Pine Crest Magazine

fall / winter 2010-11

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How sixteen former students returned to continue the Pine Crest legacy.

Mission Statement

To offer a challenging academic experience complemented by excellence in the arts and athletics; to develop the character, independence, and leadership of each student; and to provide a nurturing learning community that prepares students to meet the global challenges of our future.

1501 NE 62nd Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 Tel: 954.492.4100 Fax: 954.492.6651

2700 St. Andrews Boulevard Boca Raton, FL 33434 Tel: 561.852.2800 Fax: 561.852.2832

Coming Full Circle How sixteen former students returned to continue the Pine Crest legacy.

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| 5 | New President Appointed | 7 | Alumni Council Tour | 14 | Lindsay Scheer | 15 | Words of Hurt | 16 | Organic Garden

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| 18 | Highlights

New Lower School Head, Senator Lautenberg, Homecoming 2010, Circle of Excellence Reception and Dinner, and a series of notable achievements

| 23 | Athletics

Rising Star: Traveon Henry, Swimming and Diving, and Cross Country

| 30 | Arts

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Coppellia. Fall Play, Thespian Festival, and Music Competition results

| 34 | Alumni

A closer look at Brooke Slayton, Camille Carida, Helene Kaplan, Dina Roth Port, Dan Richards, and Kelsey Grammer.

Editor-in-Chief

Toni Marshall

954.492.4105 toni.marshall@pinecrest.edu

Associate Editor

Laura Deane Photography

Toni Marshall, Judy Reich, and Susie Ledbetter Contributing Writer

Toni Marshall Highlights

Toni Marshall Social Media Manager

Candace Moore Alumni Director

Susie Ledbetter Proofreaders

Laura Deane, Susie Ledbetter, Candace Moore, and Jane Salimbene

| 36 | Gatherings

Layout and Design

| 42 | Class Notes

Publisher

| 46 | Facebook Memories

Milan De Vito Designs Pine Crest Magazine is produced by the Pine Crest School Advancement Office Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

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Board of Trustees Walter Banks ’61, Chair Michelle Cibene’84, Vice-Chair Marc Bell Lourdes Cowgill Rosa Feeney Jean Findeiss Robert Fishman Daniel Goldberg Jonathan Hage Jeff Hollander Tim Ingham David Kantor Arthur Keiser ‘71, Ph.D. Albert “Sonny” Kotite Edward Pozzuoli Hiromi Printz Kevin Quinn Douglas Reynolds ’75 Jeff Roberts Leslie Rozencwaig Sheri Sack Dan Sheinberg Ana Waldman Peter Wittich

Emeritus Directors Robert Friedman, H ’77 Theodore Friedt, H ’81 William H. Grimditch, Jr. H ’67 Richard Ingham John Leech ’56 William J. McMillan ’45 Paul Roepnack Henry H. Wheeler

Alumni Council Marcie (Berman) Bour Patron ’80 Greg Beesch ’85 Elizabeth Camp ’94 Charles Cobb ’93 Lucy Friedt Dublin ’72 Heather Geronemus ’97 Norma Martin Goonen ’65 Paige Cole Hyatt ’81 Jeffrey Keiser ’73 Lara Osofsky Leader ’93 Ashley Palmer Lindsay ’99 Suzanne Hollowell McCauley ’90 Sara Knapp Medrano ’89 Miles Medrano ’90 Peter Perri ’93 Heidi Ferayoni Pettee ’82 Sara Regensdorf ’97

A Message from Dr. Lourdes Cowgill The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

- Sydney J. Harris

Pine Crest School – a College Preparatory School

I have always believed that an education is not complete until one has mastered the ability to open the minds of others by demonstration and example.

We can witness this first hand with so many of our alumni working on campus, introducing and incorporating their experiences and passions to form another generation of Pine Crest students. I have known many of these alumni for most of their lives, and I remember their first days of school; some clung to parents while others walked with new-found independence. It is heartwarming to see the results of their transition to adulthood.

Transition has been the buzz word lately at Pine Crest since the announcement of my stepping down as the President this past summer. Embracing change can be difficult yet invigorating.

As I observe our former students donning teaching caps or leading as committed administrators, I am reminded of my early days at Pine Crest, nearly 40 years ago. My first mentors were my mother, Lourdes Martinez, a Cuban ex-pat who taught Spanish at Pine Crest for some 20 years and Dr. Mae McMillan, the School’s founder and first president, whose birthday I share. Also her son, Bill McMillan, whom I fondly called “Boss” was a tremendous mentor and a great source of knowledge and inspiration. Although I have held a variety of positions, simply following in their footsteps has been the most rewarding. I hold close to my heart those students who refer to me as “Doctora,” from my days of teaching Spanish, and remember with pride my induction ceremony as the third President of Pine Crest more than 15 years ago.

I hope that I have served Pine Crest well, as Señora Martínez, Dr. Mae, and Mr. McMillan, who all overcame unfavorable odds to provide the finest education for their own children and generations of others. Theirs has been the strength and spirit from which I have drawn to nurture and educate our students and to guide our well-loved institution to rank as one of the premier independent schools in our country.

I have been fortunate to watch my sister and her child, my daughter, son, and his two children walk the hallways of Pine Crest. I myself became an Honorary Alumna in 1988, the day of my son’s graduation. To have been afforded the opportunity to learn from the best, and to give my best to all our students has been a personal blessing.

As I assume a new role as President Emerita and ponder the possibilities of different duties at Pine Crest, I will always hark back to walks with Dr. Mae and to talks with Bill McMillan, as well as to nearly two scores of Thanksgiving Day Shows, ballets, and musicals and as many Commencement Exercises, among many unforgettable occasions. My love for Pine Crest will not diminish as I continue serving as a resource for our school and for our students, faculty, and families.

Embracing new challenges,

1501 NE 62nd Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 Tel: 954.492.4100 Fax: 954.492.6651 2700 St. Andrews Boulevard Boca Raton, FL 33434 Tel: 561.852.2800 Fax: 561.852.2832

Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, Ph.D. President Emerita

Brand New Day Pine Crest’s fourth president, Henry M. Battle, Jr., chats with sixth graders.

