The Bement Bulletin 2013-2014

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REMEMBERING GUG

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COMING FULL CIRCLE

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HOME SWEET HOME

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WORDS OF WISDOM

Seen to the left is Tommy Song's ’13 ninth grade board. Ninth graders at Bement design an art board on which they assemble symbols of personal importance. They write an artist’s statement and they present these self-portraits to the upper school community at morning meetings before having them exhibited throughout the school.

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

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ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF

ADMISSION AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Julia Flannery P’18, FA

features

departments

Sara Ardrey P’22, FA

8 New Trustees Join Board

HEAD OF SCHOOL

10 Remembering Mary H. “Gug” Drexler

23 Commencements: Classes of 2012 & 2013

DIRECTOR, ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT

Shelley Borror Jackson P’00, FA

DESIGNER Penny Michalak P’14

WRITERS & EDITORS Marcia Bernard FA Ken Cuddeback FA Ross Feitlinger FA Julia Flannery P’18, FA Dean Fusto P’17, FA Rose-Ann Harder FA Shelley Jackson P’00, FA Emily Lent FA Kim Loughlin P’18, FA Sarah Marcus FA Janine Parker FA Sarge Potter ’53 Marth Price FA Deborra Stewart-Pettengil P’01 ’03, FA

14 Diversity at Bement: Student of Color Lunches & Diversity Committee

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40 Lower & Upper School Scrapbooks

17 Alumni Spotlight: Valerie Magoon ’97

44 Class Notes

20 Home Sweet Home: Girls Dorm

48 Faculty/Staff News & Milestones

30 Words of Wisdom: Tim Young ’61, FA

49 From the Alumni Association

32 Field Hockey: A Tradition at Bement

50 Letter from The Annual Fund Chairs

38 Faculty Enrichment: Reflect, Respond, Exchange

52 Financial Update

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ben Bensen P’98 ’01 ’02, FA Tim Young ’61, FA Ross Feitlinger FA

Stay Connected!

PRINTING Mansir Printing

Key ’GB Alumna/us from Grace

Bement era (1925-1947) ’00 Alumna/us Class Year TT Trustee PTT Past Trustee BSAA Alumni Association Board Member P Parent GP Grandparent FA Current Faculty or Staff PF Past Faculty or Staff FR Friend of Bement FHS Former Head of School GGP Great Grandparent

Bement is on Facebook Wondering what is going on at Bement? Want to know what’s happening in the classrooms, on the campus, and on the stage? Become a fan of our Facebook page! Search: “The Official Bement School Alumni/ae Page”

Follow us on Twitter

If you “tweet,” follow us on Twitter. We’d love to connect with you!

Please forward address changes to: The Bement School 94 Old Main Street P.O. Box 8 Deerfield, MA 01342 413.774.7061 alumni@bement.org

Visit our website Bement.org

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@Bement

Bement’s weather station BY ROSS FEITLINGER, UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHER Did you know Bement has a weather station? This story starts back in the winter of 2011. I was minding my own business, walking to lunch, when Dave Powell, of our buildings and grounds crew, asked, “How do you feel about getting a weather station?” I was intrigued and excited. I thought a weather station would be a great addition to supplement my science curriculum. I also wondered what I would need to do to get a weather station. I responded with, “Are you willing to put it on the roof of the Kittredge Building?”

Fast forward to June of 2012. I had submitted the paper work for Toshibia’s America Foundation grant to buy a weather station. Months had gone by, and I was beginning to become skeptical if I would be awarded the grant. Finally, when I had given up hope and was ready to start writing another grant, I received an e-mail; Bement was awarded the money to purchase the weather station! Ecstatic doesn’t describe that moment. I was in sheer jubilation bouncing up and down in my apartment.

So “long story short,” yes, Bement has a weather station.

A Davis Vantage Vue to be exact. It sits on top of the Kittredge Building high above the main entrance. It collects

Bement’s weather station

temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, barometric pressure, and rainfall. All of the collected data is uploaded to the internet for viewing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The weather is not just the weather around Deerfield, MA, but is the weather exactly at Bement.

One of the websites our weather station reports to is Weather Underground, a website made up of weather stations from all over the world. Any time you search for Deerfield, MA, you will be directed to the data from The Bement It arrived School’s weather station. Bement in this box! has always been a part of the global community as we have students from all over the world, but now we are also a part of the world meteorological community. The data our weather station collects is a part of historical weather data.

If you are planning a visit to the area, look on-line www.wunderground.com and search for Deerfield, MA. The next time you are on campus, make sure to look up at the roof of the Kittredge Building.

bement weather by the numbers

97 ° -4°

highest temperature (June 1, 2013)

coldest temperature (January 24, 2012)

biggest change in temperature day (May 7, 2013)

42°

at 5:30 am & by 4:00 pm

43 mph

99%

81°

highest wind speeds (January 9, 2012)

humidity at the highest &

6%

at the lowest

Which month in 2013 has seen the greatest rainfall?

7.87"

in June. A total of 20.56" for 2013.

(data recorded since August 1, 2012)

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@Bement

A note from the kitchen BY ROSE-ANN HARDER, DIRECTOR OF FOOD SERVICE The dining service program at Bement is designed to provide nutritious meals in a warm, welcoming setting.

Children are encouraged to create a healthy meal plate with awareness of correct portion sizes. Program goals are established to introduce new foods so the children will be receptive to broadening their culinary repertoire.

Each day we provide a hot entrée, along with our beautiful salad bar filled with fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy. We also have “window treats” which could consist of such items as freshly made soups or pasta dishes. It’s so much fun for us hear, “When can we have potato-dill soup again?” We really enjoy the children requesting healthy food.

There is a fully stocked fruit bar with a large variety of fruits that are available to the children at any time of the day for a healthy snack.

Bement prides itself in using as many local farms as possible as we prepare

food each day. Some of these farms are Diemand Egg Farm, Clarkdale Fruit Farm, Pinehill Fruit Farm, Butynski Farm, Bob Spencer (maple syrup), Fairview Farms, Valley Produce, BarWay Farm, Gill Greenery, Cieslik Farm, and our very own senior food service asssistant, Ann Caloon P’04 (eggs).

In conjunction with the healthy choices the children can make each day, we feel that everything should be in moderation. That said, there is nothing wrong with ending a lunch with a delicious homemade chocolate chip cookie.

Enjoy Bement’s own recipe!

Bement’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

CREAM TOGETHER:

1 pound of butter 1¾ cups sugar 1¼ cup brown sugar

THE BEMENT SCHOOL

THEN ADD:

4 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla

MIX WELL, THEN ADD:

4½ cups unsifted all purpose flour 2 teaspoons soda 2 teaspoons salt

MIX TOGETHER UNTIL CREAMY , THEN ADD:

4 cups chocolate chips Bake at 350 degrees until golden (approximately 12 minutes)

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Building a 21st Century Library Program

BY MARCIA BERNARD, LIBRARIAN

The library program at Bement continues to evolve as we move deeper into the 21st century. Four key components of 21st century learning: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication have been at the heart of the Bement library program this year. Utilizing our technological resources, students have built information literacy skills while tapping into classroom curriculum. The library is much more than a place to check out books!

As more students turn to digital resources for research and recreation, the library adapts. Now a space not only for books, but also for online research and digital production, for quiet reading and collaboration, the library remains vital.

The library catalog was upgraded this year to Follett Destiny. A web-based catalog, it allows students, teachers, and families the opportunity to access it from any internetconnected machine. Destiny has some great features that make the catalog interactive and help to promote an interest in reading. These include the addition of student-written book reviews, book recommendations, and the ability to create personal lists. Students are eager to add their online reviews to the catalog after reading a book. In addition to books, students are also able to search the web right from the catalog, using teacher-vetted, age-appropriate sites.

These are quality educational sites, and often not easily found in a Google search.

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Online databases are growing in use, and we have access to a wide variety through the Gale Cengage Group. These are high quality resources, journal and magazine articles, and other reference sources, and have been used at Bement by students in grades two through nine. And there is an app for that! Both our catalog and databases are available through mobile apps—a library in your pocket.

A Library Resource Page was created to house electronic resources online for students and teachers. Links to curriculum pathfinders, online tools, and educational games are located in one spot for easy access.

With these resources in place, in addition to our 9000 books, audios, and videos, we are able to support the educational and recreational informational needs of our students.

Our program continues to stretch to meet changing needs. Digital citizenship and internet safety are now part of the library curriculum, beginning in first grade. Evaluating websites has become increasingly important. A flood of new apps, available on the library iPad, allow students a range of creative options. Students are creating booktrailers using iMovie, they are composing podcasts, and are using software to design graphic novels. The library is a fun, creative learning space‌ for all our learners.

@Bement We Did It!

Oh my! Oh deer!

BY SHELLEY BORROR JACKSON P’00, HEAD OF SCHOOL

There’s never any “nature deficit disorder” at Bement.

While other school communities wring their hands over students’ lack of interaction with the outdoors, Mother Nature is alive and well in Deerfield. There was one spring when a bear was sighted at the south end of the street, a moose at the north. Beavers fell trees and build lodges in the ponds behind Mary Hawks House, and we often witness a snapping turtle laying her eggs on the playground. Last fall, however, introduced us to an unforgettable guest.

As the boarders and I approached the Polk Building for a Sunday afternoon study hall, we were greeted by a bold and curious little deer. Exhibiting few predictably deer-like behaviors, he didn’t run or try to hide. We lined the sidewalk and stared; he stared back. After several minutes, study hall beckoned, and the encounter ended. Living in apartments in some of the world’s most populated cities, many of our boarders had never seen a deer. None of us had ever seen one in the wild, this close. The students entered the library, and our deer clearly chose to wait for them to reappear. Once again, he stood off to the side, intent on watching the students file past. The next evening, he was once again in his spot. This time, however, the deer had a new interest: the dancers in the ballet studio. Pressing his nose against the windows, he intently watched the pink tutus at the barre. A few days later, he ventured onto the playground, apparently determined to experience Bement recess.

Why were we lucky enough to have this unforgettable connection, and especially just as a new school year began? I choose to imagine that this deer—an obvious adolescent himself—was feeling instincts closely aligned to the students themselves. He was a little bit shy, a lot curious, and eager to learn what school was all about.

Many thanks to the numerous donors who helped make the Mary Hawks House possible!

Miss Hawks was a beloved teacher at Bement from 19541992. This house, which is the head of school’s residence, is used by the entire Bement community, in some way, every day. On weekends our boarders play in the common room, practice piano, or cook in the kitchen. Trustee dinners are held here, as well as our summer camp swimming program. And with plenty of guest bedrooms, we’ve even had an alumna/us or two who have bunked a night. The next time you are on campus, we invite you to stop by!

BY JULIA FLANNERY P’18, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Hurricane Sandy Relief OF ADMISSION AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Bement parents, Peter and Beth Melnik, know all too well what it is like to be displaced by a hurricane. In the summer of 2011, Hurricane Irene devastated much of Historic Deerfield, and the Melniks were evacuated from their home. “As we packed up what little we could, we were watching the river waters rise and saw our neighbors’ homes being destroyed. It was terrifying,” said Beth. The Melniks’ own Bar-Way Farm which is a farm that has been in the Melnik family for over 100 years. Although their home and farm did not receive much damage from Irene, their neighbors did not fair as well. “We were surrounded by devastation,” said Beth. “Our neighbors lost their homes; farms were destroyed, our school (Bement) was damaged…and Irene was on such a smaller scale than Hurricane Sandy. It gave us a glimpse into the destruction of a strong storm—it is so scary!”

As the Melnik family watched the news coverage of Hurricane Sandy, they were reminded of Hurricane Irene and the effects it could have on a family. “We felt compelled to help,” said Beth. The Melniks knew that Bement was just the place to turn to for assistance. Bement has a long tradition of coming to the aid of people in the community and the world.

