Mercersburg AA magazine magazine for for Mercersburg Mercersburg Academy Academy family family and and friends friends
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in the Life PAGE 16
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VOLUME 43
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A magazine for Mercersburg Academy family and friends
FALL 2017
Mercersburg
Beginnings
The Start of Something Legendary
Reminisce about Mercersburg’s beginnings as we begin to celebrate the Academy’s 125th anniversary. Page 10
Peer Group
Your Mercersburg family starts here. Page 14
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College Counseling A look at how each grade prepares for life after Mercersburg. Page 22
Q&A with Deborah Simon ’74 Get to know the new president of Mercersburg’s Board of Regents. Page 26
Annual Report Program updates and financial statements from the 20162017 academic and fiscal year. Page 30
You Should Know Class flagbearers (L-R) Mary DiLalla ’19, Jay Howley ’21, Jack Kothari ’20, and Ellie Gregg ’18 carried the flags of their respective classes into the Irvine Memorial Chapel for Convocation and the start of Mercersburg’s 125th year. Photo by Bob Stoler Photo credits: p. 2-3 Jillian Wilkerson; p. 4 Marcus Jaiclin; p. 5 Bob Stoler; p. 6 (Cohen/Dalton) Stacey Talbot Grasa, (Patterson) Stoler; p. 7 (Frimet/List) Grasa, (Kempe) Stoler, (Bell/Dyson) Grasa; p. 8-9 Stoler; p. 10-13 Mercersburg Archives; p. 14-15 Betsy Cunningham; p. 16, 18, 20-21, 23 Wilkerson; p. 26 Mercersburg Archives; p. 27 Paulo Filgueiras; p. 30-32 Ryan Smith; p. 33 Ben McNeil; p. 36 Matt Stanley; p. 37 13ree Design, Anttohoho, AV Icons, Da-vooda, Justin Roque, Milky Wayy, Vitali Tkachuk/Thinkstock; p. 38-41 (baseball/boys’ lacrosse/softball/track & field) Smith, (girls’ lacrosse/tennis) Paul Rutherford ’06; p. 42 Smith; p. 43 Rodney Cool; p. 44 Stoler; p. 45 Wilkerson. Cover Illustration: Gwen Keraval
From the Head of School Via Mercersburg Athletics Arts Class Notes
Mercersburg magazine is published by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications. Mercersburg Academy 300 East Seminary Street Mercersburg, Pennsylvania 17236 Magazine correspondence: Megan_Mallory@mercersburg.edu Class Notes correspondence: classnotes@mercersburg.edu Alumni correspondence/ change of address: alumni@mercersburg.edu 800-588-2550
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Editor: Megan Mallory Class Notes Editor: Tyler Miller Contributors: Brad Cramer, Jeff Goetz, Rachel Mallory, Tyler Miller, Lee Owen, Zally Price, Jillian Wilkerson Design: Aldrich Design Head of School: Katherine M. Titus Director of News and Content: Lee Owen Assistant Head for Advancement: Brian Hargrove Assistant Head for Enrollment: Quentin McDowell
Read us online: www.mercersburg.edu/magazine © Copyright 2017 Mercersburg Academy. All rights reserved. No content from this publication may be reproduced or reprinted in any form without the express written consent of Mercersburg Academy. Mercersburg Academy abides by both the spirit and the letter of the law in all its employment and admission policies. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or national or ethnic origin.
From the Head of School
Honoring Our Past and Embracing Our Future
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his year marks Mercersburg Academy’s 125th anniversary—our quasquicentennial! To honor our past, we will explore our roots in this coming year, identifying the core values of our school that have stood the test of time, as well as embracing those values that will be part of our future. In reading the book, A Century of Education at Mercersburg, written by H.M.J. Klein in 1936, I discovered part of a speech written by our founder Dr. William Mann Irvine for an address he gave to the school in 1923: One of the most satisfying things in the growth of the Academy during the past thirty years has been the development of the Mercersburg spirit. Mercersburg spirit in the words of one of our alumni is “Perfect devotion to the Mercersburg ideal.” The greatest ideal of Mercersburg is character. It is the spirit of overcoming, the spirit of giving, the spirit of reverence. It is seen in the words of our motto: Hard Work, Fair Play, Clean Life. I connected to these words because they still ring true today. Over the last 125 years, generations of faculty, staff, and students have cultivated and protected the core values of our school, which date back to its founding. It is special to be part of something that reflects such resilience, despite challenges along the way—like Dr. Irvine’s untimely death, the Main Hall fire, the Chapel walkout, and two world wars. Even today, as we face our own contemporary challenges, we remain true to our core ideals of integrity and character. This year our theme of “Courageous Conversations” will guide both our strategic design work and our campus dialogue about race, gender, politics, and other cul-
tural touchstones. These conversations reflect life at Mercersburg today and the range of questions and emotions that our students and faculty wrestle with: how to maintain a vibrant and healthy community while building on our strengths to create an authentic vision for our collective future. As an optimist who believes firmly in the best of people, I am filled with confidence in our great school. Thanks to the vision and hard work of those who came before us, we are blessed with a strong foundation. Our commitment today must be on the future: establishing Mercersburg as a leader among secondary schools, setting the example for best practices, and refining an educational model that will prepare our students for their path ahead, wherever it may take them.
Katherine M. Titus Head of School
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D AT E S T O R E M E M B E R
Mercersburg A roundup of what’s news, what’s new, and what Mercersburg people are talking about.
Dec 10
Christmas Candlelight Service 4:00 and 7:30 p.m., Irvine Memorial Chapel
Feb 25-Mar 1
Irving-Marshall Week
Mar 1
Declamation 7:15 p.m., Simon Theatre, Burgin Center for the Arts
May 26
Commencement 10:30 a.m.
Schedule subject to change; for a full and updated schedule of events, visit www.mercersburg.edu
Paula Chu (standing) leads a discussion on “Listening to Adolescents” during the 2017 Summer Faculty Institute.
Summer Faculty Institute Sends Teachers, Administrators Back to School Mercersburg held its second-annual Summer Faculty Institute for teachers and administrators August 14–18 on campus. For the first time, Mercersburg opened the weeklong event—which is geared toward classroom teachers and those working with adolescents in residential, counseling, and advisory settings—to education professionals from outside the Academy, in addition to the more than 55 Mercersburg faculty members who attended. The Institute featured keynote speakers Jessica Lahey (author of the New York Times best-seller The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed) and David Yeager (an experimental development psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin who has been called “one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of education”), as well as noted learning expert Dr. G. Christian Jernstedt; Paula Chu, Sam Osherson, Roland Davis, and Janet Sand of the Stanley H. King Counseling Institute; and digital-education pioneers Greg Kulowiec and Douglas Kiang. (Kulowiec and Kiang also served
on the faculty of Mercersburg’s first Summer Faculty Institute, which was attended by more than 40 members of the Academy faculty in August 2016.) “We want our faculty to stay on the cutting edge of brain research and technological advances in the classroom—and we want to do that in the context of the work we do with our students, so bringing in experts in the areas of counseling, advising, and listening to students is really important,” says Dr. Julia Stojak Maurer ’90, Mercersburg’s assistant head of school for academic affairs. “The Institute allows us to truly come together as a community of learners.” The Institute is one of several key initiatives supported by Mercersburg’s Daring to Lead Campaign, which surpassed its fundraising goal of $300 million at its completion in 2016. For more information about Mercersburg’s Summer Faculty Institute, visit www.mercersburg.edu/SFI2017.
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Mercersburg Finishes 2nd at RoboCup 2017 BY LEE OWEN
Robotics students Maddie Rogers ’17, Patrick Madden ’18, and Victor Li ’18 joined with alumnus and mentor Conner Caruso ’16 to place second in the Rapidly Manufactured Robot Competition (or RMRC) of RoboCup 2017, which was held July 27–31 in Nagoya, Japan. Mercersburg (which was the lone representative from the United States in the RMRC division) finished just eight points behind the winning team from Australia. Other finalists included teams from Japan and Mexico, as well as a second team from Australia. Mercersburg posted the top score in the preliminary round, which also featured teams from Brazil and China in addition to the aforementioned nations. “Our students did so well; we’re so proud of them,” said Assistant Head of School Julia Stojak Maurer ’90, who accompanied the students on the trip along with fellow faculty member Marcus Jaiclin. “They’ll be ready for next year.” Mercersburg has already secured a spot at RoboCup 2018, which will be held in Montreal, Canada. This trip marked the eighth-consecutive year for Mercersburg students to take part in the international RoboCup competition. Rogers, of Trappe, Pennsylvania, graduated from Mercersburg in May as co-valedictorian of the Class of 2017. She teamed with Madden (of Pleasant Valley, New York), Li (of Shanghai, China), and Caruso (of Hagerstown, Maryland) to form Mercersburg’s entry in the RMRC, which was moved up to RoboCup’s Majors (university research) division for the first time this year.
Pictured L-R: Conner Caruso ’16, Patrick Madden ’18, Maddie Rogers ’17, and Victor Li ’18 at RoboCup 2017 in Nagoya, Japan
Just 10 teams from around the world were selected to compete in the RMRC division, and Mercersburg was the lone American squad. It also marked the first time for Mercersburg students to participate at the highest level of RoboCup, which is an international competition and exposition that was created in 1997 with a goal of fostering AI and intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where a wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. Mercersburg RoboCup veteran Caroline Casparian ’16, who worked at the event as a volunteer judge, was also a part of the Academy contingent. Both Caruso and Casparian competed for Mercersburg at RoboCup Junior 2016 last summer in Leipzig, Germany, and Caruso also represented the school at the RoboCup Junior 2015 competition in Hefei, China.
In Germany last summer, Caruso and Casparian (of Cold Spring, New York) teamed with Suky Kuye ’16 to finish in a tie for second in the event, which was then known as Rescue Mini and was part of RoboCup Junior’s international competition. Maurer, who created the school’s robotics curriculum in 2004, attended her first international RoboCup event in 2007 alongside Jeff Chung ’08, who became the first Mercersburg student to compete internationally. The event was held that year in Atlanta, Georgia, and Maurer decided that Mercersburg should set a goal of one day sending its students to compete in the RoboCup Majors division at the international level. (The dream officially came true in Japan.) “To see this happen for our students is truly amazing,” Maurer says. “It’s a long process, but it’s such an incredible oppor-
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tunity for our students to be a part of this.” For the competition, participants are challenged to create a small robot (no more than 30 centimeters wide) that can be manufactured using readily-available materials that enable responders to safely and effectively perform hazardous mission tasks—such as rescue efforts in collapsed structures. Many of the robots in the competition (including Mercersburg’s, which the team nicknamed “Daddy-O”) were built largely with 3D-printed materials. Rogers and Caruso oversaw the construction and design of the robot, with Madden and Li working on the programming of
the controller and handling the communication between the controller and robot. The robot faces a course that contains several sections (or pallets) with a variety of terrain. Obstacles include gravel, a one-meter drop (which the robot must successfully navigate without breaking), ramps, movable pipes, debris, and more. As part of the challenge, the robot may have to complete numerous computer vision tasks—including tracking a moving object, automatically identifying specific objects such as hazardous material symbols, and other tests of camera precision. This simulates the search for survivors or other
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important objects in a disaster scenario. (The robot is remote controlled, and the driver’s vision is limited to what can be seen through the robot’s cameras.) In addition to the previously mentioned international RoboCup events in Germany (2016), China (2015), and Atlanta (2007), Mercersburg students have also competed at RoboCups held in Brazil (2014), the Netherlands (2013), Mexico (2012), Turkey (2011), and Singapore (2010). To s e e a v i d e o o f t h e 2 0 1 7 RoboCup event created by Caruso, visit bit.ly/MburgRCvid.
MEET OUR NEW FACULTY
Ten new faculty members have been appointed at Mercersburg for the 2017-2018 academic year. Front row (L–R): Maggie Howes (English/history), Kelsey Steiner (mathematics), Alexandra Patterson (director of library services). Second row: Jackie Sweeney (dormitory dean), Kristin Magalhães (mathematics/dormitory dean), Kristin Ahlgren (English). Back row: Chris Howes (dean of student life), Liam Chatterton (admission & financial aid), Matt Bresler (fine arts), Jeff Adair ’98 (history).
