The Magazine of William Penn Charter School
Fall 2015
Go Charter!
The STRATEGIC VISION for Penn Charter’s future is organized around six goals, each with a set of strategies. Goal 1: Quakerism
Goal 2: Content Advance our educational program to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex and changing world.
Goal 3: Teaching Goal 4: Time Goal 5: Space Goal 6: Financial Sustainability
Educating Students to Live Lives that Make a Difference A Strategic Vision for the Future of William Penn Charter School
Small Name Changes, Big Ideas Two pre-K to 12 Penn Charter academic departments have been renamed to reflect changes in curriculum, including some changes that evolved from the Strategic Vision and its charge to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex global community. This past academic year, the Religious Studies department became the Religious Studies and Philosophy department, a name that more accurately describes the expanded course offerings. Seventh graders take QUADS, a quarter-long course integrating the study of Quakerism, art, design and service learning. In Upper School, in addition to Quaker Principles and Practice, required for all sophomores, students may obtain Religion course credits in seven electives: Comparative Religions; Philosophy; Bioethics; Environmental Ethics; Issues in Urban Studies: Education; Peace, Justice and Social Change; and Seminar on Poverty. Department chair Tom Rickards said the department aims to provide students with exposure, conversation and research in three integrated areas of study: • Understanding the Quaker practice and principles that are the roots of Friends education and the William Penn Charter School. • Experiencing and reflecting on the nature of justice through service to others and in the study of social inequity. • Raising philosophical and ethical questions about individual and collective behavior.
The Visual Arts department, the first to change its name, is now the department of Visual Arts and Design. Department chair Sheila Ruen said the name change reflects what faculty in the art department had been teaching for some time. For example, Randy Granger has taught design science since 1995. The choice to offer even more design-focused courses and projects was centered on student learning. “Design is a path that allows kids to combine the social, practical and emotional aspects of life,” Ruen said. “It can take kids beyond their identity and help them reach into the world and its issues. Design helps make those things accessible for young minds, and students go further in their skill development when they can go beyond the personal.” The department’s choice to rename itself, Ruen said, is also intended to guide the faculty “to greater integration of creative strategies.” Although it can vary from one year to the next, the department offers up to 16 electives, including film, photography, architecture – and even Art, Archeology and Chemistry, which is cross-listed with the Science department.
Contents Fall 2015
Features
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A Marker for PC History Penn Charter celebrated its 326-year history and the birthday of William Penn with dedication of an historical marker from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
10 Economic Realities and Major Gifts
A $1.5 million OPC gift and an OPC parent gift create educational opportunities for talented students.
14 The Start of Something Good OPC entrepreneurs explain their motivation, success and edifying errors.
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PC Athletics:
Staying Fit, Finding Success
Concussion Management: Keeping the Student at the Center. ............................... 18
PC Dedicates the Blaine Center. .......................................24
A Memorable PC/GA Day.........................................................26
OPC Phillies Hope to Lead the Revival..................... 28
Ortale Scholars: The Penn Charter, Duke, UNC Connection. ............................................................ 32
Departments Opening Comments
From the Head of School. ..................................................................................... 2
24 36
Around Campus
Campus Currents...................................................................................................... 3 Commencement.......................................................................................................12 Alumni
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OPC Weekend 2015...............................................................................................34 Class Notes............................................................................................................... 37 On the Cover Quality facilities, talented coaches and student athletes – the combination came together on the 129th PC/GA Day and produced a memorable day and an exciting result: Quakers won the day! Go Charter!
Photo: Mackenzie Listman in goal for PC. Bastiaan Slabbers
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The Magazine of William Penn Charter School
Darryl J. Ford Head of School Elizabeth A. Glascott Hon. 1689 Assistant Head of School Jeffrey A. Reinhold Clerk, Overseers John T. Rogers Hon. 1689 Chief Development Officer Margaux G. Pelegrin OPC ’99 Alumni Society President
Opening Comments
From the Head of School Just last week, I had an “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” moment when students from both the Red Cubbies and the Green Cubbies presented me with two books they had written, titled, “If I Were Head of PC ...” and “Red Cubbies’ Charter.” In each, these six-yearold authors tendered me advice about how to run the school and what is important to them as kindergartners.
As head of school, I get a lot of unsolicited advice from many of our constituents. However, the kindergartners’ advice was both instructive and visionary, and humorous, too. Cassidi told me if she were head of Penn Charter, she’d plan a party. Kyaire told me he would get money for the whole school, and Sydney said she would help people. This wisdom was reassuring to me as these seem to be three of my primary responsibilities! One student proclaimed he would sleep all day, while another noted he would help people build a castle, and, yet another said he would build another track. Steve Bonnie OPC ’66, director of track, would, of course, approve of this! One other child said he would bring minions – the animated Hollywood version – to the school. These words of advice, while helpful, I set aside for the moment. Zara’s contribution was a piece of wisdom that seems to capture what Penn Charter is all about. She said she would “do good things for the school.” Evidenced in this magazine is just this sentiment: good things being done for the school. New people in new roles, new and re-created spaces to support student learning, expanded athletic facilities and talented coaches helping athletes find success, and OPCs who are forging innovative careers – these are but a few examples of Penn Charter’s good work. A new historical marker acknowledging the school’s storied history, a fresh take on Good Instruction, and important themes articulated by student commencement speakers all are indicative of Penn Charter’s good work. Alumni supporting the school they love, giving back to their alma mater and inspiring others are indications of our school’s good work. Like our kindergarteners, we all believe deeply in the mission of Penn Charter and in the benefits of good instruction. We know the powerful education that occurs when we collectively work to do good things for the school. For the sage wisdom of some of our youngest learners and givers of advice, I am thankful.
arryl J. Ford D Head of School
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Magazine Staff Sharon Sexton Editor Rebecca Luzi Associate Editor Julia Judson-Rea Assistant Editor Michael Branscom Feature Photography Proof Design Studios Design William Penn Charter School 3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144 215.844.3460
www.penncharter.com 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.
Follow Penn Charter at your favorite social media sites: Facebook facebook.com/penncharter Twitter @PennCharter youtube youtube.com/pennchartertube Instagram @PennCharter
Please Recycle this Magazine
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Campus Currents
IdeaLab:
More than a Makerspace Penn Charter’s exciting new IdeaLab will support creative, innovative, project-based learning across all divisions and disciplines in a large, well-equipped space with three dedicated workspaces: a maker lab, a media lab and a creative lab.
Fish-tastic Harvest Middle School students learned firsthand about “farm” to table dining at a fish fry featuring the tilapia that seventh graders raised from Science Sustainability fingerlings to full-size fish in their classroom last year. The fish harvest culminated the first year of a new aquaponics curriculum that taught students important lessons about science and sustainability. The Magazine of WilliaM penn CharTer SChool
Spring 2015
After harvesting the fish – Middle School science teachers Jeff Humble and Kevin Berkoff performed that task – PC parent and chef Jack McDavid pitched in to explain the difference in taste between wild fish and farm-raised fish (the taste is affected by the fish’s diet), demonstrated how to filet, which yields just 35 percent of the whole fish, and served fish tacos. Condiments included fresh basil grown in the aquaponics bed connected to the fish tank.
The MakerLab is a workshop and workspace for students to create with both traditional tools and materials and new technologies, including 3D printers, laser cutters and electronics. The MediaLab is a studio for students to create and document their projects with digital and analog storytelling and portfolios. The CreativeLab connects these two work areas with communal tables for discussion, problem solving and critique. In the lower level of the Richard B. Fisher Middle School, and almost complete, IdeaLab expands Penn Charter’s current network of lab spaces, which includes the woodshop in the Lower School building, science labs and art studios throughout each school house, the outdoor learning spaces, including Chigwell Close, and the music lab in the Kurtz Center. This new space will support Penn Charter’s Strategic Vision by helping students develop three critical competencies – creation, communication and collaboration. Read more about IdeaLab in the next issue of Penn Charter.
Students reported the meal, served with caesar salad, watermelon and cookies, to be “fish-tastic!” The aquaponics project energized the seventh grade curriculum and taught students important lessons about science and sustainability. Visit penncharter.com/tilapia to read about the tilapia farm project.
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Campus Currents
Tech and Good Deeds Andy Nguyen used his videocamera and his curiosity to create an inspirational film about the students and teachers at Widener Memorial School, a Philadelphia public school for students with physical and medical disabilities. Last year he shared his film with the School Reform Commission of the School District of Philadelphia, and this fall he was one of two students chosen to present – along with national education experts – to 350 teachers and administrators at TECHedADVIS, a regional conference. Andy, now a senior, related the work he and his 10th grade Quakerism classmates did at Widener as part of PC’s service learning curriculum and told how he faced a dilemma when it was over: While the Quakerism class ended, Widener’s need for help continued. The solution, encouraged by his PC teachers, was to offer his video talents to Widener. Andy spent more than 200 hours filming and editing “A Day in the Life of Widener,” a 14-minute film that tells the story of the remarkable Widener students and teachers. PC Director of Educational Technology Michael Moulton, one of a core group of teachers who assisted Andy over the course of the movie project, was on a panel at the same conference. When asked about Penn Charter’s mission, Moulton pointed out Andy in the audience and said, “There’s our mission. It’s Andy. It’s helping students live lives that make a difference, as Andy is doing.”
PC Teacher Blog Penn Charter teachers this fall created a new blog, Thought & Practice, to share more widely the progress they are making in implementing the school’s new Strategic Vision. If you are interested in what some of PC’s most creative minds are teaching, innovating and collaborating on, visit penncharter.blogspot.com.
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Find Your Dragon Students in fourth and fifth grades visited with a young entrepreneur and philanthropist named Santino Stagliano, who has autism. Santino draws, prints and sells T-shirts through his company, Santino’s Dragon Drawings, which supports the Philadelphia-area Center for Autism. For years, Santino, who is 10, has drawn dragons to express himself. His mother, Lisa Stagliano, tells the story of how he first told her he loved her by drawing a mother and baby dragon hugging. At Penn Charter, Santino shared his story, his T-shirts and autism awareness with other kids his age. He fielded a lot of questions. How do you make dragons? “It’s what you feel inside, and you just do it,” Santino said. What special things can you do? “I can climb trees, I can swim fast, and one time I went on this ride that teenagers usually go on, and I wasn’t scared at all.” Who inspires you? “I get inspired by this person,” he said, pointing to his mom. After hearing from Santino, in honor of Philadelphia’s official Day of Kindness, students made “Find Your Dragon” peace flags.
Logo design: Stella Singer, Class of 2019
Campus Currents
Big Climb Philly
Fighting Irish Touch Down at PC Sports writer Ted Silary OPC ’69 described it as probably the “coolest day in PC’s storied football history,” when the University of Notre Dame football team arrived, with four buses and a police escort, to practice on Penn Charter’s brand new Stadium Field. Mike McGlinchey OPC ’13, now playing on the Notre Dame offensive line, brought the Fighting Irish to PC on Oct. 31 for their morning walk through in advance of their game with the redhot footballers of Temple University. With PC’s players among the witnesses, the Notre Dame players spread out on the new turf for a well choreographed workout. Quite a sight. Although a bit awestruck, we were careful to not take sides: John Loughery OPC ’11 and Eric Neefe OPC ’13 are members of the Temple Owls team!
Go Owls! Go Irish!
A hush settled over the Meeting Room as ninth grader Duncan Glew talked about his battle with leukemia. Accustomed to Wednesday afternoon announcements about bake sales and pep rallies, students adjusted immediately to the seriousness of his message. Duncan used a polished PowerPoint to explain the disease and current therapies. He talked about his treatment regimen – he and his family, including seventh grade brother Finn, moved here from Seattle last year so that Duncan could receive care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. And he presented an opportunity to help. Penn Charter will have a team in the first-ever Big Climb Philly, a fundraising stair climb up the Comcast building, Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper. Proceeds will support research in the battle against blood cancers. Duncan knows all about the Big Climb. He was a star volunteer for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Seattle, where the original Big Climb started 30 years ago. Big Climb Seattle raised more than $5 million last year. When the Glew family moved to Philadelphia, Duncan was determined to spread that success and establish a Big Climb here. He worked behind-the-scenes to help establish the event and has put in place a student committee to energize Penn Charter’s Big Climb Philly team.
It’s only 1,092 steps! Go Charter!
Saturday, April 23, 2016 Registration Fee: $23 (until Dec. 31); Fundraising minimum $109.20 Time: TBD For more info, visit lls.org/events/big-climb-philly.
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Faculty News
Riches of Mind, Body and Spirit Head of School Darryl J. Ford has restructured his leadership team to place greater emphasis on academics, with the final pieces falling into place this year. Beth Glascott, after a transition period when she worked closely with Associate Head of School Stephanie Judson, is assistant head, supporting Ford and representing him when he is away; Judson now works part time on special projects, including a new Quaker Self-Study. The appointments of David Brightbill and Catherine Ezzo complete the restructuring. Ezzo, formerly chair of Penn Charter’s English department, returned to PC this year after four years as dean of students at George School. Ezzo took on the new role of Assistant Director of Upper School and will collaborate closely with Director of Upper School Travis Larrabee to run Penn Charter’s largest division.
Catherine Ezzo Assistant Director of Upper School
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With characteristic precision and humor, Ezzo introduced herself to students at the opening assembly in September: “While I could give you a biography about my family, where I grew up, my education or experience, a list of interesting factoids including that I grew up in England, I’ve attended one of the Queen’s garden parties (she wore a yellow hat), and I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan (Patriots are going down, tonight, Mr. Larrabee!), I would rather talk to you about why I am passionate about education and believe in your capacity as young adults to live lives that will make a difference in the world around you.” Ezzo went on to reflect on the school’s motto: Good Instruction Is Better than Riches. “Good instruction begins with nurturing curiosity in order to help establish a lifetime love of learning. Good instruction is about teaching you how to ask the right questions, to think critically about the information you find, and to imagine new ways of taking that information to solve challenges we may not even know we have yet. Good instruction encourages healthy risk taking and teaching students “to look forward to challenge, to persevere through difficulty, to be confident in your capacity for learning, growth, and change with the help and mentorship of trusted adults, especially those who are sitting in this room with you here now.” Good instruction teaches you how to grow healthy relationships, she said, and “reveals to us how we are stronger together, that we must care for our communities, that our highest responsibility is to those around us, not ourselves. “Most importantly, good instruction will bring you joy, and reveal to you your talents and gifts, and your capacity to change the world in which you live.”
