Class of 2016 - Our Newest Alumni
Kathryn Abrahamson John Albrinck Kamal Apatira Teja Atluri Trisha Atluri Tiara Atwater Douglas Barnett Soham Basu Addison Bell Margaret Bernish Rodney Bethea, Jr. Taylor Boggs William Brady Abby Bryant Lauren Buczek Kathryn Burress Megan Campbell Kayla Chisholm Eric Christine George Crowley Bradley Dick Missy Dieckman-Meyer
Malcolm Doepke Cooper Ebersbach Haley Felder Gregory Foster Nathan Grant Astrid Gross-Hutton Francis Grossi, IV Ian Hayes Margaret Hodson Jonah Ice Katherine Jamison Siddharth Jejurikar Sam Jenkins Darryn Jordan Anna Karnes Adam Katz Marius Lancaster Zhaoyu Lou Max Luebbers Monica Ma Jacob Mayeux Carmelita Mays
Davis McMaster Kunal Minhas Sean O’Brien Benjamin Paff Lauren Pendery Quinn Petre Caroline Retzios Emma Robitaille Alan Rowe Emma Rust Nicholas Sam Kendall Smith Schuyler Snell Cameron Stewart Charles Sukin Li Tan Jon Vogt Ngoc Vu J’Quaan Waite Haven Watson Rebecca Wise David Yang Yiguo Yu
Graduates will attend the following schools: The University of Arizona Ashland University Bowling Green State University Brown University Bucknell University Case Western Reserve University (2) University of Cincinnati (3) University of Colorado Cornell University Dartmouth College (3) University of Dayton Denison University University of Denver DePauw University Earlham College Elon University The George Washington University Georgetown University
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Hanover College Harvard University (2) Hillsdale College Indiana University Jacksonville University University of Kentucky Lake Forest College (2) Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Marist College Miami University (8) Mount St. Joseph University The University of North Carolina Northeastern University Northern Kentucky University University of Notre Dame The Ohio State University (2) Occidental College
THIS IS OUR DAY
$8.4 MILLION IN GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS
AWARDED
347 ACCEPTANCES
100%
WILL ATTEND
4-YEAR
COLLEGES CONGRATULATIONS
CLASS OF
2016 Ohio University (2) Parsons School of Design Principia College Saint Louis University Savannah College of Art and Design Sewanee: The University of the South Skidmore College Stanford University Tufts University Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College West Virginia University University of Wisconsin Xavier University (2)
CONNECTIONS
Spring/Summer 2016
THIS ISSUE
Volume 37, Issue 2
Features
6 North Campus Project 8 Remembering Gordon Wright 12 Presidential Scholar 14 Internships 24 CCDS in Nicaragua 26 A Passion for Fashion
Sections 4 Leadership 16
Student News
20
Faculty News
22 Bob Plummer retires
39 Alumni 40
News Notes
41
In Memoriam
47
Match Day
ON THE COVER 2016 Commencement Ceremonies on the new Carey Family Amphitheater that occupies the north lawn of campus.
44 Athletic Hall of Fame Y0u
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Connections is published by the Development Office of Country Day. Photos by contributing alumni, students, parents, faculty, and staff. If you have questions or believe any information to be incorrect, please contact Ralph Javens at (513) 9790234 or javensr@countryday.net. Your classmates and the Country Day Community would like to hear from you. Please submit Class Notes to Paula Brock at brockp@CountryDay.net.
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Parents of graduates: If you have been receiving CCDS mail for your graduate at your home address, and they have a permanent mailing address elsewhere, please let us know how to best reach them.
Cincinnati Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age (40 or over), national origin, ancestry, We want to stay in touch with our alumni or military service/veteran’s community, and save paper and postage. status in the administration of Please contact Alumni Director Paula Brock at its educational programs and brockp@countryday.net or 513-979-0282 with policies, admission decisions, updated information or send address changes tuition aid programs, employment to addresschanges@CountryDay.net. practices and benefits, athletic, or other school administered programs.
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LEADERSHIP Dear Country Day Community, Last August, I addressed the CCDS community in a speech titled “5,000 Miles Farther.” In this talk, I contemplated the work we must undertake to prepare our students for their own life journeys. This year, we asked the question: “How do we continue to improve the Country Day experience?” In response, we initiated a comprehensive long-range planning process. Working in partnership with trustees, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, students and friends of the school, we listened to a variety of CCDS voices about how to best craft the school’s future. Using that feedback, we identified a direction for our future that will strengthen the foundation of a Country Day education (excellence in education, service learning, and technology in classrooms) along with areas for development (innovations in teaching approaches, global engagement, and environmental commitment). Bringing change to an institution is a delicate balance, but the need for a dynamic and vibrant program that prepares young people for an uncertain future is crucial. The strength of this institution is its community, a resource we will tap to shape our long-range plan. In the coming months, we will provide information to engage our many stakeholders and gain their valuable perspective. I hope you will add your voice to the conversation. Reaching our plan’s goals will require help on many fronts, and I am confident that we, Country Day, will come together to keep making our school the best in Cincinnati and beyond! Sincerely,
Anthony Jaccaci Head of School Jennifer Aquino Head of Lower School Robert Baker Director of Technology Michael Busch Director of Facilities Theresa Hirschauer Head of Middle School Aaron Kellenberger Director of Enrollment Management
Anthony T. T. Jaccaci Head of School
Stephanie Luebbers Head of Upper School
Follow Tony on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TonyJaccaci Country Day Heads of School
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Cabinet 2015-2016
Harold Washburn 1926 - 1929
Herbert Davison 1948 - 1969
Charles Clark 1994 - 2003
Herbert Snyder 1929 - 1941
Patrick Boardman 1969 - 1971
Lee Pierson 2003 - 2004
Harwood Ellis 1941 - 1944
Charles Yeiser ’39 1971 - 1977
Robert Macrae 2004 - 2015
Ronald Dixon 1944 - 1948
John Raushenbush 1977 - 1994
Anthony Jaccaci 2015 -
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Christopher Milmoe Athletic Director Ashley Ward Assistant to the Head of School Todd Witt Chief Financial Officer Christopher Woodside Director of Development
LONGRANGE
Board of Trustees 2015-2016 Jon Hall President of the Board of Trustees Christopher Bortz ’92 Joel Brant ’87 Kyle Brooks ’81 Marianne Castrucci Richard Durand ’73 Jason Fraley Jessica Hall Lori Jeffries ’90 Shailesh Jejurikar Macy Kirkland Thomas Langlois ‘77 Michael Leonard ’83
PLAN The Long-Range Plan continues to progress. The proposed plan includes three pillars: • Environmental Commitment • Global Engagement • Innovative Learning & Teaching Underpinning the three pillars is the Financial Vitality strategic mandatory.
John Mackenzie Anne Maier Holly Mott ’95 Peter Niehoff ’05 Marilyn O’Brien Jeanne Parlin Nick Recker Todd Stegman Paul Stewart Chalky Thomas ‘80 Gordon Wright ’85 Rob Zimmerman ‘98
Work on the proposal will continue throughout the summer and fall. We hope that you will participate as opportunities arise. Details of the plan will be announced electronically and in future issues of Connections. 5
Country Day’s $10 million North Campus Project continues to transform the school’s footprint for current and future generations of students. “When I arrived here, the project was underway,” Head of School Tony Jaccaci said. “It’s been exciting for me to get up to speed and work closely with teachers, staff, trustees, parents and students to participate in the completion of what I know will be ‘game-changing’ facilities for our school.” The North Campus Project includes: • New Early Childhood Center • Renovated athletic complex that will become the Leonard Athletic Center (LAC) • Carey Family Amphitheater • Sally Dwyer ’05 and Tonya Grieb ’10 Performing Arts Courtyard • Taft Semple Maintenance Facility • Broadwell House renovations “These new and enhanced facilities will play a key role in attracting students and families to Country Day by creating facilities and spaces on campus that match our worldclass curriculum and program. For our youngest students, I’m most excited about the new ECC and believe that this will attract new generations of Country Day Lifers,” Jaccaci said. Work officially began on the Leonard Athletic Center (LAC) as lead donors Mike ’83 and Susie Leonard and family joined Jaccaci and Country Day trustees to break ground for the athletic complex renovation project April 20. The swimming pool and connected renovated locker areas are expected to be completed for swim season in December, and the remainder should be finished by next spring. “We will try to support our scholar athletes with the least disruption to the athletic program as possible,” Jaccaci said. “However, with the athletic center under construction, there will be disruption. We do feel, though, that the short-term inconvenience is worth the longterm benefit of a new first-class facility.” “The portion of the campus that we’re working on has always been considered the campus’ back yard,
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in my mind,” Jaccaci said. “I think this North Campus Project will elevate the status of this side of the campus to the same status and feel that the front has always had. It’s no longer our back yard.”
Early Childhood Center Completion: Fall 2016
Details: The center will have four natural light classrooms, a kitchen and common space, as well as a playscape for exploration and unstructured play. Country Day will welcome students to the new building during the 2016-2017 school year. “The new Early Childhood Center will bring four classrooms, a multipurpose/muscle room, faculty work and meeting space, kitchen, and dramatic play/ stage area under one roof. It will also be enhanced by a new entry way, outdoor play area, and a beautiful playscape. As the
earliest entry point (18 months) for a Country Day education, the facility will continue to provide an important pipeline for enrollment in a nurturing environment that is responsive to the varying developmental needs of each child.” Director of Enrollment Management Aaron Kellenberger
Leonard Athletic Center First Phase completion: Winter 2016
Details: Renovation of the athletic complex, which will be known as the Leonard Athletic Center, includes a new pool in the same footprint as the current pool. The six-lane pool will be widened, a new deck and lighting system will be installed, and a wet classroom will be added to elevate the swimming experience. Also included in the first phase is an expanded seating gallery, infrastructure renovations, equipment room and both boys’ and girls’ locker room renovation.
Second Phase completion: Spring 2017
Details: The LAC second phase includes a new façade, new athletic offices, concession stand, renovated/expanded weight training room, student/parent waiting area, and a new home for the Athletic Hall of Fame.
“The LAC is going to be a place where people want to be. The athletic complex has served us well, but today kids want to have a place to hang out, and that’s really what we’re creating.” “With the expansion/renovation of the weight room, student athletes will get the best care, because improvement in strength conditioning is key to success. We want to prepare kids for a lifetime of fitness.” Athletic Director Chris Milmoe
Carey Family Amphitheater Sally Dwyer ’05 and Tonya Grieb ’10 Performing Arts Courtyard Completion: Spring 2016
Details: Located on the North Lawn, the amphitheater/outdoor performance area will include an outdoor classroom, and campus green, creating open-air learning spaces as well as a place for students to gather and enjoy outdoor activities. Seating capacity is approximately 300. “The amphitheater will be an iconic image of our campus. It’s a testament to what we offer - great academics and a tremendous outdoor experience. Utilizing the space for graduation, the arts, gatherings, and performances speaks to what the truly excellent and well-rounded education CCDS provides.” Development Director Chris Woodside
LEONARD ATHLETIC CENTER GROUNDBREAKING
Mike and Susie Leonard and family, along with six Country Day athletes, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Leonard Athletic Center. They are, front from left, Jane Brooks ’17, Julia Rutherford, Josie Rutherford ’18, Jeanne Long, Meghan Leonard, Susie Leonard, Mike Leonard ’83, Hailey Leonard ’32, Katie Leonard ’12; Haven Watson ’16 and Darryn Jordan ’17. Back, from left, are Cameron Davis ’17, Will Brady ’16 and Missy Dieckman-Meyer ’16. Country Day’s North Campus Project has undergone changes, but Dick Durand, involved since its inception, remains the one constant. Durand has a long history with CCDS, first as a student who graduated in 1973, and parent of Ashley Durand ’04. He was Director of Facilities from 20052012 and is on the Board of Trustees for his third term. Plans for the North Campus Project (NCP) started about five years ago. Durand helped with the project and when Tony Jaccaci arrived, he wanted Durand to stay involved. “Tony asked me to be the bulldog and watch out for the school,” Durand said. “It has evolved into more than that. I bring the technical expertise of construction.” Jaccaci added that Durand has been a very important part of the school’s construction team, the NCP Steering Committee. “We called Dick in from the bull pen and he is still pitching strong on Country Day’s behalf.”
Before working at Country Day, Durand worked for Messer Construction for 27 years. His background is mostly in large utility, mechanical and electrical system design and construction. Durand’s role is to coordinate the project with the school’s needs. “It’s just making sure that we stress to the contractor that this is a school, and it needs to be a safe construction job,” he said. Last summer, he managed the construction for Broadwell House renovations, working with parents Lisa Pettengill ’85 and Jeanne Parlin, who is also a trustee. The North Campus Project is updating two heavily-used facilities that were in need of upgrade, Early Childhood and the athletic complex, which is five different buildings/additions all constructed at different times, Durand said. “That was just in need of a total makeover. It gets a lot of use, and it’s used 52 weeks out of the year.” “Our campus is being modernized and being taken to the next level — first class facilities for a first class school.”
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Gordon R. Wright ’44
the off season to help keep their bounce (a mixture of chemistry and tennis),” said his son, Gordon W. (Gibby) Wright ’85.
by Cindy Kranz
Mr. Wright’s affiliation with the school began as the son of Country Day co-founder Clifford R. Wright.
Teacher, Coach, Friend
from 1957-1991, he was an Upper School chemistry teacher and is credited with starting the CCDS tennis dynasty. He was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame and was named a Distinguished Alumnus. Mr. Wright coached varsity tennis for 24 years and won multiple state and league championships. He coached five state champions (two singles and three doubles teams) and had 27 student athletes appear in the State Final Four. One of his greatest accomplishments was coaching both the state singles and doubles champions in 1971.
Whether Gordon R. Wright was in chemistry class or on the tennis court, his students could count on his quick wit to get them through the tribulations of solving stoichiometry problems or hammering the first serve.
Out of the classroom, his passion was tennis. He loved to watch it, coach it, and analyze it. “My father generally identified one of his former students not by their knowledge of chemistry, but more likely by how they hit their backhand. He used to drive the food staff crazy by demanding freezer space for his tennis balls in
He attended Country Day, the Hotchkiss School ’44, and Yale University ’51. “He was a history major at Yale and he thought he was going to continue on to law school, but at the last moment decided to get a master’s in education,” his son said. He taught at several schools in the Cincinnati area before returning to Country Day to regale students with his humor. Groucho Marx was one of his comedy idols. He went as far as to grow a mustache in tribute to his passing. When Mr. Wright retired in 1991, he passed the chemistry torch to Paula Butler, who is the Upper School’s AP chemistry teacher today. When she first arrived here from a teaching job in The Netherlands, Mr. Wright and his wife invited her and her mother over for dinner. “He was so gracious and kind in helping me make the transition to a
“Both on the court and in the classroom, he was rigorous, humorous, demanding, and enthusiastic, with a delightful tinge of wackiness,” wrote Tom Beach ’73. “I’ve never forgotten the large “why? button mounted on the wall of his lab, which he would push whenever a student gave the correct answer without being able to explain why it was correct.” Mr. Wright ’44, one of the most iconic teachers and coaches in Cincinnati Country Day School history, died Feb. 5 in Montecito, California. He was 89. During his 34 years at Country Day,
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Students pose with Gordon R. Wright during his trip to Russia.