Board of Trustees Appoints School’s Fourth President n “This is what I really love to do,” says Battle, after gently quizzing students on Pine Crest facts. “I’ll be spending a lot of time in the classrooms.” The Board of Trustees recently appointed Battle as the School’s fourth president. He started February 1.

“Hank has both a business and educational perspective and, most of all, understands the needs of students,” says Trustee Chair Walter Banks ’61.

A published author, noted and esteemed administrator in independent schools, Battle leaves the Forsyth Country Day School outside of Winston-Salem, NC, where he served

12 years as headmaster.

“Hank has the kind of energy that this School needs to propel second millennium learners especially with our new state-ofthe-art Lower School on the Boca Raton campus and a new Upper School Academic Center debuting in Fort Lauderdale this fall,” says Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, who has led Pine Crest for more than 15 years, after holding many positions during her 36 years at the School. “I am pleased to pass on the torch of Dr. Mae McMillan to him.”

Battle has been an independent school teacher, coach, and administrator for more

than 30 years, and he has served as the headmaster of top independent schools.

Battle earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and completed post-graduate work at Union Theological Seminary, the University of Virginia (where he was both Jefferson and Lassen fellows), and Columbia University Teachers College (where he was a Klingenstein Visiting Fellow). In addition, Battle is a respected scholar and a published author of many articles on education, children, and leadership.

A member of numerous professional associations, Battle also has served on the boards of many prestigious organizations.

While at Forsyth Country Day School, he significantly expanded the campus and school facilities, grew enrollment substantially, elevated the School’s academic and co-curricular standards, and increased the School’s original endowment of $699,000 by 1,688 percent - ensuring quality, growth, and stability. Battle also served as headmaster at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia.

He has held administrative positions at the Lovett School (GA), St. Anne’s-Belfield School (VA), and Charlotte Latin School (NC).

He is a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a second-degree black belt in Karate. He enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and attending student performances and games. At Forsyth, Battle taught a popular course to seniors called the Headmaster’s Internship. His class was designed to enlist help from students in leading and improving the school, and he and his students traveled to other schools across the country to benchmark their programs and policies.

Battle and his wife, Linda, have two daughters, Lindley and Markey. Lindley, a 2009 Forsyth graduate, is taking a year off from Maryland Institute College of Art to serve as a missionary in Uganda, and Markey is in the sixth grade.

Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

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PINE CREST SCHOOL

ALUMNI CALENDAR 2011 WINTER 2011

• Alumni Night at the Musical: Anything Goes Stacy Auditorium: Friday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.

A Founder’s Council Reception and post performance “Talk Back” will follow with the cast, directors, and musicians.

SPRING 2011

• Alumni Reunion Weekend Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9 It’s time to celebrate with your PCS classmates, share wonderful memories, reconnect and reminisce with old friends, and just have some fun!

It’s your special year to celebrate:

50th – 1961 25th – 1986

40th – 1971 10th – 2001

30th – 1981 Half-Century Club*

*Includes all who graduated prior to 1961.

Scheduled Reunion Activities: Friday, April 8 • Classes Without Quizzes – revisit your favorite class, take a new one, say hello to a former teacher • Official Welcome and State of the School, followed by tours of the new Academic Center • All-Alumni Reception in Egan Auditorium, followed by class after parties

Saturday, April 9 The 50th Reunion and Half-Century Club will celebrate at Lago Mar Resort & Club in Fort Lauderdale.

The 40th, 30th, 25th, 20th, and 10th Reunions will celebrate at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale.

Informal class gatherings to follow.

For additional information about Alumni events, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Susan Ledbetter at 954-492-6602 or susan.ledbetter@pinecrest.edu.

Alumni Council Tours Upper School Construction

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n Prior to the second meeting of the year, members of the Alumni Council recently were given a tour of the new Upper School buildings by Neyda Otero, Director of Project Management and Construction. All were very excited about the progress of the construction and also amazed to learn what the new buildings will offer future generations of PCS alumni.

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Touring the new facilities 1: Marcie Bour-Patron ’80 and Sara Knapp Medrano ’89 2: Norma Martin Goonen ’65 and Jeff Keiser ’73 3: Norma Martin Goonen ’65, Neyda Otero, Suzanne Hollowell McCawley ’90, and Lucy Friedt Dublin ’72

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BY TONI MARSHALL

Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

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Alison Moss Fisher’s Lower School students stretch on ballet slippers and take position on the floor. A few study themselves in the shiny wall mirror. For Fisher ’95, the repeated self-checks remind her of her days studying dance at Pine Crest. n Fisher is among a legion of alumni to return to Pine Crest School. Roughly 16 former students dot the employee roster (numbers usually seen at the collegiate level), continuing the tradition of excellence for present and future generations. “I don’t believe coming back to teach at Pine Crest was ever a conscious decision of mine, but I found myself returning every summer after graduation to be a camp counselor at PCDC,” says Fisher, who entered Pine Crest as an eighth grader.

Following graduation from Pine Crest, she attended Skidmore College, graduated, and found herself at Pine Crest again and again.

“After college I was back at PCDC, when Brenda Gooden found me with my cabin and told me that their Lower School dance teacher was leaving midyear to get married and asked if I would intern with her and finish out the school year. It was going to be a year-long experiment, and I’d gain some great experience. That was 11 years ago (This is my twelfth year teaching here!) and to be honest, I can’t see myself anywhere else!

The rest is terpsichorean history. Fishers says she feels lucky to do a job that she loves in a place that she loves so much.

“Pine Crest harbors creativity in me, and the families here are extensions of my family... If I counted the years from being a student, camp counselor, and teacher at Pine Crest, I’ve tallied 20 years!”

When alumni return to work here, it underscores the importance they place on the viability and continuity of this school, says Pine Crest President Emerita Dr. Lourdes Cowgill.