So for a week, Peter parked his farm truck on Bement’s campus on Old Main Street, and the call for help went out to Bement families. The truck was filled with much needed supplies and, in coordination with the councilmans’ office in District 32 in New York, a delivery plan was formed. Peter Melnik made the 10-hour round-trip journey to Broad Channel, New York, to deliver these much needed supplies to the victims of Hurricane Sandy from the community, family, and faculty at The Bement School.

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Admission Trends FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION, KIMBERLY CALDWELL LOUGHLIN P’18

“No stronger message is the one from an alum or past parent who has seen the impact of a Bement experience.”

(left) Julia Flannery P’18 (Associate Director of Admission), Kimberly Caldwell Loughlin P’18 (Director of Admission)

The admission office was busy throughout the 2012-2013 academic year meeting with prospective families and reviewing applications.

On opening day, Bement will welcome 220 students to its campus, representing seven countries and eight states. Bement is the second home for our 40 boarding students.

One of the biggest challenges facing Bement’s enrollment currently and for the near future is the changing demographics across the United States. In western Massachusetts, we have seen a decline in the number of schoolage children for our lower school, but we are not alone. Nationwide, the population shift and the economic climate, along with increased competition from other independent schools as well as public schools (including charter,

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magnet, and specialty schools), home school options, and virtual/ online schools, are major challenges for all independent schools. While Bement has not seen many families opting for virtual schools, there were an “estimated 1,816,400 enrollments in distance-education courses in k-12 school districts in 2009-2010” [SSATB 2013 State of the Independent School Admission Industry]. As Bement works to meet these challenges, we are committed to clearly demonstrating the value of a Bement education to families who may opt to explore other alternatives. No stronger message is the one from an alum or past parent who has seen the impact of a Bement experience. A recent alum shared with us, “Bement has been a second home for me. With small and intimate class sizes, the relationships

built between students and teachers are incredible. I have learned how to comfortably speak publicly, sing whole-heartedly, study with focus, and express myself to everyone. After nine incredible years there, the skills and memories I’ve collected will stay with me forever.” Please share your experiences with us, but more importantly, share your wonderful experiences with those who do not know Bement. We need your help reaching and informing families about all that Bement has to offer.

You may already know of a family who might be interested in learning more about The Bement School. Please feel free to refer them to the admission office for more information. You can also encourage the family to spend time reviewing our website for information, current news, and recent photos. The admission office is currently scheduling visits and accepting applications for September 2014. Open Houses for prospective families are held throughout the fall and winter. Any family interested in attending the Open House should contact the admission office by calling 413.774.4209 or emailing admit@bement.org.

@Bement

The Ballet School at Bement

BY JANINE PARKER, FOUNDER OF THE BALLET SCHOOL AT BEMENT

Sometimes I think The Ballet School at Bement is the campus’s best-kept secret. Tucked away in the beautiful, sunny dance studio in the back of the Polk Building (next to, perhaps symbolically, “lost and found”), I often refer to the program that I began in the spring of 2007 as a little family.

Almost half of the current students have studied with me since that first year. It’s been such a pleasure to watch them as they’ve blossomed into young dancers and to welcome newer students just beginning to spread their wings.

The program includes children and teens from The Bement School as well as other area schools and offers quality, age-appropriate classes for ages 4 and older. Through the prisms of dance and music, with ballet as the strong base from which they build their creative and technical skills, students explore two main aspects of being a dancer: those of artist and athlete. The kindergartner who one year plays at leaping like a frog or

flitting like a butterfly grows into a young dancer putting on pointe shoes for the first time or learning how to defy gravity with increasingly difficult but oh-so-satisfying jumps and turns. You can see the focus on their faces and the determination in their muscles; when they fly or balance particularly well, then you see the triumph in their eyes.

That illustrates a key to what I believe as a teacher: rather than “watering down” children’s experiences, I find that raising the bar of expectations has a direct relation to the height of a young dancers’ pleasure and of his or her pride. “The teachers are great,” says Bement 7thgrader Lukas, “and they push you to do your best. I loved learning about different composers and professional dancers. The mix of modern dance and classical ballet is awesome. The boys class is wonderful and helps my technique in jumping. I have really loved this experience for the past seven years.”

We celebrate the ballet students’ dedication, progress, and simple joy of dancing with Open Houses and showcases, culminating in the Endof-Year Presentation. I am pleased to announce that next year students of The Ballet School at Bement will have the opportunity to perform with dancers from Deerfield Academy in a “Nutcracker Suite” of scenes from the holiday classic.

Carrie Towle - who along with Onalie Arts joined the ballet school faculty this year – also teaches ballet at DA and was the key to this upcoming collaboration that will likely lead to other enhanced performance opportunities.

I’m proud of this little school that I created six years ago, and I am excited to see what it becomes as it grows! We invite you and your child or teen to join our dance family and discover one of Bement’s best-kept secrets!

The Bement School is proud to work with The Ballet School at Bement by renting our beautiful dance studio to them.

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The Bement School Board of Trustees Riché Daniel Barnes P’15 Andy Beall P’15 Barbara Blydenburgh ’70 Ray Blydenburgh Stephen Chen P’04 Lea A. Emery P’12 John Gardiner P’14 ’18 Lauren Glennon P’08 ’11 Howard Harrison ’92, PF Kwame Harrison ’85 Christine Hart P’02 Frank Henry P’05 ’08 Shelley Borror Jackson P’00, FA Dongho Kang P’08 ’14 Pamela Klonaris P’11 ’13 Sheehan Lunt ’00 Beth Melnik P’18 ’20 Wendy Moonan ’60 Ladimer S. Nagurney P’09 David Neumeister P’98 Jane Plager P’12 ’16 Charles Sanford P’12 ’14 ’17 ’19 Rich Shuman P’10 ’14 Tell White ’GB, BSAA Yi Zhang P’12 ’15 EX-OFFICIO Kenneth Cuddeback FA Dean Fusto P’17, FA Kimberly C. Loughlin P’18, FA Frank Massey FA Carole Pennock PTT, P’90 ’94, 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 Robert Merriam ’GB, P’74 ’75 ’80, GP’98 P. William Polk, Jr. ’52, PF J. Peter Spang As of August 2013

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New Trustees Join the Board Ladimer S. Nagurney P’09, Ph.D., PE brings

not only his love for Bement from when his daughter Allie’09 attended, but also an academic and budget planning and projections background in education.

Professionally, he is Professor of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Hartford.

He received his BS in Physics from Lafayette College and his ScM and PhD from Brown University. For his contributions to the study of Radio Communication, he was named a Fellow of the Radio Club of America, the oldest professional society for Radio and Wireless Systems. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer. He resides in Amherst with his wife, Anna.

Lea A. Emery P’04,

joins the Bement trustee board and brings her invaluable experience as director of financial aid at Northfield Mount Hermon School, where she also travels for admission recruitment primarily in the Middle East - so far in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates - but has also met students and their families in Korea, China, Bermuda, and all across the United States. “I love travel, getting involved with different cultures, learning new languages, and especially to help connect eager and talented young people with a school that will help them in their transformation from adolescent to adult.” Her son, Tucker ’10, graduated from NMH ’13 cum laude, and joined the class of 2017 at Lafayette College as a Marquis Scholar majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Visual Art. Lea also enjoys painting, writing, and travel.

Mary Cohn P’03 ’06, has a long history with Bement, serving as president of the Bement Parents Association and volunteer for the alumni and development office while her sons, sons, Simon ‘03 and Parker ‘06 attended Bement. She currently co-owns a Franklin County real estate company, Cohn & Company Real Estate withy her husband, Robbie, who served as past president for Bement’s trustee board. Mary sits on several boards in the region and brings her expertise and love of Bement with her.

Riché Daniel Barnes P’15, assistant

professor of AfroAmerican Studies at Smith College, received her B.A. in Political Science from Spelman College, her M.S. in Urban Studies from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology with a certificate in Women’s Studies from Emory University. She lives at Deerfield Academy with her husband, Darnel, and her three children, Nailah ’16, and twin sons, Nikhil and Nasir.

Richard Shuman, MD P’10 P’14, lives in Amherst with his wife, Bement’s school nurse, Elie Shuman, and his two children, Thomas ’10 and Rachel ’14.

Rich received his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his M.D. from University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. He works at RiverBend Medical Group in Chicopee, MA, where he is the medical director and has been there for eighteen years.

Rich’s other interests include environmental preservation, 17th century Dutch art, and golf.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Frank Henry Retires as President of the Board of Trustees

BY SHELLEY BORROR JACKSON P’00, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Many schools are lucky enough to have the governance they need at the time they need it. This has certainly been the case as we consider the leadership provided to our board of trustees in my fifteen-year tenure.

During my first two years, I was blessed to have Susan Clopton P’03 as president of our board. As a new head, I needed her unique abilities to accomplish several necessary tasks at once: Susan could “fly at 30,000 feet” and help me see Bement situated in its 75-years of history and tradition, could use her exquisite organizational and management skills to guide us through essential strategic thinking, and could simultaneously sit in the privacy of my office and explain to me why my son couldn’t wear a pink shirt for Monday dress. I couldn’t have survived those first years without her. Robbie Cohn P’03,’06 succeeded Susan, and once again, we were blessed with exactly whom we needed, when we needed him. The board had identified its hopes to build a new upper school and library, accomplished through the school’s [then] most ambitious construction project.

Robbie’s unwavering love of Bement, his penchant for fundraising, and his constant good humor made him the perfect president to guide the school community through such a major capital campaign.

Through both presidents’ tenure, Frank Henry P’05 P’08 was an active, intelligent, utterly dedicated trustee.

Never missing a meeting, always attentive to any issue, Frank was

the Committee on Trustee’s logical, easy choice for our next board president. The new head was about as acclimated as she was going to get, the buildings were being built, and a career educator could help the board connect as fully as possible with its mission. Father to Clare and Will who collectively attended for 18 years, Frank knew Bement well. An English teacher, dorm parent, and coach at Deerfield Academy since 1982, Frank knew schools well. A perfect choice.

About to end his fifteen years on the board and his eighth as president, Frank’s legacy is profound. Under his leadership, Bement dedicated the Kittredge Building, created the Clagett McLennan Library in a remodeled Polk Building, constructed four new dormitories, and purchased a residence for the head of school.

He has overseen two strategic plans whose goals and objectives produced initiatives that included, to name a few, invaluable diversity work, the addition of Mandarin in our World Languages department, and expanded health classes. Frank has helped every finance committee make sound choices about tuition rates, our annual operating budget, and endowment growth. He has known when it was time to slow down (postponing the construction of the girls’ dorm as a recession set in) and when to move full steam ahead (building the girls’ dorm with wise and creative use of endowment funds available but never before used).

It’s tempting to estimate the number of hours Frank has spent in committee or board meetings during these past eight years. The hours that move me the most, however, are those accumulated on Friday afternoons.

At the end of most weeks, Frank appears at my door at precisely 2:30.

He settles into the “comfy chair,” and in the next 30-45 minutes (our goal is to be on the sidewalk for lower school pick-up at 3:15), I fill him in on the week’s joys and challenges. Two

English teachers who cherish school life easily fill that time. Frank’s counsel in these meetings is always thoughtful, compassionate, and completely trustworthy. He loves the zaniness in the hallway outside my door each Friday, and as we walk toward the sidewalk, he greets children and staff by name. His devotion to Bement is evident in every step.

When heads of schools gather, conversation often turns toward “THE BOARD.” As I listen to tales of acrimony, argument, contention, and disrespect, I can only shake my head and count my blessings. In our board room, there are no hidden agendas, no axes to grind. There is only an assembly of volunteers who love the school and want nothing more than to be its good stewards. They in turn are led by board chairs willing to shoulder even more responsibility for the school’s health and well-being. I am a lucky head — we are a lucky school-to have such gifted trustee leadership.

