Penn Charter Magazine Fall 2019

THE MAGAZINE OF WILLIAM PENN CHARTER SCHOOL

FALL 2019

DIG IN:

Transforming PC

The STRATEGIC VISION for Penn Charter’s future is organized around SIX GOALS, each with a set of strategies.

GOAL 1: QUAKERISM GOAL 2: PROGRAM 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

ALL IN: Project-Based Learning Over the next 18 months, the entire faculty in Penn Charter’s Lower School will engage in professional development in project-based learning, a pedagogy that uses long-term projects to teach not only curriculum but problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education will teach the PC teachers, recognizing that many of them are already committed to and using project-based learning (PBL) in their classrooms.

“Our Lower School teachers are excited by their continued development of project-based learning and ensuring our students have agency in their work,” said Marcy Sosa, assistant director of Lower School. “Through PBL our students generate questions, research, collaborate, give and receive constructive feedback, and reflect on their experiences. It's through these experiences that our students participate deeply and actively in their learning.”

Because PBL is student-driven, the interests of a class can determine the shape of the project.

Teachers fit the key curriculum touchpoints within the project and help students make and apply connections to the real world. This requires flexibility and additional planning on the teachers’ part.

Penn will visit campus to run workshops a few times this year, and teachers will do readings and participate in webinars together.

On pages 16 and 28 read about two examples of PBL, the fourth grade's Stormwater Management Project and the Upper School's Seminar on Poverty.

Contents FALL 2019

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FEATURES

16 Project Stormwater

Twelve Penn Charter fourth graders spent a week last May constructing a hyper-absorbent garden to manage rainfall in a puddle-prone corner of campus.

22 Life Skills on the Run

Girls on the Run is a national program that encourages girls empowerment by teaching life skills and running.

24 For Learning’s Sake

Inspired to follow the example of PC’s Teaching & Learning Center, the Student Learning Center creates opportunity for student-led learning.

28 A Problem-Solving Mindset

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The Upper School Seminar on Poverty included a trip to Buffalo to observe how an OPC and his international manufacturing company are partnering to stabilize and transform a neighborhood.

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reaking Ground: Graham Athletics B and Wellness Center On a crisp autumn morning, an exuberant pre-K to 12 Penn Charter community marked the next step in our campus transformation.

DEPARTMENTS OPENING COMMENTS

From the Head of School.................................................................................... 2 AROUND CAMPUS

Campus Currents................................................................................................... 3 133rd PC/GA Day.................................................................................................... 7 Commencement 2019....................................................................................... 10 Senior Comprehensive Community Partners.........................................21 ALUMNI

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PC Profiles Peter F. Roberts OPC ’84...............................................................................12 Michael Casimir OPC ’09..............................................................................14 Remembering Roger Hillas OPC ’45............................................................31 OPC Weeeknd 2019............................................................................................38 Then & Now...........................................................................................................42 Class Notes.............................................................................................................43 ON THE COVER THE MAGAZINE OF WILLIAM PENN CHARTER SCHOOL

FALL 2019

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DIG IN:

Transforming PC

Penn Charter’s new master plan leaps forward with the second of three major construction projects.

See page 32.

FALL 2019 •

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OPENING COMMENTS

From the Head of School

THE MAGAZINE OF WILLIAM PENN CHARTER SCHOOL

Darryl J. Ford Hon. 1689 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 Rob Frieman OPC ’87 Alumni Society President

MAGAZINE STAFF Sharon Sexton Editor Rebecca Luzi Associate Editor Julia Judson-Rea Assistant Editor Michael Branscom Feature Photography Proof Design Studios Design

TEACHING AND LEARNING AT PENN CHARTER HAVE ALWAYS BEEN EXCITING. Exceptional instruction is a hallmark of our school, and because of the strength of the faculty-student relationship, our teachers always have inspired deep content understanding and extended learning beyond what is found on the pages of any given text.

Today more than ever, learning is multifaceted, going deeper to appeal to the individual interests and intrinsic motivations of our students while providing a skill set needed for both today and the future. This is evidenced by project-based learning that is blossoming throughout our classrooms; field trips that venture well beyond the white split-rail fence that shelters our campus and into the world to confront the most pressing issues of society; and students teaching students about their own expertise and passions in their own Student Learning Center.

These are but a few examples of how Penn Charter serves as the vessel for great teaching and learning and as the incubator that inspires both our current students and our OPCs to be lifelong learners and to shape a better world.

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:

And speaking of our graduates, much of what occurs at our school today is made possible by the generosity of OPCs. And speaking of generosity, the entire Penn Charter community and I are indebted to Bill Graham OPC ’58 and his wife, Frances, for making our new Athletics and Wellness Center a reality.

Thank you, Bill!

FACEBOOK facebook.com/penncharter

Contained in these pages, you will find all of this—great teaching, deep learning, the fueling of passions, the fostering of make-a-difference attitude, and generational, transformational generosity. On campus, you will find even more!

YOUTUBE youtube.com/pennchartertube

Whether in this magazine or in person, I invite you to experience it all.

Sincerely,

TWITTER @PennCharter

INSTAGRAM @PennCharter FLICKR flickr.com/penncharter/sets

arryl J. Ford Hon. 1689 D Head of School PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE

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CAMPUS CURRENTS

Kurtz Center

TURNS 10

In the decade since it opened, the David L. Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts has had an outsized impact on the Penn Charter student experience.

Recall the artistry of the set and costume design in Beauty and the Beast or the vibrancy and tone of the band from the pit during Les Misérables. The theater has captured the glorious singing of our choral groups and skilled playing of our bands and ensembles. And student engagement in the arts, including behind-the-scenes in costuming, light and sound production, and stage management, has been enhanced by the Kurtz Center.

The building’s classrooms complement the learning spaces around campus, accommodating an expanding course list and growing interest in performing arts. And patrons, particularly parents eager for a glimpse of their student performers, appreciate the improved sight lines, comfortable seats and air conditioning!

A LEED-certified building with vegetative roof, this first major “green” building in East Falls is a highlight of a period of campus improvements and expansion that included the new Richard B. Fisher OPC ’53 Middle School, Kline & Specter Squash Courts, Max Gross Softball Field, three turf fields and a new track, a new pre-kindergarten, makerspaces and, most recently, the renovation of L-1, the lower-level studiotheater space, into a lecture and study hall.

Enjoy a slideshow celebrating the Kurtz Center and its impact on the student experience at Penn Charter. penncharter.com/Kurtz10

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CAMPUS CURRENTS

RECORD-BREAKING RUN FOR PEACE The 14th annual Run for Peace gathered a record-breaking number of students, parents, OPCs, teachers, families, friends and East Falls neighbors to honor those who died on 9/11, including Peter Ortale OPC ’83 and Kenny Caldwell OPC ’89. A remarkable 178 people raced, walked and cheered in the September sunshine.

Funds raised at the event support the Kenny Caldwell OPC ’89 Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Peter K. Ortale OPC ’83 Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The first certificate awardees: Sydney Nixon, Anne Winkler, Sophia Pinto, Stella Singer, Page Proctor, Hadley Ball, Elizabeth Ominsky.

A CERTIFIED MILESTONE Seven members of the 2019 graduating class successfully completed the coursework, projects and service required for completion of Penn Charter’s rigorous new certificate program.

In addition to being awarded diplomas at Commencement, four students were the first to receive certificates in Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, and three earned the first Global Studies certificates.

"The certificate programs align students' passion with Quaker values.

Our faculty designed the certificate programs to open time and space for deep discovery, thinking and connectivity to the existing curriculum across many departments,” said Travis Larrabee, director of strategic initiatives.

The new certificates, part of Penn Charter’s Strategic Vision to “advance our educational program to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex and changing world,” have robust enrollment this year; 11 seniors and 14 juniors are earning one of the two certificates.

More about Commencement on page 10.

TEACHING AND WELLNESS EARNS AWARD Penn Charter was awarded a Strength of America Award from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

The award is given to schools that have "demonstrated excellence to teach, implement and encourage safe and effective strength and conditioning programs." Penn Charter is the only school in Pennsylvania to have earned the recognition in 2019.

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CAMPUS CURRENTS

Imbued with

COMMUNITY

Honoring the Light Within: It is a tenet of the Quaker faith that serves as PC’s theme for the 2019-20 school year.

Margery Post Abbott, in the Historical Dictionary of the Friends, describes the concept of the Light as it is understood by Quakers.

“Modern liberal interpretations of the Light vary greatly. It may be synonymous with ‘that of God within,’ the divine aspect of every human being or a metaphor for the transforming Spirit within.

The Light speaks of truth, love, rightness, and beauty. . . The Light acts both in the individual heart and among the gathered, worshipping community.”

This year’s theme has taken on a striking prominence in the halls of Penn Charter’s Upper School through a new art installation created by the senior class. Sixteen vinyl banners, varied in color and design, hang above the landing of the Senior Stairs to spell out Honoring the Light. The seniors completed the project in one hour-long collaborative work session during registration day 2019.

Late last spring, when art teacher Randy Granger was approached by Director of Upper School Erin Hughes about developing a project to liven up the second floor of the main building, he jumped at the invitation.

"I'm committed to the school being an environment that feels special, like a unique community," Granger said from a bench outside the Dining Hall amid the buzz of Upper School lunch.

He ultimately envisioned the project as "feeding two birds with one seed": making the second floor hallway of the Upper School more aesthetically welcoming while serving as a vibrant call to action on this school year's theme.

Granger chose to enlist the seniors in the assignment because "as leaders of the school, they can easily get their heads around the idea that this is an opportunity not just to make art that will hang in the school, but to make art that sends a message."

Conscious of having to execute such a complex undertaking in a limited time frame, Granger spent weeks planning, working through several iterations of the project before settling on the one he thought would prove most fruitful. He then created a multipage design brief with step-by-step instructions and hand-drawn diagrams detailing each stage of the process.

On a gray September morning, 107 members of the Class of 2020 gathered on the balcony above the commencement patio as Granger introduced the project guidelines and gave a brief demonstration from below.

The group then broke up into teams of eight, organized by advisory, and gathered around each of 16 work stations set up on the nearby lawn. continued on next page

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CAMPUS CURRENTS

Each team received a blank vinyl banner, painting implements, a letter stencil cut from masonite and Granger’s design brief.

Decisions about color and the placement of the letter on the canvas were left to each group to determine independently. A team of faculty facilitators—art teachers Eva Kay Noone, Joy Lai, Brooke Giles and Ruth McGee—provided ground-level support.

The morning was imbued with a sense of camaraderie and fun. But it was also marked by diligence and learning, as Granger had intended.

Collaboration was another key component

Granger's approach to design-based education is all about what he calls “working inside the box,” using limitations and constraints to spur creative thinking and innovation.

redos!). In the end, he was impressed with how

While developing the project, he “just kept stripping it down: stripping it down in terms of size, stripping it down in terms of color choices and materials.” These restrictions, he hoped, would force students to think carefully about every decision they made.

“They produced a quite successful range of

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM PENN! Penn Charter was honored to participate in a program in the courtyard of City Hall on Friday, Oct. 18, in observance of William Penn's 375th birthday.

Quakers Dozen performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" for the crowd, and Michael Moulton, PC director of educational technology and co-chair of the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department, offered insights into Penn's vision and legacy in education and continued impact in Philadelphia. To close his remarks, Moulton said: “Penn’s life speaks today. Reading about him, you get the overwhelming feeling that he would want more of us working on plans to green the city and educate its children. Whenever we make Philadelphia greener, whenever we lift children’s lives through education, we are walking in the footsteps that William Penn pushed hardest into the foundation of our city. Celebrating Penn today, we are called to walk alongside this radical gardener and make a difference in the lives of Philadelphians.”

Happy Birthday, Billy Penn!

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of the learning experience Granger hoped to foster, as was “high-stakes risk-taking” (no the seniors responded to the challenges of the assignment and showed intellectual rigor in their approach. banners that showed real variety and real imagination despite the tight design parameters we gave them,” Granger said.

Make that three birds, one seed.

PC

CAMPUS CURRENTS

133RD GOLF On the Tuesday before PC/GA Day, golf earned a tie against a highly skilled Patriots squad. In an exciting end to that match, Inter-Ac champion Patrick Isztwan sank a 15-foot putt on the last hole to secure the tie.

FOOTBALL Inter-Academic League football had an amazing year and the level of talent was on display in the 133rd PC/GA football game. Despite some high stepping, PC came up short, 38-35.

INTENSE GAMES, TOUGH LOSS Penn Charter won girls cross country, girls water polo, and the girls and boys soccer games, and tied Germantown Academy in golf. Those results left the storybook rivalry tied 4.5-4.5 going into the afternoon football game, the 133rd matchup in the oldest schoolboy football competition in the country.

A high-scoring, see-saw match ended with GA on top, 38-35. Next year! continued on next page

The Athletic Honor Society inducted seven individual athletes and five teams. Watch for complete coverage and photos in the spring issue of Penn Charter magazine.

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BOYS SOCCER With the sidelines vibrating with excited fans ready to storm the field at the end of an intense game, PC boys soccer held off GA and won, 1-0. Chase Williams, here with judge Connor Gorman OPC ’08, took home the James H. Rumpp OPC ’55 Trophy.

GIRLS WATER POLO Strong all season, girls water polo dominated in a 22-8 win, and senior Samantha Boyes won MVP honors.

2019 RESULTS BELOW:

GIRLS SOCCER Girls soccer won 2-1, beating GA for the second time this season. Janae Stewart hit the game-winning goal with 2:30 left on the clock and took home the MVP trophy. Four days later, the team followed up with a 1-0 win versus Westtown to become PAISAA state champions.

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SPORT Golf Girls Tennis Boys Cross Country Girls Cross Country Boys Soccer Boys Water Polo Girls Soccer Field Hockey Girls Water Polo Football

WINNER, SCORE Tie; 4-4 GA 6-1 GA 32-23 Win; PC 26-31 Win; PC 1-0 GA 13-11 Win; PC 2-1 GA 3-1 Win; PC 22-8 GA 38-35

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

ARTS + ATHLETICS

Inter-Ac champion girls cross country bested GA, also a strong team, with a score of 26-31. PC’s Emma Zwall took a close second to GA’s Issy Goldstein in a thrilling finish.

Students in the Upper School painting class designed and painted vinyl banners celebrating the fall sports teams and PC spirit.

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ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENTS BASEBALL Sam Siani OPC ’19, then a senior, now OPC '19, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 37th overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft. Siani, a skilled outfielder and hitter, had previously committed to Duke University in November 2018. “Siani's standout tool is his left-handed bat,” noted an MLB.com profile. “The outfielder has an outstanding and smooth swing and showed the ability to make consistent contact against some of the better prep arms in the country.”

CREW

SOFTBALL Varsity softball clinched the 2019 Inter-Ac Championship with a perfect 10-0 record before going on to win the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship. It was the Quakers’ fourth PAISAA title in five years. The Quakers saw a number of shutout wins during the 2019 season, including a no-hitter against GA courtesy of pitcher Anastasia Lewis, now a senior.

TRACK

LACROSSE

The boys varsity track team swept the high jump at Inter-Ac Championships in May, taking all three medals in that event. Patrick Gabor OPC ’19 (shown here) finished first with a jump of 6'4", senior Akeel Blake second (6'2") and senior Pat Fehm third (6'2"). Blake also won the long jump (21' 9.25") and the triple jump (45' 9.5") in a stellar season-capping performance.

Gavin Tygh OPC ’19 etched his name into the national record books last spring as leader in career faceoff wins for a high school lacrosse player. At the time of the record, Tygh had won 1,148 career faceoffs and 136 faceoffs for the Quakers in 2019 alone while boasting a 71 percent win rate for the season. He begins his collegiate lacrosse career this spring at the University of Virginia.

The Penn Charter crew team finished its strongest season in modern history last May by bringing home a handful of medals from local and national regattas. The Quakers raced 13 boats in the Philadelphia City Championships and won four medals in Penn Charter’s best-ever performance at that event. Bella Salvi took bronze in the novice singles as a ninth grader; then-juniors Gabriela Mancini and Riley McDade took bronze in the JV doubles despite snapping an oar with 20 strokes to go; Julia Veith, a sophomore at the time, won a silver medal in the varsity singles; and then-seniors Cole Frieman and Matt Groshens, now OPC ‘19, won silver in the varsity doubles.

