2015 Bement Bulletin

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Farewell, dear friends!

The Jackson Years, 1999-2015

ARTWORK LEFT: Amelia Chen ’15 describes her ninth grade self-portrait board: “My focal point is probably my own self-portrait —it just happens to be the biggest thing, and in the middle. I don’t think it looks too much like me, but it’s there to show that this board is a representation of me; I, Amelia Chen, the one and only, only one with this international background and spattering of interests, with a history that cannot be truly fully known.”

The Bement Bulletin is published yearly by the communications office for current and past parents, alumni, grandparents, and friends of The Bement School.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Julia Flannery P’18, FA

WRITERS Sara Becton Ardrey P’22 ’24, FA Dave Belcher P’05, FA Marcia Bernard FA Ann Caloon P’04, FA Ken Cuddeback FA Pagna Sophal Donlevy FA Julia Flannery P’18, FA

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bulletin 2015

F EAT U R E S

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Shelley Borror Jackson

17

Creative Showcase

21

2015 French Exchange Trip

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Alumni Spotlight

24

Cultivating Voice at Bement

26

Space Mini-term

28

Keeping Kids on Track Beyond Bement

32

Summer Fun

36

Celebrating 20 Years of Birthday Bookmarks

After 16 years as head of school, the community says goodbye to Ms. Jackson as she and Mr. Jackson begin a new adventure in New York. Former trustee and Bement parent, Frank Henry, shares his stories of gratitude for Shelley’s tenure at Bement.

Daily fine arts is a hallmark at Bement. With drama, music, and visual arts classes, each Bement student participates fully in our fine arts program. Take a peek in the studio as we share student artwork and poetry from this past school year.

Did you know that for over 28 years Bement has participated in a student exchange program with Ermitage, a school in Maisons-Laffitte, a suburb of Paris? Learn more about this merveilleux relationship and our long-standing study-abroad program in Paris.

From Thailand to Deerfield, and then all points in-between, two siblings reflect on their journey to Bement, and what they gained as boarders that shaped who they are today.

Colleen Filler P’01 ’03 ’05, PF Frank Henry PTT, P’05 ’08, IHOS Emily Lent FA Nancy Pond P’89 ’95, FA Carole Pennock PTT, P’90 ’94, FA Leif Riddington P’18 ’20, FA Elie Shuman P’10 ’14, FA Jim Snedeker FA Blake Wilson FA

EDITORS Sara Becton Ardrey P’22 ’24, FA Meg Britton Clark P’17, FA Frank Henry PTT, P’05 ’08, IHOS Kimberly Loughlin P’18, FA

DESIGNER Penny Michalak P’14

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ben Bensen P’86 ’92 ’98 ’01 ’02, FA Tim Young ’61, FA Jim Snedeker FA

’GB

’00 TT PTT P GP FA PF FR HOS IHOS FHS GGP

Alumna/us from Grace Bement era (1925-1947) Alumna/us Class Year Trustee Past Trustee Parent Grandparent Current Faculty or Staff Past Faculty or Staff Friend of Bement Head of School Interim Head of School Former Head of School Great Grandparent

Whether in a kindergarten play or ninth grade monologues, all Bement students engage in public speaking each day. What does that mean at our school and how do our students use those skills to shape who they will become?

Far out! Bement students had a blast exploring SPACE this mini-term. Learn how our students met astronauts, created heavenly artwork and lunar landers, and saw real moon rocks from NASA at our library.

Dave Belcher, Bement track coach, history teacher, and dean of boarding, reflects on the school’s long history of running and how the love of the sport keeps many students on track beyond Bement.

Just because it is summer doesn’t mean our campus is quiet. Between an eight-week day camp program and a three-week international camp, Bement classrooms and fields buzz each summer.

If you have a Bement bookmark, chances are you attended school here in the last 20 years. Take a journey back with Head of the Lower School, Carole Pennock, as she gives us insight into this much-loved Bement tradition.

DEPAR T ME N T S

02 @bement 34 Lower and Upper School Scrapbooks 38 Ninth Grade Musical 39 Farewell Evening 40 Baccalaureate & Commencement 43 Faculty & Staff Notes 44 Classnotes 48 Alumni & Development Update 49 Business Report back cover Remember When...

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LOOK FOR THIS SYMBOL FOR ADDITIONAL CONTENT ONLINE.

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BY ELIE SCHUMAN P’10 ’14, PF

THE HEALTH OFFICE SETTLES INTO ITS NEW HOME

In the fall of 2010, Bement was able to open its first health office on campus. The construction of the boys dorm at the North End created open space above the dining hall and, for two years, the health office was located in Bement House, directly above the kitchen. The office was fully functional that first school year, but posed two very practical challenges. First, the office was at the top of a steep staircase and was tricky to navigate if a student had a leg or ankle injury. Second, being directly above the kitchen made it difficult for the nurse to focus on days when brownies or chocolate chip cookies were baking!

In 2012, with the opening of the girls dorm at the North End, the Health Office moved across the quad to the ground floor Barton House faculty apartment. Beautifully renovated

by Don Powell, our director of buildings and grounds, the new spacious Health Office offers ample room for clinical care, administrative work, and storage. A sick room in the back provides a quiet, private place for boarders to rest when they are ill and for day students to be comfortable while waiting for a ride home when they require a sick day. A kitchenette in the sick room makes ginger ale, tea, and crackers available when needed.

The Health Office is open 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is staffed by a Registered Nurse. Boarders

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receive care after hours at the Deerfield Academy (DA) Health Center, a hospital grade infirmary just minutes from Bement.

When necessary, boarders are admitted for overnight or weekend care at DA’s Health Center. The Medical Director at DA provides support to Bement as the school’s physician. Boarders are able to have appointments with a physician or nurse practitioner at DA’s Health Center for the evaluation of injuries or illnesses they may experience at school. Day students’ illnesses and injuries are managed with parents and the student’s own healthcare provider.

Bement’s former school nurse, Elie Schuman P’10 ’14, takes advantage of a quiet moment in the Health Office.

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Top Ten Reasons Students Visit the Health Office at Bement

Elie Schuman P’10 ‘14, Bement’s school nurse since 2010, retired at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. We wish Elie much joy in more leisurely pursuits and we welcome our new nurse, Suzanne Martino.

The Bement nurse works closely with faculty and staff to promote students’ wellness at school. Our faculty know their students extremely well and are masters of triage. The nurse knows if a teacher sends a student to the office, then it’s real.

Attending the weekly dorm parent meeting allows the nurse to support the students and adults in our boarding community.

The dorm parents are often the first to let the nurse know that a boarder does not feel well or may have had an injury in yesterday’s game or practice. The nurse can evaluate these students and refer them to DA’s Health Center and coordinate any follow-up specialty care. To say that the nurse relies on the eyes, ears, and instincts of the adults in boarding is a huge understatement!

The health office offers acute care, medications, first aid, and flu vaccinations to students. In addition, catch-up vaccines are given when needed to our international students, and healthcare is offered to faculty and staff who seek it. Public health surveys regarding childhood vaccination rates, meningococcal vaccination rates, asthma, and type 1 diabetes rates are completed by the nurse and submitted, as required, to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The nurse assists with the health class curriculum in the upper school and co-teaches when a topic is especially medical or when the class splits into boy/girl groups, so students can discuss their questions in a safe single-sex setting.

Bement is a family, and that fact shines through in the Health Office where it really takes the whole village to support and care for our students. It will be exciting to see what the coming years bring to the Health Office and to the world of school health!

Homesickness From the new ninth grade boarder from overseas to the kindergartner from South Deerfield, we do see some homesick kids in September each year.

Travel Medicine Ninth grade camping trip, Gettysburg, Dominican Republic, France, China, and all the day trips each year; students are on the move at Bement.

Required Childhood Vaccines Vaccines required for school attendance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are not always available overseas, so the nurse works with the state’s Department of Public Health to get students caught up on any missing required vaccines.

Specialty Appointments The Deerfield area is home to a variety of excellent specialists who are available to our boarders who may need orthopedic, orthodontic, dermatologic, psychiatric, or surgical care. Referrals are made to these specialists by the providers at the Deerfield Academy Health Center.

Primary Care Appointments Boarding students who need care beyond what the nurse can provide or who require further evaluation are taken to Deerfield Academy Health Center to see a physician or nurse practitioner.

Flu Shots Each fall, the Health Office offers influenza vaccine to all students, faculty, and staff. About one hundred vaccines are given each year, and the reward of a cool sticker seems to ease the sting!

Rest Many parents have commented, “Oh, my child is in your office all the time!” Be assured that Bementers are a hardy, resilient crew. In its brief history, the Health Office has not had frequent fliers. There is too much fun to be had in the classroom or on the playground to be hanging out in the nurse’s office!

First Aid Even the most robust and resilient kids get scrapes and cuts. Fortunately, most of the injuries at school are handled with bacitracin and band-aids.

Tea A great treatment for sore throats, upset stomachs, and the rare homesick moment, a warm cup of tea is widely prescribed at Bement.

And the number one reason we visit the Health Office at Bement is…(insert drumroll here) Ice There must be something irresistible about the reusable squishy blue ice packs, because they are the most requested item throughout the year. Highly effective for bumps and bruises, both real and imagined, ice packs rule at Bement!

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Numbers

from the Kitchen

(DATA COLLECTED DURING 2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR)

ANN CALOON P’04 CO-MANAGER, FOOD SERVICES

A favorite treat at lunch is one of Ann’s soft spice bars for dessert. Now you can enjoy them, too!

Soft Spice Bars 3/4 cup butter, melted 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided 1/4 cup molasses 1 egg 2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

38,400 apples

19,200 eggs

Combine butter, 1 cup sugar, and molasses. Beat in egg until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Stir into molasses mixture. Spread into greased 15 x 10 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into bars.

12,288

clementines and oranges

35 pounds

of organic salad greens each week

2,160 gallons of milk

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8,000

muffins served on Wednesdays

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BY BLAKE WILSON, UPPER SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Blazing a New Trail About five years ago, I found myself looking for alternative ways to teach math. The ‘textbook’ approach no longer fulfilled my needs as a teacher, and consequently did not respond to my students’ needs either. Even with the addition of outside resources, I found myself craving a different approach. After connecting with various colleagues, visiting multiple classrooms, and reading anything written about mathematical instruction in the 21st century, my search led me to the world of Problem-Based Learning (PBL).

In a nutshell, PBL is an instructional approach in which students assemble learning and curricular content by confronting contextual problems, and the teacher “guides the learning process and conducts a thorough debriefing at the conclusion of the learning experience” (Savery 2006).

The hook for me was seeing PBL in action. During parents’ day years ago, one of my student’s parents, a mathematics teacher who employs PBL, complimented me on how I led my students through various problems and did not simply deliver information. Rather, the parent noted, I facilitated conversation, assisted all students to share their voices and experiences with the information, and aided my students in accessing their prior understanding. An invitation to visit that parent’s classroom led to many visits and allowed me to see how PBL worked. One of my most notable observations during those visits was how PBL gave students opportunities to create their own solution methods and both the freedom and requirement to voice those ideas.

The problems encountered in PBL also resemble the nature of problems encountered in the real world; since many problems can not be immediately resolved on the first encounter, the challenge promotes creative thinking and helps to develop organizational skills. In addition, the problem solving process encourages an individual (or group) to assume responsibility for directing learning, defining and analyzing problems, and constructing solutions.

I then took all of my initial PBL learning and passion into my own classroom and began to integrate PBL into my seventh grade algebra class. The students came alive in a new way, as they gained confidence and increased interest in the problem sets. There was no turning back for me. During the almost three years of incorporating PBL in my classrooms, I have found a new passion for teaching mathematics. Although I have just begun my PBL journey, I do know that it is a trail I must follow.

Savery, John R. 2006. Overview of Problem-Based Learning: Definitions and Distinction.

The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning 1 (Spring): 9-20.

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MAKER SPACE LAB

Full STEAM Ahead

BY MARCIA BERNARD, LIBRARIAN

The Maker movement has been sweeping the country as schools, libraries, museums, and independent maker spaces have popped up. Called fab labs, hacker spaces, innovation labs, or maker spaces, they all offer a space and the resources to explore do-it-yourself creativity and innovation. Last fall, Bement joined the movement, when its own maker space opened in the Haas Media Room of the library, thanks to the generosity of the Bement Parents Association.

