EVERYTHING YOU CAN
Montclair Kimberley Academy
In This Issue: Classrooms Beyond Classrooms: O utstanding O pportunities and Remarkable People A glim pse into curriculum, student successes and exceptional alum ni Apple School o f Distinction, H om ecom ing Weekend 2014 Around MKA, Book Fair, On the Road and so m uch m o re ...
Luca, Kim and Ariana Puzzo are valued members of the MKA community and have been since Ariana joined Pre-K in 2001. Ariana is now a graduating “Lifer” in the class of 2014, and she and her family have many fond memories of their time at MKA. A particular favorite is recalling Ariana’s days at the Primary School. They both feel that Brookside’s warm and nurturing environment provided Ariana with the necessary foundation for success throughout her academic career at MKA. Kim is also grateful for the close MKA community, noting, “We have been fortunate to develop strong friendships over the years with many MKA families and look forward to continuing those friendships long after graduation.” The Puzzo family has generously supported MKA’s Annual Giving efforts for the past 14 years, and Luca and Ariana have taken their support a step further, with Luca calling families in the Class of 2014 and Ariana calling MKA alumni for this year’s Annual Giving campaign. For Luca, “It is important to remember that there were many fine programs and enhancements in place when Ari entered Pre-K. We acknowledge the generosity of those families who supported MKA’s Annual Giving prior to our arrival, and recognize our responsibility to continue our support, even after Ari’s graduation. Also, Annual Giving helps fund professional development for faculty, who we believe are the single most important component in any educational setting.” Education is extremely important to the family. Kim, a teacher of the deaf for over 20 years, now teaches autistic students, and Luca, a former middle and high school history teacher, has worked as an elementary school principal for the past 20 years. “As educators,” says Kim, “we recognize how fortunate MKA students are to enjoy programs and opportunities not easily funded by tuition dollars alone. One of the chief reasons we chose to invest in an MKA education for Ariana was the ability of the school to provide enhancements and programming not typically present in a public school program.” Volunteerism runs deep in the Puzzo household. The entire family is involved with Parents of Autistic Children (POAC), the largest provider of free services to families, schools and communities in New Jersey affected by autism. Ariana is the founder of “Ari’s Angel Network” which has raised thousands of dollars over the past four years to help fund social and educational opportunities for those seeking POAC’s services. Luca and Kim have also been avid PAMKA volunteers over the years. MKA is very fortunate and grateful for the friendship and support of Luca, Kim and Ariana.
Parent participation in Annual Giving supports that margin of excellence that distinguishes an MKA education from all others. Robust Annual Giving signals an engaged school community, dedicated to improving our children’s lives and increasing the value for everyone. Please pledge your support today at mka.org/giving
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MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY MISSION STATEMENT
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Montclair Kimberley Academy is a Pre-K-12 coeducational day school with an exceptional college preparatory program unified by the concepts of our school motto: Knowledge, Vision, Integrity. An MKA education is defined by the following commitments: KNOWLEDGE • To cultivate a love of learning in each student • To develop independent and autonomous learners • To establish a foundation of academic excellence ________________________ __________
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from the headmaster Letter from the Headmaster
trustee news Letter from the President Future Forward update The Board of Trustees II
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around MKA The All-School Gathering Homecoming and Reunions MKA News Classrooms Beyond Classrooms: Curricular Enrichment Student Sampler - Taking it to the Next Level On the Stage At the Upper School Exceptional Alumni
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The Headmaster is Pleased to Announce Athletics Fall Roundup and Honors
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faculty news Faculty Shout-Outs Faculty Weddings In Memoriam
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parent news A ssociate E d ito r o f C om m unications
Cover photography: Nick Kelsh Photo Credits: Doug Allen, Conny Andres,
Gretchen Berra, Diana Fennelly, David Hollander, Dennis Hu, Nick Kelsh, Debbie Kozak, Lois Montorio, Ben Rich, Kim Saunders, Steve Tober Contributors: Stephen Valentine, Caylie Maden, Dana Rose, Laura Lemaire, CherylAime Amendola, Gillian Branigan, David Korfhage Design: geministudio.com M KA com plies w ith a ll sta te and fe d e ra l anti-discrim ination laws.
Book Fair Winter Boutique & Author Luncheon
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alumni news Letter from the President Networking Opportunities Expand “On the Road” in New York and Florida On the Ice & On the Court
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Luca, Kim and Ariana Puzzo are valued members of the M been since Ariana joined Pre-K in 2001. Ariana is now a I of 2014, and she and her family have many fond memorial A particular favorite is recalling Ariana’s days at the Primij that Brookside’s warm and nurturing environment provide! foundation for success throughout her academic career at i| for the close MKA community, noting, “We have been for I friendships over the years with many MKA families and 1< those friendships long after graduation.”
M o n tc la ir Kl Leadership j We invite you to join
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The Puzzo family has generously supported MKA’s Annu; ■ 4 years, and Luca and Ariana have taken their support a i families in the Class of 2014 and Ariana calling MKA alui Giving campaign. For Luca, “It is important to remember] programs and enhancements in place when Ari entered Pn generosity of those families who supported MKA’s Annua and recognize our responsibility to continue our support, e Also, Annual Giving helps fund professional development are the single most important component in any education Education is extremely important to the family. Kim, a tea years, now teaches autistic students, and Luca, a former m teacher, has worked as an elementary school principal for the past 20 years." ‘75!?™ educators,” says Kim, “we recognize how fortunate MKA students are to enjoy programs and opportunities not easily funded by tuition dollars alone. One of the chief reasons we chose to invest in an MKA education for Ariana was the ability of the school to provide enhancements and programming not typically present in a public school program.” Volunteerism runs deep in the Puzzo household. The entire family is involved with Parents of Autistic Children (POAC), the largest provider of free services to families, schools and communities in New Jersey affected by autism. Ariana is the founder of “Ari’s Angel Network” which has raised thousands of dollars over the past four years to help fund social and educational opportunities for those seeking POAC’s services. Luca and Kim have also been avid PAMKA volunteers over the years. MICA is very fortunate and grateful for the friendship and support of Luca, Kim and Ariana.
ANNUAL GIVING
Knowledge Circle..... Vision Circle.............. Integrity Circle......... , MKA Associates....... Torchbearers............ Cougar Society for yo| annual gifts of $100 c|
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Robust Annual Giving signals an engaged school community, dedicated to improving our children’s lives and increasing the value for everyone. Please pledge your support today at mka.org/giving
MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY MISSION STATEMENT Montclair Kimberley Academy is a Pre-K-12 coeducational day school with an exceptional college preparatory program unified by the concepts of our school motto: Knowledge, Vision, Integrity. An MKA education is defined by the following commitments:
ta b le o f contents from the headmaster Letter from the Headmaster
KNOWLEDGE • To cultivate a love of learning in each student • To develop independent and autonomous learners • To establish a foundation of academic excellence
trustee news
VISION • To engage each student intellectually and personally with the world • To graduate students who will excel in college and in their lives beyond MKA • To recognize complexity and value empathy
The All-School Gathering Homecoming and Reunions MKA News Classrooms Beyond Classrooms: Curricular Enrichment Student Sampler - Taking it to the Next Level On the Stage At the Upper School Exceptional Alumni
INTEGRITY • To strengthen each student’s intellect, character, and confidence • To promote each student’s full and active citizenship and leadership • To secure a life-long sense of honor through academic, athletic, and artistic achievement With traditions dating back to 1887, MKA was formed by the merger of Montclair Academy, Brookside School, and The Kimberley School in 1974. Review Editor: Debbie Kozak - D irector o f C om m unications an d M arketing
Assistant Editors: Debra Allen - C lass N otes Secretary; Gretchen Berra - A lum ni G iving A ssociate; Lois Montorio - D irector o f A lum ni R elations; Kim Saunders A ssociate E d ito r o f C om m unications Cover photography: Nick Kelsh Photo Credits: Doug Allen, Conny Andres, Gretchen Berra, Diana Fennelly, David Hollander, Dennis Hu, Nick Kelsh, Debbie Kozak, Lois Montorio, Ben Rich, Kim Saunders, Steve Tober Contributors: Stephen Valentine, Caylie Maden, Dana Rose, Laura Lemaire, CherylAnne Amendola, Gillian Branigan, David Korfhage Design: geministudio.com M KA com plies w ith a ll sta te and fe d e ra l anti-discrim ination laws.
Letter from the President Future Forward update The Board of Trustees
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student news The Headmaster is Pleased to Announce Athletics Fall Roundup and Honors
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faculty news Faculty Shout-Outs Faculty Weddings In Memoriam
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parent news Book Fair Winter Boutique & Author Luncheon
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alumni news Letter from the President Networking Opportunities Expand “On the Road” in New York and Florida On the Ice & On the Court
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class notes
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ack in January, I was on the road in Florida along with Director o f Development G eoff Branigan* Alumni Relations Director Lois Montorio and Associate Director of Alumni Relations Gretchen Berra. We visited with wonderful alumni who graduated from The Kimberley School, Montclair Academy and MKA. While the years o f graduation ranged from 1942 to 2002, these alumni had a lot in common as people who have continued to leam, to make a positive difference in the world and to lead lives of meaning, which made each o f our gatherings in Orlando, Vero Beach and Boca Raton exciting, interesting and engaging events.
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With certain audiences, when time and opportunity to talk about the school are limited, I try to compress MKA’s purpose into just a few words. Even our Mission Statement, which describes nine commitments that we make on behalf of our students, may be more information than I have time to impart. So, I rely on the two reasons for being for a school like MKA: to develop students who are intellectually independent, so that they can see the world as it is, and who have the confidence to make their way in the world. In combination, these are the qualities that make it possible to lead lives o f meaning, like the thousands o f alumni who have graduated from TKS, M A and MKA.
Classrooms Beyond Classrooms, the theme o f this Spring Review, offers not only a glimpse into some o f the unique opportunities M KA affords its students to leam outside the classroom, but also a sample o f how a commitment to lifelong learning by faculty, students and alumni results in extraordinary accomplishments. These
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are examples o f the experiences that take us out o f ourselves, whether it is the capacity to imagine something that has never been created before, a combination o f knowledge and expertise that transforms the lives o f others, or athletic or artistic performances that push a personal boundary o f what is possible into brand-new territory. Our school strives to be both a place in which students and teachers seek to be and one from which they can go forth with purpose and confidence. This spring, we begin a very special project at the Upper School to transform the Avery Barras Library into a comprehensive Academic Center that will include our technology resources, a learning center, a variety o f workspaces and seminar rooms, and the traditional and evolving functions o f a m odem library. The vision and planning for this project has been developed by those who teach our students as well as by the Facilities Committee o f the Board o f Trustees. The resources to undertake this project are coming from alumni, parents, colleagues and friends o f the School. We will continue to seek support for this project as we put the first shovel in the ground in May. The Academic Center has intentionally been designed to provide versatility and flexibility in terms o f the spaces it includes so that our students and teachers are free to create Classrooms Beyond Classrooms as best suits their purposes. Complemented by the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Gymnasium and athletic facilities at the south end o f the campus and the Peter R. Greer Arts Wing to the north, the Academic Center will be the very heart and hub o f the Upper School. And for our students, it will be the place to leam and to go out into the world virtually and literally. With all best wishes,
Thomas W. Nammack Headmaster
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Dear MKA Families, I hope that your spring is progressing smoothly. Personally, the experience of a real northeast winter only serves to make spring all the more delightful. Now is the perfect time to update you all on the remarkable progress of our Future Forward campaign. It is with great pride that I can share with you that we have now received pledges and gifts of $20 million towards our campaign goal of $30 million. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our generous donors, as well as our development staff and capable volunteers. The Future Forward Campaign has three component pieces: Facilities, Annual Giving and Endowment. This update will T H E CAM PAIGN FO R MKA
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We have completed the Middle School Auditorium, Dining Hall, Common Room and Lobby. These improvements have a positive impact on each Middle School student, every day. We have also completed the turfing of Muenster Field, making an immediate and dramatic improvement in the utility of this fine field. We continue to work on and fundraise for a renovated field house for this location as well. The remaining components of the Facilities portion of the Future Forward campaign are the Upper School Academic Center, Middle School Academic Center, and long overdue renovation of the Primary School Brookside Campus. I am delighted to announce that we have made incredible progress towards our $4 million fundraising goal for the Upper School Academic Center. We have now raised $3.1 million and are very optimistic that we will be : able to break ground on this facility in May. Our fundraising efforts were boosted by a substantial challenge gift from a trustee,' as well as MKA’s largest-ever single gift from an alumnus. We are extraordinarily grateful for these and other significant gifts, including several other alumni contributions towards this project, which serve as a testament to the lasting impact of an MKA education.
“We had a vision o f the library as the hub o f school, ” explains Assistant Head and Director o f Curriculum and Professional Development Karen Newman. “Instead o f being a traditional library space o ff in its own wing, we wanted the new Academic Center to play a more central role. We wanted it to be the go-to place where students felt like scholars ... taking ownership o f their learning and making choices about how they learn in the free time they have. ”
I would like to thank all of our dedicated campaign volunteers. There are too many to name here, but I want to note in particular at this juncture the efforts of Ken Barrett, Campaign Athletic Chair, as well as Kate Logan and Evie Colbert, Upper School Academic Center Chairs. Also, please join me in thanking Eric Pai who serves as overall Campaign Chair as well as Geoff Branigan and his dedicated Development staff.
An architect’s model o f the new Upper School Academic Center conveys some o f the excitement around this project.
Warm regards,
I wish you all a delightful and productive spring.
Michael V. Johnson President, Board of Trustees
board of trustees 2013-2014
Back row 1-r: Rick Andlinger, Jeffrey Szilagyi, Luke Sarsfield ’91, Dan Carson ’83, Jonathan Strain, Richard Stanton ’87, Tim Bozik, Chiming Tse, Kenneth Rivlin Middle row 1-r: Linda Sterling, Carolyn Everson, Lori Yanes, Michael Friezo (Secretary) Front row 1-r: Steve Milke (Treasurer), Kate Logan, Tom Nammack, Michael Johnson (President), Tracy Higgins (Vice President), Eric Pai ’79, Christina Cotton Missing from photo: Evie Colbert (Vice President), Joseph Amato, Ken Barrett, James Bromley, David Crichlow, John Gaffney and Elizabeth Weiswasser. Honorary Trustees: Aubin Ames ’54, John Garippa, Alice Hirsh, Susan Ruddick, Newton B. Schott, Jr. Advisory Trustees: Barry Ridings ’70, Robert Tortoriello, David Turock
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The All-School Gathering In front of 1,100 students, faculty, trustees, friends and special guests B including Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson, MA class of 1973BMKA Headmaster Tom Nammack opened the 21st All-School Gathering and welcomed the audience to MKA’s 126thnew school year. Outstanding student performances included perennial favorites, such as the Cheerleaders, Step Team and Primary School Bellringers, and exciting new acts, including the newly-formed Upper School “Unaccompanied Minors” a cappella group and junior singersongwriter Melissa Baney. Students from each campus spoke to the community, diversity and connectedness that makes MKA such a special place. Third grader Ella Martin shared her belief in the importance of welcoming new members to a class, Middle School Student Government President Betsy Macdonnell ’18 explored the meaning of diversity and Student Government President Sam Zinn ’14 urged his audience to make the most of every moment at MKA, reiterating that the school not only recognizes the ways in which every individual is different and unique, but also actively celebrates those differences - making it a “second family” for so many of its students. Other highlights included recognizing MKA student scholars, athletes and artists with special MKA sweaters; celebrating the 2013 Founders’ Cup winner, Upper School history teacher David Hessler, and 30-year teaching veterans Deborah Jennings and Ken Smith; and enjoying the symbolic “crossing of the bridge” by Kindergarten students to receive a small gift of welcome from the senior class.
Homecomings and Reunions Homecoming Weekend 2013 was incredibly successful as 525 alumni 9 a record-breaking number —participated in various celebrations on campus and around town. iHB.
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I am and always Will be E events kicked off on proud to be an MKA alum. ” I Friday, October 25, p when 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Paige Cottingham-Streater ’79 addressed an appreciative Upper School assembly. That evening, a reception to unveil a new Operation Tribute plaque at the Upper School drew nearly 50 attendees. Alumni veterans Joseph Williamson ’93 and Brad Kramer ’83 both spoke about their career in the armed forces and emphasized that their MICA education and experience prepared them for the challenges of military life. This plaque complements The Memorial at Reflection Court at the Upper School, and both honor alumni, faculty and staff from Montclair Academy, The Kimberley School and Montclair Kimberley Academy who served their country, either in peacetime or active duty, in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the War on Terrorism. On Saturday, the sun shone as members of ’3’s and ’8’s (including three 70th reunion celebrants) returned for their Reunion Lunch, while MKA teams recorded wins throughout the day. For the first time, early evening Reunion Cocktail Parties were held around Montclair for classes celebrating their 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th and 40th reunions. Local venues Egans, Halcyon and 12 West were packed with alums, and the success of these events marks the start of a new tradition —something the ’4’s and ’9’s can look forward to this year! At the Reunion Dinner held later that night at Mayfair Farms, the achievements of Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Dr. Wiemi Douoguih ’88 and Caitlin Lehmann ’01 (posthumous) were celebrated. Capping off the weekend, 50 members of the MKA community including alumni, faculty, parents and past parents attended a performance of Pippin on Broadway, thanks to the generosity of producer and MKA alumnus Peter Stern ’65.
SAVE THE DATE FOR HOMECOMING WEEKEND 2014 - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 - CELEBRATING THE 4’S AND 9’S!
1. A l Soria ’43 and D ick Angus ’43 celebrate their 70"' reunion. 2. H yA gens ’58 enjoys reading about the old days. 3. Bob Comingsby, Jr. ’53 returned to Van Brunt F ield to handle the coin toss fo r the Homecoming fo o tb a ll game. 4. DAA Paige Cottingham-Streater ’79 with sister-in-law A llison Thomas-Cottingham ’84 and brother Bob Cottingham ’84 5. 8th graders Brynnae Newman and Evelyn Salehi welcomed returning TKS alumna Elza D zenis H ess ’73 (who travelled the fu rth est to return) and classmate Constance Van Eeghen to the M iddle (formerly Kimberley School) Campus. 6. M embers o f the '0 3 ’s and ’0 8 's got together a t Egans fo r cocktails. 7. Richard Lehmann receives the A thletic H all o f Fame Award on behalfo f his daughter, Caitlin, from A thletic D irector Todd Smith. 8. Dr. Wiemi Douoguih ’88, surrounded by hisfam ily, from l-r: wife Sheba, sister Dr. M acaya Douoguih ’90, and proud parents, Augustin and Clarice.
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Distinguished School MKA garnered another prestigious accolade for its Technology Program when it was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2013-2015 in November 2013. The Distinguished School designation is reserved for programs that meet criteria for innovation, leadership and educational excellence, and demonstrate Apple’s vision of exemplary learning environments. MKA was recognized for its outstanding implementation of Apple technology in its 1:1 Laptop Learning Initiative for grades 4-12, and its use of iPads for grades Pre-K-3. At MKA, Middle and Upper School students and all faculty work from a common platform of MacBook Airs, together with an identical suite of software, to ensure equal and ubiquitous access to all. Students are prepared for the responsibility of assuming full administrative rights on their machines from 4th grade on, and faculty take part in an annual summer Technology Institute, together with regular workshops, to augment their professional development and ensure that they remain at the cutting edge of integrating technology into the curriculum.
“The selection o f MKA as an Apple Distinguished School highlights our success in providing a highly personal, technology-enriched learning environment that engages students and prepares them to be prepared and confident in an increasingly technology-driven world, ” noted Headmaster Tom Nammack on learning o f the award. “We are delighted that Apple has recognized our achievements in this way. ”
Since implementing the program in 2010, MKA has secured a national reputation for excellence in the field of educational technology. Designated as the “Spotlight School” at the 2012 Laptop Institute in Memphis, TN, where members of MKA’s faculty and administration led workshops ranging from integrating technology into the curriculum to using students as Laptop Leaders in the implementation and continued development of a successful 1:1 program, MKA is regularly visited by teams of educators from across the country and across the world interested in implementing 1:1 laptop programs in their own schools and districts.
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MKA’s Hem m eter History Lectures: The Upper School History Department’s Hemmeter Lecture Series, chaired by history teacher David Hessler, brings renowned experts in the field of politics to campus. In October, Chinese dissident, activist and author Wei Jingsheng discussed “China in the Dawn of Historic Change: The Role and the Actions of the Chinese Democracy Activists;” followed by senior fellow for India, Pakistan and I H H i m H I South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Daniel Markey discussing “No Exit from Pakistan” in early January; and in late January, a visit from one of the country’s most iconic journalists, when Bill Moyers shared an unforgettable evening with the Upper School community.
Community Scholars Celebrated: On September 24, seven Community Scholars were recognized at a special reception and dinner held at the Middle School. The Scholars, together with their parents, school administrators and trustees, attended the event, where they were celebrated for the accomplishments and talents - both academic and personal - that they bring to the MKA community. Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson, MA ’73, the first Community Scholar to graduate from the school, returned to say a few words and encouraged them to make the most of all the opportunities available to them and to give back to the school and the communities in which they have been raised. Each year, seven students with demonstrated financial need in grades 7-12 are selected for this prestigious Scholarship that is
renewable annually. Established in 1969, MKA’s Community Scholars have graduated from the county’s most prestigious universities and served with distinction in a broad variety of careers.
Diversity & inclusion Initiatives: As MKA strives to deliver on its mission to recognize complexity and value empathy, several initiatives have been taken to help realize the school’s goal of becoming a truly inclusive community. In late August, MKA’s full faculty and staff benefited from a day of in-service when Dr. Steven Jones, a nationally recognized expert in the field of cultural competency, led a workshop focusing on the practical application of knowledge! awareness and skills to help achieve more effective interactions in the face of individual, group and institutional differences. Dr. Jones returned to campus for a second day to meet with smaller groups -including MKA’s Diversity Coordinators, the Administrative Council, the Admissions Office, students and parents (drawn from MKA’s new Parent Diversity Committee) - to better understand the challenges they feel they face and to offer strategies to increase every member of the community’s feeling of being respected and valued at MKA. As the adults in the community were challenged to think harder about their own interactions, so too were MKA’s students prepared for some self-reflection with a summer reading assignment that dealt with the theme of ability. Each campus read an age-appropriate work to help facilitate discussion over the first weeks back at school. Primary School students and faculty read My Brother Charlie, Middle School read Wonder and the Upper School read The Curious Incident o f the Dog in the Night. Dr. Jones returned to MKA in November to provide an opportunity for the Board of Trustees and the greater parent body to leam from his insights and expertise.
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Curricular Enrichment In this issue we explore the concept of Classrooms Beyond Classrooms —not only how MKA provides opportunities to enhance curricular offerings to all students, but also how the school supports those students for whom the classroom extends beyond the boundaries of an MKA campus - be it on a stage, in a pool or at another institution. And as well as featuring some remarkable students, we also highlight three extraordinary alumni whose passion for learning has guided both their lives and their careers.
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world as it comes. So Dr. Fyler doesn’t scream or instinctively smash the spider with the nearby safety goggles. Instead, she gently covers it with the nearest petri dish. Something from the natural world has lit up Dr. Fyler’s imagination. She has thought of something.
Dr. Fyler an d th e S p id er Stephen J. Valentine, Assistant Head o f Upper School, English teacher It’s a beautiful fall afternoon. A gentle breeze shakes the gold-edged leaves of the trees just west of Lloyd Road and shoulder pads crash on the turf just east. Elvoid Christmas is at the front desk, talking to stragglers, students and faculty alike, as they head for home or stage, from field or classroom, carrying books and laptops and uniforms and costumes. Pan to the science wing where things are hushed. A teacher works in her classroom, preparing for an 8:00 a.m. lab. She is alone, making progress, but only briefly. For out of the discrete silence of the science wing walks a large, brown spider. This spider is the kind that, we imagine, might not just bite us but that wants to bite us. The kind that would send most of us flailing out of the room in search of the nearest rolled up newspaper. But this teacher just cocks her head to the side and smiles, because this is Dr. Carrie Fyler, a scientist who has spent countless hours in science labs, has done meticulous research on tapeworms and seals and has turned such encounters into peer reviewed papers. Warm-hearted and curious, she takes the
Seconds later, the email inboxes of Dr. Fyler’s colleagues in the science department begin to light up, too. Dr. Fyler has written a polite inquiry: “If nobody has any use for the spider I just found, I’d like to amplify and sequence its DNA with one of my classes.” And so the spider sits in ajar, since joined by two others, waiting to become part of the science curriculum. Using field guides, Dr. Fyler will lead her students through a primary identification of the spiders. Then, using our lab technology, she will teach the students how to amplify a gene and how to then send that gene to another lab that can sequence the DNA, to aid in further exploration. Dr. Fyler’s spider is worth pondering, but so is the story about Dr. Fyler and the spider. In fact, it serves as an excellent lead-in to the stories you are about to read, stories that ask us to reconsider and renegotiate the lines that we sometimes draw around learning. First, the story teaches us that the MKA classroom is not always located at our physical addresses. Sure, students and teachers meet in school every day, and they spend much of their time together in classrooms, but the site of learning can and does shift. Sometimes learning unfolds when we focus on textbooks. Sometimes it unfolds when we focus on what’s happening in a test tube or on a board or in a discussion. And sometimes it happens when we focus on something that walks into our classrooms on eight legs.
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In the upcoming stories, we will see the site of learning shift again and again; we will see the world becoming the text, the world becoming the lab, the world becoming the spur to teacher inventiveness and student learning. Take, for example, the Primary School’s work with Alstede Farms and Montclair’s Crane House (P.15). Read about it, and you will see something outside the classroom becoming the primary vehicle for enhancing student understanding. As I drive around Montclair with my two children, who have participated in these trips and activities, the town becomes charged and changed. Hearing my fouryear-old daughter Chloe say, “I picked vegetables to give to that place” or “a bowl I made in school will help paint that house” are moments of dual pride - pride in my child for internalizing the spirit of service and pride in the school that so carefully planted such an important heuristic. Educators talk all the time about the importance of transference between disciplines —hoping that the writing skills that students practice in English class will transfer to the writing that they are asked to perform in science class, etc. But the kind of transference happening in my daughter and her peers may be even more important. By the age of four, thanks to a meaningful and thoughtful extension of the site of learning, these young people already know that their efforts in school can and should connect to the world. What’s more, they know that their efforts might actually change the world. Instilling such beliefs in young people takes time one of the most contested resources in school - and the story of Dr. Fyler and the spider is not only about the site of learning, but also about an approach to curriculum that embodies flexibility and depth. Dr. Fyler can consider the power of amplifying a spider’s gene because she works in a school that understands that the well-timed improvisation might lead to an intensification of standard knowledge and conventional understanding.