“Our students rank among the top in their professions, so to have so many come back tells you about the quality of our employees.”

From athletics to the Admission Office, language arts, science, dance and even the Business Office, alumni have taken up posts. They can be seen as division heads and assistants as well. Shelley Huff-Schultz ’70 leads the Fort Lauderdale campus PrePrimary Division, while Joseph Walters ’95

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Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

(Leah ’24) is the Assistant Middle School Head. Huff-Schultz and her sister were winter-school students.

“This continued until I was a senior.

At that point, I decided I wanted to enroll full time. I lived in the dorm and graduated from Pine Crest in 1970. It never occurred to me that I would return in so many different roles,” she says. But she did.

She first became involved with the Pine Crest alumni organization because that association provided scholarships to deserving students. At the same time, she taught in the Broward County School system. After taking time off to raise her children (Alec ’98 and Mara Lyn ’03), she joined the Development Office as Alumni Coordinator. Since then, she has worked in the Pre-Primary Division, the Developmental Learning Office, the Admission Office, and has since returned to Pre-Primary to head that division.

“I like to think that I have grown and evolved right along with the School. I also believe that I have found my true passion in serving the students at my alma mater.”

The Admission Office actually has two alumni who now help welcome new Pine Crest students. Vice President of Admission Elena Martinez Del Alamo ’67, originally from Havana, Cuba, returned to Pine Crest after spending many years living and working abroad.

When she enrolled her daughter at Pine Crest, Ana Sofia ’02, she learned that the Advanced Placement Spanish Literature teacher had accepted a position at another institution. Spanish literature was her major in college. She taught at Pine Crest for six years until her husband’s job took the family to Brazil. She returned a few years later to work part-time as a Spanish literature teacher and in the Admission Office. Eventually the Admission Director retired; the School launched a national search. In the end, she got the job and oversees the admission process on both campuses today.

“I have done many jobs in my life. I have

not enjoyed any as much as I love what I presently do,” says Del Alamo. “The fact that I am at a school where I grew up, where my family has roots, where my daughter received the tools to succeed at the university level, where I see children every day whom I deeply care for and families who are so generous with their time and support, makes my job very fulfilling and energizes me to do more every day,” she adds. “I cannot imagine doing anything that I would enjoy more.”

Del Alamo’s mother, Sra. Lourdes Martinez, taught Spanish at Pine Crest for more than 20 years.

Joyce Rogers Robinson ’74 cannot agree more. She leads the Admission team on the Boca Raton campus. “When I was graduating from the University of Florida with a BS in Journalism (public relations major), I contacted Mr. Bill McMillan, who at the time was on the board of the National Association of

Giving Back Alison Moss Fisher ’95 (right) with Shelley HuffSchultz ’70 usher spring with Pre-Primary students.

Independent Schools,” says Robinson.

I thought he’d be able to direct me to some appropriate schools that might be looking to hire someone in their PR department. I was in luck! Pine Crest was hiring an assistant to the Director of Public Relations,” she recalls.

“Although I wasn’t initially selected for the job because I didn’t have any actual on-the-job experience, I eventually was hired as the first person didn’t work out.

Lucky me! Here I am almost 34 years later in the Admission Office on our Boca campus.

Although I have worked in several offices on both campuses, I still feel the same satisfaction each morning when I come to work knowing that we’re all part of something very special here at Pine Crest.”

The sentiment echoes across both campuses. There is a sense of giving back.

Alumna Kasey Hamaway ’91 (Bryce ’24) resumed her tennis career as a Pine Crest

School instructor on campus. J. Paul Perri ’99 is an assistant varsity baseball coach. But most of the School’s alumni hold teaching positions. Michelle Smith Santarelli ’89 (Trey ’21 and Jaden ’23) an award-winning AP biology teacher, who graduated from the University of Virginia, has been a member of the Science Department for 12 years. Wendy Dickinson Harrigan ’90 (Michael ’23) also is a member of that department.

Kalah Tompkins Fanning ’95, an Upper School Social Sciences teacher, says her decision to return to Pine Crest to teach was not a difficult one since she attended Pine Crest as a boarding student in high school.

“My experience as a dorm student not only further solidified my decision to pursue the teaching profession, it also led me to seek out teaching opportunities at schools with boarding programs,” she notes. “I wanted to be a dorm ‘parent’ so I could support and

guide students in a way that was similar to the wonderful experience I was afforded away from home. When I learned that there was an opening at Pine Crest during my senior year of college, I immediately sent my resume.” She continues: “My parents sacrificed so much to send me to Pine Crest, and Pine Crest provided me with endless opportunities. So, for me, being able to return to Pine Crest as a teacher and to give back a little of what I received is truly an ideal situation.”

Fort Lauderdale Middle School teacher Jana Blackwell ’81 never dreamed that she would be back at Pine Crest. “But life is interesting….my mom worked at Pine Crest with the Marching Band. As I reflect, I so appreciated having her involved with my friends and life at school….although, I must confess, there were times that I didn’t like it. And here I am back at Pine Crest with my children, Calla Cissel ’11 and Chandler Cissel ’14!” says Blackwell, who is in her twelfth year of teaching at Pine Crest.

“I initially wanted to be certified to teach so that I could work and have summer vacations when I became a mom. I was one of 13 people in my class at Duke University who became certified to teach in a program that was above and beyond the typical major. I then went on to earn my Masters in Education in Counseling through Boston University in an overseas program in Germany. That’s when I knew I would be involved in education and that was before I had children!”

Blackwell has taught in Pre-Primary, Middle School, and High School. “Teaching is such an underrated profession, but there is such joy in interacting with children,” she adds. Her desire to teach was sparked at Pine Crest Day Camp, where for years she was the “PPP” (Parade, Precision, and Pageantry) specialist. She choreographed many performances for the PCDC assemblies.