The foundations of learning by doing stem from the theories of constructivism: constructing knowledge based on experience. Jean Piaget often receives credit for formalizing interdisciplinary learning and noting the importance of active, hands-on learning. Progressive educators continued on this path, and now in the 21st century the technology tools at our disposal have brought the idea back to the forefront.

We began planning for the maker space in the spring of 2014. We wished to include several key concepts in the space: bringing together both formal and informal learning; offering enhancement opportunities to the curriculum; and focusing on learning and doing with one’s hands and one’s mind. A focus on blending science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) was a natural fit, and with art at the center of the Bement experience we knew that it would be an important component in the philosophy of the program as well (STEAM).

Today, the first thing you may notice as you walk down the hall of the Polk Building toward the maker space is an rrrrrr–zzzzzz–rrrrr sound humming beyond the door. When you enter the room, you will see the slightly futuristic and intriguing centerpiece of the space: the Makerbot 3D printer. Science teacher, Ross Feitlinger, has been our

guru of 3D printing, teaching the design process to his science classes. In one of his projects, eighth grade science students designed models of cells using Sketch Up software and exemplars were printed on the 3-D printer. His ninth grade students created egg holders for their annual egg drop physics project.

He has used the printer to create teaching materials for the science department as well, designing a series of blocks to demonstrate weight, mass, and volume, and topographical maps.

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Next, you can’t help noticing the green screen along the left wall. Green screen video work has been extremely popular this year, providing students the opportunity to insert themselves into any location they can imagine.

From second grade spooky Halloween poetry readings to fourth and fifth graders exploring space in their NASA flight suits, we have used it widely.

Students are able to use an iPad app to easily film their projects. The green screen has appeal for all ages—from our youngest kindergartner to our ninth grade students. An iPad is available for stop-motion animation work or coding apps for interested students. Stop-motion has been another favorite activity in the maker space. Students as young as second grade have worked to create short films, using play dough or small figurines. They have learned editing basics and how to add captions and a sound track to their films.

Kits are spread across the tables, offering interested students the chance to explore electronics with Little Bits circuits, squishy circuits, bristle bots, or an arduino kit. Two large bins of Legos await future engineers. Magnetic tiles, wooden blocks, K’Nex and erector sets lie waiting to be built into structures.

Three large bins at the front of the room are filled with cardboard, egg cartons, and random recycling tidbits to be

View movies created in the maker space by Bement first graders at bement.org/superheroes

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up-cycled. Students have constructed vehicles, mock computers, and rockets from this stash of salvaged material.

The bookcase at the back of the room is filled with parent-donated craft supplies. Here students can find origami paper, craft sticks, ribbon, cloth, markers and tape, and odds and ends to stimulate creation. A mix of high and low tech in the room offers options at both extremes.

We are constantly adding to the materials available in the room and include student input in purchasing decisions.

It is important to us that students view the space as their own.

Students utilize the space primarily through their classes. Ross Feitlinger began the year with his seventh grade science class in the maker space. Students pursued a three-week exploration of the various resources available, delving into inquiry and journaling about their experience.

They were challenged to move beyond familiar items and try technology that

was new to them. Students wrestled with the arduino, used Squishy Circuits to learn about circuitry, and tried their hand at designing 3D models.

When they studied mass, volume, and density, they were required to create a commercial promoting one of the properties, learning about video creation as well. “The maker space has opened up new opportunities for

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crafts, and 3D printing. The sixth grade information literacy class prepared for its Global Innovation and Inspiration Conference, using the maker space to create advertisements, and to design and print 3D prototypes of their inventions.

Eighth grade English students utilized the space to create their visual media projects, part of the spring term’s Writers Workshop. A parent-run science/rocketry club met after school one day each week with fourth graders who found the maker space to be the perfect area for their tinkering projects.

This has been an exciting year in the library. The launch of the maker space provided the chance to take measure of student interest in STEAM and independent inquiry projects.

Interest in using the space from students has been high. Students thirst to learn 3D design and coding, and we will continue to increase their opportunities in those areas, looking for ways to integrate with classroom curriculum.

Scheduling has been challenging, but we continue to search for ways to make time in the week for students to tinker, create, and explore. Bement’s maker space is a work in progress that will continue to grow and evolve to fit the needs of our students and teachers.

In the maker space, students have the opportunity to experience failure in a safe environment and the growth and tenacity that comes from starting over and trying again.

my students and offered new ways of learning,” said Feitlinger. “It has given me a chance to include more STEM in my classroom and expand lessons.”

Both the first and second grade classes visit the space regularly for open exploration. As you would imagine, Legos are a big draw for that age group, and it is delightful to watch groups of boys and girls collaborating on shared designs, working through problems, and reveling in success.

This spring, we offered a maker space upper school elective on Friday afternoons. Students worked on stopmotion films, Rube Goldberg machines,

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Overall we see the benefits this space offers to our students as they develop 21st century skills and become proficient in technologies that will be part of their future. The level of collaboration rises in the maker space, as students work together to build and solve problems. In the maker space, students have the opportunity to experience failure in a safe environment and the growth and tenacity that comes from starting over and trying again. Above all, children are having fun. The thrill of learning something new, building, creating, and having a project work as you expected is priceless.

3D model of a cell

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SHOW YOUR

Bement Pride

The Bement School store has a permanent home in the Barton House! Run by the Parents Association, the store is open several times a year and stocks fun items such as Merribelts (by Bement’s very own Margaret Merrigan P’95 ’97 ’01 ’02, PF), vineyard vines® ties, totes, and polos, as well as Bement logo sweatshirts, fleece, T-shirts, jackets, cookbooks, magnets, artwork, and artisan jewelry. The next time you are visiting campus, come visit the store and show your school pride with an item or two!

If you are unable to visit, you can always shop online at bement.org/store.

Tzedakah for Children and Food The Keith House children raised $447.44 during their recent penny drive! The Franklin County Community Meals Program will receive this money. We are proud of the children’s efforts to find creative ways to fill their tzedakah boxes during this community service project. The inspiration for making a tzedakah box came from the Judaic tradition of tzedakah, the tradition of giving of oneself to help others. Every day can be a special day when one gives tzedakah and even a few pennies can be a wonderful sign of community and love. Special thanks to families and friends for supporting our students.

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Alumni Visit La Suiza Orphanage

CAMBODIA FLOOD UPDATE

The Other Bement House In October 2014, a flood of historic proportions devastated Popealkher Village in Battambong, Cambodia, where the family of Bement math teacher, Pagna Donlevy, lives. In typical Bement fashion, our community gathered and held a walkathon to raise the money needed to rebuild her mother’s house and provide the village with much-needed medical supplies. Bement House in Cambodia was built, and Pagna traveled to Popealkher Village in March of 2015 to visit her community.

“Bement House in Cambodia is beautiful, big, and very tall. I guarantee you that a flood will never touch the house’s floor, ever!” Pagna tells us. The house was built on tall stilts to avoid any future flooding and has several bedroom and sleeping areas for families and visitors.

“It even has an indoor bathroom with indoor plumbing—a luxury in my home village!”

If you are visiting Cambodia, Pagna’s mother (at right) and family welcome you to visit Bement House and enjoy their warm hospitality as a thank you for Bement’s generosity!

Continuing a ninth grade tradition started eight years ago by Upper School Head, Dean Fusto P’17, a group of Bement alumni and faculty headed to the Dominican Republic in March 2014 for a week of service. Aiden Day ’13, Phoebe PliakasSmith ’13, Allison Chesky ’11, Sierra Rother ’12, Rebecca Daen ’07 and her friend, Daniela Avelar, from El Salvador who became the group’s beloved translator, joined Bement faculty members Amie Keddy and Will Paulding, Susan Peck P’07, and Colleen Filler P’01 ’03 ’05, PF to spend a week with the boys of the La Suiza Orphanage. They spent time with the boys in many of the same ways they did as ninth graders: using the Bibliotheque (library), playing Four Square or other games on the basketball court that Mr. Jackson and previous classes helped establish, or taking a trip to the beach. This year, they also painted blackboards, served up a pancake feast, and put on a play, written

by Ms. Keddy and students, and narrated

by Daniela.

This trip provides a wonderful opportunity to visit the boys, immerse yourself in Spanish language, reconnect with friends and make new ones, and ponder ways to address some of the challenges in the world while enjoying the warm welcome Bement always receives at La Suiza. If you are interested in being a part of future alumni trips to La Suiza, please contact Dean Fusto at dfusto@bement.org.

A Magical Day There is a magical bond that ties a reader to an author. The opportunity to meet an author can be exciting, inspirational, even life-changing. Bement has long honored the sacred bond between reader and writer through its biannual Author Illustrator Day. In past years, each grade welcomed an author, or illustrator, to class for the day, but this year the whole campus shared in the visit of one special writer.

Jack Gantos is the author of more than 20 books and has won numerous literary awards. But more than those accomplishments, he is the best speaker many of us had ever heard. We suspected his impact on Bement would be powerful, and boy, was it!

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READ MORE about Mr. Gantos’s visit at bement.org/norvelttobement.

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The Bement School Board of Trustees 2014-2015

Riché Barnes P’15 Andy Beall P’15 Stephen Chen P’12 Mary Cohn P’03 ’06 Lea Emery P’10 John Gardiner P’14 ’18, Secretary Lauren Glennon P’08 ’11 Howard Harrison, Jr. ’92 Anthony Kwame Harrison ’85, Vice-President Christine Hart P’02, Treasurer Shelley Borror Jackson P’00, Head of School Lisa Kittredge P’18 ’21, Parents Association President Pamela Klonaris P’11 ’13 Sheehan Lunt ’00 Wendy Moonan ’60 Lad Nagurney P’09 David Neumeister P’98 Jane Plager P’12 ’16 Rebecca Pond ’95 Charles Sanford P’12 ’14 ’17 ’19, President Rich Shuman P’10 ’14 Littell “Tell” White ’GB, Alumni Association President

New Trustees Join the Board Rebecca Pond ’95

Alumna Rebecca Pond has many ties to Bement. Aside from attending Bement from grades one through nine, Rebecca also served as an adjunct dorm parent, coach, tutor, and substitute teacher. Her mother, Nancy, teaches French at Bement (see page 21), her father is a former Bement board president, and her sister, Amy ‘89, has served on our alumni board. This is indeed a family school!

Following her graduation from Bement, Rebecca attended Deerfield Academy and holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Colgate University. Rebecca has studied and worked in China as well. She lives in Cambridge and spent 7+ years on a localization (translation) services team for EMC, a company of 60,000. In August 2015, Rebecca moved to a similar role at TripAdvisor in Needham. We will appreciate both her global and her alumni perspectives.

Wayne Wilkey P’11 ’16 Yi Zhang P’12 ’15 EX-OFFICIO Sara Becton Ardrey P’22 ’24, FA Kenneth Cuddeback FA Dean Fusto P’17, FA Kimberly C. Loughlin P’18, FA Carole Pennock PTT, P’90 ’94, FA Madeline Surgenor FA HONORARY TRUSTEES Joseph T. Bartlett ’49, P’80 ’82 ’87 Cathy Esleeck ’GB, P’62 Mike Kittredge P’06 ’18 ’21 Xingping “Simon” Lu P’09 Stephanie W. McLennan ’85 P. William Polk ’52 J. Peter Spang June 30, 2015

Wayne Wilkey P’11 ’16

Wayne Wilkey is a portfolio manager at Visium Asset Management in New York. We first met Wayne when his daughter, Helen ’11, boarded with us for her ninth grade year. This past September we welcomed his younger daughter, Grace ’16, as an eighth-grade boarder. The Wilkeys readily hosted international students during school breaks and have been supportive voices in admission fairs in NYC. Wayne holds a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

He will offer much in any conversation about boarding and the school’s financial picture.

BY CHARLES SANFORD P’12 ’14 ’17 ’19, PRESIDENT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

HEAD OF SCHOOL SEARCH TIMELINE SPRING 2015

Position Description completed, posted on Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) and Bement websites SPRING AND SUMMER 2015

CS&A networking, engagement with potential candidates. Likely candidates identified and interviewed

by CS&A Referrals of candidates SUMMER AND FALL 2015

Search Committee conversations about candidates, confidential off-site candidate interviews

by Search Committee FALL 2015

Campus visits by semifinalists and finalists FALL/WINTER 2015

Trustee vote

Frank Henry Interim Head of School The Bement board of trustees has asked Frank Henry PTT, P’05 ’08 to serve as the interim head of The Bement School for the 2015–2016 academic year. The Interim Head Search Committee screened and interviewed very qualified candidates and voted unanimously to recommend Frank to the board of trustees as the interim head. During the most recent January board meeting, the trustees discussed the various candidates and agreed with the Search Committee that Frank will be an exceptional interim head.