The Wright legacy remains part of the landscape and fabric of the school. The Wrights established the Ramsey Runyon Wright ’84 Award given annually to an eighth-grader who epitomizes their late son’s creativity and sense of humor. Mr. Wright announced the award annually while still a teacher at CCDS. He was always creative about how the cash prize was awarded. One year, the money was tossed into a salad of lettuce and tomatoes. Another year, the cash was awarded in the denomination of pennies in a shoe box. The prize has also been presented as change in an old black sock. Now, it’s the previous year’s recipient’s job to find a creative way to present the award, and it’s Gordon Wright Jr.'s honor to announce the Middle School award.
Joe “Doc” Holliday joins Gordon for a game of golf.
new school,” Butler said. “He wanted to make sure that I felt at home here and that I was comfortable and happy. He wanted to know that his chemistry position was in good hands.” Before Mr. Wright died, Butler wrote him a heartfelt letter to thank him again for the time he spent and the resources he left her in the chemistry room. “I regularly refer to that red spiralbound notebook where you painstakingly transcribed notes about all 26 segments of “The World of Chemistry” videos by Roald Hoffmann,” she wrote. “I still use your tennis ball can filled with copper turnings, and I still keep metal electrodes, litmus paper, wax pencils, etc. in those wonderful cigar boxes. I hope, Gordie, that I’ve been worthy of your legacy in teaching and in mentoring students.”
The school also gives the Gordon R. Wright Award to the outstanding senior science student. Mr. Wright, who served the school as a science teacher and Science Department Chair, transitioned the department into a modern, innovative place of learning. He spearheaded a movement to two lab bells a week for all science classes, emphasizing student-centered and inquiry-based learning that is still the cornerstone of science instruction at Cincinnati Country Day School. The Gordon R. Wright Chemistry Room was dedicated after the new Upper School building opened in 2000. Gordon, Jr. thinks his dad made chemistry fun, but still tough. “He was far from a mad professor. We’d go up to his chemistry lab and he had a whole drawer full of basically toys – all these things he could relate to chemistry, but obviously weren’t your typical curriculum aids.” Most recently, the Gordon R. Wright Tennis Complex was dedicated in May 2013. A capital campaign was launched to replace the aging
IN HIS OWN WORDS When Gordon R. Wright was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, he wrote what he called “some snippets from the ho-hum life of a tennis coach.” Here’s an excerpt: “It was Friday. We had two double teams in the District finals in Hamilton, OH, never a hot bed of tennis. To save money nets were made of fencing which refused to stand vertical. Balls hit into the net leaning away from a player often jumped over the net.” ”Add Lanier and Scott Matthews (both ’72) were into the third set and down 2-5. Lose this game and no Columbus. Add’s serve had been deteriorating. He banged the first two serves and missed the target. In total exasperation he pooped the next ball over the net in the manner of a five year old. His opponent lustily charged the ball and smacked it out. Add used his poop serve the rest of that game and we won the match.” courts that Mr. Wright and Al Bunis Sr. had built. As a result of gifts from Mr. Wright and other generous donors, seven new tennis courts were built, along with a pavilion and improved seating for spectators. He was unable to attend the dedication, but Gordon Jr. read remarks from his father: “In 1957, when I first began coaching at Country Day, our court was created out of a section of a parking lot near the gym. Every few days, we would have to brush the loose gravel off. The net was an old one from Cincinnati Tennis Club whose holes I patched up.” “One year, during new school construction, we had no tennis courts at all. Coaching then became mostly chauffeuring.”
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basement and made our own Christmas cards. Once my father had more time to travel, he began to really focus on photography, especially later in life,” Gordon Jr. said. Gordie's daughter, Holly Brown, now living in Denver, has continued her dad's passion and has started her own photography company.
Gordon Wright always said he didn’t like to fish. He liked to catch. Here, he displays one of his catches as Gordon Wright Jr. looks on.
“Now the great era of luxury has arrived. CCDS gives an education for a lifetime. Tennis is a sport for a lifetime. Some players on today's teams will probably have children and grandchildren competing on these same courts.”
As Gordon Jr. reflected on his father, “He was always a very even-keeled father. He never got too angst up and looked at everything with a rational perspective. The first time I had ever heard him swear was playing Monopoly during a snow day. If we missed curfew, he would stand at the top of the stairs and say, ‘If this was a train – you would have missed it.’ He would always do everything with a sense of humor, not a wacky sense of humor, but a clever riddle, pun, or comment to accentuate any conversation.” In the classroom and on the court, Gordon R. Wright kept the ball deep and served up an ace when the opportunity arose. He'll be missed.
Mr. Wright played tennis throughout his life and taught his children to play.
SUGAR AND SPICE Top left: Shyness and friendliness played tug-of-war with this little girl. Nagarhole National Park, India
“He loved tennis, lived for tennis, and watched it constantly,” Gordon, Jr. said. “He was an avid sports fan, whether it was golf, tennis or football. And he coached all those sports at one time or another at Country Day. His other passions were travel and photography.” For the 1983-84 school year, Gordie took a sabbatical from Country Day for a nine-month trip around the world with his wife, Peggy. He captured the journey with his camera. “We had a dark room in the
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A BOOK OF PHOTOGRAPHY Gordon R. Wright had a passion for photography and honed his skills during his world travels. Here, he’s on the other side of the lens.
Top right: Gillette has made scant inroads on this island. Southern Highlands, PNG
Gordon Wright, bottom row, far right, sits next to his brother, Clifford Jr., for a baseball team photo at CCDS.
TAKE THE PLUNGE Bottom: What fun to dash top speed into the ocean, then knife into the first big wave. South Beach, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts Wright photographed his children, Gordon Jr. and Holly, during a summer vacation to Martha’s Vineyard.
Remembering Mr. Wright The Archive 1991
A Fond Farewell to Mr. Wright Mr. Gordon Wright, a teacher at Country Day for thirty-three years, decided to hang up his fire-hat at the end of the school year. Mr. Wright’s chemistry students will never forget his surprising “toys” and experiments: the drinking bird, “queeg ball-ology,” and molten iron. The shot heard ‘round the chemistry room could only have come from his pistol tie-clip. CD students will forever remember his assembly demonstrations on how to recycle aluminum cans. And watch out, John Travolta, as Mr. Wright boogies down to the theme song of “The World of Chemistry” videos. In Mr. Wright’s honor, CD will give science prizes to the most outstanding science students. Have a good life, Mr. Wright … Okie Dokes? Sarah Gim ’92
Other recollections
When I arrived at Country Day thirty years ago, Gordie was, along with Lee Pattison, one of two longstanding and legendary teaching masters. Gordie's sense of humor was a defining trait. In my first years at Country Day, Gordie's irreverent humor was frequently directed toward me. I wondered whether I had a target on my back. Eventually, I caught on and came to understand that he was telling me that my effectiveness with students would improve when I stopped taking myself so seriously. Gordie imparted truths about science and life through knowledge acquired over a lifetime of study. The weight of all that learning turned weightless when he wrapped it in his trademark irony and humor. Gordie was all about “studentcentered learning” long before it became fashionable and I suspect
he would find today's educational experts trumpeting a concept so entirely self-evident amusing. Gordie's great joy as a science teacher and coach was to instruct, stand back, observe, encourage, and comment in ways helpful and humorous. Gordie belongs to that select company of truly great Country Day educators that include John Raushenbush, Lee Pattison, Bill Hopple, Herb Davison, Chuck Yeiser, and Tony Strauss. Merle Black Upper School history teacher
He was a very familiar figure in the halls of the school all through the 70's. He was a funny, quirky guy who was always up to mischief and who enjoyed making his students and colleagues laugh. I will always remember a classic gambit he pulled. In an effort to get his students to appreciate the concept of a million, he once assigned all the students in his classes to each fill a sheet of notebook paper with slashes. He hung these in the corridor outside the science department and the number of slashes on each paper had been totaled. I don't know if the total actually came to a million, but I remember the effort. Joe Hofmeister retired math teacher and technology director
Back in the early 1970s, when I was in 7th grade, Mr. Wright had a fearsome reputation as a disciplinarian among the 7th graders. Maintaining quiet in the halls was his particular preoccupation. He would appear, as if from thin air, to silence noisy 7th graders in his inimitable style, administer a stinging rebuke, and then vanish. We avoided the science hallway where, rumor had it, Mr. Wright lay in wait for miscreant 7th graders. All in all, he was not the person that we wanted to run
into in the halls. We were certain that he loathed us all. But, of course, we were wrong. Little did we know that Mr. Wright, an alumnus himself, cared deeply about all the students at Country Day. We learned that lesson on the first day of the Christmas semester exams. At that time, the entire Middle and Upper Schools gathered each morning in assembly before classes began. On that December morning, we all sat in assembly offering prayers to the gods of the grade curve, or trying one last, futile cram. After the usual morning announcements, three teachers took the stage and were bathed in blue spotlights: Phyllis Pierce, the art teacher, and the only woman then teaching above grade 6, Dave McDiarmid, French teacher and faculty advisor to the Gamboliers, and, of all people, Gordon Wright. The three, brandishing handkerchiefs to staunch the flow of crocodile tears, began to sing Elvis’s classic “Blue Christmas,” asserting quite eloquently that they would have “a blue, blue Christmas without” us. The audience dissolved in laughs and cheers. For a few minutes, we were freed from our Sydney Cartonlike fates. We also learned that Mr. Wright knew of our plight, and that he had made light of himself to put us at ease. Tom Langlois ’77
Mr. Wright was my tennis coach, advisor and chemistry teacher. He always encouraged me to play tennis because it was a sport I could play into my older age. His sound advice has stood the test of time. He was an institution at Country Day, both loved and admired. Bruce Selnick ’78
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Presidential Scholar Country Day has graduated two Presidential Scholars – Hema Magge ’97 and Colin McSwiggen ’07 – since President Lyndon B. Johnson established the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in 1964. The program recognizes and honors some of the nation’s most distinguished, academically talented graduating high school seniors. Candidates qualify for the program by their exceptionally high ACT and SAT scores.
Each year, 141 students are named Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. The program has been expanded twice to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts, and students who excel in career and technical education. Winners receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with government officials, educators, authors, musicians and scientists, and to attend recitals and receptions. In the last Connections edition, we talked with Magge about her life since winning the award. In this issue, we visit with McSwiggen. 12
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Colin McSwiggen ’07 has an insatiable appetite for knowledge. He’s currently pursuing his Ph.D. in applied mathematics at Brown University, but isn’t tying his degree to a future career. “Making some kind of contribution to academic mathematics is a goal that I have. This is the preparation that I need in order to be able to do that,” McSwiggen said. Ten years after Country Day had its first Presidential Scholar, Hema Magge, McSwiggen received the prestigious designation in 2007 – one of the highest honors for high school students. His younger brothers, Kevin ’11 and Brian ’14, were also recognized by the Presidential Scholar Program. Kevin was a candidate and Brian was a semifinalist. They’re now pursuing undergraduate degrees in computer science at Harvey Mudd and Princeton, respectively. As a Presidential Scholar, McSwiggen was invited to visit the nation’s capital. “I have a skepticism toward awards like that, because so much of the initial selection process is based on standardized test scores, but I enjoyed the trip to D.C. I feel honored that they selected me.” The experience was memorable. McSwiggen made several good friends with whom he remains close today, but the trip became even more eventful when some scholars, including McSwiggen, went off script. “We caused a bunch of trouble on that trip. We were going to meet George Bush, but it became clear at a certain point that meeting the president was actually a photo opp for him to advertise the No Child Left Behind Act. A lot of us on the trip weren’t really fans of that legislation.” “So, we collected signatures of the other Presidential Scholars, a good fraction of the group, and voiced opposition to his administration using torture. A friend of mine gave it to him and ended up having a surprisingly polite discussion with him on the White House lawn.” A group from every Presidential Scholars class is selected to visit China through a student exchange run by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. McSwiggen was among those chosen for the two-week trip in the summer of 2007. He had never been to China before and made many Chinese friends on that trip.
Colin McSwiggen ’07 The group went to three cities: Beijing, Xi-an and Luoyang. “We stayed in the home of other high school students in each of those cities, and we attended their classes and did cultural exchange activities. We went to martial arts school, we ate different types of food, and we met some government figures from the Department of Education in China. We saw the pertinent sites in each city.” Then, it was on to college at MIT to major in math and physics. “I was always interested in both of those subjects, and math was my best subject when I was in high school, but both of my parents are mathematicians. At that age, I think it’s pretty common, I was pretty resistant to the idea of studying math. It was a little too familiar, almost, but it was something I was good at.” So good, that his math teacher, Bob Plummer, placed him among the top three most gifted math students in his 42 years at Country Day. When it came time to declare a major, McSwiggen didn’t have a clear picture of what he wanted to do after college. It seemed like majoring in math was a good option for keeping doors open. “You can do almost anything after a math major. So, I chose math, originally, and I always thought physics was interesting, so I added that as a double major,” McSwiggen said. “I knew I was going to want to take enough physics classes to be able to get the degree anyway.” During undergraduate school, he spent a year as an exchange student at the Cambridge University in
England. After graduating in 2011, he entered a master’s degree program in industrial design - a joint degree between Imperial College of London and the Royal College of Art. “It was not completely unrelated to my undergraduate work, but definitely not very related either.” He became interested in industrial design during his undergraduate education when he realized that most of what he had studied and done, so far, was highly theoretical. “I also realized that I had a lot of interests, pretty strong interests, outside of math, and it seemed like it would be a bad idea to not also take a shot at pursuing those fairly seriously before feeling I was committing to a particular path.” McSwiggen was involved in international development work on the side while getting his undergraduate degree. “There’s a lot of interesting work in international development that is design focused, but pursuing a design degree would give me an avenue to pursue that kind of work in the future.” “It would also be a good way to build a lot of hands-on skills. I wanted to learn my way around a machine shop. I wanted to be able to actually make physical things, because that was an utterly new idea for me. I had been working almost strictly with theory that whole time.” McSwiggen did several industrial design projects while in London. On a field work trip to Tanzania, he worked on a project to design a new type of pedal-powered grain mill.