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When MKA’s students travel to Ellis Island, The Museum of Chinese and the Tenement Museum (P. 16) to extend their study of immigration, they too are extending a curriculum that started in the classroom. From simply reading about a historic experience, they quite literally stand in the steps of those who experienced immigration first-hand, internalizing that experience and letting their imaginations soar. When the World Religions class leaves its books behind and visits various places of worship (R18) students are asked to stack new sensations and unplanned encounters upon the cognitive framework they have been building under the watchful eye of Dr. Korfhage. To make such educational practice work, both the student and the teacher need to be prepared. Students must do their best to attach new knowledge to old; teachers must be prepared to push their lessons into authentic contexts and experiences - into the unexpected and new.
Mark Twain famously said, “Don’t let your schooling get in the way o f your education. ” That’s a fair warning, but it’s not necessarily a recipe for success. It doesn’t capture the full picture of an education. You can’t just wander away from school and expect to find the education you need. To make meaning and sense of the adventure, you also need the right guides, the right tools and the right mindset. You need to be open and curious. You need to be able to think creatively, analytically and rigorously. You need to know how to reflect by keeping a journal or writing a blog post. You need to know how to ask and frame questions, seek information and draw conclusions. You need resilience. You need an ability to know which details are important and which details you can ignore. You need, in short, the qualities that are developed in MKA students day in and day out by their guides - a remarkable and passionate faculty.
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When you attend a school that is fully awake to educational possibilities and student potential, all the things you learn in school support your education as it extends beyond your school. At MKA, we learn from books and labs and apps and papers and problems and discussions. We leam on stages and fields and darkrooms and committees. And we leam, too, to paraphrase the poet Theodore Roethke, by going where we have to go.
C u ltiv a tin g a S ense o f P lac e a t th e P rim ary S cho ol
while 3rdgrade students have the opportunity to become mentors and role models. The buddies meet weekly to leam and collaborate together, and now, to also help others. In September they gathered in the Primary School garden to plant spinach seeds. They worked together, using math skills to measure the distance between seeds. From a science perspective, they learned that seeds grow into plants that you can eat. Over the next few months, they established ownership of the garden as they learned about becoming stewards of their own backyard.
Dana Rose, 3rdGrade Level Chair and Caylie Marden, Pre-K teacher This summer, we received a Blauvelt Grant to create a meaningful cross-grade level “buddies” curriculum for our 3rd grade and Pre-K students. After spending a week at the Community Works Institute in Shelburne, VT, we learned how a sense of place could be linked to service learning and sustainability, and focused our new curriculum on using our “place” - the neighborhood surrounding the Primary School - as our classroom. Place-based learning “increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their communities, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens.” (David Sobel, PlaceBased Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities) It has also long been a part of the Reggio Approach, another component in the Primary School curriculum, that uses the learning environment as a third teacher. Pairing the oldest and youngest students at the Primary School as “buddies” serves a dual purpose. Pre-K students, new to MKA, make older friends and feel instantly welcomed into the community,
For the second year in a row, the buddies traveled further afield and took a joint field trip to Alstede Farm in Chester, NJ to pick green beans and tomatoes. Last year, parent volunteers took the produce and delivered it to a food pantry. This year, we decided to donate the produce to a local soup kitchen in our own neighborhood. As 74 exuberant children walked down Orange Road to deliver the produce in person to Toni’s Kitchen, they had a sense of purpose and a true understanding about how their efforts benefited others in their community. The produce that the students picked traveled from farm to table and fed 80 hungry people - a real-world social studies connection between farming, food and service. By keeping the focus of the project local, the children were able to see first-hand how their efforts benefitted others.
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In a new project linking sustainability to service learning, the Pre-K and 3rd grade students worked collaboratively to weave bowls out of recycled T-shirts. After two months of collaboration, the bowls were sold at the PAMKA Winter Boutique to raise money to help paint the Crane House, a historic house maintained by the Montclair Historical Society, also located on Orange Road and familiar to the 3rd graders who took a field trip there last year. In anticipation of their own field trip to Crane House this spring, 2nd graders also helped with the weaving. 3rd grade students then worked shifts throughout the day at the Boutique to demonstrate the weaving process and fundraise. This real-life entrepreneurship empowered them to use their math and social studies skills beyond the classroom in ways that benefit others, and they raised $789! The children will be able to see the results of their hard work when Crane House is repainted and feel proud that their service-learning efforts benefited their immediate neighborhood.
immigrants and learn about the challenges and contributions of these groups during the Great Wave of Immigration. The study begins in the classroom when students research the history of this era. Then each student is assigned an actual immigrant and family that came to our country during this time period. Students are assigned the role of father, mother or child in their immigrant family. Next, they write diary entries about their experiences using the voice and perspective of their appointed immigrant. Textbooks, lecture and Internet sources are the foundation of their stories, but students really enhance their knowledge of this era by traveling to Ellis Island, The Museum of Chinese in America and the Tenement Museum.
Through cultivating a sense of place, students are also cultivating personal relationships with each other, within the Primary School community and within our larger local community. Throughout the year, they will be exploring concepts of language arts, math, science and social studies in their larger neighborhood classroom, and will be learning that service learning and sustainability begins close to home.
R esearch to R e a lity T o ta l: E xperiencing H istory F irst-H a n d a t th e M id d le S cho ol The Fourth Grade Immigration Unit Laura Lemaire, 4th Grade Dean The culminating unit of the fourth grade social studies curriculum is our Immigration Study. Students immerse themselves in the experiences of German, Italian, Irish, Chinese, Polish and Russian
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Students gain a much deeper understanding during their visits to these sites. They meet with actors impersonating immigrants, view the actual suitcases that were carried on boats to America, browse through exhibits filled with artifacts that belonged to these passengers and listen to tour guides as they explain the lives of these people. An empathy is gained that can’t be acquired from merely reading books. The following is an extract from the diary entry a fourth grader wrote describing his entry through Ellis Island. The goal of the piece is to include significant
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historical facts in the piece, but to infuse the writing with rich, human details and voice that make the piece come alive. Dear Diary, Ellis Island was the toughest experience I have had in my life. Wefirst had to get to the baggage room. Everyone was shouting around me. All o f the different languages were overwhelming. Our family scrambled through the shouting crowd... An officer handed me a tag. “Was ist das? ” I said. (English= What is this) but the officer just closed my hands around the tag. ... The next room was huge. It was the biggest indoor space I had seen in my life, but the noise destroyed the experience. I couldn’t hear myself think! There were wooden benches that stretched all around the room. We got in the line for the medical exam. 15 minutes later, a doctor came up to our family with a tool. I think it is called a bootenhook. The doctor pointed at me first. He waved his hands up. I stood up. He took the bootenhook and put it under my eye. The bootenhook scraped my eyelid and it hurt. Finally, after ten minutes o f scratching he was done with our family. He stuck both o f his thumbs in the air and walked away. I guess it was an American sign o f “you are good” because no other doctors came to us for the rest o f the time we were in the line. Julius Mielke (aka Luke Gardiner, ’21)
A culminating activity is a skit written by each immigrant family member that is then presented to the class. After all their study and trips outside the classroom, students have gained an empathy with their “immigrant” and feel almost as if they have become the person they have written about. Each year we have high school students whom come back and visit, telling us “I remember immigration in fourth grade. I was Julius Mielke.” “I remember being Huie Lin.” Or, “I was Hanora Hilton.” The things they learned are still very real for them. At MKA, teachers understand that students gain a richer understanding of history when they can take their learning outside of the classroom. Students learn best when they are excited and interested in the events they are studying. They leam best when the curriculum is relevant. Field trips outside the classroom allow this type of learning to take place.
T h e E ighth G rade W illia m s b u rg Experience CherylAnne Amendola, 8th Grade Dean and history teacher One of the most important “take-aways” from history class in the Middle School is that history is not static. History is a subject that can be taken beyond the classroom and explored in all parts of the world. The part of the world that our 8th grade students visit each year to delve into the history of our nation is Williamsburg, VA. The major history project in 8th grade is the colonial research paper. Students choose a topic of interest from the Colonial-American era and formulate a thesis based on preliminary research using print and digital resources from our extensive collections in the library. After writing a first draft, they then use
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the feedback they receive to investigate further, and they get the chance to go “back in time” to Colonial Williamsburg, the living history museum, to enhance their research.
students relish. They get to see, touch and live the theses that they are examining, and further, students realize that while the events they study happened in the past, history is a subject that is very much alive.
For four days in Williamsburg, 8th graders walk in the shoes of our colonial ancestors. They tour with an expert museum guide who essentially immerses them in colonial history. They are able to explore America as if they are in the year 1776. Among many other activities, students watch a blacksmith create tools out of iron, they join in colonial dancing, and they train as Revolutionary soldiers. They leam history by experiencing and doing history, which is an education beyond compare. Current eighth grader Cece Taylor feels that “going to Williamsburg was an amazing experience. I was trying to prove that men used religion to make colonial women inferior citizens in their society. By talking to my tour guide and going to the Bruton Parish church to talk to experts in colonial religious practice, I was able to enhance my paper.” Ben Stuart took on the challenge of writing about the roles of medical practitioners in colonial America: “While in New Jersey, I had spent seemingly endless amounts of time searching and scouring all of my resources to find pieces of information, many times to no avail. Upon arriving in Williamsburg and Yorktown, I found that everyone was willing to help me answer my questions, or direct me to an expert on the subject. All of my questions were answered by the time I left Williamsburg. From an outside view, the trip can seem extremely stressful, ft’s not. I found that most of the day in Colonial Williamsburg was spent finding out about interesting information with your friends. The other parts of the academically based day were spent finding out information specific to your paper with experts. The trip to Colonial Williamsburg was extremely productive.” While the colonial research paper is the largest writing assignment for which students are responsible in 8th grade history, the way in which the research is done makes the process one that
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From T h e o ry to Practice: G aining a D eep er U n d ers tan d in g a t th e U p p er S cho ol W orld R eligions Dr. David Korfhage, Chair, History Department One of my goals—really, my main goal-Ein my 11th and 12th grade World Religions elective is for students to gain some insight into the worldview and experience of the practitioners of the religions we study. We do this in a variety of ways. We read sacred texts; we read about religion in current events; we watch videos of religious practices, or movies about religions; and one crucial way of accomplishing this goal is by taking students on field trips to see these religions in practice. Fortunately, New Jersey is an extremely religiously diverse state, which gives our class plenty of opportunities for field trips.
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We typically take four trips over the course of the year. The first is to the American Museum of Natural History, where students apply their knowledge of indigenous religions (such as Native American religions) to write a tour of the museum’s anthropological collections. The remainder of our trips are to religious institutions. We visit Sri Venkateswara Temple, a Hindu temple in Bridgewater. Most students have never been to a Hindu temple before, and experiencing the sights—and sounds, and smells, since it is a powerful, multisensory experienc&gg,.. really gives students a better understanding of the Hindu puja which they have read about in our textbook. In a completely contrasting experience, we also visit the Clear Mountain Zen Center in Montclair. Where the Hindu temple is a feast for the senses, the Zen Center is quiet and restrained. The sensei speaks to the students about the meaning and purpose of Zen Buddhism, and teaches them the basics of zazen (sitting meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation), so they can experience those central Zen practices for themselves. We generally wrap up our field trips with a visit to Friday prayers at the Islamic Center of Passaic County, in Paterson. We have been visiting that mosque for six years now, as long as the class has been running, and meeting our host is like meeting an old friend. Students sit in the mosque, with the worshippers, to listen to the Imam’s sermon and observe the prayers. One year we happened to
attend on the day Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in Egypt. As the mosque is heavily North African, the event dominated discussions and sermons that day. The worship space is segregated between men and women, and the experience of that is always a topic of discussion with our host after the prayers. In the past, time constraints and weather problems have gotten in the way of our attending Jewish and Christian services, but I hope to attend such services later this year and in future years. Here, too, the Montclair area is rich in religious congregations—Jewish synagogues from Orthodox to Reform, and churches that include everything from Russian Orthodox cathedrals with services in Old Church Slavonic, to modem megachurches with rock bands and TV screens. As long as I have run this course, field trips have been an integral part of it. They really do deepen students’ understanding, and students regularly mention the field trips as one of the highlights of the course. The field trips are a prime example of the ways in which MKA engages student intellectually and personally with the world. MKA is blessed to be located in a state with rich cultural resources, and I am glad my students have the chance to enrich their classroom experience with some real-world experience of religion.
T h e Junior T rip to W ash in g to n DC G illian Branigan, Dean o f Students and history teacher Like many other traditions at MKA, the annual junior class trip to Washington DC is eagerly anticipated by MKA students and members of the Upper School History Department alike. Every spring since the early 1970s, the junior class has enjoyed spending time visiting some of the traditional sites in the capital, such as the monuments, the Capitol building, and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Ceremony.
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While those experiences are memorable, there are two elements of the trip that set it apart from a generic tour of DC. During the second day, the large group breaks up into six to eight smaller interest groups, and those smaller groups get to visit with professionals who can offer an insider’s view into their career in DC, as well as the impact that their field has on national and even international politics. Over recent years, students have participated in interest groups ranging from meeting with a Supreme Court justice and the Attorney General for the Department of Defense, to leaders in the media, politicians and lobbyists. Many of these connections have been built with the enormous support of our alumni base, as well as current and past parents. “The opportunity to meet real professionals who work in Washington is an incredible opportunity because it brings the world in our textbook to life,” notes senior Aaron StagoffBelfort. “Meeting with New York Times political correspondent Peter Baker gave me a greater understanding of the political climate of the Reagan and Bush years and the personal interactions between a president and members of his cabinet.” This year, opportunities include meetings with R. James Nicholson, former cabinet secretary, ambassador to the Vatican and chair of the RNC, Donna Crews, Director of Government Affairs for AIDS Action and Theo Merkley, aide to Senator Pat Toomey.
The second element that makes this trip particularly engaging for students is that they make it while they are enrolled in a Modem US History course. The connections that students and teachers make while strolling through the FDR Memorial, listening to debates in the House or Senate gallery, and during the interest groups, are invaluable in growing their appreciation for US History as well as the current political climate in DC “I now understand the American political system.” Notes senior Jake Kleinbaum, “Sitting in the audience of the Senate was an exhilarating experience, particularly since we viewed a vote to end debate on a pivotal gun control law.” Without fail, many juniors return from this trip even more interested in applying to colleges and/or internships in the DC area. Senior Spencer Turkington reflects: “Having a chance to visit the center of American politics is an experience like no other. Having learned so much about the men and women who shaped our country in this great city, being able to be there and see the monuments and buildings that have become iconic to the American identity was simply amazing.” The Upper School’s History Department considers itself a torchbearer for this longstanding MKA tradition, and every year students are treated to witnessing history in the making, as well as recognizing the relevance and importance of what they are studying back on Lloyd Road.
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Colin Critchley
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For a handful o f accomplished MKA students, the classroom beyond the school classroom is the professional stage. Remarkably, three o f these students are currently at the Middle School, and the fourth has recently transitioned to the Upper School.
Grade 4: Actor Grade started at MKA ? Pre-K. How long have you been acting? Professionally, for a year and half.
What made you realize it was something you were really interested in? I always loved putting on shows at home when I was little. I knew Mary Poppins by heart and loved to perform it for guests at our house. My parents took me to the MKA Winter Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, at the Upper School, and I remember thinking “I want to be up on that stage.” I ended up getting into the Lee Strasberg Young Actors Program in NYC and went to class every Saturday, all day, where I studied musical theater, acting, dance and on camera.
How much time do you spend training/taking classes during the school year - and where? During the school year, I train once a week at my home for tap. I love to tap and it’s a lot harder than it looks!! I also take voice lessons in the city. Much of my time is spent going to auditions - sometimes five in a week - then I have to spend time preparing the lines or music before each one. Over the summer, I take workshops in the city where we put on shows. Can you tell us about some o f your performances? I’ve done lots of commercials and did two episodes of Celebrity Ghost Stories on TV. I’ve also appeared in two movies that aren’t out yet. In live theater, my first big show was the Radio City Christmas Spectacular national tour. It was a 3month tour that went to St. Louis, Dallas and Chicago. I had a tutor on set to make sure that I got my school hours in. There were five other kids on the tour with me and we had so much fun going to different places in each city and just hanging out together backstage. I still keep in touch with them, and we are really close. Then I got to do a short stint as an understudy in the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots. Currently, I am performing on Broadway with Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley in Waitingfor Godot. I share the
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role of Boy with another kid named Aidan, who I love hanging out with. All of the actors are amazing, and it is a huge thrill and such an honor to be on stage with them. It’s definitely surreal to be on stage with people I have been on the big screen in X-Men and The Hobbit. In one of my scenes, Ian McKellen gets really angry with me and grabs me, shakes me and yells at me. But that’s the complete opposite of what he is like in real life.
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Elliot O’Dell - Grade 5: Dancer
Kiki Porter - Grade 8: Singer
Grade started at MKA ?
Grade started at MKA ?
Kindergarten
2nd Grade.
How long have you been dancing?
How long have you been singing?
What’s the performance yo u ’ve most enjoyed?
I have been dancing ever since I could walk, spinning being a particular favorite, but I really started taking ballet classes when I was eight years old.
I can’t pick one. I have really loved them all for different reasons —it’s really an amazing adventure.
How much time do you spend practicing?
My family tells me that when I was three, I sang around the house all the time. I was interested in music and played our old piano with missing keys - when I played the broken keys I sang the missing notes exactly right. At six years old, my piano teacher suggested that I audition for The Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus. I joined The Met at seven years old and spent my first year learning Puccini’s La Boheme. We were taught La Boheme in Italian and practiced every single note and syllable for months until we got it right.
What are the hardest and best things about performing and being at the Middle School?
It’s hard to balance everything - homework, the play, missing school, preparing for auditions, seeing friends, practicing tap and voice. But I have an amazing teacher, Mrs. Lemaire, who helps me to stay on top of everything and not to stress. My parents also help me to keep everything organized. The best thing is that I get to lead two lives. At school, I’m just a regular kid but then I have this whole other part of my life where I get to perform live and meet famous people and act with these legends.
I spend three to five hours each week, training at the School of American Ballet in New York City. Can you tell us about some o f your performances?
So far, I’ve danced in as a toy soldier in New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. It was a great experience and I hope to have more opportunities to perform.
How much time do you spend training/taking classes during the school year - and where?
What’s your favorite food, book or movie?
Who inspires you?
My favorite book is the Percy Jackson series; movie is the Hobbit, and my favorite food is Japanese ramen soup at Ippudo in NYC.
Many different people, but I really admire the Russian dancer Rudolph Nureyev.
I spend a lot of time studying music theory, composition, voice, flute and piano year round. The Met’s advanced class meets from August through May on Fridays and Saturdays in a Studio at The Metropolitan Opera. When I am cast in a role in an opera, I have a costume fitting, about five stage rehearsals, one final dress rehearsal and the opera performances. If I am cast in a solo role, I train with the Chorus Master three times a week two months prior to the first stage rehearsals. In addition to voice training, I also study flute on Tuesdays and music theory, composition and piano on Sundays. In the spring, summer and winter I participate in field hockey clinics which are fun and at the same time help to improve my breathing capacity for voice and flute!
What’s your favorite food, book or movie (or all three!)
Can you tell us about some o f your performances - what’s the performance yo u ’ve most enjoyed?
My favorite food is cereal, and my favorite book is Hatchet by Gary Paulson.
Over the last seven years, I have been in 17 different operas totaling 219 performances with The Met and have been a soloist in four of those
Who is your inspiration?
Hugh Jackman. He is a true triple threat, and he’s able to cross over between live theater and film. I got to meet him a couple of weeks ago when he came to see my show. It was a dream come true!
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What are the hardest and the best things about juggling being at the Middle School with your dance schedule?
The hardest part about performing during the school year was managing my homework, but thanks to the great support that I got from my teachers, it was doable. And there are many reasons why performing was fun, but I particularly enjoyed making new friends and being on the stage in Lincoln Center.
operas. My next solo role will be in Massenet’s Werther as Gretel. My favorite solo so far was as Peaseblossom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was sung in English, with a BritishEnglish accent, which required me to train with an accent coach. The score allowed me to sing cool harmonies with my friends and as a soloist, I was a featured part of the production and performed in every act in six performances. All the prep time spent brought me closer with my colleagues. I learned a great sense of discipline, focus and patience, and each performance was a euphoric experience for me. Of all my recorded performances, Midsummer ranks as “most listened to” on my iPhone —I love it! What’s the hardest thing about performing and being in Middle School?
Balancing school work and Met responsibilities. At the beginning of The Met season, I miss quite a bit of school. This means my homework, projects and tests need lots of focus. I make sure to email my teachers when I miss school, and touch base with them for extra help. Luckily, The Met provides tutoring sessions for children’s chorus members. Sometimes, Met performances end as late as 11:30 at night, so I go to sleep very late. I have learned to manage my time carefully, making sure I meet all my tasks. This year was really rough for me because I missed the entire field hockey season, the 8th grade Williamsburg trip, and I was unable to participate in the 8th grade play. I also miss extra time with my friends.
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What’s the best thing about performing and being in middle school? Intonation, rhythm, technique, pronunciation, memorization and performance come to me easily. I feel comfortable in the super musical environment of The Met. At the Middle School, I have to study and work hard in order to get good grades. Combining The Met and school work has taught me time management, responsibility, and the value of accomplishment. Who is your inspiration? I am able to work for the best opera company in the world, and am inspired everyday by my Met teachers and the vocal adult principals I work with. Additionally, I am inspired by my family (and friends), who unconditionally support me every step of the way. What’s your favorite food, book or movie (or all three!) My favorite food is macaroni and cheese; my favorite book is What’s Left o f Me; and my favorite movie at the moment is Gravity.
Save the Date! MKA alumnae Melissa Cohn '78 will host a
New York Alumni Gathering - Friars Club 57 East 55th St. Manhattan Tuesday, April 29 at 7pm. Contact Gretchen Berra at gberra@mka.org for more information.
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Kristina Hadjipetkov
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Grade 9: Ballet Student
Somehow managing to juggle the demands o f being a full-time student at the School o f American Ballet as well as at MKA, Kristina maintains a full honors academic schedule as well as being a seasoned performer, with over 100 performances with The New York City Ballet (NYCB) to her credit. Most recently, she has been awardedfull scholarships to attend Boston Ballet School s summer program and the Summer Intensive Program at Chautauqua, as well as being one o f only five students selected to perform at Lincoln Centerfo r Balanchine s Birthday Weekend celebrations. Grade started at MKA? Pre-K
company in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for three different seasons, and was in the S.A.B.’s annual Workshop Performances for three years, in Scènes de Ballet, Circus Polka and Twinkliana. For the past three summers, I have also participated in, and performed with the Chautauqua Institution as a member of their Ballet Summer Intensive Program.
How long have you been dancing? For 12 years, since I was three. How much time do you spend training during the school year - and where? For the past six years, I’ve spent six days a week commuting to New York to Lincoln Center for classes at The School of American Ballet (S.A.B.), which was founded 80 years ago by George Balanchine. Currently, I have classes from Monday to Saturday in ballet technique, pointe class, variations, partnering, ballroom, character and music. Can you tell us about some o f your performances? When I was in the Children’s Division of S.A.B. I had great opportunities of performing with the NYCB, since the school is affiliated with the company. I performed for four years and approximately 100 performances in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker with the NYCB at Lincoln Center. There were two alternating children’s casts and about 46 performances each run from November to January. I danced the roles of Soldier, Girl Polichinelle and Candy Cane. In addition to The Nutcracker I performed in The Magic Flute two separate seasons. I also performed with the
How do you manage to juggle the demands o f the VS with those o f your ballet training/performing? I have to be extremely organized with all of my time! What are the biggest differences between balancing your schedule at the Middle School and the Upper School? The biggest differences involve managing my time but in different ways. In the Middle School I had classes every day, every period. Now that I am at the Upper School, I have classes that meet every other day that are 75 minutes long. The Upper School schedule helps me prepare my work and manage my time, studies and projects extremely well. I also have Ms. Jennings (and all of my Upper School teachers) to thank for understanding the demands and seriousness of my professional studies in New York City. Without their support and flexibility I wouldn’t be able to accomplish taking four honors courses
with the demands of my ballet schedule in NY six days a week. Ms. Jennings is responsible for arranging all of this to happen for me successfully, and if I have a potential conflict with my schedule she’s always there to help. My transition to the Upper School was seamless, and I am really enjoying it. Even though I spend so much time in the city, I was still able to attend a study group for midterms that the school offered on a Sunday evening, where , teachers offer help with studying for exams. And while I’m unable to attend many social events and grade level trips, I find time when I am free to make plans with my MKA friends. Favorite subject at school? English, because I love reading. Person who inspires you the most? All of my ballet teachers inspire me. Favorite book? Tolkien’s Lord o f the Rings.
Homecoming/Reunion Weekend is October 24-26 Legacy Brunch Sunday, October 26. If your family is a MKA legacy family, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Lois Montorio (lmontorio@mka.org, or 973-509-7939) to be included on the invitation list.
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Here we meetfour remarkably accomplished Upper School students whose talents, dedication and passions have led them to excel in arenas beyond Upper School classrooms, while maintaining their involvement as integral members o f the junior and senior classes.
