Faculty & Staff News

THAT’S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

BLACK BOX DEBUT

To Be Free, a one-man-show, written, directed, and acted by junior Nathan Ko, premiered to a packed house of Loomis Chaffee faculty and students in May in the new Black Box Theater in the John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Center for Theater and Dance. “Dealing with the themes of climate change, politics, and the desire to be free, To Be Free tells the story of the inner conflicts of a U.S. senator and his son and their struggles with the idea of freedom,” according to Nathan’s summary of the show. A standing-room-only crowd of more than 85 students and faculty attended the performance.

MILLIPEDE MYSTERY

Junior Sofia Mansilla created a French comic book that school children in Senegal are now reading. Titled Félix Holmes et Le Mystère du Mille-Pattes (Felix Holmes and the Mystery of the Millipede), Sofia wrote and illustrated the book in 2021 and attracted the interest of ADIFLOR, an organization that promotes reading and makes books more accessible in Francophone countries in Africa and Eastern Europe. Sofia worked with ADIFLOR to adapt the book to the e-reader device that the organization uses to provide books to school children. TAKE ACTION CELEBRATION

Thirteen members of the Class of 2022 earned Global & Environmental Studies Certificates, a special designation on their diplomas that recognizes their multi-year commitment to broadening their global and environmental awareness and striving to address issues related to these topics. Each recipient also completed a capstone project this year and assembled an online portfolio of their work. During a “Take Action Celebration,” the participants planted fringed sedge grass, a native wetland plant, on the banks of the Cow Pond in the Meadows. The plants will help to remove toxins, such as heavy metal, from the water.

SENIOR PROJECTS

Ten seniors engaged in intensive independent projects during the last two weeks of classes this spring. Andrew Park created a machine that can intake waste created from 3D printing, melt it, and recycle it into filament that can be used again for 3D printing. Hazel Le and Aidan Cooper created a handbook and lesson plans for teachers to integrate gender, sexuality, and consent dialogue into their class materials. Emma Dear made designs for small businesses in the local area that need strategic branding and logos. Isabella Jiang researched terminal diseases and mental illnesses and composed music expressing the emotions of patients going through these struggles. Justin Wu and John Sihn developed a course on modern Asian history. Lillie Szemraj photographed nebulae, galaxies, and the sun then shared her findings with an Astronomy class. Jasper Gitlitz and Kate Shymkiv wrote, produced, and performed a play in the Black Box Theater of the new John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Center for Theater and Dance. The Senior Projects program each year engages a selected group of seniors in self-designed, independent learning exercises for their last two weeks on the Island, with a goal of inspiring their creativity, innovation, passion, and self-discovery.

Faculty & Staff News

DANCE REVUE

Student dancers and choreographers showcased their year’s work in the Spring Dance Revue in May. Solos, duets, trios, and larger groups performed 26 pieces in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, hip hop, jazz, tap, and flamenco. Students choreographed 14 of the pieces, and nine others were created collaboratively in dance courses and groups under dance teacher Kate Loughlin’s direction. The LC Step Team performed several pieces choreographed by faculty member Petagay Rowe ’95, who advises the group. Student musicians and dancers also performed collaborations of live orchestral music and dance. Held in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater in the John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Center for Theater and Dance, this year’s Spring Dance Revue was the first indoor dance performance since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

BENEFIT CONCERT

The Student Council hosted its annual Benefit Concert in March, raising money to support Come Back Alive, an organization whose mission is to supply technology, training, and needed supplies to help save lives of Ukrainians. More than two dozen students performed in the concert.

Reem Aweida-Parsons, a teacher in the History, Philosophy & Religious Studies Department, was chosen by the Student Council as the 2022 Teacher of the Year. The Student Council chooses a recipient each year based on nominating essays from students. Announcing the honor at the all-school Awards Assembly in May, Student Council President Evan Caulfield shared several student comments from the nominations of Reem. One student wrote that Reem is an “energetic and engaging teacher who cares about you as both a student and a human being.” Another student wrote that Reem has changed how they view education “both inside and outside the classroom. She always makes me smile and knows how to make learning fun regardless of whether you are having a good day or a bad one.”