Colin, left, and Rodger Davis ’06, catch up at the Thanksgiving Alumni Gathering. to Boston, where he did freelance software engineering and writing. Then, he worked at a small start-up quantitative investment firm, where he did software engineering, trading, mathematical and statistical research, and strategy research. He’s continuing to do some freelance consulting work in software engineering while pursuing his Ph.D. “My life is pretty consumed with school at the moment. For the first year, we have a pretty intense course load, so it can consume as much time as I’m willing to give it.” Along with his quest for knowledge and other interests, McSwiggen has been bitten by wanderlust. He’s visited numerous countries throughout the world, from Korea to Brazil to Portugal. Most recently, he visited Mexico and spent part of the summer in Germany and England. “I think that the world is too large to spend life all in one place,” he said. “There are challenges, but if it weren’t difficult, you wouldn’t learn anything. That’s always the way it works.”
by Cindy Kranz
He also worked on several projects on medical devices. “I did a needs-finding assessment for low-cost sterile obstetrical equipment, where I interviewed a bunch of midwives and traditional doctors in villages of Tanzania, which was pretty cool. I also worked on a similar project in a lab at MIT while I was there.”
Besides mathematics, Colin has a passion
Pictured at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport, which closed in 2008.
After getting his master’s degree for traveling the world. Here, he’s with a in 2013, McSwiggen returned
friend on Mt. Fuji.
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Internships - Real-life Experience JC Vogt ’16 shadowed notable celebrity photographer Tyler Shields in Los Angeles for his senior project in May. Soham Basu ’16 will do an internship with an international trade lawyer in Washington, D.C. Emma Rust ’16 shadowed a real estate developer for two days last summer. For several years, students have landed valuable summer math and science internships, but some wanted to test the waters in other fields. As a result, Country Day’s internship/ job shadowing initiative has expanded opportunities for students, thanks to 22 parents and alumni who have offered to help. “We are incredibly grateful,” said Sarah Beyreis, Academic Dean and Director of College Counseling. “There are unusual and interesting experiences, and some fantastic, roll up your sleeves kind of opportunities. There’s a real range of experiences and there’s a real range of kids that we’re reaching with them.” Among the offers: *A job shadow experience with a college president. *A summer internship with the Hyde Park Farmers Market for a student interested in sustainability and nutrition. *A senior project/job shadow in an IT/marketing business. *An internship to do social media marketing for a start-up. *Shadowing doctors and a pediatric nurse practitioner. *An opportunity in public interest law with the African Services Committee in New York, which helps immigrants with immigration law problems. The ball started rolling two years ago when Academic Dean Sarah Beyreis and Upper School chemistry teacher Paula Butler decided to create an internship program seminar. The two, along with Mark Femia and later Marcus Twyford, decided to create a video and survey to gauge CCDS constituents’ interest in hosting a student intern or job shadow. Alumni Director Paula Brock was ready to help, knowing many successful alumni in varied occupations. At the same time, Beyreis was matching students with professionals on a small scale through the college counseling office. She set Basu up with lawyer Steve Lazarus ’81, a parent and alum, and Rust with Pete Horton, a parent who owns his own real estate development company.
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In the summer of 2014, Nathan Grant ’16 did a six-week internship in Los Angeles, where he worked in the Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) Lab at the Harbor Pediatrics BioMedical Center. He wanted to work in the lab because his twin brother, Nik, was diagnosed with MPS II Hunter Syndrome when they were 3 years old. Here, he is pipetting myelin fractions into a test tube to perform the Bradford Protein Assay and Mass Spectrometry. “We continued to have fabulous experiences for many kids in the sciences,” Beyreis said. “We’ve had other kids do other kinds of shadowing, but those were particularly good experiences, and so we went to Paula Brock and said, ‘This is the year to make the video because the hosts were really raving about the kids, and the kids were raving about their experiences.’” Bree Murdock, a 1990 graduate
and parent, produced the video about the need for a variety of experiences for interested students. The video, www.CountryDay.net/ go/intern, and a survey were sent to 4,000 CCDS parents, alumni and friends in February. The video interviews of students and hosts, Beyreis said, helped convince constituents that CCDS students are capable and serious about these experiences. Marco Fatuzzo, chair of Xavier
University’s Physics Department and a CCDS parent, already knew. He
has hosted five Country Day student interns. “The students who have asked to work with me have a real passion for math and physics. They have a good foundation, so their math skills are pretty strong.” “More importantly, though, is I’ve always been impressed with their thinking. It’s not just about doing the math. In many ways, that’s the easy part. It’s the ability to know what math to do to set the problem up … That’s hard to do, so I’ve always been really impressed at how well students do that.” Meanwhile, students were matched with offers. Beyreis, Butler and Twyford met weekly during lunch to help interested students write cover letters and resumes, and learn how to reach out to a stranger for a job. It’s harder to get a job after college today, Beyreis said, so learning job search skills and having these experiences in high school give CCDS students a leg up. “We want them to have a breadth of experiences here so that when they get to college, they know how to take advantage of what’s there. This is huge. They’re much quicker and more confident to take advantage of these kinds of things in college, in part, because we’ve given them these experiences and, in part, because they’re just fantastic kids.”
Alumni Network Internship Program Country Day has begun a new program to strengthen the connections among alumni, and to help graduates network with alumni. We will help connect alumni interested in short and long-term internship opportunities in a variety of occupations. If you are in a position to offer a fellow alum or CCDS student an internship, paid or unpaid, visit http://www.countryday.net/go/ internship or go to the Alumni link on the website and choose it from the menu.
Two CCDS students discuss their internship opportunity: Soham Basu ’16
Where he visited: Soham shadowed Steve Lazarus ’81, Principal at Hardin, Lazarus & Lewis, LLC for two weeks in his downtown Cincinnati office. What he did/ learned: I listened into grievance filings, counsel with clients, negotiations, and essentially observed Mr. Lazarus in every aspect of his job. I also read a lot of fact-finding reports, contracts, and filings before they were negotiated. After every meeting, I was able to sit down with Mr. Lazarus and sometimes even his associates and talk about the ramifications of the meeting, political implications, and what would come next. Overall impressions: I greatly benefited from this experience. I have always been interested in the field of law but never had a direct experience with it. Now I have learned that I definitely want to pursue law as a career choice, and I’ve gained a mentor, Mr. Lazarus, in the process. I want to study government and economics in college and attend law school in the future.
in length, that could drive on the floors of large, newly constructed buildings and test the floors for levelness to ensure they agree with building standards. Currently, this process requires a single person to measure every square foot of the floor. If it is not level enough, the entire floor must be torn away and rebuilt. In order to work on this project I spent a lot of time on the lab computer using a proprietary 3D printing software called SolidWorks to design the shapes I wanted to have printed and to test certain pieces. I would then print out the pieces of the robot on a MakerBot 3D printer. Much of this time was spent taking apart/rebuilding the printer to fix jams and other issues. Though an independent project, I still collaborated with students in my lab (mostly graduate students) who offered very helpful advice and insight. Overall impressions: I am leaning toward pursuing a career in engineering, math, or science. This internship was really helpful in the sense that I learned engineering was a career option that I would definitely be interested in pursuing. Next experience: She attended a research fair at the University of Cincinnati where she met several professors whom she is contacting for summer volunteer possibilities.
Next experience: He is shadowing another lawyer this summer in Washington, D.C. who deals with international trade. Lorae Stojanovic ’18
Where she visited: Lorae worked in the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Cincinnati’s downtown campus for six weeks in 2015. Dr. Fred Beyette, a parent and professor of electrical engineering, oversaw the project. What she did/learned: My project was to build the chassis of a 3D-printed robot, about one foot
Lorae Stojanovic ’18 explains the work she did during a summer internship in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Cincinnati.
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Students CUM LAUDE SOCIETY INDUCTS EIGHT NEW MEMBERS The Cincinnati Country Day School chapter of the Cum Laude Society inducted eight new members. Inductees from the Class of 2016 are: Soham Basu, Maggie Bernish, Sam Jenkins, Joe Lou, Max Luebbers, Sean O’Brien, Quinn Petre and David Yang. Class of 2016 members who were inducted as juniors last year are: Nathan Albrinck, Trisha Atluri, Taylor Boggs, Nathan Grant, Ian Hayes, Margaret Hodson and Caroline Retzios. The Cum Laude schools represent academic institutions of the highest caliber in the United States. (The top one-tenth of 1 percent of all secondary schools in the U.S.) Among the more than 27,000 secondary schools in the U.S, just over 300 have been awarded membership during the past 103 years. Approximately 4,000 students are inducted nationwide each year.
Pictured are inductees and faculty members who were Cum Laude while they were in school: Front row: Margaret Hodson, Nathan Grant, Joe Lou, Taylor Boggs, Soham Basu, Stephanie Luebbers Second row: Ian Hayes, David Yang, Trisha Atluri, Maggie Bernish, Nathan Albrinck, Sam Jenkins Third row: Brock Miller, Quinn Petre, Caroline Retzios, Sarah Beyreis, Sean O’Brien, Peter Fossett, Max Luebbers.
FIRST GRADE CITY PROJECT First grade students have actively studied Cincinnati’s growth and development from Native Americans and early settlers to Cincinnati today. Each student chose a city place to research, write about and build. They were excited to share their research and replicas with fellow students and parents.
Top Row (L-R) – Jaida Mostafa (Taft Theater) , Joe Kovach (Graeter’s Ice Cream), Gertrude Lazarus (Shillito’s Department Store) Bottom Row (L-R) – Luke Schnieber (Great American Ball Park), Dhruv Ramnathan (Cincinnati Museum Center), Thea Vaughan (The Freedom Center)
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VISIT THE CCDS WEB SITE WWW.COUNTR
ELLIS ISLAND SIMULATION TEACHES JOY, HARDSHIPS OF IMMIGRANTS
Eighth graders participated in the annual simulated pilgrimage to Ellis Island. It follows the study of immigration, set in late 1800’s New York. Students dress in period clothing and play roles of immigrants and Ellis Island officials. Third grade students played the role of children of immigrants and got a taste of academics in the Middle School.
Upper left from L-R is 8th Natalie De Beer, 3rd Bree Newman, 3rd Corrine Newman, 3rd Jude Raterman, 8th Jay Bhati. 8th Grade Lawson Brandon is sitting at the table. Upper Right – 8th Renee Twyford and 8th Delaney Stapp Lower Left – 8th Cameron Kuhlman and 3rd Bradley Donovan. Lower Right - 3rd Stone Joseph, 3rd Brady Delaney, 8th Rebecca Mactaggart, 8th Brian Butler. 8th Grade Lawson Brandon.
“JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT”
“Joseph, the US Musical, was the first show in four years with an all-school cast, including a Lower School children’s chorus and Middle School tumblers. A cast of 70 and crew of 17 participated in the show. The musical was well-attended and the student-actors did a great job.
David Yang as Joseph.
Nick Jaccaci, Emma Rust, Zack Streit, Maggie Bernish, Lily Hill, Will Brady, Mickey Masterson, Maddie Morales, Anthony Wang, Sam Jaccaci
RYDAY.NET FOR ALL OF THE GREAT NEWS.
Grace Gilbreath, Lily Yu, Keyra English, Maggie Wright, Taylor Boggs, Hailey Spaeth, Monica Ma, Nevie Smith, Skylar Boggs, Nathan Riemann
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Students MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS
UPPER SCHOOL SPORTS Boys Varsity Basketball Record 14-9 The season included exciting wins over Cincinnati Christian, Seven Hills, and New Richmond. A highlight of the season was a winter break trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina to play in the Bobcat Classic Tournament. The team finished in 2nd place in the Miami Valley Conference gray division and lost to Clark Montessori in the OHSAA sectional quarterfinals.
Varsity Wrestling Record 1-0 The team finished 2nd overall in the Miami Valley Conference. A highlight of the season was the Lockland Invitational where six wrestlers placed in the tournament and the team finished in 8th place. The season ended with the team placing 21st in the OHSAA sectional tournament.
Girls Varsity Basketball Record 18-7 The team put together an incredible campaign. They finished the season on a 13-2 run and captured an OHSAA sectional title. Other great wins include an overtime victory over Seven Hills, a one-point win over North College Hill, and a twopoint win over Roger Bacon.
Varsity Team Photos
Girls Varsity Gymnastics The team remains one of the most important programs in Southwest Ohio. They hosted five major events during the season including the city championships. The team took 1st place in Seven Hills Invitational and finished 2nd twice in home quads. Boys Varsity Swimming Record 3-2 They finished 2nd overall in the Miami Valley Conference. A highlight of the season was the team placing 4th in the OHSAA sectional meet. Five swimmers qualified for the OHSAA state tournament and the team finished in 37th place. Girls Varsity Swimming Record 0-4-1 The girls swim team finished 5th overall in the Miami Valley Conference. A highlight of the season was the team placing 7th in the OHSAA sectional meet. Four swimmers qualified for the OHSAA district tournament where the team finished in 34th place.
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Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
The Middle School athletic program is based on the understanding that not all learning is found within the classroom walls. Many lessons are learned through participation in interscholastic sports. The seventh and eighth grades are required to commit to one sport each season. The program’s emphasis is on participation, and all team members have the opportunity to participate in athletic contests. Winter season highlights: The girls gymnastics team posted school records for team scores and multiple individual scores early. They then proceeded to break their own records. The girls basketball A-team fought their way to the MVC tournament finals where they demonstrated great team heart and determination in a nail-biting loss. The middle school wrestlers racked up 109 individual wins on the road to finishing the season with nine individual MVC champions and a team MVC championship for the first time in almost a decade. (Team photos on next page).
YOUTH SPORTS Gymnastics
Boys & Girls Swimming
Wrestling
The CCDS Youth Sports Program was created to provide students in grades K-6 an opportunity to compete and learn athletic skills in a comfortable and safe environment. The program allows students to participate in a team sport and to develop stronger athletic, social, emotional, and leadership skills. Participation in team sports also develops independence and confidence while students forge bonds and have fun with their peers. During the winter, Country Day fielded nine basketball teams in the Cincinnati Area Youth Basketball League (CAYBL) with more than 100 boys and girls participating from grades 3-6. The fifth grade girls finished second in their division for the regular season. All of the teams participated in an end of the season tournament and four teams fought their way to a fourth place or better finish in the tournament.