“When I returned to Fort Lauderdale and decided to work full time again, Pine Crest was the only place I wanted to be. It was, and still is, the best place for an education in South Florida… I couldn’t have wished for a better environment. Pine Crest was a blessing to me as a student and continues to be a blessing to me and my family every day.”

Boca Raton’s Caridad Wellington Perri ’93, a Teacher II on that campus, says she decided to become an educator when, in her late Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

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teens, she realized her love of learning and children had turned into a passion for teaching.

Like many of the alumni featured, she has several other alumni in her family. The mother of Pete ’20 on the Boca Raton campus and the wife of Peter Perri ’93, says her life changed significantly (for the better) when she came to Pine Crest for high school.

Perri first subbed and tutored at Pine Crest School immediately after college. “I have taught in other schools and was a Director of Education at both Sylvan and Huntington Learning Centers,” offers Perri.

“After spending six years at home with my son, I found myself ready to return to the classroom. As I explored options for both my employment and his education, I found myself using Pine Crest as the yardstick by which I measured all other schools,” she notes. Our family’s life changed for the better once again upon our return, and I am so proud to be a part of this community as not just an alumna, a parent, and a faculty member!”

Across the hall, Jamie Fiorentino Wolfe ’03 guides her second graders through reading exercises. Her passion for teaching is evident by the gentle patience she shows with her students.

“The school is fortunate to have both Perri and Wolfe right across the hall from one another – they both hold the traditional values of a Pine Crest education and can easily refer to their school years for backup,” says Boca Raton’s Assistant Head of School Scott Wing.

Lauren Sutherland Thoms ’01 joined the Lower School campus in Fort Lauderdale as a Teacher II this year.

On the Fort Lauderdale campus another alumni also works in the Pre-Primary Division: Lucy Friedt Dublin’72 (Richard Huff ’02). She says her fate to have a teaching career at Pine Crest must have been “in my tarot cards long before I was born.” Her mother attended Pine Crest as a winter student, and she and her sisters also became winter students before her family relocated to Florida.

“My re-uniting with Pine Crest started innocently enough. I began helping in my boys’ classrooms. Soon the teacher in my blood started a slow boil,” says Dublin, who attended Mercer College. She also has a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Nova Southeastern University. I began ‘substituting.’ ” Before she knew it, she was a Teacher’s Assistant and four years later, she

was teaching full time.

“There is no doubt that teaching is in my blood. But I think it’s my love and admiration for Pine Crest that made my return to teaching so inevitable. Nineteen years later, I am proud to say that Pine Crest is not only a wonderful school to send your children to, but also a fantastic place to work.”

As a lifer, Chief Financial Officer Jim Cowgill ’88 (JT ‘16 and Ashlyn ’19) says Pine Crest helped him to develop into the person he is

“Pine Crest is a family of teachers, staff, administrators, students, parents, grandparents, and volunteers who use diverse talents and backgrounds to work towards a common purpose. Each of us takes great pride when we witness the accomplishments of our students and alumni. These success stories are due to the contributions of the past and present members of faculty and leaders of the school who strive for continual improvement while safeguarding the time-

Guess Who? Front row, second student on the left: Pre-Primary Director Shelley Huff-Shultz ’70, as a winter student.

today. First hired by former Pine Crest President Bill McMillan ’45 in 1992 to work in public relations and communications, he observes: “In reflecting on what drew me back to work at Pine Crest, I came to an interesting revelation. If you had posed the question to me when I first returned, I probably would not have been able to articulate a response; however, in my 18th year of service the reason is very clear. I believe in Pine Crest... its mission, philosophy, ethos, record of successes, and family,” says Jim Cowgill, a certified public accountant who graduated from the University of Virginia and received a Master’s at Florida Atlantic University in nonprofit management.

tested traditions and methods that make the School what it is,” he says.

“I am amazed with what I see as a parent with how curriculum and teaching practices have evolved since I attended; not to mention the constant reinvestment in facilities, technology, and equipment,” says Jim Cowgill. “...The school will have to continue to build on its achievements in order to ensure that current and future students will have the knowledge, skills, and qualities necessary to navigate a constantly changing world,” he adds. “I look forward to continuing our challenging mission and am thankful that I work for an organization in which I truly believe.

How many people can say this?”

On Campus 1: Lauren Thoms 2: Jamie Fiorentino Wolfe ’03 helps student. 3: Michelle Smith Santarelli ’89, Kalah Tompkins Fanning ’95, and Jana Blackwell ’81 4: Lucy Friedt Dublin ’72 with pre-k students 5: Jamie Fiorentino Wolfe ’03 and Joyce Rogers Robinson ’72 6: Caridad Wellington Perri ’93 guides her student through a reading assignment.

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Unbridled Joy is Brought to Me by Just a Horse, and it Keeps Me from Being Just a Girl

BY LINDSAY SCHEER ’15

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n As the buzzer went off, we went thundering down to the other side of the ring heading toward the first jump, feeling like we were traveling at the speed of light. I could hear the horse’s breath following us in the wind, the rumbling of her hoofs as we were picking up speed to the base of the first jump, the pounding of our hearts bursting out of our souls, and the feeling from a rush of excitement. I knew the fear running through my parents’ veins, as they stood in the stands watching and knowing that if anything went wrong, they had signed a paper on their baby’s life.

It was the morning of a new season, a horseshow season to be exact. I was standing on the crossties with my horse, Simply Brilliant. We had gotten to the show grounds late the previous night, and we couldn’t have hoped for a better practice to start us off. It was nearing 7:00 a.m., the time we needed to be getting on and ready for the

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class at 8:00 a.m. When Daniela, our trainer, helped me mount up to head over to the ring on Simply Brilliant’s back, I felt an intense relationship between horse and rider.

“Lindsay do you know your course?” Daniela asked me. As I looked at her, she knew that that was one of the things that I preferred to do with her, not with my mom. I jumped off my horse, Simply Brilliant, gave her to my mom to hold and went to walk the course with Daniela.