The Quakers then raced 10 boats in Philadelphia’s Stotesbury Cup Regatta and placed three in the top six, their best performance in that event since 2012. Three boats went on to compete in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s National Regatta in Ohio, where Veith took bronze in the varsity singles race, Mancini and McDade took bronze in the girls JV doubles, and Frieman and Groshens had a strong secondplace finish in the qualifying heats but failed to advance past the semifinals.

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Student speaker Ryan Maloney told of his arrival at Penn Charter as a shy kid from the Northeast who wasn’t sure where or how he would fit in.

commencement 2019

“Although we learn a lot from our teachers and parents, we truly learn the most about ourselves from each other. Putting all of these different people in one small school means that there will be some difficult moments as we figure out who we are, both as individuals and as a class. Everyone makes mistakes in the classroom, at home, on the sports fields. But the important part is to not get caught up in the mistake you made but use the lessons you learned to grow as a person.”

Maloney attends Widener University.

Head of School Darryl J. Ford awarded diplomas to 107 graduates at Commencement on June 8, 2019. In his address, Ford spoke of the Quaker concept of Continuing Revelation, the belief that truth continues to unfold.

“Revelation is ongoing, and new truth continues to be made known,” Ford said. “Yet, to be able to receive something that is being revealed, you need to be ready. You need to adopt a posture of readiness.

“Graduates, I believe that the Quaker concept of Continuing Revelation provides you with a framework, a stance, a state of readiness that will prepare you for the world as you are present in this world. Seek truth, listen for truth, and be open to truth.”

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Student speaker Ayana Opong-Nyantekyi expressed confidence in her classmates to build on the foundation of values and opportunities instilled by their families and by Penn Charter—and to do great things.

“While it is time to pop our Penn Charter bubble to explore the world beyond, let us remember the joyful, irreplaceable memories we made during our time at Penn Charter. In the wonderful words of Dr. Maya Angelou, “If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

Therefore, I encourage you, the amazing Class of 2019, to not only dream big, but execute big. With great grace and excellence, it is our time to leave Penn Charter and bring 107 uniquely powerful stories into the world beyond.”

Opong-Nyantekyi entered Bowdoin College this fall.

Senior class president David Garnick announced that the Senior Parent Gift, which supports faculty professional development, was a record $176,997 and climbing. By the end of the fiscal year, it had reached $177,657.

Garnick attends the University of Pennsylvania.

College Choices An end-of-year survey showed that 95 percent of students in the Class of 2019 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.

Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

Amelia Dogan won the Phi Beta Kappa Award, presented to the student outstanding in scholarship in the graduating class.

Dogan attends Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Haley Joyce won the Alumni Senior Award, presented to “a member or members of the senior class who, on qualifications of scholarship, character, leadership and athletic ability, exemplifies the best Penn Charter type.” Haley is shown here with her brother Evan, Class of 2021, her parents, Denice and Stephen, and Head of School Darryl J. Ford.

Joyce attends Brown University.

American University Amherst College Babson College Boston University (2) Bowdoin College (2) Brown University Bucknell University (4) Colby College Colgate University (2) Columbia University Cornell University (4) Dickinson College (3) Drew University Drexel University (4) Duke University (2) Elon University Emory University (2) Fayetteville State University George Washington University Gettysburg College Howard University (3) Indiana University at Bloomington Jewish Theological Seminary of America Johns Hopkins University King’s College Lafayette College Lehigh University Loyola University Maryland Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGill University (2) Middlebury College Morehouse College Mount St. Mary’s University Pennsylvania State University

Pomona College Pratt Institute Rochester Institute of Technology Rutgers University Saint Joseph’s University (3) St. John’s University Stanford University Syracuse University (2) Temple University (4) Tulane University (2) Union College United States Naval Academy University of Alabama University of Maryland University of Miami University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania (9) University of Rhode Island University of Richmond (2) University of South Carolina University of Texas University of Virginia University of Wisconsin Ursinus College (2) Vanderbilt University Villanova University Virginia Tech University West Chester University Widener University (6) Yale University Other Major League Baseball (Pittsburgh Pirates) Phillips Exeter Academy (post-grad)

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PC P RO F I LE S

Enjoying the Journey Peter F. Roberts OPC ’84

BY MARK F. BERNSTEIN OPC ’79

Riding to the set, actress Melina Kanakaredes was interested to meet the new actor who would be appearing on the hit TV show, Hawaii Five-0.

“So I hear you’re the guy who’s going to be playing the doctor today,” she remarked.

“I am,” answered Peter Roberts OPC ’84.

“I heard that you’re a real doctor,” Kanakaredes added. Roberts acknowledged that he is—a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, in fact.

“Which do you prefer, being a doctor or acting?”

“I’ll tell you after today; I’ve never acted before,” Roberts replied.

“But you’ve done some commercials,” Kanakaredes continued, confused. No, came the answer.

“Community playhouse?” No. “High school drama club?” Not even that.

“You could feel her disappointment,” Roberts said, still relishing the story. “She must have thought, ‘What the heck are you doing here?’”

The part was hardly a stretch for Roberts.

He is a Navy doctor. At the time, in 2015, he was deputy commander of Tripler Army Medical Center in Oahu, and Hawaii Five-0, which is largely filmed on location, wanted to shoot some scenes there. Someone on the production team asked Roberts if he would like to be an extra, and he agreed.

The story, however, doesn’t end there. A few weeks later, the show was back for more filming, and the casting director asked Roberts if he wanted to audition for a speaking part. He went to the studio for a screen test, was given a few lines as Dr. Isaac Cornett, and thought, “Wow, that was pretty cool. That’ll never

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happen again.” But it did. The next season, in 2016, the producers wanted Roberts to come back as Dr. Cornett in the season finale.

On the set, the director once even sought Roberts’s medical opinion, asking if a character with a specific illness would go into convulsions. Possibly, Roberts suggested, but they would not be so dramatic in real life.

“Peter, this isn’t reality,” the director informed him. “This is Hawaii Five-0 reality.”

Roberts’s brief turn as a TV actor only obscured the more important work he is

doing, serving his country and the cause of humanity. Now based in San Diego as the Third Fleet surgeon, covering the western United States and the central Pacific, Roberts oversees the delivery of medical care to forces in those areas and helps ensure that they are prepared to respond to a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or tsunami.

From 2016 to 2018, he served as commanding officer of one of the Navy’s two hospital ships, USNS Mercy, which provides medical care and training to nations across the

U.S. Navy Capt. Peter Roberts has made a practice of taking selfies with children he has met and cared for during his travels as a Navy doctor.

PC P RO F I LE S Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Mercy is huge, with a thousand patient beds, 12 operating rooms, a full intensive care unit, a morgue and more than 800 personnel.

Roberts spent nearly a full year at sea, traveling more than 36,000 miles and spending time in 10 Pacific nations. He was responsible for the medical teams in two Pacific Partnerships, an annual joint training exercise the Navy conducts with countries in the region. The exercise is designed to build stronger partnerships, build resilience in the medical infrastructure of participating nations, and enhance collective readiness in the event of a major disaster.

One of the Mercy’s most important stops was in Vietnam. Despite the historic animosity between the U.S. and Vietnam, their shared humanitarian work brought them together.

“Doctors speak the same language,” Roberts observed, “so when you’re in another country working on patient care, the boundaries and the history with the country kind of fade away.”

In fact, Roberts describes the Mercy, which is painted white with huge red crosses on the side, as a symbol of hope.

“People told me over and over again that when they saw that ship come over the horizon and sail into their harbor, they just felt that their lives were about to change for the good.”

At Penn Charter, Roberts excelled equally in Alice Davis’s chemistry class and Randy Granger’s art classes. He considered becoming a graphic designer but attended Middlebury College because his parents wanted him to get a liberal arts education. He earned a degree in physics and decided to go into medicine; he graduated from Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple, where he met his wife, Lisa, who now works for the Navy as a civilian nurse.

Roberts then practiced and taught at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, and was serving in the Navy Reserves when 9/11 occurred. As for so many, that was a defining event; both he and his

The USNS Mercy, one of the Navy’s two hospital ships, contains a thousand patient beds, 12 operating rooms and, when fully operational, 800 personnel.

wife had friends who died in the World Trade Center, including Peter Ortale OPC ’83.

Roberts decided to go on active duty in the Navy in 2003.

After serving at the medical center in Portsmouth, Va., where he established a cardiothoracic surgery program, Roberts deployed to Iraq, serving as director of surgical services at Al Taqaddum Air Base and as a thoracic surgeon at Balad Air Force Theater Hospital. From 2009 to 2011, he was the first executive officer at the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan, then returned to the United States as head of medical plans and operations at the Fleet Forces command in Virginia.

After more than a decade of whirlwind travel and service, Roberts is enjoying a more stationary life in San Diego. His current job certainly has its perks. One is his office, high

on the cliffs of Point Loma, overlooking the Pacific. “I think I probably have the best office in the Navy,” Roberts said. “When it’s whale season, I can see whales outside my window.”

There is one other thing. Because of all his television work, Roberts was required to join the Screen Actors Guild and now holds a coveted SAG card. Many of his friends and former classmates, he noted, have worked as actors for years without getting one.

“Life is a lot of hard work and a little bit about being in the right place at the right time,” Roberts said. “I had an incredible foundation of learning at Penn Charter and spent the next 15 years learning in rigorous formal education programs. I am very thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had here and around the world. I’ve learned to stay flexible and enjoy the journey.” PC

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PC P RO F I LE S

Making Music in St. Louis and Hollywood Michael Casimir OPC ’09

BY MARK F. BERNSTEIN OPC ’79

The tourists and locals enjoying lunch in the ancient Greek amphitheater at Epidaurus, south of Athens, listened appreciatively in the spring of 2006 when a group of Penn Charter singers treated them to an impromptu concert. What came afterward, though, really got their attention.

When his classmates had finished singing, one of the members of the group, Michael Casimir OPC ’09, took out his violin and began to play. As the notes from the Hungarian folk tune, “Czardas,” drifted over the crowd, the venue fell silent.

“I’m telling you, everyone just stopped in their tracks,” recalled Debbie Kaesshaefer Hon. 1689, who was a chaperone on the trip.

Casimir also remembered that afternoon, with typical understatement. “It was definitely a cool experience being surrounded by so much history,” he said. “I can only imagine who and what was heard in that space over the years.”

Today, Casimir plays a different instrument— the viola—and recently started a new job, as a full-time member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this year, he also played on the soundtrack for Disney’s new Lion King movie.

As might be expected, jobs for orchestra seats are extremely hard to come by. Casimir, who had been playing with the St. Louis Symphony as a contract player, said that major orchestras typically receive hundreds of resumes for their violist openings. St. Louis auditioned 120 violists and eventually took three for permanent jobs.

The orchestra world is also a very tight one, which accounts for Casimir’s invitation to play on the Lion King soundtrack. A friend who had played in a competition with Casimir years

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MIchael Casimir started playing violin at age 2, but switched to viola after hearing a powerful performance of a Mozart sinfonia on YouTube.

earlier remembered him and recommended him for the job. Casimir says he even thought the invitation email was a joke when he received it but soon learned that it was real.

He and his fellow musicians, from orchestras around the world, recorded the soundtrack at the famous Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, Calif.

Casimir started playing the violin at the age of 2, taught by his father, a music educator for the School District of Philadelphia. He studied at Settlement Music School for 10 years while a student at PC.

Kaesshaefer, who has taught music for years, said she is used to hearing from parents who boast about their child’s musical capabilities but quickly recognized that Casimir was different.

“As soon as he put his bow on that violin, I thought, ‘Oh my.’ I had never heard a child violinist at his level.” Talented as he was on the violin, however, Casimir was always willing to help wherever he was needed, whether playing another instrument such as the piano, drums or xylophone, or singing. Whatever it was, Kaesshaefer said, Casimir’s enthusiasm

PC P RO F I LE S

Michael Casimir plays with the St. Louis Symphony and can be heard on the new Lion King soundtrack.

would bring his classmates along with him. In Middle School, he and former band director Robert Wilson started the string ensemble, which they eventually expanded into Upper School. Casimir later sang a cappella in Quakers Dozen.

“I always loved music,” Casimir laughed.

“Even if I was on the soccer field I’d be singing some tune in my head, which is probably why I didn’t play soccer very well.”

He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory for two years before transferring to Juilliard School of Music. Changing colleges brought an even more significant switch, from the violin to the viola. Casimir partly credits the switch to YouTube, specifically a BBC performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra.

Lawrence Power played the viola and Maxim Vengerov played the violin. Casimir said the performance changed his life.

“That was the first time I heard a viola sound better than a violin in a side-byside comparison,” he recalled. “Lawrence Power [on viola] was making sounds I’ve never

heard on a violin or a cello. Once I heard it, I thought to myself, ‘I can do that, and I want to do that. I want to make those sounds.’”

Casimir studied viola at Juilliard for four years, then earned a post-baccalaureate degree in 2018 from the Curtis Institute of Music. In between, he won the grand prize at the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Competition in 2013 and was a laureate in the 2011 and 2015 International Sphinx Competitions, organized by the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based group dedicated to the development of young African-American and Latino classical musicians. While still in college, he played with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and afterward as a principal and co-principal with the London Philharmonic and as a soloist in South Africa, Brazil, Japan and Spain.

Back in 2010, Casimir returned to PC to play a memorial concert for former student Antonios Thomas, who died in 2006. Thomas’s parents donated the Steinway piano in the Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts in their

son’s memory. Casimir did not know ahead of time that his accompanist that afternoon would be the world-renowned pianist Emanuel Ax. With only a half hour of rehearsal time, the two performed the first movement of Brahms’s Viola Sonata in F minor, with Casimir playing the viola. Casimir called it, “one of those moments I could never forget.”

In a typical week when they are not traveling, Casimir said the orchestra rehearses together on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in preparation for concerts Friday and Saturday evenings. He also puts in at least two hours a day rehearsing privately at home, usually working on material for the weeks ahead. “You have to stay ahead of what you’re playing [in concerts] because if you’re only practicing the stuff that you’re currently playing you’ll always be freaking out during the middle of rehearsal,” he explained.

The viola is pitched lower than a violin and is a larger instrument, which requires more flexibility and finesse to play expressively.

Casimir’s current instrument is modeled on the very best. He plays a 15 5/8” viola, made for him

by Arizona instrument-maker Gabrielle Kundert.

It is a copy of the viola owned by Roberto Diaz, president of the Curtis Institute of Music, former principal violist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Casimir’s former teacher.

One might assume that playing in a symphony was Casimir’s life ambition, so it comes as a surprise when he insists that it was not. Music is his life’s work now, but it is not his whole life. For example, he insists he can beat anyone in the video game FIFA. “Honestly, I really didn’t like classical music for a long time,” he said, “and the orchestra world was new to me. It’s true! A lot of classical musicians have spent their whole lives at art school, where you think, live, eat and breathe your performance. I was never like that. Penn Charter provided me with a very diverse way of thinking and a diverse group of friends.” PC

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STRATEGIC VISION

GOALS 2

PROGRAM Advance our educational program to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex and changing world.

PROJECT STORMWATER: Students Tackle Environmental Challenge Twelve Penn Charter fourth graders spent a week last May constructing a hyper-absorbent garden to manage rainfall in a puddle-prone corner of campus. In the process, they developed skills in critical thinking, collaboration and communication, and consulted with experts from the wider community to inform their work.

It was a clear Thursday morning in May 2019, and the Stormwater Management Team, a dozen fourth graders clad in neon yellow safety vests, gathered around a puddle in the field between the Kurtz Center and Penn Charter’s Lower School. A few stood patiently clutching shovels while others scooped buckets of water from the puddle and carried them off to be dumped along the edge of the playground.

The fourth graders knew the ground they were digging on would be wet—it had been pooling water on and off for weeks that rainy spring—but they had a deadline to meet and couldn’t afford to waste time letting the puddle dry on its own.