Frank has a relationship with Bement that spans two decades. His two children, Clare ’05 and Will ’08, both attended Bement during the mid ’90s and ’00s. Frank was on the Bement board of trustees from 1998–2013 and was the president of the board from 2005–2013. During the period of Frank’s leadership as president of the board, Bement saw tremendous positive changes. The physical campus was transformed, the endowment grew, and the Bement community solidified and came together as never before. You may have seen him on campus often as he met weekly with Shelley Jackson to stay closely involved at Bement, and he

delighted in being a part of the lives of Bement students and the people who taught them. Frank has very positive relationships with Bement’s faculty, staff, trustees, and donors.

Frank is a true educator himself, and has spent his entire life at schools.

A graduate of Deerfield Academy, he attended Princeton University for his A.B. and Harvard Graduate School of Education for an M.Ed. He also spent a year at Trinity College, Dublin, for a Diploma in Anglo-Irish Literature, another year at National Outdoor Leadership School as an instructor, and received a Schoolmaster Fellowship for study at the University of St. Andrews

Announcement of new appointed Head of School WINTER 2015-16 AND SPRING 2016

Begin transition planning with board and Head-elect JULY 2016

New Head of School arrives

in Scotland. His 33 years as an English teacher, dorm parent, and coach at Deerfield Academy, coupled with his strong understanding of Bement’s mission, community, and administration, are what gave us confidence that he would hit the ground running in July when he took the helm. Frank told the trustees, “I look forward to this unique and unexpected opportunity in my career. On one hand, the responsibility for sustaining the ethos Shelley Jackson has created and nurtured is humbling; on the other, the excitement of being involved in a carefully organized and clearly mission-driven school makes me want to start tomorrow.”

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“

We are going to miss Shelley, the teacher and

friend, but she is leaving a part of herself that will not depart with her.

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BY FRANK HENRY PTT, P’05 ’08, INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL

HEAD OF SCHOOL 1999-2015

Shelley Borror

Jackson

The Bement Bulletin What we can describe in elaborate detail is what Shelley has done in her sixteen years at Bement. As she did at the Brooklin School in Maine and will, no doubt, do at NYIS, Shelley has created a climate at Bement where “Complacency can’t exist in a healthy school. A thriving school has a constant sense of expectancy, coupled with an assurance that there will always be new things to learn, to do, and to discover.”

Shelley wrote that statement in the spring of 1998 when she applied for the position! She could say it again today with even greater confidence, I’m sure.

Throughout her whole career as mother, grandmother, colleague, and friend, Shelley has been first and foremost a teacher, a calling that does not tolerate complacency for long. Teachers are naturally eager to improve—their students, themselves, and their schools. We are in the “change over time” business, and teachers sometimes have to wait a long time to learn whether or not the work of today will bear fruit in the future. But we remain faithful to the notion that our work will have consequences, hopefully good ones, but we cannot make predictions of when the change will occur.

TEACHER AND FRIEND If you ask those who have taken eighth grade English with Shelley what they remember most vividly about the year, many will tell you, “Reading To Kill a Mockingbird,” Shelley’s favorite novel to teach. That young first-person’s narrative about growing up in Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1950s when Jim Crow and racial tension and injustice were common experiences, has come to life again in the Kittredge Building when Shelley leads the eighth graders through Scout’s discovery of an adult world that often doesn’t make sense to her, but which

j READ MORE The original article written by Frank Henry announcing the hire of Shelley Jackson can be found at bement.org/jacksonhire

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“

What Shelley does just as well as teaching is being a friend.

As Wilbur, the pig, recognizes about Charlotte, the spider, Shelley is ‘in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend’.

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she manages to alter because she has discovered her innate sense of justice, guided by a patient teacher, her father. I think Shelley adores this 55-year-old novel because Scout rejects complacency and chooses to learn, to do, and to discover. In fact, Scout learns to fly on her own wings.

What Shelley does just as well as teaching is being a friend. As Wilbur, the pig, recognizes about Charlotte, the spider, Shelley is “in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend.” On Fridays, I have often walked from Shelley’s office to the pick-up area as school finishes. Out the door of the Kittredge Building, I am simply accompanying a Pied Piper. The upper schoolers race by but all with a greeting for Ms. Jackson. Approaching the Keith Schoolhouse, one has to avoid fast moving young children aiming for Shelley’s leg to cling and tell her about their day. On the last stretch along Barton House, the parents all turn and hope for a greeting, and none are disappointed.

Shelley knows the names of her faculty and staff’s children, spouses, dogs, and cats, the health and personal situation of all of them, and remembers to ask the pertinent question when she sits down at a table in the dining room with her colleagues. In the summer, she makes a point of shaping a route to Stonington, Maine, that allows her to drop in on alumni, former trustees, former faculty, and friends of the school.

Once you are a friend of Shelley, you are her friend for life!

that honors honesty, respect and concern for others, and mutual appreciation, a culture that resembles the best possible family, and an eagerness to learn about, value, and connect with Bement’s alumni will be the hallmarks of Shelley and Rob’s time here.

Ralph Waldo Emerson asserted that “an institution is the lengthened shadow of one” person. What I find remarkable about Shelley’s departure is that she leaves a legacy that does not require celebration of her long after she is off on a new set of wings, even though we will have all the effects of Shelley’s leadership among us. The library is robust, the willingness to unsettle complacency is palpable, Jackson House and Blydenburg/Jiayi House were built to last, and the entire family of Bement has been imbued with the values that Shelley emphasized most strongly. We are going to miss Shelley, the teacher and friend, but she is leaving a part of herself that will not depart with her. New students and faculty and new boarders from far away will be the beneficiaries of Shelley’s time here and never know it. Shelley came and now leaves Bement in a better place than she found it. Who could hope for more in this life?

A LEGACY OF GROWTH Without doubt, Shelley and Rob Jackson have left a mark that will determine the course of the school for a long time to come. A commitment to a library at the core of the curriculum, a renewed commitment to the significance of boarding students to the school, the cultivation of a culture

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READ MORE Shelley Jackson’s first message as head of school is available to read at bement.org/jacksonwelcome

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W I T H G R AT I T U D E …

Rob Jackson Over the course of the last sixteen years at Bement, Rob has been: a Bement parent, an adjunct dorm parent, a part-time member of the buildings and grounds crew, an adjunct faculty member, a volunteer firefighter, an author, a cinematographer, a chef, a bonfire-builder, a photographer, an ice rink technician, an artist, a luge-run architect, a games coordinator, the Holiday Tea cookie-crumb vacuumer, part of the flood restoration crew, a grandfather, head of the breakfast table, a skier, the fire-drill coordinator, a mentor, but always first and foremost, head of school’s inspiration, as Bement’s yearbook aptly titles him. Shelley is the first person to acknowledge that she would not be able to do her job as head of school without Rob. Rob’s contributions to Bement, big and small, affected everyone, whether they were aware of his efforts or not.

Probably many were not, and Rob was just fine with that. But his willingness to do whatever needed to be done made him an indispensible asset to both Shelley and Bement. When we needed a coach, a driver, a deejay, there he was. Rob created videos for international boarder parents to share images of their children’s daily life halfway around the world. He carved pumpkins and built scarecrows with the boarders to decorate the campus in autumn.

He walked Shelley to her office every morning after breakfast.

As Andy Beall TT, P’15, chairman of the Head of School Search Committee, has said: “We can find a terrific candidate to follow Shelley as head of school, but there’s no way we can replace Rob.”

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SHOWCASE Bement students engage daily with a broad range of creative experiences. Here is just a sampling of their amazing talents.

MIN JUNG KANG NINTH GRADE SELF-PORTRAIT This is a self-reflective project covering two terms, which requires the student to discover symbols representing various aspects of their lives. In ongoing writing assignments, students describe the meaning of each symbol, and eventually create an artist statement by combining all of the written material. Min Jung’s expertise is in painting, and her design reflects her appreciation of home, music, and special memories from childhood and Bement. She presented this piece to the upper school, noting that she was born on a snowy day, represented by the image of the snow globe. This project aligns with self-reflective essays created in the ninth grade English classes as well as personal monologues developed in ninth grade drama classes.

The Cardinal Grey skies loom overhead, The air, dull and musty.

Sad, leafless trees Muffle the landscape, Everything still, motionless.

A tune in the distance: One small, red cardinal Lands on a tree branch, A drop of paint On an empty canvas.

BY ELVEN SHUM, GRADE 7

ISABELLE SMITH NINTH GRADE SELF-PORTRAIT Isabelle loves working with found objects, mixed media, and collage/assemblage techniques. The soft blue hues painted in the background provide a perfect foundation for her chosen symbolic images and objects. Her composition reflects a love of reading, nature, music, and writing. She presented this piece to the upper school, noting that she discovered her own personal way of creating this piece, and learned to unify it with repeating colors and materials.

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ANNIKA JOHNSON EIGHTH GRADE SELF-PORTRAIT

This project requires students to be photographed in a hat that fits their personality. This image is photographed with dramatic lighting to allow the painting to be created with extremes of light and dark. From the photo, students create a map of the shapes of lights and darks, which form the image. They assign different values to each shape relating to how light or dark the shape may be. They learn to mix value scales in black and white, and choose two complementary colors for painting the image. The warm hue forms the light values, while the cool hue forms the shadows and darker values. They must identify why they chose this symbolic color, tell what it means to them, and why it represents their personality. The image is transferred to canvas and painted with the chosen hue. This project relates to self-portrait studies of artists Chuck Close and Andy Warhol.

YI-PEI (JENNY) WU EIGHTH GRADE SELF-PORTRAIT

But It Was Only a Dream As the Moon is far away, I still hear an echo of the far away figure.

So elegant, so crystal white you see and the prints of the famous feet that walked on it.

As the winds sways I imagine what would it be like to stand on this imperfect figure.

As the winds sways I say to myself if only it was possible…

But it was only a dream.

A dream that was impossible…

25 years later…

3, 2, 1 And I was off, off to where my imagination could take me anywhere…

SPACE.

BY AVA CLARKE, GRADE 6

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DAIGHAN LEBLANC THIRD GRADE ABSTRACT SHAPE AND COLOR DRAWING The elements of art (point, line, shape, color, etc.) are a foundation in all visual art classes. In third grade art, students learn about color combinations as they study color theory and the color wheel. This assignment asks students to create an abstract design based on a chosen shape and a specific color combination. Daighan focused on triangles and complementary colors (colors which sit opposite each other on the color wheel).

creative SHOWCASE

MINJOO SERHANT, KINDERGARTEN

One of the many units the kindergarten classes engage in during the year is the study of the oceans. In art class they explored the elements of pattern and texture by creating imaginary sea creatures they thought could live in our bountiful seas. We gathered many materials, ribbons, fabric, buttons, glitter, paint, and more, adorning our creatures with as many patterns and textures as they could hold.

This first grade junglescape is a study of texture and pattern inspired by the jungle paintings of Henri Rousseau. The class spent two weeks creating textured paste papers and cutting out leaf shapes from the varied green papers they created. They then drew highly-patterned and in some cases fantastical jungle creatures. After painting their backgrounds to resemble Rousseau’s color palette they carefully collaged their jungle foliage and creatures into their paintings.

MAEVE DONOVAN, KINDERGARTEN

ETHAN FISHER, KINDERGARTEN

JOSIE SABELAWSKI, FIRST GRADE

STELLA TUROWSKY-GANCI, THIRD GRADE OCEANSCAPE The theme of ocean life is a main focus for many pieces in third grade art, beginning with drawing and painting an underwater self-portrait, with cheeks extended as if holding one’s breath. Students create linear graphite drawings of underwater life, focusing on shape, pattern, and texture. These drawings are developed into an oceanscape painting, using pen and ink as well as watercolors.