Beth Glascott is assistant head of school, an appointment that was never formally acknowledged Beth Glascott in the magazine. Assistant Head of School Glascott arrived at Penn Charter fresh out of college and at some point in her 33-year career at PC she has been a teacher (Middle and Upper School science), a coach (swimming and diving, field hockey and lacrosse) and a division director (Upper School). She has clerked numerous committees, including the Strategic Planning Committee that developed Penn Charter’s Strategic Vision, “Educating Students to Live Lives that Make a Difference.” In her new role, Glascott leads efforts to implement that Strategic Vision. At the end of a national search to fill the new post of Academic Dean for Curriculum and Professional David Brightbill Development, the Academic Dean for search committee Curriculum and Professional Development recommended to Head of School Darryl J. Ford the candidate who was already a key player at Penn Charter. David Brightbill, formerly chair of the Spanish department, took on the new role this summer. With Glascott, Brightbill leads curricular development, pre-K to grade 12, and oversees faculty recruiting, hiring and professional development.
How is the good instruction of Penn Charter different from other schools? “Quaker principles and practice teach us to pay attention, to listen well, to value silence, to collaborate, to acknowledge that we can be mistaken, and to take action to make our world a better place. “As I look forward and imagine the place of education in the world emerging before us, I believe, more than ever, that the good instruction you will experience here at Penn Charter will bring you riches – of mind, body and spirit. What a great gift.” PC Read the full speech at penncharter.com/ezzo.
F ollowing in P enn ’ s F ootsteps
When David Kern, director of Lower School, visited William and Hannah
Getting 300 students and their teachers to assemble and smile for the camera was another wish of Kern’s – and they managed to stay still just long enough to capture this memory! Afterwards, the Lower School community enjoyed lunch on the lawn and worshipped in silence in the place where William Penn likely did the same. PC
Penn’s country estate with PC’s faculty and staff in September 2014, he knew he wanted the Lower School to feel the same sense of community in that striking setting. So he determined to find a date in the busy Lower School spring calendar to take grades K to 5 to Pennsbury Manor. Students and teachers boarded buses on April 24 for a brisk but sunny day of activities at Pennsbury, the 43-acre historic site located on the beautiful Delaware River. It was a fitting culmination of the Lower School’s celebration of Penn Charter’s 325th anniversary. In small groups, children toured the reconstructed manor house, as well as a stable with sheep, ox, a horse and curious, roaming geese. They learned to wash laundry the 17th century way (so arduous it was done only once every two months), made herb bags designed to chase away headaches, experienced the kitchen garden where the food and herbs were grown, tried their hand at quill writing, saw a demonstration in the blacksmith shop, and learned a bit about 17th-century woodworking in the joyner shop.
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A Marker for PC History Penn Charter celebrated its 326-year history and the birthday of William Penn with dedication of an historical marker from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated an historical marker to the William Penn Charter School on Oct. 23, recognizing the school’s Quaker roots and pioneering educational initiatives. The text on the blue, cast aluminum marker reads, in part, “… it was Pennsylvania’s first public school and is the oldest continuously operating Friends school in the world. Pioneering educational initiatives were based on public charity and inclusion: free tuition to the poor, education for both genders and acceptance of all races.”
State and local officials joined Penn Charter OPCs, faculty, friends and three entire grades, fanning out on folding chairs behind the new marker on the lawn of the School House Lane campus. “I can think of no better way to celebrate Penn’s birthday and his school than with today’s program,” Head of School Darryl J. Ford said, noting that, according to one calendar, Penn was born on Oct. 24, 1644. Referencing the language on the marker that recognizes the school’s contributions to society and education, Ford said, “I note our faculty and staff ’s continued commitment to educate our students to live
As is custom at Penn Charter, student speakers played an important role in the occasion. The 108-member senior class joined the festivities, as did the third and eighth grades, selected for the honor because they are studying, respectively, Pennsylvania history and civics. Representatives from those grades spoke to the gathering from the podium.
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Senior Class President Jonathan Weiss welcomed the crowd and encouraged students to recognize their place in the history of Penn’s school.
“Historically, we led the movement to make education available to everybody in America and can still feel its effects today,” Weiss said. “ … we can pride ourselves in honoring it so well, so long as we thank those who came before us and continue preparing those who will come after.”
lives that make a difference, and I am certain that today’s students will make meaningful contributions to society as their lives unfold.” Ed Rendell, former governor, mayor and Penn Charter parent, congratulated the school and the students, remarking that more than water or minerals “our young people are our most important natural resource.” Philadelphia City Councilman Curtis Jones, who represents the 4th District, Head of School Darryl J. Ford and which includes East Falls, presented a Randy Granger Hon. 1689 citation from City Council. The citation congratulated Penn Charter on the occasion and applauded “the school’s continued commitment to progressive education to Philadelphia children and families.” Martin Rosenblum, a member of the commission and former Penn Charter parent – father of Benjamin Rosenblum OPC ’02 – encouraged students to be alert to the 2,400 distinctive blue markers throughout the Commonwealth. Whether walking on Chestnut Street in Center City or in East Falls, he said, “history is all around us.” The application for the historical marker was the brainchild of Randy Granger, visual arts teacher at Penn Charter for 41 years, an expert in historic preservation and an assistant in the PC archives. Granger saw the demanding application process through from start to finish and had the honor of climbing an 8-foot ladder and removing, with a flourish, the protective cover from the marker. The marker, Granger wrote in an overview of Penn Charter’s history, recognizes the “school’s importance to the evolution of our diverse, and interconnected history and culture as Philadelphians, Pennsylvanians and Americans.” PC
Eighth grader Troi Rutherford explained some of the early history of the school and noted that, on Oct. 25, 1701,
Penn signed an official charter for what he called a “Friends Public School” on the very same day that he signed the charter for the city of Philadelphia.
Third grader Alara Arkan explained the intent behind Penn’s decision to establish a school: “He
wanted a public school so that children could be educated to become good citizens for the democratic government that he was setting up in Pennsylvania.”
View more photos at flickr.com/photos/penncharter/sets.
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Strategic Vision
Goals 1 & 6
Quakerism and Financial Sustainability
Economic Realities
Steven Koltes OPC ’74 Establishes Full-Access Fund With a lead gift of $1 million, Steven Koltes OPC ’74 has established a new Full-Access Financial Aid Fund that will make it possible for Penn Charter to increase financial aid to talented students whose families cannot pay the difference between a PC financial aid grant and the cost of tuition. “I wanted to do something that would ensure the school could continue to attract and retain the best need-based students in the Philadelphia area,” Koltes explained. In addition, to motivate other OPCs to join him in support of full access, he has promised $500,000 more to match gifts to the fund from alumni who received financial aid. “This is an appeal to all OPCs who Steve Koltes OPC ’74 visited would like to ensure we are competitively PC in 2014 to accept the positioned to attract the best needAlumni Award of Merit. Koltes based students,” Koltes said. “To OPCs is co-chairman of CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm who themselves received aid at PC the headquartered in Luxembourg. challenge match is a special request to give back to the new generation of aid recipients by contributing to this fund and seeing their contributions matched.” The idea of the fund has already born fruit: Wally Loeb OPC ’52, the first to step forward, has made a $100,000 gift to the fund. (See “The First Gift.”)
The First Gift “Penn Charter will always be dear to me,” Wally Loeb OPC ’52 said, by way of explaining his gift of $100,000 to support financial aid at Penn Charter. “I learned more at Penn Charter than anywhere else.” Loeb grew up not far from Penn Charter and attended from fourth grade on. He fondly remembers math teacher Bert Linton and Charles T. Maclary, who sparked Loeb’s love of music and the arts. “Classical music, ballet,
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“What excites me most about Steve Koltes’ gift is both his generosity and his inclination to give back to an institution that greatly benefited him,” said Head of School Darryl J. Ford. “The gift will help us meet the financial needs of families who desire to come to Penn Charter but can’t without more aid.” Koltes, Ford, Chief Development Officer Jack Rogers and Director of Financial Aid Allan Brown have set a goal of building the fund to $5 million by 2020. The four men collaborated to develop the concept for the fund. Koltes said he initially proposed a loan fund that would allow parents to borrow, at zero interest, the difference between their financial aid grant and what they could comfortably afford. “When I presented this idea to Jack Rogers,” Koltes recalled, “he mulled it over before delivering his verdict: “Right problem, wrong solution!” Ford and Rogers wanted to make it possible for families to enroll their children without taking on additional debt. The new fund will do that. Right problem, right solution. PC
“This is an appeal to all OPCs who would like to ensure we are competitively positioned to attract the best need-based students.” At penncharter.com/koltes: In an engaging speech to the 122nd Alumni Reception, Steve Koltes reflected on his life, his luck – making one’s own luck – and on the virtue of patience.
plays, etc. are a great part of my life. I spend a lot of time attending performances!” He is retired from what he described as a “mixed bag career.” Loeb earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College and spent several years in the Navy. He then attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and taught elementary school in the Philadelphia area. Loeb also worked for the Jewish Times, a regional subsidiary of the Jewish Exponent. Loeb spent several years managing RV parks in Lancaster County before moving back to Philadelphia in 1990. Loeb specifically chose Center City as his new home to be near the arts action.
Loeb is the first person to join Steven Koltes OPC ‘74 in support of the Full-Access Fund. “I think the fund is a great idea,” Loeb said. “Kids Wally Loeb OPC ’52 who have potential and a willingness to work hard, but cannot afford Penn Charter – they should have the same opportunities that I did. Hopefully, those who receive scholarships and succeed in life will, in turn, help others in need by paying it forward.”
Pathway to the Future:
Maguire Scholars Program Comes to Penn Charter The Maguire Foundation, a regional philanthropy focused on expanding educational opportunity for talented young people, has pledged $400,000 in financial aid to Penn Charter through the Maguire Scholars Program. The Maguire Foundation seeks to remove obstacles for students from families with financial need so that they can earn a high-quality education, seek employment that enables their own children to attend a great school, and make a significant contribution to society. “If students are coming from need, there are always hard choices when it comes to Philadelphia philanthropists James J. education, particularly the price tag,” explained Amy Holdsman, and Frances Maguire are parents of two OPCs, Christopher OPC ’84 and executive director of the Timothy OPC ’85. foundation. “Mr. Maguire’s vision is straightforward – everyone deserves the right for a great education – but not easy. An education can change everything.” The Maguire Scholars Program is one part of the Maguire Foundation’s philanthropic efforts to address the education crisis in Philadelphia, particularly in Catholic schools. Three years ago, the Maguire Foundation broadened its scholarship program for talented students with financial need by establishing the Maguire Scholars Program in 17 high schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Mercy Vocational High. Last year, the program expanded to include five additional independent Catholic Schools and AIM Academy in Manayunk. This year, the foundation has expanded the program to make grants to Penn Charter, Academy of Notre Dame, Agnes Irwin, Baldwin, Germantown Friends, Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Haverford School, Holy Ghost Prep, Malvern Prep and Springside Chestnut Hill. “It was a win-win; we could support students with financial need and help to increase enrollment in the Catholic schools at the same time,” said Holdsman, who is a former PC parent. “The Maguire Foundation wants to expand to independent schools like Penn Charter and its Inter-Ac and Friends School League peers to facilitate more student choice and opportunity in high-quality schools.” Penn Charter awarded more than $9.6 million in financial aid last year, but the gap between a PC financial aid award and the cost of tuition can be a barrier for some families.
“Even with Penn Charter’s generous financial aid budget there are times when we are not able to meet the full need of some families,” said Beth Johnson, PC director of Middle and Upper School admissions. “Through the Maguire Scholars Program, dollars will no longer be a barrier.” The gift to Penn Charter is designed so that, beginning 2016-17, the grant will support four ninth grade students with demonstrated need and will add support for four more students in each of the following three years, as entering freshman. Penn Charter will select the most talented students with demonstrated need from the pool of applicants each year so that, by 2020, each Upper School class will have four Maguire Scholars for a total of 16 Maguire Scholars in grades 9 through 12. To become a Maguire Scholar, a student must be accepted at Penn Charter, have a demonstrated financial need, and meet academic and extracurricular criteria. The student, at a minimum, must have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.0 in seventh grade and in eighth grade at the time of application. The student must also be participating in at least one extracurricular activity and at least one ongoing community service project. Penn Charter will provide learning and emotional support to Maguire Scholars who need it, just as the school does for all of its students. “It’s not an easy transition for some students,” Holdsman said. “A school like Penn Charter might be a whole new world, and wrap-around services are important for the scholars’ success.” The program in Catholic – and now Quaker and independent schools – is a step toward the Maguire College Scholars Program, which provides college scholarship funds to students who came through the other Maguire Scholars programs. “The Maguire Foundation is focused on creating pathways for students all the way through college,” Holdsman said. James Maguire struggled academically, particularly in college. He was diagnosed with dyslexia partway through college and credits the support he received from the Rev. Hunter Guthrie, an early pioneer in the study of dyslexia, for helping him to graduate from St. Joseph’s University with a 3.0 GPA. Maguire got his start at MetLife and formed the Maguire Insurance Agency not long after graduating from SJU. There, he offered specialized insurance solutions to the auto industry. The company had offices nationwide by the mid-1970s, and in 1980 Maguire formed a holding company that now has several subsidiaries. In 2008 the company merged with Tokio Marine Group for $5 billion, one of the largest transactions for financial firms in Japanese history. “We saw an opportunity to create a continuum of education by educating kids in grade school to high school and into college,” Maguire said. “We want them to progress into a leadership role in society. Financial support is an important part of education that is not readily available today, and we want to help fill that void.” PC
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commencement
Senior Class President Alec Veznedaroglu presented a $175,835 Senior Parent Gift to Penn Charter, noting that – for the first time ever – 100 percent of senior class families contributed to the gift.