Ten faculty and staff members marked 20 years on the Island this spring. They are housekeeper Edgar Almodóvar, English Department

Head Stephen Colgate, Thomas Denno of the Physical Plant, science teacher and Associate Director of the Alvord Center Jeffrey Dyreson, Director of Digital Communications Mary Coleman Forrester, Database Manager Patricia Loomis of the Alumni/Development Office, Information Technology Technician Gary Masamery, math teacher Stu Remensnyder, science teacher Ewen Ross, and Senior Associate Director of Admission Elizabeth Stewart.

Several faculty prizes and honors were announced at the annual Community Honors celebration in June: • History teacher Rick Taylor received the Austin Wicke Prize. Established in memory of Austin by his parents, the prize is awarded each year to a faculty member of less than 10 years of service who has demonstrated dedication to the discipline of teaching and commitment to fostering the growth and development of young people. • History teacher and school archivist Karen Parsons was presented with the Distinguished Teaching Award in honor of Dom Failla. Named for Dom, a former longtime philosophy teacher, the award recognizes an outstanding teacher with more than 10 years of service to the school. • Physics teacher, water polo coach, and former dorm head Edward Pond received the Lena M. Chen M.D. ’87 Faculty Prize for Mentoring. Created in 2020 by her family in loving memory of Lena, the annual award honors a faculty member who excels as a mentor to students.

• Science teacher and Associate Director of Innovation Jennine Solomon was awarded a Palmer Fellowship, a multiyear grant for curricular and professional development. The

Keller and MacLean families established the Palmer Fellowships in honor of former faculty members Ann and Keith

Palmer to recognize superb teaching at Loomis Chaffee, with the specific goal of fostering innovative pedagogy. • Mathematics Department Head Lauren Riva was named to the Clark Foundation Instructorship in Mathematics. • The Cutler Faculty Chair went to mathematics and science teacher, Palmer Hall dorm head, and boys varsity swimming and diving coach Elizabeth Bucceri ’07. • Service to the School Awards were presented to eight employees: Campus Safety Officer Michael Begley, housekeeper Jeff Eades, groundskeeper Eric Gustafson, James

Jubrey of the Physical Plant, Associate Director of Athletics and head varsity baseball coach Donald McKillop, Dean of

International Students and history teacher Molly Pond, Director of Alumni & Parent Relations Lisa Ross, and Head of Physical Therapy and varsity girls basketball head coach

Adrian Stewart ’90.

Current and former faculty made up a happy contingent of Pelican guests at the May wedding of Jake DeConinck ’07 and Sarah Wheeler in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Jake, who grew up on campus, is the son of faculty members Ginny and Bob DeConinck and the brother of Chris DeConinck ’07. Ginny is the standardized testing coordinator and an administrative assistant in College Guidance. Bob is associate director of studies, dorm head of Richmond Hall, and head coach of the girls varsity swimming and diving team. Pictured are math and science teacher Liz Bucceri ’07, retired English teacher Fred Seebeck, Kevin Fitzpatrick ’07, Katie Shushtari Fitzpatrick ’07, faculty members Molly and Ed Pond, psychology teacher Mimi Donegan, former dorm head Deidre Dyreson, Ginny, science teacher Jeffrey Dyreson, the groom, Director of Studies Tim Lawrence, Chris, Paige Bray (Lawrence), the bride, retired English teacher Jeffrey Scanlon ’79, retired staff member Vicky Scanlon, Dean of Students Michael Donegan, and Bob.

History teacher Rick Taylor and his wife, former faculty member Emily Cranshaw Taylor, welcomed daughter Marlowe Frances Taylor on June 20. She joins her big sister, Olive, in the family.

Faculty members who departed the school for other ventures at the end of the academic year included economics teacher Mat DeNunzio, science teacher Catherine Dunlavey ’13, English teacher Pierce Ellinwood, Latin teacher and Batchelder dorm head Jackson Fleming, head of the Visual Arts Department Jennifer McCandless, English teacher and Kravis Center faculty member Miles Morgan, science teacher Dave Samuels, College Counselor Jed Stuart, English teacher Andrew Watson, and English teacher Chiara White-Mink. History and economics teacher Alexander McCandless departed at the end of the winter term.