Among Friends Fall 2020 by Moorestown Friends School

AMONG FRIENDS Fall 2020

Reflecting on Experience The COVID-19 Archives Project

2019-20 ANNUAL REPORT

Mission Statement Moorestown Friends School is a community rooted in Quaker values and dedicated to the pursuit of educational excellence for a diverse student body within an academically rigorous and balanced program emphasizing personal, ethical, and spiritual growth. Fall 1987, revised May 2011

Contents

Fall 2020

MOORESTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL 110 East Main Street Moorestown, NJ 08057 (856) 235-2900, www.mfriends.org

From the Head of School

New Administrators and Trustees Appointed

Fox Tracks

5 6

Published By The Development Office

Editor, Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck

Notes from Pages Lane

Take A Selfie for Racial Justice:

Graphic Design Alison Judah ’86, Hypno Design

Thoughts to Spur Reflection and Action

By Mark J. Mitchell ’86

Photography Julia Applegate ‘10, Luke Hoheisel, Bill Persons, Mike Schlotterbeck, and alumni, student, and parent contributors

Embracing Ethnic Diversity, Equity,

and Inclusion at MFS

Head of School Julia de la Torre

Reflecting on Experience: The COVID-19 Archives Project

Director of Development Stephen Zakroff

Alumni Association Awards

Associate Director of Development Beth Stouffer

Honoring Retirees

Assistant Director of Community Outreach Julia Applegate ’10

2019-20 Annual Report of Donors

Class Notes

In Memoriam

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Director of Annual Giving Sonia Mixter Guzman ’02 Development Office Staff Roberta Fenska and Sue Giacchetto

Moorestown Friends School admits students without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender, or sexual orientation. All photos are identified from left to right unless otherwise indicated.

Cover artist Alleanna Harris ’11 is an illustrator and artist from Willingboro, NJ. She graduated from the University of the Arts in 2015 with a B.F.A. in Animation and is inspired by the beauty in everyday things. Visit her online at alleannaharris.com and on Instagram @alleannaharris.

Printed on recycled paper.

Fall 2020

AMONG FRIENDS

Message from the Head of School

Dear Friends, The summer of 2020 was unlike anything we have experienced in our lifetimes. As we all emerged from the lockdown of spring and the health crisis that continues to grip the world, we felt the nation’s pain as our fellow citizens took to the streets to demand justice in light of the senseless killings of Black Americans. Recent months have been isolating for many of us as our interactions have moved to a virtual environment and our ability to be in the physical company of others has diminished significantly. How we connect with and support each other has changed dramatically. Against this backdrop, I found myself walking the Moorestown Friends School campus every day this summer. During my daily walk of the grounds, I would look up at the cupola and reflect on the 235-year history of our school and the moments of pain, suffering, and injustice that this institution has witnessed during that time. It was in those moments of silent reflection that the COVID-19 Archives Project was born. You’ll read in the pages of this Among Friends the stories of students, teachers, families, and alumni. You’ll learn how they experienced the events of this spring and summer and how they remain grounded in the spirit of community for which MFS is known. As we face a time of disconnection, I feel it is critical that we remember the foundational MFS community that connects us all together. You’ll also be called by our own Mark Mitchell ’86 (as you read “Take a Selfie for Racial Justice” on page 8) to consider how we as human beings define the true meaning of “belonging” and how we can more effectively belong to each other during this time of isolation. This September, MFS welcomed students back to campus for in-person learning. As COVID continues to shape our daily lives, it has also brought into clear focus the cherished value of our friends, family, and communities. Every day we have been in school has been a gift for students, teachers, and families alike. The future during a global pandemic of course remains uncertain, but what I am sure of is that our connection to each other will continue to nurture the collective spirit of our community. Warmly,

Julia de la Torre Head of School

AMONG FRIENDS

Fall 2020

New Administrators Appointed Meredith Godley Associate Head of School and Academic Dean

Meredith Godley has transitioned to the position of Associate Head of School and Academic Dean. She replaced Chris Kimberly who was appointed Head of School at Friends Meeting School in Maryland. Meredith has spent a decade working at MFS. She spent the last three years as Upper School Director and before that served as Director of College Counseling for seven years. She has also taught Upper School Spanish during that span and co-designed the acclaimed MFS Peer Leadership program, which began in 2014. Said Head of School Julia de la Torre upon Meredith’s appointment: “Meredith is a leader of the highest caliber. She brings incredible integrity, clarity, vision, and joy to her work at MFS. Meredith is poised and ready to oversee the academic program and operations of the school, while partnering with me to shape the future of MFS. We are fortunate to have someone so skilled already on staff who can step seamlessly into the position.” Meredith has an M.A. in private school leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College and a B.A. in psychology from Bates College. Meredith is also a graduate of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. Meredith is the mother of Ella ‘20 and Vani Hanamirian ‘22, who have been MFS students since Preschool.

Noah Rachlin Upper School Director

Noah Rachlin began as Upper School Director on July 1. He was at the University of Chicago Lab Schools (UCLS) for the past two years as the High School Dean of Teaching & Learning at the 2,200-student independent school. Noah was the academic leader of the UCLS high school, responsible for fostering a school-wide culture of continuous growth and development and connecting the high school with the broader University community and beyond on topics related to educational practice, research, and theory. Prior to his time at UCLS, he was an instructor in History and Social Science at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA while concurrently serving as a Senior Fellow at the Tang Institute at Andover, which is dedicated to supporting and sharing innovative approaches to teaching and learning. He also has served as a History Teacher at Rodeph Sholom School in New York City and Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, CA. Noah has an Ed.M. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in Education Policy and Management and a B.A. from Brandeis University in History and Philosophy.

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New Administrators/New Trustee Evan Haine-Roberts Middle School Director

Evan Haine-Roberts began as Middle School Director on July 1, succeeding Kimberly Clarkson, who moved to the DC/Maryland area to be closer to family. Evan has a broad and diverse background and a proven track record as a middle school leader. He possesses a decade of experience at Rodeph Sholom School in New York City, where he served as an English teacher since 2010. In addition to his teaching duties, Haine-Roberts was the Director of Middle School Student Life. In this position, he facilitated a range of programs to support Middle School students’ academic, social, and emotional growth. As a grade-level coordinator, he led a team of advisors at Rodeph Sholom to monitor and develop academic, communal, and social-emotional growth of students. Evan was the Chair of the Self-Study Steering Committee for NYSAIS Accreditation and attended a week-long intensive seminar at the CARLE Institute for white educators working to combat racism in independent schools. Prior to Rodeph Sholom, he was a David Dulaney Teaching Fellow at Edmund Burke School in Washington DC, where he taught English, social studies, and journalism. Evan has an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from Brandeis University and a B.A. in English from Carleton College.

Stephan Schenk Appointed To School Committee

A member of the Assets Committee and the 2019-20 Strategic Planning Committee, Stephan Schenk was recently appointed to the Moorestown Friends School Committee. He and his wife Jannette are parents of Liam ’19, a student at Northwestern University, and Nolan ’21. Stephan is Executive Vice President and Head of Shared Services for TD Bank, which includes loan origination and servicing; deposit and payment operations, real estate; fraud management; bank-wide project management; governance; data; analytics; and more. Prior to his current role, Stephan served in three prior roles: President and CEO of TD Group US Holdings, responsible for governance, oversight and risk management of the combined U.S. operations; Chief Auditor; and Executive Vice President & Head of Operational Risk Management. Before joining TD in 2012, Stephan enjoyed a 13-year tenure at PNC Financial Group with his last role as Senior Vice President & Chief Operational Risk Officer. Stephan graduated with an MBA from Duquesne University and completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He has also completed the Advanced Risk Management Program at Wharton and the Leading Change & Innovation Program at the University of Chicago.

AMONG FRIENDS

Fall 2020

Fox Tracks 1 Swimmer Allison Fenska ’21 topped off a stellar junior season by being named an All-American in the 100-yard Butterfly by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association. Allison became the first swimmer in school history to win an individual NJSIAA state championship. Allison is now a two time All-American having previously earned All-American honors during the 2018-19 season in the 50 freestyle. She has verbally committed to The Ohio State University. The 2019-20 Herm Magee Award recipients were Bella Runyan ’20 and Cory Dennis ’20. The Herm Magee Award is presented to one male and one female athlete for outstanding athletic achievement, leadership, and sportsmanship contributions to MFS athletics during the school year.

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2 Bella was a three-sport athlete for all four years. She culminated her high school basketball career by leading the Foxes to their first-ever South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament championship and a 21-6 record, tied for the most wins in program history. She set program records for assists and steals and is the program’s second all-time leading scorer. Bella received numerous league, regional, and state basketball honors. On the soccer field, Bella served as a captain and scored 18 goals as the team finished 12-8 and advanced to the NJSIAA Non-Public B South semifinals. She also was named a captain for the girls’ lacrosse team after leading the team to the NJSIAA Group 1 championship match in 2019, scoring 86 goals. Bella will play basketball at Villanova. 3 Cory was also a three-sport athlete for all four years. He served as a captain for the boys’ basketball team and was a key inside presence for the Foxes in the very competitive Friends Schools League. He was also a captain and defensive standout for the boys’ soccer team, helping to lead the team to the NJSIAA Non-Public South championship and a 17-6 record, the most wins in program history. Cory was also a captain of the boys’ lacrosse team. He will play basketball at Bard College.

4 On June 4 Athletic Director Danielle Dayton virtually recognized five members of the Class of 2020 who intend to continue their athletic careers: Cory Dennis - Bard University (Basketball) Renna Mohsen-Breen - Wesleyan University (Tennis) Rachel Liu - Boston College (Fencing) Miles Oglesby - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lacrosse) Elena Styliades - St. Lawrence University (Tennis) In November Bella Runyan ‘20 signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Villanova.

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October 4

Notes from Pages Lane This section of Among Friends takes its name from Pages Lane, the road that bisected the Moorestown Friends School campus prior to the construction of Stokes Hall in 1986.

Eighth and ninth grade French classes are participating in both synchronous and asynchronous exchanges with a private Catholic school in France, Collège Saint Régis. The classes use Zoom, FlipGrid, Padlet, and ePals to connect the students globally.

October 1

An abbreviated fall sports season was held for Middle and Upper School sports. Competition, which began October 1, did not include Friends Schools League play.

September 25

Moorestown Friends School seniors Abigail Bischoff and Lauren Kam have been named semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship competition. After completing the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) in 2019 alongside 1.5 million additional U.S. students, Abigail and Lauren entered the cohort of 16,000 semifinalists this month.

May 20

A team of four MFS students qualified for the national round of the GirlsGoCyberStart competition. Associated with the Cybersecurity Club, the team consisting of seniors Annabelle Crescenzo, Lauren Kam, Olivia Rutherford, and Emily Zeiberg competed throughout the spring in a series of rounds, all in a variety of different challenges, from digital forensics to ethical hacking. 6

AMONG FRIENDS

Fall 2020

May 14

Students in Nikki Jefferson’s second grade class enjoyed a virtual Ramadan celebration.

April 14

MS/US Art Teacher Nicole Edmund ’86 created digital art galleries of student work that visitors can “walk through,” such as this collection of seventh graders’ Two-Point Perspective projects.

April 8

Prekindergarten Teacher Nikki Coleman read Conejito - a great example of storytelling without a book using items from around the house (with a bit of Spanish mixed in).

