Spring 2014 MOORESTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL
Among Friends
The Science of Food
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
SPRING 2014
From the Head of School
3
Notes from Pages Lane
6
Fox Tracks
10
Career Day
12
Food for Thought Friends in the Food Industry
14 18
Class Notes
25
In Memoriam
35
Spotlight on Student Artwork
36
Moorestown Friends School 110 East Main Street Moorestown, NJ 08057 (856) 235-2900, www.mfriends.org Published By The Development Office Editor, Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck
About the Cover Lower School and Fifth Grade Science Teacher Rebekka Schultz teaches Food Chemistry to fifth graders. In the “Food for Thought” feature beginning on page 18, read about the unique and innovative MFS Food Education program and alumni who have pursued a variety of careers in the food industry.
Graphic Design Alison Judah ’86, Hypno Design
Assistant Director of Development Beth Stouffer
Photography Kat Clark, Michael Webster, Yearbook Staff, and Alumni Contributors
Director of Parent and Alumni Programs Christine Schantz Palumbo ’05
Head of School Larry Van Meter ’68 Director of Development Stephen Zakroff
Director of Annual Giving Kristy Embrack Searles Development Office Staff Sue Giacchetto, Michelle Wartenberg
Managing Editor, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Kat Clark 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. SPRING 2014
Printed on recycled paper. AMONG FRIENDS
1
Title The Postal Service Prekindergarteners learn how the mail system works while honing their letter writing skills.
2
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
A Message From the Head of School
THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE The Moorestown Friends School mission statement is both durable and concise. Despite great changes in education (and in the school itself), the statement has remained largely unchanged for a quarter century. It is elegant in its brevity — one carefully crafted sentence. Short enough, in fact, to fit in a single-line display for all to see in the Stokes Hall foyer. Every word counts: 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. I am particularly struck by the use of “balanced” to describe our program. I have been involved in schools long enough to have seen many ideas come and go. The concepts viewed as cutting-edge in educational circles 25 years ago are, for the most part, no longer viewed as broadly useful today. Currently, programs and concepts with catchy acronyms like STEM, STEAM, IDEO and names like Discovery Learning, Maker Culture, Virtual Seminar, and Design Thinking are de rigueur in education circles. Like earlier educational enthusiasms, each of these concepts has considerable merit. Problems begin, however, when proponents, in their zeal, overreach in an effort to create a one-dimensional world in which their favorite idea answers all questions. At MFS, a “balanced program” includes taking the best of these ideas without getting carried away by the rhetoric. In the Upper School, we continue to embrace distribution requirements that ensure that students are exposed to a broad range of subjects. Kids who don’t like math still need to take three years of it. Kids who prefer numbers to words still have to take four years of English. Not only does this breadth of learning give our students an opportunity to discover where their true interests lie, it also enables them to be well-equipped for college and beyond: mathematicians and engineers who can write clearly; social scientists and philosophers who engage in quantitative analysis; businesspeople who understand that the world does not communicate exclusively in English. The balanced MFS program also involves some 60 Upper School minor courses that give students an opportunity to enjoy a wide range of educational experiences, from the Biology of Cancer to Interfaith Conversations, from Ethics & Technology to Playwriting. And, finally, activities, clubs, sports, theater, and other in-school and after-school programs provide a rich array of opportunities to explore and discover one’s talents and passions. In a similar vein, Lower School and Middle School classes reach beyond a narrow focus on standard curricular material to explore new ideas and concepts — all intended to reinforce the student’s natural curiosity. In today’s global and technological world, some think that a well-rounded education is an outdated luxury. At MFS, our balanced program defiantly asserts that a broadly based, solid foundation is the best way to prepare our students for eventual specialization and career success. Warm Regards,
Larry Van Meter ’68 Head of School SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
3
Title
4
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
Title
First Graders celebrated the 100th day of school by sharing stories and projects with their Prekindergarten buddies. SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
5
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.
March 7-8 Set in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, the MFS production of Romeo and Juliet offered a contemporary slant on the classic production. While Shakespeare’s language and script remained intact, the set and music were arranged to provide a non-traditional backdrop to the story. Pictured: Alexis Tsapralis as Juliet.
March 6 Students in Digital Media Arts pitched their packaging prototypes to Crazy Aaron Enterprises for potential national distribution.
March 5 The Lower School celebrated Read Across America with a special tribute to Dr. Seuss. 6
AMONG FRIENDS
March 2 Eighth grade student Chloe Chen performed in the All-South Jersey Junior High Honor Band Concert at Lower Cape May High School.
February 28 Artist and LS/MS Spanish Teacher Erick PĂŠrez shared the story of how he became a painter with Upper School students in Spanish IV. SPRING 2014
Title
February 26 Seventh graders departed for their annual trip to Stokes State Forest.
February 24 Sarah Feyerherm ’82, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs at Washington College, visited MFS for a morning coffee for parents interested in learning more about college athletics. Feyerherm is currently the Vice Chair of the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics.
February 20 The MFS Consumer Bowl Team won their fourth straight Burlington County Consumer Bowl title. Members of the team are Joshua Murdy, Brett Barbin, Katherine Thai, Roy Thorstensen, Kirsten Mullen, and Coach Dr. Barb Kreider.
February 10 Dr. Steven Jones, a noted thought leader on cultural competency, spent the day at MFS. He led sessions with faculty, staff, and parents. SPRING 2014
February 2 The Model UN team attended the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference. Seven MUN students received honors in February. Back: Brian Pansius, Adam Mohsen-Breen, Brett Barbin, and Josh Kirkpatrick. Front: Dante Bucci, David Golden, and Emily Tatum.
February 18 Rachel Tilney was appointed Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, effective July 1. She succeeds Karin Miller, who is retiring at the end of the school year. She is the former Director of Admission and Enrollment at Episcopal Academy. Look for a farewell to Karin Miller in the fall issue. AMONG FRIENDS
7
Notes from Pages Lane
February 1 Seventh grader Jonathan D’Souza placed first overall and his classmate Vineeth Veeramachaneni placed third in the regional MATHCOUNTS competition held at Ocean County College. Both students competed in the state MATHCOUNTS competition on March 15 at Rutgers University. The MATHCOUNTS team was coached by sophomore Josh Murdy.
February 1 MFS hosted the 22nd Annual Summer Camp Fair, the largest camp fair in South Jersey.
January 18 Students qualified for national competition in several history events thanks to their performance at the New Jersey State Championships, held at Seton Hall University. The team of Kirsten Mullen, Brett Barbin, Josh Murdy, and John Barton qualified for the National History Bowl. Barbin qualified for the U.S. Geography Olympiad. Three students also qualified for Nationals in the History Bee at the junior varsity level: Murdy, Barton, and Alex Horn.
December 12 Third graders Skyped with a classmate’s cousin who works at the Cheyenne River Youth Project in South Dakota.
January 14 Senior Carl Durkow’s photo was one of just 125 images selected from a pool of over 1,350 to be finalists in the 2013 Drexel University High School Photography Contest. Finalist photos were displayed at an exhibit in February and March at Drexel. 8
AMONG FRIENDS
November 21 Lower School students enjoyed visiting sea creatures from The Wetlands Institute of Stone Harbor. SPRING 2014
Title
November 6 Ninth graders simulated an international discussion on Syria as part of their history curriculum. Students represented one of 12 groups involved in the current Syrian crisis, presenting possible solutions to the conflict and discussing potential paths to peace.
December 1 The yearbook staff won two awards from the American Scholastic Press Association for their production of the 2012-13 yearbook, The Cupola.
November 14 Celebrating 130 Years of Kindergarten at MFS The rich history of the early childhood program was celebrated at a 130th Birthday Party for the Kindergarten, which was attended by current kindergarteners and 18 “Originals” from the Class of 2014. The 18 seniors represent exactly half of their original kindergarten class. The kindergarten program’s establishment in 1883 took place about ten years before American public schools began integrating kindergarten on a national level. Rachel Rogers and her assistant Sarah Wilson were the first kindergarten teachers at MFS. Rogers studied under a famous pioneer of the Kindergarten Movement, Madame Maria Kraus-Boelte, who herself was a disciple of Friedrich Froebel — the German pedagogue who invented the concept of kindergarten (“children’s garden”) in the 19th century. The MFS kindergarten is also notable for one of its earliest alumni, Alice Paul, who was one of 11 students enrolled in the kindergarten class in 1891. Later known as one of the country’s leading advocates for women’s rights, Alice Stokes Paul graduated from the school in 1901.
SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
9
Fox Tracks 1 The Boys’ Basketball team captured the Audubon Holiday Tournament in December. They downed the host Green Wave 61-57 in the championship game. Dhalil Sadiq and Joe Beideman were named Co-MVPs of the tournament. 2 Emma Giordano, Lauren Brill, Amy Gilligan, and Madeline Cohen were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Assocation High School National Academic Squad for their achievements in academics and field hockey. Brill was also recognized by the NFHCA as a Scholar of Distinction. 3 Christian Aguilar was named Second Team All-State in Épée by the New Jersey Interscholastic Fencing Association. He finished sixth at the state championships held March 1 at Montgomery High School.
2
4 Grace Kim was named First Team All-South Jersey for Girls’ Tennis, and in December was recognized as Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year by The Burlington County Times. Erin Chen and Paige Hurley were named No. 1 Doubles All-County, and Jess Ferber was named No. 2 Singles NJSIAA All-County. The Foxes finished first in the Friends Schools League regular season and were the Non-Public B South runner-up. 5 The Boys’ Soccer team advanced to the NJSIAA Non-Public B South final in the fall — the furthest the team has advanced in almost two decades. They fell to eventual state champion Gill St. Bernard’s 2-1 in an exciting game held at Holmdel High School. The Soccer Coaches Association of New Jersey selected the Foxes as the #10 ranked Non-Public team in the state, and defender Dan Richards was named Third Team All-South Jersey. 6 Lisa Eiffes was named First Team All-Friends Schools League in Girls Swimming. She won a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke and a bronze in the 50 freestyle at the FSL Championships. Stephanie Walker won a silver medal in the 50 freestyle, and the 200 medley relay team of Marirose Aleardi, Rebecca Berg, Walker, and Eiffes also won a silver medal. Brandon Beach earned a bronze medal in the 200 freestyle, and the 400 freestyle relay of Carl Durkow, Leon Pfeiffer, Edward Gelernt, and Beach also earned a bronze medal for the Boys’ Swimming team.
3 1
4 10
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
Title
5
6 SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
11
Bruce Novich ’75 • Senior Vice President, Fujifilm • B.A. Colgate University • Massachusetts Institute of Technology - B.S. ChemE, MSCivE, M.S., Sc.D.
Fujifilm Exec Keynotes Career Day Bruce Novich ’75 visited MFS on March 7 to provide keynote remarks for juniors and seniors at Career Day. Novich is Senior Vice President for Fujifilm and manages the company’s Electronic Materials and Industrial Products division. He joined Fujifilm Corporation from Arch Chemicals Corporation in 2004 after Fujifilm acquired Arch’s Microelectronic Materials division. Prior to joining Arch Chemicals in 2000, he held management positions at PPG Industries, co-founded CPS Corporation, and was a Director of the MPS Corporation, a joint venture between CPS and the Vallourec Group, headquartered in Caen, France. He conveyed to students the necessity to develop a “career toolbox,” based on their career goals and aspirations. “Your ecosystem and your career change every day,” said Novich. “Jobs come and go, but careers stay with you throughout your life.” He went into specific detail about the ways technology touches almost any career and described the importance of being nimble and adaptable to the times. “The global techno-economy is driving global career growth and change,” he commented. In 2004, Novich was working for Arch Chemicals when it was acquired by Fujifilm. He described for students the personal challenges he faced at that time adapting from an American corporate culture to a Japanese corporate culture. 12
AMONG FRIENDS
Novich, who resides in Providence, RI, attended MFS from first to eleventh grade and has fond recollections of his 11 years at the school. “The Quaker values I developed at MFS have been extremely valuable,” he said. “In these times, you don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room, but having trust, integrity, and the ability to motivate has helped me immensely in my career.” Admittedly, this is based on his self-reflection after watching his children attend another Friends school – Moses Brown. Commented Novich: “I didn’t realize how important those Quaker values were when I was at MFS, but after watching my children attend and graduate from Moses Brown, I realize it now. I was well-prepared, confident, assertive, and this served me well.” Bruce’s older brothers are also both MFS graduates – attorneys Lee Novich ‘71, of San Francisco, CA and Jay Novick ‘68, of Miami, FL. Novich holds a B.A. from Colgate University, and a B.S. Chemical Engineering, M.S. Civil Engineering, M.S. Earth and Planetary Science, and a Doctor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
SPRING 2014
Career Day 2014
Career Day was established in 2003 to introduce juniors and seniors to a variety of career ideas. After listening to the keynote speech together, each student has the opportunity to attend three breakout sessions, hosted by alumni and parents representing a wide cross-section of fields.
Law Steve Cohen, MFS Parent
Non Profits / Social Action Mark Dann ’97
Partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius Law Firm
Regional Campaign and Outreach Manager, Compassion & Choices
Sales Brenda Dennis, MFS Parent
Law Enforcement Mary Ann Evans, MFS Parent
Food Policy Rebecca Gildiner ’05
Marketing / Advertising Brad Golden, MFS Parent
Senior Dir. for Worldwide Sales Strategy, Planning and Strategic Insights, Cisco Systems
Special Agent, FBI
Education Manager, Red Rabbit
Vice President, Kantar Retail
Finance Kate Golden ’98
Author / Teacher Lauren Grodstein, MFS Parent
Engineering Christine Tingle Lewis-Coker ’89
Academic Science / Research Kellie Machlus ’02
Assistant Vice President/Graduate Recruitment, Deutsche Bank AG
Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University and Fiction Writer
Hydraulic Engineer, US Army Corps of Engineers
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School
I.T. / Entrepreneurism Neil Roseman, MFS Parent
Medicine Adam Sackstein, MFS Parent
Environmental Science / Professor Cynthia Vance-Harris Hall ’98
Acting Anni Weisband ’07
Investor and Advisor for Technology Startups
Anesthesiologist, Pain Management Center
Assistant Professor of Geology, West Chester University
New York SAG-AFTRA Actress and Writer
SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
13
Title
Food for THOUGHT Here in Room 4, glass-encased beetles sit on the window ledge next to a paper wasp nest. A line of biological curiosities decorates the back wall: an elephant femur, the skulls of various animals, fish swimming circles around duckweed and snails. Chemical Test Rules are posted in purple marker: “Don’t eat it! Wear goggles. Listen. Wash your hands.” Fifth Grade and Lower School Science Teacher Rebekka Schultz stands in the front of the room under a display of favorite classroom words like displacement, sedimentary, and hypothesis. This is definitely a science classroom. And that’s why there are fluffy marshmallows on every table. “What do we know about a marshmallow?” asks Ms. Schultz. “Do we think it would be a good snack to take with us on a hike?” One student raises his hand and says marshmallows would need to contain both fats and starches in order to be the right snack. The other fifth graders nod and look down at the handouts in front of them. The class has been studying food chemistry, performing physical and chemical tests on foods to analyze nutrition content. In previous classes, they learned how to test for nutrients 14
AMONG FRIENDS
The Food Education Program at MFS Food Chemistry - Grade 5. Introduction to the chemical components of food. “Today we will be testing chocolate syrup for the presence of sugars and fats.” Kitchen Science - Grades 6-8. The study of the physical and chemical changes that happen in cooking. “Today we will be making chocolate syrup — we’ll vary the proportion of ingredients in order to observe changes in our product.” Food Science - Grades 9-12. Examination of the processing, manufacturing, and marketing of food. “Today we will learn about different commercial recipes for chocolate syrups and then taste different brands.” Nutrition - Grades 11-12. Investigation of the balance of foods needed to maintain health. “Today we will discuss where chocolate syrup might fit into a healthy diet.”
