Review Magazine 2017 by Oak Knoll School

SUMMER 2017

Beyond the Classroom Upper School teacher makes education a virtual reality for pediatric patients

CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTY/STAFF

CAMPUS NEWS

COMMENCEMENT 2017

RETIREMENTS

FEATURES

SERVICE ON THE MAP Oak Knoll’s Lower and Upper School communities make a huge impact on organizations at home and abroad

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Upper School History Teacher Nicole Johnston establishes nonprofit to make education a virtual reality for pediatric and cancer patients

MYSTERY OF ATHLETICS A trip back in time that looks at the mysterious origins of the Royals’ name

REVIEW is published once per year by the Marketing & Communications Department for alumnae/i, parents and friends of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child. Head of School Timothy J. Saburn EDITOR Meghan Hodgin Director of Marketing & Communications

OKS_Review_FINAL_080717.indd 3

ASSOCIATE EDITOR James McEvoy Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications EDITORIAL STAFF Cynthia Prewitt Director of Institutional Advancement Elizabeth O’Mara ’86 Associate Director of Institutional Advancement

Barbara Lindner Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement PHOTOGRAPHY Food for the Poor Highpoint Pictures Meghan Hodgin James McEvoy Andrew Miller Rebecca Nowalski Tackle Kids Cancer Villanova University

DESIGN Abbie Moore Design PRINTING Action Graphics Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child 44 Blackburn Road Summit, NJ 07901 908-522-8109 www.oakknoll.org

8/8/17 1:12 PM

Message from the Head of School “Run with ardor in the way that He has pointed out.” Cornelia Connelly, founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Dear Oak Knoll Community, As you read this edition of the Review, I hope that you will reflect upon your experiences at Oak Knoll and life beyond within the context of Cornelia’s quote. I find it interesting that our two speakers at the 2017 Commencement reflected the message of the above quote but from different points of view: Nathalie Beauchamps ’17 did not exactly “run with ardor” initially at Oak Knoll: “But, really, I have no other reason to explain the fact that the school I once wanted to leave after freshman year … would eventually become the place that changed me for the better … now I am trying to hold on tight … to the memories we have shared, the friends I’ve made …” No, not ardor at the outset (and I remember those days with Nathalie), but look how Nathalie’s journey at Oak Knoll evolved over time and look where she ended up: Valedictorian of the Class of 2017 and, more importantly, a happy, respected and loved member of the school community. Clearly, she, in time, found and followed, “the way that He has pointed out.” I know that Oak Knoll School benefited by Nathalie following that “way,” and one can read how Nathalie reflects upon that journey and that path. Kathleen Lynch had a different journey, a different path (and, I daresay, a slightly longer one) as it relates to Oak Knoll but she spoke to the graduates in her commencement address about choosing one’s path in life: “You have reached a turning point in life … look ahead to your new beginning, a new stage on your journey in life. I have also reached a turning point … I have had a great career, especially these 28 years at Oak Knoll. ” Both women examined their lives and their experiences — particularly at Oak Knoll — and both of them realized and shared that on their journey a path, a direction had emerged. It was if “the way” had been pointed out to them. Both knew that they had followed, “the way that He has pointed” and both were sharing that lesson with the graduates, their teachers and their families. Two different people at two different points in their personal journeys; one message. We should all reflect upon that quote from time to time and discern our way at that moment in our lives. Cornelia just keeps on teaching us all, doesn’t she? Enjoy this issue and the rest of the summer. Facta non verba,

Timothy J. Saburn Head of School

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

SERVICE ON THE MAP

Oak Knollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lower and Upper School communities make a huge impact on organizations at home and abroad. Below is a visualization of their service.

GERMANY

UNITED STATES

BAHAMAS

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

UNITED STATES KENTUCKY • Louisa, KY - Fr. Beiting Appalachia Mission Center

NEW JERSEY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Basking Ridge, NJ - Environmental Education Center Chatham, NJ - St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Elizabeth, NJ - Elizabeth Coalition (Bernice’s Place) Jersey City, NJ - Sacred Heart School Jersey City, NJ - St. Joseph Food Pantry Lyons, NJ - Lyons Veterans Hospital Maplewood, NJ - The Valerie Fund Millington, NJ - Raptor Trust Morris County, NJ - Homeless Solutions Morris Plains, NJ - Interfaith Food Pantry Morristown, NJ - Atlantic Homecare and Hospice Morristown, NJ - Market Street Mission Pittstown, NJ - America’s Grow a Row Short Hills, NJ - New Eyes for the Needy Summit, NJ - Bridges Summit, NJ - Dominican Nuns Summit, NJ - Overlook Medical Center Summit, NJ - Reeves-Reed Arboretum Summit, NJ - Summit Helping Its People Summit, NJ - The Christ Child Society

NEW YORK • New York, NY - Camp Cornelia - Connelly Middle School SYRIA

1 AFGHANISTAN

VIRGINIA • Alexandria, VA - Habitat for Humanity

WASHINGTON, DC IRAQ

• • • •

Franciscan Mission Services Fr. McKenna Center Missionaries of Charity Hospice Three Part Harmony Farm

AROUND THE WORLD AFGHANISTAN* • Operation Gratitude • Soldier project*

AFRICAN REPUBLIC OF BURUNDI KUWAIT

THE BAHAMAS DJIBOUTI*

DJIBOUTI

• Soldier project*

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC • Puerto Plata, DR - Mustard Seed Communities • Santo Domingo, DR - Fe y Alegria (Holy Child School)

GERMANY • Operation Gratitude BURUNDI

IRAQ* • Operation Gratitude • Soldier project*

KUWAIT • Operation Gratitude

SYRIA • Operation Gratitude *Care packages were sent to Afghanistan, Djibouti and Iraq as part of our Lower School-wide “soldier” service project. The students wrote letters and cards that were included in each package, and Prayer Families packed the boxes.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

BEYOND

THE

CLASSROOM

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

During the first few months of 2014, Upper School History Teacher Nicole Johnston was at home recuperating from surgery when she began to wonder how students receiving long-term medical care similarly cope with being away from the classroom. “It is not easy for me to just sit and watch TV. So, I spent a lot of time researching new teaching techniques I could try in the classroom,” Johnston said. “This led to research about online education” and how it could enhance learning opportunities for children receiving long-term medical treatment. Armed with a mission, Johnston reached out to a social worker at Hackensack University Medical Center in the spring of 2015 and began volunteering that summer, offering both in-person and online teaching for children battling cancer. Johnston taught in person once a week, and held additional online Skype sessions depending on the needs of a given student. Though Johnston’s online courses are primarily centered on history subjects, she covers all subjects with elementary-aged students, while she also focuses on language arts and literature with some of her middle and high school students. Around the same time as her volunteering began, Johnston’s grandmother, Clementine Johnston, was diagnosed with cancer. Though she passed away a little more than a month after her diagnosis, the two were able to share about the volunteer work and the elder Johnston expressed a tremendous amount of pride. Soon thereafter, Johnston began referring to her effort as “Project Min,” using the affectionate nickname given to her grandmother. For Johnston, it was more than a simple gesture.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

BEYOND

THE

CLASSROOM

Upper School History Teacher Nicole Johnston works with Joshua Randman, a patient at Hackensack University Medical Center, during his senior year of high school.

“Since I could remember, my grandmother had always been my best friend,” Johnston said. “The person I am is completely attributed to her. It is every moment I had with my grandmother that made me who I am.”

Inspiring others Thanks to her grandmother’s influence, Johnston has become the one inspiring others, such as Joshua Randman, one of the countless students helped by Project Min. “Because of my treatment, my high school studies had been set back at the time,” said Randman, who graduated from Golda Och Academy in May of 2016 and is currently enrolled in the aviation program at Bergen Community College. “She wanted to help students, such as myself, with their studies and school work.” For his final assignment of high school, he had to write a 10-page paper about anything as long as he could relate it to Judaism. “This was when Ms. Johnston assisted me the most. She would help me research the various topics of the paper and guide me in regards to proper formatting and citations,” he said. Randman and Johnston would meet once a week in Hackensack University Medical Center’s outpatient clinic as well as online via Skype. 6

“The most interesting part of this experience was that during our discussions, we would bring up political matters due to the article topics, which evolved into political debates that we continue to have to this day,” he said. “Without Ms. Johnston, my senior year of high school would have been more of a struggle, and I feel that her willingness to help us patients has definitely had a positive impact on us.” Hackensack officials were similarly effusive with the results of the program. Sarah Donnangelo, school liaison at Hackensack University Medical Center, called Johnston “an outstanding addition” at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center.

“She has happily given of herself to work with our children who are being treated for cancers and serious blood disorders and are unable to attend school consistently,” Donnangelo said. “Nicole is able to present new concepts to our students and always shows them how exciting learning can be.” Donnangelo said Johnston is especially motivated when the subject of history comes up. “She recently assisted a high school senior with a life-threatening diagnosis in completing his high school

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

graduation requirements so that he could walk in the ceremony with his classmates,” Donnangelo said. “She met with this student weekly and was always willing to work around his unpredictable treatment schedule or the sudden onset of debilitating side effects. Her kindness and efforts were acknowledged by this student in remarks he was asked to share at one of his graduation celebrations.”

Project expansion

In the spring of 2017, with the aid of Oak Knoll students, Johnston expanded Project Min in a cross-curricular effort to introduce virtual reality to pediatric cancer patients. In essence, after bringing the classroom to the patients, Johnston wanted to bring them across the globe, to the very depths of the sea and even the surface of the moon through virtual reality. “Through Google Expeditions, students can embark on more than 200 virtual field trips,” according to Johnston. For instance, if students are learning about immigration, Johnston can use Google Expeditions to allow students to tour Ellis Island. “The expeditions are teacher-directed,” Johnston said, as she can follow along with an iPad and direct students to specific locations. “As they are wearing the virtual reality headset, I ask them critical-thinking questions as to the ‘what and why’ they are seeing,” she said.

Other subjects can take advantage of the VR headsets in interesting ways. For example, students learning about biology can attempt to save a cell being attacked by a pathogen on a molecular level. Enlisting the help of Oak Knoll Upper School math teacher Cynthea Traverso and her engineering students, cardboard virtual reality goggles were made and donated to patients both at Hackensack and Monmouth Medical Center, where Project Min began serving patients in June 2017. One senior, Lizzie Cummings ’17, even made Project Min the subject of her senior Capstone Project in the spring, creating lesson plans and helping students create their own 3-D-printed key chains using Tinker Kat. Appropriately enough, this is often the first 3-D printing project undertaken by Upper School engineering students.

Looking toward the future Johnston hopes these efforts are just the first of their kind and that Oak Knoll students will continue to support Project Min. “I hope to see this continue and for the relationship to grow,” Johnston said, adding that she hopes to create online videos for the patients that Oak Knoll students would assist in creating. “It is definitely an avenue in which I hope to see more Oak Knoll students become involved.” While Johnston is the sole teacher, in addition to student volunteers, she receives additional assistance from tutors sent by students’ individual school districts that also provide much of the assignments and curriculum. While teaching is nothing new to Johnston, she has been taken aback by how often during the process of creating Project Min that she has become the learner. Much like Johnston did herself, she said her ultimate goal for Project Min is to help students realize they will one day return to the classroom. “I always tell them that no matter what, to never stop planning for their future. Education allows for a future. Making sure students keep up with their studies gives them the hope that one day they will return to school. And hope is a powerful feeling,” she said.

Oak Knoll senior Lizzie Cummings ’17 constructs cardboard virtual reality goggles for the students supported by Project Min as part of her senior Capstone Project.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTY/STAFF A look back at the many professional accomplishments and contributions our esteemed faculty and staff have made to education over the past year

Kimberly Connolly Lower School Technology Integrator and Teacher, Kimberly Connolly, spoke at Evolving Educators’ Tomorrow’s Classrooms Today conference at Rider University May 20, 2017 on makerspace education.

Paul Kutner Paul Kutner, chair of the World Languages Department and director of Global Learning in the Upper School, moderated a Holocaust panel discussion at the French Embassy in May 2017, and was honored in June 2017 for his translation of the museum catalog of the memorial-museum of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France, published by Éditions Dolmazon in Le Cheylard. Paul is slated to speak in November 2017 at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention on “World War II & France: Incorporating the Historical Paradoxes in AP French” in Nashville.

Nicole Johnston and Joan Paster Upper School History Teacher Nicole Johnston and Upper School Dean/History Teacher Joan Paster presented at the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools Conference, Education Innovation: Building Cultures of Creativity, in June 2017. Their topic, “Thistory,” addressed a program they created that enables students to take ownership of their own learning without a textbook.

Jennifer Landis In October 2016, Upper School Division Head Jennifer Landis presented at the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools’ conference, “The Life Skills Summit: Health, Wellness, and Steps to Stronger Learning Communities” about Social Media Policies in schools and the importance of creating a positive digital footprint.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

Timothy J. Saburn

Raye Jean Leastman In the spring of 2017, Chief Financial Officer Raye Jean Leastman presented at the National Business Officers Association Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. She also presented at the National Association of Independent Schools’ conference on “Navigating the Wage and Hour Maze” in Baltimore, Maryland.

In January 2017, Head of School Timothy J. Saburn participated in the prestigious fellowship at the Heads of Schools Program at the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Columbia University. There, he intensely examined new research, moral leadership and current issues in education. He was one of just 20 heads to be selected across the globe.

