The Bulletin T H E M A S T E R S S C H O O L | S P R I N G 2 018
A Power for Good in Action
Over 150 independent school students, faculty and administrators attended Masters’ first Saturday Summit on Social Justice.
CONTACTS The Masters School 49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522-2201 914-479-6400 mastersny.org Send letters to: Janice Leary janice.leary@mastersny.org Send alumnae/i news to news editors listed in Class Notes or: Celeste Rivera celeste.rivera@mastersny.org
ON THE COVER Maywin Young ’25 and Morgan Young ’23 recently helped plant mangrove trees in Myanmar to reduce the harmful effects of climate change. The siblings founded Youth for Climate Change, a Middle School club that is raising funds to restore mangrove trees in Myanmar as an initial project.
Printed on paper containing 30% post-consumer waste with vegetable based inks. 100% of the electricity used to manufacture the paper is green e-certified renewable energy.
CONTENTS COVER STORY
04
A POWER FOR GOOD: Walking the Talk
11
SENIOR HONES LEADERSHIP SKILLS AT CONFERENCE
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
02 22 24 26
14 16
FROM LAURA DANFORTH AUTHORS’ CORNER ALUMNAE/I UPDATE CLASS NOTES
The goal of educating students to be powers for good, first espoused by School founder Eliza B. Masters, has long been central to the School’s mission. Masters carries out this objective through its curriculum, programs, special events and community service activities that focus on social justice issues and advocacy.
DR. EILEEN DIECK: Helping Students Become Ethical Leaders SOCCER PLAYER HITS STRIDE ON AND OFF FIELD
18 55
SENIOR CREATES COMMANDING PORTFOLIO IN MEMORIAM: Alice Probasco Lupton ’45
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 1
FROM LAURA DANFORTH
Embracing Social Justice as a School Priority Dear Friends, When I was a kid, fairgrounds and “fun houses” sometimes had a ride that was a simple round wooden platform, perhaps 25 feet in diameter. A couple of dozen children would lie on the platform, squishing themselves together and getting as close to the center as possible. The platform would begin to spin, faster and faster. One by one, those who weren’t in the very center would spin off the platform and into the cushioned walls that surrounded it. Still lying in the very center as the platform slowed to a stop, one or two dizzy children remained. Life has a centrifugal force and it spins, continually. Schools are subject to those dynamics, too: whatever we don’t place in the very center will inevitably drift to the side. Existing as we do in a society structured with deeply entrenched inequities and divisions, it is not enough for us to aim to be a neutralizing influence on our students. The renowned educator Paolo Freire spoke with both inspirational vision and cautionary wisdom when he affirmed: “The educator has the duty of not being neutral.” To serve as a counterbalance to the historical and structural pressures that are unjust and unfair, we as a community must plant our weight—firmly and courageously—on the side of social justice.
WE AS A COMMUNITY MUST PLANT OUR WEIGHT— FIRMLY AND COURAGEOUSLY— ON THE SIDE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Please bear in mind that social justice is neither partisan nor divisive: on the contrary, it is unifying and inclusive. That said, adjusting practices and changing attitudes that have allowed inequities to persist can make us uncomfortable—in part because to do so involves a redistribution of comfort, a sharing of the blanket that is meant to warm the human family. As a school, embracing the priority of social justice rests on an understanding that a sense of comfort and belonging is a commodity of abundance—it expands to wherever it is extended by those who have the privilege of already having it. Social justice and inclusion go beyond our relationships with each other; they belong at the center of our curriculum, our hiring and admission practices, our community service projects, and our vision of what it means to be “a power for good in the world.” In this issue of The Bulletin, you will read about some of the steps we are taking to further the evolution of this wonderful school, both on campus and beyond its limits. It has been said that privilege is the freedom to choose what one sees. All who have the privilege of being part of The Masters School have the responsibility to choose to see injustice where it exists, and to understand its structure, roots and impact. And then—informed with insight, armed with knowledge, galvanized with moral courage—to resolve to use one’s time on Earth to help. Warm wishes,
LAURA DANFORTH Head of School
2 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Below: The Masters students who volunteered for the spring 2017 service learning trip to Jonestown, MS.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 3
COVER STORY
A POWER FOR GOOD:
Walking the Talk By Janice Leary
4 | MASTERSNY.ORG
AN ENDURING TENET OF THE MASTERS SCHOOL MISSION ASSERTS THAT AS “A COMMUNITY OF DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS, WE GATHER TO LEARN, TO STRIVE, TO DARE, TO DO—TO BE A POWER FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD.” The goal of educating students to be powers for good, first espoused by School founder Eliza B. Masters, has been integral to the School’s mission since it opened its doors in 1877. Masters carries out this objective through its curriculum, programs, special events and community service activities that focus on social justice issues and advocacy. Many alumnae/i, meanwhile, have taken the adage to heart in their professional and personal lives. Masters took a deep dive into what it means to be a power for good by sponsoring its first Saturday Summit on Social Justice on campus last October. Over 150 independent school students, faculty and administrators attended the wide-ranging, daylong event. It was so successful, in fact, that plans are in the works to repeat the summit this fall.
“It’s important that our students learn to think morally about the world and how they can play a positive role in it,” says Head of Upper School Matt Ives. “We encourage students to learn about social justice issues, think about potential solutions, and get out in the real world and meet people.”
MASTERS STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED NOT ONLY TO BE AWARE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, BUT ALSO TO BE ACTIVISTS AND ADVOCATES FOR CAUSES IMPORTANT TO THEM.
Virtually every Upper School academic subject, including English, history, math, political science, environmental science and international relations, examines social justice and socioeconomic inequities in some way, according to Ives. As part of the tenth grade history program, for example, sophomores explore five or six global topics––such as public health or promoting gender equality and empowering women. They meet with experts on each subject during the year and debate the issues during Model United Nations Day in the spring. In the Design Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship course, students learn the principles of design thinking with a focus on entrepreneurship as a “power for good in the world.” Design thinking is a human-centered approach to creativity and innovation that integrates the needs of society with the requirements for business success. During the course, students learn how business can drive social change, while in small teams, they develop ideas for a product or service that integrates Masters’ mission with that year’s schoolwide theme. Taking its cue from the 2016-17 theme of sustainability, one team undertook its project on the premise that a great deal of used clothing is discarded every year in the United States, yet many lower-income Americans are in need of clothing. The students created a detailed plan for a company that would turn used clothing into outfits to be sold online through a subscription-based service. The Middle School curriculum also explores human rights, equality and other social justice issues in subjects ranging from history and humanities to art and music,
Left: Middle School students and teachers made sandwiches for Midnight Run, a volunteer group that distributes food to homeless people.