Luckily, this group was resourceful, determined and more than willing to get muddy. After a few minutes of scooping, the dig was back on.

And by the following afternoon, the puddle was banished for good, replaced by a tidy bed of mulch and half a dozen wetland plants.

The swampy corner of the field that had once collected trash and dampened sneakers after every rainfall was transformed into a handsome new garden, teeming with life and, above all, dry.

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Upper School science teacher David Nichols led the team on a tour of Saylor Grove, a stormwater wetlands project in Fairmount Park.

The Stormwater Management Project In May 2018, Penn Charter’s fourth grade teachers introduced into their curriculum a week-long geopolitical simulation called the World Peace Game. The project was a big success, and the following year they decided to create a second, concurrent project and divide the Class of 2027 between the two.

Teachers Orit Netter, Sonia Duprez and Laura Valdmanis knew they wanted something “hands-on and student-led,” in keeping with the spirit of the World Peace Game. They decided to anchor the new project around watersheds and stormwater management—topics the fourth grade had studied in depth that fall— and let their students develop the rest.

“It evolved into this big, beautiful undertaking that was rich and meaningful for the kids,” said Netter, who led the stormwater project while Duprez and Valdmanis facilitated the World Peace Game.

The entire fourth grade class filled out a questionnaire to give the teachers a better sense of who would be best suited for each of the projects. Then Netter, Duprez and Valdmanis selected the Stormwater Management Team based on their students’ interest in environmental causes and community-based work.

Netter assigned every member of the Stormwater Management Team a unique role— design manager, public relations expert, safety coordinator, photographer, botanist, to name a few. Throughout the week, the team broke into smaller groups to complete assignments related to research, design and, in the case of the public relations department, a blog documenting the project. This organizational structure allowed the team to function more efficiently in the short period of time available to complete the project.

With the logistics out of the way, Netter gave the newly formed Stormwater Management Team its charge for the week: to identify and address a stormwater problem on campus.

The fourth graders saw topographical maps and scale models in the design lab of Kim Douglas, professor of landscape architecture at Jefferson University.

The Beginning: Searching for Inspiration On Monday, Upper School science teacher David Nichols led the team on a tour of Saylor Grove, a stormwater wetlands project built by the Philadelphia Water Department in Fairmount Park just a few blocks from campus.

That site’s main feature is a shallow pond that acts as a detention basin, collecting stormwater runoff and filtering out pollutants before they can reach the Wissahickon Creek, which is a source of drinking water for Northwest Philadelphia.

Native marshland plants help prevent the topsoil from eroding and provide habitat for native animals and insects. While more elaborate than what would be possible at 3000 West School House Lane, Saylor Grove served as a model for the kind of ecologically sound and aesthetically pleasing installation the fourth graders would strive for.

Back on campus, then facilities director William Quinn Hon. 1689 gave the team an overview of existing stormwater management systems at PC, including a rain garden near the new Palaia Field. Still undecided about where to work, the student team took note of several problem spots around campus that might benefit from their new expertise.

On Tuesday, the fourth graders walked to Jefferson University, where landscape architecture professor Kim Douglas showed them the 3D scale models and topographical maps she uses while designing her work. She gave the team a tour of Jefferson’s stormwater management system, which relies on a detention basin with wetlands and a series of channels and check dams to control runoff.

“Once the kids got outside and started roaming around the detention basin, they seemed to understand it pretty quickly,” Douglas said, recalling how the yellow-vested fourth graders examined every crevice of the modified landscape, notebooks in hand. continued on next page

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STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PROJECT continued from page 17

The team then traveled by bus to Alexander Adaire Middle School in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, where science teacher William McGeehan gave a tour of the expansive rain garden he helped construct on campus. Adaire’s garden offered the Stormwater Management Team a glimpse of what they might be able to accomplish at PC, albeit on a smaller scale.

Back on Penn Charter’s campus again, the students settled on a problem spot—the

puddle near the Lower School’s main entrance—and turned their attention toward developing a solution.

Project-Based Learning: “An Application Economy” The Stormwater Management Project is the latest in a wave of project-based learning (PBL) that has swept through Penn Charter’s Lower School in recent years. PBL is an approach

that emphasizes hands-on work and problem solving while allowing students to chart their own course without strict predetermined guidelines.

“Kids learn best when they’re given some scaffolding—some background knowledge— they’re given a problem to solve, and then you let them go,” Director of Lower School Kate McCallum explained. “It can be unsettling for some teachers to work this way because they’re used to having their curriculum mapped out, but the educational experiences in project-based learning are really rich. You can incorporate what students are already learning in reading and writing and math and social studies into one project in really authentic ways.”

Project-based learning has taken a particularly strong hold among the faculty in Penn Charter’s Lower School. Every grade in the division features at least one major example of projectbased learning, beginning in pre-K, where teachers have developed a student-centered, experiential curriculum inspired by the Reggio Emilia schools of Italy.

For McCallum, project-based learning is about helping kids become lifelong learners. She recognizes that purely information-based education will only take students so far, especially in the age of the internet.

“We’re not an information economy—we’re an application economy now,” McCallum said.

“Kids can find the information they need within minutes, but then they have to think critically about how to apply it.”

Students in the Lead On Wednesday of project week, the fourth graders traveled to Greensgrow Farms in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood to purchase plants and put their research into action.

Top: Exploring the stormwater management system at Jefferson. Bottom: The rain garden at Alexander Adaire Elementary School in Fishtown was a source of inspiration for the fourth grade's stormwater management project at PC.

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The team peppered the staff at Greensgrow with questions about perennials and annuals, native species and wetland plants. Botanists Jasper Dittus and Wesley Eckel drew on their extensive research to help the team choose the best plants for their purposes, and

team treasurer Keagan McShea crunched the numbers to figure out how many of each variety the group could afford on its budget. When the students were satisfied with their selections and had settled up with the cashier, team safety coordinator Alliric Willis made sure everyone boarded the bus carefully with all of their belongings and vegetation in tow.

The trip was a highlight for Netter and Aly Goodner, director of PC’s Center for Public Purpose, who watched the Stormwater Management Team operate like a well-oiled machine.

“The adults really didn’t have to be involved at all that day,” Goodner said. “We let the kids work directly with [the Greensgrow staff member], and she was blown away by their professionalism, what they knew, what they wanted, how they were advocating for their garden.”

Netter agreed. “The kids were passionate, they were knowledgeable, they were guiding this entire process. Everyone had a job and treated it very seriously.”

Putting students in the lead, she believes, is crucial for evoking that sense of passion and creating meaningful, genuine learning experiences. Project-based learning is most effective when students develop a sense of agency over their work and rely on each other instead of their teachers. “They have to own it,” Netter said.

Shovels in the Ground On Thursday, the design team drew plans in the IdeaLab under the guidance of Upper School science teacher Corey Kilbane. He helped the team map out the deceptively complex structure of the rain garden, which is dug into three zones of varying depth and surrounded by a berm, a small border of raised soil.

When it came time to start digging later that day, though, it quickly became clear that adjustments were in order. Gardening expert and PC parent Paul Daniels, who was on site to lend a hand, quickly noticed a problem

Top: Working with the staff at Greensgrow Farms to find the best plants for PC's rain garden.

Bottom: Consulting the plans before construction begins.

with the area the fourth graders had staked out: The soil was rich in clay and wouldn’t be able to sustain their wetland plants.

director of public relations. “When we started

Fortunately, there was some usable ground, but they’d have to confine their garden to almost half the space they had originally planned.

‘There’s no way you can build that big of a

“It was a huge hurdle in the project,” remembered Xander Bowen, the team’s

digging the garden, we thought we would have all this space, but then Mr. Daniels said, rain garden here because the soil isn’t good enough.’”

Undeterred, the team returned to the IdeaLab to redesign their garden for a smaller space.

Then they got back to work in the field. continued on next page

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19

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PROJECT continued from page 19

Before: A pesky puddle

After: No more mud!

When shovels finally hit the ground that muddy Thursday morning, team construction supervisor Miranda Dziedzic made sure the project proceeded according to plan. Upper School students from Joy Lai’s photography class were on site to document, as they had been during Monday’s campus tour; a PC senior completing a Senior Comprehensive Project in digital media livestreamed a portion of the dig on Facebook. Goodner helped coordinate these cross-divisional and mutually beneficial collaborations.

Despite the setbacks and the mud, spirits were high come Thursday afternoon, and the fourth graders were poised to complete their garden on schedule. The team dug the basic structure of the garden bed that day and then installed their plants and mulch the following morning.

On Friday afternoon, the team retired to the fourth grade classroom to debrief and reflect on their work.

Projects with Purpose Goodner, who helped develop the curricular framework for the project and coordinated

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with community partners, is excited to see more teachers knocking on her door to ask for support. Project-based learning aligns effortlessly with her work in the Center for Public Purpose.

“We often talk about three things: addressing the most pressing social and environmental issues of our time, putting students in the lead, and grounding the work in Quaker values,” she said. “With those three pieces, project-based learning just makes sense. It’s a way to look at these issues while putting students in control of their own learning. And at the same time you as the educator are able to align the project with the content work you need to do.”

Another key component of project-based learning involves creating opportunities for students to present their findings to the wider community, as a means of celebrating their accomplishments and learning to articulate

what they did and why. With help from Teaching & Learning Center coordinator Ruth Aichenbaum, Goodner convened a panel of evaluators—including PC teachers and Upper School students pursuing Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Certificates— to hear about the Stormwater Management Team’s work.

The entire experience, Goodner said, builds a foundation for more advanced projectbased learning down the line, from the sixth grade Food Insecurity Project to the Senior Comprehensive Project.

And the Stormwater Management Team, for its part, is eager for more.

“This was an awesome, fun and productive week,” reads the final entry in the PR department’s Stormwater blog. “We were all very pleased with ourselves.” PC

Read about project-based learning in the Lower School on the inside front cover.

Read about the World Peace Game online at penncharter.com/worldpeacegame.

STRATEGIC VISION

GOALS 1 & 2

QUAKERISM • PROGRAM

PUBLIC PUR PO SE

Seniors Span Philadelphia for Penn’s Purpose For five weeks in the spring, PC seniors spread out across Philadelphia to complete internships in various organizations in the nonprofit, business and public sectors. And what variety! From nature centers to development companies to the Eagles to elementary schools, the list of organizations where the Class of 2019 completed their Senior Comprehensive Projects (SCPs) speaks to the diversity of interests and talents of the class.

The SCP gives students the opportunity to participate in a program that integrates traditional academic disciplines with real-world settings, issues and topics, supports command of competencies and new skills, and focuses on service and public purpose.

Learn more about the Senior Comprehensive Project at penncharter.com/SCPstory.

LOCATION OF SENIOR COMPREHENSIVE PROJECTS BY THE CLASS OF 2019 Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center (2) Addison Bay Arden Theater Arts + Crafts Holdings (2) Balance Chestnut Hill (2) Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation (2) Barnes Foundation Beat the Streets Brother House and Missionary Sisters of Charity Camp Sojourner Girls' Leadership Camp CeaseFire PA Cheltenham Township Tax Office Children's Crisis Treatment Center Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Primary Care Clinic, South Philadelphia Community Partnership School District Office of Representative Chris Rabb Dr. Hsu, Rothman Orthopedics EHMKE Manufacturing Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia (3)

Face to Face Faces of Change First Tee and Real Estate Capital Management, LLC Fort Washington Veterinary Hospital Friends Council, Friends Select School and Samuel Powel Elementary School Glass Entertainment Group Hargrove Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Holy Nativity Preschool Hunting Park Christian Academy I Am Impact Center Independence Charter School Industrial Hemp Research Project at Jefferson Univeristy Ivens-Bronstein Veterinary Hospital Jamie Gauthier for West Philly Campaign JEVS Human Services Jewish Community Center, Cherry Hill Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Kline & Specter, PC Lantern Theater Company

Lenfest Foundation Live Nation LOGAN Hope School (2) Maplezone Sports Institute Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs McKenzie Sports Physical Therapy Miller Investment Management MOD Worldwide (2) Momentum Development NBC10 News and Telemundo62 NXT Sports LLC Overbrook School for the Blind International Program Penn Vet Working Dog Center PFM: Asset Management, Financial Advice & Consultation (2) Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Outward Bound School Philadelphia Phillies Philly Food Rescue Philly Office Retail Philly Reclaim (2) Player Development Center (2) Playworks (3) Quaker Elite Soccer Club (3) RRG Management School District of Philadelphia

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (3) Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education: Environmental Art Department Sheward Partnership, LLC Southeastern Home Health Care Squash Smarts (3) St. Katherine Day School Stedman Lab Studio Famous Suburban Cryotherapy and Chiropractor Support Center for Child Advocates TerraVida Holistic Centers Travis Manion Foundation (2) Trinity Playgroup University of Pennsylvania: Abramson Center Wagner Free Institute of Science WHYY Widener Memorial School William Penn Charter School Lower School Wills Eye Hopsital Neuro Opthalmolgy Department Wistar Institute; Herlyn Lab

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STRATEGIC VISION

GOALS 2

PROGRAM Advance our educational program to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex and changing world.

Life Skills

ON THE RUN

by Rebecca Luzi

Sitting on the carpeted floor of a Lower School cozy room eating orange slices and mini

Girls on the Run is a national program that

bagels, a group of 15 girls discusses empathy and honoring the light in others.

encourages girls empowerment by teaching

“I saw the light in two people yesterday,” Tallie Signorello says. “My brother. We were home alone, and we just started talking and telling jokes. It was nice. And I saw the light in Hanna because she organized the library in our classroom and she didn’t complain about it.”

“My brother made me breakfast,” Nyah Gollapudi chimes in. “Instead of just playing his Xbox.”

It’s not Meeting for Worship or Friendship Group, but both of those influences, woven throughout the Lower School experience, are reflected in the overheard discussion. The 15 girls, grades 3-5, are runners. And thinkers. And supportive friends. They are Girls on the Run.

life skills and running. A curriculum of discussions, activities and running games is designed to foster confidence and an appreciation for health and fitness.

Penn Charter has hosted a chapter of Girls on the Run since 2016, filled to capacity each season. This year, fifth grade teachers Sarah Black and Whitney Kerner are the coaches.

“I have to admit one of the coolest things this year is working with Whitney,” Black said.

“And this group of girls—this neat team—is so energetic. It’s not like they had to try out or like they are the best runners, but they bring this energy.”

The girls, ages 8-11, welcome the opportunity to make connections across grades. And their coaches appreciate getting to know the younger girls.

“We know they’re going to be our students one day,” Kerner said. “It’s an investment in a relationship that can only grow from there.”

Over the course of a 10-week program, Black and Kerner lead the girls through a curriculum that teaches them how to

Fifth grade teachers Sarah Black (left) and Whitney Kerner coach 15 Girls on the Run. “We’re both runners,” Kerner said. “We get excited about going out running with the girls. They even like running in the rain.”

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“activate your star power,” use their voices, and be empathetic friends. They begin each

Banana cheer by her peers: Peel banana, chop banana, mash banana, go bananas!

The annual culmination of Girls on the Run is a 5K run at the Navy Yard in December. To reach that goal, the girls build on their skills each week: They increase their running time and use what they learned in practices to build up to the 5K. Although running is an individual sport, so much of Girls on the Run is about community that it feels natural that participants run the 5K with a buddy—someone from their orbit, like a family member, a friend or an Upper School athlete.

After the girls wrap up inside, filling water bottles and putting food scraps in the compost bin, they move out to the track. It’s Stella’s turn to do a warm-up. On a sunny fall day, they jog for a few minutes and then get down on the turf to do bicycle legs and yoga poses like Pigeon and Downward-Facing Dog. Next, the girls partner up. Each one picks a “situation card” that outlines a particular scenario. Of the three suggested ways to respond to show empathy, the girls choose one and discuss it with their partners as they run a lap. Black and Kerner hand them a new card for each lap. The girls often start off running and then slow to a walk as they dig Top: When the girls head outside, they warm up with a jog and stretch with yoga poses before doing laps on the track or running around campus. Bottom: Last year's Girls on the Run squad marked the end of their journey by running a joyful and noncompetitive 5K at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, an annual event.