2015
“As a Friends school, your education gives you an added benefit of the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, equality, peace, integrity, community and stewardship, among others. As a Friends school, we are called upon to see the inner light in each other. As a Friends school, we strive to take part in deep reflection; think critically without being critical; embrace diversity, even when this is hard; be good stewards of the environment and the resources given to us; and to walk lightly and cheerfully upon this earth. These elements combine to create a Quaker edge, a benefit that we gain by being an intentional Friends school community. While we are given this by our presence at this great school, the real benefit for the world occurs as we leave this friendly place.” –Head of School Darryl J. Ford
According to tradition, Commencement speakers Sylvia Miller and Jelani Buie, both children of OPCs, were chosen by the faculty from a list of candidates advanced by the senior class. The full text of their remarks is available at penncharter.com/grad2015.
“We are lucky that we are able to graduate in the same year as one of the most important birthdays of our school’s history, the 325th anniversary. It is hard to believe that we are part of an institution that has been around
for over three centuries. We have been
a part of traditions that date all the way back to 1689; when I think about all of the classes that have graduated before us, I feel so privileged to
be a part of a family that is just as old as the original English Bill of Rights.” – Jelani Buie
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college choices “I have never felt limited in my time at Penn Charter because if there was something that I wanted to do, I knew there would always be an avenue to pursue that interest. This year alone, I had the opportunity to enroll in courses like Foreign Policy in the 21st Century; Racism, Sexism and Other ‘isms’ in film, and the Natural History of the Wissahickon. I was able to learn about issues in diplomacy, racism in cinema and Wissahickon schist, a rock that lines the trails of the Wissahickon and faces many of our buildings on campus. These classes were a direct connection between my Penn Charter education and my future in ‘the real world.’ The culture at this school encourages students to do our best, take risks and try new things.” –Sylvia Miller
Nile Hodges received the Alumni Senior Award, given to “a member of the senior class who, on qualifications of scholarship, character, leadership and athletic ability exemplifies the best Penn Charter type.
Sarah Brody-Bizar received the Phi Beta Kappa Award, presented to the student outstanding in scholarship in the graduating class.
An end of year survey showed that 96 percent of students in the Class of 2015 are attending one of their top-choice colleges. More than half were admitted to a “most competitive college,” according to Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges. Penn Charter’s college list is as diverse as our student body. A successful college search should end with choices and with a match to a school that fits a student’s abilities and interests. The Class of 2015, for example, matriculated to Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, Oberlin, Claremont McKenna, Morehouse, Rensselaer Polytechnic and the Jewish Theological Seminary, to name a few. Albright College American University Auburn University Babson College Barnard College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Bucknell University Carleton College Colby College Colgate University College of Charleston College of Wooster Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College DePaul University Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University Earlham College Elon University Franklin & Marshall College George Washington University Georgetown University Hampton University Haverford College Howard University Indiana University of Pennsylvania Kutztown University La Salle University Lafayette College Lehigh University Loyola Marymount University Marymount University
Marywood University Morehouse College New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Oberlin College Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine Pennsylvania State University, Erie Princeton University Skidmore College St. John’s University, Queens Campus Syracuse University Texas A&M University Tufts University Tulane University United States Naval Academy University of Colorado University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Maryland University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Miami University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Vermont University of Virginia Ursinus College Villanova University Washington College Washington University, St Louis West Chester University Widener University
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The Start of Something Good by Jared Scott Tesler
“Penn Charter influenced my commitment to social issues and to using my life, education and skills in the most meaningful way.” – Catherine Griffin OPC ’01, Managing Director, GoodCompany Ventures
Behold the power of OPCs. Thinkers, collaborators, innovators and leaders in their chosen fields, they live lives that make a difference – the very quintessence found in those possessing an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. But what does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur in today’s hypercompetitive marketplace? Are certain skill sets or personality traits required? What are the common mistakes that always seem to trip up young entrepreneurs?
Alex Gould OPC ’89 Alex Gould, a lecturer in the Department of Economics and Senior Executive Leadership Program at Stanford University, is no stranger to these types of questions. “It takes, among other things, a tremendous amount of self-confidence, dissatisfaction with the status quo, focus, dedication, passion, patience, optimism, flexibility, resiliency and a tolerance for ambiguity,” said Gould, who has taught courses in entrepreneurship and finance to more than 3,000 advanced undergraduates since his days as a Stanford graduate student of law and economics in the mid-’90s. “It’s not enough to be smart or to have done well in school – you have to have the right ‘innards.’” Gould, who is married to fellow entrepreneur Amy Andersen of matchmaking service Linx Dating, spends about 80 percent of his time outside of the classroom as co-founder and general partner of the Valley Fund, a seed- and earlystage venture capital firm focused primarily on
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technology, with deep domain specialties in media, traditional enterprise solutions, digital health, finance, and general consumer internet and mobile product management. Co-founded by serial entrepreneur and angel investor Steve O’Hara, the Menlo Park, California-based firm finances aspiring business magnates who have at least created a prototype of their product and can prove that there is indeed a market for it. At work, Gould remains in good company, surrounded by team members who are credited with launching some of Apple and Netflix’s most successful products. Gould said that fledgling entrepreneurs can and do get into trouble when they lose focus on market need, customer experience and investment capital. He offers up a textbook example: “Could anyone have said that ‘social
networking’ was a market need before MySpace and Facebook launched? Maybe not. But in the case of Facebook, there was huge validation on the Harvard University campus, and then other college campuses, before the company really grew and began scaling to the juggernaut that it became. The last thing an entrepreneur needs or wants is to build a product and then hear crickets chirping in the silent market.” PC
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Jesse Rendell OPC ’98 Jesse Rendell, co-founder of Scavify mobile scavenger hunts, didn’t set out to become a tech entrepreneur – his foray into the industry was a happy accident. “I’m no techie,” said Rendell, who attended Penn Charter before it had such a robust technology department. (He also studied American history at Penn.) “Luckily for me, a few of my best friends taught themselves how to build websites and smartphone apps!” Scavify’s mobile app helps employers, universities, tourist destinations, and conferences and tradeshows create interactive programs designed to engage their employees, students, visitors and attendees. As director of business development, Rendell uses his network of contacts to supply meaningful business opportunities for a long list of clients that includes Google, Yale University, the Philadelphia Zoo and the World Meeting of Families. “Scavify provides customers with an easy, fully customizable and cost-effective way to build,
launch and track interactive programs – and view corresponding engagement analytics – all from their desktop,” Rendell explained. “With each program, users complete real-world challenges – snap photos, scan QR codes, check in via GPS and answer trivia questions – to accumulate points and earn rewards as they explore, learn about and interact with their surroundings in a fun way.” Rendell works to customize the personal experiences of his clientele in other ways, too. As the owner of Rendell Management and Consulting, he represents Philadelphiaarea sports media and radio and television personalities, providing contract negotiation and general business and marketing advisory services. His law degree from Temple University also comes in handy in his role as counsel for Haines & Associates, where he assists clients
with the drafting and negotiation of contracts for film and television productions. “Being an entrepreneur in and of itself is a risk in that you’re facing the daily reality that you may not achieve the goals you have for your business,” Rendell said. “But when you achieve the benchmarks you set for yourself and start to see something grow that you and your partners have created from nothing, there’s no greater reward. We make mistakes every day, whether it’s realizing we need a new pricing model or a different marketing message, but we learn something from each one, and it makes us better at what we do.” PC
Chris DiMarco OPC ’94 Chris DiMarco, founder, chairman and director of Lamps.com, was a serial entrepreneur even as a young boy peddling candy, but he said his venturesome ways really began to take shape in Edwin Marks’ 10th grade economics class. DiMarco would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics from Lafayette College and become an equity trader on Wall Street. But that job, he said, “didn’t satisfy the entrepreneurial bug.” He finally got his first official taste of tech in 2005 when he founded perfume and cosmetics retailer FragranceUP.com. DiMarco launched Lamps.com in 2010 and since then has gone on to found two additional e-commerce businesses: Payroll Shopping, which allows employees to browse thousands of premium products and purchase responsibly through payroll deduction, and PerPay, a seed-stage financial wellness, lending and payment platform. He’s kept his Penn Charter connections throughout the journey – PerPay
is backed by David Hayne OPC ’96, chief operating officer of Free People, and DiMarco recently handed the Lamps.com reins to best friend-turned-CEO Anthony Balsamo OPC ’95, an early board member and original investor in the company. All three of DiMarco’s enterprises are housed on the eighth floor of the Biddle Building in Center City, and the corporate culture that exists there is one of DiMarco’s proudest accomplishments. “I’ve been able to build a team that is not only a great culture but great friends,” he said. “That camaraderie is unbelievable, and to watch it grow and see everyone succeed in their passion for their career is really the most fulfilling thing.” PC
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Catherine Griffin OPC ’01 Another living example of Penn Charter’s vision, mission and philosophy, Catherine Griffin follows an entirely different approach to entrepreneurship. A former management consultant and director of business development for British fashion designer Rebecca Street’s line of ethical apparel, Griffin currently serves as managing director of GoodCompany Ventures, a nonprofit, early-stage tech-venture accelerator that helps social entrepreneurs develop innovative business models and financing, in partnership with cities, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and financiers. GoodCompany Ventures employs an intensive 12-week series of expert and investor panels, tactical workshops, peer-to-peer critique and one-on-one coaching to help a roster of clients in education, government and health tech, clean energy, sustainable apparel, and now climate tech that have gone on to close over $60 million in private capital, supported by a network that includes the Wharton Social
Impact Initiative, the City of Philadelphia, the White House, the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Network, NASA and the United Nations. Often, social ventures’ business models are not as straightforward as those of traditional tech ventures, which is why GoodCompany Ventures helps them determine what value they’re creating, how to secure their market position, and determine their valuation and capital strategy. “I’ve found that the risk of pursuing my passion far outweighs the certain price of acquiescing to a job I care little about,” said Griffin, who sits on the board of directors of Power Up Gambia, which strives to improve health care delivery in the Gambia by providing reliable and sustainable electricity through solar energy. “I’m motivated by the
conviction that my work is pioneering new and effective ways of addressing global challenges. I also get to work with brilliant, visionary and compassionate but intensely practical people who question old ways of thinking and are willing to make a start, if incremental and messy, toward something new.” PC
Everett Katzen OPC ’92 Everett Katzen founded Springboard Media in 1996, but the company then was not at all what it is today. What originated as an ad agency, begun with a loan from his grandmother, is now a diverse tech-support, product sales and education company.
On a recent visit to PC, Everett Katzen posed in front of his second grade cubbie.
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“Nineteen ninety-six was the early days of the Internet,” Katzen said. “My idea was that you called a main number and could get a fax of a restaurant menu or hear what was happening at a music venue. But I didn’t have an ad budget, so I tried to partner with a local radio station. They turned me down but thought it was a good idea, so they took my idea and did it themselves. “In only a few months, I had basically failed, but I still had to pay back the loan from my grandma!” So, he decided to sell used Apple computers and placed an ad in the newspaper. “I had 200 calls in one day,” he said. The sale of those used Macs was the start of the “new” Springboard Media.
“Springboard was born from failure,” he said. “I’ve learned far more from my failures than I have from my successes.” Springboard Media sold, and continues to sell, exclusively Apple products. In 2001, Springboard Media became Apple-authorized, but only after being turned down twice by Apple. “In order to succeed as an entrepreneur,” Katzen said, “you must be committed to trying again and again and again. You must have a good sense of humor, too, because unpredictable things will happen and you can’t get brought down by that.”
PC P RO F ILES Katzen knows about unpredictable. “On my 30th birthday, when I was feeling great and Springboard was doing well, I got the call that an Apple store would soon open four blocks from Springboard and to get my affairs in order,” Katzen said. “That was rough. But it was the best thing that ever happened.” The phone call prompted Katzen to diversify Springboard Media. He began to offer support to companies with business solutions for hardware, software, tech support and training. And, most notably, Springboard Media now offers professional development for teachers, helping them become more effective educators. Springboard is the primary dealer in Pennsylvania of Promethean interactive whiteboards, used in classrooms, and the
company offers training for teachers to learn how to use the technology. Springboard Media is a partner of the Urban Technology Project, which provides Philadelphia youth with information technology tools and education. Katzen mentors AmeriCorps digital service fellows – an IT apprenticeship for recent Philadelphia public school graduates who work in the public schools while becoming Applecertified Macintosh technicians. “I used to be really proud to be good at selling,” Katzen said. “But now, I love to mentor my employees to be better, to learn. It is fun to watch a mentee take off and grow.” Springboard Media is a Philadelphia company, and Katzen and his wife, ophthalmologist Amanda Lehman, and their two young children,
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Heston and Jasper, live in Center City, as well. “I love Philly, and I really encourage people to stay here. I am intentionally investing in Philadelphia’s future because it has given me so much. I want people to stay here and join me to help make Philadelphia great.” Helping to improve education and investing in Philadelphia brings a lot of job satisfaction for Katzen. His primary piece of advice to entrepreneurs centers here. “The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make is that they don’t take time to recharge. People sometimes think they’re doing a better job if they work 18-hour days. But just like your phone battery has to be recharged, so do you. Take your family just as seriously as you do your job. Maybe be more focused when you are working, but make time for yourself. Find balance.” PC
If so, the business may be eligible to participate in two state tax-credit programs that make it possible to redirect tax dollars to Penn Charter for financial aid. The application process is easy, and the benefits to the school and to deserving students are significant. In 2014-2015, 30 companies with ties to Penn Charter participated in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) or the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. Support from these programs alone provided financial aid to more than 10 percent of the student body. EITC is designed to support private- and parochial-school scholarships to income-eligible children. OSTC offers further support for students living in neighborhoods with public schools that are low-achieving. “Directing your company’s tax dollars to Penn Charter via EITC and OSTC is a win-win-win,” said Philip Consuegra, associate director development. “Penn Charter is able to provide financial aid to families who couldn’t otherwise attend, your company receives a tax credit, and the school is strengthened by the excellent students who join the community.” Fall 2015 • 17
Concussion Manag e m e n t Keeping the STUDENT at the Center by Julia Judson-Rea Five years ago, Penn Charter nurse Debbie Foley began to notice she was giving out a lot of Ibuprofen to students with chronic headaches. As Foley recalls it: “Though the students, and especially girls, seemed to attribute the headaches to other things, I began to wonder if something else was going on.” That “something else” often turned out to be a concussion. The year 2010 also marked the date a lawsuit was brought against the NFL by former players who said that undiagnosed and untreated concussions had severe effects that developed after they retired from the game, with symptoms ranging from early onset of dementia to suicide. The suit alarmed the public and the medical community, and the increased awareness quickly trickled down to the high school and even elementary school level, where many conversations centered on protecting developing brains.