I hope you will find your way to thank Frank Henry as he concludes his generous service as board chair.

New President Announced And once again, Bement has managed to have the next board president it most needs.

In line for the position is current vicepresident, Charles Sanford.

As independent schools face the financial challenges created by the recession and a decline in American birthrates, Bement will be well led by Charles’ brilliant financial acumen. Charles joined Bement’s board in 2009 and has since strengthened the school’s financial position in countless ways. Charles holds degrees from Amherst College and Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and is a managing director at Babson Capital. He resides in Amherst, MA, with his wife Sarah and their four children: Henry ’12, William ’14, Peter ’17, and Helen ’19.

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By Sarge Potter ’53 Read at Gug’s memorial service

Remembering Mary“H. “Gug” Drexler

Bement’s co-head of school for 24 years.

1912-2013

M

ary Harriman Drexler. We called her “Gug” and she lived over ten decades—a century.

Gug was born in 1912, a long, long time ago.

What was life like then? Life expectancy for a female was 52 years. The average worker made $200 to $400 a year. Automobiles were replacing horses. The Wright Brothers flew their first plane just nine years before her birth. The Titanic sank that year. A postage stamp was two cents. The unimaginable things she would see during her long lifetime! Commercial air travel, a man on the moon, a little instrument you can hold in the palm of your hand that is a clock, a camera, an adding machine, a telephone, and a computer!

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She lived through the First World War—misnamed the “war to end all wars.” She experienced the Great Depression when many people lost their savings and jobs. The 1930’s were the run-up to World War II. Gug spent some time in Germany, experienced the SS, and saw Adolf Hitler. Her daughters, Edie ’50 and Marlisa ’52, were born.

One of Gug’s favorite expressions was, “Give it a whirl!” Perhaps she and Kay Bartlett were saying this when they took over leadership of the struggling Bement School in 1947. The following year they hired a secretary, who happened to be my mother, and I came along in the bargain. In those years Bement was very small, consisting of three buildings, and my graduating class consisted of seven students. Bement was my home in grades 4-8, and after graduation I had a room in Billings House for the years I was at Deerfield Academy. Just what they needed—a moody teenaged

boy! Somehow they lived through my muddy boots, wet clothes, and practical jokes. You know, like the artificial dog mess in the corner, whoopee cushions, Styrofoam sugar cubes, and the famous dancing teacup. Gug was a straightforward gal who needed only a few words to get her point across. One evening, Kay, Gug, my mother, and I were having a quiet supper when, “pop, poof, smash” could be heard from the cellar beneath us. What was that? I was pretty sure it had something to do with the root beer I had been brewing. Gug and I investigated, and sure enough, one corner of their pristine cellar was covered with shards of glass and eight gallons of sugary, yeasty root beer. Perhaps you will find a few errant shards when you visit the new historic museum there. Gug surveyed the situation, looked at me and said, “Well, Sarg, you have made yourself quite a

mess to clean up,” and disappeared upstairs.

From these years I can tell you who Gug was—much more than a little figure in a bed in a nursing home. She was a leader, a teacher, an instructor and coach, and would be our lifelong friend and mentor.

She and Kay led Bement for 24 years, from tiny and fragile to a successful, growing school which, under recent outstanding leadership, has an enrollment of 220 students and many buildings in the north of town. Large successful institutions almost have a life of their own, but in those early days, Gug and Kay were Bement. Take them away and there was no school.

As a teacher, Gug taught Latin.

She was strict, demanding, and fair.

Students gave their best efforts. In just a few hours you might be hiking, skiing, or doing something else fun with her. There was a time to work and a time to play. My wife later taught at Bement, and—you guessed

b

a

c

a. Gug Drexler (left) and Kay Bartlett, co-heads of school b. Gug during one of many commencements c. Gug and Kay with watercolor painting

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it—she taught Latin. She knew she had very high standards to live up to!

As a coach and instructor, Gug coached all sports at Bement, instructed skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer, and was head of a very active waterfront at Camp Red Fox. She was an excellent tennis player and often played as my father-in-law’s partner in competitive matches with much younger players.

She enjoyed all outdoor activities and even in her eighties, like to walk and play golf.

Kay and Gug and my wife’s parents were close from their teaching days at Eaglebrook. My father-in-law, Bill Ely, became a trustee at Bement. Our families would often spend vacations together—what fun times! As my wife and I became adults, Gug was a close friend. We visited her every summer in New London. She was always eager to hear about us, our children, and our grandchildren. Years later, I realized almost everything I have become can be traced back to those years at Bement and Red Fox. How many students and teachers did Gug influence? Hundreds. When I look back over her life, I have to say, Gug, you gave it quite a whirl!

“Give it a whirl!”

d

e

g

f

h

d. At the school’s 75th anniversary, Gug and current head, Shelley Borror Jackson, began a meaningful friendship that lasted for the next fourteen years e. Gug Drexler’s formal portrait for a Bement publication f. Gug teaching Latin in Snively House g. Overseeing the construction of the Polk Building, 1967 h. Presenting diploma’s during commencement ceremony

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Detail from the Diversity Mural located in the Kittredge Building’s Tim Young Meeting Room.

The mural was created as part of the 2008 mini-term on diversity.

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Bement has a strong commitment to supporting diversity in its community. In the 2008 mini-term, diversity was the topic, and a mural was created which graces the wall in the Tim Young Meeting Room. In the fall of 2010, the Diversity Committee was formed to ensure the richness of Bement’s diverse community continues to be nurtured, and most recently, this past year, a students of color monthly luncheon meeting was initiated.

Q&A

with Katrina Spicer-Lindquist, history department chair and upper school history teacher

Bement’s Diversity Committee has begun its first, hopefully of many, affinity group. This year domestic students of color, including Black, Latina/o, Puerto Rican, and mixed race, began a monthly lunch meeting. The adults present are faculty and staff of Bement. The monthly lunches occur in the common room of the boys dorm during regular upper school lunch. The meeting is student-directed, creating a space for students with like perspectives to share among each other with guidance and brainstorming assistance from the adults. Our goal is to continue this group during the next academic year and explore the possibility of the addition of other affinity group offerings.

Q A

Why did we begin the students of color lunch?

As a member of the diversity committee and a Black educator, I noticed that there was an increasing number of domestic students of color in the upper school. The students were in different grades and tended to spend time with each other by grade. While teaching 8th grade U.S. history, I was approached by several students who shared their discomfort being black in a room of white students discussing the Civil War through World War II. They informed me that they had begun to feel a bit more comfortable because I was their teacher. I asked if they would like to have a place to share their feelings and concerns without fear of offending their friends and teachers. The answer was a resounding YES; one student even cried.

Q A

When did the luncheons begin?

Armed with a location and permission, I proceeded to meet privately with all domestic students of color to gauge their interest, and all were excited by the idea. In November we had our first meeting, with seven upper school, domestic students of color (self identified) and three adults. I told the students that the gathering would be guided by them and we, the adults, were there to offer assistance or guidance only.

Q A

Would you share some of the issues discussed at the students of color luncheon meetings?

Over the course of the year, students used the meeting as a safe space where they shared their pain and frustration of feeling misunderstood by those around them and the struggle of being asked questions from curious friends about hair, idioms, and cultural beliefs. They shared how great it was to sit with others with whom there was no need to explain, “someone who gets me,” as one student shared—a sentiment echoed by others. They often asked questions from the adults about handling the feelings of isolation they felt as well as answering some of those questions from friends.

Q

What type of response and support have you heard from parents about the students of color luncheon meetings?

A

I have received reports from parents of the students that they have shared at home just how thankful they are for the space that is carved out just for them. When I received the first parent email, I was moved to tears of gratitude to our Head of School for allowing this need to be filled. I know that as long as those students feel the need to meet, Bement and the Diversity Committee will work to provide a platform for that to occur.

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COMMITTEE

DIVERSITY

BY SARAH MARCUS, UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA TEACHER

Bement’s student-created diversity mural has the words hope, acceptance, courage, and trust that stand out in bright colors. The message of this mural is one that Bement takes to heart, and it is a huge part of what makes Bement such a unique school. To ensure that the richness of Bement’s diverse community continues to be nurtured, a dedicated group of faculty members and administrators formed the Diversity Committee in the fall of 2010.

This volunteer committee grew out of a recommendation from Bement’s 2009 strategic plan. The committee was charged with creating a diversity mission statement for the school, reviewing the school’s curriculum and cultural practices, and serving as a resource to the school community regarding questions or concerns related to diversity.

Much of our work during 2011-2012 was spent researching diversity committees at other independent schools and examining surveys those schools created to assess their climate around inclusivity. Our committee then created its own school climate survey which was given first to the board of trustees, then subsequently to the faculty, staff, and administrators.

The survey was designed to get a sense of how individuals at Bement feel about diversity as it relates to curriculum, teaching practices, resources, and the composition of faculty and students. Bement hired an outside consulting group to tabulate and analyze the survey information. The survey was successful in its ability to convey to us what practices are working, which areas need attention, and what steps are needed in order to make Bement a truly accepting environment for all.

As a committee, we are very excited about the work ahead, but we also want to celebrate the great successes Bement has already achieved. A framed copy of Bement’s diversity mission statement now hangs in almost every room on campus and is included on Bement’s website. In the upper school, teachers have helped organize a monthly lunch for students of color, an opportunity for students to connect with an affinity group. This

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past January and February, the diversity committee planned an exciting lineup of events to celebrate Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month. The whole school gathered together in the barn and was treated to a a rousing all-school sing-a-long to “We Shall Overcome,” student-read excerpts of Martin Luther King’s speeches, as well as a viewing of the complete “I Have a Dream” speech. Throughout the day, students in upper and lower school were engaged in an art project where they were asked to envision their own dream for the world and write their dream on a paper hand they traced. These ‘dream hands’ were exhibited all around the school, reflecting the high hopes of the next generation of leaders.

The Diversity Committee has generated many short-andlong-term goals for Bement’s future. These include conducting a campus and curriculum audit, looking at all of our materials through a diversity lens, working to build a common language around issues of diversity through the sharing of articles and resources, and lastly, creating an event for parents to connect around common interests. We look forward to finding more ways to engage the wider Bement community in this important pursuit.

The Diversity Committee: (back row L to R) Kimberly Caldwell Loughlin, Jane Stewart, Sarah Marcus, Will Paulding (front row L to R) Charita Gainey, Katrina Spicer-Lindquist, Lisa Echevarria

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

coming full circle Valerie Magoon ’97 returns to her roots in western Massachusetts after living her dream in Los Angeles.

BY JULIA FLANNERY P’18, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Valerie Magoon ’97 always felt drawn to Los Angeles. “From the time I was in the womb, I knew I needed to be there.” Growing up in Franklin County in Massachusetts, she felt like time was ticking and she was waiting for her chance to get to Hollywood.

Do you know someone whom you'd like to see featured in the Alumni Spotlight for an upcoming issue of the Bulletin?

Contact Julia Flannery at jflannery@bement.org

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Coming to Bement in 7th grade, Valerie discovered her love for the stage while working under drama teacher, Amy Gordon. Valerie remembers Ms. Gordon as an inspiration for her. “She cultivated artistic freedom and whimsy—the freedom to be a little crazy,” which proved to be essential in Hollywood, allowing her to take risks.

From acting on television, to movie casting, to writing and directing short films, Valerie’s road to, and eventually from, Hollywood reads like a movie script itself.

After Bement and Northfiled Mount Hermon, Valerie found herself at odds with her parents with regards to her next step. She wanted to head straight to L.A., and they were steering her towards college. Her parents won, and she enrolled at Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island.

