his career as a foreign service officer.

Bill and his family lived in both Iran and Uganda before settling down in the Northern Virginia area for the rest of his federal employment. After retiring from the foreign service, Bill relocated back to New England, working in the physical plant department of Boston University; settling in Boston, Mass.; and marrying his second wife, Frederica Majno, who predeceased him. Upon his second wife’s death, Bill married Juliet Waters with whom he remained married until his death. A lifelong learner, Bill earned a master’s and doctorate in Latin American history from American University; a Master of Divinity from both Virginia Theological Seminary and Weston Jesuit School of Theology; and a master’s in urban studies from the University of Virginia.

Throughout his life, Bill was a resolute patriot; a great lover of nature, the arts, and travel; and a passionate and avid golfer. Bill was survived by his wife, Juliet; his children, Ellen Godson Wood, William Howard Godson IV, Anne Tyler Godson, and David Moore Godson; his three grandsons, David Henderson Wood, Tyler Jennings Edmondson, and Drew Farland Edmondson; and his seven great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held for Bill in the early summer in Virginia.

1945 Peter Terry Babalian, on August 12, 2017. A four-year student from Portland, Maine, Peter was active in the Ski Club, Le Cercle Francais, Band, Farm, Debating Club, Military Drill, Chess Club, Glee Club, and Choir. In addition, he was a member of the soccer, tennis, and wrestling teams and served as a volunteer medical aide and as a member of the Dining Committee. Peter was survived by his wife of 64 years, Phyllis Babalian; his

children, Michelle Babalian, Denise Babalian, and Mark Babalian and their spouses; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and many extended family members and friends. A celebration of life was held on August 19, 2017, at Platte Woods United Methodist Church in Platte Woods, Mo.

1947 Carolyn Covello Keating, on November 8, 2021, in Marstons Mills, Mass. A four-year student from Hartford, Conn., Carolyn was involved in school plays and was the editor of The Chiel. She received the Commencement Prize for her work on The Chiel. She remained connected to Loomis Chaffee as a member of the Common Good Society. Carolyn attended Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts. Carolyn was an avid poet who loved literature, nature, and ornithology.

She was an active member of the Federated Church in Hyannis, Mass., and she enjoyed gardening and traveling abroad. In addition, she was a great supporter of public television, radio, and numerous charities. Preceded in death by her husband, William Francis Keating, she was survived by her brother, the Honorable Alfred V. Covello ’50; his wife, Carol Santry; niece and nephew Timothy Covello ’80 and Nancy Covello Murray ’83 and their spouses; her children, William P. Munsell, Thomas N. Munsell, Catherine E. Richardson, Kenneth W. Munsell Sr., and Carolyn M. Murphy, and their spouses; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. A funeral service was held on November 18, 2021, at the Federated Church in Hyannis, Mass.

1950 Sarah Snelling Powers, on January 18, 2021, in Barrington, R.I. A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Sarah was the art editor of the yearbook and served on the Chaffers. It was at Chaffee where she met her future husband, William “Bill” Rowland Powers III ’49. After graduation, loomischaffee.org

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she attended the School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. Sarah and Bill moved to Barrington, R.I. in 1960, where they had six children and lived until the 1990’s. Sarah was an avid golfer, loved to play paddle tennis with Bill and their friends, and made a spaghetti dish that was famous in the neighborhood. When her youngest children were still in school, she founded a consignment store, the Stock Exchange, in Barrington, which became a fixture in the town for the next 20 years and served as a meeting place as much as a business. After selling the Stock Exchange, she and Bill retired to a home in New London, N.H., where they filled their days with golf, gardening, book clubs, classes at Dartmouth, and volunteering. Sarah developed a close-knit group of friends who helped her through the loss of Bill in an accident in 1998. Her move back to Barrington came in 2011 as she was beginning to deal with Alzheimer’s disease that ultimately stole her memory and her health.