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“Concussion management was still in its infancy in 2010,” Foley said, adding that the medical community had only just formalized the definition of a concussion to say that it could happen even if the patient had not lost consciousness. Foley, motivated to learn more and provide better care, immersed herself in the issue and, five years later, is recognized as an innovator in the development of an effective and collaborative school program to aid students in recovery from a concussion. Foley, now coordinator of PC Health Services, developed a handbook of procedures that guide response and treatment of concussion cases and the process by which Penn Charter helps students “return to learn” and eventually “return to play.” She oversees that process in collaboration with PC athletics trainer Tom Yabor, the school’s learning specialists, division directors and faculty. Awareness of concussion and the search for treatment protocols has increased exponentially, not only at Penn Charter. Inter-Academic League schools have turned to Foley for advice and information,
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Concussion Management: Keeping the Student at the Center and in May, Foley and Yabor presented the PC program to clinicians and school personnel attending the third annual Diagnosis and Management of Concussion: Advances from Bench to Sideline conference at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Over the last several years, Foley has worked closely with doctors from the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP to implement a comprehensive and multifaceted program for Penn Charter students who sustain a concussion of any severity. Foley’s own children, active athletes, have visited CHOP for occasional sports injuries. Through these visits, Foley met Matthew Grady, a sports medicine pediatrician and one of the first doctors
Coordinator of Health Services Debbie Foley is the keystone of PC’s Return to Learn and Return to Play concussion recovery program, orchestrating a team of doctors, faculty, learning specialists and parents to support a student who presents with a concussion. Having established an outstanding program at PC, Foley is a resource for other school nurses and athletics programs, as well as to the medical community.
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nationally to pick up on symptoms displayed in the classroom and to link them to concussion. He shared his research results with Foley, and his research since has delved more deeply into the academic recovery aspect for developing brains – clearly a critical piece for schools. With the help of OPC parent Arthur Bartolozzi, a leading orthopedic surgeon and former team physician for the Eagles, Flyers and Phantoms, PC became one of the high school sites for Grady’s work that rotates medical fellows specializing in sports medicine though schools. “We try to place them in schools with a good infrastructure,” Grady said. “Penn Charter has been a great experience for our fellows.” The first fellow at Penn Charter, who preceded the Bartolozzi/ CHOP/Penn/PC collaboration, was Christina Master. Master, a CHOP doctor and professor at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, helped develop at CHOP the nationally recognized program Concussion Care for Kids: Minds Matter. Minds Matter is a specialized program to help families, health care providers, school staff and coaches recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion, and then support children’s physicianguided recovery. She is still connected to Penn Charter through the current fellowship program, and Foley refers students with particularly prolonged recovery time or overlapping learning difficulties to Master, who helps the student and PC determine what adjustments and accommodations will best help the child return to learn. In a few short years, Foley has gone from dispensing Ibuprofen for nonspecific headaches to leading a team of professionals to support individual Penn Charter students who sustain a concussion. Foley said that a large percentage of concussions she sees are athletic, but many occur off campus. “Those typically are a result of car accidents or injuries in nonPC club sports teams,” she said. Foley said that 44 percent of the 32 concussions reported to her office last year occurred outside of PC athletics.
Concussion Recovery: The first few days – Cognitive Rest and Chunking “Ryan hit the back of his head during a Middle School football game and he didn’t get up right away,” said Kelli Maloney, mother of Ryan Maloney, Class of 2019. “Tom Yabor went over to him immediately and checked him out as soon as he was on the sideline. We were told within minutes that Ryan had a concussion, so he began the recovery process right away.” Ryan’s case is an example of the new PC concussion protocol in action. He stayed home the next day – Halloween – with no phone, no TV and lots of rest.
Athletic trainer Tom Yabor was instrumental in helping Ryan Maloney recover, rebuild his conditioning, and, upon being cleared by a physician, return to fullcontact play after his concussions.
“Over the weekend,” his mother recalled, “he had more symptoms, especially sensitivity to light, and he told us he didn’t feel right. It took a week for him to return to the classroom – and just for half a day at first.” Penn Charter athletes injured on the field are removed from play immediately and evaluated on the sideline by an athletic trainer, often Yabor. Some students do not exhibit symptoms immediately and may develop symptoms at home; if the student does not see a pediatrician that night, Foley evaluates them the next morning. Foley follows up with parents as quickly as possible after the diagnosis and provides instructions for basic cognitive rest, which was what Ryan followed: no homework, no computer or texting, minimal TV and some reading, so long as it doesn’t trigger symptoms. The student is forbidden to attend school the first day after injury to ensure the brain gets cognitive rest early on. Yabor or Foley begin their daily tracking of the student’s symptoms, which continues until the student is symptom-free. Current research suggests that 80 to 90 percent of concussions resolve in seven to 10 days. “More mature brains – our older Upper Schoolers – might recover in three or four days. But they might also need longer. It just depends on the impact and the student,” Foley said. A student with a concussion might stay home for up to one week, depending on the severity of the concussion and symptoms, but
after 72 hours, light cognitive activity is slowly increased in small amounts, based on what the student can endure without exacerbating symptoms. This process is called “chunking.” Once symptoms have subsided to a manageable level for the student, the student returns to school. Initially the student might attend school on a modified schedule, increasing class time and homework time as the symptoms permit. “After cognitive rest, we begin chunking – asking kids to do work for 15-20 minutes so long as symptoms don’t rise too far. Even if symptoms occur while chunking, the brain is not being reinjured. It’s a balance,” said Foley. Return to Learn has changed even in two years. “We now bring kids back as soon as their symptoms are lessened,” Foley said. “We want them back soon – not too soon – but accommodated. We no longer want them in a dark room for days on end. Research shows that isolation can prolong recovery. Students who interact with their peers – without overdoing it – tend to be motivated to try a bit more every day to get better.” During this recovery time, keeping the student off the field or court is critical because another jolt could cause a severe concussion and/or prolong recovery time.
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Concussion Management: Keeping the Student at the Center
Concussion Recovery:
Return to Learn & PC’s Collaborative Concussion Management Team Foley coordinates care and a Return to Learn plan for each student. “During recovery, I see or call a student every morning until their symptoms are gone and they are on top of their coursework,” she said. Based in part on the daily check-ins, Foley develops a plan with the division’s learning specialist, parents, faculty and the student. That concussion management team maintains regular contact about the student’s progress. Heather Larrabee, the learning specialist in the Middle School, helped provide the support Ryan needed to come back to classes and a full academic workload. “The protocol is different for each student, and each kid responds differently. But the collaborative system Debbie has established allows for a smoother recovery.” Kelli Maloney confided that she initially worried about Ryan’s school work. “He was new to Penn Charter that year – an eighth grader,” she said. “But the way Penn Charter connected everyone together and gave us a plan and a schedule for what work to do and how he would make up tests was very helpful.”
Director of Upper School Travis Larrabee said the student’s work may focus initially on subjects that build, such as languages and math, and may require doing only one or two problems of a multiproblem assignment. “Debbie Foley really directs the group,” said Karen Campbell, Upper School learning specialist. “She assesses whether the student can be in class, and for how long. Once the child is able to be in school, I step in, and, with Travis Larrabee, we determine what work can be done based on the chunking schedule set out by Foley. The plans are very individual to the kid. There is no one-size-fits-all.” The plan is communicated with the teachers, and they become part of the team effort.
“We want them back soon – not too soon – but accommodated. We no
longer want them in a dark room for days on end.”
-Debbie Foley
Is all this necessary? “When we got hurt as kids we never had this sort of focused care. We just kept playing,” Maloney said. “But it is important for kids to rest.” When Ryan got another concussion the same year, Maloney said, this time in a non-PC basketball game, “I knew just what to do even before he was officially diagnosed. I definitely think it helped Ryan’s recovery.” If a student is feeling symptoms or struggling academically for longer than PC and the doctors expect, Foley can refer the child to Master and Grady, who may recommend more specific accommodations the student requires for recovery. “With the fellows here once a week, they can do regular checks and reporting on the student. Plus, that linkage allows me to call Grady, Master and even Bartolozzi when I need to. We’re very fortunate to have that connection. That Penn Charter is the high school location of the sports medicine fellowship program is excellent,” Foley said.
Concussion Recovery:
PC partners with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Aria 3B Orthopaedic Institute in a program that provides physician rotations through collegiate, high school and clinical settings. As part of that program, a sports medicine fellow, a physician, visits PC once a week and sees students with all variety of musculoskeletal injuries, as well as concussions.
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Advancing to Return to Play
Once the student is back in the classroom for a full day with minimal symptoms, Yabor leads the Return to Play plan. He maintains close communication with the established team, especially Foley, to follow how the student fares in the classroom as physical activity increases. “There is lots of communication, and the team angle of this is key,” Yabor said. Foley and Yabor communicate daily on how students are progressing, including daily check-ins with the student for symptom-tracking. Part of understanding where kids should be at the end of their recovery is having an established pre-injury baseline for comparison.
Concussion Management: Keeping the Student at the Center Penn Charter athletes are tested once every two years to establish a baseline for comparison using a computerized neurocognitive test, administered by Yabor and the sports medicine fellow. At some point in the recovery process, the PC team administers the ImPACT test (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) to see how the student’s brain is healing and how the student’s symptoms and abilities are improving. This is one in a series of tests PC uses to understand how we can best support a student’s recovery. Return to Play begins with non-contact, light aerobic exercise, so long as symptoms don’t worsen as a result. “We start with bike intervals to improve conditioning and check in often for symptoms,” Yabor said. This is the beginning of the Return to Play process. “Then they move into more strength training and full-body workouts, which students like more than the bike intervals.” The athlete carefully works back up to participation in non-contact practices. When the student is fully asymptomatic – completing full days of school, doing all work, and is caught up on missed work and doing workouts without symptoms – the student must be evaluated and cleared by a physician before he or she is legally permitted to play a sport. But, again, this is a team conversation; the physician communicates with the trainer and school nurse to determine if the student-athlete is truly ready to return to full-contact athletic play. A parent of an Upper School athlete whose child suffered concussion said of her experience, “My child didn’t look right and seemed ‘out of it.’ Debbie and Tom explained things so clearly and called every day to check in that my apprehension fell away. I felt confident in a 100 percent recovery because of the team. Everyone – the learning specialist, the faculty, Tom and Debbie – worked to support my child. I’m grateful.”
“Tom Yabor and Debbie Foley have incredible expertise,” said Travis Larrabee. And in true Penn Charter spirit, “They are constantly revising our program to make it even better. It’s all about keeping the student at the center.” PC
Learning specialists in each division, Heather Larrabee in Middle School, Karen Campbell in Upper School and Kristin Swoszowski-Tran in Lower School, are prepared to support students and their recovery from a concussion and return to the classroom.
Glossary Concussion: A concussion is a metabolic event that occurs in the brain and throughout the body following a blow to or jolt of the head that causes the brain to shake inside the skull. The injury causes a chemical release in the brain that initiates an energy mismatch, which temporally alters the brain function. The mismatch causes symptoms, which might develop over minutes, hours or days, depending on the individual and the blow.
Return to Learn Protocol: A series of steps a child follows while recovering from a concussion. The protocol moves from cognitive rest immediately following the injury, to light cognitive activity,
to “chunking” of homework and a modified class schedule, toward a complete return to a full academic class and workload.
Return to Play Protocol: An internationally recognized and reviewed series of steps for student-athletes recovering from a concussion, with the goal of being cleared by a physician for fullcontact athletic participation in practices and games. At Penn Charter, the protocol begins following Return to Learn and begins with light aerobic exercise, moves to strength training and full-body workouts, and then to non-contact practices until the patient is cleared by a physician to participate in full-contact activity.
ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) Used by many organizations – including CHOP, collegiate and professional sports – not to diagnose concussion but rather to understand how the brain is healing. The test is a series of ‘games,’ which test verbal memory, visual memory, visual motor speed and reaction time. At PC, the ImPACT test is given later during the recovery process because the test might exacerbate symptoms. That test, combined with other tests PC uses, assesses eye movement, balance, coordination, gaze stabilization and other functions. These tests, when combined, give our team the best picture possible to understand the healing process.
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PC Dedicates
the Blaine Center Scores of friends, family and OPCs joined Sid and Jill Steinberg and Leigh Steinberg OPC ’14 for the dedication of the Blaine A. Steinberg OPC ’11 Center for Fitness and Performance on Nov. 14, 2015, the 129th PC/GA Day. The dedication of the Blaine Center, located in the Graham Athletics Center, began with an 11-minute workout in honor of Blaine, who wore #11 for PC. Her lacrosse and soccer jerseys now hang on the wall. Blaine died suddenly of a rare autoimmune disorder in 2014. Head of School Darryl J. Ford opened the dedication with a moment of silence. He welcomed and thanked the attendees. “Especially, thank you to the Steinbergs for incredible work and partnership in this endeavor. This is one place among many where
we will remember Blaine,” Ford said. “Blaine had a captivating smile and she pulled me in with her suggestions for improvements. This space is not just a little bit better, it is transformed. And we cannot thank you enough,” he said. The new fitness center – like PC’s concussion management program – is focused on student health and safety. John Estok, a certified National Strength and Conditioning Association coach, manages the program, and it is having a major impact on our student athletes.