Fall 2020

March 25

Calvin Bell ‘20 was selected as the 2020 Princeton Prize in Race Relations Award winner for Central and Southern New Jersey. Calvin was recognized for his senior capstone project, The Impact of Community Engagement on the Rates of Violence in the City of Camden. AMONG FRIENDS

Take A Selfie for Racial Justice Take A Selfie for Racial Justice: Thoughts to Spur Reflection and Action By Mark J. Mitchell ’86

This article first appeared June 8 on the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) Independent Ideas blog. Mark Mitchell is a vice president at NAIS. Reprinted with permission. As an African American alumnus of an independent school, I’m compelled to look at what is happening in our world today through many lenses, but the thoughts that have taken shape in my head keep coming back to the lens of what independent school leaders can do to help make sure that the black and brown constituents in their care can breathe. While lists of resources serve a needed purpose, I want to offer something else: three strands of connected thoughts that I hope will spur your thinking and action in a new way or two. The Mother Teresa Standard As I witness the current unrest sparked by the brutal murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, my mind keeps coming back to what’s becoming my go-to reminder from Mother Teresa: “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” When Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, not letting his knee off of Floyd’s neck despite his plea for mercy, he didn’t believe, or (at best) he forgot, that Floyd and he belonged to each other. And that malignant disregard for belonging was the final spark that set off a chain reaction. As Floyd’s last breaths were being squeezed out, he searched to find to whom he did belong. I imagine that, as a saving grace, he thought to himself in some way, “who belongs to me enough to save me from this?” He cried out “Mama.” When someone tells you “I can’t breathe,” it’s the ultimate cry for your help. That heart-wrenching plea is easily heard by people who understand that they belong to the person losing breath. But it is as easily ignored by people who either forgot or never believed in that belonging. This is an opportunity for school leaders to think deeply about what belonging to each other means at-large and within your school community. I’m talking about the kind of “when you feel pain, I hurt; when you feel joy, I smile” belonging, going beyond the “let’s assure that everybody participates in the trip to Italy” kind of belonging that

AMONG FRIENDS

About Mark Mitchell Mark J. Mitchell ’86 is a vice president at the National Association of Independent Schools, managing special projects on the topics of tuition pricing, affordability, demographic and income trends, socio-economic diversity and inclusion, and school financial aid policy and practices. He also serves as part of the NAIS Innovation Team, designing and delivering programs and resources that assist schools in making innovation happen. Prior to joining NAIS in 1998, Mark worked in financial aid administration at Northwestern University, Lake Forest College, and Access Group, Inc., a graduate student education financing nonprofit. He serves as a trustee of the Enrollment Management Association and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Partnership for Educational Access. Mark earned his B.S. in communication studies from Northwestern University. Mark served on the Moorestown Friends School Committee from 2005-14. we might be more apt to take on within our schools. It’s a “If I hurt you, I hurt everyone, including myself” kind of belonging. I’ve come to think of it as the Mother Teresa Standard. Chauvin and the other three officers fell far short of it, tragically and despicably. And the resulting assault on peace was the inevitable next domino to fall. This line from Daniel Caesar’s song “Best Part” makes me think about the message that black and brown children in our schools need to hear from you right now: “I just wanna see how beautiful you are; you know that I see it, I know you’re a star.” How can you get this message across to them all the time, but especially at a time of such turmoil and threat, anxiety and doubt, fear and anger, when they’re feeling like they can’t breathe and they’re seeing the breath squeezed out of people who could have easily been them or their brother or sister, uncle or aunt or cousin, mother or father? When they feel like too many who control the machinery of this society don’t care about letting up off their necks? When they feel like there’s no Mother Teresa Standard of belonging that unequivocally, unconditionally includes them? A Thought Exercise To help reach the Mother Teresa Standard, aggressively consider your actual, lived starting point on the belonging spectrum – not your aspirational or make-believe starting point. One way to begin is for school leaders to use Chauvin’s act as a provocative symbol for a thought exercise. Think about these four things; these are intended to be provocative, not accusatory. Keep an open mind:

Fall 2020

Whose necks are you kneeling on? If “nobody’s” is your answer, how do you know? In what ways do your actions, systems, or beliefs constrict other’s ability to breathe, particularly black and brown students, staff, and adults?

• solve for belonging over alienation. • solve for kindness over cruelty. • solve for generosity over selfishness. • solve for oneness over division.

When black and brown people can’t breathe, can they tell you? How, when, where? When they keep hearing that “this is not the right way to protest,” what are they supposed to do? Do you only allow their expression on your own terms?

You can show teachers, staff, and parents what these things look and feel like in big and small ways every single day. But please, please, please pay special attention to people who tell you they can’t breathe when the systems and behaviors crushing down on them reek of alienation, cruelty, selfishness, or division. These pathogens flourish when they are ignored, tolerated, or encouraged. Simply put: Don’t tolerate mindsets or behaviors that are not aligned with belonging, kindness, generosity, and oneness. And over time, the Mother Teresa Standard within your school community takes stronger and stronger root. And who knows where it can spread from there. Need some examples of what not tolerating unacceptable behavior looks like? You do it when kids cut school or cheat on tests. What about when they damage another’s psyche or selfesteem, or when they disparage someone’s heritage, skin tone, or otherwise forget that we belong to each other? In her TEDxRainier talk, Megan Ming Francis, an associate professor at the University of Washington, points out that “the story of police brutality and killings of unarmed blacks is not a story about black people; it’s a story about all of us.” While it is something that disproportionately happens to black people, it’s not just about black people; it implicates all of us. We should all feel the pain of that brutality and collectively fight against all the ways it manifests to disrupt the Mother Teresa Standard. In whatever way you choose to stand with those fighting right now for systemic fairness, justice, and accountability in policing and criminal justice in your community at large, don’t forget to turn the camera on yourself. Yes, take a selfie. A different kind of selfie. Use this as an opportunity to reflect about your systems for fairness, justice, and accountability. Find where your system has faults or gaps – intended or unintended – and correct what’s wrong. Listen when you hear the breath being squeezed out of some child, parent, or colleague you’re supposed to serve and protect as a leader of your school community. Act quickly and boldly when the anti-racist virtues of belonging, kindness, generosity, and oneness are compromised or violated. Maybe it’s too hard to fix the world, but it should be easier to fix your school. And it should be even easier when you stay rooted in the Mother Teresa Standard that we all belong to each other. I believe that what happens in independent schools can change the world; one of them changed mine. But what happens in our schools can also keep so much about the world the same. What do you want to change, and what do you want to keep the same to live the Mother Teresa Standard?

If they told you they can’t breathe, would you hear them? Can you make their priority your priority? What noise blocks you from hearing their pleas? What’s more important to you in the moment than listening to them? If you heard them, what would you do? Offer thoughts and prayers that they’ll find strength to get through it? Ignore them and keep pressing? Let up and move toward recovery and healing? If these are tough conversations to have, so be it. If these are difficult reflections to spend time thinking through, OK. If you can’t honestly self-assess your position on these questions, ask others what they think and talk about it – but be willing to just listen without defensiveness. How does your self-assessment on these points match those of your leadership team, students, faculty, staff, and others? Is what you believe about these things in step with or completely different from how others view them? Make time for the dialogue that enables you to see something that you couldn’t see before; make time to act on realities that didn’t get enough action before; and make time to gauge the gap between your reality and the Mother Teresa Standard of belongingness from a place of truth, not blindness or myopia. Change in Independent Schools My last provocative notion: Take a step back from trying to solve racism. It might be too heavy a lift. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t talk about race or racism. Teaching racism – what it is, how to spot it, how to combat it – is critically important in creating just societies, and you have access to many resources to help advance that effort. But solving the macro-level problem can feel frustratingly unwinnable. Witness that even with more than 400 years of seeking the vaccine to that plague in this country alone, its complete eradication is still far out of reach. Instead, how about we break that big boulder down into smaller pieces? How about you solve for the things that can lead to antiracism? I’m no expert in this area of sociology, psychology, or DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) practice, but it seems to me that as school leaders, you can at least look for the daily affronts to the Mother Teresa Standard and call them out. If solving racism is too big, think about the ways that you can:

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Embracing Ethnic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MFS

Students, faculty, and staff at the 2018 National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference/Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Nashville.

2020 will be remembered as a year in which the physical and emotional wounds of racial injustice were opened deeply in the United States, while the country concurrently dealt with a pandemic. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery spurred countrywide protests, some of which unfortunately turned violent. The forced quarantine in most states provided the opportunity for in-depth discussion and reflections to take place across the country. These ranged from household conversations to virtual forums, discussions and other opportunities for citizens to share their views, stories, and, in many cases, strife. Until the last few decades, MFS did not have a great deal of ethnic diversity among its student population, faculty, and staff. Samuel Cobbs ’62 is regarded as the first African American to enroll at MFS in 1960. He was selected by the American Friends Service Committee from a group of 75 students in Virginia’s Prince Edward County seeking an education after their schools had been shut down due to local officials’ rejection of court-ordered school desegregation. In the 1970s, Moorestown Friends established the Camden Scholars Program. The program now provides unique opportunities to students of color from Camden schools entering grades 7 and 9, and more than 120 Camden Scholars have graduated from MFS. In the mid-1980s, the school enrolled 18% students of color and employed just a handful of faculty and staff of color. By 2003, the percentage of students of color had climbed to 25%, and the 2004 Strategic Plan set a goal to increase that percentage to 30%. The 2011 Strategic Plan identified a goal to increase the percentage of faculty and staff of color to mirror that of the school community. As the demographics of South Jersey have changed with an increase in Southeast Asian and East Asian families and increasing diversity in the suburbs, the school population has begun to more accurately reflect the surrounding community in its ethnic composition. The percentage of students

of color has risen to 46% in 2020, with 25% of faculty/staff now people of color. A more proactive approach to issues of diversity and inclusion has also been taken by the school over the past two decades. Former Spanish Teacher Karen Washington was appointed the school’s first Director of Multicultural Affairs in 2007. In this position, she was a valuable resource and advocate for students, families, faculty, and staff, assisting in developing curriculum that honors diversity and inclusion and supports students in claiming their identities and voices. Karen (whose position was eventually changed to Director of Diversity and Inclusion), in concert with the 2011 Strategic Plan, established divisional diversity coordinators with whom she planned professional development and much more. She supported student organizations at the school that encouraged discussion around diversity and inclusion, such as the MLK, Jr. Club, Diversity Committee, Gender Equality Forum, and more. Her successor, Dorothy López, continues to expand on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work at the school. In addition to divisional diversity coordinators, her team now includes a Camden Scholars Program Coordinator and International Programs Coordinator. As part of our emerging 2020 Strategic Plan, overarching goals in this area include the integration of DEI and Quaker values, and reenvisioning the definition of students’ success to reflect that an MFS education includes being a culturally competent global citizen of courage and consequence. Faculty and staff annually attend the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference which provides a space for leadership and professional development for people of color and allies. The other keystone event is the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, at which student ambassadors build cross-cultural communication skills and strategies for social justice and bring those tools back to their school communities.

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Fall 2020

Embracing Ethnic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MFS A significant commitment has also been made by MFS to professional development for faculty and staff, as well as programmatic celebrations and events for students and families. A successful initiative to establish affinity groups among students, faculty, and staff also began last year. Middle and Upper School students, faculty, and staff now have the opportunity to meet and discuss issues and topics related to the specific affinity groups with which they identify. Dorothy López, with Julia de la Torre, led the school’s response to and support of students and families during this tumultuous summer. One of the primary responses was to offer two listening sessions to give participants the opportunity to share experiences in the MFS community: one for alumni held in August and one for parents and guardians held in October (postponed by August storms/power outages). Following remarks by Julia and Dorothy, breakout sessions for participants were hosted by Calvin Bell ’20 (Emory University) and Bailey Butterworth ’20 (Smith College). Calvin and Bailey were the 2019-20 clerks of the Upper School Diversity Committee. Calvin led conversations for the Black Student Union affinity group and Bailey led the White Ally affinity group. Calvin and Bailey are passionate about these issues and have received training from multiple organizations in facilitating conversations related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please read passages from an interview conducted by Dorothy López with Calvin and Bailey to hear more about their thoughts and reflections.

