Penn Charter Magazine Fall 2011

The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Fall 2011

PC/GA Day

A 125-Year Tradition

Untitled-1 1

5/8/12 11:02 AM

From the Head of School In a 2004 interview for a Penn Charter publication, Lew Somers was asked, What about Penn Charter makes its future a priority for you? He replied: “It always comes down to the people… The quality of the individual teachers. It’s the people.”

Anyone privileged to have met Lew and Betty Somers I believe that Lew’s unwavering support of Penn Charter knows that they loved people. Whether at church, Williams occurred because he was ever-present in the school. Lew and College, The Hill, the Random Garden Club or Morris Betty always attended school celebrations, shows and sporting Arboretum, in Asia or in Raymond, Maine, Lew and Betty made events; they were active as parents and remained active after friends, took an interest in others, and, clearly, made a their sons’ graduations. Lew never missed a finance or difference in the lives of those whom they encountered. And, of development committee meeting, an Overseers retreat – nor course, there was Penn Charter! delivery of a yard-long box of chocolates That Penn Charter meant so much to to the main office every Christmas. Lew Lew and Betty should be no surprise. A invested time in getting to know school lifer, Lew entered Ellgarda Tennis’ first programs, their purpose and the people grade class in 1932 and graduated with responsible for implementation. the Class of 1944. He became an overseer It was this on-the-ground knowledge in 1973, served as Clerk of Overseers for of Penn Charter that led Lew to make six years, and served as a Senior Overseer yet two additional gifts to the school at up until his death in August. Lew and the end of the Frameworks campaign.

Betty’s sons, Lewis 4th and John, are OPC Lew made a six-figure gift to create a ’73 and ’78, and I would like to think that, beautiful new soccer field on the if the school had been coed when she Strawbridge campus. Lew wanted both was a girl, they would have enrolled their our girls and boys varsity teams to have daughter, Beth. the best field possible, and, I am certain, Lew and Betty’s commitment to Penn he wanted me to achieve this early Charter is also evident by their generosity. success in my tenure as head. In the They were among the top five later stages of construction of the David contributors to the school’s Fourth Century L. Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts, Fund capital campaign in the 1990s. More Lew learned that the stage of the Ball Lew and Betty Somers died together in August, in recently, Lew served as the national Theater would not have a hydraulic pit the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, when a faulty chairman of Frameworks for the Future, lift – and he thought it must. Just in the backup generator filled their summer home in Maine the successful campaign that raised more nick of time, he and Betty partnered with carbon monoxide. than $47 million for Penn Charter. Lew with Richard P. Brown Jr. OPC ’38 to and Betty provided leadership support to that campaign with donate $250,000 for the mechanical lift! Because Lew was an initial $2 million gift to endowment, faculty salaries and on-the-ground at school, he knew Penn Charter’s needs. professional development. In addition, their gift funded the Lew and Betty Somers believed in Penn Charter’s people.

Ball-Somers Committee, an educational strategic planning Because of their unwavering belief in us and in the mission of process that ultimately involved every faculty member, the school, they committed their time, talent and treasure in department chair and administrator to make Penn Charter “the ways that enhanced every aspect of Penn Charter. At our school, best place to teach and learn.” This gift transformed Penn one of our favorite tenets comes from William Penn himself Charter, making our great school even better. who said, “Let your life speak.” Lew and Betty did this. Their Lew was described as an “enlightened donor” by the lives spoke to us in transformative ways and will continue to do president of the Council for Advancement and Support of so, benefiting our students for generations to come. As Lew said, Education (CASE) when he and Betty made an additional $1 “It always comes down to the people.” I thank God for our million bequest to the Frameworks campaign to create an people — Lew and Betty Somers.

Endowment for Development – Lew thought we should not rest but rather build on the work of the Frameworks campaign.

Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, praised this “laudable and unusual” gift, Darryl J. Ford and CASE honored Lew with its Seymour Preston Award.

Untitled-1 2

5/8/12 11:02 AM

The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Darryl J. Ford Head of School

Contents

Stephanie Judson Associate Head of School Elizabeth A. Glascott Assistant Head of School Anne Marble Caramanico Clerk, Overseers John T. Rogers Hon. 1689 Chief Development Officer William A. Gallagher Jr. OPC ’91 Alumni Society President

Penn Charter is the magazine of William Penn Charter School. It is published by the Marketing Communications Office and distributed to alumni, parents and friends of the school. In addition to providing alumni updates about classmates, reunions and events, the magazine focuses on the people, the programs and the ideas that energize our school community.

2 Fall 2011

Editor Sharon Sexton

From the Head of School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover One for the History Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Assistant Editor Rebecca Luzi

Celebrating Girls Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Feature Photography Michael Branscom

Flying High Above the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 PC Ambassadors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Design Proof Design Studios

William Penn Charter School 3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144 215.844.3460 www.penncharter.com

Commencement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

10

Learning a New Way of Being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Campus Currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Alumni Weekend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Penn Charter is mailed at a special third-class rate for nonprofit organizations and cannot be forwarded.

On the cover: Penn Charter’s first football team, in 1887, in a studio photograph attributed to Bill Williams.

© 2011 William Penn Charter School

12

Untitled-3 1

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 2

Page 2

5/8/12 11:05 AM

one for the History Books

On the 125th anniversary of the first PC/GA football game, a look back at this storied rivalry.

O

by Lea Sitton Stanley

A

loose-knit group of Penn Charter boys arrived at Germantown Academy’s home

field on a Friday afternoon one November

to play a game of football.

The year was 1887. The foe was formidable. GA had

been fielding a team in the still-evolving American sport since 1880, and this season, it was undefeated. PC, on the other hand, had the habits of a pickup team. “The practice they have been able to get was obtained in match-games only, and of these not many have been engaged in,” according to an account in The Penn Charter Magazine. continued on next page

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 3

Page 3

5/8/12 11:05 AM

one for the history books continued from page 3

When the first game was played in 1887, the football was round, or very close to it. The game was more kicking, less throwing, more like rugby. The GA boys (below) won that first game, 20-6.

The Inter-Ac was formed in 1887, with Headmaster Richard Mott Jones providing leadership for PC, and GA teacher George H. Deacon and Headmaster William Kershaw acting for GA.

Henry M. “Dick” Merritt came to PC in 1912 after graduation from Yale and became one of PC’s most prominent early coaches. In 1922, after PC’s 10th straight title, the New York Herald wrote: “[Penn Charter’s] consistent support of football for nearly forty years, by providing the very best coaching possible, and adhering to strict rules of eligibility and insisting on high scholarship, furnishes a most substantial reason for the high position football has gained for itself all over the country.”

For the 100th anniversary game in 1986, the two schools worked together to create memorabilia.

This game was played on GA’s Deacon Field, and quarterbacks Mike Skoczynski (PC) and Matt Basilli (GA) shared the Geis trophy that day.

What began as an all-boys football contest, and then contests for other boys sports, opened to girls in the 1990s when both schools became coed.

Boys water polo was added in 2001, and the latest addition was girls water polo, added in 2008.

High school football drew big crowds in the early days; newspaper accounts report that 6,000 attended the 1922 game and 7,000 in 1934.

Crowds shrank as professional football grew in popularity. Today the stands are filled mostly with loyalists for either the Patriots or the Quakers.

So it was no surprise when GA won, 20-6, even though the PC boys had played, at times, “most brilliantly” before suddenly weakening or making “some costly blunder,” the magazine reported. Clearly, the game was not one for the history books, and yet it became exactly that.

When those players walked off the field, damp with sweat, steeling themselves against temperatures in the 40s, they stepped onto a timeline. Their game was the first in what is believed to be the nation’s oldest uninterrupted football rivalry among prep schools. This year, on Nov. 12, Penn Charter and Germantown Academy made it 125 football games, one a year since Nov. 18, 1887. The tally: 81 for PC, 33 for GA, and 11 times a tie.

In modern times, the rivalry has become the centerpiece of a daylong series of athletic contests with a history of assorted side events, an art show, a wing bowl, and countless luncheons and cocktail parties among them. The annual PC/GA Day (or GA/PC Day, if you root for the other side), which initially expanded to include boys soccer and cross country, in recent years has added matchups in girls soccer, tennis and field hockey, as well as in both girls and boys water polo.

(Both schools went coed in the second half of the 20th century.)

Since 1996, one point has been awarded to the winner in each sport, with the highest-scoring school snagging the Competition Cup. Each school also honors a boys soccer player — at Penn Charter the outstanding player receives the James H. Rumpp OPC ’55 Memorial Soccer Award.

Still, football is the heart of the contest, and since 1953, the most prestigious award, the Geis Trophy, has gone to the game’s MVP. Occasionally, two players have shared the trophy, sometimes from opposite sides.

The award memorializes Joseph Geis III, president of GA’s Class of 1948, who died in the Korean War. It’s not clear why these two Inter-Academic League teams became locked in a historic rivalry. But both were founders of the league, reputed to be the oldest scholastic sports league in the country. Both dominated the fledgling organization and, when GA christened its new playing field in 1921 with a football game, Penn Charter was its opponent of choice.

Early in 1887, headmasters Richard Mott Jones, of Penn Charter, and William Kershaw, of Germantown Academy, along with teacher George Hartley Deacon, GA’s “father of athletics,” joined to form what was first called the Inter-Academic Athletic Association.

According to GA accounts, Deacon also enlisted Henry I. Brown, a former GA student in his last year at PC, to help rally support for a league.

The Inter-Ac’s inaugural football season included the first PC/GA contest. GA was a powerhouse based on School House Lane in Germantown, then a suburb of sprawling estates and other large open spaces for play.

Penn Charter at the time was at 8 South 12th Street, a

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 4

Page 4

5/8/12 11:05 AM

school for city boys. Joseph Brevitt Townsend Jr., an 1878 graduate, wrote of football in the 12th Street schoolyard that “on a long punt, the ball frequently went over the wall” separating school and Meeting House. Younger boys would stand by, ready to run, jump, catch the top of the wall and throw themselves over to retrieve balls.

The first game most likely took place on a GA home field that was off campus. When Germantown Academy bought adjacent properties and added a field in 1921, it was reported that students would be able to play Inter-Ac games at GA for the first time. Mayor J. Hampton Moore dispatched the Philadelphia Police Band to mark the occasion, and an estimated 3,000 spectators showed up.

That contest, on Nov. 5, 1921, was the 35th game in the series — and PC steamrolled its host, 20-0. By the ’20s, Penn Charter was the powerhouse.

The team had developed quickly after Headmaster Jones lined up a playing field. In 1892, the Sporting Life newspaper reported that the rivals played on PC’s home field, then the Pennsylvania Railroad grounds at 52nd Street Station, in West Philadelphia. PC won, 8-4, and also secured the league title. The year before, 1891, PC had racked up what remains the rivalry’s most lopsided victory, 70-0 — just one year after winning its first game of the series, 46-4, and two years after the 1889 tie of 4-4.