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Dalton, Cohen, Patterson Named Endowed Chair Holders
Jeff Cohen
Denise Dalton
Alexandra Patterson
helped establish his successful career in investHead of School Katie Titus has appointed three In addition to Dalton, Cohen, ment banking and investment management. Mercersburg faculty members as holders of and Patterson, other Mercersburg Cohen has taught at Mercersburg since endowed chairs, including two (Denise Dalton faculty members holding endowed chairs include: 2004 and is in his fourth year as head of the and Jeff Cohen) who are the inaugural recipimathematics department. He lives in Main Hall Eric Hicks, Robert R. Black ’25 ents of their respective honors. Dalton is the Chair (appointed 2014) and is head coach of the junior varsity baseball first recipient of the Douglas Hale Teaching Julia Stojak Maurer ’90, Walter and junior varsity girls’ tennis teams. Cohen Chair, and Cohen is the inaugural holder of the H. Burgin Jr. ’53 Chair in received the Zern Excellence in Teaching Joseph F. Huber ’64 Department Chair of Mathematics (2004) Award in 2007–2008 and spent four summers Mathematics. Fellow faculty member Alexandra Tom Thorne, David F. Chapman Chair (2001) working with Mercersburg’s ESL program. Patterson has been named the Marjorie McCrae Jim Malone, John L. and Cora I. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Bucknell McCulloh Chair for the Library Director. Grove Chair (1997) University and also holds a master’s from the The Hale Teaching Chair was established Emily Parsons, Marilyn and University of New Hampshire. by Board of Regents President Deborah Simon Robert M. Kurtz Jr. ’52 Chair for The McCulloh Chair for the Library American Studies (2015) ’74 to support faculty compensation and profesDirector was established through the estate sional-development opportunities. The Chair Peter Kempe, Mary Keeler Lawrence Distinguished Teaching of Carroll D. McCulloh ’27 in memory of honors Doug Hale, Mercersburg’s sixth head Chair (2014) his wife, Marjorie McCrae McCulloh. Funds of school, whose tenure was marked by signifiPete Gunkelman, Margery and for the Chair are to be used to support the cant growth in faculty, admission, academic proEdgar Masinter ’48 Chair for the Outdoor Education Director Mercersburg Library Director, including comgrams, technology, the overall physical plant, (2013) pensation and other types of direct support. and endowment. Laurie Mufson, Palmer Chair for Patterson is in her fourth year at Mercersburg; Dalton, who has taught at Mercersburg since the Fine Arts (2008) she spent her first three years here as a research 2002, is the school’s director of dance and a Chip Vink ’73, Regenstein Chair in librarian before her appointment as director British Literature (2014) past head of the fine-arts department. She was of library services prior to the 2017–2018 acathe 2013–2014 recipient of the Ammerman Allison Stephens, John H. ’07 and Florence Rumbaugh Chair (2011) demic year. She has worked with faculty and Distinguished Teaching Award for Religious & Frank Rutherford ’70, Archibald H. students on information literacy and research, Interdisciplinary Studies. Her choreography has Rutledge Chair (2001) and has helped the library develop diverse been featured nationally and internationally, collections of print and non-print materials. and she has participated in several international Patterson earned a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and a service projects, including trips to South Africa, Swaziland, India, master’s in library science from the University of North Carolina and Peru. Dalton holds a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a residential faculty member in Fowle Hall University and a master of fine arts from New York University. on campus. The Huber Department Chair of Mathematics was established The Hale and Huber Chairs were created by generous gifts by Regent Emeritus Joe Huber to support teaching excellence at received during Mercersburg’s Daring to Lead Campaign, which Mercersburg. The Chair honors former faculty members Herbert surpassed its $300 million fundraising goal at its completion “Fido” Kempton, Stephen Chandler, and Walter H. Burgin Jr. ’53, in 2016. who inspired Joe’s interest and excellence in mathematics, which
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Burg’s Eye View
CAMPUS NOTES
Longtime faculty member Peter Kempe delivered the address at Mercersburg’s 2017–2018 Opening Convocation, which marked the start of the Academy’s 125th academic year, in September in the Irvine Memorial Chapel. Kempe has taught German at Mercersburg since 1994. He is director of Mercersburg’s Advanced Program for Global Studies (MAPS) and the school’s Mary Keeler Lawrence Distinguished Teaching Chair. He coordinates Mercersburg’s exchange program with the Gauss Gymnasium in Worms, Germany, and regularly takes his students on study/travel trips to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Kempe has served on the AP German Test Development Committee and as a College Board and ETS consultant, and has worked as a table and question leader during the grading of German AP exams. He spent 12 seasons as Mercersburg’s head boys’ soccer coach and holds the national B license of the DFB (German Soccer Federation). He and his wife, Lucia, have three children: Anika ’09, Stefan ’13, and Antonia ’18. Also at Convocation, Kate Frimet ’18 of Washingtonville, New York, received the Robert H. Michelet ’30 Prize, which is awarded to the student who, during the upper middler
Katherine Dyson is the 2017–2018 recipient of the Ammerman Distinguished Teaching Award for Religious & Interdisciplinary Studies, while David Bell is this year’s Zern Excellence in Teaching Award honoree. The awards, which are presented on an annual basis to two members of the Mercersburg faculty, were announced at the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year by Head of School Katie Titus. Dyson is in her fifth year at Mercersburg, where she teaches English and is the school’s director of community engagement; she was also Mercersburg’s head girls’ varsity lacrosse coach for four seasons. She spent a summer teaching and working at the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (a boarding school for girls in Kabul), and has served as an online tutor for SOLA students. Dyson has also worked as a consultant for a nonprofit organization in Nepal and David Bell India. She previously taught and
Kate Frimet ’18
Megan List ’20
Peter Kempe
(11th grade) year, most distinguishes himself or herself in scholarship, character, and school spirit. The award is supported by an endowment established by Simon Michelet in memory of his son, Robert ’30, whose career at the Academy and at Dartmouth College was almost ideal in its quality and influence. The yield on the endowment is presented each year to the recipient on the assumption that it will be for use during the senior year. Megan List ’20 of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania,
was chosen for the John H. Culbertson ’24 Prize. The award is supported by the F.M. Kirby Foundation of Morristown, New Jersey, which established an endowed program of scholarships to honor the late John H. Culbertson ’24. It recognizes a student entering the 10th grade who gives evidence of exceptional promise and who has already demonstrated outstanding accomplishment.
coached at Saint James School in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is a graduate of Providence College. Dyson is an adviser and residential faculty member in Fowle Hall on campus. Bell came to Mercersburg in 1997. He has taught history, served as director of the library and director of community service, coached, and worked as an adviser and the school’s sports
communication director. He continues to serve as an assistant girls’ varsity basketball coach. Bell held the Marjorie McCrae McCulloh Chair for the Library Director from 2004 to 2008 and was the 2012–2013 recipient of the Ammerman Distinguished Teaching Award for Religious & Interdisciplinary Studies. He and his wife, Julie (an assistant librarian at Mercersburg), have two daughters, Jennifer ’17 and Emily ’18. The Ammerman Distinguished Teaching Award for Religious & Interdisciplinary Studies was established by Andrew Ammerman ’68 and his mother, the late Josephine Ammerman, while the Zern Excellence in Teaching Award was established by Allen Zern ’61 and his wife, Judith. Andrew Ammerman and Allen Zern are both emeriti members of Mercersburg’s Board of Regents.
Katherine Dyson
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1,025 Words
125 years in the making: Students and faculty kick off Mercersburg’s 125th anniversary with the traditional Convocation day photo on the steps of Main Hall.
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1893 START OF SOMETHING LEGENDARY THE
In the fall of 1893, with 40 boys, four instructors, and four acres of leased ground, William Mann Irvine launched a school known then as Mercersburg College (it officially adopted the name Mercersburg Academy in 1897). Now, more than a century later, Mercersburg embarks on the 2017–2018 academic year, which will culminate in commencement exercises for Mercersburg’s 125th graduating class. From that very first class to the Class of 2018, from dorms without running water to keycard access at every entryway, from 40 boys to more than 400 young men and women, so much has changed, but at the same time, so much has stayed the same. Throughout this year, we celebrate all that has made Mercersburg special over the last 125 years and all that makes it strong going into the next 125 years. This issue of Mercersburg magazine is dedicated to beginnings, celebrating the spirit of Mercersburg’s own creation and highlighting other beginnings in various shapes and forms. Mercersburg’s First Years Mercersburg’s formation actually dates back to 1836, when the Academy’s predecessor, Marshall College, was founded at Mercersburg. Although
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Marshall College moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1853, the preparatory department of the college remained on its original site and was chartered as Mercersburg College in 1865. In 1893, Mercersburg’s Board of Regents elected Dr. Irvine, who was 28 years old at the time, to lead the institution. Under his guidance, Mercersburg’s history as a college-preparatory school began. When Irvine took over, the country was mired in its worst recession to date, and the school had a $5,000 debt and meager facilities and enrollment. Within four years under Irvine’s leadership, the school was debt-free, and within 10 years, Mercersburg had become the fourth largest boarding school in the nation. So much of what we recognize as Mercersburg today can be found in those first years with Dr. Irvine at the helm. For instance, did you know… • In 1894, the first debate between the Washington Irving Literary Society and the John Marshall Literary Society took place, although both societies date back to 1866 (and precedent for societies began in 1835).
• In 1899, the drama club adopted the name that we know it by now: Stony Batter. • In 1900, teacher Thomas Crichton wrote the “Mercersburg Alma Mater.” • The first issues of The Mercersburg News and The Lit appeared in 1901. • Electric lights replaced kerosene lamps (1902) and the dormitories got running water (1904). • The first Alumni Quarterly printed in 1905. • H.H. Hill (1909) wrote “Old Mercersburg” the same year he graduated. • The first alumni reunion took place in 1910. • In 1919, bathrooms were installed on every campus dormitory floor. • The Alumni Council formed in 1923.
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“As an educator I believe thoroughly in the enrichment of life and I hold that the purpose of education is not to make a living but to make a life.” —DR. WILLIAM MANN IRVINE
And of course, the campus matured. The following buildings joined the original three—Old Main Hall, North Cottage, and South Cottage—on Mercersburg’s landscape: Keil Hall (1900), ’Eighty-eight Dormitory (1903), Laucks Hall (1906), Nolde Gymnasium (1912), Traylor Hall (1922), and the Chapel (1926). A new Main Hall and Annex were built after the old ones burned down (1927). By 1917, Mercersburg had grown to be the third largest boys’ boarding school in the country, increasing annual boarding tuition from $200 in 1893 to $650 in 1918. The first quartercentury in Mercersburg’s history closed with World War I, where more than 1,600 alumni fought and 55 of those individuals gave their lives for the cause. The Mercersburg Chapel is dedicated to their memory and to the mothers who sent their sons to Mercersburg, and was rededicated in Irvine’s memory in 1993. On June 4, 1928, Irvine collapsed at Step Songs and died
one week later. At the time of his death, the school consisted of 120 acres, 50 teachers, and 500 students. During Mercersburg’s first 35 years under Irvine’s leadership, the Academy saw Medal of Honor recipients, Olympians, and sons of presidents all pass through its halls. Each was taught hard work, fair play, and clean living as modeled by Dr. William Mann Irvine—a model Mercersburg still upholds today. You are Mercersburg Over the course of this year and in celebration of Mercersburg’s 125th anniversary, Mercersburg magazine will look back at all that has made and continues to make Mercersburg strong. In the next three issues, we will commemorate the impact of our first headmaster, explore the changes Mercersburg has experienced over the years, and look to the future and what the next 125 years (or at least the next five!) will look like.
To tell Mercersburg’s story,
we want your help!
What stands out to you about your time at Mercersburg? When you think of the school and its history, what do you think of? Is there a part of the school’s history that you want to know more about? Send your memories, questions, and comments to Megan Mallory, Mercersburg’s editor, at mallorym@mercersburg.edu. You might just find yourself in a future issue of the magazine.
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PEER P O U R G
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r u o Y f o g n i n Th e B e g i n y l i m a F g r u b s r Me rc e BY MEGAN MAL
LORY
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The 2016-2017 Peer Group Leaders and ninth graders enjoy a fall day at Cowans Gap State Park.
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PEER GROUP
Sarah Perryman ’18 (center) and Riley Viener ’18 (back, blue shirt) participate in an activity with their Peer Group during Inbound 2017.