Middle School Team Photos Boys A Basketball
Girls B Basketball
Gymnastics
Girls A Basketball
Boys C Basketball
Swimming
Boys B Basketball
FAST
Wrestling
Faculty Staff TIM DUNN TO RETIRE AS FOOTBALL COACH
Tim Dunn is retiring from the position of Head Football Coach after serving for 29 years. During Coach Dunn’s legendary tenure, CCDS football teams won 219 games, 13 Miami Valley Conference Championships, made 14 OHSAA playoff appearances, and played in two state Final Fours. He had eight undefeated seasons, and against rival Summit Country Day posted a 23-6 record. He received numerous Coach of the Year honors from the Miami Valley Conference, Cincinnati Enquirer, and in the OHSAA Southwest District. Twice, Dunn was named Ohio Football Coaches Association and Associated Press Coach of the Year. Coach Dunn will continue as the Science Department Chair and Head Coach of the varsity baseball team where he has won over 500 games and two state championships. Dunn will be replaced by Greg Ross, who has been at CCDS since 2001. He was the current Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach under Coach Dunn. In 2014, he was named Country Day’s Head Varsity Basketball coach, and Ross will continue in that position. Country Day is very appreciative for a job well done and will honor Coach Dunn during halftime of the 2016 Homecoming football game.
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Faculty and Staff Steve Conner, LS and MS physical
education teacher won the Ohio High School Athletic Association Coach of the Year award as voted on by gymnastic coaches statewide. Steve also won this prestigious award in 2004 as well as the state Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity award in 2009. Yven Destin, US history teacher was
Games and Simulations: Gaming the Past.” He has also started writing his next book. It will be written on the Fabius clan in the Roman Republic and published by Pen & Sword Publishing. Tara McMullen, early childhood
teacher, won second place in a Cincinnati Nature Center photo contest. She won the award in the Water category. Tara’s submission is below.
awarded a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. The title of his dissertation was Modifying Haitian Images in the Miami Media from 1979 through 2010 in Advent of Social Media. His dissertation investigated how Haitians are portrayed in American media spanning over 30 years of coverage. He found that the Haitians’ images evolved and modified during that time due to journalistic practices, especially after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti in an era of social media. Yven earned his M.A. degree from the University of Chicago and B.A. degree from Morehouse College. Jeremiah McCall, US history teacher
has written a review article for the journal “Simulation and Gaming,” titled “Teaching history with digital historical games: An introduction to the field and best practices.” The article was published May 9.
In addition, Jeremiah is in the process of finishing a chapter essay for Wiley Press’s forthcoming “A Companion to Digital History,” tentatively titled, “Historical Video
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Tresonne Peters, second grade
teacher, presented a workshop at the People of Color conference in Tampa, Florida. Her co-presenter was Sheryl McConney, owner of Envision Children, of which Peters currently serves as a board member. Their presentation was entitled “Engineered For Fun: STEAM activities that Elevate Educational Outcomes.” Engineered for Fun is a program created by Peters that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math applied in exciting, innovative ways to increase children’s interest in
careers in science, math, and engineering. The program provides hands on, interactive lessons and a network of scientists and engineers from around the country who video conference with students and describe their jobs, as well as their academic experiences. She will be offering three sessions of Engineered for Fun and LEGOs for STEAM for the CCDS Summer program during the month of July. The People of Color conference is an annual conference facilitated through the National Association of Independent Schools. The conference features general sessions with keynote speakers, dozens of practitioner-led workshops, and dialogue sessions for adults and high school students. Among this year’s featured speakers was Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut to travel to space. Over 4,000 registrants attended POCC 2015 and next year’s conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. Chantal Thornberry, US English
teacher and Dean of Students in grades 9 and 10, designed an app for listening and speaking practice for modern language teachers and students. The app, called Extempore, was piloted at a number of independent schools, public schools, and universities both within the United States and Europe. It’s currently commercially available. You can learn more at https:// extemporeapp.com/.
invasive species, such as emerald ash borers. In April, Matt Stenger, executive director of Taking Root, was at CCDS to introduce a local documentary, “Trees in Trouble,” and answer questions about the region’s tree loss and efforts to repopulate the area with trees.
Cincinnati Country Day School has launched a Canopy ReLeaf initiative to replace dozens of trees that have been lost due to insect damage. Canopy ReLeaf is piloting a rewards program with Natorp’s Nursery Outlet to join Taking Root’s campaign to restore urban forests by planting 2 million trees by 2020 in the Greater Cincinnati region. "It’s a pilot program because it’s never been done with schools before," said Dan Wood, Middle School science teacher and chair of the school's Environmental Council. "They provide vouchers with a code so families can go to Natorp’s, present the voucher and buy a tree for their own yards at a significant discount. Canopy ReLeaf will get 10% of that purchase, and Taking Root will get 5%. We’ll be able to hang onto that credit to buy more trees from Natorp's." Canopy ReLeaf is a partnership with Taking Root and Natorp’s Nursery Outlet to address local tree loss to
Early Childhood students plant a tree.
After the event, the Country Day community was invited to donate money to purchase trees to be planted on campus. The CCDS community purchased more than 130 trees. Students from all divisions planted 14 of the donated trees on Arbor Day, April 29, along the Shawnee Run Road border of campus. Additional trees will be planted in focus areas, near the Early Childhood Center, playscape and amphitheater, when those projects near completion. All newly-planted trees will be registered with Taking Root. A week of Arbor Day activities was kicked off with the Lower School Tree Journal Celebration. Students sat in mixed grade-level groups near their “adopted” trees in Pattison Courtyard and shared what they learned from year-long tree journaling observations. Since the beginning of the school year, students went outside once a month to visit their trees and observe them during all kinds of weather. The celebration culminated with students receiving a certificate of achievement that included the
Lower School Tree Journaling common and scientific names of their tree and a list of interesting facts. Around campus, Middle School students completed a tree-themed geocache adventure that was authored by seventh graders. Only a handful of students nationwide have access to this adventure writing tool. James Larsen, cofounder, principal investigator, and lead developer from the Educational Gaming Environments group (EdGE) at Technology Education Research Center (TERC) visited Country Day to observe the geocache adventure and collect data on how well it worked in an educational setting. For more information and to download a voucher, visit www.countryday.net/go/releaf
MS student plant a tree after a geocaching adventure.
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Bob Plummer retires after 42 years School’s Out for Plummer
Cincinnati Country Day Upper School’s hallways will shine a little less bright next year. That’s because mathematics master Bob Plummer, colorful inside and out, retired at the end of the school year. Most importantly, Plummer is known for his expertise in teaching the most difficult math classes. It was he who shepherded the brightest math minds through Country Day – for 42 years. And, yes, some of his students stumped him. “It happens all the time,” Plummer said, laughing. “I’m not nearly as good as everybody thinks I am. Not even close. I get away with a lot of things because of my reputation. I’m fluent in mathematics, but in terms of solving problems, most of my top students are better at things than I am.” That doesn’t bother him, though. “I’m not easy to intimidate, and they don’t give me a hard time. I’m not smarter than they are, but my experience allows me to direct them.” Students may stump him, but he’s head and shoulders above his high school freshman geometry teacher. “He allowed us to sit in the back of the room and play chess as long as we didn’t make much noise. He didn’t know any geometry at all, and we never got to similar triangles.”
“There is nothing worth saying that can be said in 25 words or less.” Bob Plummer At Bowdoin College, Plummer majored in mathematics and minored in physics. “The thing about physics is you have to understand
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Bob Plummer in 2015 how the real world works. I’ve gotten somewhat better, but I’ve never really mastered that. I can understand the abstraction of math and the relationship. It’s the real world that confuses me. I’m lucky to have found a place where I can retreat to from the real world – mathematics.” That’s how he explains his own personal dress code, which, over the years featured a fishing hat, Birkenstocks, Hawaiian shirts and wild ties. “This is another example of not really understanding how the world works,” Plummer said. “I wore what occurred to me, and when I discovered it was not standard, I adjusted. I had a pair of yellow pants, for example, that apparently were not quite standard.” Originally from Maine, Plummer came to Country Day after answering an advertisement the school placed in the New York Times. He had earned a M.A. in mathematics from the University of Kansas and taught upper level math
at several schools in Philadelphia. “I think I was probably hired because I had the upper level experience. I have taught AP Calculus BC, which is the top calculus course, for 40 of 42 years I’ve been here, mostly because nobody else felt up to it.” When Plummer arrived in 1974, the Upper School encompassed grades 7-12. “I had some adjusting to do. I didn’t understand how to deal with seventh graders in my Algebra 1 class. “One of the best things the school did was to get the seventh and eighth graders out of the corridors.” It was also the first year that girls were admitted to the Upper School. “It still was emotionally, psychologically, physically a boys’ school for 10 to 15 years after that. Those things don’t change very quickly.” Plummer went part-time at age 65, teaching two advanced classes, AP
Calculus BC and Linear Algebra, plus independent studies.
He and his sons, Craig ’89 and Eric ’91, whom he said got a first-class education at Country Day, threw a tent and equipment in the car and went camping every summer.
He knows math is perplexing to many students, but it doesn’t have to be. “There is so much bad teaching of mathematics. My high school math teachers didn’t know anything about math. They were reading the textbook and telling us to do what it said, but they didn’t know what math was. There’s a great deal of that in the educational system - memorizing Bob Plummer formulas with no understanding.”
“A good teacher can make all the difference, and I’ve tried my level best to do that with the kids I’m working with.”
“Everybody can do reasonably well at math. There are levels of talent, but with good teaching, anybody can reach a comfortable level with mathematics. A good teacher can make all the difference, and I’ve tried my level best to do that with the kids I’m working with.” In retirement, Plummer plans to continue reading and enjoying the outdoors with his wife, Marcia Oganowski, on their five acres near Owensville in Clermont County.
Plummer doesn’t recall when he decided on teaching as his life’s work. “I didn’t get a masters in mathematics with any goal in mind. I just liked it. I like doing and finding out new things about mathematics.” “I never quite got past the question, ‘What am I going to do?’ I was just sort of putting one foot in front of the other, and teaching seemed like a good place to temporize until I decided what I want to do when I grow up. I’m still not quite sure, 52 years later.” And so, legions of Country Day students have benefited from his “temporary” career choice. “I’m going to miss the kids,” Plummer said. “I’m not going to miss getting up at 10 minutes to 6 in the morning.”
Bob Plummer in The Archive 1977: The Archive explored fashion tastes of the math department “Last but not least is the eclectic Robert Plummer. Unmistakably a dandy, Mr. Plummer has put the word chic back into calculus. Regularly seen in W magazine, Mr. Plummer is well known for his bold color schemes which bear some resemblance to an osterized peacock.”
Bob from Scroll article in 2011 Bob, as the recipient of the Patterson-Strauss Award in 2005.
by Cindy Kranz
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A little CCDS in Nicaragua Julie Speier’s love of surfing lured
her and her family to Nicaragua, where her passion for teaching compelled her to open a school in the impoverished country. The former Country Day teacher is the founder and director of San Juan del Sur Day School. The school opened as a preschool with six students in 2009, but has quickly evolved into a primary school with 70 students in preschool through fifth grade.
Juan del Sur, a Nicaraguan coastal town. “I wanted a beach lifestyle and to do something different for awhile, to learn a new language and to experience living amongst a different culture,” Speier said.
When Speier and her family moved to Nicaragua in 2008, she didn’t have a concrete plan. She figured she’d see where she could use her talents as either a yoga teacher, surfing instructor or school teacher. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I do what I know and love?’ And, that’s preschool.’’ She opened the preschool in their rented beach home, using the back two rooms and courtyard area. Speier held school Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon with students ages 2 to 5. “After a few months, I had 12 students, and it just started building. I kept that schedule for two years, and once those kids were 6, I hired another teacher and extended the day.” The school is growing by word-of-mouth and demographic changes in the town. “There are more Canadians, Europeans and Americans who are looking to get out of the rat race, and San Juan has this reputation for being this laid back surfer, fishing town.”
Julie Speier’s love of surfing drew her and her family to Nicaragua. She’s pictured with daughter Grace, 4. She has two other children, Aine, 7, and Johnny Joe, 1. From 1998 to 2005, Speier was the program coordinator of Country Day’s toddler program and also taught Pre-KII, kindergarten and first grade. Before working at CCDS, she taught second grade ESL in Hawaii, where she acquired her thirst for surfing. After leaving Cincinnati, she lived in New York for about two years, but she and her husband didn’t want to raise their family there. They had heard good things about San
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“And it is those things, but it is also Nicaragua. People come down and have a romantic idea of what it’s going to be, and it’s not for everyone. So, having a good quality English school there, I think, is making the town attractive to more families.” Half of Speier’s students are local Nicaraguans and the other half are children of expats. Thirtyfive percent of her students are
on scholarship, which is partially funded by an organization called Escuela Adelante. The school absorbs the rest. It’s only funding comes from tuition. She’s working on qualifying for nonprofit status in the States so the school can do fundraising and look for grants to fund the scholarships completely to attract more local children. San Juan del Sur Day School is now located at Finca Las Nubes, an organic farm that has dedicated 30 acres for the school. “We’ve already outgrown a new building that we moved into in August. So, we’re going to have to find money and resources to build another building. We have a master plan that includes elementary, middle and upper school.” At Finca Las Nubes, there’s space for a soccer field and an opportunity to partner in educational programs at the farm, which champions sustainability. Speier has another mission, as well. “My dream is to get a competitive swimming pool built somewhere in that town,” she said. “There needs to be a swim program and a swim team. There are a lot of drownings there. Nicaraguans are afraid of water. They’re taught to fear it, because they don’t know how to swim.” Over spring break, Lower School Head Jennifer Aquino and her son, Bryant ’18 (Bry), traveled to Nicaragua to visit Speier’s school. “It was so nice to have her there,” Speier said on a recent visit to Country Day. “I’ve asked her to sit on the board of the school. She came and consulted with me, brainstormed, observed and came up with a really great list of ideas and recommendations.”
after that he worked primarily with the older students while I was with the younger ones,” Aquino said. “I think he was very helpful to the teacher he was with.”
Julie Speier, right, drops in to visit Lower School Head Jen Aquino on a recent visit to Cincinnati. “There are no resources in Nicaragua, like educational resources or support staff, so she observed some of the students we have concerns about, and she came up with a plan for one boy, in particular. She just swooped on in there and saw what needed to be done. It was really healthy for me to view my school through her eyes.”
Speier hopes Bry’s positive experience leads to other Country Day students visiting the school for a service learning trip. Several CCDS families expressed interest in having their kids or a whole group go with her next time.
It was eye opening for Bry to see children who have very little be extremely happy playing soccer with a deflated ball. Since
don’t have a speech and language pathologist. Country Day is so lucky because we have a speech and language pathologist and a psychologist.” “They have wonderful teachers who want to do so much and kids who want to learn. Nicaragua doesn’t have the resources and support networks they need, which is why I would love to build a Country Day community connection with Speier’s school.” Working with the school in Nicaragua would fit perfectly into the proposed Long-Range Plan’s Global Engagement Pillar, Aquino said. “Creating a community connection with a school like hers would bring to life all of these pieces Country Day holds valuable.”