Tuesday and Thursday after school in the fifth

Running is a teaching tool for all of that. Once

grade cozy room with healthy snacks and

outside, Black said, “they take that lesson

conversation. This year they have been joined

with them, talk to their partner after a lap.

by fellow coach Sarah Leonard, a law student,

It’s a way to remind yourself that you are a

and Upper School student-athletes who enjoy

good runner, a good person.”

mentoring the younger girls.

“Before I got trained I didn’t realize how

Because Kerner and Black know the bolstering power of positive feedback, at the

into the conversation.

More than just running, Girls on the Run “teaches you different things,” Sydney Albertini, a third grader said, “like how to care for other people and how to care for yourself.”

“I like Girls on the Run,” fourth grader Hanna Liharik agreed, “because it’s not just straight running. We always think about something, which is easier.”

curricular it is—teaching the girls how to

end of each practice, they acknowledge a

Does she feel like the program has helped

empower themselves and others,” Kerner said.

runner with an energy award. Who cheered

grow her confidence?

The 21 lessons cover themes like competence,

someone on, showed the most positive energy,

confidence, putting yourselves in someone

or helped someone else? That girl receives

think I was a slow runner and I didn’t love

else’s shoes, connection, character and caring.

the energy award and is treated to the Peel

running. Now I think it’s really fun.” PC

“Before Girls on the Run,” she said, “I used to

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STRATEGIC VISION

GOALS 2 & 3

PROGRAM • TEACHING

FOR LEARNING’S SAKE For more than six years now, the Teaching & Learning Center has provided a convenient venue for adults in the PC community to share their expertise and passions and improve their craft as educators. Wander up to the second floor of Gummere Library during lunch and you may find yourself audience to any of an extensive array of topics, from design thinking to ukulele playing to digital storytelling.

by Ray Bailey OPC ’09

In a recent measure of the TLC’s appeal, founder Ruth Aichenbaum and David Brightbill, PC’s academic dean for curriculum and professional development, were selected to give a presentation about the center— one of the first of its kind in American independent schools—at the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) annual conference in Long Beach last May. Their presentation was a big hit, prompting a flurry of responses from educators interested in starting similar initiatives at their schools.

Perhaps the most telling indication of the Teaching & Learning Center’s allure, though, is that even Penn Charter students have started getting in on the trend.

Enter Haley Joyce, who was so inspired by her experience co-leading a Lunch & Learn session at the TLC with French teacher Marianna Allen that she decided to create an equivalent venue for students. With the help of Aichenbaum, her fifth grade teacher, Joyce founded the Student Learning Center (SLC) in the fall of 2017.

The SLC prides itself on being a “stress-free environment” for students interested in learning for its own sake, with “no grades and no judgments.” Now in its third year of operation, the SLC, like the TLC, has already offered a breadth of sessions on topics as varied as yoga, bullet journaling, hair care, fundraising, fly fishing, and music production.

Sessions were initially few and far between.

Briana Hill OPC ’19 kicked things off with

Haley Joyce OPC ’19, inspired to follow her teachers' example, created an opportunity for student-led learning.

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Freestyle Rapping 101 in October 2017; in December, Alex Eley OPC ’19 led a workshop

In May 2018, PC senior Sabrina Shaffer talked about upcycled fashion and the process of starting her own company, Up Denim.

about navigating difficult conversations in the social media age. But by the spring, interest in the SLC had grown so much that Joyce was able to schedule three to five concurrent sessions during the Yellow Monday block 9 time slot she’d been allotted in the Upper School schedule. The following school year, SLC sessions were held quarterly, with five to seven sessions running at once.

Joyce, who is charismatic and trained in presenting through Eva Kay Noone’s public speaking class, took a personal interest in helping her peers deliver compelling workshops.

Her best advice for an engaging presentation?

Mark Behrend OPC ’19 expounded on the finer points of ultimate frisbee in October 2018.

“Make it fun for the audience and yourself.”

During training sessions for new SLC

information and get comfortable speaking in

And of course that time-honored tradition of

presenters, she generally relied on a handful

front of people. Engage your audience with

successful gatherings the world over: provide

of practical tips:

questions and activities whenever possible.

snacks.

Pick a topic you’re passionate about. Practice

Try to pick a topic most people don’t know

That first year was hectic for Joyce, who took

with a teacher beforehand to verify your

about already.

on much of the work for the center—with continued on next page

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25

FOR LEARNING’S SAKE

help from Aichenbaum—on top of the

executive board. The two are no strangers

important life skills to see what it takes for

notoriously heavy course load that saddles

to presenting, either. Last year, they co-

an organization like this to run smoothly,”

led a workshop about making friendship

she said.

most college-bound 11th graders.

In an effort to spread the workload and ensure that the center would continue to flourish beyond her graduation, Joyce formed an SLC Committee in the spring of 2018. The group worked with school administration to secure a budget and establish an official social media presence.

bracelets, and Stevens hosted a session in October 2018 called “The Food Lab,” an introduction to “cooking high-quality food that is quick [and] affordable.”

Kelly and Stevens are supported by the SLC Committee, which divides into three subcommittees to tackle different aspects of planning, from publicity to booking to

to grow the profile of the SLC through social media and word of mouth. They also want to secure more workshop days throughout the year so they don’t have to run as many sessions simultaneously. “It gets a little chaotic with so many sessions on one day,” Kelly said.

When Joyce graduated in 2019, leadership

training presenters. But with a relatively

of the center fell into the hands of Sophie

small group overall, everyone usually ends

She and Stevens remain committed to the

Stevens and Nieve Kelly, both now Penn

up doing a little bit of everything, which

vision of the Student Learning Center as a

Charter seniors and members of the SLC’s

Stevens thinks is valuable. “It builds

fun, stress-free learning environment—and,

Mia Monheit OPC ’19 shared her yoga expertise in the Old Gym.

26

This year, the SLC Committee members hope

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FALL 2019

as Stevens noted, “a great opportunity to get to know your classmates better.”

But hosting an SLC session can also be beneficial for students who want to hone their public speaking skills in a more casual environment than the classroom.

“One of the perks of hosting a workshop is you get good practice for bigger things” like graded presentations, Stevens said. It’s a win-win.

Aichenbaum, meanwhile, is thrilled to see how the TLC model—which she was inspired to develop after a visit to an Apple Store—has taken on a life of its own, at Penn Charter and beyond. The Penn Charter Parent Community has also started its own TLC-inspired initiative called Parentto-Parent, a workshop series where parents can “share expertise and common interests…

SLC leaders and PC seniors Nieve Kelly (left) and Sophie Stevens led a hands-on workshop about friendship bracelets in February 2019.

enjoy the company of fellow parents, and connect outside of school-related volunteer efforts.”

“It’s really wonderful to see so many people in our community sharing their passions with one another,” Aichenbaum said.

During the final SLC session of the 2018-19 school year, she was stationed in a workshop room as an adult facilitator. It was just days before Aichenbaum would leave for California to give her own presentation about the Teaching & Learning Center, and when she found out the topic of the SLC session she’d be sitting in on—“Who’s Afraid of Public Speaking?” by Ayana OpongNyantekyi OPC ’19—she was delighted by the serendipity.

“This session is for me!” she remembers thinking. “Ayana had a lot of really great ideas about body language and articulation. It helped me with my own presentation to think about those things.”

It was a beautiful moment for Aichenbaum who, for maybe the thousandth time since starting the TLC in 2013, felt like a student again. Lifelong learning, indeed. PC

PC senior Noelle Smith led a session on body positivity in January 2019.

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STRATEGIC VISION

GOALS 1,2,3,4,5,6

QUAKERISM • PROGRAM • TEACHING • TIME • SPACE • FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Teaching and Learning

A PROBLEM-SOLVING MINDSET The students pulled their classroom desks into a ragged circle and debriefed about their field trip. They did not waste time on the weather, the transportation or the food.

Their discussion zeroed in on the causes and possible solutions to one of the most intractable social issues in America.

“Poverty is caused by multifactorial problems, and the solution needs to be multifactorial.”

– Connor McGovern.

“I don’t see a solution. We’re doing 17 different things, and we still need to do 27 more.”

– Charlotte Zulick Sharon Ahram, assistant director of PC’s Center for Public Purpose, designed Seminar on Poverty, a three-week, one-credit summer course she taught in July. Her students read the bestseller Evicted, they listened to TED Talks, they welcomed guest speakers, they performed community service. They studied and talked about the causes and effects of poverty and how these are complex and interwoven; they worked to understand social policies designed to ease poverty.

Rising juniors and seniors, the students spent four hours each day raising philosophical and ethical questions about individual and collective behavior. Their classroom feedback session demonstrated they had developed a framework of knowledge that allowed them to ask intelligent questions and dare to imagine some answers.

“We go for policy changes like capping rent based off the value of the property—things like that—and still promote to people who have money to give back to the community.”

Aware of the affordable housing needs of millions of Americans, students were interested to learn more about the 10 new homes Habitat for Humanity has built in a Buffalo neighborhood; they toured a home and met several residents.

“Nonprofits should pay taxes. That would be a simple thing.”

While their classwork focused on Philadelphia, with some comparisons to other cities, a two-day field trip to Buffalo, N.Y., tested and expanded their understanding of poverty and activism.

The class visited John Somers OPC ’78 to learn more about the effort that he has led to stabilize and transform Bailey Green, the neighborhood surrounding Harmac Medical Products, his family’s international medical equipment manufacturer. About 10 years ago, Somers considered moving his business

out of east Buffalo to a rural setting free from poverty, crime and other distress that afflicts many urban neighborhoods in the United States.

When he realized that 25 percent of Harmac’s Buffalo employees lived in the headquarters’ zip code, he decided to stay and roll up his sleeves.

Students observed close-up how Somers and partners he has attracted—including Habitat for Humanity, University at Buffalo, the city of Buffalo, Groundwork Market Garden, Urban Fruits & Veggies, Buffalo Peacemakers—are collaborating to address critical problems caused by poverty: lack of housing and job opportunities, poor diet and related health issues, violence, blight. continued on page 30

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John Somers OPC ’78 (front, second from left) welcomed Penn Charter students to Bailey Green, the Buffalo, N.Y., neighborhood surrounding the headquarters of Harmac Medical Products, his international medical equipment manufacturer. Somers toured students to show how Harmac has sparked a neighborhood transformation with affordable housing, job opportunities, healthy food options, green space and more.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING A PROBLEM-SOLVING MINDSET

The students in the Seminar on Poverty left with more knowledge, more realworld understanding, and considerable appreciation for Somers’ vision to use his business as a force for good.

They also had a heady conversation with well-known academic, author and activist Henry Louis Taylor Jr., University at Buffalo professor in the School of Architecture and Planning. This generated conversation about socialism vs. capitalism, free health care, policy and political power.

“Socialism and capitalism, they need to come together. They have to compromise and move forward.”

– Vanessa Ewing But then time was up for the day.

Ahram had facilitated the discussion, interjecting questions when needed:

Why is property owning so important?

And supplying quick statistical reminders: Twenty-two percent of our population in Philadelphia is impoverished.

And peppering the conversation with questions about collective responsibility.

“There is intentionality behind what all of these people are doing. Focusing on housing.

Focusing on food. On safety, education, job skills. Think in that mindset,” she encourages in wrapping up.

A GIFT MAKES IT POSSIBLE Seth and Ellyn Lehr, parents of Martin Lehr OPC ’02, have made a $350,000 gift to the How Far? campaign to establish a fund that will support the Center for Public Purpose and student experiences focused on Philadelphia’s most pressing social issues.

“What are the possible solutions? Poverty is huge.

There are smaller social issues that feed poverty, and we know that there are solutions to those issues. I’ll let you ponder that.” PC At right, read about the Lehr Fund that supported the cost of the Buffalo field trip.

To learn more about Somers and Bailey Green, visit penncharter.com/somers.

The field trip to Buffalo highlighted on these pages was the cornerstone of a Seminar on Poverty offered in the Upper School in July, and the trip was the first use of the Lehr Fund.

The Lehr Fund syncs philosophically with Penn Charter’s Strategic Vision in multiple ways: it supports 21st century teaching— including project-based learning and experiential learning outside the traditional classroom—and the work of the Center for Public Purpose to advance issues of equity, social justice and peace.

Teachers and students with ideas for new learning experiences are preparing applications for the coming year; recipients will be announced in January.

Like many Philadelphia neighborhoods, Bailey Green has been considered a “food desert” within the city of Buffalo. Students met with partners in the urban renewal effort who are bringing healthy food options to the neighborhood with farmers markets and urban farming.

At Penn Charter, to expand their knowledge of poverty and related issues in Philadelphia, the class hosted guest speakers: Stephanie Sena, Villanova professor and founder of Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia; a team of presenters from Broke in Philly; Octavia Howell, researcher from Pew Research Center; and Sara Goldrick-Rab, Temple professor of higher education policy and sociology, and founding director of Hope Center for College, Community and Justice.

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The Lehr Fund for Public Purpose Programming supports student- and teacher-led initiatives connected to the Center for Public Purpose that develop innovative and substantive learning experiences focused on the most pressing social issues of Philadelphia. The funding enables students and teachers to design school experiences that prepare our graduates with the skills and competencies to live lives that make a difference.

REMEMBERING

ROGER HILLAS “Our alumni are known for their intense loyalty and support, and Roger epitomized this best. He cherished Penn Charter and the city of Philadelphia, and we cherished him.”

–Head of School Darryl J. Ford Hon. 1689

Roger S. Hillas OPC ’45, beloved friend and longtime overseer of Penn Charter, died at his home on June 23 of complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

He was 92. He is survived by his wife, Dee, and children Roger Jr., Susan, Lynn, Heather and Sean; his daughter Charlotte died earlier.

Services were private and, in the true spirit of Roger Hillas, the family asked that those wishing to honor him do an act of kindness “from the heart.”

As a Penn Charter student, Roger managed the football team, played basketball and co-captained the track team, on which he was a star high jumper. He was an excellent student—a member of the Trident Club— who attended Dartmouth College before his long and distinguished banking and civic career.

His allegiance to Penn Charter continued throughout his lifetime with his service to the school—he was on Overseers for 55 years—and his unwavering philanthropic support. After the 2008 economic downturn, Roger and his wife, Dee, quietly made an instrumental gift to the school to keep at Penn Charter students whose parents had lost their jobs.

Most recently, they gave to the How Far? campaign to support the Lower School.

To learn more about this incredible friend of both Penn Charter and the city of Philadelphia, read the Overseers Minute of Appreciation approved and presented to Roger Hillas in 2016 upon his stepping down from the Overseers of Penn Charter.

MINUTE of APPRECIATION May 2016 Overseers wish to record their gratitude to Roger S. Hillas for his 55 years of service to William Penn Charter School as an Overseer and Senior Overseer. Sixteen years after graduating from the School, Roger joined Overseers in 1961, occupying the chair first held by James Logan in 1711.

Roger has made substantial and lasting contributions to Penn Charter in every way that one can; listing them all would turn this Minute into

Members of the Hillas family: Roger Jr. OPC ’71, Dee, Heather OPC ’06, Sean OPC ’09 and Roger OPC ’45 at Sean’s graduation.

an hour, which would not be in keeping with either Quaker practice or Roger’s well-known preference for brevity. Roger served as the School’s treasurer for 34 years, and thereafter as Clerk of Overseers from 1995 to 1999. He also entrusted to us the education of his children Roger OPC 1971, Heather OPC 2006, and Sean OPC 2009. Roger’s wife Dee served as an active member of the Parent Community leadership. The entire Hillas family has been very much a part of the Penn Charter family.

Roger was an integral part of each capital campaign in the last half century. He provided crucial leadership and guidance with respect to our investment and spending policies, acquisition of additional real estate, and the building and financing of our facilities. In short, without Roger’s commitment and vision we would not have the quality of the campus we see today, or have experienced the superior growth of our endowment while maintaining prudent investment policies.

Roger has never sought, and frequently declined, recognition, publicity, or awards for his professional, civic and philanthropic endeavors.