Her last years were spent at Atria Bay Spring in Barrington, R.I. Preceded in death by her husband, Bill, and her sons Christopher Johnson Powers and William Fuller Powers, Sarah was survived by four of her children, Sarah Frese, Janet C. Powers, Donald W. Powers, and Rebecca Powers, and their spouses; 15 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

1951 Christopher Gates, on January 30, 2021, in Boston, Mass. A fouryear student and former faculty member from Suffield, Conn., Chris was involved in the Glee Club, Ski Club, Political Club, Chess Club, Nautical Club, and Bridge Club. Chris was active in football, basketball, and baseball and served as vice president of both the Student Council and the Student Endowment Fund Committee, president of the Publications Board, and business manager of Loomiscellany. He was

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also a member of the Handbook Board, the Junto Committee, and the Chapel Committee. In his later years, he was a member of the John Metcalf Taylor and Common Good societies. After graduating, Chris attended the Harrow School in Harrow, London, England, where he had the honor of meeting Winston Churchill and set the school record for throwing a cricket ball. He returned to the United States in 1952 to attend Yale University, graduating with a degree in history of the arts and letters. At Yale, he rowed lightweight crew and joined the Elihu senior society. After graduating, he returned to Loomis to teach English for a year before joining the U.S. Navy, where he attained the rank of lieutenant, j.g. and served as operations officer on the destroyer tender, U.S.S. Bryce Canyon. After the Navy, he worked at Yale as a freshman counselor and started a college-prep tutoring business while taking classes to qualify to apply to medical school.

In 1961, he enrolled in the Yale School of Medicine, where he met his wife, Helen Hardcastle. Chris completed his internship at University Hospitals in Cleveland and returned to New England for his residency in psychiatry at Boston’s Massachusetts Mental Health Center, where he was appointed chief resident. He began his true life’s work in private practice as a psychiatrist in 1971, treating patients in his home office for more than 45 years. He retired at the age of 85 in 2018. Chris was an active member in his church, Trinity Church in Boston, and performed psychiatric evaluations of candidates for ministry for Episcopal dioceses in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He loved to putter in his workshop in his house or his boathouse in Maine, always devising improvements to make life easier. Preceded in death by his wife, Helen, and his brothers Gregory Gates and Percival Gates, Chris was survived by his children, Sarah Gates, John Gates, and Holly Russell, and their spouses; eight grandchildren;

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three nieces; and one nephew. A small funeral for the immediate family was held in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He was buried in a plot in Vinalhaven, Maine, overlooking the Fox Island Thoroughfare. A memorial service was planned at Trinity Church in Boston.

Robert J. Hollister, on November 29, 2019. A three-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Bob was involved in the Political Club, the Student Foreign Policy Association, the Chess Club, and the Jazz Club. He was active in soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis; was a member of the chess team; and served on the Senior Dining Hall Committee and as a proofreader for The Log. Bob attended Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and served as a flight navigator for the U.S. Air Force before beginning his career with Connecticut General Life Insurance. Bob and his wife of 60 years, Gillian “Jill” Brady Hollister, moved to the Midwest, settling in Brookfield, Wis., where his career evolved to the field of financial planning. He finished his career as a financial advisor at the accounting firm Kolb Lauwasser. In his retirement, Bob enjoyed volunteering, writing his autobiography, learning to paint, and traveling with Jill. He was an avid reader, loved music and conversation, and had a deep and abiding faith and a lifelong curiosity about the cosmos, philosophy, religion, and all things eternal. He was survived by his wife, Jill; brother, Sidney Hollister ’54; his children, Mark, Beth, Stephen, and Megan and their respective partners; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Ruth Finch Strachan, on July 27, 2020, at her home in Ipswich, Mass. A four-year student from Bloomfield, Conn., Ruth was involved in the Chaffers and the French Club. She also served as the editor-in-chief of the Chiel.

Ruth attended Smith College,

earning her undergraduate degree in English, before getting a job as a photographer at the Polaroid Corporation, where she met her husband, Kenneth Strachan.

Settling in Marblehead, Mass., Ruth began a life rich with volunteer work and a variety of jobs, including serving as a member, and, eventually, as chairperson, of the Marblehead Old and Historic Districts Commission. In addition, Ruth worked as a librarian at the Rhodes School in Marblehead, leading elementary students in a variety of different projects throughout her time there. Ruth continued her education, earning a master’s degree in social work from Lesley University and working for the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, where she helped troubled families and children for 15 years. In her retirement, Ruth served on many town committees and commissions, and, according to her obituary, never stopped working to make the world a better place. Preceded in death by her husband, Ruth was survived by her children, Andrew F. Strachan and M. Elizabeth L. Murray, and their spouses; her grandchildren, Camden A. Murray and Tess L. Murray; and many friends and family.