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creative SHOWCASE

L’herbe Mouillee The Dew Je traverse l’herbe mouillee L’eau rentre dans mes chaussures Mes chaussettes recolte toutes les gouttes Mes pieds deviennent de plus en plus lourds I cross the dewy grass, Wetness seeping through my sneakers My socks collect each and every drop, My feet grow heavier La bordure nette du soleil pousse a partir de la colline Les ombres de la brilliance de l’herbe a travers le pre Les gouttes de rosee refletent la lumiere de chaque brin d’herbe Et l’aube nous a attient encore une fois The sun’s crisp edge pokes up from the hill Casting shadows of darker green across the field The dewdrops reflect light off of each blade, Dawn has reached us once again Mon soufflé qui etait autrefois visible, a maintenant tourne clair Le soileil est lentement en train de chauffer la terre autour de moi Ce qui etait autrefois pur obscurite est la lumiere rayee Et comme je fais mon chemin vers la riviere, la lumiere brille sur mon epaule.

My breath that was once visible, has now turned clear, The sun slowly warms up the earth around me.

What was once pure darkness is now striped light As I make my way towards the river, light shines over my shoulder Mes cheuveux attaches dans une queue de cheval Des bout de cheveux sortent, recemment reveilles Mon manteau est enroule autour de mon corps

Having recently awakened, My hair collected in a ponytail.

Clumps of hair fall out of the elastic, My coat wraps around my body.

Je marche vers la limite des arbres Et regarde le ciel violet qui se mélange Et devient de l’orange au rouge au violet et enfin au bleu Tout dans un seul

I walk towards the tree line, Looking at the fading colors above.

Streaking from orange to red to purple to blue, All in one sky.

Quand je rencontre la piste humide dans les bois Mes pieds sont soulages d’une pause de la pluie Pied droit a gauche une promenade reguliere a la rive de la riviere Je vois l’eau claire tout devant

I meet the dirt trail in the woods, My feet are relieved from the wet.

Right foot to left, a steady walk to the riverbank, I see the clear water ahead.

Accroupi pour s’asseoir sur le sol, je prends une grande inspiration Le sable est dense et froid, mais n’est plus mouille L’ete est enfin la Et je peux profiter des matinees speciales pour les trois mois a suivre

As I sit on the ground, I take a deep breath, The sand is dense and cold, but no longer wet.

The summer is finally here, And I can enjoy these special mornings for the next three months.

BY ELY BURKE, GRADE 8

In the fourth grade self-portrait project, students study the self-portraits of artist Frida Kahlo, as she surrounds herself with animals in a tropical environment. They begin by sketching themselves while looking in a mirror, with attention to expression and body position. The environment is added to the background. Students sketch various tropical animals, and then discover ways to include them in the composition. The final piece is drawn with ink and painted with watercolors. This study of tropical animals leads into a study of Naturalist artists and their paintings of parrots.

FOREST RIDDINGTON, FOURTH GRADE SELF-PORTRAIT

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TEA SWEENEY FOURTH GRADE SELF-PORTRAIT

29 YEARS!

Ermitage International School Exchange Program

BY NANCY POND P’89 ’95, UPPER AND LOWER SCHOOL FRENCH

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pring 2015 marked the 29th anniversary of Bement’s exchange program with Ermitage International School of France. Ermitage students have been coming to us every other year, usually in April, to practice their English by attending classes, participating in sports, living with day students’ families and joining in weekend activities with them. Several weeks later in early June, they host our Bement students, who spend three weeks experiencing life in France. Ermitage is located in the lovely Paris suburb of Maisons-Laffitte (about 25 minutes from the city by train). Our students attend several classes with their hosts, but for most of the 2 ½-week homestay we explore the many treasures of Paris (cultural, architectural, historical, culinary), and also make day trips to Versailles and LaRoche-Guyon/Giverny. A highlight of each trip is a three-day excursion to Brittany and Normandy; Mont St. Michel, the Bayeux Tapestry, the D-Day landing beaches, and the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach never fail to impress our students.

For this year’s trip to France (my 14th for Bement), we had an exceptional group of seven girls and six boys, plus my wonderfully supportive and helpful co-chaperones, Anna Wetherby and Pagna Donlevy. Anna wrote this comment about our kids: “It was wonderful to have a group who could both be so solemn and thoughtful at the Deportation Museum, and so fully giddy and childish on a playground.” Since our Normandy tour involves many hours on a coach bus, I always ask the kids to reflect on and write about their impressions of the exchange: what pleased them, surprised them, what they learned about themselves, etc. Here are some of what they shared: “I learned about France and its history, but also about myself—how to be independent and responsible. My French improved and my experience couldn’t have been better.”

“The trip reminded me of my first week at Bement, feeling a slight discomfort, yet a willingness to try out new things, embrace a rich culture…I might forget details about the trip, but I won’t forget the feeling of fulfillment that I experienced.”

“Not everything is about the scenery (i.e., monuments, etc.), it’s about relationships, new experiences that just keep coming: ordering food in French, working on your accent….The main lesson is learning to be independent in another country…and it feels excellent.”

“At the Deportation Museum” (behind Notre-Dame), seeing thousands of tiny lightbulbs, each representing a French Jew who was deported, made me realize how World War II affected the people of France.”

“Staying with a host family, you can immerse yourself in a different culture while making life-long friends.”

This last quote also applies to me personally. In 1988, I was placed with a host family, the Baumes, who had teen-aged children at Ermitage. I have stayed with them every time since then, and we have become dear friends.

They have taken me to incredible concerts, theater productions, day trips to châteaux, and given me so many opportunities to speak “grown-up French”; they have enriched my life and deepened my love of the language and culture of France.

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BY SARA BECTON ARDREY P’22 ’24, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Many a brother and sister pair have attended Bement.

But not many who have been boarders from Thailand, such as Pam ’01 and Peem Chatikavanij ’03.

You might wonder how they arrived at Bement.

Their father, Poom Chatikavanij P’01 ’03, is an Eaglebrook alum class of 1972, the first Thai boarder at the school. So he was familiar with Bement, and in 1995 when Pam was in third grade and Peem was in first, the Chatikavanij family decided to spend the Thai summer (our spring) living in Greenfield, MA and Pam and Peem attended Bement as a day students. At the beginning of sixth grade, Pam became a full-time boarder.

Pam remembers many Bement teachers who made impressions on her, but she recalled that she and the other English language learners were particularly close with Ms. Susan Miller, P’99 ’01, PF. One of Pam’s most memorable times at Bement was during her first year as a boarder. Pam was living in Wright House that year with Mr. and Mrs. Fleming PF and Ms. Dumouchel PF as her dorm parents. She experienced her first tornado warning, and she and several other girls stayed up all night with anticipatory excitement.

Pam’s early years at Bement.

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From left to right: Pam ’01, Peem ’03 and new friends on holiday in Alaska (2013); Peem coaching a small, but brave, lacrosse player; the Chatikavanij family (1999); Pam and Peem in 2007 as varsity swimmers for Middlebury College and Bates College, respectively.

Pam says a valuable lesson from her boarding school experience is how to be a creative problem-solver. She reflected, “When you think about it, in the business world, nothing exactly works the way it’s supposed to and so you have to learn how to be creative with the resources that you have. It’s experiences as boarders, like sharing one telephone line with 12 other girls, that teaches creative thinking.”

After graduating from Bement, Pam attended Suffield Academy and then graduated from Middlebury College. In her professional life in Bangkok, Thailand, Pam is a water resources specialist at the World Bank. The World Bank lends money to countries and governments to implement development projects. She travels to countries such as Vietnam, Laos, or Myanmar to help prepare projects and provide supervision during implementation.

Pam says every project she works on is inspiring in a different way, because she works in so many different countries. “When we talk about engineering solutions it’s pretty straight forward. However, what drew me in about the water sector is coupling the solution with the cultural aspects of it. Every country and community is different; it keeps the work challenging, interesting and humbling.”

Pam says a valuable lesson from her boarding school experience is how to be creative with the resources you have. It’s experiences as boarders, like sharing one telephone line with 12 other girls, that takes some creativity.

When asked about how her schooling prepared her for this job, she says it was not necessarily the specific content she learned in her classes at school, but rather she “really did learn how to learn” so that she can now “pick up new concepts really quickly.” Pam also serves as a consultant for Loxley Public Company Limited, in the ICT business group which focuses on incubating that seeks to adopt best practices, young talent, global partnerships and new technologies with a view to concentrating them in Thailand.

And now to Pam’s brother, Peem, who first came to Bement as a day student when he was in first grade. He began boarding when he was in fourth grade, and after two years at Bement, Peem followed in his father’s footsteps and went to Eaglebrook for grades six through nine.

At Suffield Academy and Bates College, Peem swam and played lacrosse. Perhaps his experience playing lacrosse at Eaglebrook, Suffield, and Bates planted the seed for an idea that would come to fruition in 2011. Peem now lives in Bangkok, Thailand and works at the Loxley Public Company Limited, a leader in the technology and commerce business world in Thailand that has opened up trade between Thailand and other countries such as Myanmar and Laos. Outside of work, Peem and three other friends joined forces to found

the Thai Community Lacrosse program as a way to help the underprivileged children in their local community. They believed sports could be a way to foster youth development. Their philosophy is that sports are a way to promote leadership abilities and qualities, a healthy lifestyle, and teamwork, as well as teach discipline and how to work through adversity. Peem and his partners recruited volunteers and 28 coed students for their first session. For financial backing, they gained support from local businesses and schools. Lacrosse was not a familiar sport in Thailand, so the learning curve was steep for both the volunteers and the students. They practiced on local fields in the city of Bangkok, and merged the rules of intercrosse, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, and box lacrosse into a non-contact form of lacrosse. By 2014, the program had grown to 45 students and 15 alumni. Sadly, after four years the Thai Community Lacrosse program was not able to continue, but rest assured this is only the beginning for Peem Chatikavanij, whose service work has already touched many youth lives. His experience with Thai Community Lacrosse provided skills and lessons that will inspire future projects.

We certainly look forward to following this sister and brother pair as they fly on their own wings half a world away from Bement.

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BY LEIF RIDDINGTON P’18 ’20 UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH, DIRECTOR OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT

Cultivating Voice at bement I

n my first teaching job, just after I received my master’s degree, I was assigned to work with a very experienced English teacher who had the responsibility to observe me over the course of a full trimester, at the end of which he would debrief with me and our department head. We met weekly to discuss curriculum, but as I learned soon enough, for me that was the easy part. His feedback to me focused instead on my evidently tentative and soft-spoken classroom presence, and his advice had the tone of a Confucian proverb: To stand with authority in front of your students, you must cultivate your own voice as a teacher.

A TEACHER FINDS HIS VOICE

He wasn’t suggesting that I use a bossy or mean tone with my students, rather that I become aware of the broad range of ways that I could use my voice to support, nurture, guide, and yes, manage my students. The voice to which the experienced teacher was referring was not exactly the physics of timbre, pitch, and tone, but rather the voice from which we speak daily and in which we dwell as a personality. Prior to my teaching career I had grown very comfortable with my singing voice, and it always felt ironic to me that in college, I could summon the nerve to sing a solo part in front of thousands at a university commencement ceremony, but I was too apprehensive to actually speak in front of a group. Of all the teaching advice passed on to me in the last sixteen years, my experienced colleague’s insight has lived with me the longest; like a potted plant that made it through several household moves, his wisdom has remained alive in my keeping wherever I have taught, because voice is a process of constant growth, shaping, and calibrating. In our voices is where our strength as educators lies.

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HELPING STUDENTS THROUGH THE PROCESS

Cultivating one’s own voice is an important concept at Bement. By voice I do mean singing, which is a part of the everyday life of the school, and also public speaking, a skill that is also engaged throughout the entirety of the Bement education. In addition to these tangibles, however, by voice I also mean the truth that lies within us that we must speak. This is where a Bement student is uniquely and truly nurtured and attended to in every grade, whether he is five or fifteen years old. It is not too much to say that cultivating voice is one of our greatest commitments and gifts to our students.

In the lower school we engage even our youngest students in this process, whether in a play given by the kindergarten or a simple announcement made at lower school morning meetings. I will never forget watching a first grade boy stand in front of the entire school during an all-school assembly and beseech the community to please protect the fairy houses.

You could have heard a fairy pin drop, the audience was so attentive. Not a big deal is made of children in our lower school who speak, recite, and sing to an audience; it is a commonplace enough occurrence at our school that it appears routine, and that’s the magic of it. Coming through Bement, a student

will be granted the opportunity and responsibility of cultivating her voice. In the lower school classroom their voices present dioramas, biographies, and author teas.