Speier and Aquino have remained in contact since Speier left. “I had wanted to go for a long time, but it was somewhat out of my comfort zone,” Aquino said. “I’m not a huge traveler. I’m a creature of habit, so I like to do things that I know and am familiar with.” Aquino followed the school on Facebook and saw great things happening there. “What pushed me into going was my son Bry needing CCDS service hours. It is hard for him to do them in the summer because he works and plays lacrosse. Bry was also hesitant. He said, ‘I can’t work with kids. I don’t know how to talk to them. I can’t speak Spanish.’’’ The Aquinos hadn’t been in Nicaragua long before Bry became immersed in the school. “He stayed close to me the first morning, but
he returned, he has a different appreciation for what we have here, Aquino said Her assessment of Speier’s school? “They’re doing great and wonderful things there. They just don’t have resources. For example, they
Country Day Lower School Head Jen Aquino participates in a morning meeting of the school’s oldest groupings. The school began as a preschool in 2009 and now has 70 students enrolled in preschool through fifth grade.
by Cindy Kranz
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Tricia Knowles Brown ’98 University of Denver B.A. Psychology Store Director J. Crew, Cincinnati
Passion for
Featuring eight alumni who are part of the world of fashion and contribute in a variety of ways.
NORDSTROM J.CREW RALPH LAUREN TUKE CONSULTING BARDOT BOUTIQUE CLUB MONACO DELILIAH JOHNSON ELLE by Cindy Kranz
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ALUMNI IN FASHION
At age 3, Tricia Knowles Brown was already a young fashionista, always wanting to wear OshKosh B’Gosh and specific about what argyle socks she wore. “I was always very opinionated about what I wanted to wear and how I wanted to wear it. That’s where it started. Through my love of clothes, it kept growing and growing and becoming more intense as I got older.” Brown started working at Gap Kids when she was 15. Throughout high school, she had a summer job working at a Martha’s Vineyard boutique, where she learned the ins and outs of the business. After college, she took a seasonal job at Saks and was their youngest fashion consultant. She next worked at Soho Boutique, where she was a sales associate and then a manager. “Working in the boutique world is just more of an intimate experience and that parlayed itself into my success at Nordstrom.” In 2009, Brown became a designer sales person at Nordstrom, which was preparing to open its Cincinnati store. She had applied to be the designer manager, but the company only hires from within, Brown said. She got a nice note thanking her for her enthusiasm. “I wanted that
job more than I wanted anything in my entire life and I went for it with everything I had, and I got the job. I loved every minute of it.” “The store opening was fantastic because it was a new brand in a new city. People had heard of Nordstrom, but they hadn’t had the Nordstrom experience. Nordstrom aligned beautifully with my moral values, the way I was brought up, treating people the way that you want to be treated, going above and beyond.” She wrote people thank you notes when they returned merchandise because she wanted them to know she was there to take care of them, not just sell them. “In retail, a sale walks out the door, but a customer keeps coming back. I built a very strong business here in Cincinnati very quickly.” Nordstrom noticed. The next year, Brown was promoted to designer manager and transferred to open the Nashville store, which had the largest designer offering in company history. “It was a big deal, and my success determined the company’s success. There was a lot of pressure there, and we did an amazing job and I had an amazing team,” Brown said. “It was wonderful to see other people bloom, and that was what I thrived on. I loved teaching selling, and doing all the new hire orientations with the designer teams.” Working in Nashville was an adjustment because people lived by a different clock than the Midwest. “They had never had a Nordstrom before either, so they didn’t understand that we work by appointment and we pull things for you and we have them waiting in a fitting room.” Customers often wouldn’t show up for appointments. It was frustrating because so much work had gone into bringing merchandise from other cities, just to fit one customer’s needs. Eventually,
customers started to realize how Nordstrom worked.
Brown and her team served many country music artists, as well as TV shows that came to pull merchandise for upcoming scenes. They also helped find the right look for commercials being filmed in Nashville. “One minute we’re dealing with a housewife who needs something to wear to one of her events, and two seconds later we’re dealing with Luke Bryan and his wife who are coming in to get something for the CMA’s and they needed it like four days ago. We’re basically competing with every other retailer or designer in the country, so we’ve got to step it up and make it happen real fast.” Working with people in the music industry and their stylists became second nature. “It wasn’t even a big deal anymore when they came into the store. They were so nice,” Brown said. “I have not one horror story or anything about that industry.” From Nashville, she was promoted to Chicago’s Nordstrom, the largest store in the company. “That was extremely exciting, and working at a store that does that kind of volume is insane.
You never stop moving. You never stop running. I was doing just as many events as I was in Nashville. We would have great days where we would ring over $100,000.” Brown left Nordstrom to become private client store director for Burberry in Chicago. She would do everything from set up small appointments to store events for 200 people to partnering with the Joffrey Ballet for luncheons. “As much as I set my sales team up for success, I wasn’t always involved in some of the fitting room experiences. I really missed that because that’s where the magic happens and that’s where you build the relationships. It was a higher level of management, and I missed the people aspect.”
After getting married last year, she and her husband decided to move home to Cincinnati. The J. Crew store director position was open at Kenwood and she landed the position. “I thoroughly enjoy what I’m doing at J. Crew. All of my past experiences have led me to where I am now.”
How CCD prepared her
“I went to a smaller college, because I wanted the teachers to know who I was, and I had a learning disability growing up. I needed to be close with the teachers, make use of their office hours and sit in the front row of the class. I had learned that I learn differently, so I needed to make sure that I was in an environment where that was going to be supported.” “I struggled terribly in math growing up. I had a tutor in high school, Aggie Boswell, a CCDS parent. She changed my life. I found Aggie in middle school when she substituted for my math teacher at the time.” “I remember the first day Aggie was there teaching a class was the first day I understood what was happening. Aggie was able to explain it in a way I could hear it.” “She really helped develop who I was, as well, and she would work with the teacher. It’s amazing to see how one moment from middle school helped transform my life.”
Pictures in order: Tricia Knowles Brown Tricia Knowles Brown at age 3 wearing her designer of choice: OshKosh B’Gosh. Brown and her Nashville Nordstrom design team dressed to impress for the launch of Vogue’s The Editor’s Eye, with Andre Leon Tally, American editor-at-large of the magazine. Tricia Knowles Brown, left, with a stylist in the Gucci boutique in Nashville’s Nordstrom.
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Delilah Johnson Castro ’00 Florida A&M University B.S. Business Administration Fashion designer Delilah Johnson brand
Ironically, a corporate internship with Office Depot during college steered Delilah Castro toward her true calling. “While I was on my internship, I missed doing something that touched on the creative side, and then I decided to pursue a business internship, but in a fashion company,” Castro said. She got an internship with Betsy Johnson doing sales and PR in
its New York showroom. Before graduating, Castro returned to New York for a sales internship at DKNY’s intimate apparel showroom. After graduation, her first job was
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an assistant buyer for Macy’s in Miami, where she still lives. Now, she’s a buyer for Office Depot by day and designs her contemporary women’s wear line, Delilah Johnson, in her home office evenings and weekends. She designs clothing, sews the samples and works with manufacturers to do the production. Her sewing skills have come in handy. “My Mom tried to teach me when I was young, but it was one of those things where you partially pay attention, but you don’t really use. Then, when I was in school, I had to stay in Tallahassee for a summer session, and there was nothing to do because most of the people were gone. My roommate had a sewing machine. I just started making projects for myself.” Her idea to design clothes blossomed in college. “I was so broke that I needed to figure out how to make my clothes more stylish than they were, even though I didn’t have a shopping budget like I wanted. It evolved into things I felt were missing when I went out shopping and feedback that I got from friends and people I met.” The fashion statement she makes with her designs mirrors her general attitude. “I think that in any occasion, you should just be confident, friendly, but a little bit fierce. I always play
with those terms, flirty fierce, because it kind of represents what it is.” Castro sells her clothing online at delilahjohnson.com. She also sold her fashions in Miami boutiques when she first launched in 2009. She took a break from boutique sales, but revived them again last year. In April of this year, she opened a pop-up store in Miami and invited local boutiques where she wants to place her brand. Her target audience is mostly young professional women. “Maybe you don’t go out all of the time, but when you do, you really want to show up or even during the day, you might be the fashionista of your workplace, your school or wherever you are. Everything has a little bit of an edge to it. And, I love color, so it’s not for the people who don’t want to be noticed.” Castro’s penchant for bright colors is inspired by personal travel over the last couple of years to Dubai, The Dominican Republic and Jamaica. “There’s a lot of vibrant blue and green tones, with a lot of rich pink and orange hues mixed in. I went to all these places that have all these different influences, but the colors were so vibrant. Not even just the clothes, but in the colors painted on buildings.
In the future, Castro hopes to grow her business and expand. She wants to keep approaching boutiques and is considering branching out to stores in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.
had while I was at Country Day. It definitely helped to prepare me for college and beyond. Some of the lessons that I got from my teachers and coaches have stuck with me.
“I’m also very conscious of a couple boutiques in Cincinnati. It’s my hometown, and I always go back there.”
Pictures: Fashion designer Delilah Castro recently opened a pop-up store in Miami and invited local boutiques where she wants to place her Delilah Johnson brand.
Fashion Forecast
People in the fashion industry usually work a season or more ahead. That may change. “The whole idea of seasons is being debated in the fashion industry, just because the enhancements that keep happening with social media and technology, and how fast everyone expects products to be in the marketplace. It doesn’t coincide with the timeline of an old fashion calendar,” Delilah Castro said. It used to be that the outfits one saw during spring Fashion Week were for the end of the year or next year, she said. “Now, everyone’s attention spans are so short, so the expectation they have after they see it is, ‘How can I get this quickly?”
They really were life lessons.”
Castro designs fashions for mostly young professional women. Her love of brightly-colored designs was inspired by personal travel to Dubai, The Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
Elizabeth Tuke ’00 B.A. Comparative Literature & French Hobart and William Smith Colleges Founder and CEO TUKE Consulting, New York City
“So, there’s a debate whether bigger fashion houses will stick to full seasons. Or, they might start doing a couple of things that come across as seasonal, but inject a lot of items that you could really wear anytime, just so they can shorten their timeline.”
How Country Day prepared her
“Country Day was great getting me in the mindset that I should be pursuing greatness,” Delilah Castro said. “When you did a paper or project and it might have been good, teachers would let you know that it was only good, and it could have been great if you did x, y and z.” “When you’re going through school, you’re kind of annoyed by teachers and coaches who give you a hard time, but you really come to appreciate them later on. I’m extremely grateful for all of the experiences and lessons that I
Upon graduating from college, Elizabeth Tuke was driven to achieve two goals – fashion and New York. Both can be daunting, but she accomplished them with persistence and resourcefulness. “I made a list of my favorite designers and I emailed every single one of them and asked for a job in any capacity. I sent an endearing cover letter. At the time I didn’t have much of a resume, obviously, coming out of college.”
After graduation, she moved to New York to work at her first job as an Administrative Assistant in the corporate offices of J. McLaughlin, a lifestyle apparel company. She was quickly promoted to Assistant Director of Stores. In that position, she traveled to the company’s regional locations to support new store openings. “I did everything from opening boxes, steaming clothing, merchandising and selling to liaising with the senior level execs about seasonal inspiration and PR strategy. It was a great opportunity to start with a smaller company, because the multifaceted role gave me a glimpse into each department,” Tuke said. J. McLaughlin was stimulating, but she was still unclear about the type of job she wanted to pursue as a long-term career. While continuously weighing her options, she invested a lot of time in a back burner passion - acting - securing a range of roles in films, television shows and commercials. In the interim, she convinced Glamour Magazine to retain her as a permanent temp, paying her on
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an hourly basis so she would have the flexibility to go to an audition or filming.
call a list of contacts to confirm they could attend a designer’s press preview.
Tuke was assistant to the Associate Publisher and Advertising Director of Glamour Magazine, which she described as a “blood, sweat and tears, do or die” job – in an extremely, fast-paced environment. Comparable to “‘The Devil Wears Prada,” where Anne Hathaway has to have the Harry Potter books in the children’s hands - prior to the books being published “it was very much like those types of situations, but not as threatening or intimidating.”
The firm’s owner remarked that she sounded very professional on the phone and offered her a full-time job as a Senior Account Executive. She managed between 10-12 accounts at Brandstyle, including London-based e-commerce THE OUTNET.com.
Glamour Magazine was a great stepping stone, and Elizabeth was given the opportunity to move up the ladder in advertising. However, she felt she was more equipped for a role in communications and public relations. “It was tremendous learning the ins and outs of the publishing world because my job now relies on the media. They’re one of the most important parts of my business.” After Glamour, a friend who worked for Brandstyle Communications, a boutique agency focusing on fashion clients, asked if she’d help stuff envelopes for an upcoming event. One day, she was asked to
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In building a relationship with one of the firm’s biggest clients, Tuke later moved in-house as THE OUTNET’s Public Relations Manager for the U.S. and Canada. She generated visibility for the off-priced business among high caliber publications, influencers and media, specifically launching an influencer seeding program in which she identified the most impactful and respected figures in a range of markets to support customer acquisition and brand awareness. THE OUTNET.com, part of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, bills itself as the most fashionable fashion outlet, offering off-priced luxury apparel and accessories from designers, including Oscar de la Renta, Christian Louboutin, Valentino and Stella McCartney. THE OUTNET’s sister site, NetA-Porter.com, launched in 2000 “when the idea of shopping online, especially for expensive, luxury apparel, was almost non-existent,” Tuke said. “The business’ founder wanted to create a shoppable magazine and be able to buy online what she was seeing in her glossies. This required a marriage of content and commerce – something that the majority of retailers are now trying to achieve.” “It was just so foreign for all of us – to not have the ability to touch and try a garment, especially if it was
upward of $500 to $1,000. Initially, customers shopping Net-a-Porter would buy a pair of socks to test the online consumer approach to shopping for clothes.” In 2009, Net-a-Porter Group launched THE OUTNET, the ‘outlet’ for all of Net-a-Porter’s overstock. The business targeted young, fashion-obsessed customers in search of luxury designer goods on sale.