Samuel Sutcliffe, on December 18, 2018, at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H. A fouryear student from Newington, Conn., Sam was active in football, baseball, and basketball during his time on the Island. Sam attended the New Mexico School of Mines for a year before earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and mathematics at the University of Connecticut. He continued his education at the University of Illinois, earning both a master’s and doctoral degree in civil engineering before moving to Massachusetts and beginning a 31-year career as a professor of civil engineering at Tufts University. Sam retired in 1995 and was noted for his many contributions to the department including fa-

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cilitating the establishment of the doctoral program and teaching at least 15 different subjects ranging from surveying and materials to applied elasticity, structural stability, and analysis and designs of plates. A lifelong learner, Sam was interested in everything from geology, to antiques, carpentry, history, amateur theater, gardening, and politics. His love of antiques, cabinetmaking, and woodworking led him to build exquisite furniture and to the restoration of three 18th and 19th century homes.

In addition to his vast array of interests, in retirement, Sam also served as a member of planning boards, zoning boards, boards of selectmen, and budget committees in the towns in which he lived.

According to his obituary, he was considered by many of his friends to be a true renaissance man. Sam was survived by his wife, Peggy; their children, Ann M. White and Samuel E. L. Sutcliffe, and their spouses; his sister, Ruth Freeburg; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held for Sam at the First Congregational Church of Alstead Center, N.H., on May, 18, 2018.

1952 Leon Hirsch Rittenberg Jr., on January 10, in New Orleans, La. A two-year student from New Orleans, La., Leon received the Martin Harold Johnson Memorial Prize at Commencement and, later in life, was a member of the Common Good Society. After graduating, Leon attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania before returning to New Orleans to attend Tulane Law School, graduating in 1959.

At Tulane, Leon was on the Board of Editors of The Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. Leon practiced law in New Orleans for the next 59 years. He considered the practice of law a hobby, and not a job. Throughout his career, Leon supported hundreds of local businesses and individuals through a number of

mundane and momentous challenges. He loved to go fishing and was a philanthropist and community leader, supporting numerous organizations and serving on many volunteer and nonprofit boards.

Leon was survived by his wife, Cynthia Neuwirth Rittenberg; his children, Leon Hirsch Rittenberg III, Andrew P. Rittenberg, and Babette Rittenberg and their spouses; five grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Graveside funeral services took place for family and friends on January 12, 2022, at Hebrew Rest Cemetery in New Orleans.

1953 Harold William Bermender Jr., on April 30, 2020, at his home in Hamden, Conn. A one-year student from Hamden, Conn., Bill was a member of the School Development Committee and involved in the Radio Club. Bill attended the Rhode Island School of Design and was an industrial designer before his retirement.

He was survived by his children, Harold W. Bermender III and his wife, Priscilla, Lee S. Bermender, and Jillian Waugh; and his four grandchildren. A private funeral ceremony was held at the Sisk Brothers Funeral Home in Hamden, Conn.

Don Schofield Taylor on January 15, in Dawsonville, Ga. A oneyear student from East Hartford, Conn., Don was involved in the Glee Club and was a cast member of the play, “A Slight Case of Murder.” He was active in football, basketball, and baseball, and, in his later years, a member of the Common Good Society. Don attended Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., on a football scholarship and played fullback on the team for four years, helping the team to two undefeated seasons. He earning an undergraduate degree in business. After college, Don began his career as an industrial engineer at United Parcel Service, where he

worked for 32 years, helping them open various field operation hubs until his retirement in 1991. Don loved golf and boating, was an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves and Falcons, and was an excellent and sought-after handyman. Preceded in death by his oldest sister, Elinor Maynes, and older brother, Merrill Taylor, Don was survived by his wife of 61 years, Priscilla Holton Taylor; his sister, Lucille Taylor Blasko; his sons, Braden Taylor, Keith Taylor, and Curtis Taylor, and their respective partners; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A celebration of life was held on January 29 at Grace Presbyterian Church in Dawsonville, Ga.

1954 George Milburn Auchincloss, on November 30, 2020. A one-year student from Darien, Conn., George was a member of the Mayer House Committee and the Student Council and served as a Medical Aide. He was active in football, hockey, and track.