Quoting from the book “…better than riches,” documenting the School’s history more than 25 years ago: Roger Hillas is one of Philadelphia’s most prominent and influential citizens and helps our city in more ways than most people will ever know. Civic leaders seek his opinion on a wide variety of topics… No matter how much publicity he receives, he continues to serve his community in the same efficient, quiet manner. Penn Charter is fortunate to have someone of his magnitude who is willing to give of his time and talents to put back into the school some of the riches he once derived from it.

That description of Roger’s commitment to this School has remained true to this day.

One of the notable quotes attributed to Roger in his 1945 Penn Charter yearbook was: “Take it easy”—advice he clearly did not heed as a student at Dartmouth or in his subsequent decades as one of the nation’s leaders in the banking industry and in his vast contributions to his alma maters and other communities. As he now chooses to step aside from his position as a Senior Overseer, among other activities, we take advantage of this opportunity to offer our immense thanks and heartfelt: “Roger, take it easy.” PC

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STRATEGIC VISION

GOAL 5

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SPACE Develop and repurpose space to serve the changing needs of the Penn Charter program and mission.

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BREAKING GROUND:

GRAHAM ATHLETICS AND WELLNESS CENTER On a crisp autumn morning, an exuberant pre-K to 12 Penn Charter community marked the next step in our campus transformation with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the William A. Graham IV OPC ’58 Athletics and Wellness Center.

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BREAKING GROUND FOR WELLNESS

Students from every grade, many dressed in spirited blue and yellow, poured onto the old baseball field for the Oct. 4 groundbreaking of the Athletics and Wellness Center as the Upper School band played “Gonna Fly Now,” the Rocky theme song. Greeted by the costumed Quaker (senior Vanessa Ewing), they filed into 1,280 chairs set up for the occasion, and even those in the back had a great view of an enormous 14 x 18-foot screen set up to broadcast the event.

Sharing groundbreaking honors: Gail and Darryl Ford, Bill and Frances Graham, Jeff Reinhold and Kathie Lister.

The new center is the second of three major construction projects envisioned in PC’s master plan. The first was the baseball facility completed in spring 2019 and the last will be a new lower school.

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The Class of 2020 passed the shiny shovel up the center aisle for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

“Today we are gathered on the very site of the new building that will begin a new era in the history of the campus, the Athletics and Wellness Center,” said Clerk of Overseers Jeff Reinhold. He welcomed the crowd, which included faculty, staff and administrators, as well as some parents and alumni. “Competitive athletics teach lessons about teamwork, communication and tenacity that you will carry with you throughout life.

Wellness—physical and emotional wellbeing—shapes our lives in ways that are profound.”

For the first time, the PC community was able to see a virtual tour of the building—a video created by architects to show a “walkabout” of the Athletics and Wellness Center, inside and out.

“What an exciting building we have planned for you!” exclaimed Head of School Darryl J. Ford before announcing the naming of the building for Bill Graham,

THE ATHLETICS AND WELLNESS CENTER WILL INCLUDE: • Fitness center and cardio center, training room, hydrotherapy, nutrition center • Wrestling room; basketball courts for competition, team practice and PE program; climbing wall • Wellness-multipurpose room, student and coach locker rooms, meeting spaces • OPC Rail of Recognition including the Athletic Honor Society, and storytelling display of PC traditions • Safe, direct access to the track and Maguire Field • Stormwater management features and nature landscape • The new complex will also provide synergy between the athletics facilities on both sides of School House Lane.

a longtime friend and supporter of Penn Charter and, more recently, of the How Far? capital campaign.

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As the celebration came to a close, a plane circled campus, trailing a banner: PC How Far? Go Quakers!

The Class of 1958 is tight-knit, and several of Graham’s high school friends attended the ceremonial groundbreaking for the building named for him.

“We had great teachers, coaches, leaders among the faculty and administration,” Graham reflected with fondness when Ford invited him to the mic. “I really admired [former headmaster] Dr. Gummere . . . even though I was afraid of him.”

Construction of the center will take about 14 months, Ford said, and will be followed by construction of a new lower school.

“Friends, this building is for all of you, our students,” Ford told the audience. “The Athletics and Wellness Center is part of our master plan and our vision to make this school the best place for you to learn, compete and attend to your physical and mental wellbeing.”

Every eye was on the jumbo screen when Ford introduced “Pass the Shovel,” a video, set to music, that featured a bright, shiny Students were in high spirits and excited to celebrate the occasion.

shovel popping up with groups of students all over campus. On the playground, younger students “flossed” with it, cross country and track runners passed it like a baton, soccer and field hockey players scored with it, band kept the beat with it, and the Outdoor Education class paddled a canoe with it.

And then it was time to pass the actual shovel for the groundbreaking!

Down two lines of seniors it went, from the back of the center aisle to the podium, where Graham, Reinhold, Ford and a handful of students dug shovels into the site of the future William A. Graham IV OPC ’58 Athletics and Wellness Center.

“Penn Charter, what a great, great day!” Ford said just before an airplane flew overhead trailing a banner that read: PC How Far?

Go Quakers!

See the virtual tour of the Graham Athletics and Wellness Center as Graham, second from right, was joined by OPC '58 classmates Ross Hibbert, Rodger Wichterman and Bob Morrow.

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well as the “Pass the Shovel” film, at penncharter.com/graham.

Year three of the How Far? capital campaign

PARENT CIRCLE

HY?

WHA T

YOUR

W

’S

began with a challenge to current Penn Charter families to participate—en masse!—in the effort to secure the future of the school and the campus.

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE A few generous Penn Charter parents have offered a $500,000 challenge: If 500 current families make gifts this academic year, the challenge will be met and the How Far? campaign will earn $500,000.

JOIN THE PARENT CIRCLE! You can make your gift today at penncharter.com/give.

Every gift to any fund counts and makes you part of the Parent Circle.

LEARN MORE For more information about the 2019-2020 Parent Campaign, visit penncharter.com/parentcircle; reach out to a member of the campaign committee, listed below; or contact Nicole Martz, director of engagement and development operations: nmartz@penncharter.com or 215.844.3460 ext. 265.

YOUR 2019-2020 PARENT CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE Brigitte Addimando P ‘28, ‘29, ‘33

Erin Graham P ‘25

Greg Summers OPC ‘89, P ‘23, ‘26

Barbara Anne Davey P ‘24, ‘25

Donna Perkins P ‘25, ‘26

Luke Urban OPC ‘98, P ‘30, ‘32

WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING: MY PENN CHARTER WHY “My sons have learned to be lifelong learners and to see themselves as confident and humble men.”

“Limitless possibilities.”

“My children are getting a first-rate education, lifelong friends, and are learning values that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

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OPCs traveled from California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Vermont, and more. Martin Boyer OPC ’62 traveled from France; shown here with Chief Development Officer Jack Rogers Hon. 1689 (Wayne!) and William MacDonald Jr. OPC ’62 (Ambler!).

OPC

WEEKEND 2019

Charles Ingersoll and Robert Crowley, both OPCs '69, listen to the music played by Steve Rhoads OPC '74.

The red doors swung wide to welcome back OPCs representing eight decades and 29 different classes, the most senior from 1949 and the youngest from 2015.

Head of School Darryl J. Ford welcomed alumni to the 127th OPC Weekend evening program with enthusiasm and an update on the state of the school: “Your school is strong. Our graduates continue to go to top colleges and their top college choices.

We remain committed to diversity, and our strong endowment makes it possible to enroll talented students regardless of financial need,” Ford said.

“Our students are engaged in academic work not to solve problems now but to contribute to solutions in the future.”

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Asleep at the Wheel singer and leader Ray Benson OPC '69 (second from left) enjoys conversation with OPC '69 friends Tom Lee and Rick Mellor, and Rick's wife, Mary.

Thomas Lee OPC ’69 announced that, in honor of its 50th reunion, the class would make a gift in excess of $425,000 to Penn Charter’s endowment to support financial aid for a ninth grader who shows leadership and is engaged in academics, arts and athletics. Since the reunion, the amount has grown to $437,054.

ALUMNI

OPC WEEKEND 2019

After becoming acquainted as "pen pals," second graders and members of the Class of 1969 celebrated their 50th Reunion by wrapping bars of soap for a sale to benefit Depaul House, a partner of PC's Center for Public Purpose.

With the naming of the Benoliel Band Room on OPC Weekend, the school and his sons honored Peter A. Benoliel OPC ’49 for his support of Penn Charter, music education and the arts in Philadelphia. Jeffry OPC ’76 and Peter W. OPC ’81 made a gift to Penn Charter to name the space in their father’s honor. At left, Peter Benoliel is shown in front of the Benoliel Band Room with PC Band Director Brad Ford and, right, Benoliel’s son Jeffry Benoliel OPC ’76.

Penn Charter dedicated the new baseball facility in April and, one month later, reunioning OPCs enjoyed watching the Quakers take on Springfield Montco High School on the fabulous Palaia Field. (PC won 5-2.) First-pitch honors went to Duncan McFarland OPC ’61, wearing his PC letter jacket. The new field is the enabling project of PC’s campus transformation; McFarland has championed the campus master plan and supported it with a $10 million gift to the How Far? campaign.

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ALUMNI

OPC WEEKEND 2019

Alumni Award of Merit RICHARD A. BALDERSTON OPC ’69 Richard Balderston well recalls the world he entered when he arrived at Penn Charter as a 12-year-old boy and the impact it had on the man he became.

“I encountered a sanctuary of intellectual exploration and rigor as well as a framework upon which to build a place for myself in the wider world.”

In an elegant speech to an appreciative crowd gathered in the Meeting Room, Balderston cited three factors that defined his “extraordinary experience” at PC. As an example of the “awesomeness of the faculty,” Balderston recalled the PC librarian who, realizing that Balderston’s father dropped him off early every morning on the way to work, had a special key made so that young Richard could use the library before the school day began.

He was encouraged, inspired and supported by his classmates as well. Together they played bridge in the senior lounge and parsed the pressing issues of the day. “Upon entering the real world on the cusp of Woodstock, lunar landing and an escalating involvement in Vietnam,” Balderston said, “so many of the graduates of the Class of ’69 went on to accomplish truly amazing things. One won the moot court competition at Harvard Law School. Another brought Philly cheesesteaks to the Staples Center in L.A. Yet another became a multiGrammy winning Texas swing musician/composer and Arizona Man of the Year. They succeeded in Hollywood, law, physics and medicine.

You name it! I was and am privileged to call these men my peers.”

Philip OPC '02 with his parents, Richard and Claudia Balderston.

Finally, he said, “Penn Charter education provided me with an understanding of what it meant to be Quaker. The teachers and administrators with whom I interacted treated each one of us with respect and demanded no less in return. Every voice was important.

Consensus building was vital to any successful undertaking. That there is that of God in each of us was a touchstone. Pursuit of excellence personally and as a community was key.”

In his own pursuit of excellence, Balderston built a remarkable surgical career that has spanned 32 years, focusing primarily on adult and adolescent spinal deformity, spinal fractures and lumbar spinal disorders. He was professor of orthopaedic surgery and served as codirector of the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center and director of the Spine Fellowship Program, all at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

He has edited or co-edited five orthopaedic textbooks and written or co-written 62 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Balderston is co-founder of 3B Orthopaedics as well as Positive Physicians Insurance Exchange, which serves more than 400 health care providers.

His connections to PC continued throughout his adult life and to this day. He was a substitute teacher at PC in the spring of 1973, has been a member of Overseers for 33 years and served as clerk 1999-2003.

Currently, he is clerk of the Development Committee, with an active focus on financial sustainability at PC. With his wife, Claudia, he has been a major donor to and advocate for the Penn Charter’s How Far? capital campaign.

The Balderston brothers, right to left, Bruce, Tim and Richard, with Richard’s daughter Jessica, wife Claudia, grandson Jonah and son-in-law Zachary Gertz.

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The Balderston’s son, Philip, is OPC ’02 and their daughter, Jessica, is OPC ’05. Rich’s brothers, Bruce Balderston and Tim Balderston, are OPC ’72 and ’75, respectively. PC

ALUMNI

OPC WEEKEND 2019

Honorary 1689 “Given to a member of the Penn Charter community who has shown extraordinary commitment to the school by demonstrating pride and excellence in the performance of their duties and by consistently providing encouragement and support to the student body.”

DEBORAH KAESSHAEFER

Deborah Kaesshaefer Hon. 1689

Deborah Kaesshaefer, music teacher, Middle School choral director and chair of the Performing Arts Department beginning in 2006, is the fifth person in her family with a PC diploma. “This means the world to me,” Kaesshaefer said, “to be included with my daughters, Megan and Laura, Class of 2004, and my son, Scott, Class of 2008, and, of course, my wonderful husband, Charlie Kaesshaefer, Class of ’71. It is an honor to be included in the Class of 1689.”

TIMOTHY LYNCH Science teacher Timothy Lynch came to Penn Charter in 1998, and he said he immediately realized that in addition to teaching biology he needed to teach “the silent curriculum,” said Lynch, shown here at OPC Weekend.

With Head of School Darryl J. Ford, the Lynch family: Bernard Class of 2022, Timothy Hon. 1689, Julia OPC '19 and Jill.

“My students were looking at me through a different lens, focused on how I was living my life. The silent curriculum taught all of us to smile, share a hug. This student-teacher relationship distinguishes Penn Charter — it's how we teach students to live lives that make a difference and how students inspire us to do so.”

In 2008, Lynch received another honor bestowed by the Alumni Society, the John F. Gummere Distinguished Teacher Award, given to a teacher outstanding in scholarship, teaching and character.

DARRYL J. FORD Head of School Darryl J. Ford said he thought something was afoot when nieces and nephews and other members of his extended family — “people who never attended this particular event before” — began showing up at the 2019 OPC Weekend reception. Surprise!

The Alumni Society surprised Ford with an Honorary 1689 diploma in recognition of his accomplishments as head of school and 22 years of faithful service. “What a wonderful honor to now be a graduate of the school,” Ford said. “What an honor it is to work at the William Penn Charter School.”

“I thank my family, my children, my brother and sister-in-law, and my wife, Gail, without whom I could not do this work. And I thank all of the overseers for their support. I am grateful for all the faculty and staff with whom I have been able to work these last 22 years. This is a wonderful place because there are wonderful people here.” PC

The Fords: Jameson Class of 2020, Gail, Lucas and Darryl Hon. 1689.

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William Penn Charter School

Then & Now

C. 1940

William Harbison OPC ’47, likely in a sixth grade classroom, and Robert Harbison OPC ’40 in the physics lab, with their classmates. The photos were taken with the Harbison family’s stereoscopic camera, which takes two pictures simultaneously, from two slightly different vantage points. When viewed through a stereoscopic viewer, the photos come to life in 3D.

2019

The classroom tools are different, as are the cameras we use to capture a moment, but the rigorous curriculum and student engagement in Penn Charter’s science labs and classrooms remain a pillar of a PC education.

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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.

1689

Recipients of the Hon. 1689 diploma gathered for their own “reunion” during OPC Weekend. Pictured (from left): Tim Lynch, Hench Murray, Allan Brown, Jane Evans, Linda Saltford, Earl J. Ball, Beckie Miller, Rosanne Punzo, Patricia Cunningham, Mary Gallagher, Carol Steinbrook, Judy Gerber, Bill Quinn, Bill Goulding, Pam Ball, Bill Gallagher, Val Erdmanis, Ed Marks, Bruce MacCullough, Beth Glascott and Anne Marble Caramanico.

1950

Bruce MacCullough marched in Philadelphia in September with fellow clergy members and union workers to advocate for living wages for workers. He writes, “This effort is just so fundamental! The country is producing tremendous wealth, and we pay so many workers with a wage that leaves them in harsh poverty. And once again, it disproportionately hits people of color. It is simply unacceptable.” Bruce also reports that he often gets together with James M. Ballengee Hon. 1689 in Philadelphia.