PC had been heavily favored in 1888, but lore has it that a pileup inspired a GA rout, 37-8.

Edward O. Parry (GA 1932) wrote about that second game in the joint program for the rivalry’s 100th anniversary. His father, George Gowen Parry (GA 1889), had carried the ball a short distance when he fell beneath “an avalanche” of PC defenders. “An accidental but bloody injury resulted, leading to a near riot. …

Football is an emotional game, and this fact has been demonstrated many times in the GA-PC football series.”

It was demonstrated the very first time the two met, when the game “became very warm, and [PC] rusher [Henry] Granger showed more fight than he was supposed to possess,” The Penn Charter Magazine reported. “When time was called, after Granger had many times been calmed and restrained from inflicting injury, the score stood 20 to 6 in Germantown’s favor.”

The reporter concluded, “How a football contest must act upon the nerves of some!”

Oh, yes it does. Oh, yes it does. PC

Social Connections For photos and results of the 125th game, visit www.penncharter.com/pcga.

GA won the 1938 game 6-0 with a thrilling score in the last 5 minutes. PC won the 2007 football game with a thrilling final play, a hook and ladder pass from John Ryan, to Blaise Fullen, to Eddie Bambino (see above) for the game-winning touchdown. Watch it on www.youtube.com/pennchartertube.

Pep rallies and sales of buttons and T-shirts pump up school spirit in the days leading up to the Big Day.

In 1996, the first Competition Cup was bestowed on the overall winner of PC/GA Day. Head of School Darryl J. Ford accepted the cup in 2007.

The James H. Rumpp OPC ’55 Memorial Soccer Award is awarded to PC’s outstanding player in the boys soccer game.

Michael Goldman took home the trophy in 2010, the year PC boys captured the Inter-Ac title with a 3-2 win over GA. The Geis Trophy goes to the MVP of the football game. It is named for Joseph Geis III, a 1948 GA grad killed in the Korean War. Senior Kolonji Smith won the trophy in 2010.

When PC beat GA 57-0 in 1924, two of the school’s greatest players ever were on the field: Marty Brill (left) and Barney Berlinger (center). Brill went on to play for Notre Dame, and Berlinger was a three-time winner of the college decathlon at the Penn Relays; Berlinger finished fourth in the 1928 Olympics and a severe hamstring injury kept him out in 1932. Matt Ryan OPC ’03 started as Penn Charter’s quarterback for three years and, in his senior year, led the team to an Inter-Ac championship in 2002 (shown here, above right). In his four years at PC, Ryan passed for more than 3,000 yards and threw 30 touchdown passes with a 52 percent completion percentage over four years. His performance won him All Inter-Ac honors as a junior and senior and offers from top college football programs – he chose Boston College. Today, Ryan is a star in the NFL as quarterback for

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 5

Page 5

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Athletics

Celebrating

Girls Athletics & Four mentor Coaches Moms and dads, brothers and sisters, teachers

and coaches gathered in Center City in June to celebrate 20 years of girls sports at Penn Charter – and all associated memories.

“We were gritty. We weren’t pretty all the time, but we were gritty,” Cheryl Irving, who coached girls tennis, recalled in a video walk down memory lane. “We weren’t afraid to get dirty. We weren’t afraid to sweat.

We weren’t afraid to cry. We weren’t afraid to laugh. We weren’t afraid to put it all out there.”

Former Head of School Earl J. Ball praised the earliest female varsity athletes as pioneers. “When I think of what they contributed to the school and what they have contributed as adults, it’s obvious that they brought great strengths and that they are a real credit to the school.”

Girls sports began in 1992 when the school became fully coeducational, and while the girls athletics program started out small, Irving, Ball and others recalled the girls’ tenacity. Coach Liz Flemming recalled the “toughness the girls had and their desire to compete and be taken seriously.” Coach Debbie White remembered that the girls had a certain air that said: “We are here, we believe we are good at what we do, and we are proud to put on that Penn Charter uniform, which was important when just starting out.”

The girls supported one another, Beth Glascott recalled: “They really did help each other and stick together in a way that I think made them very strong, very confident young women.”

The nine-minute video by senior Blaine Steinberg, now OPC ’11, was a highlight of the evening, which was a tribute to girls athletics and also to the four women featured in the film.

The event kicked off the Women’s Legacy Scholarship Fund, created in honor of Deborah White, Cheryl Irving, Elizabeth Glascott and Elizabeth Flemming. All four women continue to teach at PC; in addition, White is chair of the physical education department, Irving is director of the Writing Center, Glascott is assistant head of school, and Flemming is head coach for girls track. PC

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 6

Page 6

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Play Ball!

PC softball’s new Max Gross Field was dedicated on May 13, 2011, a beautiful spring day that showcased what Head of School Darryl J. Ford described as the best softball field in the Inter-Ac. PC parent Steven Gross made the lead gift for the field and named it in honor of his father. Max Gross was a longtime third baseman for the nearby Philco softball team in the Industrial League and a lifelong lover of the game. “I’m sure my dad in his time off from the first and second shift, not a very far walking distance, probably found his way to this beautiful spot,” Gross said during the official dedication. “He was a great dad with a lot of burdens, and this is a big deal for me to complete this project for him. I want to thank you all very, very much.”

Gross threw out the first pitch, and the PC team won their game against Episcopal. PC softball began in 1992 and celebrated a milestone 250th win last spring on the new Max Gross Field, which the players quickly dubbed “The Max.” PC

Steven Gross, pictured with son Max, named the new softball field for his father, Max Gross.

Social Media Connections Almost 200 people celebrated girls sports at PC. View photos on www.flickr.com/photos/penncharter/sets and watch the video on www.youtube.com/pennchartertube.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 7

Page 7

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Teaching & Learning

Flying High Above the Classroom A revamped social studies curriculum leads to discovery for students and teachers.

by Connie Langland

The flight was scheduled for takeoff, and the second graders were eager to get under way.

Passport with recent photo? Check.

Boarding pass? Check.

Hablas español? Check. Well, more accurately, speaking Spanish could be called a work in progress, for most.

Teacher Joel Eckel distributed the documents.

Teacher Natasha Pronga, doubling as a flight attendant, stood by to verify all was in order as each passenger “boarded.”

And teacher Sonia Duprez was ready, when all students had taken their seats, row by row by row, to deliver on-board flight information.

The 42 students were about to take a “virtual” trip to Costa Rica.

This spring, students studied the history, culture and geography of the Central American country as part of the revamped second-grade social studies curriculum.

And as they learned about the lava-spewing Arenal Volcano, vast rainforests and Costa Rica’s long-standing commitment to going “green,” the students also learned another set of lessons – about the etiquette of flying, for instance, and how to use a website to gather information.

Another theme of second grade is exploring communities, and the students already had spent time visiting sites in Philadelphia. “We’ve mapped the children’s houses, and where Penn Charter is,” Duprez said. “And we’ve examined the importance of nature in the urban

To prepare for a virtual trip to Costa Rica, students made passports or brought real ones from home.

landscape.” The classes visited the Comcast Center and the Friends Center in Center City, learning how green technology has been incorporated into both settings.

Those visits put them in a good position to compare local conservation efforts with those under way in Costa Rica,

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 8

Page 8

5/8/12 11:05 AM

which seeks to become carbon-neutral by 2021 through the use of energy drawn from renewable resources – wind, hydro and geothermal. As a result, eco-tourism is a major industry.

All the more reason to board a jet plane, fasten seat belts and head for the tropics.

With all three second-grade classes gathered round him, Eckel asked: “How many of you have been on an airplane?”

With a show of hands, most children clearly had. And more than a handful had real passports, with family plans to travel abroad sometime soon.

In their seats, students learned a basic fact of air travel: no leg room. And that there are small amenities, such as Goldfish crackers, to snack on.

The teachers had acquired a video from Delta Air Lines – one that every passenger sits through while the plane is still at the gate. The students did themselves proud, paying close attention to instructions on buckling seatbelts, using oxygen masks and finding flotation devices.

At the trip’s end, each child’s handmade passport got stamped, and the first day of exploration – via websites – got underway.

The students soon were offering an abundance of information about Costa Rica.

“There is a lot of wildlife. And there are rain forests,” said Michael Comisky, 7.

“They speak español,” added Daniel Rodriguez, 8. Lower School students study Spanish and, as it happens, Spanish teacher Anabelle Montero-Hricz hails from Costa Rica.

David Kern, director of Lower School, said there are multiple reasons why Costa Rica is a good choice for study – its locale in the Western Hemisphere, the fact that its people are Spanish-speaking, and its commitment to protecting the environment. There’s even a Friends school outside San José, the capital. “The connections are apparent – that’s why we landed there,” Kern said.

Duprez’s class had broken up into twos and threes to find facts on the Internet.

Around the room, the country’s national anthem was playing on various laptops. And one team had figured out that the time zone in that country matched Mountain time in the United States.

“Let them explore, and you’ll find that they will selfteach, with some guidance,” their teacher said.

Kids can lead themselves. That is the advice that Sonia Duprez offers colleagues in an essay written for the April 2011, edition of P.C.P.D., Penn Charter’s professional development newsletter.

Her perspective reflects her experience and lessons that she and other Penn Charter teachers learned at a conference of the National Association of Independent Schools in Baltimore, Md., in February 2011, and, in particular, from featured speaker Sugata Mitra, professor of educational technology at Newcastle University, U.K. Mitra has gained renown for his 1999 “Hole in the Wall” experiment in a New Delhi slum. With colleagues, Mitra dug a hole in a wall and installed an Internet-connected PC, along with a hidden camera. Children from the slum began

In the weeks before their “trip,” students learned more about green technology in the U.S. and Costa Rica.

playing around with the computer and in the process learned how to use it. They then began teaching each other.

The findings defied conventional wisdom about how children learn and show that an environment that arouses curiosity can spur learning through self-instruction and sharing information. (See www.hole-in-the-wall.com.)

Duprez says that Mitra’s research is relevant to every teacher, not just those working with impoverished children in a developing nation. “The experienced teacher does have a place in the classroom, when that luxury is available. They are needed, in Mitra’s vision of the future, to nudge that rational belief system, to see that comprehension skills are honed, and to guide information research and analysis,” Duprez wrote.

So at the start of the Costa Rica unit, Duprez, Pronga and Eckel started out by letting students explore the Internet – a good option in part because of a lack of traditional texts on the country.

“What amazed me was how they worked and how they chose the information,” Duprez said. Their findings filled two pages on the classroom SmartBoard.

On Day 1 of the virtual tour of Costa Rica, Duprez made her way around the classroom, offering an assist here and there, along with a few words of encouragement, some of them in Spanish. The project was getting off to a strong start.