Cynthea Traverso

Alex Podchaski Director of Technology Alex Podchaski ran an Edcamp in October 2017 for the Archdiocese of Newark; hosted an Edcamp-inspired workshop on campus for New Jersey’s technology leaders in March 2017; spoke at the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) national conference in Chicago in April 2017 about being a Certified Education Technology Leader and its importance in the education field on the main stage, and also ran a half-day workshop on IT for small schools; spoke at Evolving Educators’ Tomorrow’s Classrooms Today Conference at Rider University on May 20, 2017 on makerspace education; and was chosen to serve on the Horizon Report for K-12 education.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

Upper School Math Teacher Cynthea Traverso presented on 3-D printing and app creation on April 8, 2017 at the #LeadLikeaGirl conference at Stuart Country Day School. She was also one of just 75 teachers from around the world to be selected for the 2017 Klingenstein Summer Institute for Early Career Teachers at Columbia University.

Megan Watkins Lower School Assistant Division Head Megan Watkins received her master’s degree in Educational Leadership with a Catholic School Leadership Concentration from the University of Dayton in May 2016.

A BRIEF MYSTERY OF

OAK KNOLL ATHLETICS For the first time in nearly three decades, Oak Knoll announced a rebranding of the visual identity of the Royals athletics program in the spring of 2017.

To mark the occasion, let’s take a look back at the history of Oak Knoll’s sports identity. As it turns out, looking back may present nearly as many questions as answers.

1932

While the June 1932 edition of the student publication, The Oak Log, references basketball games against other Holy Child schools – School of the Holy Child Suffern, New York, which closed in 1971; and St. Walburga’s Academy, in New York City, which later relocated to Westchester County and is now known as the School of the Child in Rye, New York – there is no mention of a team name or mascot.

1960s

Jumping ahead to the 1960s, Oak Knoll teams were colloquially referred to as the “Blue and White” in issues of the student newspaper Vox, though it doesn’t appear to have been adopted as an official name.

Somewhere between the

1960s & early ’70s The first formally recognized name for Oak Knoll athletics was “The Blue Bombers,” though there was never a logo and its origins remain unclear. Recently-retired Athletic Director Jerry Butler arrived at Oak Knoll in 1973 once the name was already established. “They were the Blue Bombers when I got here,” said Butler, who retired in 2016 after working at the school for 43 years. “The name was chosen before my time and that’s what we inherited early on when I took the reins as athletic director,” Butler said.

1977-1978

While its origins remain shrouded in mystery, the Bombers’ moniker remained a mainstay for much of the ’70s and early ’80s – though there was one notable exception: A headline of the December 1977 edition of the student newspaper, the Oracle, read “Winning Season Predicted for Knights.” As it turns out, a contest was held that spring to vote on a replacement for the Bombers. The Knights’ name was short-lived, however, as by the spring of ’78, the Oracle editorial staff was actively seeking a substitution. “Last spring, a contest was held to rename Oak Knoll sports teams,” the story read. “Since then, there have been

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

dissatisfied comments made about the new name, such as, this is an all-girls school; therefore, why should sportswomen be named after a medieval gentleman soldier?”

1988

While there is no indication as to whether a new moniker was discussed, the name ultimately reverted back to the Bombers until the school adopted the Royals’ name in 1988 after yet another naming contest, this time sponsored by the Student Council. “Anything but the Blue Bombers,” Butler quipped. However, the blue theme remained as the Royals – the winning submission by Creative Arts Director Will Cardell – were initially known as the “Blue Royals.”

Butler pointed to the regal connotation of the word, while Cardell acknowledges the royalty aspect in addition to pointing to the color itself for inspiration. Butler admitted such things as team nicknames and colors weren’t as paramount as they are today. “Title IX was just evolving back in that day. At many schools, girls’ sports were such a barely existing thing. It was an afterthought - not at Oak Knoll, though,” he said.

What could have been In 1988, when the Upper School Student Council held a contest to rename the athletics program from the lesser-known Knights - which lasted just one year between 1977 and 1978 before the school reverted back to the Blue Bombers - Creative Arts Director Will Cardell emerged victorious with the Blue Royals. To the staff of the Review, Cardell recalled a few of the other submissions of the naming contest, and we took some creative license to try and visualize what could have been:

Several years after the establishment of the Royals’ name in 1988, a mascot followed in the form of the lioness, which has remained to this day. “We didn’t want a lion with a big mane, so we purposefully went with the lioness,” Butler said. “We didn’t have the mascot right away, though. We had to think about what kind of mascot we wanted and came up with the lioness as she’s the queen of the jungle, so to speak.”

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

ON CAMPUS A 2016-17 school year in review

Senior develops Oak Knoll smartphone app Senior Grace Nydam ’17, in collaboration with computer science teachers and staff, spent part of the summer of 2016 developing a user-friendly smartphone app for Oak Knoll. The app features news, an area map of the school campus, and links to the lunch menu and other important information like assignments and grades. A computer science club was created in the Upper School, which in part, worked to update the features of the app over time to further benefit faculty, staff and parents.

charity: water founder and CEO speaks at Oak Knoll Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of charity: water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries, spoke at Oak Knoll in November 2016. Harrison shared his personal journey and how he came to create charity: water in a talk sponsored by the Oak Knoll Parents’ Association. In 10 years, through the efforts of the organization and millions of donors supporting its cause, charity: water has raised more than $225 million and funded more than 21,000 water projects in 24 countries, bringing clean and safe drinking water to more than 6.4 million people.

Girls Leadership founder, executive director speaks on campus Simone Marean, founder and executive director of Girls Leadership, presented her acclaimed talk “Raising Resilient Girls” on girls’ resilience at Oak Knoll in February 2017, speaking to the pressures that are unique to being a girl in 2017 and discussing ways to successfully navigate these challenges. The talk kicked off a series of workshops offered by Girls Leadership at Oak Knoll.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

Ensemble tours Austria Our globetrotting Ensemble traveled to Austria during March Break 2017, performing at some of the most historic sites across Vienna, Salzburg and the rest of “Österreich.” Under the direction of Upper School Music Director Ruby Robertson-Knox, the 25-member Ensemble embarked on their trip March 18 and were joined by several chaperones and accompanists, performing at St. Peter’s Church, Schönbrunn Palace, Melk Abbey, Salzburg Cathedral, among others. Joining Robertson-Knox on the trip are Maia Archer ’19; Nathalie Beauchamps ’17, violin; Isabel Catalanello ’19; Tosin Famakinwa ’18; Kylie Gall ’20; Margo Ganton ’17; Keeley Gorman ’20; Elizabeth Hadley ’19; Caroline Hall ’20; Cameron Hills ’20; Anna Jeffries ’20; Adrianna Levato ’19; Elsa Maurizi ’20; Claire McFarland ’20; Emma McTague ’19; Tara McTague ’20; Anam O’Brien ’17; Lexi Pappas ’19; Celia Peri ’20; Mary Riley ’19, violin; Sophia Ruberti ’18, cello; Izzy Salas ’18, guitar; Mary Margaret Schroeder ’20; Jacqueline Serino ’20; Lauren Spottz ’17; Margaret Mary Tighe ’20; and Sarah Tomasi ’19.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

ON CAMPUS Lower School Launches First-Ever Makerspace Oak Knoll introduced its first-ever makerspace in the fall of 2016 to encourage students in grades K-6 to design and create computer and engineering projects in a way that allows for more experimentation, exploration and self-direction. Kimberly Connolly, Lower School technology integrator, dubbed the space an IDEAS Lab â&#x20AC;&#x201C; standing for Innovation, Design, Engineering, Arts and Science, providing a cross-curricular environment that will provide tangible educational benefits for students.

New Lower School club focuses on giving back The 2016-17 school year saw the creation of several new Lower School groups, including Club 4 Change. The group, comprised of more than 30 students, started off its mission of making a positive impact on others with a drive that yielded more than 160 toys to benefit seriously ill children. Club 4 Change was the idea of third grader Sara Kaplan â&#x20AC;&#x2122;26, who was inspired to help others after doing a project on Malala Yousafzai, the human and education rights activist who was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

Summit Mayor Nora Radest empowers eighth graders to lead Summit Mayor Nora Radest spoke to eighth grade social studies students in June 2017 about the functions of municipal governance, while also seeking to inspire them to become female leaders. “I don’t care what party you belong to,” Radest said. “If you’re a woman and you want to stand up and say, ‘I want to do something in my community to make things better,’ then I’m all for it.” She spoke to students about issues facing Summit, including property taxes, housing affordability and transit issues. Nicole Johnston, Upper School history teacher, said her students benefited from the mayor’s remarks in several ways, including helping students be able to understand the significant difference between municipal and national government and politics.

Holy Child educators visit campus for Mission Effectiveness process A visit from educators from other Holy Child schools was the culmination of a two-year process in which the Oak Knoll School community wore its legacy on its sleeve through self-reflection and celebration of the school’s mission and goals, and dedication to Holy Child tradition. The Mission Effectiveness process is an opportunity that arises every six years for each Holy Child school to self-evaluate the ways it lives out the mission each day. For the past two years, Oak Knoll’s various constituencies aided in self-evaluating and celebrating the school’s heritage in both prayer and artistic expression. The five-day visit kicked off in April 2017 with Palm Sunday Mass, and included Catherine Souther, chair, of School of the Holy Child in Rye, in New York; Angela Howell, of Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, California; Helen Gambescia, of Holy Child Rosemont, in Pennsylvania; Katie Tosner, of Holy Child Old Westbury, in New York; and Shanti Ernest, of Cornelia Connelly High School in Anaheim, California, visiting classes and speaking with students, parents, faculty and staff, and alumnae/i.

New exchange programs launched with Catholic schools in Spain, France As part of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child’s Global Learning initiative, the Upper School will participate in an exchange program with Jesuïtes Sarrià Sant Ignasi and Jesuïtes Lleida Col-legi Claver Raimat in Spain, as well as Lycée Sacré Cœur in France. Through the program, Oak Knoll will welcome students from the schools in September and October 2017, with each group of students staying with Oak Knoll families and attending classes for two weeks. Upper School students will visit schools in Spain and France for two weeks in the spring of 2018.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

Full page spread: The April 2017 US Dance Concert.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

THE ARTS OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

THE ARTS 2

ACROSS, TOP to BOTTOM: 1) The April 2017 US Dramatica performance. 2) The March 2017 K-2 LS Spring Arts and Music Festival. 3) The December 2016 US Dance Apprentices’ performance of the Nutcracker. 4) The May 2017 Grades 3-6 LS Spring Arts and Music Festival. 5) The May 2017 LS Instrumental Concert. 6) The March 2017 US performance of “A Little Princess.” 7) The March 2017 US Ensemble trip to Austria.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

SPORTS ROUNDUP Fall

ELIZABETH DOHERTY ’17

NJGSCA All-State Girls Soccer Team, Union County All-Conference Honorable Mention, Division “A” All Prep Honorable Mention, All County Second Team

VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY Varsity cross country began the fall by amassing eight individual medals in its first five invitationals. During the season, the girls reduced their individual times by an average of two minutes. Annie Keenan ’19 received an All-County Honorable Mention.

DIANA KELLY ’17

NJGSCA All-State Girls Soccer Team, Top 20 in Section North Jersey Group 2, NJ.com All-Non-Public First Team, Union County All-Conference, Division “A” All Prep First Team, All-County First Team

MEAGAN O’CALLAHAN ’19 NJGSCA All-State Girls Soccer Team, NJ.com All-Non-Public Second Team, Union County All-Conference, All-County Second Team NICOLE GITHENS ’17

Union County All-Conference, All-County

Second Team

VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY

SHANNON MCDERMOTT ’17

The varsity team endured the most difficult schedule in program history, playing nine opponents ranked in the top 20 in the state. With a team that itself was ranked No. 2 in the state and as high as No. 7 nationally, the Royals finished the season with a very impressive 21-3 record, winning the UCIAC Championship, the Union County Championship for the seventh-consecutive season, and the Non-Public North Sectional Championship after defeating Kent Place for the third time this season. Individual awards include:

ALI JULIANA ’19

ALI MCCARTHY ’18

Harrow/NFHCA High School All-American First Team, Harrow/NFHCA High School All-Region Team – New Jersey Region, All County First Team, NJ.com All State Second Team, NJ.com All State Non-Public First Team

GABBY ANDRETTA ’18 Harrow/NFHCA High School All-American Second Team, Harrow/NFHCA High School All-Region Team – New Jersey Region, All County First Team, NJ.com All State Second Team, NJ.com All State Non-Public First Team ELIZABETH DENEHY ’18

All County First Team, NJ.com All State

Non-Public First Team

BRIDGET MURPHY ’20

All County First Team, NJ.com All State

Non-Public Second Team

EMMA MUELLER ’17

All County Honorable Mention, NJ.com All State

Non-Public Second Team

BELLA BROSIE ’18

All County First Team, NJ.com All State Non-Public

Second Team

JORDAN MCGINLEY ’18

All County First Team, NJ.com All State

Non-Public Second Team

JULI PORTO ’18

NJGSCA All-State Girls Soccer Team,

All-County First Team

All-County Second Team

JULIA SMOLLEN ’17 YASLA NGOMA ’20

All-County Honorable Mention All-County Honorable Mention

ANNA MCMINN ’17

All-County Honorable Mention

VARSITY TENNIS The varsity team saw its best individual performance of the season by Maria Bambrick-Santoyo ’19, with second place in first singles of the Prep Tournament. The team finished with a record of 5 wins and 10 losses.