says Head of Middle School Tasha Elsbach. That emphasis is reinforced by the division’s core values of respect, integrity, compassion and responsibility, which are also incorporated into the curriculum. “Our job as Middle School educators is to teach students, at a time when they are really beginning to grapple with who they are, how to be good people in relation to each other in this small community and also helping them to see themselves as part of a bigger world,” Elsbach says. “Middle School students have a very strong sense of right and wrong. When they learn about inequities, it touches them very deeply.” At Morning Meetings, when the entire Middle School gathers in Doc Wilson Hall, Elsbach engages students in discussions about relevant topics in the news. “It’s an open forum for sharing ideas and a way to collectively keep in touch with what’s going on in the world,” she says. Some of the subjects discussed this year, for example, were racism, sexual harassment, anti-Semitism and gun violence. Masters students are encouraged not only to be aware of social justice issues, but also to be activists and advocates for causes important to them, according to Ives and Elsbach. In many cases, students are the ones who initiate fundraising projects, petition drives and participation in protests.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 5
A POWER FOR GOOD: Walking the Talk
A TRADITION OF
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Below: Students teamed up for a painting project during a School-sponsored summer trip to the Dominican Republic.
Activism and advocacy take several forms in both divisions. A primary one is community service. For over 21 years, a group of Upper School students and teachers has traveled to Jonestown, Mississippi during spring break to work on home repair and improvement projects. Their weeklong labors help enhance the quality of life for residents of Jonestown, which has been described as one of the poorest towns in one of the poorest states. Back on campus, about 30 students are active every year in Masters Interested in Sharing and Helping (MISH), the Upper School’s longtime service learning program. MISH raises money and does volunteer work for several local organizations throughout the school year. Each Upper School grade, meanwhile, choses a MISH project to devote its time and energy to for nine months. “Charitable work opens students up to the issues,” says Matt Ives. Similarly, he adds, Masters’ Jeans Days provide a platform for students who are committed to specific causes or organizations. On Jeans Days—a tradition in both divisions – students are allowed to wear blue jeans on Fridays if they each donate $1 or more to the organization designated as the fundraising recipient that week. Middle School students and their teachers are also active in various causes, such as making bagged meals for Midnight Run, a local volunteer organization that distributes food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to homeless people in New York City. Starting in 2013, Mary Chappell, a seventh grade humanities teacher, worked with students on a major initiative: to raise thousands of dollars to build a well in Goradera, Ethiopia. Middle School students were inspired to get involved after
6 | MASTERSNY.ORG
reading A Long Walk to Water, which describes how many Ethiopian children do not have time to attend school because they must walk for hours daily to fetch water outside their villages. Chappell partnered with Benjamin Sternthal, the uncle of a Middle School student, and his Montreal-based humanitarian initiative, Kulam, which works to provide schools and safe drinking water in rural Ethiopia. The division raised $5,000 for construction of a well, and donated another $3,500 for completion of a school. As a result, Goradera now has a source of water free of waterborne diseases and its children are able to attend school regularly for the first time.
Left: Ethiopian children and Benjamin Sternthal, of the Kulam humanitarian initiative, posed near the well made possible by Middle Schoolers’ donations.
Middle School students organized a variety of events to raise the funds, including bake sales, running races and Delta/Phi competitions. One student even dyed his hair red as an incentive for his classmates to make donations. Whether assisting people in their local communities or a distant country, Chappell says, “Being involved in these projects helps the kids see themselves in a global context, and makes them better appreciate what they have, no matter their socioeconomic background. They individually can make a big difference, and as a group can change the lives of hundreds of people.” To further heighten awareness of social justice issues among Middle School students, Director of Equity and Inclusion Karen Brown meets several times with each grade during the school year. “We talk about being an ‘upstander’ versus a bystander and how important activism is,” says Brown. “Middle School students are at an age when bullying and name-calling usually begin. I encourage students to be upstanders. For example, if they see a group of students excluding a classmate from a game or making fun of the classmate, they should stand up and say, ‘This is wrong.’ ” These early lessons help pave the way for high school, when students develop a deeper awareness of social justice issues around the globe and get more involved in efforts to fight racism, sexism, socioeconomic inequality and other forms of injustice, she adds.
BEING INVOLVED IN THESE PROJECTS “HELPS THE KIDS SEE THEMSELVES IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT, AND MAKES THEM BETTER APPRECIATE WHAT THEY HAVE, NO MATTER THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND.
”
Left: Students cleaned playground equipment during a recent service learning trip to Jonestown, MS.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 7
A POWER FOR GOOD: Walking the Talk
STUDENT
ACTIVISTS AND ADVOCATES
Right: Morgan Young ’23 and Maywin Young ’25, who created the Youth for Climate Change club to help mitigate the effects of global warming.
WE WANT YOUNG PEOPLE TO FEEL THAT EVEN THOUGH WE CANNOT VOTE OR “AFFECT POLICY LIKE OUR PARENTS AND LEADERS, WE CAN COME TOGETHER THROUGH OUR CLIMATE ORGANIZATION AND PLANT MANGROVE TREES, STUDY MORE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, AND POSSIBLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
”
In the Upper School, Diversity Ambassadors are among the students most active in promoting discussion and advocacy of social justice issues. Ambassadors, who include faculty and staff members, are official peer educators whose mission is to enhance diversity awareness within the School community.
8 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Student ambassadors host open forums, cosponsor events with Masters clubs, organize educational programs and School initiatives, and more. Several student Diversity Ambassadors were a key force behind the School’s first organized participation in the Day of Silence in April 2017, according to Karen Brown. The student-led national Day of Silence calls attention to the silencing effects of anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Participants at
Masters remained silent all day to show solidarity with LGBTQ students. Earlier that year, Diversity Ambassador Marissa Demers ’18 joined several Masters students at the Women’s March on New York City on January 21. The march was one of many held worldwide to show support for women’s rights and equality for all. “I felt that I had to get out of my comfort zone outside of the School and do something a lot bigger,” Demers says. “It was incredibly liberating. It felt so good to spread my message and also to come home with other people’s thoughts and feelings about the issues.” Her interest in women’s rights and other social justice issues extends to her activities as a Diversity Ambassador, Demers says. During the Saturday Summit on Social Justice, for example, she was one of four Masters students who oversaw a student workshop about intersectional feminism, which addresses how women’s overlapping identities—including race, class, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation—affect the way women experience discrimination. Another time, she helped organize an open forum on socioeconomic status. During the forum, Upper School students participated in exercises and discussions meant to deepen awareness about the effects of privilege. In the Middle School, Maywin Young ’25 and Morgan Young ’23 are spearheading Youth for Climate Change (Y4C), a club that aims to reduce the harmful impacts of climate change. As an initial project, the group is raising funds to restore mangrove trees in Myanmar as a shield against the effects of greenhouse gases. “I wanted to do my part and help fight climate change in my own way,” says Morgan, explaining that the club works with Worldview International Foundation, which oversees the restoration initiative. “We want young people to feel that even though we cannot vote or affect policy like our parents and leaders, we can come together through our climate organization and plant mangrove trees, study more about climate change, and possibly make a difference.”