At
the start of the 2017–2018 academic year, Mercersburg welcomed 82 ninth graders who form the Academy’s Class of 2021. In addition to meeting their advisers, joining performance group activities, getting to know their roommates and prefects, and learning the locations of campus buildings, these ninth graders are also gathering every Wednesday night in groups of 10–12 with two senior leaders (one boy and one girl). These groups—known as Peer Groups—began meeting as soon as the Class of 2021 arrived on campus at the end of August, and they will continue to meet through the middle of February. The groups are intended to help ninth graders acclimate to boarding school, and they have been a part of each ninth grader’s introduction to Mercersburg since 1985. “The Peer Group program is really about building relation-
ships with other students,” says Sarabeth Henne ’15, a former Peer Group Leader. “I think something that Mercersburg does really, really well is that I never felt like ninth graders were separate from the 10th graders, and 10th graders were separate from the 11th graders, and so on. There was such a good sense of community, and the Peer Group program is a testament to that. It’s the beginning of your Mercersburg family.” Mercersburg’s program, started by faculty emeritus and former School Minister Dr. Lawrence Jones, is based on the Peer Group Connection (PGC), a national program founded by Sharon Rose Powell to help students acclimate to high school— whether that school is private, public, boarding, or day. On a national level, PGC focuses on increasing a student’s sense of connectedness to school, improving communication skills, fur-
ON LEADING A GROUP…
Do not underestimate the power of high-school seniors in rising to the challenge of controlling a group. Often they need help or advice from the faculty, but sometimes they are awfully good on their own.” —Larry Jones, faculty emeritus
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ON LEADING A GROUP…
I was a day student, so it was a little bit different for me. Day students kind of stuck together because we’re all from around here, and Peer Group forced me to get to know kids outside of that day-student circle that I had. As a leader, it was cool because I had day students in my group, so I was able to relate to them or give them tips.” —Nick Miller ’17
FACULTY PEER GROUP ADVISERS OVER THE YEARS
Larry Jones Phil Post Debbie Rutherford Joel Chace Beth Davis Allison Stephens Sue Wootton Peter Kempe Ray Larson Denise Dalton Susan Luisi Christine Sands Betsy Cunningham Rebecca Rose Will Whitmore
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thering a student’s goal-setting and decision-making abilities, and enhancing a student’s desire and preparedness to graduate and move on to college. In turn, Mercersburg takes the goals and structure of PGC and focuses the program to meet its specific needs as a school. “Around 1985 [when Peer Group began], there were a lot of things happening at Mercersburg in terms of building up the residential program, including the creation of the current adviser system,” says Debbie Rutherford, associate head of school and former faculty adviser to the Peer Group program with Jones in the 1980s. “A lot of things were starting to take shape and build, and we wanted something a bit more deliberate for the ninth graders as they made the huge transition from living at home to boarding school.” “For the ninth graders, it’s another comfort group that they can have,” says faculty member Betsy Cunningham, who leads the program today along with fellow faculty members Will Whitmore and Rebecca Rose. “They might have their teams, their dorms, their adviser groups, but this is just another touch point, another safety net that we have where they can feel comfortable and they can feel connected.” The program is designed completely around peer-to-peer interaction. While faculty coordinate, it is up to the senior leaders to run the show. Seniors meet weekly with their group of ninth graders to discuss any issues the students might experience, such as homesickness, roommate challenges, or peer pressure. During these meetings, faculty leaders join for about 10 minutes to quietly observe. After the Peer Group sessions, senior leaders and faculty converse as a group to debrief and troubleshoot any issues that come up. “We end up catching some of the things that don’t get caught by the adviser or the teachers just because there’s not a teacher in the room,” Cunningham says. “When it’s just students, they are a little more willing to be forthcoming about the reality of where they are. At first, the ninth graders have no idea all these touch points—all these safety nets—exist every day.” While the program focuses on bringing ninth graders into the fold, the seniors also benefit from the leadership skills they acquire as they work with their groups. “As a mentor, I think the program might have helped me more than I felt I was helping the kids,” says Mary Lancaster ’08, a former Peer Group Leader. “I thought I did my best to guide them, but the program really forced you as an older student into a role of responsibility and gave you a feeling of carefulness with your words. I’m now studying to be a lawyer, so I am hyper-conscious of my words. I’d love to say that started with the Peer Group program. I don’t know if it necessarily did, but the feeling that people are listening to you and that what you say and how you say it really matters was a big part of the Peer Group program.” To help seniors prepare as leaders, Mercersburg faculty members guide them through an intense, three-day training
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PEER GROUP Peer Group Leaders for the 20172018 academic year: Front row (L-R): Thomas Vickery, Antonia Kempe, Sydney Hosbein, Campbell Drennan, Rachel Carter, Sarah Perryman. Second row (L-R): Riley Viener, Xavier Dreux, Mikale Williams, Grace Simar, Ava Paul, Cole Johnson.
prior to the start of the school year. “We went through a lot of things that the kids would go through and saw what that did for us and what that might do for them,” says Nick Miller ’17, who just completed his senior year as a Peer Group Leader. “We talked a lot about the stages that a group might go through, the standard ways that groups come together and form, and we got to know each other as leaders. So, it was mostly getting ourselves well equipped to do this.” At the end of the training, when it is time to pair the students with their co-leaders, that decision is left entirely to the seniors. The faculty leaders send the seniors off by themselves to discuss and make the selection based on all that the students have learned about complementary leadership styles during the training. Sometimes this process takes 20 minutes and sometimes it takes three hours, but the students cannot come back until they have paired themselves off, and everyone must agree on the pairings. “That is their first problem-solving exercise,” says faculty emeritus Ray Larson, who served as one of the faculty leaders from 1995 to 2016. “Then we assigned students to those pairs. There was no changing of students. That’s like being a teacher. You are given a class, and you can’t choose necessarily who your students will be. Some groups were good and some groups were not so good, and we told them that up front. There’s no way
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ON LEADING A GROUP…
The debrief that we would have was valuable. Understanding that despite the fact that we have roughly the same structure for each group—two co-leaders (one male and one female), roughly the same number of ninth graders in each group—there are still huge differences in the dynamic of each group. Even if you have control of many variables, the results can be so different, and that’s important because it proves that there’s no right answer. The process is the answer, and I think that’s really vital.” —Mary Lancaster ’08
we’re going to know the dynamics beforehand, and that’s part of the learning experience.” To be chosen as a Peer Group Leader, applicants navigate several rounds of consideration at the close of their 11th-grade year: a written application, an interview with two current senior leaders, a round-robin discussion where all applicants and all current leaders get to meet and ask each other questions, and then a waiting period where faculty and current leaders meet to discuss the positive attributes of each candidate. “If you go through all of that to become a Peer Group Leader, you don’t want to lose it, and you don’t want to take it casually,” says Jones. “All of the ninth graders get to experience Peer Group, but only 10 to 12 of the seniors get to experience it. We would always have 20 to 25 kids of each sex applying, and only five or six of each could be accepted. I hated the selection process where we had to turn down really, really good people. That was the hardest part.” PEER GROUP 30 YEARS APART In the fall of 1987, Kristin Butterfield Vickery ’88 became one of the early Peer Group student leaders at Mercersburg. “My 10thgrade year was the first year of the Peer Group program, so no one from my class experienced Peer Group as a ninth grader,” says Vickery. “I was attracted to the idea of doing this project with Larry Jones, who was my mentor, and Mrs. Rutherford, who was the other faculty adviser. I knew that they would give us the support we needed to do the job well, and it just seemed to me like something that would be great to help the ninth graders become comfortable and grow in their position at the school.” Vickery joined nine other students, who all represented various social circles at Mercersburg. While she describes the
Mercersburg Support System Prefects and residential faculty on all dormitory floors (faculty on duty every night and weekend in the dormitories) Fully staffed Health Center available 24/7
Adviser system
Campus security (24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year) Peer Group
Family-style meals with faculty presence
Multiple full-time counselors for students
Academic support (Learning Services, Writing Center, Math Center, Language Media Center)
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ON LEADING A GROUP…
I can’t remember what the topic was, but there was a challenging session where everyone was quiet. Since people weren’t talking, we said, ‘Okay, let’s just draw.’ My co-leader [Matt Kettering ’90] was an artist. He was amazing at sketching, so he drew a picture of the kids in a bulldozer dumping them into a big waste bin because he was getting so frustrated. It turned out to be a really good drawing. It was funny, and it opened them up to laugh and chat. He found a different way to get them to talk.” —Ann Kaguyutan ’90
PEER GROUP
group as disparate, the 10 leaders became a cohesive unit by the end of the year. “I have this great picture of [my co-leaders and me], which was probably taken on the last day when we were in the basement of the Irvine Memorial Chapel,” Vickery says. “We took what was then the equivalent of a selfie, which meant we stood in front of a mirror and someone in the back took a picture of the mirror with all of us in it, and you can see that it wasn’t just 10 people standing together. It was 10 kids who’d grown really incredibly close to each other over the course of the year. I think getting to know the other leaders and getting to be close with them was one of the best memories that I have of Peer Group.” Thirty years after Vickery’s experience, her son, Thomas Vickery ’18, is in the midst of his own year as a Peer Group Leader. Just like his mother, Thomas did not take part in Peer Group as a ninth grader (he came to Mercersburg at the start of his 10th-grade year). “I had heard Peer Group was a lot of fun,” Thomas Vickery says. “Being a leader was something I began thinking about doing during my sophomore and 11thgrade year because it seemed like a really cool thing to be able to help ninth graders through their first half-year and beyond and also to form a really strong friendship with your co-leader.
“So, I asked my mom about it and she said she thought I should apply and that I would have fun, but I think she understood that it has changed a lot since she went here. She said it was probably a completely different experience, and I should talk to my friends and the current Peer Group Leaders before I decided.” Over the course of 30 years, the program has indeed changed in some ways. When it began, it was a full year in length, and groups met during the school day. Now the program ends after half a year and groups meet in the evenings. As Rutherford says, “Because the format is such a strong, powerful model, that part has pretty much stayed the same over the years. We’re always talking about content and how it fits in and how it’s going to jive with what’s going on in the school. So, I think the program is very flexible and open, but the format of senior leaders and the ninth graders has stayed the same.” Some of the topics the seniors are taking on with the ninth graders this year include discovering similarities and differences within members of each group, understanding technology use and abuse, working within a team to accomplish a goal, exploring each student’s cultural identity, learning how to prepare for exams, and more. As in previous years, these topics will shift
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Helping Hands The Academy’s connection to the Mercersburg Rotary Club’s annual Santa’s Toy Box program began through the Peer Group program and faculty emeritus Ray Larson. “A while back, before we had an official communityservice program at Mercersburg, the school was looking for community-service ideas,” Larson says. “This was when we had maybe 40 ninth graders. So, I brought the Peer Groups down to the Rotary Club to wrap gifts at Christmas time for Santa’s Toy Box, and they just loved it. And now the Rotary Club depends on the students because they have so many gifts to wrap, and every year kids who have done it the previous year come back and do it again on their own. It’s a really nice community activity for everybody.” Last year, more than 200 Mercersburg students wrapped almost 2,500 presents for about 300 area children in just 90 minutes.
and change as each group finds what works best for them and what individual challenges and needs arise. “My experience has been great so far,” says Thomas Vickery. “My group is awesome, and we’re all getting along really well. The best parts are our interactions outside of Peer Group. Whether it’s just saying hi or having a full-on conversation, it’s really rewarding.” “Mercersburg is such an amazing and unique community,” Kristin Vickery says, “and it seems natural to me that we would have a program like Peer Group where two seniors spend an hour every week with a group of ninth graders to help them feel comfortable and a part of the community and family. It’s kind of fun to know that I had a part in its early days and that now, 30 years later, hopefully Thomas will have as good an experience as I did.” A LASTING IMPRESSION From 1985 through today, the core of Peer Group—seniors helping ninth graders—remains strong and continues to be part of the start of every new year at Mercersburg. “It’s a wonderful outlet to have,” says former Peer Group Leader Ann Kaguyutan ’90. “There are so many more resources on the Internet these days, but to have that additional outlet of sitting down and meeting with an intimate group of folks faceto-face, in real life, and in real time, to talk and to share, that makes a big difference.”
As Jones thinks back over his time with the program, he emphasizes faculty involvement as one reason Peer Group has become a staple at Mercersburg. “There’s great support for the program,” he says. “Those faculty members involved in it over the years have been very effective in helping the seniors along and in organizing things for the ninth graders, and the other faculty—those not involved in the program—have been supportive in seeing the Peer Group Leaders as real leaders and people who are making a difference in the school.” Many of these Peer Group Leaders stay connected to their groups or fellow leaders long after their groups finish gathering, and some groups continue to meet informally after the official last meeting in February. “Every time I come back to campus, which isn’t often because I go to college at Arizona State University, my Peer Group members will come up and say hi and ask how I’m doing,” Henne says. “Next spring, when they graduate, I’m definitely going to come out for their graduation.” Miller, who is experiencing his own new beginnings as a freshman at Villanova University this fall, underscores what he feels is the real strength of Mercersburg’s Peer Group program now and into the future: “These freshmen have someone to say hi to in the dining hall, and that’s so big. A lot of these kids are dropped into this totally new world. Just having that person, that senior who checks in with them, is so important, and I think that’s really the essence of Peer Group.”
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COLLEGE COUNSELING
How Each Grade Prepares for Life After Mercersburg By Rachel Mallory, Associate Director of College Counseling
APPLYING TO COLLEGE can be both daunting and exciting. As we help prepare students for the new beginning that awaits them after leaving Mercersburg, the College Counseling Office follows an approach known as the developmental model, which aligns with students’ personal and maturational development. Whenever students enter Mercersburg—whether in the ninth grade, 12th grade, or somewhere in between—we as college counselors immediately begin building lasting relationships and encourage them to pursue meaningful activities and self-reflection. We want to foster self-inquiry and skill-set development in students before they are asked to describe themselves in a college application. As you read through this issue of Mercersburg magazine, let me show you what this time of year means for each grade level at Mercersburg when it comes to preparing for college.