“This is great,” she told them. “I know you guys are going to rock and roll.” PC

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 9

Page 9

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Ani Schug, Rachael Morris, Marlaina Stuve, Kevin Kelly, Lital Netter-Sweet and Susannah Bonn on an excursion in Argentina.

PC Ambassadors Living and Learning in Argentina

by Eric Jiménez

Penn Charter’s second student exchange visit to Escuela Martin Buber in Buenos Aires was a memorable one for all the right reasons.

Six Penn Charter Upper School students traveled to Argentina for two weeks last summer, chaperoned by PC foreign language teachers Aude Simon and myself. Just as we have done for them in the past, the Martin Buber community welcomed the PC delegation with warm embraces and the proverbial red carpet.

Our students stayed in homestays with the students who visited PC in December 2010, to ensure that they were immersed in castellano with the unique Italianized Argentine accent. (Fun fact: There are more Italian and Eastern European surnames in the phone directory of Buenos Aires

than there are Spanish surnames.) As for Simon and me, Martin Buber rented a beautiful luxury apartment just a block away from El Jardín Botánico and a short 10-minute walk to school.

Escuela Martin Buber (MB) is a private, Jewish K-12 day school, located in the chic Palermo neighborhood of the Argentine capital. The partnership between PC and MB was established by PC Spanish teacher Marta Zamora in 2004 while she was on sabbatical for a trimester in the Argentine capital.

In the mornings, students attended classes. After lunch on school days, colleagues from MB took us to tour, show off and teach us about various parts of the city, which is known to many as “The Paris of Latin America.” Buenos Aires certainly deserves that title as it exudes a sophisticated,

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 10

Page 10

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Teaching & Learning

A Passion

for Middle School

PC Spanish teacher Marta Zamora established an exchange program in Buenos Aires during her 2004 sabbatical there. PC Students visited in 2005 and 2011.

“Opening my eyes to a global community helped me to understand how small the world is becoming, and how now, more than ever, it is important to embrace that fact.” – Susannah Bonn European air with a rich cultural heritage and cafe tradition.

We took day trips outside Buenos Aires to visit the river delta known as El Tigre and to cross the Rio de la Plata, which separates Argentina and Uruguay, to visit the quaint town of Colonia, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In an emotionally poignant part of our trip, our students heard the story of and engaged with a grandmother whose granddaughter was born in captivity during the brutal military dictatorship that gripped the country in the late 1970s. (The granddaughter has since been recovered and reunited with her biological grandmother.)

This experience marked the lives of our students. Writing of the trip in the fall issue of The Mirror, Susannah Bonn said the trip “taught me the importance of being an ambassador to others, sharing our culture and learning about an entirely new one.

Opening my eyes to a global community helped me to understand how small the world is becoming, and how now, more than ever, it is important to embrace that fact.”

Our student ambassadors remain in touch with their Argentine friends, and other PC Spanish students will begin e-mail pen-pal correspondence with students in Buenos Aires, maintaining the meaningful connections we have established 5,250 miles away — connections and relationships that will last a lifetime. PC

Social Media Connections The PC exchange students blogged their experiences every day at http://penncharterbuenosaires2011.wordpress.com. And a video of their farewell presentation is available on Penn Charter’s YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/pennchartertube.

Untitled-3 11

“No two days are alike,” Jay Mahoney said of his job as director of Middle School. “It’s never boring. I just love embracing the day to day.”

J

ay Mahoney, the new director of Middle School and a veteran educator, wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

Serving as a seventh grade science teacher, a seventh grade team leader, head of middle school at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, Mich., and “coach of every sport imaginable” taught him that he loves middle school.

Spending four years as head of Williams School, a K-8 independent day school in Norfolk, Va., taught him that he’d be most fulfilled as a middle school educator.

“Leadership tends to find you,” Mahoney said. “They’ve been great experiences – a progression. Once I became head of school, I realized I wanted to be head of middle school!”

What draws him to middle school?

“I love the kids,” he said. “The parents are great because they’re all learning. Everybody’s learning. It’s a lot of fun. When you’ve got the right people teaching, which Penn Charter definitely does, it’s a lot of fun. The faculty here are so bright, so dedicated, so flexible, and they get middle schoolers.”

The sixth, seventh and eighth grade overnight trips that students take each fall illustrated that for Mahoney. ”All faculty participate in these social and educational bonding trips,” he said. “And that’s part of what I see as the culture of Penn Charter and specifically the Middle School. There’s an expectation of hard work, putting the time in and doing what needs to be done to support children, colleagues and families.”

Mahoney, who has a BA from Pennsylvania State University and an MEd in middle school education from Lesley University, moved here with his wife, Meg, and children, Maddie and Jack, both at PC in ninth and eighth grade, respectively.

Although Penn Charter is the first Quaker school at which Mahoney has worked, he has developed a strong appreciation for Quakerism.

“The program makes you think,” he said. “It makes you think, then do, then reflect. I love the practice of reflection here.” PC

5/8/12 11:05 AM

In keeping with PC tradition, commencement speakers Jamie Lozoff and David Durst led the procession of graduates through two rows of cheering teachers.

commencement

2011

D

avid Durst, an admitted math and science geek, delivered a commencement speech that explored the voices of protagonists he and his classmates studied in four years of English, from Holden Caulfield to Huck Finn, Hamlet, Odysseus and, finally, Nick Carraway. “ … let’s not be blinded by a single flashing light, like the one that mesmerized Gatsby as he gazed across the Long Island Sound. Gatsby might insist it was Daisy Buchannan he saw in that green light, but I think that the light represents something more than a single person or goal ever could.

“The light is what shines inside each of us. It motivates us to reach our dreams while understanding that our worth is not measured by outward emblems of success, but by remaining true to ourselves. We can sometimes sense this light in the quiet of Meeting for Worship. It’s the light that will guide us on our journeys toward known and yet-to-be discovered aspirations, just as it guided the original voyagers to the shores that Gatsby gazed upon.”

Jamie Lozoff asked her classmates to “look deep inside yourself and find your strength and perhaps examine and embrace what it is that you actually learned at Penn Charter,” and she shared three important lessons of her own.

She began with “Lesson Number 1: There will always be people who care about you.”

Recollecting the unique greetings and communication styles of her teachers – Judith Hill calling her “hunny bunny,” Nora Comisky’s wry “what are you smiling about?” Lee Payton’s B-boy stance, Bruce MacCullough’s Brooklyn accent, and Ben Dziedzic’s remarkably expressive eyebrows, Lozoff concluded: “These small, quiet inquiries for some reason are what stick out the most when I reflect upon my time at Penn Charter.”

Taken together, Lozoff said, “they are part of the broader answer of why Penn Charter is such a special place. I have been here since the first grade and have learned over the years that this faculty is genuinely interested in the well-being of every student. They care about us. We care about them, too.”

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 12

Page 12

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Where They Are Today “Are you attending one of your top-choice colleges?”

In an unusual outcome, Katherine Brock, Patrick Maiden and Grace McInerney tied for the Phi Beta Kappa Award, presented to the student – or, in this case, students! – outstanding in scholarship in the graduating class.

Head of School Darryl J. Ford recognized the Class of 2011 as “thinkers and doers” with a remarkable depth in their academic, artistic, athletic and service achievements.

“This class is known for learning for learning’s sake,” Ford said. “Often this work happens outside of the standard curriculum of our school. This class is known for being industrious and entrepreneurial and creative. The examples are numerous. Students have created a decal to place over a MacBook and video games; students have sold their artwork and started a clothing label; another has worked as a chef, one has her own backyard beehive, and two are composers; one serves on a nonprofit board of directors, others have sponsored softball clinics for girls and run summer camps for girls; another has taught martial arts and another has produced his own album.

The Class of 2011, indeed, does have remarkable breadth.

“More importantly, this class has a wide embrace. You have always had strong opinions, yet, over the years, you have warmly welcomed many new students.

Head of School Darryl J. Ford with Senior Class President Adam Garnick and fifth grader David Garnick. Adam Garnick announced a record-setting gift from senior class parents, an Annual Fund gift of more than $137,000.

You know how to disagree yet get along. You have cared for your peers during illnesses and rough times, and you have gone the extra mile to be present to each other. In thinking about our theme of Equity and Justice, it is hard for me to believe that your wide embrace — of views, of differences, of similarities, of interests, of learning and of people — can’t but help make this world a better place.” PC

When members of the Class of 2011 were asked that question in a survey in late spring, an impressive 94 percent reported: Yes. Also impressive is the matriculation list by college for these 110 seniors. More than half of the class was admitted to the nation’s most competitive colleges according to the Barron’s Guide. This statistic is evidence that Penn Charter remains a nationally recognized school that colleges and universities want to maintain a relationship with. In fact, a total of 119 colleges and universities from across the country and around the world sent an admissions officer to Penn Charter during the 2010-2011 school year.

American University Bard College Beloit College Boston University (3) Bowdoin College Brown University (2) Bucknell University (3) Coastal Carolina University Columbia University Cornell University (3) Dartmouth College (2) Dickinson College (3) Drew University Drexel University (4) Duke University Emory University Florida Atlantic University Fordham University Franklin and Marshall College George Washington University (3) Georgetown University Gettysburg College Grinnell College Indiana University Bloomington Iona College Johns Hopkins University Kenyon College La Salle University Lehigh University (2) Middlebury College Monmouth University Muhlenberg College New York University Northeastern University Oberlin College

Oglethorpe University Ohio State University Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Pennsylvania State University (4) Princeton University (2) Saint Joseph’s University Skidmore College Stanford University Swarthmore College Syracuse University (2) Temple University (3) Tulane University University of Maryland (2) University of Miami University of New Hampshire University of North Carolina Chapel Hill University of Pennsylvania (11) University of Pittsburgh (6) University of Richmond University of Southern California University of Utah University of Vermont Ursinus College Vanderbilt University Washington College Washington University in St. Louis West Chester University Williams College Yale University Post-Graduate Year (1) Other (3)

Social Media Connections To view video of 2011 Commencement, visit Penn Charter on Vimeo.com.

To view and download photos of Upper, Middle and Lower School commencement, moving up and end-of year celebrations, visit Penn Charter’s Flickr gallery at www.flickr.com/penncharter/ sets.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 13

Page 13

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Snider Desir (front, left) and students in the 2011 class of College Prep during a visit to Lincoln University.

Learning a New Way of Being PC’s College Prep program for public school students helped Snider Desir turn around his life.

by Connie Langland

By the time Snider Desir walked onto the campus of William Penn Charter School – and he walked, because he had missed the bus – he was ready to change his life, though at the time that may have been more a nascent idea than a fully formulated goal.

Desir was just 15 and living in poverty in North Philadelphia in 2005 when he was tapped to enroll in Penn Charter’s College Prep program for public school students.