Calvin Bell ’20

Bailey Butterworth ’20

On the killing of George Floyd: I think that it was something that was building up and now people were quarantining and really isolated. So your eyes were open a little bit more to what the world was exposing. People were reading the news a little bit more and watching TV more. And so when you see those images, you see that video of George Floyd... there is something inside of you that asks, ”What can I do?”

On the alumni listening session: I had members in my group from the 1960s and the 1980s. So the first hurdle was understanding that the way that we talk about these kinds of things, and language we use, have changed radically. But I think that once you’re set up with good intentions and understand the terms, you can come to a point of clarity about what is being said and we could communicate well. When helping to process people’s feelings about injustice, it’s not that different from processing any other emotion of grief or anger. I often think about what it means to be a good friend and someone who can listen and provide support and empathy. That is a skill that I’ve gleaned from being here (at MFS) for 15 years.

On the alumni listening session: Going into the listening session, I was a little nervous because of the age gap. The ideas and the viewpoints of different people may be different as well, depending on what was going on during their time at MFS vs. the point that we’re at now. I wanted to understand their story and not really give my own input. On forming an alumni network: Several people in the group were suggesting a network for people of color to engage alumni and students. That was something that I really played off of, and asked questions about how we could really utilize a network to help each other out and to engage with their perspective. On affinity groups: In order to become inclusive, you have to include other people. And I feel like our school has been trying to open up new voices to what diversity, inclusion, and equity are in the school community because it’s very foreign for a lot of people. In Diversity Committee we heard new voices that I never expected to be in Diversity Committee and they even wanted to be a part of an affinity group... And so to see their passion, for it, to see that they actually cared, to see that it was genuine to really change the community... it also allowed them to pass that same generosity, that same passion, on to younger voices to come up into diversity work and really get engaged with it.

Fall 2020

On MFS strengths: The DEI team at MFS is involved with all areas of the school. I feel like I’m close to the administrators doing this work. I feel like I’m closer to admissions by doing this work. And just the idea that I’ve had all these opportunities to help change my school really speaks volumes. As an institution, we’re obviously far from perfect, but the fact that we as students get such a large role in helping “chase, chase, chase” that perfection makes all the difference to me. I’ll also do a plug for Quakerism. I think being a Quaker school lays the foundation in early education for these ideas, for the idea of radical empathy and for this work. The history of Quaker activism by itself is a history that I think exemplifies the kind of work we’re doing with diversity, equity, and inclusion. On affinity groups: I led the White Ally affinity group... I had members of my group contact me and say, “This is really interesting. I’ll go home and talk about it with my parents and then we have these discussions or I’ll talk about it with my siblings or I’ll talk about it with my friends.” And that, I think, is the ultimate purpose of affinity groups - that the lessons, experiences, and knowledge that you gain, you take out and you distribute outside of this group. That’s the ultimate purpose to have these people act as agents of change in every other sphere of their life.

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Reflecting on Experience The MFS COVID-19 Archives Project

“We don’t learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.”

- John Dewey

This past July, Head of School Julia de la Torre announced the MFS COVID-19 Archives Project. Community members were invited to share their thoughts and feelings about the times we are living through using whatever media they chose. In her message encouraging community members to contribute, she cited educator John Dewey’s statement: “We don’t learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” This archive will become a part of the School’s history. The following feature includes a selection of submissions received so far – short essays, poems, art, photography, and more – from a kaleidoscope of perspectives, from Lower, Middle and Upper School students, parents, teachers, and alums spanning six decades. They tell stories of great challenge, tremendous resilience, and hope. In its 235 years of history, members of the Moorestown Friends community have lived through many trying times, from wars, depressions, civil strife – and even the pandemic 100 years ago. Capturing voices from today, for tomorrow, is a message of hope for generations to come.

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Fall 2020

The MFS COVID Archives Project Ciani Lee Green ’14, received her B.A. in psychology from Stanford University, where she was co-president of The Black Student Union and the Black Family Gathering Committee, and vice president of Delta Sigma Theta. After working in the tech world, she pivoted to education, following her long-standing interest in educational inequality, and is currently a manager of Strategic Analytics for Camden City School District. She joined them as an Operations Manager in August 2019.

Designing Creative Virtual Early Childhood Education Ciani Lee Green ’14 I was a Family and Operations Coordinator for a preschool so we were forced to be especially creative when it came to remote learning. Our students could not simply log into classes and submit assignments. Furthermore, our curriculum has a heavy focus on socialization which is hard to replicate virtually. The best part was having the safety of our staff and students prioritized, but the worst part was losing the inperson connection with our families. This was a new experience for everyone and we were all doing our best to figure it out. It was easy to be frustrated and even easier to be angry. We had to wait for scientists and doctors to give us the facts about the virus symptoms and spread. We had to wait for districts to make decisions about remote learning and our eventual return to school. Some

parents were being faced with food insecurity, possible evictions, furlough, layoffs and much more that we not only now had to deal with from afar, but it also led to inconsistent remote instruction participation. Most importantly, I had to give myself grace especially during those moments when I didn’t want to work, didn’t want to exercise, and didn’t want to get out of bed. This pandemic was unprecedented and there was no way to prepare myself for what was to come and I needed to give myself grace as I attempted to tackle each day. My words of wisdom are to give yourself and others grace during difficult times. We are all figuring it out and there will be frustration, anger, and sadness. We can make it a little easier on ourselves and others by being kind and giving grace.

Yilin Huang ’24 I really miss the social connections with others and the feeling of going outside in the summer. That’s why I wrote this poem. Laugh of your friends, Smile from that weekend. Mix them all together, In a little pan Have some flowers, Pour some winds. And definitely don’t forget,

“My words of wisdom are to give yourself and others grace during difficult times. We are all figuring it out and there will be frustration, anger, and sadness. We can make it a little easier on ourselves and others by being kind and giving grace.” – Ciani Green ’14

Fall 2020

Your favorite game set. Birds are singing, People are dancing. Take some giggling, That’s the joy we should get.

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The MFS COVID Archives Project Ken Mayer, M.D., ’68, of Boston, MA is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard School of Public Health. He is also Medical Research Director and Co-Chair of Boston’s Fenway Institute. An alum of the University of Pennsylvania and of Northwestern University Medical School, he is a renowned AIDS researcher, and a recipient of many honors including the Award of Courage from AmFar, and was the inaugural recipient of the MFS Alice Paul Award of Merit in 2003.

Harvard Professor Laments U.S. Response Ken Mayer ‘68 When I first read about the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China in early January 2020, I was concerned, but not surprised. As an Infectious Disease specialist focusing on HIV, the idea that any new pathogen could fuel a global pandemic was not new. Many researchers, clinicians and public health officials recognized for several decades that with increased human encroachment on diverse animal habitats, and with unprecedented human travel, a major outbreak was possible. A health journalist, Laurie Garrett, wrote a definitive book about the issues, The Coming Plague, in 1994. Fortunately, prior to COVID-19, society dodged the bullet, being able to detect and contain potential pandemics like SARS and Ebola before they became widely established. As a researcher and clinician, watching the US response to COVID-19 has been painful, seeing a bad situation made incredibly worse because of governmental incompetence has made me angry, sad, and scared. Boston was one of the first heavily hit cities in the US in late March and April, but after an extensive shutdown since June, the pandemic has gotten into relative control.

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In the short run, taking the public health measures seriously is the only way we can keep the pandemic from spiraling out of control. This means everyone should wear masks when out in public, and in closed settings when others are present besides members of one’s pod; physical distancing, and good hand hygiene are also important. We need to scale up testing and contact tracing, which is easier to do when the spread of the virus is slower. None of this is rocket science, it just requires competent national leadership, which we have lacked. What is rocket science is the development and deployment of safe and effective vaccines. I am modestly optimistic about these efforts, since many of us who do HIV clinical trials were asked to create sites for the conduct of COVID-19 vaccine trials. The federal government is scaling up large efficacy trials of five different COVID-19 vaccines, which will require enrolling 150,000 volunteers before the end of this calendar year. If one or more of these vaccines is effective, we will eventually have a way to control the pandemic and begin to reclaim the lives we used to know, but this will not happen overnight, so we all need to be careful for the foreseeable future.

Sisters Megan Schweiker ’20 and Kayleigh Schweiker ’18 at Commencement in July.

A Thank You for Recognizing the Class of 2020 Krista Schweiker, Parent The world seemed to change overnight and the norms in place were turned upside down. We had to learn a new way to live and things we took for granted like access to food, how we learn, how we work changed drastically. But through this period, we realized how resilient we are as people and a country. As a parent of an MFS senior, I was very impressed by the caring and thoughtful approach to keeping students safe and recognizing seniors during their last year of high school.

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It’s Not Too Late! Read more Entries or Submit to the MFS COVID-19 Archives Project Today If you are interested in reading more submitted entries to the MFS COVID-19 Archives or you wish to submit writing, artwork, photography, poetry, or audio/video content capturing your reflections, visit the Among Friends web page in the Alumni section of the school website.

The Cooke family: Andrew, Wendy, Remi ’24, Ryan, and Reece.

“I would suggest to future generations to reflect on Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, and Equality (SPICE) to help find the wisdom and perspective needed to get through.” – Parent Andrew Cooke

A Husband and Wife Reflect on the Pandemic Wendy Cooke

The new normal is not only a buzzword, it’s the reality. Keep everything in perspective. Try to find bright spots amid the chaos and disappointment. The world on pause allows more time spent with family and less scheduling. I recognize that security and health are somewhat of a privilege and value what’s important. I see the best and the worst of people during the pandemic. Inequity is highlighted as many are less fortunate and have challenges that we did not endure. I am grateful and thankful, confident that we will make it through this pandemic together and hopefully be better people for the experience.

Andrew Cooke

Historic and world-defining would be the words I would use to sum up my experience over the past few months for

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future generations. I would suggest to future generations to reflect on Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, and Equality (SPICE) to help find the wisdom and perspective needed to get through. I believe the SPICE values central to the MFS community have had exponential benefit while in isolation. Considering the societal unrest concurrent in this period, these values have framed my micro and macro worldview during this unprecedented time and provided me perspective and empathy. I have found joy in finding deeper primary family interactions, renewal of old friendships, the ability to have more time for family and hobbies while working from home and indulging in my personal passions given the additional time on my schedule having eliminated a long work commute to New York City daily. I have most enjoyed this ability

to eliminate my commuting time which provided me additional hours for the pursuit of my existing hobbies such as landscape photography via my drone as well as developing new pastimes such as vermiculture and vermicomposting to raise earthworms to feed my aquarium goldfish, and re-connecting with old high school friends via Zoom and re-connecting with family via long nature hikes together.

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The MFS COVID Archives Project

Top ten things I learned from the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 by John Donnelly, ‘71 10. Science education in the US needs a lot of improvement. So many people seem to lack critical reasoning skills and the ability to learn from observing the world around them. Teaching these skills must be a priority. 9. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Nature is not in charge. It’s also a big mistake. 8. Changing human behavior is hard. 7. Everyone, including scientists, interprets new experiences in the light of previous ones. The first impulse is to focus on the things that are the same between the new experience and past ones. The most important thing is to understand the differences.