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JUNIORS (NINTH GRADERS): EXPLORING COMMUNITY AND SETTING GOALS Although their Mercersburg career has just begun, juniors will begin thinking about the year ahead by setting realistic, attainable goals in academics, school activities, and within their home communities. Their focus during the ninth grade is to acclimate to boarding school and get involved. Through athletic teams and arts groups, dorm life, and various clubs and organizations, ninth graders have ample opportunity for meaningful engagement. At this point in the school year, they have just completed their first term and are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned and how they might improve. In early January, they will meet in small groups with their college counselor to define goals for the winter and spring terms. We are not focusing attention toward college, but rather helping them establish structure and direction for their interests. At this stage, it is most important for their holistic development to be reading—anything and everything.
Rachel Mallory (right) meets with Grace Jackson ’18 to explore college options.
“We want to foster selfinquiry and skill-set development in students before they are asked to describe themselves in a college application.” — RACHEL MALLORY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING
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LOWER MIDDLERS (10TH GRADERS): DISCOVERING THEIR STRENGTHS December marks the beginning of our group sessions with the lower middlers and early conversations about the road ahead. The PSAT takes place in October, and by December, members of the college counseling staff are standing by to help translate the numbers. PSAT scores provide a wealth of information to students regarding skill sets and areas for academic improvement so they can begin to strengthen these skills now. (Remember, the PSAT is a practice test in 10th grade, as many students have not completed high enough levels in math and other academic subjects to be as fully familiar with the content as they will be next year.)
In our December meetings, college counselors will introduce the lower middlers to an electronic platform known as Naviance Family Connection, which is used to communicate with students and families. They will also explore useful selfassessments: StrengthsExplorer and the Career Interest Profiler. These assessments provide language to help students articulate their interests and talents as they continue defining themselves in and out of the classroom. In February, we will meet again in small groups to discuss the results of these assessments. Developmentally, students are coming into their own identity in 10th grade; we aim to provide our students with language and tools to communicate and maximize their self-knowledge.
Recent College Trends • The average student today applies to seven to 10 colleges. At Mercersburg, students are encouraged to apply to at least two “likely” schools, two or three “possible” schools, two or three “reach” schools, and one or two “far reach” schools. Counselors encourage them to visit a mix of those schools. • An increasing number of students—particularly from Germany and Japan—are returning to their home countries for college instead of attending an American school. • More students are attending college at a school’s campus in a different part of the world. • More students are taking advantage of gap years before going on to college (those students are more likely to finish college in four years and are more likely to have a higher GPA).
UPPER MIDDLERS (11TH GRADERS): GEARING UP FOR THE SEARCH At this point in the year, our upper middlers are just beginning to delve into the details of the college search process. In October, the upper middlers met with us for an official kickoff to the college search process where we outlined the months ahead. We meet again in December to review PSAT results and start individual meetings. Not only do we begin traditional college counseling at this time for calendar purposes, but also because students are solidifying their interests and passions, as explored during ninth and 10th grades. They have an identity that is meaningful to them. Students’ academic coursework has also prepared them to consider appropriate rigor at the college level. They are also beginning standardized-test preparation through our partnership (at no cost to families) with Marks Education, one of the top test-prep companies in the country. Marks recommends the SAT or ACT for each student, based on which exam will maximize his or her abilities. Students take both the PSAT and a mock ACT to help determine which test to focus on going forward. In the months ahead, our office will communicate with students and families using Naviance Family Connection. Students will begin meeting individually with their counselors and creating college lists based on interests, strengths, and academic profile. On average, college counselors meet with 11th graders at least three times during the school year—and sometimes as many as six or seven times.
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Investment in College Counseling and Test Prep Makes a Difference Percentage of Graduating Class Accepted at Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges’ “Most Competitive” Institutions
CLASS OF 2013
51%
CLASS OF 2014
48%
CLASS OF 2015
61%
CLASS OF 2016
63%
CLASS OF 2017
67% 0
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SENIORS: TAKING ON APPLICATIONS AND NEXT STEPS The fall is an especially busy time for Mercersburg seniors. By this point in the academic year, seniors have actively worked with their college counselors to finalize college lists, revise personal essays, and meet early-application deadlines. More than 75 percent of the senior class has applied to at least one school by November 1! Others who have not yet applied are working closely with their counselors to follow a timeline appropriate to their academic progress and priorities within the college search. Each student varies in readiness and motivation to complete college applications; therefore, our department helps them identify individual strengths and recognize colleges that will compliment these traits. All seniors are also looking ahead to January deadlines. Following Thanksgiving Break, many seniors are preparing to receive decisions regarding early applications. It is an exciting time, but can also be filled with heightened emotions. Families are encouraged to celebrate the good news and also process lessthan-positive outcomes together. Developmentally, teenagers need reassurance of their accomplishments and reminders that college decisions are not personal-worth evaluations.
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Later in the year, we will host a “Roast Your Rejections” session, where seniors bring their rejection letters to burn in the Simon Student Center fire pit while enjoying marshmallows, and in May, we put together a Senior Celebration when everyone wears college gear. All seniors are invited to this celebration, even if they plan to take a gap year prior to the start of college. **** No matter where a student is in his or her Mercersburg journey, each college counselor encourages all families to see the College Counseling Office as a resource in developing each student’s inherent strengths through self-awareness appropriate for their developmental level. A student’s college counselor remains the same from the moment that student enters Mercersburg until graduation. That counselor supports and advocates for the student and knows the student inside and out. We are committed to cultivating an ongoing relationship with students and helping them articulate their interests, skills, and talents when it comes time to complete the college application.
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Q&A
WITH NEW BOARD OF REGENTS PRESIDENT DEBORAH SIMON ’74
Interview by Megan Mallory
DEBORAH SIMON ’74 officially assumed the presidency of Mercersburg’s Board of Regents in July. Simon served as a member of the Board of Regents from 1992 to 1994 and was re-elected in 2000. She has held the role of vice president since 2013 and has served on nearly every Board committee, including as chair of the Advancement Committee. As Simon begins her tenure as president, Mercersburg magazine sat down with her to ask about her time at Mercersburg as a student and her goals for the school moving forward.
Mercersburg magazine: What would you like readers to know about the work of the Board of Regents? Deborah Simon: The Board works very hard to make sure our children are safe and secure
at Mercersburg and to ensure that they receive a great education and a great living experience. We want them to grow up to be solid citizens of their communities and the world and to know the ethical standards to which we hold people at Mercersburg: integrity and honesty. Those are important factors that the faculty and staff teach. I think that’s a big lesson to learn there. I learned that when I was at Mercersburg, and that part of our mission has not changed. There are no rich, there are no poor, there are just Mercersburg students. All students have something to give back to society and to the people of the world. MM: What was Mercersburg like when you were a student? DS: I graduated in 1974. I came to Mercersburg in 1972, and we were the first boarding class of women, so that was interesting. It was also the time of President Nixon and Watergate, the Vietnam War, and all those things that made our country a little radical. So, we had a lot of hippies in our class. All those things were happening during the ’70s, so there was a big movement to disrupt, and some of us did. But it was all good. It was all in the avenue of learning about other people, and I think that Walter Burgin ’53, who was headmaster at the time, was a steady influence on us to get us through it. Some people got involved in a mass streak— not me, I was a good girl—but a lot of people Deborah Simon ’74 (center) performs in a Stony Batter production during her time as a student.
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streaked across the campus. They’d surprise you, and that was funny. I just sat there and laughed a lot. It was a funny time. Mercersburg also gave me a time to flex my wings in writing and in acting, which I loved, and in music. I loved being in the performances at the school—from the plays to music. That, to me, was a great release of tension. My parents were going through a pretty bad divorce, and they decided to send me away so I wouldn’t take it personally. It was a very difficult time in my life, and Mercersburg filled the role of being both a parent and adviser and a fun place. Mercersburg saved my life. It really did. It gave me a purpose. It gave me the education I needed, and it became a love in my heart that has not gone away. No college has ever done that for me, but Mercersburg has.
MM: How do you think Mercersburg has changed (or stayed the same) over the years? DS: What has stayed the same is our commitment to excellence, our commitment to ethical behavior, and our commitment to fairness and equality for all. I think those are the things that I have seen every Board member express here. The things that have changed have been, of course, the head of school from Walter Burgin ’53 to Doug Hale to Katie Titus, the new buildings, and new academic classes. We never had dance before, and now we have dance. We have art. We have drama. We have music of all kinds. Those things have evolved nicely. A few of them were here when I was a kid, but others were not. Probably the quality of the education has gone up 100 percent.
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Previous Presidents of the Board of Regents Rev. Dr. William Deatrick (1893–1895)* Hon. Rush Gillan (1895–1927) Col. James Barnes (1927–1934) Earl Douglass (1909), P ’35 (1934–1960) Vice Adm. Joel Boone (1909) (1960–1964) Austin McClain ’26, P ’52 (1964–1971) John Detwiler ’29 (1971–1974) W. Carroll Coyne ’50, P ’77 (1974–1982) Carl Erdman ’33, P ’59 (1982–1988) Robert Claytor Esq. ’40, P ’78 (1988–1990) Hon. Nicholas Taubman ’53 (1990–1994) H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest Esq. ’49 (1994–1998) Edgar Masinter Esq. ’48 (1998–2001) William Zimmerman ’67, P ’96 (2001–2005) Denise Dupré ’76 (2005–2012) David Frantz ’60 (2012–2017) * Elected by the Board of Mercersburg College
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So many courses—MAPS (Mercersburg’s Advanced Program for Global Studies), independent studies, and others—were not there when I was a kid. We had Advanced Placement and the SAT, and that was about it. I took advanced history, and that was about the only advanced course I had. We’ve opened a wealth of information to students, and I think we’ve progressed from being a good school to a very good school, bordering on excellent.
woman were the only women on the Board. Denise was a great Board president. She is so very smart, she asks the right questions at the right times, and I aspire to be a little bit like her. She and I were at Mercersburg at the same time, too. She was younger than me, very quiet, but very surprising at times, and I think the fact that we knew each other way back then helped develop our relationship and our rapport on the Board.
MM: You are following in the footsteps of former Board presidents David Frantz ’60, who officially retired from the Board this past June, and Denise Dupré ’76, who served as the first female Board president. How do you feel their leadership has influenced you?
MM: What are your goals as you look toward your time as president?
DS: It was terrific to work with David Frantz. He is very open, very honest, very smart—especially in all things English literature. He would not let a missive go out from the school without the correct grammar and punctuation. I’m not that good, but he’s really good. I have nothing but positive things to say about his leadership. He helped us through the search for the new head of school and worked with Katie Titus throughout her first year. I followed behind him like a shadow, and he allowed me to do that, which was very helpful. He is just a very wise man. We try to balance the Board as best we can with both females and males and young and old, and we’re getting better at it every year. We have more females on the Board now than we did 10 years ago. Fifteen years ago, Denise and I and maybe one other
DS: The next goal is to weather the storm against education that is going on in Washington, D.C. With that, we have to protect our endowment, and we have to make sure we’re getting the most bang for our buck. The cost of tuition is very high, and we have to look at that and see how we can mitigate it for some families and deal with it. I also look forward to seeing our new strategic plan. We’re going to start working on it this fall. It’s a year-long process, but I’m excited to see where we can take the school in the future— where Katie wants to take it and where the Board wants to take it. My goal is to get the Board as involved as possible. There are lots of challenges out there, both financially and emotionally, but there’s lots of good stuff, too. I’m excited about the good stuff and the bad stuff, and I’m very excited that we are coming up on our 125th anniversary. One hundred twenty-five years of teaching young adults—that’s pretty cool.
DID YOU KNOW? The Board of Regents is Mercersburg’s governing body and comprises up to 33 alumni, parents of alumni, parents of current students, and friends of the school elected for three-year terms by the Board or by the alumni-at-large. The Board meets three times a year (fall, winter, and spring) and includes nine standing committees: Academic Policy/Campus Life, Admission, Buildings and Grounds, Advancement, Finance, Risk and Audit, Investment, Committee on Regents, and Executive Committee.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A recipient of the Alumni Council Service Award in 2009, Deborah Simon has been one of Mercersburg’s most generous supporters. Her phi-
lanthropy has benefited financial aid, faculty professional development, program development, and campus facilities, among other priorities. Simon also co-chaired the Daring to Lead Campaign and served as a member of Mercersburg’s Head of School Search Committee that selected Katherine M. Titus to succeed Douglas Hale.