SPRING 2014
Food for Thought ‘awesome, good choice,’ or ‘Ms. Schultz, you’ve let me down’?” “‘Ms. Schultz, you’ve let me down!’” says Mikey. “Because we’d only have enough nutrients for a little hike.” “But Mikey, I’m confused.” Ms. Schultz puts her hands on her hips. “Because they also contain starch, which gives us great, longlasting energy.” She turns to another student. “What do you have to say about that?” “Well, glucose is the first ingredient, the second sounds like sugar, and the third ingredient dextrose is also a sugar,” he says. “Starch isn’t listed until fourth.” “So chances are, your body’s going to break down all of those sugars pretty fast,” says Ms. Schultz. “Based on our results, marshmallows wouldn’t be the worst choice for our hike, but we could probably choose something better.” •••••
Fifth grade Food Chemistry students conduct tests on marshmallows for various nutrients. one at a time, but in this final challenge they’ll be conducting all four tests in one class period: starch, glucose, fats, and protein. Each table makes their own predictions about which nutrients they think the marshmallows contain. They work together to review how to read the different nutrient test results: “What happens with glucose again?” “What color is iodine?” Students reference their food chemistry workbooks, developed by the Smithsonian Institution, for answers. They begin their fat and protein tests first, because those results take longer to process. Some of the tables have conflicting results. Ms. Schultz moves around the room, photographing the different results on her iPad so they can review them as a class on the interactive whiteboard. With about 15 minutes to go, she distributes a copy of the marshmallows’ nutrition label to each table. The room buzzes with questions and speculation. Ms. Schultz switches off the overhead lights. “Eyes and ears, friends,” she says. “I’ve given you the nutrition label that lets you know which ingredients are in the marshmallows. That should help you fill in your post-lab results. When we all finish, I’ll show you the rest of the marshmallow food label, where it lists the amount of each nutrient.” A little while later, Ms. Schultz directs the class’s attention to the screen at the front of the room. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Up on the board you will see each table’s results. So looking at the ingredient label now: if we were going on a hike, and I brought marshmallows, would you say SPRING 2014
All the way down the hallway, in Room 22, Dr. Barbara Kreider is teaching Nutrition to Upper School students. If you asked her, she would tell you that the Food Education Program at MFS has been one of her greatest passions as head of the Science & Engineering Department. “Our textbook publishers have noted that we may be the only high school in the country that uses a college textbook for Nutrition,” says Dr. Kreider, warmly. “We have two sections of it as a major course, and it’s a uniquely independent school offering. The Nutrition class amplifies the message that every senior gets in Health class — eat well to be well.” Within the science curriculum, the Nutrition course meets the emerging need for deliberate pre-college education around being a consumer in a country with an obesity epidemic. Within the broader context of a balanced education, MFS faculty have been cognizant of how instruction on food — at both the local and global levels — contextualizes the role of food in driving social systems. “Lifelong learning is a goal of our Nutrition course. We want to create an educated citizenry prepared to make informed decisions around issues of food sustainability and food equity,” says Dr. Kreider. “Student interest in this class has grown over the past five years as public discourse around food issues has intensified.” The Nutrition course includes weekly eco-friendly cooking and food planning. All students enrolled in the course compete in a local Senior Sarah Kezbari assists Dr. Barbara Kreider during a Middle School Kitchen Science lesson.
AMONG FRIENDS
15
Title
Dr. Kreider oversees Middle School students making ice cream from scratch. business competition, in which they design social media campaigns to convince target audiences to eat healthfully. The students also provide produce to the entire school on “Free Fruit Fridays.” In addition to offering Nutrition as an Upper School major course, MFS also offers Food Science as an Upper School minor course, Kitchen Science as a Middle School elective, and Food Chemistry as a course in fifth grade. The different age levels are able to interact with one another, particularly because the Nutrition course has a strong emphasis on learning through teaching others. Upper School students design activities around vitamins and minerals that they then share with fifth grade Food Chemistry, and they also design nutrition-based competition events for the New Jersey Science Olympiad.
The Food Education Program was partially the result of Dr. Kreider’s work on a nationally distributed nutrition textbook, for which she worked as a development editor for two years. She realized how little Americans know about the food industry and sought to better educate her students. A course such as Food Science is intended to increase students’ knowledge of how prepared and processed foods are made, while also teaching them about the history and sociological impact of food. A lesson on Cocoa Puffs examines how the ingredients are formed into a cereal product, but it also introduces students to the history of cereal foods: for example, the first modern cereals were created by Seventh-day Adventists as a dietary solution for hospital patients. In contrast to Nutrition, which focuses on healthfulness and whole foods, the Food Science course focuses on the industry behind processed foods. Students gain insight into the food system by considering how a product such as ketchup is made, marketed, and then distributed nationally — essentially, how to understand the list of Ingredients on a food label as opposed to the Nutrition Facts. The goal is to teach them how to navigate an ever-changing food system by learning the fundamentals of how food is commercially prepared. “The study of food at MFS is an applied science,” says Dr. Kreider. “When kids understand that Cocoa Puffs are cornstarch, they can associate the cereal with their chemistry knowledge. We teach them the process of using evidence to decide what they should eat.” ••••• A number of students who have taken Dr. Kreider’s Food Science course have gone on to study food science or nutrition at the college or graduate level. One such student, Kayla Fox ’08, majored in food science at UC Davis and is currently Assistant Research Scientist at Marrone Bio Innovations. She took Dr. Kreider’s Food Science elective twice. “If they had offered nutrition while I was at MFS, I would have taken that as well,” says Fox. “If it weren’t for Dr. Kreider, I would have never even known about food science. She told me I should consider majoring in it.”
As part of her unit on the Five Senses, Preschool Teacher Jennifer Yeung conducts taste tests with her students to help them differentiate between sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.
16
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
Amanda Connell ‘12 studies sustainable agricultural practices at Cornell, where she has academic access to farms.
Amanda Connell ‘12 conducts an experiment in the Food Science Department at Cornell University. Fox’s degree led her to Marrone Bio, a company that produces biopesticides and bioherbicides. She is in charge of making field trial material for the products that are currently in development. “What I like most is that I feel that I am working on products that will make a difference in the world. With the world’s growing population, there is a need for more sustainable food production, with higher yields. Biopesticides help improve yields, can be used in organic farming, and have less of an environmental footprint.” Amanda Connell ’12 is currently pursuing a double major in Food Science and Environmental Science at Cornell University. Her studies focus on sustainable practices in the food industry, from small-scale farms to large-scale production lines. Upon graduation, Assistant Research she hopes to find employment in the Scientist Kayla Fox ’08 growing field of food sustainability.
“I believe it would be extremely rewarding to be involved and to use my skill set to push the development of food sustainability. I would also eventually like to pursue an advanced degree either in food science or in environmental sustainability,” says Connell, who had also never considered studying food science before taking courses with Dr. Kreider. “After observing my interests in science and food, she was the one who suggested the combination of the two and introduced me to a subject she believed I would love. Barb encouraged me to help her run the Middle School Kitchen Science elective, and she pushed me to apply to the top schools for food science. She supported me every step of the way.” The school has also been fortunate enough to benefit from Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Chef Kathy Gold, who runs In the Kitchen Cooking School in Haddonfield, was invited to the White House for the 2010 launch of the Chefs Move to Schools Program; there, she and other prominent chefs were asked to adopt schools and participate in schools’ food education. Chef Gold adopted MFS, and she has visited the school cafeteria to offer tweaks to healthy recipes. She also hosted an MFS Intensive Learning group at her cooking school for five days. As part of Michelle Obama’s initiative, a significant donation of equipment was added to the collection of cookware used in the Nutrition course. Lower School teachers have also been exploring ways to expose the school’s youngest students to the science of food. “Before coming to MFS, I worked with farm-to-table programs, teaching students about where food comes from,” says Lower School Science Teacher Rebekka Schultz. “Research has shown that the more students are exposed to healthy foods, either by close observations or growing them from seed, the more interested students are in eating them. Our Lower Schoolers are beginning to think beyond the classroom walls, understanding the role of food and the environment in their lives.” Looking towards the future, the Science & Engineering Department is designing comprehensive nutrition education materials for the Lower School. For Dr. Kreider, this means keeping MFS on the cutting edge of education. “A truly exceptional educational program is informed by current research and maximizes student engagement. Come to our classrooms, look and listen, and I think you will discover excellence.”
Inside the laboratory at Marrone Bio Innovations, where Kayla Fox ‘08 makes field trial material for biopesticides. SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
17
Friends in the Food Industry The alumni on the following pages represent a cross-section of those who have followed their interest in food education through college and into the working world. A broad range of MFS graduates work in nutrition through the lenses of medicine and food policy, as well as food research, food-related academia, and the culinary and agricultural industries.
Lauren Eni ’04 • B.A. Barnard College • Vice President of Brand Strategy, Dietz and Watson
How would you describe Dietz and Watson to someone who has never heard of it before? We are a premium meats and cheese producer. We are a family business. And our focus, since 1939 and into the future, is the quality of our products — we really focus on the people who are consuming those products.
Did you always know you wanted to work at Dietz and Watson? I always thought that I would eventually have something to do with the business... why I came when I did, a few years ago, was to grow our brand. I’ve been focusing on who we are as a brand, modernizing that a little bit, and spreading it nationally. As a consumer-facing retail brand, we need to figure out what our packages should look like in the store. Then being in a service department, we need to figure out what kind of signage we need around the products — how do we tell people about the attributes of our products so that they will choose our products over others? And when people leave the store, how do we continue to get consumers engaged in the brand? We find that consumers are going online to engage with the brand and learn about the products. Still, most people are making a final decision at the point of purchase, when they are physically in the store.