Part of our conversation walking through the ring was “Red and yellow roll back to the orange and black, tight right turn to the yellow and white in and out.” “Now, do you know your course?” she asked me. All I had to do was repeat everything we had just gone over, and I was thrown up into the saddle again.

Left, right, left, right, I went up and down to the rhythm of Simply Brilliant’s steps in the cold wet sand. I felt her walking as we went on with our warm-up routine. We had walked, trotted, cantered, and jumped. Now it was time to go over to watch other riders in my class as they went through the course. While we waited for our turn to show our talent, I started thinking, which is the worst thing to do on an empty stomach. All I could think about was the worst of possibilities. Is my horse going to fall? Are we going to crash through a jump? How will this all turn out in the end?

Then, suddenly I was walking into the ring and being told, “Just have fun!” I think that those three words that my trainer and family say at every horseshow will always stick. Just have fun with what you are doing and come out of the ring proud of what you have done and accomplished.

“When a person wants something in life, she has to want it like she wants a million dollars. If I do not want the blue ribbon, I would never change the way that I do

something; I want the blue ribbon like I want a million dollars.

The most important thing that I have gotten out of my eight years of being on top of a 1, 000-pound animal’s back is trust. To put it in simple words, in riding, we borrow the freedom and wings of a horse. If the horse did not want to help, please, and trust the rider on her back, she would not do what we, the riders, ask her to do. Like people, horses do what is easiest for them. If they are running down to the next jump, it is much easier for the horse to just crash through the jump than to stop, turn, or make a massive effort to jump, unless you, the rider, helps the horse by making her do it.

I can honestly say that because of horses, I am the person who I am today. Throughout my life, being around horses has been where I feel the safest. I know that is where I should feel least safe, but if anyone was with me for as long as I have been around barns, they would see that I have an unimaginable connection with horses. They trust me, and I trust them. I have a lot of patience because of dealing with horses that have come from bad homes, have a fear of something, or just have no trust left in them. I have been able to do many amazing things with horses that need some hope, encouragement, and trust.

Because of the experiences with horses I have had in my life, I have changed as a person. Not only have I changed physically, but mentally, too. At the end of the show, Simply Brilliant and I wound up winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Champion overall. I think these results come from our bond with each other. I will by no means disregard what has altered my life through horses.

Special thanks to: Daniela Roy, My Family, Mr. Jeff Rothstein, Dr. Dana Markham, and Mr. Joseph Walters

Students Turn “Words of Hurt” Into Words of Inspiration n Upper School students spoke candidly about hurtful words that pertain to the way we identify ourselves, during a two-week tour of both campus Middle Schools in November. The “Words of Hurt” assembly originated as a group advisory on the Boca campus last school year.

“The discussion serves as an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and concerns around the use of slurs that attack race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and abilities,” said Director of Diversity Karla Dejean, who organizes the assemblies.

“At first, the Middle-School students are hesitant to talk about race and religion,” said Dejean. “But I think they realize, during the course of the discussion, the long-term implications of continuing to use these words greatly out-weighs the discomfort they feel speaking in front of friends.”

“The purpose of this advisory discussion is to respectfully share our thoughts about hurtful words that pertain to the way we identify ourselves, whether it is race, religion, sexual orientation, and/or abilities,” said Whitney Anderson, a member of the Black Students Association who helped moderate discussions on both campuses.

“We believe that all of us have heard and said words that hurt, so we are not doing

this to make you feel uncomfortable. We just want to share... how these words make us feel and how we can raise awareness to stop using them.”

Junior Ravila Bhimani said she has enjoyed leading the assemblies because the discussion forces everyone to really examine the words he/she may “throw around like it is the way of life.”

“It is crucial for them to learn and keep this knowledge with them as they grow older,” said Bhimani, of the Middle School students.

Shanice Thompson, president of the GayStraight Alliance, said she joins her friends in a campaign to stop peers from using the word “gay” to replace a negative descriptor, as in the term “that’s so gay.”

Thompson and others on the Upper School panel challenged their younger peers to replace the word “gay” with a neutral word that does not offend anyone. “In a sense, participating in these forums shows the progressive nature we’ve been taking to create a better, safer, and more comfortable campus for students who probably won’t even remember our names in a week. It’s really remarkable because they may not remember our names, but they’ll remember this forum and how it brought us all together as human beings who want to treat others better.”

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A Fruitful Initiative

BY KARLA DEJEAN n The tiny warriors fend off the enemy with bites and strategic moves. They flit through fluffy green leaves and vivid squash flowers, stumble over bumpy clusters of broccoli, and soar between the tendrils and fronds of sweet plants.

Without one spray of pesticide or chemical, the herbs, flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees flourish under the care of Chef Don Janezic of Sage Dining, with help from Lower School students on the Boca Raton campus. Sage Dining feeds our students there.

“It’s hard to believe we started this in April (2010),” said Janezic. “I saw this open space, this sandy space, and I thought this would be a good place for a garden.” Eight months later, leaves are bowing over from heavy bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, snap peas, and broccoli, to name a few.

In a short time, Janezic has also planted seeds of interest in the idea of self-subsistence, preservation, and agriculture. At a time when Fortune 500 companies are dabbling with the food co-op and “corporate gardening” culture, the craft of DIY (do-it-yourself) organic produce is pertinent – and smart.

A musician, food manager, and gardener, Janezic likes to explain the magic that happens when bug-defying marigolds are placed just so, when pest-deterring ladybugs are released at twilight, and how almost microscopic wasps ward off more than 200 types of plant-eating insects.

One of the organic garden warriors is the

Trichogramma wasp. Its eggs, small enough for three to fit on the head of a pin, hatch on a small black tag. The little card has so many eggs embedded on it, it appears to be a very fine sandpaper. Once the wasps hatch, they immediately start looking for host eggs of plant-eaters in which they will lay more eggs.

This process wipes out the reproduction of dozens of insects that would have devoured the tender vegetables.

Fourth-grade teacher Nick Campbell and his students witnessed the hatching process and delved into the culture of using insects to fortify organic gardening. Students will also taste the fruits of their labor. Pre-k students will eat cherry tomatoes plucked from the garden in their box salads.