His application could easily have been rejected. His grades were mediocre. He dressed in oversized clothes that made a real statement, on fashion and otherwise. But a counselor at Olney High School urged the College Prep recruiters to take a second look, saying there was something special about this young man.

What Desir discovered that summer was that, indeed, he was – and is – special.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 14

Page 14

5/8/12 11:05 AM

For four decades, the College Prep program has aimed to boost both the academics and the aspirations of students from city high schools. Started as a partnership with Simon Gratz High School on Hunting Park Avenue, College Prep hosts students from Gratz and other public high schools for five weeks each summer, including a week-long visit to a college campus to experience college-level academics and social life. The program seeks to identify students who have potential yet may be struggling and off track rather than on a fast track to higher education.

That described Desir exactly. He attended the College Prep program, including one week at Ursinus College, and returned a second year for SAT prep and essay-writing practice. His high school work improved greatly, and he graduated from Olney High School and gained admission to Kutztown University. Now he holds a bachelor’s degree from Kutztown and has begun graduate work at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va. He intends to pursue both an MD and a PhD. Desir, 22, returned to the College Prep program last summer as a teaching assistant — an opportunity, he said, both to reconnect with a program that helped to change his life and to offer advice and encouragement to the 2011 cohort of more than 30 students.

“I told them that making the best out of your situation and working hard no matter where you are can lead to a better place,” Desir said. “And I am an example of that.”

His mentor at Penn Charter, English teacher Ben Dziedzic, would agree: “Snider is an outstanding individual and a great role model. There’s this sense of real responsibility to others – that’s something that really motivates him.” Dziedzic directed the College Prep program for seven years, stepping down in 2010. The program’s director now is Lee Payton, chair of PC’s social studies department.

Desir’s is a story worth telling.

He was born in Haiti and lost both his parents to illness about a month apart when he was about 6. A few years later Desir and an older brother made their way to the United States, eventually settling in a rental property in North Philadelphia near Temple University Hospital. Desir attended Lewis Middle School for two years and then Olney, among the most beleaguered high schools in the city.

Desir said he was motivated to attend school, not so much for what he might learn but for the food — free breakfast, free lunch, free after-school snack, if you stayed late. “At Olney, I was not the best of students … but I never missed a day of school,” he said.

His counselor knew of the College Prep program and thought that the college visits and the tutoring would be good exposure that could lead “to some sort of turnaround.” Two of the program’s other attractions caught Desir’s eye – a free laptop for graduates and the fact that “we were fed,” he said.

“It was a pretty bad situation for me in North Philly,” he added.

Soon Desir was captivated by what he was absorbing at Penn Charter. He viewed his fellow students as being “the best students but in bad schools,” and if they could do well, so could he.

Then there was the challenge of building a desktop computer, component by component, as a precursor to actually using a laptop. He found he loved technology.

“That was the beginning of the turnaround — me gaining

Besides the College Prep program and the support of teachers at Olney, Desir said he surely benefited from his family’s work ethic back in Haiti. more confidence and attempting to do well. When I went back to Olney, I had the reputation of being in the College Prep program, and that created more support from the teachers there,” Desir said. “I became very motivated to do better. I knew I wanted to fulfill the whole purpose of the program.”

His clothing style changed — “Now I have more ties than anyone I know,” he noted. So did his manner of speaking — he would watch public television to improve his diction.

His grades improved, and he won the support of his choir teacher at Olney, who helped him secure the documentation essential to college admission.

Besides the College Prep program and the support of teachers at Olney, Desir said he surely benefited from his family’s work ethic back in Haiti. They may have been poor, but they worked hard day in and day out. He recalled how there was structure and discipline at home, and that upbringing taught him the value of diligence and persistence.

At Kutztown, Desir studied biology with a concentration in molecular/cell biology and a minor in biochemistry. He worked on campus year-round, even over holiday breaks. In 2010, he was among 25 students named to the summer research fellowship program at Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan. He garnered quite a coup: coauthoring, as an undergraduate, a research paper analyzing strategies related to robotic prostatectomies. The paper has been accepted for publication and is being peer reviewed.

He graduated with honors in spring 2011 and entered Virginia Tech in late summer, with plans to study chromosome abnormalities.

Dziedzic marvels at Desir’s steady progression toward greater academic achievement.

Involvement in the College Prep program empowered the youth to begin to create his own future. “It was a pivotal moment that he seized to turn his life in a different direction,” Dziedzic said. “He enrolled in AP classes. He was prom king his senior year. And he was fully committed to Olney, even knowing its limitations.”

Even so, being part of the College Prep program, spending time on college campuses and with students and teachers whose focus is on academic achievement greatly benefited Desir, showing him what Dziedzic described as “a way of being” that was scholarly and ambitious, rather than self-defeating.

“He gets the credit. We partnered with him,” Dziedzic said. PC

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 15

Page 15

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Campus Currents

chinese

Penn Charter Day Camp hosted 15 students from Beijing, China, for two weeks in July. The students, from the Affiliated High School of RenMin University, came to Penn Charter as part of a cultural exploration, hoping to experience an American summer

visitors

camp and shore up their English skills at the same time. After morning classes in English, science and music taught

by Penn Charter teachers, the visitors jumped right into camp activities. They learned baseball and football, played tennis and basketball, took cooking and

art classes. Evening excursions included trips to Morris Arboretum, Citizens Bank Park and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The group had nightly meetings to discuss their observations. One in particular was U.S. drivers. “When we try to cross the street,” said Li Li, a biology teacher, “they stop!”

“I don’t like Chinese food in America,” said Wang Haodi, 12. “It’s very strange.”

“I think American food is delicious,” added Wang Chuyi, 13. They planned to eat ballpark hotdogs at Citizens Bank Park.

“The American kids benefited in that they learned about the Chinese culture,” said Charlie Kaesshaefer, director of Summer Camps. “The Chinese put on skits for the other campers that compared American schools, sports and music with Chinese schools, sports and music. They also learned that kids are basically the same despite the language barrier.”

“As we enter this new school year and explore the testimony of integrity, it is my hope that we all will be truth-telling; that we all will be fair; that we all will act honestly with each other; and that our relationships with each other will be upright, reflecting the Inner Light found within each of us,” Ford said at the conclusion of a lesson on integrity that featured the tale of a goatherd, complete with a whistle and horn.

Flag, Theme, Music and Cheers for 2011-2012 At the All-School Assembly the first week of school, Head of School Darryl J. Ford introduced

Untitled-3 16

the theme for the 2011-2012 academic year: the Quaker testimony of integrity.

w

pc

hon

“With this hope, I wish each and every one of you a successful year of learning, growth, friendship and much happiness.”

“Have pride in what you do and who you are,” Senior Class President Ed Malandro told his class. “Never cheat yourself out of anything, always strive to put forth your best effort. Never leave anything up to luck; when it comes to luck, you make your own.”

5/8/12 11:05 AM

We Did It Again!

For the second consecutive year, PC defeated GA during this “off the field” challenge. The 2010-11 final alumni participation challenge was PC 23 percent vs. GA 16 percent!

OPC’s, are you up for continuing the challenge?

Penn Charter and Germantown Academy alumni will once again compete for most participation in the Annual Fund. The school that has higher alumni participation in the 2011-12 Annual Fund in June 2012 will be acknowledged at Germantown Academy in November 2012. Give a little, give a lot, just please give to the Annual Fund! Follow the competition at www.penncharter.com.

Recipe for Success Working together to leverage the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, CulinArt and Penn Charter turned CulinArt’s customary Annual Fund donation of $5,000 into a $50,000 gift.

CulinArt, which provides PC’s dining hall and catering services, has been donating $5,000 to the Annual Fund for several years.

As a Pennsylvania business, they

also paid state taxes. With EITC, the company was able to write a check to Penn Charter for $50,000 and receive a $45,000 credit on their state tax burden; they paid the remaining $5,000 to PC out of pocket. So, for $5,000, CulinArt supported two or three students who qualified for full financial aid.

CulinArt Executive Vice President Dan McGill said: “It’s a win-win!”

william penn charter school

peace concert A New Look

Just in time for a huge Admissions Open House in October, the mason and the sign fabricator put the finishing touches to three new landmark signs on the PC campus.

The sign at the School House Lane drive is the largest, and there are two smaller versions at The Oak Road and Coulter Street.

“I could not be more pleased,” said Head of School Darryl J. Ford, who was actively involved in the design.

honoring two opc s lost on sept. 11

R e m e m b eri ng Kenny and Peter In honor of two OPCs lost on 9/11, and in support of their families and friends, Penn Charter marked the 10th anniversary of their deaths with a Run for Peace – our fifth annual event – and a first-ever Peace Concert.

The events celebrated the memory and joyful lives of Kenny Caldwell OPC ’89 and Peter K. Ortale OPC ’83.

Teachers, students and families participated in the 5K run or 1-mile walk in the morning, and many OPCs and even some neighbors gathered on the new softball field that evening for rock ’n roll music by The Greaseband.

Untitled-3 17

5/8/12 11:05 AM

Alumni News

Alumni Weekend

2011 

Interested in golf? Breakfast?

Lunch? Art Museum? Phillies?

Dinner with friends?

The OPCs, spouses and significant others participating in Alumni Weekend 2011 packed in as much Philadelphia fun as possible, all of it centered around their visit to Penn Charter’s campus and the 119th Annual Alumni Reception.

“To those of you who have not been home for a while,” said Alumni Society President William A. Gallagher Jr. OPC ’91, “welcome back.”

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 18

Page 18

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Alumni Society President William A. Gallagher Jr. OPC ’91 with his mother, Mary, and PC teacher and coach Patrick McDonough OPC ’90.

Head of School Darryl J. Ford presented a state-of-theschool message – It is strong! – and previewed the emerging goals of Penn Charter’s new strategic plan.

Ford promised that the plan would secure the future of the school by building on the very best of Penn Charter’s traditions of excellence and collaboration – and by designing programs on the cutting edge of educational innovation.

“Some aspects of this plan may be very new,” Ford said, “and some will remain constant.” Two of those constants, Ford said, are eager students and stellar teachers.

“We entered into this process from a position of strength:

On behalf of his class, David M. Jaspan OPC ’86 presented the school a 25th reunion gift of almost $27,000, which was raised in honor of classmate Matthew T. Miller OPC ’86.

Jaspan’s son, Luke, is now in fourth grade at Penn Charter, and Jaspan visits school at least a few times a week. “When I drive by the new turf field, I remember the old field where we played lacrosse and soccer,” Jaspan said. “I hear echoes of Matt’s voice when he captained us and would call us to the middle of the field, before the game would start, and say: Sticks in. Ready boys … one, two, three, Charter.”