It was there she met faculty members who also worked in

“I thought back to what Ms. Gordon had instilled in us, that freedom to be bold, and it worked!”

the Boston film industry and one in particular took Valerie under his wing and told her if she truly wanted to work in the industry, she needed to be in a big city—fast. Valerie transferred to Emerson College in Boston and while getting her degree in TV production, she had the opportunity to work on such movies as Mona Lisa Smile, and the Farley brothers’ production Stuck on You. She earned her degree and the essential experience as well as contacts that would help her land a job in Los Angeles.

And land a job she did. While attending school in Boston, she would go to the movies every weekend and scour the closing credits, dreaming of seeing her name up on that screen someday. One casting director, in particular, caught her attention. Mali Finn was a powerhouse in the industry, casting for such films as, Titanic, the Matrix movies, and LA Confidential, and Valerie decided, “I’m going to work for her.”

Her last semester at Emerson consisted of a threemonth internship. Valerie called Mali Finn’s offices every day and was finally selected to intern. Although it was only a three-month position, “I just kept showing up.

It was crazy! I thought back to what Ms. Gordon had instilled in us, that freedom to be bold, and it worked!”

After a full year of “just showing up” she was finally hired. She worked in TV casting for Boston Legal and Two and a Half Men, as well as script reading with such stars as Justin Timberlake, Shia LeBeouf, Ryan Gosling, Casey Affleck, Macaulay Culin, and Hayden Christensen who had just completed Star Wars. The life she had envisioned for herself was now her reality.

The life she had envisioned for herself was now her reality.

But then she got sick, contracting a series of viral meningitis, which resulted in her Hollywood career coming to an abrupt halt. The recovery from the effects of meningitis is long and often difficult, so her father bought her a one-way ticket to come home. “I had a life in L.A. I had been working there for ten years, so I was feeling panicked at the prospect of the unknown.”

Although Valerie would fly back to Hollywood for various short jobs, she felt changed. “What have I really done with my life’?” She now feels as if there had been a series of road signs that led her back home, and back to Bement.

Away from the pressures of Hollywood and into the quiet pace of home, Valerie found herself longing to reconnect with her roots. She turned to her alma mater, visiting Bement’s alumni office in Snivley House and met with Alex Bartlett ’87, Bement’s athletic director, who was searching for a coach for the school’s girl’s basketball team. Valerie played basketball at Bement and continued her love for the sport while at NMH. But coaching girls? This was out of her comfort zone, but maybe it was just what she needed.

She feels as if there have been a series of road signs that led her back home, and back to Bement.

For the next two years, she spent most of her time in Franklin County, coaching our Bement girls and rediscovering her roots. She also kept her ties in Los Angeles by flying back for meetings, but “the girls on my team would hear my stories about knowing Justin Beiber and other stars from film sets and ask, ‘what are you going here with us?’ I told them that my work with them was so much more rewarding than anything else I had ever done.”

Rediscovering her purpose was not the only thing that Valerie was doing during her time here in the Pioneer Valley. She was also writing scripts that she hopes to someday soon direct. One, entitled Game Changer, is a particular favorite of hers, inspired by her time coaching at Bement. “It’s about having the life, getting sidetracked, finding those girls, and feeling you’re right where you belong.”

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Home

Sweet

Home On January 2, 2013, 19 Bement girls returned from our winter break to a new home! As they came back into town from their farflung holiday travels, their personal belongings were being moved into the dormitory as the last drop cloths were being folded and put away.

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S

queals of delight and excitement filtered through the hallways as the girls and their dorm parents began the process of unpacking and setting up in their new rooms. Thus began the official life of our new girls dormitory.

This culminating moment was the end of a seemingly interminable process between the opening of the Jiayi/Blydenburgh dormitory in February 2010, and the construction of a matching building for the girls.

Under the guidance of the board of trustees, the school contracted for construction in March 2012.

The school chose to work again with Wright Builders, Inc., the same contractor used to build the boys dormitory. Wright Builders, working with Margo Jones Architects, laid out an aggressive construction timeline to complete the building

by December. With mostly good summer weather and a consistent approach to scheduling, the building was completed just in time for the girls’ return from winter break.

The new dormitory is a near carbon copy of the first dorm with a few notable changes. Both buildings

feature energy-efficient, doublewall construction and state-of-theart heat pumps for heating and air conditioning. The dorms have solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on their roofs to generate electricity.

With its larger solar PV array, the new dormitory is capable of producing nearly two times as much power as the first dorm.

Both buildings have a solar hot water collection system that can supply all of the hot water needed during the day. Both buildings feature two one-bedroom apartments and two threebedroom apartments to house our dorm parents and their families.

For changes, the girls dormitory features two quads for girls among its eight student rooms, while the boys dormitory features ten double rooms. The boys dorm supplements its solar hot water system with an electric water heater while the girls dorm features a gas water heater for night time and heavy usage periods. The girls dorm also has a large, third floor storage area for student belongings and other campus needs. Finally, the project also included the installation of

two building generators to provide back-up power in the event of extended power outages, allowing our boarding community to continue to function as a community if necessary.

This $2.7 million project was completed through the generosity of the Bement community with over $2.1 million of donor pledges and the use of $600,000 in endowment funds. The new dormitory joins Jiayi/Blydenburgh and the Haas House (the former Wright House) in a unified boarding campus that includes a residence for the dean of boarding. We encourage all visitors to campus to visit our beautiful new boarding facilities on your next trip to the school.

BY KEN CUDDEBACK, BUSINESS MANAGER

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,,In many ways, the new dorm is the antithesis of the old. Its age is ,, measured in days, not centuries.

Ringing in the New

BY EMILY LENT, UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER, DORM PARENT

Just in time for the holidays, the dorm parent apartments were

finished and true to this timing, the dorm has been a gift to our boarding community. While new things often take some getting used to, our new dorm instantly felt like home. It has fit into our north end residential campus like the missing piece of a puzzle.

I will always have great fondness for Barton House and the five years I lived in the second floor back apartment.

It was remarkable to be one in a long line of Bementers who lived in Barton House during the 82 years since Bement purchased it in 1931 to expand the boarding program. The Barton girls enjoyed living there, too. But in many ways, our lives in the new dorm aren't all that different. Basic actions of boarding life are much easier to enjoy and do well now that we live at 138 Old Main Street.

In many ways, the new dorm is the antithesis of the old.

Its age is measured in days, not centuries. All the rooms are on the same, straight hallway, rather than up or down stairs and tucked into nooks and crannies. It is open and airy, with big windows and natural sunlight, unlike the small windows of the colonial and Victorian-era houses of the previous dorms.

During our first weekly dorm meeting in the new dorm, I asked the girls to share their favorite thing about our new home. Many of the comments were just what you would expect from pre-teens in a new building: the dishwasher, the bigger bathrooms, the fireplace. But one girl paused, trying to figure out just how to put her feeling into the words in her second language. “My favorite thing,” she said, “is how it feels to be part of this new dorm community.” Another girl shared that she feels closer and more connected to the other boarders and dorm parents now that we all live together. Many others said that the extra space and the opportunity to play together after school was what they enjoyed most.

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These feelings aren't easy to put into words, but they are plain to see in daily life around the north end. When I look out the sunny bay window in my apartment, I see kids playing in the dorms’ backyard or shooting hoops on the paved court. Boarders and dorm parents relax together on the porch rocking chairs while listening to a student strumming the guitar al fresco or watching a pick-up game of wiffle ball on the quad behind Haas House. There are babies and dogs and cats and toys and bikes and children of all ages enjoying life at the north end. Our boarding village feels like the neighborhood where you dream of living, with residents from two months old to 72 years old living harmoniously together.

The only difference at Bement is that residents of the same house are not all from the same family, but instead hail from all over the world, from Tennessee to Taiwan, from Massachusetts to Mexico.

Boarders and dorm parents alike have repeated one refrain over and over again since we began living together in our north end boarding village. Surprisingly enough, what they say doesn’t have to do with our state-of-the-art, energy-efficient new homes or the lovely green spaces that surround them, as grateful as we all are for those assets. Instead, members of our boarding community consistently mention how meaningful their walk down Old Main Street is each morning. They love to walk up and down our quiet street, enjoying the meditative minutes that bookend their school day.

Boarders now frequently arrive at breakfast saying how beautiful Historic Deerfield is and how remarkable it is that we are able to live and learn together in this special place. Of course, this has always been true, but there is something about sharing that morning walk between our beautiful, twenty-first century dorms and the beloved, eighteenth-century Bement House that makes our good fortune all the more palpable. That is the best gift of all.

BY DEAN FUSTO P ’17, ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL HEAD

Ref lecting on Traditions June is a bittersweet month. Baccalaureate, Farewell Evening, and commencement ceremonies evoke feelings of sheer elation for our graduates, tempered by the sobering reality of their anticipated separation from us. Despite six years at Bement, I continue to marvel at the magical ways in which our school has lovingly ritualized saying goodbye to its graduating class. By design, over their final few days as Bement students, we hold on to each ninth grader just long enough to celebrate him or her as unique individuals, and collectively as a class who always leaves an indelible and inimitable mark of distinction on our community.

Reflecting upon the respective closing ceremonies of the last two years, my clarity around the poignancy and power of traditions, rituals, and ceremonies is remarkably clear. There are countless images of baccalaureate that have taken permanent residence in my heart. The procession of our ninth grade class, the sincerity with which our student ushers perform their roles, the showcasing of the musical talents of our students.

Yet, rising above it all, I hear the earnest, heartfelt voices of our ninth grade students as they stand before the entire school community and genuinely profess love and appreciation for the impact that Bement people, places, and moments have had in their lives. By voicing what mattered most to them from their Bement experience, we are all invited to share in this otherwise private part of their lives. One of my favorite moments from baccalaureate occurred when the electricity and microphone failed in the middle of one students’ reflection. The crowd gasped, giggled, and then settled into a reverent silence waiting to see how the student would handle the awkward and potentially embarrassing situation. He never wavered and delivered his speech totally unplugged. I could sense the pride his teachers felt as he pushed through the adversity and enormity of the moment and truly lived the Bement motto of flying on one’s own wings.

Farewell Evening is an inexplicable, unconventional, joyful event that must be experienced to be fully understood.

Throughout May, ninth grade students wait with insatiable curiosity and anticipation for the special night when each will be the recipient of Bement’s most unique and meaningful gift: a teacher paying them the ultimate tribute. The paean takes many forms. Some teachers choose the comedic path, dressing up in appropriately bizarre costumes, playfully poking fun of a quirky behavior or personality trait, or sharing humorous tales about

the student. Some teachers choose a more straightforward path by simply retelling a story or singing a song. Whatever the delivery, the meaning of Farewell Evening is the one constant.

Every moment on this long commencement eve night is our way of saying goodbye. We celebrate our ninth graders publicly, leaving no doubt about what their time at Bement has meant to us. Each presenter’s roast is only complete when he or she bequeaths a gift to the student, hoping that the token will serve as a lifelong connection to a special time and place at Bement.

Every teacher’s message is imbued with unabashed heart and sentiment.

Most of you who are reading this have experienced a commencement ceremony (or several) in your lifetime. My time at Bement has helped me to truly understand the paradox of this milestone. In the same instant we bring ceremonial closure to a Bement experience, we also celebrate a beginning.

We exchange a Bement diploma in the same ephemeral moment that we offer a final heartfelt handshake or hug. An adoring community comprised of teaching faculty, staff, a mosaic of families from across the world, and proud alumni join us in celebrating our ninth grade students. The lawn, post-commencement, is abuzz with a perfect patchwork of smiling and tearful faces, an incessant ebb and flow of voices, and cameras vying for the ideal image to capture every morsel of congratulatory goodness. As the post-commencement celebration begins to fade, a patch of green reappears where happy feet once stood. I usually wait until the final person has left so I can continue to soak in every last gleeful ray of yet another ninth grade class whose presence will forever be felt.