Sid, Leigh and Jill Steinberg are joined by Upper School Director Travis Larrabee at the dedication of the Blaine Center on PC/GA Day.
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Blaine’s soccer and lacrosse jerseys hang on the wall in the new Blaine A. Steinberg OPC ’11 Center for Fitness and Performance.
While at PC, Blaine dedicated herself to excellence on the field, in the gym and in the classroom. Blaine’s father, Sid Steinberg, thanked the community for adding its support to make the Blaine Center possible, and he spoke of joy, community and inspiration. “In this space, I see Blaine’s jerseys, and I think not about the games but the joy with which Blaine played and competed. I think about community and the importance of this room as a part of Penn Charter. Blaine never wanted to be alone, she wanted to be around people. She would want people to gather here and be together in pursuit of excellence,” he said. Director of Upper School Travis Larrabee remembered Blaine, the joy she radiated, her quest to make things at PC, like the fitness room, better, and the conversations he had with her about pro sports, and Leigh Steinberg OPC ’14 mid burpee for the 11-minute workout to open the Blaine Center. Former Upper School learning specialist Dana Toedtman joins Leigh and Jill Steinberg at the opening.
big questions like religion and politics. Read Larrabee’s full remarks, wonderful in their recognition of Blaine’s character, her sister Leigh and a story about a green lacrosse ball found on PC campus this summer at penncharter.com/green. Sid Steinberg closed the dedication by saying, “As we go forward, we hope that, not just today or in two months, but for generations to come they will be inspired; that students and faculty who use this room will want to be better, to work harder. And then, when they are wrung dry, they will look at Blaine’s jerseys and say, ‘I got better today. For me, for my team, for Penn Charter.’” PC
More photos on at flickr.com/photos/penncharter/sets.
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129th Go PC! Beat GA! And We Did! Penn Charter athletes brought the Competition Cup and football’s Geis Trophy back to East Falls, ending the 129th PC/GA Day with victories in golf, tennis, boys soccer, boys water polo, football – and a crucial tie in overtime in girls soccer. Other than wins in all 10 contests against GA, it would be difficult to script a more memorable PC/GA Day. The sun shone down on a vibrant new Stadium Field and track, and OPCs and students packed the stands and the new landscaping around the track; OPCs and parents who could not attend had the option of streaming girls soccer and football from afar, with Ed Morrone OPC ’04 providing the football play-byplay. In the pool, boys water polo powered to a 16-7 victory. Across the street on the Strawbridge Campus, girls tennis rolled to a 6-1 win. The scene on Somers Field was high school sports at its best: lingering fall foliage all around and sidelines packed with cheering boys’ soccer fans – many of them becoming tense as the minutes rolled by with neither side able to find the net. Then it happened. With under two minutes left, Max Jacobs accepted a right-to-left pass from Andrew Morris and – in a move so fine it was characterized by many a fan as “sick” – Jacobs deftly flicked the ball over the goalkeeper’s head, regained possession, and directed the ball into the goal. The players celebrated the win by racing across the field to rejoice with their delirious student supporters. The football game ended with a 45-17 victory and a similar taking of the field by PC fans, but not before a record-setting performance by quarterback Neeko Hnatkowsky. Hnatkowsky accounted for five touchdowns, four passing and one rushing, and a school record one-game total of 466 yards. Hnatkowsky, with 4,547 yards over three seasons, is now the city’s all-time leader for career passing yards for a junior.
Go PC! Beat GA! And We Did! Access links to view photos and to stream the girls soccer match and the football game at penncharter.com/pcga.
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The girls soccer team were underdogs going in, but their 2-2 tie in overtime was critical to PC’s overall success. Dominique DeMarco took home PC’s share of MVP honors.
Boys water polo senior and MVP Jake Brogan fired home eight goals, for a career total of 128. Doubles partners Paige Hodges and Natalie Williams finished the season unbeaten – congratulations! – and won MVP honors in girls tennis. In a nail-biter, junior Max Jacobs scored the winning and only goal, and was presented the James H. Rumpp OPC ’55 Memorial Soccer Award. Michael “Neeko” Hnatkowsky – pictured with head coach Tom Coyle and offensive coordinator Chris Rahill OPC ’99 – won the Geis Trophy after a record-setting performance of 466 yards (390 passing, 76 rushing).
2015 PC/GA Results Sport Golf Girls Tennis Boys Cross Country Girls Cross Country Boys Water Polo Girls Soccer Boys Soccer Field Hockey Girls Water Polo Football
Score Win; 4.5 to 3.5 Win; 6-1 Loss; 23-32 Loss; 17-39 Win; 16-7 Tie; 2-2 Win; 1-0 Loss; 4-1 Loss; 8-3 Win; 45-17
129 Football Games
PC 83, GA 35, Tie 11
When the football game began, PC and GA were tied for competition points, each with 4.5. The football victory put the Competition Cup back in the hands of PC fall captains (shown here) and players.
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Two for
the Show Andrew Amaro OPC ’11 and Kenny Koplove OPC ’12 are wearing the Fightin’ red and white and hoping to lead a Phillies revival. by Mark F. Bernstein OPC ’79 Approaching from the south, the road into Williamsport, Pa., goes right past Howard J. Lamade Stadium, home of the Little League World Series. On a warm August afternoon, it is packed with young people chasing their dreams. A few miles to the north, a group of
slightly older young men chase their dreams at Susquehanna Bank Park, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League. This summer, that team included two players familiar to Penn Charter fans: Andrew Amaro OPC ’11 and Kenny Koplove OPC ’12.
Six PC Athletes Sign to Play Division I Approximately 20 percent of each Penn Charter graduating class is recruited to play sports in college. Currently, alumni are competing in the ACC, Ivy, Patriot, Centennial, NESCAC, CACC, SCIAC, SoCon and Big 10 conferences. PC expects more athletes to sign at the February and April 2016 deadlines. With parents, extended family, coaches, friends and teachers watching, six PC studentathletes signed letters of intent in November to play their sport in six Division I schools.
Name University Ken Bergmann University of Connecticut Drew Gallant University of Massachusetts Jean Gleason Drexel University Sean McKee Fairfield University Emily Smith Elon University Sally Stanley University of North Carolina More photos on flickr.com/photos/penncharter/sets.
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Sport Baseball Lacrosse Crew Lacrosse Track and Field, Cross Country Crew
The Crosscutters are the Phillies’ shortseason rookie league team, one of the lowest rungs on the long ladder that, for a talented few, will someday lead to Citizens Bank Park. And the PC pair are eagerly climbing it, having both been selected by the Phillies in last summer’s amateur draft, Koplove in the 17th round, Amaro in the 35th. Amaro entered PC in the sixth grade; Koplove was a lifer. Although they played side by side for four years – leading Rick Mellor OPC ’69’s squad to the 2009 InterAc title along the way – they have been competing against each other for as long as they can remember in AAU ball. Koplove was a star pitcher and shortstop for the Quakers, a three-time all-state and first team all-Inter-Ac selection. “Kenny was born to be a baseball player,” Mellor said. As a freshman, Koplove was named the Southeast Pennsylvania Rookie of the Year, and as a senior he was named the Gatorade/ESPN Pennsylvania Player of the Year. But Duke University, which recruited him, wanted him to play only shortstop. Though he pitched just two innings for the
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Blue Devils as a freshman and none as a sophomore, Koplove still wanted to pitch. Before last season, his manager agreed to let him try. Koplove proved so good that he was able to hold down both positions, setting a team record with 11 saves while hitting .275 as the team’s regular shortstop. That brought Koplove to the attention of major league scouts. In June, he was sitting by the computer in his parents’ house in South Philadelphia when his agent called. The Phillies wanted to draft him, but first they needed to know if he would sign a contract if they did. Koplove and his parents had a quick decision to make. Signing meant leaving Duke before he had earned his degree, but the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream to play professional baseball – and for the Phillies – made the decision easy. “Your hometown team, you can’t do any better than that,” he explained. After buying himself a new glove, Koplove put the rest of his signing bonus in the bank. He intends to finish his studies once his playing days are over.
(Previous page) Andrew Amaro OPC ’11 at bat for the Williamsport Croscutters. (Above) Kenny Koplove OPC ’12 in action for the Williamsport Crosscutters.
The choice to sign with the Phillies was also a no-brainer for Amaro. He was an all-InterAc second baseman who was as hot on the base paths as he was at the plate; as a senior,
We’re psyched! Sports writer Ted Silary OPC ’69, retired from a 36-year career at the Philadelphia Daily News, will be on campus several days a week writing about and photographing PC athletics. His work will appear online at penncharter.com/sportszone. Silary will continue to publish TedSilary.com, his popular website about high school sports. Silary has covered high school sports in Philadelphia since December 1975, first for two years for the old Philadelphia Bulletin, then from December 1977 through August 2013 for the Philadelphia Daily News. At Penn Charter, he wrote for The Mirror and, as a senior, wrote a weekly wrapup on PC sports for the now-defunct Germantown Courier. A lifer at Penn Charter, he played varsity football and basketball. On his website, Silary explains that he had opportunities to “move up” to college or professional beats at the Daily News, but politely declined. “Why would I give up the best job at this paper? There’s nothing more enjoyable than reporting on the triumphs of young people.”
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he stole 16 bases and hit .400. The Phillies drafted him in the 47th round in 2011, but he decided to attend the University of Maryland instead. After his junior year, Amaro transferred to the University of Tampa and led the team to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Even so, it was not certain that he would be drafted. In order to avoid hanging on every selection during the three-day draft, he decided to stay off the Internet. He learned of his selections during a pickup basketball game when his phone began to buzz with congratulatory phone calls. One might think that Amaro’s uncle, Ruben OPC ’83, then the Phillies’ general manager, would have tipped his nephew off, but he played it close to the vest. Both Koplove and Amaro have had strong family support. In addition to Amaro’s uncle, his grandfather played for the Phillies in the 1960s, while his father, Dave OPC ’80, played briefly in the Chicago Cubs organization. Koplove’s older brother, Mike, a Chestnut Hill Academy alumnus, played in the majors for seven years and is now a scout for the Los Angeles Angels; and sister Erica OPC ’08 was a three-time All-Inter-Ac softball pitcher for PC and had an ERA of under 2.00 on two championship teams.
Koplove recalls one particular welcometo-the-minors moment this summer, when he surrendered his first professional home run. Holding a 7-1 lead against the Vermont Lake Monsters, Koplove fell behind in the count to the first batter he faced leading off the seventh inning. “It was the [ninth] hitter [in the batting order],” he explained, “so I said, ‘I’m just going to throw a fastball down the middle and whatever happens, happens.’” That may have worked in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but not in the New York-Penn League. The batter launched a towering home run over the left field wall. It taught Koplove (who won the game anyway) a valuable lesson: “Well you can’t do that anymore. Every single pitch, you have to be locked in.” Amaro played off the bench for the Crosscutters but says he does not feel overmatched by life as a professional. “It’s similar to college ball except we’re getting paid,” he explained. “The adjustment has been not drastic at all. You sleep in, lift weights, spend eight hours at the park, and then repeat every day.” It’s what he loves to do. “Andrew is going to be a baseball lifer,” Mellor predicted. “He’s going to coach somewhere.” The pair performed well in their debut seasons. Koplove finished with a 2-3 record, striking out 27 batters in 34 innings. Amaro hit .218 playing first base, right field and designated hitter, and was sent up briefly to play for the Phillies’ minor league affiliate in Lakewood, N.J. The old high school teammates often make it a point to sit together on the long team bus rides. Both say they are thrilled to be chasing their boyhood dreams, but in almost any situation it is easier to get Koplove to do the talking. “I’m playing a child’s game, and it’s awesome,” he gushed. “I get to watch nine innings of baseball every night against future big leaguers.” Who knows? Maybe those future big leaguers will include two OPCs. For legions of hungry Phillies fans, they can’t get there fast enough. PC
Doc Tops 300 Doc Mittica, a founder and architect of PC softball, has been racking up the stats over the years, including a milestone 300th win. by Ben Skinner OPC ‘15 Donald J. Mittica is known to his players and his patients – he is a licensed chiropractor with a practice in Lafayette Hill – as Doc. Doc started the Penn Charter softball team from scratch in 1992 and has built an impressive program and record of achievement. He has a 308-141 record in 24 seasons, with the 300th win coming on May 1, 2015. In those seasons his teams have won seven Inter-Ac titles and, just last season, one state independent school title. He is the only head coach our softball program has had since its inception. Mere stats do not define or represent what Doc strives to accomplish as a coach. This is not to say that Doc has not pushed and coached his girls to victory, but to him there is more to coaching than a win or a loss. To Doc, the true success of a coach is determined by how much an athlete grows as an individual. Doc coaches softball, and he coaches about life. Mikayla Cimino OPC ’15 recalled that one of Doc’s life lessons is that skill and talent will only take one so far, but that heart and passion will make one great. “Doc was always reminding us that we were in the driver’s seat and that if we wanted to do big things, we have the talent to do so, but we need to find the heart and energy in order to come out on top,” Cimino said. Doc teaches respect, said sophomore Ciara McGee, and confidence: “One of my favorite things that he said to us this season was to respect everyone but fear no one.”