What do you do in your current position? My main goal is to figure out just where our brand should be in terms of different locations in the country, and where we should be in terms of new media and getting customers engaged in the brand. In the past two years, we’ve shifted away from traditional media, and we’re focusing more on grassroots marketing, digital marketing, and events. What does a typical day look like for you in your line of work? I’m part of the fourth generation of the family that owns the business, so I’m actively involved in learning the business. We’re in every state now, so I travel and visit our customers and stores. I spend a lot of time looking at data and working with local ad agencies on our creative strategy. I also spend a lot of time in production looking at how our products are made.
Dietz and Watson
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Dietz and Watson is one of the largest preparers of premium deli meats and artisan cheeses. 18
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
Title
Following in the footsteps of their parents, D&W executives and MFS alumni Louis Eni ’71, Chris Eni ’74, and Cindy Eni Yingling ’75, the next generation in this multi-generational family business is coming to the fore: CJ Eni ’15, Dylan Eni ’16, Michael Eni ’10, Lauren Eni ’04, Greg Yingling ’11, Chris Yingling ’05, Tim Yingling ’09, and Chase Eni ’21. In what ways is food a big part of your life? Well, it is my life. I don’t know if that’s more of a natural choice or something that has grown out of my interest in the business, but I do find food to be an obsession. Working in the food industry, you can never be complacent. Especially now, with everyone becoming a foodie and wanting to try new things. We constantly need to innovate ourselves, not just with our products but with how we’re helping our consumers consume. That’s why a lot of our content in store and online focuses on recipes. From a personal perspective, I constantly feel that my job is never done… whether it’s researching or experiencing new food, I spend a lot of my time going to trade shows and different restaurants to stay ahead of the trends and see what new things people are doing. What would you say you’re most passionate about, professionally? I’m most passionate when I see new consumers try our products. We do a lot of demos and taste tests, and we even do a deli challenge where we conduct a blind taste test against our main competitor — we win over 80% of the time. When you see the reaction of a deli shopper, it’s always pretty exciting to me because people say, ‘Wow, that’s real food! That’s something I would make at home.’ It gives me a sense of pride that we are doing something right. We could very easily cut costs and use cheaper ingredients, or use more machine processes, but we don’t. We really believe that the success of our company and the continued growth of our company is going to come from the consumer loyalty we’ve gained… as a member of the fourth generation starting out here, I can say we’re not willing to make changes to that quality. That’s a key to our success. In what ways was your college experience related to what you’re doing now? I went to Barnard and majored in economic history. I had a good foundation in economics and business, so I definitely think that helped. I would probably say that what relates the most to what I’m doing now was living in New York City — that’s really where I solidified my relationship with food. I was lucky to be in the center of the culinary universe, and I really started to understand how quickly food trends change and how people engage with some of those trends. I did my senior thesis in college on the urban grocery gap: how grocery deserts actually came to be. It was an historical thesis that also focused on urban development. The modern grocery store is big, which is expensive in the city. To shop at a big grocery store SPRING 2014
like that, you need a car. City life has inhibited the development of large scale grocery stores that suburbs benefit from, and that’s had a negative nutritional effect on inner city areas… at the time, in 2008, this really was not a big topic. There wasn’t a lot of current research. With Michelle Obama, it really exploded. There’s also a movement here in Philadelphia with one of the local ShopRite owners, and that’s an interest of mine. Did MFS have any impact on where you chose to go in life? I definitely think that, especially in the Upper School, my friends at MFS gave me a certain level of confidence — that I could do anything. I actually think the fact that we didn’t have to pick specific focuses and we had so many options to explore gave me the outlook that there were endless possibilities, and I was lucky enough to have the education to prepare me for life. Being part of a family business, you need a certain level of confidence to be heard. One of the most enlightening experiences I had at Friends was being able to go on the Mexico service trip. Being able to travel as a sophomore during Intensive Learning was great in terms of confidence and self development — just seeing how another part of the world lives, and how extremely different it was from your own life but also how comfortable you could be in that environment. I do remember exactly what I ate every day on that trip: tortillas with peanut butter. Do you feel it’s important for young people to study food science and nutrition? Yes, absolutely. I think we need better education on nutrition, which I think is starting. I’m actually a member of the Junior League of Philadelphia and I’m on a committee called Kids in the Kitchen, which is about implementing nutrition curricula in public schools for kindergarten, first, and second grade. I also think that, especially in some urban public school districts, schools should try to pass on some of that education to students’ homes. Then maybe beginning in high school, I think people need to know how the food industry and food supply chain works. It boggles my mind when people assume that the retail prices are driven by the manufacturer: they don’t understand how supply and demand drives the cost. Food is the only thing that touches every person alive, and yet the average person knows very little about the supply chain behind the food they consume.
AMONG FRIENDS
19
Title
Red Rabbit
Rebecca Gildiner ’05 • B.A. Colgate University • Education Manager, Red Rabbit What piqued your interest in food education? I was exposed to the creative, sensory aspects of the culinary world during my jobs in a bakery and ice cream shop in high school, and my Intensive Learning experience at Heifer International’s farm in Arkansas was certainly the beginning of my education in food politics (also, where I became a vegetarian!). Other courses and internships through college touched upon food issues, but everything came together when I read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food the summer after college graduation. How so? Though I hate to be a cliché in claiming that Michael Pollan changed my life, reading his book really tied the pieces together for me. I returned from traveling abroad with an acute perspective on how far removed Americans were from real food (as opposed to the super-processed and packaged food that is so pervasive), and how this trend had negatively affected our health as a nation. When searching for employment, I was committed to finding a way to teach Americans that eating well isn’t about counting or reducing food to nutrients and grams. It’s about reconnecting with the origins of our food and learning how to prepare and enjoy these foods around tables with family and friends. How is your current work related to what you studied at Colgate? My majors in Behavioral Neuroscience and Women’s Studies exposed me to theories on how our neurological biology predisposes us to gendered behaviors based on our sex, and simultaneously how gender and gendered behaviors are socially constructed. From there my attention was drawn to a branch of psychology where there was a very natural overlap of my two majors; that is, eating disorders. I went on to intern the summer before my senior year at the
20
AMONG FRIENDS
Red Rabbit provides healthy school meals to schools in the New York City metropolitan area.
Renfrew Center in Philadelphia, working with adolescent women who struggled with a range of eating disorders and comorbid psychological disorders. It was during this internship that I really began thinking about the factors that play into our relationship with our food, whether for cases as severe as these women’s or those as mainstream as fad diets. How would you briefly describe Red Rabbit? Red Rabbit is a healthy school meal provider based in East Harlem. All of our meals are made from scratch and delivered daily to over 90 charter, private, and independent schools in the New York metro area. Our meals come under the federal reimbursement rate for the National School Lunch Program, so we’re able to serve these meals to students from low-income households. Of course, creating access to these foods is not enough; our Education Department teaches kids, educators, and parents about wellness and nutrition through hands-on cooking and gardening labs, so they can make healthy decisions for themselves when not in school. How did you become involved in the company? My first job out of college was at the New York City Charter School Center, where I gained a deep understanding of the city’s political landscape as Policy and Advocacy Coordinator. The more I learned about charter schools, the more I realized that they were ideal agents to spearhead initiatives around healthy school food and better food education. I began researching ways that my organization could connect charter schools with vendors and programs that could support such initiatives. I came across Red Rabbit as an option for schools, and built and nurtured relationships that eventually connected me with a position at the company.