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NEW ON THE BOARD OF REGENTS
BETSY MITCHELL ’83, P ’15 Betsy is director of athletics, physical education, and recreation at California Institute of Technology. She previously served as director of athletics at Allegheny College, as an educational athletics consultant, and as head coach of women’s swimming at Dartmouth College. In her two years at Mercersburg, Betsy was captain of the swim team. She went on to earn a gold medal and silver medal in swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics and to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Betsy previously served on the Board of Regents from 1993 to 2002 and also on the Daring to Lead Campaign Steering Committee. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Texas at Austin and a certificate in educational administration from Harvard University. Betsy lives in Pasadena, California, and her stepdaughter, Clare Laughery, is a member of the Class of 2015.
KAREN PAK OPPENHEIMER ’93 Karen is a strategic adviser and consultant for social enterprise and nonprofit organizations and board chair of Venture Strategies for Health and Development. She previously served as vice president of World Health Partners and has worked for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oracle Corporation, the United Nations Population Fund, and start-up biotechnology companies. During her three years at Mercersburg, Karen was an Inbound leader, library proctor, captain of the tennis team, and a member of Magalia, Chorale, Blue Review, the Marshall Society, and the golf, volleyball, and basketball teams. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in biotechnology from Northwestern University, and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California Berkeley. Karen lives in San Francisco with her husband, Charles, and their two daughters.
ALPANA RANADE ’02 Alpana is an advanced lead engineer at GE Aviation, where she develops materials for next generation military and commercial engine applications. She previously worked as a materials and process engineer for the Boeing Company and co-authored two U.S. patents during her time there. In her four years at Mercersburg, Alpana was a dorm prefect and a member of the Chorale, Instrumental Ensemble, String Ensemble, Stony Batter, Magalia, and the Cum Laude Society. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Yale University and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University. Alpana and her husband, Gagan Adibhatla, live in Cincinnati, Ohio.
SCOTT M. WEAVER ’82 Scott is president and chief executive officer of APR Supply and serves on the board of directors of the American Supply Association, WIT Buying Group, and Affiliated Distributors. He has chaired the Lebanon City Business Leaders Committee and has been active in the Lebanon Valley Education Partnership and as a youth lacrosse coach. During his two years at Mercersburg, Scott was a member of the Chorale and the lacrosse and soccer teams. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bucknell University and an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. Scott is a former member of Mercersburg’s Alumni Council and has been a volunteer fundraiser, admission representative, and regional event host for the school. In 2005 he was recognized with the Alumni Council Service Award. Scott and his wife, Debbie, live in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2016 –2017
MERCERSBURG LEADERSHIP (July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017) BOARD OF REGENTS
Alice Albright P ’12, ’17 Charlie Bell ’71 Albert Bellas ’60 Ken Berents ’67 Cindy Davenport Borger ’83, P ’15, ’20 Barrett Burns ’63 Sally Anne Epstein ’81 Laura Fisher P ’12, ’15 Dave Flanagan ’81, P ’11, ’14 David Frantz ’60 Sam Goldsmith ’07 Tom Hadzor ’72 Drew Hall ’88 Dean Hosgood ’98 Todd Hovenden ’84, P ’14, ’15 John Jones ’73 Magdalena Kala ’09 Peter Lebovitz ’72 Stacie Rice Lissette ’85, P ’14, ’14, ’17, ’19 Phil Lloyd ’65, P ’90, ’94 Pierce Lord ’98 Doug Miller ’68, P ’00, ’03 Jamil Myrie ’93 Amy Jones Satrom ’98 Deborah Simon ’74 Katie Titus P ’20 Jorge Vargas ’84 Dave Wagner ’81 Steven Wagshal ’90 Vanessa Youngs ’03 Allen Zern ’61
ALUMNI COUNCIL
Andy Alpert ’82, P ’14 Claire Atkins ’07 Ann Marie Bliley-Ester ’01 Phil Dunmire ’64, P ’01 Marca Armstrong Ewy ’85 Chris Frisby ’91 Carl Gray ’05 Alexis Imler Gray ’05 Anne Curry Gulano ’02 Tom Heefner ’57 Rich Helzel ’68, P ’11, ’12 Fred Klein ’72, P ’11 Stan Lebouitz ’61 Kyle Logan ’98 Molly Jones Mancini ’79, P ’14, ’18 Jim McClelland ’55 Chuck Roberts ’07 Sassan Shaool ’91 Adam Viener ’87, P ’15, ’18, ’21 Jennifer Barr Weiss ’99 Jim Zeger ’65
A N N U A L R E P O RT 2016 –2017
The 2016-2017 academic and fiscal year represented a season of change for Mercersburg with the appointment of new Head of School Katie Titus. The Academy continued to assert its place among leading independent schools and embrace its mission of preparing young people from all backgrounds for success in college and beyond. In 2016-2017, Mercersburg began to see the impact of the completed Daring to Lead Campaign, with new investments in financial aid, faculty professional development, programs, and facilities. Meanwhile, our alumni, parents, and friends affirmed their commitment to the school through philanthropic support, volunteerism, and attendance at campus and regional events. As we continue through 2017-2018, we look to the past in celebration of Mercersburg’s 125th anniversary even as we prepare for a strategic design process that will define our institutional core values, identify new opportunities and challenges, and articulate a vision for the future.
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Program Updates SENIOR CAPSTONES
AT H L E T I C S
For the second consecutive year, all members of Mercersburg’s senior class were required to complete one of the school’s two capstone programs: MAPS (Mercersburg’s Advanced Program for Global Studies—a two-year research-based course) or Springboard (one of eight different one-year topical courses). Both courses utilize the Challenge-Based Learning model, and the seniors presented projects about their study of subjects ranging from community service to computer-generated image videography to the impact of food waste on the environment.
The 2016-2017 academic year included numerous highlights for Mercersburg athletics. Twenty-three Mercersburg studentathletes committed to playing at NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III institutions, beginning in fall 2017. These athletes represent 10 sports (boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, football, boys’ lacrosse, boys’ soccer, boys’ squash, boys’ swimming, girls’ swimming, girls’ tennis, and boys’ track & field). Mercersburg’s girls’ swimming & diving team finished second at the 2017 Eastern Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championships, and Mercersburg’s varsity baseball team captured its seventh-consecutive Mid-Atlantic Prep League title. The team’s streak began in 2011 under head coach Karl Reisner, with current head coach John Lowery Jr. earning titles in each of his first two years.
COLLEGE COUNSELING
When it comes to college placement, Mercersburg emphasizes a philosophy of best fit at the best schools. Our college counseling program offers a senior-to-counselor ratio well below boarding school averages, and in 20162017 standardized test prep continued to be offered to all seniors at no additional cost to their families. Members of the Class of 2017 applied to 346 colleges and universities and were accepted at 258. Of the 93 students from the Class of 2017 who applied to one of Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges’ “Most Competitive” schools, 87 received offers of admission—a 94 percent acceptance rate. Learn more about how Mercersburg prepares all students for college on page 22.
S U M M E R FA C U LT Y I N S T I T U T E
Mercersburg is committed to recruiting, retaining, and supporting its faculty with substantive professional development. In August 2016, more than 40 Mercersburg faculty members participated in the school’s inaugural Summer Faculty Institute—a weeklong event funded in part by the Daring to Lead Campaign and offering two tracks for participants: one with a focus on classroom teaching and another that examined residential life in the context of boarding schools. Mercersburg invited five guest speakers from across the country to lead the sessions. Learn how the Summer Faculty Institute evolved this past summer on page 3.
CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS
Thanks to gifts received during the Daring to Lead Campaign, Mercersburg’s campus continues to grow and change to meet the needs of the Academy community. In February 2017 the school dedicated the 62,000-square-foot Hale Field House, named to honor former Head of School Douglas Hale and his wife, Peggy. The largest facility of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League and home to one of only two competition-size tracks in the MAPL, the field house provides year-round indoor space for practices, training, and competitions for a variety of sports, as well as for physical fitness activities for the entire student body. Construction plans for a major renovation of the health center moved toward completion in 20162017, as did architectural and construction plans for Mercersburg’s new aquatic center. The aquatic center will feature a 50-meter Olympic-sized pool and diving well and provide athletic, recreational, physical fitness, and physical therapy opportunities that benefit every student and honor our storied swimming tradition.
G L O B A L I N I T I AT I V E S
Part of the school’s mission is to prepare young people for life in a global community. During the 2016-2017 school year, Mercersburg created the Office of Global Programs and Initiatives, headed by Leah Rockwell ’97, to ensure that all students have access to a global learning experience at some point during their time at Mercersburg. An estate gift from the late Howard Flock ’40, secured during the Daring to Lead Campaign, has provided considerable funding for students who are at least 16 years old to travel abroad. School-sponsored trips during spring break 2017 included Costa Rica, England, the Grand Canyon, and Jackson, Wyoming, with the latter two trips offered through Mercersburg Outdoor Education. Summer trips included the Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica (as part of a directed study in tropical biology), England, France, Italy, and Spain (through Mercersburg Outdoor Education).
A N N U A L R E P O RT 2016 –2017
ARTS
The 2016-2017 academic year marked the 10th anniversary of the Burgin Center for the Arts. To celebrate the occasion, Stony Batter Players staged a fall production of Pride and Prejudice (which was the first production ever performed in the Simon Theatre in 2006). Later in the year, students put on Fiddler on the Roof, a show last performed in the Burgin Center’s predecessor, Boone Hall, in 2003. The 2016 edition of Blue Review won a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal Award, and the Blue Review staff earned a second-place Gold Circle Award in the CSPA’s category of cover design for literary or literary/art for magazine publications. Five works of art by four different Mercersburg students also received honors in the 2017 South Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition.
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Financials “The school’s endowment is structured to provide a solid financial foundation for Mercersburg today and the resources to support future needs and aspirations.” —Peter Lebovitz ’72, Finance Committee Chair, Board of Regents
Endowment Highlights for the fiscal year ending June 30 Beginning Market Value Endowment Gifts Other Transfers In Gross Return (before fees) Expenses Draw for Operating Draw for Debt Service Draw for Fundraising/Campaign Costs
2017 $241,489,853 10,943,046 148,160 34,181,119 (2,868,617) (8,567,550) (2,102,000) (499,720)
2016 $248,110,616 10,670,987 1,339,585 (4,705,137) (2,647,890) (8,259,626) (2,102,000) (916,682)
2015 $238,704,630 13,395,101 11,424 8,972,765 (2,891,989) (6,939,315) (2,102,000) (1,040,000)
2014 $213,146,964 4,314,262 71,614 33,235,147 (2,601,937) (6,754,928) (2,311,492) (395,000)
2013 $188,974,294 4,555,816 1,058 31,257,261 (2,312,303) (5,871,012) (2,355,050) (1,103,100)
Ending Market Value
$272,724,291
$241,489,853
$248,110,616
$238,704,630
$213,146,964
Annual Return
12.8%
-3.5%
1.8%
14.5%
Endowment Return
Asset Allocation
as of June 30, 2017
as of June 30, 2017
One-Year Three-Year Five-Year 10-Year
Annualized Return 12.8% 3.6% 8.1% 5.0%
Portfolio Benchmark* 11.8% 5.3% 8.1% 5.2%
*The total portfolio benchmark is a weighted average of market indices using the Academy’s strategic asset allocation through time.
The spending rate for operations program support for 2016-2017 was 3.75 percent. Mercersburg’s investment objective remains to attain a minimum average annual real total return (net of all investment management fees) of 5 percent, as measured over rolling 10-year periods. Real total return is defined as the sum of capital appreciation (or loss) and current income (dividends and interest) adjusted for inflation as measured by the CPI (U) index.
U.S. Equity International Equity Hedged Equity Private Equity Absolute Return Inflation Protection Deflation Protection Cash and Equivalents
15.4%
Amount $66,223,762 66,991,887 43,906,580 14,517,112 32,855,118 9,477,420 37,819,722 932,690
Percentage 24.3% 24.6% 16.1% 5.3% 12.0% 3.5% 13.9% 0.3%
$272,724,291
100.0%
—Maria Kimsey, Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations
Income Statement Revenue Tuition and Student Fees (net) Contributions Endowment Draw and Investment Return Auxiliary Activities Other Sources Total Operating Revenue Expenses Instruction Academic Support Student Services Institutional Support Operation and Maintenance Auxiliary Activities Interest Operating Transfers Total Operating Expenses Change in Assets from Operating Activities
2016-2017
2015-2016
$18,275,081 3,523,713 10,890,812 894,701 245,935
$17,396,468 3,604,894 10,592,833 1,138,026 102,487
$33,830,242
$32,834,708
9,809,818 2,394,897 4,053,668 5,881,554 5,741,411 1,373,571 2,097,252 2,474,353
8,956,079 2,515,191 4,042,823 6,305,624 5,383,804 1,498,572 2,103,695 2,025,335
$33,826,524
$32,831,123
3,718
3,585
Revenue Sources
Expenses 18% Auxiliary Activities, Interest, and Operating Transfers
54% Tuition and Fees
32% Endowment Income
10% Annual Giving 4% Other
36% Instruction and Academic Support 17% Operation and Maintenance 17% Institutional Support
12% Student Services
A N N U A L R E P O RT 2016 –2017
“Mercersburg takes a long-term perspective in managing its finances and operations. We allocate our resources with an emphasis on financial aid; academic, residential and co-curricular programs for our students; and maintenance of this beautiful campus.”