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ORTALE SCHOLARS:
The Penn Charter, Duke, UNC Connection In memory of one remarkable young man, a philanthropic impulse creates opportunity and an example for two talented scholar athletes. When Peter K. Ortale OPC ’83 came to Penn Charter with a financial aid grant and a passion for football, he had never heard of lacrosse. “He wasn’t a big guy,” said his sister, Cathy Grimes, “but he was fast.” He took quickly to lacrosse and became a leader on the field – a star midfielder. At PC, Ortale was an All-American, first team All-Inter-Ac and first team All-State. His success won him a full athletic scholarship Peter K. Ortale OPC ’83. One to Duke University. of his favorite quotes was “In the race to be better or best, “Penn Charter and lacrosse started miss not the joy of being.” a new path for Peter,” Grimes said. “Through lacrosse, he made lifelong friends, and at Duke he made connections that stayed with him throughout his life.” As a Duke midfielder and captain, Ortale was named most valuable player for all four years, and named to the All-ACC team in 1986. He went on to play professionally in the U.S. and Australia after graduating. After traveling through Asia, Ortale eventually settled in New York City, where he entered the financial sector. Ortale was a securities broker for Euro Brokers, Inc., when the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001. True to his character, he was last seen helping people to the stairwell. Ortale was inducted posthumously into the Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2003. “After we knew Peter was gone,” Grimes said, “we wanted to do something that would help our family heal and would honor Peter’s life.” Knowing that Ortale had dreamed about one day returning to Penn Charter – perhaps to teach literature, one of his passions – the family established a scholarship in his name. The Peter K. Ortale OPC ’83 Scholarship Fund “provides tuition assistance to an Upper School student who, like Peter, exhibits the qualities of the scholar athlete and demonstrates a high level of motivation, self-reliance and leadership, both in the classroom and on the playing field.”
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Joey Sankey OPC ’11 in action for UNC.
The UNC Connection Joey Sankey OPC ’11 was the first recipient of the Peter K. Ortale OPC ’83 Scholarship Fund at Penn Charter and, like Ortale, he played both football and lacrosse at PC. Throughout his time at Penn Charter, Sankey displayed traits embodied in Ortale’s character as well. Upon graduation, Sankey received the Religious Studies Department Award, given to a student who “has shown significant scholarly interest and pursuit in the field of religious studies at Penn Charter.” PC was a good fit and a critical opportunity. “Penn Charter is a special place,” Sankey said. “I enjoyed being at a small school where I could have a conversation in the hall with friends or with a teacher. The relationship with faculty members like Ms. Glascott or Mr. Larrabee helped make Penn Charter such a great experience.” Like Ortale, Sankey was a phenom on the lacrosse field and was recruited by several university programs. He ultimately committed to the University of North Carolina the summer before his junior year at Penn Charter. A standout player at UNC from his first season, Sankey, an attackman, graduated in May 2015 as the university’s all-time points leader. In his four years at UNC, he received a multitude of conference and national athletic and academic awards, culminating in the prestigious Patterson Medal, the highest honor for a UNC athlete, given to just one male athlete each year. First awarded in 1924, the Patterson Medal is “based primarily on athletic accomplishment. . . . Sportsmanship and leadership are also considered.” He was recently named HEADstrong Foundation Player Ambassador. The HEADstrong Foundation is a highly regarded nonprofit organization “committed to improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their families through providing essential programs and services.” Sankey joins several other prominent athlete ambassadors, including Buffalo Bills wide receiver Chris Hogan. A strategic communications major at UNC, Sankey fondly recalled group projects that offered real-life experience working with companies to create commercials and full marketing plans. “I really enjoyed the major,” he said. His athletic achievements were matched by his academic ones; Sankey was a three-time all-ACC academic team member and, in his senior year, a Scholar All-American. Sankey was drafted by the Charlotte Hounds Major League Lacrosse team in his senior year at UNC – and his athletic success continues. In
his first week in the majors, Sankey was named Rookie of the Week; he was named 2015 Cascade Rookie of the Year despite arriving halfway through the season. He was selected to appear in the 2015 MLL All-Star game, the only rookie selected. “Of course I never met Peter, but Coach McDonough (boys varsity lacrosse coach Patrick McDonough OPC ’90) talked about him, so I knew how special he was. It was such an honor to receive the scholarship. After I committed to UNC for lacrosse, there was a lot of discussion about whether I should keep playing football for Penn Charter. I wanted to play – I loved it – and it meant a lot to play because Peter did and I wanted to honor that.”
The Duke Connection Tony McDevitt OPC ’03 was another outstanding football and lacrosse player for Penn Charter – and he went on to receive the Peter K. Ortale Scholarship at Duke University. “The scholarship at Duke was Peter’s friends’ idea,” Grimes said. “They wanted to do that, and our family was completely behind it. Duke opens doors.” A star lacrosse player for the Blue Devils, McDevitt recalls Tony McDevitt OPC ’03 won football’s Geis Trophy on PC/GA Day in 2002. hosting Sankey at Duke when the younger OPC was making his college visits. “He ended up in a different shade of blue a little on down Tobacco Road,” said McDevitt, laughing. The Duke-UNC rivalry is nearly as storied as Penn Charter and Germantown Academy and possibly more contentious, where mistakenly wearing the wrong blue can bring on good-natured jibes. McDevitt, who graduated from Duke in 2007 as a history major with an economics minor and now works in finance in Manhattan, said receiving the Ortale scholarship at Duke was “humbling.” “Hearing about his character and the kind of person he was – to be associated with him is such an honor,” said McDevitt, who donates to the Duke lacrosse program for the Ortale scholarship every year. He is also a regular supporter of the Penn Charter Annual Fund: “Penn Charter continues to be a special place for me. Helping others is the PC way. Giving back makes me proud to be associated with both schools and with Ortale,” said McDevitt. “Our family set out to change lives as Peter’s was changed by a scholarship to Penn Charter,” Grimes said. The scholarship the Ortale siblings established to honor their brother has grown, with gifts from friends, family and OPCs, to support two Penn Charter students each year. “We want to give students, with financial needs, the opportunity to experience the values, education and athletic team orientation of Penn Charter. From there, we hope these students are driven to realize their full potential and all of the possibilities that are available to them. With the scholarships at Duke and Penn Charter, we want to positively impact lives,” she said. “Peter lived life to the fullest and didn’t take his success for granted. He wanted to be the best person he could be, every day.” PC
Golf Sellout The 2015 Bert Linton Golf Outing was Penn Charter’s most successful links outing in memory. Director of Alumni Relations Chris Rahill OPC ’99 said 104 golfers teed up on the new-andimproved Wissahickon Bert Linton course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club — remarkable attendance since this most well-attended golf outing in recent PC history was played on a rain date. “Wissahickon is a PGA-eligible tournament course, which was a major attraction, and our dedicated organizers put in a lot of hours to make the day great. The tournament sold out in just 17 days!” he said. Many companies, donors and families stepped up to sponsor key aspects of the day, including a longest-drive competition; hole signs; golf balls and hats; and sponsorships of individual faculty golfers. “We are grateful to all our sponsors and welcome new sponsorship ideas,” Rahill said. The 2016 outing is scheduled for April 25 at the Union League Golf Course at Torresdale, which also recently underwent major renovation and is PGA-eligible. Early-bird registration for the 2016 outing begins Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Watch for more information from Rahill later this winter. “This recent golf outing was built by, played in, and benefitted OPCs, students, parents and friends. We look forward to seeing everyone on the links again in 2016,” Rahill said. One foursome featured several OPC parents. Left to Right: Steven Harrington (Shannon OPC ’07, Stephen OPC ’09, Tara OPC ’12), John White (Rick Smith OPC ’90, Maggy OPC ’99), Jim Losty (Margaux OPC ’14) and David Kollock OPC ’59.
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OPC
weekend 2015 Head of School Darryl J. Ford welcomed reunion classes and friends to the 123rd Annual Alumni Reception, noting that much has changed since the 50th reunion class graduated in 1965, but much has remained the same.
Director of Alumni Relations Chris Rahill OPC ’99 and Alumni Society President Margaux Genovese Pelegrin OPC ’99 make the planning and execution of OPC Weekend look easy.
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“The quality of the faculty sets this school apart,” Stuart A. McFarland OPC ’65 said in announcing the Class of 1965 Reunion Gift. “Teachers matter, and good instruction is better than riches.” With gratitude and admiration, McFarland said, he and his classmates chose to support the Faculty Scholarship Fund with a gift that totaled more than $250,000 in cash and pledges.
Thank you, Ms. Irving On the morning of May 2, the Class of 1993 dedicated a bench, next to the tennis courts, in memory of Cheryl O. Irving Hon. 1689, much-loved and longtime English teacher and tennis coach. Her former students spoke of how she never gave up on them and of the sense of justice she brought to her work. Colleagues spoke of the way she dedicated herself to students through writing tutorials and coaching – and of treasured conversations they had with her. “Thank you for sharing your mom with us,” Victor (Tory) Olshansky said to Cydney Irving, both OPC ’93. To donate to a scholarship fund in memory of Cheryl Irving, contact Stephanie Ball at sball@penncharter.com. Pictured: (front, from left) Cydney E. Irving, Megan (Gallagher) Duffy, Ryan J. Tadeo, Victor S. Olshansky; (back) Mary (Vizza) Beck, Melissa (Levin) Mahl, Andrea B. Koplove and William D. Millis.
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Alumni
OPC weekend 2015
alumni award of merit “To a graduate of the William Penn Charter School whose character and outstanding achievement have reflected lasting credit upon this school.”
Shanin Specter OPC ’75
High Thy Purpose, Thought and Duty Shanin Specter OPC ’75 invoked the lyrics of Penn Charter’s alma mater to explain his personal motivation to act as an agent of change and to call upon the school and his audience at the 123rd Annual OPC Reception to work to create a safer and more just society. Specter accepted the prestigious Alumni Award of Merit at the reception, a highlight of a weekend filled with receptions, tours of the school, games and photo sessions. He was accompanied by his mother, Joan Specter, wife Tracey, elder daughter Silvi and law partner Thomas R. Kline. Specter recalled his father, the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter: “I know that he would be thrilled for me. I hope that I have carried Shanin Specter OPC ’75 lived forward his values in my life.” in East Falls and walked to The evening program on May 1 opened with the Quakers Dozen school, except on rainy days singing the alma mater, and Specter said he was a fan. “I love to hear when his father U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, would give him the school song. The most important words, and the words that have a ride up the hill. always stayed with me, are: ‘high thy purpose, thought and duty.’” Specter said those lyrics link to concepts of morality and ethics that he and classmates learned as young Penn Charter students. “If I learned nothing else here – and given some of my grades I clearly didn’t learn quite a few things – if I learned nothing else here, I learned to spot a moral or ethical issue at 100 yards.” After receiving a BA, with honors, in political science from Haverford College and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Specter cofounded Kline & Specter, P.C., a Philadelphia law firm concentrating in catastrophic injury litigation. He is a distinguished trial lawyer and has won both landmark cases and accolades. Many of Specter’s and Kline’s cases have prompted changes that provide a societal benefit, including improvements to vehicle safety, nursing and hospital procedures, the safe operation of police cars, training for the use of CPR at public institutions, and inspections,
Shanin Specter OPC ’75 with his elder daughter Silvi, wife Tracey, and mother, Joan Specter.
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Thomas R. Kline and Shanin Specter OPC ’75, partners in the law firm Kline & Specter, share another connection: Kline is an OPC parent, father of Hilary OPC ’97 and Zachary OPC ’03.
installation and maintenance of utility power lines. “I thank the school for instilling in me the purpose and the duty to try and do something more than make a good living, something more than just get a result for a client,” Specter said. “Tom and I see so many things today in our law practice, where we try to right a wrong for an individual who has been very badly injured. What we have tried to do with our law practice is to extend our cases, the purpose of our cases, and the results of our cases to affect change that benefits people beyond the clients who hire us.” Specter spoke proudly of his wife Tracey’s work to combat hunger and advance educational opportunity. His remarks made clear they share both passions. “This neighborhood right here, this little pocket of East Falls is fine, isn’t it?” Specter said. But, he noted, the rate of hunger in the nearby First Congressional District is among the highest in the United States. “That is a disgrace.” Specter referenced work being done by Penn Charter’s Center for Public Purpose, which engages Penn Charter students in service and community-based work addressing issues of food insecurity, poverty and education in Philadelphia. “I see this school sitting as a beacon of hope in the Philadelphia community. Penn Charter, uniquely among independent schools in Philadelphia, has the ability to provide excellent education and instill tremendous values in its graduates. Penn Charter can benefit our city and our nation.” Specter said he, his wife and Kline support Penn Charter’s efforts to charter a bright future for Philadelphia and asked others to join them. “Because, in the final analysis, if not Penn Charter, then where? And if not by the people in this room, then by whom? If not now, when?” PC
Alumni
Class Notes Penn Charter magazine wants to hear from you, and your classmates do, too! Submit your news and photos at penncharter.com/classnote. Digital photos should be 300 dpi JPEGs.
T he T ie T hat B inds :
1689 Class Agent Jane F. Evans jevans@penncharter.com
Robert Gordon Hon. 1689, who retired after teaching math for 27 years at Penn Charter, ran into Mike Fernando, Ben Fries and Drew Bonus, all OPC ’09 (pictured, left to right), at Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
A Lasting Legacy Following a 45-year career in early childhood, primary and secondary education, Stephen H. Watters Hon. 1689 retired in June 2015 from his double-decade-long post as headmaster of the Green Vale School, a nursery to middle school in Old Brookville, N.Y. His wife, Anne, worked alongside him for 19 years as director of admissions and school psychologist. Both previously served as members of Penn Charter’s faculty and administration – he as director of middle school and English teacher, she as director of lower school admissions and writing instructor. Watters is succeeded by Jesse Dougherty, former PC teacher, coach and chair of the Upper School English department. “The Penn Charter-Green Vale connection is still strong!” Dougherty exclaimed.
Gordon was enjoying his retirement on a 53-day road trip with his wife, Sue. The Gordons covered national parks and natural wonders in 10 states, from Virginia to Arizona. In a blog chronicling their journey, Sue wrote, “We are constantly amazed by the sites we see. Back east, when one of us was driving the other usually would nap. Not here! A person misses too much spectacular beauty if she or he makes the mistake of closing eyes. And the artistry of wind and water is so incredibly magnificent that it makes us question the vanity of our attempts to capture it.” Pictured: Secret Canyon, Utah, and Monument Valley, Arizona and Utah.