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL Oak Knoll volleyball enjoyed a strong season – one of the best in program history – by finishing with a 17-8 record. The team finished second in the Villa Walsh Tournament at the beginning of the year, and had a strong showing in both the Union County and Prep Championships. Carly Pompei ’17, Olivia Hindy ’18, and Julia Thomas ’17 were named All-Conference and All-Prep, and both Thomas and Pompei culminated their volleyball careers finishing on NJ.com’s Third Team Non-Public.

Winter

All County First Team, NJ.com All State Non-Public

Third Team

GRACE JOHNSON ’17

VARSITY BASKETBALL All County First Team

VARSITY SOCCER Oak Knoll’s soccer team had an especially successful fall campaign, winning the first State Non-Public A Championship and the first Prep Championship in school history. Additionally, the team won the Mountain Conference Championship and the Non-Public North A Sectional Championship. The team concluded the season ranked No. 12 by NJ.com and finished with a 20-2-3 record. Individual Awards were plentiful: DEIRDRE DALY ’17

NJGSCA All-State Girls Soccer Team, NJ.com All-Non-Public First Team, Union County All-Conference, Division “A” All Prep First Team, All County First Team

ASHLEY FERRY ’17 NJGSCA All-State Girls Soccer Team, NJ.com All-State Third Team, NJ.com All-Non-Public First Team, Union County AllConference, Division “A” All Prep First Team, All County First Team

Varsity basketball had a successful season finishing with a 21-5 record and earning a Union County Conference Championship title in the Valley Division. The team also won the Rocky Lettieri Christmas Tournament held at Union Catholic earlier in the season. Emily Archer ’18 and Laura Borys ’18 were named Union County All Conference, and Paige Morton ’20 and Janelle Drake ’17 earned Union County Honorable Mention.

VARSITY FENCING Gillian Lawlor ’17 culminated her fencing career at Oak Knoll earning Tri-County Conference First Team Sabre honors, and Sherry Gu ’18 received Honorable Mention. The sabre squad finished fourth out of a field of 50 schools in the annual Santelli Tournament and qualified for the State Sabre Squads. Fencing finished with a 6-5 record.

SPORTS ROUNDUP VARSITY ICE HOCKEY In the first year of competing with both a varsity and junior varsity team, ice hockey finished with a 4-12-2 record. Faced with a number of injuries, the Royals continued to battle and lost the last two games in heartbreaking fashion by one goal apiece.

VARSITY INDOOR TRACK & FIELD The indoor track and field season was filled with many personal records. Julia DeSantis ’18 was All County Third Team for the High Jump and DeSantis, Morgan Spies ’18 and Mackenzie Kenny ’17 competed in the state Meet of Champions.

All-Metro First Team, NJ.com Group 1 First Team, NJ.com All State First Team, NJ.com Stars and Stripes Conference Player of the Year, and NJ.com Top 100 athlete

DIANA KELLY ’17

All-American, Prep “A” All-League, First Team Stars and Stripes South, News 12 Varsity All-Metro Second Team, NJ.com Group 1 First Team, NJ.com All State First Team, and NJ.com Top 100 athlete

ELIZABETH DOHERTY ’17

Esmark High School All American, Prep “A” All-League, Second Team Stars and Stripes South, NJ.com Group 1 First Team, and NJ.com All State Second Team

ANNABELLE ZEBROWSKI ’18

Academic All-American, Second Team Stars and Stripes South, NJ.com Group 1 First Team, and NJ.com All State Second Team

DEIRDRE DALY ’17

Stars and Stripes South Honorable Mention, and Second Team NJ.com Group 1

RYAN SCHLAGETER ’18

VARSITY SWIMMING

KATIE KELLY ’18

Lindsay Criqui ’18 finished first in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke at the Union County Championships held at Rutgers University in January 2017. Criqui’s performance, which included times of 2:07.25 and 57.82, respectively, capped off a team performance in which the Royals finished four out of 14 teams. The effort made Criqui a repeat champion, as she won the 100-yard backstroke at last year’s county tournament. The Union County Athletic Conference later named Criqui Athlete of the Week.

VARSITY SOFTBALL

Spring VARSITY GOLF Golf finished with a record of 8-5. The team finished the NJGL Championship by defeating Morristown-Beard, Chatham High School and Millburn High School. Molly Ryan ’19 went on to qualify for the State Tournament and competed at the Watchung Valley Golf Club.

VARSITY LACROSSE Even though the Lacrosse team’s goal of winning its second-ever Tournament of Champions title fell just beyond the team’s grasp, it was nevertheless a historic year for the program. The Royals reached the Tournament of Champions by winning the North II Group I State Championship for the third year in a row, and its sixth since 2005. The team also won the State Sectional Title for a fifth year in a row and seventh time since 2005, as well as capturing the program’s 12th Prep “A” Championship since 2004 and its sixth in the last seven years. The season also included several individual accomplishments as senior Ali Baiocco ’17, after her junior season ended in injury, eclipsed the 200-goal mark in her career, scoring 100 goals in the 2017 season alone. Annabelle Zebrowski ’18 surpassed 100 goals this year as well. Individual awards include:

Stars and Stripes South Honorable Mention,

and First Team NJ.com Group 1

NJ.com Group 1 Third Team

The Royals finished with a 5-8 record and shortstop Emma Saheed ’18 earned Union County All Conference Valley Division honors.

VARSITY SPRING TRACK They say records were meant to be broken, which was certainly the theme of the 2017 season in which the team either tied or broke school records including the 4x400 relay team, comprised of Nicole Githens ’17, MacKenzie Kenny ’17, Annalise Cavaliere ’19 and Julia Bartie ’20, setting a new school record of 4:08:17 at the Paul Beck Relays in April 2017 before eclipsing that mark with a time of 4:03:43 at the Union County Championship Relays just over a week later. Githens, Bartie and Kenny then joined Emma Leuthner ’18 to also break the school’s 4x200 relay record by milliseconds with a new record of 1:47.50 versus the old time of 1:47.65. Another record to fall was the three-person javelin record in which the trio of Emily Dolan ’18, Julianna Feit ’20 and Paige Morton ’20 set a new record of 252-08, edging out the previous mark of 251-01. Dolan was also a part of a three-member shot put team along with Morgan Spies ’18 and Laura Borys ’18 that set a mark of 80-05, besting the old record of 76-4.5. The season was also successful from a team perspective as the Royals took first place in the Valley Division at the Union County Conference Championships at Governor Livingston High School in May 2017. The coup de grâce came later in the month when the team captured the first Non-Public South B State Sectional title since 2015. Julia DeSantis ’18 earned UCIAC Third Team in the high jump, Asher Marie Coates ’18 earned Union County Conference All-Valley Division in the 1600, and Githens, Bartie, Cavaliere, and Kenny earned Union County Conference All-Valley Division in the 4x400 relay. Additionally, Githens and DeSantis earned UCC Valley Division Honorable Mention.

ALI BAIOCCO ’17 All-American, Esmark High School All American, Prep “A” All-League, First Team Stars and Stripes South, News 12 Varsity 20

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

SPORTS ROUNDUP COLLEGE BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETES

ALI BAIOCCO

MARGERY KEENAN

ASHLEY FERRY

Stanford, Lacrosse

Providence, Swimming

Vassar, Soccer

GRACE COLEMAN

DIANA KELLY

GRACE JOHNSON

Davidson, Field Hockey

Notre Dame, Lacrosse

Amherst, Field Hockey

DEIRDRE DALY Vanderbilt, Lacrosse

ELIZABETH DOHERTY Notre Dame, Lacrosse

GILLIAN LAWLOR

JESSIE MIDLIGE

Boston College, Fencing

Trinity, Field Hockey

OLIVIA LAMB

ELIZABETH SWEETRA

Washington & Lee, Swimming

NYU, Fencing

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

SENIOR ATHLETE AWARDS TEN-PLUS VARSITY SEASONS AWARDS ELIZABETH DOHERTY

OAK KNOLL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD DIANA KELLY ALI BAIOCCO This award is presented to senior athletes who exhibit outstanding quality in sportsmanship, athletic ability and performance.

Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming

DEIRDRE DALY Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer

KELLY E. DURKIN AWARD

DIANA KELLY

ASHLEY FERRY

Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming

TEN-PLUS SEASONS AWARDS

An athlete who embodies all that is best about the competitive spirit and personal commitment to perform is awarded the Kelly E. Durkin Award, named for a member of the Class of 1995 who similarly exhibited a desire to win with a personal strive for bettering herself both on the field and in the classroom.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD

ADRIANA CODER Field Hockey, Winter Track, Lacrosse

MARY HARE

GRACE JOHNSON This award recognizes a senior who has demonstrated superior achievement in athletics and academics, while participating in other extracurricular activities.

Basketball, Field Hockey, Lacrosse

HELENA LYONS Basketball, Cross Country, Spring Track

WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY AWARD

MARGARET MORAN Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse, Swimming, Soccer

CAROLINE WESTDYK Fencing, Spring Track, Tennis, Winter Track

DEIRDRE DALY The recipient of this award represents Oak Knoll at a luncheon sponsored by the New Jersey State Athletic Association, which honors one female from every high school and college in the state with an award from the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports.

FOUR-YEAR LETTER AWARD STEPHANIE AGRESTI

DEIRDRE DALY

DIANA KELLY

Swimming

Lacrosse, Soccer

ALI BAIOCCO

ELIZABETH DOHERTY

OLIVIA LAMB

Lacrosse

Lacrosse, Soccer

Swimming

ANA BAMBRICK-SANTOYO

JANELLE DRAKE

GILLIAN LAWLOR

Tennis

Basketball

Fencing

ISABELLE CLARK

ASHLEY FERRY

HELENA LYONS

Field Hockey

Soccer

Cross Country, Spring Track

ADRIANA CODER

NICOLE GITHENS

JESSIE MIDLIGE

Field Hockey

Soccer

Field Hockey

GRACE COLEMAN

GRACE JOHNSON

LILY SUTTON

Field Hockey

Golf

ELIZABETH CUMMINGS

MARGERY KEENAN

Golf

Swimming

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

COMMENCEMENT 2017 Oak Knoll Graduates 67 Young Women of Promise

The Upper School Class of 2017 was graduated on June 11, 2017, during Oak Knollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 89th commencement ceremony.

COMMENCEMENT SUMMER 2017

Class of 2017 Lifers Oak Knoll “lifers” are students who have attended Oak Knoll since kindergarten. Pictured, on Commencement Day, are lifers from Oak Knoll’s Class of 2017. Back row, from left: Natalie Commesso, Grace Johnson, Anna McMinn and Olivia Quartell. Front row, from left: Gillian Lawlor, Katherine Branchina and Jennifer Natoli.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

OKS_Review_FINAL_080717.indd 25

8/8/17 1:12 PM

VALEDICTORY Nathalie Beauchamps ’17 Good afternoon Mr. Saburn, Ms. Lynch, trustees, faculty, administration, parents and my fellow peers. I am more than honored to be speaking before you today. Today is a very important day. June 11, 2017 will not only forever be the day that I and Bridget Niebanck turned 18 years old, but, more importantly, it is the day of our commencement, when all of us will embark upon the next chapter of our lives. The Class of 2017: we are aspiring professional athletes, doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs, talented artists, models, musicians, songwriters, and the most ambitious group of go-getters there ever was. I have never witnessed a group of individuals so hardworking as my fellow classmates. We know how to take an opportunity and make it grow. We are achievers. And I know that all of us will grow up to be contributors across the spectrum. In a sense, our graduation day is like setting off a firework. The world will be impacted by all of us.

“I will always remember what each of us held here - what each of us has shared right here. It is now a part of us. It has made me into who I am. It has made us into who we are. I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

Like all great things, our class works hard and plays hard. We know how to perfectly balance stressing about the next test, with “hakuna matata” (for the parents and family out there, this was our slogan for this year and it translates to “no worries”). And though we are one of the largest Oak Knoll classes, we are also one of the tightest knit. We have a bounty of memories that we will never forget. Lip-sync battles, inside jokes, bringing dogs to school for our senior prank - the list goes on. We will always share those memories. That connection will always exist among us, no matter where each of us goes on in life. I will always remember what each of us held here - what each of us has shared right here. It is now a part of us. It has made me into who I am. It has made us into who we are. I’ll forever be grateful for that. Thank you. *Excerpts of speech

COMMENCEMENT SUMMER 2017

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Kathleen Lynch “Cornelia herself also prayed, ‘Lord, Give me a love full of action.’ Let her words inspire you.” Good afternoon Mr. Saburn, trustees, administrators, colleagues, proud parents, family and friends and, most importantly, the 67 young women, who are now graduates of Oak Knoll - the Class of 2017. It is such a great honor to be invited to be your speaker today. I have a few thoughts to share – some life lessons I’ve learned along the way and hope that they may have some meaning for you as you move on from Oak Knoll:

1. LIFE IS AN ATTITUDE.

We may have no control over the events in our lives and in our world, but we do have control over our attitude – how we look at the event, how we perceive it, understand it, how we respond to it. Do we let it control us, bring us down, make us negative, fill us with fear and despair? Do we become numb and indifferent … or do we examine the event, live through it and learn from it, become stronger and better? Do we resolve to be different, to act differently, to make choices, and not be controlled by it?

