The Acorn is published by the Marketing and Communications Department of North Shore Country Day for alumni, parents, grandparents and friends. Its goal is to connect our school community, celebrate recent accomplishments and capture the essence of life and learning at NSCD.
North Shore Country Day
3 1 0 Green Bay Road
Winnetka, Illinois 60093
84 7 446. 0 6 74
Tom Flemma Head of School
Gia Anayas Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications ganayas@nscds.org
Christine Wachter
Associate Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications, Acorn Editor cwachter@nscds.org
Jonathan Gibby
Digital Content Manager jgibby@nscds.org
Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 Director of Development mmcdowell@ nscds.org
PHOTOS
ALUMNI
Tracie Frederick
Senior Associate Director of Development tfrederick@ nscds.org
Ashleigh Palmer ’04 Development Associate –Major Gifts and Alumni Relations aweathers@ nscds.org
Photographers
Jonathan Gibby Nathan Ciral ’25
Writers
Christine Wachter
Kathy Routliffe
Margaret Ringia Hart Design, margaretringiahart.com
Graphic Arts Studio Printing, www.gasink.net
On the front cover
Upper School Commencement, Photo by Nathan Ciral ’25
On the back cover
If you know more about this photo or any of the other archival photos in this issue, please call Archivist Kenleigh Howard at 8 4 7 881.8844 or send an email to khoward@nscds.org.
STRIKING THE BALANCE BETWEEN TRADITION AND INNOVATION
Our small school serves children best when we attend to every part of their development — intellectual, physical, emotional, creative.
It was like a lightning bolt struck in the middle of a casual conversation. Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 and I were having a pleasant conversation in my office with North Shore alum John Darrow ’65, catching up about school and his family and the singing he does all over the world with Yale alumni, when the conversation turned to the renovation of the Mac Gym. “Well, you know I helped bury the time capsule when they first built it,” John said casually. Once Molly and I picked our jaws up off of the floor we could stutter, “There’s a time capsule — and you know where it is?”
While the 1960 cornerstone has always been visible, we had no record that it contained a time capsule. Two days later, John dropped off a picture from the ceremony, and there he was — an eighth grader, representing the students.
Well, it didn’t take long for the wheels to start moving and a plan to emerge. A few months later, John joined a group of our current students for the careful exhumation of the time capsule, which will be opened and replaced with a new one when the building opens next school year. The circle will be complete.
The Mac Gym will re-emerge, transformed, expanded and proud. And it will stand on a strong foundation, laid long ago by people who believed in our school and what it represented. What they believed — and what we still believe today — is
1 Closing Morning Ex
2 Mac Gym time capsule retrieval
3 The Class of 2028
4 Lower School Field Day
5 Second grade field trip to Lloyd Beach
6 Lower School Closing
7 Hatching chicks in senior kindergarten
evident on every page of this Acorn. It is the strikingly simple but powerful belief that our small school serves children best when we attend to every part of their development — intellectual, physical, emotional, creative.
That’s why the Mac Gym was built originally, to support the athletic and fitness programs that were a crucial part of the NSCD curriculum. Founding headmaster Perry Dunlap Smith believed, as he wrote in 1946, that “one of the principal tenets of the Country Day School plan of education is that active daily participation in team sports which place great emphasis on cooperative effort, subordination of personal glorification to the good of the whole group and vigorous and strenuous physical effort is essential to the best development of young men and women, especially during the period of their growth.”
And that’s why the gym is being rebuilt today — because the crucial connection of physical wellness to intellectual and social-emotional wellness has never been clearer. Beautiful weight rooms will replace medicine balls, and a gorgeous new athletic training suite will care for student-athletes where raspberry ointment was once sufficient, but the core beliefs remain the same.
The continued resonance and relevance of NSCD’s “plan of education” is apparent in every student, faculty and alum highlight you’ll see in these pages through every page of this Acorn. Take a look at the artwork, the athletic accomplishments, the theater productions and intellectual feats that fill these pages. The tools and topics might have changed, but the lessons remain relevant, steadfast and powerful.
The late William Talley, a longtime
NSCD physics teacher, inspired Don Whiteman ’70 and his friends to create a ham radio station; current lower school science teacher Annie Collins fills her young scientists with wonder about the world around them. Mainstage productions are still tentpole moments in the rhythm of a school year and students still feel the excitement (and butterflies) of performing and speaking on stage. Students continue to compete across the nation in traditional events like Science Olympiad or Model United Nations, but also in newer events like FIRST LEGO League. As always, the students are developing the core skills that will prepare them for a changing world. The opportunities are myriad, they are rich, and they reflect the dynamic balance of tradition and innovation that has always defined North Shore.
Finally, compare the front and back cover photos from graduation then and now. The graduates walked across the same stage in the same auditorium, all brimming with the hope and confidence that marks adolescence. While today’s class of students is certainly more diverse in a myriad of ways, both photos show young people exceptionally well-prepared for the challenges ahead — even if those challenges were unknown to them at the time. Both photos show the beautiful smiles of connected friendship that only come from this very special place.
Our new time capsule will work to capture the people, place and values of our school. We don’t know when it will be seen again, but I feel confident that it will be opened by a future generation of Raiders who keep kids at the center of everything they do.
—Tom Flemma, Head of School
Class of 2024 Lifers: Smith Flickinger, Bo Stevenson, Leif Steele, Geoff Flickinger, Aram Dombalagian, Tessa Adamson-Tate, Mariel Flickinger and Carissa Schultz.
North Shore Country Day Celebrates 105th Upper School Commencement
“The skills and knowledge you carry from here give you a better chance than most to write your own story. Make sure it is a good story, and make it a story of good. Be so good — in both ways — that the world can’t ignore you.”
TOM FLEMMA , Head of School
Parents, friends, students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered June 7 to celebrate the Class of 2024 and watch the seniors cross the stage to receive their diplomas, all the while being serenaded by a chorus of hundreds of thousands of cicadas echoing outside the auditorium doors.
During the senior class message, Leif Steele ’24 waxed philosophical about the meaning of life and encouraged his fellow classmates not to focus on the “what ifs,” but rather what is . “Our world, not unlike a whitewater rapid, is dynamic and unpredictable and at times frightening,” he said, after sharing about a near-drowning experience during a whitewater canoe trip where he had to learn to stop trying to fight the water and let the current guide him to safety. “The best way to maximize our well-being is to neutralize our ego. Go into every situation with no concrete
expectations of what should and shouldn’t happen. Embrace what is happening, live it and thrive in it.”
The seniors selected Director of Strategic Initiatives & Special Projects and longtime college counselor Kristen Kaczynski to give this year’s commencement address. Kristen, or Dr. K, as she is known to the students, reflected on how we approach dealing with things that are truly hard. Some hard things, she acknowledged, are unexpected and beyond our control. But other hard things, we actively choose.
She shared some of the lessons she learned when she made the decision to do something hard — setting a goal to complete a marathon before her 40th birthday. And while the timeline had to be adjusted along the way, thanks to the pandemic and life’s circumstances, she accomplished her goal. It was hot and uncomfortable and without question the hardest thing she had ever done, but she finished the race in a time she was proud of.
“One thing you can count on as you leave this place is that, at some point, there is going to be more that is hard,” Kristen said. “Yet I’m also confident that as you face those challenges — no matter what they are — you leave here incredibly well prepared to lean toward elegance and grace.”
During the final speech of the evening, Head of School Tom Flemma found inspiration in the words of comedian, actor, writer, producer and musician Steve Martin. He was listening to an interview with Steve, who remarked that young people constantly asked him how to “make it” in the entertainment industry. Steve’s response: “Be so good that they can’t ignore you.”
“There’s a lot to unpack in that short statement, but I think it nicely represents the aspirations and expectations that we have of you graduates as you leave this place,” Tom said. “You see, I recognize in Steve’s advice multiple truths, and perhaps a duality that he didn’t intend.”
On one hand, he encouraged the graduates to excel at what they do — be so good that doors open. And also, be a good human — kind, supportive, altruistic. “If your time here at North Shore has done just a bit to instill a reflexive inclination to ‘Live and Serve’ in you, then we have done our job.”
Following the recessional, everyone made their way outside, where the graduates sang the school song, “Wake the Echoes,” for the final time together. Then the eight lifers — Tessa Adamson-Tate, Aram Dombalagian, Geoff Flickinger, Mariel Flickinger, Smith Flickinger, Carissa Shultz, Leif Steele and Bo Stevenson — lowered the flags and one by one rang the school bell, marking an end to their 13- or 14-year journeys as NSCD students.
“Next year we’ll be away from everything we have known. It is up to us to define who we are, beyond the confines of high school and adolescent narrow-mindedness. It’s up to us to determine what matters to us. It’s up to us to get to work. ”
Tom Flemma and Kate Henry ’24
Aramis Thai-Garcia ’24 and Caleb Goldstein ’24
LEIF STEELE, Class of 2024
Kristen Kaczynski
Mullery Doar ’06 and Kyle Banner ’24
Leif Steele ’24
“As you leave here, don’t settle for just being. Instead, push yourself to try the hard [things], and trust the process of getting there. We will all be there for you along the way.”
KRISTEN KACZYNSKI Director of Strategic Initiatives & Special Projects, College Counselor
Gabriel Rosen ’24
Ellen Darku ’24
Mariel Flickinger ’24, Meera Reid ’24 and Mila Chatman ’24
Class of 2024
Class of 2024 College Choices
Tessa Adamson-Tate
Temple University
Rahm Azizi
Loyola University Chicago
Kyle Banner
Michigan State University
Daniel Becker
Hamilton College
Maya Belabbes
University of San Diego
Jackson Berner
University of Chicago
Maddy Boneck
Colorado College
Ella Cesca
Colgate University
Mila Chatman
Howard University
Emi Comeau
University of Southern California
Ariadna Corona
Marquette University
Ellen Darku
Tulane University
James Daw
University of Chicago
Aram Dombalagian
Macalester College
Avery Erwin
Wake Forest University
Sam Fielder
Bates College
Lucas Fitz-Gibbon
Vassar College
Mariel Flickinger
Denison University
Smith Flickinger
Skidmore College
Geoff Flickinger
Tulane University
Ashley Garcia University of Wisconsin
Madison
Caleb Goldstein
Hamilton College
Levi Golson
Syracuse University
Ricardo Gonzalez
Carthage College
Max Greenberg Winnick
Hamilton College
Kate Henry
Duke University
Quincy Howard Occidental College
Mimi James Lake Forest College
Katherine Jeske
McGill University
Vivien Johnson
University of California, Santa Cruz
Tommy Kalotis
Elon University
Owen Keyt
Claremont McKenna College
Alex Kuprewicz
Loyola University Chicago
Caroline Meyer Barnard College
Anoushka Mitra
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Trafton O’Brien Babson College
Gabriel Onofre
University of Illinois Chicago
Meera Reid
DePaul University
Gabriel Rosen
University of Denver
JP Ruck
Purdue University
Carissa Schultz
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Alli Smith
University of Connecticut
Max Smith
University of Miami
Leif Steele
Yale University
Bo Stevenson
University of Virginia
Toren Strauss
University of Denver
Majed Tabbara
University of California, Berkeley
Jameson Tao
Washington University in St. Louis
Aramis Thai-Garcia
Harvey Mudd College
Simon Ugarte
Boston University
Anna Beth Woolf
College of the Holy Cross
Noah Youderian
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Upper School Stats
Number of Colleges Offering Admission to Class of 2024
140 Colleges in 31 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, China, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Graduates traveling out of state for college 79%
College and University Matriculation by Region
Don Whiteman ’70 and Nancy Green Whiteman ’71
Whether it’s touching and helping the world via ham radio, volunteering with North Shore Country Day Science Olympiad teams, or working on behalf of Northfield, the village he calls home, Don Whiteman ’70 approaches life with gusto. He hasn’t slowed down despite retiring in 2022 as a senior vice president at RBC Wealth Management.
What keeps him going? He smiles when he answers that question with one word: fascination.
“I would say the driver in me, one that took me in a lot of different directions in life, was that concept. It motivated me to do stuff that I hadn’t done before,” he says. “If something fascinated me, I wanted to learn more about it.”
Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, Don’s wife and a fellow North Shore Country Day graduate, hasn’t slowed down either, despite retiring on the very same day
her husband did. She still displays the happy energy that powered her through successful careers in social work and nonprofit communications, and as North Shore Country Day’s first director of alumni relations.
Today, their long-term partnership (which, a little unromantically, didn’t start at school) means that they laugh a great deal as they talk about life at school, life in the working world and life in general.
The two share often gleeful memories of their days at North Shore, and both of them say the funny and serious lessons they learned in and out of class — whether that was Don starting a ham radio club or Nancy learning to successfully plan extracurricular programs with the aid of teachers — helped them gain confidence that they took with them into adulthood. That confidence in turn made both of them willing to take on whatever the world presented them with.
“I was a perfectly decent student, but I thrived with the school’s extracurricular activities. I think it did create more and more of my interest in following the school’s motto of ‘Live and Serve’ in my life,” says Nancy.
Don grew up in Northfield and attended public schools there until making the move to North Shore in fifth grade. Nancy arrived the next year, moving from Winnetka’s public school system to sixth grade at North Shore.
Don says he thinks it was a simple decision on the part of his parents, one that he was at ease with. As for Nancy, she says moving from Winnetka public schools to North Shore was a bit of a leap to make just as she entered junior high. She did know a couple of students at the school, which smoothed her transition, she says.
“My parents felt strongly that they wanted what North Shore had to offer, that this was a really wonderful environment to give me access to all opportunities,” she says.
Nancy says she was aware of Don, since North Shore’s small community made knowing everyone almost inevitable, but didn’t interact with him.
Don, who says, “I was a math and science nerd, with an emphasis on the word nerd,” became a dedicated ham radio user at the age of 10, something he said was sparked by listening to distant AM radio stations late at night. He brought his interest to North Shore and praises former physics teacher William Talley for supporting his desire to start a ham radio club at the school.