He attended and received his undergraduate degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

George lived and worked in Loudonville, N.Y. from 1968 to 1981 where he was a long time and valuable member of the Schulyer Meadows Club. In 1981, he met his wife, Judy, whom he married in 1983 settling in Washington, Conn. George loved the area, hiking in Steep Rock and paddling his canoe on Lake Waramaug.

He also enjoyed being a member of the Washington Club’s golf section. According to his family obituary, he loved tap dancing and was legendary amongst his close friends and family for dancing his shuffle tap step. He had careers in finance and insurance before he became co-owner of Auchincloss and Silk real estate and was broker of record from 1991 to 2002.

After retiring, he fully enjoyed his life as a beloved member of the community, joining the Lion’s Club in Washington and serving

as the head of the Washington Ambulance Association. Preceded in death by his daughter Sarah Auchincloss; his sisters, Patty and Ellie Auchincloss; and his brother, Edgar Auchincloss., George was survived by his children, Jane Auchincloss, Lee Auchincloss, Bobbe Navia, and Larry Millburn ’90, and their spouses; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Paul Gesswein Jr., on June 16, 2021, in Potomac Falls, Va. A twoyear student, Paul was involved in the Darwin Club, the High-Fidelity Club, and the Glee Club. He was active in football, winter track, and track and served as a member of the Election Committee. After graduation, David enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and went on to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, before beginning his career in the U.S. Navy. Paul served two tours in Vietnam, and on several Navy staffs with multiple deployments in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. He also had tours in Germany and Hawaii. Retiring in 1980 as a Lieutenant Commander, Paul spent time working for the German Navy and at the headquarters of the U.S. European command where he earned his master’s degree in systems technology. After returning to the United States, Paul worked for General Electric Spacenet teaching satellite communication. Paul retired in 1990 and later met his wife, Nancy. Paul was survived by his wife; his sister, Arline Terrell; his brother, Richard Gesswein; seven children; 15 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A service was to be scheduled for a later date at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. James S. Martin II, on July 12, 2021, at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn. A fouryear student from West Hartford, Conn., Jim was involved in the Sophomore Reception Committee, the Political Club, the Executive loomischaffee.org

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Committee of the Student Council, the Scholarship Committee, the Day Boy Committee, and the French Club. He was active in soccer, baseball, football, basketball, tennis, and the rifle team and served as the freshman representative to the Student Council and a medical aide. Jim was on the Honor Roll all four years and was a Cum Laude graduate. Jim remained connected to Loomis Chaffee as a member of the John Metcalf Taylor Society.

After graduation, Jim earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and a master’s in business administration from Columbia University. His professional life began at Chase Bank where he was an investment portfolio strategist. After leaving Chase in 1974, he spent the rest of his career at TIAA-CREF, retiring as executive vice-president and chair of the CREF Finance Committee in 1995. In retirement, Jim enjoyed travelling around the world with his wife, Ann. He was a crossword enthusiast, faithfully completing New York Times crossword puzzles in ink every day and a voracious reader, and he was fascinated by art, including sculpture. Jim was, most importantly, a family man, and loved spending time with his children and, later, his grandchildren. He and Ann married in 1961 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on February 11, 2021. Jim was survived by his wife; two sons, Jim and Larry; four grandchildren; his sister, Elizabeth Martin Anderson ’58; and his brother, S. Timothy Martin ’55.

1956 John William Foster, on February 1, at his home in Perrysburg, Ohio, surrounded by his wife and children. A four-year student from Perrysburg, Jack was involved in Barbells, the Ski Club, and the Stagehands Union. He was active in football, tennis, wrestling, track, softball, basketball, and the rifle team. Jack also served on the Study Hall Committee and

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Reception Committee during his time on the Island. Jack completed a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration at Yale University and returned to Perrysburg after graduation, becoming a partner at Forst Brothers, Weber & Company for 18 years. He was heavily involved in the firm’s transition to the digital world, helping to switch the firm to computerized accounting and inventory, which opened up the world of computer programming to him. After becoming proficient in IBM programming, Jack, along with his friend and associate, Tom Verner, founded their own computer consulting company, Foster and Verner, Inc. Jack loved his family, golf, tennis, and snorkeling. He also loved the natural world and shared his love of butterflies, flowers, and the woods.

In addition, Jack was a skilled poker and bridge player, enjoying card games with his friends and family, and loved to arrange summer vacations on Lake Michigan or at Eaton’s Ranch in Wolf, Wyoming.