2. YOU CAN BE THE AUTHOR OF YOUR ATTITUDES.

You can choose. I encourage you to develop those attitudes that will help you realize your potential and contribute to others. Attitudes of hope and not despair, attitudes of gratitude and not entitlement, attitudes of love and mercy and not hatred, attitudes of action and not indifference, attitudes that allow you to see God’s presence in the world and the good in each person and be moved to act in positive and good ways.

3. LET CORNELIA INSPIRE YOU.

I’d like to think that your experiences here at Oak Knoll have be a source of strength and inspiration. Whether you’ve been here for two years or 13 years or anywhere in between, you have shared this thing we call the Holy Child experience. How often have we all prayed together in this very room, the words of Cornelia, “Let us love one another and pray, be faithful, be humble, be filled with the charity of God” …..? Love is an attitude that can move us to be, to choose, to act. Cornelia herself also prayed, “Lord, Give me a love full of action.” Let her words inspire you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen.” Congratulations Class of 2017, go out and make miracles happen! *Excerpts of speech Kathleen Lynch retired from Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in the spring of 2017 after 28 years of service. She was a teacher, chair of the Theology Department, director of Campus Ministry and member of the Upper School Leadership Team. She is a graduate of Caldwell University, where she earned a double major in art and religious studies; the New School, where she earned a master’s degree in media studies; and Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception School of Theology, where she earned a master’s degree in theology.

You are strong, you are smart, you are kind, you are full of joy. Never lose your spirit. Never forget the lessons learned here. Remember the lessons of Cornelia and Holy Child. Choose your attitudes and know that you are loved and supported along your journey.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

COMMENCEMENT AWARDS Stephanie Agresti

Catherine Dunn

Bridget Niebanck

AP Scholar Cum Laude Society Math Department Award

AP Scholar Cum Laude Society Salutatorian Science Department Award

AP Scholar Arts Outstanding Achievement Award – Musical (Artistic Award) Spanish Honor Society

Ashley Ferry

Anam O’Brien

AP Scholar

AP Scholar Arts Service/Dedication Award – Musical (Artistic Award) Music Department Award Spanish Honor Society

Sofia Badalamenti Spanish Honor Society

Alexandra Baiocco French Honor Society

Ana Bambrick-Santoyo AP Scholar Arts Leadership Award (Concert Choir Council) Foreign Language Educators of NJ Award

Katelyn Fersini Theology Department Award

Kathryn Flanagan AP Scholar

Olivia Quartell

Margo Ganton

AP Scholar History Department Award

Arts Leadership Award (Ensemble) Cum Laude Society

Allison Palmeri

Arts Leadership Award (Dancers) Cum Laude Society Rita Kentz Award

Nicole Githens

Arts Outstanding Achievement Award – Photo Club

Nathalie Beauchamps

AP Scholar Cum Laude Society National Merit Commended Student

Kirsten Barboza

AP Scholar with Honor Arts Leadership Award (Chamber Orchestra) Cum Laude Society Dr. Shirley A. Jackson Award for Excellence in Science Valedictorian

Hannah Bucknam Creative Arts Department Award (Art)

Arts Service/Dedication Award – Aquila

Mary Hare

Grace Johnson AP Scholar Cum Laude Society

Diana Kelly

Natasha Rice AP Scholar Arts Leadership Award (Aquila) AP Scholar Arts Service/Dedication Award – Untucked

Helena Lyons

Arts Leadership Award (Scribes) Spanish Honor Society

Spanish Honor Society

Grace Coleman

AP Scholar Arts Leadership Award (Untucked) Spanish Honor Society

Spanish Honor Society

Computer Science Department Award Cum Laude Society

Daniella Lagios

Isabelle Clark

Mara Corcoran

Larissa Portillo

Avery Rogers

Spanish Honor Society

AP Scholar

Cum Laude Society

Spanish Honor Society AP Scholar National Merit Commended Student Spanish Honor Society

Gabriella Castellano

Carly Pompei

Stella Lyons

Shannon McDermott

Charlotte Smith AP Scholar

Lauren Spottz Arts Leadership Award – Musical (Artistic Award) Arts Service/Dedication Award – Ensemble

Julia Thomas

Spanish Honor Society

AP Scholar Cum Laude Society

Arts Service/Dedication Award – Dancers Cum Laude Society Spanish Honor Society

Anna McMinn

Christine Tomasi

AP Scholar Arts Leadership Award – (Musical Production Award)

Sarah DeFelice

Margaret Moran

Arts Leadership Award – Lighting Tech Crew, Freestyle and Dramatica Cum Laude Society English Department Award

Arts Outstanding Achievement Award – Dancers

Spanish Honor Society

Caroline Westdyk

Janelle Drake

Emma Mueller Spanish Honor Society

Arts Leadership Award – Photo Club Creative Arts Department Award (Photography)

Caroline D’Aliso

Cum Laude Society Spanish Honor Society

Jennifer Natoli Arts Leadership Award (Dancers)

COMMENCEMENT SUMMER 2017

MATRICULATION Class of 2017

Stephanie Agresti

Natalie Commesso

Margo Ganton

Jessica Midlige

Stephanie Rudgers

Sofia Badalamenti

Mara Corcoran

Nicole Githens

Margaret Moran

Kimberley Sargenti

Alexandra Baiocco

Sade Cox

Mary Hare

Emma Mueller

Charlotte Smith

Ana Bambrick-Santoyo

Elizabeth Cummings

Grace Johnson

Jennifer Natoli

Julia Smollen

Kirsten Barboza

Caroline D’Aliso

Margery Keenan

Bridget Niebanck

Lauren Spottz

Nathalie Beauchamps

Deirdre Daly

Diana Kelly

Villanova University

University of Richmond Stanford University Duke University

University of Pennsylvania Yale University

Fordham University Virginia Tech

Old Dominion University University of Notre Dame Bucknell University

Vanderbilt University

University of Michigan Marquette University University of Notre Dame Amherst College

Providence College

University of Notre Dame

Katherine Branchina

Sarah DeFelice

Mackenzie Kenny

Hannah Bucknam

Elizabeth Doherty

Daniella Lagios

Bucknell University

Southern Methodist University

Mary Kate Bucknam

Wake Forest University University of Notre Dame

Janelle Drake

College of the Holy Cross

Gabriella Castellano

Catherine Dunn

Wake Forest University

University of Notre Dame

Olivia Lamb

Washington and Lee University

Gillian Lawlor

St. Joseph’s University

Georgetown University

Boston College

Margot Christ

Grace Ebel

College of the Holy Cross

Helena Lyons

Gettysburg College

Isabelle Clark

Ashley Ferry

Stella Lyons

College of the Holy Cross

University of Richmond

Vassar College

Adriana Coder

Katelyn Fersini Fordham University

Shannon McDermott

College of the Holy Cross

Grace Coleman

Kathryn Flanagan

Anna McMinn

Davidson College

College of the Holy Cross

New York University College of the Holy Cross

Trinity College

Wake Forest University Villanova University Villanova University

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Grace Nydam

University of Michigan

Anam O’Brien

New York University

Allison Palmeri Villanova University

Carly Pompei Virginia Tech

Larissa Portillo Boston College

Olivia Quartell Fordham University

Natasha Rice

George Washington University

Providence College

Virginia Military Institute Georgetown University Fordham University Clemson University

Lily Sutton

Villanova University

Elizabeth Sweetra New York University

Julia Thomas

Vanderbilt University

Christine Tomasi Hamilton College

Caroline Westdyk Fordham University

Hannah Whalen Lehigh University

Erin Zarr

University of St. Andrews

Avery Rogers Cornell University

University of Vermont

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

FAMILY CONNECTIONS 1

(1) Ana Bambrick-Santoyo ’17 and sister Maria ’19 (2) Natalie Commesso ’17 with mother Christine Castelo Commesso ’89, brother Domenick ’14 (LS) and sister Gabriella with the Class of ’24 (3) Margot Christ ’17, with mother Lynn Schmall Christ ’81 and aunt Laurie Schmall Kedersha ’79 (4) Ali Baiocco ’17 and sister Nicole ’15 (5) Katherine Branchina ’17 and brother Nicholas ’06 (LS) (6) Stephanie Agresti ’17 with sisters Carly ’09 and Lindsay ’12 (7) Elizabeth Cummings ’17 and sister Maureen ’19 (8) Elizabeth Doherty ’17 with brother Sean ’06 (LS), sister Caroline ’14 and sister Christine with the Class of ’19 (9) Lauren Spottz ’17 and sister Jennifer ’15 (10) Margery Keenan ’17 with mother Kathryn Shanahan Keenan ’89 and sisters Annie Keenan ’19 and Elizabeth (Betsy) Keenan ’22 (11) Adrian Coder ’17 and brother Thomas with the Class of 2015 (LS) and brother Andrew 30

COMMENCEMENT SUMMER 2017

Oak Knoll’s history is built on generations of family. Here, we celebrate those ties to the Class of 2017 through pictures of those who were present on Commencement Day.

(12) Gabriella Castellano ’17 and sister Gianna ’16 (13) Graduating sisters Helena and Stella Lyons ’17 with sister Madeline ’15 (14) Gillian Lawlor ’17 and brother Brendan ’10 (LS) (15) Caroline Westdyk ’17 and sister Alyssa ’19 (16) Lily Sutton ’17 and Abigail (Abby) ’19 (17) Allison Palmeri ’17 and sister Jacqueline ’15 (18) Charlotte Smith ’17 and sister Ghislaine ’08 (19) Kimberley Sargenti ’17 and sister Danielle ’12 (20) Jennifer Natoli ’17 and sister Jessica ’10 (21) Stephanie Rudgers ’17 and sister Taylor ’12 (22) Olivia Quartell ’17 with sisters Anna ’11 and Nicole ’90 (23) Grace Johnson ’17 and brothers George with the Class of 2013 (LS) and Sam

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

FAMILY CONNECTIONS 24

34 33

(24) Sofia Badalamenti ’17 and sister Olivia ’16 (25) Jessica Midlige ’17 and sister Abigail ’15 (26) Sisters Hannah Bucknam ’17 and Mary Kate Bucknam ’17 (27) Sarah DeFelice ’17 and sister Lauren ’22 (28) Margaret Moran ’17 with sisters Molly ’11 and Kerri ’13 (29) Anam O’Brien ’17 with brothers Oscar ’12 (LS) and Aaron ’18 (LS) (30) Anna McMinn ’17 and sisters Caroline ’13 and Julia ’15 (31) Christine Tomasi ’17 and sisters Claire ’13, Emily ’15 and Sarah ’19 (32) Julia Smollen ’17 with sister Anna ’15 and brother Matthew (33) Grace Coleman ’17 with sister Michaela ’16 and brother Thomas ’16 (LS) (34) Catherine Dunn ’17 and sister Julia ’18

COMMENCEMENT SUMMER 2017

MILESTONES

1 Kindergarten Graduation

2 Moving-Up Ceremony

3 Lower School Graduation

Seeds planted in September that flowered over the course of the 2016-17 school year were in full bloom in Bonaventura Hall Chapel, as 20 Oak Knoll kindergartners graduated Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Students received diplomas from Head of School Timothy J. Saburn and Lower School Division Head Christine Spies, sang several songs and acted out parables that reflected their growth throughout the school year.

The annual celebration of eighth graders transitioning from their middle school years into high school took place on June 8, 2017, during Oak Knoll’s Moving-Up Ceremony. The ceremony included remarks from Head of School Timothy J. Saburn and Upper School Division Head Jennifer Landis, a performance of the eighth-grade concert choir and reflections read by classmates.

On June 7, 2017, 33 students took the next steps in their faith and educational journeys when they graduated from Oak Knoll’s Lower School. The male students will go on to prestigious secondary schools in the area, while the girls will attend Oak Knoll’s all-girls Upper School in the fall. During commencement, the students reenacted the Parable of the Sower, a nod to their personal and educational growth since joining Oak Knoll in kindergarten.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

ALL-SCHOOL AWARDS CONNELLY SCHOLAR AWARD Greta Criqui ’21, Jodie De Jesus ’21, Leticia Sefia ’21 and Katherine Whelan ’21 were awarded the Connelly Scholar

Award, which is given to eighth graders who will be entering Oak Knoll’s freshman class and have demonstrated fine scholarship and exemplary personal qualities. No more than 10 percent of the class may receive this distinction, maintained during the four high school years.

KATIE MACMASTER AWARD Elizabeth Athaide ’21 was awarded the Katie MacMaster Award,

given each year to a student who has embraced all aspects of school life and exhibited personal integrity and a “joyful spirit.” Katie MacMaster ’07 was a young woman who used her gifts fully in the classroom, in the art and in athletics, and genuinely welcomed others to her friendship.

BRIGID GIBBONS AWARD Recognized for a spirit reflecting the award’s namesake, Emily Archer ’18 was the recipient of the Brigid Gibbons Award, which was initiated in the 1978-79 school year as a unanimous response to the inspiration of service and courage created by Oak Knoll student, Brigid Gibbons.

STUDENT COUNCIL AWARD The Student Council Award was given to Anam O’Brien ’17. The Student Council Award is given each year in recognition and appreciation for the leadership given by a member of the Student Council who contributed significantly throughout the year.

HOLY CHILD SPIRIT AWARD Olivia Lamb ’17 was awarded the Holy Child Spirit Award for exemplifying a quiet spirit of self-direction in right action and a positive yet subtle influence upon her peers, which helps the group to be most productive. The recipient is a caring, thoughtful individual whose concern for the community frequently causes her to keep her own needs as secondary to those of the common good.