In this issue of the Bulletin we proudly feature two graduation classes— the class of 2012 and the class of 2013.

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THE CLASS OF 2012

E I G H T Y- S E V E N T H C O M M E N C E M E N T • June 8, 2012

CLASS OF

2012 SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT

Madison Baker

Deerfield Academy

Anna Berger

Deerfield Academy

Elise Chauvel

Berkshire School

Tony Chen

The Lawrenceville School

Minji Cho

St. Paul’s School

Brie Duseau

Northfield Mount Hermon

Beckie Duseau

Northfield Mount Hermon

Streeter Elliott

Frontier Regional High School

Jonathan Friedman

Squaw Valley School

Shuangni Huang

Northfield Mount Hermon

Young Seok Jang

Wilbraham and Monson Academy

Kate Kehne

Milton Academy

Keun Young Kim

Pomfret School

Harold Kim

Northfield Mount Hermon

Adam Kuniholm

George School

Connor LaFleur

Vermont Academy

Daniel Lee

Northfield Mount Hermon

Yuri Lee

Deerfield Academy

David Liu

Deerfield Academy

Troy Mayrand

Frontier Regional High School

Wilder McCoy

Northfield Mount Hermon

Gabriel Miranda Sousa

Fort Meyers High School

Thaddeus Niemiec

Northfield Mount Hermon

Michael Park

Blair Academy

Matt Plager

Westminster School

Sierra Rother

St. Mark’s School

Henry Sanford

Deerfield Academy

Danny Shin

Portsmouth Abbey School

Allen Vance

Amherst Regional High School

Harim Woo

Phillips Andover Academy

Qi Zhu

Miss Porter’s School

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THE CLASS OF 2013

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E I G H T Y- E I G H T H C O M M E N C E M E N T • June 7, 2013

CLASS OF

2013 SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT

Curt Allen

Tantasqua Regional High School

Nathan Barr

The MacDuffie School

Pablo Borra Paley

Northfield Mount Hermon

Maya Brewington

Solebury School

Aiden Day

Deerfield Academy

Yueqi Du

Blair Academy

Jiyoung Jeong

Milton Academy

Haley Kennedy

Mercersburg Academy

Alex Klonaris

Portsmouth Abbey School

Megan Loebel

Hopkins Academy

Sam Lord Sam Lord

Homeschool and Greenfield Community College

Josie Meier

Deerfield Academy

Miles Mazel

The Webb Schools

Alejandro Odorica

Northfield Mount Hermon

Phoebe Pliakas-Smith

Pomfret School

Anya Shevzov-Zebrun

Deerfield Academy

Tommy Song

Phillips Exeter Academy

Allie Stamler

Northfield Mount Hermon

Jean-Pierre Torras

Deerfield Academy

Peter Trousdale

The Hotchkiss School

Sam Rosenberry

Amherst Regional High School

Mark Vranos

The Academy at Charlemont

Lyric Williams-Russell

The Academy at Charlemont

Jack Xu

Deerfield Academy

Shanyin Yang

George School

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After being a well respected teacher in our Bement community for over 43 years, Tim Young has retired from his position as chair of the math department, upper school but still remains at Bement as a school photographer. We were honored to have him be the speaker at the commencement for the Class of 2013. Head of school, Shelley Borror Jackson, shares her thoughts about what his years of service can teach us.

words of wisdom As a boarder and then faculty member, Tim Young has spent nearly 50 years of his life at Bement. Although he leaves his teaching position of 43 years, he remains at Bement to continue to take photographs for our school.

I have had the privilege of working with this man for fourteen years, and he has far more to teach than math.

Here goes:

43 times. Sit in the same chair, take the same walk, stick your toes in the same sand, look at the same horizon.

I’d read To Kill a Mockingbird or Charlotte’s Web 43 times (Well, actually I probably have.) Most of all, I hope you can love someone for 43 years. Mr. Young has lived his life in a way that tells us every day: commitment matters.

Monogram something.

Mr. Young’s example also reminds us to practice humility. Tim Young is –hands down—my favorite photographer. Forget Ansel Adams, Alfred Steeglitz, Annie Leibovitz…. it’s all Tim Young in my book. Yet he delivers breathtaking images year after year, and I have never heard him even whisper, “That was a good one.”

A shirt, a bag, anything. If you do, perhaps your initials will also become iconic. Mr. Young’s have been imitated, parodied, and emulated in countless Bement skits.

He is our one and only TCY, and I suspect he may be the reason why our upper school has created its own shorthand, often referring to teachers by initials rather than by name. Even the room named in his honor is often nicknamed the TCY Room. All this because of those monogrammed shirts!

Imagine surprises!

I think you were stunned when Mr. Young actually said yes when you asked him to be your speaker. Not all surprises will be so fun, but life demands that you be ready for them.

Become really good at something.

Think about the gift of Mr. Young’s exquisite photography. He manages to be in the right place at the right time, and no matter how many teeth you were missing, how shiny your braces were, how ridiculous your hair was in sixth grade, his photos made you adorable. That’s talent, but it’s also decades of practice, of learning new techniques, and of hours and hours of work. If you’ve ever been to Bement on a weekend, you know what I mean. He’s always here. Next,

Do something for 43 years.

In a world that increasingly asks us for speed if not immediacy, we need to celebrate devotion and longevity. Find a place that matters to you and revisit it

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See the best in everyone.

Don’t be quick to call them mean, selfish, rude, or disrespectful. As Mr. Young so frequently diagnosed in many of you, their challenging behavior may only be caused by their “tired minds.” I can guarantee you that you are not likely to find the dean of students at your next school as compassionate and forgiving. And finally,

see the photographs in each day.

Photos freeze time for us. That’s what every parent behind every camera aims to do today. While everyone in this church celebrates you, celebrates the beginning of your life beyond Bement, what we really want is for time to…. just….. stop. We can never get enough of you. So, like Mr. Young, we’ll take the photos of your radiant smiles; we’ll let them capture the joy of this day.

We’ll even put many of them in frames—just one more way of saying that today mattered.

I don’t imagine you’ll remember the advice you’ve asked for forever. I do, however, imagine you’ll always remember Mr. Young. And like him, you are now alumni, loved very much today, and promised to be loved just us much in 43 years.

a

b c

d

a. b.

c. d.

Addressing the class of 2013 as the guest speaker Tim Young as Father William in his 5th grade production of Alice In Wonderland. Tim is in the middle of the back row wearing the plaid flannel shirt stuffed with a pillow Dorm parent, Tim (back left), alongside John and March Bowden who remain his lifelong friends Tim Young can still be found snapping his gorgeous photos of Bement BEMENT BULLETIN 2013-2014

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Tom Falcon (top right) with his field hockey team early 80’s 32

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BY MARTHA PRICE P’07 ’10, UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

“Field hockey at Bement is not just about the Jamboree, nor just a fall sport. It is something unique and ethereal.”

FIELD HOCKEY Crack! Smack! Thud! Hurrah!

These are the sounds of field hockey that ring throughout the campus on the third Saturday in October: the day of the Bement Field Hockey Jamboree.

Since 1976, twelve teams from all over New England descend upon the street and stay for the day.

Parents arrive in the wee hours, fog barely lifted from the ground, with coolers, grills, awnings, blankets, and “buckets of Joe.” Coaches, players, runners, timers, and officials all arrive by 9:00 am, and watches are set to “Bement Standard Time.”

With the blast of the whistle for the first game, the teams are off. Twenty-minute games are played with running time at the half, with no time-outs except for injuries. The timers and runners keep the pace fast. From the teams’ perspective, you want to score fast, early, and often. Hoards of girls, wearing colorful uniforms, chanting cheers of “We’ve got spirit, yes we do; we’ve got spirit how ‘bout you?” exhibit school pride as they walk up and down the street to the next game.

This is middle school field hockey at its best. The level of play is extraordinary, the sportsmanship impeccable, and the camaraderie infectious. One former Bement student told me that when she was a freshman at Syracuse University, she met a girl wearing a field hockey Jamboree shirt. They discovered that they had both played in the Jamboree during middle school, though they were from different states in New England. Former players return to coach their middle school teams, and officials have been known to request the Jamboree date in January, just to be sure they can referee the day.

The Field Hockey Jamboree didn’t just happen on its own. In 1976, Tom Falcon, then athletic director at Bement, decided to organize a tournament for the girls to give them something special, because the boys had the Eaglebrook soccer tournament to attend. In 1992, Peter Hendrik PF,

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‟

I wasn’t planning on playing field hockey but because the field hockey team was short for a game, they asked if I would sub in.

Since then I have been hooked. The field hockey team is great at Bement. The coaches are wonderful and work with you and push you enough so you grow.

”

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Whitney Roberts ’10′

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Coach “Ozzie” (right) with Bement’s field hockey team

P’00, ’03, added the student created t-shirts and their sale to the teams and spectators, and Dorothy Milne has coached our girls for 30 years to become one of the finest teams in the valley.

Field hockey at Bement is not just about the Jamboree, nor just a fall sport. It is something unique and ethereal. It is difficult to describe, but for girls, it is empowering. Imagine being a gawky 6th or 7th grader, new to the school, and new to a very strange sport. You carry a stick of which you can only use one side, you hold it in your left hand, regardless of whether you are right-handed or not, and you have to bend down low. Now add a kilt, and play with a tiny ball that doesn’t roll very well in long grass, and well, you can imagine the frustration.

It is a wonder that field hockey at the middle school level has ever

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survived! But thrive it has, and this writer believes it is due to Dorothy Milne. Dorothy is a demanding coach; she has high expectations of both fitness and skills. For games, the team is divided into varsity and reserve, or swing players if there is only one team. She pairs the returning players on day one with new players, and they practice as a whole team every day. As a result, those “new-to-the-sport girls” have players from every grade level to talk with in the hallway and at lunch tables. Suddenly, it is not so lonely being new.

In addition, Dorothy schedules community cleanup activities for the girls as an entire team. The sense of belonging is evident as the older girls, completely on their own, make spirit posters for the entire team before the Jamboree, which are then plastered all over school. If a visiting team is short-

My favorite quote from Dorothy at every Jamboree is, “Let’s go have fun, and keep everything ‘in the spirit of the day.’” A good mantra for life, I think. handed and cannot field a team, our Bement girls volunteer to play for the other side. Another event that happens without any communication on Jamboree morning is that gingerbread cookies are made with each girl’s number and name painted on in frosting.

No one knows who is in charge of this task, or who organizes it, but it gets passed down from graduating class to class throughout the years.

Following the Jamboree, the entire team attends a “thanks for a great day,” gathering at the Milnes’ house, complete with fun group games, ice cream, and cupcakes.

The sense of leadership, selfconfidence, and empowerment

which the girls receive from Dorothy Milne, carries them on to other areas of their lives. Once we tracked our field hockey graduates from Bement into high school and college and found that the confidence continued.

These girls were captains of variety teams, leaders of clubs, and many were resident assistants in dormitories.

Though these girls may have done all these things on their own, this writer likes to believe that Bement field hockey and playing in the Jamboree had something to do with it. My favorite quote from Dorothy at every jamboree is, “Let’s go have fun, and keep everything ‘in the spirit of the day.’” A good mantra for life, I think.

The sense of leadership, self-confidence, and empowerment… carries them on to other areas of their lives.

My favorite quote from Dorothy at every jamboree is, “Let’s go have fun, and keep everything ‘in the spirit of the day.” A good mantra for life, I think.