Morgan Sm ith ’15 In the Pool A successful competitive swimmer and MKA record-holder in the 200 Freestyle, Morgan qualified fo r the 2013 Junior Nationals and won five individual titles and seven medals at the international Maccabiah Games in Israel last summer. House: Walden Grade started at MKA: 8th grade How old were you when you first got involved in swimming & how? Ironically, I was afraid of the water and swimming when I was very young. I would only swim with a float, so my parents enrolled me in lessons. By the time I was 6 years old, I knew how to swim without floats and asked my mom to join a swim team. The coach that really got me on track was Nick Cavataro, my age group coach at the Greenwich YWCA Dolphins for many years. He made swimming fun and was the coach that made me fall in love with the sport. What is it about swimming that “hooked” you and keeps you motivated? Most people think that swimming is one of the most boring sports, but seeing consistent hard work and
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long practices pay off really keeps me motivated. Plus, I have so many close friendships and memories that I’ve built in the pool. The team chemistry and experience at the Maccabiah Games this past summer was so much fun - it was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. How much time do you spend training/ competing during the year and where? My club team, Cougar Aquatic Team, actually practices out of the MKA pool, and I train year round with only a one-week break in April and a 2week break at the end of August. I train in the pool 2 hours a day 6 days a week, and have double practices on the weekend and during winter break. During the school year, my weekday practices are at night and early in the morning on the weekends. During the summer, we train outdoors in a 50-meter pool, and my practices start at 6:00 a.m. every day. I also work out with a dry land/cross-fit trainer 1-2 times a week year-round. What’s the hardest thing about juggling a sport and your schoolwork? I always have to manage my time wisely. Juggling my club swim schedule, MKA swimming and my school work can be overwhelming at times, so it’s
really important that I stay on top of all my schoolwork. Often times I have to work ahead to be able to accommodate my club swimming schedule, which occasionally forces me to miss school. What’s the biggest reward? Knowing that I’ve been able to set goals and achieve many of them through hard work and perseverance is very satisfying. I don’t always reach my goals immediately, but I never give up. Two summers ago, I was trying to qualify for Junior Nationals. I was closest to qualifying in the 1500 free, which takes about 17 minutes. Two weeks before Junior Nationals, I missed the cut by less than 2 seconds. I was very disappointed but I shook it off and refocused, knowing that I had one more shot to qualify 1 week later. Sure enough, I got the qualifying time and made it to Junior Nats. Favorite school subject and why? Physics, because Mr. Rich makes learning fun. In addition to swimming and academics, what else are you involved in at MKA and outside? I am an active member in Wounded Warriors Project and EnACT. I’ve also participated as an instructor for SwimAmerica, which teaches younger kids to swim. The past few summers, I’ve done something similar at the Clifton Boys & Girls Club. Dreams/plans for the future? Right now, my swimming goals are to swim for a highly competitive program in college and qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials. Historic figure(s) you’d most like to meet? Albert Einstein and Walt Disney Person who inspires you the most? Missy Franklin Favorite food/movie/book - any or all? Food: Pizza, Movie: Titanic, Book: The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen
Isaiah Thompson ’15 The world of jazz One o f the most gifted musicians ever to have graced the halls o f MKA, Isaiah is one o f only 170 students in the country to be selected as a 2014 finalist fo r the prestigious YoungArts (formerly known as the National Foundation fo r the Advancement in the Arts) Program, and last year won the outstanding piano soloist award at the 2013 Jazz at Lincoln Center, Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band competition. House: Strong Grade started at MKA: 9thgrade How old were you when you first got involved in music & how? I was about 5 years old, and my parents thought it would be nice for me to have a hobby. So, I began playing classical piano. I got into jazz around 3 to 4 years ago and I think that is when my love for music really began. Jazz musicians like to call it the bug (saying that loving jazz is basically like catching a virus where you always practice it, play it etc.) What is it about music that “hooked” you and keeps you motivated? Music is an art and an art is a beautiful form of expression. I think that somehow, through music, I can express my feelings. When I’m playing the piano, I can almost forget everything because I’m finally at peace.
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How much time do you spend training/ competing during the year and where? On Mondays, the Jazz Band at MKA rehearses, and on Tuesdays, I usually have a private lesson. On Wednesdays, I have big band rehearsal and small combo rehearsal with a program called Jazz House Kids. Next, on Sundays I play with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra. A lot of the bands I play with apply for competitions, and when we get in, it can take up a lot of time. Lastly, on occasion, I play gigs, so that takes even more time. What’s the hardest thing about juggling your music and your schoolwork, and what’s the biggest reward? Probably how late I get home most nights and then having to start my homework. A lot of the time I get home at around 9:30 p.m., and by the time I finally have dinner and get settled it could be 10:00 or 10:30 p.m., and I’m just starting my homework. But the biggest reward is being a part of the music. I don’t care about being famous or anything like that, I just want to play. Favorite school subject and why? Other than band and strings I would have to say English, more specifically this year I’m taking poetry. Honestly I’m really not sure why I’m attracted to it, but it probably is because poetry is also an art, and I tend to gravitate towards the arts.
In addition to music and academics, what else are you involved in at MKA and outside? At MKA, I’m involved with the MKA Jazz Band, Shades of Color and SDLC. Outside of MKA, I’m involved in a National organization called Jack and Jill where I serve on the teen executive board for my chapter, and I’m involved with the bands that I mentioned before. Dreams/plans for the future? I want to attend a conservatory and major in jazz studies. I’m not sure really what I want to do from there. I know that I want to be involved in the music. Like I said, I’m not looking for fame. I’m looking for happiness. Historic figure(s) you’d most like to meet? It’s hard to pick, but Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock are probably two people I really want to meet. Person/people who inspire (s) you the most? I would have to say my parents. I know you said one person who inspires you but they are a unit. They know absolutely nothing about jazz but they are extremely supportive. They inspire me to be the best that I can be and I know that they will support me in whichever path I choose. Favorite food/movie/book - any or all! One of my favorite foods is mac and cheese, and one of my favorite movies is Troy. I tend to like books that Rick Riordan writes, and I love books that help me to learn about music.
Ladies of TKS, you are warmly invited to 2nd grade’s annual Maypole Dance at 9:00 am. - Thurs. May 1 the Primary School Campus, 224 Orange Road, Montclair. Breakfast to follow. For more information, contact Lois Montorio at lmontorio@mka.org
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Mary Kate Turner ’14 Behind a lens As M KA’s “go to ” student photographer, Mary K ate’s facility with a camera is matched by her passion fo r the process and fascination fo r viewing the world through a lens. House: Strong Grade started at MKA: Pre-K, though I moved from second to fourth grade and went to boarding school for freshmen year. How old were you when you first got involved in photography & how? I first got involved in photography in sixth grade, taking pictures at horse shows. I started taking it seriously the summer between eighth and ninth grade, after winning an Explorica photography contest with a photo from the eighth grade French trip. What was it about photography that “hooked” you? Through photography, I’ve discovered a way of capturing and saving moments. I love that it transports me between different cultures and enables me to bring these cultures and parts of the world together. My camera lens has become a tool for engaging and preserving someone’s culture and traditions in order to showcase them to others. I interact with everyone from isolated Berber migrants to fast-paced New York businessmen through photography, and I preserve my experiences through my pictures. By capturing a different culture or experience, you can really deepen someone’s understanding of, and appreciation for, that society and expand their world-view.
What’s the hardest thing about taking photos? Getting people to either not notice you when you are taking their photograph or to letting you take their photograph is my biggest challenge. I love capturing candid moments, but it’s really difficult when people don’t want their picture to be taken or notice you’re there and, once they see your camera pointed in their direction, act differently. Can you tell us about the clubs/organizations/ classes that you take photographs for - both within MKA and beyond? I took both Photo 1 and 2 at MKA, and I am now enrolled in AP Studio Art for photography. I’m the Photo Editor of the Yearbook, the Art Editor of Stylus, MKA’s art and literary magazine, and a staff photographer for the Upper School newspaper. This past summer I traveled with Rustic Pathways on their Advanced Photography program in Morocco, too. I’ve also taken publication photos for the school’s Model U.N. Club as well as Rustic Pathways. Favorite school subject, and why? My favorite subject is history because it allows me to travel to places that are thousands of miles away and cultures that are hundreds of years old without physically moving. History gives me the opportunity to expand my worldview and my understanding of other societies and discover the effects they’ve had. In addition to photography and academics, what else are you involved in at MKA and outside? I’m one of the club presidents for Model U.N., an expert witness on the school’s Mock Trial team, an Academy Guide, and I sit on the Executive Committee. I’ve rowed crew since my freshmen year and am one of the founding presidents of MKA’s Crew Club. I fundraise for, and participate in, Relay for Life. I also teach surf and standup paddle lessons and volunteer at Aquaholics Surf Shop’s Special Surfer Nights in Kennebunkport, ME during the summer.
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around I Dreams/plans for the future? In a perfect world, I’d be a National Geographic photographer, but as long as I’m able to travel and connect on a deeper and more meaningful level with people from all comers of the world, I’ll be fulfilled. Historic figure(s) you’d most like to meet? I’d love to meet and sit down with the founding fathers —not just the Framers of the Constitution, but all of the men who participated in the Constitutional Convention. I would introduce them to and integrate them into our society today, and then ask how they would propose solving the issue’s we’re currently facing. Person who inspires you the most? I actually have a friend who’s already begun a successful career as a photojoumalist and her photos have been published by many well-known magazines, including National Geographic. She’s only a year older than me, but has already accomplished so much. Her achievements drive me to towards my goals and push me to become a more courageous photographer. She inspires me to think “if she’s done so much, why can’t I?”
Enjoy the wisteria in full bloom at the
Alumni Association’s annual Cocktail Party Van Vleck House and Gardens Thursday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. Invitations to follow.
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Favorite food/movie/book - any or all! Food: lobster tacos Movie: Ferris Bueller s Day Off, Book: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs o f a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah.
Come back to campus for some fun and games!
Check mka.org for more details.
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Elliot Furbert ’14 “ The world of classical scholarship The epitome o f what it means to be a true scholar, Elliot s intellectual passion and academic performance —an Avery Barras Distinguished Scholar and a Faculty Scholar all three high school years, a National Achievement Semi-Finalist and one o f only 39 students selected to the N J Scholars program —is matched only by his involvement in all facets o f school life. House: Walden Grade Started: 6th grade
Can you tell us about your interest in the classics and where it started? My interest began at the same time that I came to MKA. I had never actually encountered the language before except in the typical “E Pluribus Unum” on the dollar and the well-known phrase, “Caipe Diem!” As a new student, I had no idea how I would fare with the language, but I decided to give it a shot. In addition to an exciting new challenge, the best part, to my 6th grade mind was that I would never be tested on how well I could speak the language! Latin is also connected to the modem day Romance languages. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian are all descended from Latin, and they all use a similar grammatical structure. One of my biggest hopes is to one day leam a modem foreign language, and my understanding of Latin will be a great help when I finally have the time to try. And, it is also fun to see the look on people’s faces when I can define a complex English word without knowing it beforehand, just because of the root Latin words that comprise it. What does your role as chair of the Junior Classics League at MKA involve? My time is chiefly spent between organizing our annual events and presentations, and practicing Certamen questions with the other members of the club. Certamen is a Latin quiz-bowl style competition in which teams of competitors test their knowledge of the Latin language against other teams. MKA’s chapter enters annually in the regional competition held at Princeton, and in some smaller events each year as they arise. The questions can range from grammar, to history, to daily life, and cover a vast range of information. There is always more to leam, but we try to cover as much as possible.
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You spent last summer literally learning in another classroom as a New Jersey Scholar - can you tell us about it? The New Jersey Scholars Program is one of the most rigorous academic programs that I’ve attended to date. For five weeks, I was solely responsible for my work and myself; I had my own dorm, schedule, course load, and free time. Many of my friends were baffled why I would ever take “a third term of school” during the summer, but NJSP was much more than a typical five weeks during the school year. The one aspect that placed it above the other programs I have attended was the community among the students. I shared my time with 38 other scholars, all very different from, yet similar to, myself. We had come from all over New Jersey with one goal, to leam about and discuss international immigration and its effects on countries and national identity. Within us all was a drive to leam about almost anything. Our debates would range from the current healthcare system, to the social justice of immigration reform, to the best way to correctly translate Latin and keep its poetic form in English. And we all loved every minute of it.
What historic figure would you most like to meet? Gaius Julius Caesar. The few years that I have spent reading his works has done nothing but grow my fascination with him. The battles, tactics, and stories that Caesar’s writings reveal show a man who was more cunning and thoughtful than I had ever been taught in a class. It would be an honor to speak with a man who was not only a great orator, but also a general so powerful that he could inspire entire armies of men to stand with him against all odds. Who inspires you the most? The one person who I look up to is my father. Without him and the sacrifices he has made for me, I probably would not be where I am today. Even with an injured spine, he pushes on to make sure I have everything I need to do well. What he does for me is the one thing that has fueled my drive for learning. You could say that the effort I put into my academics is my personal method of honoring him. Favorite Book? By far, Ken Follet’s Pillars o f the Earth.
What else are you involved in at MKA? Aside from the JCL, I also ran on MKA’s Spring and Winter Track teams; play the tenor saxophone in the Jazz Ensemble; and I am the vice-president of MKA’s Habitat for Humanity chapter. Dreams/Plans for the future? Right now, my one of my possible dreams is to become a neurological surgeon. That means a long road of studying ahead: four years of liberal arts with a focus of neurology at Princeton or UNC as a Morehead Cain Scholar; four years at a graduate medical school, a year of internship, followed by anywhere from four to seven years of residency at a hospital and ideally, an academic fellowship. Another, very lofty, goal would be to conduct post doctorate work in neurological research, possibly with regenerative nerve growth therapies.
It’s the time of year when our Alumni Association asks for nominations for ,
MKA's Founders’ Cup Award,
i
All members of the MKA community - 1 students, parents, past parents, faculty, staff and alumni can nominate a teacher who has ' made a difference and who exemplifies MKA's long-standing , tradition of teaching excellence.
Founders' Cup nominations ' can be submitted , via the MKA website ■ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . j
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IM Exceptional Alumni MA, TKS and MKA alumni have a long, strong and rich tradition o f excelling in the “real world, ” and here we meet three who never lost their passion for learning, and who successfully moved beyond the classrooms o f high school to those o f higher education in the arts, academia and medicine.
W alker T. W eed ’3 6 W alker T. W eed is a n a tio n a lly re c o g n ize d le a d er in A m e ric a n c o n te m p o ra ry fu r n itu r e m a k in g a n d s e r v e d a s d irecto r o f D a rtm o u th C o lle g e ’s H o p k in s C e n te r C ra fts P ro g ra m fr o m 1964-1981. In h is lo n g career, h e h a s in flu e n c e d g e n e ra tio n s as b oth a te a c h e r a n d an artist.
“Becoming skillful in a craft is a great source of joy. Making useful things with one’s hands gives you a great sense of accomplishment and also a basis for judging the beauty and quality of the utilitarian objects with which we live. Even the simplest things that have been made with love contribute much to our happiness and understanding.” WW Self-taught, Walker was a founding member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, and served on its board through the 1950’s. He was a Tmstee of the American Crafts Council from 1956-1957, and while at Dartmouth, taught woodworking workshops at schools across the country. His work has been shown internationally in exhibitions and publications for over 50 years, including the 2004 exhibition “The Maker’s Hand,” co-sponsored by the Furniture Society and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. In 1992, Walker was elected a Fellow of the American Crafts Council. In 2008, he was the Award of Distinction Recipient from The Furniture
Society, and in 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Walker developed an interest in woodworking from his grandmother and took woodworking courses in elementary school - the only formal training he ever received! He purchased his first tools at age 12 and set up shop in his parent’s Montclair basement, selling tables and benches for $5. After graduating from Dartmouth, he and some friends launched a cabinetmaking business in New Hampshire, and when it closed in 1951, he continued with his own one-person shop, assisted by his wife, Hazel, who was an accomplished spinner and weaver. A devout proponent of simplicity and functionality in design, Walker’s work echoes those qualities demonstrated by the Shakers, the Scandinavian modernists and George Nakishima. Walker wrote to MKA with the following: My MKA days date back to the mid 1930’s, the time of MA faculty members such as William Avery Barras, William Miller, and Claude Monson. Walter Head
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was the Headmaster. I think often of classmates such as Dallas Townsend, Ed Stanley, Dave Demarest, Elliott Watt, Jim Brennan, Bob Brightman, George Frost, Randolph Barrett, John Little, Bo Caldwell. Kent Schmid, Elliot Lawes, Ward Reighley. Harold Waring, Walt Greenwood, John Funk, Jim Türner and others —wondering how many of them are still with us.
A few among many memories - being in an Honors English class in which we read the whole of P aradise L ost, running though the Patterson City dump one fall in a cross-country race. Bob Brightman and I rode our single speed bikes from Albany to Montreal in 1935 and back through Vermont. Randy Barrett and I drove my 1931 Ford roadster to Florida in the spring of 1936, not telling our folks until we got home. John Sloane and I drove his 1936 Ford 12,500 miles around the US and into Canada and Mexico in the summer of 1936 - all on blue highways before the interstates. I am still hanging in there with age 95 coming up in November. I had a wonderful four years at Dartmouth, majored in English and spent a lot of time outdoors on northern New England’s mountains and rivers with the Dartmouth Outing Club. After college, I was drafted, soon got a commission and spent almost five years in the Army Infantry during WWII, most of it as a captain in the 10th Mountain Division in the Aleutians and in Italy.
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Came out of the Service married, had a stint in Washington, DC then moved with my wife Hazel and two kids to New Hampshire where I started a career as a furniture designer and builder with my own shop in Gilford, NH; that lasted 17 years, including a year that we lived in Norway in 1960/61. In 1964, Dartmouth offered me a job as Director of the Crafts Program in the new Hopkins Center for the Arts. We moved to Hanover and I worked there supervising shops for woodworking, jewelry, metalworking and pottery until I retired in 1981. The succeeding 20 years were filled with much traveling including a lot of mountain climbing and long canoe trips in the US and in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, and Norway and a ski trip in Arctic Finland. I’ve been a widower since early 2010 but am continuing to live in my own house with a series of younger housemates who share the chores and give me good company. My two children live in the Bozeman, MT area, my granddaughter and two great grandchildren in northern California. I think that living into one’s 90’s is 90% good luck, but keeping busy (I’m still building furniture, cutting firewood etc.), associating with younger friends and continuing to see the humorous side of aging surely helps. As Satchel Page once said, ‘“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you wuz?”’ My best to all at MKA - Walker Weed When Walker reached his 80’s, he started writing a series of “geriatric verses” with which he marked successive birthdays. Here is the one that he wrote for his recent 95th birthday (November 2013): To reach ninety-five is an aw esom e climb. The route is tough b ut the view s sublim e.
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Th om as C. G alligan Jr. ’73 Tom G a llig a n w a s e le c te d P re sid e n t o f C o lb y -S a w y e r C o lle g e in 2006, fo llo w in g a 2 0 -y e a r ca re er in tea ch in g a n d a ca d e m ic leadership, in clu d in g e ig h t y e a r s as the D e a n o f the U n iversity o f T ennessee C o lleg e o fL a w .
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
years until this fantastic opportunity to lead ColbySawyer College came along in 2006 and we jumped at the chance. Every move I have ever made has mostly been the result of thinking “I might like to try that,” coupled with a supportive word from a mentor that gave me the confidence to give it a shot.
I was bom at Mountainside Hospital; I I am married to Susan Stokes am an only child. My father was a first Galligan TKS ’74. We have generation college student and lawyer four kids - Patrick, 28; Sarah, whose education meant everything to 26; Aisling 24, and Jennifer, him. My mother was not able to go to Tom Galligan teaches a class on the US 21. Two are college grads college because her family could not Constitution. The three-hour class takes with postgraduate degrees; afford it during the Depression. As early place in President Galligan’s housè '• one is in a master’s program on as I can remember, they wanted me to one night a week® Michael Seamans and one is a senior in college. get a great education. I went to Montclair Academy-now MKA—in 7th What originally sparked your interest grade and graduated six years later. Then I went off in academia? to Stanford from where I received my AP in Political As a child, when someone asked me what I wanted Science in 1977. One of my classmates at Stanford to do, I would tell them: “I want to be a la w y e r.If was my lifelong friend from MA, Steve Beckelman. they knew my father, they would say: “I did not ask In 1978,1 went to law school at what is now Seattle you what your father wants you to be; I asked you University School of Law. I graduated first in my what you wanted.” I would reply: “No, I really do class in 1981 and began practicing law in Seattle. want to be a lawyer but if not that maybe a teacher or After years of litigating, just as our son Patrick was a writer.” So I was always interested in academia, bom, I decided to seriously consider teaching law. In learning, and the excitement learning brings. I have September 1985,1 went off to Columbia University always loved books and relished the first day of a to get an LL.M. I recall that the first day of school new school year with new courses and new books. I was my 30th birthday, and I felt very old and a bit at thrived in law school and a professor of mine sea. But things went well at Columbia and the next encouraged me to consider teaching law. That year, Susan, Patrick, and I were off to Baton Rouge, positive word stuck with me and so when Patrick Louisiana and LSU where I taught law for 12 years; was on the way and I had a chance to think about my during my last two-and-a-half years at LSU, I was life, I decided then was the time to try it if I was ever also in charge of judicial continuing legal education going to. I did not want to get 20 years down the in the state. While at LSU I won six Student Bar road and look back and wonder “what if.” SO, with Association Outstanding Professor Awards. Then I the incredible support of my wife, we moved back to became the dean of the University of Tennessee NJ for that year at Columbia, and professionally I College of Law in 1998 and stayed there for eight have never looked back.
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I know that what we do has a profound, positive effect on students’ lives and on the lives of their families for generations to come. I don’t want to sound corny but in education, we get to work to make the world a better place through the teaching and learning we facilitate. Of course, the main reason educators do what they do is the students. What is frustrating is not having the resources to do all the good things we want to do. The lack of resources facing American education today is a major challenge. Our students are the future, and if our nation does not invest in them, it is ignoring its future well-being. It is ignoring its children and grandchildren.
Mr. Rabke, Mr. Adair, Mr. Bicknell, and on and on. But a handful really made an impact. I was never going to be a star athlete, but George Hrab taught me that did not mean I could not stay in shape and be a meaningful part of a team (in my case baseball on the bench, but I was a good cheerer and scorekeeper). He is just a flat out good person and a great educator. Then there was Mr. Williams. Ned Williams led two field courses in which I participated, the second of which involved him taking nine students across America. It was very special, and he was barely older than we were even though we did not know it then. Finally, and as my career developed, most profoundly, I think of Phil Anderson. He was a wonderful 10th grade European history teacher and a great headmaster. When I face difficult decisions I will ask myself, “what would Mr. Anderson have done?”
Can you describe a “typical” day in the life o f a college President?
Do you have any advice fo r today’s students who will shortly be entering a college classroom?
Yes—there is no such thing! My kids used to say I had meetings and gave speeches. On a typical day, I might have meetings with our Academic VP about our new online learning initiatives. I might visit with some folks to talk about the new arts center we are trying to build. I might meet with a student who is having trouble figuring out how she or he will be able to pay for their next semester. I might give a talk to a community group, do an interview on our local radio or television station, have lunch with friends of the college, attend an athletic event, and teach a class. And hopefully I get to go for a run, workout or play basketball!
Enjoy it. College is about preparing for your career whatever that is, but it is about more. It is about studying what you love and finding out exactly what that love might be. You are totally prepared for what comes next based on the education you have received at MKA. In fact, you are way ahead of the vast majority of American high school grads. That may be sad as a social reality but it means you are prepared. Now go do great things. Find out what makes you the happiest and never settle for less.
What is it that you most enjoy about leading a college - and what is it that mostfrustrates/ challenges you ?
Were there ways in which MKA prepared you fo r the life you now lead?
MKA was a magic experience. That is not to say that being an adolescent was easy or that growing up in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was not incredibly eye opening and challenging. But our class was amazingly close. We think we had a reputation as being difficult to deal with, but we bonded with one another and as a group. We just had our 40th reunion, and it was really great to see everyone who attended. My MA memories are too numerous to count. I had great teachers—Mr. Childs, Mr. Stackpole, Mr. Just,
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In your dream administrative team, who would you most like to have working beside and why?
Okay, first I will cop out and tell you the people with whom I have worked at LSU, Tennessee, and ColbySawyer. They are the best and they have been propping me up for 28 years, so they are it. I would have loved to have been a part of Mr. Anderson’s administrative team but c’est la vie. That said, I will go with Mr. Chips —the Robert Donat Mr. Chips, not the singing Peter O’Toole Mr. Chips. Mr. Chips put the students and the school first. Sir from To Sir with Love would also have a place. And Prof. McGonagall from Harry Potter. Maggie Smith has to be on the team and better McGonagall than Miss Jean Brodie.
A drienne Phillips ’92 Dr. A drien ne P hillips is an attending hem atologist a n d oncologist a t N ew York P resbyterian H osp ita l a n d an A ssistant P rofessor o f M edicine a t C olum bia U niversity M edical Center. In 2011, she received the A m erican Society o f H em a to lo g y/ A m o s M edical F aculty D evelopm ent Award, a n d in 2013 The N etw o rk Jo u rn a l nam ed h er a 40 U nder F o rty H onoree. A d rie n n e ’s research has been p resen ted nationally a n d internationally. Can y o u tell u s a b it a b o u t y o u rse lf?
I conduct clinical research in leukemia and lymphoma, see patients in my clinical practice, and teach medical students and residents. I am a third generation physician and shadowed both of my parents at a very young age. I was also further inspired by my grandfather’s vivid depictions of making house-calls during the Depression. As I got older, I excelled in science and math but in addition had a fundamental desire to understand the human experience and help patients coping with illness. W hat originally s p a rke d y o u r in terest in m ed ic a l research?
I’ve had an inquisitive nature since elementary school and have continued to ask questions throughout my medical training. Currently, I research a rare blood cancer caused by a virus that’s endemic in the Caribbean. I was drawn to this field after treating a number of patients with the disease during my internship. Personally, our shared Caribbean ancestry was an obvious common thread and medically, their illness challenged me and other physicians. Patients with this disease present with a constellation of signs and symptoms that overlap in the fields of infectious disease, oncology, neurology, rheumatology and dermatology making their diagnosis sometimes elusive. Unfortunately, they also have a dismal prognosis despite aggressive chemotherapy. The few patients I initially treated as an intern ultimately turned into a publication of one the largest series of this disease in the US when I
was finishing my fellowship. In addition to describing the clinical characteristics of these patients and their disease, I collaborate with other researchers in academics and the pharmaceutical industry to study novel therapies that may be more effective. W h a t is it th a t y o u m o st en jo y a b o u t th e research p ro ce ss - a n d w h a t is it th a t m o st fr u s tr a te s / ch a llen g es y o u ?
There are a number of rewarding aspects of medical research. First, I am constantly asking questions, tackling problems and solving puzzles. This satisfies my inquisitive side. Second, I get to work and collaborate with experts in a variety of fields which raises my knowledge base and forces me to think creatively. Lastly, for a disease where people generally survive less than one year, research allows me to remain hopeful and advance medical science to improve outcomes. The frustrations and challenges also relate to the rewards. Not asking the right questions or getting the wrong answer has resulted in numerous false starts and unsuccessful attempts to obtain grants; not all collaborations have been collegial; and lastly, many of my patients ultimately pass away, and I get emotionally tied to them and their families. The frustrations and challenges, however, always motivate me to strive harder and believe in myself and my ideas.
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KEEP IN TOUCH
Can you describe a “typical” day and the balance between research and practicing medicine/ applying the results o f your research?
No day is “typical,” as some days I’m travelling to conferences to network and present preliminary research results, some days I’m seeing patients on investigational therapies that are being tested on clinical trials, and other days I’m teaching and supervising medical students and residents. The unpredictability of my day makes things exciting. The balance is hard to achieve but my patients are my research lab, and I am reminded of why new therapies need to be developed and tested.
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Were there ways in which MKA prepared you fo r the life you now lead?