“They quickly realized the customer was in fact a fashion savvy, affluent and professional woman with a strong appreciation for designer apparel and less concerned about its newness to the market. It was interesting to watch the luxury fashion world have to factor in an off-priced shopper, but it was so important considering the country’s financial state.” “I enlisted influencers and celebrities to serve as brand ambassadors for this off-price market. To have these women who are considered fashion icons say, ‘Oh, yeah, I got this at 70 percent off’ was pretty cool and brought appreciation to the offprice world.” Traveling between New York and London, Tuke loved working at THE OUTNET. It was fascinating to be part of such an innovative business and pioneer for the e-commerce world. In search of the next big thing, Tuke decided to leave the business and venture off on her own.
On April 11, 2014 - her dad’s birthday - she launched her eponymous firm TUKE Consulting. The firm offers in-house services as a third-party contractor for various brands, and represents luxury fashion, interior design, hospitality and celebrity clients.
Dana Harmon ’01 B.S. Business Administration Master of Business Administration University of Southern California Owner Bardot boutique, Newport Beach, California
Tuke’s PR objective remains the same - generating awareness and raising visibility for clients through editorial placements and on-air broadcasts, as well as identifying partnerships and new markets. She interfaces daily with media, brands, designers and business figures. She recently secured for clients a reoccurring fashion segment on The Today Show, as well as spots on The Rachael Ray Show. “I certainly didn’t leave college and go into PR. It took a lot of experiences to help me identify what I was good at. Fashion is tough. You certainly can have a large appreciation for it, but it’s an intimidating industry. If you can figure out how to navigate, keep your values and laugh at the end of the day, it really is fascinating, fun and very challenging. I love the fast pace.”
Where she got her fashion sense Her parents can take some credit for Tuke’s early interest in fashion. “Both my mother and father have always been and continue to be very put together. I wouldn’t say fashion forward, as they are quite conservative, but always very well dressed, tailored and polished.”
“I loved, loved, loved fashion magazines when I was in middle school and high school. I used to save them and collect them. I used to sit at Barnes and Noble in the fashion book section and just finger through the images. I loved party dresses when I was a little girl. I always liked dressing up.” Pictures: Elizabeth Tuke is the founder and CEO of TUKE Consulting in New York City. The firm offers in-house services as a third party contractor for various brands, and represents luxury fashion, interior design, hospitality and celebrity clients.
based in Orange County. It was a great experience working there for two years, but she decided a big corporate environment was not the right fit. While soul searching about her future, she always circled back to retail and fashion. After college, she worked briefly for a clothing store, which made a big impact on her. “I loved everything about the boutique environment – every day was different. And I just loved the interaction with various people and the creativity of being able to style different looks for them,” Harmon said. She was unhappy in her corporate marketing job, so the thought, “If I don’t take a risk and do this now, I’ll never try.” Fortunately, Harmon had written a business plan to open a clothing store when she was in business school, although it was never intended to be a map to her career path.
At Dana Harmon’s 10-year class reunion, she saw the senior video that eerily predicted her life. Seniors were asked what they saw themselves doing in 10 years. “I was kind of camera shy, but a couple of my girlfriends who were standing there with me said, ‘Dana’s going to live in California, and she’ll be running her own clothing store there.’’’ “It was a surreal moment. I had taken such a circuitous route to get there and had done other things but found myself actually doing that,” Harmon said. It was the fall of 2011, and she was preparing to open her clothing store the following March. Harmon was determined to attend college in California. Once she got there, it was hard to leave. She dabbled in marketing and advertising jobs after getting her undergraduate degree, then returned to USC for her Masters in Business. That’s where she was recruited to work in marketing at Taco Bell,
The clientele drawn to her new Bardot boutique was unexpected, but she quickly reacted to the demographic shift and changed her strategy.
“When I first opened, I was carrying more of the Bohemian look that girls in their teens and 20’s were trending toward at the time. These brands that sold so well online for other people and certain boutiques just were not selling for me. I was getting these women who had small children, and they’re not going to wear a little baby doll dress.” “They need a great pair of jeans and a cute top that you can wash and wear. I think my business and marketing background allowed me to identify this shift pretty quickly so that I could adjust my buying accordingly.” So, her main customers are the moms of Newport Beach who are more established and have more money to spend.
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Harmon carries highend contemporary lines but mainly focuses on daywear and casual items. The moms want to look cool in the carline, but they also want to shop for a weekend date-night look. Harmon stays on top of fashion trends by checking out fashion magazines and following two of her biggest style inspirations: actress Kate Hudson and British model Poppy Delevingne. Of course, her major style icon is the store’s namesake, French actress and model Brigitte Bardot. “She’s sort of synonymous with the French Riviera, and Newport Beach reminds me of that sort of lifestyle, and certainly the style of clothing she wore is very fitting for this area,” Harmon said.
“I just loved Brigitte Bardot’s style. She was sexy and feminine without trying too hard. To me, that’s kind of the goal of a woman dressing. You never want to look like you’re trying too hard. It needs to be effortless. She sort of embodied that, to me.” On the flip side, Harmon tries not to be too persuaded by trends – many of which she sees as marketing tools. If Vogue magazine says skinny jeans are out, for example, she’ll still carry them because they’re versatile, she likes them and so do her customers. At some point, Harmon would like to open another location. She’s been approached by developers several times about opening a new store. “I’m trying to take my time. I want to be smart about it. You see people who expand too quickly. It’s tough in this environment. You have to be really careful about growing too fast.”
special about the people there being down to earth.” “Part of that, I got from Country Day - just the people and the values. I think that’s evident, too, in the fact that so many people from Country Day stay in touch. I was just back there for a wedding in October, and so many of our high school friends were there. Having gone so far away, it’s really neat to still have that network of friends from high school with whom you can pick up right where you left off when you come home.” Pictures: Dana Harmon is the owner of her own boutique, Bardot, in Newport Beach, California. The store was named for her most inspirational fashion icon, French actress and model Brigitte Bardot.
Katie Williams ’02 University of Colorado, Boulder B.A Art History Director of Merchandising for Menswear, Europe Ralph Lauren
She wouldn’t rule out opening a store in another Orange County suburb, Los Angeles - or even Cincinnati.
How Country Day prepared her
“I got such a solid foundation there. The quality of education helped me to get into the college that I wanted and follow my dreams. But at the same time, having lived in Los Angeles, everyone always knew I was not from California, and they meant it in a good way. People can tell. You take it for granted, of course, when you’re in the Midwest, but once you leave Cincinnati, you realize that there’s something
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It was Katie Williams’ love for New York that helped launch her career. She stumbled into her first job there, and 10 years later is on a fashion fast track. The 2002 CCDS graduate has just relocated to Geneva after being promoted at Ralph Lauren to Director of Merchandising for
Menswear in Europe. She’s worked five years for Lauren, but her career began with another fashion icon. When she moved to New York after college, all of her connections were in the fashion industry. She had several interviews, including one at Diane von Furstenberg. “At the time, it just felt like the quintessential fashion environment - small, chaotic, buzzing with energy and on the brink of something great,” Williams said. She began a three-month internship at DVF, but was hired after two weeks as assistant to the CEO/sales assistant. “That’s how I started, just doing a lot of everything, helping everybody and trying to learn as much as I could in a fast-paced environment.” Williams worked her way up to Merchandising Manager for Womenswear and accessories by the time she left. She had gotten a taste of merchandising and loved it. One day at the gym, Williams connected with a friend who worked at Ralph Lauren, which was hiring. “It just happened coincidentally. I went from one American icon to the next. When it comes down to the product, I have so much respect for Ralph Lauren. It’s been really fun for me. It was a company that I, handsdown, no questions asked, would have aspired to work for. It has an impeccable reputation within the industry as being more like a family than a corporation, and coming off my experience at DVF, that’s just what I wanted. I just lucked into the interview.” Her first job at Ralph Lauren was Merchandising Manager, Club Monaco Womenswear, Menswear & Accessories, Europe. After a year, she decided to focus in on only Menswear and the driving brand at Ralph Lauren, Men’s Polo. As a design merchandiser, she is the link between sales, design, production and planning teams. “My job is to make sure we protect whatever Ralph’s vision is for the season. If he thinks it’s pink plaid,
we have to make sure that pink plaid appears in all of our corners in Europe, but at the same time, I have to challenge Design to make sure that they’re providing the product that’s going to do the volume that we need to drive the business,” Williams said. “What I love about this job is the use of both left brain and right brain. You have to be really analytical at times, as well as really creative. It takes both sides of the brain to come up with ways to solve problems for our business, work with Design to fill in gaps in the collection, and analyze market trends.” So what does Ralph Lauren have in mind for future menswear trends? “Ralph is sick and tired of seeing men not wearing ties. We know that there’s a big athleisure business
out there right now. Everybody is wearing Nike and lululemon and all of that regularly, not just to work out.” Ralph Lauren supports that and has its own athleisure line, Polo Sport, but maintains there has to be a balance between dressed up and dressed down. “Ralph misses seeing guys dress up,” Williams said. “We’re going to try and re-balance the two. You’re going to see a lot of mixing of athleisure with sport coats and with sweaters. You might see a cable turtle neck sweater mixed with knit jogger pants. It’s about the mixing, but I think it’s also bringing to the table a nice counter-balance to that athleisure wear that we’re seeing so prevalent in the market.” Williams doesn’t spend much time thinking about a future dream job. That’s because she loves what she does now. She doesn’t necessarily aspire to become a CEO, but would like to continue on her trajectory toward a president of marketing role within a company.
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It would be impossible to work at her level and not bump into the man behind the label. “He’s really wonderful and such a sweet person. He cares so much about his brand and his constant involvement is what makes it such a unique company,” Williams said. “His brothers are also very involved with the company, as well as his son, in design and marketing respectively. It’s a very large company, but it’s nice to be able to run into them and bump elbows in the hallway.”
Fashion frenzy
Being so immersed in the industry has enabled Katie Williams to experience Fashion Week frenzy. “When I was first starting out at DVF, it was really intoxicating, and you just get chills when you see all of this product walk down the runway that you’ve helped work on and you’ve been a part of from the beginning. That was always so magical for me, and it always kind of took my breath away. I was always on such a high afterwards. And of course the afterparties were always amazing.”
How CCDS prepared her
“A big part of my job that I learned early on at Country Day is partnership, how to be very diplomatic in dealing with different people and different situations, developing close relationships and really partnering, not only with colleagues, but also senior management. I think developing friendships and bonds with teachers was kind of an introduction to managing upwards.” Pictures: The first photo is Katie on LinkedIn. The second photo: Katie Williams spent six weeks a year traveling back and forth from New York to Europe for her job at Ralph Lauren. Here she is during a business trip to Paris. She’s now Director of Merchandising for Menswear, Europe for Lauren in Geneva.
Claire Stegman Nordloh ’06 University of Cincinnati DAAP B.S. Fashion Design Print Technician Nordstrom
Now at Ralph Lauren, her role has shifted a bit. With a menswear focus, there’s no menswear runway, so she doesn’t get that same level of euphoria. That doesn’t mean the fun’s over. During Milan Men’s Fashion Week earlier this year, the No. 1 men’s model, a teenager named Lucky Blue Smith posted on his Instagram that he was at Palazzo Ralph Lauren, a luxury, invitation-only press event. He encouraged people to come say hello. “All of a sudden, there were 10,000 screaming girls outside,” Williams said. “They were waiting for him. As soon as he left, they were running down the street after him. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.”
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that UC was really a good choice, and I’m so glad that I made that decision, because I graduated with a year and a half of job experience, which a lot of my peers in the industry didn’t have.” Her first internship was in New York with Lori Goldstein, a fashion stylist and Cincinnati native. Goldstein helped pave the way for Nordloh for her second internship at Vera Wang Lavender Label in New York. Next up was another New Yorkbased internship at The Row, MaryKate and Ashley Olson’s high-end fashion label. “The head designer there was a graduate of DAAP. It didn’t meet the typical DAAP guidelines of a paid internship, but because he was there, he liked to have UC people recruited for interns.” She headed south to Fort Meyers, Florida, for an internship with White House/Black Market and then to Abercrombie and Fitch in New Albany, Ohio. Both are popular destinations at UC because they’re paid internships, Nordloh said. Her last internship with Abercrombie was in the men’s CAD department, where she flourished. “It was the first job that I had where I really loved and connected with the team of people that I was working with, so they offered me a job after graduation, which I happily accepted.”
Claire Nordloh’s passion for fashion began in middle school when she had an inkling she’d like to design wedding dresses. “I started buying wedding and fashion magazines to look at the styles. It just grew from there.”
She worked there for two years until her contract was up. “I really liked the CAD design, which is designing the prints and patterns that go on garments. It spoke to my more artistic side, so I decided after that job that this was my career path.”
Nordloh was fortunate to secure several fashion internships during college. “When I was in high school, I was smart enough to realize
Her boyfriend, Charlie Nordloh
more production based.” She has daily communication with Nordstrom vendors overseas. She’s responsible for tracking the artwork from its inception, creatively, through its production and when it hits the floor in the store. She does all color and layout approvals. Vendors will send her mock-ups. She’s a point person for communicating between vendors and her creative team at Nordstrom.
’07, got a job with Kroger at its QFC branch in Seattle, so she began job hunting in that city. “Nordstrom was an obvious choice as it’s the biggest fashion retailer in the city,” Nordloh said. The company didn’t have job openings in CAD, so she took a position there as a print technician. “A print technician works on the back end of CAD design. It’s
“It’s been an eyeopening experience to see more of the production side of the business. While I still strive to find a more creative position within the company, this will do for now.” Nordstrom has 40+ in-house design brands. “It’s pretty incredible the offerings that Nordstrom has. Most people have no idea how much product is designed in-house.” She works on Caslon, a casual women’s brand, and Sejour, a plus-size women’s brand. “I can go down to the floor and see the product I worked on next to pieces from well-known brands. It’s even cooler when I get to see that product walking around on the street!” Even though her current role is a stepping stone, she knows the skills and knowledge she’s acquired are a valuable asset for future work in the field. “My job has been a great learning experience. Before, I was designing the artwork, but I really had no idea how a factory would apply it to fabric. I now have a great understanding of the science of printmaking, so it’s been a valuable experience. I still really love the more creative CAD design, and I think ultimately I
would like to get back to that.” Nordloh has come a long way since her fascination with wedding dresses ignited a fashion career. The Nordlohs were married in 2013. While it was tempting, Claire did not design her dress. “I wanted to, but at the time, we were living in a 600-square-foot apartment in Seattle with two dogs. The thought of that process was anxiety inducing!”