SR. ELIZABETH BARBER AWARD Ashley Ferry ’17 was awarded the Sr. Elizabeth Barber Award thanks to her personifying the Holy Child founder’s maxim, “Actions, not words” that was also exemplified by the late Sr. Elizabeth Barber, an Oak Knoll alumna and member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. The senior who receives this award is a young woman who has assumed responsibility, solved problems, anticipated the needs of others and of the school community, and acted as both an example to and a support for others.

DR. YVONNE IMBLEAU AWARD Kirsten Barboza ’17 was named the recipient of the Dr. Yvonne

Imbleau Award for exemplifying the Holy Child Spirit in the vein of the award’s namesake – an Oak Knoll alumna who has offered her gifts as a medical doctor in Kenya and in Appalachia. Her generous and dedicated life of service is the inspiration for this award. Dr. Imbleau took to heart the maxim of Mother Cornelia Connelly, “Let us never say that we have done enough,” faithfully serving those who needed her. This recognition is the highest honor given to a student in the Upper School.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

REMEMBERING Margaret Smith

Oak Knoll recognizes legacy of former principal Oak Knoll was saddened to learn of the April 28, 2017 passing of Margaret Smith, the Upper School’s first lay principal and former theology department chair. Arriving in the fall of 1968, Smith spent more than a decade impacting innumerable Oak Knoll students, families, faculty and staff, before relocating to Florida after her retirement in 1981. Joan Brennan, who worked as Oak Knoll’s director of College Counseling from 1968 to 2004, praised Smith as someone who embraced the Holy Child tradition and was able to successfully balance being a professional woman and mother of eight. “Margaret understood Holy Child. She was a very bright, forward-looking woman. She was a true leader who made it fun to work for her,” said Brennan, who fondly recalled how the entire staff would have meetings at Smith’s home and even attend Mass in her backyard. “She took us to wonderful levels as an academic institution for young women. She was admired outside of the Holy Child community for her vision, her speaking powers and her knowledge of what a school should be for young women,” Brennan said. Computer Science Department Chair Camille Burke ’77, who was taught by Smith, echoed Brennan’s sentiments.

Edith “Edie” Budney

Oak Knoll’s first professional Alumnae Director In addition to Margaret Smith, Oak Knoll mourns the loss of Edith “Edie” Budney, Oak Knoll School’s first professional alumnae director. Budney, who passed away on October, 2, 2016, was instrumental in launching many of Oak Knoll’s alumnae programs, having created the Distinguished Alumna Award, as well as organizing a career day for returning alumnae to discuss their professions with Upper School students. She also formed the school’s inaugural alumnae board.

“Margaret Smith was a leader and a great role model for students in the ’70s when she was at Oak Knoll,” Burke said. “She understood Cornelia’s philosophy and lived it. She was an educator and administrator but, most importantly, she was a mother.” It should serve as no surprise that Smith would find herself impacting so many lives at a Holy Child school given she graduated from the former Holy Child High School in Waukegan, Illinois. From there, Smith began her collegiate career at Rosemont College before ultimately graduating from Marquette University, where she met her future husband of nearly 60 years, the late Charles John Smith Jr. Smith’s steadfast faith led her to continue her studies by attending classes at Fordham University. This faith also was the catalyst to her career at Oak Knoll, as she began teaching theology on a volunteer basis at the Lower School, where her daughters were then attending classes. Smith is survived by daughters Margaret Smith Crocco ’68, Anne Smith ’72, Joan Smith Myers ’73, Aileen Smith Dooley ’76, Christine Smith ’82 and Catherine Smith Nietzel ’82. Smith was also the mother-in-law of Donna Speckhart Smith ’78, and grandmother of the late Jenny Ruth Myers ’98, Margaret Crocco Watson ’96, Julie Myers Teubner ’05, Richard Myers with the Class of ’94 (LS), Peter Myers ’96 (LS), Andrew Crocco ’93 (LS) and Madeleine Smith ’12.

Budney, of West Caldwell, was born on December 28, 1940, in Jackson Heights, New York. A graduate of Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, New York, she worked as an engineer for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company. She also worked for Upsala College in East Orange. In her leisure time, she was a yoga and T’ai Chi Chih instructor, and enjoyed traveling with her husband William. For a time, she lived abroad in Brazil. She is survived by her daughter, Sharon Budney; sister, Christine Mazzuca; and brothers John and Chance O’Connor. She was predeceased by her husband, William, and her son, William Bradford “Brad” Budney.

Her innovations set the stage for the alumnae relations program of today.

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

A LIFE FOREVER CHANGED BY HOLY CHILD Upper School Theology Chair Kathleen Lynch retires after 28 years “I had never heard of Cornelia Connelly,” she said. “As a high schooler at Mount St. Dominic, in Caldwell, I had been on Oak Knoll’s campus for a basketball game. I knew the school existed, but I still knew nothing about Holy Child.” So much of Lynch’s role at Oak Knoll revolved around the enigmatic woman. Connelly’s life was so atypical and largely defined by those people around her and circumstances beyond her control. “I must admit that I struggled at first to make sense of the story of Cornelia Connelly’s life,” she said. “I was a little overwhelmed by all the things that happened to her and how she seemed not to be able to control events or even make her own decisions. It soon became clear to me that it is not so much the details of her life, but the way she lived it that is important.” Lynch acknowledged Connelly’s presence and influence on campus evolved during the years, as the founder was not necessarily a focus when the Holy Child Sisters had a larger presence on campus.

In 1989, Kathleen Lynch was at a crossroads. “I was considering a career change,” she said, from the school she was currently teaching. Having earned a master’s degree in media from the New School in New York City, and boasting theology and art backgrounds, she briefly mulled a foray into the publishing world. It was a brief mulling. At her core, Lynch knew she still belonged in the world of education and soon thereafter learned about a teaching opportunity at Oak Knoll. The year was 1989. Twenty-eight years and 1,500 students later, the Upper School Theology chair and director of Campus Ministry announced her retirement in the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, officially ending her tenure in June 2017.

Cornelia, who? Despite now being a “Cornelian Scholar,” Lynch had a lot to learn when she first arrived as a teacher in ’89, as she was expected to pass along the story and philosophy of Holy Child founder Cornelia Connelly onto what would become an entire generation of women of promise.

“The sisters were the Holy Child presence back then,” Lynch said. “Since the sisters left, lay people working in Holy Child schools needed somebody, a person, to latch onto. You need somebody who can help you identify with what this is all about. “Once the last sisters left school, it became our responsibility to ensure that the Holy Child identity was strong,” she added. This extended beyond the student body, as Lynch, who was named Upper School Theology Department chair in 2004, also developed the orientation program used to introduce new hires to Connelly, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and Holy Child education. Lynch’s role as a Cornelian Scholar has also resulted in extensive service to the Society. She was a guest speaker at the annual Heads and Trustees Meeting of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus Network of Holy Child Schools, in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, in 2009. In addition, she served on Oak Knoll’s Mission Effectiveness Steering Committee and two visiting teams for Mission Effectiveness at Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child in Pasadena, California, and School of the Holy Child in Rye, New York.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

She was also a member of the Cornelia Connelly Curriculum Committee from 2009 to 2012 along with educators from other Holy Child schools in the United States. She worked with the committee to study the Society’s European archives in Oxford and Mayfield, England. The committee’s work culminated in the creation of the Cornelia Connelly Digital Library website, which was launched in 2012. In addition to teaching and being so involved with the school’s faith life, Lynch has also served on the Upper School Leadership Team and as the senior grade level coordinator, as well as the coordinator of graduation.

Changes on campus Another major hallmark of her Oak Knoll tenure was her stewardship of Grace Hall Chapel, which underwent significant renovations in 1994. “When I came here, this chapel was very, very different,” she said, pointing to the tabernacle, where the altar used to be. The windows were exposed and the chapel was adorned with distinctive, dark green carpeting.” Now, the flooring is a mixture of American Cherry, Brazilian Cherry and Peruvian Walnut woods. “I love this chapel,” she said. “It has changed over the years to really be a beautiful space. That was probably one of the biggest changes that impacted my work here.” Reflecting back, she also acknowledged significant changes in curriculum and teaching designed to encourage more student-centered learning and critical thinking.

“It’s never-ending, but it’s always working toward what’s best for the students,” she said. Lynch, never one for self-aggrandizement, did admit she is proud of her efforts of encouraging students to embrace leadership roles in Campus Ministry and liturgies. Shortly after her arrival, Lynch started the program for Upper School students to become Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. She expressed pride in the students who also participate as lectors and altar servers. “It’s empowerment and, as young women, it’s important for them to see that there’s a place for them in the church,” she said.

Life after Oak Knoll

While Lynch doesn’t have grandiose plans for life after Oak Knoll, she admits it will nevertheless be a significant change of pace that she’ll miss – for the most part. “My plan is to have no plan,” she said with a laugh, before emphasizing her desire to remain a part of the school and the Society, while also allowing for those involved with theology and Campus Ministry to be able to grow. “My life has forever been changed because of my experiences here,” she said. “I am so grateful for the many opportunities I have had … I know that I cannot, and will not, simply close the door and walk away from my relationship with Cornelia, the Society and Holy Child education. It is too much a part of who I am.”

The road to Oak Knoll Prior to arriving at Oak Knoll in 1989, Kathleen Lynch taught religious studies and art at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, where she also served as department chair for both subjects. In addition, she worked at her alma mater, serving as Mount St. Dominic’s director of admissions and public relations for three years and department chair and teacher of religious studies for seven years. In addition, she taught photography and art courses. Lynch also worked at Caldwell University as a part-time instructor in art and educational media. Lynch is a graduate of Caldwell University where she double majored in art and religious studies. There, she was a member of Theta Alpha Kappa, National Honor Society of Religious Studies and Theology. After earning her master’s degree in media studies, she attended Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception School of Theology earning another master’s degree in theology with a concentration in biblical studies. She was awarded the Pope John Paul II medal for highest academic average in the program and she was also the recipient of the Sister Rose Thering Scholarship for courses in the graduate program for Jewish and Christian studies at the university. 38

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER 2017

RICARDO PEREZ RETIRES AFTER 24 YEARS Bus driver and maintenance assistant will remember Oak Knoll ‘like a family’ “No quality is more needed … than a mild and gentle spirit.” - Cornelia Connelly Ricardo Perez, who retired earlier this summer from Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child after 24 years of service, is a quiet and reserved individual, possessing what Holy Child founder Cornelia Connelly called the quality of “a mild and gentle spirit.” Innately unassuming, recognizing Perez, Oak Knoll bus driver and maintenance assistant who has been the subject of several honors and recognitions this spring, seems he would just be as happy riding the Gator – a utility vehicle, maintaining the school’s facilities – or working in the Earth with some of the school’s beautiful plantings. The last thing those who know him could imagine him doing, would be reflecting on his career at Oak Knoll, which began in 1993 during the summers, but his role soon expanded and he, along with Jose Goncalves, director of maintenance, became jack-of-all-trades. “We tried to fix everything ourselves,” Perez said. This became to represent his role at Oak Knoll, which continued to expand over the years, such as when he received his commercial driver’s license and began busing students to field trips and athletic events. “Every day was different,” he said, noting one of his favorite duties was painting on campus during the summers. His tenure at Oak Knoll has seen a number of changes, especially in the buildings and grounds, which perhaps more than most, impacted his role at the school. Before the Tisdall gymnasium was built, Perez often could be found in Connelly Hall – where the previous gym served as both an athletic center as well as the auditorium – removing chairs and helping set up the numerous transitions that were inevitable on the bustling campus. Looking back, he described the Oak Knoll community in both glowing and, appropriately enough, succinct terms.

Perez’s impact touched many constituencies on campus, as he shuttled students to and from sporting events, the train and various class trips throughout the years. He also helped support fundraising and sporting events out at the fields in Chatham and Parents’ Association events on and off campus. Later this summer, Perez will return to Costa Rica to be with his family. While he may work a bit here and there, he said his first order of business will be some upkeep at his home. We will miss you, Ricardo!

“I always liked the people,” he said. “ They were very friendly. It’s like a family.”

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The Place that Changed Me Allison Ricciardi â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 describes life-defining field research in Australian rainforest

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CONTENTS ALUMNAE/I NEWS 12A

CALL TO SERVICE Twenty years later, Jody Kemmerer ’97 remembers why she brought Bridges to Oak Knoll

14A

CLASS NOTES

16A

REUNION

FEATURES

FIRST-YEAR CHECK-IN Catching up with Emily Goncalves ’16 on her first year in college

THE PLACE THAT CHANGED ME Allison Ricciardi ’13 describes her field research adventures in the Australian rainforest

A SONG FOR CHARITY Award-winning harpist Merynda Adams ’84 follows heart, mission of service

BUILDING A FOUNDATION Dr. Claire Esposito ’79 helps provide homes, medical support to people in Honduras

44 Blackburn Road Summit, NJ 07901 REVIEW is published once per year by the Marketing & Communications Department for alumnae/i, parents and friends of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child. Head of School Timothy J. Saburn EDITOR Meghan Hodgin Director of Marketing & Communications

Barbara Lindner Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement PHOTOGRAPHY Food for the Poor Highpoint Pictures Meghan Hodgin James McEvoy Andrew Miller Villanova University

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FIRST YEAR CHECK-IN Emily Goncalves ’16 FIRST YEAR CHECK-IN

is a new feature in Review, offering advice and an inside view of what our most recent graduates may expect during their first year away at college. This year, we caught up with Emily Goncalves ’16 on her first year at Vanderbilt University. Emily talks about finding her roommate, making friends, getting involved on campus and the surprises she found along the way.