The plumes of organic produce lining the trail behind the Lower School have yet to be quantified, said Janezic, who comes from a family of gardeners and once owned a landscaping company.

The school community, however, has reaped the benefits of the leafy niche, which already has produced pounds of herbs, dozens of tomatoes, buckets of sunflower seeds, and an explosion of orange marigold blooms.

In time, sprouts won’t be the only greencolored yield. Janezic currently spends about $8,000 a year on produce. Once the average crop production is established, the garden could save Janezic as much as $2,000 in produce costs for the daily meals served in

the cafeteria, bringing down costs to about $6,000. The garden certainly will pay for itself quickly, if it hasn’t already, said Janezic.

“I think the garden yield will surpass the expenses,” said Janezic, adding that the cost to physically design and create the garden - a project beautifully accomplished by the facilities department - was about $2,000. Janezic said organic herbs such as basil top the charts at about $26.95 per pound, wholesale.

To put that figure into perspective, about half a pound of organic basil goes into marinara sauce for one meal during lunchtime.

Janezic stoops down to break up mulch and peer down at the textured rusts and browns that make up the garden floor. The appearance of the lush clutch of plants tells the story of Janezic’s almost fatherly care and attention to detail. Just seven months ago, the now-towering plants were but tiny seeds pushed into rich, black soil.

And like a father, Janezic has hopes to pass down the responsibility, purpose, and beauty of the garden to the next generation.

Students in grades pre-k to 5 have either toured the garden, planted seeds, or taken part in the harvest. But this is the beginning, said Janezic, hinting that there may be an opportunity for students to participate in a gardening club in the near future. “Next year I want to get more students involved in the gardening,” said Janezic. “I want it to become their project.”

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Highlights NOTEWORTHY

Senator Frank Lautenberg Visits Pine Crest

Boca Raton Campus Welcomes New Lower School Head n For the past five years, Natalia Hernandez served as the Lower School Head at Colegio Nuevo Granada, a strong K-12 international school located in Bogota, Colombia, a school similar in size and culture to Pine Crest. With 17 years of experience in elementary education, Hernandez has spent most of her career as an administrator and teacher in Austin, Texas.

Her educational background includes an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas-Austin.

Known by her colleagues as a powerful advocate for children, Hernandez insists that the best interest of students be the primary factor in the decisionmaking process at school. One teacher described Hernandez as “the most inspired, driven,

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and articulate principal” she has encountered in her teaching career. Hernandez’ colleagues consistently note her work ethic, trustworthiness, organizational skills, ability to develop consensus, sense of humor, and strong interpersonal skills as key strengths. Given her extensive experience and background in curriculum, specifically in the area of balanced literacy, Hernandez adds substantial expertise in the School’s ongoing effort to review, develop, and enhance our educational program in the Lower School.

Hernandez and her husband, Bobby (FTL Lower School PE Teacher), have two daughters: Andrea (kindergarten) and Gabriela (grade 4), both of whom attend the Lower School on the Fort Lauderdale campus.

Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

n New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg recently visited with Fort Lauderdale Middle School students. The Senator is no stranger to Pine Crest, so the School looks forward to his visits. Students learned about the Senator’s successful rise in business and politics, following humble beginnings. The son of Polish and Russian immigrants, Lautenberg worked while in high school to help take care of his family after his father passed

away from cancer. After graduating from Nutley High School, Lautenberg enlisted and served in the Army Signal Corps in Europe. Following the war, he attended Columbia University on the G.I. Bill and graduated with a degree in economics.

With his military service completed and his education secured, Lautenberg set out to build a career. He joined with two boyhood friends from his old neighborhood to found the nation’s first payroll services company, Automatic Data Processing. Lautenberg served as chairman and CEO, and along with his partners developed ADP into one of the largest computing services company in the world.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1982, and re-elected in 1988 and 1994. After a brief retirement, Sen. Lautenberg won a fourth term in 2002 and was reelected to a fifth term on November 4, 2008. Sen. Lautenberg is the grandfather of Maddie (grade 7) and Mollie Birer (grade 9).

Noam Rosenthal is 2010-11 Siemens Semifinalists n The Siemens Foundation recently announced the 2010-11 Semifinalists and Regional Finalists in the prestigious Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation’s premier science research competition for high school students.

Congratulations to senior Noam Rosenthal on his selection as semifinalist.

“Every fall, America turns its eye to the brilliant young scientists competing in the Siemens Competition. 2,033 students registered to enter the Competition this year for a record number of 1,372 projects submitted. 312 students were named semifinalists and 94 were named regional finalists, representing 36 states.”

Noam’s research, Effects of Pax-4 on Beta-Cell Differentiation in C57/BL6 Mus Musculus examines the effects of the transcription factor Pax-4 on beta-cell differentiation in stem cells - a study which may lead to the development of insulin-independent production in vivo.

NOTEWORTHY

Crestian 2010 Wins Silver Medal from Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Wendi Oppenheim is Homecoming Queen 2010-11 n Congratulations to Wendi Oppenheim who was crowned Homecoming Queen 201011. This year’s court also included Becky Abers, Joy Absher, Carly Ciricillo, Danielle Grossman, and Gerry Schwartz.

n Pine Crest’s Upper School yearbook, Crestian 2010, was reviewed by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and awarded the distinctive silver medal for excellence in yearbook design and journalism. EditorIn-Chief Nathaniel Braffman ’10 led the team of more than 30 yearbook staff members through the 12-month process of producing the 338 page book.

Especially impressive is the fact that the yearbook at Pine Crest is a club, not a class, which means the book is produced each year during free periods, nights, weekends, and vacations. In addition, publisher Walsworth Publications has included Crestian in the 2010 Possibilities book in the page design category. Possibilities is an annual idea book produced to showcase some of the best work by Walsworth’s student publications. The book features 623 examples from 187 yearbooks, representing a small percentage of the company’s customer base and making an appearance in the book an exclusive accomplishment. Possibilities is distributed across the country to serve as a premier source of inspiration for high school yearbook staffs.