Renowned Immunologist Recalls Inspiration of 10th Grade Biology Class John Donnelly, Ph.D., ’71 In Ms. Levesque’s 10th grade biology class at MFS in 1968 we did a unit on microbiology and by the time it was done I knew I wanted to be an immunologist. By luck I managed to end up an undergraduate at a large university which at the time also had one of the two Ph.D. programs in immunology that existed in the US. I started taking their courses as a senior undergrad and gained a spot on their training grant the following year. I was very well prepared for the small-group discussions and independent thinking of grad school. It felt just like MFS and helped me forget the nightmare of 1,000-student undergraduate classes. After school, postdocs, and a brief stint as a faculty member I moved to the pharma industry in 1988 and began to work on vaccines. I found I much preferred doing things that had a practical application and was privileged to help bring several vaccines to market.

6. Infectious diseases most often are the same old thing – pathogens that humans have been living with for a very long time. In my career more new ones became threats (HIV, West Nile, Ebola, Zika, SARS, MERS, SARS-COV-2) than in any recent generation of scientists. The 1900s saw the first recorded influenza pandemic, the 1700s the introduction of smallpox and measles to North America and syphilis to Europe, and the 1300s, bubonic plague to Europe. In one way or another, travel of human populations has played a role in every one, as it helped pathogens gain access to new susceptible human populations. 5. Successful pathogens make their living by being stealthy – not making the host severely ill, not every time, or at least not right away. Finding them, and learning how they can threaten human health, is the most important thing, and also the hardest part, at least in the beginning. 4. There are four lineages of coronavirus that are endemic in human populations and cause only mild disease (common colds). They have been with humans for many years, maybe thousands. Now we have some idea what it was like for humans when those viruses first entered human populations. 3. County health officers are the unsung heroes of the pandemic. They have taken responsibility for protecting the public health when no one else would. Thank your county health officer today. 2. Technology is an important help, but it supports reason, thought and coordinated action, it does not replace it. 1. For the first time in many years, the public has seen science operating in real time. Making hypotheses, testing them, arguing about the results of the tests, throwing false hypotheses away and making new ones. Preprint servers and rapid online publication have helped science move at unprecedented speed during the pandemic. We need to keep these ways of operating and maintain the pace for the next challenge and the one after that.

John Donnelly, Ph.D., ’71, of Moraga, CA is a retired principal with Vaccinology Consulting LLC, having spent over 25 years in vaccine research and development. Most recently he served as President of Global Healing, a worldwide organization dedicated to maternal and child health and prior to that was with PATH, a Seattle-based global health nonprofit. He also served over 30 years as a US Army Reserve Medical Service Corps Officer, including in wartime. He has worked for Novartis, Chiron, and Merck and earned his doctorate in immunology from the University of Pennsylvania, with postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins. For the past several years, he has volunteered remotely to serve as an expert for MFS seventh graders during their Quest program, as they tackle challenges concerning global health.

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Fall 2020

Carina Smith ’22 I found that I enjoy solitude more than I thought. Finally having time to do activities that I often don’t have time for (art projects, helping rescue cats, watching movies, doing puzzles, and generally hanging out with my family). I had a “socially distant” traveling virtual 16th birthday party with our small circle of family/friends. I participated in our town’s march to support BLM, which was very meaningful to me as a Quaker and an ally. Looking at the general population compared to those who follow a Quaker world view, it seems there is a great lack of empathy and critical thinking in our country. Science deniers and those who put their self interests over the well-being of the community reinforce the value of a Quaker education where we learn to think of others before ourselves and to value science and expertise is key.

“It seems there is a great lack of empathy and critical thinking in our country.” – Carina Smith ’22

Alison Judah ‘86 is a cofounder and the President/CEO of Hypno Design in Moorestown, as well as being an artist in her own right. She shared that, “The time of social distancing during the rise of COVID- 19 was and is hard for everyone. It was a time of uncertainty in the beginning when will we be able to be with other people again? Will the virus hurt my loved ones? How do I stay in my house for weeks or months? For me, when I become anxious, I spend time creating art. Over the past few years, my meditative art practice has been to create mandalas. The mandala is the Sanskrit word for magic circle and it can be used to create sacred energy as seen in a variety of cultures. I find it is time for me to sit and center my mind and draw. I do not usually have a plan as to what it will look like - I draw using my intuition. I do start by setting an intention for myself or for someone else if I am creating one for a friend or loved one. This piece was a mandala of gratitude. I know that I am lucky and have so much in my life and I wanted to honor that in this particular mandala.”

Fall 2020

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The MFS COVID Archives Project

Vashti Williams ’13 Vashti Williams ’13 is an Executive Assistant for LinHarden Development A Haiku About Coronavirus Counting down the days Until I can once again Touch and hold my friends. I’ve had a lot of experience sitting in silence, reflecting (every Wednesday for years, actually) and because I’ve learned how to be still, I’m not as shaken as many of my peers by the stay-at-home order. I still am active in my community, and I find simple ways to entertain myself: drawing, writing, baking. While the pandemic hasn’t been a cushy vacation by any means, I can challenge and engage with the silence and isolation in a meaningful way without being overtaken by it. Things are wildly different now from what I’m used to, and I’ve had to mourn that; but I’ve been able to find connection and community in new ways I hadn’t thought of before. I’ve discovered new ways to interact with my friends and my community because I’ve been flexible and proactive. I’ve really missed cafes, museums, art shows...connecting with people in an informal setting. I’ve been teaching myself digital art and animation, and it’s been incredible. I’ve loved expressing my creativity in a way I’ve never explored before, and I have been able to dedicate lots of time to learning and improving.

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Chloe Marshall ’26 Chloe’s mixed media work (above) using acrylic paint and newspaper “represents the worries about what’s happening in the world yet also the positives that still exist around us.”

Sewing machines and 3-D printers have been busy since the beginning of the pandemic as MFS families made masks and personal protective equipment for essential workers, including teachers, and for their family members. Here are some masks made by Jamie Neff ‘21.

Fall 2020

Palav Babaria, M.D., ’99, of San Francisco CA, is a primary care physician and the Chief Administrative Officer, Ambulatory Service, at Alameda Health System in Oakland. A graduate of Harvard (B.A. in Sanskrit & Indian Studies), she received a Master’s in Health and graduated from medical school at Yale University, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, where she also received a Fellowship in Global Health. MFS bestowed her with the Young Alumni Award in 2014.

Reflections from a California Physician Palav Babaria, M.D., ’99 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, sleep, for many of us, has become elusive. I find myself awake at odd hours, worried about all the questions to which I have no answers. What do I say when my son has nightmares about his father, who is working on the frontlines, getting COVID and dying? How can I expect him to trust and lean on his new first grade teacher, whom he’s never met, through Zoom, when he hits walls of frustration rather than bursting into tears? Am I masking and washing enough to keep myself from bringing COVID-19 home to my loved ones? How do I help my patient on dialysis who’s sinking so deeply into her depression that she routinely skips dialysis, to the point of near-death? Moreover, how do I do this remotely over a telephone when I can’t even look her in the face? How do I support my team at the public hospital where I work to adapt our

Fall 2020

healthcare to telehealth, with patients who may not even have a personal computer, a home internet connection, or the ability to navigate our websites in English and Spanish? And then, there were murders: George Floyd, Sean Monterrosa, Rayshard Brooks. And our country, in brave voices, started asking the questions that have been staring us in the face for years, decades, and centuries but which we didn’t listen to fervently enough. Our hospital system started asking the right questions—why aren’t we at the forefront of providing COVID-19 testing in the most vulnerable communities in Alameda County? Why aren’t we finding solutions to the wildfire spread of COVID-19 in our LatinX families who don’t have the luxury to ‘self quarantine’ in a shared apartment or forego essential work? Why haven’t we invested more in addressing the shocking maternal mortality for black women in our county? And then, the pandemic raged through the summer. And the wildfires came to California, bigger than ever, and I started walking out my front door into a smoke-filled haze. And my patients got sicker—with the weight of six months of sheltering in place, the depression of social isolation and financial stress as jobs have been lost and benefits have run out. So now, my days are filled with tears: my 43-year-old patient from Guatemala who lost her job and is having panic attacks because she doesn’t know how to feed her family and pay her rent; my 78-year-old Ethiopian patient who has stopped going to church and exercising and now has uncontrolled diabetes, making her sicker, and sadder; my 28-year-old patient who got caught in gunfire on the streets of Oakland, had surgery, but wasn’t able to follow up due to COVID-19 and now can’t move her left arm. My dialysis patient,

who fought her depression, but passed away last week of COVID-19. And so now, sleep is still elusive for me. But it’s filled with different questions. How is it, that we as a nation, have elected leaders who ignore public health wisdom for politics? It didn’t have to be this way. How is it that we think elderly retirees deserve Medicare, but our most vulnerable patients, disproportionately brown, black, women and children should settle for Medicaid, which has been shown time and time again to be an inferior form of insurance with worse outcomes and higher mortality. How is it that we can be the only industrialized nation without an adequate social safety net that provides healthcare, childcare and basic protections to civil liberty?

“I find myself awake at odd hours, worried about all the questions to which I have no answer.” – Palav Babaria ’99

And the most important question of all: How can we all, despite these limitations, be scrappy and creative and drive change for the right populations and the right outcomes? Because that time is now and yesterday and tomorrow.

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The MFS COVID Archives Project Ryan Turkington ’07, of College Station, TX, is an alumnus of Texas A & M University, and a graduate of the University of Texas School of Medicine. He practices Emergency Medicine.

ER Doctor On the Texas Front Lines Recounts Onset of Pandemic Ryan Turkington, M.D. ’07

Including my residency training, I have practiced emergency medicine for a little over five years now. I am grateful that I have had time to establish myself before COVID-19 really began. I currently practice at a regional hospital about 90 miles away from the COVID hotspot of Houston, Texas. At first, the pandemic started as a mere curiosity in a far away land. It seemed as if it were impossible for the pandemic to reach the U.S. We mostly regarded it as if it were the Ebola outbreaks in Africa from a few years ago; concerning but not likely going to affect us. Once the virus arrived stateside, I remember the panic that went through the community. There were so many unknowns which was probably the scariest thing for everybody, including myself. It seemed inevitable that it was going to reach our community, and no one knew how to treat this disease or what a strain it would place on our resources.

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I was one of our first physicians to take care of a COVID-19 patient and it was a big deal being informed of this. I almost felt as if I were a leper; I had to wear a mask at all times and have my temperature taken before each shift that I worked. Little that I knew that this would soon become standard operating procedure for everyone coming to work in the hospital. There were some initial concerns for my own safety, however, I was much more concerned about potentially passing this illness on to any of my patients, especially the elderly ones. That still is my biggest worry as I take care of people. Little by little, that anxiety for my own safety waned as we settled into this new routine. COVID-19 had significant impact directly as well as indirectly. We have started seeing people come in sicker than usual not just from COVID but from other chronic illnesses that they avoided seeking care for out of fear of

contracting the virus. I have had patients die alone because of this illness and have seen young people with devastating, lifealtering complications from COVID-19. I have seen the effects of lost employment and devastated small businesses. Our collective stress due to COVID-19 is palpable and is heightened for anyone working in healthcare right now. This heaviness would drag anyone down. What I’ve learned more than anything is the importance of self-care. Getting some sunshine, exercising, going on a trip (responsibly), doing anything that brings you joy, is so important in this time. Take care of each other, especially the elderly. So many of them are lonely and afraid during this time. Take the time to be a friend to others. We can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel now, but my hope is we will exit it with a greater appreciation of life and the things that make it worth living.

“What I’ve learned more than anything is the importance of self-care. Getting some sunshine, exercising, going on a trip (responsibly), doing anything that brings you joy, is so important in this time.” – Ryan Turkington ’07

Children everywhere crayoned, painted, and sidewalk-chalked colorful rainbow pictures in the early months of the pandemic to send messages of hope and cheer. Here is a rainbow in watercolors by Elle Fullerton ’32.