Helping people in need in other countries has become a family passion for Federica Domeneghetti ’18 and her relatives as well. She is active in Techo (Spanish for “roof”), a youthled nonprofit organization that works with local families to build transitional homes in slums in Latin America and the Caribbean. A few years ago, Domeneghetti’s uncle organized a three-day trip to Cartagena, Colombia, where the group of 40 relatives and friends helped construct five houses under the guidance of Techo staff. “I was amazed by the whole situation,” says Domeneghetti, who worked with a local boy to dig holes for pillars that would keep the homes above flood level. One local resident had been living in a dwelling cobbled together with branches and plastic sheets, she recalls. Domeneghetti, who returned to the United States determined to stay involved, volunteered for a second building trip and now gives speeches at Techo’s annual fundraising gala. Her parents serve on the board of the organization, whose New York City office is housed at the headquarters of their wine and spirits importing company. The senior also launched a Techo club at Masters with the goal of raising funds and organizing a building trip for students. “It’s really up to my generation to change this problem,” says Domeneghetti. “We need to take the initiative.”
Right: Federica Domeneghetti ’18 worked on a house building project in Costa Rica with another volunteer.
Mangrove trees are able to withstand major storms, create ecosystems for wildlife, and restore habitat for fish, helping to sustain local economies, according to the siblings. “If we can plant 5,000 mangrove trees in Myanmar,” Maywin says, “Masters will offset 5,000 tons of CO2 over the next 20 years, which is awesome!” Eventually, Maywin adds, “We hope that Y4C could grow to include other schools around the world.”
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 9
A POWER FOR GOOD: Walking the Talk Right: Masters students delivered opening remarks at the Saturday Summit on Social Justice.
MASTERS’ FIRST
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUMMIT
The Saturday Summit on Social Justice, which was co-hosted by Masters and Rye Country Day School, brought local independent school communities together in October 2017 to discuss subjects ranging from equity and inclusion to identity to the importance of activism. The event offered an array of workshops for adults, workshops for students in grades 8 through 12, and affinity group sessions that explored racial, ethnic and gender identities.
social injustice” in a number of ways, such as by partaking in protests, calling out racist comments and actions by others, and drawing attention to the issue via social media.
Sophia Van Beek ’22, one of some 70 Masters students who participated, says she was inspired by her conversations with her peers at the summit. Young people, she says, “are working to help amend
Plans are underway to hold another summit at Masters during the 2018-19 school year, says Karen Brown, who collaborated with her counterpart at Rye Country Day School to organize the 2017 event.
Below: The Saturday Summit on Social Justice drew dozens of students from Masters and other independent schools.
Above: Students participated in a workshop at the Saturday Summit on Social Justice in October 2017.
10 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Senior Hones Leadership Skills at Conference Every year, a half-dozen Masters students attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), a multiracial, multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders from across the United States. The conference focuses on such topics as developing cross-cultural communication skills, effective strategies for social justice, and practicing expression through the arts. Thomas Falci ’18, who attended the conference for the first time last fall, shares his reflections on the experience. During the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, I had the privilege of engaging with hundreds of students from around the country who offered a broad range of viewpoints on important issues. Looking out at the over 1,500 faces of students devoted to learning more about diversity, equity and inclusion as the event opened, I was excited to begin three days of talking and working with others with the common goal of seeking ways to make the lives of everyone better.
when I cannot directly relate to what is being said. At the SDLC, one of the many exercises I engaged in centered on family structure. The students were divided into groups of two, and the group members were given two minutes each to talk about their families, without interruption. Because I was not allowed to interrupt and add my own perspective, I better absorbed everything that was being said. Thomas Falci ’18, at center front, with fellow students at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Back row, from left: Oladayo Thomas ’18, Charlotte Peterson ’18, Rachel Aideyan ’19, Victoria Mayorga ’19. Next to Thomas Falci: Youssef Ali ’19.
In my conversations with these incredible individuals, we not only spoke about the current social justice problems we see in our society, families and schools, but also spent hours sharing the ways we could bring what we learned at the SDLC back to our communities. One of the most notable examples of this took place during a workshop on mental and physical ability, when I met with the nine other students in my “home group,” a gathering that allowed for dialog on a more intimate level. The group members took off on a bit of a tangent and were talking about the ways in which school communities tend to stigmatize depression. One of my suggestions to help combat this problem was to focus on the language that people use in their everyday lives, and to call people out when they say things like “I am going to kill myself because of all the work I have.” While this is not something that I hear every day, I do hear it often enough. I believe that by making people aware of the effect that language has on those around them, we can become a more aware and inclusive community. Continuing with the theme of language, one of my biggest takeaways from the conference was the skill of listening. So often I find myself in discussions about social justice and inclusion and have a sudden urge to voice my opinion, even
The idea of active listening was also the topic of a senior speech delivered by one of my classmates during a Morning Meeting at Masters this year. That’s such a vital message. It is important to understand that there are times when we cannot relate to a person’s comments based on our own experience, but that should not prevent us from expressing empathy and appreciation for that individual’s viewpoint. I recall having conversations about diversity with some of my friends during junior year. Although one discussion was about what it was like to be a black student at Masters, even as a white student, I felt the need to add my opinion. Since returning from the SDLC conference, I have spent much more time listening, allowing me to better empathize with the emotions of the people I have conversations with, as well as to become a better leader for diversity, equity and inclusion. I could not be more grateful to Masters for giving me this incredible opportunity, and look forward to working with my fellow Diversity Ambassadors to encourage active listening, awareness of the power of words, and an overall knowledge of issues related to social justice in the School community.
— Thomas Falci ’18
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 11
A POWER FOR GOOD: Walking the Talk
RAISING AWARENESS
THROUGH THE ARTS
This year’s Great Gig in the Sky, the Upper School’s annual interdisciplinary performance project, featured a compilation of iconic songs of social justice and empowerment instead of the live performance of a single music album, its traditional focus. “Our decision to break with tradition stems from a strong conviction that art plays a crucial role in raising awareness about social issues and justice and effecting positive change,” says Jeff Carnevale, Associate Dean of Students and co-director of the Great Gig. With a stage-filling cast of students performing such songs as “Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga and “Freedom” by George Michael, the April 2018 event embraced an array of topics during a high-energy, multimedia production.