Q: Did you have any hesitations or fears before you headed off to school last summer? A: Leaving Oak Knoll for a new school was a legitimate challenge. Oak Knoll is such a close-knit community in which the teachers and students truly care not only about each other’s successes but also about each other’s challenges. In going to college, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a comparable community. I loved having small class sizes and wasn’t particularly looking forward to large lecture halls (side note: most of my classes are small, and a good professor makes the lecture hall feel more inviting). Although I knew the adventure of moving to a new city and interacting with people of such diverse life experiences would take me out of my comfort zone in many ways, the challenge also excited me. Q: Did you choose your roommate? How do you get along? A: I met my roommate, Cristy, on a Vanderbilt Facebook group, and I couldn’t ask for a better roommate dynamic. To be honest, I was quite skeptical about finding a roommate online because I wasn’t sure that social media interaction would be sufficient in determining whether we would get along. That being said, doing so allowed me to find a roommate who has similar patterns relating to things like room temperature, organization and sleeping schedule. These things make the college adjustment go very smoothly.

Q: How did you make friends? A: The important thing to keep in mind when making friends is that all freshmen are in the same boat. Especially in the beginning of the year, I encourage rising college freshmen to reach out to other people in the dining hall.

The strongest friendships I have, though, come from my extra-curricular activities. My involvement in the Vanderbilt University Concert Choir has given me the opportunity to meet incredible people. Through participating in choir, I have truly found my family on campus. In my situation, I was also incredibly fortunate to have Valerie Ricciardi ’16, one of my best friends from Oak Knoll, also attend Vanderbilt with me. Since we are here together, we look out for each other, providing the support we need when things are challenging.

Q: Have you chosen a major? A: I have not chosen a major as of

yet, but I am on a mathematics and economics track. I am in the School of Arts and Science and thus have the opportunity to take an array of classes that contribute to a breadth of knowledge by allowing me to explore different areas of interest. For example, I have a strong interest in policy and Latin America and am able to take courses in these areas.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

Q: It was just one year ago when you were getting ready to leave for college. What advice do you have for the Class of 2017 as they prepare for the next chapter? A: First of all, cherish your time at home. Don’t rush life because time really does fly. Spend time with the people you love and even make sure to get your fill of New Jersey bagels (that is, if you’re leaving the area) because it is in leaving that you recognize how much you truly appreciate home. I also encourage you to be as calm as possible. It’s obviously easier said than done, but the adjustment to college is one that seems overwhelming. College is challenging and stressful at times, and it’s definitely important to acknowledge that beforehand. However, college is also incredibly exciting and rewarding, so try not to let stress hinder your positivity for what is an amazing opportunity. In college, you might even get homesick, but that’s perfectly normal. I love my family more than anything and always look forward to coming home from college to see them. At the same time, I look forward to returning to my new home at Vandy with the same excitement. Use your time wisely, live in the moment and remind yourself that you are prepared. Within you are the tools to succeed; you merely need to apply them. 1A

The Place that Changed Me By Allison Ricciardi â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13

When asked, “What’s the place that changed you?” most of my mind travels to a far off land – Australia. The place sometimes feels like it’s something I’ve dreamed up because it’s so different from home, but in January of 2016, I boarded a plane and, after three flights and more than 24 hours of travel, I arrived in Cairns, Australia. Disoriented from the intense time change, and sweaty and frizzy from the humidity, I met the 19 people I would be spending every waking moment with for the next three months. My study abroad experience consisted of handson field research in the rainforest of Australia. We lived on a field station in the heart of the remote rainforest up in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. Our site was located off of the Gillies highway, which zig-zags up and down the mountains of the area, and was a 10-minute bumpy drive on an access road through cleared rainforest. The land is a part of the protected Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, and the traditional land of the aboriginal Mandingalbay Yidinji people. The closest town to our site was Yungaburra, with a population of a little more than 1,000. We became very familiar with the town through community outreach events, tree plantings and the Yungaburra markets held on the fourth Saturday of every month. This was the only place we could access the internet on our phones to call home. In addition, we stayed with homestay families for a short period of time and continued to interact with them at these events.

STILLNESS IN A PLACE THAT IS NEVER STILL

In the rainforest, I learned the value of stillness in a place that is never still. The intense green of the vegetation engulfs you in the humid microclimate of the forest. The luscious foliage is a more intense green than I could have imagined. It surrounds you to the extent that you cannot even see the sky beyond small patches of sun shining through intermittently. As you walk through the rainforest, wait-a-whiles – vines that descend from the canopy – sharply hook onto you and your clothing. There is constant noise from all of the animals that are living there. The tropical birds, which we learned to identify by their calls, never stop chattering – the chowchilla’s call sounds like the combination of the shots from a fantasy laser gun and a rippling river; the cicadabird screeches constantly; the orange-footed scrubfowl gobbles like a turkey; the southern boobook coos like an owl trying to say its name, “boo-book;” the spotted catbird sounds like the screeches of an angry cat; and the eastern whipbird sounds like the shot of a gun. Together, along with the screeches of the frogs and the buzz of insects, they create a cacophony of sound. To stand still amidst the chaos of so many sounds and sights awakens the senses. Everyday there was new and incredibly interesting plant and animal life to discover. The unpleasant included a multitude of insects such as the biting marsh flies, the thousands of spiders that hatched in our showers and the mites that gave a couple of us scrub itch. Land leeches are about as pleasant as they sound. They crawl like inchworms with suckers on either end and suck your blood until they’re swollen and fall off. The cool and intriguing included bandicoots, pademelons, musky rat kangaroos, green ringtail possums and an amethystine python that lived outside of one of our cabins. Our favorites came to be known by name, such as Tom the cane toad, Charles the brush turkey, Larry the leech, Boris the bandicoot, Gary the gecko, Monty the python and Betty the beetle. Above it all, the Hercules moths, with wingspans of up to 27 centimeters or a little more than 10 inches, and the Ulysses butterflies, a bright blue that stands out from the green foliage, calmly flitted. However, the dearest to our hearts were the cryptic Lumholtz tree kangaroos that we studied in our classes on which we did an extensive research project.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

The Place that Changed Me Research in the Rainforest

The day-to-day of life in the rainforest was action-packed with our classes, field trips and community engagement. Our classes included Rainforest Ecology, where we learned about the flora and fauna surrounding us and the dynamic relationships between them. Another class was Principles of Forest Management, where we learned theories and skills necessary for resource development and the restoration of the environment from human-induced damage. There was also the course, Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values, where we learned the social complexities of rainforest resource management. A major project for this class was conducting interviews about ecotourism in the nearby town of Kuranda. In the area, we became very involved in the community through service. We acted as an engaged partner with many community groups committed to the wellbeing of the rainforest and its organisms. Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands Inc. hosted many tree plantings where we worked with community members and citizen volunteers under the grueling sun to restore and replant areas where the rainforest had been cut down for agriculture, which was always followed by a traditional Australian “barbie.” Working side by side, we gained a local perspective of our environment and became integrated into the social fabric of the community. Furthermore, we worked with Landcare, Tablelands National Park Volunteers and the Tree Kangaroo and Mammal Group by doing service and attending community lectures. The second part of our studies involved directed research projects under our professors. My directed research project focused on secondary succession in forests. My work in the field included measuring stand basal area, stem density and aboveground biomass. More specifically, my research was into the carbon storage dynamics and vegetation structure of secondary forests in the wet tropics of Far North Queensland. Translated into more basic language,

I compared the amount of carbon stored in secondary forests, rainforests that have experienced regrowth after a destructive event such as clear-cutting, to that of oldgrowth primary forests, which have never been significantly disturbed. Other projects included observing the behavior or mapping the habitat of Lumholtz tree kangaroos. Another group did research interviewing people about indigenous tourism.

Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef & Camping in the Outback

Beyond our site and the Atherton Tablelands, we went on many influential field trips. Most memorable was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Learning about coastal and reef management issues, and then seeing the impacts of the many threats to the reef in the bleaching of the coral, really gave our studies and efforts more gravity. It is hard to describe how amazing it was to peer into this underwater world full of vibrant colors and such abundant biodiversity where everything is alive and constantly changing. Another field trip we went on was the opposite of the reef; we went inland to the Outback. We camped out in Chillagoe and explored the caves, rock formations and eucalypt savannas of the Outback. We also traveled to some of the oldest rainforests in the world in Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation. In addition, we learned about coastal management practices and visited the native Mandingalbay Yidinji country with Aboriginal rangers.

An Appreciation of the World Around Me

Though cliché, my experience in the rainforest of Australia forever changed my view of the world around me. While not the traditional “semester abroad” travelling throughout Europe and absorbing the art and culture that has been built there, I gained a deep appreciation of the natural Earth and the wonders that God has created. I deeply miss the spontaneity and adventurousness of exploring the rainforest and the sense of community I gained with the people I lived with while there. My intense curiosity for discovering and learning about the world around me was cultivated and expanded through this experience. Most importantly, however, this experience perpetuated the values first instilled in me at Oak Knoll. While leaving the rainforest was sad, and reflecting upon it has induced a heavy nostalgia, my experience in Australia has left me excited for the adventures that lie ahead. Allison Ricciardi ’13 graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in the spring of 2017.

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2017

a SONG for

CHARITY Award-winning harpist Merynda Adams ’84 follows heart, mission of service Two summers ago, Merynda Adams ’84, a professional harpist, was asked to fill in at a music festival with just three days’ notice and found inspiration in an unlikely place. “I was sitting with the car running in the driveway, harp packed, about to pull out, and for some reason, I ran upstairs and went to the back of my jewelry drawer to find the little gold Society of the Holy Child Jesus emblem that I hadn’t thought about since it was given to us at graduation,” Adams said. She believed wearing it would give her the confidence she was lacking at the moment. As she drove to the venue – Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania – she saw a flag for Rosemont College, which was emblazoned with the very same Holy Child crest hanging around her neck. Throughout the festival, which lasted a few days, she spent some time walking around the Rosemont campus. While reflecting inside the college chapel, Adams found a book about Cornelia Connelly and reacquainted herself with the life of the Holy Child founder. The experience left Adams inspired to use the money she earned from her performance as the seed money for what would become the Chamber Music for Charity Concert Series, which she established in 2015 under the nonprofit Stardust Music Society of New Jersey. The series recently completed its second season, raising more than $5,000 for local charities, including America’s Grow-A-Row, HomeSharing and Family Promise, and serving as the culmination of Oak Knoll’s influence both on Adams’ musical talent and desire to serve.

“At Oak Knoll, there was always a sense of giving back,” she said. “We had so many opportunities to pursue our interests and intellectual pursuits on our way to becoming ‘women of promise.’” It was in the Lower School where Adams was also introduced to the harp when renowned harpist Kathleen Bride visited campus. “I fell in love with the sound of the instrument and I began studies with her,” said Adams, who studied with Bride at the Manhattan School of Music, where Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in harp performance. Adams’ love of music was realized in different ways at Oak Knoll, singing in the choir and playing recorder, piano and violin under the tutelage of teachers Marie Finkel and Linda Mirabella. “It was wonderful to have such a supportive music department in both the Upper and Lower schools,” she said. “The musical interests that were begun and fostered at Oak Knoll have made all the difference in making my life complete, and I am sincerely grateful.” The series was a chance to do more after Adams organized a 2009 concert to benefit the Community Bank of New Jersey, which, appropriately enough was founded by Kathleen DiChiara, mother of Adams’ classmate Erin DiChiara ’84.

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2017

“Musicians are often asked to volunteer to play at charity events, but I wanted to establish a more concrete concert series where all donations at the door would go to a charity that helps people with basic needs of food and housing,” she said. In addition to the series, Adams has released a Christmas harp album, with the proceeds – more than $2,000 – benefitting a mission in Haiti. She said she is grateful for the support of many from the community, including the Grace Episcopal Church, which has donated its space for the concerts, to corporate sponsors including Adams Dental, a practice founded by her sister and fellow alumna Dr. Allison M. Adams ’81. “It has been a privilege to perform in various countries, prestigious concert venues and celebrity events, but being able to perform chamber music, wanting nothing in return but for the audience to be swept away by the music and have that be the impetus for donations to help others is so fulfilling,” she said.