Mr. Talley is possibly Don’s favorite teacher to this day, in large part due to his support of the club: “There was a group of us who were interested in ham radio. At that time, the physics lab had a storage room, and he gave us the use of the room.”
He also allowed Don and other students to create a Jacob’s Ladder — otherwise known as a high-voltage climbing arc — using what Don calls “this wonderfully evil-looking 15,000-volt transformer” that was already in the lab.
“Why’d we do it? I was fascinated by the Jacob’s Ladder we’d see in all the science fiction movies,” he laughs.
After graduation, Don attended The University of the South, popularly known as Sewanee, in Tennessee, and today thinks its small size appealed to him after experiencing North Shore’s cozy community. He started as a pre-med student, but
soon realized this would require him to spend most of his free time in a chemistry lab instead of playing on the soccer team or having a broadcast time slot on the school’s FM station, WUTS. Chemistry was one of the few sciences he didn’t like, he said. “It didn’t fascinate me.”
He switched his major to economics, which employed his enjoyment of and fascination with mathematics. He graduated in 1974 and headed to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he earned his MBA in Business Administration in 1976. Then it was back to Chicago, where he entered the financial world and progressed through several positions and companies, eventually ending up at RBC Wealth Management in 1983.
By this time, Nancy had graduated from NSCD and attended Hollins University in Virginia, where she earned her sociology degree. She then moved to New York, where she completed her master’s degree in social work at New York University. After that, she worked for several nonprofits in the New York region. She eventually moved to the administrative side of social work.
“I think there are a lot of things I could say about North Shore planting seeds,” she says. “Exposure to the larger organizational things that I had at North Shore — whether I was stage manager of a show, captain of the field hockey team or serving on the Morning Ex Committee — those opportunities made me feel very at ease with administration.”
She didn’t expect to head back to the Midwest, but when she was offered a job in 1981 as community relations manager for the United Way of Metro Chicago and suburbs, she took it. That’s when she reconnected with Don at a fundraiser. Her escort that night assumed she might spot people she knew at the event. She spotted Don — and he spotted her.
Shortly after their initial meeting, he asked her out to a special golf tournament
I would say the driver in me, one that took me in a lot of different directions in life, was that concept (fascination). If something fascinated me, I wanted to learn more about it.
—DON WHITEMAN ’70
event and then persuaded her to take him to dinner with the money she won after she placed a bet on him and he came in first place. That unorthodox approach worked: They were married in July of 1983, moved to a house in Don’s hometown, Northfield, and had their first child, Molly, in 1984. Nancy had stayed connected volunteering at North Shore over the years and when Molly was a year old accepted a three-day-a-week position in the school’s newly established development office as alumni director. With the birth of their son, George, three years later, she took a break to focus on raising their children.
In 1998, Nancy returned to North Shore to support the development office fundraising efforts and further help organize the school archives. Subsequently, she reassumed the position as director of alumni relations, working a total of 25 years for the school and retiring in 2022.
In a coincidence that still amazes the Whitemans, they found themselves both working for Jack Wing, a national leader in the financial services industry, in very different capacities. Jack was chairman of North Shore’s board of trustees, and he also was a boss and mentor to Don during his time with The Chicago Corporation.
Both Whitemans remain involved with the school, which their children — Molly Whiteman Vreede ’03 and George Whiteman ’06 — attended as high school students. Nancy continues to help with annual giving efforts. Don has volunteered with North Shore’s Science Olympiad team for the past two years, and he relishes helping students. In another volunteer effort at the school, he took his love of communication to North Shore’s third grade students a few years ago.
“I came in with a radio, a battery and some wire. I said to the kids, ‘With these three things, I can go anywhere — where a hurricane has just blown out everything, where a tornado has flattened everything,
where an earthquake has destroyed everything. With these three things, I can go into an area like that and be able to communicate information out of the affected area as well as receive information back to help people,’” he says.
(Here’s where North Shore’s motto of “Live and Serve” shows up in Don’s activities. He has continued to be a ham operator and is a member of The North Shore Radio Club and the Northern Illinois DX Association. He notes that the motto for ham radio is “When All Else Fails,” because ham operators can provide crucial information when events render people otherwise isolated. He and other ham radio operators provide emergency and logistical communications for the Chicago Marathon, Shamrock Shuffle, Trek 100, the Tour de Cure and other volunteer events in the area.)
The Whitemans remain busy outside of North Shore. Both Nancy and Don have been active in Northfield, where they live and where Don estimates he has lived for roughly 50 years. He served as village president between 1997 and 2005 and now serves as a trustee on the village’s Police Pension Board, while Nancy serves on its Board of Police Commissioners. They also serve on other nonprofit boards and committees. In addition, they enjoy the opportunity to travel and spend time with family and most particularly with their grandsons. They reflect on many happy memories of North Shore and how the school not only provided them with an excellent education and experience but also connected them to each other — for which they are eternally grateful.
Ask the two about their long-term partnership, and what keeps it fresh, and Don and Nancy look at each other.
“I was fascinated by Nancy’s interests and what she liked to do,” Don says. “It was fascination.” And he smiles.
Above: (Top) Lower school science teacher Annie Collins filters lake water on a field trip to Lloyd Beach with Cole McLennan ’34, Andrew Code ’34, Caroline Herman ’34 and Allison Jiang ’34. (Bottom) Attorney and conservationist Scott Stone gives a Morning Ex presentation. Opposite page: (Clockwise from left) Chloe Johnston ’29, Cherry Sprague ’29, Eloise Stone ’30 and Tara Rai ’30 identify macroinvertebrates at the Skokie Lagoons during Middle School Community Engagement Week.
Adeline Zwick ’37 finds a leaf during a Buddy Day scavenger hunt. Lower school students view the solar eclipse in April.
2023-24 Franke Fund
Our AWEsome Earth
In the ecological spirit of making the best use of what we already have, the 2023-24 Franke Fund theme, “Our AWEsome Earth,” built upon last year’s “Native Narratives” theme and aimed to enhance, expand on and complement all the things the North Shore Country Day community already has been doing to care for the planet we all call home. Indigenous wisdom recognizes the value of all of life’s diversity, human and non-human, and since we all share this planet, we have a shared responsibility to care for it.
Our AWEsome Earth had three main goals:
• To intentionally weave together and amplify across divisions and disciplines the threads of units and lessons that are already happening around climate, the natural world and our human place in it.
• To reconnect with each other and with the world outside of NSCD through collective care for our planet in this post-pandemic reality.
• To help students experience awe at the natural world around them as a way of remembering our human connection to the land and cultivating a call to action.
“We’re in the midst of a climate crisis, and I thought it would be good for us to spend the year really focusing on it,” explained middle school humanities teacher Elizabeth Kindig, who along with senior kindergarten teacher Cristy Athas, lower school science teacher Annie Collins, middle and upper school math teacher and Mathematics Department Head Graham Rosby, upper school social studies teacher and Social Studies
Department Head Kiernan Aiston, upper school science teacher Gina Gnoffo and Director of the Live+Serve Lab Drea Gallaga, has been leading the project.
Elizabeth said she was inspired by the book “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a mother, scientist, college professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. “That book changed
my life,” Elizabeth said. “I read her book and realized we already have all the answers. We just need to start listening. We can incorporate indigenous ways of knowing and thinking in the world we live in today to try to solve the climate crisis. She made me feel like it’s not so hopeless.”
The duality of drawing knowledge from both Western science and indigenous wisdom — that it doesn’t have to be “either/or” but can be “both/and” — aligns very much with the JK-12 experience at North Shore.
“Drawing wisdom from multiple sources is exactly what we want students to be doing in our academic program,” Graham explained. “So many of our classes, whether it’s math, humanities or the sciences, invite our students to examine two seemingly conflicting streams of knowledge.”
Some of the highlights of this year’s Franke Fund programming included:
• A community photography exhibit in the John Almquist Gallery entitled “The World Around Us” that showcased the world we live in — from tiny, beautiful moments to breathtaking landscapes, from the country to the city and nearly everything in between.
• Several dedicated buddy days over the course of the year, beginning with a photo scavenger hunt, intended to get students to slow down and notice the natural world around them.
• A number of field trips to places like Skokie Lagoons, the Museum of Science and Industry, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Field Museum of Natural History and Lloyd Beach.
• Curricular projects on sustainable fashion, waste management, landfills and decomposition, food preservation, and agribusiness — just to name a few.
In the spring, attorney and conservationist Scott Stone, who is also an NSCD parent, visited campus for Morning Ex. Scott is the founder and CEO of Lookfar, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to defending wild and wondrous places and working with the people living in and among them.” Lookfar advises philanthropic foundations and helps small, local groups with biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration and regenerative agriculture projects in many of the world’s most biodiverse and most imperiled regions. Scott spoke to students about how people around the world are working to save natural habitats, and he inspired the
students to be a part of this work in big and small ways.
After engaging on the topic for the full academic year, the team hopes people feel like the outside was let in a bit more and that the entire school community will walk away with a sense of both personal and institutional responsibility. We all can do something — and it might even end up being fun.
Elizabeth added, “With our increasingly digital world and our time spent sitting and on screens, my hope is that we continue to remember that the natural world is a great place to cultivate joy, that it is so easy and that we actually are built to find joy in the natural world.”
The Franke Family Fund was established in 2008 by Barbara, Richard, Katherine ’77 and Jane Franke ’80 to support programs that enhance students’ experiences during the academic year. It encourages faculty to develop creative and unique ideas that are schoolwide in scope, broad in interpretation and application, and significantly and positively impact the school community.
The Benefit 2024
Annual event raises more than $440,000 to support student scholarships and supplemental aid
Nearly 300 parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of North Shore Country Day gathered at Michigan Shores Club in Wilmette on February 23 for the school’s annual fundraiser. The event, co-chaired by parents Hannah Chung and Lynn Kahla-Ryan, was one of the most successful benefits in school history, raising more than $440,000 for student scholarships and supplemental support.
With an unwavering commitment to student financial aid since its founding in 1919, the school recognizes the growing need for scholarships and supplemental support for both current and future
students. This year’s achievement will provide invaluable assistance to students, ensuring that a North Shore education is accessible to all who are offered admission, regardless of their financial situation.
The evening commenced with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and food stations, setting the stage for a night of celebration and philanthropy. Program highlights included a warm welcome by the co-chairs, a riveting live auction and a heartfelt video featuring testimonials from Evelyn Gonzalez ’18, parents of alumni Nancy and Scott Santi, and former trustee Kelly Tyson.
Ayanna Evans
Alda Benjamen
Gray Hulick
Deneen Brennan, Liz and Tom Sherwood
The excitement peaked during the paddle raise, where attendees generously contributed to the cause. As an added surprise, a trip to Hawaii was raffled off during a paddle drop to close out the program portion of the event. The night was capped off with delicious desserts and dancing to the music of of DJ Quad.
“Raising money for scholarships is an enormous privilege that we took very seriously,” Hannah explained. “Working with such a talented, ambitious and inspiring team made the stakes even
higher. To have had SO MUCH FUN to achieve our goal? Priceless!!”
Lynn added, “Having created a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, we could sense the positivity in the room. When this happens, it results in enthusiasm and generosity. We are grateful to those who bid on auction items, purchased raffle tickets and generously participated in the paddle raise and paddle drop to conclude the program piece for the evening. The continued energy was infectious as the crowd returned to mingle and celebrate the success of the evening.”
North Shore Country Day is deeply appreciative of the support shown by its dedicated parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends, and grateful for all the corporate and individual sponsors. Their generosity will allow the school to continue its tradition of providing exceptional educational experiences to deserving students. The funds raised will enable North Shore Country Day to uphold its commitment to academic excellence and inclusivity, ensuring that the school remains a beacon of opportunity for years to come.
Renaat Ver Eecke, Tom and Louise Flickinger and Tony Blumberg ’76
Class of 2024 volunteers: Leif Steele, Jackson Berner, Meera Reid, Mariel Flickinger, Kate Henry, Anna Beth Woolf, Anoushka Mitra, Geoff Flickinger and Bo Stevenson
Mukund Venu and Priyanka Nair Katie and Patrick Rooney
Nichole Wilson and Jeff Foreman ’80
Monse Gonzalez ’26, Maria Galarza, Evelyn Gonzalez ’18 and Daniel Trejo
Clockwise from top: Second graders, led by lower school music teacher Molly Phelan, sing to their grandparents and special friends during the opening program in the auditorium. Jack Wangles ’37 (center) shows grandparents Paul Wangles and David and Cindy Ballard around the JK classroom. Adeline Zwick ’37 welcomes her grandmother, Debbie Zwick, with a hug.
A Grand Afternoon
Celebrating special relationships across generations
More than 150 loved ones came to campus for Grandparents and Special Friends Day on May 3. The event started with a program in the auditorium featuring a welcome from Head of School Tom Flemma, an update from the state champion boys soccer team, middle schoolers sharing about their recent community engagement week experiences and a second grade performance of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”
From there, grandparents were invited to peek into their grandchildren’s
classrooms and join them for a scavenger hunt around campus, with stops at the Live+Serve Lab, the student art show in the John Almquist Gallery and the annual book fair. This was the third year the book fair has overlapped with Grandparents Day, and students enjoyed having additional time to browse the large selection of books.
Before heading home, students and their special guests enjoyed a reception outside the auditorium with lemonade and freshly baked cookies.
Top: Ander Eboh ’36 introduces grandparents Maria and Noel Eboh to the baby chicks that were about to hatch in the SK classroom.
Bottom: Julia Sabrsula ’34 shows her grandfather, Richard Theile, how an electrostatic generator works in the lower school science lab.