Whitney Roberts 'xx

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P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E LO P M E N T

With a grant from Bement’s Clagett Professional Development Fund, Deborra Stewart-Pettengill recharges her creative batteries during march break

REFLECT, RESPOND,

EXCHANGE

Two years ago, I received an email from the directors of Cow House Studios, presenting their program for artists, educators, and students. Intrigued by the initial contact, I learned that Cow House, located in Enniscorthy, Rathnure, County Wessex, Ireland, is the inspiration of Rosie O’Gorman and her husband Frank Abruzzese, both of whom are artists and educators. It is housed in renovated stone cow barns on Rosie’s family farm, and offers a variety of programs for artists, educators, and students. Learning more about the educators retreat in March, I began saving my pennies toward this goal. Imagine my excitement, when I learned that Clagett funds at Bement would help me realize this dream during March break 2013.

In January 2013, Rosie and Frank visited Bement and met with a group of students who were interested in the Cow House summer program. That evening, my husband and I invited Rosie, Frank, and their young son, Michael, for dinner and enjoyed hearing more about how Cow House evolved. Discovering that we had friends in common made the world seem smaller, and Ireland seem closer. As winter term drew to an end, I became more excited about the residency.

Arriving in Dublin, Ireland, on March 9, at 5:45 AM, navigating through baggage and customs, and racing through a network of covered walkways to catch a 6:30 bus to Enniscorthy left me panting in the morning mist.

The two-hour ride on winding, narrow, hedge-lined roads through the hilly countryside gave me time to adjust to the lush green landscape. When the bus deposited me beside a river flowing through the center of this small town, I began to wonder if anyone at Cow House Studios remembered I was arriving so early! Ten minutes later, Rosie pulled alongside the curb, jumped out, gave me a welcoming hug, loaded my bags into the small Subaru, and whisked me 38

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IMAGINE MY EXCITEMENT, WHEN I LEARNED THAT CLAGETT FUNDS WOULD HELP ME REALIZE THIS DREAM DURING SPRING BREAK 2013.

off to her family’s farm twenty minutes away. Chatting while driving, we soon pulled into a tree-lined driveway leading up to the top of a hill, where huge stone barns marked the site of Cow House Studios. Rosie’s husband, Frank Abruzzse, was busy in the kitchen preparing fresh farm eggs and soda bread for everyone’s breakfast. I was introduced to visiting artists from Pennsylvania, offered a seat at the table, and my residency at Cow House had begun.

For an artist, the greatest luxury is the gift of time, time to reflect, consider, and explore ideas; time to experiment with materials and designs; time to discover new pathways and ways of working. This gift was generously given to me in this residency by offering an inviting studio space for creating, interesting colleagues with whom to exchange ideas, and a self-directed schedule allowing me to work 14-16 hours each day.

Preparing materials and setting goals before my departure allowed me to get to work the first day. Looking toward upcoming exhibitions and reflecting on forms which were emerging in my most recent work, gave me a direction with a purpose. Dividing my time between sculpture, painting, and drawing facilitated conversation and connection between the pieces.

My working days were interspersed with conversations with fellow artists, delightful meals, invigorating hikes over fields and narrow lanes, opportunities to explore small seaside towns, and lovely visits with the O’Gorman family. Fellow resident artists/teachers came from Montreal, Ireland, and the U.S., each pursuing different areas of art, (photography, computer graphics, performance art, and painting), and each teaching different categories and levels of art. The frequent opportunities for sharing curriculum ideas, discussing successful lesson plans, relating methods for engaging students, and introducing one another to new and exciting art was invaluable. Each resident valued the time as a treasure, using each day to the fullest.

My days at Cow House flew by, and the amount

of work I accomplished was substantial. Along with developing initial sculptures, paintings, and drawings for two upcoming exhibitions, I also worked on a portfolio of images, which I will develop into etchings. These images are inspired by the poetry of my colleague, upper school english and fine arts teacher Amie Keddy, and we are working toward the goal of combining etchings and poetry into a book format. These pieces will be shared in my next show at The Oxbow Gallery in Northampton, MA. I came home feeling invigorated and inspired by the experience. I am excited to implement concepts and techniques into my artwork and energized to share fresh ideas and methods with my students.

I am eternally grateful to Bement, the Clagett fund, Cow House Studios, and my husband, Peter, for the opportunity to experience this residency. Bement is now connected to Ireland through this wonderful program, and I hope some of our talented art students will be able to take advantage of the summer programs offered there.

BY DEBORRA STEWART-PETTENGILL P’01 ’03, FINE ARTS CHAIR AND LOWER AND UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS TEACHER

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scrapbook BEMENT BULLETIN 2013-2014

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upper school scrapbook

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40’s Nate Tufts ’43 reports, “Ros and I are back from a sail visiting the UK and various French, Belgian, and Dutch ports aboard the Barkentine, Sea Cloud II. We have had a delightful houseful of grandchildren and their boy friends this summer, and have been beating the heat wave in the pond so far. Visitors from the old Bement days - yes there are still a few of us left- would be welcome here in west Northfield, MA.; maintaining our Wildlife Tree Farm, raised bed gardens, and several needy animals have kept us busy and healthy so far, with weekly Yoga lessons from daughter Jennifer helping. I continue to write poetry mainly for my own satisfaction, with perhaps another book printed in a year. I find my 15 years as an ultra-light sea plane pilot still provides inspiration, describing the New England landscape and waterways from the Merrimack to the Connecticut River from altitude. Best to you all”

50’s Halle Hewitt ’52 and her brother Freddy Wile ’49 both attended “Menty's Bement”. She has two children, Frederic (Rick) Wile and Rita Halle Hewitt. She attended Occidental, UC Berkeley Santa Clara. Her interestes are Fifty+Fitness, Whitney Grant Peninsula Volunteers, Master Teacher, Lecturer, and Fundraiser.

Halle is a teacher and business owner.

Bill Polk Jr ’52 writes, “I am going into my 4th year diagnosed with Parkinson's.

I am generally doing quite well, but my gait is not as steady as it once was.”

Joan Laundon ’58 writes that her grandchild, Graham Button Laundon, will be one in the summer of 2013 “and is of course, adorable. Traveling to northern Spain in June 2013 for 3-weeks of fun. All is well in Waterbury, VT.”

60’s Jeffrey Minnick ’60 writes, “We are “empty nesters.” Of his three children, one is married, one is engaged, and he has two grandchildren.

Dace Brown Stubbs ’61 (right) shares, “My husband and I had a delightful visit with Shelley Jackson at Bement while

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class notes

Being a class agent is a fun and rewarding way to remain connected with your class and Bement. Class agents send updates to the school, as well as alumna/us information for the Bement Bulletin. If you are interested in becoming a class agent for your class, or simply leaning more, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@bement.org or 413-774-3021.

photographing the New England fall colors. Many great memories flooded back. So much is still the same and so much is so fresh and new. It was a happy day to see and hear how well Bement is flourishing. It gave me great pride. I thank Bement for all the foundation it gave me. Hopefully my giving back will ensure Bement will be around for many years to come.”

William “Bill” Rogers ’65 reports, “All three boys were home for Christmas. Jon (28) is a tennis pro in Sudbury. Gram (23) owns a small business in Missouri.

We had a wonderful time roaming Bement's grounds at Thanksgiving. I have many fond feelings of my time there - especially with Missy Cary and Mary Hawks.”

Anne Place Fiore ’66 lives in Sarasota Florida, in the winter and Bristol, Rhode Island, during the summer.

Joan Perry ’66 writes, “I have four grandchildren now and absolutely love the experience. I live in Montana for the summers and Arizona for the winters and enjoy playing golf. I have fond memories of Bement, especially in the fall.”

Edwin Reade, III ’67 PTT shares, “Over the course of the summer, my wife, Maria, and a handful of dedicated local students and faculty helped build a 22 x 48 foot passive solar greenhouse in an unused field behind the Trinity Pawlings school's dining hall. Earlier in the spring, she and her crew constructed an 80 foot long raised bed garden which they covered with a low tunnel for spring growing. The bed proved so successful that one of her beloved students took it upon himself to set up a stand at the Pauling Farmers Market and sold the bounteous produce that came from that garden.” All the produce from the two gardens goes right into the dining hall and onto the plates of the boys

and faculty. Ned’s wife shared, “Ned learned lessons in back to the basics when he traveled to Haiti in July with his colleague in the arts at Trinity Pawlings. They worked in an orphanage for a week. Growing up in rural New England, Ned had never seen absolute poverty.” The experience changed his outlook on life.

Jennifer Bethlenfalvay ’68 is happy and healthy in Denver: “Bement is always in my memories for the great education I recieved and for the people I met and some of whom I still know. Amazing! Three growing grandchildren, ages of 7, 12, & 14, keep me busy! It's gone by so fast! I have lived in Denver, Colorado, for 34 years and love it. I miss Bement very much!”

John Haigis, III ’68 “To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. I have received a report that my demise was mentioned in a recent Bement Bulletin. Let me comfort (or disappoint) all who may have read such a report to say that Jan and I continue to reside in a 1734 stone house on the outskirts of Philadelphia and continue to make music as often as we can. Further information may be found on our web site www.

PastTimesPresent.com. Love and light to all.”

70’s Kate Reade Rosenblatt ’73 tells us she is always thrilled to visit Bement when she is up for the BSAA meetings. “The campus is certainly beautiful and vibrant.

Stepping foot into the dining hall and the former Polk Building brings back such fond memories. I've been happily employeed by the Berkshire Museum (berkshiremuseum.org) in Pittsfield since last fall as the Museum Shop manager and buyer. It's been great fun and a perfect fit after years of working in retail managemnt for large, college bookstores. I hope any Bementers will come visit the museum shop in their travels to the Berkshires! Thanks!”

Jon Wilson ’79 recently became a grandfather.

80’s Felipe Barreda ’82 writes, “I hope everyone at Bement is doing well. My wife Mary, my son Victor, and I are doing very well. I am working full time for a friend of mine as an office clerk in his law office. I also work part time as a sales associate for Tiki Water Sports, Inc. located on mile marker 94.5 on Key Largo, Florida. I sell trailerable sailboats.

I have always had a passion for sailboats and the sea. The cool part of my job is that I get to go sailing for free once in a while, and I get to go to the boat shows and talk to people about what I enjoy most about sailing. Hope to hear from you soon. God bless.”

Vanessa Albrecht ’84 “Dear Bementers, November 17, 2012 brought me great joy as I welcomed Maria Sophia, my Italian daughter, into the world.We have been having great fun ever since.

My husband and I live in Tuscany and spend most of our time in Lucca and the surrounding hills, where we keep bees and participate in the telltale agricultural routines that punctuate so many people's lives here in Italy. Hope we will all get over for a visit before too many years pass. All good wishes to everyone.”

Barak Blackburn ’85 recently let his geek/nerd flag fly when he finished writing “Capes, Cowls, and Villains Foul" for Spectrum Games. CC&VF is a superheroic roleplaying game. When asked to explain what that means to the

not-as-geeky-as-he masses, Barak offered this “It is a game wherein a group of friends get together and take on the roles of superheroes.” When the noise of crickets filled the air, he continued, “It is like Dungeons & Dragons, except instead of taking place in the realms of fantasy, in this players portray superheroes.” With the publication of the book, Barak was brought on board Spectrum Games, and has written several supplements and continues to flex his creative muscles. The Bement Bulletin translation: Barak Blackburn ‘85 wrote a book for a very small niche market. CC&VF is available in print and via pdf, and Barak remembers way back when playing D&D in Snively as part of a Bement elective, and has never been able to master how to spin a twentysided die like a top.

90’s Katherine Porter ’92 reports, “My husband and I married in June of 2011, and just welcomed our first child, Henry Adam Porter, on March 22, 2012.”

Chris Corrinet ’94 married Lauren Rose Crowley of Amelia Island, FL, in November 2012. Chris is currently working at CBRE, Inc. in New York City.