Above: The Great Gig in the Sky multimedia show featured iconic songs of social justice and empowerment this year.
Social justice was also the theme of the eighth annual Westchester Poetry Festival, cosponsored by Masters and The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center and held in Estherwood Mansion. Somali-born poet and essayist Ladan Osman, who lives in Brooklyn, NY, delivered the keynote reading at the event, which also took place in April. Osman’s work focuses on problems of race, gender, displacement and colonialism. She is the author of The KitchenDweller’s Testimony, winner of a Sillerman First Book Prize.
“OUR DECISION TO BREAK WITH TRADITION STEMS FROM A STRONG CONVICTION THAT ART PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES AND JUSTICE AND EFFECTING POSITIVE CHANGE.” 12 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Below: Katie McKeon Curran ’99 in her office at Connecticut Institute for Communities, which provides education, health care and housing support for low- and moderateincome families.
school-based health clinics, a Head Start program and a teen center. The nonprofit organization also oversees a 70-unit housing cooperative. After graduating from college, Curran worked in positions related to public policy and advocacy, and then went on to earn a law degree. In 2011, the opportunity to work at CIFC “opened up at the right time,” she says. “It’s not a traditional law path. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” While Curran’s classmate, Beth Maria Reed ’99, followed a different career trajectory, her work also exemplifies the principle of being a power for good. A New York City Department of Education (DOE) employee, Reed served as an elementary school teacher and wellness coordinator in her first decade at the DOE. During that time, she pushed for expanded health, nutrition and physical education programs, started a School Wellness Council, and developed wellness policies.
POWERS FOR GOOD
BEYOND MASTERS
Masters alumnae/i have a longstanding tradition of social activism. Many say the seeds of that activism were planted while they were students here. Among them is Katherine (Katie) McKeon Curran ’99. “Being at Masters, with its big commitment to social awareness and service, really helped further my interest in those things and helped shape my career interests,” she says. “I know that every day, I’m doing something that makes a difference in people’s lives.” Curran now serves as chief operating officer and general counsel at Connecticut Institute for Communities (CIFC), which provides health care, education and housing support for low- and moderate-income families in western Connecticut. “We look to tackle social injustices by providing coordinated, vital services,” Curran says. “All of our programs are designed to strengthen families.” CIFC, which coordinates services with community partners, operates a large health center,
“When I began working for the DOE, my students really had a need to have more wellness education,” recalls Reed, who now serves as school wellness coach for the department’s Office of School Wellness Programs. In that role, she helps the city’s schools develop their own programs, activities and policies. Having experienced a serious illness as a teenager, Reed says, “My goal was to be healthy. So when I went into education, it was important to me that my students be healthy.” She also strove to “speak to the whole child” by taking a holistic approach to wellness initiatives, such as creation of a school garden that helps students actively learn about and value nutritious foods. As a side benefit, Reed says, the students’ grades have improved, and they and their families have become more engaged with their school. Marissa Demers ’18, who will soon join other alumnae/i in pursuing her own career passions, eloquently sums up the power of the “be a power for good in the world” adage: “I think it’s given me a bar to reach to always strive to do my best—to help others, to be a voice for people who don’t have one and to lift others up.” Right: Beth Maria Reed ’99 helps develop wellness programs for students in New York City’s public schools.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 13
FEATURE
EILEEN DIECK Helping Students Become Ethical Leaders By Andrea Lehman
“Why do you teach?” It was a simple question posed by an expert in character education at a conference Eileen Dieck, M.D. attended in 2006. Her answers, both concrete and conceptual, reveal why the Ethical Leadership Coordinator has become such an influential and beloved member of the Masters faculty.
in public elementary schools and high schools, and in 2004 Masters approached her about teaching science in the Upper School. On her way outside after her interview, “a student who was in front of me stopped and held the door for me. It struck me as a positive and unusual action in our world. That was the kind of thing that drew me to Masters.”
The most straightforward answer is that “I always thought I wanted to teach,” explains Dr. Dieck. But when she graduated from St. Lawrence University with a teaching certification and a double major in biology and chemistry, teaching positions were scarce.
Dr. Dieck initially taught chemistry, but after a year, she became a grade-level dean, too. She also developed courses in physiology and world health, coordinated the general chemistry curriculum, and volunteered as a costumer for theater productions for several years.
Her brothers discouraged her from pursuing work as a teacher, in the belief that it wasn’t the best career path for her, she says. Meanwhile, her future husband was attending medical school, making it necessary for her to find a job that could support them both. She opted for a management program at AT&T before heading to medical school herself.
When she attended the 2006 character education conference, the experience led to a different response for why she had chosen teaching. “I thought the world was broken and that the best way to fix it was by working with kids. More than teaching chemistry, I wanted to teach students how to make good choices, how to work hard and how to be kind. That pushed me toward the work I do now”—Masters’ Ethical Leadership Project.
For many years she had a solo practice in internal medicine while she and husband, Bill, an ophthalmologist, raised their three children: Caitlin, Cameron and Chelsea ’09. As the health care climate changed and the couple’s children grew, Dr. Dieck reevaluated her career. She started working
14 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Dr. Dieck developed the Project with Upper School math teacher Matt Kammrath, who serves as Co-Director, with the goal of “helping kids become strong, thoughtful adults.”
The Project introduces students to the concepts of ethical leadership, starting in grade 8. Upper School students have an Introduction to Ethical Leadership unit as part of the Freshman Seminar. Sophomores, juniors and seniors can be involved through the ethical leadership classes that are offered, training for captains of varsity teams, student leader training, and participation in such initiatives as Peer Leaders, a mentoring program in which sophomores, juniors and seniors work with new Upper School students to orient them to Masters during the first quarter of the school year. Today the Project is woven throughout the School. The Ethical Leadership Council brings together representatives from all divisions, as well as from the residential life community, arts and athletics. Monthly lunches for faculty address topics related to ethical leadership, and Masters’ Summer Institute for faculty allows teachers to explore ways in which to incorporate ethical leadership elements into the regular curriculum. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to develop a comprehensive curriculum for grades 5-12. Dr. Dieck has now hung up her lab coat and is devoting herself exclusively to the Ethical Leadership Project after a recent sabbatical during which she researched best practices for the program. Her take on why it’s important to teach ethical leadership is more about real-world application than intellectual exercise. “Students have to understand how to make choices that make their communities better,” she says. “It’s not about titles or authority and being in charge. It’s about anticipating and preparing for decisions they will need to make as they move forward in their lives and careers. Leadership is a daily activity—a conscious set of choices intended to improve the world around you.”
great dynamic,” Jackson observes. “It’s very comfortable. We talked about heavy concepts, but she made it a space where everyone felt safe and had a good time exploring these ideas.” Darryl Adena ’17, now a student at the University of Michigan, agrees, adding that “She’s just such a welcoming person, so friendly and understanding in a nonjudgmental way.” Among the messages that Adena found particularly important is “that people don’t need a title to be respected and heard. There are ways that you approach things and carry yourself that create respect.” Emma Goodman ’19 describes another benefit: “learning so many valuable skills and hearing the point of view of so many students I otherwise would not have been able to.” Students regularly come to see Dr. Dieck not only as their teacher, but also as a mentor, role model and confidante. Says Goodman, “If I have a situation at school, she’s the person I talk to. She cares about everybody in the School, not just the students she teaches.” Dr. Dieck clearly has made the impact she set out to. “A lot of it is looking within, thinking about choices students will have to make in their lives, whom they will care for and be responsible for,” she says. “They need to think about the options before they are in difficult moments.” She is teaching students to address what’s broken in the world by helping them acquire the tools needed to fix it.