Guest Artist:
Masha Lakisova can scarcely remember a time when she didn’t play a musical instrument. She started with piano lessons at the age of 4, then quickly added violin, Irish harp and guitar to her repertoire. “I came from a musical family,” she explained, noting her mother, Lyudmila Lakisova, is an accomplished pianist. “I was singing basically my whole life. But at that age, I didn’t take any of it seriously.”
It wasn’t until age 10, when she decided to focus on the violin exclusively, that things began to get serious. People began to hire her to perform, and by the time she was 12 or 13 she knew she wanted to make a career out of her craft. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to play all over the world, from intimate concert halls to the 41,546-seat Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Masha says that, in addition to its sheer beauty, her favorite thing about the violin is its collaborative nature. “There are so many opportunities for violinists,” explained Masha, who was the featured artist for this year’s North Shore Country
Day Susan Marshall ’76 Memorial Concert. “You can play in many different chamber ensembles, or you can play solo with piano or in orchestras. There are so many possibilities, and that’s what I love about this profession — I love collaborating with people.”
Masha, who grew up in north suburban Vernon Hills, began collaborating with other young artists before she hit double digits. From 2011-2017, she was a member of Midwest Young Artists Conservatory in Highland Park, which she credits for fostering her deep love for chamber music. Then for her final two years of high school, she enrolled in a pre-college program at the Juilliard School in New York City. She commuted to New York every weekend for an intensive full day of training, filled with classes on music theory and ear-training, private lessons, orchestra, string quartet rehearsals and more.
“It really took the whole day,” Masha said. “I had no breaks and then I would fly home late Saturday night.”
Susan Marshall ’76 Memorial Concert
Masha Lakisova
Masha Lakisova
Because of her hectic travel schedule, both with Juilliard and for performances during the week, Masha attended a private online high school that gave her the flexibility to learn remotely. After she graduated, she enrolled in the New England Conservatory under the instruction of Miriam Fried, where she just completed her bachelor’s degree.
A few days before her college graduation, Masha spent a full day at North Shore, beginning with a performance during Morning Ex. Then she met with fifth, seventh and eighth grade music classes, and answered questions from upper schoolers over lunch. While she was here, she had a chance to do what she loves the most: collaborate with a handful of NSCD musicians.
Sisters Carissa Schultz ’24 and Alina Schultz ’31 joined Masha toward the beginning of the performance on the first movement of Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor. Then for the final number, Nnemka Okeke ’25, Marielle Roselli ’25 and Sonam Kotte ’30 joined her on the
first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins in B minor. And though they had never all played together, they made beautiful music. Masha says she loves how music has the unique ability to erase differences and create a common bond.
“I love what music does for us. I love how it brings us closer, even just from an hour-long rehearsal,” she said. “We may not agree on anything else, but in that moment we are there to create something beautiful, something that moves someone. And the fact that we moved somebody together — especially if we don’t even know each other — is really incredible. I think it would save our world if we just could put our differences aside sometimes and make something special together.”
The annual Susan Marshall ’76 Memorial Concert was established in 1983 by Susan’s parents, Irl and Barbara Favill Marshall ’46, in memory of their daughter and her lifelong love of music. Each year, a young emerging musician is invited to perform a concert and visit with students and faculty.
Getting to Know Masha Lakisova
How do you prepare for a performance?
I always eat a banana before I play because it’s said to be a natural beta blocker. I’ve also heard that’s a myth, so who knows, but I do it anyway. I also have a little piece of chocolate for energy. I find that so much of [controlling nerves] is really just mental. So I try to mentally prepare myself — and it’s not all on the day of the performance. I’ve gotten more serious about building a meditation practice, and I also do yoga and Pilates. Doing those things consistently really does help.
What’s your all-time favorite place to play?
The New England Conservatory has this beautiful, historic concert hall called Jordan Hall. It’s quite intimate; I think it seats right around a thousand people. I played a full recital there last year with my string quartet and it’s truly magical to play there. I don’t know how else to describe it.
If you could play with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be? I’m a big fan of Haydn quartets and I would be interested in working with someone like him. Nowadays we look at his music and it seems very traditional, and put together and proper. But back in the day, he broke so many rules and took so many risks because he believed that that was the right thing to do to make change. I think that’s very inspiring.
What’s on your personal playlist?
I do listen to a lot of classical music because I love it and also because it’s what I do for a living. Apart from that, I am a huge musical theater and Broadway fan — “Wicked” has been a constant, and I love “Hamilton.” I recently took a three-hour road trip driving from New York to Boston and I listened to the entire “Anastasia” soundtrack. Especially when I’m on the road, I will often just listen to the full soundtrack of a show straight through.
Masha Lakisova, Molly Phelan and fifth grade music class
Collaboration in the lower school art room leads to deeper understanding
By Emily Culbert, Lower School Visual Arts Teacher
One of the key educational philosophies that guides my work in the lower school art classroom is Elliot Eisner’s approach to art education: “The arts celebrate multiple perspectives,” Eisner said. “One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.”
This powerful quote informs the choices I make when planning curriculum for our lower school students. I strive to design a curriculum that creates connections between classrooms and prompts our students to explore different subjects through an artistic lens.
Creating Meaningful Connections
The creative process is an essential tool that supports young students in their efforts to observe and understand their world and their peers. My objective as a teacher is to strengthen my students’ selfconfidence, observational skills and
From Cardboard to Concertos
Our NSCD second graders are not just playing music; they’re engineering it from scratch. Earlier this year, students in Julie Tuten’s tech class designed and built musical instruments out of cardboard, then coded and wired them to play.
Scan the QR code to experience this innovative STEAM project.
perspective on the world in which they live through their art education.
Our lower school visual arts curriculum prioritizes collaboration and integration for this exact reason. I collaborate with homeroom and special area teachers to connect students’ work in the art room with other subject areas. When students have the opportunity to explore a different area of study artistically, it deepens their exploration and understanding of curricular content.
A Multidisciplinary Study of Endangered Animals in First Grade
Currently, first grade students are exploring endangered animal species in social studies and writing nonfiction books about them. As they study endangered animals through reading and writing, they are also exploring them through drawing from observation in the art room.
Examining texture, color, line and pattern, students worked from photos of their assigned animals to illustrate a cover for their nonfiction books. This act of drawing from observation helps students understand the power of using artwork to document the world around them. Furthermore, first graders’ knowledge of these animal species is reflected in how they chose to craft their drawings. Colors, details and visual accuracy are all informed by their work in social studies.
Incorporating the Written Word into Visuals in Fifth Grade
In fifth grade, our oldest lower schoolers are currently exploring how writing can be incorporated into visual art by examining the work of contemporary artist McArthur Binion.
After exploring how Binion incorporates personal documents into his artwork, students created abstract collages with personal narrative essays they wrote in language arts class. Layered between prints and drawings are stories written by our fifth graders that communicate their formative personal experiences. This interdisciplinary project allows students to better understand how writing can serve as an inspiration for creating a work of art, or even function as an artistic material in itself.
Collaboration Is Key
One of our greatest strengths at NSCD is the collaborative enthusiasm shared by our faculty. Our teachers seek out and welcome opportunities for integration and collaboration across subject areas. This enthusiasm directly benefits our students and builds their understanding of the interconnectedness between disciplines. Our classrooms are ripe with opportunities to create meaningful connections for our students, and our faculty works hard to facilitate these integrated learning experiences. In the art classroom, this means that students are not only working with materials to build crucial artistic skills but also learning how to observe and understand the world around them. They are learning one of Elliot Eisner’s key lessons: “...that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.”
Opposite page: Lower school art teacher
Emily Culbert works with Wilson Wright ’35 and Nora Iqbal ’35 on a collaborative project that ties into their social studies unit on endangered animals.
Into th the Shark Tank
Middle school entrepreneurs pitch game designs to second graders
Middle school entrepreneurs in Gerald Daye’s Digital Media and Design class recently had the opportunity to pitch their original game designs to a room full of “sharks” — also known as second graders at North Shore Country Day.
As in the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” each team of middle schoolers had to stand up in front of their peers and potential investors and persuade second graders to back their game. The sharks had the power to influence the outcome by investing play money in the game designs that impressed them the most. This added an element of authenticity to the project, as the students understood that their games would be judged and potentially funded based on their presentation and design quality. This incentivized them to put their best foot forward and create games that would captivate and engage their target audience.
“The moment Gerald approached us about being the investors in his Shark Tank project, we immediately jumped at
the opportunity to be involved in this kind of experiential learning,” said second grade teacher Cristina Torres. “Some of our second grade math objectives are adding and subtracting two-digit numbers, identifying dollar bill amounts, solving problems with money and working with graphs and data, so this activity matched perfectly!”
After they heard each of the pitches, the second grade sharks had the chance to play the games to determine which ones they liked the best. Then they rated them on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Each second grader was given a pretend $100 bill, and they had to decide how much money, if any, they would invest into each game based on their star rating. In doing so, they had to incorporate skills they were learning in math — how to break the larger bill into smaller denominations, determining how much they could invest in each game while keeping the total amount equal to $100, and creating bar graphs and tally charts to reflect the investments.
“Understanding the use of money and graphing data are two math concepts that can be difficult to bring to life for young students,” explained lower school math specialist Amy Shuldiner. “This project was perfect to support their understanding in a meaningful way that had them deeply engaged in their learning.”
Cristina added, “One of the biggest takeaways for the students was showing them how math is connected to our daily lives. It doesn’t only live in the classroom. They were able to use money in a real way, instead of just answering questions in a workbook. Interacting with the middle school students is always impactful, especially with a project like this because it teaches our younger ones that hands-on learning can be a fun and creative process for all ages.”
The project fostered creativity and teamwork among the students, and provided a glimpse into the real world of entrepreneurship.
Earlier in the school year, Gerald’s
Emily Pemble ’34, Riley Todd ’34, Marissa Sanchez-Andersen ’34 and Levi Todd ’34 play “Escape the Jungle,” a game created by Payne Wood ’30 and Harris Yousufani ’30. “Escape the Jungle” won the Teacher’s Choice award.
students had a chance to meet with creative strategist, speaker and trainer Dan Killian ’05 about his own experience launching a business.
The NSCD alum is the creator of Pricetitution, a card game where you get to know your friends by guessing how much money it would take them to do absurd things. Several years ago, Dan pitched his idea to the real sharks on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” where he received four offers.
Dan joined the class via Google Meet to share his experiences and answer questions. He then was able to mentor students as they navigated the process of conceiving and creating their own games. Students could choose whether they wanted to create a card game, a board game or some type of hybrid game.
Gerald explained that the assignment was more than just building a game. During the ideation process, students had to think about facilitating an experience: What is the theme and the story of the game? Who is the audience? Why would someone want to play it? What are the deliverables?
“I was very impressed by my students’
“I was very impressed by my students’ ability to be creative and think outside the box. They considered every aspect of the game and crafted a unique experience.”
ability to be creative and think outside the box,” Gerald said. “They considered every aspect of the game and crafted a unique experience. That experience both illuminated the future possibilities for my students and created unforgettable memories for the second graders who may take on these same roles one day when they are in middle school and have the chance to take Digital Media and Design.”
The project culminated with an awards ceremony. The second grade sharks determined two awards: Highest Rated and
Most Money Invested. Middle schoolers voted on two: Best Design and Best Overall. And finally, Gerald selected one winner for the Teacher’s Choice Award.
The winners were:
• “Truth, Dare, Where” by Julia Capozzi ’28 and Lucia Bullock-Puzon ’28 (Highest Rated and Most Money Invested, with a total investment of $539.25)
• “Super Buckets” by Will Kennedy ’28 and Charlie Hilton ’28 (Best Design)
• “Truth or Duo” by Samantha Ackley ’30 and Sadie Haupt ’28 (Best Overall)
• “Escape the Jungle” by Payne Wood ’30 and Harris Yousufani ’30 (Teacher’s Choice)
“My students were able to see their ideas come to reality,” Gerald said. “My goal is that they keep that mindset as they move on in life and always maintain that belief in themselves.”
From left: Digital Media and Design teacher Gerald Daye Jr. talks with Quinn Muriel ’29 about the game that Quinn designed for class, which he and his team then had to pitch to the second grade “sharks.” Brendan Riley ’34 makes change so he can invest in his favorites.
Five Things Every Family Should Know As They Begin the College Search
At NSCD, our college counselors believe the mid-point of junior year is the ideal time to dive into the college search process. It affords students ample time to engage in the high school experience before layering in the college process so they can both develop a strong sense of themselves and an understanding of their college aspirations, and also have more than enough time to fully explore their college options.
Scan the QR code for some helpful tips on how to navigate what can often feel like a stressful process.
AP Courses and the Act of Balancing a Boulder
By Brian Frederick, Assistant Head of Upper School
An email I received many years ago from a parent at my previous school had a lasting impact on my philosophy around a school’s responsibility with helping students find appropriate balance in their schedules, particularly as it relates to AP courses.
That email compared the student’s struggles in his AP courses with Sisyphus’ endless struggle to get the boulder to the top of the hill (apology to anyone who has limited to no background in Greek mythology). After Google told me everything I ever needed to know about Sisyphus, I began to think about my response to the parent; however, more importantly, I began thinking about how I could be part of the solution to this bigger challenge where students feel compelled to create a course load that makes them feel like they are embarking on a Sisyphean endeavor each day.
I was fortunate to join the NSCD community shortly after my crash course in Greek mythology. And it was here where I saw how a school could truly engage in supporting students and their interest in pursuing AP courses. The conversation at NSCD is around balance and best fit when we discuss AP course selection. You’ll often hear these words as teachers engage in conversations with students about AP courses. Balancing academic rigor with students’ ability to successfully navigate their overall program is critical for overall health and wellness and at the heart of the work we do as a community. North Shore Country Day is a community where student growth and development in academics, arts and athletics is at the center of each decision.