Preceded in death by his older brother, Albert “Fritz” Fisher ’55, Jack was survived by his wife, Joan Helen (McAuley) Foster; and his brother Stephen V. Foster ’57; his children, Elizabeth Matsuda, John Foster Jr., and Lynn Reilly, and their spouses; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of life is planned for later in the year.

John Burke Sabel II, on January 30, in Ashland, Mass. A three-year student from Fairmont, W.Va., John was involved in Barbells, the Political Club, the Debating Club, and the Radio Club. He was active in soccer, tennis, football, and track and served as a member of the school band and the Elections Committee. After graduation, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a degree in aerospace engineering.

Before beginning his career in the airline and aerospace industry, he served in the Army Ordnance Corps in Ft. Lee, Va. A lifelong learner, John earned degrees from

Loomis Chaffee Magazine Spring 2022

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Harvard University School of Business, and the University of Southern California. After his retirement, he lived in Redondo Beach, Calif., where he served as president of the 40 Plus Chapter of Los Angeles, a nonprofit group that helped laid-off managers and executives find new jobs. In retirement, he loved tinkering and technology, photography, classical painting, and classical music. In addition, he loved the outdoors and being out in the sun and fresh air. John was survived by his sister, Lee Snyder; his two children, Elizabeth Murchie and David Sabel, and their respective partners; and five grandchildren. A private family memorial service is being planned for later in the year.

1957 Richard M. Donnelly, on April 28, 2021. A four-year student from Madison, Conn., Rich was involved in the Darwin Club, Loomistakes, the Glee Club, the Pelicans, the Dance Committee, the Sophomore Reception Committee, Junto, and Orchestra, and he was a cartoonist for The Log. He was active in football, wrestling, baseball, and track and served as president of the senior class. After graduation, Rich attended Yale and Yale Architecture School.

Rich lived and worked in most of the New England states before moving to southwest Florida where he opened a small design company. He devoted much of his free time to getting a Welcome and Discovery Center developed and built for Lovers Key State Park in southwest Florida. He also served as a member of the city of Bonita Springs Land Use and Planning Board as well as the architectural review committee for Quail West Development. In addition, he was past president of the nonprofit organization, Friends of Lovers Key, which directly supports the mission of Lovers Key State Park, near Fort Myers, Fla. Rich was survived by his wife,

Barbara; his two daughters, Kim and Kara; and two grandchildren.

Elizabeth “Betty” Pease Hopkins, on September 23, 2021.

A four-year student from Windsor, Conn., Betty was involved in the President Political Club and was a member of The Chiel reportorial staff. It was at Chaffee that she met a young man, Phil Hopkins Jr. ’56, who would become her soulmate of 62 years. Putting aside her own schooling as she raised her family, she returned to school in her 40s and graduated from the University of Connecticut.

Throughout her working life, Betty explored many different roles and opportunities including working as a travel agent, a teacher’s assistant, and a real estate office manager. Her most important job, however, was her full-time job of raising her three children.

According to her obituary, she was known for lending an ear, sharing advice, and listening intently to her children. She wrote about her experiences as a parent in the Granby Drummer newspaper for 11 years in a column titled “Hop’s House.” Later in life, it was her love of learning that propelled her into a leadership role with the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement, now the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), at Duke University. In 2009, the university awarded both Betty and Phil the Bill Wright Award for Distinguished Leadership at OLLI. Preceded in death by her daughter, Carol Hopkins Brusa, Betty was survived by her husband, Phil; her children Philip B. Hopkins III and Pamela P. Hopkins and their spouses; five grandchildren; one greatgrandchild; and two brothers, James Pease and Francis Pease.

1963 Joseph Peter Doherty, on January 20, in Virginia Beach, Va. A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Pete was

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involved in the Sailing Club and served as the sports editor for The Log and as a member of the Dining Hall Committee. He was active in football, hockey, and baseball. Pete attended Yale University and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School, before beginning his career as an attorney. Pete served as an assistant attorney general for the state of Rhode Island, argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, and served as counsel for Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Pete was a sailing champion and a member of the U.S. Sailing Team for whom he competed internationally in the Finn class sailboat.

He also participated in offshore big boat racing in the Marblehead to Halifax race and the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit (SORC).