The longest-serving headmaster in Green Vale’s 92-year history, Watters was recognized for his distinguished leadership at the school’s record-breaking fundraising event, the inaugural Spring Gala, where he was humbly surprised to learn that the new 30,000-square-foot athletics and wellness center had been renamed the Watters Center in his honor. Retirement quickly proved to be a busy time for Watters, who sits on the boards of the Cloud Forest School Foundation, which supports a bilingual, environmentally focused school of the same name in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and the New York State Association of Independent Schools. He and Anne have recently begun sharing their expertise in a consulting capacity as the co-founders of Watters Educational Advisory. As Watters voyages into uncharted territory, he remains “in a state of transition and underemployment and enjoying immensely both these perspectives,” he said. He reflects upon his notable past: “Penn Charter had a profound effect on me. Its Quaker roots continue to influence and inform the way I perceive the world and my role in it.” PC
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Alumni
Class Notes 1939
1943
A Look Back at
Class Agent Robert C. McAdoo rcmcadoo@gmail.com
1946
William B. Chamberlin OPC ’43 See death notices.
1945
H. Leonard Brown OPC ’43 See death notices.
1947
F. Stanton Moyer OPC ’47 See death notices.
Class of 1945 70th Reunion
Robert C. McAdoo, who graduated from Penn Charter 76 years ago, gets around. He attended the dedication of PC’s historical marker on Oct. 23, 2015. Pictured, left, with Jack Rogers Hon. 1689, and, with Head of School Darryl J. Ford and senior class president Jonathan Weiss. McAdoo was president of his senior class, too.
1940 Bertram Lippincott, Jr. OPC ’40 See death notices.
1942
Thomas P. Crolius OPC ’42 See death notices.
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Members of the Class of 1945 attended lunch at the head’s residence during OPC Weekend. From left: Head of School Darryl J. Ford, Clint Ely, H. Leonard Brown, Roger H. Williams and Roger S. Hillas.
Alumni
Class Notes 1948
W. Lewis Ashenfelter Jr. and his wife, Ginny, closed their Chestnut Hill shop, the Happy Butterfly after selling hand-crafted gifts for 32 years. Philip J. Baur Jr. OPC ’48 See death notices.
1949 Class Agent George C. Fuller fullergj@verizon.net
Bruce R. Barstow OPC ’49 See death notices.
1950 Class Agent Christopher W. Parker cwp420@aol.com
Whitman (Pete) Cross II recently caught up with his former student, John W. Burkhart OPC ’72. Pete writes, “I started teaching at PC in 1966 and left in ’79, then ran a geology museum and an aviation museum in Birmingham, Ala., for 12 years. Meanwhile, my interests drifted into fitness and health. So, back to college and then certifications so I could enter this ‘new’ (at that time) field when I retired. This occurred when I moved back to Charlottesville, Va., after three years teaching geology at Towson University. It’s been 15 years now working part-time as a personal trainer and fitness specialist in a medically directed program at the ACAC Fitness and Wellness Centers in town here. We have 20,000 members and are ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Love it and plan to keep going indefinitely; body and mind working just fine so far. At 84 … a long way from OPC ’50!”
William S. Masland OPC ’51 See death notices.
1952 Class Agents George C. (Skip) Corson Jr. gccesq@verizon.net F. Bruce Waechter waechterjb@aol.com
Thomas A. Beaty OPC ’52 See death notices.
1953 Class Agent William H. Bux mbuxc@aol.com
1951 R. Leigh Duemler OPC ’50 See death notices.
Class Agent David N. Weinman ombudinc@aol.com
George E. Graham OPC ’53 See death notices.
Class of 1950 65th Reunion
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Alumni
Class Notes 1954 Class Agent Alfred F. Bracher III fbracher@aol.com Arthur P. Loeb OPC ’55 See death notices.
Christopher Mould OPC ’54 See death notices.
H. Richard Schad OPC ’54 See death notices.
Alfred F. Bracher writes, “Lunch on April 14, 2015, was fun for eight classmates to visit with each other at A la Maison in Ardmore. In attendance were myself, Andrew D. Beck, William G. Hamilton, James R. Harper, Tony McCullough, George H. McLaughlin, Evan W. Michener and Earl S. Vollmer.
1955 Class Agent Charles (Chuck) Clayton Jr. cclayt@comcast.net
Bernard H. Belle OPC ’55 See death notices.
John L. MacWilliams writes, “After retiring from industry, where among other things, I was director of new product planning in technology at AMP Inc. in Harrisburg, I became involved with several major projects: Writing reports and articles for the electronics industry, and working with the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative in Washington, D.C. There I have authored a chapter in their International Technology Roadmap for the past 15 years, and reviewed industry proposals for government funding with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This past year I was asked to participate in a consortium started up between INEMI. org and the MIT MicroPhotonics Center to roadmap electro-optical technologies required for future lightwave computing and communications technologies. These will be necessary as data rates exceed the capacity of copper electronic circuits in data centers, cloud computing and high performance datacom equipment. I attribute my understanding and scope in this high tech area not to a deep technical
Class of 1955 60th Reunion
education, which I had in part at Lehigh University, but to these things: a good, broad education at Penn Charter, (in spite of my proclivity for fun when I was a kid), and my English education, i.e. Clifton Lisle at PC, and my ability to see beyond technical details to envision a broader picture. Sadly, my artistic talents went by the wayside, even though Ollie Nuse tried hard to steer me in that direction. We now live in Delaware in a historic property from the American Revolution. My wife, Louise, and I had four children, three living, and seven grandchildren, all on the East Coast.”
A Look Back at
1956
1956 Class Agent Bernard E. Berlinger Jr. bberlinger@asidrives.com
1957 Class Agents G. Allan Dash allandash3@comcast.net James V. Masella Jr. vesperent@aol.com James G. Masland Jr. jgmasland@yahoo.com
1958 Class Agents John E. F. Corson jefcorson@aol.com Robert D. Morrow Jr. djm112@aol.com
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Alumni
Class Notes Class of 1960 55th Reunion
Joseph J. Connelly OPC ’58 See death notices.
Bob Morrow Jr., Edwin A. Weihenmayer III, Jef Corson and Stephen J. Ruckman met for their traditional dinner at the Tuckahoe Inn in New Jersey, in September.
1959 Class Agent Rush B. Smith smithrushb@aol.com
1960 Class Agent James M. Arrison III arrison@attglobal.net
1961 Class Agents Richard P. Hamilton Jr. rick1480@aol.com J. Freedley Hunsicker Jr. fhunsicker@laborlawyers.com
1962 Class Agents Louis F. Burke lburke@lfblaw.com Kevin McKinney pmckin5750@rogers.com Ronald O. Prickitt ronprickitt@comcast.net
Peter M. Wills OPC ’62 See death notices.
1963 Class Agents Robert E. Brickley bob@bds-1.com Classmates James M. Arrison (back, left), Samuel H. Francis (center) and William W. Blodgett (right), along with John T. Rogers Hon. 1689, PC’s chief development officer (front), sailed the Adriatic Sea for seven days and are pictured in Split, Croatia. Also pictured are Brian and Tami McCauly of Kilmarnock, Va.
Richard J. Gilkeson gilkeson1@msn.com Douglas S. Little dlittle@perkinscoie.com
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Alumni
Class Notes 1964 Class Agents John T. Long Jr. longacres1@yahoo.com John S. Morrow onefillycouple@msn.com
James M. Lampe OPC ’64 See death notices.
David R. Snydman is the chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, where he serves as the hospital epidemiologist and an attending physician. He is a professor of medicine at the Tufts University
School of Medicine and holds additional appointments in the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology in the University’s Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. In October, he was the recipient of the Infectious Disease Society of America’s Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award, awarded to those who have served as exemplary mentors and who have been exceptional in guiding the professional growth of infectious disease professionals.
Class Agent Jonathon P. (Buck) DeLong b.delong@charter.net
1966
1967
Class Agent Allen F. Steere asteere3@verizon.net
50th Reunion
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1966
1965
Class of 1965
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A Look Back at
Class Agent Harry S. Cherken Jr. harry.cherken@dbr.com
Alumni
Class Notes 1968
Class of 1970
Class Agents Bruce C. Gill bcoopergil@aol.com
45th Reunion
Richard E. Stanley dickandlea@aol.com
Thomas M. Muldoon is a member of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
1969 Class Agent Thomas C. Robinson Jr. thomascrobinson@comcast.net
Ray Benson was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame, getting his star on Oct. 26. The induction gala, presented by the Philadelphia Music Alliance, was hosted by Joe Piscopo and attended by The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon. Benson was in good company, inducted along with The Roots, Billie Holiday, rock band Cinderella and others. Pictured, bottom: Longtime friends Thomas H. Lee II, Ray Benson, William B. Carr Jr., Jonathan H. Sprogell, all OPC ’69, celebrated at the induction gala.
Left to right: Michael J. Yaros, Patrick R. Larkin, Gregory B. R. Gabell, Robert N. Reeves Jr., Eric P. Wagner, Charles L. Mitchell, Thomas F. Daubert, Peter T. Bryden, Michael J. Robinson.
1970 Class Agents Charles L. Mitchell dhammalawyer@yahoo.com Robert N. Reeves Jr. robreeves@eareeves.com
Photo credit: Scott Weiner
1971 Class Agents Marc A. Golden harvardceo@aol.com Frederick H. Landell rlandell@ltk.com
John B. (Bucky) Kitto Jr. writes, “It is interesting how professional life continues even in retirement. (I retired from The Babcock & Wilcox Company in 2012 after 37 years, leaving as the service segment business development manager). ln 2015, I was elected to Fellow Grade in the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering for outstanding contributions to and achievements in mechanical engineering. This joined my election to Fellow Grade in the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1996. I have also served as an officer and board of directors member of ASME during the last 40 years. 2015 also saw the publication of the 42nd edition of Steam: Its Generation and Use, for which I have served as technical advisor, technical editor and author over the last 25 years. Since I started this adventure, over 80,000 copies of this widely recognized technical reference book have entered circulation. Finally, 2015 saw the start-up of the Palm Beach County Renewable Energy Center 2, for which I headed the development. This plant is the first new waste-to-energy facility in North America in over 20 years and, on start-up, is the most environmentally clean and efficient unit of its kind in the world. These join my more retirement-oriented activities, such as having fun travelling with my sweetheart, JoAnn Bedore, (Alaska for three weeks this year), being with my sons Christopher (now 38) and Andrew (soon to be 34), pursuing my interest in natural sciences though the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and visiting with friends such as Marc Golden.
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Class Notes 1972
Class of 1975
Class Agent Bruce K. Balderston bruce.balderston@pncbank.com
40th Reunion
1973 Class Agent Robert J. Marquess rjmproteus@aol.com
1974 Class Agent J. Peter Davis pdavispc@comcast.net
David S. Jonas came to campus in October to speak to PC students in AP Government and Politics, American Foreign Policy, and Global Studies. An adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University and George Washington University, David has a distinguished background in international nuclear nonproliferation. He spoke to the class about the Obama Administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran. David was the general counsel of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. And he previously served as director of legal strategy and analysis in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy and as general counsel of the National Nuclear Security Administration. He received the NNSA Silver Medal for his service.
1976
1977
Brent Sherwood writes, “All is well in southern California and with space exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We await news to see which of our exciting solar-system science mission proposals gets selected for the next round of competition. I continue to run into OPCs John P. Grotzinger OPC ’75, Peter E. Doms OPC ’71, and Dayton L. Jones OPC ’70 around the lab.”
A Look Back at
1976
James R. Malone OPC ’77 recently joined Post & Schell, P.C. and will serve as a co-chair of the firm’s Tax Controversy Practice Group.
1978 Class Agents Sterling H. Johnson III sterling.h.johnson@usace.army.mil Paul C. Mancini pcmancini@gmail.com David H. Neff dn@neffassociates.com
1979
1975
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Class Agents Robert L. Nydick suenydick@comcast.net
Class Agents John D. Lemonick lemonickj@gmail.com
James S. Still jstill3boys@gmail.com
Patrick E. Lynch patrick@tsle.com
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Alumni
Class Notes Class of 1980 35th Reunion
1980 Class Agents John B. Caras johnbondcaras@comcast.net Charles J. (Chip) Goodman chip_goodman@cable.comcast.com
David N. Wilcots, a geologist and paleontologist, started an online paleontology website for kids: Dinosaurs Fossils and Adventure, found at www. DinosaursFA.com. David has worked for several environmental and engineering consulting companies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is a docent and volunteer paleontologist at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and a volunteer expedition paleontologist for the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Wash. David has also been an expedition paleontologist
for the Utah Geological Survey; the Natural History Museum of Utah; and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
1981 Class Agent Andrew J. Kramer akramer@kanepugh.com
1982 Class Agent James L. Walker Jr. jimwalks@yahoo.com
1984 Class Agent Robert T. Myers rob.myers@barclayswealth.com
1985 Class Agents Matthew M. Killinger killingm@uphs.upenn.edu Thomas D. Kramer tom@tdkca.com
Thomas F. Burke writes, “Thank you, everyone, for a fun 30th reunion! It was a great time!” Seth R. Duncan is living in Broomall with his wife, Linda, and two girls: Catherine Anne (14) and Sarah Elizabeth (10). He works full time at Bryn Mawr Hospital, part of Main Line Health System, as a rehabilitation therapist. His wife works part-time in the Marple Newtown School District. Seth was unable to make the 30th reunion due to his daughter’s big event singing at the opening of the Blue Rocks baseball game. His email is lscsduncan@verizon.net for anyone who wants to connect with him.
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Alumni
Class Notes Class of 1985 30th Reunion
Sydney H. Coffin has been teaching English in Philadelphia for 15 years and serves as the city representative to the Yale National Initiative to strengthen teaching in public schools. He was a lead organizer in the biannual Quakers in Public Education conferences in 2013 and 2015. He is a published poet and journalist, currently teaches at Thomas Edison High School in North Philadelphia and is a member of the Philadelphia Writing Project.
1989 Class Agent Kenneth (Casey) Murray playnikez@yahoo.com
1990 Class Agent James D. Phillips jphillips@penncharter.com
Peter J. McClellan and his wife, Jackie Mathews, own Munky’s Corner in Auckland, New Zealand, which opened in April 2015. Pictured: Two of their four beloved dogs, Munky (right) and Gypsy.