The Class of 1986 designated that the gift be used for financial aid and to contribute to the cost of a Matt Miller Garden in Chigwell Close. The garden, featuring a pergola, millstone water fountain, seating and plantings, is designed for outdoor teaching, socializing and relaxing.

Jaspan said he couldn’t think of a better way to honor his friend, who died four years ago following surgery for a brain tumor. “If he were alive, he would be sitting outside with an arm across the back of bench, entering into conversation with passing students about their day, their sports, their activities. Matt could talk with anybody and make them feel comfortable.”

View photos of the Nov. 12 garden dedication at www. flickr.com/photos/penncharter/sets.

J. Freedley Hunsicker Jr. OPC ’61 spoke on behalf of his class at the 119th Annual Alumni Reception, noting that 37 of the living members of the 75-member graduating class attended the reunion. “It is a special night for all of us, and especially for the class of 1961.”

Hunsicker had the honor of presenting the school with a gift of more than $400,000.

He praised three members of the class – Duncan McFarland, Raymond Vickers and Herbert “Pug” Winokur – who each pledged $100,000 to a 50th reunion gift and entered into a triple challenge to match any classmate’s gift, the equivalent to a 3-to-1 match.

“We got so much from our education here, so much from our beloved teachers, that we wanted to give back. The school has meant so much to us.”

John F. Gummere Distinguished Teacher Award: Charles H. Brown In recognition of his outstanding scholarship, teaching and character, the Alumni Society awarded Charles H. Brown the John F. Gummere Distinguished Teacher Award, adding his name to a list of remarkable Penn Charter faculty.

Michael McKenna OPC ’02, who was a student of Brown’s as well as a swimmer and water polo player for teams Brown coached, e-mailed a tribute to the teacher who inspired him in his own career. McKenna could not be there because he is himself a teacher and was escorting students on a trip to Washington, D.C. “Charlie has taught me everything I know about being a

teacher and a coach,” McKenna said. “I try to emulate him in everything I do as a teacher.”

McKenna came up with “top 10 rules for being Charlie Brown, the best teacher, coach and mentor that anyone could ask for,” a list that was both playful and wise. Here are four of the 10: Number 10: Don’t shave or cut your hair too often — a good beard and long hair can keep people guessing about your age for years.

Number 9: Always over-analyze, plan and strategize for all sporting events. It is totally legitimate to analyze middle school baseball players’ hitting tendencies in late-game situations.

Number 6 : Always make the simple extraordinary.

Number 1: Love! Love what you do. Love the kids you work with, the teachers you teach with and love your family. Your unconditional love and support will rub off on students, and they

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 19

Page 19

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Alumni News

A l u m n i A wa r d of M e r i t

Raymond W. Vickers OPC ’61 Vickers thanked both legendary football coach Ray Dooney and Bob Levy, shown here with his wife, Cissie, who made it possible for Vickers to attend Penn Charter.

“... the chance to attend Penn Charter was a special opportunity for all of us, and for all of us a goad to do well and to do right.”

Raymond W. Vickers OPC ’61 was recognized with the Alumni Award of Merit in a formal presentation May 6, 2011, that was a highlight of Penn Charter’s 2011 Alumni Weekend.

Vickers captivated the crowd gathered in the David L. Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts with a poignant speech in which he told the story of how he came to be a PC student and thanked the man, Robert Levy OPC ’48, who brought him here.

During Christmas vacation in 1955, Vickers recounted, the Little Quakers football team brought its young players down from Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for their annual game against a team of all-stars from the Fort Lauderdale football little league. Little Quakers was the brainchild of Levy and included many PC players; Vickers played for Fort Lauderdale.

When Levy came back to Florida to show the Florida families a film of the 1956 game, he suggested that Vickers’ ambition

to attend a good university was more likely to come true if he attended Penn Charter. A few weeks later, Levy mailed a plane ticket and an invitation for Vickers to come to Philadelphia and take the Penn Charter entrance and scholarship exams. Vickers borrowed some winter clothes and traveled north.

Vickers was accepted and awarded a scholarship and, in 1957, arrived to begin a four-year academic and residential adventure: He lived with six different families during his four years at PC. “In this and in so many ways, the Penn Charter community opened its doors and accepted me as one of its own,” Vickers said of the families of Mike Mayer, Lloyd Balderston, Topper Winder, Russ Epprecht, and of Bob and Cissie Levy.

“During this entire period, I never felt treated as anything but a normal PC student. And for that, I would like to thank my classmates … For me, the title of the long-running TV show, The Wonder Years, really captures what it was like for me to be at Penn Charter.”

Building on his stellar academic career at PC, and then Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Vickers established a distinguished career as an international financial and legal advisor to governments and corporations, with a particular emphasis on Asia and energy. In 1999, Vickers became senior vice president and general counsel of Edison Mission Energy, then one of the largest private generation companies in the world. During his tenure, EME developed a number of sustainable energy initiatives, including wind and solar power. Now retired, Vickers and his wife, Priscilla, divide their time between an apartment in New York City and a farmhouse in Provence, France.

The Alumni Award of Merit is given to a graduate “whose character and outstanding achievement have reflected lasting credit upon this old school.”

In his remarks at Alumni Weekend, Vickers said the opportunity he personally received at PC has been “a constant spur to achievement.

“But, I have also come to realize that the chance to attend Penn Charter was a special opportunity for all of us, and for all of us a goad to do well and to do right.” PC

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 20

Page 20

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes 1689

Class Agent Jane F. Evans jevans@penncharter.com Robert M. Lockwood OPC ’39 See death notices.

Roland B. Graham Jr. OPC ’40 See death notices.

William E. McLaughlin OPC ’39 See death notices.

Daniel R. Millington OPC ’40 See death notices.

1940

1941

Class Agent Robert J. Harbison III rharbo@aol.com

Jane Evans recently enjoyed having all of her grandchildren together. Pictured: Maya Kafer, Emlen Cooper, Ellie Kafer and Nina Cooper. Maya and Ellie live in Philadelphia, and Emlen and Nina live in Atlanta.

1931

William W. McClarin OPC ’31 See death notices.

1932

Hampton G. Silcox III OPC ’32 See death notices.

1937

Class Agent Edmond H. (Ted) Heisler

1938

Robert N. Brey Jr. OPC ’38 See death notices.

1939

L. Talbot Adamson writes, “I left Penn Charter for boarding school in New England at age 13 but have not forgotten those flyovers of the huge airships, USS Akron and USS Macon, during batting practice. They both crashed, in 1933 and 1935, respectively.”

Benjamin C. Carmine OPC ’41 See death notices.

Christine Christoph Hon. 1689 and Robert Gordon Hon. 1689 The newest members of the Honorary Class of 1689 are Christine Benson Christoph and Robert Gordon. Christoph and Gordon each received an Honorary 1689 degree in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to Penn Charter.

Christoph, a Lower School teacher, was praised in a tribute by former student Margaux Genovese Pelegrin OPC ’99: “I’m one of many of Ms. Christoph’s former five-year-olds who can attest to what a difference she has made in our lives.

Thank you for giving me such happy memories from my earliest educational years. This honor to you is much deserved.”

Larry Fliegelman OPC ’88 paid tribute to Bob Gordon, recalling the Upper School math teacher’s pre-calculus class: “I admit that I don’t recall much of the math that you taught. What I do remember is your attitude. You were fun. You were goofy. You acted like you really enjoyed being in that senior, pre-calc class with us. You chose to have a fantastic attitude. … Your attitude must have been infectious because my grades in math were never better.”

Class Agent Robert C. McAdoo

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 21

Page 21

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes

Ms. Connie Langland Penn Charter Magazine William Penn Charter School 3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144 Dear Ms. Langland, I thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful article in the current Penn Charter magazine on John Gibbon. As a Philadelphia-trained physician, I was well aware of his huge contributions to medical science, but was unaware that he was a Penn Charter alumnus.

The reason for my writing, however, is to add a factual observation of the first use of his heart-lung machine on a living patient. This occurred in early 1952 at Pennsylvania Hospital, where I was a junior house officer at the time. [The patient] was an elderly male, operated on

by Drs. John Gibbon and John Flick, chief of surgery, and anesthesiologist Mario Troncelliti. Dr. Joe VanderVeer, the patient’s cardiologist, was also present.

The surgery went well and the machine performed perfectly as planned.

The patient, however, died postoperatively as his disease was not surgically repairable.

I was fortunate to be able to observe this historic event from the gallery with many of my colleagues and will never forget it.

A Look Back at

1942

Sincerely, Louis Wiederhold, MD OPC ’41

Class of 1941

Thomas M. Birdsall OPC ’42 See death notices.

60th Reunion

1943

Class Agent Sevill (Bud) Schofield Jr.

Thomas P. O’Neil OPC ’43 See death notices.

1944 George E. Davidson writes, “Richard J. Kohler OPC ’54 visited us in March 2011 in Jupiter, Fla. We enjoyed some baseball games and golf.”

1942

Lewis S. Somers OPC ’44 See death notices.

Class Agent John M. Donahue jmdpin@aol.com Walter F. Ballinger OPC ’42 See death notices.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 22

Page 22

5/8/12 11:06 AM

subject and hobby, improving the well-being of the right whale.”

William T. Southworth OPC ’44 See death notices.

William John Porter OPC ’48 See death notices.

1945

Class Agent H. Leonard Brown

John H. Aberle OPC ’45 See death notices.

Rodger P. Cheetham writes, “Cheetham family has a total of eight grandchildren with two great-grandchildren. The latter two were born in Australia, where my grandson Jason is now a blooming Aussie.”

Clinton N. Ely writes, “I have enjoyed recent mini-reunions with my classmates of long ago. At the first such mini reunion, I had not seen most of them, with the exception of Roger S. Hillas and Donald O. Bailey. I left after eighth grade.”

Joseph L. McKinney OPC ’45 See death notices.

1947

Noel C. Fritzinger OPC ’47 See death notices.

1948

John G. C. Fuller OPC ’48 See death notices.

David G. Grier OPC ’48 See death notices.

Lawrence C. Hardy OPC ’48 (left) and George S. Meinel OPC ’48 have been close friends since 1942, serving as best man in each other’s wedding.

Larry drives from California to New Jersey each summer, and they also take turns visiting each other with their wives.

1949

Class Agent Bruce R. Barstow brbarstow@aol.com

George C. Fuller has developed a senior’s ministry in his denomination. He would be pleased to give a copy of the manual he produced, Serving and Challenging Seniors, to anyone with interest.

He also continues to work (as a volunteer) in fundraising for Alpha Pregnancy Services, a ministry to women and families in Philadelphia. For the past three years he has served as an assistant minister in Cherry Hill.

Carl F. Rumpp writes, “Aloha, all, from Maui.

I enjoy reading Bruce’s news as we sit by the blue Pacific, keeping cool with the northerly trades!