I was a “lifer” at MKA and the school’s motto, “Knowledge, Vision and Integrity” has constantly guided and inspired me.
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Do you have any advice fo r today’s students who might be thinking about a career in medical research?
I would tell students interested in medical research to first research something you are passionate about - my research in T-cell leukemia and lymphoma was inspired by the experience with the initial patients I treated as an intern. Second, never stop learning which includes not only where and how you learn, but who you learn from. You will frequently feel uncomfortable with this but it will push you to higher levels. Lastly, a career in medical research is long (it took six years to publish my initial findings)©5be patient and stick with it. In your dream lab, who would you most like to have working beside you and why?
Rosalind Franklin - she made significant contributions to the discovery of DNAbut her work was overlooked. Her attention to scientific detail and the perseverance required to obtain recognition for her achievements is motivating.
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MKA’s amazing Mobile Alumni App - contact Gretchen Berra for more information. F o r iP h o n e u s e r s :
itunes.apple.com/us/app/montclair-kimberleyacademy/id594941402 F o r A n d r o id u s e r s :
play.google.com/store/apps/details? id=com.evertrue.mka M is s in g o u t o n re c e iv in g o u r n e w s le tte rs a n d c o m m u n ic a tio n s ? P le a s e u p d a te L o is M o n to rio ( lm ontorio@ mka.org) w ith y o u r e m a il a d d re s s a n d c e ll p h o n e n u m b e r s o w e c a n le t y o u k n o w e v e r y th in g th a t's g o in g o n !
a r o u n d MKA
Student
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The Headmaster is Pleased to Announce...
2014 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist Vera Shipman 2014 National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalist f Elliot Furbert I
Elliot Furbert
2014 National Merit Commended Students William Bator, Ethan Connelly, Kassandra Fotiadis, Elliot Furbert, Gina Guccione, Ryan Kashtan, Jonathan Logan-Rung, Kelsey O’Connor, Jack Renshaw-Lewis, Elliot Richardson, Nadia Uberoi and Samuel Zinn 2014 National Achievement Outstanding Participants Savannah Fusaro, Nicolas Harris, Sydney Larrier and Amy Parker Additional Senior accolades to: Elliot Furbert on his selection as a finalist in the 2014 Morehead - Cain Scholars competition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the oldest and most prestigious college scholarship in the US.
Gina Guccione for being selected to the 2013 National High School Field Hockey All American - Second Team, the first field hockey player in MKA school history to receive this honor and to the 2013 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) High School Academic Squad. In addition, Gina scored over 1,000 points in her MKA basketball career. Iris Loureiro, whose photograph of a child waiting to register for school in Newark (above) was one of only 145 images selected from a pool of over 4,200 to be published on The New York Times “My Hometown” website.
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Fall 2013 Team and Student- Athlete Honors and Awards
Congratulations to Ryan Fennelly, a Captain o f the Boys’Soccer Team and recipient o f the MKA Fall Captain’s Award that is given to a team captain who demonstrates leadership, a strong work ethic and is a role modelfor his or her team.
Field Hockey Head Coach: Injoo Han (8th Year) Record: 18-5-1; N J1 S A A P r e p B S ta te C h a m p io n s, N J S IA A N o n - P u b lic N o r th R u n n e r -U p , E s s e x C o u n ty T o u rn a m e n t F in a lis ts ; R a n k e d # 1 4 in S ta r L e d g e r Top 2 0
Kendal Barrett ’14 MKA Coaches Award; 2ndTeam All-SEC; 1st Team All-Essex/Union Conference Gina Guccione ’14 1st Team All-Prep B; 1st Team All-SEC; 1st Team All-Essex/Union Conference; 1st Team All NonPublic, NJFHCA; Senior All-Star Game, NJFHCA; NFHCA All-Region Team; 2nd Team National AllAmerican, NFHCA; 2nd Team All-State, National All-Academic Squad, NFHCA Star Ledger; 1st Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team AllEssex County, Star Ledger Paige Pacifico ’14 2nd Team All-SEC; 1st Team All-Essex/Union Conference; 2nd Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger
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*D u r in g th e r e c e n tly c o m p le te d 2 0 1 3 F a ll A th le tic s s e a s o n , th e f o l lo w i n g M K A tea m s, c o a c h e s a n d a th le te s a c h ie v e d h o n o rs:
Kelsey Palmisano ’14 Honorable Mention All-Prep B; 2nd Team All-SEC; 1st Team All-Essex/Union Conference; Senior AllStar Game, NJFHCA; 2nd Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Molly Peek ’14 Honorable Mention All-SEC; 1st Team AllEssex/Union Conference; Senior All-Star Game, NJFHCA; 3rd Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 2ndTeam All-Essex County, Star Ledger Bridget Stanton ’14 1st Team All-Prep B; 1st Team All-SEC; 1st Team All-Essex/Union Conference; 1st Team All NonPublic, NJFHCA; Senior All-Star Game, NJFHCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Rachel Hegarty ’15 1st Team All-Prep B; 1st Team All-SEC; 1st Team All-Essex/Union Conference; 1st Team All NonPublic, NJFHCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Morgan Katona ’15 Honorable Mention All-Essex/Union Conference
Alexandra Reynolds ’15 2nd Team All-Essex/Union Conference
Daniel Yanes ’15 MKA Offensive Most Valuable Player Award; 2nd Team Offense All-Colonial Division, SEC
Isabella Mendez ’16 MKA Rookie of the Year Award; 2nd Team All-Essex/Union Conference
Joseph Strain ’16 Honorable Mention All-Colonial Division, SEC
Caroline Taylor ’16 MKA Most Improved Player Award; 2ndTeam All-Essex/Union Conference
Robert Strain ’16 2nd Team Defense All-Colonial Division, SEC; MKA Best Teammate Award
Football Head Coach: Luke Harris (2nd Year) Record: 2-8
Brian Bond ’17 MKA Rookie of the Year Award
Tobias Lewis ’14 MKA Defensive Most Valuable Player Award; 2nd Team Defense All-Colonial Division, SEC Matthew McAuliffe ’14 MKA Weiner Award; 3rd Team Offense All-Essex County, Star Ledger; 1st Team Offense All-Colonial Division, SEC; Mini-Max Award, Maxwell Football Club; Scholar-Athlete Award, Essex County Chapter of National Football Foundation Carrigan Miller ’15 MKA Best Lineman Award; 2nd Team Offense All-Colonial Division, SEC
Boys’ Cross Country Head Coach: Tom Fleming (15th Year) Record: 1-7 Drew Crichlow ’15 MKA Coaches Award; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Essex County, ECCA; 2nd Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Blake Lapin ’15 Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC Benjamin Rapsas ’15 MKA Coaches Award Billy Hughes ’16 MKA Most Improved Runner Award; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC
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Girls’ Cross Country Head Coach: Tom Fleming (15thYear) Record: 0-5
Thomas Fusco ’14 Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Prep B
Kathryn Correia ’16 MKA Most Valuable Runner Award; 1st Team All-Colonial Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Essex County, ECCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger
Malcolm Dixon ’15 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B; 2014 Youth All-America Team, NSCAA; 1st Team All-State, Star Ledger; 1st Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger; Essex County Player of the Year, Star Ledger
Anne Lemmer ’16 MKA Coaches Award; 2nd Team All-Colonial Division, SEC Caylie Privitere ’17 MKA Most Improved Runner Award; 1st Team All-Colonial Division, SEC Boys’ Soccer Head Coach: Jordan Raper (6thYear) Record: 12-8-1 ; N J S IA A N o n -P u b lic B N o r th S e c tio n a l C h a m p io n s, N J S IA A N o n - P u b lic B R u n n e r -U p , N J IS A A P r e p B F in a lis ts
Sam Eisen ’14 MKA All Points Leader Award; 2ndTeam All-American Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B
Daniel Nasti ’15 Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2ndTeam All-Prep B Wesley Wade ’15 2ndTeam All-American Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B; 2ndTeam All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Stephen Schaeffer ’16 MKA Rookie of the Year Award Girls’ Soccer Head Coach: Kieran Patrick (2ndYear) Record: 16-7; N J S IA A N o n - P u b lic N o r th B R u n n er-U p
Ryan Fennelly ’14 MKA Most Valuable Player Award; MKA Fall Captain’s Prize Recipient; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B; 2nd Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger
Ellie Schaeffer ’14 MKA Coaches Player Award; 2nd Team All-Liberty Division, SEC Erin Duca ’15 2nd Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 2ndTeam All-Prep B Dylan Goldberg ’15 Honorable Mention All-Liberty Division, SEC Nicole Romola ’15 MKA Players’ Player Award; 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B
Sara Feraca ’16 Honorable Mention All-Liberty Division, SEC Samantha Pai ’16 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Prep B Olivia Vaughn ’16 MKA All Points Leader Award; 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B; 1st Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 1st Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Girls’ Tennis Head Coach: Bill Wing (17th Year) Record: 14-6; N J S IA A N o n - P u b lic B N o r th R u n n er-U p
Savannah Fusaro ’14 MKA Most Valuable Player Award; 2ndTeam All-American Division, SEC; 3rd Team Doubles All-Essex County, Star Ledger Lauren Charpentier ’15 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC Madison Rivlin ’15 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; 3rd Team Singles All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 3rdTeam Singles All-Essex County, Star Ledger Isabella Calandra ’16 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 3rdTeam Doubles All-Essex County, Star Ledger Ava Turner ’17 MKA Most Valuable Player Award; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC
Volleyball Head Coach: Mike Tully (9th Year) Record: 20-5; 2 0 1 3 S E C L ib e r ty D iv is io n C o -C h a m p io n s , N J IS A A P r e p B F in a lis ts
Photeine Lambridis ’14 MKA Valeria Reyes Award; Honorable Mention All-Liberty Division, SEC Amy Parker ’14 MKA Players’ Player Award; 2nd Team All-Liberty Division, SEC Jessica Schmitz ’15 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 3rd Team All Non-Public, Star Ledger; 3rd Team All-Essex County, Star Ledger Kimani Freeman ’16 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC Kennedy Robinson ’16 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC Grace Andres ’17 MKA Coaches Award Samantha Dowd ’17 MKA Rookie of the Year Award; Honorable Mention All-Liberty Division, SEC
F ollow M K A A thletics on tw itter.com /m kaathletics an d on instagram .com /m kaathletics to g e t live coverage as it happens!
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Faculty Shout Outs and Congratulations to: Middle School Learning Specialist Laura Demaria who was selected to be member of TED Ed this summer. http://blog.ed.ted.com/2013/07/31/teacher-advisors-jointed-ed-this-summer/photo-3-2/
Upper School science teacher Ben Rich who participated in the Ride the Future Tour and was also interviewed by W ire d M agazine about the current state of charging electric vehicles. http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/08/current-afFair-4/
Director of Educational Technology Dr. Reshan Richards whose doctoral work on screencasting continues to get noticed and was featured in Edutopia, while his app “Explain Everything” enjoyed the top spot in the Apple iPad Education Store.
A n d to severa l fa c u lty w ho celebrated m ilestones this sch o o l year: A b o ve : JC Svec, Upper School F&PA, Patty
Forbes, Upper School English, Donna Carrara, Primary School Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, Carol Cummings, Business Office Benefits and Richard Sunshine, Assistant Head and CFO, who were honored for 25 years of service at the Opening of School Faculty Meeting, and below: Ken Smith, Middle School PE Department Chair and Deb Jennings, Upper School Academic Dean who were honored for 30 years of service at the All-School Gathering.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/redefining-learningthrough-screeneasting-beth-holland
Former Olympic marathon runner and current 4th Grade teacher and Track & Field Coach Tom Fleming who is featured in a new book The N ew R ules o f R unning: F ive Steps to R un F a ster a n d L o nger f o r Life, by Dr. Vjay Vad, to be published
April, 2014. MKA Music Director Randall Svane, whose original composition Violin Concerto was premiered by the Academic Orchestra of Tübingen University, Germany when they were in concert at the MKA Upper School as part of a US tour. MKA Strings Director Dimitri Hadjipetkov who performed in an America-Japan Goodwill Concert at Carnegie Hall with the New York Festival Orchestra. The highlight was Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (an MKA Core Work) with a choir from Japan.
Many former faculty members returned for Homecoming: B a c k row l-r: A n n a Claudio, Sonja Tyson, George H rab (current U pper S ch o o l science teacher), G e o ff B ranigan (D irector o f D evelopm ent), L in d a Stark, B arbara M am chur a n d P a t D ancy F ront row: K en G ibson a n d fr ie n d Carol H ughes
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News Faculty Weddings The summer saw an MKA wedding take place between Upper School Spanish teacher Isabel Janelli and Middle School Systems Technician Mike Alexander on June 22 in Lakeville CT at the Hotchkiss School.
L-R: Former Associate Director o f College Counseling Kristen O ’Callahan, Upper School English teacher Cindy Darling, Upper School French teacher Meg Slotkin, Director o f Technology Bill Stites, Middle School PE and health teacher Alise Shuart, the bride and groom, Upper School Foreign Language Department Chair Dr. Michael Houston, Primary School Kindergarten teacher Jessica Sarfati, Upper School Latin teacher Jeffrey Beer, Upper School English teacher Caroline Toman and Upper School Dean o f Student Life and Director ofDiversity and Inclusion Dominique Gerard.
Another MKA wedding occurred on November 8 in Elizabeth NJ, when Middle School colleagues Spanish teacher Guadalupe Cabido and PE and health teacher Leon Shade ’98 were married. Friends, colleagues, alumni and many Middle School students joined them in their celebrations!
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mentioned his boys at Montclair Academy and the Marine Corps. Frank had been one of our decorated World War II heroes, having fought in several horrific Pacific campaigns when he was 18 and 19 years old. His beloved wife of 65 years, Maia, remained very strong and supportive throughout these difficult recent months when Frank moved from their home to a nursing home. A memorial service for Frank was held on Cape Cod, the site of their summer home.” For Henry Agens ’58, Brogan “is survived by the many hundreds of former students who are better because they were fortunate enough to be taught by him and to have their lives influenced by his character, his wisdom and his remarkable teaching skills.” Agens recalls Brogan being the Guest of Honor at his class’s 50th Reunion in 2008, where he gave a speech, the flavor of which is contained in these excerpts from a letter Brogan wrote to The New York Times in 1989, sharing his commencement speech to his final senior class earlier that year - as Agens notes, “His own words should rightly serve as a fitting epitaph.” “I felt tremendous gratitude that I had spent almost four decades of my life sharing the essence of the human experience as it has been felt and recorded by some of these most sensitive of men and women, sharing it with those who are young, impressionable and idealistic enough to feel they would remember it forever. ... My associates had been Shakespeare ... Dickens ... Austen ... Twain ... Hemmingway ... Fitzgerald. Oh I stood up there in front of the classroom with giants, and on their shoulders I was tall too. And the students looked up to me ... And I wanted to make them more than what they were, so they made of me more than what I was, and together we stood with those incredible writers and from those heights viewed our world. For the lesson was always great literature is great simply because it is about the human experience, what it is to be you with all your manifold possibilities and your dreams, and your inevitable demise ... but in the interest of your life you can, as these writers did, hold your life in your hands ... knowing that in your heart as in literature you are linked to all mankind.” MKA extends its deepest condolences to Maia Brogan, his daughter Megan Adley and five grandchildren.
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Charles “Charlie” Faurot It is with great sadness that MKA learned of the death of beloved Montclair Academy math teacher and swimming and water polo coach Charlie Faurot, who died on August 25, 2013, at age 78, from complications of pancreatic cancer. Remembering Faurot, Ray Knox ’76 wrote, “Charlie was the catalyst for an incredibly successful water polo and swimming program. I suspect the water polo team may have been the most regionally and nationally recognized team ever at MKA.” Other alumni fondly recalled his “laid back walking style,” his “wicked wit,” his fairness and the fact that beyond being “a great teacher and coach” that he was “a great friend and mentor.” After his time at MA, Faurot went on to have successful and varied careers. In 1997, he retired as managing director of the American Stock Exchange and returned to his Virginia roots to found Old Blue Records, an independent label dedicated to the best in old-time music from the Blue Ridge Mountains, Kentucky, Texas and other regions. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, teacher and friend, MKA extends deepest sympathy to his wife, Barbara Sanborn Faurot; his children, William Silverthome Faurot III, Matthew Monahan Faurot, Kirsten Marie Faurot and Stephanie Elizabeth Faurot-Rodriguez; his siblings, William Reay Faurot, Allen Reed Faurot and Suzanne Faurot Warner; and his grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Charles “Larry” Piersol It was with deep sadness that MKA learned of the death of former Montclair Academy and MKA Upper School Science Department Chair and Middle School baseball coach Larry Piersol, who died on September 23, 2013 in Blue Bell, PA, 2 weeks before his 87thbirthday. Larry taught at the school from the late 1960’s through the merger, before moving on to a position at Morristown-Beard School. George Hrab remembers him as “a very soft-spoken, calm yet intense teacher. He led the Science Department by example in terms of his professional and meticulous approach to all his responsibilities.”
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News Julianne Moore
Heading up PAMKA fo r the 2013-14 school year are:
Back row l-r: Karen Durando (Upper School VP), Sue Gyves (Communications VP), Tammi Branch (Primary School VP), Lavina Datwani (Volunteer Coordinator VP), Smiti Bhalodia (Secretary), Patty Strain (Special Events VP), Karen Gulliver (Middle School VP) Front row l-r: Vicky Bikkina (Community VP), Lori Yanes (President), Toni Friedman (Finance VP)
Susan Dunn (P ’07 and ’09) returns to Book Fair to support TEAM Academy’s annual visit
“1just wanted to say thanks again for everything you, MKA, and Scholastic Book Fairs didfor me while I was visiting this week. The staff, students, ndfamilies of MKA are unforgettable, as are you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. ” - Andrew Smith to Carol Levine
Jarett Krosoczka
Andrew Smith
It was a Fair full of great moments and memories: Julianne Moore’s charm, warmth and smile as she answered children’s questions in a packed auditorium; Melissa Kemlitz Guion ’89’s delight at being back at the Primary School (this time as a visiting author, not a 3rd grader); Sharon Draper’s powerful, inspirational presentations; the imagination and humor of Gordon Korman; the beauty of Henry Cole’s illustrations; the intellectual curiosity of Blue Balliett; a gym full of students standing, sitting and sprawling reading Jarrett Krosoczka’s books; the line of Upper School students waiting to meet Andrew Smith; the record-breaking number of faculty enjoying their special Preview Tea, and the smiles of TEAM Academy visitors, with arms full of books. As always, thanks go out to Scholastic for their support, and to the parents on all three campuses (together with their long-suffering families) who dedicate so much of their time to make this remarkable event possible. Sharon Draper
Henry Cole
Hand-woven baskets were a huge hit!
Winter Boutique & Author Luncheon In one remarkable week in November, PAMKA volunteers organized and executed two back-to-back and extremely successful events at The Manor in West Orange.
Book Fair PAMKA’s 2013 Book Fair “Reading Oasis: A Cool Place to Discover Hot Books” was a resounding success. Led by Tri-Campus Chairs Tina Jordan and Stephanie Salzman, an army of volunteers transformed spaces, organized events and once again ensured that MKA maintained its position as the largest Scholastic Book Fair in the country. Desert dioramas, palm tree balloons, and even a full-scale Arabian tent at the Middle School provided the backdrop for four wonderful days, where students, teachers and parents browsed, bought and read books, purchased gift certificates, filled faculty and library Wish Lists and listened to and learned from some of the biggest names in children’s and YA literature.
A Melissa Guion ’69fan
Backfor the Boutique and Luncheon was Jo Martone, PAMKA Presidentfrom 1996-8
Author Luncheon co-chair Beth Milke with Zandi Nammack
Opening with a Wednesday night Preview Party, followed by a full day of shopping on Thursday, PAMKA’s Winter Boutique, led by parent chairs Ashley Di Geronimo, Risa Barash-DiLorenzo and Nancy Wolk, was an unqualified success. Shoppers enjoyed perusing and purchasing items from over 35 vendors, including handcrafted bowls created from woven strips of old T-shirts made by MKA’s Pre-K, 2nd and 3rd graders as part of a sustainability and service learning project which raised funds to help paint the historic Crane House in Montclair (see P. 16).
Thursday also saw the official conclusion of the 2013 PAMKA Book Fair when an Author Luncheon, chaired by Beth Milke and Renee Rivlin, hosted baker, blogger and humorist Allison Robicelli, co-author of Robicelli s A Love Story with Cupcakes. The event attracted many former MKA parents and Ms. Robicelli entranced her audience (who also got to sample some of her cupcake recipes), signed large quantities of books and happily reported that she’d “had a blast!” Funds raised by PAMKA’s Book Fair, Author Luncheon and Winter Boutique support a wide range of needs, including Faculty Trust Grants, Campus Wish Lists, Faculty Compensation Endowment and Future Forward: The Campaign for MKA.
Winter Boutique Chairs l-r: Nancy Wolk, Risa Barash-DiLorenzo and Ashley Di Geronimo
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News Dear Fellow Alums, I hope winter will have loosened its grip by the time you read this, but as I am writing, on my list of things to do to get out of the cold includes attending an MKA hockey and a girls’ or boys’ basketball game, each of which teams are among the top in Essex County. In addition, I just made reservations for the winter musical, Hairspray, which promises to be another fantastic production. The Speech and Debate team is also on a winning streak and I am always impressed at the depth and variety of talent that such a small school puts forth. MKA’s Admissions Office does a fine job creating a well-rounded student body, but there is no recruiting per se. So what’s the secret? I’d say it’s MKA’s culture of encouraging students to try new things and then providing them with the tools and support to develop those skills outside the academic classroom. I had the opportunity to speak with some prospective parents recently, and I commented that if they really want to get a feel for the school, come by around 5:00 p.m., when it is still buzzing with activity. When a student asks the cliched question “Am I really going to use this math?” the answer is usually, “probably not” (though MKA is well poised to feed the demand for STEM talent!) However, when they ask, “Will I act, debate, use a foreign language with native speakers, play the violin, play soccer, etc., when I’m older?” the answer is “Most definitely.” In as much as we cheer and support the interests and achievements of current MKA students, I encourage you to learn more about and celebrate what your fellow classmates are up to. Aided by social media, I now keep track of friends who are doing some remarkable things in every comer of the globe. MKA graduates some very interesting people, and I hope you get to meet as many as possible. Track our alumni events calendar for opportunities to do just that. Sincerely,
President, Alumni Council
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Networking Opportunities Expand In a continued effort to provide MKA alumni with networking opportunities, the MKA Alumni Association held two networking events at the Millennium Hotel in New York City. On December 3rd, 2013, the topic was Marketing, Branding and Advertising, followed by an evening on Entrepreneurship on February 4th, 2014. Both events, arranged with the assistance of Max Rudnick ’07, a sales manager at the hotel, were huge successes as the audience was able to hear thoughtful and lively discussions from a panel of their peers. The Marketing, Branding and Advertising panel was comprised of Seth Traum ’91, Senior Vice President Director of Brand Strategy at BrandAsset® Consulting; Tyler DiNapoli ’99, Vice President, Advertising & Field Marketing for Focus Features; Ashley Booker ’04, North America Marketing Team at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics (a division of Estee Lauder Companies); and Cari Roberts ’05, Global Marketing Strategist at Gap; Brand Manager for both the babyGap and GapKids brands. The panel was moderated by Andrew Kyrejko ’05, Brand Strategist at Adoptive. The Entrepreneurship panel was comprised of Bryan Becker ’96, CEO Becker Brothers, LLC; Danielle Singer Zackman ’97, President and head designer of Danielle Stevens Jewelry; Sydney Summer by Danielle Stevens and Violetta; Lauren Moses ’98, Founder of The Moses Group; and LeRoy Watkins ’99, founder of MyBike and Viking Sports Camp. The panel was moderated by Melissa Cohn ’78, E V f|- The Manhattan Division, Guaranteed Rate. Both presentations were followed by an extensive Q and A session and a cocktail reception where alums were given the chance to connect with one another on a more personal level. In addition to providing this resource to alumni, invitations to networking events are now extended to current parents and parents of alumni who have graduated within the last five years, to give them an insight into the types of assistance they can expect the Alumni Office to provide their students once they become alumni as well as to participate and utilize this vast community themselves.
The Marketing, Branding and AdveiTTsing panel
The Entrepreneurship panel
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MKAon the Road In New York City: For fall 2013, MKA’s annual Young Alumni Happy Hour moved to a new venue - the Cabanas on the rooftop of the Maritime Hotel. On September 18th, young alumni from the classes of 1999-2009 enjoyed a beautiful evening in Manhattan with over 125 of their classmates and MKA faculty members. Between the great group of people that attended, the perfect weather and the delicious food and drinks from La Bottega, the evening was an amazing success!
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The ’08’s came out in force: Back row l-r: Charlie Gephart, Kelsey Deenihan, Eddie Bartleson, Rob Fortunato, Brian McFeeley, John MacGregor, Bora Goekbora, Matt Metzger, Dwight Jackson, Darrin Bedol, Susanna Horsey Front row l-r: Elise McMullen, Regan Shepard, Myles Rudnick Friends from the class o f 2007, l-r: Harry Raymond,
Taylor Breit, Nick Andlinger and Jon Reichstein
Enjoying their first official Alumni event post-college, members o f the class o f 2009, Back row l-r: Andrew Zage, Brian Purcell,
JR DeVita Front row l-r: Kathryn Phillips, Lindsay Kass, Page Harbeck, Danielle Lennon ’08, Carly Abramson
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Michelle Latzoni ’00 with Council members Jaclyn Latzoni Spedaliere ’00, Director o f Alumni Relations Lois Montorio, Jessica Simpson-Cook ’99 and Klaudia Pyz ’98
A group gathering o f the ’04’s: Back row l-r: Tommy Beach, Zach Waksal, Razzaq Manley-Yuseff, Herman Dodson, Sheldon Fields, Brendan McCaffrey Front row l-r: Jess Bishop, Erica Leffler, Amanda Englander, Ashley Booker, Alexis Tucker
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News
M KAonthe Road In Florida In conjunction with visiting the east coast of Florida for a conference, Tom Nammack, Geoff Branigan, Lois Montorio and Gretchen Berra hosted three wonderful receptions for local alumni from The Kimberley School, Montclair Academy and MKA. First stop, Winter Garden in Orlando, where alumni were treated to a mouth-watering dinner at The Chef’s Table. Present for the festive evening and lively conversation were Hon. William Grant ’45 and his wife Mary Elizabeth, Jean Olmstead Witherington ’54 and Doug Donald ’62, who ended the evening toasting those gathered with lovely poetry. Next stop was a memorable dinner at The Tides of Vero Beach with Gail Garnar Jacobus ’58 and husband Jake Jacobus ’54, Helen Bryant Perry ’58 and husband Ralph, Doris Krebs Barnard ’54, Joan Wallace Bryant ’57, Betsy Cole ’56 with husband Bob Cole and Dan Emerson ’42 and his wife Patricia. Our last stop was Boca Raton for a cocktail reception at Seasons 52 where we met up with Bob Coningsby, Jr. ’53 and his wife Bette, Tam Knight ’57 who celebrated her birthday with us, Lydia Keyser Nabuco ’70 who brought along the patch from her TKS blazer (see photo), Adam Shapiro ’02 with his wife Ali and Stephen Thieberg ’55 and his wife Brenda.