Fall 2020

Gigio Longo ’94, Marina Longo ’24, and Riccardo Longo ’89.

Philadelphia Restaurateurs Navigate Many Challenges Riccardo Longo ’89 and Gigio Longo ’94

Gran Caffè L’Aquila was enjoying incredible success as an international destination for an authentic Italian experience be it for cuisine, italian bar , events, culture classes or Seria A soccer. Italy was the first western nation hit hard by COVID-19. In January and February our concerns were with our family members in Italy. By March, the epicenter had quickly moved to the USA. On March 16 all restaurants in the state of Pennsylvania were ordered closed for dining. We had inside information from Italy on just how bad this virus was so we decided to completely cease operations including takeout for the safety of our employees and guests. By April 16 it was understood that this was going to be a long term epidemic and it was clear that we would not be able to operate as we did before for some time. Thus we decided to remain closed until there was a sense that it was relatively safe for our staff to come back. We have a restaurant family of 70 employees that depend on our business

Fall 2020

Riccardo Longo ’89 is the founding partner of Center City Philadelphia restaurant Gran Caffe L’Aquila, and Director of Operations for the Toscana Restaurant Group. He is an alumnus of New York University, and holds a B.S. in international business from Univerite Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, as well as an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Gigio Longo ’94, trained (and practiced for some time) as an architect (B.A. in architecture, Drexel University, M.A. in architecture/urban planning, Syracuse University). But in 2012, he joined his family’s restaurant business. He is the VP of Operations for the Toscana Group. He also has a number of creative sidelines under the umbrella of his studio, G. boTiC Productions.

for their livelihood and we realized we would need to pivot and once again reinvent Gran Caffè L’Aquila when we did reopen to support them. My brother and I would spend 8 to 10 hours a day on a computer designing a web-based version of our business during the lockdown. The goal of Gran Caffè L’Aquila was always to give our guests an authentic Italian experience. Our idea was to now bring that experience to them at home. Thus we created an online luxury market of Italian products and even contracted with mercato.com to do premium grocery delivery of our fine ingredients to our guests. When we weren’t working on the new business plan we were on the phones with government contacts and trade associations fighting for our industries survival by pushing for legislation specific to our industry. In the end the PPP was what we got, but in an industry where our dining rooms were closed it was quite useless. In June, we finally felt it was relatively safe enough, in terms of the virus, to bring our staff back to open for takeout and the grand opening of our new online market, as well as a physical market on the first floor of the Caffè. We ordered the food & supplies, retrained the staff, remodeled to a market concept and were ready to open. The day before the re-grand opening the riots began. I watched on closed circuit television as rioters pulled a piano out of our neighbors store and destroyed it in front of ours. As smoke rose directly behind us from a building being burned down, our partner Stefano refused to accept this fate. My brother, Riccardo, was knocked out of commission with a concussion and cracked shoulder from a previous robbery a block from the Caffè. Thus Stefano on his own decided to protect our building. After watching

the original Caffè get destroyed in an earthquake he would not allow the same fate here. He stood guard, outside the door of Gran Caffè L’aquila as rioters destroyed the whole block, even though we asked him to stand down. The next morning from Di Bruno Brothers to Nordstrom the frontage of our entire block was destroyed except our building. A week later, in the ruined state of our block, we quietly opened for delivery, as a luxury Italian market and a virtual on line store. Incredibly, in the first three months we shipped our gelato, coffee and other products of Italian excellence to over 40 states. This, along with delivery business, has allowed us to bring back about half of our staff. Unfortunately, with the huge overhead of a large city structure and with the city not allowing indoor dining we were struggling nonetheless. I had the opportunity to speak to Philadelphia City Council leaders about the plight of our street and they did listen and provided us police and extra security. Slowly things got slightly better, and we eventually opened outdoor seating. It’s interesting to think that we began the year as a celebrated restaurant and culture school and now we are a retailonline-restaurant hybrid. My Nonno once told me and my brothers to remember that it’s how one handles the hard times that defines their character. He was a World War II POW, part of what is known as the ‘Greatest Generation.’ From an earthquake, to a pandemic, to violent riots and looting, to our industry collapsing, we are most certainly being tested. In a broader sense, this is our generation’s World War II and let’s hope that another great generation will emerge from the struggle.

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The MFS COVID Archives Project “I urge everyone to support your local arts as much as you can during these difficult times.” – Lee Porter ’95

Looking Forward to the Theater Lights Shining Brightly Soon Lee Porter ‘95 A member of the Azuka Theater Company Board of Directors since 2012, Lee Porter ’95 is a Regional Manager at Two Roads Brewing. He is also active as a writer/editor/ producer and marketing consultant. He is an alumnus of Lafayette College and Rutgers Law School. When COVID struck Philadelphia in March, Azuka Theatre (in Center City Philadelphia) was in the middle of our three-week production run for SHIP (a World Premiere, written by Philly playwright Douglas Williams). We ended up cancelling performances for the final weekend, as the serious reality of COVID and quarantining finally sunk in with most everyone in the Greater Philly area that weekend of Friday, March 13. The Azuka Board and staff ended up virtually meeting every week at the beginning of March quarantine, as we needed to figure out what we were going to do moving forward. We had our third production of the season (the World

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Premiere of A Room At The Flamingo Hotel, written by Philly playwright Lena Barnard) scheduled to run April 29 through May 17. It became quite clear that this production – and live theater (and, heck, live arts) in general – was not going to safely happen for sometime. So we had to postpone that production. (I’m proud to say that Azuka was able to pay all the artists for that show even though we never saw it come to stage.) So then, we had to consider further next steps. Would we be able to do our normal three-play season starting in the fall of this year or not? Should we try virtual readings or productions? There was so much unknown that we were

contemplating. And then as the Black Lives Matter movement and protests took place in Philly and throughout the country and the world, we realized that we had to reexamine our focus even more during this time. Azuka Theatre’s mission is “to strengthen the connection and shared humanity among its diverse audiences by giving voice to the people whose stories go unheard.” We recently decided to prematurely announce that we are not going to produce any plays for the upcoming 2020-2021 season. Instead of producing (if we even could), Azuka’s staff and Board are eager to thoroughly respond to the calls for change being made by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists in Philadelphia and throughout the country, and we have defined goals set out to fully accomplish this. While many theater companies have been promoting their 2020-2021 seasons, Azuka is taking a fully opposite approach and making great use of this time to be better than ever when we return. It’s sad to have the theater lights out in Philly and around the country and the world. The greater arts community suffers tremendously during times like this. Artists do not have normal salaries with benefits, and a lot of their non-art incomes have been affected as the restaurant and catering world has been devastated as well - where many artists work full- or part-time when not producing, performing, or on tour. I urge everyone to support your local arts as much as you can during these difficult times. I look forward to the lights coming back on as soon as can be. Bravo, MFS! Onwards & Upwards!

Fall 2020

“Remember that each individual carries the burden and responsibility to make choices to protect each other, even when it is inconvenient or difficult; some things are too big to not give our full attention and full effort.” – Eva Gelernt ’12

Reflections from a NYC Nurse Eva Gelernt ’12

Eva Gelernt ’12 is a graduate of Barnard College, and recently completed her MSN at Columbia University. I’m currently finishing up my degree in nursing, preparing to become a licensed RN. In March, my school announced that some of the New York City hospitals needed help as COVID ramped up, so I and a group of classmates moved back from all over the country where we had been quarantining with family. These hospitals desperately needed all the help they could get as floors overflowed with patients, specialty floors were immediately converted to COVID floors, and the need for resources was a form of desperation I had never seen before in healthcare. I was placed on a pediatric COVID floor. A 12-year-old died on one of my shifts. I watched a corpse being wheeled out on another. I watched as an 18-yearold, recently extubated, was monitored continuously to ensure his O2 sats

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wouldn’t drop below the 90/91 percent he was shakingly clinging onto. I stood outside a patient room with four other RNs, ready to run in, as we watched a patient coughing so hard his sats dropped to 80 – the nurse in the room rushingly trying to help him clear his airway, doing everything we’ve been taught to do. He settled at 89 – not good but better. That was the new headspace: the normalization of death, the expectation of DNR/DNI, the postmortem care we had not been emotionally taught to handle. Visitors aren’t allowed in. Pediatric patients are allowed one visitor at a time. I sat with a 25-year-old on a few shifts; he had been intubated for over a month and then was transferred to the hospital at which I worked. He asked if I had any free time on my shift to just come and sit with him; he hadn’t had a visitor in over two months. I became very used to the routine: come home at 8 a.m., strip at the door and throw my scrubs into a trash bag, sear myself in the shower, take a sleeping pill to shut off my head, sleep as long as I can, and then do it again. I found myself questioning if this field was the right choice for me because this was, and is, so much harder than I thought it would be. But then I remember that the 25-yearold was discharged to rehab with no need for additional oxygen. I remember that the 18-year-old told me with a smile at his 12 a.m. vitals that he was getting

to be discharged tomorrow morning so long as his vitals stayed stable all night. I remember the nurses ecstatically checking the ED census and seeing less than 10 admissions that night. I remember that these patients got better and, God, does that make me happy. I know, though, that so many didn’t get better, and my happiness is quickly met with anger. I’m so angry that people are dying alone, let alone dying at all. I’m angry that kids are so sick and dying from this. I’m angry that Mother Nature is pushing back so severely because we haven’t been listening to her for decades when she needed us to. I’m angry that I want to find a silver lining in this and there just might not be one. When this thing ends, do not forget what we have learned: Teachers deserve much greater pay; Grocery store workers, delivery men, those who have kept us all going – deserve much greater pay; Universal healthcare MATTERS. Remember the organizations that supported this country during this time and support them back. Remember the organizations that didn’t. Remember that each individual carries the burden and responsibility to make choices to protect each other, even when it is inconvenient or difficult; some things are too big to not give our full attention and full effort.

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The MFS COVID Archives Project Ann Stouffer Thornton ’07 is an owner at Tuck Barre & Yoga, and a partner at Inbound Found digital marketing in Philadelphia. She is an alumna of the Fox School of Business at Temple University, where she was a member of the lacrosse team.

Sustaining a Fitness Business in a Pandemic Ann Stouffer Thornton ’07

I co-own a fitness studio in the Washington Square area of Philadelphia that opened in July of 2019. Tuck Barre & Yoga now has five brick and mortar locations in and around Philadelphia that are owned by my good friends/business partners, Callie & Hagana Kim. We shut down all studios on March 15 and clunkily transitioned to teaching free (donation-based) Facebook Live classes seven days a week. When it became clear that we were not going to open our doors any time soon, we adjusted our offerings for the long term, adding outdoor and Zoom classes as well as an affordable online on-demand platform to accommodate the new reality of working out from home. When Philadelphia began talks of reopening fitness studios and gyms this summer, it was inconceivable to think about opening when heavy breathing in enclosed spaces is just about the worst thing you can do. In-person fitness, while important, is not essential. Not opening was an easy decision when the alternative was endangering people’s lives. The reason I was drawn to owning this business in the first place - the tight knit and encouraging community we had

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worked so hard to build - fully supported and embraced the decision. One positive that’s come out of this crisis is the ability to broaden our reach. The fitness world is overwhelmingly white and privileged. With various online offerings, we have been able to provide workout options for a more diverse group of people. Some who might have found walking into a studio intimidating or out of reach can now participate from the comfort of their own space. So we’re continuing to host sociallydistanced classes at local outdoor bars, in parking lots and on rooftops. We’re still doing Zoom and Facebook classes and creating content for our on-demand platform. It’s not the same, but it’s something. I’m not sure if we’ll ever go back to in-person classes as we knew them before. While I don’t carry much burden, I’ve seen my partners go through the struggle of many small business owners - continuing to pay rent for five shuttered locations with no relief in sight while still paying teachers for classes that aren’t filling. Unfortunately, I’m sure I’m just one of many in the MFS community who face losing investment and businesses in the face of COVID-19.