Christopher W. Parker Sr. writes, “John S. Alsentzer, Richard T. Claus and I met recently as the self-appointed committee to gin up plans for our 70th reunion next May. Watch for a letter with details, but the schedule includes a Friday lunch at Dr. Ford’s and a reception for all classes at Timmons House, a Saturday trip to the Museum of the American Revolution, lunch at Timmons House and then dinner at a fine restaurant. Should be great, and we hope for a good turnout. Our best estimate is that there are 34 of us still alive and kicking out of our original class of 71 (not bad!).”

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ALUMNI

Class Notes

Class of 1949 70TH REUNION

1952 David M. Jordan shares, “We had a nice lunch recently with George C. (Skip) Corson Jr. and Penny Brodie. Always good to get together with them. And I just got a message from Frank F. Embick Jr. down in Houston.

He and Anna are taking a trip to Northern Italy to visit Anna’s family; they’re also going to do Venice, Monte Carlo and Nice.”

Michael P. Ritter writes, “Margo and I continue to live out our lives: she’s still teaching ice skating to beginners; laces ’em up and is out on the rink two to three times on the weekend, does bone-builders and other activities. Oh, she just got a new car!

I’m still leading a couple of small Dixie-style bands and playing in some others, including the Boys’ Night Out Trio with Roger Williams; doing my ‘day job’ (video editing) for a client three to four days a week; and working on a PBS special (we hope). All in all, we’re doing pretty well!”

From left: George C. Fuller, Peter J. Meehan, J. Walter F. Blizard Jr. and Peter A. Benoliel.

1951 Carl N. Kunz OPC ’54 and Donald L. Greene OPC ’51 live in the same retirement community in Delaware. Last spring they drove to PC for a visit with John T. Rogers Hon. 1689. Carl, onetime manager of PC’s baseball team, especially loved the new Ralph F. Palaia Field.

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Wayne G. Brown writes, “Last fall, Elisabeth and I sold our dear home of 48 years in Rose Valley and moved to a nearby life care facility, Riddle Village. It’s a fine place for us oldsters.

We, and most of our fellow residents, seem quite content. Most of us at this point in life depend heavily on doctors, hospitals and pills; all are here in our backyard. I’m 85 and still active, painting pictures; I had a solo show here recently. Elisabeth remains active designing and marketing her handwoven fashions. She has a studio close by and sells primarily at craft shows.

“One of my joys is reading the piles of letters I’ve saved for 70 years covering my college, Navy and work years, including nostalgic writings from girls and school chums. Letters from my wise parents, like Dad’s exhortations to excel, were always superb advice. The ’50s were a great time for many of us, though not so great for many others. I have pleasant memories of most of my life; that made reading the letters such a delight.”

From Joseph B. Van Sciver III: “Hi, from Joe and Carol, from the mountains and lakes of western Connecticut, where we are enjoying a short summer vacation with son Joseph B. Van Sciver OPC ’96 and family. The weather has been great and the “grans” are lots of fun amid the beautiful scenery. Best to all.”

F. Bruce Waechter writes, “Janet and I now take short day trips, often to Amish Country near Lancaster, at least every two weeks.

We like to follow the crops. They have been blessed with a good growing season, unlike much of the country. Below is a picture of Janet with the corn about 8 feet high.

Perhaps, I’ll use a selfie stick and join the picture next visit.”

ALUMNI

Class Notes

1953

1955

William H. Bux writes, “Since 1988, I have served as judge of election, an elected position, in my district in suburban Philadelphia. That year, George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle were elected. I am a current participant in the Penn Charter Elder and Child Program, which works with second grade students.”

1954

Peter T. Clark writes, “Our class will celebrate our 65th reunion May 1-2. I wrote two poems, ‘OPC ’55 Elegy’ and ‘Absolute Gift,’ to memorialize the event. At 81, what’s there to do during retirement besides remembering those days and when to take my pills; and watching Chicago PD with the sound turned up? PC today is a light year from our attendance. We were the beginning of its rise to where it is today.”

Editor’s note: Be sure to ask Pete to share his poems during OPC Weekend!

Charles M. Barclay, who transferred to St. Andrew’s School after ninth grade along with Robert Whelihan, writes, “I worked for INA/CIGNA for 36 years and retired in 1997 as a manager in fire protection engineering/loss control. I’ve lived in Hatfield, Pa., on a 10-acre farm since 1968, summer in Bay Head, N.J., and am currently sailing an 18-foot Sanderling sailboat on weekends and running races for others.”

William T. Commons and wife Sharon (married 54 years) moved to Avon Park, Fla., where Bill serves as volunteer chaplain to 830 homes in their senior community.

He also works part-time as a caregiver with Comfort Keepers. He adds: “We are snowbirds, dividing our time between Florida and upstate New York, where we live in the inherited Commons family lake

home on northern Lake George. I am also a volunteer chaplain while in New York and am a part-time respite provider for Alzheimer’s caregivers. We have three adult children and eight grands.”

Richard M. Lehman hopes all of his classmates can make it to the Class of 1955 reunion in May to celebrate and reminisce about how the class reversed the athletics fortunes of Penn Charter. He writes, “We started winning with football (pictured below) under Coaches Dooney and Talarico, and then basketball, baseball and track championships. This continued with three good wrestling seasons, including the newly introduced end-of-season Southeastern Pennsylvania Wrestling Championship at the Palestra.”

Class of 1954 65TH REUNION

1957

From left, front: George H. McLaughlin II, Alfred F. Bracher III, Carl N. Kunz Jr., James R. Harper, Earl S. Vollmer Jr., James A. Lehman Jr. Back: Tony McCullough, William G. Hamilton III, Andrew D. Beck, Evan W. Michener III

G. Allan Dash writes, “My career as a marketing writer ended many years ago, but my wife, Gigi, continued as director of infection prevention for the Cape Cod Healthcare System until 2016. She retired soon after receiving the highest achievement award from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the largest organization of practitioners in her field (of which she is a past president). Proud? You’re darn right I am!”

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Class Notes George M. Dolan pens: “Letitia and I remain happily healthy here in Wilmington, N.C., where I retired from IBM in 2004. We have been looking into full-time retirement in Wilmington and closer to our daughters in Atlanta and Lexington, Ky. (We won’t retire near our other two daughters, as they live in California, and Vienna, Austria.) I remain active developing various electronic gadgets and programs for the Wilmington Railroad Museum.”

Gerald A. Hedges reports: “My wife, Carolyn, and I moved to Owings Mills, outside Baltimore, in 2016. We’ve done a fair amount of travel in the last few years: two river cruises, as well as visits to Sicily, Paris, Normandy and Vienna. We generally spend Thanksgivings with our older daughter, Anne, and her husband near Los Alamos, N.M. I enjoy pretty good health, considering our age!”

Donald M. Kerr writes, “Alison and I have now been in Denver full time since July 4, 2018. We like lower humidity and clear air, and do not miss all of the unhappy people in the D.C. area. Denver is still growing but the influx of people has slowed due to the shortage of housing. I still get back to McLean, Va., about once a month and the increasing traffic is a real pain.”

James G. Masland Jr., 1957 class president, reports that he and his wife, Michelle, after years of living in northern Virginia, have moved back to Pennsylvania, into a house in Gettysburg. They’ll be closer to their five children and eight grandkids, as well as to Gigi and G. Allan Dash, who plan to move soon from Cape Cod to nearby Lancaster County.

years in various facets of the radio business, I made a career switch into commercial real estate and, finally, residential real estate. Looking back, I remember the brilliant math tutoring I received from Mr. Frank S. Craig Sr. OPC ’43. When I entered Notre Dame in ’57, I was third out of 1500 freshmen in a math test!”

Peter S. Stern writes, “It was fun seeing so many of my OPC ’57 classmates at our reunion two years ago, capped off by a memorable dinner at Valley Green with a virtual appearance by G. Allan Dash—thanks to Courtney Sjostrom’s skill with an iPad. I’m practicing estate planning and elder law in Palo Alto—the elder law part gets more relevant every year. My leisure activity of late has been moving, after 41 years in the same house, to a nearby rental with lots of room for all the books I accumulated teaching history in the pre-law phase of my life. I got back to Mount Desert Island (Maine) in September for 10 days of hiking and biking before returning to do a jury trial and to organize my Elder Law Committee meetings for ACTEC, a group of estate planning lawyers. My new address: 2251 Princeton Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306.”

William Nathan Tanner III recently celebrated his 80th birthday by tubing off Avalon, N.J., with his family (pictured).

1958 Around OPC weekend, 12 OPCs from the class of 1958 reconnected at Phil’s in Blue Bell: John E.F. (Jef) Corson, David H. Fiske, William M. Graff, Joseph S. Hanson, Robert M. Harting, Ross R. Hibbert, Gilbert P. High Jr., Homer P. (Mike) Hoffman, Robert D. Morrow Jr., Courtnay H. Pitt Jr., Rodger C. Wichterman and Theodore S. Wray Jr.

Class of 1959 60TH REUNION

Harold B. (Mac) McFarland III writes, “My wife, Sue, is still working, and I still take people out fishing from time to time.

Being 80 has slowed me a bit, but I work out regularly at a gym, trying to stay in shape to handle my boating and fishing agendas. The best of health to my classmates!”

Daniel P. Mitchell III reports: “My wife, Maurine, and I have lived in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., for 46 years. After many

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From left: Henry S. Rogers Jr., Rush B. Smith, Thomas A. Ralph, William A. Davison IV, Frederick H. Dimond, David Evans, Robert R. Matzke Jr., James B. Coles and David P. Kollock.

ALUMNI

Class Notes

1959

1961

David P. Kollock writes, “Our daughter and her family, including Sophie (4) and Shep (1.5), are moving to Doha, Quatar, as her husband has gotten a new promotion.

After this summer, we are ready for a cooler fall and winter in Florida. Our son Alex’s daughter starts fourth grade in San Francisco at the Hamlin School. Also, eight of us from ’59 and some wives got together for a 60th reunion last May at PC.”

David L. Geyer is continuing to create contemporary furniture, with proceeds going to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya to help rescue baby elephants.

1960 James R. Buckley is a 2019 inductee into the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame. He writes, “Penn Charter played a large role in my development and passion for working with young people, both in and out of the classroom. I have been very lucky to have been able to live my dream. Thank you to all of the teachers and coaches who helped to make this possible.”

David A. Scott writes, “Nine members (50 percent) of the Meadowbrook School class of 1956, pictured above, attended Penn Charter (OPC ’60): Richard P. Allman, David H. Bishop II, Roger T. Colehower, John L. (Tex) Goldschmeding, John Lee, John O. Scherer, Alvin A. Swenson III, Thomas Wriggins III and I. Meadowbrook is celebrating its centennial year in 2019.

OPC ’60 classmates (Roger Colehower, pictured, Robert E. Ward, and I) also sailed at the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, which celebrated its own centennial in 2012.”

1962 George E. (Buzz) Meagher III shares: “My wife, Alice, and I had our 50th wedding anniversary this year and celebrated by taking our three children, their spouses and our 10 grandchildren to Grand Cayman for scuba diving and snorkeling.

We are blessed with having them live near us, making it possible to spend a lot of time watching them grow, attending their various school activities and sporting events, and sharing adventures with them. Most recently I joined my two oldest grandsons in the Alcatraz Sharkfest, a swimming event with nearly 800 participants. Two ferries take you out to the “Rock,” you jump off and “escape Alcatraz” by swimming the mile and a half to San Francisco. It was a real hoot!”

1963 Martin N. Krasney began designing the Dalai Lama Fellows in 2008 and led the global social-justice leadership program for a decade. Now, with the formal transfer of the group to its permanent home at the University of Virginia’s new Contemplative Sciences Center, Marty is officially “postrésumé” (a gentler alternative to the R-word) and finding out about this new phase of life, with fewer commuter buses and foundation submissions and more reading, writing, nature, music, family, friends and travel. Still without a driver’s license, he is talking with Stanford and Google about autonomous vehicles, so watch out.

Charles Kurz II writes, “I am pleased to submit another photograph of classmate Richard M. Dearnley and me after participating in the annual American Mile race on the Fourth of July in Longport, N.J. Out of nearly 1,000 participants, Dick and I were pleased to be among the 16 runners who competed in the 70-and-older age category. Unfortunately, this year, probably

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Class Notes due to lack of practice, neither of us finished fast enough to win a medal; there’s another chance we can do so next year!! “I was glad to be one of the guests at the 85th birthday dinner celebration hosted for Frederick J. Yannessa OPC ’52 (pictured, bottom right) at Merion Cricket Club. Fred and his wife, Joan, are residents of Beaumont in Bryn Mawr, along with my wife, Nicky, and me.

1965 Harry Nothacker writes, “I recently competed in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, finishing third in my age group.

The event features a 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay to the beaches near the Marina. This is followed by an 18-mile bike ride through the streets of San Francisco and an 8-mile run along the beaches and hills near the Golden Gate Bridge. My son and family who live in the area were there as my support team.”

1966 Peter S. Linton shares: “A group of longtime Brussels friends lunched across the street from the Matisse Museum in Le CateauCambésis, Matisse’s birthplace, just across the Belgian border in France. Never a dull moment when most of one’s pals are also pensioners. We golfed in Scotland in August and then headed to Sweden for the 70th birthday of a Swedish friend.”

Class of 1964 55TH REUNION

From left: F. Tucker Schade, Wayne Partenheimer, Stephen M. Cushmore, Peter P. Liebert IV.

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Thomas P. Lom and his wife, Winifred, spent the month of May taking a “bucket list” trip to New Zealand and Australia. Among the highlights: They saw amazing vistas of the Southern Alps, sailed through Milford Sound in the New Zealand Fjordland, traveled the Great Ocean Road to see the Twelve Apostles, saw a parade of penguins, witnessed a most dazzling display of stars from the Aboriginal outback, snorkeled along the Great Barrier Reef, explored a wondrous tropical rainforest, toured the iconic Opera House and danced with the Maoris. This trip of a lifetime took them halfway around the world, and they highly recommend it.

Jon C. Sirlin writes, “The Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery have expanded the mission to include West Laurel Hill. I now serve as president of the Friends of Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries. “I continue to serve on the following boards: Independence Historical Trust; Gettysburg Foundation; Walnut Street Theatre; the Philly Pops; Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. (judge advocate); and the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia.

Plus, I am still working in the same job, as president of the law firm for 37+ years.”

1967 James S. Coon and his wife, Cheryl, just returned from a 70th birthday celebration in Tuscany for Jean-Marc Bailleux, a Frenchman Jim met the summer after junior year on an exchange program. The Bailleux and the Coons have renewed their acquaintance half a dozen times over the years, usually in Western Europe.

Daughter Nora does appellate criminal defense in Oregon, and son Eli started an MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in September. Cheryl just retired from her refugee disability nonprofit, and Jim is still mostly fulltime doing plaintiff ’s side appellate law in the Oregon courts. He’s off the bike until the latest knee problem gets fixed, arthroscopically, he hopes.

ALUMNI

Class Notes

1968

1969 Peter E. Helmetag writes, “Still running my sheep farm in Vermont, but since divesting myself of my garment company, IBEX Outdoor Clothing, and my landscape architecture and surveying business, Sitelines, I’ve been traveling to some far-flung, rural places to climb. I’ve sailed my little sloop, Wisper, three times to Newfoundland to put up routes in its rarely scaled fjords and wandered to the AntiAtlas of Morocco (not by boat) to climb and mingle with Tuareg nomads and their flocks.

My kids are grown up and away so I’m enjoying some new, little adventures.”

Samuel M. Wilson writes, “It is hard to believe we are on the far side of the 50th reunion in 2018. It was memorable, meaningful and a great time to catch up. I have retired from fulltime general surgery (41 years of taking call) and am working part-time at the local wound care center and doing some medical administrative work. I continue my interest in reading Quaker literature. We’re staying a week at Chautauqua Institution in western New York, a place we’ve loved for many years.”

Bruce A. Dickson is half through a writing project, Stories of Restoration, or, Thank God We Got Rid of the Men, practical images of how women could remake politics, colleges and psychology. His last book was a story of restoration work for Waldorf K-12 education. He lives in Los Angeles.

E. Bevan Stanley, reports “I am on sabbatical from my position as rector at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Litchfield, Conn. My wife and I have welcomed our first grandchild, who lives in Minneapolis.