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Gifts and Commitments Funding Type Financial Aid Faculty Support Program Support Campus Sustaining Unrestricted Endowment Facilities Annual Giving To be designated
Giving by Constituency
Alumni $2,517,199 Parents $830,198
Friends $113,692
Cash Received $5,249,657 1,915,004 1,121,423 135,412 2,521,551 3,882,616 3,461,089 0
New Commitments $5,456,335 10,050 301,723 125,412 36,376 2,587,947 3,589,402 18,531
$18,286,750
$12,125,775
Giving Societies (number of members) William Mann Irvine Society: 683 Torchbearers: 2,483 McDowell Society: 26* Marshall & Irving Alliance: 4* *New members added in 2016-2017
Annual Fund Total Annual Fund donors: 3,760 First-time Annual Fund donors: 486 Gift range: $1 to $200,000 Median gift: $100 Total reunion giving: $505,840
Solicited alumni who made gifts: 43% Solicited parents who made gifts: 69% Faculty who made gifts: 100% Staff who made gifts: 60%
Financials
2016–2017 Demographics
373 boarding students
234 boys (53 percent)
67 day students
Students came from 29 states, the District of Columbia, and 48 countries (24 percent were international)
206 girls (47 percent)
87 members of the Class of 2017 (67 percent) were accepted at Barron’s “Most Competitive Schools”
TUITION AND FEES
Boarding student tuition: $56,350 (covering tuition, room, and board)
49 percent of students received financial aid (need-based/merit)
Day student tuition: $39,050
39 percent of students received needbased financial aid Average financial aid award: $32,844 Total financial aid awarded: $6,831,380
ACADEMICS AND PROGRAMS
Five theater productions, three dance concerts, and two pops concerts 26 sports; 25 varsity teams; 20 junior varsity, thirds, and club teams Four vocal ensembles and three instrumental groups
107 teaching and administrative faculty members (72 percent hold advanced degrees) and 132 full-time staff 170 traditional courses and more than 40 honors, AP, and post-AP level courses Two senior capstone experiences: MAPS and Springboard
A N N U A L R E P O RT 2016 –2017
S T U D E N T B O DY
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Athletics D AT E S T O R E M E M B E R
Jan 27
Reeder Indoor Track & Field Invitational (at Hale Field House, Mercersburg)
Feb 17
Mid-Atlantic Prep League Boys’ Squash Tournament (at Davenport Squash Center, Mercersburg)
Feb 16-17
Eastern Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championships (at Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Feb 23-24
National Prep Wrestling Championships (at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
Schedule subject to change; for a full and updated schedule of events, visit www.mercersburg.edu
Spring 2017 Varsity Athletics Roundup Baseball Captains: Jon Clemons ’17, Brandon Thomas ’17 Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Thomas G. Brent Gift Award (most improved player): Patrick Sprague ’18 Henry B. Swoope Jr. ’23 Award (sportsmanship/ good fellowship): Clemons Head coach: John Lowery Jr. (2nd season) Record: 15–8 (8–2 MAPL); MAPL champion Highlights: The Blue Storm has won or shared an unprecedented seven consecutive Mid-Atlantic Prep League titles, and clinched the 2017 crown outright with a victory at Lawrenceville… the team has swept MAPL rivals Blair, Hill, and Peddie
in each of the past two seasons… Jayvien Sandridge ’18 threw a no-hitter in a win over Kiski in April… Thomas was the team leader in batting average (.410), runs scored (26), and stolen bases (16)… Sandridge recorded a 1.04 earned-run average, striking out 69 hitters and issuing 24 walks in 47.1 innings of work… Tommy Voce ’17, who led the team in innings pitched, posted a 2.59 ERA… Sandridge and Thomas were first-team All-MAPL and All-IPSL selections, and Eli Riley ’18 was All-IPSL and honorable-mention All-MAPL… Riley and Dylan Bartlett ’18 were named Academic All-MAPL.
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will play at Holy Cross, DiLalla is headed to Union College, Ethan Malcom ’17 will play at Bishop’s University, and Nick Nelson ’17 will join the team at Washington and Lee.
Girls’ Lacrosse Captains: Maddie Surmacz ’17, Yulia Lee ’17, Elizabeth Fitzgerald ’18 Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Surmacz Coaches’ Award (most improved player): Lauren Jones ’18 Head coach: Katherine Dyson (4th season) Record: 2–11 (0–5 MAPL) Highlights: The team finished with a bang, compiling its highest single-game scoring total in the final game of the year, a 20–10 win over Red Land… Fitzgerald was an All-MAPL and All-IPSL selection; she led the team with 70 goals, 44 draw controls, and 14 caused turnovers, while Annaliesse Cantera ’20 chipped in 27 goals and a teamhigh eight assists… Surmacz added 13 goals and Lee was the backbone of the defense with 12 caused turnovers… both of the team’s main goalies, Yasy Celikoyar ’19
Boys’ Lacrosse Captains: Tom Cremins ’17, Lance Lysiak ’17 Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Nick Schulkin ’17 Lacrosse Alumni Award (most improved player): Daniel Bowes ’17 Nelson T. Shields IV ’70 Lacrosse Award (spirit/teamwork/sportsmanship): Cremins Head coach: Michael Conklin (3rd season) Record: 10–8 (2–3 MAPL), IPSL champion Highlights: The team captured the Independent-Parochial School League championship (the first league title in the program’s history) by defeating host St. James in the IPSL championship game… Schulkin posted what is believed to be the highest single-season point total in Mercersburg history (122); he will play at Colorado College… Schulkin and Colin Adams ’17 were All-MAPL and All-IPSL selections, and Cremins joined them on the All-IPSL team; Nick Nelson ’17 was an honorable-mention All-MAPL selection… the Storm beat IPSL foe St. John’s Catholic Prep for the first time since 2012… Bowes and James DiLalla ’17 were named Academic All-MAPL… Cremins
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and Eyram Awittor-Awuma ’20, were underclassmen and gained valuable experience… Surmacz and Lee were Academic All-MAPL selections… Kristin Ahlgren, who has coached lacrosse at the high-school and collegiate levels, has been named Mercersburg’s head coach beginning in 2018.
Softball Captains: Maddi Jones ’17, Alyssa Magazine ’17 Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Magazine Coaches’ Award (most improved player): Erika Eichelberger ’20 Head coach: Lauren Hoffman (1st season) Record: 1–5 Highlights: Jones and Magazine each garnered All-IPSL honors… Magazine posted the Blue Storm’s top batting average (.353), and slugging percentage (.529)… Jones led the team in on-base percentage (.524) and runs batted in (6, for an average of one run driven in per contest)… Magazine and Jones both scored a team-high seven runs, and Magazine led the team in innings pitched… the Storm scored nine or more runs in three of its six contests, including a single-game high in a 16–6 win over the Maryland School for the Deaf… six of the team’s nine regulars in the lineup were non-seniors.
Boys’ Tennis Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Shayan Ghodsi ’18 Most Improved Player Award: Merle Thorpe ’18 Head coach: Eric Hicks (23rd season) Dual match record: 6–9 (1–4 MAPL); IPSL champion Highlights: Ghodsi was named both AllMAPL and All-IPSL, and was joined as an AllIPSL selection by Jack Jensen ’17 and Aaron Zheng ’19… the team clinched the all-sport Centennial Cup for Mercersburg against longtime foe Kiski with a 6–1 win… Ghodsi and Jensen won seven singles matches apiece as the squad’s top two singles players, and teamed for a 5–5 record as the Blue Storm’s top doubles tandem… Zheng, Thorpe, and Ryan Gu ’20 notched five singles victories apiece, and Thorpe joined with Cam Pyle ’17 to win a team-high seven doubles contests… Ghodsi was chosen for the Academic All-MAPL team.
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Boys’ Outdoor Track & Field
Girls’ Outdoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Alex Nanos ’17 Edward J. Powers ’37 Award (most improved athlete): Adam Cromwell ’17 Head coach: Nikki Walker (2nd season) State/MAPL/IPSL finish: 8th/3rd/1st Highlights: Alden Littlefield ’17 was the state and MAPL champion in both the shot put and discus, and also won the MAPL in the javelin… Mikale Williams ’18 was the MAPL champion in the triple jump after setting a school record earlier in the season (45-7)… Nanos won the MAPL 400m hurdles… other athletes earning All-MAPL honors included Ro Fernandez Jimenez ’19 (100m/200m), Ilyas Clouse ’19 (pole vault), and Cromwell (3200m); Williams and Nanos were also named All-MAPL in the long jump and 110m hurdles, respectively… the 4x400m team of Fernandez, Alex Solganik ’17, Aaron Grant ’17, and Gnim Bazim ’17 placed 12th in the Prep School division of the prestigious Penn Relays… the Storm has won the IPSL title every year of the league’s existence… Jason Fang ’19 and Cole Kissam ’18 were named Academic All-MAPL.
Most Outstanding Contributions Award: Isiuwa Oghagbon ’17 Edward J. Powers ’37 Award (most improved athlete): Ava Mancini ’18 Head coach: Nikki Walker (8th season) State/MAPL/IPSL finish: 7th/2nd/1st Highlights: Oghagbon (who is playing basketball at Coastal Carolina) set a school record in the discus (134-3); she was state champion in the discus and shot put (in which she also holds Mercersburg’s school record) for a second-straight year… Finley Stewart ’17 won the state 100m for the third-consecutive year and graduated as the school record holder in the 100m and 400m… Sophia Divone ’19 broke the school record in the 3200m (11:38.13) and swept the MAPL titles in the 1600m and 3200m; she was joined on the MAPL-winning 4x800m relay team by Campbell Drennan ’18, Ryan Geitner ’17, and Emma Hicks ’19… Annie Klaff ’20 was also All-MAPL after finishing second in the 800m… the team re-captured the IPSL championship… Hicks and Grace Lewis ’19 were Academic All-MAPL selections.
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Arts
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D AT E S T O R E M E M B E R
Feb 9-11
Stony Batter Players: Anything Goes, Simon Theatre, Burgin Center for the Arts
Feb 25
Winter Student Music Recital 1:30 p.m., Boone Recital Hall, Burgin Center for the Arts
Feb 17
Winter Student Dance Showcase 7:30 p.m., Simon Theatre, Burgin Center for the Arts
Apr 7
Spring Pops Concert 7:30 p.m., Simon Theatre, Burgin Center for the Arts
Schedule subject to change; for a full and updated schedule of events, visit www.mercersburg.edu
Dance
“Many Roads, Many Ridges,” choreographed by Denise Dalton (Summer Zhang ’18, center)
director: Denise Dalton
Anna Mele ’19
“Chasing Serenity,” choreographed by Haley Gray (Emily Bell ’18, center)
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Stony Batter Players: 10-Minute Play Festival
Danny Booth ’17 and Elizabeth Cantacuzene ’19 in Heresy at the Crossroads
Directors: Laurie Mufson, Matt Maurer, Kelly Dowling
Clare Liss ’18 and Tommy Sliskovich ’18 in Triangle
Kaufman Butler ’17, Ellie Wilkie ’19, and Nevie Gawlik ’19 (below) in Call Me
Sophia Fabiano ’18, Grace Heine ’20, Julia Mitchell ’18, and Andrew Howe ’18 in It’s Not You
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Music directors: Richard
Jazz Band
Rotz, Jim Brinson, Bryan Morgan, Michael Cameron
Jazz Band
Octet
Octet
Magalia
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The Band, Chorale, and String Ensemble perform “Via Lucis,” a Mercersburg-inspired piece written by Chorale director Bryan Morgan ’07 with lyrics by Chorale member Kate Frimet ’18.
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Visual Art faculty: Wells Gray, Sydney Caretti, Kristen Pixler
Hung Tran ’20
Sofia Makarova ’18
Ale Escalante Barcelo ’19 Mary DiLalla ’19
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Class Notes Pictured from left are 1960 classmates David Crandall and Burt Alimansky with Burt’s wife Arlene. David recently moved to Portland, Oregon, from Massachusetts and was back on the East Coast visiting the Alimanskys in the Hudson Valley.
’49
Gerry Lenfest and his wife, Marguerite, have been chosen to receive the 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which was presented this fall in New York City.