SPRING 2014
Title
What is your role in the company and what do you do on a daily basis? As Education Manager, I am responsible for overseeing and coordinating the entirety of the education program. This requires logistical coordination such as grocery orders and transportation, and I take care of relationships with our school partners while seeking out new ones. We are constantly researching and developing curricula and recipes to build our repertoire of programs. I love that I get to engage with food both creatively and academically. How would you say your experience at MFS influenced your professional life and interests? My teachers at MFS encouraged me to think about the bigger picture: no event in history nor social issue is isolated. MFS instilled in me lessons in critical thinking and a broader understanding of the world that allowed me to see the overlap of my neuroscience and women’s studies topics and have such a meaningful college experience. This also contributed to my choosing a field such as food that is so dynamic and multi-faceted, and that requires an ability to understand the interconnectedness of systems and trends. Did any teachers have an impact on your career? I can honestly say that every one of my teachers at MFS had an impact on where I am today. Having transferred from a large, public school as a junior, every experience I had at MFS shaped me as the person I have grown to become. In particular I have strong memories of Mike Levy’s classes, as I’m sure most of his students do. [Former MFS History Teacher] Mr. Levy was a radical thinker, and a SPRING 2014
real thought-provoker of his students. He challenged everything we knew and always played devil’s advocate to really push us past our limits. He is one of those teachers I referred to earlier who allowed me to see the interconnectedness of everything; of history, politics, social welfare, public health, consumerism. Mr. Levy taught us to always challenge the status quo and to believe that we could change the world, no matter how radical or small-scale our idea. Was food education part of your learning experience at MFS? I took a course with Mrs. Taylor-Williams (or PTW, as we affectionately called her) in global food topics. I remember making tortillas in the D’Olier Room kitchen and studying the global banana trade. Although I don’t think it registered with me at that time, I now see what an interdisciplinary exposure this was to food, way before these were the hot topics in popular media. PTW was way ahead of the curve! What would you say you’re most passionate about in your line of work? I want to convince people that putting more thought and energy into considering what we put into our bodies is critical, especially in today’s food landscape. It can be wildly intimidating and overwhelming for people to think about eating healthily. My job is to show people it’s not, as long as we go back to our roots and eat whole foods that come from the earth. Nothing is more rewarding in my job than watching a parent leave a workshop completely enlightened by a new strategy for food shopping, or watching a four-year-old gobble down a bowl of vegetable soup. AMONG FRIENDS
21
Title
How did your time at MFS impact your later professional life? It had a major impact on my professional life. If it was not for Mr. Brunswick’s concern over my not-so-wise initial Senior Project choice, I have no idea what I would be doing today. Based on Mr. Brunswick’s suggestion, I reached out to my classmate Lauren Eni for a last-minute senior project placement at Dietz and Watson. In a matter of hours, my path was changed forever. I went on to work with Dietz and Watson through the rest of high school and college, almost seven years after that day. Did any faculty or staff members at MFS have an influence on what you chose to do? As stated previously, Mike Brunswick. It was his first year as Dean of Students. He looked out for my best interests and challenged me on my decisions. I am very grateful that MFS has faculty and staff who care for their students.
Adrian Concepcion ’04 • B.S. Montclair State University • Transportation Manager, Monterrey: The Natural Choice What made you decide to pursue a position in the food industry? My first exposure to the food business was at 14 years old, making hoagies at the Wawa in my hometown of Shamong, NJ. It wasn’t until my MFS Senior Project that I was given the opportunity to see the manufacturer side of the business at Dietz and Watson.
Do you feel that the study of food science and/or nutrition is important to young people? I do. Speaking from the perspective of someone involved in operations, our generation will be facing serious issues due to increasing population, freshwater shortages, and our continued reliance on cheap fossil fuels. Through the study of food science, we will be presented with new and fascinating ways of defining our view of food, today and tomorrow.
How would you describe Monterrey to someone who knows nothing about it? It’s a company with a fresh perspective on distributing to specialty retailers. In a mature industry such as food distribution, the nationwide consolidation of distributors in the past six years has eliminated competition in many markets, so service levels have slowly dropped. Monterrey has given better choices to many customers in the southwest and midwest United States, and we are currently operating two warehouses in San Diego and Oklahoma City. What are you most passionate about in your line of work? Our high service standards challenge all of us at Monterrey to get the job done, no matter the obstacles. The food industry is a fastpaced world. Things inevitably do not go as planned, and it’s the challenges presented every day that leave you with a sense of gratification. What is your current role, and what does that involve on a day-to-day basis? My current role is Transportation Manager, and I have recently begun to transition to the new role of Margin Manager. Much of the job is building and maintaining a well balanced logistics model. You are constantly looking at ways to improve the model based on changing customer demand.
22
AMONG FRIENDS
Monterrey is an industry leader in customized food distribution in the Midwest and Southwest.
SPRING 2014
Title
Kalisa Martin ’04 • B.S. Cornell University • Grand Diploma in Classic Culinary Arts, The French Culinary Institute • Brand Director, Tasting Table
What made you decide to pursue food science? I loved science and I loved food, so food science was the perfect (and only) choice for me. I had never heard of the field until Dr. Kreider introduced it. She began an elective where she read and led discussions from The Journal of Food Science. She also gave me Harold McGee’s book, On Food and Cooking, which literally blew my mind. How is your current work related to your studies at Cornell? I work on the business side of a digital food magazine. While my responsibilities do not involve food science directly, I use the skills that I learned while at Cornell on a daily basis. As an applied chemistry, food science demands (among other things) attention to detail, analytical sensibilities and a focused interest in food. That process-oriented way of thinking is what enabled me to thrive in the startup setting. I loved the challenge of developing the infrastructure for our back-end operations. How would you describe Tasting Table to someone who knows nothing about it? Tasting Table is the premiere food and drink email publication. We deliver the inside scoop on dining out in your neighborhood, food-focused travel destinations, kitchen tools that will save your life, and answers to the all-important question: What will you make for dinner tonight? Since our recommendations are thoroughly tasted and tested, we’re like a trusted friend in the know. What are you most passionate about in your line of work? My obsession with food has always gone beyond the consideration of my next meal. I love that the food media industry recognizes it as a lifestyle — an interest affecting all parts of who we are and what we do. What is your current position, and what does that involve on a day-to-day basis? As Brand Director, I’m responsible for initiating and maintaining strategic, third-party partnerships, both for general exposure and specifically for member acquisition. I develop the concepts, project-manage the workflow, monitor the budgets, and report on and optimize performance. You attended the French Culinary Institute. What did you study there, and how did that experience impact your life? I attended the French Culinary Institute, now the International Culinary Center, to study classic culinary arts. This was part of my mission to learn everything there is to know about food. I mastered SPRING 2014
Tasting Table
Tasting Table is a free daily email publication that promises to deliver the best of food and drink culture to adventurous eaters across the country. cooking techniques and concepts and gained first-hand experience in the fast-paced, high-pressure restaurant world. How did your time at MFS impact your professional life? My high school experience was a launching pad for my professional life. I’m grateful for the emphasis on leadership and service (and of course, the serious academics). More than that, I value the exposure of interests and encouragement for passion at MFS. Upon graduating, I truly felt like I could do whatever I wanted — it was just a matter of determining what that was. Did any faculty or staff members at MFS have an influence on what you chose to do? The most accurate answer is that they all did. There was Dr. Kreider‘s introduction to food science; Priscilla Taylor-Williams’ “Dimensions of Food,” which opened my eyes to the diversity of careers in food; Mrs. Corsey and Mr. Newman’s contagious love of science; and everyone in between who encouraged us to be interested in everything around us.
AMONG FRIENDS
23
Title
Alex Levy ’07 • B.S. University of Pennsylvania • Planning Analyst, EAT Club
How would you describe EAT Club? We’re a corporate lunch delivery tech startup. We’re trying to give the Google cafeteria experience to smaller businesses who don’t currently have it. That means we offer a menu of about 15 options a day, from restaurants and commissary partners, spanning five or six different cuisines. What is the organization’s primary goal? EAT Club was founded to solve the fundamental problems people have eating lunch at work. You end up sacrificing something: taking a lot of time to go out and have a good lunch, or sacrificing quality by sticking to the options at your workplace. It solves that problem: you as an office worker can have a lunch that you really enjoy. Would you say that you care strongly about food? It’s something that I’ve always been interested in and passionate about, ever since I was a little kid. I remember when I was in first or second grade, most kids would have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I would bring in some kind of crazy pasta lunch. Were you able to take any courses about food at MFS? There are certain things at MFS that built on the innate interest I had in food. I was involved in the food science elective with Barb Kreider, and that was a fun and interesting way to get some insight into the science behind food. We had a project where we had to share a particularly interesting piece about food in the news: genetically modified organisms, etc. Previously, I always thought of food just in the context of my personal enjoyment of it, but the food science course opened up the implications of the science behind it. Do you think it’s important for young people to take a scientific approach to food? It’s important because it affects so many social, political, and environmental issues. It’s a way to talk about those larger issues: Where do you draw an ethical line? Is it done in the greater good? What are your current responsibilities at EAT Club? My current title is Planning Analyst. I’m involved with forecasting our demand and analyzing optimal menus that will drive customer conversion. My job also has some strategic aspects: financial planning, preparing our executive team for board meetings. How do you “analyze optimal menus?” We have corporate customers who are seeing roughly 15 menu options each day, and we have both qualitative and quantitative measures to see what is driving their purchase. From the qualitative 24
AMONG FRIENDS
EAT Club, a food delivery tech startup, is the fastest growing lunch service in the San Francisco Bay Area. side, we give our customers the chance to review every option they’ve eaten. It gives us a great basis of feedback on a meal-bymeal basis. From a quantitative level, we can look at conversion: cuisine breakdown, dish format, dish heaviness — you can look at all these variables and see how adjusting them impacts people’s likeliness to purchase. How did you become involved in the company? I worked in management consulting for two years right out of college. I developed business skills there and really liked the analysis that I was doing. I wanted to find a way to apply those skills towards my passion for food, as well as find a small entrepreneurial environment where I could have an impact at an early stage. I found five or six companies that fit that bill and started applying directly to them. That’s how I found EAT Club. What was the primary draw for the kind of business environment you’re working in now? Coming from a very large company, I was looking for a smaller environment, with more of a sense of community — where I really got along with the people. I think going to MFS, where that sense of community is so highly valued, probably influenced my desire to find that again. So coming from a small community — that helps you in your current position? Yes, definitely. I think it goes as far back as Middle School, when I had Mike Levy and Jack Schneider for history. Being in their classes really led me to question things and not take them at face value. I’d say that led me to look inwardly and figure out what I care about and what I want to do, and be willing to take the risk of jumping from a large management consultancy to a 50-person startup… Even outside of science, Barb Kreider was able to counsel me in other options such as business. The coaches I had at MFS, such as Mike Schlotterbeck in soccer, encouraged me to be a leader and apply that in my professional career. Do you have any advice for young people interested in pursuing a career like yours? For business, and business as it relates to food, I would say that you’re going to be more successful if you follow your passion and follow what you care about. That’s when you’re ultimately going to be more motivated to perform and go the extra mile. That’s how it is for me. SPRING 2014
Class Notes
Six members of the Class of 2013 visited in January to participate in the Young Alumni College panel. They described college life and answered questions for juniors and seniors. Clockwise from left: Austin Harris (NYU), Emiko Borne (Berklee College of Music), Ben Herman (George Washington), Simone Stanley (Howard), Ashleigh Cartwright (Columbia), and Scott Krasner (Vermont).
SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
25
Class Notes
1943 S. Coles Roberts sends greetings to all of his class members. He is now living at Medford Leas and has six greatgrandchildren.
1954 Missy Medl Kjellenberg writes: “Congratulations 54’s — 60th Reunion!” Missy looks forward to seeing many members of the class at the reunion this May.
1961 Bill Archer writes: “I am still the Town Crier mascot of the Historical Society. We spent a week in Maine last September and enjoyed it.”
1962 Virginia Grisel Guerrera writes: “My granddaughter, Gabriella Michelle Guerrera, daughter of Angela Dixon Guerrera ’99 and Justin W. Guerrera ’99, is thriving well after an early entrance to our world in September 2012.”
Sarah Feyerherm ’82 visited MFS in February to discuss college athletics with interested parents. The event was co-sponsored by College Guidance and Athletics. Pictured: Associate Director of College Guidance Margaret Van Meter, Director of College Guidance Meredith Hanamirian, Feyerherm, and Athletic Director Danielle Dayton.
1967 Diana Harrison Comber is now living in a 260-year-old stone cottage near the Yorkshire Dales of England — “George Fox country!” she writes. Tom Hedges reports: “I had a great trip to Namibia to plan research at the new medical school. My son Dan joined me for a camping trip to the Kaokoveld Desert.”
1968 Wallace DuBois is the Funeral Director and Owner of DuBois Funeral Home, Inc. in Audubon, NJ.
1971 Kurt Klaus writes: “Everything remains lovely in Miami as we prepare to be submerged. Thank God I have a boat.”
1972 William Shelley departed from his old law firm in February 2013 and joined the new Philadelphia office of Gordon & Rees, a California-based law firm of 500+ attorneys. “The firm’s retreats are in Napa, so that works! Still doing commercial contract litigation and still enjoying the work.” 26
AMONG FRIENDS
The Class of 1983 gathered on October 5 at the Sweetwater Bar and Grill in Cinnaminson to celebrate their 40th reunion. In attendance were Lisa MacRae Coughlin, Kim Atchinson Fletcher, Kim Adams, Kim Fleisher Mills, Frank (Buddy) Love, Sheryl Huggins Salomon, Steve Walsh, Alice Pippitt Fluckiger, Bethany Baker Henderson, Mike Haughey, and Lillian Chung Lee. Also attending were Lisa Thomas Martin ’84 and Kate Vecchio Hilgen ’85.
1982 Sarah Feyerherm visited MFS on Monday, February 24 (see photo above). She is the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs at Washington College, where she was previously the Assistant Athletic Director and Head Field Hockey Coach. Feyerherm
is currently Vice Chair of the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics.
1983 See reunion photo.
SPRING 2014
Class Notes
1988 Dana Calvo is working on a new untitled police drama for ABC. The series follows an unorthodox detective and his methodical new partner as they solve outlandish cases in Miami, FL. Calvo, who also created Made in Jersey, will write and executive-produce with Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
1989 Ivy Brown Buchdahl, Senior Marketing Director of Global Brand Management for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, was honored as a 2014 Advertising Working Mother of the Year by Advertising Women of New York and Working Mother Magazine. She was chosen for her commitment to balancing work and life, her strength as a role model and mentor in the workplace, and her positive influence in the community.
1991 Michael Carter, CEO and President of BizEquity, was recently profiled by The World Bank’s SME Finance Forum. As a businessman, Michael noticed that entrepreneurs never seemed to be sure exactly how much their business was worth. He set out to create the largest provider of business valuation knowledge online, and BizEquity has now valued over 13 million companies.
The Suit Fits for Jordan Barbour ‘01 Jordan Barbour ’01 performed The Suit from February 26 to March 8 at The Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. Tony and Olivier Award-winning director Peter Brook’s production of The Suit won glowing reviews in London’s West End and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Set in South Africa, this tale of love, revenge and redemption has received praise from The New York Times: “A world that brims with juicy, appetizing life... Everyone on stage is pretty close to perfect.” Based on The Suit by Can Themba, Mothobi Mutloatse, and Barney Simon, with direction, adaptation, and musical direction by Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne, and Franck Krawczyk, The Suit also traveled to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. as one of many stops in its national tour, and the show concludes in Los Angeles this May. At MFS, Barbour was named a National Achievement Commended Scholar and a Bloustein Distinguished Scholar. He was named to the Cum Laude Society as a junior and was selected for the New Jersey Governor’s School of the Arts in music in 2000. After graduating, Barbour earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in American Studies and also studied classical vocal performance at the Juilliard School with David Clatworthy. Barbour’s previous roles have included Countee Cullen in Langston in Harlem and the Tao Master in Frog Kiss. He has appeared in both the National and International tours of The Shipment with stops including Paris, Vienna, Rotterdam, Zurich, Brussels, Hamburg, and Berlin.
Mark Friedenthal recently celebrated five successful years at his business, Friedenthal Financial, which now serves clients in 34 states and has moved into a new office at 3018 Main Street in Voorhees, NJ. “It has been a remarkable period for our firm and it would not have been possible without our tremendous clients, supporters, and staff.”
1994 Mari Edmund is featured in a calendar designed to inspire girls in 25 countries to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. SPIE is the international society of optics and photonics (see photo).
1997 Kristin Fitzgerald Bromley, John Campisi ‘99, Alexis Siemons ‘01, Ryan Winkelspecht ‘98, Tara Winkelspecht, Ryan Rutherford ‘99, Bree Tucker Rutherford, and Seiji Moriuchi ‘98 SPRING 2014
Mari Edmund ’94, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Edmund Optics, was chosen to be one of the 2014 SPIE Women in Optics female role models.
AMONG FRIENDS
27
Class Notes
Make a Gift Online to the Annual Fund for MFS
Emma Hollingworth, daughter of Meg Parrington Hollingworth ’97, at the beach with Carter and Nash Domis, sons of Sarah Weiss Domis ’97. gathered for dinner at Waterworks Restaurant in Philadelphia to celebrate Bree and Ryan’s birthdays. Meg Parrington Hollingworth, her husband Anthony, and their daughter Emma are pleased to have recently returned to South Jersey. Now living in Haddonfield, Meg is a healthcare executive with UnitedHealthcare and is using her Penn Social Work training and experience with the Medicaid and CHIP programs to lead new initiatives promoting healthcare affordability and clinical excellence for plan members with complex care needs. Meg and Sarah Weiss Domis remain close friends, and their kids are great friends, too!
MFS friends Andrew MacIver ’01, Rebekah Sheppard Gifford ‘99, Stephen Gifford ‘00, Tim Kreider ‘00, Robert Brodie ‘00, Blake Koen ‘00, and Heather Croshaw ‘00 at Tim’s wedding.