Students who have taken the ethical leadership seminar, co-taught by Dr. Dieck and Kammrath, have plenty to say about its impact. Phoenix Jackson ’18, who took the class during her junior year, says, “It has probably been my favorite course at Masters. We talked about ways that being a leader and having strong ethics go hand in hand.” The class is largely student-driven, with the teachers guiding as students dissect and discuss ethical dilemmas. “Dr. Dieck fosters a
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 15
FEATURE
OLADAYO THOMAS ’18 Soccer Player Hits Stride On and Off the Field By Isaac Cass
Varsity soccer star Oladayo Thomas ’18 vividly remembers seeing the poster hanging in his previous school in Lagos, Nigeria. “It was a Friday and there was a poster on the board about tryouts for a program called MTN Football Scholar,” says Oladayo. “A lot of my friends said they were going to go, but no one else but me showed up.” Destiny took over from there.
16 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Oladayo, who had just turned 14, made it through the program’s multiple rounds of tryouts and academic testing to eventually catch the eye of Kevin Versen, Masters’ Athletic Director.
just there playing my own part. They worked extremely hard also.”
“He was one of the smaller kids, but he was very tenacious, athletic and strong on the ball,” says Versen, who first met Oladayo during a scouting trip to Nigeria. “And he was super competitive. Once I saw him play, I selected him to interview to see if he would be a good fit for Masters. His personality was great and he was very focused. He is also extremely goal-oriented—and that’s a good fit for our School.”
“He brought that competitive fire, discipline and, of course, his skills,” Versen notes. “But I would say that it’s mostly been his leadership ability and intensity that have raised the team to this level. We had other talented players, but we didn’t have the person who was going to carry the team on his back and make sure it got done.”
Versen zeroed in on what truly set Oladayo apart from his teammates.
“You stay open to opportunities and try to take them when they arrive.”
Oladayo beat out roughly 1,500 other hopefuls from the state of Lagos in southwestern Nigeria and nearly 5,000 from throughout the African country. The rigorous process, which lasted over two months, pushed him to the limit both academically and athletically. The senior has since emerged as one of MTN Football (soccer) Scholar’s grand success stories. The program describes itself as a camp that focuses equally on soccer and academics to provide a platform for Nigeria’s best student-athletes to earn scholarships to preparatory schools and universities in the United States. “I don’t know where I’d be right now without the Football Scholar program,” Oladayo says. “It’s funny how it all started with a game of chance,” he adds, referring to the long odds of the tryout competition. “I was absent from my school back home for two months just to play this game of chance. Ultimately, it worked out.” Both Oladayo and Masters have benefited tremendously since his arrival on campus in August 2014. In the athletic realm, Oladayo helped take the boys’ varsity soccer program to the next level. A member of the team since freshman year, he guided the Panthers to Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) titles in 2014 and 2016 and a first-time runner-up finish in the 2016 NEPSAC Class C final. Oladayo continued to lead by example on the pitch, combining raw athleticism, power and determination to steer the Panthers to a runner-up finish in the fall 2017 FAA tournament. In what turned out to be his last playoff run, he scored all four of the team’s goals in three matches. “I just did my part,” says a modest Oladayo, who will continue his soccer career at Gettysburg College this fall. “That’s the most I can say. There were 14 to 15 other guys on the team, too. I was
Oladayo got it done off the pitch, too, blossoming into a well-rounded young man who was omnipresent at various functions around campus. As a junior, he was a MISH representative and volunteer for Midnight Run, a local organization that distributes food and clothing to homeless people in New York City. He became a Diversity Ambassador and participated in Masters’ first Saturday Summit on Social Justice last fall. As if that wasn’t enough, he also danced with the Urban Connection student group, was named co-president of the Dobbs Athletic Association, competed on the varsity squash team, ran indoor track and served as a dorm proctor for two years. “He’s a kid who has made the most out of what Masters offered him,” Versen says. At first, though, Oladayo’s transition from Nigeria to Dobbs Ferry wasn’t an easy one. “It was like being a baby again—you have to learn everything over,” he recalls. “It’s a new country, a completely new place, so I had to learn how it works here.”
Oladayo eventually settled in, buoyed by his peers in the dorms, teachers in the classroom and coaches on the field. “It’s been a great experience and now I have a different perspective on things,” says Oladayo, adding that he is interested in studying international relations or psychology in college. “When I was in Nigeria, I had a narrow-minded view of how things were. Now I have a 360-degree vision of how the world works. “You don’t come out of an experience like this the same way you came into it. You will always have way more than what you came in with—regardless of what you do. You stay open to opportunities and try to take them when they arrive.”
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 17
FEATURE
OLIVIA JOHNKE ’18 When only in her sophomore year, Olivia Johnke ’18 won the Visual Arts Department’s underclass award, “showing herself to be an amazing artist at such a young age,” says department Chair Cheryl Hajjar.