Adams has also given back to her alma mater, returning to Oak Knoll in November 2016 with flutist John Romeri and cellist Amy Butler-Visscher as part of the Upper School’s Guest Artist Series. “It was a joy to be back among the Oak Knoll community and see the students’ passion for learning and witness their response to the music,” she said. Adams has performed throughout the United States, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, including performances with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York Grand Opera, New Philharmonic, Lyrica Chamber Music, Northeastern Philharmonic, Colonial Symphony, Westfield Symphony, Lake Placid Symphonietta and the off-Broadway production, “The Fantasticks.” Adams is a 1994 winner of the Artists International Competition and the Goldblatt Award. In addition to her bachelor’s degree, she has studied at the Hilversums Conservatorium in the Netherlands. The third season of Adams’ Chamber Music for Charity Concert Series begins in the fall of 2017 with a concert to benefit Homeless Solutions.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

Building a Dr. Claire Esposito ’79 helps provide homes, medical support to people in Honduras When families living in Tela, Honduras, faced the prospects of being thrown out of their homes to make way for a multi-lane highway last fall, Oak Knoll alumna Dr. Claire Esposito ’79 stepped in, donating $100,000 to a nonprofit organization to build new homes complete with solar panels, water purifiers and energy-efficient wood-burning stoves. In addition to the homes – to be built by the Florida-based nonprofit Food For the Poor on land donated by the local municipality – Esposito’s donation will also provide a year’s worth of food as well as fencing to allow residents to grow climbing vegetables. “They’re doing so well,” she said. “This just changed their lives. I can’t explain how they’ve been uplifted by this. There’s been a real sense of community and ownership.” The donation was just the latest in what’s been a 25-year odyssey of service to the Caribbean nation for Esposito, a doctor whose specialty is in anesthesiology and works for the Yale-New Haven Health System in Connecticut. For years, Esposito has assisted Honduran families by providing food, medical supplies, clothing and other essentials, but knew more was necessary given the plight facing these families. Her time working in Honduras began more than a quarter-century ago when Esposito, then a student at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in Manhattan, was participating in a three-month fellowship to Las Crucitas, a community within Honduras’

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2017

Foundation capital city of Tegucigalpa, to report on people living without the benefits of modern medicine. From there her service began, with food deliveries being one of her first major efforts through the Franciscan Friars. “That’s what they really needed,” she said. As she began to find success in her medical career, she was able to translate her career growth to increasing her service when she was able to purchase a home in the Caribbean country, which became a base of operations of sorts for Esposito, who began seeing patients both at her home and a local hospital. Whether the people were in dire need of medical care or facing the potential of being expelled from their homes, Esposito said she’s been consistently inspired by the resiliency of the people she’s helped. “It’s amazing what people have done with the little stretch of land that surrounds their house,” she said.

Return to service

Esposito will return to Honduras in October 2017 and has plans to help the community build a facility for the people to maintain bicycles, a major form of transportation. “This community is a little off the beaten path. They’re really isolated,” she said, noting the nearest town is an hour and a half’s walk away. To further complicate matters, a bus fare is roughly 30 cents, whereas the average daily income is less than $1.20. Esposito also hopes to purchase bicycles that will be given to local youth who perform community service, as well as purchase land that will allow residents to grow food for themselves and for export.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

OUTSIDE HER COMFORT ZONE Fulbright Scholar, Christine Butchko ‘13 embraces life’s twists and turns that will bring her from Oak Knoll to Malaysia

Christine Butchko ’13 thought she had everything planned out. After high school, she was going to spend four years at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. But an issue with class registration detoured her to the European School of Political and Social Sciences in Lille, France, where she studied abroad her junior year, potentially changing the entire course of her life.

Encouraging his daughter to roll with the punches, Butchko’s father, Michael, offered some sage advice: “Man plans and God laughs.” “While I totally eye roll most of the time when he says this to me, there’s merit behind the saying,” Butchko said. “It’s good to have a five-year plan, but it’s not necessary. You’ll 10A

never actually foresee any of the twists and turns that you’ll meet along the way, and sometimes things not going right actually turns out better than you could have ever imagined. Perfect lives make for terrible storylines, so just try and enjoy the ride,” she said. Butchko’s time spent in France ultimately inspired her to apply to tutor English students through the Fulbright Program. She was recently accepted into the program and will spend January 2018 to November 2018 abroad. “After I came back from my year abroad in France, I realized that I was hungry to continue exploring and learning about myself and the world around me,” Butchko said. “I found my time there to be challenging, yet highly formative, and thus, when I decided to apply for Fulbright, I looked for a program that would push me out of my comfort zone and allow me to continue to learn and grow.”

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2017

She said the program in Malaysia is gearing up to be exactly that, where she will be a teacher’s aide for 20 different high school English classes, as well as a cultural ambassador between Malaysia and the United States. Even a prior tutoring experience invites a reprise of her father’s advice and a push outside her comfort zone.

“I’m excited to be pushed out of my comfort zone and adjust to a totally different way of life,” she said. She also expects the experience to be informative on what she ultimately decides what she wants to do with her life.

As a sophomore at Villanova, she joined the university’s service learning community, an experience where students live in a designated dorm on campus, take special classes and perform four to six hours of community service at an organization of their choosing.

“I am currently undergoing the time-honored tradition of figuring out what I want to do with my life. However, the current soundbite that I tell people is that I want to work as a Foreign Service officer for the U.S. government or work at an international NGO like Medicins Sans Frointieres or, better known as Doctors Without Borders, where I intern currently in marketing or development.

Butchko ended up tutoring children at Strawberry Mansion High School, in Philadelphia, which was chronicled at length by ABC News and Diane Sawyer in 2013.

“Through the Fulbright program, I will be able to practice and develop the skills, competencies and the necessary empathy to be effective in either career path by acting as a cultural ambassador for the U.S.,” she added.

She said helping the students prepare for a state-mandated test was rewarding and was just as instrumental to her pursuing the Fulbright Program. “I was able to cultivate relationships with the kids I tutored,” Butchko said. “To be honest, without my time at Mansion, I doubt I would have pursued Fulbright in the first place.” Among the skills she honed through tutoring were those first cultivated at Oak Knoll, where she, as a senior completing her Capstone Project, worked with seventh graders at the Cornelia Connelly Center in the Lower East Side in Manhattan. “It was a truly formative experience – getting to interact with the girls there and watch the work that the school does to get their students on their right track,” she said. “The experience of working at a school that strives to eradicate education inequality for well-deserving students, I decided to pursue opportunities that focused on helping underprivileged kids, including tutoring and mentoring at Villanova University. It also undoubtedly set me on the track to receive a Fulbright.” Looking back on her Oak Knoll tenure, she also pointed to the impact of an assignment in her honors world history class as a sophomore where she had to research and report on a non-western country. “It really opened my eyes to exploring the world through learning and informed my decision to become a political science major,” she said. She acknowledges the transition may not be easy, noting that Malaysia, which is located in close proximity to the equator, has a hot and humid climate, reaching in excess to more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit by early spring. But she is embracing the opportunity to immerse herself in the southeastern Asian country and its culture.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

Following in their footsteps Butchko joins an impressive group of Oak Knoll alumnae/i who have participated in the Fulbright program, including Missy Joffe Garber ’85, Rosanna BrillantesMeyer ’87, Peter Steciuk ’93 and Tara Deubel ’93.

ABOUT FULBRIGHT Fulbright grants are awarded based on academic or professional achievement, in addition to leadership demonstrated in the recipients’ respective fields. Butchko was awarded one of approximately 1,900 grants given out annually. Established in 1946 through legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the program has given approximately 340,000 individuals the opportunity to pursue various fields of study and research, as well as efforts in the exchanging of ideas or search for solutions to international issues.

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A CALL TO SERVICE 20 years later, Jody Kemmerer ’97 remembers why she brought Bridges to Oak Knoll Like most who grew up in North Jersey, Jody Kemmerer ’97 looked forward to her trips to the big city as a child, annually journeying to catch a Broadway show. Her lingering memory, however, was not the bright lights or the hustle and bustle, it was the poverty.

“I remember being shocked at seeing homeless people on the street,” she said. “It left an impact on me.” These startling and sobering images stuck in her head when she first arrived as a junior at Oak Knoll in 1995, and inspired Kemmerer to start a partnership between the school and Bridges Outreach Inc., helping to improve the lives of countless members of the homeless population in the tri-state area. In 2017, Oak Knoll celebrated a 20-year partnership with the organization. “I thought back then, ‘Boy, we’re all in Summit, and Bridges is based in a church where so many people from Oak Knoll are parishioners,” said Kemmerer, who noted she was not hesitant to share the impact Bridges had on her with Nonie Murphy, former Upper School theology teacher, who was community service coordinator in the spring of 1996 when the first Bridges run took place.

“I was able to talk with these folks and to learn about their lives. The thing I took away the most was that they weren’t different from me,” she said, noting how much more it meant to her to get to know the individuals, as opposed to simply giving someone in need a dollar or two on the streets of New York. “It’s part of your natural human instinct to help. You sense that they’re in pain. You realize in that moment that you can’t do much – maybe give them a small donation, but money is still an intermediary. They want money, but they really want human caring and basic needs,” she said. Kemmerer said she was impacted by learning more about the people’s lives, how some simply found themselves living in hard times due to a simple and sudden change of circumstance. The impact of her Bridges experiences has continued to impact her, as she pursued a career as a social worker. “That was sort of my earliest social work, and it really shaped who I am,” she said. Over the years, the partnership between Oak Knoll and Bridges grew, with students visiting homeless individuals and families in temporary housing in Newark. Students would engage the families, especially the youth, by offering fun activities and holding birthday parties. In 2014, Oak Knoll expanded the school’s outreach to New York City. According to the organization’s estimates, over the course of two decades, Oak Knoll students have: • Participated in at least 100 runs into either Newark or Manhattan. • Made and delivered 30,000 brown bag meals. • Donated 150 toys every Christmas for 20 years, equating to approximately 3,000 toys. • Donated 1,800 pajamas during the past 12 years. Kemmerer earned a degree at Columbia University, where she spent time working with Riker’s Island Detention Center inmates, many of whom were homeless.

“We always wanted to support kids with their response to our Holy Child mission to serve others,” Murphy recalled. “Bridges gave the girls the experience of serving people whom life had just overlooked, people who were still to be treated with dignity and respect and our kids did just that. It’s just what Oak Knoll does.” Kemmerer echoed Murphy’s sentiment, saying her experiences with Bridges helped humanize the people she sought to help.

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Currently, Kemmerer works in a private practice, but appropriately enough, is looking for ways to make her services available to those who are unable afford them, continuing to heed the call that grew in her since childhood and was fostered at school. “That sense of social justice has always been a really big part of my life.”

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2017

Bridges honors Oak Knoll for 20-year partnership of giving Oak Knoll School was honored in June 2017 at the Bridges Outreach annual meeting for the school’s two-decade long partnership with the organization, helping to improve the lives of countless members of the homeless populations in the tri-state area.

of Campus Ministry, was also honored for her contribution to Bridges over the years, spearheading fundraising efforts at Oak Knoll that ultimately benefited the underserved portion of the population that is serviced by Bridges. Lynch retired at the end of the 2016-17 school year.

Students and faculty at Oak Knoll typically participate in “Bridges Runs” throughout the year, delivering clothes, food and toiletries, to those in need.

“Kathleen was there at the very beginning,” Bhatt said.

“We are so appreciative of our partnership with Oak Knoll,” said Lois Bhatt, executive director of Bridges Outreach. “It’s impossible to put 20 years into words, but we look forward to many more to come.” In addition to recognizing the school, Kathleen Lynch, chair of Oak Knoll’s Theology Department and director

Though some may be impressed by the generous spirit at Oak Knoll, Lynch said she believes it is the school that has been blessed by the association, offering students and adults an opportunity to experience personal encounters with the homeless men, women and children over the years. “These moments of encounter reinforce our common humanity and the importance of kindness and mercy to one another,” she said.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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CLASS NOTES Lower School

Upper School

Patrick Ryan, Francis Randazzo and William McCann with

Diane (Wilderotter) Mayer ’66

’12

the Class of 2012, friends since kindergarten at Oak Knoll, led Morristown-Beard to its first-ever Morris County Tournament golf title in April.

Above, L-R: William McCann, Francis Randazzo and Patrick Ryan, with the Class of 2012 when they were in kindergarten at Oak Knoll. Below, L-R: Friends Francis Randazzo, William McCann and Patrick Ryan, with the Class of 2012, after they led Morristown-Beard to its first-ever Morris County golf tournament title in April 2017.

’94

’66

self-published a memoir on faith entitled “An Ordinary Woman … An Awesome God.” The book, which Mayer wrote to share her faith with her granddaughter, is about growing up, falling love and dealing with hardships while showing the importance of God’s guidance. The memoir includes a chapter describing how Diane grew in her faith at Oak Knoll.

Maureen Kelly ’94 welcomed her second child, Robert Carlin McEnroe into the world on April 27, 2016. The birth included a special Oak Knoll connection as her nurse was none other than Adama Sheppard Brennan ’02.

Robert Carlin McEnroe, who was born to Maureen Kelly ’94 on April 27, 2016, is pictured with big sister, Mary McEnroe, 6.

’00

Ann Hubert ’00 was hired this year as a tenure-track assistant professor of English at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.

’05

Christine Burke ’05, daughter of

Upper School Computer Science Teacher Camille Burke ’77, married Nolan Howe on May 14, 2016.

L-R: Upper School Computer Science Teacher Camille Burke ’77, Christine Burke ’05 and Brian Burke.)

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ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2017

Meghan Brown Del Campo’05, was joined by her Oak Knoll classmates for her September 10, 2016 wedding.

graduated from Fordham University before beginning her graduate studies at Columbia.

’09

L-R: Christine Burke Howe ’05, Melissa Santucci Beatrice ’05, Meaghan Brown Del Campo ’05, Caitlyn Brown Boniakowski ’05 and Kelly Rummell ’05.

’08

Christina Abruzzo ’08 married

Anthony Finizio on October 15, 2016 at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Summit. The couple met at Lafayette College, where they graduated. Abruzzo is an investment banking associate in the securities unit of JP Morgan Chase in New York.