’56
Joseph Wallace continues to practice law with his son, John Wallace IV, in Elkins, West Virginia, and elsewhere in the state. Joseph was recently appointed to the West Virginia Board of Education by Governor Jim Justice for a seven-year term. He has previously been awarded the Distinguished West Virginian, the state’s highest award; the West Virginia State Bar Certificate of Merit, the state bar’s highest award; and Volunteer of the Year by the West Virginia Economic Development Council.
’62
Buck Stultz has retired as of July 1, 2017, after working as a manufacturing representative for 45 years. His wife, Valerie, retired three years ago from the ministry. “We returned to the ‘scene of the crime’ where we met 51 years ago: Delaware, Ohio,” says Buck. “I have turned my business over to our son, Daniel.”
’67
Ronald Guy’s wife, Giselle, passed away in January 2017. Ron shares that he has retired from Unisys Corporation as director of the Unisys weather unit after working for 32 years on weather information systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration,
Pictured are 1966 classmates Phil Yates, Bob Wohlsen, and Jack Seto in Kenwood, California, this past spring. “Jack and I decided that since Bob couldn’t make it back [for the 50th reunion] last summer, we’d meet up with him in wine country this year,” says Phil. “As you might expect, we had a great time catching up.”
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Submit class notes via email to classnotes@mercersburg.edu or by contacting your class agent. Submission does not guarantee publication. Mercersburg reserves the right to edit submissions for space or content, and is not responsible for more than reasonable editing or fact-checking. When submitting a photo, please provide the highest-quality version possible, and include the names of all persons pictured and their Mercersburg class years. Due to size and quality considerations, some images may not be suitable for print.
1983 classmates Mark Pyper and Larry (Harv) Weisman met up for a Dead & Company concert earlier this year in West Valley City, Utah.
’78
Dan Dougherty recently ran into Jack Vogel ’51 on an Amtrak train traveling from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to New York City. “I was wearing my Mercersburg sweatshirt, and a gentleman standing next to me in the café car says, ‘Mercersburg—you don’t see that J. Markle Austin retired two years ago after 15 years as name very much,’” explains Dan. “I asked if he had to a building inspector and plans examiner for Summit walk guard a lot, and he said, ‘Oh, I did my share.’” County and Eagle County, Colorado. “I now spend summers in Montana spraying weeds and winters in southern Arizona doing odd work on the Cienega Ranch,” says Mark. “Life is good.” Sally Anne Epstein’s father, Lionel, passed away April 5, 2017. Charles Ganelin retired as a professor of Spanish from Miami University in May 2017. “I will continue to live in Oxford, Ohio, with forays to wherever our very young grandson happens to be living,” he shares. Rip Esselstyn’s book The Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue Diet: Eat Plants, Lose Weight, Save Your Health was published in December 2016. National Weather Service, United States Department of Defense, various airlines, and other companies.
’68
’81 ’82
’70
’87
Michael Shively shares that he attended an Indian Motorcycle Rally on Indian Point in Branson, Audrey Webber Esposito’s mother, Kay, passed away Missouri, this past spring. March 28, 2017.
’72
’89
“In mid-July, I finally got to unload one son and gain a wonderful daughter-in-law,” shares Sol Gordon. “Now James Anderson is leading Bloomberg Philanthropies’ government innovation programs and recently only have one more to go.” topped Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People Fred Klein hosted 2011 alums Giovanni DeSantis, in Business 2017. Before joining Bloomberg, James Liza Rizzo, Shayna Rice, his daughter Susie, and served as communications director for New York City Claire Sabol for a Passover Seder at his Washington, Mayor Michael Bloomberg. D.C., home in April.
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Ema Naito-Bhakdi ’91 brought her family to visit Mercersburg in April, all the way from Thailand. She was happy to reconnect with her former teachers Allison Stephens and Debbie Rutherford and to see the campus for the first time since 1992. (Pictured are Ema and her son with Debbie and Admission Receptionist Susan Simar.)
’95
1999 classmates Masroor Ahmed and Matt Danziger caught up in San Francisco this past July.
’04
Michael Pedersen has opened Brownstone Chiropractic in downtown Mercersburg.
Sarah Heine Seagroatt’s father, William, passed away December 18, 2016.
’97
Sarah Kagan married Michael Vega February 25, 2017. The couple lives in San Antonio, Texas, where Sarah works as an associate client manager for 4R Systems.
Rachel Gray shares that she has eagerly accepted the position of education and volunteer coordinator at Crabtree Farms, an urban nonprofit community farm in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
’99
Julia Kaufman Nussdorfer and her father, Richard Kaufman ’65, had the chance to connect with Associate Head of School Debbie Rutherford on campus this past summer when Julie picked up her son from Mercersburg Summer Programs’ swimming camp. “It was wonderful to catch up after all this time,” says Julie. “Mercersburg looks great, and Jonathan had a blast at the swim clinic.” Ugonna Onyekwe and his sister, Dobi, have launched a new music venture, SYBS, to focus on writing and producing for other artists as well as releasing their own music independently. Zoe Tsoukatos’ business, Zoe’s Chocolate Co., appeared on a July episode of CNBC’s “The Profit.”
’00
Adam Chubb has retired from international professional basketball. He and his wife, Emily, have started their own business flipping houses.
’01
Heidi Anderes married Kent Hollier March 5, 2017, in Zermatt, Switzerland. Heidi has moved her Colorado shop, Lush Life Consignment, to 126 West 1st Avenue behind the Denver Art Museum and welcomes all visitors!
’02
Grant Taylor’s father, David, passed away April 1, 2017.
’03
Andrew Rohman is working for InVision, a company that develops prototyping and collaboration platforms.
Pictured are Steven Wagshal ’90 and Jake Rauchbach ’02, members of Team USA, at the 20th Maccabi Games that took place in Israel this past July. Jake represented Team USA as a coach of the men’s basketball team, and Steven ran the men’s 1/2 marathon, masters division.
Nick Mellott married Courtney Godwin April 22, 2017, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The couple lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where Nick works for Piedmont Office Realty Trust. Ryan Niland was named to Adweek’s Creative Top 100 and Top 14 Art Director/Copywriters earlier this year for his work with Wieden+Kennedy. Lianna Wong McKenzie and her husband, Jason, welcomed a daughter, Elena Marie, March 31, 2017. Elena joins three-year-old brother Ethan. The family lives in Cincinnati, where Lianna is an associate design director at Deskey.
’08
Robert Nagel is a visiting scholar at Northeastern University during the fall 2017 semester as he works on his Ph.D. project, “Gendered Influences on Conflict Management in Civil Wars.” The research visit is supported by the Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship from the University of Kent.
’09
David Hill IV was admitted as an attorney and counselor-at-law in the state of New York on May 22, 2017, and is practicing as an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York City.
’11
Alissa Poller has published Heavenly Eclairs, a German cookbook that presents 22 variations of the classic French dessert. Chris Weller’s 3D printing company, Branch Technology, has received funding from NASA as part of a 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge “to advance the construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.”
Alicia Krawczak ’05 (right) was a bridesmaid of an Elon University classmate earlier this year and ran into Julia Hopkins ’04 at the wedding. “We both went to Elon, but we recognized each other from Mr. Rahauser’s Spanish class,” says Alicia. “Small world!”
’12
Max Fink graduated from Lafayette College in May 2016 with degrees in math and economics. He works in the business advisory financial services department at Ernst & Young. Max Strauss was selected as a member of Front Office Sports’ “Rising 25” Class of 2017.
’13
Jeremy Greenberger co-founded LOUD, a start-up clothing company that creates T-shirt designs for the college campus and indie band markets. Jennifer Nelson worked as a creative intern at the advertising agency McGarryBowen in New York City this past summer. She is a senior at Southern Methodist University and will graduate this spring with degrees in dance and creative advertising.
Marriages 1.
2.
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3.
4.
5.
1. Sarah Kagan ’04 married Michael Vega February 25, 2017. 2. Lauren Coates ’03 married Robert Creighton June 24, 2017, in Berlin, Maryland. 3. Heidi Anderes ’01 married Kent Hollier March 5, 2017, in Zermatt, Switzerland. 4. The wedding of Nick Mellott ’04 and Courtney Godwin, April 22, 2017. Pictured are 2004 classmates Andy Gottlieb, Alex Lowe, Graham Zifferer, Alex Lavery, Nick, and Will Gridley.
Robert Scott ’63 and Cheryl Huntsinger, August 19, 2016. Cortney Heaps ’07 and Megan Liesenfelt, April 1, 2017. Matthew Von Lunen ’07 and Carolyn Riley, December 3, 2016.
5. Mark Burgee ’75 married Yvonne Sigler April 22, 2016, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Fernando Intriago ’06 dropped in to see classmate Pamela Aquino during a visit to Manhattan this past March. Fernando is a professor at University of the Arts in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where he heads the department of foreign languages.
Austin Hess ’13 and Jenny Linowski, May 20, 2017.
Emily Sanders graduated with university honors from New York University in January 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in global public health. She continued her work at the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and as a co-coordinator of the NYU chapter of Peer Health Exchange until September, when she began a master’s degree in public health at Boston University, where she received the Activist Achievement Award. Hanna Warfield graduated from Gettysburg College this past spring with a bachelor’s degree in political science and as a second lieutenant in the United States Army.
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Madison Nordyke interned with Discovery’s corporate communications department in Silver Spring, Maryland, this past summer.
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Sophia Garibaldi studied and worked in Cape Town, South Africa, this past summer through the program iXperience.
Former Faculty Faculty emeritus Phil Post is moving from Keedysville, Maryland, to Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE FALL 2017
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1. Jessica Malarik Fair ’99 and her husband, Gregory, welcomed twins, Shannon Rose and Caroline Violet, on October 11, 2016.
To Lianna Wong McKenzie ’04 and her husband, Jason: a daughter, Elena Marie, March 31, 2017.
2. Alec Harris ’00 and his wife, Ellyn, welcomed a son, James Ethan, April 8, 2017.
To faculty member Sean Crocker and his wife, Tricia: a son, Ellis King, April 25, 2017.
3. Sylvia Saracino Koodrich ’99 and Jake Koodrich ’99 welcomed a son, Crawford, April 19, 2017. 4. Sarah Powell Graeffe ’05 and her husband, Mark, welcomed a daughter, Alice Victoria, March 30, 2017.
To faculty member Michael Conklin and his wife, Cally: a son, Benjamin Gerrett, September 3, 2017.
5. Lindsey Coates Brown ’99 and her husband, Alex, welcomed a daughter, Caroline Rose, March 9, 2017. Caroline joins big brothers Wyatt and Kyle.
New on the Alumni Council To see the full council membership, visit www.mercersburg.edu/alumnicouncil.
Frank Balzebre ’72, P ’03
Kristin Butterfield Vickery ’88, P ’18
Ashley Himes Kranich Esq. ’89, P ’20
Miami, Florida
Alexandria, Virginia
State College, Pennsylvania
Scott Cummings ’71 Denver, Colorado
Liza Rizzo ’11
Hon. Shawn Meyers ’86
Elizabeth Stockdale ’02
Champion, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Brentwood, Tennessee
MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE FALL 2017
Obituaries ’39
Roy D. Heymann Jr., March 24, 2017. (South Cottage, Irving, football, swimming) Roy attended Boston University, served as a paratrooper in the United States Army, and spent a career as an insurance executive. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara, and is survived by two children and four grandchildren.
his wife, Margaret, and a brother, Malcolm Sawhill ’44. He is survived by four children, including Robert Sawhill Jr. ’74; 15 grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
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Robert F. Edgar Jr., April 25, 2017. (South Cottage, Marshall, Chapel Usher, Chemistry Club, swimming, baseball) Robert graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked in the steel industry for 40 years, co-founding the Electric Metallurgy Company. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia; a sister; and a brother, William Edgar ’47. Survivors include a son, two daughters, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
John W. Cragg, June 11, 2017. (Main Hall, Irving, Glee Club, Concert Band, Football Band, Chemistry Club) Jack served in the United States Navy during World War II and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He worked in retail with Sears, Roebuck & Company, holding a variety of positions including store manager. Jack is survived by his wife, Willena; four daughters; five grandchildren, including Constance Breuer ’98; and six great-grandchildren. Alan M. Miller, April 4, 2017. (Irving, baseball) Alan attended military school and served as a United States Army training sergeant. He held jobs in cosmetics sales and on a horse ranch before joining the family business, Independent Towel Supply Co., and later worked for Monarch Electric. Alan was preceded in death by his wife, Janet, and a son. Survivors include three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
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C. Norman Campbell Jr., March 8, 2012. (Marshall, wrestling, track & field) Norman attended Lehigh University and served in the United States Navy. He worked at National Waterproof Papers with his father, the late Claude W. Campbell (1918), and ran the company for many years. He was also deeply involved in the research and development of plastic products and their machinery, starting his own company, VisAPac, and owning and operating Campbell Converting. Norman is survived by his wife, Joan, seven children, 21 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.