He was a veteran, having served in the United States Coast Guard.

In his retirement, he farmed in Sharon Springs, N.Y., where he raised sheep, milked dairy cows, and bred Border Collies. He was also an avid birder, working in field projects throughout the Americas and wrote legal documents for numerous conservation groups including the Center for Biological Diversity and the North Carolina Audubon Society. Pete was survived by his wife, Sheila Scolville; siblings Gilbert Doherty ’67, David Doherty ’69, and Anne Dickson and their spouses; five nephews; and a niece. A family service will be held on Cape Cod in the summer of 2022.

Robert A. Moreen, on October 30, 2021. A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Bob was involved in the Senior Scholarship Committee, the Pelicans, and the Sailing Club. He was active in football and the rifle team and served as Glee Club president, a co-chair of the Elections Committee, chairman of the Handbook Committee, and a reporter for The Log, and he received an English-Speaking Exchange Union Scholarship. Bob graduated Cum Laude and received the

Jennie Loomis Memorial Prize for highest scholarship in the senior class, the Card Memorial Prize for Excellence in Music, and the Eric W. Barnes Prize in Humanities during Commencement ceremonies. He attended Princeton University, majoring in music and returning as a graduate student and assistant professor. While at Princeton, Bob founded Musica Alta, a group of Renaissance singers, and made a significant contribution to the study of Verdi’s operas. Changing fields, Bob became a consulting actuary and lived in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. He joined the consulting firm Mercer in 1989, where he worked until he retired in 2012. In retirement, Bob enjoyed travelling throughout the world with his wife, playing with his grandchildren, hiking with friends, attending concerts, and reading voraciously in many fields.

Bob was survived by his wife, Vera; his sons, Gabriel and Raphael, and their families; his sisters, Joanne R. Moreen ’70 and Martha S. Moreen ’65; and his brother, William S. Moreen ’72.

1965 Roberta Joy Russell, on January 26, 2021, in Springfield, Mass.

A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Roberta was involved in the Chaffers and the Tutoring Committee. She also served as the president of the French Club. Roberta was a licensed social worker with an active psychotherapy practice. She earned a master’s degree in social work from Smith College and held a doctorate in English literature from the University of Connecticut, and undergraduate degrees from Barnard College and Hebrew University. She was also one of the first four women to graduate from Trinity College. Over the course of her life, Roberta worked for a variety of social service agencies in Western Massachusetts, including the Berkshire Rape Crisis Center, the Massachusetts Society for the loomischaffee.org

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the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the Barrington Stage Company Playwright Mentoring Project for at-risk teens. A passionate leader in social justice, civil rights, and peace movements, she was also a prolific writer and avid reader, translating into English the memoir of a relative who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau during World War II. Roberta was survived by her brothers, Joel Russel and David Russel, and their spouses; her son, Gabriel Russell, and his partner, Bethany Murphy; and four nephews.

1967 Frederick J. Geisel, on January 9, in Gloucester, Mass. A day-student from Windsor, Conn., Fred was involved in the Photography Club and served as a member of the Admissions Committee and the Senior Scholarship Committee. He was active in basketball and football. Fred earned an undergraduate degree from Tufts University, a master’s in environmental and civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s of business administration from Northeastern University. His engineering career began at Green International in the Boston area, and he eventually started his own company, GCG Associates, in Lynnfield, Mass. He also founded a consulting firm, Geisel Engineering in Gloucester, Mass. Fred was a member of the Gloucester Conservation Commission for many years and, more recently, the Stage Fort Park Committee in Gloucester. He was a passionate Boston sports fan, holding season tickets for the Celtics and Red Sox and loved outdoor activities. He was a great storyteller, bringing smiles and laughter to all who knew him. Fred was survived by his wife, R. Faye Geisel; his children, Molly Geisel Vigil ’03 and Kevin Geisel, and their spouses; two grandchildren; his sister Jeanee Geisel Meade and her hus-

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band; and several nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

A celebration of his life is being planned for early summer 2022.