L -r: Tom N am m ack, Jean W itherington ’54, H on. B ill G rant ’45, M a ry Grant, D o u g D o n a ld ’62
L -r: D o ris K rebs B a rn a rd ’54, Joan Wallace B rya n t ’57, P a tricia Em erson, D a n E m erson ’42, Ja k e Ja co b u s ’54, H elen B rya n t P erry ’58, R alph Perry, G ail G arnar Ja co b u s ’58 a n d Tom N a m m a ck
L ydia K eyse r N abucco ’70 w ith the p a tc h she rem oved fr o m h er T K S blazer.
On the Ice & On the Court The 2013 Annual Alumni Hockey Game at Clary Anderson Arena was certainly one for the books. For the first time ever, the teams consisted of only alumni playing against one another. The veteran team, including Brian Purcell ’09, J.R. DeVita ’09, Brian Saling ’09 and Varsity Hockey Coach Dustin Good (who won the game in a nailbiting shootout), clinched the victory against the youngsters including Nick Picinic ’13, C.J. Geering ’13 and Jesse Naar ’13. Coach Good said, “The 2013 installment of the MKA Hockey Alumni Game was a bam burner! The turnout has been awesome in recent years and that is such a huge part of the program’s return to statewide prominence. Until next year - GO COUGARS!” The first Annual A1 Rehus Alumni Basketball Game was a huge success, in large part thanks to the efforts of varsity basketball coaches Tony Jones and Jessica Bishop ’04. The even year team beat the odd year team 6242. Coach Jones said, “The game brought former teammates like Cara Landolfi and Jess Bishop together again and the opportunity for alums like the Fields brothers (Sheldon ’04 and Stanton ’10) to play together for the first time. “Watching my son Brandon ’04, who was a coach here for two years playing with some of the students he coached, was a joy,” said Coach Jones, “The game also provided some of the current players on the team the opportunity to connect with their history.”
MKA Alumni Awards We Need Your Input! Do you know someone you believe to be deserving of recognition from the wider MKA community? Please pass all suggestions along to Director of Alumni Relations Lois Montorio at lmontorio@mka.org. Full eligibility criteria and online nomination forms for The Founders’ Cup, Distinguished Alumni Award and Athletic Hall of Fame can be found on the MKA website at mka.org/alumniawards.
2nd ANNUAL HEADMASTER'S SCHAMBLE GOLF OUTING SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, June 17th LOCATION: Montclair Golf Club A community outing for current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, faculty and staff JOIN US FOR A DAY OF: Lunch, Golf, Tee Gifts, Prizes, Cocktails and Dinner (Non-golfers welcome to join us for cocktails and dinner) FORMAL INVITATION TO FOLLOW
Class Notes Editor’s Note ------------------The deadline for news for the FALL Review is June 1 and the deadline for the SPRING issue is January 1. News can be submitted to the Alumni Office at any time on the back of Annual Giving remittance envelopes, via mail or email to the Alumni Director (lmontorio@mka.org), the Editor (dkozak@mka.org) or your Class Secretary. We keep ongoing files for each class and welcome photographs in digital or hard copy. If your class does not have a Class Secretary listed, please consider volunteering for the position! It is a great way to re-establish contacts with old friends, does not require^E great deal of time and is essential to the continued vitality of the school. Thank you. MA - Montclair Academy TKS - The Kimberley School MKA - Montclair Kimberley Academy
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MKA sends deepest sympathy to the family of Em ily Parsons Ridgw ay who passed away October 1, two months before her 103rd birthday.
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MKA sends deepest sympathies to the family of Charles Eisler, Jr., who passed away on November 8, 2012.
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MKA sends condolences to the family of Ruth H unt Timmons, who passed away on September 8, 2013. To her eternal delight, Walker Weed contacted the Editor last August with this message: “I edit my college class newsletter (Dartmouth 1940) and can sympathize with those who suffer a dearth of news from geriatric alumni and have nothing to publish but obituaries. Here’s a bit of grist for your miffl’ To read all Walker’s news and find out more about his extraordinary accomplishments, see page 33.
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Mrs. Stewart Carpenter (Josephine Fobes) Crane's Mill, Apt. 1419 459 Passaic Avenue West Caldwell, NJ 07006
MKA sends condolences to the family ojfft) Bridgford Hunt, who passed away on January 1, 2012.
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1927 It is with great sadness that MKA learned of the death of Priscilla Douglas Polkinghorn, age 105, on August 23, 2013. A longtime resident of Laguna Hills, CA and Lake Forest, IL, Priscilla passed away at her home in Freedom Village.
Much of Priscilla’s activity was devoted to supporting her children’s interests, particularly scouting. She was a Cub Scout leader for her three boys and then a Girl Scout leader for her daughter, eventually serving a term as President of the Bloomfield, NJ Girl Scout Council and overseeing the Council’s summer camp in western New Jersey. Priscilla was an active member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) all her adult life. At various times, she was President of the Bloomfield and Montclair, NJ chapters and the Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills, CA chapters. In Montclair, she managed for many years the large annual AAUW used book sale and continued to plan and lead cultural field trips for the AAUW well into her 90’s.
Bom in Bloomfield, NJ on March 23, 1908, her father, Robert S. Douglas, eventually became Vice President of Tiffany and Company. Priscilla was brought up in Bloomfield and Montclair, NJ, and after graduating from The Kimberley School, received an AB in Fine Arts from Skidmore College in 1931 before studying art in Paris for a year under Fernand Léger. Returning to Priscilla Douglas Polkinghorn ’27 Montclair, she married Frank A. Polkinghorn, Priscilla shared her memories of TKS in the 125th Fall Anniversary a Bell Telephone Laboratories engineer, in 1934. edition of this magazine last year, and her daughter, Caroline Jordet, In 1937, Priscilla inherited the estate of the landscape artist Charles informed us that until the very last days of her life, she enjoyed Warren Eaton, an old family friend, including his home and studio Skyping with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and and all of his paintings. The growing family moved into the Eaton reading the books she loved on her Kindle (until 3 days before she home on Monroe Place in Bloomfield, NJ, and her four children died.) “Think of all the changes that occurred during her lifetime,” were brought up there. Of necessity, she became an art dealer, noted Caroline, “She always said that in whatever circumstance she selling Eaton paintings out of his studio and through New York art found herself, she vowed to be happy and make the best of it, and galleries. In 1948, the family moved to Tokyo when her husband, she did.” Frank, accepted a two-year assignment as Director of Research and MKA extends condolences to her sister, Barbara Douglas Development for the Civil Communications Section of SCAP M acmillan ’40 of Albany, NY and her children: Robert of Orange, (Supreme Commander Allied Powers) during the American CA; Frank, Jr. of Easton, MD; Frederic of Santa Rosa, CA and occupation following WWII. Priscilla immersed herself in her Caroline Jordet of Bamegat, NJ. She also leaves eight grandchildren husband’s and children’s activities and in learning about Japanese and twelve great grandchildren. culture. It was a transforming experience that her mind returned to time and time again in later years.
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Sally duBois M oberg always sounds chipper in calls from her Westfield, NJ apartment. She has “health issues” as doubtless most o f f l us do, but is happy about grandchildren and some precious great grands: (I’m envious about those little ones.) Her daughter has retired this fall from ministerial duties, and lives nearby, so Sally hopes to have more time with her.
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Mrs. Alfred D. Williams (Joan Bayne) c/o M. Bradley 170 Delwin Drive N. Yarmouth, ME 04097 Summer Phone Number at Belgrade Lakes (May-September) 207-495-2617 Josephine Watt Clark celebrated her 90th
birthday this past spring with her six children and their spouses, three of her 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Josephine’s activities include hospital volunteering, singing in her church choir, a quilting group and exercise. Our sincere condolences go out to Barbara Douglas M acM illan whose sister, Priscilla Douglas Polkinghorn ’27, passed away on August 23, 2013 at the age of 105.
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Mrs. James PC. Hyde Jr. (Enid Griswold) 5402 Duvall Drive Bethesda, MD 20816-1872 Enid Griswold Hyde is keeping active and busy, amazingly so. She is still organizing and leading a few art trips, and she takes three courses a semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University including a “demanding” French conversation course, as well as courses on India, global issues and opera. She spent last July with her daughter at the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival in Italy. She plays tennis two to three times a week and says she’s saving yoga and Pilates for her “really old age!” Anne Thompson Knapp is now living at
Emeritus at Fillmore Pond, a residential community in Bennington, VT. Four years ago she and her dog did a TV commercial for their place that is still airing. Unfortunately, the beloved dog died last summer, so although bereft, Anne is looking forward to another companion dog. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Joan Ailing W uerth, who passed away on August 11, 2013.
Charles M inton is a 35-year WWII Veteran who served in the Navy. At his retirement community, residents got together on Veteran’s Day and regaled each other with stories. He wishes he could get back to NJ more often but he’s too far away.
Our sincere condolences go out to the family of Nelson B. Doremus, who passed away on June 1, 2012.
TKS
Barbara “Babs” O ’Donovan W hite is planning another antique costume exhibit at the Darien, CT Historical Society. “Stepping Out in the Jazz Age” is scheduled to open on October 14, and has been keeping Babs busy “at just the right time!” MA
Mr Richard L. Charlesworth 27 Whipple Farm Lane Falmouth, ME 04105 diknan@aol. com
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Miss Lucile G. Mason 142 North Mountain Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042-2350
------------1944-----------70th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014 MA
Mr. WinterfordJ. Ohland 39A Cambridge Court Lakewood, N J 08701-6225
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Leigh Berrien Smith 847 Franklin Street Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Ibsmithl 5@yahoo. com Leigh Berrien Smith writes: This past summer I caught up with Florence “Pete” Lam born Peters during her Vineyard time.
MA
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Janet and Lucile Mason enjoyed their respective Reunions at Homecoming.
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(Her family had a large reunion here in October, and the fact that previous generations have been here since before 1900 makes them very special homeowners.) Two of Pete’s four sons currently reside in my town, and both have been Vineyarders most of their adult lives. One, who lives in Texas, manages to get here, and Pete has visits from her sister Pat Lamborn Kolbe whom many of us knew. We talk about Montclair days with warm recollections.
I am happy to be in touch with Pat Driver Shuttleworth’s sister Daphne Driver M cGill ’52. Daphne was a friend at Kimberley Lower School of former Montclair resident Barbara W hidden D ay (many ’52’s knew her) now my good friend on the Vineyard; in fact, her lovely minister husband handled Procter’s 2012 burial service. Daphne and husband live in Williamstown but winter in Vero. I was delighted to get a call from Cynthia Carswell Blair after sending her a short note. She sounded well and was anticipating the festive Halloween parade held in her active Manchester retirement home. She went to NJ for Christmas with her daughter, followed by a trip to Charleston, SC, where they celebrated her sister’s 90thbirthday on New Year’s Eve. She also reported seeing several old friends from the Montclair area on a recent visit to CT. M argaret “Peggy” Odell Overholser sent a note to update me. Her husband is now coping with Alzheimer’s making her especially grateful for her sons and a helpfuL; daughter-in-law. Her oldest granddaughter at 13 is already taller than her Gra, and the other at 10 is “getting tall.” “Kimberley has always meant so much to me ... I loved that school even more than (my college).”
In November, I saw D eborah “D ebbie” Sanders Lewis and Barbara Whidden Day ’52X (moved away after 5th grade). My daughter Pam ela Smith Brock ’72x is now living on Martha’s Vineyard in her own house, year-round. Your lucky secretary traveled again in July, crossing the Atlantic with daughter Pam to glimpse Norway, a country my mother and many others have loved seeing. We had afternoon excursions in four towns, including a lake cruise, and concluding in Bergen with a recital near Grieg’s home (which we saw) by a prominent Norwegian pianist. You may all laugh at the fact I had my first flight ever when we flew back to the US. Pam and all my family have often flown and Procter had, on business; Virgin Atlantic sounded pretty safe to me, and I wanted to get back to friends and chances to play at golf. Pam decided to sell her mainland condo and buy a little house quite near me this past summer. I write as we anticipate Thanksgiving here with friends, and Christmas in Delaware with daughter Alison, her husband, son and Pam’s two as well. I know that news of other classmates would interest us all; please do be in touch if possible! class
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MA
Mr. William B. Grant, 557 Milano Road Kissimee, FL 34759-4052 grantwb@cfl.rr.com
If you want more information, email me (Eleanor Ketcham) or call me at 336-5847225, and I can put you in touch with Kathryn Crowell, Bim’s sister. A ndy Schneidewind W alker writes that she
MKA sends deepest sympathy to the family of R ichm ond Benner Hopkins, who passed away on July 16, 2013. Richard received the Head Boy Award in 1945.
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Eleanor Helm Ketcham 4 White Oak Eton, NC 27244 ellieketcham@aol. com MKA sends condolences to the family of Barbara Crowell Estes, who passed away October 7, 2013. A letter from Joan Powell Adam s is addressed to all our classmates: “We continue to live in Madison, CT—quietly now and we find it hard to believe 67 years has flown by. Both sons live in Illinois but do come East for visits! We have five splendid grandchildren—#1 a teacher in Sarasota where she and her lawyer-husband have a daughter; #2 a doctor of psychology who lives in Illinois where he and his lawyer-wife also have a daughter; #3 is a computer whiz working with a group at the University of Kentucky; #4 is a sophomore at Iowa State, and #5 a high school junior—allfgl the last three boys. Busy lives for all! We are thrilled to be great-grandparents but find it very hard to believe our child is now someone’s grandfather!! We are blessed.” Kathryn Crowell, Kimberley class of 1947, wrote in October to telMif the death of her sister and our classmate, Barbara Crowell Estes, who I remember as “Bim”. An obituary in the Cape Cod Times says that after Kimberley, she received aP~ B.A. from Bob Jones University and was married in l'9‘53 to Frank S. Estes. She was a homemaker and nursery school teacher before retiring to Cape Cod in the early 1990s. She had been active at Grace Presbyterian Church in Montclair and their Pioneer Girls Program and later served as a Deaeoness^t Cape Cod Bible Alliance Church, especially their local PEO chapter and the Gideon’s Women’s Auxiliary. She loved baseball, especially the Red Sox. Barbara’s two sons predeceased her but Mb is survived by two daughters and eight grandchildren, as well as two sisters.
And please email me, or call me, with YOUR news too. I want to pass on only what each of you wants to share about your current life and/or your children and grandchildren, or your thoughts about the past. How many of us, besides Joan Powell Adams (above) are great-grandparents? Not me. My five grandkids are taking their time. -5 8 - class
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is excited to report that her sister’s granddaughter, Lea Sample Wolf, is applying to MKA— and sends this message: She is ten and hopes to join the Middle Schoolnext fall. It’s nostalgia time for me, as I remember two wonderful years when you classmates welcomed me with open arms. I reveled in the shows, the Glee Club and finally began to “get my act together.” Now, 68 years later, I’m still working at it! My passion for Dance exists, so I keep in shape, and found a wonderful class that combines yoga, modem dance, and a little mind, body, spirit, all to music for an hour twice a week. Half the class is half my age. They treat me like their grandmother. I get a kick out of being with them and exchanging ideas. The need for giving back and volunteering has extended my 30+ years of playing with flowers, so I work at the New Canaan Inn, a small retirement place, and I do one large arrangement a week. The staffls a delight, and it’s a wonderful way to give and have an ego trip at the same time. Happy New Year; may 2014 be good for all....Andy” Our condolences go out to Barbara "Bobbie" Valbuena who notified us of her husband, Julien's death in February at the age of 86, writing: "Julian and I had a great marriage. We worked as a team. We were fortunate to have two wonderful daughters." Julien had been a Professor Emeritus at the University of Delaware. MA
Dr. Peter B. Lawrence 4802 Olympic Lane N #D Wilson, NC 27896-9148
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The Editor had the good fortune to enjoy an October telephone conversation with Thomas W eilepp, who contacted MKA in an effort to locate his friend and classmate R obert “Bob” Doubleday. Thomas, who is living in Washington State, reminisced about his happy years at MA, his respect for Walter Head and William Avery Barras and the “great times” he had with his friends - other than the time he sprained his ankle tripping on the field playing touch football - an injury that still gives him some trouble! Thomas went on to Cornell University, obtained a PhD and an MD and taught at half-a-dozen universities over the years. Other than a bit of age related memory loss, he’s in good spirits and keeping well. M arjorie Bethall Cross continues to live on
Lake Sunapee, NH. Both she and her husband are healthy and enjoy traveling together on cruises. They had a great trip to Antarctica in January 2011, a very “wet” cruise from Charleston, SC to Jacksonville, FL in November and another good cruise among the Hawaiian, Islands in January. They recently had their third great-grandchild and now have one girl and two boys. MKA sends sincere sympathy to Kathryn Crowell, whose sister, Barbara Crowell Estes ’46, passed away October 7, 2013.
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MKA sends deepest sympathy to the family of. Helen M ontgom ery-Drysdale who passed away on June 24, 2013. Helen was a photographer who photographed jazz legends, thoroughbreds and film stars in her 50-year career. MA
Mr. John Henry Leonhard 51 Fromm Court Mahwah, N J 07430 nhandjhleonhard@aol. com
Mrs. David Hannegan (Louise Rudd) 49 Canterbury Lane Lakeville, CT 06039 weezieh@sbcglobal. net Backfor Reunions: Back Row l-r: Janet Mason ’48 (TKS), Paul Williams, Henry Williams III, '48 (MA), Lucile Mason ’43 (TKS) Seated l-r: Bob Comingsby Jr., ’53 (MA), Al Soria ’43 (MA) and Dick Angus ’43 (MA)
------------ 1949-----------65th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014 TKS
MKA sends condolences to the family of Anne Burr Fairchild Jeffery, who passed away on July 25, 2013.
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Class agent: Mrs. Richard Lewis (Audrey Maass) 4551 GulfShore Blvd. N, Apt. 804 Naples, FL 34103-4601 rdlew@aol. com
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The Kramerfamily l-r, grandson, Andy ’80, Isaiah, Fred ’58, George ’54, Sue ’84, granddaughter, Hannah and Larry ’78.
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Class Secretary: Mrs. Lloyd Marentette (Gail Robertson) 93 Glen Avenue, Llewellyn Park West Orange, N J 07052
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Mrs. Clark Moran (Martha Gilbert) 8011 StrauffRoad Baltimore, MD 21204-1834 martha. moran 1@verizon. net Condolences to Gail Kerr and her children, Robert Kerr ’83 and David Kerr ' l l and Susan Kerr on the recent death of her husband and their father David Kerr ’52. David passed away on December 27, 2013. Jean Fairgrieve Granum recently ran into
Bridget Donnell Newton, daughter of the late Babs Pendleton Donnell and learned that she is the newly elected Mayor of Rockville, MD. Congratulations Bridget! Your mom would be very proud. Jane Redfield Forsberg and her husband Bob
recently returned from a safari in South Africa. Nancy Booth Kelly is on the move again,
heading to Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. She remains active in the Kelly Hardware business. Fay Taft Fawcett and her husband report that
they are in very good health, and Ned continues playing golf every chance he gets. Fay and Ned continue to spend their summers in Nantucket, winters in Blue Bell, PA. MA
Class agent: Mr. Charles Sage 435 Welch Avenue Ames, IA 50014-7302 csage@iastate. edu Sincere condolences go to the family of David L. Kerr, who passed away on December 27, 2013.
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MKA sends sincere condolences to the family of Neil Carl Lindem an, who passed away on June 23, 2013.
------------ 1954-----------60th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014 TKS
Ms. Georgia Carrington 38 Silver Spring Lane Ridgefield, CT 06877-5604 carrgeo@aol. com Secretary Georgia Carrington writes: Many thanks to the few who replied with some news. Joan Cole Pendergast said there had been a small gathering at Aubin Zabriskie A m es’s in Little Compton, RI, where Janet Taylor Stabler and Tom, Elizabeth Hasbrouck Cole ’56 and Bob, and Pat’s brothers and Don’s wife all had a good time! Jean Olmstead W itherington has been
travelling and seeing some amazing sights. She went to Italy and then also to Iceland which she described as cold, cloudy and windy. She is also working with geneology and getting very involved. I keep thinking I will stop off and see her the next time I drive to FL and then I am very bad and do not do so. Had a nice note from Dawn Ramhurst Ball maim who continues her brave fight with cancer. What a horrid disease ... they think they have it under control and then it appears somewhere else. Dawn writes: “So long as I have my quality of life I will let the good Lord take care of me and enjoy life. Ann, my oldest, and my granddaughter came for a visit. Emily is nine and has taken to skiing. Laura and her family live close by. I am unable to travel long distances but keep very busy. Play bridge and am a member of three committees: one works with the homeless, the
other two have to do with cancer. I talk with Lee Wood’s sister Nancy often as we are both in book clubs and we share notes. Not much more to tell, but all my best to the class!!” Victoria W endt W est-Peek continues to be a
communicator, although a message from her son said she has just had surgery once again (5 hours this time, a titanium plate inserted on her lower back) but is a fighter and she came through with flying colors. Her son, Christian, takes good care of her and lives with her. Another son has moved closer so she can now see the grandchildren more often. Before the last orthopedic trouble she and Christian had a fabulous trip. “I did love the South Pacific, but we had to cancel our trip to South Africa this year, but we will find another time when I am again able to travel. Christian is a fabulous travel companion-he has literally been pushing me around the world.” With her characteristic sense of humor she ended her message, “I guess I could say they are going to reattach my head and hopefully all screws bond or people will really say I have a screw loose.” Great news came from Cynthia Mann Treene. “Bill and I had a nice vacation this fall traveling in the Canadian Rockies, then taking a train to Vancouver and Victoria and winding up in Ross, CA with Jeff and his family. It’s a part of the world worth seeing. THEN... Aubin Zabriskie Ames was honored by the Van Vleck House and Garden board in November for her extraordinary dedication in establishing the Van Vleck organization as a viable facility for non-profits and a showplace garden for the public to enjoy. Recent additions include educational facilities. Marian, TJ, June and Bill and I were there to help honor Aubin. We headed to Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Was strange to be out of the country for Christmas, but got to see Victoria Falls, on our bucket list. Other than doing some traveling to see family I spend most of my time doing “stuff’ for church that is class
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outreach connected and having a wonderful time reading one on one with elementary school little ones in Danbury. Do hope we will get a good turnout for the 60th!!!! MA
Class agent: Mr. Sheldon Buck 51 Cornell Road Wellesley, MA 02482-7408 sheldonbuck@me.com Congratulations to George Kramer, he received a lifetime achievement award in Postal History from the Smithsonian Institute in September 2013.
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Mrs. Cecily Wilson Lyle 433 Wright’s Neck Road Centerville, MD 21617 cecilyle@hughes.net MA
Mr. Lawrence Martin P.O. Box 1058 Lexington, VA 24450-1058 martinlexington@centurylink.net Class agent: Mr. Robert Brawer 131 East 66th Street, Apt. 10C New York, NY 10065-6129 rereadclassics@aol. com
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Mrs. Carol Barnard Ottenberg 1420 41st Avenue, E Seattle, WA 98112-3804 ottenbergc@aol. com Carol Barnard Ottenberg heard from the
following classmates: Ann de Vausney Hallowell: Greetings from
Vermont! Rob and I still travel as much as we can. We enjoyed a week in Munich and six fabulous operas. Rob has become an opera lover too. We hiked on Mt. Adams, WA last August and can only hope that we are able to return. Our VT grandkids keep us busy with sporting events and other activities and are key to our internet knowledge when we upgrade our ancient systems. We need all the help we can get. Ned and family are in LA, a fun place to visit, but we are happy right here. I still run every day and keep my hand i ^ | politics. Sue Crook Ferdinand writes: I’ve relocated to 1lopatcong, NJ from Lake George. I keep busy restarting my face painting/body art business, and I’m working for a company that handles short sales for attorneys - a good opportunity to use 31 years of real estate sales and management. I miss Lake George, but it’s nice to be closer to my kids and grandkids. N ini de Jurenev checks in from Santa Fe:
Have really overdone my volunteer activities - 6 0 - class
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thinking I was a mere slip of a girl in my 20s. Not! And never more. I am thinking that there must e l a time when one could really retire and for me, that timeps now. Am kicking back and watching the unraked leaves swirl in the yard. Have enjoyed trading emails with Gail Zabriskie W ilson, Ann De Vausney Hallowell and Lilia Em etaz M cDonald. It
really seems like just yesterday that we were sitting more or less quietly in study hall. My Kimberley years, though brief, were some of the happiest in this long and often strange life of mine. Miss you all! From Betsy Hasbrouck Cole: I had the pleasure of seeing three class members last fall. Gail Zabriskie W ilson and Peter were visiting her sister Aubin ’54 in Little Compton RI and we shared a wonderful dinner at Aubin’s with lots of Montclair and Kimberley chatter. In October, Linda Lovell Smith, Bart and Henny Nelson Skeen and I attended a Wheaton mini reunion at Yale. We visited the Yale Art Gallery and had dinner at Mory’s. Both Henny and Linda enjoy summers on the Vineyard. Bob and I are in Vero Beach, FL for the winter. We always love to hear from any Kimberley alumnae passing through town. Lilia Em etaz M cDonald writes from Eugene,
OR: Our rainy season is beginning with snow in our Cascade mountains. Next summer we may be going on an Alaska Cruise. I’ve been busy with the Daisy Ducks, the Univ. of Oregon women’s sports group. This past summer we went to the Oregon coast, the Oregon mountains and spent time with our grandchildren who live near Portland, OR. Meredyth Clark Graham sends this update: Greetings from Media, PA. Our two daughters live close by and we get to see the grandkids often, ages 14,12 and 11. This will be a rather special year for us for we will celebrate 50 years of marriage - 1 guess that is a great feat. I still teach ESL two days a week at Delaware County Community College and take courses at the Academy of Learning in Wilmington. We have a timeshare in Aruba and visit every year with the family. We still travel - maybe Barcelona in January and Bimini in March. Life is good, and we have much to be thankful for.