Teamwork! Matthew Strauss ’27 This has been a time for teamwork because the MFS community has to work together creatively to come up with different ways that help everybody and make this time as normal as possible. My advice would be a good way to get through times like this is to always try to help each other out by sharing creative ideas to support everybody.

Ann Stouffer Thornton ’07 leads a socially distanced yoga class atop the Cira Center in Philadelphia.

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Jon Zaid ’04, of Philadelphia, recently completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and now is an internist with Jefferson. He is an alumnus of the Drexel University College of Medicine, and graduated from George Washington University. The following essay is adapted from a post Jon wrote in April for 34justice.com, a blog he shares with Ben Spielberg ’06.

A Local Internist Gives Back Jon Zaid, M.D. ’04

When the pandemic began, many things in my life changed; my primary care clinic office hours were consolidated and daily teaching conferences were cancelled. I had a high-risk coronavirus exposure and was self-quarantined until my negative result was confirmed. During weeks when I would usually see patients in the ambulatory clinic, which were temporarily closed due to the pandemic, I found myself wanting to get back in the action. I signed up for the Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps as a “swabber” (obtaining samples from the back of the throat) at the South Philly screening site in the parking lot of Citizens Bank Park. I had Phillies tickets for a game that was supposed to take place that weekend. But instead I arrived at the stadium parking lot to see swathes of asphalt without cars. Instead they’re filled with tents, traffic cones, and people gowned from head to toe in PPE (personal protective equipment) rather than tailgaters. This screening site was a joint venture between the Philly Department of Health, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There was plenty of PPE to go around and I suspected this was due to FEMA’s presence because nobody seemed to be

Fall 2020

overly concerned about limiting volunteer access to equipment. I was interested to see who comprised the volunteer corps because there was a wide variety of people in the Delaware Valley that unexpectedly had nothing to do. There were retired physicians, nurses, medical students (suddenly without any clinical duties), as well as people not at all involved in medicine who just wanted to help. Everyone was eager and energetic. You couldn’t tell there was a pandemic about to make its way to Philadelphia and the people that were most concerned they had an infection were driving to your current location. The screening site was a well-oiled machine by the time I arrived in late March. Through intake, data collection, verification, swabbing, etc. it took about 8 to 10 volunteers to run one “lane” of cars. Ultimately the car completed its journey at our site in the swabbing tent where the specimen was collected. The more volunteers present, the more tents and lanes open, which greatly decreased wait time for the public to get screened—therefore enticing more people to receive testing. There were times when I volunteered and only two tents were open due to staffing issues. Additionally, I was told by the Medical Director at the site that samples were taking closer to 10 days to process, not the 5 to 7 that we had been telling the patients. Lastly, something that I found somewhat incomprehensible was that the FEMA guidelines for eligible patients to get tested did not align with those of the Philadelphia Department of Health. This led to some people being taken out of line by FEMA representatives even though they were eligible for testing according to the Department of Health. It never occurred to me that things like this can affect an overall city’s number of cases. Closing or decreasing screening capacity as well as delays in reporting can make numbers artificially lower. I’m trying to find silver linings to

come from the pandemic. Some are that the people being screened were overwhelmingly appreciative of our efforts. Local restaurants provided free lunch and dinner to the volunteers so it very much felt like a community coming together. I was fortunate to observe the way people are supporting one another during these stressful times. Philadelphians are responding positively— for now. It may not stay like this for the entirety of the pandemic as economic and other life-changes will exacerbate the anxiety that many people are feeling. I take comfort in knowing that there is potential for a lot to change in our society as we emerge from the pandemic.

“I take comfort in knowing that there is potential for a lot to change in our society as we emerge from the pandemic.” – Jon Zaid ’04 It won’t be a surprise that our lives will be markedly different in the coming months and most likely years. For the foreseeable future, society will no longer run as “business as usual” following the first wave. The way our healthcare system functions is something I’m most looking forward to seeing evolve as people realize that our employer-based model leaves millions behind and is not equipped for delivering the most care to the most people. A new awareness of what we find important in life will also develop. This may entail rethinking the significance of the local community and each person’s role. We’ll be forced into introspection – things like where we get our food, how we view work, and how we spend our free time will require reflection and evaluation – whether we like it or not.

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The MFS COVID Archives Project

Reflections from Middle School Siblings Emmie Huynh ’27

Being quarantined at home has been a challenge. But, at the same time, it has been a good experience for me. I was able to connect to my teachers in ways I have never imagined, and succeed in my academics, while learning virtually. The dedication my teachers put into their work for me and my classmates to thrive in our new “school” is amazing, and words can’t explain how grateful I am for them! Although it has been quite hard for me not to see my teachers and friends... if this pandemic didn’t happen, many other wonderful things wouldn’t have happened. For example, I wouldn’t be able to bond with my classmates and teachers in unique ways or discover cool online websites! So, overall, this was a nice challenge for me. Because, without this pandemic, I would’ve never gotten to have this amazing learning experience. So, my advice to you is to make the best out of every experience life throws at you...Remember that you have people surrounding you that love you and are there for you if you need them! I believe in you!

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Sarah Huynh ’25

I had some days where I was really down. I missed everyone a lot and I wished I could go out and visit my friends and family. However, I think my parents faced the biggest challenges...They both are working really hard to provide us with what we need and more and they also help us through any of our struggles. I am so grateful to have them as my parents and I am really thankful that they have helped make our time at home fun... Although we were limited in the places we could go, the pandemic allowed us to spend quality time with our families...Our family got to enjoy a lot of time playing games and doing crafts, instead of just being online. It was nice to have this time with them that we wouldn’t have normally.

She Traveled Virtually All Over the U.S. To Earn Girl Scout Patches and Badges Maya Serotta ’28

I decided to work really hard on Girl Scouts. I did virtual programs from Texas, Florida, California, Virginia, Montana, and Alaska. I earned dozens of patches and badges. I loved that the Girl Scouts of Alaska invited me to STEM career programs. I went to a “meet an astronaut” day, talked to a marine biologist, and found out about sewers in Florida! I worked on my Summit Award which is a big deal, because it is three journeys and took a long time.

“The dedication my teachers put into their work for me and my classmates to thrive in our new school is amazing...” – Emmie Huynh ’27

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A Learning Curve for All Teachers Debra Galler, English Department Chair Remote learning has been... an experience! I felt like a first-year teacher again, which was both incredibly frustrating and, at times, exhilarating. Gone was the traditional sense of the classroom, of a space where I assumed my role as teacher with confidence. Even small changes, like going from spending most of my day standing to spending most of my day sitting, made the feeling of teaching just... different. It was a learning curve, but I happen to love to learn, so I really enjoyed exploring new ways to do pretty much everything. Over the summer I’ve had the chance to learn a lot more, and I will be taking some of what I’ve learned last spring (about pacing, about useful digital tools, about what’s ACTUALLY necessary to go over as an entire class) into my future teaching, no matter what form it takes. The worst part (aside from Zoom’s uncanny ability to freeze up right when I’m making an incredibly awkward face), was the loss of the physical sense of the group. Looking into boxes doesn’t have the same impact as looking around a circle at people. Zoom robs me of the subtle cues that instantly tell me who is confused, who is checking out, who is upset about something that happened outside of class. We retained our ability to

“I felt like a first-year teacher again, which was both incredibly frustrating and, at times, exhilarating.” – English Department Chair Debra Galler learn and to laugh together, but I missed my ability to “feel” the room. Sometimes when students turned their cameras off I felt deeply isolated, like I was talking into a void, and it was, at times, demoralizing. At other times, though, small groups came together wonderfully in the online environment - my advisor group bonded over doing online quizzes together and sharing a workout challenge (I’m still waiting for some of them to finish doing their push-ups, ahem). Remote learning, like any type of learning, has benefits and challenges.

Christine Chandran ’21 submitted a charcoal self-portrait: “Quaker values have played a role in how we have responded to this COVID crisis. In a way, it serves as a mask that protects us and others. We have learned the importance of helping our community, using our time and resources wisely, and keeping a strong mind during these unprecedented times.”

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Alumni Association Awards

Alumni Service Award: Frank Beideman and Mindy Holman, for leadership and philanthropy at MFS and in the wider community Frank Beideman and Mindy Holman of Moorestown have received the Alumni Association’s Service Award for their exceptional civic leadership, both at Moorestown Friends, and in the wider South Jersey community. Long involved at MFS as parents - and now alumni parents - of sons Brad Beideman ’12 and Joe Beideman ’15, Frank and Mindy have been pacesetters in philanthropy at the school,

especially with the Camden Scholars Program. In addition, Mindy served on the MFS Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2020. Far beyond their roles at Friends, Frank and Mindy have been top volunteers and supporters with many area organizations, both personally and through their business. They have notably been involved with: The United Way; Urban Promise, which serves children and youth in Camden; and Westfield Friends School in Cinnaminson. Frank is Vice President of Resource Development at Holman Automotive Group, as well as being a director of Holman Enterprises, Inc., where he serves on its Executive Board. Holman comprises more than 25 different operating companies, which include automobile dealerships, a retail auto finance company, an automotive parts distributorship, a truck up-fitting business, and the largest private fleet management company in North America. He is on the Board of Directors of Urban Promise. He is also a Trustee at the First Presbyterian Church Moorestown. Mindy is the third generation head of Holman Automotive, the company founded by her grandfather, where she is currently Chairman of the Board. She has chaired the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, and was its Women United Gala Honoree in 2019. She is also Vice-chair of the Board of the Community Foundation of South Jersey, which she co-founded. Among many honors Mindy has received as a leader in business are the Alice Paul Institute’s Equality Award, and the “Shattered the Glass Ceiling Award” from the National Association of Women Business Owners. “Giving back” is a stated core value of the Holman organization. Mindy has been quoted as saying, “Our family’s philanthropic vision is straightforward: we believe we should support the communities where our employees and customers live and work. Period. It is not an extension of our advertising budget but simply meant to assist where there is need.”

Note: The Dinner Among Friends, originally scheduled for Friday, May 1, at which Alumni Association Awards were to have been presented, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alumni Association looks forward to celebrating these honorees when we are able to gather again in person.

Call for 2021 Alumni Awards Nominations The MFS Alumni Association warmly welcomes nominations for the Association’s annual awards slate. If you would like to nominate a fellow alum, or in the case of the Service Award, an alum, alumni parent, or teacher, the process is easy. You can find an online nomination form on the MFS website under the Alumni tab at the top of the landing page. Criteria for the awards and lists of past recipients can also be found there. You also may contact Associate Director of Development Beth Stouffer, at bstouffer@mfriends.org and she will assist you. The Awards Program was established in 2000, when the first Service Award was conferred on the late teacher and coach Floss Brudon. Award nominations are considered by a representative national committee clerked by MFS Trustee and Alumni Association Executive Committee member Haley Coles Driscoll ’86. Traditionally, the awards have been presented at the Dinner Among Friends, which opens Alumni Weekend in May. In addition to the Service Award, the Alice Paul Award of Merit is given for lifetime achievement, and the Young Alumni Award recognizes outstanding alums on or before their 15th MFS reunion.