Far cry from the eastern heat wave that now seems to have abated. Our summer has been filled with condo repairs, swimming, golf and plain goofing off! Hopefully all OPC ’49ers are enjoying some of the same wherever they may be. Our MLB.com baseball has kept us busy (when we want to) watching our Phillies right from Citizens Bank Park. The 7:05 p.m. games come on at 1:05 p.m. here, so watching part in mid-day is pretty great.”

William M. Welch’s keen interest in wrestling at PC was further stimulated at Cornell University.

Last spring, the nationals were held in Philadelphia.

Bill went to all the events with his son and watched Cornell take a very close second to Penn State’s championship team.

1950

Bruce R. Barstow writes, “I recently read Down to the Sea by Bruce Henderson. It’s an epic about an Admiral Halsey series of bad decisions in the face of a South Pacific typhoon in 1944 that sank three destroyers and killed 756 men. One of the heroes who went down with his ship was Greil Gerstley OPC ’37, executive officer of the USS Hull. The author gives considerable mention and praise to Gerstley. It makes one proud of our World War II upperclassmen.

“Not all of my PC memories were positive. The 90 lb. team was playing Haverford at home and losing 7-6 late in the game. I was calling the plays and we were finally gaining yardage consistently on the ground. But, as the defenders kept moving into the line to plug the holes, I decided a pass would catch them off guard. Robert P. Hauptfuhrer got free, but I threw the pass short. It was intercepted, and they were able to run out the clock. Why is it that certain memories are maintained for 68 years, while I forget where I left my glasses 10 minutes ago?

“The Conshohocken luncheons are still taking place about once a quarter. Pretty consistent in attendance are Peter A. Benoliel, William M. Welch, William J. Wall OPC ’50, Charles H. Schaeffer OPC ’48, Robert P. Hauptfuhrer, Robert Hargesheimer, Andrew S. Graham, Robert H. Smith and George C. Fuller. Outof-towners as in Lowell S. Thomas and myself attend when we can fit it in to our travel schedules. One of our wags calls the luncheon an ‘organ recital’ while Carl F. Rumpp refers to it as ‘doctors on call.’

“Harry E. Richter must be one of our most active classmates. He and Patti travel extensively and spend considerable time on his favorite

Class Agent William J. Wall william.j.wallsr@wachoviasec.com

James A. Drake is a former Sports Illustrated photographer. He won the 2010 Lucie Award (the Oscars of the photo world) at a black tie gala at New York’s Lincoln Center in October 2010. The award was one of many honoring photographers in all fields for their lifetime achievements.

1951

Class Agent David N. Weinman ombudinc@aol.com

Charles S. Parmenter has just retired from more than 45 years of research and teaching chemistry at Indiana University.

1952

Class Agents George C. (Skip) Corson Jr. gccesq@aol.com F. Bruce Waechter fbw413@aol.com

David M. Jordan has just published his ninth book, FDR, Dewey and the Election of 1944. It was published by Indiana University Press, which published his earlier biographies of Union generals Winfield Scott Hancock and Gouverneur K. Warren.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 23

Page 23

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes A Look Back at

1952

John L. Welborn OPC ’52 See death notices.

1953

Class Agents William H. Bux mbuxc@aol.com Richard L. Geyer dickgey@aol.com

Dwight E. (Deke) Conklin is still coaching pole vaulting at Keane High School and attending Friends Meeting in Jaffrey, N. H.

and works in the neuroanatomy lab at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.

1956

Class Agent Bernard E. Berlinger Jr. bberlinger@asidrives.com

University wrestling team captain, has been elected to the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Hall of Fame. Bill was inducted in a ceremony just before the finals of the EIWA championships at Bucknell in March 2011.

1959

Class Agent Rush B. Smith smithrushb@aol.com

1957

Class Agents G. Allan Dash allandash3@comcast.net James V. Masella Jr. vesperent@aol.com James G. Masland Jr. jgmasland@yahoo.com

1960

Class Agent James M. Arrison III arrison@attglobal.net

G. Allan Dash writes, “When, in mid-August, my wife, Gigi, and I came down to Chestnut Hill from our Cape Cod home for a 10-day stay while Gigi underwent cataract surgery, our visit included a few nice surprises. No sooner had we checked into the Chestnut Hill Hotel than classmate Donald M. Kerr of northern Virginia called – from the room next door! Don and his wife, Alison, were in town to visit his mother (she’s 99 years old!) and the four of us spent the evening together. Later in the week, we went to the Wyndmoor home of William N. Tanner and his wife, Anne, for a lovely dinner. Then, a month later when we returned for Gigi’s follow-up visit to her surgeon, we went out for dinner with the Tanners and Louis F. Metzger and his wife, Pat, of Lansdale. At that point, it dawned on me that, had we been able to stay in town long enough, we might have had a full-scale class reunion – one or two guys at a time!”

1961

Class Agents Richard P. Hamilton Jr. rick1480@aol.com J. Freedley Hunsicker Jr. hunsicjf@dbr.com

Thomas M. Baran writes, “Our great 50th reunion reminded me of Penn Charter’s lasting value to me, my classmates and all students.”

S. Neil Schlosser OPC ’61 See death notices.

1958

Class Agents John E. F. Corson jefcorson@aol.com Robert D. Morrow Jr. djm112@aol.com

1962

William A. Graham, a former Bucknell

Class of 1961

Thomas J. Joyce OPC ’53 See death notices.

50th Reunion

1954

Class Agent Alfred F. Bracher III fbracher@aol.com

1955

Class Agent Charles (Chuck) Clayton Jr. cclayt@comcast.net

John J. (Jack) Bevan writes, “After 20 years spending the winters in Marco Island, Fla., I moved to Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers.

For now, I will continuing spending the summers in the North Carolina mountains.”

Richard M. Lehman is retired and living in Kiawah Island, S.C. Part-time, he still does neurosurgery at the University of South Carolina Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 24

Page 24

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class of 1966

A Look Back at

45th Reunion

1962

Class Agents Louis F. Burke lburke@lfblaw.com Kevin McKinney pmckin5750@rogers.com Ronald O. Prickitt ron@netilla.com John G. Sheridan writes that he met his wife, Andrea Duflon, through an Internet dating site for seniors. It was love at first date, and their daughters approve.

1963

Class Agents Robert E. Brickely bob@bds-1.com Richard J. Gilkeson gilkeson1@msn.com Douglas S. Little doug.little@comcast.net Charles Kurz writes, “I was the first place winner

1964

1969

Class Agents John T. Long Jr. longacres1@yahoo.com John S. Morrow jsmopc64@hargray.com

Class Agent Thomas C. Robinson Jr. thomascrobinson@comcast.net

1970

Class Agents Charles L. Mitchell dhammalawyer@yahoo.com Robert N. Reeves Jr. robreeves@eareeves.com

1965

Class Agent Jonathon P. (Buck) DeLong b.delong@charter.net

1966

Class Agent Martin J. (Marty) Harrity mharrity@aol.com

1971

Class Agents Marc A. Golden harvardceo@aol.com Frederick H. Landell rlandell@ltk.com

1968

Class Agents Bruce C. Gill bcoopergil@aol.com Richard E. Stanley dickandlea@aol.com

in the men’s age 60-69 category of the Longport Mile race. I am pictured with Longport Mayor Nick Russo presenting my gold medal. It was an historic day after having run the race every year with fellow PC classmate Richard M. (Dick) Dearnley at least 25 times previously.”

Robert H. Kellner writes, “We moved from sunny northeast Florida to the heart of the Acadian region, here in Lafayette, La. Dupré Logistics (www. duprelogistics.com) is my second post retirement job (after CSX), and we’re enjoying everything about this Cajun town. From the food to the music to the accents of the French DJ’s playing zydeco and Cajun music on some of the stations here, it’s a refreshing change from the homogenous all-is-the-same Florida from whence we came.

I recommend this area highly, and if you want a flavor of it, visit the public radio station website www.krvs.org and listen yourself.”

William D. Barker writes, “I continue with great satisfaction to teach American history in persona as Thomas Jefferson with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Mr. Jefferson’s friend, Charles Thompson, was secretary of the Continental Congress and former headmaster of Penn Charter.”

John C. Weber is living in Wayne, Pa., with his wife and four children. His oldest son is a student at Washington and Lee University, his daughter is at the University of Miami, another son is at Devon Preparatory School, and his youngest daughter is at Conestoga High School.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 25

Page 25

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes 1976

Class of 1971

Gary M. Garrettson writes, “I find it incredible, but my youngest daughter, Sarah, is now 21! My older daughter, Lena, graduated cum laude from Mt. Holyoke College in international relations with a religion minor.

She is now living in Berlin, where she was an intern at the German Bundestag and is now waiting to hear from various graduate programs. Sarah is completing her first year of a bachelor’s program in psychology (in English) in Groningen, Netherlands. My wife, Gertrud, teaches elementary school near our home in Dinslaken, Germany. We welcome visitors! The two of us joined an amateur chorus, and I have been singing (tenor) for the first time since Penn Charter days. I was never really good, and didn’t make the cut for the Quakers Dozen, but there is apparently a shortage of men willing to sing in mixed amateur choruses in Germany, so they closed one eye (ear?) and took me on. I have been running a small consulting business for the last 10 years, focusing on the analysis and optimization of customer-oriented business processes.

One quality management system I developed for my major client was recently chosen as the standard for their European retail network, so I have been pretty busy. Since so much of what I’m doing (and where) is at least an indirect result of that fateful decision to take German at Penn Charter and travel to Germany in the summer of 1973 with Jake Roak, I can’t help wondering what might have happened if I had taken French instead!”

40th Reunion

A Look Back at

1972

1975

Class Agents Robert L. Nydick robert.nydick@villanova.edu James S. Still jstill3boys@gmail.com

James C. Garvey writes, “The boys got together for the high school graduation party of John W. Magers’ son at John’s house in East Norriton, Pa.” Pictured (left to right): David H. Byerly, John W. Magers, James C. Garvey, Allen L. Stretton.

The class of 1976 got together at Nick Sommaripa’s house last summer for a weekend day at the shore. The event doubled as a mini-tribute to Paul Soulges ’75. Pictured (left to right): Alan C. Good OPC ’74, Nicholas A. Sommaripa OPC ’76, Robert L. Doelp OPC ’75, Joseph S. Perrott Hon 1689, Geoffrey H. Shields OPC ’75, James S. Still OPC ’75, David Dickson (GA ’75), Craig N. Bower OPC ’75.

Class of 1976

1972

Class Agent Bruce K. Balderston bruce.balderston@pncbank.com

35th Reunion

Lawrence E. Gubb has enjoyed being on the board of directors of Smart Growth Vermont with Peter E. Helmetag OPC ’68.