Senior Creates Commanding Portfolio By Janice Leary
Olivia, who goes by Liv, recalls an even earlier achievement. When she was 6 years old, one of her watercolor paintings was chosen for an exhibit at the public library in Congers, NY, her hometown. Her first publicly displayed piece was “a tangible representation of my joy for art,” says Liv, whose interest in art deepened when she became a student at Masters. “Liv is always in the visual zone, always working and finding ways to express and include art in her day-to-day life,” Hajjar notes. “She is open to suggestions and feedback from anyone and everyone, not just her teachers. She is mature enough to take what she can use from the feedback to improve her work, while staying true to her voice.” A Masters student since grade 5, Liv took advantage of the School’s diverse arts curriculum and the Upper School’s Art Studio, which she describes as “a beautiful space.” In sophomore year, for example, she enrolled in the Studio Art Major class, where she learned the foundations of drawing, oil painting, digital art and
18 | MASTERSNY.ORG
other media. Because her projects for that course had firm deadlines, Liv notes, she learned the patience, diligence and discipline necessary to fully develop and finish art pieces. She went on to take Advanced Placement Studio Art in both her junior and senior years. At the end of each year, she was required to submit a portfolio of 24 pieces to the College Board for grading purposes. “I’m always working to get better and to create a body of work that is representative of my entire palette of skills and experiences,” says Liv. She wants her portfolio to reflect not only her talents and skill sets, she adds, but also “the depth of my exploration of and exposure to various methods and mediums of artwork.” Hajjar is effusive in her praise of the senior’s creativity. “Liv has sketchbooks and a portfolio, using both traditional and digital media, that would blow anyone away,” she says.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 19
FEATURE
20 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Liv, in turn, credits her teachers with providing the critical guidance and support she needed to develop as an artist: “Our faculty are really supportive and accessible outside of class. They’re there to help you grow and they allow for you to grow.” In recognition of Liv’s dedication to the visual arts, Masters awarded her the Margaret W. Wyman Scholarship during the 2015-16 academic year. The Margaret W. Wyman Scholarship Fund was established in 1995 in memory of Margaret W. Wyman ’25. Recipients are recognized for “their interest in the arts as well as for their academic promise, strength of character, and commitment to making a difference at The Masters School and beyond.” Last summer Liv continued her exploration of various art forms by attending the Textiles Summer Institute, a pre-college program, at Rhode Island School of Design. “I like patterning and printmaking and I wanted to try something hands on,” she explains. As for the future, Liv plans to study art and design in college, with an eye toward a career in graphic design, illustration or industrial design. “I definitely like applied arts and design, and especially solving problems with design,” she notes. “Art was always something that I felt connected to,” says Liv. At Masters, she has made the most of that connection.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 21
AUTHORS’ CORNER
Parts of love By Dina Paulson-McEwen ’00 Published by Finishing Line Press, 2018
Dina Paulson-McEwen ’00 is a poet, writer, editor and educator. Parts of love, a poetry collection, was a finalist in the 2017 Finishing Line Press New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition. Dina’s work appears in Flash Fiction Magazine, FlashFlood, Minola Review, the anthology Evidence of Fetus Diversity, and elsewhere, and her poetry has been exhibited at galleries and libraries. She is assistant managing editor at Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing, an editor at Flash Fiction Magazine, and an editor who works with young writers at Uptown Stories, a nonprofit organization. How did writing become your path? I have always been a writer, putting my thoughts down in some form. I remember as early as second grade writing a book about my grandfather. While at Masters, I was a writer for Tower and an editor for Panache. In college, I worked in the Center for Teaching and Learning and, in the Writing Colleagues program, as a bilingual English/Spanish writing coach to undergraduate students in literary courses. One of the most significant parts of my journey was participating in the Summer Writing Program at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. I walked away understanding the genres of poetry and flash fiction in a way that would shape my future writing. How did Masters influence your career trajectory? Masters influenced my formation as a person. I learned about family, closeness, support and nurturing and truly felt I had a home there. I was allowed space for creative and personal development, which fostered my trust of self and confidence. I also have bonds with people that have lasted since my time as a student. What inspired you to write Parts of love? I wanted to explore the concept of love, and it started with intimacy, but ultimately, it was a much broader exploration. It went from writing about uplifting romantic love to incorporating those exigencies with shattering love. The book also spread to different actors, not only between lover and lover, but between bodies relating as family and friend, and bodies close through intention and chance. What do you want people to take away from Parts of love? I would love for people to enjoy the work, to take away ideas, solace, inspiration—perhaps, even, inklings of courage to share more with themselves and others around intimacies. What advice would you share with current students and/or alumnae/i? Live into things, explore experience fully, feel where you feel yourself fit with yourself. What does “Do It with Thy Might” mean to you? Love what you do and persevere.
22 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Don’t Mind Me, I Just Died By Caroline Sutton Published by Montemayor Press, 2017
Upper School English teacher Caroline Dumaine’s powerful collection of essays has garnered enthusiastic reviews. Dumaine publishes under her maiden name, Caroline Sutton. “The essays in this subtle and wide-ranging collection depict the lasting impact of mothers on daughters, the shifting relationships between parents and children over time, the ironies of marital life, and quandaries in the face of decline and death,” the publisher’s synopsis states. One of the essays in the collection, “Eclipsed,” received Southern Humanities Review’s Hoepfner Literary Award. The book has also won praise from other writers. Some examples: “The details in these essays are so wonderfully precise they are at times Nabokovian, the emotions subtle but resonant, and always the intellect is sharp as a knife. Sutton offers a look into a private woman’s world with the delicious company of her observant eye, her artist’s wit, and her very human affection, whether for her mother, a leopard cub, tennis or home. Each sentence is a pleasure. It is clear how, in Sutton’s hands, the craft of the essay has been polished with care, each a small gem.” – Gina Apostol, author of Gun Dealer’s Daughter “Caroline Sutton’s voice is distinctive, the questions she asks are elemental, and the answers ... well, that’s one of the many appealing things about Don’t Mind Me, I Just Died: Sutton knows there are neither answers nor destinations, only a voyage she takes with her readers.” – Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition Dumaine says she began working in the creative nonfiction genre about 15 years ago and since then has published many of the collection’s essays in literary journals. Now that the essays have been published in book form, she is “excited, but already immersed in new stories, with themes in mind for a second collection.” “Creative nonfiction has so many possibilities, which I try to convey to the seniors in my writing seminar,” Dumaine adds. “I push them to reflect, connect ideas, find patterns in their lives, take risks, and use language expressively.”
The Annual Fund ••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••• by the numbers ••••••••••••••
Last year, we received support from:
864 100% 465 100% alumnae/i families
senior class
faculty & staff
and many other generous members of our community.
[$2.3] million for:
faculty • academics financial aid • the arts athletics • innovation programs campus & dorm maintenance greatest need
Make your gift online at www.mastersny.org/makeagift or call 914-479-6449
Alumnae/i, parents and friends who have chosen to honor The Masters School through their estate, trust or other gift planning vehicle are eligible to join the Estherwood Society. Estherwood Society members leave a legacy that provides opportunity and promise for our students now and into the future.