Every bit as relevant is the “voicing” that happens in less formalized moments, such as when our second graders meet with their ninth grade buddies and read aloud from their favorite children’s books, or in the conversations the lower schoolers have with teachers at the lunch table, or in the graces we say in unison. Our students enter the sixth grade with a level of confidence in their voices that is the direct result of those voices having been so roundly cultivated by their lower school experiences.

REFINING ONE’S VOICE

By the time they reach the upper school, Bement students undergo a shift in expectation about what they will and can do with their voices. The sense of responsibility to present publicly continues throughout this time in a breadth of public speaking responsibilities for all upper school students; they recount narratives of their matches (not simply whether it was a win or loss, but how they played); they work their trade on the stage with greater intensity in the form of plays, peer-topeer presentations of research projects, and the debate and discussion-based classroom that is a trademark of our upper school academic program, where shyness is, simply put, no excuse for tentative participation.

The ninth grade year, however, marks the grand finale to our voice curriculum, as it is the year in which student voices take on active leadership roles in our community. By the end of the year, the Bement ninth grader will have exercised multiple facets of voice: in the fall students make a formal study of writing voice in English classes, and know and develop what makes their own writing voices unique; in the winter they convert their own writing into speeches and dramatic

monologues, which they present to the upper school; in spring they give formal presentations of their art boards to the upper school; our spring musical then takes their voices to added heights in front of several hundred audience members. Rehearsal and coaching for these events is a given. The ninth grade voice is also an ambassador for the school throughout the year, such as when students give tours to visiting educational consultants and admission officers from over forty secondary schools. They are also the voice that our alumni hear on the other end of the phone during our Annual Fund phonathon. These same voices are also the ones that periodically lead advisor meetings throughout the year. Finally, the ninth graders are the voice of the baccalaureate ceremony, where they all speak to their Bement experience in front of an audience of four hundred.

In my role as secondary school placement director, I have the unique perspective of hearing back from schools about what makes our students exceptional among the secondary school communities they attend after Bement; one of the clearest refrains is of our former ninth graders’ confidence and poise in the classroom and beyond. Next year Milton Academy is opening up a school ambassador position traditionally reserved for seniors, to a junior year student who comes from Bement, an honor specifically attributable to her exceptional speaking and presentation skills.

A LIFELONG SKILL

When Shelley Jackson says that she entrusts teachers new to our school with the responsibility of discovering and knowing their voices in the classroom she expresses tremendous faith and confidence in Bement teachers.

Voice is a topic that we are proud to say is near to our hearts and an aspiration as alive in our teachers as it is in our beloved students.

“Cultivating Voice is one of our greatest commitments and gifts to our students.”

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BY JIM SNEDEKER, UPPER AND LOWER SCHOOL BAND DIRECTOR M I N I -T E R M 2 0 1 4

SPACE

During the three weeks between Thanksgiving break and winter vacation, Bement conducts a special event called mini-term. The faculty votes on a specific topic which upper and lower school students then study together. This year’s miniterm was heavenly: Space!

We kicked off the space mini-term with a guest lecture from Dr. Catherine “Cady” Coleman, NASA astronaut and mother of Jamey Simpson ’16. An active astronaut, Cady has logged more than 4,330 hours in space on board the space shuttle Columbia and the International Space Station (ISS). During her lecture, Cady talked about living in space and provided a very detailed answer to the inevitable question, “How do you go to the bathroom in space?” Afterward, Cady remarked, “These kids are the next generation of explorers, and mini-term was so enabling for them. They learned that you don’t have to go into space to contribute to the space program and also saw that space is for girls and boys and men and women of all races and nationalities.” Cady credits her own mom for being a similar inspiration: “She told me that I could be anything I wanted to be.” Cady also liked that although people can think of astronauts as extra-special people, “…at Bement, they see that an astronaut is also the mom of one of their friends, which automatically makes being an astronaut

normal and attainable.” Cady had enthusiastic words about the faculty as well: “The teachers were so creative with their electives. It was awesome, and made me so happy.”

Another special visit was a live Skype session with Yi So-Yeon, the only female Korean astronaut.

When she described her experiences for the upper school, students were able to ask her questions—even in Korean!

Bement also received a lovely gift from a moon walker! Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell, who walked on the moon in 1971, sent an autographed photograph of himself standing on the moon and wished us fun as we studied space. The students watched videos of Dr. Mitchell’s flight and moon landing. The framed photo and other highlights from his mission are on display in the Polk Building.

Mini-term always involves many collaborative activities between the upper and lower schools.

This year’s included making space flight “flipbooks,” creating oil pastels of the universe, and designing robotic arm and lunar landers. The first graders also helped create a small-scale walkable model of our solar system spanning the campus.

The entire school took an all-day field trip to the Connecticut Science Center to examine their space exhibits. Another trip saw the upper school

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1 NASA astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman P’16 shares stories about her six months living on the ISS 2 Exploring the CT Science Center on an allBement’s maker space 4 Testing a handcrafted lunar landing module 5 Artists at work creating pastels based on images from space a space-themed storybook at a Friday all-school meeting 8 Students testing their robotic arm models 9 Mr. Bartlett’s elective group 26 BEMENT.ORG

THESE KIDS ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF EXPLORERS, AND MINI-TERM WAS SO ENABLING FOR THEM. Dr. Catherine “Cady” Coleman P’16, NASA Astronaut

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9 3 Students building a working replica of the Mars Rover in 6 Floating in zero gravity via the magic of video editing 7 Ms. Jackson shares school field trip

rehearses their space opera

travel to the Hadley Cinemark for a showing of Interstellar, followed by a discussion. Everyone visited Tanoto Planetarium at Deerfield Academy.

Ms. Bernard, school librarian and Certified Meteorite Handler, hosted a collection of real moon rocks.

Mr. Snedeker gave several “Space Minute” lectures at the upper school morning meetings. Using a scale model of the Saturn V launch vehicle, he demonstrated how the rocket worked to transport people to the moon and back to Earth. He also talked about the “loneliest” spacecraft: the Pioneer and Voyager probes, which have left the solar system and are now many billions of miles away from Earth. Mr. Snedeker also shared historical newspapers from his own collection, featuring coverage of the moon missions, including Apollo 13 (the real one, not the movie!).

Upper-school electives included “Train Like an Astronaut” where students used NASA materials to learn what it takes to become an astronaut. Another elective, suggested by ninth graders Katya Stone and Isabelle Smith, was “Science vs. Fiction,” where students read and watched science fiction and discussed the differences between fiction and reality. “Cosmic Energy and the Galactic Duo” taught about light, heat, and sound through scientific experiments that led to further speculation and observation about how these elemental forces work.

Students wrote, sang, and acted in their own opera entitled The Space Tourists. “Space Sound Installation” invited students into the quiet and dark Barn where they enjoyed the mysterious sounds of the universe; and in “The Space Experience,” students learned the history of the space program, then made a video of themselves enjoying weightlessness aboard the International Space Station.

The conclusion of mini-term was celebrated with a campus-wide exploration. Each elective set up its own presentation in a different location on campus, and small groups of students and faculty spent an hour roaming the grounds, stopping at each exhibit to learn about that topic.

Everyone learned so much about space this miniterm, one article doesn’t do it justice. For the entire story, ask any Bement student you know. Who knows, you may find yourself speaking with the explorer who will make the next big discovery about our wonderful universe!

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KEEPING KIDS ON TRACK BEYOND BEMENT When I first visited Bement as a prospective teacher and dean of boarding in the spring of 1990, I was immediately drawn to the Amy O’Hare track record board, then mounted on the brick wall near the faculty lounge in the Polk Building. I heard the story of Amy’s tragic death in a house fire and I was struck by the impression that Bement was a place where individuals were recognized, celebrated, and remembered for their unique contributions to the life of the school.

I loved that track was a sport that had a special place and an ongoing legacy.

I felt like I had found a home.

BY DAVID BELCHER P’07, DEAN OF BOARDING, UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY

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I

have had the pleasure of stewarding the track and field team at Bement for fully a quarter of a century, which is hard for me to believe. Coaching has been a labor of love and a way for me to continue to give back to a school and to a sport that have both given me so much and helped define my sense of myself as a person, a teacher, and an athlete.

Track is an elemental sport: who can run from here to there the fastest, who can jump the highest or the longest, or who can throw a particular implement the farthest.

While the names on the record board are important, ultimately, how you measure against record holders, teammates, and competitors from other schools matters little. What matters is how you measure up against yourself. Your teammates are there to support you, but only you can face your fears, step to the line, wait for the starter’s pistol, and run your race, then come back and do it again in the next meet, hopefully a little faster.

Throughout these 25 years, I have been moved by the students who have chosen to stick with the sport in high school, and in some cases, college. Like me, they have come to see that a track team is a diverse,

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Track is a great sport in which to discover something potentially transformative about yourself, and track teams are great places to belong.

Mr. Belcher and Mr. Boudreau—ready to guide a fresh crop of Bement athletes through the season.

energetic, driven group of people, and those people are worth joining and befriending. Speaking of friends, I now have the pleasure of working with a former student athlete, Dan Bensen ’01, who shares the coaching duties with me.

In recent years, Dan and I have seen a steady trickle of matriculating track and field athletes turn into a veritable flood, and Bement can boast of some remarkably successful athletes who continue to represent their alma mater so well at their current schools.

I could not be prouder of them, nor happier for them, as they grow as athletes and people.

Among these athletes are current and former record holders at Bement, along with people who have gone on to set records at their high schools.

Whatever their level of competitive success, all have learned an essential truth, one which I strive to teach to all of my athletes and students. I remind them of the importance of having a

place to belong when they arrive at their next school. Being a student and a dorm member isn’t enough; you have to belong to a smaller, more intimate group, among people who share your passion and interests and a committed adult close by who truly knows you and cares about you. That place can be a sports team, but could also be found in a club, a music group, or a myriad of other extracurricular activities.

This is a lesson I learned in the late fall of 1979, when, as a struggling freshman, I fortuitously joined the indoor track team at Bates College and my entire college experience was transformed. I found friends to support me and a mentor to guide me. Track is a great sport in which to discover something potentially transformative about oneself, and track teams are great places to belong. I am grateful that so many Bement students have learned that vital lesson, both at Bement and beyond.

Remember grass tracks?

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 29

Two alumni reflect on how participating in track at Bement affected the course of their lives.

Henry Colt ’10

Among the current host of young women and men who are competing in track and field in high school and beyond are: Madison Baker ’12 Deerfield Academy Nailah Barnes ’15 Deerfield Academy Lily Beaubien ’14 Deerfield Academy Sam Belcher ’07 Deerfield Academy, Cornell University Chase Carlson ’08 Western Reserve Academy, Carroll University, University of Louisville Henry Colt ’10 Northfield Mount Hermon School, Pomona College Lachlan Davidson ’14 Brimmer and May School Milo Douglas ’14 Northfield Mount Hermon School Emma Hastings ’14 Blair Academy Kate Kehne ’14 Milton Academy Kerry Krause ’09 Deerfield Academy, Princeton University Thaddeus Niemiec ’12 Northfield Mount Hermon School Alejandro Ordorica ’13 Northfield Mount Hermon School Adam Pfander ’09 Concord Academy, Hamilton College Anna Reid ’09 Northfield Mount Hermon School, American International College Peter Trousdale ’13 Hotchkiss School Nick Whitcomb ’15 Northampton High School Allen Vance ’12 Amherst High School, University of Vermont Archie Velazquez ’14 Tabor Academy

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Bement track was where I got completely hooked on the sport of running. It was there that I learned one of the most simple but exciting lessons of my life: if I worked hard, I would get faster. Mr. B, with his mile-a-minute voice and contagious passion for the sport, convinced us that if we really turned our legs over during butt-kick drills, if we foam rolled on the spots that made us yelp the most, if we did everything in our power to run each interval in the exact pace that was called for, we would improve.

But even more importantly, Mr. B convinced us that all of this work could be an absolute blast.

I remember when I was finally able to do a 20-minute tempo run on the track. I was exhausted on the infield, and Mr. B came up to me, with a twinkle in his eye, and explained the science behind a tempo run and how important the work was that I had just done. Even though I was doubled over and gasping for air in that moment, I couldn’t help grinning at how that hard-earned tempo run would pay off at our next meet.