Just had a nice long conversation with William P. Shelley III. I am spending the sabbatical writing, visiting family, traveling to Scotland and the Danube, and spending time at our family place in the Adirondacks.

Still hiking!”

Class of 1969 50TH REUNION

From left, front: Smitty, Rick Mellor, Bob Levy, Bevan Stanley, Robert Crowley, David Hobson, Charles Ingersoll, Will Carr, Bob Ulin, Brewsert Rhoads.

Middle: Rob Canfield, Phil Rech, Rob Morrow, Jim Harbison, Phil Golden, Ken Borie, Rick Markovitz, Bill Fulton, Jim Manning. Back: Ray Benson, Richard Steere, Jon Sprogell OPC ’70, Rich Balderston, Tom Sadtler, Craig Melidosian, Tom Maeder, Pat Holmes, Jim Nelson, David Whitmore, Tom Lee, Jim Spigel, David Hopkinson.

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Class Notes

1970

1973

Michael J. Robinson, Robert C. Maiocco, Eric P. Wagner, Charles L. Mitchell and Michael J. Yaros got together at Eric Wagner’s home in May 11, 2019, preparation for the 50th reunion.

Glenn S. Koach shares: “I just got back from visiting with J. Craig Shields III in Santa Barbara wine country. We had a great time together, just like 55 years ago!”

1971 Randolph C. Barba writes, “I retired in 2004 from a career in business consulting as a partner with Accenture in their Chicago office. Since that time, following the launch of our two children out of the house, my wife, Lorraine, and I have traveled the world. We have searched for ancient civilizations, tribal and modern cultures, and first class habitats. In so doing, I have put my knowledge of the physical environment to work and it has helped me to better understand the world around us.

Our travel planning culminated in a two-year preparation to travel for four months in Mongolia and the Central Asian Silk Road countries last year. The picture included shows us standing on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan before driving the “Roof of the World” drive over the Pamir Mountains. Our travels have caused us to develop a deeply nuanced perspective on the world, the human condition and our role in environmental transformation. We have immersed ourselves in the environment by diving, sailing, hiking and fishing our way around the world. It has been an intellectual and visceral journey that has enriched our lives. We can recommend the lifestyle!”

Frederick H. Bartlett III writes, “Greetings to all my fellow members of the Class of ’73.

My wife, Melanie, and I are blessed with four wonderful grandchildren. After obtaining Irish dual citizenship in 2000, by virtue of my Irish grandparents, I finally was able to visit Dublin this April (pictured).”

Jug Hans-Christoph Oelker writes, “It has been some time since 1973, but good memories remain. In 1972-1973 I was an exchange student from Braunschweig, Germany. My stay in Philly with the Bailey family and at Penn Charter was an incomparable experience, even as I look back today.

“For 39 years, I have been married to a wonderful wife, Barbara. We have three children, a girl and two boys. They all have completed a solid education, in mathematics, physics and economics. Two of them have found their own partners and we have three grandchildren. In my spare time, I am an active member of the Bavarian Lutheran Church and participate in various committees on all levels of our church self-government.

“After school and a voluntary term in the German Navy, I went to university and studied mechanical engineering with a focus on aerospace engineering. In 1989 I received a Ph.D. in Aerodynamics from the Technical University of Braunschweig. Since then I have been working in the German aircraft industry. I started at Dornier, which has evolved into the company that today is

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Class Notes Airbus. My field of expertise is flight physics, and for almost 30 years, I’ve worked as a flight test engineer at Manching, a small town between Munich and Nuremberg. For anybody who wants to contact me, my email is hans-christoph@oelker.eu.”

1974 Scott Perper (pictured below, right) and former PC science teacher Don Wells recently enjoyed 18 holes of golf. Don “came damn close to shooting his age!” Scott reported.

[Read the story of Scott’s gift to the How Far? capital campaign in honor of his wife, Anne, in the 2018-19 Report of Gifts. It includes a reflection of Don Wells, who inspired him in seventh grade.]

Last May, Michael Barkann, Chief Development Officer John T. Rogers Hon. 1689 (both left) and former Eagles tight end Brent Celek (right) joined J. Peter Davis, David B. Kennedy and Allan C. Good Jr. at the Michael Barkann & Friends Golf Classic benefiting the Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation.

1976 After 14 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Brent Sherwood has started a third career as vice president, advanced development programs at Blue Origin. He and his husband, Narciso, moved to Seattle in July and await visitors!

David L. Snyderwine Jr. writes, “Our last reunion in 2016 was very entertaining;

Class of 1974 45TH REUNION

From left, holding class banner: Steve Rhoads, Mark Hirsch, Peter Buchsbaum; second row: Pete Davis, Dave Jonas, Scott Perper, Drew Klein, Rick Lowe, Glen Wilson, Steve Greenbaum, Dave Kennedy, Reid Bush, Bill Lesser; third row: Tom Mellon, Mike Enoch, Kevin Hughes, Jeff Kenkelen, Rob Kurz, Alan Good, Tim O’Rourke OPC ’72, Steve Koltes, Craig Sabatino, Peter O’Rourke, Vince Furlong, Dave Butler, Steve Harbison, Ben Linton. Not pictured: John DeSantis.

thanks to Harbo (Jeffrey T. Harbison) for hosting once again. Great to catch up and see everyone; boy, do I feel old now. I played golf with Harbo last year at the Bert Linton Golf Outing. (I have to apologize for not helping our team’s score.) I also touch base with our biology teacher, Reid Bush, once a year.

“I had a great 2.5 hour train ride and conversation with Thomas L. Conrad, when we accidentally ran into each other at the train station on the way to N.J. It always amazes me how classmates can pick up where we left off. I also had a great phone call with Robert S. Cross a few months back. He had memories about our families even I had lost. I also touch base with G. Frederick Hunter occasionally; our parents were good friends when we were young and once in a while he or I find pictures of our childhood and parents. The last one he found was us at about 5 to 7 years old at a birthday party, and the expressions on our faces have not changed in 50 years.

“I finally retired, and that lasted two days, so I am working again. I get to travel to visit client factories and distribution sites in exotic places like Milwaukee in early February; Memphis in the summer; Edison, N.J.; Minneapolis; Los Angeles, etc. Stay in touch, everyone.”

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Class Notes

1977 Alexander S.M. Gibson writes, “In Malvern, Randolph C. Charles, Andrew N. Gross and I (pictured) met to discuss plans for the 43rd reunion next spring. Further details and dates to follow.”

Paul H. Hough writes, “After 34 years of working for one of the world’s great branded service companies, I retired from the American Express company. Life now includes public company board work, consulting, giving back to the community through nonprofit work, global travel, and spending more time with friends and family. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with our classmates now that I have more flexibility and time!!”

1978 Patrick M. Dwyer is glad for his good health, though he is “still trying to learn how to say f-ff...ifty on my 59th birthday.”

Joshua M. Leuchter writes, “This picture was taken in March during the weekend celebrations of our daughter Richelle’s wedding to Gary Sukienik.” Pictured: Robert S. Egan, Sharon Egan, Josh Leuchter and Bruce W. Kirst.

David B. Wohl writes, “I am the composer and arranger of the widely performed ‘A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol,’ sequel to the popular ‘The 1940s Radio Hour,’ which has now been produced in over 80 theaters in the U.S., Canada and the U.K./Ireland.

Lyrics are by Faye Greenberg, who wrote lyrics for Disney’s High School Musical, among many other Disney shows. This year, I became an Enlightened Piano Radio and One World Music artist. My recent CD, Awakening Path, can be found on iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music and CD Baby, and features original instrumental works and solo piano excursions and improvisations.

Several singles, ‘Healing Heart’ and ‘Aspen Snowflakes,’ are holding their own on the New Age charts. For more info, please visit www.davidwohlmusic.com “Recent concert music premieres include ‘Kaddish for Columbus’ (chamber ensemble and poetry), which PBS will be airing a segment on in the autumn, and ‘The Valley Awakens,’ for women’s choir. Last June and July, I programmed and performed the electronics for a postmodern and reimagined Madama Butterfly (“Ms. Butterfly”). It was the opening part of the Denver International Technology and Arts Festival. The endeavor was a Chinese/American collaboration, with the producer flying in a large cast of Chinese musicians and singers. The opera was livestreamed worldwide.

1979 James N. Iademarco writes, “It was wonderful to have a strong showing at our 40th reunion, along with special professors like Reid Bush, Richard Pepino and Randy W. Granger Hon. 1689. The evening goes by so quickly, but for a brief moment one gets to fall back into the memories of youth and overflowing ambition. Now, four decades later, I find myself focused on writing my next life chapter. Following the reunion, I had the privilege to follow the governor of Iowa and moderate a panel titled “The Food Revolution” along with

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Class Notes senior industry leaders, discussing hot topics like meat proteins without the animal and cannabinoid oils in our beverages and yogurts, and global challenges such as feeding 10 billion in 2050! I have an idea to write my first book, which will center

on resource sustainability and how we can make a difference every day. One thing I know for certain is that English was not my strong suit at PC (no fault of the excellent teachers), so I will be looking for a good (affordable) editor!”

Class of 1979

1981 Roy L. Hirshland writes, “Had a chance to catch up with old friend and lacrosse teammate William H. Colehower! Bill lives in Marblehead, Mass., and my wife and I did the empty-nester move into Boston’s Back Bay. I’m busy continuing to build T3 Advisors. We now have offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York and Boston.”

40TH REUNION

1983 David R. Hassman attended PC graduation with his daughter Abigail E. Hassman OPC ’19, his last child to graduate from Penn Charter.

Corey Hassman OPC ’14 and Brooke C. Hassman OPC ’16 were also in attendance.

From left: former teacher Richard Pepino, Richard W. Mercer, Julian T. Canuso (rear), Erik Greenberg Anjou, Peter K. Miller, James P.Golden (rear), James N. Iademarco, Michael L. Coben, Kirk R. Mancer (rear), Patrick E. Lynch, J. Michael Chapel, Michael B. Good (rear), John D. Lemonick, Michael J. Corboy, Gordon L.Gross (rear), James R. Dautrich, Mark F. Bernstein, William R. Rosenblatt, Douglas Branson, Ned. J. McCarthy

1980 Charles J. (Chip) Goodman OPC ’80 celebrated daughter Allison’s graduation (OPC ’19!) with wife Susan, daughters Emily OPC ’14 and Leslie OPC ’17 (right).

1984 Steven A. Heffernen and Lisanne Faigen Reichert OPC ’05 work together at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) specializing in taxation of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions for large U.S. and foreign multinationals. Lisanne, an M&A tax manager, has worked with Steve for six years. She and her husband, Sean, have a daughter, Charlotte (1). Steve, an M&A tax principal, has been with PwC for 23 years. He is married to Leslie, with two daughters, Brianna, a senior at the University of Southern California, and Mia, a freshman at the University of Michigan.

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Class Notes

Class of 1984 35TH REUNION

1987 David Felderman shares: “I recently joined the Philadelphia office of Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP as a partner in the firm’s antitrust department. My practice focuses on complex antitrust litigation with a particular emphasis on cases involving pharmaceutical overcharges resulting from delayed generic entry schemes, price fixing and other anti-competitive conduct.”

1988 From left: James H. Watts Jr., Bruce K. Freeston, Joseph Lowe, Robert T. Myers, Eric M. Abrams, Calvin B. Johnson, Charles (Mike) Roberts Jr., Andrew McGowan.

1985 From July 26-28, members of the Penn Charter Class of 1985 headed to Elkton, Md., for our ninth annual OPC boating weekend. They report, “Lots of good clean Quaker fun was had by all.”

Bottom row, kneeling: Joseph J. Gleason Jr., Gregory P. Wolfson, Charles J. (The Ringer) Dougherty. Second row, standing: Michael E. Bennett, Darryl Berlinger, Brian J. Duffy, Brian P. (Pop-Pop) McNally, Anthony J. (Goose) Lewandowski, Joseph F. Doherty Jr. Third row, standing: Matthew M. Killinger. Missing from picture: Sean M. Fitzpatrick.

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Patrick H. Keane writes, “Every June, I am lucky to see other OPCs at the annual Philadelphia Country Club member-guest tournament. This year the usual characters were there: John S. Michener OPC ’89, Michael P. Sheward OPC ’89 and my brother William M. Keane Jr. OPC ’87.

Last year, I joined the Action Network as CEO. The Action Network is a sports betting content, insights and analytics company.

Our hometown Sixers are investors.

Robert W. Moser writes, “I have been enjoying educating students in the Philadelphia School District for over 12 years, and have thrived working at the Thomas Holme School in the Northeast region of Philadelphia. The school is heavily invested in the arts, and I enjoy the various art, music and dance opportunities the sixth grade students of mine have a chance to learn about. Mr. Holme, for whom the school is named, helped design the original layout for the street plan of the city of Philadelphia.

Lastly, I recently celebrated the birthdays of my brother, Richard M. (Thor) Moser OPC ’82, my child Devon, who turned 17 in July (pictured) and my own birthday on Sept. 19, hitting the half-century mark.”

ALUMNI

Class Notes

Class of 1989 30TH REUNION

1990 Thomas A. Vizza writes, “I am entering my 25th year of teaching math, halfway to Bert Linton’s tenure. I am also coaching golf at Springfield Township High School. I have not missed PC/GA Day since eighth grade (1985).”

1993 Laurel Neff writes, “The month of June brought several significant adventures for our Neff family. First, my husband, Mike, and I achieved our first degree black belts in tae kwon do (a childhood dream of his), followed by my promotion to colonel after 18 years in the U.S. Army.

(Pictured is my family pinning on the new rank and me reaffirming my oath to the Constitution.) Lastly, we made a road trip from Washington to Virginia so that I could take over as the deputy corps chief.”

Front row, from left: Kenneth A. Fox, Michael Steinbrook, John S. Michener, Rajeev K. Swami, Joseph F. Martina, Christopher D. Brasler, Joseph L. Wyszynski, Brian D. Gallagher, Peter Knight Meyers, Tom Longstreth, Michael A. Bernstein, Mitchell L. Simon, Gregory Summers.

Back row: Kent M. Davidson, Michael P. Sheward, Christopher Ball, Casey Murray, Neil B. Tanner, Graham E. Michener, Michael J. Cooley.

Class of 1994 25TH REUNION

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Class Notes

1995 Alexis Bloom has been named senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf, part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

1996 Andrew Gallery writes, “I just got back from an amazing trip through France and Spain, where I walked the Camino de Santiago. I did this mainly for an adventure and also as research for a movie I am writing. When I was studying in Spain during college, I read one of my favorite books, The Pilgrimage, written by Paulo Coelho. It follows his journey across Spain walking “the Way” and I had wanted to do it ever since. It was a spectacular adventure hiking over 500 miles with just a backpack.

Going alone, I didn’t know where I would be staying each night or what was in store for me, but that was part of the magic of the trip. Taking six weeks to walk the camino was an adventure I will never forget and proved to be one of the most inspiring things I have ever done.

“A little from my previous life: I had been working with Britney Spears as her in-house director and photographer. It was amazing traveling the world with her and being able to be a part of so many amazing shoots, but I wanted a break from the entertainment industry and was ready for something new.

“Ever since I was young and while at PC, I had a love of sports and athletics.

In college I was a rower and now still do triathlons to keep active. I decided to start an inspirational activewear company, IAMMAI, based on positive and inspiring messages that drive you to be active. We launched at Equinox gyms all over the country, and before we knew it, we were their numberone selling brand. We followed that up with a kickstarter campaign to launch our revolutionary new fabric that cools down as your body heats up, and we managed to become the fourth highest grossing fashion campaign of all time. This has been a fun side project and one that has allowed me to meet

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some truly inspiring people! Along with this, I have also begun working with an incredible company called Omaze. We help celebrities raise money for charities through offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences. In the first five years, we raised over $100 million for various charities while working with some of the most amazing actors and entertainers in the world. Cheers!”