1968 Alfred S. Chrzan, on August 20, 2021, after a battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Alfred was a student from Hartford, Conn. He was active in wrestling, lacrosse, and football during his time on the Island. He ultimately graduated from Hartford High School, with honors, in 1969. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, where he was a founding member of the Outing Club. After college, he moved to Washington state to continue his education and attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., studying computer science. He worked for the next decade for the U.S. Forest Services as a firefighter with the Baker River Interagency Hotshot Crew and spent years battling forest fires around the country. Alfred was self-employed for many years as a paralegal, later living in Vero Beach, Fla., where he worked as a nutritional salesperson, and Eureka, S.D., working in nursing homes and collecting information for the U.S. Census before returning to Florida. Alfred was survived by his siblings, Jahala L. Chrzan, Paul Chrzan, and Donald Chrzan; his nieces; and countless extended family members and friends.

1973 Charles A. Ewing, on July 23, 2021, in Westbrook, Maine. A four-year student from Portland, Maine, Charles was involved in Outward Bound, The Log, the Chess Club, the Computer Club, and the Amateur Radio Club. He was active in cross country and served as a science lab assistant and the head assistant in the stock room. Later in life, Charles was a

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member of the Common Good Society. He earned his undergraduate degree in physics from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and a master’s degree in scientific instrumentation from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Early in his career, Charles worked for NCR in Quito, Ecuador, where he married Maria Fernanda Buendia. They moved to Maine and had two daughters. Following a divorce, Charles’ daughters were raised in Quito by their mother and her family, but always maintained a close and loving relationship. Charles found a place with Artel, Inc., working on the mechanical, optical, and electronic design of instruments and finding his passion with firmware for 33 years. In 2009, Charles married Karen A. Norton, sharing a love of classical music, hiking, canoeing, and a concern for the environment. Charles also had a passion for bicycling, commuting to work no matter the weather. Charles was survived by his wife, Karen; his daughters, Abigail E. Ewing and Caroline Ewing; his seven siblings, Joseph Ewing, Martha Nix, Abigail Zelz, Robert Ewing, Nancy Ewing, Suzanne Nacar, and Sarah Ewing, and their spouses; and his nieces and nephews. A memorial service was planned for October 2, 2021, in Westbrook, Maine.

1977 W. Renita “Renata” Dixon, on January 6, 2022, in Windsor, Conn. A four-year student from Hartford, Conn., Renata was the president of the freshman and sophomore classes and served on the Social Committee and as an executive board member of the Black Student’s Association. She was active in basketball and track.

After graduation, Renata attended Georgetown University, where she became involved in student leadership. She was the comptroller for student activities and vice president of the student government in

her senior year. Graduating with a degree in business administration and accounting, Renata became an accountant, eventually working for CIGNA, The Hartford, and the Parisky Group. Following her passion for nonprofit clientele, she founded Dixon & Company in 1997. In addition, she served on several boards including the Connecticut Health Foundation, Capital Workforce Partners, and the Windsor Historical Society.

Renata brought her passion for the nonprofit sector to her job as director of finance for the HillStead Museum in Farmington, where she enjoyed working every day. Renata was survived by her parents, Willie H. and Mary K. Dixon of Windsor; her sisters, Sharon Dixon-Peay and Michelle Dixon ’84, and their spouses; her nieces and nephews; her grandniece and grand nephews; and her cousins.

1981 Willem W. V. Jewett, on January 12, at his home in Ripton, Vt. A four-year student from Westport, Conn., Willem was involved in the Sailing Club, the Frisbee Club, Orchestra, and Ensemble. He served as co-editor-in-chief of the yearbook and as a dorm prefect.

He was active in soccer and skiing.

After graduation, Willem earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and later earned his law degree from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. He married his first wife, Jean Cherouny, in 1992, and they built their home in Ripton, Vt., where they raised their two daughters.

Willem worked from 1994 until 2017 as an attorney at Conley & Foote in Middlebury, Vt. He began a career in public service when he joined the Ripton School Board in 1998 and made a successful run for the Vermont House of Representatives in 2002 where he served from 2003 to 2017, including two years as the house

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majority leader from 2013 to 2014. Willem was an effective and respected leader for 14 years. He passionately advocated to reduce the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes, helped to create a redistricting plan in 2012, and was extremely proud of his work to help pass Act 39, the Death with Dignity Law. Willem was also a fierce cycling competitor, competing in races in Vermont and around the country.

Willem’s last four years were spent with Ellen Blackmer Mckay, who shared his love of outdoor adventure. They were married in June of 2021. Willem was survived by his wife, Ellen; his daughters, Abigail and Anneke; and his brother, Joe Jewett. A memorial gathering was planned for a later date.