Bringing us back to the Sisyphus email, the concerns of the parent who emailed many years ago were largely tied to college and the impact the metaphorical boulder
never making it up the hill would have on college opportunities. Hopefully you’ve already Googled Sisyphus and now have the same level of expertise in Greek mythology as I do. Enrollment in AP courses might be an important part of one’s story when they apply to college, and our college counselors are phenomenal in helping students navigate this process. There are ample opportunities for students to enroll in our 19 AP courses, and our students are routinely highly competitive at the most selective colleges. More importantly, our students are successful in college because of the ways in which they’ve engaged in and excelled in all of their courses, whether or not they are AP courses. Ultimately, our job as educators is to help students enroll in courses that foster intellectual curiosity, ignite a passion for learning and allow students to find successes that continue to build confidence.
The real secret sauce of NSCD is the relationships and partnerships with teachers, advisors and college counselors who provide advice and guidance to students interested in pursuing AP courses. In short, we know our students. Yes, this is cliche. And, it is 100% true and something we do better than other institutions. I have been part of a number of independent schools over my teaching career, and NSCD’s commitment to being a studentcentered institution is genuine. Partnerships with students and families provide the foundation for supporting students in any endeavor, particularly the selection of AP courses — or possibly even a new elective in Greek mythology.
Opposite page: James Daw ’24 and Emi Comeau ’24 listen to U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, who came to visit their AP Government and Politics class.
Finishes in Top 20
ticipants in each category. The following are the individual medal winners:
2nd Place: Air Trajectory
Teddy Kelly ’28 of Northbrook and Mira
Roy ’29 of Wilmette
4th place: Bottle Rockets
Connor Dunn ’28 of Evanston and Glencoe, and Joaquin Vanden Heuvel ’30 of Glencoe
5th place: Towers
Lily Aiston ’29 of Highland Park and Anika Venu ’30 of Glenview
“What a fantastic finish to a wonderful Science Olympiad season,” said Head Coach Lee Block, who also teaches middle school science and robotics at NSCD. “We could not be more proud of the students on this team for their accomplishments. As I have said all season long, this team has been wonderful to work with. It was a long season, but our hope is that everyone had fun and learned a lot in the process.”
Model UN Year in Review
During a year of dramatic global events, North Shore’s Model United Nations team rose to the challenge, winning numerous awards at regional and national conferences while setting the foundation for future growth and a competitive edge. Thanks to the leadership of Secretary General Emi Comeau ’24, the team is poised for years of continued success.
to solve pressing global issues like climate change, refugee crises, nuclear proliferation and human trafficking.
Crisis committees transport the students to a significant historical world in which they are given a figure to play. Through a combination of public and secret actions, students try to achieve their objectives by responding in real time to the behavior of the other “players” in the crisis. Far from a reenactment, the students’ own actions create the simulated world they inhabit.
In either general assemblies or crisis committees, North Shore students learn highly valuable transferable skills in academic research, persuasive writing, empathetic role playing, negotiation, public speaking and interpersonal dynamics, all while engaging in a highly competitive activity with the best private and public schools in the region and nation. In addition to sharpening these important skills, the team’s hard work also led to a number of awards:
• Madeline A’Hearn ’25, Honorable Delegate (third place), Ukraine — United Nations Industrial Development Organization
St. Ignatius
• Lucas Fitz-Gibbon ’24, Honorable Delegate (third place), William W. Barbour — Japanese Internment, 1942
Upper school Model UN team
Science Olympiad: Safi Gunay ’29
Science Olympiad: Ramona Shaw ’30
North American Invitational Model UN (hosted by Georgetown), Washington DC
• Emi Comeau ’24, Top 10 Commendation, Saudi Arabia — Special Political and Decolonization Committee
• Lucas Fitz-Gibbon ’24, Top 5 Commendation, Jiang Zemin — 1993 Third Taiwan Strait crisis Northwestern University Model UN
• Emi Comeau ’24, Top 6 Diplomatic Recognition, Netherlands — League of Nations
• Jack Shreve ’25, Honorable Mention (3rd place), Press Corps — Al Jazeera
In August, NSCD will hold its first Model UN “boot camp.” The team also plans to implement a weekly practice schedule and expand its competitive calendar to include more national conferences.
“As I look to my second year as Model UN advisor, I’m excited for our future,” said middle school history teacher Kirk Greer, who, along with registrar Erin Aiston, advises the Model UN team.
Invention Convention Teams
Compete at Nationals
Two teams of North Shore Country Day fifth graders qualified for the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals June 5-7 after an impressive finish at the Illinois Regional competition in April. This was the second consecutive year that NSCD students advanced to the national competition, held at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Sophie Sargon ’31 and Alina Schultz ’31 placed first in the fifth grade category at the regional competition for their “Solis
Tentorium” — a tent with heating and lighting powered by solar panels to help people experiencing homelessness.
Cameron A’Hearn ’31 and Greyson Gent ’31 also earned a spot at Nationals for their “Turf Troubles” invention, a device that removes turf pellets from shoes, preventing them from spreading all over the house and becoming a health hazard to young children. This was one of the topscoring inventions across all grades K-8.
And while they did not advance to Nationals, three additional NSCD students were recognized with special awards at the regional level. Matthew Nortman ’31 and Hunter Wessel ’31 received the Founder’s Award, given to inventors who solve a problem that impacts their local or global community.
Edison Collins ’31 won the Spark Award, given to projects that judges consider ambitious as well as unique and marketable: “There was a spark that we hope these young inventors continue to let grow with this idea and others,” according to the judges.
Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education program that teaches students problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. In recent years, lower school technology teacher and STEAM Integrator Julie Tuten has incorporated invention Convention projects into the fifth grade technology curriculum.
“These students worked so hard in and out of school and deserve recognition,” Julie said. “They learned a great deal about mistakes, failure, iterations and perseverance, and I am so proud of their motivation and commitment.”
Eight Raiders Commit to Playing College Sports
North Shore Country Day held a spring signing ceremony on campus, recognizing eight seniors who have committed to play college-level athletics. “Each of you is joining a new team, and you’ll be making lifelong friends and memories. Embrace this new challenge with enthusiasm, and never forget where you came from,” Athletic Director Patrick McHugh reminded the seniors as he opened the ceremony. “And remember, success is not just measured by wins and losses, but also by the impact you make on others, the lessons you learn and the person you become. So work hard, stay humble and enjoy the journey.”
• Daniel Becker will play soccer for Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.
• Jackson Berner will play baseball for the University of Chicago.
• Aram Dombalagian will play baseball for Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• Smith Flickinger will play soccer for Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
• Max Greenberg Winnick will play golf for Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.
• Owen Keyt will run track and field and cross country for Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.
• Trafton O’Brien will play baseball for Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
• Aramis Thai-Garcia will take a gap year before heading to Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, to run track and field and cross country.
Class of 2024: Aram Dombalagian, Max Greenberg Winnick, Daniel Becker, Smith Flickinger, Jackson Berner, Trafton O’Brien, Owen Keyt and Aramis Thai-Garcia
Sophie Sargon ’31, Alina Schultz ’31, Cameron A’Hearn ’31, Greyson Gent ’31, Matthew Nortman ’31 and Edi Collins ’31
Heritage Society Profile
Lew Davis, former faculty member
I consider the 15 years I spent in the middle and lower schools at North Shore (1966-81) to have been instrumental in the development of my teaching philosophy and in my growth as an educator and as a person. I learned so much from my interactions with my students, from their parents with whom I had contact, from my colleagues and from the administrators who guided me in the divisions in which I worked.
My experiences as a teacher, coach, camp counselor and school bus driver have all stayed with me to this day: The raucous debates in sixth, seventh and eighth grade social studies; the fourth grade production of the original script for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” for Morning Ex; the winning and losing of the teams I coached; playing pirates with first grade campers on the beach; picking up students at 7 a.m. on the bus; driving upper schoolers to do community service work on Chicago’s West Side; working backstage on upper school productions; organizing ski trips to the Rockies for spring break; lengthy Tuesday afternoon faculty meetings; and the formal and informal times with parents — all experiences I remember as helping me to develop both as a new and maturing educator and as a person.
North Shore’s emphasis on supporting the growth of the individual academically, emotionally, physically and socially while including each as a member of a larger “family” community applies not only to its students but also, in my case, to those who work with them. Moving on to four other schools, I tried to integrate what I learned at North Shore into my new classroom and administrative experiences. I feel fortunate to still have friendships with those I encountered at North Shore, and I love learning about the changes and trends the school has embraced and strengthened since my departure.
In the hope of giving back to North Shore for what I received and to enable it to continue its mission in the future, I am pleased to include North Shore in the plans for my estate.
Individuals who have made provisions in their will or estate plans to benefit North Shore Country Day are recognized in the Heritage Society. For more information, please contact Director of Development Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 at mmcdowell@nscds.org or 847.441.3316.
On March 6, the alumni community and friends came together to support current students by participating in our first Giving Day fundraiser. Special thanks to the generous Annual Giving 2023-24 donors who were early sponsors and those who provided inspiring challenges or matches, and to Cathy Kleiman Bartholomay ’79 for her encouraging video. As a token of our appreciation, all donors received a downloadable wallpaper image to remind them of their North Shore experience and the impact their gifts have on our Raiders community.
Giving Day Highlights:
Dollars raised: $24,831
Number of donors: 101
Peer-to-peer generated gifts: 55%
Top Decades: 1980s, 2000s, 2010s
Top Areas of Designation:
· General Support
· Scholarships
· Faculty Support
We are grateful to our Alumni Board and on-campus volunteers who helped make this a successful event:
Jay Bach
Dan Bloedorn ’87
Allison Kaplan Bosco ’03
Jim Davis ’64
Lisa Doi ’09
Jim Deuble ’76
Jeff Foreman ’80
Marcia McMillan Hines ’56
Manny Hodzic ’15
Gaby Levi ’95
Grace Flickinger ’12
Elizabeth Ingram ’82
Jonah Levi-Paesky ’13
Suki Lipman ’70
Andre Lodree ’96
Thomas McDowell ’18
Firouz Niazi ’17
Sarah Geist Rosen ’86
Lucy Sievers ’80
Katie Todd ’96
Nancy Green Whiteman ’71
Larry Williams ’87
Anne Hines Young ’77
Scan the QR code for a heartfelt thank you video from some of our volunteers.
Thomas McDowell ’18, Allison Kaplan Bosco ’03 and Grace Flickinger ’12
Shaping the Future of Health and Wellness
A Peek into NSCD’s Mac Gym Transformation
It’s been a whirlwind of activity on the east side of campus since breaking ground for the Mac Gym renovation in February. Demolition of the swimming pool, west gym facade and interiors is complete, and an earth retention system has been installed.
Inside the building, the bleachers and lower-level walls and utilities have been removed, and electricians and plumbers have laid down new pipes and wires. Over spring break, a parade of cement mixers hauled in 11 truckloads of concrete to lay the foundation for the south and west additions, and even more followed in the spring to build out the elevator shaft. Although spring rains were challenging, the work has continued, and little by little, the new facility is taking shape.
North Shore Country Day, under the leadership of Director of Operations Cindy Hooper and Molly Shotwell Oelerich ’87, chair of the Mac Gym project, has been working with architecture firm Kahler Slater to transform the space. We sat down with Trina Sandshafer, executive vice president and design principal at Kahler Slater, to discuss the design process and how the space will adapt to evolving health and wellness trends, ensuring it will serve the needs of NSCD for years to come.
How do you take a school — or any other institution, for that matter — from where they are today to where they want to be in the future? What does the process look like?
The first phase of our project involved many voices, from the junior kindergarten staff all the way to upper school students. We met with student athletes, coaches, the academic staff, parents to learn what makes North Shore North Shore. And from that, we discovered the key drivers that were going to make the project successful, starting with updated HVAC and technology. This project needed to be an athletic and a social hub — truly the heart of the school. It needed to support the whole student, which included health and wellness in addition to academics. It had to be flexible, with concurrent uses, as well as beautiful and functional, and it would transform the athletics department. Once we knew where we were going, we could make sure that our design strategy aligned with those goals.
What are some of the most important concepts you had to factor into the design of the project?
We always work with our clients to design for future use. We don’t know what’s to come, but we can ensure flexibility not only in the near term but in the long term. A good example of this is the functional fitness space. It’s column-free, and it has a tall ceiling. And that means as health and wellness trends change, that space will evolve right along with it.
The team at NSCD did a great job walking us through the campus and helping us understand the history. On the exterior, we used brick and lighter materials, and we wanted to honor that history and that
legacy but bring the color in line with some more recent additions that we see on the campus. We also knew that we wanted to leverage large windows. That is something the school is so proud of across the entire campus — not only the exterior but also the interior. So that connectivity was really important, bringing nature in to benefit students’ health and wellness. And you’ll see that visual connectivity, not only from the building out but through the spaces in the building as well.
Your firm is well known for its work in the athletic space. Can you talk a little bit about how you incorporated best practices for athletics, health and wellness into this design?
One of my colleagues is a national expert on health and wellness in the academic space, so he brought his subject matter expertise to this project to bring forward some ideas that we’re seeing in the health and wellness and recreation space. The first one aligns with this idea of openness and transparency. Gone are the days where you had small rooms that were acoustically isolated. Now everything is on display, welcoming everyone — it’s total body wellness, and that perfectly aligns with North Shore’s mission.
Next, it’s natural light. All of the spaces are connected not only to the quad but out into the trees, into the nature settings that are all around. And that access to a full wall of glass, even from the lower level, is something we wanted to incorporate because that visual is really important to people as they’re working on their wellness. Another newer trend is the focus on functional fitness, which takes into account everyday movements. Wellness is not just for athletes but for everyone. So we wanted to make sure functional fitness was celebrated. It’s right in the center, and you’ll see that there’s indoor synthetic turf that allows for multiple uses and different functions for different age groups.
Another big part of wellness is social connection. And we wanted to make sure that in the concourse, everyone felt welcome — students, athletes, but also parents and visitors. And so that social connection is something that we wanted to bring forward so everyone can come and enjoy the space.