It was during Bement track that I learned to love work. Working for things. Working to improve. Working to win races.

At Bement I learned to call the track home. After Bement, at Northfield Mount Hermon in Gill, Massachusetts, and now at Pomona College in Southern California, I have continued to seek out that home, that feeling of racing around the track during an interval and seeing, out of the corner of your eye, sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and vaulters, working alongside you.

Anna Reid ’09 People often ask me, “Why do you like running so much?” Or, “how do you run that many miles and not get bored?” Usually I reply with, “because I can’t live without it” or, “because it keeps me sane!”

The true answer is not a short or simple one. My passion for running began in sixth grade when I started cross-country at Bement. I went into it not knowing what to expect, but immediately I fell in love.

Let me take you back to one of my first invitational meets, a race with many different high schools. I was a seventh grader and Mr. Belcher decided it would be good experience for me to compete in a high school race. It was the Richard Miller Invitational at Westminster School, a 5K race, mostly on grassy fields and trails. The starting line consisted of teams of tall, confident high school girls and then there I was: little seventh grade Anna. The gun went off and as I began to run, my fears subsided. It was my first time on the course, and surprisingly after the first mile, mile and a half, I was in the lead. I wondered if I was dreaming or if this was really happening? Approaching the second mile or so, I missed a turn. This part of the course was on a dirt road next to soccer fields, with a hill full of spectators above. From the hill, I heard many people shouting. Figuring they were cheering me on, I picked up the pace. I soon realized they were not cheering me on, they were yelling at me to turn around. Mr. Belcher suddenly appeared on the course and quickly explained to me what to do. Pivoting in my tracks, I was furious. Not only was I going the wrong way, but now I was no longer in the lead. My mind racing and my adrenaline flowing, I knew I was not giving up. My anger and competitive nature propelled me to pick up the pace, catch up to the front runners, regain my first place spot, and finish the race I felt I deserved to win. After the race, I was greeted by my parents and Mr. Belcher. Everyone began laughing and Mr. Belcher looked both amused and proud. I may have missed a turn, but no way was I going to let some other girl take my victory. So, to answer the question of why I love running: because it keeps me striving, keeps me focused, and it completes me.

Running for Bement and having Mr. Belcher as a coach is what made my love for running grow and thrive. At Junior Olympics, summer running camps, Bement cross-country and track meets, Mr. Belcher was my coach, my supporter, a second dad, and my hero. He was and still is the best coach I’ve ever had and I’m beyond thankful for Bement, its running program, and of course, Mr. B himself.

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READ MORE Chase Carlson ’08 reflects on throwing the discus for Bement at bement.org/ontrack.

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It was during Bement track that I learned to love work. Working for things. Working to improve.

Working to win races.

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 31

BY EMILY LENT HEMINGWAY, UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH AND HISTORY, DIRECTOR OF SUMMER PROGRAMS

Summer fun @

The Bement School If you visit the Bement campus over the summer, you might expect to see our beautiful campus at its quietest and most empty. After all, students have graduated or left for the summer, boarders have moved out of the dorms, and teachers have finished faculty meetings and cleaned up their classrooms for the summer. But when students and teachers head off for June, July, and August, that means one thing: summer camp is about to begin!

Summer learning has long been a part of Bement’s ethos. The

Bement’s Adventure Camp attracts local children between

dual heads of school from 1947 to 1971, Katharine “Kay” Bartlett

the ages of 4 and 15 to Old Main Street for busy days at the pool,

and Mary “Gug” Drexler, also ran Camp Red Fox, a summer camp

in the Barn, on the playground, and even in the library. Camp-

in New Hampshire, together. Mary Hawks, a Bement alumna as

ers pick from a long list to choose three activities to create their

well as a teacher from 1954 to 1992, was one of the first teachers

own daily schedule. Choices range from camp classics, like sports,

at Bement’s summer school. It’s not far-fetched to think that Grace

swimming, and arts and crafts, to options that are more unusual:

Bement, a firm believer in nurturing what she called “hardiness”

computer programming, Chinese language, cooking, and jug-

in children, would have been a strong proponent of a summer

gling, to name a few! There is even a hands-on history workshop

program like Bement’s that encourages children to be active,

with Historic Deerfield available, in which Bement campers get an

challenges them to try new things, and engages them in a range

insiders’ view of what colonial life in Old Deerfield was really like.

of activities.

In addition to this flagship program, we offered a new option this summer: three Outdoor Challenge Weeks at Bement, led by staff from local outdoor leadership program Adventure In, Adventure Out. These week-long programs challenge campers to try new activities and to explore the special outdoor places of the Pioneer Valley. Each day brings a new location and a new activity,

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Young adventure seekers from all over the world attend Adventure Camp, too!

Children come from all over the Pioneer Valley to attend Bement’s Adventure Camp, but our English Language and American Culture (ELAC) program brings students from even farther afield. The ELAC program is a monthlong residential experience for international students, ages seven to twelve, interested in learning English.

Most students come from China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea to stay with us at Bement. In the morning, they attend English classes in the Kittredge Building, including canoeing, kayaking, and rafting on the Connecticut River

and in the afternoons, they join the Adventure Camp

and the Swift River, hiking Mt. Tom, Mt. Holyoke, and Mt. Monadnock,

for activities, field trips, and swimming. In the evenings

and even rock climbing and caving at local ledges and caves.

and on weekends, they travel with their dorm parents

Whether filming a movie in the library, creating an art project

to visit landmarks, museums, attractions, and more, all

in the Fine Arts wing, playing a new game in the Barn, or taking a

over western Massachusetts and New England. Favorite

swimming lesson at the pool, our Bement campers are busy, active,

excursions include seeing a Pawtucket Red Sox game,

and engaged during their week in Bement’s summer program. It

visiting Mystic Aquarium, and spending a day in Boston.

may be summer vacation, yet Bement is anything but quiet!

One of the highlights of the ELAC program is Bement’s partnership with our neighbors at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA). Three times a week, our ELAC students cross Old Main Street to enter Indian House, where educators from PVMA lead history workshops for these English language learners.

Most of our international summer students hope to attend an American boarding school someday, at which they would be required to take an American history class. A history course about a foreign country taught in a non-native language can be a huge challenge for English language learners, but these afternoons in Indian House provide our ELAC students with the great advantage of actually experiencing what living was like in colonial America. They attend a lesson in the Wapping Schoolhouse, dress in colonial clothing, make and play authentic 18th century games, and learn to sew and weave baskets. Our program culminates with an overnight in Indian House, during which ELAC students wear full colonial dress, cook their evening meal over an open hearth, and spend the night on straw-stuffed mattresses (or modern-day sleeping bags, if they prefer!). That’s an experience one can only have in Deerfield!

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lower school S C R A P B O O K

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upper school S C R A P B O O K

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 35

Celebrating 20 years of Birthday Bookmarks

BY CAROLE PENNOCK PTT, P’90 ’94, LOWER SCHOOL HEAD

O

ne of my favorite Bement traditions is the Bement bookmark. Every Friday, at all-school morning meeting, everyone—students, teachers, and staff—having a birthday that week comes to the front of the Barn meeting room. With her laser-sharp memory, Ms. Jackson names everyone standing, then starts us off on a rousing happy birthday song. We name each person as we sing, then Ms. Jackson gives each one a bookmark with his or her name on it.

This wonderful tradition marks its 20th anniversary this school year, because twenty-one years ago I attended a Lower School Heads meeting, as I was preparing to take over as Bement’s lower school head. As we talked about traditional things that our schools did, I mentioned our Friday all-school meetings.

Someone else mentioned that at her school everyone received a school bookmark on the day of his or her birthday. I loved that idea, and because I had just talked about our Friday all-school meetings, I thought we could incorporate bookmarks into those

8 7 10

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meetings. When I returned to Bement I suggested this to Mr. Drake, our head of school at the time, and he, too, thought it was a great idea. He quickly gave it to me as a project, and twenty years later, it’s still my project—and one of my very favorite ones!

I began by going to one of our art teachers, Mr. Eaton. He was also a cartoonist, with a very quirky sense of humor. Mr. Eaton took the phoenix from our Bement crest and created a cartoon version of this little phoenix, not just rising from the ashes, but burning his little tail feathers (1)! Mr. Eaton hand-wrote the school year on each bookmark along with each student’s or faculty’s name.

That first bookmark in 1994 was a success and the tradition continued the next year with a design from another of our art teachers, Mr. Fleming. Mr. Fleming’s specialty was collage, and for our second bookmark he created an original Bement collage (2).

That year I wrote the names on the back of the bookmarks and have done that ever since—until this year, but more about that later.

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9 1

Every Friday, at all-school morning meeting, everyone—students, teachers, and staff—having a birthday that week comes to the front of the Barn meeting room. Ms. Jackson names everyone standing, then starts us off on a rousing happy birthday song.

Finally, this year our bookmark celebrated our Space miniterm. I had noticed that first grade teacher Kara Low had put together a space bulletin board in her classroom which read, “Shoot for the moon...even if you miss, you’ll land among stars!” It was so delightful—and so Bement—that I had Mr. Bensen take a picture of it, which we made into our 2014-15 bookmark (10).

And, for the first time since that first bookmark, I put the names on the front of the bookmark…full circle!

So that’s the story of our bookmark in its first twenty years.

My thanks go to everyone who helped make each one a work of art and a special memento. I know some Bementers have kept every bookmark they’ve received from Bement. In fact, one of this year’s ninth graders—Tyler Mayrand ’15—included all of his bookmarks (since kindergarten) on his ninth grade board project!

I can’t wait to see where our bookmark goes next year…I imagine Frank Henry will figure into it, don’t you? Stay tuned!

3 The next year I went to our very own Ms. Stewart-Pettengill.

She designed a beautiful pastel bookmark for us (3). Two years later (1998-99) was Mr. Drake’s last year at Bement. Mr. Fleming again created a collage for the bookmark, showing many of the funny hats that were one of Mr. Drake’s trademarks (4). With this bookmark, we started a new tradition of a bookmark that was tied into a special event in that school year.

For instance, for Ms. Jackson’s fifth year here we created a bookmark all about her (5)! Complete with lots of fives, and featuring words that began with “F” that described her—like friend, fantastic, funny, family, and fashionista. They still describe her, don’t they?! In 2008-09, we celebrated Mr. Young’s forty years at Bement with a “Forever Young” bookmark (6).

In 2007-08, our mini-term was The Environment, and another bookmark tradition began when Ms. Stewart-Pettengill designed an environment bookmark. Some of my favorite bookmarks since then have celebrated our mini-terms. These included our Korean mini-term (2011-12), when student Min Ju Lee ’14 designed a stunning Korean bookmark (7), our Architecture mini-term (2012-13) when architect Margo Jones PTT, P’07 designed our bookmark (8), and our China mini-term (2013-14), when dorm parent and artist extraordinaire, Mr. Gao designed our bookmark (9).

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SEE Mrs. Pennock’s 2015-2016 bookmark at bement.org/bookmark21.

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NINTH GRADE MUSICAL

Crazy for You

Sarah Marcus directed this year’s ninth grade class in Crazy for You, a rollicking musical with music and lyrics

by George and Ira Gershwin and book by Ken Ludwig.

The ninth graders gave two marvelous performances to packed audiences in the Barn, and the singing and dancing from “I Got Rhythm” will live on in people’s memories for quite some time.

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Farewell Evening

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 39

CLASS OF 2015

Baccalaureate

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Commencement CLASS OF 2015

CLASS OF 2015 SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT

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READ MORE Read Shelley Jackson’s 2015 commencement address at bement.org/commencement2015

Haley Beecher

The Williston Northampton School

Jordan Bernier

Berkshire School

Ji Hyun Chae

Choate Rosemary Hall

Amelia Chen

Deerfield Academy

Mae Emerson

Deerfield Academy

Olivia Goldenberg

Milton Academy

Min Jung Kang

The Hotchkiss School

Will Lane

The Williston Northampton School

Anderson Lin

The Master’s School

Nicholas Liu

Amherst Regional High School

Tyler Mayrand

Frontier Regional High School

Emily Rosenberry

The Williston Northampton School

Isabelle Smith

Amherst Regional High School

Robert Stark

Smith Vocational High School

Katya Stone

Northfield Mount Hermon

Alfred Sze

The Loomis Chaffee School

Mira Vance

Mercersburg Academy

Henry White

The Dublin School

Matt Wierzbicki

Deerfield Academy

Perry Yam

NEST+m, New Explorations into Science, Tech, and Math

Jimmy Zhang

Westminster School

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 41

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faculty& staff notes Barak Blackburn ’85 is putting the final touches on his second RPG (Role Playing Game) Retrostar, the game of 1970s sci-fi television. A playtest of the game debuted at GenCon in 2014, and the quick-start was released in the winter of 2014! Richard Hatch, star of the 1970s TV show Battlestar Galactica will be writing the foreword. In addition to writing, Barak was a guest at PortCon Maine, bringing his knowledge and passion for comic books, superheroes, and tabletop games to the masses.