1988 Vanessa Sardis, on November 23, 2018, in New Port Richey, Fla. A three-year student from Middlebury, Conn., Vanessa was involved in the community service program and was active in tennis, soccer, and softball. After graduation, she attended the University of Massachusetts. Vanessa had a passion for all things fun, travel, the beach,

shopping for treasures and antiques, and spending time with her family and beloved dogs. She was always ready to lend a hand, give a thoughtful gift, or plan a birthday celebration. Vanessa was survived by her parents; her beloved dogs; numerous aunts and uncles; and many cousins. A celebration of life was held in Cape Cod, Mass.

Former Staff Stephen Paul O’Palick, on January 15, at Trustbridge Hospice in Delray Beach, Fla. Stephen grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where he attended public schools and met the love of his life, Margaret “Peggy” Gesacion, in high school.

They married on September 9, 1967. Playing multiple instruments, including trumpet, piano, and double bass, Stephen had a lifelong love of music. He attended the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, then moved to Long Island, N.Y., where he began his first career as a music teacher. Stephen and Peggy moved to Massachusetss and later Connecticut, when Steve began his tenure at Loomis Chaffee. He was a teacher in the Music Department on the Island

from 1972 to 1979. A colleague wrote a letter describing Stephen’s time in the Music Department saying, “Steve...created a solid and sophisticated program of wind instruction, concert band, stage band, and ensemble playing. He attracted increasing numbers of students to music, supervised the difficult task of creating a library of instruments and music, worked within and without the school schedule in an effort to guarantee adequate rehearsal time, caroled, encouraged, and...assured both his students and audiences that standards of excellence would be set and met by all those working in his program.” Later, Stephen changed careers, working as a computer programmer for area companies including Traveler’s Insurance, Pratt & Whitney, and IBM. He also worked as a longterm substitute teacher in public elementary schools including East Windsor and Bloomfield. Above all else, Stephen cherished being a parent and believed it to be his most important job. Eventually settling in Enfield, Conn., Stephen took up sailing and loved his time spent on the waters of Lake Congamond, Crystal Lake, and Fisher’s Island Sound. Widowed in

2014, Stephen remained at his Enfield home until a stroke required him to have specialized nursing care. He then moved to Delray Beach. Preceded in death by his wife, Peggy, Stephen was survived by his sister, Janet LeClair; his brother-in-law, Jim Gesacion; his sister-in-law, Liz Cartwright; his children, Stacy, Joel, Keith, and Damon; and his grandchildren.

The family asks that, in memory of Stephen, please do two things: First, thank a healthcare worker and, second, select a piece of music you love and find a quiet moment in which to play it and reflect in gratitude on the profound beauty of this world.

More News The Alumni Office has learned of the passing of William T. Orth ’50 on July 2, 2021; Douglas Keith Hayward ’50 on January 30, 2022; David M. Lockhart ’51 on December 6, 2014; Lewis H. Knickerbocker Jr. ’54 on October 22, 2018; Theodore W. Volckhausen ’58 on August 1, 2021; Kathleen Mooney Cezus ’61 in November 2021; John M. Trowbridge ’68 on November 26,2020; and Joseph M. Calise ’87 on June 8, 2020.

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Then & Now Ice skating in the Meadows has a long, sporadic tradition on the Island, recalled most recently this winter when the school’s Physical Plant crew constructed a temporary open-air rink at the north end of the Meadows for students to enjoy on weekends. In the school’s early days, the varsity hockey team played on a rink constructed on the Cow Pond, which froze more reliably decades ago than it does today. When an especially cold snap freezes the Cow Pond these days, JV teams have been known to escape the indoor Savage/ Johnson Rink for a fun practice on the outdoor ice.

THEN: Hockey on the Cow Pond, 1929. Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

NOW: Freshman Justin Grilli tries out his skates on the outdoor rink this winter with help from his friends, freshmen Phoenix Ahipeaud and Eli Krasnoff. Photo: Makhala Huggins

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The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor, Connecticut 06095 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Dean of Students Michael Donegan interviews sophomore Owen Caligiuri for a “Dean on the Street” reel on the Loomis Chaffee Admissions Instagram account.

Photo: Makhala Huggins

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Loomis Chaffee Magazine Spring 2022

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