Eric Shullman Invited to Prestigious Princeton Symposium n Senior Eric Shullman attended Princeton University’s Creative Arts and Humanities Symposium.

Eric is the first Pine Crest student to receive this prestigious honor.

He was one of 80 high school seniors invited to the Symposium, scheduled for the weekend of October 1 through October 3 on the Princeton University campus.

The theme for the Symposium is

inspired by the exhibition Pictures of Pictures, currently running at the world-class Princeton University Art Museum (http:// www.princetonartmuseum.org/ exhibitions/).

Devoted to the surprising and diverse tradition of nested imagery, Pictures of Pictures explores the ingenious ways in which artists create one picture

from and within another. The 45 objects on display include prints, photographs, collages, paintings, and sculptures; they span centuries, ranging from a seventeenth-century Alsatian still life of precious objects to a Japanese woodblock print of a merchant and his painted fans.

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PARENTS

Circle of Excellence Dinner n In honor of the 2009-10 Circle of Excellence Benefactors, 1934 Society, Fellows, and Tower members, nearly 100 guests gathered at Darryl and Oliver’s Café Maxx, one of South Florida’s landmark restaurant destinations.

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Captions: 1: Trustee Sherri Sack and Debbie Banks with Joni and Al Goldberg 2: Martin and Jody Grass 3: Trustee Jean Findeiss with Gerald and Marian Jablonski 4: Trustee Chair Walter Banks ’61 and Trustee Sheri Sack with husband, Ken 5: Sam and Sheila Zietz with Lauren and Glenn Mitchell 6: Jeff and Lauren Morris with Robynn and Ira Ginsberg 7: Trustee Jean Findeiss, Trustee Rosa Feeney, and Trustee Ana Waldman and her husband, Andrew, with Stephanie and Richard Chestnov 8: Valerie Dieters with husband, Interim Advancement Director Tom Dieters and Trustee Jeff Hollander with his wife, Marissa 9: Ryan and Shari Weisfisch with Alexandra and Ron Mastriana 10: Henry and Betty Wheeler with Lisa and Jim Wheeler ’77 11: Trustee Leslie and Francine Rozencwaig with Patricia Hooley and her husband, Kurt Zimmerman 12: Ira and Robynn Ginsberg with Lewis and Suma Farsedakis 13: Jody Grass, Trustee Jeff and Marissa Hollander with former Trustee Chair Mark Gilbert ’74 and his wife, Nancy 14: Wendy Navellier, Head of School Dale Smith, and Louis Navellier 15: Trustee Ana Waldman and her husband, Drew, with Marie Occhigrossi 16: Ken Sack and former Trustee Jordan Zimmerman 17: Donna and Bill Nero with Jeannette and Kevin Malone 18: Jeanne and Trustee Kevin Quinn with Meryl and Buzz Tabatchnick

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Circle of Excellence Columns Reception n Members of the 2009-10 Circle of Excellence Columns level met on the Boca Raton campus for an appreciation reception held in their honor.

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Daniel and Irene O’Hara with Marie and Frank Occhigrossi Jamie and Neil Glachman Robb ’88 and Lisa Wilentz with Lisa and Courtland Peddy Jacqueline Greenberg, Jeff and Lauren Morris Kenneth and Denise Picinich with Karen Bauman Enrique and Patricia Collazo with their son, Enrique Collazo Jr. Debbie Banks-Snyder, Trustee Chairman Walter Banks ’61 with Wendy and Louis Navellier

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ACHIEVEMENTS

We Proudly Present Our National Merit Scholars Semi-Finalists Rebecca Abers Steven Arnst Dylan Berns Katie Bodner Sarah Brody Jacob Drucker Margo Fendrich Carleena Fiorenza Gavin French Sara Garner Lindsay Graff Jeesoo Han Jessica Izhakoff Christopher Kowalczyk Viktor Moros Jacob Musinsky Elizabeth Pekarskaya Noam Rosenthal Eric Shullman Isabelle Vrod John Tighe Calvin Winchell Brittany Zelch Commended Scholars Nicole Baron Amrit Basu Carly Ciricillo Tabitha Cohen Natalie Eisner Danielle Grossman Lauren Kosches Steven Peisach Leah Shapiro Carl Sidelko Jake Toffler Isabelle Vrod Robert Zebrowski Brittany Zelch National Achievement Semifinalist Julian C. McNeill National Achievement Program Outstanding Participants Referred to Colleges Ebony Calloway Chelsea Handfield Orion Rollins

Semi-finalists Left to right (front row): Katie Bodner, Lindsay Graff, Margo Fendrich, Sarah Brody, Isabelle Vrod, Viktor Moros, and Eric Shullman. (back row): Calvin Winchell, Dylan Berns, Gavin French, Elizabeth Pekarskaya, Jacob Musinsky, Jeesoo Han, Rebecca Abers, Steven Arnst, John Tighe, Noam Rosenthal, Sara Garner, Jacob Drucker, and Carleena Fiorenza

More Semi-finalists Left to right: Brittany Zelch, Christopher Kowalczyk, and Jessica Izhakoff

Commended Left to right: Steven Peisach, Jake Toffler, Danielle Grossman, Carly Ciricillo, Nicole Baron, and Isabelle Vrod

National Achievement Outstanding Left to right: Orion Rollins, Ebony Calloway, Chelsea Handfield with Semi-finalist Julian McNeill

National Hispanic Recognition Left to right: Lucas Pena, Carl Sidelko (commended scholar), Steven Peisach, Viktor Moros, and Noam Rosenthal

National Hispanic Recognition Program Finalists Tabitha Cohen Christopher Kowalczyk Viktor Moros Steven Peisach Lucas Pena Valentina Rodriguez Noam Rosenthal David Rub

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Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

Athletics FOOTBALL

BY GARY CURRERI, SPORTSLINK MAGAZINE Photos by John Capella

n “I just concentrated on doing my job and keeping the balls dry,” the 6-foot-1-inch, 195-pound junior said with an infectious smile. “I knew it was going to be me. That was the idea. I thought maybe in seven years, I would be out there as a starting running back.”