Brittany Bruce ’08 married

Dominique Powell on September 18, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Brooke Conti ’09 married Patrick Trousdale on June 4, 2016. Conti is a graduate fellow at Rockefeller University in New York, where she is studying for a doctorate in molecular biology. She previously graduated from Notre Dame. Trousdale, who is the grandson of Dolly Dempsey Donohue ’52, is an associate in the media, technology and telecommunications sectors at Guggenheim Securities, an investment bank in New York. He is a Georgetown graduate.

Blythe Kriete ’09 married Marko

Esfratiou in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 18, 2016.

Michelle Cesan ’09 married Brian

Duffy on September 10, 2016 in Santa Barbara, California. The couple was joined by family and friends, as well as many of her fellow classmates including bridesmaids Lindsay Boyajian ’09 and Ryan Hand ‘09. Chrissy McBride ’09, Colleen Murphy ’09, Katharine Rooney ’09, Elizabeth Rosen ’09 and Michelle Russoniello ’09 were also in attendance.

Cesan is an International Marketing Coordinator at ESPN, and the young couple moved to Miami, Florida to begin this next chapter of their lives together.

’10

Alexandra Rizk ’10 married

Michael Keane, a U.S. Naval Academy Graduate, at St. Peter’s Parish in New York on August 6, 2016. Rizk, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, currently operates an independent film production company after working as production assistant for the official website of VH1.

’13

Kyla Cordrey ’13 graduated from

Harvard University in May with a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology. Cordrey was also the recipient of the university’s Arthur L. Boland Award, which is presented to an outstanding senior varsity athlete. Cordrey, a member of the school’s field hockey team, was a captain, a four-time AllIvy recipient and was selected to the All-Northeast Region team on three occasions. She was an integral part of the team that won its first outright Ivy title since 1990. Cordrey will be attending Johns Hopkins Medical School starting in August.

L-R: Esther Clovis ’08, Sharlene Piverger ’08, Brittany Bruce Powell ’08 and Briana Durr ’09.

Susan Murray ’08, daughter of Mary Ellen Kenny Murray ’69, was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to study the relationships between body weight, diet quality and cognitive functioning, in addition to some of the potential neural mechanisms that could influence the relationships. Murray just completed her second year of a six-year program at Temple University where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and neuroscience. After graduating from Oak Knoll, Murray

In May 2017, Kyla Cordrey ’13 received Harvard University’s Arthur L. Boland Award, which is presented to an outstanding senior varsity athlete. Cordrey was captain of the university’s field hockey team and a four-time All-Ivy recipient.

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REUNION 2017 Alumnae from the classes ending in 2s and 7s reunited during Reunion Weekend on April 21 and 22. To kick off the weekend, members of the Cachet Club, alumnae celebrating their 50th reunion and above, enjoyed a prayer service with their fourth-grade pen pals as well as a luncheon. On Saturday afternoon, the community cheered on the lacrosse team while celebrating Homecoming at the Chatham Fields. An enthusiastic group of alumnae returned to campus to take part in the traditional reunion activities Saturday evening, including Mass, cocktails and dinner. We invite you to join us as we relive the memories of Reunion Weekend 2017!

1967

CLASS OF

Congratulations, Class of 1967, on your 50th Reunion! The Class of 1967 reunited on Reunion Day. Pictured, in the back row, from left: Mary Lynch Donohoe, Patricia McGovern Strong, Catherine Moran and Mary Frances Beirne. Front row, from left: Priscilla McCarthy, Adele Markey Beekman, Barbara Porter O’ Sullivan and Kathleen McClellan Dennis. Attending reunion, but not pictured: Christine O’Sullivan and Mary Ellen Pernice.

CACHET CLUB 50th Reunion Class Meets Pen Pals

Members of the Cachet Club, alumnae who are celebrating their 50th reunion and above, joined their grades 3 and 4 pen pals for a special prayer service and a Q&A on the Friday morning of Reunion Weekend 2017. Following the service, which included a skit centered on the Parable of the Sower that is a fixture of both kindergarten and grade 6 commencement, Barbara Porter

O’Sullivan ’67 told the students she was so moved by her exchanges with Lauren White ’25 that she just had to come to reunion and meet Lauren and her classmates.

“YOUR LETTERS WERE VERY SPECIAL TO US,” O’SULLIVAN TOLD THE STUDENTS. During the Q&A, students asked the alumnae about what sports they played, what kind of food was served in the cafeteria and what their uniforms looked like. Current students and alumnae alike took delight in discovering the similarities and differences of their respective Oak Knoll experiences.

ENJOY SOME EXCERPTS FROM THEIR LETTERS: “My favorite memories of Oak Knoll were being on the varsity hockey and basketball teams. It taught me how to be a team player, and that was important in life.” – Betsy Hanson ’67 “I loved when I received my school ring. I loved the words that are engraved on the ring – ‘Actions Not Words.’ These words have been an important part of my life since I graduated from Oak Knoll.” – Barbara Porter O’ Sullivan ’67

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REUNION SUMMER 2017

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1972

CLASS OF

1997

CLASS OF

From left: Diane Cooper Kindall, Mary Ellen Green Hettinger and Patricia Kentz-Ondo.

Back row, from left: Maria Cizmar Collura, Jessie Vogt, Briehan Lynch, Erin Dunlevy, Lori Trespicio and Kaitlin Seaver Jones. Third row, from left: Sara Kassabian Britton, Deirdre Russo Kole, Melissa Blatt, Michelle Lao Bierschied, Eileen Angelo, Maryellen Wilson Jochim and Ann Marie Figenshu Schiffmann. Second row, from left: Toni Pingol-Francis, Corinne Chang Chou, Meredith Manze, Alison Castellano Minor, Daisy DeCoster and Alexis Leddy. Front row, from left: Kathryn Happel Smith, Maureen Giese, Martha Kassabian Wood, Amy Pidgeon Cooke and Megan Quinn Koczek.

IN MEMORY OF

AMY PIZZI ’97

1977

CLASS OF

Back row, from left: Deirdre Gibbons Kvartunas and Kathleen Green Rietzl. Second row, from left: Mary L. Speckhart and Heather Thomas Kowalczyk. Front row, from left: Ana Duarte McCarthy and Camille Graziano Burke.

Family and friends gathered on Saturday, April 22, 2017, to bless the memory of Amy Elizabeth Pizzi ’97, who passed away on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016. Born and raised in New Providence, Pizzi earned a degree in communications from Villanova University after graduating from Oak Knoll. Later, she obtained her teaching certification and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Caldwell College.

1992

CLASS OF

She taught fifth grade at Hillside Intermediate School in Bridgewater, and will be missed by all whose lives she impacted, especially her parents, Marguerite and Peter; beloved sisters, Kristen (Patrick) Shallcross, of Summit, and Katie (Richard) Travia ’99, of Stamford, Conn; as well as her Oak Knoll sisters in the Class of 1997, who shared a special moment at reunion when a tree was planted and a plaque displayed on campus in her memory.

From left: Rebecca J. Elias, Suzanne Travers and Patricia Mechael.

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CLASS OF THE YEAR Class of 1997 Crowned Alumnae Class of the Year!

The Oak Knoll Alumnae Class of the Year Award is given to the reunion class with the highest percentage of annual fund participation. This year, the Class of 1997 led the competition with 70 percent.

1997

CLASS OF

Queens for the day, the Class of 1997 celebrates being named Alumnae Class of the Year.

2002

CLASS OF

Back row, from left: Corrine Cankes, Monica Gargiulo Addonizio and Meghan Stokes Baksa. Second row, from left: Lindsay Fischer Pannucci, Meghan Rafferty Hakanson and Nicole Portas Barattin. Front row, from left: Kimberly McAuley Dwyre, Jaclyn Ferrara Romano and Ann Curran Higgins.

2007

CLASS OF

Back row, from left: Katherine Gandy, Catherine Munson, Chiara Connor, Elizabeth Mercer, Christine Cobuzzi and Jacqueline Gabela. Third row, from left: Olga Anagnostis, Catherine Stewart, Alexandra Corrado Agro, Kathryn Werner and Julie McAloon. Second row, from left: Christine Nigara Rocha, Diana Lee, Kathleen Wroblewski, Lauren Dolecki and Kaitlin Leyden. First row, from left: Lauren Masini, Allison Hubschmann, Emily Newman and Kathryn Haroldson McMillan.

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2012

CLASS OF

Back row, from left: Caitlin Cavanagh, Catherine Rutter and Allison Donini. Second row, from left: Shannon Galvin, Alessandra Moore, Kelly McManus and Leah Schwenk. First row, from left: Maria Isabella Pontoriero, Hannah Carey, Teresa Drew, Kelly Coleman, Meredith Bergan and Abigail Lofredo.

REUNION SUMMER 2017

REUNION 2017 Oak Knoll ... Happy Homecomings for All at Reunion

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DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA Mary Ellen Green Hettinger ’72

The Distinguished Alumna Award, which was presented for the first time in 1986, recognizes alumnae who have shown a continuing love of Oak Knoll and who, through their personal and/or professional lives, have made outstanding contributions that exemplify the Holy Child spirit of excellence and devotion to others. It gave us great pleasure to recognize Mary Ellen Green Hettinger, a member of the Class of 1972. She has an outstanding record of service to her community, the state of New Hampshire and to children who have benefitted from her commitment to them. During her professional career, Mary Ellen worked for American Media as a senior editor. In addition, she worked for New Hampshire Public Radio and for The Cabinet Press newspapers group. She was the communications and public relations manager for The Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains. Her position there was to articulate the value of this premier leadership development program for girls. As a member of the Girl Scouts of the USA’s elite “MarComm” team, she helped other councils manage crisis communications. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in 2012, Mary Ellen wrote and edited a book on that organization. For more than 36 years, she has worked as a freelance book editor and proofreader for Health Communications, Inc., a niche publisher of books by and for therapists and substance abuse counselors. An accredited public relations professional, she has her own business, Write Stuff Writing and Editing, where she writes grants, blogs and manages social media for clients. She is currently director of Public Relations and Communications for Breathe New Hampshire. Breathe New Hampshire is dedicated to eliminating lung disease and improving quality of life for those with lung disease in New Hampshire. In Florida, she 20A

served in the Guardian ad Litem program as a court-appointed special advocate for children in foster care. Her awards are numerous in her field. Mary Ellen won a national Gold Award from the Parenting Media Association for her article on children and mental illness, which was previously published in Parenting New Hampshire magazine in November 2015. Previously, she won a national award for creating a website and CD. In addition, she edited a South Florida media guide and has won two New Hampshire Press Association Best Feature Awards for articles written for The Cabinet Press newspaper group. The last chair of the 40-year-old New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women, Mary Ellen is on the board of what is now the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, and is New Hampshire chair of the New England Women’s Policy Conference: Ensuring Economic Security for All Women and Their Families. If that is not enough, for 10 years, she has chaired a committee of 12, which hosts the annual Messiah Sing in Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, comprised of a chorus of 100 singers from 20 communities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Mary Ellen is a Holy Child success story. Someone who truly exemplifies what Cornelia Connelly taught — “Actions, not words.” Mary Ellen has set a high standard for our alumnae and future alumnae to follow. The Class of 1972 is fortunate to claim her as one of their own but, the entire Oak Knoll community is indeed honored to name Mary Ellen our Distinguished Alumna for 2017.

REUNION SUMMER 2017

GERALD P. BUTLER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME Christina Butler Murphy ’87 In celebration of the achievements and contributions of our student athletes, the Alumnae/i Association formed the Oak Knoll Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. This program recognizes coaches, teams or athletes who have made significant contributions to athletics at Oak Knoll. Last year, the Athletic Hall of Fame was renamed the Gerald P. Butler Athletic Hall of Fame in honor of retiring athletic director Jerry Butler’s contributions and leadership of the athletic program for more than 43 years. This year, we honored Christina Butler Murphy, a member of the Class of 1987, who celebrated her 30th reunion. Christina was recognized for her athletic accomplishments as a member of the fencing, tennis and lacrosse teams. Christina wasn’t just a member of those teams – she began making her mark in OKS athletics by earning varsity status on all three teams in her freshman year. Christina is, in short, an exceptional athlete. As the sophomore captain of the fencing team, she led her teammates to a third place win in the State Championships. On Oak Knoll’s first-ever tennis team, Christina led as the first singles player. Though Oak Knoll’s team was new to the independent school circuit, that didn’t stop Christina. She played through her sophomore season with an almost perfect individual record. That spring, as a lacrosse player, Christina went on to set the season record for the highest number of goals scored. Cracking triple digits with 103 points wasn’t just a tremendous feat, it also represented more than 60 percent of the team’s goals for the season. The play on the field was called, “Get the Ball to Butler.” The following year, Christina was named “Outstanding Player of The Year.” Christina has always been known for her unique sense of humor – some things never change. When you speak with Christina about being an Oak Knoll athlete, she says, “The older I get, the better I was.” When we asked her teammates about her, they recalled her frequent and good-natured impersonations of teachers and coaches. It is that same humor, talent and kindness that helped make her a unifying force in her class and on the fields. Christina consistently demonstrated Oak Knoll’s athletic values through her dedication, commitment, teamwork and good sportsmanship. One alumna noted that, “Christina was supportive to each member of the team, bringing out the best in each player with her humor, athleticism and leadership. She lifted each team that she played on with her sense of fair play and love of the game.”

Upon graduation from Oak Knoll, Christina continued her love of sports at the University of Pennsylvania where she played lacrosse. She continues to play tennis and paddle tennis competitively, and she has coached tennis and lacrosse since High School.

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