1999 Palav Babaria co-authored an op-ed column in the November 14, edition of The New York Times titled “A Haitian Boy’s Needless Death From Diabetes.” Written for World Diabetes Day, the powerful piece details the difficulties health care professionals face in rural and impoverished areas when using donated and often incompatible supplies to treat patients with diabetes. She and co-author Aisling O’Riordan, an Irish physician, urge for “the development of universal glucose test strips that work in any available machine, in the same manner that USB cables can link nearly all brands of computers and devices.” Babaria is a primary care doctor at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Duran Searles and MFS Director of Annual Giving Kristy Embrack Searles welcomed their new baby girl, Anjali Rai Searles, on 28
AMONG FRIENDS
Bob Kreider, Barb Kreider, Tim Kreider ‘00 and bride Su-Jen Roberts, Molly Kreider Viscardi ‘02, John Viscardi, Ted Kreider ‘06, and Emina Imsirovic Cardamone ‘98, Mike Cardamone and daughters Selma and Iyla at Tim and Su-Jen’s wedding on August 31, 2013 in State College, PA. February 17. Anjali is Duran and Kristy’s second child. Their older daughter, Sonali, is in kindergarten at MFS. “Big sister Sonali is over the moon and so are we!”
2000 Matthew Cerra and his wife Madelyn Anetrella Cerra welcomed a new daughter, Margaret Mayah Cerra, on November 11.
Duran Searles ’99 and Kristy Embrack Searles welcomed a new daughter, Anjali Rai. SPRING 2014
Class Notes
Visit www.mfriends.org and click on “Support MFS”
2001 Kara Duffy, a veterinarian, was recognized as the top “Business Woman to Watch” in southeastern North Carolina by Wilma magazine. She offers a mobile veterinary service for animals in need, eliminating the stressful car ride to the office.
At their December wedding in Ann Arbor, MI, are the bride Colleen Fitzharris, groom Matthew Van Meter ’03, Margaret Van Meter and Head of School Larry Van Meter, Matthew’s brother Luke ’05, and grandmother Mary Ellen Van De Water.
Blair Dickinson Schroeder and her husband Ryan Schroeder are the proud parents of Nora McNeill Schroeder, born December 8. The family is now making their home in Ambler, PA
Melissa Waxman ’03 and Jason Fleischer at their October wedding, accompanied by Melissa’s parents, Harvey Waxman and School Committee member Meridee Duddleston. Casey Friedman married Adam Cohen on September 1 in Washington, D.C. Casey is a kindergarten teacher at Plymouth Meeting Friends School. Adam is in his third year at Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry. They live in Philadelphia.
2002 Lindsay Wolf is working on a Kickstarterfunded short film about a woman in despair and the homeless man who helps her
reclaim her independence. Lindsay’s recent credits include Deadly Wives, Enlightened, and a short she produced with Jorge Garcia (actor in Lost and Once Upon a Time).
2003 David Cerra passed the PA and NJ bar. He graduated from Villanova Law School in 2013.
Casey Friedman ’01 and Adam Cohen SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
29
Class Notes
Class Notes
Members of the Class of 2003 gathered for a reunion on November 27 at Iron Hill Brewery in Maple Shade: Tristan Bresnen, Mark Schenkel, Abbey Morgan, Aaron Washington, Johari Sykes, Lindsay Michaelson Kelemen, Alice Edgerton, Dylan Kelemen, Erika Richardson Hall, Rachel Cope Tavin, Fanny Mixter, Amanda Turner Rivenburgh, and Jennifer Harris. Brian Schopfel recently merged his creative agency Eyes and Ears Entertainment with a multimillion dollar company in Los Angeles and created a new agency called The Uprising Creative, where he is now Partner and Executive Vice President of Business Development. To view some of the agency’s recent work, including collaborations with Justin Timberlake and Edward Sharpe, visit TheUprisingCreative.com. Mary Gonnelli Schopfel is working as a Family Integrated Transitions (FIT) Coach contracted through a juvenile jail in the Chicago area. She does individual and family therapy to facilitate the transition of youth being released on parole back to their home environments. “Our evidencebased treatment shows that youth who have parents that are highly engaged with the child’s support systems, such as school, parole officer, counselor, mentor, sports coach, friends, community, etc., have a higher likelihood of success. In other words, we are preventing recidivism.” Matthew Van Meter married Colleen Fitzharris this past December in Ann Arbor, MI. Colleen recently graduated from The University of Michigan Law School, and Matthew teaches English and history at University Liggett School.
30
AMONG FRIENDS
John Palumbo and Christine Schantz Palumbo ’05 at their wedding.
Melissa Waxman and Jason Fleischer were married October 12 in Philadelphia. The officiant was Adam Serlin ’02, and the attendants included several 2003 classmates: matron of honor Mary Gonnelli Schopfel, as well as bridesmaids Kay Blake Eljdid and Abbey Morgan. Also in attendance at the wedding were Akemi Moriuchi ’04, Molly Kreider Viscardi ’02, and Brian Schopfel.
2006
2004
Jackie Draper is the girls’ head varsity soccer coach at Ed White High School in Jacksonville, FL where she teaches.
Bayley Michaux married Brian Dougherty in Hawaii, where Brian was stationed with the Marine Corps for three years after college. The couple met in South Jersey and are old friends.
2005 Christine Schantz married John Palumbo on May 4, 2013 in Moorestown. They were married at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church and a reception was held at the Schantz family home on Riverton Road. “We were overjoyed to celebrate our marriage with family and friends at such a special location,” shared Christine. She is in her first year as the Director of Parent and Alumni Programs at MFS. John is in his sixth year working at Penn Color, Inc. as an Account Manager. The couple resides in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood.
Ted Kreider is a fourth-year M.D.-Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania. He was invited onto a steering committee for LGBT health initiatives after designing a three-hour curriculum involving transgender health that is now mandatory for first-year medical students at Penn.
2007
2008 Charles Hodgens recently began his graduate degree in biology at the University of North Carolina.
2010 See page 32.
2011 Jake O’Donnell is a member of the University of Richmond men’s lacrosse team. The program is in its inaugural season as an NCAA Division I program and opened the season with a narrow 13-12 defeat to #7-ranked University of Virginia in front of over 4,000 fans at Richmond’s Robins Stadium.
SPRING 2014
Class Notes
Jake O’Donnell ’11
Shaina Machlus ’05, Christine Schantz Palumbo ’05, Caitlin McCarrie ’05, and Laura Duffy ’05.
Kelcie Evans ’12
Members of the Class of 2008 recently gathered for a reunion. Front row: Julie Martin, Shaina Karasin, Jen Briones, Shane Iosca, Kayla Fox, Lauren Hawkins, and Becca Machlus. Back row: Rachel Mulligan, Paige Martin, Emily Jones, Chelsea Loring, Justin Adibi, Alicia Link, Ariel Aguiar, Kyle Dawson, Darcy Berenberg, Ryan Price, Rich Rinaldi, Leo Alterman, Eric Teitelbaum, Lorrae Bradbury, Dan Gurrieri, and Nick Harbist.
2012
2013
Kelcie Evans started 17 of Agnes Scott College’s 18 women’s basketball games this season. She averaged over 30 minutes and 3.8 points per game for the Scotties.
C.J. Cooper played in 11 games and started five as a back for the Wesley College Men’s Soccer team, which competes in the highly competitive Capital Athletic Conference. The Wolverines finished the season 8-10-2.
SPRING 2014
C.J. Cooper ’13
AMONG FRIENDS
31
Class Notes
Share Your News with Friends
Class of 2010 Teammates
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 Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Kat Clark, Moorestown Friends School, 110 E. Main St., Moorestown, NJ 08057.
Julia Applegate and Katy Schlechtweg received honors from the Centennial Conference at the conclusion of their field hockey careers at Dickinson College. Applegate was chosen as one of nine student-athletes in the conference to be named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team. She played midfield and fullback for the Red Devils.
Julia Applegate ‘10
Former Faculty and Staff Former Director of Development Will Merriken was named Moorestown’s 2014 Citizen of the Year. He co-founded the Moorestown Lacrosse Club, coached for the Moorestown Soccer Club for several years, has served on the township’s Recreation Advisory Board, and has been involved with the Moorestown Rotary Club since moving to the area in 1975, serving as President in 2006-07. Former MFS History Teacher, Assistant Professor at College of the Holy Cross Jack Schneider, published a new book in April titled: From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse: How Scholarship Becomes Common Knowledge in Education. The book examines multiple intelligences, the project method, and direct instruction, and asks what we can learn from their success in influencing educators. Former MFS History Teacher, author Mike Levy, had an essay anthologized in the 2013 book Unsavory Elements: Stories of Foreigners on the Loose in China. Now at Avenues: The World School, he is in Beijing China, overseeing construction of their high school campus, which he will head when it opens in 2016. Ian Craig, in his eighth year as the Head of Harding Academy in Nashville, TN, is
32
AMONG FRIENDS
Schlechtweg, a goalkeeper, was named to the 2013 Longstretch/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-South Region Team. She was also named Second Team All-Centennial Conference, leading the Red Devils to one of the best seasons in the history of the program. She was recognized as the conference’s inaugural Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey. This award is presented to a junior or senior athlete who earns All-Conference honors and is a member of the Centennial Conference Honor Roll.