Once Retrostar is finished, Barak has several more writing projects that have not yet been announced.

Stay tuned!

Throughout March and April, Bement band director Jim Snedeker exhibited his photography at the Sunderland Public Library.

Entitled Found Scenes, the photos featured shots of common life and objects viewed with an artistic angle. “I first began taking photography seriously when I moved to the Pioneer Valley in 1996, because I saw so much gorgeous scenery. As I developed my eye for storytelling, I started noticing the artistic possibilities behind common sights such as a plum pit and tangerine rind after breakfast. I was very gratified to have my work shown, and am looking forward to doing another show soon.”

Deb Stewart-Pettengill P’01 ’03 had two art shows this fall and winter 2014: a solo exhibition of sculpture at The Hampden Gallery at UMass in Amherst, and an exhibition with Bement English teacher, Amie Keddy, at The Oxbow Gallery in Northampton, MA of their new book of

poems and etchings, entitled, The Light We Leave. “I curated a show of sculpture by eight New England artists for the month of May (2015) at The Oxbow Gallery, and it was spectacular!”

University May 2015. He is teaching both beginning and advanced painting courses to graduate students at Columbia University.

(Pictured below: Gao Jun, Xiamo, and their son, Shawn, at Gao Jun’s graduation from Columbia.)

Madeline Surgenor, upper school math teacher and dorm parent from 2009 to 2015, is moving to New York City to study at The Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. She will earn a masters degree in Independent School Leadership through their one-year intensive program.

We wish her luck and will miss her!

Emily Lent and Dave Belcher P’07 presented at TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) national conference in Austin, Texas, speaking on “Supporting International Boarders”. Bement began accepting international students in the early 1970s, and in 2015, we’re proud of the support we offer our students from at least ten countries each year. As a junior boarding school (boarding in grades 3-9), the students’ needs are unique. The session shared the concrete practices and suggestions which have served Bement students and families well for many years.

For the second consecutive year, Bement was awarded a STAR grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Teachers Theresa Mullins P’99, Emily Lent, Katrina Spicer-Lindquist, and librarian Marcia Bernard collaborated on the crossdivisional project with cultural partner, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association.

Over the winter, fourth and seventh grade students participated in three workshops with PVMA educators, focusing on the history and social customs of the 1770s through the lens of the importance of tea. The culminating event was a formal Colonial tea, in which students practiced tea etiquette while discussing the events of the day—in 1777.

Chinese teacher and dorm parent, Xiaomo Hong will be among the founding Mandarin teachers at New York International School, and will teach the youngest students, ages 2-5. Her husband, Gao Jun, received his degree as a Doctor of Education in College Teaching of Art from Teachers College, Columbia

Ben Bensen P’86 ’92 ’98 ’01 ’02 received the Prescott B. Clement Cup, which is awarded annually by The Pomfret School to the Class Agent who has demonstrated exemplary effort in sustaining communication with classmates and maintaining above average class participation in the Alumni/ae Fund.

milestones This year marked the anniversary of the following faculty and staff:

5 YEARS

10 YEARS

David Powell Anna Wetherby Dan Bensen ’01 Sarah Marcus

Emily Whitney Barak Blackburn ’85 Jane Stewart Jim Snedeker

15 YEARS Jerry Dobosz Don Powell Teresa Kopinto

20 YEARS Deb Stewart-Pettengill P’01 ’03

25 YEARS Dave Belcher P’07 Ben Bensen P’86 ’92 ’98 ’01 ’02 Carole Pennock PTT, P’90 ’94

30 YEARS Nancy Pond P’89 ’95

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 43

Keep in Touch! Recent marriage? Exciting adventure? New baby? Keep your classmates updated on the latest happenings in your life. All class notes also appear in the magazine’s online version. Phone: 413.774.3021 Fax: 413.774.4256 Email: alumni@bement.org

class notes ’60s Along with an annual fund donation to honor the memory of John Butler and Bob Merriam, William Miller ’63 writes, “I moved to Seattle in 1976 thinking it would only be a two year sojourn.

Nearly forty years later I look back at a career in the accounting profession and countless hours of enjoyment with my family. Our son Jeff graduated from Rice in 2011 and is now working in the Commercial Division at Boeing.

Our daughter Lianne, adopted from China in 1996, is looking towards a career in horsemanship. I am now semi-retired and working part time at an environmental non-profit in Seattle. During my free time I hike in the Cascades and try to hook the wily western trout with my fly rod. My years are not complete without a fishing trip to the back woods and rivers of Montana. I remember Bement with fondness and would love to hear from other alumni of the early 1960s. I can be reached at billm50@hotmail.com.”

Jennifer Montgomery Bethlenfalvey ’68 writes of a nice reunion with Bement friends, “I enjoyed the wonderful company of Jennifer Mitchell, David Raitt and Annie Curtis while I was visiting Maine last May. Everyone looked fantastic and just the same.

We had a very good time!”

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’80s Felipe Barreda ’82 sent an email with this news, “I hope all is well with you upon receipt of this email. My family and I are doing well. I just finished my first year with Colonial Life as an account sales representative and benefits counselor. My business with Colonial Life is growing slowly but surely and recently I was named account manager for a broker account I am helping to maintain. I am learning many new things each and every day.

I am happy to say that Bement gave me the proper foundation, not only in educating me, but helping me be the best person I can be. I still keep in touch with several classmates and teachers and I will treasure those relationships for the rest of my life.

God bless you all.”

Jonathan Bardzik ’88 is a cook, storyteller and author living in Washington, DC. Inspired by farmfresh, local foods, Jonathan loves new tastes, new ingredients, and new techniques. Last year he published his first cookbook, Simple Summer: A Recipe for Cooking and Entertaining with Ease.

He recently shared both this memory and comforting recipe. “Miss Hawks taught me English at the Bement School in seventh and eighth grades.

She was a proper woman, neatly and

well-dressed, her hair pulled back, glasses on the end of her nose. Class was held in the library, a small house that was moved from the Swift River Valley before it was flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir in 1939. Class was held in the small and cozy main room. It smelled of old books and held a mismatch of chairs, including one plush, green leather armchair.

When the bell rang at the end of the prior class, ten of us would run as fast as we could in hopes of securing that coveted, comfortable seat. The library, warm and inviting, was a perfect retreat in the winter, just the place for diagramming sentences or reading our weekly essay assignments out loud. The chair, however, became

’GB

’00 TT PTT P GP FA PF FR HOS IHOS FHS GGP

Alumna/us from Grace Bement era (1925-1947) Alumna/us Class Year Trustee Past Trustee Parent Grandparent Current Faculty or Staff Past Faculty or Staff Friend of Bement Head of School Interim Head of School Former Head of School Great Grandparent

’90s

Jonathan Bardzik ’88

a calculated risk. With winter light streaming in the window, the cozy chair lulled more than one of us to sleep, which never went over well with Miss Hawks’ strict sense of propriety. I was searching for exactly that feeling; a warm and comfortable escape from a grey cold day, when I sliced red onions and placed them in a soup pot the other night. Bright ginger and sweet carrots, both thinly sliced to cook quickly, simmered in chicken stock, before the final addition of fresh pumpkin purée, leftover from Thanksgiving. The end result was just like the chair in Miss Hawks’ library.

This time, however, it was perfectly all right when I dozed off after dinner.”

Gingered Carrot and Pumpkin Soup (serves 6)

We were happy to hear an update from Margaret Ricci about her sons James B. Ricci II ’93 and Jonathan E. Ricci ’95. “James lives in Regensburg, Germany, with his wife Sarah and daughter Juno. He teaches history and administers compliances for the International Baccalaureate program at the Swiss International School headquartered in Switzerland. James has an extensive background in German, taking four years at Loomis Chaffee and then in college acting in the annual Mount Holyoke German play competition. By happenstance he is a short drive away from his brother, Jonathan who lives in Ingolstadt, Germany, with his wife Sabine and daughter Wilhemine. Jonathan works for a large food supply chain, Edika, in IT. Sabine is an ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery.”

Thank you to Ellen Kaufmann PTT, P’94 for this news of her daughter, Suzanne Hubbard ’94. Suzanne went to Deerfield Academy and then graduated cum laude from Georgetown University. She spent a semester in Sydney, Australia and after college worked in New York for four years.

She moved to California in 2005 and received her MBA from the UCLA School of Management. She married

courtesy of Jonathan Bardzik ’88

Shaving the carrots cuts back on cooking time to make this a weeknight soup.

INGREDIENTS: 1 Tbs olive oil; 1 red onion, diced; 2 inch piece of ginger, minced; 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock; 2 large carrots sliced into ribbons with a peeler or mandolin; 2 cups cooked pumpkin, like Hubbard squash; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; dash sherry vinegar; toasted pumpkin seed oil* DIRECTIONS: Warm oil over medium heat in a 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add ginger and cook 5 minutes longer. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Add carrots and cook, partially covered until soft enough to purée. Add pumpkin and cook 5 minutes longer. Purée the soup until very smooth and return to saucepan over medium heat. Cook through for 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Season to taste, with salt, pepper, cinnamon and a splash of sherry vinegar. Serve garnished with a few drops of toasted pumpkin seed oil.

*Toasted pumpkin seed oil is a bold and wonderful garnish for soups, salads and even ice cream. Use sparingly, just as you would toasted sesame oil. If you can’t find pumpkin seed oil, try toasted sesame or walnut oil.

Matt Brutocao and they have two children Ella (born 2012) and Nicholas (born 2015). She works in Marketing for Beachbody, the world leader in home fitness. They live in Los Angeles.

Suzanne Hubbard ’94 with husband Matt and baby Nicholas

Jared Arena ’96 came by for a visit to campus and made the rounds with Dave Belcher, including stops at Janice Currie’s classroom and Snively House.

With these kind words on file from a recent email, we can see why a stop to visit Mrs. Currie was on his list. “Mrs. Currie was one of my favorite teachers of all time. She had a great balance of nurture and discipline. There have been only three or four teachers in my lifetime who have had a lasting impression on me, and she is one of them.”

Amanda Mullens ’99 has a full time job as a Management Consultant for IBM in the DC metro area, and also runs a successful Zumba business, teaching the popular fitness classes at various gyms throughout Anne Arundel county in Maryland. She purchased her first home in Crofton, Maryland.

The Aughts Deb Stewart-Pettengill P’01 ’03, FA alerted the faculty about a dinner at the Gill Tavern in October of 2014, featuring Wingate Farm produce and food. Deb said, “Wingate Farm is the family farm where my husband’s studio is located (and where his parents live). It is now operated by our daughter, Olivia Pettengill ’03!”

Peem Chatikavanij ’03, his sister Pam ’01 and their parents came to visit campus in October 2014. Peem told us more about the lacrosse organization that he has been involved with and helped create. Read more about Peem and Pam on page 22.

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 45

Sean Griffin ’05 Associate Director of Admission at Kiski School, came to Bement during our secondary school open house in April 2015. The open house for admission officers is an annual event in which Bement hosts about 70 visitors from various schools.

The purpose of the open house is to show the school representatives the essence of Bement, and we highlight the ninth grade experience in particular.

Currently in its third year, the event has outgrown Mary Hawks House and is now held on the main campus. It was wonderful to have Sean take part in this important Bement program.

Ingrid Kapteyn ’06 has co-founded “hewman” with Jason Collins and James Lindsay Harwell. “hewman” seeks to mount multi-disciplinary performances for fresh audiences in unconventional venues throughout New York City. Check out their website for more information and upcoming performances: www.hewmancollective.com.