1973

Class Agent Robert J. Marquess rjmproteus@aol.com

1974

Class Agent J. Peter Davis pdavis@rittenhousehotel.com

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 26

Page 26

5/8/12 11:06 AM

1977

Class of 1981

Class Agent Reid S. Perper rsperper@yahoo.com

30th Reunion

Mark H. Kalenian has an allergy and immunology medical practice in Dothan, Ala.

1978

Class Agents Sterling H. Johnson III ag96cu4@aol.com Paul C. Mancini paul@mancini.com David H. Neff dn@neffassociates.com

1979

Class Agent John D. Lemonick jlemonick@donnellyandassociates.com

1980

Thomas M. Brady OPC ’79

David N. Wilcots writes, “I am volunteering in the public dinosaur lab at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Please drop by.”

Class Agents John B. Caras john.caras@cingular.com Charles J. (Chip) Goodman chip_goodman@cable.comcast.com

1981

Class Agent Andrew J. Kramer akramer@kanepugh.com

See death notices.

1982

William N. Mebane OPC ’76

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Bill Mebane OPC ’76 is a believer in this Chinese proverb. He met with Penn Charter’s Middle School Green Club last spring to talk about his ongoing work with the nonprofit Marine Biological Laboratory, in Woods Hole, Mass., to provide – and teach – sustainable, lowresource methods of food production to Haiti’s poor.

Specifically, Mebane works to establish fish ponds to provide much-needed

Class Agent James L. Walker Jr. jimwalks@yahoo.com

protein in the diets of Haitians, 44 percent of whom are malnourished.

Working with the local community, he helps build concrete ponds and stock them with tilapia fingerlings, and is developing feed pellets made from indigenous plants.

Mebane titled his presentation to students “A Dance of Two Cultures: The Pas de Deux of Presenting Science in Rural Haiti.” The science, Mebane explained, is how to produce fish for human consumption using minimal resources. The fish feed must be locally grown, then manufactured into a palatable pellet. Another method is a periphyton-based system of aquaculture, a method of raising plants and algae within a pond to supply the fish with food.

He shared many photos of his trips to Haiti, as well as the organization’s motto: “Feed the fish, then the people.” Bill Mebane is hard at work on both.

A Look Back at

1982

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 27

Page 27

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes 1984

1986

1989

1985

1987

1990

Class Agent P. Timothy Phelps chambertim@hotmail.com

Class Agent Robert T. Myers rob.myers@barclayswealth.com

Class Agents Matthew M. Killinger killingm@uphs.upenn.edu Thomas D. Kramer tkramer@jcrosspartners.com

Michael S. Blume was recently named branch director of the Office of Consumer Protection Litigation at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Thomas F. Burke writes, “Things are going great!

I just finished my 21st year of teaching high school mathematics at Pennsbury High School. Barb, my wife, is in nursing school. Life is busy with our four children. We are very blessed!”

Joshua S. Petersohn is president of Moreland Development, which developed a $32 million state-of-the-art building for Bryn Mawr Medical Arts Pavilion on the campus of Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Pictured: Josh (fourth from left) about to turn the first shovels of dirt with some of the members of the partnership that will own the Bryn Mawr Medical Arts Pavilion, a physician-owned building.

Class Agent Kenneth (Casey) Murray playnikez@yahoo.com

Class Agents David Felderman felderman.david@gmail.com David B. Gleit leyladavid@yahoo.com Adam M. Koppel akoppel@baincapital.com

Class Agent James D. Phillips jphillips@penncharter.com

1991

Class Agents Daniel S. Donaghy dsdonaghy@hotmail.com Leo J. Wyszynski ljwyszynski@aol.com

1988

Class Agents H. Bruce Hanson hbhanson@duanemorris.com Gregory D. Palkon greg@palkonlaw.com

Gregory S. Gennarelli writes, “It’s been a busy year. I continue to practice law in New York and am honored to have been included in Top New York Verdicts of 2010, which is published

by Verdict Search, a division of ALM Media, the nation’s leading publisher of verdict and settlement news and research. This prestigious list ranks the highest obtained verdicts and settlements from all of New York State in 30 different practice categories, and I was fortunate enough to have been included in three of them. It was great to see everyone at the reunion, and to reconnect with fellow alumni living in New York. I look forward to doing it again soon.”

George J. Maley is currently the director of development at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Mass. He lives in Medfield, Mass., with his wife, Erin, and three girls, Quinn (5), Payton (3) and Lily (6 months), pictured.

Thomas S. Lendvay is living in Seattle, Wash., with his wife, Kathleen, and two sons, Luke and Will. He is a pediatric surgeon at Seattle Hospital and Regional Medical Center.

1992

Class Agent Anna V. Davis vanleer@hotmail.com

Class of 1986 25th Reunion

A Look Back at

1992

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 28

Page 28

5/8/12 11:06 AM

1993

Class of 1991

Class Agent Victor S. (Tory) Olshansky vsolshansky@earthlink.net

20th Reunion

1994

Class Agent Jennifer R. Gallagher gallagherj@unionleague.org Michael C. Levy published Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching and Eating with China’s Other Billion, a memoir about his Peace Corps service in Guiyang, China. He was interviewed on NPR’s Radio Times and Tell Me More, and was named a Barnes and Noble “Great New Writer.”

1995

Class Agent Stephanie Teaford Walters walters-stephanie@aramark.com

Gerri Trooskin OPC ’98: Celebrating Science Gerri Trooskin OPC ’98 wants Philadelphians to celebrate the sciences. So last April she directed the Philadelphia Science Festival, scheduled again for April 2012.

“In Philadelphia,” she said, “we celebrate food, theater, arts, film and sports every year, but so rarely do we celebrate the science that makes all of this possible.”

At Penn Charter, Trooskin loved her math classes and worked with Oxfam International during spring break. While majoring in system science engineering and applied math at the University of Pennsylvania, she took sociology courses and tutored in West Philadelphia in her free time. “My passion for community service was discovered at Penn Charter and has continued to play a strong role over the course of my career,” Trooskin said. “I have always been drawn to math and science, and I love working with people.”

After graduation, Trooskin moved to Colorado to work with Americorps, running an after-school program with the I Have a Dream Foundation, which provides students with academic, social and emotional support through high school. She returned to Penn to earn a master’s degree at the School of Social Policy & Practice. “I loved problem solving – I’m trained that way through my engineering degree,” Trooskin said. “Problem solving is increasingly complicated when dealing with counseling and social work, and I realized that my passion for the field would be more productive when applied to administration and research.”

Trooskin began working for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and managed the One Book, One Philadelphia program for four years. “The books chosen while I was working there all had some

by Julia Judson-Rea

component of a social welfare mission,” she said. “It was a wonderful way for me to apply the program management skills to getting books and opportunities to people who may otherwise not have been able to afford it. Part of the thing I get most excited about is bringing people from different parts of the city together around something positive and engaging.”

When the Franklin Institute was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to lead the charge in organizing the Philadelphia Science Festival, organizers looked for a director who had experience to support that vision – and a science background. “When I started working on the Philadelphia Science Festival, I felt like my circuitous career path finally made sense,” Trooskin said.

Trooskin drew from her community service, social welfare and engineering background. “Science is not always easy,” she said. “It can be challenging and at times difficult to engage with. I tried in the first year to make science as accessible as possible; to meet Philadelphians where they were.”

One example of that is Murder at the Mutter, a hands-on, interactive forensics event with a staged murder at the Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Participants interviewed suspects and engaged in labs that forensics specialists would have used in trying to solve the murder.

Science Day at the Ballpark featured PhillieBot, a robot pitcher engineered by students from the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory at Penn. “It was really fun to see kids running up to see the first pitch, ask how PhillieBot was made, and for the Penn students who designed it to say they were engineers,” Trooskin said. “It was an amazing opportunity for the general public to see engineers in action.”

Trooskin is gearing up for the second year of the Philadelphia Science Festival, held April 20-29, 2012, all over the city. An outdoor carnival will be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on April 21. Visit

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 29

Page 29

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes 1996

A Look Back at

Class Agents Alyson M. Goodner alygoods@yahoo.com Michael Sala sala_lm@yahoo.com

2002

1997

Class Agent Virginia M. Brown vyinger@thehill.org

1998

Class Agents Jeff Bender jb2424@gmail.com Patrick A. Sasse psasse@hotmail.com Aaron H. Carter is writing for the Washington Wizards website while studying journalism in a graduate program at the University of Maryland College Park. He was awarded the college’s Howard Simons Fellowship.”

Janey A. Lewis has been living in New Zealand since 2004. She writes, “After college I decided to take a break and go traveling/working in Australia and New Zealand, a decision which, as it turns out, has taken my life on a much unexpected path. Since moving, I have been involved in a range of projects and companies related to sustainable agriculture, addressing all aspects from growing and maintaining strong genetic material (vegetable seeds, fruit trees, etc.) to creating direct supply chains from grower to customer. It has been a very rewarding journey so far, one of the main reasons being that it has inspired me to learn to cook. (It’s amazing how many of us graduate from top universities without any inkling in this department!). I am also a mom of two young sons, with a third child due soon. So, motherhood is definitely my main ‘job,’ but I am fortunate to have discovered a bigger picture within which I’m able to be involved in other work and projects around raising children.”

1999

Class Agents Mark D. Hecker mhecker616@gmail.com Margaux Pelegrin margaux.pelegrin@gmail.com

Mark D. Hecker, executive director of nonprofit Reach Incorporated, was selected a 2011 Echoing Green Fellow – one of 22 named today’s boldest social change visionaries in the fields of human rights, health, and education. Reach Incorporated seeks to improve reading skills across ages by hiring and training adolescents to tutor in District of Columbia elementary schools. Echoing Green is a leading network for next-generation social innovators.

2000

Class Agent Adam K. Sperling adsperling@gmail.com

Andrea MacCullough and her wedding party, left to right: Katie Morton, Meg Ryan, Mary Catherine Corson, Andrea MacCullough and Nicole Mears. Andrea was married in Napa, Calif. (See marriages.)

2001

Class Agents William A. McKinney williammckinney@gmail.com Jessica A. Stein stein.jessica@gmail.com

2003

2002

Class Agent Katherine A. Butler butlerka@gmail.com

Jane H. Affleck spent last winter in Masaka, Uganda, working for the Foundation for Sustainable Development (www.fsdinternational.org), a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco.