Katy Schlechtweg ‘10 the son of former Head of School Alan Craig and former Fifth Grade Teacher Mary Craig. In the spring 2014 issue of Independent School, he penned an article titled “Making Connections.” In the article, he recalls the advice on leadership he received from his father when he earned his first head of school position, and how he has used that wisdom in his career. In reflecting on his father’s words, Ian wrote that, “His theme is clearly that schools are all about people and relationships. He wrote nothing about budgets, hiring, facilities, or admissions. All of his points relate to forming relationships, staying in touch, and recognizing the good work of a terrific, dedicated faculty. All of the other aspects
of headship can be learned with enough time and attention, but relationships have to be earned, and unless an administrator is thoughtful, consistent, and intentional, these important connections are never fully formed.”
Class Notes received after March 20 will be printed in the next issue of Among Friends.
SPRING 2014
Class Notes
Boston Alumni Gathering Beth Clauss Freeland ’81 hosted the October 9 Boston Alumni Gathering, which was well attended. Standing: Tyler Catanella ’09, Jake Montgomery ’10, Beth Freeland ’81, Walt Hempel, Mary Beth Schultz Hempel ’65, Larry Van Meter ’68, Andrew Searle Pang ’80, Ken Mayer ’68, Samuel Pang, Bayley Michaux Dougherty ’04, Bobby Martin ’04, and Perry Silver ’67. Seated: Nancy Loughridge ’81, Betsey Wood ’58, and Janis Silver. Also attending, but not pictured: Sonia Ananthakrishnan ’93 and Christine Schantz Palumbo ’05.
Chicago Alumni Gathering MFS held its first-ever Chicago area alumni event on Tuesday, October 22 at the University Club downtown. Pictured are Evan Sauer ’00, Ryan Connelly ’05, Kyle Spresser, Diana Geseking Spresser ’99, Charlie Carpenter ’52, Erika Richardson Hall ’03, Kareem Hall, Charlie Haines ’57, Ailsa Stevenson ’11, Carolyn Haines, David Good ’69, Joan Craig ’75, and Head of School Larry Van Meter ’68.
SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
33
Class Notes
Alumni Games
Alumni Soccer Game on November 30 Front: Bryce Langlotz ’11, Denis McDaniel ’71, School Committee Clerk Naoji Moriuchi ’94, Justin Stark ’10, Nate Riggins ’13, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Coach Mike Schlotterbeck, Nick Cook ’11, Keith Console ’11, Tim Latimer ’13, and Kyle Koste ’11. Standing: Drew Bachman ’09, Nick Harbist ’08, Andrew Rosenbach ’10, Will Stouffer ’05, C.J. Cooper ’13, Shane McAleer ’93, Cliff Burgess ’12, Joe Fillipone ’11, Bryan Gfeller ’12, and Mike Stobbe ’09.
Alumni Basketball Game on December 20 Front: Jake Brown ’12, Jordan Sauer ’04, Steve Dwyer ’12, Shawn Stutz ’06, Darshak Thosani ’11, Math Teacher, Varsity Baseball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director Ron Obermeier, Mike Cunningham ’12, Seiji Moriuchi ’98, and Jackiem Wright ’00. Middle: Michael Woodley ’12, Steve Haines ’08, Duran Searles ’99, Middle School Director Steve Shaffer, Galen Spencer-Linzie ’11, Justin Spencer-Linzie ’10, and Steve Suflas ’69. Top: Tim Stoeckle ’10, Kelcie Evans ’12, Jake Montgomery ’10, Curran Ellis ’11, Ryan Winkelspecht ’98, Spencer Bard ’13, Jeff Murza ’04, and Brian Turner ’98. 34
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
In Memoriam Eleanor Pennypacker Barclay ’45 former faculty member
Suzanne Troxell Hotchkiss ’45 cousin of Maria Randall Allen ’41
Wilberta “Billie” Buswell Barnes ’31 sister of the late Robert L. Buswell ’23
Barbara Smith Johnston mother of Janice Johnston ‘88 and Jennifer Johnston ‘86
Elizabeth Bushnell Black ’37 sister of the late David Bushnell ‘40 and the late Margaret Ann Bushnell ’35
Carleton Jones husband of Elinor Hull Jones ’53
Andrew Blake father of Kay Blake Eljdid ’03
Sandra Eckenhoff Muckenfuss ’62 sister of Theodore Eckenhoff ’55
Cathy Boutin wife of Peter Boutin ’76
Barbara Nash ’32
Richard P. Dakin father of Adam Dakin ’81 and Nathana Dakin Hirsch ’86 Diana Hassrick Douglas ’42 sister of the late Kenneth Hassrick ’40
Elizabeth Danenhower Rhoads ‘42 sister of the late John C. Danenhower ‘48 Elizabeth “Betty” Wheeler Shoemaker ’38 sister of the late Letitia Raymond ’32, Janet Brunt ’34, Virginia Coe ’35, and Mary Grimes ’41 Philip Stevens ’58
Betty Dowlin wife of former MFS Business Manager Cornell Dowlin Beth Roberts Durgin ‘42 sister of S. Coles Roberts ’43
Albert Szczepkowski father of Carl Szczepkowski ’73 Richard Tatlow father of Rose Tatlow ’84 and Thomas Tatlow ’85
John E. Entwistle ’47 Evelyn Senseman Thompson ’35 Nick Fifis father of the late Leo Fifis ’84 Molly Smith French ’41 sister of Robert L. Smith ‘42 and Nancy Smith Goldsmith ‘46
Deborah Troemner mother of Susan Troemner Herard ’76 Allen Van Fossen ’61
James Henry father of Carol Henry ’71
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, click on the News section of the site and select “Obituaries” in the submenu. Alumni that do not have access to the Internet may contact Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck at 856-914-4434 to request that a hard copy of an obituary be mailed to your home.
SPRING 2014
AMONG FRIENDS
35
Spotlight on Student Artwork
Wooden table by Coles Driscoll ‘14 Taught by Art Teacher Michael Webster, the 3D Design course meets every school day and is part of the Advanced Placement Studio Art program at MFS. It is a yearlong investigation into design elements and principles, during which students develop a comprehensive portfolio to be refined through group critiques.
36
AMONG FRIENDS
SPRING 2014
2014
Alumni Weekend
Friday, May 2 & Saturday, May 3
Come Back to Friends! May Day Celebration
Saturday, May 3
Alumni Weekend begins with the quadrennial celebration of May Day on Friday, May 2. All alumni are invited to attend. The Class of 2014 will lead the event as the May Court and the Maypole Dancers. The event begins with the grand procession of classes at 12:30 p.m. and closes with the Maypole Dance.
Many activities are planned for Saturday, including Meeting for Worship, the annual Luncheon in Honor of the 50th Reunion Class and all prior classes, the Alumni Association Meeting, an Alumni Picnic, and Student Guided Tours. Hear from current faculty and students in presentations on Food Education at MFS: From Atoms to Ice Cream, The 21st Century Version of Intensive Learning, as well as two Senior Capstone reports. The final on-campus event on Saturday afternoon is the Alumni Networking and Class Reunion Reception at the Greenleaf Main Building.
Dinner Among Friends, May 2, 6 p.m. Greet classmates and former faculty members and applaud the 2014 Alumni Association Award recipients — Peter and Bonnie Greenfield Reagan ’64 (Alice Stokes Paul Alumni Merit Award), retired Dean of Faculty Grace Kennedy Blackburn (Service Award), and Palav Babaria ’99 (Young Alumni Award). MFS will also honor Director of Admissions Karin Miller, and teachers Emma Richter and Paul Shallers, who are retiring at the end of the school year.
To register online, visit www.mfriends.org and click on “Alumni,” then “Special Events/Reunions.” Remember, this year’s reunion classes are the 4’s and 9’s.
Peter Reagan ’64 and Bonnie Greenfield Reagan ’64 Alice Paul Merit Award
Grace Kennedy Blackburn Service Award
Palav Babaria ’99 Young Alumni Award
If you have any questions about the weekend’s events or would like to know more about your reunion, please contact Christine Schantz Palumbo ’05, Director of Parent and Alumni Programs, at cpalumbo@mfriends.org or (856) 914-4416.
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cinnaminson, NJ Permit No. 81 110 East Main Street Moorestown, NJ 08057-2949
Summer Programs at Moorestown Friends School Spend the Summer at MFS! Summer Scholars - one- to three-week programs for ages 4-14 Academic Transitions - four-day August mini-courses for grades 5-9
Register and view course descriptions: summer.mfriends.org