How CCDS prepared her
“Probably the number one thing that I took away from Country Day was being in a small class and being encouraged to speak up and offer your opinion. I especially remember our art class critiques. There were only seven of us in class, so you had to speak up and give your opinion.” “I found that was really helpful in my college art classes. I felt a lot more comfortable speaking up in class and being involved in conversations that were going on because that’s the way I had been taught. I think the same thing applies to my professional life. If I’m in a big meeting with my co-workers, I feel a lot more comfortable speaking up and voicing my opinion than some people do. Country Day helped shape my confidence from an early age.” Pictures in order: Portrait As a pint technician for Nordstrom in Seattle, one of Claire Nordloh’s daily tasks is reviewing all color for prints in store light and day light to make sure they match the company’s approved standards. Claire Nordloh reviews art with one of her product developers, Susan Peters, also of Ohio. Susan and Claire work together as cross functional teams throughout the development process to ensure that garments arrive in stores as they were intended. Claire Nordloh works in offices just above the Nordstrom Seattle Flagship Store.
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Elizabeth Black ’08 Denison University B.A. English Literature Parsons The New School for Design Master of Art, Fashion Studies Assistant Merchant Club Monaco, New York City
Elizabeth Black wasn’t a big believer in LinkedIn, but she’s a convert now. Nearing the end of her master’s program at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City, where she graduated first in her class, Black searched for a merchandising job and reached out to potential employers. Ironically, the talent director from Club Monaco found Black on LinkedIn and reached out to her. “I didn’t appreciate the potential value of LinkedIn,” Black said. “I made sure my page was complete and accurate, but I was definitely not thinking that LinkedIn would lead to a job.” After several rounds of interviews, Black was hired as an Assistant Merchant for Club Monaco, an international retailer owned by Ralph Lauren. Headquartered in New York City’s Chelsea Gallery district, Club Monaco has stores in the United States, London, Sweden, Canada, Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, and Macau. Black took the unconventional route to the fashion industry. While studying English abroad in Bath, England, she had an internship at
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ALUMNI IN FASHION
the Fashion Museum in Bath, where she worked with the curator. “It opened my eyes to the idea that I could get involved in the fashion industry without necessarily being a designer.” The internship was the catalyst for her to join her interests in English literature to a fascination with fashion. “Fashion is a mode of communication that predates literacy,” Black said. For her final project for the Bath internship, she wrote about the underlying social and cultural impact of World War II on the opulent fashion designs of Christian Dior. “My thesis demonstrated the ways in which fashion mirrored fundamental societal and political changes, particularly during the second half of the 20th century when women entered the public realm in more substantive and dynamic ways.” Back from study abroad, Black hunted online for the next step after graduation. She came across Parsons School of Design’s recently launched Fashion Studies master’s program. She applied and was admitted. “I was inspired by my graduate program. Its curriculum was intellectually groundbreaking. I loved the interdisciplinary approach. I was introduced to studies in fashion informed by the fields of anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, economics, theology, film studies, photography, and, of course, literature” Black said. In addition, the curriculum ran the gamut from understanding construction and design to business and production processes. While she valued the program’s wide range, she wanted to hone in on the business side. Her first internship was with Derek Lam, a Parsons alum and successful New York designer. She then worked for Bloomingdale’s Fashion Directors in women’s, men’s and also home fashion. While there, Black was part of a team that attended fashion shows and reported the season’s trends and themes to Bloomingdale’s buyers.
Black’s last internship with Proenza Schouler, her favorite, sealed her interest in a merchandising career. “The brand’s founders and designers, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, also graduated from Parsons. Their senior thesis was bought by Barneys in its entirety.” “That just doesn’t happen. Jack and Lazaro are true visionaries, always pushing the boundaries of fashion and art. I really respect them, as individuals and designers, so it was just a dream come true to work with them.”
The merchandising team at Proenza Schouler was small, so she gained a lot of experience and was able to observe the design process. “You have a hand in making sure that you can grow the business with the ‘tried and true’ product, while still moving the fashion needle forward with more avant-garde pieces. Also with my graduate training, I was able to bring a full array of cultural as well as psychological variables to bear upon the creative and business side of the fashion industry. My education helped me answer questions about why individuals buy
valuing analytical thought, and maintaining a nurturing and yet demanding school experience.”
The Merle
and are drawn to specific styles of clothing.” Now, as an Assistant Merchant at Club Monaco, she works in the Women’s Knits Department and Bottoms Department - pants, shorts, and jumpsuits. She is also a buyer for 3rd Party swimwear. Each department has its own design and production teams. Merchandising allows her to utilize both her creative and analytical skills, being the only division in the company to be involved in each stage of the product’s lifespan, from inception to hanging in the store. “It’s hands on. We work with the designers. They’ll present a sketch and a couple fabric options, and we’ll work with them to see what fabric would be best in that particular piece—the merchant leads the discussion, armed with a clear point of view that stems from a strong understanding of the company’s selling history, customer preference, and our financial targets for the quarter and fiscal year. Each season, we present the assortment and our financial investment to our CEO. We are challenged to create a line that looks new and fresh, while never forgetting the core aesthetic values of the brand and our customer’s expectations.”
How Country Day prepared her
“It definitely opened my eyes to the larger world. The school’s ethos and its curriculum challenges students to look beyond its Midwest roots. I received invaluable career advice from Jim Zimmerman, former Country Day trustee and CEO of Federated. CCDS’ qualities that have influenced me the most were and continue to be its commitment to academic excellence an emphasis on writing clearly and persuasively,
“Many fashion companies only identify styles with numbers; however, at Club Monaco, we also give each style a name, i.e. the Julie Turtleneck, Emily Pant, Bria Tank, etc. It is easier for us to remember each style rather than memorizing numbers. The name is the style's price tag, on the website, and talked about in our business meetings, i.e. ‘How did the Julie Turtleneck do last week?’ Over the years, deciding on new names for our fashion styles has become harder as we have at least 150 styles each season, and it also has to pass our legal team (no name can be copyrighted by
boucle vest. The sample is currently being made up and if all goes according to plan (and the name Merle passes legal), the Merle Boucle Vest will be in stores for December 2016!” Pictures in order: Portrait Among Elizabeth Black’s duties is working with samples/product development. Her job allows her to be both creative and analytical. Elizabeth Black goes over the financials of investment as part of her job as Assistant Merchant at Club Monaco in New York. Elizabeth Black in New York, where she works for Club Monaco, an international retailer owned by Ralph Lauren.
Mac Woeste ’09 Southern Methodist University B.S. Philosophy Assistant Fashion Editor ELLE magazine, New York
another company). At the beginning of each season, merchandising, design, production, and technical design all sit down to discuss every aspect of each style. The all-day meeting includes naming the styles. It has become at times a silly and fun task.” “Last summer, I suggested that an indigo denim sweatshirt we were developing should be called Merle, after my dad who has taught history at Country Day for nearly thirty years. I knew the name would be obscure enough to pass legal and it would make for a good story! Unfortunately, the ‘Merle Sweatshirt’ did not execute when we saw a sample and we chose not to proceed to production. I have been looking for an opportunity to resubmit the name, and in February during our all-day meeting, I suggested the name Merle for a
Mac Woeste has always been interested in fashion, but didn’t think he could pursue a career in the field unless he studied design. Fortunately, his preconceived notion turned out to be wrong. After college, he went to New York, where his career was set in motion. “When I moved here, I was applying for every job for six months. I
37
papered all the galleries in Chelsea with my resume until someone would take me on as an intern.”
a really cool jacket, H&M has six months to make it and sell it before the original one even comes out. You start to see it on the street and say, ‘That’s six months old.’ People have already seen it by then, which is bad for us, because we need time to shoot all of the clothes.”
As the story often goes, he met somebody who knew somebody who was leaving a job and set Woeste up with an interview. “I owe him, basically, for my whole career,” Woeste said. He got the job as an executive assistant at AR New York, a luxury fashion branding agency. His boss, Alex Gonzalez, then became creative director at ELLE, and took Woeste with him as an Assistant Fashion Editor in 2014. The magazine was about to be relaunched. “At the time, it was about to be ELLE’s 30th year, and it was due for a revamp.” New teams of contributors and photographers were established. The creatives changed the design, font, layout and most of the artwork. The new re-design, which included a larger magazine size, was launched in March. First and foremost, Woeste is Gonzalez’ assistant. “Because he’s the creative director, I get to work on a lot of the shoots and with the photos. Any sort of creative thing that needs to be done, we do, from the concept to the production shoots.” “Since it’s our 30th year, we’re doing a lot inspired by vintage ELLE shoots. We do a lot of research on 30-yearold magazines and figure out how to make them modern. Then, we do a lot of
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production, which means phone calls and emails - begging places to let us use a location for free or onpage credit, and talking with agents and managers. We mostly focus on cover shoots, so we’re dealing with the celebrities’ people, which isn't always easy.” Celebrities rarely visit the ELLE office anymore, Woeste said, but he does get to go check out the photo shoots. He’s also attended Fashion Week shows on nights and weekends. “It’s not in my job description, but it is important that the ELLE team is there at all the shows, so we cover for each other if someone can’t make it. We need someone to represent the team at every show.” Social media now plays a big role in identifying fashion trends, Woeste said. “Usually you would look for trends on the runway, but we are moving into the age of seeing it on real live people in the streets. I think it’s more interesting to see what people are actually doing with clothes, other than how they’re shown on the runway. You can see a lot through something like Instagram.” As a result, the fashion industry is changing. “I think in a few years, Fashion Week will be dead. Tom Ford canceled their show this year. Burberry is planning to put on a show where all the clothes will go immediately on sale. Eventually there will be no more six-month wait. Everything is becoming more instant and immediately shoppable.” Consumers want immediate gratification, Woeste said. “The problem is when someone really high-end, like Saint Laurent, shows
ELLE has had to change with the times, too. “We try to be at every event, cover every single thing and put it up online immediately. We try to have a big social media presence, and I think we’re still evolving.” His workplace environment isn’t exactly “The Devil Wears Prada.” “It’s not a cutthroat office. We’re not in competition with each other, but it is a competitive business, and there are some crazy people. You know when she asks for the unpublished Harry Potter manuscript? Nobody has asked me for that kind of thing, but I would say that’s still going on.” He’s still immersing himself in this job and not toying with the future. “I’m just learning what it’s like to be the creative behind something. I think that’s really exciting and interesting. I love what I’m doing, so I think I’m good, for now.”
How Country Day prepared him
“As a whole package, the education and experience was so broad that I was able to really try everything. I never was someone who knew exactly what I was going to do. But I was able to study art, which I love, and photography so I know how a camera works. My interest in the Arts brought me here to New York. I believe Country Day was a corner stone which helped shape who I am today.” Pictures: Portraits of Mac Woeste and Mac at work at his desk at ELLE.
Alumni Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2016
Friday, October 7
5:30 p.m. – Alumni Reception (Tennis Complex)
Alumni (all years) and faculty gather for a special evening featuring a wine tasting, complete with food pairings, open bar, and more. No charge for this event.
7:00 p.m. – Homecoming Football Game (Stadium)
Saturday, October 8
9:30 a.m. – Alumni Breakfast (Dining Terrace)
Alumni Breakfast honoring the Class of 1966 and 50+year alumni. All alumni are welcome. There is no charge for this event, but reservations are required. RSVP to Paula Brock (513) 979-0282 or brockp@countryday.net.
Honoring Coach Tim Dunn at halftime
Please note: Reunions for classes of 2006 and 2011 will take place over Thanksgiving weekend.
* To make a monetary gift to Country Day in honor of your reunion year, please visit: www.CountryDay.net/go/CCDS.
Will Thayer ’05 Memorial Arboretum
Classmates of the late Will Thayer are establishing the Will Thayer ’05 Memorial Arboretum on the Cincinnati Country Day School campus. Will, who died Sept. 28, 2015, was a Country Day Lifer, football standout and nature lover. Watch for more information in the next Connections and electronic communications about how to contribute to the memorial.
Holly Mott (President) ’95
Alumni Council Robert M. Zimmerman ’98
Thomas W. Langlois ’77
David Hornberger ’98
Charles L. Thomas, III ’80
J.R. Foster ’98
Stephen S. Lazarus ’81
Prithvi Bhaskar ’00
David B. Briggs, Jr. ’83
Cadence M. Moore ’01
Art Richard ’83
Pam Long ’01
Rob Roy ’84
Brittany Woods Patterson ’04
Joel S. Brant ’87
Anne L. Oblinger ’04
Matthew A. Strauss ’88
Lee Strasser ’07
Carla Zack ’89
Paula Brock
Bree Ann Murdock ’90
Liz Murphy Dohrmann ’01
William B. Hardigg, III ’96
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Alumni NewsNotes 1966
Bill Messer writes: I am one of the co-curators of the After the Moment exhibition currently at the Contemporary Art Center, recognizing the 25th anniversary of the exhibition and subsequent prosecution of the CAC for presenting the touring Robert Mapplethorpe retrospective The Perfect Moment in 1990. Back then I gave a talk to combined art classes at CCDS about the exhibition and the controversy. I curated two sections of After the Moment, one of local photographers’ work and another special historical section of work by internationally known photographers who interacted with Cincinnati back then and had to make decisions about their own work in relationship to censorship. One allowed his entire exhibition to be withdrawn from exhibition in Cincinnati by his gallery; two others self-censored, removing key images from their exhibitions; while another, after having her exhibition censored at an art museum in Arizona (and withdrew it in protest) stepped up to present the same exhibition in Cincinnati. All these events occurred at a photographic center I curated here at the time. Uniquely, I also am included in After the Moment as an artist. Additionally, I was a selector for the Jewish-Israeli Film Festival which opened February 6 at the Carnegie in Covington with a Christopher Plummer/Martin Landau film, then with films playing various theaters around town.
1972
Hub Burton writes: We relocated to Maine this past year after both twins decided to make New England their college destination. Madeline is in her second year at Assumption in Worcester and Mack is at Colby playing hockey for the Div. III Mules. This past May, I began my new job at the University of Maine System as their internal communications manager and am enjoying it very much. Readjusting to winter as it was
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originally intended and hunkering down on the coast when the wind gusts to sixty knots!
1977
James Taylor writes: My “other life” as a guitarist keeps on growing. I am a member of several jazz ensembles and big bands. Last fall, the leader of one of those groups, Second Hand Brass Band, asked me to produce our November “Speakeasy” show at the Merc which is a 19th Century brick bank building in Temecula, California which now houses an art gallery and a small room for concerts. I produced a show dedicated to the music by the gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and Paris swing tunes from the 20s and 30s. Sadly, the concert took place the day after the tragedy in Paris. We added a tribute to France and played La Marseillaise as our opening number. I also announced some of the show in French. I guess all those years of taking French classes at CCDS paidoff. I have attached a photo (below) of the ensemble after we did our sound check. I am on the left and I am playing with a young fellow, Josh Jurkosky, who is a guitar performance major at the University Of Southern California- Thornton School Of Music.