She writes, “Volunteers are asked to work with and learn from an organization, then take a $200 grant given by FSD and implement a project that is useful and sustainable. For my internship, I’m volunteering at Child Restoration Outreach. CRO is a center where children living on the streets come to bathe, wash clothes, eat, and receive schooling and counseling. Its goal is to meet the basic needs of street children, while simultaneously preparing them to return to school and their families. Once resettled, CRO provides funding for school fees and counseling to parents. If a child is without parents, or a suitable home to return to, CRO finds other family members or guardians to care for the child. When I first began with the organization, I thought the mission seemed overly simple and optimistic, but CRO in fact meets a critical need in this community. I’ve found that, most commonly, children have left their homes to find work on the streets because of the poverty the family faces and lack of school fees. With the $200 given to me by FSD, I am helping to provide three families with income-generating materials. I am then starting a fund at the center, to which assisted families will be requested to contribute a small portion of their earnings. With each submission, CRO will match the amount, allowing the fund to continue to grow. The goal is for the fund to be constantly revolving, always generating money to go toward new families and projects of children who have been resettled from the streets.”

Class Agents Jessica A. Kolansky jekolansky@davidson.edu Anthony E. McDevitt mcdevitt44@gmail.com

2004

Class Agents Katherine A. Entwisle kentwisl@gmail.com Erin E. Hozack erin.hozack@gmail.com Jerome B. Wright jwright08@gmail.com Michael Stephenson has been awarded a fellowship to the University of California, Riverside.

In September 2011 he will begin a PhD program in political economics. He will be in California for at least five years, so if any OPCs in California want to reach him, his e-mail is wondersaurus@ gmail.com.

2005

Class Agents Christopher W. Garrison cwg008@bucknell.edu Jessica Kalick jessiekalick@gmail.com Maureen Ryan mmr54@georgetown.edu A. Eva (Lexi) Gunzenhauser just finished work on her first film The Toubadours. It competed at Sundance and is now available on DVD, or you may catch it in the American Masters series on PBS. Look for her name in the credits! She enjoyed summertime in Los Angeles with Jessica Balderston, who was there on rotation for six weeks.

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 30

Page 30

5/8/12 11:06 AM

2006

Class Agents Joey Fugelo insaniac83@aol.com Sarah Roberts sar777@aol.com Katherine Siegmann ksiegmann@gmail.com Jeffrey Torchon jazzjeff88@gmail.com

May It Please the Court

Jeffrey Torchon graduated from Temple University in May 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in music education, jazz piano. He is teaching music at Germantown Friends. He plans to continue the development of his Cuban ensemble, Conjunto Philadelphia, performing around the tri-state area.

More information at www.torchonmusic.com.

Allison Watkins is working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Richmond.

Michael Weick accepted a position as linebacker coach at Susquehanna University. He is now one step closer to his ultimate goal of returning to Penn Charter as head football coach one day.

Jason Harrow making a winning argument at Harvard’s 100th Annual Ames Moot Court Competition.

Jason Harrow OPC ’02, a chemistry whiz at Penn Charter, went to Princeton intending to be a physician. So it was a surprise to some of his teachers to hear that he was arguing a case last spring before the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

Although he took the MCAT exams, Harrow decided after graduating from college to take a job with SCOTUSblog, a website with news about the U.S. Supreme Court. He worked with the website for two years and decided his passion was not medicine but law. “I had put a lot of time into organic chemistry,” Harrow told the Harvard Gazette, “but it became clear that I liked doing this more.”

In April, weeks before his graduation from Harvard Law School, Harrow appeared as a lead lawyer in an illegal downloading and sharing lawsuit brought by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Harrow faced off against the industry in defense of Joel Tenenbaum, a Boston University student sued in 2007 for sharing 30 songs. A jury found Tenenbaum liable for $675,000, but

that award was subsequently reduced to $67,500 by a judge who ruled the original fine unconstitutionally harsh.

Industry lawyers argued that the judge who reduced the fine did not have the power to reduce the award.

Before a packed house in Boston, Harrow thanked the court for permission to present – the appearance of a law student is highly unusual and was approved by the court – and argued that Congress did not intend to punish individual consumers when it passed a digital copyright law in 1998.

In September, the appeals court reinstated the fine and remanded the case to the trial court where the award can be considered again. Although the court of appeals’ decision mostly concerned the proper procedure for reducing large awards, the appeals court judges commented “that this case raises concerns about application of the Copyright Act which Congress may wish to examine.”

Harrow, one of the winners of Harvard’s 100th Annual Ames Moot Court Competition, graduated in May and is currently clerking for a federal judge on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Listen to his appeals court appearance at http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/files/ audio/10-1883.mp3.

2007

Class Agents Billy Goldman weg211@lehigh.edu Audra Hugo audro.hugo@gmail.com Anne McKenna anniemck515@comcast.net Eric Muller ebm28@drexel.edu

2008

Class Agents Katie Corelli kcorelli@stanford.edu Ryan Goldman ryg@sas.upenn.edu Kyle Maurer kmaurer3@jhu.edu Sierra Tishgart s-tishgart@u.northwestern.edu Evan R. Gagne married Hali Michele Stokes, a Nashville native, on July 2, 2011. They had a small family wedding ceremony at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill, and a reception at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Hali graduated from Emory University in May 2011, and Evan will graduate from Emory University in December 2011.

2009

Class Agents Alexandra M. Glassman amg296@cornell.edu Curtiss R. Jones Jr. crj213@lehigh.edu Laura A. Kurash chargefan5@comcast.net Sam H. Lerner sam.lerner@richmond.edu

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 31

Page 31

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class Notes W. Stephen Harrington, who plays for the Princeton baseball team, drove in three runs, helping to complete the team’s run to the 2011 Ivy League Baseball Championship with an 8-5 win in the third and decisive game of the Ivy League Championship Series.

Noah Lebowitz-Lockard has been accepted as a James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar Research Assistant for 2011-2012 at Dartmouth College on a project titled “Hide and Seek on a Markov Chain.”

2010

Class Agents Megan C. Delaney megan.c.delaney@gmail.com Cormac J. Ferrick mac.ferrick@gmail.com Casey T. Maher ctm214@lehigh.edu Kellie C. Ragg kragg@princeton.edu

2011

Class Agents Demetra B. Angelakis dangelak@bowdoin.edu Adam J. Garnick ajg9692@gmail.com Grant A. Guyer guyerg@dickinson.edu Casandra P. Gigliotti cassieg@bu.edu

MARRIAGES 1962

J ohn G. Sheridan to Andrea Duflon, on April 15, 2011.

2002 Marcos A. Zerpa to Allison Chalmers, in June 2010.

1940

Roland B. Graham Jr., on Oct. 17, 2011.

Evan Rhodes Gagne to Hali 2008 Michele Stokes, on July 2, 2011.

Daniel R. Millington, on May 29, 2011.

1941

Benjamin C. Carmine, on Feb. 23, 2011.

1942

Walter F. Ballinger, on April 29, 2011.

1943

Thomas P. O’Neil, on Oct 17, 2011.

BIRTHS 1994 Abigail Leah, to Barry and Emily Mirsky McCoy, on May 29, 2011.

1995 Theodore “Teddy” Gordon, to Scott and Ariel Gordon Bernstein, on June 9, 2011.

Addison, to Shannon and Seamus Brown, on June 20, 2010.

Macey Quinn, to Michelle and Andrew Rentschler, on June 1, 2011.

Thomas M. Birdsall, on Sept. 27, 2011

1944 Lewis S. Somers,

on Aug. 30, 2011.

Maddy Teaford, to Brian Walters and Stephanie Teaford Walters, on Sept. 29, 2011.

William T. Southworth, on March 16, 2011.

1945

John H. Aberle, on Aug. 17, 2011.

Addison Gale, to Stephen A. Wetter and Jordan Owens, on June 21, 2011.

Joseph L. McKinney, on Oct. 9, 2011.

1996 Rosemary “Maisie” Hayne, to Jessica and David A. Hayne, on July 17, 2011.

1947

Noel C. Fritzinger, on June 13, 2011.

1948

John G. C. Fuller, on June 17, 2011.

William John Porter, on April 20, 2011.

1952

John L. Welborn, on April 27, 2011.

1953

Thomas J. Joyce, on March 20, 2011.

2000 Clare Caroline, to Thomas and Margaret Ryan Farnoly, on Oct. 27, 2011.

1961

S. Neil Schlosser, on May 13, 2011.

DEATHS

1979

Thomas M. Brady, on July 6, 2011.

1997 Zayda May, to Cynthia Gorman and Bradley R. Wilson, on May 8, 2011.

1998 Olivia Nan, to Peter and Kimberly Zerpa DeFilippi, on Sept. 18, 2010.

C harlotte “Charley” Catherine, to Rachel and Daniel Ryan, on July 15, 2011.

(See photo.)

1931

William W. McClarin, on April 27, 2011.

1932

Hampton G. Silcox III, on April 27, 2011.

1938

Robert N. Brey, on July 25, 2011.

1939

Robert M. Lockwood, on May 19, 2010.

William E. McLaughlin on Sept. 4, 2011.

David G. Grier, on Feb. 22, 2011.

Andrea MacCullough to Matthew 2000 Sabia, on June 19, 2011. (See photo.)

Fall 2011 The Magazine of William Penn Charter School

Untitled-3 32

Page 32

5/8/12 11:06 AM

Class of ’47

Class of ’52

Class of ’57

Class of ’67

Class of ’82

2 Class of ’7 Class of ’62

2012

MAY 4-5,

Class of ’77

Class of ’02

Class of ’92 ’97 Class of

Class of ’87

You don’t want to miss it!

Return to Penn Charter … Reconnect with old friends … Join the celebration

Alumni Weekend 2012

Answer the Call

The Penn Charter Alumni Association is calling...

Penn Charter has decided to print a new edition of our Alumni Directory, a handy alternative to our online alumni listings.

Over the next several months, Publishing Concepts Inc. (PCI) will be contacting OPCs via mail, phone and e-mail to request that you help us update your home and business contact information.

We understand that you might not want to

Untitled-1 3

provide your information to just anyone, so we want you to know their request for your information is legitimate.

obligation to buy, and the updated information will be free to you on our password-protected website.

The new directory will be printed and available for purchase in 2012 in both hard copy and CD formats! Of course, there is no

For more information about the project, contact Director of Alumni Relations Ted Decker OPC ’78 at 215-844-3460 ext. 134

5/8/12 11:03 AM

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 6118

3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144

Lower School students made “pinwheels for peace” to celebrate World Peace Day on Sept. 21.

Save the Date January 4

Young Alumni Holiday Hoop-la (OPC ’07 through ’11), 12 p.m. Lunch with teachers, classroom visits, Meeting for Worship, Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Peddie School, Reception, Richard B. Fisher Middle School

February 2

Alumni Society Downtown Reception, 6 p.m.

May 4 & May 5

Alumni Weekend Class Reunions: ’42, ’47, ’52, ’57, ’62, ’67, ’72, ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97, ’02

May 14

26th Annual Bert Linton Alumni/Parent Golf Outing, 11 a.m., Philadelphia Cricket Club.

May 25

Color Day, 1 p.m.

June 9

Commencement – Class of 2012, 10:30 a.m.

Untitled-1 4

5/8/12 11:03 AM