“
I am eternally grateful to be receiving the Margaret W. Wyman Scholarship for the third year in a row. I’ve been in love with this School since I toured in 2015 as an unhappy eighth grader. I had forgotten what it was like to feel support and encouragement coming from both faculty and students. As soon as I met my guide for Revisit Day, I knew this was where I belonged...I would not be the person I am today if I had not received this scholarship three years ago and will always be grateful to Margaret W. Wyman. I truly hope that when I graduate next year, 94 years after Ms. Wyman, this scholarship will go to someone else who needs a community only Masters can offer, just as I did. –– E. Forman ’19, Margaret W. Wyman ’25 Scholar
”
The Margaret Wyman ’25 Scholarship was funded in 1995 through a bequest and is a general scholarship for a student interested in the arts. For more information about gift planning or to receive our gift planning newsletter, please call 914-479-6646 or email giftplanning@mastersny.org.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 23
A L U M N A E / I U P D AT E
ALUMNAE / I GLOBAL NETWORK One of the most precious aspects of the alumnae/i community is our global network of interesting and bright individuals. We organize a number of events throughout the year to celebrate and foster connections between alumnae/i that transcend age, era and experience and allow groups to congregate around common purposes and shared experiences. We are currently working toward formalizing regional, affinity and class-based groups throughout the United States and abroad. For information on how to volunteer as a group leader or host an event in your area, please contact: Celeste Rivera, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, at celeste.rivera@mastersny.org or 914-479-6611.
24 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Above: Edith Chapin ’83 and fellow Trustee Suzie Paxton ’88 hosted an evening on women’s empowerment for 1980s alumnae in New York City on January 22, 2018. Joining them were Meeghan Sinclair ’83, Jen Press Marden ’80, Leslie O’Shea ’85, Louise Gore ’84, Linda Byrne ’85 and Alexandra Smith ’82.
Two photos below: West Coast-based alumnae/i from the classes of 1961 through 2016 met with Head of School Laura Danforth in Los Angeles and San Francisco in January 2018. The San Francisco event was held at the Dobbs Ferry Restaurant, adding a nostalgic touch.
Above: Our 10 alumnae/i at Bates College gathered for dinner to lend each other support and keep their Masters connections fresh on January 24, 2018.
Above: Alumnae/i in Tokyo spearheaded an event to bring together our Japan-based alumnae/i for an evening of networking and discussion with Head of School Laura Danforth and Associate Head of School Tim Kane P’15, ’20 on November 13, 2017.
Three photos below: Trustee Victor Luis P’17 ’19 hosted an evening for alumnae/i and parents at Coach, Inc. headquarters in Manhattan on October 4, 2017.
Above: Dana Goin ’11, Dominic Pierre ’11, Lynn Heron ’10 and Charlotte Moquin Voznesenskiy ’00 at Coach headquarters.
Above: Alumnae/i from 1941 through 2000 came together to hear from Head of School Laura Danforth at the Costa Palm Beach restaurant in Florida on February 20, 2018.
Above: Nathan Barasch ’13, Sabrina Hilfer ’13 and Jessica Bernstein ’13 at Coach headquarters.
Above: Young alumnae/i returned to campus on January 9, 2018 to reconnect with each other and their former teachers at the Young Alumnae/i Party. Above: Associate Head of School Tim Kane P’15, ’20, Ricky Oelkers ’03, Nikos Papagapitos ’03 and Matt Kozar ’02 at Coach headquarters.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 25
REMEMBRANCES 1933 Elizabeth Frothingham Wadsworth of Manchester Center, VT on July 29, 2017
1948 Nancy Dean of Bronx, NY on October 6, 2017
1937 Charlotte Davenport Tuttle of Juno Beach, FL on September 18, 2017
1948 Elizabeth Bentley Rank of Perrysburg, OH on January 29, 2018
1940 Pauline Mahler Stafford of Boynton Beach, FL on August 22, 2017
1949 Anona Arata Broadman of Avon, CT on November 18, 2017
1940 Nathalie Brown Thompson of Vero Beach, FL on September 15, 2017
1949 Mary Emison Davis of Mount Vernon, NY on November 5, 2017
1941 Ruth Burke Fraser of Hilton Head Island, SC on September 25, 2017
1949 Esu Cleveland Lackey of Groton, MA on September 8, 2017
1941 Gertrude Howard Owens of Barneveld, NY on January 29, 2018
1952 Carolyn Durham McCurdy of Saint Paul, MN on October 12, 2017
1942 Kate Niedecken Pieper of Hartland, WI on September 12, 2017
1953 MacGregor Wilson Peck of Cleveland, OH on October 16, 2017
1943 Barbara Brydone Calder of Halifax, NS on January 27, 2018
1958 Linda Johnson Rossbach of Palm Beach, FL on September 11, 2017
1944 Rosemary Worth Collins of Philadelphia, PA on October 9, 2017
1962 Penelope Cook Gemar of Carpinteria, CA on August 5, 2017
1945 Alice Probasco Lupton of Lookout Mountain, TN on August 31, 2017
1965 Sandra Tahmoush Hansen of Laguna Niguel, CA on August 22, 2017
1945 Elizabeth Green Richey of Mechanicsburg, PA on February 14, 2018
1968 Elizabeth R. Johnson of New York, NY on June 3, 2017
1946 Elizabeth Le Boeuf Jennings of Glen Head, NY on August 8, 2017
2001 Sallie Kargbo of New York, NY on January 31, 2018
1946 Sharon Anderson Randall of Duxbury, MA on November 6, 2017 1946 Carolyn Owens Welch of Barneveld, NY on January 30, 2018 1947 Nancy Parsons Doolittle of Wakefield, RI on June 4, 2017 1947 Mary Fuller Loughran of Hurley, NY on December 11, 2017
54 | MASTERSNY.ORG
FORMER FACULTY
Denise de Chรกvez of Irvington, NY in 2017
IN MEMORIAM