From Sally Bever Zwiebach: Last year Burt and I celebrated our 50th anniversary with a party in New York City’s Battery Park (just before Sandy wrecked it), and this fall we toasted Burt’s 80th and my 75th birthdays at a smaller gathering on Long Island. We’ve been on two extended trips to Italy and have moved from our Manhattan pied-à-terre. We’re now uni-domiciled in Glen Cove. However, we still indulge in NYC theater and concerts at least twice a week, and I’m still enrolled at the Fordham College for Seniors. Our two sons live a continent apart, one in Berkeley and one in NYC and each has two children, ages 7 and 9. This winter, we’ll spend a month in a rental Cottage near our west coast family. In the summer they park themselves with us on Long Island for lengthy stays. Fun, but
exhausting. We’re cautiously and somewhat anxiously exploring what our next move will be. Why did I think that all the tough decisions would be finished by this time? Nancy Prescott Ward writes: Bob and I enjoy our Florida (6 weeks) and Maine (4 weeks) visits. We continue working at Anserve, along with son Rob who has now been in the business for more than 7 years. Hard to believe! He and Caitlin live about 5 miles from us. Jen and her 4 year-old daughter Morgan, live in Asbury Park. Vicki and family are in Maine, near Brunswick. Oscar and Iris are 10 and 9. Here’s Linda Cole LeStage: A little over a year ago, I moved to Marshfield, MA, to be near my daughter Julie and family. After nearly 50 years in the same house, it has been a huge adjustment. In this very new 55+ development (could we be possibly old enough to qualify?), I’m slowly getting to know people. I love my condo and location, with multiple beaches and conservation land close by. Other than power loss for 4-5 days in last year’s blizzard, I haven’t suffered from shoreline damage and flooding that ravaged so many. And I have a generator! Have seen Betsy Beatty M atlack and her husband Lou, and Gail and Peter Wilson. And I talked with Carol Cooper Henry; she and Bill live in Cohasset. I had a total shoulder replacement last July. I’m still working on recovery; it takes a year or more to return to full use. Not fun, but no choice. Linda Lovell Smith writes: Our family had a
festive Thanksgiving at our house on the Vineyard, and after hosting 40 people for my annual cookie exchange, I’m preparing for a joyful family Christmas, again at the Vineyard. Scott and Denise and Sabrina and David and the boys, Mika and Max, will be with us. Linda also writes of her Wheaton mini-reunion in New Haven with Betsy Hasbrouck Cole and Henny Nelson Skeen and Bart. “We had dinner at the famous Mory’s restaurant and were given a private tour of the newly renovated Yale Art Gallery.” M olla Kaplan Reisbaum reports: Husband,
semi-retired; wife, not one bit retired. I’m still selling residential real estate, which often takes me to the old neighborhood of Montclair and Glen Ridge. Three children are getting older and I frequently tell them that I am too young to have children this old! The five grandchildren are all stars, in my eyes anyway. In my spare time, I play bridge and get into NYC quite often. I see Joanne W eisser Salomon regularly. Joanne is an excellent bridge player so duplicate keeps her very busy. Connie Sommers deBrun dashes off a quick note: I’ve just returned to Maine from Connecticut where I was helping out with my son’s 10-month-old baby boy since Heide, his wife, had her appendix out two days ago.
From class secretary Carol: We enjoyed a family reunion at a Tucson, AZ, ranch last
spring, nine of us ages 7 to 90. The next week, I enjoyed my first visit to national parks in Utah, hiking in Bryce Canyon and Zion with a National Parks Conservation Assn tour. I am sorry to report that my brother Bryant, who many of you knew, died of heart failure last August. MKA sends sincere condolences to Judith Lindeman whose brother, N eil Carl Lindeman ’53, passed away on June 23, 2013. MA
Mr. Eric Jaeckel P.O.Box 20153 Boulder, CO 80308-3153 efjaeckel@hotma.il.com Class agent: Dr. Lawrence Nazarian 29 Surrey Place Penfield, N Y 14526-1221 LFredN@aol.com Eric Jaeckel writes: I am well, still single,
and enjoying the Boulder, CO lifestyle. Exercise is an important part of my daily activities such as participating in Silver Sneakers aerobic classes 3 times a week and walking every day. Downhill /alpine skiing still important to me in the winter, skiing about twice a week in our light, fluffy, Colorado snow. Finally had a minor collision with a friend at the Telluride Ski Resort resulting in a minor “head plant”—fortunately I wear a helmet and my 2 new hips were not upset with me. Sold my condo this year where I have lived for 13 years and moved into a new [supposedly active] senior independent living retirement community where it turns out I am one of the most active residents ... a more accurate and “humorous” description of the residents would be Pre-Existing Assisted Living. I plan to move to Moscow, ID in 2014 to be closer to my son and 2 grandchildren: Avery [girl] now age 12 in 7th grade and Ellis, 8 years old in 3rd grade. Mentally I keep busy reading and volunteering for about 6 non-profits such as driving/delivering lunches for Meals-onWheels, and working with a group driving seniors without cars, many with disabilities, to cultural events in Boulder County that they normally would not be able to attend ... My best to all—see you at our 60th Reunion in 2016. Richard Hopkins writes: I continue to
consult in nuclear reactor safety and fuel development, but have ample time for recreation mostly in the form of hiking. My wife Karen and I still hike in southern Utah for several weeks in spring and fall and in Santa Barbara, where we take refuge from the deep cold of Jackson Hole in January and February. The Alumni Office heard from Scott Harden, “I’m still living in N H H I’ve been trying to move to Maine but the real estate gods have so far said no! The economy outside the big cities still lags far behind. I’ve been a
bachelor for a while now and the smell of salt water is missing from my life!”
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Mrs. Thelma "Tam”Miller Knight 3001 Linton Boulevard, No. 201C Delray Beach, FL 33445 tknightll5 @aol. com Tam K night heard from Georgia Glick, she writes: We have now lived in our Lexington home for 40 years, and still enjoy it; during the warmer months, we go to our home in MA; our daughter Sharon and partner Jessie were married at Mattapoisett in 2012, ten years after their civil union; they have two children Oscar (5) and June (3), and live in Bozeman, MT. I continue participating in our local garden club, and still volunteer for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, occasionally designing flower arrangements, and weekly, doing data entry. Also I participate in two book groups. Travel highlights this year include Vieques, San Francisco Bay Area, and two weeks in Florence and Rome, Italy. For my news: I visited NJ over Thanksgiving weekend to join my family in celebrating 100 years of the family business. My nephews, 4th generation, are now running the company. It was a quick trip and really didn’t have much time. I did stay with Judy Slifkin Kaplan at her beautiful home on the Delaware River for a few days! She was nice enough to turn up the heat for this “Florida gal!!” Best wishes to all my classmates for a healthy and peaceful 2014!
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Mrs. Diana Bethell Little 1-K Buckingham Rd. West Orange, NJ 07052-2703 littlecorp@verizon.net Sally Braddock Boyce writes: We are both well, enjoying our retirement, keeping busy with our garden, family (including 6 lovely grandchildren), Ed’s woodshop, brief road trips and our standard poodle Nikki. She keeps us moving as she is certainly not a couch potato! Please give my best to our other classmates. We certainly had some fun times. MA
Mr. Henry Agens 86 Eagle Rock Way Montclair, NJ 07042-1629 hymelee@earthlink. net Mr. David Stroming 82 Halsted Drive Manchester, NJ 08759 KStroming@aol. com Mr. David Will 184 New State Road, Apt. 33, Manchester, CT 06042-7945 dave.willl @sbcglobal. net
Class secretary Henry Agens writes: Graduation anniversaries ending in the number “5” are a tough sell. Nonetheless, nine members of ’58 MA class signed up to attend the October reunion luncheon at MKA’s campus. Those attending were your decidedly humble correspondent and my wife Melee, Class President Fred Kramer, M ark Jaffe, M eritt Gavin, Dave Stroming and his wife Kathleen, and Peter Grieves. Three others were unable to come because of health and family concerns. Bill M arriott ’59, also joined our gathering. All in all, not a bad show! We had a good time, but we’ve got to do it up big time for our 60th in 2018! M ichael Gennet reports that he and his wife,
Chris, live in Mission Hills, a golf and tennis community in Rancho Mirage, CA. The club is home to the LPGA’s foremost major tournament, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. “We have 340 days of sun a year, so outdoor activities, including hiking and biking, are always at hand. Our complex includes 36 tennis courts, croquet courts, bocce, fitness and more. We like living in a resort atmosphere. Intellectually, I am involved with City of Hope as Co-Chair of a fundraising event that annually raises nearly $1 million in donations to the research hospital. I sing in a men’s chorus and am the Marketing VP who promotes our concerts. I still consult to the home furnishings industry and currently am an expert witness in a home furnishings trial, a very interesting new endeavor for me. Chris still works full time in the Health Care Industry as a partner in a software firm that advises surgical patients, before, during and after surgery. She works virtually, so we can travel extensively. When the weather gets hot in the desert from July-September, we are in more moderate Northern areas enjoying cooler temperatures. This past summer we traveled to the Sonoma/Napa Wine Country, British Columbia and New England. We ended the year with a terrific land tour and cruise to South America, as we check off some Bucket List locales. Our four grandchildren are all in LA or San Francisco, so we can watch them grow within California.” Jim Zager and I have seen each other, since
he lives only 2 hours away on the coast. We invite MKA classmates who might venture to California to ring us up and visit the Palm Springs area. As they say about Florida, “Come on Down.” Our former teacher Frank (Francis) Donald Brogan died July 30, 2013 in Florida. He was 89 years old. Surviving him is Maia Anderson Brogan, his wife of 65 years, his daughter Megan Adley and 5 grandchildren (4 boys, 1 girl). While his passing saddens us, it is not a tragedy. His life was a full one and it was a triumph. A good life is always worth celebrating and important to remember. “So attention must be paid,” as playwright Arthur Miller observed. “Attention, attention rnuMv-' be finally paid to such a person.” class
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Cathy her third grandchild. Susie Wilson Brisach’s youngest son Stephen is getting married in May, adding three more grandchildren to her and Gene’s tribe, bringing the total to 16. Barbara Bywater Creed writes: I was honored by Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco, as an outstanding community volunteer having served on the ECS board for ten years and as its president for four years. Suzanne W right Klein attended the event. MA
Back Row l-r: Kathleen Stroming, Jean Eaglesham Davis, Mark Jaffe, Hy Agens, Melee Agens, Bill Marriott '59, Peter Grieves. Seated l-r: David Stroming, Merritt Gavin and Fred Kramer In October of 2008, Mr. Brogan was the Guest of Honor of the Class of 1958 during our 50th anniversary reunion festivities at MKA. The speech he delivered on that occasion was, simply stated, hypnotic and enthralling. Headmaster Thomas Nammack remarked playfully as he began his own talk, “If you’re going to give a speech, never, never follow Frank Brogan!” A letter that Mr. Brogan wrote in 19§9 was the basis of his memorable speech and an excerpt of it can be found in the tribute to him in this magazine on page 46. Therefore, anyone reading this who would like a copy of the complete Brogan letter, please contact me at my e-mail or home address and I will send you a copy. Trust me, it is well worth reading. Until that time, Hy Agens
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Class agent: Mrs. Mary Anne Coursen Doty 21 Juniper Drive Queensbury, N Y 12804 mjd62@roadrunner. com
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Mrs. Winifred Sage Wilson 13819 Vidal Place, NE Albuquerque, NM 87123-4729 Class agent: Mrs. Suzanne Scannell Hardy 47 Bartlett Parkway Winthrop, MA 02152 MKA sends deepest condolences to the family of Christine Keller who passed away on June 21, 2013.
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Class secretary: Ms. Jarvis Reilly Nolan 15612 ViaMarchena San Diego, CA 92128-4420 jarvisno@aol. com
Mrs. C. D. Creed (Barbara Bywater) 1769 Forest View Avenue Hillsborough, CA 94010 bbcreed@aol. com Catharine Homan Brown’s son and his wife
are expecting their first child in April, giving
MA
Mr. Doug Donald 10156 Rivers Trail Drive Orlando, FL 32817 DlDonald@aol. com Doug Donald writes: John Farrar and Jan
love living in northern MT, where they fight off the grizzly bears and wolves when not plowing out their mile long driveway almost every day. John is attentively caring for Jan and her broken foot, and restoring a 1962 Lotus Formula Ford race car in his shop. John plays his Kingston Trio records as loud as he likes because their nearest neighbor is a mile away. Barry Nazarian has joined three of his five
children in San Diego, and excels at racing his bike and writing novels. He spends lots of time in a special relationship with Heidi Roy, also a lifetime Montclair resident who migrated to San Diego. We can thank Earl Perretti for having introduced them to each other. When Barry had been teaching and coaching at MA, Earl was one of his star students and wrestlers. Bob Schmitt is a top business executive at
Biometrica Inc, as Vice President of Marketing and Sales. He travels nationwide and to South America representing their advanced technology of facial and iris imaging and recognition systems. He and Penny enjoy living in Buffalo, and Bob also has an office in Waterford,VA. It was a great joy seeing ten of our Class of ’62 mates last year, and I look forward to hearing updates from you.
W illiam M arriott writes: I continue to live
at the Jersey shore, near the water, and report to work at 7 a.m., 5 days a week. My son, Darren, works out of NYC as an IT guy and travels throughout the country trying to keep law firms up to date and out of trouble. My son, Don, is a tennis professional and works for Trump National just outside Charlotte, NC. I’m looking forward to our 55th reunion, rohough with some bewilderment as to where they all went.
Gathered at Reunion; ’63 classmates: Back Row l-r: Ken Stufko, John Harris, Doug Lackey, Laura Layton, Anna Maria Ciccone-Wein, Bev Harrison Miller and Stephanie Vanden Heuvel ’62. Front Row l-r: Gail Stufko, Jon Tarrant, Dr. Randy Thummel, Victoria Emery, Sharon Haymes -62-
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Mr. Bronson Van Wyck Arrowhead Farms 2141 Highway 224 East Tuckerman, AR 72473 Sherry Dietz Mills writes: Retired living in Naples, playing golf, traveling, four grand-children in California and League Club charities.
Sherry Dietz Mills and husband David
------------ 1964-----------50th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014 MA
John Benigno johnbenigno@hotmail. com
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Ms. Marilyn "Lyn ” Schultz Blackwell 3779 Center Road East Montpelier, VT 05651-4103 lblack@ezcloud. com Thanks to everyone who supplied news this year and to M errill Adickes Rich who included a memorial to Kathryn Ann Carrad Schaffner: M errill Adickes Rich: I’m still in the mines, working at my third career. After three decades in the wonderful world of ballet, I transitioned into drama, teaching and directing plays and musicals and starting a drama camp at our local community theater. About six years ago, I started teaching third grade, which I love, at Sculptor Charter School in Titusville FL, In 2011,1 earned a Masters degree in Educational Administration (at the age of 63!) but haven’t really put it to use yet due to the hiring freeze in our local area. I am happily with a wonderful man, Russ Bausch, and we enjoy traveling together. Our last trip
was on a river cruise down the Danube River, going from Vienna, Austria to Bucharest, Rumania and the Black Sea. Saw incredible sights, from the spectacular view of Budapest at night from the river to the devastated homes of Croatia. It was a life-changing trip I will never forget. Daughter Becky lives part time with us, and continues to work at our local grocery store as a star bagger. She recently bowled her way to a first place in doubles bowling. She just turned 40 and loves to tease me by asking if I can handle it! Son Ben is a physics teacher at MKA and loves it. Last October, he took me on a tour of our school on Valley Road. Quite a bit has changed but some hasn’t. As we peeked around on the third floor, I said I thought we used to have art classes here. He said, “yep, that’s what they still teach up here!” Ben has all electric vehicles and went across the country this summer on his electric motorcycle with a small group promoting electric vehicles as a better alternative to gasoline consumption. (see page 44 for more) I must close with a sense of deep gratitude for the friendship and life of Ann Carrad Schaffner. Ann was my first friend in NJ when my family moved to Smoke Rise from NYC. I was six years old at the time. We remained friends throughout our lives, were bridesmaids at each other’s weddings, and helped welcome our children into the world. Ann passed on this summer, as most of you know. She was a great friend and will be missed. Ellen Curtin writes: I am still the
superintendent of schools in a district in Anaheim, CA. We have 6,500 students. I had a wonderful visit with Ellen M alcolm over Mother’s Day weekend. Our mothers live next door to each other in Vero Beach. Mom is 92, and Barbara Malcolm is looking forward to her 90th. Fortunately both “ Moms” are in great shape! We had so much fun at our last reunion (thank you Kate) that I hope we can all get together for our 50th—how horrifying!!! Let’s make it happen!! Ellen M alcolm: I decided it was time to bring
some new, younger leadership in to EMILY’s List, so in 2010 we hired a new President and I stayed on as Chair of Board. She’s doing a phenomenal job and it makes me proud to see the organization continue to grow and make a tremendous difference for women. There’s just one major piece of unfinished business. Hillary??? C’mon. Let’s do it! When I’m not doing board work and writing I retreat to my ranch in southern AZ. I never suspected that this NJ girl would fall in love with the desert. It’s gorgeous, tranquil and full of life. My ranch has become a fun destination for my niece, nephews and godsons, which means we all love playing cowboy and hiking in the hills. You just haven’t lived till you’ve seen me in a cowboy hat! I just spent Thanksgiving in FL with my mother, who is getting ready to celebrate her 90th. There is a wonderful crew of Montclairites in her retirement community, so
it seems like visiting Montclair South when I’m down there. I hope I’m as much fun when I turn 90! Gabriella Leach: I retired from my job as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in upstate NY in June 2012.1 had worked for 42 years and the technology came in and I couldn’t practice as I had. Always looking at a computer screen instead of the family is not for me. Jeff and I have been enjoying retirement as it gives us time to travel. We shoot tournament sporting clays and really enjoy driven shoots with the wild grouse flying fast and high. We recently came back from two weeks in the UK, enjoying London and then shooting in the moors of North Yorkshire dressed in tweeds. I must say I looked quite sporting with my breeks. We have more trips planned. Also enjoying our country life with gardening and caring for the land. I have homing pigeons, which are beautiful, and I love to watch them fly. Our life is simple and easy. Retirement is great. I highly recommend it. My mother died at 96 last year, for those of you who knew her. Cheryl Calmenson Graff: By now everyone knows I live in the wonderful city of Toronto made infamous by our mayor Rob Ford. It still is a wonderful city! My husband, Dennis, and I just returned as chaperones to our eldest granddaughter’s celebration with 23 kids and 10 adults from Atlantis in the Bahamas for her 13th birthday party. We are going to Israel in March for her bat mitzvah with her family and other grandparents and in June will take her to London, England. My husband doesn’t like to travel too far, so it is a perfect excuse to get him to go as he can’t say no to her. This past year was filled with celebrations for our family. Our eldest son celebrated his 15th wedding anniversary, and our youngest son celebrated 10 years of marriage; our daughter Samantha turned 40; our daughter-in-law turned 35, and I turned 65. If anyone wanders north of the border to our city, be sure to call. Toronto is a great place, and perhaps we can arrange a reunion here. I am happy to host it at our home. Let me know your thoughts we have time before the big 50 rolls around. I would suggest the summer. K atharine “K itty” Haines: (We were
saddened to learn that Kitty’s husband passed away suddenly a few days after she had sent this news) My husband, Andy, moved to Bermuda in early 2008 to be the Compensation & Benefits Director for a reinsurance company. I retired from Macy’s at the end of 2008 and moved full time to Bermuda in 2009. Bermuda law only allows one work permit per family, so I had to retire and reinvent myself. I joined the International Women’s Club; within six months was on the Board and managing their website. I was able to do all the things that had been on my “to do” list when I was working. I became a serious volunteer at an art museum, worked seriously on improving my golf game and spent my days outdoors. We traveled to London a few times and on one trip, I was even able to see Gigi. Our Bermuda class
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adventure ended in August of this year, after six wonderful years. An “expat” is only allowed two, three-year work permits, and at age 67, Andy thought he wanted to move into in su ltin g or working part time. We had a great time living in Bermuda, one of the most beautiful places on the planet and only two hour's from home/NYC. We now live in a VERY small NYC apartment on the Upper East Side and are figuring out what’s next. Andy has been recently interviewing for a full time job. Somehow we never thought anyone would be interested in a 67-year-old, but his knowledge and expertise are in high demand in the corporate world. I saw Carolyn ‘Lynn’ Sanders Pizzirusso ’64 last spring when she was in NYC for a wedding and have seen Virginia ‘G inny’ Redpath twice because a Bermuda friend spends .her summers in Ginny’s hometown of: Wayland, MA. If you find yourself traveling to NYC, let me know! Susan DeBevoise Wright: It’s great to be retired. After a career of advising students at Dartmouth, I’ve become a docent at the art museum. I never took a course in art history. Although I started visiting art museums after college, only a year ago did I have the “EUREKA!” moment. Out of the blue, a friend suggested I apply for the docent program. In other news, Jim’s three children have given us seven grandchildren. So I am a mother of sorts after alMWe are enjoying having two grandsons here at Dartmouth from whom I’m learning much.- I saw the notice in the MKA magazine that Dick Loveland passed away. Years ago when I was in grad school at Stanford (1983) I saw him. Head of Uplands-Crystal Springs School he invited me to morning assembly, and it threw me back to Kimberley. I still can visualize our large study hall with the French doors. (Our basement smoking room is hazier.) I am thankful for bur class and the friendship we shared. Our strong bonds remain along with all those memories. Sally Poor Owen is out in beautiful Breckenridge, CO! I spent my early years working in preschool and home care so I could be with my children. Then I moved on to teaching in a government sponsored reading program that pulled out kids at risk in an inner city school. I worked for 20 years with kids from kindergarten to 5th grade. It was very rewarding. After retiring and moving to Breckenridge five years ago, I subbed for two years. My husband had retired from the hotel and restaurant business and the army and spent two years helping in a nearby hotel. For the third year my husband, Harry, and I are volunteering as Ambassadors on the mountain during the ski season. It is great fun. Most everyone (all 200) is retired and volunteers to get the free $500 pass. We are able to•ski three resorts and have ten days at Vail. We also get a free lesson each month, a three-piece uniform and various other awards. Our son married a woman from New Zealand and lived in Auckland for three years before -64-
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moving back to Denver. They have two kids and our daughter is married with a two-yearold daughter. It is fun all living nearby. Harry and I have traveled a bit, to Germany where our daughter studied for a year, to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and twice to New Zealand. My sister, Joan Poor Clarke ’66, and her husband are still working. They have three sons, one is engaged and one works in the Wall Street area. She babysits our grandchildren and loves every minute. Barbara Sloan: Aloha from Kauai! I
relocated to Kauai from NYC almost 30 years ago and have been involved in real estate. I had a very popular Bed and Breakfast for about ten years and spent the last twenty years as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Bali Hai Realty, Inc. in Hanalei. I made the list of the top 1000 real estate professionals in the United States according to the Wall Street Journal a few years ago and am the top listing agent on the island. After graduating Mount Holyoke in 1969 with a major in art history, I moved to NYC and worked one year as an indexer for the Art Index (when researchers still used books) and then worked for Helen Clay Frick at the Frick Art Reference Library. This was followed by a short but illustrious career as a pastry chef. Then in a surprise turn of events, I started my career in real estate by doing the first co-op in the East Village on St. Mark’s Place. I bought and sold small brownstones until I moved to Hawaii. Aloha Nui Loa.
It’s only my dogs (three of them ranging from six to sixty pounds) and me. My office is in SoHo; so, if you’ve a hankering for lunch in the city, that would be a lot of fun too. I’m surrounded by a number of neat restaurants. MKA sends their sincere condolences to Katharine Haines on the passing of her husband, Andreas Hauer.
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Mr. D. Carter Fitzpatrick 70 Eastern Vista Sedona, AZ 86351-9085 fitzlaw@sedona. net Class agent: Mr. A. Craig Cameron 11 Bay Point Drive Ormond Beach, FL 32174-2203 ccameron@cameronhodges. com
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Ms. Margot Escott 1818 Imperial Golf Course Blvd. Naples, FL 34110-1010 MA
Class agent: Mr. Craig Perry 3467 Pinestream Road Atlanta, GA 30327
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Andrea Sporer Simon: I’m still in the
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trenches and hope to stay that way for so long as I continue to enjoy what I am doing. In January I start my 19th year as SVP Business and Legal Affairs at Scholastic and it’s shaping up to be a busy one. We will start filming our Goosebumps feature starring Jack Black by March and launching our new series, Astroblast, on Sprout at about the same time. We’ve gotten a series six and seven order for our WordGirl series on PBS and, fingers crossed, hope to announce another movie start later this year. I will also be busy speaking on a couple of industry panels.
Ms. Avie Claire Kalker 2605 E. Windsor Ave Phoeniz, AZ 85008 akalker@aol. com
I still love to travel when I get the chance. This year was filled with family events in Paris, Geneva and Budapest. It seemed like everyone was having milestone birthdays. This year I am hoping to take a longer chunk of time and visit Tibet and Bhutan. I’d love to visit them while they still bear some semblance of what makes them exotic. My daughter, Christi, graduated from Harvard and is a young actress splitting her time between LA, Brooklyn and Greenwich. She worked last summer on an independent film that is to be released late next year. In her down time she writes copy for one of the large real estate agencies in Greenwich. Her photo and CV are on IMDB.com under Christiana Simon. I’m still in Greenwich and, if any of you are ever in the neighborhood, please stop by. I’ve got plenty of room and you’re welcome to stay.