How do you honor the legacy of the gym as you also look to the future? Our job as designers is to make sure that the building fits its context on the campus. And that is a very careful threading of the
needle between celebrating a legacy and creating excitement about a new chapter. And we do that at multiple scales. So we’ve talked about the architecture on both the exterior and the interior, the ways that you have those visual connections and how you fit the context. But the completion of that story is what comes next on the inside. And that’s our environmental branding. So our team is really excited to work with the team at North Shore to tell the story through environmental graphics, video displays and memorabilia walls. And this is where you’ll see trophies, you’ll honor coaches and athletes of the past and today. So whether you are nostalgic or you are ready to make your mark, there will be a place to tell that story.
GIVE NOW. Invest in HEALTHY FUTURES for our students.
Kendall Phillips ’28, Finley Todd ’31, John Darrow ’65, Josh Sanders ’25 and Izzy Henry ’25 tour the construction site
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
Teachers Pursue Passions with Lifelong Learning Grants
By Mary Fielder, Associate Head of School
Our teachers love to teach, that we know. They exude a passion for their subjects and sustain and fuel their passion for teaching through learning. They pursue professional development opportunities related to their craft and their subject area so they can be the best educators they can be. Our faculty regularly attend workshops, conferences and webinars to strengthen their practice. But supporting our teachers’ growth requires more.
Just as we value a “whole child” approach to learning for our students, at North Shore Country Day, we value the “whole teacher” approach to supporting our teachers. Our teachers are multidimensional, curious humans who have diverse interests and talents and who want to challenge themselves and explore new vistas. Our Lifelong Learning Grants allow our teachers to do just that.
Lifelong Learning Grants as we know them today actually grew out of an
initiative by the Parents’ Association. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, the PA had much more of a focus on fundraising and robustly raised money to help support NSCD students, teachers and athletic programs. Each year, they set aside about $10,000 to give a handful of faculty and staff an opportunity to pursue a passion project of their choosing.
Later, the PA partnered with the Benefit Board to fund the grants, and the name was changed to Benefit Board Grants to reflect that. Despite the dissolution of the Benefit Board, the tradition continues, funded by the annual Benefit, which supports faculty every three years. Now known as Lifelong Learning Grants, their purpose remains to foster continuous education and growth among NSCD educators.
Recently, several teachers showcased how these grants have enriched their lives and, by extension, their teaching:
Caitlin McLennan
David Grossman
Ethan Rodehorst
• Did you know that in addition to being a superb administrator and lower school educator, Assistant Head of Lower School Caitlin McLennan is an avid runner? She used her grant to go on a trail running trip through Italy and Slovenia — running 10-15 miles a day through beautiful mountains and setting a remarkable example for our students about embracing risks and adventures.
• Upper school English teacher David Grossman received a grant to learn to mountain bike, something he was eager to try given his passion for road biking. He shared that, while he relished the opportunity, he learned something important about himself — that he is a road biker at heart. His journey serves as a wonderful reminder that it’s OK not to love everything you try, emphasizing the importance of exploration.
• Fifth grade teacher Ethan Rodehorst had always dreamed of visiting Italy, but even more so since he started teaching about ancient Rome as one of his social studies units. He used his grant to visit Rome and the Amalfi Coast, where he immersed himself in the rich history, diving into the experience in the same way we hope our students will.
• Visual Arts Department Head Brad Rose , who teaches middle and upper school art, used his recent grant to take an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Disney World — an experience he had dreamed about for years. While he didn’t share any “spoilers” about how the magic happens in the Magic Kingdom, he exuded pure joy — a joy that comes from pursuing a personal passion.
• Lee Block , our esteemed middle school science teacher and Science Olympiad coach, realized his dream of learning to play guitar in a rock band when he used his grant to take lessons at the School of Rock. Now he is playing gigs, for real, in a local rock band. He shared his talents with the community at a Morning Ex last spring and proved that no matter your age or chosen career path, you can always try something new and discover a passion at any stage in life.
We are so grateful that our Parents’ Association had the foresight to realize that teachers are “whole people” and filling up their cups means both professional development and personal growth opportunities.
Brad Rose’s Disney tour
Lee Block
Maria Elena Centomo
MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL
SPANISH TEACHER
During her 15 years as a middle and upper school Spanish teacher, Maria Elena Centomo has connected with so many. She has been an ambassador for the language program and the school through her teaching, her singing with her students at Thanksgiving Morning Ex, her Interims (Cuba, Latin cooking and Latin dancing, just to name a few) and her participation in World Language X-Days, World Language Morning Exes and even a World Language Community Evening event, and I’ve had the joy of working with her for all that time.
I brainstormed some adjectives that remind me of Maria Elena. I started with what I'll call the “Centomo Cs.”
• Compassion and Care for all with whom she interacts,
• Curiosity — about ideas and people and life in general
• Community — which I’ll come back to, and most recently,
• An abundance of Courage as she has faced a myriad of health challenges.
Karen Cunningham
DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS
COORDINATOR
Karen Cunningham had two daughters (Sara ’09 and Hanna ’13) enrolled at North Shore in 2002 when she began working as an accountant in the business office. Her talents are many, and since then she’s worked with Summer Camp registration and the former Benefit Board office. For the past five years, we’ve been fortunate to have her expertise in the alumni and development office, making a total of 22 years with NSCD.
The phrase “dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s” was made to describe Karen. Anything she does is done correctly, thoroughly and with a smile. It often includes minute details, commentary or an obscure reference, and that’s because she will do a deep dive to find answers, always going a step further.
Karen is someone you want as a lifelong friend…she is caring and kind, easily lends a hand, offers support or gives advice. She’s good-natured, quick-witted, smart and capable. She’s a White Sox fan, an avid reader, she appreciates gardening
Each year I teach “Le Petit Prince” in my French IV class, and there are many lessons shared that Maria Elena embodies. One is that there isn’t any more “serious” work than that of connecting with others, and the time you spend making those connections is not lost time, but what makes those people so important to you. Maria Elena is never too busy for someone in need.
Another important message in the book is that we only see well when we use our hearts because what is essential is invisible to the eyes. This is where I come back to the C of community, because if you look with your heart you can see all those small shimmery threads that connect Maria Elena to so many people who have come through our doors in the past 15 years. She’s made herself an integral part of the web that connects us all, our community, and she will remain an integral part even as she leaves her current role of teacher. She will be missed.
lynsey wollin-casey , Upper School French Teacher
and travel, and she volunteers with the League of Women voters. She’s a true Raider who lives and serves.
In Karen’s words, the best part of NSCD has been the opportunity to work with people who are dedicated to making the school a good place for students. The same can be said about her. Karen’s colleagues describe her as:
• “One of the most kind and genuine people that I have ever met.”
• “Dedicated, always there to listen and give insightful advice.”
• “Strong and self-directed, always putting our constituents first whether they are students, employees or vendors. She was always in tune to the goings on around the campus, and that made her excel at her job with little to no direction. She was a wonderful addition from a personnel perspective and a wonderful, caring colleague.”
And to sum it up: “Karen is the perfect balance between spreadsheets and joy!”
maureen wilde, Development Associate – Annual Giving
Kyle Jones
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT HEAD AND PE TEACHER, SOCCER COACH
The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Ladder of St. Augustine”
After 17 incredibly productive years as a Raider, often toiling upward in the night, Kyle Jones will now embark on a new professional journey.
It’s hard to know where to begin to express our appreciation for all Kyle has done for athletics and PE at our school.
In his tenure here, he has transformed the soccer program from humble beginnings into the epitome of excellence, with the crowning achievement being our state title this past fall.
His dedication, passion and tireless commitment not only have elevated our soccer program to new heights but also have inspired us. In fact, one parent said to me this year that we now have the template for our success.
Molly McDowell DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Molly Ingram McDowell ’80, has had an impressive 27 years of hard work, commitment and endless contributions to North Shore Country Day as a member of the alumni and development office. There are very few individuals whose NSCD roots run as deep as Molly’s. In addition to her many years of service to the school, she is a dedicated alum, gracious daughter of two beloved NSCD teachers and proud parent of a lifer, Thomas McDowell ’18 — the kindest, most down-to-earth young adult you will ever meet. This is, in large part, thanks to a loving, caring mother (and father) who could strike a balance of having his back and always being on his side, while also holding him to a high standard, similar to her own. This legacy makes her incredible achievements at the school all the more remarkable.
Molly fully embodies the motto, “Live and Serve.” Her kindness, care and compassion for others have made it easy for her to connect members in our community to the mission of North Shore. During
Kyle’s impact extends far beyond the wins and losses on the scoreboard. He’s been a mentor to many, a confidant and a source of inspiration for all of us. He has been a model for steady personal improvement as a teacher, a coach and a program director.
His strong vision for our PE program has resulted in instruction from JK through 12th grade that is cutting edge, engaging and effective.
As Kyle embarks on this new chapter of his journey, he should know that his legacy will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of all those who have had the privilege of being part of his team. His passion, dedication and unwavering commitment to excellence have set a standard that will guide us in the years to come.
Kyle’s leadership not only built the best small high school soccer program in the state of Illinois but left a lasting mark on each of us.
patrick mchugh, Athletic Director
her time as director of development, the school went through several capital campaigns, building up the endowment and transforming the science center, the upper school, the arts center and the Mac Gym. She’s always rolling up her sleeves, reaching out to classmates to fundraise for Annual Giving, and spreading the good work of North Shore into the greater Raider community.
The high standards Molly sets for herself and her tireless efforts on behalf of the school inspire those around her to rise to those same standards. Her interpersonal skills mixed with her strong work ethic and sharp intellect make working with her an enjoyable and energizing experience. Her passion for what is best for our students has always led her work. Molly will always be a Raider, Forevermore.
tracie
frederick,
Acting Director of Development
Dave Potter HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
Dave Potter is one of the most humble, honest and caring people any of us will ever meet. Repeatedly, I have heard Dave tell people that the greatest thing he ever did for his family was take this job 19 years ago. He always credits this place with having a monumental role in shaping his boys into the amazing people they are today. While this may be true, this school has been equally fortunate to have had Dave as the leader of the upper school during that time.
One of his sons reflected on some of Dave’s superpowers — patience, listening, reflection and discernment. As his son said, “I’m sure we both feel quite grateful to have him in our corner.” Dave has shown us all what it means to be a great person — someone who genuinely cares about the well-being of others and puts that ahead of everything. His door is always open, and he always has time for anyone and everyone.
I know at some point nearly everyone has popped into Dave’s office for a conversation where he listened intently and
Ceil Scanlan
READING AND LEARNING
SUPPORT
SERVICES
DEPARTMENT HEAD, UPPER SCHOOL LEARNING
SPECIALIST
offered up great advice in the calm and reassuring way he always does.
The behind-the-scenes work Dave has done over the years to support both students and faculty is incredible. He goes about all this work with a thoughtfulness that is beyond words. It’s never been about him or his ego; it’s always about supporting others and lifting them up.
In Dave’s time here the school has grown in many ways. New programs have been introduced, new courses have been created, and new clubs have evolved. Through this growth and change, Dave has ensured that the upper school focused on what matters most: kids and community.
What truly makes a place special are the people in the community. Dave has been an amazing mentor, an inspiring colleague and leader, and a truly great friend.
brian frederick, Interim Head of Upper School
The gifts that Ceil Scanlan has given to this community are many, so I’ll highlight just a few of her meaningful contributions during her 21 years leading the North Shore Reading and Learning Resources Department.
Ceil modeled for all of us what it means to be a lifelong learner, earning her doctorate at age 63. Always seeking to apply her learning to improving educational experiences, Ceil focused her dissertation on Latinx students in independent schools. Even as she retires, Ceil is as full of curiosity, wonder, joy and eagerness to learn as any JKer. I loved seeing Ceil frequently going “down the rabbit hole,” as she called it. While she was on Long Island helping her daughter recover from surgery, Ceil was trekking for miles searching for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s house. When the juniors read Eve Ewing’s “1919,” Ceil relentlessly researched exactly where the Ogden Cafe was. After a busy day of work, Ceil was up for excursions like attending the Chicago History Museum’s Jesse Jackson Oral History Project launch, which was directed by North Shore parent Rev. Dr. Brian Smith.
A lifelong Chicagolander, Ceil lives up to Carl Sandburg’s moniker: the City of Big Shoulders. So many students, colleagues and families experienced the gift of leaning on or even crying on Ceil’s supportive shoulders. Her door was always open, and she is an incredible listener who offers words of encouragement and kindness, as well as delicious homemade treats. Ceil embodies our “Live and Serve” motto. Through her Interims, Ceil introduced students and faculty to the Marillac Social Service Center and Rustic Falls communities. After Hurricane Katrina, Ceil dug into the challenging work of rebuilding homes, and she did it with her characteristic smile. Ceil is a bridgebuilder who connects people and communities, and we have endless gratitude for this true Raider and the gifts she has given to North Shore.
Kathy McHugh, Upper School English Teacher
Professional Development
Middle school learning specialist Linda Arts , middle school science and robotics teacher Lee Block , middle and upper school social studies teacher Kirk Greer , middle school science teacher David Kubacki , lower school learning specialist Amy Luckey , middle school Spanish teacher Alejandra Mendoza , upper school learning specialist Takiyah Olatunbosun , upper school math teacher Angie Orr , middle school learning specialist Christine Ritchey , middle and upper school math teacher and mathematics department head Graham Rosby , upper school learning specialist and Reading and Learning Support Services Department Head Ceil Scanlan and Assistant Head of Middle School Rachel Sun attended Learning and the Brain: “The 360 Thinking Model.”
Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications Gia Anayas , Director of Finance Sue Downing , Associate Head of School Mary Fielder , Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects Kristen Kaczynski , Director of Development Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 , Head of Upper School Dave Potter and Head of Lower and Middle School Tim Sheehan participated in a workshop entitled “Beyond Diversity.”