Dr. Kate Echeverria ’95 writes that she is “an associate veterinarian at Southern Equine Service in Aiken, SC. I am really enjoying my job and the horse community in Aiken.”

Brent Houck Freedland ’96 is in his eighth year as a history teacher at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania and is wrapping up his masters degree in history at Villanova University.

Suzanne Atwill ’97 (above) shares that on May 17, 2013, she married Miles Alexander Stewart. They met five years ago while ballroom dancing and married in a small mountaintop ceremony and picnic at the historic Pen Mar Park, MD. The Stewarts will be moving to Seoul, South Korea, in August.

Zerah Jakub ’99 writes, “After working at museums in Boston for the past six years and earning my masters in Museum Studies from The Johns Hopkins University last Spring, I moved to Alexandria, VA, in December to start work at George Washington's Mount Vernon as the manager of education outreach and leadership programs. My job includes presenting teacher training programs, both at Mount Vernon and around the country, that focus on bringing George Washington back into the classroom; creating distance

Key

P

Parent

’GB

Alumna/us from Grace Bement era (1925-1947)

GP

Grandparent

FA

Current faculty or staff

’00

Alumna/us Class Year

PF

Past faculty or staff

TT

Trustee

FR

Friend of Bement

PTT

Past Trustee

FHS

Former Head of School

BSAA

Alumni Association Board Member

GGP

Great Grandparent

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learning programs that reach students who otherwise would not be able to experience Mount Vernon; and overseeing the education department blog and social media accounts.”

The Aughts Pam Chatikavanij ’01 is working in Washington, DC, and began her PhD in the fall of 2012.

Peem Chatikavanij ’03 is working in Thailand in International Relations.

Scott Zolkos ’03 is at the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, MA, and is enjoying being part of their research team.

Danton Brewington ’04 is moving to Beijing, China, to teach English for the year 2013-2014.

Caroline M. Haines ’04 recently ended a stint in marketing at L’Oreal and started a media planning job at Ogilvy on the IBM account. “I was a little nervous about making the switch from marketing to advertising and fragrance and beauty to technology, but am happy to report so far so good! I am still adjusting to my new role and responsibilities, but I am excited to be learning something new and for all of the challenges that come with that. I live in Gamercy. I quite like the neighborhood. I don’t spend too much time there, but it’s very easy to get places except it’s a bit of a hike to get to my new office, which is all the way at 47th and 11th. I’ve been meeting people through work, etc. but have mostly been connecting with old friends. Of course Madeline Merin ’04 is in the city and I recently saw Chris Diamond ’04, who works at Bloomberg with some friends of mine from Pomfret - small world.”

Alexander Milne ’04 graduated from Allegheny College in the spring of 2011, and is now living in Boston and enjoying “big city life.”

Stephanie Schonbrun’04 attended Bement from kindergarten through grade 9. “What a wonderful place that was!” She works in Digital Ad-Sales for RealSimple.com. “I love the brand and it's been great transitioning from the print magazine to the digital world. Fun 46

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to see and learn both sides! I'm from Greenfield so I’ll have to stop by next time I’m home to see the new dorms. I hear they’re spectacular!”

now attending her father’s alma mater, Lafayette College. She is double majoring in geology and art history and is a coxswain on the crew team.

Kara Fabella ’05 tells us “Bement has always held a special place in my heart. I am currently living in Boston working in public relations for a movie promotions company called Allied/THA. I also help out with some marketing and events at a London-based clothing company called Ted Baker. I’ve lived in Boston for the last four+ years as I attended Boston University, graduating with a B.S. in journalism. I decided to defer a year from Stanford Law School, to work in the Boston area and get some experience in the entertainment industry. Then it’s off to California this coming September!

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to visit Deerfield before then! Missing you all!”

Adam Pfander ’09 is attending Hamilton College in NY. He is a member of the cross country and track teams, and is writing for both the Hamilton College admissions and media relations departments and may major in political science and economics.

Mackenzie Daigle ’08 is attending the University of Alabama after graduating from NMH in the spring of 2011 Although she “absolutely loves” UA, she misses Bement. “I miss Bement so much--it was the best! I have so many wonderful memories!”

Sarah Dimmitt ’08 has set and reset Westminster School’s record in diving and won the Founders League diving competition in the winter of 2012.

Charles Bryant ’09 is attending Connecticut College.

Kerry Krause ’09 is a happy freshman at Princeton – “Go Tigers!”

Jiayi Lu’ 09 tells us“I’M LOVING DARTMOUTH! My year began with a 5-day outdoors orientation. I signed up for Hiking 3 (nicknamed psycho hiking).

It was a workout, but the group had a great dynamic, and two of my tripees became my closest friends. I picked Dartmouth Emergency Medical Service as my extracurricular activity. I became CPR-certified yesterday and will begin working shifts as a tertiary, and I plan on doing EMT training in the winter.

Besides that, I sometimes write for the Jack-O-Lantern, a Dartmouth humor magazine.”

Alexandra Nagurney ’09 graduated cum laude from Deerfield Academy and is

Nina Shevzov-Zebrun ’09 won five awards at Deerfield Academy and was her class valedictorian.

Tucker Emery ’10 won an award for Spanish at Northfield Mount Hermon.

Eliana Goldsher ’10 continues to thrive at NMH and her father reports that she can not get enough of the experience at the orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

Whitney Roberts ’10 graduated from Mohawk Trail Regional High School, as a field hockey captian where she took her field hockey team to the western Mass tournament, and was named an All-Star and an All-Scholastic Athlete. “I attended a field hockey showcase at Disney World in Florida where I was recruited by many schools. I decided to attend Keene State college in the fall as an environmental science major and where I will also be playing field hockey in both the fall and spring.” Above is a picture from the western Massachusetts finals.

Benjamin Sarat ’11 won The Benjamin W. B. Brown Award at the WillistonNorthampton School. This award is given to honor that student who has shown the most improvement in work in the biological sciences.

Charlotte Posever ’10 graduated from Deerfield Academy in 2013 and will take a year off to travel before heading to Bryn Mawr in 2014. Her travels will take her to Peru, Bolivia, and Florence, Italy, where she will be hiking, doing homestays, and experiencing cultural immersion.

a

In Memoriam Family, friends, and Bement Alumni who passed away between November 2, 2011 and April 17, 2013. We are sorry for their loss.

Gretchen P. Caines ’54 J. D. Falk ’51 Thomas Covell ’79 David Marcus ’03 Ray Sheflin ’61 Mary H. Drexler P’50 P’52 FA FHS

Our apologies In the last Bulletin, we mistakenly printed that John Haigis ’68 was deceased. The error came from a letter, addressed to Mr. Haigis, that was returned to Bement, marked by the postal service as “deceased”. As it turns out, the senior John Haigis had died, not our beloved alumnus! When we discovered the mistake, we called Mr. Haigis, who was living happily in the outskirts of Philadelphia, and thankfully, he had a laugh about the mistake. We deeply regret the error, but are happy with the outcome! Read about his news on page 44 of Class Notes.

d

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: for alumni: alumni@bement.org

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b

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a.

b.

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e. f.

In June of 2013, Head of School, Shelley Jackson, and Dean of Boarding, Dave Belcher, traveled to Korea to visit with current, past, and newly enrolled families.

L-R: Jung Lim Lee P’15, Min Sook Park P’13, Hyejoo Han P’12 , Sang Kyung Song P’14 L-R, Ryan Sinclair ’07, Phil Casale ’07 with former advisor/teacher Caddie Jackson.

Mackenzie Daigle ’08 visits Mrs. Currie’s second grade classroom after performing her original song, “In the Blue” at Friday Morning Meeting.

Mini Reunion 2012 Angie Han ’06 graduated from Wharton and has taken a position with Baine Capital in Seoul, Korea. She made a deliberate pilgrimage back to Deerfield before returning to Korea after her years of education in the U.S.

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Faculty/Staff News & Milestones Barak Blackburn ’85, director of technology, recently wrote “Capes, Cowls, and Villains Foul” for Spectrum Games. It is a superheroic roleplaying game. With the publication of the book, Barak was brought on board Spectrum Games, and has written several supplements.

Dean Fusto P’17, assistant head of school and upper school head published the article, Connecting Character, International Service-Learning, and Curriculum in the February 2013 issue of Middle Ground, a national publication of the Association for Middle level Education. His book, Circo: A Teachers Guide, was published by Carlex to accompany the feature film/ documentary - www.circomexico.com.

Which Way Home - A Teachers Guide was also published by Carlex to accompany the feature film/documentary www. whichwayhome.net. Dean also conducted the webinar, Designing and Implementing an Effective Information Literacy Program for TABS3D Conference with Co-presenters, Bement faculty members, Nancy Ames and Marcia Bernard. “In our webinar, we helped identify the key features of an effective information literacy program. Our unique curriculum is based on a collaborative teaching model and encompasses four distinct disciplines: study skills, web/media literacy, library skills, and research skills. The goals of this informative webinar include sharing the design of the Bement program, identifying the key features of its success, and helping individual teachers and schools get a head start on designing a similar information literacy curriculum.”

Amanda King, lower school teacher, earned her masters in education in reading and language this past May and is also now licensed as a reading specialist.

Xiaomo Hong, Chinese teacher and boarding parent, and her husband, Jun Gao, welcomed their first child, Shawn Gao on April 1, 2013 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA. His Chinese nickname is "U-U" because

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of the similar sound of "humor" in Chinese (since he was born in April fool's day). He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 21.12 inches (and is beyond adorable!)

Shelley Jackson, head of school, wrote a chapter on junior boarding schools in Lucy Shih’s Lucy’s Guide to North American High Schools (Beijing, China; 2013) Shelley has also been re-elected for a second term to the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) Membership Committee which reviews the accreditation of all AISNE schools.

Sarah Marcus, upper school drama teacher, was selected as one of the arts intensive teaching artists for the Girls Leadership Institute summer camp at Mount Holyoke for the summer of 2013.

Katrina Spicer-Lindquist, upper school history department chair, is attending the People of Color Leadership Institute at Kingwood Oxford School, in West Hartford, CT. This training was paid for by a Clagett grant and will, among other things, explore the “each one teach one” philosophy.

Two summers ago, Bement’s band director, Jim Snedeker, worked as an intern on the film Food for Change, a documentary about the co-op movement in the United States. The movie was recently selected as a winner of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) Short Film Festival held at the UN headquarters in New York City.

Madeline Surgenor, dorm parent and upper school math teacher, is now the mathematics department chair for the upper school.

Blake Wilson, upper school math teacher, earned his second master's degree in education with a focus on school counseling. Blake will also assume the new role of co-dean of students for grades 8 and 9, along with Alice Gearhart, upper school Latin teacher, who will be co-dean for grades 6 & 7.

For each summer for the past 13 years, Bement’s director of admission Kimberly Caldwell Loughlin, P’18, has been a lead faculty member at the Admission Academy through TABS, the Association of Boarding Schools.

The professional development workshop is designed to support admission officers with less than two years experience learn about admission work. This past fall Kim also conducted a webinar entitled “What to Consider Before, During, and After the Recruitment of International Students” as part of TABS Fall Webinar Series.

Faculty & Staff Milestones We honor and thank faculty and staff for their devotion and service to The Bement School. This year marks the anniversary of the following faculty and staff:

5 Years Elyssa Davis Kimberly Loughlin Julia Flannery Doug Harder Katrina Spicer-Lindquist Leif Riddington

10 Years

15 Years

Will Paulding

Silvia Mugnani

25 Years Martha Smith

Retiring (2012-Present) Rich Winnick Ted Pina

Wendy Giard

A message from Tell White ’GB, President, The Bement School Alumni Association

W

arm greetings to you from Bement, wherever you may be reading your copy of the Bulletin. Today that could be almost anywhere in the world, as we now have over 1500 Bement alumni located throughout the United States, Asia, Europe, and beyond.