Ladies from the ’60’s and ’70 's get together: Back Row l-r Dana Cestone ’79, Tracy Green Frager ’79, Anita Sims Rainford ’79. Seated l-r: Joyce Dowden Scott ’68, Dawn Geannette Cordo ’68
AvieKalker ’68 Avie Kalker writes: It looks as if it is time to
start the “where to live for the next 30 years;” first floor of a town house! So, it is time to sell or rent Dallas (2nd floor) and head back to Phoenix. But, then, who knows for sure!! MA
Mr. Burton M. Webb Box 29 Free Union, VA 22940 bmw@freeun ities. com
------------ 1969-----------45th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014 TKS
Christine Hannon 97 North Street Northhampton, MA 01060-3213 channon@smith. edu This in from secretary Christine Hannon: After years of camping and skiing in Vermont, Suzy Atkins M alerich and husband Chuck left NJ for a heavenly new life in Bridgewater, VT. Suzy has worked as a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, is certified in massage therapy, and earned a degree in nursing. She now belongs to a dance company that performs for senior care facilities, sings with a chorale, and ushers for several different theatres. Son Jeremiah was recently married in San Francisco; daughter Charlotte and son Christopher both live in DC. Suzy sends “peace, love and light to everyone!” The Colby College alumni magazine reports that Anne Callaghan has been in the Foreign Service for almost 28 years. In 2011, after a year in southeastern Iraq leading a provincial reconstruction team, Anne moved to Vancouver, BC, as U.S. Consul General for British Columbia. After 25 years in Swarthmore, PA, Susan Lowry and her husband, Michael Cothren, sold the house in which they raised their two
Lynn and Chip Gildea andfamily daughters and moved to a small condo in Old City, Philadelphia. They are loving the urban life, balancing that with visits to Sedona, AZ, and hoping to retire in a couple of years. Last October, Barbara Spadone Haviland and Bob Brogan took a dream trip from Paris (“absolutely the most beautiful city in the world!”) to Normandy on a river cruise. They will take their annual trip to Puerto Rico in February, and will enjoy several weddings in 2014, including their son Will’s. Lynn Ehrhardt Gildea and Chip are working
less and spending more time with their grandchildren in Pennsylvania and NJ. They also enjoy their condo in Jupiter, FL. In 2013, Virginia M unson Vassallo and husband Russ participated in almost 20 art and craft festivals, selling Russ’s books and her expanding line of knit products. They have planned a cruise in June 2014. Pat Benner connected with several
Kimberley friends at a memorial service for her stepfather, Arthur Sullivan. She reports that her landscape design biz is doing quite well... “most recently had a house published in the London Daily Beast!” M arilyn Cowing Dulin has lived in Ocean
City, MD for twenty years. Following a great nursing career, she now works in a large hotel restaurant and spends her spare time gardening and reading. Toni DeLorenzo Siliski claims to be busy partying with the Kardashians after work. Ellen Hare recently moved from her
Denville, NJ house to a condo in Roseland. MA
Dr. Edward A. Griggs Jr. 8 Yates Boulevard Poughkeepsie, N Y 12601 eagriggs@optonline. net
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Ms. Leslie Bryan 844 East Momingside Drive, NE Atlanta, GA 30324-5223 lbryan@dsckd. com Class agent: Ms. Kim Kolbe 38 Kent Drive Roseland, NJ 07068-3707 Leslie Bryan writes: I have been doing this, ,
for many years and I always look forward to hearing from my friends and classmates. Of course, with the advent of email, Facebook, and text messages, many of us have found other ways to keep current! So, where to begin ... this has been an exciting year for the Class of 1970. There have been marriages (our own and those of our children), there have been wonderful trips, there have been discoveries of lost family members, there have beenHdare I say - grandchildren, and there have been the usual ups and downs of life. And, again, I am happy to report that we are doing well. In March 2013, several of us, M adge Huber Henning, Heidi Sanders Bryan, Deborah von Hoffman Lanzone and I, gathered in
Washington, D.C. for a surprise birthday party for Liz Conzen Zellner. She was the last of us (I think) to hit the magic number and we had a wonderful evening with Liz, her family, and others of her friends. My husband, Bruce Maloy, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see Debby’s husband, Dale, and Madge’s husband, Warren Davis. They probably thought they had walked into the nut house but it was a great time nonetheless! With thanks to Facebook, Happy Birthday to Janet W aterman Kuhn, who recently celebrated in Savannah. I guess babies follow birthdays and we have some grandbabies! If my information is class
notes
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all of the accolades I can!’) wrote: “Ok. Too many grandchildren for us late starters! My twin boys are juniors and starting the college process. Daughter Grace is a freshman in high school, so I’ll be paying tuition till I’m 67. Truly no rest for the wicked! Keep up the good work and encouraging us to stay in touch. Thank you brother. Baz”
From left to right: Kim Kolbe '70, Elizabeth Mills Durkee ‘71, Pat Benner ’69 and Barbara Benner Kaytes '73 complete (and I doubt it is) Heidi and M adge are the grandmothers. I have not met Madge’s, but Heidi’s granddaughters, Tatum and Claire, are terrific (as I know Madge’s is). And there were weddings: In June, M adge and Warren hosted a wedding for Madge’s son Daniel on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. I saw some of the pictures and it looked like a perfect event in an exceptional location. On September 21, Betsy Kimball, Allison Boochever Sawyer, and Susie Buttel O ’Brien attended W innie H entschel’s wedding in Cambridge. Betsy reports that W innie was “radiant.” It has been wonderful to reconnect with Winnie who, unfortunately for us, left our class far too early. So, congrats to Winnie! I was unable to attend W innie’s wedding because, that same weekend, I was with Kim Kolbe and Liz Conzen Zellner on Martha’s Vineyard at the wedding of my niece and H eidi Sanders Bryan s daughter, Lindsay, to Chris Rose. Heidi and husband W ill Bryan, Lindsay and Chris, and the Rose family hosted a truly amazing weekend with weather that cooperated throughout, great food, great music, and wonderful family and friends. Lindsay and Chris are living in Melbourne, Australia and they are missed. At the risk of missing someone, other Kimberley grads in attendance included Lynn Sanders Pizzirusso, Debby Sanders Lewis, and Kate A ppenzellar Hancock. Aubin (Teeny) Redfield Sander (grandmother of the bride)
was unable to make the trip but was in our thoughts. Best for me: I performed the service (piKsuant to a Massachusetts law that allows you to “solemnize” for a day). wrote that she and Otto hosted their daughter, Erin’s wedding on Nantucket in October. According to Anne, they had a “blast.” ThissyearlSiChristmas card showed the beautiful bride and the rest of the family - Anne, I just missed the dogs! Anne M cIntyre Graves
-6 6 -
class
notes
We would also like to note this news item: “Hackensack University Medical Center is pleased to welcome Kevin R. Basralian, M.D., to its Urology Department as part of Hackensack University Medical Group, Urology. Dr. Basralian is an award-winning, highly-respected urologist with more than 30 years of experience. As an attending physician at Hackensack University Medical Group, Urology, his vast expertise and knowledge will undoubtedly continue to offer our patients the best care available.” CIMA®, CAP®, CPWA®, CLTC® is now Board Member at Association of Fundraising Professionals. He was also selected as a New Jersey Five Star Wealth Advisor for and recognized in the January Issue of New Jersey Monthly. He writes: “My second grandchild, Andrew Johnson Close, was bom on November 6, 2013 to Geoff Close, Jr. and Kate Close. He weighted 71bs loz, and was 21 inches long. Everyone is doing just fine; we visited with them over Thanksgiving.” Geoffrey Close,
MA
Mr. V. James Castiglia 3 Lark Lane Oak Ridge, NJ 07438-9171 vjc@vjamescastiglia. com Class agent: Mr. Peter Webb Mile Slip Farm 48 Mason Road Brookline, NH 03033-2203 pwebb@winerbennett. com MKA sends its deepest sympathy to Barry Ridings whose mother, Joan Marie Fullem Ridings, passed away on September 8, 2013. MKA has recently heard of the death of Jam es H arvey Brothers, IV who passed away on January 24, 2011. Our sincere condolences to the family. MKA sends deepest condolences to Arthur Schlobohm whose mother, Marilea Deetjen Schlobohm, passed away on January 27, 2014.
1971--------------------
-------------------TKS
Miss Philippa Bowles 39 Oris Road Hamburg, NJ 07419 wvbond60@gmail. com MA
Reunion Chair: Mr. Anthony Vitale 10 North WoodAvenue, Apt. 601 Linden, NJ 07036 Tony. Vitale@TVOD.com From A ndy Abramson: “Our first grandson, Ryan Barkan Mirman, was bom on January 30, 2013, to Lauren A bram son M irman ’01 and Matthew Mirman. Grandpa and Grandma are ecstaticl’S B We asked our brothers about grandchildren. Kevin Basralian, FACS (“Might as well use .
From Jonathan “Jon” Golding at Stanford, “all is well with me and my family. I can commiserate with Baz about the education costs, as I have two different age groups of kids. My oldest daughter, currently in med school at PCOM at the Georgia campus, and her husband are the parents of my only grandson, who will be 5 years old next month. My middle daughter is an undergrad at USF in Tampa, FL. My youngest daughter is a junior in HS, but is taking community college courses, while still in HS. If any of you are in the SF Bay area, give me a call so that we may connect.” invites all MKA alumni to download a free copy of Q-TV, multi-platform software for android, i-Phone, and Samsung “smart” TVs offering access to more than 100,000 TV shows, movies, music videos, and internet radio. Just search for Q-TV Internet Player in your App Store. Describing the software as a “Google-like search of digital media content,” Rob is planning for an official launch of the program at the National Association of Broadcasters meeting this April. Robert Lipman
is now a grandfather twice over: “ Our granddaughter Ella Rose Ryan was bom on May 3, 2012 to Jim and Tina Ryan (Pastorini) in Austin, TX. A little over a year later her brother Jack Patrick Ryan was bom on November 25, 2013; he weighed approximately eight pounds at birth. Greetings Bruce Pastorini
The ladies of ’73, l-r: Constance Van Eeghen, Elza Dzenis Hess, and Martha DelNegro Moreno ;
The men of ’73: Back Row l-r: Lee Cohn, Tim Taylor, Dean Paolucci, Bill Kovacs, Bob August. Seated l-r: Steve Beckelman, Tom Galligan, Tom Wood, Dr. Peter Rives Duncan and I are kicking up our heels and moving to Nantucket, MA year round. We have a small flat in Boston to have an anchor to windward and a respite from long winters on “the rock.” Given oS proximity to the South End’s restaurant row, we’ll be looking forward to taking the food cure when off island - if we can shed some pounds walking the windy moors and lanes of Nantucket”.
to all Class of MA ’71. As I write this, your forecast is for 22 degrees with snow; Jacksonville FL is due for 79 (albeit with isolated thunder showers). As I’m fond of saying to my sister-in-law in Boston. --------------------1972 -------------------TKS
Ms. Barbara Flessas 140 Lorraine Avenue Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 barbara.flessas@gmail.com
MA
MKA sends deepest condolences to Rudolph Schlobohm whose mother, Marilea Deetjen Schlobohm, passed away on January 27.
Ms. Deborah Peck, Esq. 128 Victoria Bay Court Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418-5764 deborahpeckesq@gmail. com Class agent: Mrs. Linda Finney Williams 6 South Pasture Lane Box 1446 Nantucket, MA 02554 czarinalinda@comcast.net --------------------1973 -------------------TKS
Ms. Susan Read 38 College Circle Staunton, VA 22401-2375 Montclair Mayor R obert Jackson was a frequent visitor to MKA this fall. He was a guest speaker at an October dinner held in honor of MKA’s Community Scholars (having himself been MKA’s first Community Scholar) where he urged the students to make the most of their opportunities and give back to their school and communities; was then welcomed by the entire MKA community as a special guest to the All-School Gathering, and in January addressed the Upper School student body at a special assembly in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Robert Jackson and Tom Nammack at the All-School Gathering MA
Mr. Gregory Lackey 138 Paupukkewis Trail Medford Lakes, NJ 08055-1310 gregory. lackey@usps.gov Class agent: Mr. Thomas C. Galligan 504 Main Street P.O.Box 2156 New London, NH 03257-7818 tgalligan@colby-sawyer.edu ------------------- 1974 ----------------40th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014 TKS
Class agent: Ms. Erin Cuffe Crawford 102 Buckingham Road Upper Montclair, NJ 07043-2307 Will reports some big changes. “After a quarter century in the Boston suburbs working and raising kids, M ary Lathrop
On the way homefrom Bart Szczech ’02fey: wedding in Lake Placid, faculty member George Hrab and his wife Myra stopped in at the Rock and River Guide Services, Inc., in Keene, NY, to see Ed Palen. Ed has been running this mountaineering school and lodge since 1988. George was Ed’s varsity baseball coach when Ed was a three-sport athlete at MKA. class
notes
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Professional harpist Robbin Gordon-Cartier ’77
1975
--------------------------------------Class agent: Mr. Paul Zukerberg 1790 Lanier Place NW Washington, DC 20009-2118 pzuk@speakeasy. net MKA sends sincere condolences to Karen Kelley M oriarty whose mother, Joyce S. Kelley, passed away on November 12, 2013. Mrs. Kelley was a teacher and administrator at MKA. MKA would like to send their sincerest condolences to Howard Johnson, whose son, Tyler, was tragically killed in the Columbia Mall shootings.
1976
------------------------------------Mrs. Paul McFeeley (Laurie Hoonhout) 3014 Ringwood Meadow Sarasota, FL 34235 laurie. mcfeeley@gmail.com MKA sends sincere condolences to Gregory whose father, Pier Mancusi-Ungaro, passed away on September 11,2013.
Afamily affair at Reunion: Back Row l-r: Nicole Streater, Bob Cottingham ’84, Paige Cottmgham-Streater ’79 (DAA), Gwen Cottingham, Robert Cottingham III ’16, Diane Ridley-White ’84 Seated l-r: Rahmaan Streater, Dr. Alison ThomasCottingham ’84, Alison Cottingham ’19, Robert Cottingham passed away on December 27, 2013. MKA sends sincere condolences to Keith Ridings whose mother, Joan Marie Fullem Ridings, passed away on September 8,2013.
Class agent: Ms. Jane Lugaric Burkhard 299 Crown Road Kentfield, CA 94904-2711 janeburkhard@comcast.net
Robbin Gordon Cartier writes: I am still
teaching at the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts, grades 6-12.1teach harp to approximately 35 students a year. I perform and travel to present at conferences and schools across the country and abroad. Most recently I was presented with the NAACP 2013 Educator Award. Thanks to Facebook I have been able to catch up with some old school friends, keep up the' good work!
1978
-------------------------------------Ms. Pamela Zeug 60 W. 57,hStreet, #15F New York, NY 10019 pzeug@downinggroup. com
1979----------------
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35thREUNION - OCTOBER 25,2014
Dr. John Brink 1246 Beach Haven Rd. Atlanta, GA 30324-3842 drjack2020@aol.com Mrs. Carlos Ortiz (Shawn Mahieu) 2163 Gilbride Road Martinsville, NJ 08836-2235 csaortiz@optonline.net MKA sends condolences to L inda M ancusiUngaro Napoli on the death her father who passed away on September 11, 2013. MKA sends their heartfelt condolences to A nthony Dom enick whose son, Dylan Robert Harrison Domenick, passed away November 8,2013.
M ancusi-Ungaro
1977
-------------------------------------Mr. Andrew Pedersen 1 Washington Avenue Rumson, NJ 07760-2013 andrewpedersen8@aol. com Class agent: Mr. Robert Hubsmith 16 Warren Road Maplewood, NJ 07040-1814 robert.hubsmith@mountsinai. org Congratulations to Gerald Jones whose sdn, Gerald, has landed a role in an AT&T commercial now airing in four major metropolitan networks nationwide. He was also selected for a JC Penney commercial, which will air on the internebuntil a final selection for television is made. MKA sends deepest sympathies to David Kerr whose father, D avid L. Kerr ’52, -6 8 -
class
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Accolades for Rob Cerfolio ’80 Congratulations to Dr. R obert James Cerfolio who was featured by the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he is currently Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery. The write-up noted: “His is now a world-renowned surgeon and clinical researcher and has been labeled one of the busiest thoracic surgeons in the world, in recognition of performing over 1,000 operations each year over the past several years since 2000. He performed 1,154 operations in 2006 and 1,240 in 2007. He has given over two hundred visiting professors, lectureships and presentations at major international and national scientific meetings and has been selected as a Visiting Professor in many hospitals
in the US and all over the world, including mainland China, Hong Kong, England, Germany, Sweden, Amsterdam, Brazil, Taiwan, Spain, Portugal, London, Canada. He has written over 130 original peer-reviewed articles as well as 40 book chapters and is first author on over 95%. In April 2010 he received the James H. Estes Family Lung Cancer Research Endowed Chair. Recently he has developed and championed a completely portal 4-arm robotic approach to thoracic surgery. This is used for pulmonary resections, esophagectomy and mediastinal tumor resections. Approximately 200 national and international visitors have come to learn this technique.”
The 83’s: Back Row Dr. Gary Powell, Scott Rumana, Holly Felber, Dr. Jody Underwood, James Sarna, Brad Kramer. Seated: Don Cussen, Dan Carson, Kristine O’Connor, Suzanne Locke
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1980
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Mary L. Cole, Esq. 1 Ferrous Court Chester, NJ 07930 Class agent: Mr. George Reimonn, Jr. 199 Winter Street Hopkinton, MA 01748 GeoReimonn@gmail.com ----------------------------------------
1981
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Class agent: Mrs. Laura Itzkowitz (Laura Reisch) 37 Nottingham Road Manalapan, NJ 07726-1834 howardandlaura@optonline.net ----------------------------------------
1982
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Cheryl McCants 7 Holly Court Bloomfield, NJ 07003-3004 cmccants@eimpactconsulting.com Thomas Robbins 6 Bradford Terrace Newtown Square, PA 19073-1903
1983
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Ms. Amy Felber Trapp 229 Cardinal Road Mill Valley, CA 94941-3618 amy@jhevents.com Ms. Maureen Towers Natkin 5 Riverview Road Irvington, NY 10533 motowers@aol. com Class agent: Mr, Walter J. Davis 66 Oakwood Drive New Providence, NJ 07974 davisteam@comcast, net
MKA sends deepest sympathy to R obert Kerr whose father, David L. Kerr ’52, passed away on December 27, 2013.
1984 -------------------
--------------------
30,k REUNION - OCTOBER 2 5 ,2 0 1 4
Mrs. Jennifer Jones Ladda 110 Glen Rock Road Cedar Grove. NJ 07009 jjones@dmjadvisors.com Class agent: Mr. William Stone 99 Larch Road East Greenwich, R1 02818-2205 bstone@outsidegc.com Deepest sympathy goes out to Jennifer Jones Ladda whose brother, David Michael Jones, passed away on September 23, 2013.
1985
-------------------------------------Mrs. Susan Ciccone O 'Donnell 9 Andover Drive N. Caldwell, NJ 07006 snmodonnell@aol.com
1986
-------------------------------------Ms. Sherry’Ahkami P.O.Box 3187 Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067 shirin@sdspineinstitute.com Ms. Jennifer Remington-Knodel 44 Hamilton Drive East North Caldwell, NJ 07006-4629 jenremknodel@aol.com Congratulations are in order for Joseph who has joined the Board of Trustees of the Montclair Public Library. Joe will be the mayoral designee, representing Mayor of Montclair, R obert Jackson ’73. Kavesh,
Trustee Dan Carson ’83 and formerfaculty member Linda Stark at Homecoming.
1987-------------------
-------------------Mr. Dennis Rodano 14 Wayland Drive Verona, NJ 07044-2331 rodanod@verizon.net
Class agent: Mrs. Lynne Y. Krest (Lynne G. Yellin) 6212 Lewisand Circle Raleigh, NC 27615 It really is a small world. MKA’s retired Headmaster Dr. Peter R. Greer, was giving a talk to a school in Vienna, Austria in December when he was approached by arai member of the audience. It was Ida Boodin Ladner, who then wrote the following: Dear Dr. Greer, I just wanted to tell you what a pleasure it was to be able to meet you and hear you speak to our faculty yesterday. Listening to you, I was able to think back fondly to my high school days at MKA. So much of my character and drive was developed at MKA. I hope you have a wonderful time in Vienna. It was a pleasure meeting you! Kind regards, Ida Boodin Ladner The MKA community was saddened to hear of the passing of Solomon Johnson, an Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, who passed away on September 3,2013. A member of the Athletic Hall of Fame, Johnson, a threesport athlete and scholar at MKA and a standout at Columbia University was described in a Montclair Times obituary as being an “all-time gridiron great” for MKA. He died following a courageous struggle with a rare form of leukemia, and leaves behind his wife, Ayesha, and young children, Aaliyah and Jabari. Several classmates have started an educational fund for the children. Contact Dennis Rodano at rodanod@verizon.net for more information.
class notes
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The classrof ’88 at Homecoming: Back Row l-r: Anne Featherston, David Devejian, Dr. Mark Sapienza, Larissa Sokoloff, Wiemi Douoguih, Alec Schwarz, Jonathan Fairchild. Seated l-r: Lauren Shanahan Selikoff, Lauren Polonofsky Garfield, Gretchen Godwin, Karen Gilman
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1988
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Ms. Susan Bartlett Rankin One Barbaree Way Tiburón, CA 94920 surankin@microsoft. com ------------------------------------
Wisconsin Press on November 15. Named a “Top 10” Travel Book by Publisher’s Weekly, Brian Bouldrey, 2013 Booker Prize Finalist notes “Alden Jones is something of a ‘Prodigal Daughter,’ and she has come home from her long travels to tell us the stories from her own life and education.” Fast on the heels of this publication, her short story collection Unaccompanied Minors, winner of the New American Fiction Prize, will be published in early 2014. A faculty member at Emerson College’s department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, Jones has lived, worked and traveled in over 40 countries, including as a WorldTeach volunteer in Costa Rica, a program director in Cuba, and a professor with the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea. A Bread Loaf Scholar, Jones has taught creative writing and fiction classes at NYU and Amherst College, and her work has appeared in AGN1, Time Out New York, Post Road, The Barcelona Review, NPR’s Cognoscenti. The Iowa Review, Prairie Schooner, GulfCoast and The Best American Travel Writing.
1989
—
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Congratulations to Kristy Scanlan, who is VP of Business Development, Animation and Games at Technicolor has been tapped as a co-president, along with another, of the newly restructured ‘Women in Animation’, a professional, non-profit organization for women involved in any aspect of the animation industry.
2 5 th R E U N I O N - O C T O B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 4
Mr. Louis Lessig 2009 Morris Drive Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 llessig@brownconnery. com
One of our own returned to the MKA Book Fair when Melissa Guion ’89 was a visiting author at the Primary School. Discussing her award-winning “Baby Penguins Everywhere ” to students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, Melissa shared that she too had attended Brookside in 3rd grade, and brought a show and tellfrom her MKA days.
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Class agent: Mr. Josh Raymond 33 Oak Place North Caldwell, NJ 07006 jraymond@trenklawjirm. com ------------------------------------
1990
Ms. Lorelei Muenster Leia9sioux@aol. com Steven M ost writes: In June 2 0 1 2 ,1 moved with my wife, Kim Curby, and daughter Ella to my wife’s home town of Sydney, Australia, where I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of New South Wales.
Steven Most, wife Kim and baby Ella.
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class
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Award-winning writer Alden Jones, received a lot of press when her highly anticipated travel memoir The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler's Memoirfrom Costa Rica to Cambodia was published by the University of
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Class agent: Mr. Luke Sarsfield 105 Franklin Street, Apt. 4 New York, NY 10013 luke.sarsfield@gs. com
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Class secretary and agent: Ms. Meredith McGowan Zengo 383 Middlesex Road Darien, CT 06820-2518 mczengo@mac. com
1991
Ms. Dara Marmon 330E.39th, Apt. 21D New York, NY 10016 daramarmon@gmail. com
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1992
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Mr. Enrique Neblett 718 Ainsley Court Durham, NC 27713 enrique. neblett@gmail. com Ms. Tamar Safer 816 Chippewa Trail Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 tsafer5400@aol. com Class agent: Ms. Anne Marie Verdiramo 302 Timberbrooke Drive Bedminster, NJ 07921 amverdiramo@gmail. com
-------------------
1999 ----------------
15th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014
Ms. Sandra Tritt 29 Brookfield Road Montclair, NJ 07043 sandratritt@gmail.com Class agent: Mr. Alexander Holz 538 E. 85thStreet, Apt. 2A New York, NY 10028 alexbhlz@gmail.com ------------------Class of ’93 at Homecoming: Back Row l-r: Lisa Gittleman, Dr. Cayce Cummins, Alexis Lury Vitali and her husband Keith with sons Rowan and Shane, Mark Goldberg, Gary Schwartzbard, Nancy Nugent, Damien Vena, Eric Kusseluk, Chad Brown, Joseph Williamson, Dr. Subhadra Ayyagari Siegel, Solomon Steplight. Seated l-r: Jeremy Kahn, Elizabeth Wells Rothenberg, Dr. Laura Caprario, Dr. Andrew Wolf, Cory Schuman Buckland
------------ 1993----------Mrs. Renee Ciccarella (Monteyne) 43 Veranda Avenue Little Falls, NJ 07424 rmonteyne@yahoo.com Class agent: Mr. Damien Vena 385 Grand Street, #L906 New York, NY 10002 venad@yahoo.com
------------ 1994-----------20th REU NIO N - OCTOBER 2 5 ,2 0 1 4
Class agent: Mr. Jason Awerdick jasonawerdick@gmail. com writes to the Alumni Office that “after 12 happy years of living in Chapel Hill, NC my wife, Ellen, and I have moved back to Charlottesville, VA where we first met. Ellen has started an exciting new job at UVA, and I have been enjoying having our family nearby. Please look us up if anyone ever visits Charlottesville.” Joshua Rozan
Class agent: Mr. Lee Vartan 3 Swayze Lane Chester, NJ 07930 ldvartan@yahoo.com MKA extends sincere condolences to Vivien Hudig Velasco on the death of her mother Kate Hudig on January 13,2014 after a long illness.
1998
-------------------------------------Class Agent: Ms. Gemma Giantomasi gemmagiantomasi@gmail.com Congratulations to Kristen Connolly who made a dramatic appearance at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills in January,® where House of Cards, the Netflix original series in which she stars, received several nominations and premiered its second season in mid-February.
2000 ----------------
Mr. John Garippa 2741 NE 58,hStreet Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 oceanhut@aol.com Ms. Anna Labowsky 5 Highview Court Wayne, NJ 07470-6271 anna labowsky @yahoo.com Class agent: Mrs. Jaclyn Latzoni Spedaliere 58 Burnham Parkway Morristown, NJ 07960 jaclynspedaliere@gmail. com Congratulations to classmates Rachel W eary and John Patrick Martin Jr., who were recently married on September 14, 2013. The ceremony was held in beautiful Bovina, NY, located in the Catskills. Several MKA alumni attended the joyful occasion including M arcela Bequillard, Adrienne Colotti (maid of honor), Edward Cubero, Jedediah Gallagher, Douglas Green, Robert Hartnett, Colin Melhuish, A tif Siddiqui and Zach Tarshis. Alumni from other classes included Anya Buenger Barrett ’89 and the bride’s brothers, M ax ’05 and Jake Weary ’08. The happy couple purchased a house in
Lake Hopatcong, NJ. Congratulations to Christian Langbein on his marriage to Benjamin Bashein on November 15,2013 at their home in Brooklyn.
MKA sends belated condolences to the family of Gregory Ross who passed away from heart disease on July 6, 2011.
2001
------------------------------------Ms. Dana Pisacane dana.piscane@gmail.com
Congratulations to former Councilwoman Angela Garretson who was elected the new mayor of Hillside, NJ in a run-off election in December.