Alice Probasco Lupton ’45 1927-2017 Alice Probasco Lupton ’45, a devoted alumna, passed away on August 31, 2017. Alice leaves behind a strong legacy at Masters, having provided a gift to launch the CITYterm program through her family’s organization, the Lyndhurst Foundation. The foundation provided full scholarships to four students per year to attend CITYterm, a one-semester, experience-based urban studies program founded at Masters in 1996. The program enrolls 30 students from across the United States and around the world during each of its fall and spring semesters. Among the CITYterm students who received a Lyndhurst Foundation scholarship was Erica Chapman, who later became director of CITYterm and now serves as Dean of Faculty at Masters. After graduating from Masters, Alice continued to stay in touch with her alma mater to keep up with the happenings on campus at CITYterm and the School at large. She was especially interested in Masters’ boarding program, having been a proud boarder herself. Alice, who was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was a longtime civic leader in her hometown who dedicated herself to the success of many organizations in the community. She was an advocate for children while presiding over the boards of East Fifth Street Day Care Center, Little Miss Mag Day Care Center and Chambliss Center for Children. Each of these organizations became racially integrated under her leadership, which she considered to be a great accomplishment. Alice also played an integral role in establishing Chattanooga’s Creative Discovery Museum, on whose board she served for many years. She was also an active supporter of ArtsBuild (formerly Allied Arts), The Bright School, the United Way, and the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. She was named a Tennessee Woman of Distinction by the American Lung Association in 2004. In her spare time Alice was an avid and excellent golfer who won the first Tennessee Women’s Senior Championship. Reading books and playing bridge were other passions. Alice is survived by her son, Cartter Lupton, and his wife; and three daughters— Kate Juett, Meg Gerber ’75 and her husband, Charles; and Alice Smith and her husband, Alfred. She is also survived by her sister, Peggy Jones, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
THE BULLETIN SPRING 2018 | 55
LEADERSHIP 2017-2018 The Bulletin S P R I N G 2 018
Laura Danforth Head of School
laura.danforth@mastersny.org
COMMUNICATIONS
ADVANCEMENT
Adriana Hauser Director of Strategic Communications adriana.hauser@mastersny.org
Timothy Kane Associate Head of School tim.kane@mastersny.org
Janice Leary Assistant Director of Communications and The Bulletin Editor janice.leary@mastersny.org Isaac Cass Digital Communications Coordinator/Content Producer isaac.cass@mastersny.org Bob Horne Director of Marketing
bob.horne@mastersny.org
Raquel Ali Executive Assistant to the Associate Head of School raquel.ali@mastersny.org Gina Cantelmo Assistant Director of Leadership Giving gina.cantelmo@mastersny.org Judy Donald Advancement Associate judy.donald@mastersny.org Angelique Morelli Director of Parent Engagement and Special Events angelique.morelli@mastersny.org Maryann Perrotta Database Administrator maryann.perrotta@mastersny.org Celeste Rivera Director of Alumnae/i Engagement celeste.rivera@mastersny.org Mary Ryan ’00 Director of Annual Giving mary.ryan@mastersny.org Jen Schutten Associate Director of Annual Giving
jennifer.schutten@mastersny.org
PHOTOGRAPHY: Isaac Cass, Bob Cornigans, Kevin Monko DESIGN: White Communications, Inc., Tuxedo, NY
56 | MASTERSNY.ORG
Head of School Laura Danforth Board of Trustees Edith C. Chapin ’83, Chair Keryn Norton Mathas P’19, ’21, ’22, Vice Chair J. Keith Morgan P’17, Treasurer Suzie Paxton ’88, Secretary Fred Brettschneider P’19 Jonathan Clay P’19 Laura Danforth Michael D’Angelo P’15, ’19 Michelle DeLong P’17 Lucinda Emmet ’57 David Heidelberger ’01 Kate Henry ’94, P’25 Sheree Holliday P’16, ’20 Christina Masters Jones Phil Kassen Victor Luis P’17, ’19 Sydney Macy ’70 Edgar M. Masters H’98, Life Trustee Susan Follett Morris ’57, Life Trustee Christine Grim Neikirk ’84 Beth Nolan ’69 Hillary Peckham ’09 Janet Pietsch P’09, ’20 Margarita Sawhney P’20 Diana Davis Spencer ’56, P’84 Honorary Trustees Marin Alsop ’73 Cynthia Ferris Casner ’52, P’76, ’86 Jeannette Sanford Fowlkes ’58, P’87 Ruth Mitchell Freeman ’51 Nancy Maginnes Kissinger ’51 Claudia Boettcher Merthan ’51 Lynn Pilzer Sobel ’71, P’99, ’05 Dobbs Alumnae/i Association Board David Heidelberger ’01, President Sujata Adamson-Mohan Jaggi ’01, Vice President Hannah J. Miller ’10, Secretary Sharon Nechis Castillo ’84 Eleanor H. Collinson ’98 Karen Feinberg Dorsey ’84 Austin O’Neill Dunyk ’98 Lusyd Doolittle Kourides ’70
Elyse Lazansky ’78 Evan B. Leek ’01 John M. McGovern ’07 Justina I. Michaels ’02 Ricardo C. Oelkers ’03 Mary M. Ryan ’00 Mirna A. Valerio ’93 Parent Association Executive Committee Janet Pietsch P’09, ’20, President Kristy Fitzgerald P’16, ’18, Co-Vice President Upper School Kim-Adele Rosner P’17, ’18, Co-Vice President Upper School Marie Fabian P’22, Co-Vice President Middle School Jillian Miller P’22, Co-Vice President Middle School Committee Chairs and Representatives Leslie Rusoff P’17, ’17, ’18, Chair, Admission Support Erick Blanc P’23, Chair, Annual Fund Leslie DuBeau P’14, ’18, Boarding Parent Representative Mary Lockhart P’19, ’20, Chair, Faculty-Staff Appreciation Day Anne Termini P’20, Chair, Parent Programs; Boarding Parent Representative Class Representatives Lisa Bezos P’21 Marie Fabian P’22 Kristy Fitzgerald P’16, ’18 Annette Halprin P’23, ’24 Joe Halprin P’23, ’24 Rachel Khanna P’17, ’18, ’18, ’23 Mary Lockhart P’19, ’20 Jillian Miller P’22 Allison Moore ’83, P’17, ’19, ’24 Jennifer Nappo P’21, ’23, ’23 Jennifer Patton P’23, ’25 Janet Pietsch P’09, ’20 Gabrielle Rosenfeld P’24 Robin Scheuer P’18, ’20 Anne Termini P’20 Cori Worchel P’19, ’21 Monaqui Porter Young P’23, ’25
Eliza Bailey Masters wrote in a 1919 letter to alumnae/i, “you own the School.” Inspired by her call to action, the alumnae raised the money for a new school building, completed in 1921, and named it Masters Hall in her honor. Today— nearly 100 years later—The Masters School still relies on the generosity of our community to continue Miss Masters’ legacy and support our School’s mission, students, programs and future.
Here are just a few of the ways that Alumnae/i and Parents can give back to our School:
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Parents Alumnae/i
Annual Giving Endowment Support Capital Projects Planned Giving Contact: Mary Ryan ’00 at 914-479-6433 or mary.ryan@mastersny.org
Reunion Committee
Parent Association
Alumnae/i Giving Day
Annual Fund Volunteer
Admissions Volunteer
Phonathon Caller
Class Notes Editor
Admissions Volunteer
Class Agent
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day Committee
Event Host Contact: Celeste Rivera at 914-479-6611 or celeste.rivera@mastersny.org
Contact: Angelique Morelli at 914-479-6532 or angelique.morelli@mastersny.org
There are numerous ways to get involved and give back to Masters. If you have an idea that is not listed above, please let us know.
49 Clinton Avenue | Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522-2201
Non-Profit Organization US Postage PAID Nashua, NH Permit No. 375