Middle and upper school Instrumental Music Director Ann Goodrich , Assistant Head of Lower School Caitlin McLennan , fourth grade teacher Pippa Nyamweya , upper school Spanish teacher Catalina Rincón-Bisbey , Rachel Sun and second grade teacher Cristina Torres attended an ISACS workshop entitled “Women Who Lead: With Formal Titles and Without.”
Assistant Head of Upper School Brian Frederick , Caitlin McLennan , Tim Sheehan and Rachel Sun attended the ISACS Academy for Division Heads.
Upper school visual arts teacher Laura Hsieh , upper school Chinese teacher Di Li, upper and middle school music teacher Timothy Mah and lower school learning specialist Vimla Patel attended the Asian Educators Alliance conference.
The middle school Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team — consisting of Ann Goodrich , Christine Ritchey , Graham Rosby and humanities teacher Sarah Walsh — presented at a CSEE workshop about their experience redesigning the middle school EDI curriculum.
Middle school humanities teacher Megan Beaudoin , upper school English teacher and English Department Head David Grossman and upper school English teacher Kathy McHugh attended an online
workshop entitled “New Kinds of Attention: Uses of Poetry.”
Senior kindergarten teacher Cristy Athas and lower school science teacher Annie Collins gave a presentation entitled “Down to Earth: Seeing the World Through Young Children’s Eyes” at the Global Education Benchmark Group Summit for Climate Education in New York.
First grade teacher Sarah Clausen and lower school reading and learning specialist Sharon Lieberman attended a Chicago Literacy Group workshop on executive function skills relating to reading.
Middle school digital media and design teacher Gerald Daye Jr. and upper school social studies teacher and Director of the Live+Serve Laboratory Drea Gallaga participated in an ISEEN workshop on creating and facilitating a makerspace.
Upper school French teachers Jeffrey Hutter and Lynsey Wollin-Casey participated in an ACTFL workshop on oral proficiency interview training.
Angie Orr and lower school math specialist Amy Shuldiner attended the Build Math Minds’ 2024 Virtual Math Summit.
Registrar and Database Administrator Erin Aiston attended the ATLIS Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada.
Athletic Trainer Kristen Allen attended two workshops on Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) technique.
Gia Anayas attended the Independent School Data Exchange 2024 INDEX Communications Conference in Sarasota, Florida.
Admissions associate Kelsey Andersen ’06 participated in a mini-course entitled, “Brave Classroom: Taking on Anti-semitism in Schools.” She also attended a NAIS admissions webinar on ninth grade student visits.
Fifth grade teacher Brooke Bowers attended a Facing History and Ourselves workshop entitled “Teaching Coming of Age Literature,” as well as an ISACS workshop entitled “Transformational Design for ISACS Lead Learners.”
Sarah Clausen completed an IMSE course on Asynchronous Phonological Awareness.
Throughout the school year, Drea Gallaga participated in monthly ISEEN Professional Affinity Group for Community Engagement and Social Justice meetings and facilitated their White Anti-Racist Educators group.
Digital Content Manager Jonathan Gibby attended a Finalsite admissions
and marketing workshop in Chicago.
Laura Hsieh was selected to participate in the Teacher Institute at the Museum of Contemporary Art this year and is an Artist-In-Residence at the museum.
Physical Education Department Head Kyle Jones , who also teaches PE and coaches varsity soccer, attended the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Anaheim, California, where he was recognized as Illinois Coach of the Year.
Amy Luckey attended a number of webinars by The Association of Educational Therapists.
Lower school counselor Montse Lusarreta attended several workshops, including “The Pyramid Model in Early Childhood: Improving Social Emotional Competence and Reducing Challenging Behaviors” and “The Impact of School Anxiety, Refusal and Absenteeism on Youth.”
Middle and upper school theater teacher and Performing Arts Department Head Julia Macholl participated in the Drama Teacher Academy.
Director of College Counseling Matt Mettille attended the Hampden-Sydney College Counselor Conference in Virginia, the Northeastern University Counselor Advisory Board Meeting and Conference in Oakland, California, and the first-ever King’s College London International Counselor Conference in London.
Senior kindergarten teacher Carin Peacock attended the Early Childhood Alliance Summit.
Graham Rosby attended the Chicago Amplify Desmos Math Symposium.
Rachel Sun attended several workshops, including “Employee Supervision & Management in Independent Schools” and a StratéGenius workshop entitled, “Exit Signs: Why Faculty of Color Leave Their Schools”
Lower school technology teacher and STEAM Integration Specialist Julie Tuten attended the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance annual conference, IDEAcon, and presented on teaching AI with computer science and robotics.
Associate Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications Christine Wachter attended the CASE Editors Forum in Washington, D.C.
Director of Counseling Terri Webb , who is also the upper school counselor, attended two workshops: “Child and Adolescent Practice” and “Understanding and Addressing Adolescent THC Use.”
Cristian Ramirez ’27
Razaan Ghazi ’25
Sadie Haupt ’28
Alexia Conine ’27
Bailey Scribner ’29
Nina Tilton-Kohl ’28
Alvin Liang ’35
Mateo Elias-Holeman ’34
Shahaan Ghazi ’31
Margot Shaw ’33
Trafton O’Brien ’24
Ivy Duffy ’30
Ishana Iyer ’28
Teddy Cole ’27
Graana Siraj ’32
Spring Musical: “Little Shop of Horrors”
In this year’s spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” a meek floral assistant named Seymour Krelborn (Noah Youderian ’24) stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” — after his coworker crush (Mariel Flickinger ’24). This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore (voiced by Teddy Cole ’27), promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Seymour as long as he keeps feeding it — BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent toward global domination.
It took an entire team to bring the alien plant to life. The first two iterations of Audrey II were hand puppets, operated by Noah and Lily Bogie ’27. The third version sat on the floor, and Lily had to operate it from the inside. The final version is absolutely huge — big enough to swallow a person whole — and Kelly Wyne ’25 controlled it from behind. Teddy, who voiced all four versions of the plant from backstage, had to learn how to use her voice to show the plant’s growth and character development, from very meek at the beginning, then growing stronger, more powerful and aggressive by the end.
Middle School Performing Arts
Middle school acting, dance, digital media and stagecraft classes demonstrated their growth and celebrated their journey with two performing arts showcases — one in January and the other in May. For the first time this fall, students in acting class worked on beginning playwriting exercises, either with a partner or individually, and developed scenes they then performed during the winter showcase. They were also responsible for designing their own costumes.
Students taking stagecraft assisted with lights, sound, props and set pieces, essentially running the production. The dance class performed several pieces, and the work created by students in the digital design class was on display in the auditorium lobby.
Spring Play: “The AI Play”
When Eleanor (Deming Gantz ’26) uses a chatbot to write a paper on “The Great Gatsby,” she figures it’s not that big of a deal. But when her chatbot writes the best essay on “The Great Gatsby” ever, she’s sent to a special school for genius children. However, it turns out that every student enrolled in this special school has also used a chatbot to get in. And the school might not be a school at all — it might actually be a prison. Now Eleanor has to lead a jailbreak with her friends. Can she escape without the help of artificial intelligence?
Instrumental Ensemble and Chorus Concerts
The beginning band, and middle and upper school instrumental ensembles held a winter concert in the auditorium for families and friends. Then in the spring, a combined instrumental ensemble and chorus concert featuring musicians from all three divisions was held in the auditorium.
Band and instrumental ensemble members played music from a variety of genres — everything from classical to classic rock — demonstrating their progress over the course of the year. Each chorus also performed three selections, ranging from traditional Polish folk tunes, to pop favorites from artists like Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars, to musical theater favorites “Hamilton” and “Matilda.”
Spring
Instrumental
play: Isaac Graham ’27
Ensemble: Tara Rai ’30 and Vivian Florig ’30
Middle School Performing Arts Showcase: Maya Nyamweya ’28 and Saisha Sharma ’29
Spring Musical, “Little Shop of Horrors”: Noah Youderian ’24 and Mariel Flickinger ’24
Lower School Chorus
Aiden Darnieder ’27, Joshua Lemons ’26 and Deming Gantz ’26
Thomas Carlino ’26
Middle School Performing Arts Showcase
Keelan Scanlan-Allende ’27, Dixie Oelerich ’26 and Deming Gantz ’26
The cast of “Little Shop of Horrors”
Michael Satriano ’28 and Mireya Donaldson ’29
Colin Wiercinski ’27
Winter and Spring Season Highlights
Boys Basketball: The varsity boys team closed out its season with a heartbreaking loss in overtime in the regional championship. They recovered from a more than 20-point deficit late in the third quarter to force overtime but ran short of points in the end. The boys have a hopeful future, however, with near undefeated seasons by our junior varsity and freshman/ sophomore teams.
Girls Basketball: The girls had a new head coach this year — Brendan Kolton ’01, taking over for Bruce Blair ’69. Kolton assisted Blair for the past six years and now has switched places — with Bruce assisting Brendan. Although the team had its ups and downs this year, the girls peaked at the right time with a strong win in the Lycee Francais Regional, upsetting the home team.
Baseball: Capitalizing on a successful spring break trip to Mesa, Arizona, the baseball team played competitive ball throughout the spring, finishing second in the conference behind Latin School of Chicago. They went on to win the regional championship for the first time since 2021 before getting knocked out of the state series by eventual state champions Ottawa Marquette.
Girls Soccer: Girls soccer defeated Rochelle Zell to win its first regional title since 2019. Conference play for girls soccer is also incredibly competitive, with two of the final four teams in the State (Willows and U-High) coming from the ISL. Our girls team finished fifth in the conference. With a youthful squad that now has some tournament success, be on the lookout for an even better Raider girls soccer team in 2025.
Boys Tennis: Boys tennis finished fifth in the ISL, which has become one of the strongest tennis conferences in the state, and was recognized with the ISL Sportsmanship Award for the season. Nathan Smith ’26 became our first individual state qualifier in boys tennis since 2017 and won a match on the first day of the tournament before losing to the eventual state champion.
Track and Field The upper school track and field team had a record-setting season, breaking 10 school records. Both Brian Smith ’25 and Reese Meyers ’26 not only broke our school record in the 400-meter dash, but the ISL record as well. Nine Raiders qualified for State, with Reese finishing seventh and Brian in second place, the highest finish we have ever had by a sprinter at the State meet.
Winter 2024 Recognition
Boys Basketball: ISL All-Conference Bo Stevenson ’24; All-Conference Honorable Mention Luke Ryan ’25 and Henry Gallun ’25
Track and Field: 1A Illinois Top Times Champion (400-meter) Brian Smith ’25
Spring 2024 Recognition
Baseball: First Team All-Conference Aram Dombalagian ’24; Second Team All-Conference Jackson Berner ’24 and Matthew Shelley ’26; ISL Pitcher of the Year Trafton O’Brien ’24
Girls Soccer: All-Conference Kate Connolly ’26, Reese Meyers ’26 and Isabel Roberts ’25; First Team All-Sectional Reese Meyers ’26; All-Sectional Honorable Mention Isabel Roberts ’25; Academic All-Sectional Avery Erwin ’24; All-Sectional Sportsmanship Thomasina Kalotis ’24
Track And Field: All-Conference Emi Comeau ’24, Reese Meyers ’26, Kaeden Ackley ’27, Owen Keyt ’24 and Brian Smith ’25; All-State Reese Meyers ’26 and Brian Smith ’25
ISL Coaching Staff of the Year
Baseball Paul Kosinski, Jim Deuble and Cy Oelerich ’89
Tennis Jim Franke, Bruce Blair and Mike Benson
Max Smith ’24
Paul Atia ’26
Dixie Oelerich ’26 and Emi Comeau ’24
acorn
Matthew Shelley ’26
Trafton O’Brien ’24
Max Flemma ’26
Max Smith ’24
James Daw ’24 and Noah Youderian ’24
Geoff Flickinger ’24
Marina Bullock-Puzon ’26
Owen Keyt ’24
names names
Varsity girls soccer team
Kyle Banner ’24 and Brian Smith ’25
Daisy Stone ’25
Brian Smith ’25
“A picture is worth a thousand words” and tells an important and interesting story. If you can identify any of these photos or tell us a story about them, please contact Archivist Kenleigh Howard, 310 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, IL 60093, khoward@nscds.org or call her at 847.881.8844. photos from our past
alumni connections
Richard Marx ’81 In Concert
More than 20 alumni, faculty and friends of NSCD enjoyed an outing to see Richard Marx ’81 in concert with John Waite at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago on March 2. Richard spent time with everyone after the concert, sharing memories of his time at NSCD and expressing his appreciation for everyone who attended the show.
Regional Gatherings: Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
Alumni and friends came together for two regional events — one in the winter and one in the spring. Alumni and former faculty gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 7, in the home of fellow Raider Bob Kopple ’61 and his wife, Carole. In April, Head of School Tom Flemma visited Washington D.C. and mingled with six decades of alumni, as well as parents of alumni.
Alumni on Campus
Bob Kopple ’61 visited campus in April and spent part of his day with the AP French class to share insights into his incredible career and experiences living in France. Nico Gibson ’06 also visited in April and spoke to the upper school entrepreneurship class about the world of graphic design. Christine Perkins ’06 came to campus in May and talked with lower schoolers about her recent role in “The Music Man,” discussing her approach to musical theater and her experiences as an actor, and sharing fond memories of her time at NSCD. Prior to the visit, the third and fifth graders had the opportunity to watch Christine’s performance at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
Live and Serve Day
On May 11, alumni family and friends gathered for Live and Serve Day on campus and together at Feed My Starving Children in Libertyville, Illinois. Alumni traveled from all over the Chicagoland area and Wisconsin — some coming from more than two hours away!