1997 Aaron Z. Cohen shares an update: “My son, Grayson, started PC kindergarten in the fall (he graduated from PC pre-K last spring) and my daughter, Madeleine, started PC pre-K.” Michael S. Ehrlich recently moved within Weston, Conn., and had a great summer with children Cassidy (5) and Beckett (10) and wife Lauren. He writes, “I am working as the global senior clinical leader for ophthalmology at Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceuticals, where I design and implement clinical trials for drug development to address unmet and rare diseases.”

1998 In May, Aaron H. Carter delivered an address about hard work and commitment to the college-bound student athletes at Sun Valley High School in Aston, Pa., during their Signing Day ceremony. Fellow OPC ’98 Patrick A. Sasse serves as the principal.

Elliot R. Jokelson writes, “For the past 15 years, I worked as a commercial director but wasn’t finding satisfaction. I moved to Boston to pursue another passion: furniture making. I attended the North Bennet Street School (the best in the country) for an amazing two-year furnituremaking program (focusing on 18th-century furniture). I’m now set up in a shop here in Boston working on commissions for clients and designing and building furniture.

My days at PC inspired me, especially the amazing Windsor chairs and benches around the school. If this interests you, have a quick look at my Instagram @elliot_jokelson to see what I’m up to.”

1999 Joseph O. Larkin was promoted to partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in April. His practice focuses on high-profile cases involving mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, securities class actions, corporate control disputes and litigation related to bankruptcies. He currently resides in Society Hill with his wife, Kim, and their two daughters, Reese (6) and Eloise (3).

ALUMNI

Class Notes

Class of 1999 20TH REUNION

2000

Aaron M. Greenfield attended the Richie Ashburn-Harry Kalas Foundation event with Jason Greenfield OPC ’00, Albert M. Greenfield III OPC ’74, Brian W. McCloskey OPC ’82 and Chuck McCloskey.

Chelsea Erdmanis Greenspon OPC ’02 and Brian B. Greenspon report that their daughter, Caroline (pictured below), spends most of her life surrounded by OPCs, from her Poppy (Valdis Erdmanis Hon. 1689), to her aunts (Devon Erdmanis D’Alessio OPC ’04 and Dana Greenspon Bate OPC ’99), to many ’02 classmates. She is looking forward to her first PC/GA Day!

Andrea J. Clair is the new general manager for Chad Rosenthal’s barbeque and blues restaurant the Lucky Well. She shares: “We are expanding out of his Ambler locations and opening up in Warrington and Center City this year, and Chicago next year.”

2002 Katherine A. Ahrens was named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.

Additionally, she and her husband, Bob, welcomed their third baby, Thea Goldie Ahrens on May 6, 2019. Attached is a picture with the whole family, including big brother (Harrison, 3.5) and sister (Eloise, 2).

Rachel D. (Goldman) Trobman’s chronicpain management software, Ouchie, was named one of the best migraine apps of the year by Healthline and was featured in the July/August 2019 issue of Health magazine.

2003 Benjamin J. Cooperman, senior associate at Healthcare Performance Improvement, was recently featured on the 4x4 Health podcast regarding his thoughts on e-Iatrogenic harm, or patient harm caused by application of health information technology. Find the podcast here: https://www.sansorohealth.com/ making-health-it-safe-and-effective/

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Class Notes

Class of 2004 15TH REUNION

William Pappas writes “Avery Pappas (pictured, top, OPC 2035?) getting some reps in on the lacrosse field last Thanksgiving. She can’t wait to show her brother Grant (below, OPC 2037?), born this March, some moves.”

2004 Elizabeth N. Wendel writes, “I am currently a program director for Family Finding at Turning Points for Children. I never lost my love of service and ended up doing it for a living, and have actually had the opportunity to come back and speak about the work we do at PC with Alyson M. Goodner OPC ’96 for her Quakerism class and for the Middle School Day of Service last year.

“We’ve just come back from an amazing climbing trip through the Scottish Highlands and before that, Utah. We are currently in the middle of renovations to combine two condos in Old City and will be moving from our current South Philly home this fall.”

2005 Whitney Joslin writes, “I am an architect practicing in Philly. In 2018, I designed and built a coffee shop in the Bok Building (located at 9th & Mifflin) that I own with my boyfriend, Adam.

The coffee shop is named Two Persons, after a book Edward Bok wrote, and is located in what used to be the tool room that served the auto body shops. I’ve run into a lot of Penn Charter alumni over the years on the roof at Bok Bar, but they may not know about my involvement in this tiny shop on the ground floor.

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Jacob Markovitz got engaged to Caylynn Lott (pictured) last summer. “Caylynn and I were in Baltimore for the annual Urban Open, an axe throwing tournament hosted

by Urban Axes. Surprise, surprise - she throws too and she’s very good. Friday night when we arrived in town, I surprised Caylynn with a sunset sail around the Baltimore Inner Harbor. The evening was perfect. I got nervous about proposing on a boat with visions of the ring in the harbor, so I waited until we were back on land to pop the question. Unfortunately, I didn’t win the tournament, but I got an even better prize. She said yes.”

ALUMNI

Class Notes

2006 Kamal Marell writes, “In May 2019, I graduated from Temple University with my master of education in urban education.

The degree focuses on reducing educational inequality and emphasizes social justice in public education. In June 2019, I accepted a position as a program manager for the Center for Parenting and Youth Engagement at People’s Emergency Center located in the University City section of Philadelphia.

People’s Emergency Center is a shelter for families, children and youth experiencing homelessness in the Philadelphia area.”

Steve Baron OPC ’07 writes, “I recently received my doctorate in physical therapy and started working in Jenkintown. I also became engaged to my fiancée, Elise, while on a trip to England. My brother Mike Baron OPC ’11 just graduated with his master’s in psychology from NYU. Last year we also co-founded a travel soccer club, Quaker Elite, that trains and plays its matches at PC. Our club mission is to foster community through soccer and emphasize player development. We had a very successful first year and are looking forward to a great second year, as we added more teams. Our club website is www. quakerelitesoccer.com. My brother, Mike, is the club’s goalkeeping trainer and staff coach. I serve as vice president of the club and head coach of the U13 boys team. This photo is from our last fall league game. (I’m in the red hat, and Mike is in the middle of the back row.)”

Emily (Bartlett) Walker and her husband, Justin, moved back to Ambler, Pa., from St. Petersburg, Fla. They look forward to getting involved in the local community through art, farm and yoga; and seeing family and friends. You can follow Emily on instagram @walkersinaugust. She is pictured with brothers Lincoln R. Bartlett OPC ’05 and F. Henry Bartlett IV OPC ’03.

Class of 2009 10TH REUNION

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ALUMNI

Class Notes

2007

2011

Marguerite Adzick was featured in Forbes about her activewear clothing line, Addison Bay.

Adam J. Garnick is a second-year law student at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

He spent the majority of last summer representing detained immigrant families near the southern border in Dilley, Texas. He and Professor Fernando Chang-Muy, a Penn Charter parent, also spent time in Honduras speaking to hundreds of people about U.S. asylum law.

They published an opinion piece about their experience in the New York Times in July.

Ross Harrow was featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 edition for his company, Flour Shop.

Josh Heinsheimer and Kelsey McDowell (pictured) graduated from Temple Dental School in May.

2013 Charles S. Giunta has been named assistant men’s lacrosse coach for Fairfield University.

Kevin S. Murphy writes, “I finished my undergraduate degree in 2017 with a major in finance and minor in information technology, followed by the completion of my MBA in May 2018. I am now working as a private equity analyst for Guardian Capital Partners located in Wayne, Pa. I started as a summer analyst and continued interning while getting my MBA. I have now been at Guardian full-time for a little over a year and live in Manayunk with fellow OPC ’13 Charles S. Giunta.

Ellen R. McDevitt writes, “I now live in Craftsbury, Vt., where I enjoy mountain biking and cross-country skiing with my family. This fall will be my fifth year teaching first grade in a nearby public school.”

2008 Rosa Samuels, since graduating from Thomas Jefferson University, is a physician assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, specializing in general pediatrics in the inpatient rehabilitation unit. She currently resides in Graduate Hospital.

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2014 Hailey A. Bennett designed a carry-all called the Bennett Bag for ThePureBag company.

Danielle Thompson graduated magna cum laude from Drexel University with a degree in finance. She is now a graduate student at Westphal College of Media Arts & Design with a concentration in fashion design after completing an internship with the fashion company Eileen Fisher.

ALUMNI

Class Notes

2015

Learning by Helping Asylum Seekers

Abigail Evans and Peter Ciarrocchi graduated from Boston College in May. Abby is a first-year student at Villanova University School of Law. Peter has been working for the Philadelphia Eagles in player personnel. He also works for Boston College football.

Tim Zurcher OPC ’16 spent 10 weeks in Milan, New Mexico, last summer working as an intern at the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, a nonprofit that provides pro bono legal services for detained asylum seekers.

A senior Hispanic studies major at the University of Pennsylvania with a minor in Latin American and Latino studies, Tim recently became interested in immigration work and got connected with the Santa Fe Dreamers Project through a family friend. During the internship, he worked with a legal defense team at what is currently the only facility in the U.S. reserved for transgender detainees.

Tim, who had no previous experience working in the legal system, cites his fluent Spanish and his “enthusiasm” as primary qualifications for the job. He received basic training in asylum law during his first few days in New Mexico and from there did most of his learning on the fly.

“The best way to learn about the [legal] process is by going through it,” he said. “After the first two weeks, I pretty much got it down.”

Tim and his colleagues visited the detention center once a week to lead “know your rights” workshops and help asylum seekers with their applications. On office days, they worked to secure asylum sponsorships and drafted parole requests and motions for bond.

Long interested in working with immigrant populations, Tim says the internship helped him identify a passion for helping asylum seekers in particular, “especially because there’s a huge need there.”

Tim is spending the fall semester studying abroad and living with a host family in Sevilla, Spain. He’s joined by a cohort of four other Penn students, including classmate Michael Berk OPC ’16, his friend since sixth grade.

Class of 2019 Emily Barkann ’15 interviewed Matt T. Ryan OPC ’03 at the Believe and Achieve Golf Outing at Stonewall Country Club.

2016 Thomas M. Freitag shares: “I’ve just completed a research position with the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities as a part of the Amgen Scholars Program for undergraduate students. I’m currently preparing to complete my senior year of undergraduate study at Jesus College, Cambridge, as part of an honors program through the University of Pittsburgh.”

A supersized group of 2019 graduates with OPC parents assembled for a photo before Commencement.

Front row: Shanin OPC ’75 and Hatti Specter, Rob OPC ’87 and Cole Frieman, Rachel and Howard Zipin OPC ’86, Jeff OPC ’89 and Alex Springer, Allison and Chip Goodman OPC ’80, Annika and Casey Murray OPC ’89. Middle: Ken OPC ’82 and Mia Murphy, Glen OPC ’87 and Emily Weiner, Hadley and Chris Ball OPC ’89, Rachel OPC ’92 and Jayce Dyer, Michael OPC ’81 and Mia Monheit.

Back: David OPC ’83 and Abigail Hassman, Neil OPC ’89 and William Tanner, Tim Hon. 1689 and Julia Lynch; John and Pete Davis OPC ’74, Peter OPC ’84 and Max Lubowitz, PJ OPC ’86 and Emma Maley. Not pictured: Thomas OPC ’78 and Matthew Groshens.

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Class Notes Jonathan D. Weiss writes, “I went on a small road trip after my summer internship at Corteva in Iowa, traveling back to Philadelphia. I stopped by Madison, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, visiting college friends and OPCs along the way!”

1946

1962

Philip M. Dougherty, on March 8, 2019.

John C. Hanna, on Dec. 31, 2018.

1966

2017

James R. Keiser, on April 23, 2019.

Jennie A. Reisman took an art history course in Paris as part of her studies at Vanderbilt University.

William H. Scheid, on June 7, 2019.

John F. Kling, on June 24, 2019.

1969

1950 Thomas C. Robinson Jr., on Friday, Aug. 16, 2019.

Norman F. Schaut, on Feb. 11, 2019.

2018

1971

1955

In August, Reece P. Whitley, a University of California sophomore, won the 2019 USA Swimming National Championship in the 200 breaststroke, with a time of 2:09.69.

The event was televised on NBC10.

George L. Fleming, on May 2, 2019.

Thomas M. Twitmyer, on April 21, 2019.

1986

1959

2019 David Garnick, Emma Maley and Haley Joyce are the class agents for 2019.

Stephen J. Floirendo, on Oct. 8, 2019.

Bruce B. Palmer, on July 26, 2019.

DEATHS 1945

2005

1960 Tara Parente, on Nov. 16, 2019.

Roger S. Hillas, on June 23, 2019. See page 31.

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Frederick W. Schoen, on June 12, 2019.

ALUMNI

Class Notes MARRIAGES 2005

2006

Emily Garvey married Jeremy Elias on Aug. 10, 2019, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Pictured: parents Janine and James C. Garvey III, brother Brian Garvey OPC ’10 and sister Megan Garvey OPC ’08, who served as maid of honor.

Alexis Armstrong married Alex Melecki in Philadelphia on Jan. 19, 2019. Margie (Israelite) Goldstein was a bridesmaid, and Julia (Bateman) Tewksbury and Jennifer M. Israelite OPC ’11 were also in attendance.

Pamela E. Kline married James Munnelly on Dec. 22, 2018, in Philadelphia.

Five bridesmaids were close friends from Penn Charter: Elizabeth G. (DiIulio) Matthew, Sarah (Goldberg) Johnson, Jessica (Rosenzweig) Hirt, Alice G. Bailey and Mindy L. Zacharjasz. James and Pam live in Malvern.

2007 Ellen R. McDevitt married Lucas Schulz on May 18, 2018.

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ALUMNI

Class Notes Kelsey McDowell married Cody Lehrer on Sept. 9, 2019. Top row, From left: Billy McKinney OPC ’01, Mark Adzick OPC ’07, Patrick Brady OPC ’07, Drew Fullen OPC ’07, Rob Nation OPC ’07, Ricky Lynn OPC ’07, Liam Resch OPC ’07, Ben Katz OPC ’07, Roger McDowell OPC ’73, Ashley McDowell OPC ’01. Second row: Julia Maidenbaum OPC ’07, Robin McDowell OPC ’08, Jayne Banks OPC ’07, Anne McKenna OPC ’07, Ryan Hoffman OPC ’07, Lauren Heenan OPC ’06, Gary McDowell OPC ’68 Front: Sarah Miller OPC ’07, Marghi Adzick OPC ’07, Kiera Murasko-Blank OPC ’07.

BIRTHS 2002 Garrett Calvin, to Jillian and Gerard M. Sasse OPC ’02 on Aug. 29, 2019.

2003 Connor James, to Lauren E. (Cash) O’Hara OPC ’03 and Dan O’Hara, on Sept. 11, 2019.

Sarah Miller married Jeremy Katz on Sept. 21, 2019.

2006 2009

2011

Allison Rebecca Saft married Justin Monahan on June 29, 2019.

Grace E. McInerney married Andy Perez-Benzo on June 22, 2019.

Francis Clark, to Frank and Blair Braun Weber OPC ’06, on July 30, 2019.

2007 Eben Robert, to Ellen R. McDevitt OPC ’07 and Lucas Schulz on May 8, 2019.

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POWERING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE TODAY Powerful experiences of learning, friendship and discovery happen at Penn Charter every day. Teachers guide student inquiry, coaches instill the value of teamwork, and our campus is the common ground where we educate students today and for their future.

The Annual Fund helps Penn Charter power and plan for the future. Gifts of all sizes have the power to transform the student experience.

MAKE A GIFT TODAY. penncharter.com/give HOW CAN I GIVE? In our traditional yellow envelope, by check or credit card

Online at penncharter.com/give

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QUESTIONS? Contact Director of Leadership and Annual Giving Tiffani Harris: tharris@penncharter.com • 215-844-3460 ext. 276

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 6118

3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144

Save the Date JANUARY 30

MARCH 12

Downtown Reception

Great Day to Be a Quaker

The Lucy

MARCH 10

APRIL 22 Bert Linton Golf Outing

Phoenix OPC Spring Training Event

Sunnybrook Golf Club

Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

MAY 1-2 OPC Weekend

It was the 133rd PC/GA Day and it was intense! Read about it on page 7.