Class agent: Ms. Lindsay Braverman 340 East 34thStreet, Apt. 5A New York, NY 10016 Ibravermanl @gmail.com
------------ 1996-----------Ms. Tanya Barnes tbarnes@fas. harvard,edu
Congratulations to Laura Brown who wrote with the following news: My husband, Alex, and I got manied on July 23rd, 2012 at Liberty State Park in NJ with many fellow MKA grads in attendance: Melissa Branco Bowman, Tatjana Gall, Bryan Witmer, Early this year
Ms. Erica Hirsch 10 West 15,hStreet, #902 New York, NY 10011 ehirsch 77@yahoo.com
Kristen Connolly, Class of 1998 class
notes
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we moved into our first house in Westfield, NJ, and recently welcomed our daughter, Anya Elliot Vassilowitch, on July 15th, 2013. She already has us both wrapped around her little finger and we could not be happier! M elissa Branco Bowm an writes: My husband and I finally completed construction on the house we’ve been designing inside our heads for over a decade, and our son is enjoying kindergarten. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the paver stone for Caitlin Lehm ann ’01!
Seen here, Celia Cohen Meyer surrounded by bestfriends and classmates Liz Marione (l) Kathryn Chase Martinez and guest Sandra Amari Rose. 2005 classmates, sister Abby Cohen and John Chase were also in attendance.
2002
------------------------------------Class secretary: Mrs. Melissa Fortunato Slomienski 40 Holton Lane Essex Fells, NJ 07021 fortunme@mac. com
(l-r) Tatjana Gall, Laura Brown Vassilowitch and Melissa Branco Bowman Congratulations also go to Julie Fierro on her engagement to Taisei Kobayashi. Julie is currently a Pediatric Medical Resident at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, while her fiancee is a Cardiology Fellow at University of Pennsylvania Hospital. An August 2014 wedding is planned in Newport, RJ.
Miss Emily Santangelo 27 Woods Road Little Falls, NJ 07424-2010 emilyannesantangelo@gmail.com Class agent: Mrs. Lauren Tortoriello Ertel lauren.tortoriello@gmail.com Romance has been in the air for several members of the class of 2002! On July 13, 2013, Sandra Am ari married Zachary Rose at Cipriani in New York City; on July 27, Kathryn Chase married Lorenzo Martinez in a backyard ceremony followed by a reception at the Montclair Golf Club; and on September 14, Celia Cohen married Travis Meyer at Pippin Hill Farms Vineyard in Charlottesville, VA, while that same day, Bart Sczcech married Emily Rhodes at St. Agnes Church, followed by a reception at Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid. got married on March 23, 2013 to Matthew Jacobs. They are living in New York City on the Upper West Side. Julie is working as a Director of Strategic Partnerships at WebMD. Julie Fefferm an Jacobs
Lauren Tortoriello Ertel is working at
CHANEL in Client and Business Development for Fashion and Watches & Fine Jewelry. Her daughter Kyle will be two in January. married Azal Ashtal on July 13, 2013. Jess and Azal met while working at Yahoo. Jess is now at Google. They live in Manhattan on the Upper East Side with their Havanese pup. Celia Cohen is living in New York City with her husband, Travis. They were married in Jessica Block Ashtal
Melissa Branco Bowman ’s son
-72-
class
notes
September in Charlottesville, VA. Kathryn and Sandra Amari were there to help celebrate (see photo attached). In August, Celia completed a clerkship with the Hon. Alison J. Nathan, a United States District Court Judge in the Southern District of New York, and is now practicing at Proskauer Rose LLP in Manhattan. Chase, Liz M artone
is a writer on @midnight on Comedy Central. He just finished the first season and got picked up for all of 20||® [ which will air every weeknight after the Colbert Report. Chris lives in Los Angeles. Chris Carmona
and her husband, Mike, are expecting their first child the end of February. They recently moved back from London, where they were living for the past five years. Last Spring, they bought their first home in Essex Fells, NJ, where Melissa grew up.
M elissa Fortunato Slom ienski
MKA sends belated condolences to Kara on recently learning of the tragic death of her brother, Gregory Ross ’94, from heart disease on July 6, 2011. Ross Colon ’02
I’m a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., SJ Alumnae Chapter, 2013 Licensed Social Worker, 2013 Graduate, Columbia University School of Social Work, 2011 Graduate, Montclair State University, 2006. Alyce H arriott writes:
screenwriting career is going from strength to strength. A story editor on the popular Bones series, Emily had written a series pilot for a coming-of-age drama, ‘Finding Carter’ in 2012, and this January,® MTV announced that they have picked it up as the start of a 12-episode series. Directed by Scott Speer, Finding Carter is about teenage girl Carter who seemingly has the perfect life with fun-loving single mom (Lori), until she discovers Lori abducted her as a toddler. Em ily Silver’s
Friendsfrom 2003: Back Row l-r: Precious Eboigbe, Melanie Braverman Bieber, Nicole Herz Stewart, Amanda Shortall, Arielle Green, Masamba Sinclair, John Thompson. Seated l-r: Casey Breslow, Jenna Sakolsky, Denise Sarkor Wilson, Anjali Saxena
All dressed up and somewhere to go! 2004 classmates l-r: Will Boss, Noah Kessler, David Endo, Sheldon Fields, Tommy Beach and Brendan McCaffrey
2003 -------------------
------------------Ms. Judith Ferreira 819 Clifton Avenue Newark, NJ 07104-3211 jferreir@pratt. edu
Class agent: Mrs. Melanie Braverman Bieber 20 West 72MStreet, #302A New York, NY 10023 mel.braverman@gmail.com -------------------
2004 -------------------
10th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014
Congratulations to Julie Fierro who became engaged to Taisei Kobayashi. A wedding is plannedfor August 2014 in Newport, RI.
Carla Franciose became engaged to Christopher Woldt in September 2012. An April 2014 wedding is planned.
Ms. Kate Santoro 333 River Street, Apt. 539 Hoboken, NJ 07030 Kate.santoro@gmail. com Class agent: Brendan McCaffrey 240 Lafayette Street, Apt. 1 New York, NY 10012 brendan.a.mccaffrey@gmail. com Many congratulations to Brandon whose lead performance as Arnold in Torch Song Trilogy at The Studio Theatre in Washington DC in September elicited rave reviews. “Brandon Uranowitz’s transcendent turn in the role is profound and astounding.” Wrote John Stoltenberg, “Uranowitz dives beneath the witty repartee— into the reservoir of hurt it rises up from—and brings to the surface an Arnold whose emotional arc Fierstein scripted brilliantly, but that Uranowitz now channels definitively, By the third-act scene with Arnold’s mother when Uranowitz opens the floodgates on that reservoir-—no jokes now, the only cracks the ones in the wall that has dammed his enormous paiiS-we become witnesses to a depth of feeling so intrinsically human it has no name.” Uranowitz,
Peter Lambert ’04 sent the Alumni office thisfun photo.
Brandon Uranowitz in “Torch Song Trilogy” —photo by Teddy Wolff
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2005 classmates l to r: Ivan Loughman-Pawelko, Timothy Hirsch, Patrick Cedrowski, the bride and groom, Fallon and Ian Wortham, Edmund Kozak, Max Eddy, best man Alexander Wortham ’06 and Thomas Bellifemine.
2005
------------------------------------Mr. Manav Lalwani 132 Blue Heron Drive Secaucus, NJ 07094-2391 201-617-5312 manav. lalwani@gmail.com Class agent: Mr. Edmund Kozak 996 Halsey St, #2 Brooklyn, NY 11207 917-887-9853 e.g.kozak@gmail.com Congratulations to Ian W ortham on his January 11, 2014 wedding to Fallon Dudek at Tonawanda Castle in New York state. The bride and groom, both chefs, live in Denver. Ian is Sous Chef at Frasca in Boulder, and his wife is a pastry chef at another restaurant. Among the wedding party were many of Ian’s classmates. And more romance is in the air for the Class of 2005. Congratulations to classmates Rebecca “Becky” Beyer and Gerald “Gerry” Griffin on their August 11th engagement, and to classmates M aggie Finkle and Jam es Blake who will be married in June.
2006
-----------------------------------Natalie Azzoli 60 Lloyd Road Montclair, NJ 07042-1729 nat6888@gmail. com Class agent: Ms. Angela McCaffrey 93 Rensselaer Road Essex Fells, NJ 07021 angelamccaffrey@gmail.com
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Congratulations to classmates Caitlin and A ngela M cC affrey who founded COREFIRE, a cutting edge Pilates studio in Montclair.
DiRuggiero
It was a mini-reunion in Ann Arbor when MKA grads and current University of Michigan Law School students Rob Meyer ’07, Brittany Berckes ’06, and Cooper Knowlton ’03 met up in thefall..
4000 Miles (finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama). She has also been cast as Mary Bennet in the upcoming production of Pride and Prejudice. %,
2007 -------------------
------------------Mr. Brian May 22 N. Bayard Lane Mahwah, NJ 07430 bmay88@gmail. com
Class agent: Mr. Harry Raymond 19 E. 7thStreet, Apt. 3 New York, NY 10003 raymond.harry@gmail. com
2008
------------------------------------Ms. Cara Placentra 125 Upper Mountain Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 caraplacentra@mac. com Class agent: Mr. Matthew Metzger 707 East Saddle River Road Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423 metzgemb@bc. edu Shayna Schmidt loving her new life in the Midwest. She had a somewhat relaxing Fall fulfilling her backstage duties (and gaining her first EMC-Equity Membership Candidatepoints) and is now excited to be on stage for the next seven months in her primary role as Mrs. Dilber in A Christmas Carol from January 17 - February 22. Shayna spent her days away from the Playhouse on her first tour in Ohio to perform in Joan the Girl of Arc, as Joan’s sister Denise for high school audiences. In Shayna’s favorite contemporary play, she was cast as the understudy for the role of Bee in Amy Herzogs beautiful play
It’s a Sm all, Small M KA W orld ...
On the evening of August 28, the traditional White Coat Ceremony recognizing first year dental school students took place at Rutger’s School of Dental Medicine. The Master of Ceremonies was Dr. Kim Fenesy, Senior Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, wife of Larry Duca ’79 and mother of K yle Duca ’l l and Erin Duca ’15. Receiving her white coat for the first time, was N icole Viola ’08, and in the audience was her new mentor, second year dental student and former MKA classmate, M ilan Patel ’08. Until recently, neither Nicole nor Milan knew that the other was enrolled, Fenesy wasn’t aware that Milan was an ’08 graduate, and neither student was aware that she was Kyle and Erin’s mother. “They are both doing so well,” commented Fenesy. “This is an extremely competitive program - this year, we received 2300 applications to the school and only accepted 90 students - so to have two MKA alumni here is a great testament not only to their personal success but also to the great preparation they received at MKA.”
l-r, Milan Patel, Kim Fenesy and Nicole Viola
Several young alums returnedforfaculty member Tom Carroll’s annual “alumni roundtable”discussions in Honors Economics. Every year, he invitesformer students to come to class and have an informal discussion with current students about such topics as study habits, choosing majors, interviewing, internships, resumes and cover letters and study abroad opportunities,l-r, Dan Stem MKA ’ll and Boston U ’15, Devon Barrett MKA ’10 and Princeton’14, David Kabrt MKA '13 and Lehigh '17 and David Reading MKA ’13 and Harvard ’17
2010 -------------------
-------------------Ms. Devon Barrett 109 Llewellyn Road Montclair, NJ 07042 dlbarret@princeton. edu
Class agent: Mr. Matthew Palmisano 51 Grover Lane West Caldwell, NJ 07006 nbovals@att. net
Braving the bitter cold, MKA alums Derek Phillips ’07, JR DeVita ’09, Danny Smith, Mikey DeVita ’ll, Myles Rudnick ’08, Brian Purcell ’09, Nick Andlinger ’07, Dwight Jackson ’08, Stuart Harwood ’07, Jon Ciardi ‘08, Max Rudnick ’07, Elise McMullen ‘08 and a group of friends gathered at Yankee Stadium in Januaryfor a Rangers vs. Devils game!
-------------------
2009 ----------------
5 th REUNION - OCTOBER 25, 2014
Ms. Jane Stanton 240 South Mountain Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 jrs670@aim.com Class agent: Mr. Brian Purcell 89 Davis Avenue Bloomfield, NJ 07003 prephockey98@aol. com It was with great sadness that MKA learned of the tragic death of Ava Detore on December 14, 2013. Ava attended MKA from Pre-K through 8th grade, and we send our deepest sympathies to her parents, Robert and Debra, and her siblings Andrew and Tessia.
Congratulations to Sheridan Watson, a senior at USC, who was appointed Editor in Chief of the student-run university newspaper, The Daily Trojan, starting January 2014. She is the first African-American to be appointed in this role. Congratulations to Rebecca Bauer, a senior at Vassar College, whose blog Adventures in Student Teaching is being showcased by the Character Education Partnership (CEP) - the country’s foremost character education body. Bauer, who is majoring in psychology, is also pursuing teacher certification in early childhood education. The blog follows Bauer’s efforts to integrate ethics and character education into the classrooms in which she finds herself as a student teacher a subject that has long been close to her heart. While at MKA, Bauer, a member of the Honor Council and Ethics Committee, was instrumental in leading efforts to incorporate a student perspective into the school’s Character Standards. It was her belief that only by doing this could the Standards have meaning for and relevancy to the entire student body.
----------- 2011 Seth Bynum 32 High Street West Orange, NJ 07052 sefaref22@gmail. com
Class agent: Carina Wong 9 Deer Trail Road No. Caldwell, NJ 07006 carinamwong@gmail. com The Editor received this news from Lance Barnard in January: “A dam Fanslau and I have just launched a new website and wanted to share it with you and the MKA community. The site is called syncademic (http://Syncademic.com) and it allows you to compare the college breaks of 100+ colleges in the US (and growing) to find mutual spring, summer and winter vacation times. The inspiration came as I was trying to determine if Adam and a few of my other friends from MKA attending various colleges had the same spring break as me. I found there was no easy way to do this and so I began working on the site with Adam. We launched it yesterday and within 24 hours had over 1500 likes on our Facebook page. In addition to adding more colleges, I’m hoping to eventually expand into high schools to help families with kids in both college and high school plan and coordinate their breaks. Since the relationships I made at MKA are what made this site possible, I’ve decided to make MKA the first high school listed on syncademic in the hopes that some of my friends with siblings still there and the rest of the MKA community can use it.”?+
2012
-------------------------------------Casey Musicant 573 Farmdale Road Franklin Lakes, NJ 08417 casey. musicant@gmail. com Class Agent: Ed Rosini 32 Edgemont Road Montclair, NJ 07042 erosini32@gmail. com
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fesj
2013
------------------------------------Class agent: Elizabeth “Lizzie" Amato 64 Forest Way Essex Fells, NJ 07021 ljamato420@mac. com Class agent: Edward Bozik 326 N. Mountain Avenue Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 bozik@me.com Jasm ine Cole, a freshman and field hockey player at the University of Pennsylvania, tied for the NCAA Division I lead in goals scored at the end of October, having tallied 16 in 14 games. Jasmine was twice selected Ivy League Rookie of the Week, and Player of the Week once, as UPenn enjoys their best season since 2008. Jasmine was a Regional AllAmerican at MKA and holds the; single season scoring record here.
Andrew Wagner was thefeatured alumni artist in September’s opening exhibition in the Weiss Gallery. Andrew is currently studying photography at Yale University.
Marriages 2000 2000 2001 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2005
Rachel Weary and John Patrick Martin, Jr. Christian Langbein and Benjamin Bashein Laura Brown and Alex Vassilowitch Julie Fefferman and Matthew Jacobs Jessica Block and Azal Ashtal Alexandra Amari and Zachary Rose Celia Cohen and Travis Meyer Kathryn Chase and Lorenzo Martinez Bartlomiej Szczech and Emily Rhodes Ian Wortham and Fallon Dudek
m September 14, 2013 November 15, 2013 July 23, 2012 March 23, 2013 July 13,2013 July 13, 2013 September 14, 2013 July 27, 2013 September 14, 2013 January 11, 2014
1927 1928 1933 1936 1939 1941 1941 1945 1946 1948 1949 1952 1953 1961 1965 1970 1987 1994 2009
Priscilla Douglas Polkinghom Emily Parsons Ridgway Charles Eisler, Jr. Ruth Hunt Timmons Bridgford Hunt Joan Ailing Wuerth Nelson B. Doremus Richard Benner Hopkins Barbara Crowell Estes Helen Montgomery-Drysdale Anne Fairchild Jeffery David L. Kerr Neil Carl Lindeman Christine Keller Kathryn “Ann” Carrad Schaffner James Harvey Brothers, IV Solomon Johnson Gregory Ross Ava Detore
August 23,2013 October 1, 2013 November 8, 2012 September 8, 2013 January 1,2012 August 11,2013 June 16, 2012 July 16,2012 October 7, 2013 June 24, 2013 July 25, 2013 December 27, 2013 June 23, 2013 June 21, 2013 June 19, 2013 January 24, 2011 September 3,2013 July 6, 2011 December 14,2013
class
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mb \n r oneol
ing all
Frank D. Brogan Charles Faurot Larry Piersol Joyce S. Kelley
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n
In M em oriam
Faculty, Former Faculty, S ta ff and Trustees
Twoformer MKA varsityfencers went head to head recently when Chrissy McIntosh ’10 found herselfon the strip competing against Claudia Carcamo ’13. Chrissy is a senior at Cornell, and Claudia afreshman at Vassar.
'
July 30,2013 August 25,2013 September 23, 2013 November 12, 2013
rmore
A
l
MKA BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2013-2014
!9 l
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w
|4 Ì 3 'I W Kt
m berley A c a d e m y Annual G iving one of MKA’s leadership giving societies at the levels listed below.
...................................................................................$20,000 and above ................................................................................ $10,000 to $19,999 ......................................................................................$5,000 to $9,999 ...................................................................................... $2,500 to $4,999 ...................................................................................... $1,000 to $2,499 ing alumni in classes from 2004 to 2013 making rmore
-since ne nas visntea eampusf^imam is~d loyrn suppurter-uinne MKA Annual Fund, and as a “faculty child” places especial value on the school’s ability to continue to provide opportunities to students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. “MKA gives you great preparation to go out and make your own mistakes,” reflects Martin. “With what we were exposed to academically, athletically and culturally, I couldn’t claim to have been deprived of many opportunities.” MKA is grateful to Martin Brayboy and to the many MA, TKS and MKA alumni whose generous support of Annual Giving ensures that the School’s tradition of excellence can continue for future generations. Please pledge your support today at mka.org/giving.
Presidenl^^^gp“1’.............Michael V. Johnson Vice President .................. Evelyn M. Colbert Vice President ................... Tracy E. Higgins Treasurer .......................... Steven C. Milke. Secretary .......................... Michael P. Friezo Members Joseph V. Amato Merrick G. Andlinger Kenneth W. Barrett Timothy J. Bozik James L. Bromley Daniel B. Carson ’83 Christina A. Cotton David A. Crichlow Carolyn N. Everson John T. Gaffney Kathleen M. Logan Thomas W. Nammack Eric F.S. Pai ’79 Kenneth S. Rivlin Luke Sarsfield III ’91 Richard G. Stanton ’87 Linda H. Sterling
Jonathan M. Strain Jeffrey G. Szilagyi Chiming Tse Elizabeth S. Weiswasser Lori W. Yanes Honorary Trustees Aubin Zabriskie Amps ’54 John E. Garippa Alice M. Hirsh Susan H. Ruddick Newton B. Schott, Jr. Advisory Trustees Barry W. Ridings ’70 Robert L. Tortoriello David L. Turock
ALUMNI COUNCIL 2013-2014 President .......................... Richard Stanton ’87 EVP .................................. Jessica Simpson Cook ’99 Treasurer........................... Dennis Rodano ’87 Secretary........................... Mitchell Decter ’94 Networking VP ................Klaudia Pyz ’98 Administration Tom Nammack ............... Headmaster Geoffrey Branigan.............Director of External Affairs and Development Lois Montorio ................. Director of Alumni Relations Keith Wiggs ..................Associate Director of Development Gretchen Berra ................. Associate Director of Alumni Relations Members Alexandru Aldea ’95 Bryan Becker ’96 Lindsay Braverman ’01 Casey Breslow ’03 Jared Cook ’01 Pamela D’Amato Davis ’89 Amanda Englander ’04 Angela Garretson ’94 Lauren Hyman Kaplan ’93 Andrew Kyrejko ’05 William Martini ’98 Cheryl McCants ’82
Michele Mucci ’84 Chris Noble ’84 Klaudia Pyz ’98 Diane Ridley-White ’84 Amanda Shortall ’03 Jaclyn Latzoni Spedaliere ’00 Lee Vartan ’96 Advisory J. Dean Paolucci ’73 Dan Carson ’83 J. Kent Walker ’80
2013
------------------------------------Class agent: Elizabeth "Lizzie”Amato 64 Forest Way Essex Fells, NJ 07021 ljamato420@mac. com Class agent: Edward Bozik 326N. Mountain Avenue Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 bozik@me. com Jasm ine Cole, a freshman and field hockey player at the University of Pennsylvania, tied for the NCAA Division Head in goals scored at the end of October, having tallied 16 in 14 games. Jasmine was twice selected Ivy League Rookie of the Week, and Player of the Week once, as UPenn enjoys their best season since 2008. Jasmine was a Regional AllAmerican at MKA and holds the single season scoring record here.
Andrew Wagner was thefeatured alumni artist in September is opening exhibition in the Weiss Gallery. Andrew is currently studying photography at Yale University.
Marriages 2000 2000 2001 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2005
Rachel Weary and John Patrick Martin, Jr. Christian Langbein and Benjamin Bashein Laura Brown and Alex Vassilowitch Julie Fefferman and Matthew Jacobs Jessica Block and Azal Ashtal Alexandra Amari and Zachary Rose Celia Cohen and Travis Meyer Kathryn Chase and Lorenzo Martinez Bartlomiej Szczech and Emily Rhodes Ian Wortham and Fallon Dudek
In M em oriam 1927 1928 1933 1936 1939 1941 1941 1945 1946 1948 1949 1952 1953 1961 1965 1970 1987 1994 2009
Priscilla Douglas Polkinghom Emily Parsons Ridgway Charles Eisler, Jr. Ruth B p Bridgfc Joan Ai Nelson ____________________ Richarc Barbar; Helen t ____________________ Anne f David! Neil d Christii Kathryi James ] Solomc Gregor Ava De
Faculty, Fi Frank D. Broga Charles Faurot; Larry Piersol Joyce S. Kelley
Twoformer MKA varsityfencers went head to head recently when Chrissy McIntosh ’10 found herselfon the strip competing against Claudia Carcamo '13. Chrissy is a senior at Cornell, and Claudia afreshman at Vassar.
September 14, 2013 November 15, 2013 July 23, 2012 March 23,2013 July 13,2013 July 13,2013 September 14, 2013 July 27,2013 September 14, 2013 January 11,2014
August 23,2013 October 1, 2013 November 8, 2012
MONTCLAIR O ffice o f Develoi 201 Valley Road Montclair, NJ 071
MKA BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2013-2014 President ..........................Michael V. Johnson Vice President .................. Evelyn M. Colbert Vice President .................. Tracy E. Higgins Treasurer .......................... Steven C. Milke Secretary .......................... Michael P. Friezo V IC
J. Martin Brayboy, Class of 1980, was an MKA “lifer,” starting in Pre-Kindergarten as a four-year-old with an extra-personal connection to the school - his mom, Thomasina “Tommy” Brayboy, taught at MKA for decades as a beloved and highly respected member of the faculty. Martin formed great friendships at MKA and still sees many of his former classmates regularly. An active participant in school life, he counts his experiences as a Mastersinger and a member of the Fencing Team among his favorites, and looks back with appreciation for some of his challenging teachers - including Bob Sinner, Ken Gibson and Nixon Bicknell - as well as the kind support of advisors Calvin Matzke and Sally Bailey. Martin attended Amherst College and went on to serve on the Psi Upsilon Executive Council with former Montclair Academy Headmaster Henry Poor (1960-1966). Living in Connecticut with his wife Lizzie, Martin is an employee benefits broker. Even though it has been a few years since he has visited campus, Martin is a loyal supporter of the MKA Annual Fund, and as a “faculty child” places especial value on the school’s ability to continue to provide opportunities to students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. “MKA gives you great preparation to go out and make your own mistakes,” reflects Martin. “With what we were exposed to academically, athletically and culturally, I couldn’t claim to have been deprived of many opportunities.” MKA is grateful to Martin Brayboy and to the many MA, TKS and MKA alumni whose generous support of Annual Giving ensures that the School’s tradition of excellence can continue for future generations. Please pledge your support today at mka.org/giving.
Members Joseph V. Amato Merrick G. Andlinger Kenneth W. Barrett Timothy J. Bozik James L. Bromley Daniel B. Carson 83 Christina A. Cotton David A. Crichlow Carolyn N. Everson John T. Gaffney Kathleen M. Logan Thomas W. Nammack Eric F.S. Pai ’79 Kenneth S. Rivlin Luke Sarsfield III ’91 Richard G. Stanton ’87 Linda H. Sterling
Jonathan M. Strain Jeffrey G. Sz|fagyi Chiming Tse Elizabeth S. Weiswasser Lori W. Yanes Honorary Trustees Aubin Zabriskie Ames ’54 John E. Garippa Alice M. Hirsh Susan H. Ruddick Newton B. Schott, Jr. Advisory Trustees Barry W. Ridings ’70 Robert L. Tortoriello David L. Turock
ALUMNI COUNCIL 2013-2014 President .......................... Richard Stanton’87 EVP .................................. Jessica Simpson Cook ’99 Treasurer ...........-............... Dennis Rodano ’87 Secretary........................... Mitchell Decter ’94 Networking VP ................Klaudia Pyz ’98 Administration Tom Nammack ............... Headmaster Geoffrey Branigan.............Director of External Affairs and Development Lois Montorio ................. Director of Alumni Relations Keith Wiggs ..................Associate Director of Development Gretchen Berra ................. Associate Director of Alumni Relations Members Alexandm Aldea ’95 Bryan Becker ’96 Lindsay Braverman ’01 Casey Breslow ’03 Jared Cook ’01 Pamela D’Amato Davis ’89 Amanda Englander ’04 Angela Garretson ’94 Lauren Hyman Kaplan '93 Andrew Kyrejko ’05 William Martini ’98 Cheryl McCants '82
Michele Mucci ’84 Chris Noble ’84 Klaudia Pyz ’98 Diane Ridley-White ’84 Amanda Shortall ’03 Jaclyn Latzoni Spedaliere ’00 Lee Vartan ’96 Advisory J. Dean Paolucci ’73 Dan Carson ’83 J. Kent Walker ’80
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit # 6 8 7 1 Newark, NJ
1 1 f/M
M o n t c l a ir K im b e r l e y a c a d e m y 201 Valley Road Montclair, New Jersey 07042 mka.org
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