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Alumni Association Awards Young Alumni Award: Cornell Verdeja-Woodson ’05, for his outstanding career in diversity, equity and inclusion work Cornell Verdeja-Woodson, Class of 2005, of San Leandro, CA, was chosen for this year’s Young Alumni Award in recognition of his achievements in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the time of his nomination, Cornell was Global Head of DEI at Looker, a computer science software company in Santa Clara, CA, as well as sole proprietor of his consulting firm, Brave Trainings. Cornell is now a full-time Diversity Consulting Partner with business and human relations leaders within the Google Cloud (Looker was acquired by Google in March). He has also begun a doctoral program at the University of Southern California Rossier Graduate School of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership. Cornell is an alumnus of Ithaca College, where he majored in Communication Management and Design, and also was student body president. After college, he served in Teach for America in Atlanta. Interested in a path in educational leadership, he then earned a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Management at the University of Vermont. Positions followed at NYU and Cornell, eventually becoming the Cornell University Lead Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Alongside these endeavors, Cornell developed his consulting firm, Brave Trainings, which works with organizations committed to authentic social justice dialogue. Cornell came to MFS as a Camden Scholar in ninth grade. He has said, “I believe my time at MFS kickstarted my love for education and working for the greater good.”

The Alice Paul Merit Award: S. Merrill Weiss ’65, a pioneer in the development of digital and high definition television Merrill Weiss, Class of 1965, was recognized by the Alumni Association with the Alice Paul Merit Award for his pioneering work in digital and high-definition television technology. Merrill has received all of the highest accolades in his field - and it started with a two-tube radio kit his father gave him when he was six years old. An alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, he began his career at Philadelphia radio station WIP, WHYY-TV (Channel 12), and KYW Newsradio and TV. Early on, Merrill became involved with the Working Group on Digital Video Systems with The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He has spent his whole career on the leading edge of that technology. Later, at KPIX in San Francisco, standards he helped develop became the foundation for practically all digital video up until the present. Eventually he came to manage system engineering at NBC, and from there, started his own consulting business. His clients have ranged from Wall Street investment bankers to major Hollywood studios. He has had a career in broadcast technology of more than 50 years, and has been the leader in writing standards for digital television for more than 40 years. He holds a number of U.S. and international patents on transmission technology and is widely published in his field. Merrill, who is loyally involved with the Class of 1965, credits many of his teachers from Friends with helping him succeed, including Social Studies Teacher Cully Miller, who mentored him in the Audio-Visual Operators Club, Math Teacher Neil Hartman and English Teacher Jean Ricketts, whom he believes helped him to be a better writer and communicator than some of his engineering peers. Little did those teachers know that they were nurturing the talents of one of the giants of 21st century television innovation.

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Honoring Retirees Eliza McFeely

Eliza McFeely with her husband Jeff Fischer and daughters Maggie ’13 (far left) and Clara Fischer ’10.

Eliza McFeely retired in 2020 after 15 years as an Upper School history teacher. She also served as a faculty adviser for the Gender Equality Forum and the Girl Up Club. A fellow teacher observed that Eliza “is keenly aware that many groups of people have often been marginalized or ignored in history curricula. In her classes, all people are acknowledged and given their rightful places as active participants in history.” Eliza, an enthusiastic lifelong learner, was awarded an MFS Zekavat Summer Sabbatical to travel to Northern Italy in 2018. Through interviews and research, McFeely explored the struggles of refugees and individual stories of citizens resisting wartime horrors. She also participated in planning and leading numerous Intensive Learning experiences. A favorite was right in Philadelphia, conducting a veritable treasure hunt for littleknown amazing artifacts in local museums. Eliza and her husband Jeff Fischer recently moved to the Massachusetts beach town of Truro, MA, on Cape Cod, where they look forward to hiking, biking, and kayaking and “seeing what the winters are like.” Said Eliza: “I have no doubt that we’ll find things to do -- I have some writing projects, some quilting projects, and, thanks to MFS, I’ll be learning to paint with watercolors!” Eliza and Jeff will also visit with their daughters Clara ’10 and Maggie Fischer ’13 who both live in New York City.

Brooke Smith

Middle/Upper School Math Teacher Brooke Smith, who joined the MFS faculty in 1999, retired in 2020. She taught a wide range of Middle and Upper School math courses and also served as a Middle School and Upper School robotics coach. She cofounded the Middle School robotics program and spent many late afternoons and weekends helping team members prepare and compete, with trips throughout the region. With a passion for travel, Brooke has been a significant contributor to the school’s Intensive Learning program. She helped plan and lead MFS Intensive Learning Trips all over the world -- the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, France, England, Morocco, and more. She has both mentored colleagues who want to lead trips, and taught a generation of students the joy of exploring new places and cultures. A fellow Intensive Learning chaperone noted, “Working and traveling with Brooke, I saw her caring and nurturing characteristics up close.” She also was an active committee volunteer. She spent time as the All School Agenda Clerk and Clerk of the Benefits Committee. She was also an MFS Knitter, crafting numerous hats, scarves, blankets squares, and booties to celebrate retirements and arrivals. Brooke and her husband Woody Rosenbach have set a goal to achieve 100 countries visited when they are able to resume travel again (they have visited over 60). Brooke also looks forward to volunteering and working with underserved youth. Brooke and Woody are parents to Sarah ’08 and Andrew Rosenbach ’10.

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Brooke Smith with husband Woody Rosenbach, daughter Sarah Rosenbach ’08 and son Andrew Rosenbach ’10.

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Moorestown Friends School 2019-20 Annual Report of Donors

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of

IMAGES

The MFS Arts & Literary Magazine

Class Notes Photographs of alumni are now indicated with . If you see this symbol, a photo featuring a class member is either on the page or nearby!

1954

Jim Scott

1958

Saundra Griffith Nottingham reports that, one year in, she still likes apartment living, with her 11-year-old cat and two dogs. She is close to her 5 children and 13 grandchildren, and, at the time of writing, was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her first great grandchild, the first girl in the family in many years. Sandy’s sister, Bonnie Griffith Jamison ‘59, is now living with her daughter in North Carolina, where she enjoys her children and grandchildren.

1959

Sandi and John Coles moved from Moorestown in the beginning of July to Holiday Village East, a 55-and-over community in Mount Laurel, very near the Mount Laurel Meeting House. Their five children are farflung: three in the Peterborough, NH area; one in Moyock, NC; and one in Atlanta, GA. In addition, they have two grandchildren in Hancock, NH and one in Naples, ME with two great grandchildren. The Coles family is loving four seasons outdoor activities in New Hampshire. John reports that he and Sandi are “looking forward to having more time to visit all those guys, and catch up more frequently with MFS’ers from the 1957, 1958 and 1959 years.” John has given up active sports due to back surgery several years ago, however he reports that Sandi is still playing competitive tennis and mastering pickleball. He wishes safe and happy times to all!

1961

Class correspondent Bill Archer is hoping for a big turnout for the class’s 60th reunion in 2021. Bill’s fingers are crossed that everyone will be able to return to campus to celebrate this milestone.

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1962

Ann DeCou Cranmer is delighted to report that during the pandemic, she and her brothers and sisters have been “Zooming” every Saturday afternoon. In addition to Ann, that includes Tony DeCou ‘60, Tina DeCou Krutsky ‘63, Pat DeCou LaMountain ‘63, and Dave DeCou ‘68. They live in Arizona, California, Utah, Massachusetts and Oregon. One Saturday they even had cousins join in, Martha Wildman ’69, Richard ’62, and Gretchen Capehart ’63 DeCou, Charlie DeCou ’55 and Peggy Wildman Kimple ’61! According to Ann, it has been wonderful – it’s the most they have communicated together since they all lived at home.

1966

In the course of tracking down classmates for its planned 55th reunion, the Class of 1966 has learned that, sadly, classmate G. David Myers died on May 3, 2015 in Bradbury, CA. In addition, former classmate Robin Medd Houston passed away in January 2015, at her home in New Orleans. Class Correspondent Martha Sawyer DeLuca shares that Robin “left MFS after our junior year, but went on to become active in politics, her community, and the arts. Cancer took her too early, leaving her family of three children and two grandchildren.”

1967

After working for the last 15 years at Wolters Kluwer Health, Janet Sawyer Thomas is very happy to share that she has retired. Following a 40-year-long career in nursing continuing education, she is enjoying the freedoms afforded by retirement. Janet and her husband John took a celebratory trip to Panama in February, and returned to face the COVID-19 pandemic. She has begun to spend time and energy on landscaping and gardening projects and is loving her new lifestyle. She recommends it highly!

1954

Congratulations to Jim Scott, who has been awarded the prestigious Albert O. Hirschman Prize by the Social Science Research Council, the Council’s highest honor. Scott is the Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University, where he also serves as professor of Anthropology. He was cited as a scholar of extraordinary breadth, having made a career of “creative trespassing” across disciplines, researching the effects of economic development and social planning on ordinary people.

1969

In a doubleheader probably only rarely achieved, if ever, accomplished academicians and twins Larry Kotlikoff and Michael Kotlikoff were both part of substantive articles in The New York Times on the same day, July 3. Larry’s op ed piece, co-authored with Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina, concerned the benefits of the development of a cheaper, self-administered COVID screening test. The front page article in which Michael is extensively quoted concerned the Fall reopening plans of Cornell University, where he is the Provost. In addition to serving as Provost, Michael is a Professor of Molecular Physiology at Cornell. Larry is a Professor of Economics at Boston University. They both are frequently cited in national

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Class Notes

Ruth Ann Geyer Jurgensen ’91 Named Chief Executive Officer of Prep for Prep In May, Prep for Prep’s Board of Trustees announced Ruth Ann Geyer Jurgensen ’91 as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Prep for Prep is a leadership development program that offers promising students of color access to a private school education based in New York City. Ruth has more than a decade of experience serving in senior leadership positions at independent schools in New York City and Chicago. In her prior role as Associate Principal at Francis W. Parker School, she managed the day-to-day operations, overseeing the educational program including 21 academic Department Chairs, the Directors of Studies, the Athletic Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinators and Co-Chairs, as well as operational areas including security and maintenance, facilities, and food service. She was crucial in helping to develop and implement the school’s pandemic crisis preparation and response. During her six-year tenure at Parker, she served as a key member of the senior leadership team and drove new initiatives including the creation of an endowed speaker series and the Young Men of Color Symposium which she brought to the midwest. Ruth founded the Administrators of Color in Independent Schools Conference. In her response to the Board’s announcement Ruth noted, “I am thrilled to become the leader of this extraordinary organization which has helped so many amazing young people of color to realize their full potential through equal access to the best educational institutions... I am intimately familiar with the outstanding work Prep does to support its students academically, emotionally, and practically, both in and outside of school. Now, working with Prep’s Board, its exceptional team of professionals, committed families, and dedicated independent school partners, I look forward to fulfilling Prep’s mission, as we continue to assure that exceptionally bright, highly motivated students have equal opportunity to become future leaders who will reflect the rich diversity of our nation and our world. Prep’s unique, holistic approach to leadership development gives me unlimited confidence in how much we can accomplish together.” Prior to Parker, Ruth served as the High School Principal of Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI) in New York City where she was a member of the executive leadership team and oversaw the expansion of the campus and student body. media, and their dual July 3 New York Times appearances was not actually the first time they have appeared on the same platform on the same day. Larry is a frequent contributor to the top political website The Hill, where a joint opinion piece by the Kotlikoff twins appeared in March, on how an aggressive national COVID testing plan could aid in the quelling of the pandemic and the recovery of the economy.

1974

After a distinguished 11-year tenure as Director of the Montclair Museum of Art, Lora Urbanelli retired in June. She

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took over the helm of the museum in the midst of a recession, and is credited by Board of Trustees Chair Frank Walter with stabilizing its finances, rekindling optimism, and enabling the institution to flourish with her “continuing creativity and inspiring leadership.” Previously, she served as Director of the Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center in Rockland, ME, as well as spending 20 years as a curator at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.