Alumni Board Dinner
The Alumni Board gathered at Hackney’s for the annual end-of-year celebration dinner where they said farewell to outgoing members Jim Davis ’ 64, Lucy Sievers ’ 80, Katie Todd ’ 96 and Larry Williams ’ 87. They also welcomed new members for 2024-25: Elizabeth Ingram ’ 82, Kristen Moffat Powell ’ 86, Luke Bakalar ’ 97 and Evelyn Gonzalez ’ 18.
Graduating Students of Color Luncheon
More than 50 alumni, students, family and friends gathered in the Hall Library on May 16 for the fourth annual Graduating Students of Color Luncheon. This year, 40% of the senior class identified as people of color, a significant increase from what many alumni remember during their time at NSCD. The keynote speaker, Andre Lodree ’96, imparted words of wisdom, encouraging the graduates to show up in all spaces as their authentic selves, to “lead with love,” and to keep pushing through in the face of adversity. Following the program, each graduate received a parting gift with an encouraging note from their peers, faculty, alumni of color, or family members. In addition to Andre, graduates were joined by Larry Williams ’87, Meera Sinha ’02, Ashleigh Palmer ’04, Lisa Doi ’09, Ivan Ramirez ’10 and Kai Barrett-Bennett ’21.
RICHARD MARX CONCERT. Chris Avery ’87, Paula Castillo ’90, Alison Tompkins, Jennifer Stone ’82, Cammi Avery, Molly Ingram McDowell ’80, Richard Marx ’81, Liz Miller Leonard ’80, Andrew Wood ’90, Janelle Wood, Elizabeth Ingram ’82, Bill McDowell, Maureen Wilde, Art Wilde, Allison O’Brien, Jeremiah Holt ’97, Vimla Patel Not pictured: Tom Marrinson ’82, Kymberly Marrinson, Tom Coates, Jayne Mangione.
ANGELES . Bob Kopple ’61, Marcos Mateo Ochoa, Carole Kopple, Michael Fitzgerald ’80, Frank Cermak-Ochoa ’00, Peter Grivas Banos ’84, Tess Considine ’17, Jane Alexander Beck ’77, Emma Flannery ’17, Bruce Everett ’60, Dimitria Cook ’87, Isabella Ogbolumni ’18, David Hines ’81 and Beth Keegan
GRADUATING STUDENTS OF COLOR LUNCHEON.
Andre Lodree ’96
LIVE AND SERVE DAY. Back row: Anne Coulter Tobey ’63, Sarah Geist Rosen ’86, Jeannie Lea Scully ’63, Tracie Frederick, Michael Lipman ’77, Bill McDowell; Middle row: Francisco Gutierrez, Phyllis Beattie ’72, Anne Hines Young ’77, Molly Ingram McDowell ’80, Stuart Mason ’80; Front row: NSCD lower school students
ALUMNI BOARD DINNER. Dan Bloedorn ’87, Sarah Geist Rosen ’86, Gabi Levi ’95, Jay Bach, Jonah Levi-Paesky ’13, Larry Williams ’87, Elizabeth Ingram ’82, Ashleigh Palmer ’04, Jim Deuble ’76, Molly Ingram McDowell ’80, Andre Lodree ’96, Kristen Moffat Powell ’86, Tom Flemma, Evelyn Gonzalez ’18 and Tracie Frederick
ALUMNI ON CAMPUS. Bob Kopple ’61 (center) with AP French students and teacher Jeff Hutter (left)
Christine Perkins ’06
Nico Gibson ’06
WASHINGTON, D.C. Danny Young ’15, Tom Flemma, Audrey Young, Jim Darrow ’67, Amelia Kegan ’01, Anna Ristic ’22, Bela Agrawal Sastry ’91, Maureen Wilde, Kate McKown ’21
LOS
WASHINGTON, D.C. Skip Wiltshire-Gordon ’15 and Danny Young ’15
If you are interested in joining your reunion planning committee, contact Ashleigh Palmer ’04 at apalmer@nscds.org or 847.881.8848.
2023 Francis R. Stanton ’27 Recognition: Kathryn Wilsey Lerch ’64
This year’s recipient, Kathryn “Katie” Wilsey Lerch ’64, was chosen for her lifelong commitment to service. In addition to working in the field of education for more than 40 years for both universities and independent schools, she also started the Legacy Initiative Project at Park Tudor School, which for 25 years has connected high school students with war veterans and families around the country to preserve documents and collect oral histories. Since 2001, the Legacy Initiative Project has published six “Words of War” anthologies, numerous travel journals and four biographical monographs. Katie truly lives out the school’s “Live and Serve” motto in her daily life and will be recognized for her service during the Raider Review on Saturday of Homecoming weekend in the auditorium.
1950s
Marjorie (Margie) Sinek Gaile ’50 passed away peacefully on December 24 after a brief illness, with her husband and family at her side.
Margie was born in Chicago on December 18, 1932, to William J. and Margaret Piggott Sinek. She attended elementary school at the Latin School of Chicago before the family moved to the North Shore and settled in Winnetka.
In Winnetka, Margie attended North Shore Country Day and graduated in 1950. She then attended Northwestern University. Her studies at Northwestern further developed what became a lifelong passion for music and theater.
During these years, she co-wrote numerous songs as lyricist with her composer partner Frances Lansing. Several of these were featured in Northwestern Waa-Mu productions and on local Chicago radio programs. Their “Christmas Waltz” was performed by Lyric Opera tenor David Pelosi in 1953.
Later in life as a performer, she acted in various local community and regional plays and musicals, industrial films and notably appeared in a national television commercial for White Castle restaurants in 1984. She also sang in the Peter Petten Big Band at weddings and was never shy about jumping on an open microphone to sing an impromptu song.
Margie was very active in numerous artistic and public service organizations during her lifetime. Among these were the Lyric Opera Guild, the Service Club of Chicago, the Cancer Research Foundation, the LINKS social service agency and a suicide prevention hotline, where she manned a phone on a regular
basis during the 1980s. She also served as president of the Chicago Drama League for many years.
Despite her many creative and social accomplishments, she was most proud of her work as a mom to her five children from her 1958 marriage to Frederick M. Bransfield Sr.
She later married Kenneth J. Gaile, who survives her, in 1992. They shared great joy together traveling around the world on countless adventures.
1960s
Eleanor Kneibler ’62 is “doing volunteer political work for climate change. I have hope!”
Jim Tuthill ’65 shares that he and his partner, Helen Barker, are members of the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance (ESWA) and volunteer Forest Service rangers. “Helen has been a member and volunteer ranger for 15 years. ESWA is nonprofit organization in Summit (Breckenridge) and Eagle (Vail) counties Colorado that seeks to preserve wilderness areas, educate users and hikers, and assist the Forest Service in wilderness management. As volunteer rangers, we provide trailhead information about the wilderness areas, monitor trail use and provide reports to the Forest Service about usage and trail conditions.”
Boo Bradford ’66 writes, “Splitting time between the Washington, D.C., area and Florida. Life is good.”
Robert Butler ’66 shares, “We welcomed two more great grandchildren into the family. Now we have four.”
Jessica Harper Rothman ’67 shined as Samantha in the gripping drama film, “Memory.” Witness her powerful and toxic performance as the overbearing mother of Sylvia, portrayed by Jessica Chastain.
1970s
Musician Stephen Geering ’70 is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the video game “Magic: the Gathering Battlegrounds” by releasing a song he wrote for the game’s credits roll titled “Who is the Fool?!” The music, inspired by the game’s score, is a blend of Foo Fighters and Game of Thrones. It is available on bandcamp.com.
Former faculty Lew Davis shared, “Very enjoyable performance by the Nederlands Dans Theater this evening. And to cap it all off, Laura Pettibone Wright ’73 was four seats away. (Her mother and I both taught in the middle school at NSCD in the ’60s and ’70s, so we go back a bit.) Laura used to Dance with Erick Hawkins. It was always great to watch her perform locally at the Joyce with his company. Tonight it was fun to catch up and reminisce.”
Lindsay Harper DuPont ’71 hosted an art show featuring more than 40 of her original works on paper, made over the past five years. From really the big to the really small, her art hung on the many well-lit walls of The Municipal Building in the grand town of Hastings on Hudson in the great state of New York!
Nancy Green Whiteman’71 and Don Whiteman ’70 visited with former faculty and staff, Kevin and Sandy Randolph in Atlanta.
Charlie Ingram ’75 enjoyed a nostalgic walk through the Mac Gym in its original glory, just days before the transformation process began.
Joshua Paul ’75 shares, “I am grateful to report that I continue to enjoy the blessings of health and connectedness. My wife, Nina, and I still live in the house in which we raised our kids. We spend a lot of time commuting to and from Los Angeles, where our two children and grandchildren all live. My brothers also live in the New York City metro area, and I see them regularly. I retired from practicing law last year. I’ve been working on a book project about the gun violence prevention movement. It’s a self-funded project and I’ll probably never complete it, but I’m having fun doing the research and meeting/ speaking with people along the way. I haven’t been to any of our reunions, but am looking forward to our 50th! I’d be happy to hear from any of my classmates.”
Members of the Class of 1975 reunited in Arizona and were able to witness the amazing solar eclipse.
This fall, Mary Hubbard ’76 traveled to Bangladesh as part of the James B. Thompson Jr. Distinguished International Lecture Tour 2023-24. Mary is a professor of Earth Sciences at Montana State University and was the guest lecturer at
three universities in Bangladesh. You can read her blog post on the Geological Society of America LinkedIn page.
Al Siewers ’77 (Fr. Paul) was ordained to the Orthodox Christian priesthood in August 2023. He continues as Associate Professor of English Literary Studies at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his family.
John Strauss ’77 shares, “I am now the president of the Canton Jewish Community Federation. Also, last year I remarried.”
Members of the Class of 1977 gathered for dinner at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Skokie. It was a kick; a robot delivers the drinks!
Karen Feinberg Ami ’79 is a Chicago-based American interdisciplinary mosaic artist who recently presented a solo exhibition called “Root Fragments” in Berlin, Germany. Her exhibition included a group of mosaic artworks, ceramic sculptures, drawings and collages created during her residency at SomoS Arts in Berlin in the winter of 2024. This exhibition emerges from Ami’s deep engagement with family brokenness, displacement and reunion within the historical framing of a postHolocaust diasporic community.
1980s
Courtney Spore Clift ’80 and former faculty Lew Davis hadn’t connected in person since the mid-’70s, so it was great to spend a couple of hours catching up over lunch at Robert in New York City, they said.
Raiders welcomed back Francesca Mazzanti ’80 at the home of Jennifer
Stone ’82 on February 10. Francesca was an exchange student her senior year and joined the Class of 1980, making many friends during her time as a student and maintaining those friendships ever since.
Erik Almquist ’85 recently paid a visit to the John Almquist Gallery, named for his father, a former art teacher who inspired generations of students. The gallery is an enduring tribute to John’s lasting impact on NSCD and the many lives he touched through his dedication to cultivating creativity and passion for the arts.
Carolyn Kerr Armstrong ’88 celebrates making the recommended reading list from the 2024 Green Earth Book Awards from The Nature Generation, for her middle grade novel, “At The Edge of the Ice.” The second installment in her award-winning Eco Warriors series, “No Time To Waste,” will be released in June.
1990s
Lorin Cohen ’90 , bassist, continues to perform across the country in New York City, Chicago, California and more! His show schedule can be viewed at www.lorincohen.com/shows.
2000s
Meera Sinha ’02 recently launched a company, ParentConnect, that helps new parents build their “village” and gain knowledge about child development. ParentConnect aims to be an antidote to our current era of increased loneliness, postpartum isolation and helicopter parenting. It offers new parent groups that meet regularly to build friendships and learn research-based parenting strategies. ParentConnect also partners with employers to integrate postnatal preventative
mental health programs into their benefit packages to increase retention and support employee wellness. Please help spread the word to the North Shore community! joinparentconnect.com
Amelia Kegan ’01 successfully completed the Cocodona 250 this May, a grueling 250-mile race in Arizona, starting in Black Canyon City and concluding in downtown Flagstaff. This challenging race offers an extraordinary journey through some of the state’s most beautiful landscapes.
Siblings Naomi Hattori ’02 and Eric Hattori ’06 soon will be expanding their restaurant Konbini & Kanpai to a second location in Wrigleyville, where they will offer an Asian American comfort menu that pairs well with their beverage offerings. Fun fact: The Wrigleyville location was home to Naomi and Eric’s parents’ restaurant — Pan Asia Cafe — close to 20 years ago.
Sara Bernstein Graham ’03 attended the Global Educators Conference in New York City, where she presented on a panel about immersive and experiential programs for climate education. She currently works at Sage Hill School in Newport Coast, California, as the Sage Center Assistant Director of Global Education and Inclusion. She had the pleasure of connecting with current faculty Cristy Athas and Annie Collins, who were presenting at the conference about climate education in early childhood.
Jessie Regunberg ’05 and Alex Carrigan ’20 joined a Morning Ex featuring NSCD authors. Alex Carrigan ’20 joined virtually to talk about her book of poetry entitled “The Fractured Forest and the Butterfly Queens.” Jessie Regunberg ’05 also joined virtually to discuss the evolution of “Searching for Seashells,” an illustrated gift book.
Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, Don Whiteman ’70, Kevin and Sandy Randolph
Lew Davis and Laura Pettibone Wright ’73
Jim Tuthill ’65 and Helen Barker
Courtney Spore Clift ’80 and former faculty Lew Davis
CLASS OF 1977. Joel Feinstein, Anne Hines Young, Lauren Stone and Michael Lipman
Charlie Ingram ’75 and Molly Ingram McDowell ’80
CLASS OF 1975. Matt Kaplan ’75, Karen Stone Kaplan ’75, Michael Bird ’75, Mari Bird, Myla Frohman Goldstick ’75, Bruce Goldstick, Emily Ingram, Charlie Ingram ’75
Jeff Foreman ’80, Bob Vieregg ’82, Howard Goldblatt ’80, Anne Hines Young ’77, Melinda Roenisch ’80, Lauren Stone ’77, Francesca Mazzanti ’80, Jennifer Stone ’82, Allison Kaplan Bosco ’03, Karen Stone Kaplan ’75, Liz Miller
Leonard ’80, Sarah Freeman Packer ’82 and Molly Ingram McDowell ’80
Erik Almquist ’85 (right) and friend Candy
’01
Athas, Sara
Gensburg ’10,
Lowinger ’08,
Congressional candidate, spoke on a panel about “Raising Democratically Active Citizens” with Madalene Mielke and José Wilson at Francis Parker in Chicago on March 25.