A Look Back at
1986
1986 Class Agent P. Timothy Phelps chamberphelps@gmail.com
1987 Class Agents David Felderman felderman.david@gmail.com David B. Gleit leyladavid@yahoo.com Adam M. Koppel adam.koppel@biogenidec.com
1988 Class Agents H. Bruce Hanson hansonkb@gmail.com Gregory D. Palkon gpalkon@hotmail.com
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Alumni
Class Notes Class of 1990
A Look Back at
25th Reunion
1996
1996 1991 Class Agents Daniel S. Donaghy dsdonaghy@hotmail.com Leo J. Wyszynski ljwyszynski@aol.com
1992
Class Agents Alyson M. Goodner alygoods@yahoo.com
1993 Class Agent Victor S. (Tory) Olshansky victor.olshansky@gmail.com
1994
1997
Class Agent Jennifer R. Gallagher jenritagal@gmail.com
Class Agents Anna V. Davis vanleer@hotmail.com
Class Agents Brendan Moore brendanmoore78@yahoo.com Allison MacCullough O’Neill allisononeill88@gmail.com
Keith M. Nigro kmn5774@yahoo.com
Steven D. Josselson OPC ’94 See death notices.
William A. Wright is president of Wright Commissioning, the Philadelphia region’s first independent building commissioning firm. It ensures that the building systems of new and existing facilities function efficiently, effectively and sustainably. Clients and project locations include the firm’s new building in University City, as well as Princeton, Temple, Penn and West Point; Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Main Line Health; Liberty Property Trust, Vanguard, Comcast and Procter & Gamble; the City of Philadelphia, SEPTA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Will’s wife, Kim, is CEO.
Michael Sala sala_lm@yahoo.com
1995 Class Agent Stephanie Teaford Walters walters-stephanie@aramark.com
Ariel (Gordon) Bernstein is a writer who has been published in Scary Mommy and Atticus Review. She recently signed a contract for her debut picture book, I Have a Balloon, from Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, coming out in fall 2017.
1998 Class Agents Jeff Bender jb2424@gmail.com Patrick A. Sasse psasse@hotmail.com
1999 Class Agents Mark D. Hecker mhecker616@gmail.com Margaux Pelegrin margaux.pelegrin@gmail.com
2000 Class Agent Adam K. Sperling adsperling@gmail.com
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Alumni
Class Notes Class of 2000 15th Reunion
Domenick, general manager and head sommelier at Vetri, in December at the Union League in Philadelphia. Mason was recently elected to the National Campaign Board of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and the Board of Directors of the Liberty City Democratic Club.
2004 Class Agents Katherine E. Palmisano katherine.e.palmisano@gmail.com Erin E. Hozack erin.hozack@gmail.com Jerome B. Wright jwright08@gmail.com
2005 2001
2003
Class Agents Christopher W. Garrison cwg008@gmail.com
Class Agents William A. McKinney williammckinney@gmail.com
Class Agents Jessica A. Kolansky jekolansky@comcast.net
Jessica Kalick jessiekalick@gmail.com
Jessica A. Stein stein.jessica@gmail.com
Anthony E. McDevitt mcdevitt44@gmail.com
Maureen Ryan mmryan6@gmail.com
Jennifer N. Cooperman jcoop9185@gmail.com
2002
Mason B. Lane is a lawyer and chief of staff to Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims. He will marry his fiance, Bobby
Class Agent Katherine A. Butler butlerka@gmail.com
2006 Class Agents Joey Fugelo jfugelo@udel.edu Sarah Roberts sarahlkroberts@gmail.com Katherine Siegmann ksiegmann@gmail.com Jeffrey Torchon jazzjeff88@gmail.com
May 6 and 7 Come back to Old Penn Charter and see what’s new!
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J.D. Dillard, a music video director, makes his film directing debut with a new thriller called Sleight, produced by Diablo Entertainment. J.D. co-wrote the script with fellow director, Alex Theurer. Production began last summer in Los Angeles. The film centers on a young street magician who is left to take care of his little sister after his mother’s death and turns to drug dealing in the Los Angeles party scene to keep a roof over their heads. When
Alumni
Class Notes he gets into trouble with his supplier, his sister is kidnapped and he is forced to rely on both his sleight of hand and brilliant mind to save her.
A Look Back at
2006
Courtney D. Singleton graduated from Harvard in 2012 and is currently in her third year of an eight-year MD/PhD program at Stony Brook University.
2009 Class Agents Alexandra M. Glassman amg296@cornell.edu Curtiss R. Jones Jr. curtissjones215@gmail.com Laura A. Kurash laurakurash@gmail.com Sam H. Lerner slerner3@gmail.com
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
Jerald (Ross) Wood OPC ’15, Austin Wood OPC ’10, and Charles (Harry) Wood OPC ’12 paused at Ross’ graduation for a photo with Head of School Darryl J. Ford.
Michael Casimir performed in the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall on Oct. 18.
2007 Class Agents Richard Baska Lynn richardbaskalynne@gmail.com
Rachel K. Fischer and Michael P. Carroll are engaged to be married and plan a May 2017 wedding. Rachel received a BS in business administration from North Carolina State University and a culinary degree from the Walnut Hill College. She is currently a food cost analyst for Stephen Starr Restaurants. Michael received a BS in communications from Penn State University. He is a long-term care wholesaler at Lincoln Financial Group. Rachel and Michael met at Penn Charter.
2011 Class Agents Demetra B. Angelakis dangelak@bowdoin.edu
Audra Hugo audra.hugo@gmail.com
Adam J. Garnick ajg9692@gmail.com
Anne McKenna amckenna515@gmail.com
Casandra P. Gigliotti cassieg@bu.edu
Eric Muller bericmuller@gmail.com
Grant A. Guyer guyerg@dickinson.edu
2008
2012
Class Agents Kathryn Corelli corelli.kathryn@gmail.com
Class Agents Sarah L. Butler slbutler94@gmail.com
Ryan Goldman ryan.goldman6@gmail.com
Ben P. Krieger benpkrieger@gmail.com
Kyle Maurer kylemaurer12@gmail.com
Edward Malandro edmalandro93@gmail.com
Sierra Tishgart sierratishgart@gmail.com
Cathryn C. Peirce cpeirce@sas.upenn.edu
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Alumni
Class Notes Nicholas L. Lamb, a senior at Muhlenberg College, began his college career playing baseball, as he did for PC. Midway through his first year, he switched to football and is making waves as a wide receiver. In a recent double-overtime win against Juniata College, Nick caught 12 passes (one short of the Muhlenberg record) for 212 yards and a touchdown. “I thought about playing football for PC,” Nick said, “but I held back. I wanted to focus on getting into college. But it’s never too late to try something new.” Nick is a biology major and after graduation intends to train as a physician assistant.
2014
2015
Class Agents Colin B. McCloskey comccloskey@ursinus.edu
Class Agents Nicole DiGiovanni ndigiovanni@elon.edu
Lauren Matt lmatt@fandm.edu
Nile J. Hodges njhodge1@gmail.com
Andrew P. Murray andrew.murray@student.fairfield.edu
Dolly Segal bsegal1@fandm.edu
Marissa Samuels samuelsmarissa@aol.com
Ross Wood Jerald.wood@tufts.edu
2013 Class Agents Rachael D. Garnick rachaelgarnick@gmail.com Aaron C. Mandelbaum aaronman@sas.upenn.edu Bennett W. Samuel bennettsamuel44@gmail.com Julia H. Vahey julia.vahey@hws.edu
Mary E. Cain completed her second year as an honors archeology major at University College Dublin. She participated in digs at the Hill of Ward in Ireland and the Upper Dee Tributaries in Scotland last summer.
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Newly minted 2015 class agents Dolly Segal, Ross Wood, Nicole M. DiGiovanni and Nile J. Hodges, along with the rest of the senior class, met with the Alumni Society directors at the annual Alumni Society/Senior Class Meet and Greet just before graduation as they prepared to become OPCs.
Alumni
Class Notes M odel to Watch :
Julia Fleming OP C ’14 Julia Fleming took the modeling world by storm this fall. In her first season on the runway – she signed with Next Models in July – she graced major catwalks, including Alexander McQueen and Céline. The Daily Front Row, in this Q&A, dubbed her a “model to watch.” Photo and story reprinted with permission from The Daily Front Row.
though it would be really slow. We didn’t know if it was going to take off or be a hard first season. So when it all started to take off, they were really excited. It was cute, because they made me a Facebook group for all of my family and friends and they put the pictures up right after every show. How old are you? Nineteen. It’s been crazy. It was just a weird coincidence. I had just done a year of college at Ursinus, which is in the suburbs of Philly. I miss it, but this isn’t really something you can pass up. Is this your first time in Paris? This is my first time in Europe! Have you been living it up? Yes, I love it. I mean I’m exhausted and I’m so sick right now, but it’s been a lot of fun. I haven’t had time to really see anything. In London, I didn’t even sleep. In Milan, I had a little more free time so I went shopping. Here I haven’t had free time yet.
How many shows have you walked this season? It’s my first season, and I think I’ve walked 30 shows. I did nine in New York, eight in London, nine in Milan, and then in Paris, so far, I think I’ve done seven. I’ll be walking three more, and I’m still waiting to hear about some others. What was the first show you ever walked? Victoria Beckham. It was such a fun one. It was really beautiful. Were you nervous? Oh my god, yes! It was really nice though, because Victoria Beckham actually talked to me right before I walked. When she found out it was my first show ever, she reassured me. It was really cute. What have been some of your other favorite shows to walk? I really liked Rag & Bone, because I did looks with them for five days leading up to the show,
so I knew their whole team really well. I tried on every article of clothing in their collection one hundred times so it was so exciting to finally see the final product. Before, I had only seen it being put together. Where are you from? Philadelphia. How were you discovered? Through a friend, actually. One of my friends from Philly signed with Next in Miami, and the scout was in town talking to him. My parents were on a bike ride and ran into my friend and the agent at Starbucks. They stopped by for coffee and mentioned that I used to model with a little agency in Philly. I just did it part-time. They sent him pictures and I signed two weeks later and moved to New York. Are your parents amazed at everything you are doing now? Totally. We didn’t know what to expect. We
Do you think you will? I don’t know. It depends on whether I get booked for some of the big shows at the end. I won’t know until the night before if I’m walking. I had a fitting last night for Céline at 11 and the show was today and they called me back for a fitting at three in the morning. I was asleep, but my agent called me and asked me if I could go, but then they told me I could go in the morning, which was really nice. I’ve gotten calls in London and Milan and gone for fittings at 2:00 a.m. before. What’s in your Céline shopping bag? Oh my god, we got these really nice bags for walking in the show! I’ve been showing people all day. They’re so cool. I’m obsessed with it. I can’t wait to use it. What other swag have you gotten from the shows? Well, I’ve gotten about nine t-shirts since the start of the fashion weeks. The sweatshirt I’m wearing now is from Sportmax [laughs]. I’ve accumulated fragrance collections, a bunch of random stuff. How do you unwind when you catch a moment? I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. I’ve read the series about 10 times and I’m starting it again. I’ve seen all of the movies and can quote them. My family is like, “You’re reading that again?” PC
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Alumni
Class Notes Deaths 1940 Bertram Lippincott Jr., on Dec. 5, 2014. 1942 Thomas P. Crolius, on May 13, 2015. 1943 William B. Chamberlin, on May 5, 2015. 1945 H. Leonard Brown, on July 27, 2015. 1947 F. Stanton Moyer, on Oct. 7, 2015. Penn Charter friends gathered at the wedding of Barry J. Markman OPC ’90. Pictured (from left): Michael A. Gomez OPC ’90, Daniel A. Rabinovitch OPC ’90, Brant D. Imperatore OPC ’90, Barry Markman and bride Golda Fleischman, Peter Levin OPC ’91, Theodore B. Nusbaum OPC ’90 and Michael A. Bernstein OPC ’89.
1948 Philip J. Baur Jr., on Aug. 30, 2015. 1949 Bruce R. Barstow, on May 23, 2015. 1950 R. Leigh Duemler, on May 4, 2015. 1951 William S. Masland, on May 8, 2015. 1952 Thomas A. Beaty, on Oct. 19, 2015. 1953 George E. Graham, on May 24, 2015. 1954 Christopher M. Mould, on July 10, 2015. H. Richard Schad, on Aug. 24, 2015.
Members of the Class of 2003 celebrated the nuptials of David E. Gaunt OPC ’03. Pictured (from left) Ryan D. Still and wife Corinne; David Gaunt and bride Kristie Hoban; Denis J. Whelan and wife Kara; F. Henry Bartlett and fiancée Morgan Finch; Timothy M. Convey and wife Jenny Donley.
Marriages
Births
1962 Albert B. Wilson to Genevieve M. Leary, on Nov. 15, 2014.
1990 Barry J. Markman to Golda Fleischman, on Oct. 11, 2015. (See photo.)
2003 David E. Gaunt to Kristie Hoban, on April 25, 2015. (See photo.)
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Samantha Grace, to Colleen and Chris Rahill OPC ’99, on Aug. 6, 2015. (See photo below.)
1955 Bernard H. Belle, on Nov. 4, 2014. Arthur Loeb, on Sept. 19, 2015. 1958 Joseph J. Connelly, on May 22, 2015. 1962 Peter M. Wills, on Aug. 20, 2015. 1964 James M. Lampe, on April 15, 2015. 1994 Steven D. Josselson, on June 15, 2015. Former Faculty Samuel M.V. Tatnall, science teacher from 1963 to 1972, on June 16, 2015.
A Gift Just Right The Annual Fund
2015-2016
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Support Penn Charter. Make a gift that’s just right for you. How can I give?
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Save the Date January 28
May 6 & 7, 2016
Downtown Reception
OPC Reception & Weekend
April 25, 2016
June 11, 2016
29th Bert Linton OPC/Parent Golf Outing
Commencement