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Robert A. Sawhill, May 29, 2017. (Main Hall, Irving, News, Exchange Editor, Press Club, baseball, football, wrestling) Robert graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and enlisted as a volunteer ambulance driver with the American Field Service during World War II. He worked as a newspaper reporter and bureau manager before launching a career in sales with the Sperry & Hutchinson Co., eventually rising to the position of vice president. Robert was preceded in death by
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Peter G. Schaper Jr., May 10, 2017. (’Eighty-eight Dormitory, Marshall, basketball, track & field, football, Williams Cup, Marshal of the Field) Peter attended the University of Maryland and Gannon College. A benefactor of the Peter G. Schaper Jr. ’46 Prize Fund at Mercersburg, he retired from the Charles H. Fry Construction Co. Peter was preceded in death by a daughter and two brothers. Survivors include his wife, Eloise; three daughters; seven grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
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A. Parker Hall Jr., April 7, 2017. (Irving) Parker graduated from Princeton University and worked for Shearson, Hammill before running a small investment firm. He is survived by his wife, Bertram, a sister, two daughters, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, four nephews, and four nieces. John W. Oliver Jr., March 21, 2017. (Main Hall Annex, Marshall, El Circulo Español, wrestling, football, track & field) John graduated from Indiana University and was a professor emeritus of history at Malone University. He also authored or co-authored a number of books about Malone and Quaker history. John was preceded in death by a brother and is survived by his wife, Marge, four children, and a number of grandchildren. Burton A. Young, April 12, 2011. (Main Hall Annex, Irving, Band, Glee Club, Chemistry Club, Football Band, Concert Band, Assembly Orchestra, Blue and White Melodians, Stamp Club, Chess Club, track & field, wrestling, Radio Club) Burton is survived by his wife, Patricia, two sons, a granddaughter, two grandsons, a brother, and several nieces and nephews.
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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE FALL 2017
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Howard H. Keller, March 19, 2017. (South Cottage, Marshall, Band, Concert Band, Librarian, Blue and White Melodians, Football Band, wrestling manager, Class Day Committee) Howard served in the United States Army Combat Military Police and spent a nearly 70-year career as a radio executive, broadcaster, owner, general manager, and consultant. Survivors include his wife, Joan, his mother, three sons, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a sister, two nieces, and a nephew. Harry H. Landis III, May 24, 2017. (Main Hall, Marshall, Band, El Circulo Español, Concert Band, Football Band, baseball) Harry attended Franklin & Marshall College and was the owner of Landis Electric, an electrical appliance business founded by his father. He was preceded in death by a sister and brother and is survived by his wife, Gwen, three children, eight grandchildren, one great-grandson, and two brothers. William C. Shuck II, June 19, 2016. (Keil Hall, Marshall, Chemistry Club, Varsity Club, football, track & field, Class Day Committee, Stony Batter) Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Carol, and is survived by a number of family members, including a brother, Donald L. Shuck ’48, and nephew, Donald L. Shuck Jr. ’71.
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Stanley W. Lahr, July 11, 2017. (’Eighty-eight Dormitory, Irving, El Circulo Español, Stony Batter, Radio Club, soccer manager, baseball) Stanley served in the United States Army and spent nearly 40 years as an engineer with Piedmont Natural Gas. Survivors include his wife, Sue, two children, a stepdaughter, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his brother, R. David Lahr ’50.
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H. David Morrow, May 14, 2017. (Marshall, Stony Batter) David attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and served in the United States Army as a second lieutenant. He was executive vice president of Hardy and Hayes and later was manager of training and education for Diamond Promotion Service. David was preceded in death by his wife, Kay, and a sister. He is survived by three children and two grandchildren. William A. Thompson III, January 27, 2017. (Keil Hall, Marshall, KARUX, football, swimming, track & field, Varsity Club) Bill received his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and spent a career in the petroleum industry. He is survived by four children, including William Thompson IV ’75, Christopher Thompson ’80, and Douglas Thompson ’82; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Harry B. Ward Jr., April 22, 2017. (’Eighty-eight Dormitory, Irving, Secretary, Class Orator, News, Projection Crew, Gun Club, Stony Batter, Glee Club, Jurisprudence Society, Varsity Club, football, basketball, track & field) Harry graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and was a marketing and sales rep for 3M, covering all of New England and upstate New York. Survivors include five children and six grandchildren.
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Joseph I. Weinschenk Jr., March 19, 2017. (South Cottage, Irving, News, Lit, Student Council, Fifteen, Rauchrunde, Chemistry Club, Class Day Committee, Glee Club, Stony Batter, Declamation, Varsity Club, football, wrestling) Joseph earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Cornell University. He served as a ROTC commissioned member of the United States Air Force and later joined the 911th Pittsburgh Air Reserve Unit. He
was the owner of Weinschenk Farms and retired as an unemployment compensation claims examiner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Survivors include his wife, Barbara, two sons, and four grandchildren.
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Paul A. Distler, December 28, 2016. (Keil Hall, Marshall, Debating Team, News, Lit, Student Council, Election Committee, Fifteen, Les Copains, Chemistry Club, Choir, Librarian, Glee Club, Octet, Christian Service Group, Stony Batter, Marshal of the Field, Jurisprudence Society, Class Day Committee, Ode Committee, wrestling, baseball) Tony spent most of his career in the arts at Virginia Tech, forming the university’s theatre program and later serving as director of its arts school. He also had a career in theatre as a director of professional, community, and academic productions and as a theatre teacher. He served as president of the American Theatre Association and the National Association of Schools of Theatre and was benefactor of the Distler Family Fund for Guest Artists and Student Arts Travel at Mercersburg. Tony was preceded in death by two brothers, Theodore Distler ’49 and George Distler ’58, and an infant sister. Survivors include several children, grandchildren, and nieces. Stephen H. Schultz, April 17, 2017. (Keil Hall, Irving, News, Exchange Editor, KARUX, Press Club, Laticlavii, Chemistry Club, Caducean Club, cheerleader, Jurisprudence Society, Class Day Committee, tennis manager) Steve graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and served in the United States Army. He was a certified public accountant with Schultz-Sorin, later Brown, Schultz, Sheridan and Fritz. Steve was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara, and is survived by three children, eight grandchildren, two brothers (including Malcolm Schultz ’57), and several nieces and nephews (including Joshua Schultz ’85).
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Jeffrey S. Carver, February 25, 2017. (Marshall) Jeffrey worked for Ray Ellison Homes and owned and operated a mortgage company. He was a longtime realtor and founder and publisher of the Real Estate Newsline. Survivors include his life partner, Candace, two sons, one grandchild, three step-grandchildren, and three sisters. Robert G. Smith, May 12, 2017. (South Cottage, Irving, Les Copains, Caducean Club) Robert earned his bachelor’s degree from Alma College and his master’s degree from Penn State University. He retired as a research chemist from Novartis (previously Ciba Geigy), and is survived by a sister, a niece, and a nephew.
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Jerry T. Davidson, May 21, 2017. (Irving, wrestling) Jerry attended Miami University and Xavier University and began his career at Procter & Gamble in the fixed assets and accounting division. He later moved on to Emerson Electric and U.S. Motors before founding Power National Corporation and J.T. Davidson & Co. Survivors include his wife, Nancy, a daughter and son, a stepdaughter, five grandchildren, and a brother.
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Howard P. Kenig, July 10, 2017. (Laucks Hall, Marshall, Laticlavii, Chemistry Club, Jurisprudence Society, Caducean Club, Electronics Club, Projection Crew, Declaimer, wrestling) Howard received his bachelor’s degree, electrical engineering degree, and Ph.D. in the philosophy of science from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a professor of history and the philosophy of science at Millersville State University
MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE FALL 2017
and taught at LaSalle University and Messiah College. Howard was also a project engineer for GE and Westinghouse and later formed his own firm, Power Scientific, providing consulting services for heavy industry. Survivors include his wife, Masako, a sister, a brother, and a cousin, Stanton Lebouitz ’61.
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Julien H. Meyer Jr., June 17, 2017. (Tippetts Hall, Marshall, Jurisprudence Society, Caducean Club, Stamp Club, News, Blue and White Melodians, Varsity Club, tennis, cheerleader) Julien earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He completed his residency as a fellow and chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins Hospital before joining Physicians to Women, the medical practice founded by his father. Julien served as chairman of the department of OB/GYN at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital and mentored students and residents at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Lynn, two sons, four grandchildren, and a sister.
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John B. Steel II, April 28, 2017. (’Eighty-eight Dormitory, Fifteen, Marshall, El Circulo Español, Chemistry Club, Jurisprudence Society, Chess Club, wrestling) The son of the late William Steel ’33, John was a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.
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David E. Solomon, March 1, 2017. (Marshall, Declamation, Classics Club, Russian Club, Ski Club, Psychology Club, Jurisprudence Society, Stony Batter, WMER, Political Science Club, Mercersburg View, Press Club, Glee Club, football) Solly received his MBA in finance from San Francisco State University and worked for Burroughs Corporation. He later worked for Lockheed Martin as a financial analyst and then joined his brother in the building services industry. Survivors include his life partner, Karen, a sister and brother, and two nieces.
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N. Scott Arnold, August 26, 2013. (Marshall, Blue Key, Entertainment Usher, French Club, KARUX, Lit, News, Creative Writing Group, Varsity Club, soccer, track & field) Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He spent nearly 30 years in the philosophy department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and published several books with Oxford University Press. He was twice a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Social Philosophy and Policy Center at Bowling Green State University. Scott is survived by two sons, his parents, and a brother, Steven Arnold ’68.
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Curtis L. Baer, October 31, 2015. (Irving, wrestling) Curt was the president and owner of Barrington Search Group for 19 years. Survivors include his wife, Leigh, four children, two sisters, and a brother.
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Douglas R. Meek, March 26, 2017. (Marshall, Proctor, Jurisprudence Society, French Club, News, Marshal of the Field, football, basketball, track & field) Doug graduated from Grove City College and Kent State University with bachelor’s degrees in business, economics, religion, and engineering.
He worked for Magnetech Industrial Services and later City Mechanical Services. Doug is survived by his mother, a brother, and a nephew.
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David C. Koch, March 12, 2017. (Blue Key, Caducean Club, Latin Club, Film Club, STUAC, News, Chapel Choir, Chorale, Glee Club, Ski Club, cross country, Varsity Club) David graduated from Denison University with a degree in history and received his master’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration from Florida International University. He began his career with Pannell Kerr Forster Hospitality Consultants and was recruited for the executive management training program at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. David later worked at the Hilton International in Washington, D.C. He is survived by a sister (Sarah Koch ’80), a brother, and several nieces and nephews.
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Edward W. McShane II, May 7, 2011. (Stony Batter) Ted was preceded in death by his father, Edward McShane ’45, and brother, Lawrence McShane ’75. He is survived by a sister, Elizabeth McShane Brand ’78.
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Bruce E. Baumgardner, May 31, 2017. (Irving, football, lacrosse, News, Ski Club) Bruce received a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and a master’s degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He worked in property management on Hilton Head Island. Survivors include his daughter; his former wife, Pamela; his former fiancée, Sharon; a brother; a foster brother; two nieces; and an aunt and uncle.
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Kenji Hirai, July 20, 2017. (Fowle Hall, Irving, swimming, lacrosse, soccer) A graduate of the University of Maryland, Kenji was general manager of the House of Kobe and most recently of Nando’s Restaurant Group. He is survived by his parents, a sister, a brother, five nieces and nephews, his paternal grandmother, and numerous aunts and uncles.
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Cristopher G. Stanton, August 28, 2017. (Tippetts Hall/Main Hall, Irving, squash, lacrosse, Jewish Club, Ski Club) Cris graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a degree in anthropology. He loved music, reading, skiing, squash, and travel. Cris lived in Aspen, Colorado. Survivors include his mother, Janice, and father, Jim ’70; twin brother, Nick ’11; his grandmother and step-grandmother; as well as numerous cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Former faculty/staff/friends Richard T. Brocksbank, former faculty member (1957-1959), April 8, 2017. Richard was an English teacher and coached golf. Mansfield Clement Jr., husband of faculty member Trini Hoffman and stepfather of Dane Hoffman ’00 and Shelby Hoffman ’06, June 23, 2017. W. Dolores Gruppe, mother of Associate Head of School Debbie Rutherford, mother-in-law of faculty member Frank Rutherford ’70, and grandmother of Matt Rutherford ’03, Paul Rutherford ’06, Stephon Fullerton ’06, and Amelia Goebel ’09, August 12, 2017.
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Mercersburg Academy 300 East Seminary Street Mercersburg, PA 17236-1551
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FAMILY and ALUMNI WEEKEND
October 20 Friday, 22, 2017 January 26, 2018 Washington, D.C.
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