My guess is that you, like many other alumni, have not had a chance to visit Bement in a long time, perhaps for many years. With that thought in mind, I would like to invite you, on behalf of the Bement School Alumni Association, to return and visit your school.

If you have not visited Bement for a while, I invite you to return because I am confidant that you will be both surprised and pleased by the current look of our superb campus.

Depending on when you last visited school, you will see for the first time the Kittredge Building, our new upper school, and two new, attractive, and environmentally-friendly dorms.

In addition, I know you will enjoy visiting the new Clagett McLennan Library. Needless to say, all the old favorites, the Bement and Barton houses, the Barn, and the Keith Schoolhouse are being fully utilized. The Snively House is now the home of the alumni and development office. The Mary Hawks House is our new activity center as well as Shelley and Rob Jackson’s home. There are many new things to see!

A visit to Bement, and to Deerfield, I’m sure will both rekindle your memories of school days, as well as give you a fine opportunity to see how well the school is doing today.

You will find a special blend of the Bement you knew as a student combined with a marvelous and contemporary campus of which we can all be proud.

I sincerely hope you will visit Bement before the end of the year. You’ll love it!

Tell White ’GB

TheThe mission of The Bement School mission of the Bement School Alumni Association is: is: Alumni Association To cultivate among the alumni the bonds of friendship and affiliation formed through The Bement School.

To foster communication between The Bement School and its alumni, and to foster continuity, communication and support across the generations of prospective students, current students, alumni and the greater Bement community.

Welcome to our new director of alumni and development

To instill a sense of pride among alumni for The Bement School.

We welcome Sara Becton Ardrey P’22 as our director of alumni and development. Sara brings a wonderful range of experiences as an enthusiastic volunteer and this year’s kindergarten class ambassador; as a volunteer fundraiser for her alma mater, Groton School, as a public relations advisor and fundraiser for a high school on-line mentoring program; and as a teacher at independent schools in Manhattan. As a new Bement parent this past year, Sara is thrilled about being a part of this very special community and helping lead Bement’s alumni relations and development efforts. She looks forward to connecting with you all and hearing about your Bement experiences!

To promote the preservation of Bement's history and traditions.

To promote and advance the name and reputation of The Bement School through its alumni and the alumni association.

To engender a commitment from all alumni to provide personal and financial support towards The Bement School's mission and goals.

To participate in the shaping of these goals, and to support the governance of The Bement School.

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A message from John and Melissa Gardiner P’14 ’18 Annual Fund Chairs (2007-2013)

Community is the word we keep coming back to whenever we think about Bement.

The Gardiner Family (left to right) Clarese ’18, Melissa, John, and Emily ’14

Thank you 2011/2012 Annual Fund Volunteers The Annual Fund is a vital component of Bement, as it is used each year to cover all institutional costs. The following volunteers help to raise these important monies for Bement. Our heartfelt thanks go to: Annual Fund Chairs John TT & Melissa Gardiner P’14,’18 n

A N N U A L FU N D C L AS S AM B AS S A D O R S n

Grade K Sara Ardrey

n

Grade 1 John Knight

n

Grade 2 Sara Riddington

n

Grade 3 Jenn Bete

n

Grade 4 Lisa Kittredge

n

Grade 5 Lori Ott

n

Grade 6 Kris Smythe

n

Grade 7 Sharron Vaillette

n

Grade 8 Joan Roberts

n

Grade 9 Michele Torras

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For us, community means a sense of belonging and feeling valued. It’s also a social group that offers support of personal growth and strength. There are endless examples of times where our Bement community has exemplified these traits. We come together to celebrate often, whether it’s the talents of our children on a musical instrument, their acting abilities in a play, or at commencement. We have withstood adversity most recently with Hurricane Irene and the damaging floods.

We have prospered and grown with the beautiful addition of our new dorms. In our Bement community, there is so much to be thankful for. Every one of us is special and so much more than just a name or a face.

As we set out in September, with our $325,000 Annual Fund goal, it was our community that rose to the challenge. This year the percentage of families contributing to the Annual Fund reached 53%. We remember the start of our journey as annual fund chairs and the parent participation at that time was less than 38%. Our goals seemed daunting. Just look at us now...we have come so far together! This community effort resulted in us exceeding our goal of $325,000 for fiscal year 2012-2013. What an exciting way to end the year and what a great kick-off to a well needed warm summer break.

Each and every gift helps to build the wonderful school that our families enjoy. The annual fund is a key part of our budget that closes the gap between what we pay in tuition and the true cost of a Bement education.

That gap is approximately $2,000 per student. Every Bement student benefits from the annual fund.

We cannot thank each family enough for being part of this community effort. The funding is certainly critical, however, the enthusiasm and spirit that such an effort builds is what makes Bement such a special place.

With a debt of gratitude, THANK YOU! Melissa and John Gardiner

Welcome Joe and Kim Butz P’19 as Bement’s new Annual Fund Chairs THANK YOU to all who gave to the annual fund 2012-2013.

Without your generosity, we couldn’t have exceeded our goal of $325,000. We are grateful for your support!

Giving.101 A short tutorial in philanthropy Types of Giving

Ways To Give

Annual Fund Bement relies on the generous annual support of our community of alumni, parents, families, and friends to sustain our programs.

Annual giving supports all of Bement’s programs and is used the year in which it is received.

The Bement School accepts gifts by check, money order, AmEx/MasterCard/ Visa, and gifts of appreciated securities.

Legacy Giving/The Phoenix Society An investment in Bement through a bequest provision or any other planned gift vehicle is a meaningful contribution that demonstrates a strong vote of confidence in the mission and value of a Bement education. Giving options include a bequest of cash, stock, personal or real property via a will, or beneficiary giving through a trust, retirement plan, or life insurance.

On-line Gifts Please visit bement.org to make a secure online gift with a credit card. On-line gift processing is available for one-time gifts.

Recurring Gifts Bement can process recurring monthly or quarterly gifts with credit card information from the donor.

This can be done manually with the donor’s signature on file. Donors may indicate the beginning and end date of the pledge. Plans are in process to create this option for on-line recurring gifts.

Donors are encouraged to discuss their charitable giving plans and needs with their own financial and legal advisors.

Our alumni and development office welcomes inquiries and notification of intent in matters of legacy giving.

Matching Gifts Many companies match or multiply charitable contributions by their employees. Please check with your personnel office about your company’s matching gift policy, and provide our development office with necessary forms in order to maximize your support for Bement.

Restricted gifts These gifts are designated for specific capital projects or programs. Please contact our development office for more information.

Pledges Donors may make pledges to the Annual Fund. Pledges must be paid

by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Pledges to capital campaigns are usually payable over five years.

Endowment gifts These gifts are permanently restricted to support Bement’s programs and to help sustain the school over the long term.

Gifts of Appreciated Securities To make a gift of stock to The Bement School please have your broker contact the development office for instructions about transferring the shares directly to our brokerage account. Stock gifts to Bement are tax deducible.

Gifts by Mail You may mail your gift to us at: The Bement School, 94 Old Main Street, P.O. Box 8, Deerfield, MA 01342.

For more information about giving to The Bement School, please contact the alumni and Development Office at the address above. You may reach us by phone at 413.774.3021 or by email at sardrey@bement.org.

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Annual Report of Gifts 2011-2012

ANNUAL REPORT OF GIFTS 2011–2012 Annual Fund Giving History by Constituency*

GROUP

Trustees (current and past)

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

$ 99,614

$ 137,247

$107,888

Alumni 34,275 38,018

44,273

Current Parents 56,381 77,530

85,947

Parents of Alumni 21,582 29,304

47,295

Faculty and Staff (current and past) 3,156 2,341 21,922 Grandparents (current and past) 11,904 9,355 16,570 TOTAL

$290,294 $307,057 $308,824

*not all constituents factored

Grandparents (current and past)

Faculty and Staff (current and past)

Alumni

Trustees (current and past)

Parents of Alumni

Current Parents

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A message from Ken Cuddeback, Business Manager, Business Office

Bement Weathers a Year of Challenge and Change.

The past 18 months saw The Bement School deal with the effects of two natural disasters that had significant impacts on our campus. The year also saw our board approve and begin the construction of a second dormitory building on the north end of campus. The year began with the visit of Tropical Storm Irene on August 28, 2011, resulting in flooding of the first floor of Jiayi House, Wright House, Mary Hawks House, and Bement House. October 28, 2011, saw the arrival of a freak snowstorm that left the school closed without power for four days and caused additional damage to our campus.

Our operations were impacted by the natural events, but our budget planning and the help from FEMA and the Bement community helped us finish the year with strong operating results. Enrollments in both the upper and lower schools remained strong for FY2012. Our final operating results for the year ending June 30, 2012, were healthy, resulting in an operating surplus of nearly $300,000.

Net tuition and fee revenue rose this past year to over $4,580,000. Total revenue was $5,473,673 with modest growth in most income areas. Overall investment activity was down by over $180,000 as our investment growth slowed. Our contributions and gifts were about equal to our fundraising efforts in FY2011.

Expenses for the year increased 5.4% to $5,175,547. Our largest increases were in student services where a change in accounting procedures resulted in increased revenue and expenses for our tutoring and instructional support. The expense total also included costs associated with the recovery efforts from the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene and the snowstorm in October.

The Bement School continues to invest in our facilities across the campus. This year saw not only the groundbreaking for a new dormitory, but also repairs to many buildings on campus. We completed projects that included the renovation of the dining hall kitchen, replacement of roof sections on the Keith Building and Bement House, a complete painting of the Mary Hawks House, replacement and improvements to the outdoor basketball courts and playgrounds, sidewalk repairs on the main campus, and new flooring in the Arts Wing and Keith School house.

As we prepare for the 2013-2014 school year, we feel the effects of a decline in enrollment from the 2012-2013 fiscal year. This decline is the result of a demographic dip in the population of children eligible for kindergarten through grade three and a national trend that sees families delaying the start of independent school educations for financial reasons. With 220 students enrolled for the 2012-2013 year, our budget carried a very modest projected surplus of $16,800 as we continued to provide the strongest program possible for our students and families. Our board of trustees, administration, faculty, and staff remain dedicated to conservatively managing our resources, providing a strong program for our families and students. Â REVENUE

FY 2012

% of Total

FY 2011

% of Total

Tuition and Fees (net of Financial Aid) 4,580,995 Investment Activity 197,294 Student Programs and Services 387,025 Contributions and Gifts 310,083

83.7% 7.0% 7.1% 5.6%

4,493,017 381,625 284,364 312,625

82.1% 7.0% 5.2% 5.7%

TOTAL REVENUE

$ 5,475,397 $5,471,631

EXPENSES

Tuition and Fees 83% Contributions and Gifts 6% Student Programs & Services 7% Investment Activity 4%

FY 2012

% of Total

FY 2011

Instructional 2,421,097 Student Programs and Services 781,023 Operation and Maintenance of Plant 563,154 Administrative and Other 1,311,799

46.8% 15.1% 10.9% 25.3%

2,378,027 679,277 552,604 1,218,975

48.4% 13.8% 11.2% 24.8%

1.9%

$83,709 $4,912,592

1.7%

$ 298,126

$ 559,039

INTEREST EXPENSE TOTAL EXPENSES

OPERATING CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

$ 98,474 $ 5,175,547

% of Total

Periods Ending June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2012

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THE BEMENT SCHOOL 94 OLD MAIN STREET, P.O. BOX 8 DEERFIELD, MA 01342

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 e-mail: alumni@bement.org. Thanks!

Remember when‌ If you want to see more from our archives, please stop by the Snively House and join us for a cup of coffee or tea and browse through our extensive collection of memorbilia.

(413) 774-7061

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Bement.org