Tatum Bass ’06 stopped by campus in December 2014 to visit. She enjoyed seeing Ms. Jackson, Ms. Price, Ms. Stewart-Pettengill, Ms. Keddy, Mr. Belcher, and Mr. Cuddeback. Tatum lives in New York City and is enrolled in a graduate program for engineering at NYU, which she attends at night. During the day she works as a consultant for change management at Saks during its acquisition by Lord and Taylor.

Ryan Sinclair ’07 stopped by during early summer 2014 and chatted about

his favorite teachers while he was here: Mr. Smith, Ms. Filler, Mr. Wilson, and Ms. Jackson. He just graduated from college and will be working outside of Hartford, CT. Cody Sienkiewicz ’07 spent time with us in Snively House during the early part of summer 2014. He worked as an intern in Bement’s alumni and development office and was a great help to us as he posted class photos on Facebook, made a slideshow on YouTube thanking our donors, and helped organize various other projects.

Sara Mellas ’07 sent us this note with her donation in October “In May, I graduated summa cum laude with honors from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, earning a bachelor of music degree. One month later I moved to San Francisco where I am currently pursuing an eight-month masters degree program in music education at Holy Names University.

I also just started teaching first grade music and am so often reminded of my time in Mrs. Pelletier’s classroom!”

Tao Tao Holmes ’07 wrote, “I graduated cum laude from Yale in May! This year I received several writing prizes and will be embarking on a Princeton-inAsia fellowship to teach English at a Chinese university in Xinjiang. Still best friends with Emily Zea from sixth grade.”

Lizzie Legere ’08 is in her last year of college in Boston and plans to become a farmer in the Wells, Maine, area.

Is Bement in your will?

If Bement is in your will or other estate plans and you have yet to inform us, please contact me at sardrey@bement.org. Even if you wish for your bequest to remain anonymous, it’s important for us to know so that we can ensure your gift will be used exactly as you intend. We would also like to welcome you to the Phoenix Society of planned givers and send you a thank you gift.

If you’d like to know more or you’re still making estate plans, I can provide you with information about this important way you can help Bement. Thank you!

Sara Becton Ardrey P’22 ‘24 Director of Alumni and Development 413.774.3021 sardrey@bement.org

46 BEMENT.ORG

Jack Doubleday ’10 with fellow Marine Rashaad Braxton-Wornum after USMC graduation ceremonies in Parris Island, SC.

The Tens Jack Doubleday ’10 enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in August 2014. Upon graduating from Lincoln Technical Institute with a degree in Diesel Technology in January 2015, Jack promptly departed MA for boot camp at Parris Island, SC. He endured thirteen weeks of intense physical, mental, and technical training, culminating in a 52-hour event known as “The Crucible,” which recruits must complete to earn the title of U.S. Marine. He graduated with that designation with his family in attendance, in April. After a 10-day leave at home, he flew to NC for further technical combat training. He is now stationed at Twentynine Palms, CA, attending Military Occupational School for the next nine months. He is training to be an Electronics Maintenance Specialist, repairing and maintaining various radar, missile detection, and flight systems.

Jonathan Friedman ’12 sent a nice update and also stopped in for a visit recently: “My band from last year broke up due to miscommunication, but I did join another band this past December. Fortunately, everybody lives in western MA so practice and

playing shows won’t be hard. Our name is Tempest and we are a symphonic metal band. Symphonic metal is a relatively complicated genre to describe, but take Metallica and classical, mix them together, and that’s what you get. We just finished our first song, an instrumental, though we do have a very talented vocalist.” He let us know while he was here that he has chosen to attend Hampshire College.

Phoebe Pliakas-Smith ’13 sent this heartfelt reply to our request for news: “I graduated from Bement in 2013 which currently puts me in junior year in high school. I attend Pomfret School; I’m still ambitious to find any sort of aspect of it that’s as special as Bement is to me. I’m almost certain that my mission is impossible even though I will be attending Pomfret as a senior next fall. As I stated in my baccalaureate speech, ‘Bement has allowed the roots of my persona to always lie embedded here,’ and I still believe this the older I get. Bement is somewhere to cherish, from the campus, to the teachers, to the incredible friends that people will meet and never forget. Pomfret has most definitely done wonders for me, as it has challenged me to force my best self towards any situation I’m put in. It has allowed me to expand on everything

In Memoriam Family, friends, and Bement Alumni who passed away between July 24, 2014 and July 31, 2015. We are sorry for their loss.

Mr. Eddie Andrews ’82 Mr. Harry S. Beall, Jr. GP’15 Mary Ann Beckius GP’11 ’16 Mrs. Carlys (Bowden) Belmont ’53 Mrs. Barbara Bensen GP’98 ’01 ’02 Ms. Victoria Bloodworth ’82 Mrs. Evelyn Borror GP’00 Ms. Joanne Caloon GP’21 ’19

I am passionate about, such as being a varsity athlete in field hockey, squash, and tennis, creating elaborate work in AP painting and drawing, using all my brain power to type up a dreaded essay for my AP language and composition class, and spotting some of the greatest friends I could ask for in the dining hall.

Time has flown by from the spring of 2013 to today, but I am very content with how far I have come since I left Bement.

What I find strange is that Michelle Kim ’12 and I are the only two Bement alums at Pomfret! We find our school is such a place of value that I hope more Bement grads will attend Pomfret in the future

Mrs. Ethel Case P’68 ’73, GP’00 ’02 Mr. Henry N. Flynt, Jr. GP’01 ’09 Mrs. Karolyn “Kay” Kemp ’GB, P’57, GP’81 Mr. John J. Noga GP’03 Mrs. Rose R. Olver P’84 Mr. Richard H. Perry, PTT, P’80 Mr. Verner Reed, III ’58 Mrs. Margaret Sprague ’GB Mrs. Carolyn Stacy GP’08 ’11 Mr. Tony Van Dyck ’91 Mr. Kenneth M. Walbridge PTT, PF Mrs. Cathy Wells PF

because it is truly a place to grow and be challenged, only being rewarded with the best, confident results. Thank you, Bement.”

Emma Hastings ’14 recently earned an honor in the Sophomore Public Speaking competition at Blair Academy. You can view Emma’s speech here: https://vimeo. com/127197329. Emma’s speech begins around 5:20.

Dan Bensen ’01 and Rachel Meyer were married this past July in Sunderland, MA.

NOVEMBER 2014

THANKSGIVING ALUMNI GATHERING: NORTHAMPTON BREWERY Members of the classes of 2006, 2007, and 2008 met to share a meal and some memories while on Thanksgiving break. Pictured from left to right, around the table are: Alex Bartlett ’87 FA, Jillian Chaffee ’07, Ryan Sinclair ’07, Cooper Magoon ’07, Sam Belcher ’07, Melanie Bete ’06, Christina Seretta ’07, Cody Sienkiewicz ’07, Dana Stacy ’08, and Alex Chaffee ’08.

Some couples have a whirlwind courtship; Dan Bensen ’01 and Rachel Meyer enjoyed a long engagement, followed by a whirlwind wedding! They were married on a picture perfect day at the top of Mt. Sugarloaf on the afternoon of Thursday, July 23, 2015 with a small group of family and friends in attendance. Rachel is entering her final year of nursing school at UMass Medical School in Worcester. Dan is an upper school mathematics teacher and track coach (see page 28) at Bement.

They reside on campus, as dorm parents in Blydenburgh House.

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 47

Update from the Development Office

BY SARA BECTON ARDREY, P’22 ’24, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT

Annual Fund Parent Participation

Campaign for Jackson House

A

s this school year ended, so did the Shelley Jackson era.

We wish Shelley and Rob all the best as Shelley becomes the founding head at The New York International School in New York City. Bement’s trustees decided to celebrate the Jacksons’ dedication to Bement during their 16 years here by naming the building which houses our two girls dormitories Jackson House.

There is no better way to honor their legacy, and many Bement alumni, parents, and teachers, past and present, have made donations to the Shelley and Rob Jackson Fund.

We’re grateful to Susan Clopton PTT, P’03, Rob Cohn PTT, P’03 ’06 and Frank Henry, PTT, P’05 ’08, the past board presidents who worked with Shelley and Rob, for co-chairing this campaign and rallying the

j

Jackson supporters. Our sincere thanks to Lisa and Mike PTT Kittredge P’06 ’18 ’21 who hosted an unforgettable fête to celebrate “The Jackson Years” at Bement.

If you’re interested in joining this effort and making a donation to the Jackson Fund, contact Sara Ardrey at sardrey@bement.org or visit our online giving webpage at

bement.org/onlinegiving.

BEMENT’S LISTS OF DONORS are available in an online format at bement.org/donors.

48 BEMENT.ORG

Kim and Joe Butz P’19, Parent Co-Chairs of the Annual Fund, have been hard at work for the past two years to raise our parent participation rates for annual giving. They’re making their mark on Bement, and their determination has resulted in increased participation in parent giving. During the past several years, our community has demonstrated their commitment to and support of Bement through increased participation in the Annual Fund. This year, our question was, “Are we ALL IN?” with the hope that all families would make a splash at Bement. This spring, we gave away beach balls and Bement sunglasses as we embraced our theme.

We are in admiration of the 80% of current Bement families that have made donations, in addition to the tuition paid, and all of the other ways that families support their children at school. We know how hard families work to provide their children with the Bement experience, and we’re grateful to them and all of you who continue to give back to the school. Hats off to the kindergarten and second grade classes, whose families were ALL IN! Both reached 100% family participation.

LET’S CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM!

80% 70% 53%

2013

2014

2015

2015 Business Report

A MESSAGE FROM KEN CUDDEBACK, BUSINESS MANAGER

T

he 2015 school year began with an enrollment of 217 students and plans for continued work on our AISNE re-accreditation suggestions and recommendations. Our operations team spent the summer months completing improvements to our physical plant while the faculty and administration focused on curriculum mapping. Renovations to the business and admission offices in Barton House continued during the year, and Mary Hawks House and Keith Schoolhouse received replacement windows and doors respectively. Other improvements included new furnaces in the Barn, repairs to the wheelchair lift in the Drake Building, new carpeting in the Kittredge Building, and investment in new software and technology on the campus.

The school began the year with projected operating budgets for FY2015 of over $5.6 million in revenue with $4.7 (83.9%) million in tuition revenue. We expect to receive contributions of $335,000 over the year and our summer programs are expected to contribute over $205,000 in revenue. Expenses for the year are estimated to be nearly $5.3 million with instructional expenses of $2.25 million, general and administrative expenses of $1.1 million, and other operating expenses of over $2.0 million. The projected operating surplus of over $350,000 provides funding for our varied capital plans.

The year took an unexpected turn halfway through the fall with the announcement of Head of School Shelley Jackson’s decision to leave Bement for another opportunity. Additional expenses were required to undertake the search for a new head of school. The winter of 2015 brought us record snow and bitter cold in late January. We had sprinkler system pipes burst twice in the Kittredge Building, and the resulting water damage necessitated some scrambling and creative scheduling, but the winter term ended positively and the spring term brought the school year to its end on a high note.

As the board of trustees, administration, and Bement community continue the search for the next Bement head of school, we are committed to supporting the mission of the school and working to provide the resources needed for the coming 2015-16 school year.

2015 REVENUE

Student Services 4.2% Summer Programs 3.7% Contributions and Gifts 6.0%

Tuition and Fees 83.9%

Investment and Interest Income 2.2%

REVENUE

FY 2015

% of Total

Tuition and Fees (net of Financial Aid) $4,721,799 Student Services 236,330 Summer Programs 208,669 Contributions and Gifts 335,000 Investment and Interest Income 123,025

83.9% 4.2% 3.7% 6.0% 2.2%

TOTAL REVENUE

$5,624,823

EXPENSES

FY 2015

Instructional 2,259,641 Student Programs and Services 388,687 General and Administrative 1,081,023 Development and Admissions 451,210 Operations and Maintenance 971,114 General Institutional 130,389 TOTAL EXPENSES

PROJECTED OPERATING

% of Total

42.8% 7.4% 20.5% 8.5% 18.4% 2.4%

$ 5,282,064 $ 342,759

Period Ending June 30, 2015

BEMENT BULLETIN 2015 49

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Permit 200 Springfield, MA

Parents of Alumni

If this publication is addressed to your child, and she/he no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Bement Alumni and Development Office with a new mailing address. Call: 413.774.3021 or email: alumni@bement.org. Thanks!

Remember when…

Roman Banquet | 1954

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