1988

Lance Johnson p. 79

1991

Ruth Ann Geyer Jurgensen Rachel Williams Agosto p. 76

1994

Congratulations to Tara Smith, who was named Corporate Secretary of Discovery Inc. in June, where she also serves as Senior Vice President for Securities and Executive Compensation. Discovery Inc. is a global media company with over $10 billion in annual revenue. Some of its wellknown brands are the Discovery Channel, Golf TV, the Food Network, Animal Planet, and HGTV.

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Class Notes

Rachel Williams Agosto ’91 Named Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at George School Rachel Williams Agosto ’91 was named the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at George School earlier this year. Preceding this role, Rachel was at The Peddie School, where she was Associate Director of Admission and Director of Multicultural Affairs. In addition to creating and implementing the school’s strategy for multicultural student recruitment, enrollment, and retention, Rachel served as faculty advisor to the Black Student Union, and the Faculty Gender and Sexuality Group. From 2000-2017, she was at George School where she was an essential member of the admissions team, head of two dormitories, and head coach of the Varsity Girls’ Basketball team. When interviewed by George School Rachel noted, “it is an honor and privilege to welcome members to our multifaceted Quaker community in which our differences in race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, religion, geographic region, gender, sexual identity, and academic, extracurricular, and social interests are celebrated as part of our fabric. George School is a community I love, where I help provide vision and direction as we ensure that all members experience a sense of belonging. It is more important now than it has ever been for us to engage in open and honest dialogue in our world and at George School. When we are brave enough to lean into uncomfortable conversations, this inspires a reevaluation of one’s own assumptions and encourages a deep dive into understanding how and why people can come to different conclusions when presented with the same situation. In the dorm, dining room, classroom, art studios, and athletic fields, we find it is critical to bring together students and adults with an array of viewpoints and backgrounds.”

1996

Wilbur Briones and his wife Liz celebrated the birth of their second son Michael on June 26. Michael arrived a little early, and had to spend some time in the NICU, but is doing well. Big brother Matthew could not be more proud.

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1997

In response to the killing of George Floyd, an Ally Rally was organized in Haddonfield on May 31 by Karinne Damadio Lindner (right) and Alumni Association Clerk Meg Parrington Hollingworth (center) along with their friend Laura Jaslow, drawing over 300 protesters, including Mara Cutler Katsikis ’99 (left). Covered by the Courier-Post newspaper, Meg shared that “In these immensely challenging times, I know our Quaker learnings and MFS community have a lot to do with how we process the world, and our feeling of being moved to action. I am confident that our social justice commitment was fueled and fed by our years at MFS.”

Fall 2020

Class Notes

1995

David Baiada p. 79

1996

Wilbur Briones p. 76

1997

Karinne Damadio Lindner and Meg Parrington Hollingworth p. 76

1999

Mara Cutler Katsikis p. 76

originating in 1966 in Plaquemines Parish, LA. Reviewed Sept. 4 in The Washington Post, the book was called “A valuable contribution to the literature of the civil rights movement and the ongoing fight against white supremacy.” It also was well reviewed in the Sept. 28 issue of The New Yorker magazine. Matty spent five years in research, interviewing, and writing.

2001

2004

2001

Rebecca Overholt

2003

Matty Van Meter’s book, Deep Delta Justice: A Black Teen, His Lawyer, and their Groundbreaking Battle for Civil Rights in the South, which was published by Little Brown in July, is going to be the basis for a documentary, A Crime on the Bayou, which is in development at HBO. The book and film concern a Supreme Court case,

Kate and Jon Wolf are very happy to announce the birth of their first child, Finn Philip Wolf on November 19, 2019.

Rebecca Overholt and Sam Lopresti were married on August 24, 2019. Becky’s father, Miles Overholt ’66, walked her down the aisle. The wedding was themed around the couple’s enthusiasms - the Philadelphia Phillies as well as theater.

Ryan Flynn ’06 Accepts New Positions at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Ryan Flynn, M.D./Ph.D. ’06 has joined Boston Children’s Hospital as the newest Principal Investigator in the Stem Cell Program and the Division of Hematology/ Oncology. He was appointed Assistant Professor in the Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department at Harvard University and the Pediatrics Department at Harvard Medical School. His research concentrates on understanding the biology of RNA with a focus on human disease. His current program focuses on RNA glycosylation and stem cells. Ryan earned his undergraduate degree from MIT under the mentorship of Phil Sharp, a Nobel Laureate and leader in the RNA field; completed his MD/PhD training at Stanford under the mentorship of Howard Chang; and most recently, was a Damon Runyon postdoctoral fellow in Carolyn Bertozzi’s lab in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University. Ryan was recently awarded the Career Award for Medical Scientists (CAMS) from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. This award supports the transition of physician-scientists from postdocs/fellows into an independent research position. The program hopes to increase the number of physicians entering the research workforce by funding the work of physician-scientists. Beyond his strong focus on research, Ryan is committed to mentoring and training the next generation of young scientists. “The Program is very excited to have Ryan as part of our community,” Dr. Len Zon, Director of the Stem Cell Program, said. “Ryan brings amazing scientific insights, energy, and enthusiasm to bridge the fields of RNA biology and stem cell research.”

Fall 2020

AMONG FRIENDS

Class Notes

2008

Julie Laskin got engaged to Alexander Nectow on February 16. They are living in New York City, where Julie works for Prudential Financial as Director of Financial Communications, and Alexander is a clinician-scientist and faculty member of Columbia University’s Department of Medicine.

2004

Jon Wolf p.77

2006

Ryan Flynn p. 77

2008

2011

Congratulations to Autumn Talley who began her pursuit of a doctorate in criminal justice at Temple University this fall. Autumn graduated from Howard University with a double degree in Spanish and Psychology, going on to earn her master’s in social work at New York University, where she studied clinical practice and drug policy. She then practiced as a licensed social worker for three years at a family shelter and two community behavioral health centers. A self-described abolitionist, at Temple, she is eager to work on sociological research on how the U.S. criminal justice system affects families and communities.

2015

Scott Strickland has multiple reasons to celebrate. He is engaged to Lincoln Ballew, whom he met at the University of Michigan (top). He has joined the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (bottom), and has been accepted to study at McGovern Medical School in Houston, TX, both of which programs begin this fall.

2015

Julie Laskin

2011

Autumn Talley

2014

Kenan Soso

2015

Scott Strickland

2016

Zachary Day has graduated from Bentley University, and started working for Brown Brothers Harriman, New York City, as a Foreign Exchange Operations Specialist.

AMONG FRIENDS

Congratulations are in order to Kenan Soso, who has graduated from Canada’s Ontario Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering.

Class Notes received after August 15 will be printed in the next issue of Among Friends.

Fall 2020

Class Notes Alumni Soccer Players Zoom with Varsity

Share Your News with Friends

In early September during the NJSIAA-mandated two-week virtual period for Fall sports, the Boys’ Soccer team welcomed five alumni guests and former players in separate Zoom meetings: David Baiada ‘95, Lance Johnson ‘88 David Baiada ‘95 CEO of BAYADA Home Health Care, Shawn Gupta ‘10, Internal Medicine Resident at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, NJ, Ethan Carilli ‘13, Financial Consultant at Travelers, Lance Johnson ‘88 (a former professional soccer player), Vice President for Commercial Banking at Howard Bank in Maryland, and Matthew Mullock ‘16, Underwriter Trainee at McKee Risk Management, Inc., who just wrapped up a soccer career at St. Joseph’s University. All were interviewed by Coach Mike Schlotterbeck and answered questions from players.

Moorestown Friends School encourages all alumni to share their news for Class Notes. To contribute, please email communications@ mfriends.org with updates on your life and any high resolution photos you would like to submit for publication. If you prefer, you can also write to Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck Moorestown Friends School, 110 E. Main St., Moorestown, NJ 08057.

In Memoriam Robert J. G. Alteveer father of Ian Alteveer ’95 and Colin Alteveer ’00 Reid Bush former faculty member Sonia Davis wife of Escamillio Davis ’73 Janet Foord mother of Karl Foord ’68 and Lynn Foord ’73 Isaac Platt Hand ’50 Thomas B. Hottenstein husband of former staff member Monica Pawluk Hottenstein ’68 Theodore M. Johnston father of Jennifer Johnston ’86 and Janice Johnston ’88

Meredith S. Kay mother of Samantha Kay ’10 Jacqueline Khan mother of Mustapha Khan ‘80 Anne C. LeDuc ‘43 Debra Lord former Science Teacher Mary Jo Lovett wife of James R. Lovett ’66 Joan Rogers McKeon ’44 wife of former administrator, the late John McKeon, and mother of the late John McKeon ‘67, the late Amy McKeon Wallace, Lucy McKeon ‘70, and Tom McKeon

Mary Elizabeth Moore friend, daughter of the late Granville Moore ’34 and Mary Souder Moore ’45 Susan Nelson ’67 sister of David Nelson ’66 Lorraine Riesenbach mother of Lawrence Riesenbach ’78, Robert Riesenbach ’80, and Andrew Riesenbach ’83 S. Coles Roberts ’43 brother of the late Beth Hooton Roberts ’42 Ruth P. Taenzer mother of Laura Taenzer Aberant ‘87 Jennifer Ryanne White daughter of MFS Controller Diane White

Editor’s Note: Full obituaries are found on the MFS website. “In Memoriam” lists the passing of the following: alumni; immediate family of alumni (father, mother, child, spouse, sibling); current parents; current and past faculty and staff; spouses, partners and children of current faculty, staff and administration; current and former trustees; and spouses and children of current trustees. Notices will include any of the deceased’s relatives who are MFS alumni. To locate full obituaries on the MFS website, navigate to “News” in the top menu of www.mfriends.org and then select “Among Friends Magazine.” Alumni who do not have access to the Internet may contact Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck at (856) 914-4434 to request a hard copy of an obituary.

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Celebrating the Class of 2020

Caps Off to the Class of 2020! Graduation caps arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally part of the Commencement tradition at MFS, but this was not a normal year. In May, each senior received a black cap and was invited to decorate it as a way to mark their graduation from MFS. The selection of caps below, part of a collection of more than 70, is a reflection of the individual personalities of the Class of 2020. A socially distanced Commencement ceremony was held July 12 on the Oval for the seniors and a limited number of family members.

AMONG FRIENDS

Fall 2020

Congratulations Moorestown Friends School Class of 2020

The MFS Class of 2020 on the first day of school in 2019.

MFS Class of 2020 Colleges and Universities: American University • Arcadia University • Atlantic Cape Community College • Babson College • Bard College • Boston College Colgate University • Dickinson College • Drexel University • Emory University • Florida State University Georgia Institute of Technology • High Point University • Johns Hopkins University • Lehigh University • Marist College Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Miami University (OH) • Michigan State University New York University • Northwestern University • Pennsylvania State University • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rutgers University • Saint Joseph's University • Smith College • Spelman College • St. Lawrence University • Stockton University Syracuse University • The College of New Jersey • The George Washington University • The New School - All Divisions The Ohio State University • The University of Alabama • The University of Texas • Towson University • Tufts University Tulane University • University of California • University of Delaware • University of Maryland University of Michigan • University of Pennsylvania • University of Richmond • University of South Carolina University of Vermont • Ursinus College • Villanova University • Virginia Tech • Wellesley College • Wesleyan University Widener University • Yale University

Fall 2020

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cinnaminson, NJ Permit No. 81

110 East Main Street Moorestown, NJ 08057-2949

Reflecting on Experience The COVID-19 Archives Project Members of the MFS community have participated in the school’s COVID-19 Archives project and shared short essays, poems, art, photography and more as reflections on 2020. See the feature article which includes selected submissions, including this self-portrait by Christine Chandran ’21.