Jordy Blenner ’09 and Ryan Nolan ’11 are in a two-person comedy troupe, Late Night Shenanigans, and performed their sketch comedy act in New York City at The PIT. Their love of performing comedy was sparked by an upper school Interim at Second City, and they have been performing together since 2016.
2010s
Julia Lowe ’11 married Joe Boston on October 28 in New Orleans. Several of her NSCD alumni friends joined her in celebration. Including Jenny Chandler ’11 , Jonah Levi-Paesky ’13 , Nick McCarthy ’11 , Aliyea Rizai ’11 and Madeline Tank ’11 . Sam Skinner ’12 was featured in an article by Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management about his work with Axio,
a cybersecurity business where he works as director of business development.
Floris Hondmann ’13 competed in the Rotterdam marathon — setting a nine-minute mile personal best of 2:47 and qualifying for Boston.
Kaitlyn Johnson Weinstein ’14 shares, “I was proud to be a partner of Special Olympics Illinois and take the polar plunge with my Gallagher team to support the more than 21,000 traditional athletes with intellectual disabilities and 9,000 young athletes across the state.”
Sam Bottum ’16 was chosen by the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina College of Arts and Sciences for the Thomas L. Isenhour and E.A. Booth Chemistry Fund. He was recognized for his outstanding research in his Ph.D. program.
Frannie Block ’17 currently works for The Free Press and has appeared on MSNBC and New Nation, where she has revealed instances of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments in New York City schools.
Vivien Hough ’17 was promoted to Marketing Manager I, Rheumatology at AbbVie.
Haniya Ghazi ’18 graduated with a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She has accepted a position as the integrated marketing coordinator for the Chicago Bulls.
Paige Forester ’19 just completed her first year of a two-year graduate program in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She recently completed her fifth season in field hockey as the leading goal scorer in school history and achieved NCAA Division 3 All-American status for the third time, earning first-team honors twice. Additionally, Paige has been named to both conference and national all-academic teams for four consecutive seasons. As she continues her graduate studies for another year, Paige plans to serve as an assistant field hockey coach. Following the completion
Rithik Khanna ’23 and middle school students
Luke
Danny
Steve Thomas ’07, Jordy Blenner ’09, Ryan Nolan ’11, Bert Jarchow ’07, Alex Block ’10
Dick and Carol Hall, and Tom Flemma
Amelia Kegan
Cristy
Bernstein Graham ’03 and Annie Collins
Frank Dachille and Ashleigh Cross St. Peters ’05
of her studies, she intends to stay at MIT, pursuing a Ph.D. while continuing her coaching career.
Henry Probst ’19 shared that he has been accepted into Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business to pursue a master’s degree in management.
Maya Valliath ’19 graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in May with a degree in mathematics, minoring in computer science and economics.
2020s
Caroline Segal ’20 is a senior at Middlebury College and recently finished her third year of field hockey as the thirdleading points producer in her team’s sixth consecutive Division 3 national championship season. Having spent a semester in Paris, she plans to play a fourth season in the fall while completing her undergraduate degree in political science with minors in sociology and French. Caroline has been named to both the conference and national all-academic teams for the third consecutive season.
Zinzi Steele ’21 is pursuing a dual major in economics and Chinese at Middlebury College. She is immersing herself in Chinese studies during a semester in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to further enrich her educational experience. Zinzi expresses gratitude to upper school Chinese teacher Di Li for teaching her and helping her fall in love with the language.
Clark Murphy ’23 was recently awarded a Fulbright-Hays Grant for a summer study program in Kenya.
Dani Savin ’23 shares that as a sports editor at The Badger Herald, an announcer
for Big Ten Plus and the host of “Game Days With The Girls” podcast, she has carved an impressive path in sports media, blending journalism and broadcasting seamlessly. Her journey is a testament to her passion, dedication and the invaluable guidance of her AP English teacher David Grossman.
Rithik Khanna ’23 coached Optics for our Science Olympiad team this spring and attended the state finals. Don Whiteman ’70 coached Wind Power this year and attended the invitational competition. JT Turner ’20 , a senior at Haverford College, coached Reach for the Stars remotely this year.
Former Faculty
Former visual arts teacher Jackie Melissas is still busy in her studio showing in galleries in Maine and Massachusetts and is happily a great-grandmother!
Chicago Foundation for Women’s cofounder and Interim President and CEO Sunny Fischer was honored at The Richard H. Driehaus Museum’s Gilded Gala for her career dedicated to the arts, historic preservation and improving the quality of life for those around her.
Congrats to former PE teacher and coach Matt Gasparotto, who was named “Teacher of the Year” by South Lyon Community Schools.
Former Head of School Dick Hall and his wife, Carol, enjoyed a lovely dinner with current Head of School Tom Flemma at Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar in Washington, D.C.
Former social studies teacher Frank Dachille came to town for the Benefit and to celebrate his 70th birthday with
“70 (Plus) Hours of Joy.” He’s known for his previous celebrations such as “50 Days of Joy” and “60 Days of Joy.” He invited everyone to join him for various events involving eating, drinking and conversation from Denver to New York City. While presents weren’t necessary, funny cards and lottery tickets were welcomed. It was a lively and enjoyable time for all who attended.
Former lower school teacher Berkley Wellstein and her husband, Bob, were featured on NBC’s Today in March to share how they turned a heartbreaking experience into a positive force for others. After losing their baby girl, Jane, before her birth, they recognized the need for better support for families facing similar tragedies. They founded Jane’s Room, an organization dedicated to providing private and comfortable spaces for families and hospital staff dealing with grief and trauma. Over the past 11 years, Jane’s Room has expanded to 14 hospitals, with two more in development, supporting more than 850 families annually.
Engagements
Grace Flickinger ’12 to Will Stupar
Marriages
Julia Lowe ’11 to Joe Boston
October 28, 2023
Haniya Ghazi ’18 to Saabir Mallick
July 21, 2023
Caitlin Adamson ’13 to Alex Marsh
March 15, 2024
Morgan Peters ’11 to Kevin McLean
May 4, 2024
Caitlin Adamson ’13 and Alex Marsh
Joe Boston and Julia Lowe ’11
Grace Flickinger ’12 and Will Stupar
Kevin McLean and Morgan Peters ’11
Haniya Ghazi ’18 and
Births
olivia elam
May 20, 2023
John Elam ’07 and Jeni Elam
colin patrick manly
December 21, 2023
charles fenger nadler
January 10, 2024
Husband of the late Nancy Waller Nadler ’47
john stoll lillard
January 30, 2024
Chesly Manly ’89 and Christine Manly
georgia rose johnson
May 7, 2024
Kenna Sullivan Johnson ’09 and Dylan Johnson
In Memoriam
thomas joel loeb ’63
September 24, 2023
marietta chapin covell ’48
October 20, 2023
Sister of the late Claire Chapin Cook ’46
john wells puth
October 14, 2023
Father of Alison Puth ’81
francis g. burlingham ’45
November 28, 2023
darla vieregg
November 16, 2023
Mother of Dorian Vieregg ’78 and Bob Vieregg ’82
william kerr
November 11, 2023
Father of Jeffrey Kerr ’81
marjorie sinek gaile ’50
December 24, 2023
Mother of Susan Bransfield ’77 , Miller Bransfield ’80 , Marjorie Bransfield ’82 , Mike Bransfield ’83 (Allison Wirtz ’83) and Mark Bransfield ’86
Stepmother of Chip Gaile Jr. ’96
Sister of the late Susan Sinek ’61
Father of Lynn Lillard Jessen ’74 (Ned Jessen ’73) and the late Pam Lillard ’77
frank j. capozzi
February 2, 2024
Grandfather of Ella Capozzi ’23 and Julia Capozzi ’28
florida j. cook
February 6, 2024
Mother of Dimitria Cook ’87
joseph “jeff” spiegel
February 20, 2024
Husband of Katherine Gardner ’65
Uncle of Sara Gardner ’09 and Ellen Gardner ’09
Brother-in-law of Frederica Gardner Rohlen ’60 and the late Charlie Gardner ’67
adrienne lange “adie” baach
February 21, 2024
Former faculty
charlie gardner ’67
March 2, 2024
Father of Sara Gardner ’09 and Ellen Gardner ’09
Brother of Katherine Gardner ’65 and Frederica Gardner Rohlen ’60
rufus jeffris, jr. ’53
March 17, 2024
Brother of the late Jeff Miller ’46 and the late Paul Jeffris ’51
steven jesser
March 24, 2024
Father of Melissa Jesser Ayre ’09
william “bill” steinwedell ’49
March 26, 2024
Brother of the late Peter Steinwedell ’49
liron and naomi petrushka ’83
March 30, 2024
thomas lee caple
April 8, 2024
Husband of Jodi Roberts Caple ’75
alice frail lawson
April 10, 2024
Mother of Kristin Lawson ’88
joan elizabeth kahla
April 19, 2024
Grandmother of Jack Ryan ’23 and Luke
Ryan ’25
jay robert nash
April 22, 2024
Father of the late Lee Nash ’79 and Andrea Nash ’87
chip herndon ’72
May 1, 2024
Husband of Janice Herndon
Father of current faculty Cristy Athas
Grandfather of Xander Athas ’34 , Nico Athas ’34 and Ryan Athas
alisha betancourt mullen
May 6, 2024
Former faculty
hollis griffin ’58
May 13, 2024
Brother of the late William Griffin ’56 and Roger Griffin ’60
THE DEADLINE FOR THE WINTER ACORN IS DECEMBER 1, 2024. Email aweathers@ nscds.org or call Ashleigh at 8 4 7 8 81 8 848
Colin Patrick Manly
Olivia Elam, Jeni Elam, John Elam ’07 & Charlie Elam
Saabir Mallick
Georgia Rose Johnson
Tess Considine ’17
I believe my desire for a life of authenticity, creativity and intellect boils down to the core values NSCD instilled.
The years I spent at NSCD were an incredibly special time to me. At such a pivotal time in my life, they truly changed how I saw what school could be. Starting at North Shore in the third grade, I was so surprised at how easy it was to find community and belonging there. I had come from my previous elementary school that was quite cliquey and isolating, and North Shore knew how to make me feel special and seen, both inside and outside the classroom.
I remember my first day clearly. I had broken my arm over the summer, and I came in wearing my hot pink cast. Everyone was so quick to sign it that by the end of the day, I couldn’t even see what color it was anymore. Being as small as North Shore was, the relationships I was able to develop with my teachers and classmates were so rich and tightly knit. My talents and passions were recognized and encouraged, like my love of choir and theater, and I was challenged to try new activities I never would have participated in, like field hockey, basketball, crosscountry and track. Even though I knew I had neither the skill nor the desire to go on to be a professional athlete, my experience running track and cross country gave me the confidence to train and run a half-marathon, as well as many 5K races.
During my sophomore year of high school, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a short-term study abroad trip with my French class, staying with a French family. That trip was a transformative learning experience, attending school in a different country and taking in the culture outside the classroom by exploring the area and by speaking French 24/7 with my host family. It actually led me to having a long-term, long-distance relationship with one of the French students there. As a result, I spent a lot more time in France, becoming bilingual in French. I have even become a freelance French tutor, including working with recent North Shore students remotely during COVID, and I continue to visit France for fun. (I still plan to live in Paris one day!)
Farther back, in lower school, I was lucky enough to have the late Dan Sweeney as my fourth grade teacher. Mr. Sweeney knew how to truly bring learning to life, transforming our classroom into an “airplane,” enroute to Japan, the country we studied extensively that year. It wasn’t just
an average history class where we were told to memorize dates and years but an enriching, deep dive into Japanese customs, culture, people, sites, food, music, theater, history and language. We painted calligraphy, performed traditional Japanese theater pieces like Kabuki and tried sushi. (That’s where I found my love for my all-time favorite food.) Currently, I’m actually writing this reflection in Tokyo, on a family trip, and those memories came back to me, making me quite nostalgic for that time.
Eye-opening, hands-on experiences like that were all thanks to North Shore, which gave me an education that went above and beyond homework, tests and papers. Although I didn’t graduate from NSCD, leaving my junior year to attend Interlochen Arts Academy in order to focus on my songwriting/music, I still feel so connected to the NSCD community, attending alumni events and still staying in touch and close friends with multiple former classmates of mine. Currently, I’m living in Los Angeles, performing and recording as “Tess Clare,” building the life I’ve always wanted as a professional singer-songwriter. I believe my desire for a life of authenticity, creativity and intellect boils down to the core values NSCD instilled.
Outside of my career and personal ambitions to succeed as a performing artist, I volunteer as a songwriting instructor for the nonprofit Write Girl, an organization that provides creative writing workshops for underserved girls (a program the renowned poet Amanda Gorman went through). It feels so fulfilling to inspire young women to pursue their creativity and to be able to mentor them in the craft of songwriting. From that opportunity, I became connected to a different organization, Saved By a Story, that serves a variety of people from former foster youth, to seniors, to women and teens in recovery. I have the honor to perform my original songs at their upcoming salon, where 100% of the proceeds go toward the nonprofit. North Shore taught me the importance of giving back to the community, like the times we volunteered at local soup kitchens and sang at nursing homes, and I’m incredibly thankful to have learned that value.
Like the school slogan, “Live and Serve,” I’m going to keep living and serving every day, baby!