1981
Lakshmi Kode Sammarco Lakshmi Kode Sammarco, MD, Hamilton County Coroner, has been named a 2016 YWCA Greater Cincinnati Career Woman of Achievement. This award honors local women who show exceptional leadership and vision in both the private and public sectors. Among the “firsts” in Dr. Lakshmi Kode Sammarco’s accomplishments are first female coroner in Hamilton County, first radiologist elected coroner in Ohio and first AsianIndian elected to political office in Hamilton County. But those firsts pale in comparison to the dramatic improvements she has made in the coroner’s office since her appointment and subsequent election to the post in 2012 – and to her unceasing support of law enforcement, crime victims and families’ members whose loved ones’ deaths she must investigate. As coroner, she is the public official and medical professional in charge of investigating criminal, violent,
suspicious deaths and suicides. Described by colleagues as “a public servant who makes citizens believe in government again,” Sammarco is credited with improving the facilities, technology, laboratory and reputation of the coroner’s office, as well as increasing the number and responsibilities of women who serve as physicians and scientists in its crime lab. A native of India and mother of two, Dr. Sammarco has worked tirelessly to educate the community about child abuse, the growing dangers of drugs, and domestic violence against women and children. Copy courtesy of E.W. Scripps Co.
2000
Abby Alpaugh Knowles and Drew Knowles welcomed their second daughter Emeret Augusta Knowles on July 15, 2015.
2001
Liz Murphy Dohrmann
1998
David Hornberger David was married to Brett Sweeney on October 31, 2015 at The Taft Art Museum in downtown Cincinnati. The reception immediately followed the ceremony which also took place at the Taft. JR Foster '98 was the best man and Chris Zimmerman and JD Beary both '98 were groomsmen. There were many CCDS alums celebrating the night away.
William Bramlage IV ’94 passed
away April 9, 2016. He was the son of Debbie Bramlage and the late William Bramlage III. He is survived by his mother and sister C.C. Kipp and Glenn Stucker Jr. and sister Shelley Mahan, nieces Mary and Julia Lenhof and Christian and Natalie Kipp. Memorials to the Cincinnati Nature Center in his memory are appreciated by the family. Dr. Jonathan Head ’65, father
of Erin Head ’93 and Andrew (Peggy) Head ’90, grandfather of Cooper and Davis Head, and brother of Diana (Gordon) Queen, expired suddenly April 15, age 69. Memorials may be sent to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice.
1997
Meg Robinson Keslosky writes: My husband, Adam Keslosky, Summit '98, and I welcomed John Oscar (Jack) Keslosky on December 14, 2015, weighing in at 8lbs 9oz. Attached is a pic of Jack from the hospital!
IN MEMORIAM
Liz was married to Ted Dohrmann on October 10, 2015 at The Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel in Cincinnati. The reception was held at Cincinnati Country Club. Many CCDS alums celebrated with the happy couple, including maid of honor Elizabeth Tuke ’00, and other friends of the bride and groom, including John Bahl ’06, Mari Bower ’01, Tricia Knowles Brown ’98, Katherine Hale Grambling ’01, Natalie Geier-Cohen ’01 and Matt Cohen ’01, Ben Hardigg ’96, Chrissey Barrett Haslam ’01, Dana Harmon ’01, Carey Herrlinger ’00, Cooper Herrlinger ’98, Meridy Vollmer McLane ’01, Claire Beech Millet ’01, Anne Oblinger ’04, Emily Geier Vollmer ’03 and Alex Vollmer ’01, Liz Vollmer ’01, and Audrey DeYoung Wible ’01. Liz works for CCDS as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations and Ted is a Customer Account Specialist for Total Quality Logistics. They reside in Cincinnati.
Carl Hilker, Jr. ’52 passed away February 20, 2016. He is survived by his wife Cathryn and son Carl Hilker III, his wife Alice, and grandchildren Cathryn and Danica Hilker. Gordon R. Wright ’44, longtime
CCDS teacher and tennis coach, passed away February 5, 2016. He is survived by his wife Peggy, son Gordon ’85 and Susan Wright, grandchildren Maggie ’19 and Jack ’21 Wright and also his daughter Holly Brown ’86. Memorials may be made to the CCDS Endowment Fund.
Attention Parents of Graduates
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Alumni NewsNotes Claire Beech Millet
Claire and her husband Alex welcomed baby #2, Elizabeth (Bizzy) on January 18, 2016. Claire, Alex and big brother Ford are thrilled to welcome Bizzy to the family. Courtney Fitzhugh Hammock
work he instilled in me from the start.” Annabelle now sells her Michael’s English Muffins to top restaurants in the Raleigh/Durham area, including the Counting House in the 21 C hotel in Durham and James Beard nominated chef restaurant/grocery concept Standard Foods. Read more about Annabelle and her new venture in an upcoming edition of Connections.
Ty Zimmerman married Anna Holwadel on September 18, 2015. The wedding took place on Ty’s family farm in Milford, Ohio. Ty is a Paramedic/firefighter and Anna is an instructor at Pure Barre Cincinnati and Kenwood. The newlyweds live in Milford, Ohio with their two dogs, Finn and Wyatt!
Courtney Knowles Hass Courtney and her husband Dan welcomed a third baby girl to the family. Frances Emmeline was born on March 12, 2016.
2005
Courtney and husband Justin and two big sisters, Ainsley and Hadley, welcomed little brother Knox on January 6, 2016, he was 7lb 9.5 oz. and 20.5 inches. Natalie Geier-Cohen and Matt Cohen Natalie and Matt welcomed their third child on November 20, 2015, a baby boy named Pfeiffer. He joins siblings Glady and Phelps.
2002
Annabelle Comisar writes: I am proud to announce the start of Michael’s English Muffins. Fresh homemade English muffins unlike anything you have ever tried before. The result is a special collaboration of many important facets of my life that all started in Cincinnati. Annabelle said “First and foremost, “Michael’s” is a dedication to my late father Michael Comisar ’53, and the sense of hospitality and combined with hard
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CONNECTIONS
Brian Rue married Lauren Tonetti on June 13, 2015. The couple were married at Jorgensen Farms near Columbus, OH. The service was officiated by Allie Rue '09 and Alex Tonetti. Brian is a Family Medicine resident physician at Ohio State and Lauren is Consultant in Accounting Policy & Research at Nationwide Insurance. The couple lives in Clintonville, a suburb of Columbus. (Also included in the picture below are Brian’s parents on the left Laura and Kevin. Laura is a CCDS First Grade Teacher and Team Leader).
Vallie Geier Tapke and David Tapke welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Olivia Ann Tapke on December 11, 2015.
2008
Trey Woeste was married to Leslie Robertson on October 10, 2015 at The Camargo Club in Cincinnati. The reception was also held at The Camargo Club. Many CCDS alums were in attendance including best man Mac Woeste '09 and groomsman Austin Morelock '07. Other friends of the bride and groom included Joey Beyersdorfer '08 and Matt Weigel '08. Family members of the groom included Susan Garfield Schoeny '90, Rob Heimann '90, and Paige Heimann De Buys '92. Trey is the general manager of Audi Cincinnati East and Leslie works for Pure Barre Cincinnati and Kenwood. They reside in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Picture right)
2010
Jordi Alonso writes: A poem of mine, "Forecast" was accepted by Red Flag Poetry Service, a journal which prints twelve poems a year and puts each one on a postcard you can then buy. I'm the November 2015 poet and was recently interviewed by Red Flag. Meanwhile, I'm attaching a picture of the postcard itself, which people can buy by requesting it here: http://www.redflagpoetry.com/single-red-flag-postcard.html
2005 Reunion
The CCDS Class of 2005 gathered at Fifty West Brewing Company to celebrate their 10-year reunion on Friday, November 27. It was great to meet old classmates and reminisce about the days that we roamed the Commons, Dining Terrace and Senior Pit. The following 2005 alumni were in attendance: Sheela Bhaskar, Julia Schneider, Ben Schneider, Oren Costantini, Eugene Cone, Aaron Billings, Leonard Tries Glasgow III, Will Carroll, Chris Rust, John Weyand, Aaron Guttman, Andrew Roth, Nate Smith, Betsy Niehoff, Peter Niehoff, Zak Butler, Jimmy Gardner, Johanna Byer, Desmond Holloman, Katie French, and Ty Zimmerman. Special guests, Mrs. Menter and Mr. Van Nuys, had the chance to catch up with their former 5th grade students. Thanks to all for making the reunion fun and memorable! Reunion co-chairs, Vallie Tapke and Sally Hernandez
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Athletic Hall of Fame
Four Cincinnati Country Day School alumni have been inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Pictured above are Adrienne Beech Eynon ’98 of Chicago, Brandon Guttman ’96 of Amberley Village, Melanie Vierling Vollmer ’98 of Indian Hill, and Reed Werner ’97 of Hong Kong. Seventy family members, friends and former teammates attended a dinner to honor the new inductees Jan. 22. Werner was unable to attend, but received his plaque April 18 during an Upper School assembly. The honorees and their accomplishments: Adrienne Beech Eynon
was a four-sport athlete (soccer, cross country, gymnastics, track), which was rare for that time in the school’s history.
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She was the Heinichen Award Winner for the Top Female Athlete at CCDS. In soccer, she was an outside midfielder who could cover the entire field. She was one of the first soccer players who was able to cross over between soccer and cross country. In cross country, she was the number one runner year in and year out. Eynon was a fourtime first team
all-conference, MVC champion and a regional and state qualifier. In gymnastics, she was a four-year allrounder who performed well in all four events. Track was Eynon’s top sport, and she was an All-State track runner. “According to Coach Dave Walsh, she was one of the top distance runners in the school’s history,” said Steve Conner, CDDS track coach. “I can tell you that there has not been a 3200 runner like her since. She still holds the record: 11:22:46. As the current coach of the team, that
is going to be one of the toughest records to break.” Brandon Guttman was a two-sport
and occasional three-sport athlete at Country Day, earning 10 letters in football, baseball and wrestling. He was the McDaniel Award Winner for the Top Male Athlete at CCDS. “Whether running a deep pass route or scampering around the base paths, Brandon played with a ‘controlled recklessness’ that inspired his teammates, intimidated his opponents and delighted his coaches,” Coach Tim Dunn said. Guttman made his biggest mark on the football field. As the go-to wide receiver his senior year, he caught 58 passes for 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns – all the time being double teamed – as Country Day led the city in total passing offense. The team won the MVC and regional championships, while losing to the eventual state champion by five points in the state final four. In addition, he was a finalist for the prestigious scholar athlete “That’s My Boy Award,” presented by the National Football Foundation to an area athlete. In addition to receiving the Princeton Tate Most Valuable Player Award, Guttman was named Miami Valley Conference player of the year, the Cincinnati Post and Cincinnati Enquirer offensive play of the year, Southwest District offensive player of the year and first team all-state. “Besides obvious innate ability, Brandon worked hard at his game,” Dunn said. “He and his partner in crime, quarterback Reed Werner, spent countless hours during the hot summer working on pass patterns and timing.” In baseball, Guttman was a threeyear starter as an outstanding centerfielder and lead-off batter. He was captain and team MVP. He
was named first team all-league and Enquirer and Post All-City first team. Melanie Vierling Vollmer was an
outstanding, competitive athlete who over three years earned numerous awards and a scholarship to continue her soccer career at The Ohio State University, where she played for four years and earned Academic Big Ten. She was a three-time all MVC performer in soccer. She is one of few soccer players at Country Day to be named All State as a junior and senior and named MVP in soccer and basketball as a junior. “She is one of the most competitive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Theresa Hirschauer said. She hated to lose. There are some players who are distributors, and others are defenders. Melanie is the best finisher that I have ever coached. She knew how to find the back of the net and dared people to stop her. Not many did.” “She scored 100 goals in three years. It doesn’t take a math genius to figure that is 33 goals per year. I’ve had teams that have only scored 40 goals in a season. Goal scorers have something in them that you can’t teach. Mel is the great goal scorer in my 26-year career.” Vollmer also received MVC honors in basketball. Her 33 goals in 1996 led the city of Cincinnati, and she was the all-time leading goal scorer in CCDS history. As a senior in basketball, she led the team to a 14-9 record and earned first team All-League. She earned those awards in just three years. A model of resilience, in 1994, she sat on the bench due to a torn ACL while playing club soccer.
varsity letters. “Earning varsity letters back in Reed’s day was quite a bit more difficult than it is now,” said Tim Dunn, his football coach. “There were far fewer sports and every program had an extensive JV program. It was extremely rare for a freshman to earn a varsity letter back then.” He was a three-year starter for Coach Howard Brownstein on three successful basketball teams that advanced during the post season. “As a small forward, Reed played basketball with both athletic prowess and confidence,” Dunn said. During the baseball season, Werner was the #3 hitter on a Regional finalist baseball team that was one win away from the Final Four as he earned All-League and All-City honors his junior year. It was on the football field where Werner made his greatest mark. As a captain, quarterback, kicker and punter, he was All-League, AllCity, All-District and All-State. As a junior, he led the team to the state semifinals where they lost to the eventual state champion in the closing seconds. During the season, Werner led the city in passing, throwing over 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. For his career, he passed over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was a two-time team MVP. “Reed was the ideal quarterback,” Dunn said. “He exhibited poise and confidence. Nothing rattled him.” If you wish to nominate a former student-athlete for consideration into the CCDS Athletic Hall of Fame, you can do so by visiting our website at https://www.countryday. net/alumni/awards_halloffame. aspx.
Reed Werner was a three-sport
athlete playing football, basketball and baseball while earning 10
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Alumni Events Chicago Alumni Gathering In January, new Head of School, Tony Jaccaci, hosted Chicago alums for dinner. Those attending were Will ’90 and Margo Callard, Mimi ’85 and Scott ’84 Manzler, Will Gregg ’78, David Spadafora ’68 and Sara ’02 and Mike Hughes.
San Francisco Alumni Dinners In February, Tony Jaccaci and CCDS Development Director, Chris Woodside, traveled to the San Francisco area and were able to host alumni dinners in Cupertino and downtown San Francisco. Among those who attended were Bill Wood ’53, Brad Hammoor ’12, Sarah Herrlinger ’90, Smita De ’97, Christi McPhie Bachman ’89, Dale Posner ’83, Ellie Off ’96, Scott Hofmeister ’87, Will Portman ’10, Kai Schneider ’97, and Damon Levy ’96.
Future Connections
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CONNECTIONS
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN ANNUAL FUND MATCH DAY 2016
Where you doubled your donation dollars.
The Annual Fund 2016 is dedicated to the wonderful faculty and staff of CCDS who excel with your generosity. We still need your support to reach our Annual Fund goal. Please make your donation before June 30, 2016. www.CountryDay.net/go/CCDS THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! 47