Henry said being a ball boy gave him an opportunity to be around his brother, Travis (Pine Crest ’06), who was on the varsity team.

“I got to watch my brother play,” Henry said. “I did that six years straight. That was fun because I used to hang with the players and go to their pre-game meetings and see them draw up plays. The system hasn’t really changed that much since he was here. Being on the field, I heard coach interact with the players. I grew up pretty quickly from that.”

Fast forward those seven years and not only is Henry starring on the football field, the junior is also a force on the School’s basketball team. “To be honest, two sports aren’t that difficult,” said Henry, who is virtually following in his older brother Travis’ footsteps.

Travis recently graduated from Yale and is pursing a career in law. “I have been here since the fourth grade so the education and academics are important. I love them both,” Henry added. “Sports wise I am probably leaning towards football. I have been playing basketball since I was seven. I have a passion for both.”

A knee injury curtailed his sophomore season on the gridiron after just three-anda-half games, but not before he ran for 656 yards and 13 TDs. Ironically, he had scored four first-half TDs against Coral Springs Charter before tearing his medial collateral ligament (MCL), one of the stabilizing ligaments of the knee. He was the seventh leading scorer in the county despite the injury.

Henry picked up where he left off last year as he leads the county with 934 yards (by press time of this article) rushing and a total of 16 TDs through just four full games this season Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

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ATHLETICS – by the way, two of them were exciting 70-plus yard kickoff returns for touchdowns. He sat out the second half of two lopsided victories this season.

“Playing football comes natural for me,” said Henry, who played youth football with the Lauderdale Vikings in the South Florida Youth Football League.

“So I would say it probably does come easy. I try and be like the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson. I love the way he runs.

He runs hard on every play, and there is never a play where he gives up on a run. He is going to break a few tackles every play.”

Pine Crest football coach Jim Pletcher, who coached Traveon’s older brother, Travis in his senior year, said he sees a lot of similarities between the two brothers.

“It’s family,” Pletcher said. “Travis was a good mentor for him as a young kid. I think the big thing is managing your time, which he does a great job of. He’s had two good mentors so to speak. Travis was a three-sport athlete with a great GPA and two-year starter at Yale. Of course Traveon also played basketball with Brandon [Knight] (Pine Crest ’10), and I think he’s seen that you can do it all, and sometimes you can’t do what everyone else is doing.”

Knight and Traveon Henry were the only two players to start for Pine Crest boys’ basketball coach David Beckerman as eighth graders. They helped the Panthers to four consecutive trips to the state Class 3A final four. Pine Crest won in 2007 and in 2008, but fell last year in the state final. Knight, the 2010 Gatorade Male High School Athlete and two-time Gatorade National Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year has moved on to the University of Kentucky.

“He’s a terrific kid, and beyond that, he’s a true student/ athlete,” said Beckerman, who also coached Travis in basketball. Travis still holds the school record for threes in a game with

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12. “Without question, Traveon could play Division 1 basketball and Division 1 football. He’ll have his choice of sports, and he’ll have his choice of schools. What separates Traveon from other athletes is he competes, the other kids play. The kid is a real gentleman. I can’t say enough about his demeanor and his relationships with people.”

Henry, who played most of last year’s basketball season with a bulky knee brace while recovering from the MCL tear, still managed to set the school record for assists in a season with 215 in 27 games. He also draws the difficult assignment of defending the opponent’s top

Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

offensive threat.

Traveon said he and his brother Travis talk on the phone everyday. He said the phone bills would sometimes exceed $200.

Traveon said if a professional sports career doesn’t materialize, he would like to be a pharmacist. ”Our bond is incredible,” Henry said. “We look to each other for pretty much everything. If I have problems, I will look to him.

Growing up, he has pretty much taught me everything. When it comes to education, sports or life as a whole, he’s my inspiration.

He’s my role model.”

Henry said he also learned a lot from Knight during his five years at the School. He also has

several quotations on the walls of his bedroom for motivation.

One is from former Utah Jazz basketball player, John Stockton.

“You won’t get much done if you only work on the days that you feel good.”

Another is from his school’s football coach, Pletcher: “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is because they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.” On top of his door, whenever he walks out of his room is one that says, “no one will ever outwork me.”

Pine Crest Athletic Director Jim Foster said it has been wonderful watching Henry grow up.

“He’s a great young man,” Foster said. “He’s an outstanding young man with the highest character.

He’s a great student, and the demands on his time during the off seasons are greater. I think he will be a big-time football recruit.

The last three years he played in Brandon’s [Knight] shadow in basketball, so who knows what will happen now? That chapter is yet to be written.”

Henry said he would play anywhere on the field as long as he can help his team. Pletcher, who has been coaching since 1973 and the last six at Pine Crest after a 29-year run in the college ranks, said Henry’s versatility would play well in his future. “He’s a guy with great talent, and he is maximizing that talent,” Pletcher said. “There are guys out there with great talent who never develop that talent.

Colleges typically have 25 scholarships to offer, so they are going to take two running backs, three wide receivers, and five defensive backs,” Pletcher said. “So there’s 15 spots that he can fill because he can play all of those positions.” Pletcher paused for a moment and smiled. “Still keeps the balls dry.”

This article was reprinted and edited with the permission of SportsLink Magazine.

ATHLETICS International Swim

Pine Crest Swimming and Diving Triumphant Despite Critics’ Doubts

BY COACH JAY FITZGERALD n The 2010 season was one of the most challenging and interesting seasons in some years, especially for the Girls’ team, as it was a pre-season pick by the local press and several high school coaches in the area to finish no higher than fifth this year at the State Championships, and it was picked to lose the District Championship for the first time in 24 years and Region Championships for the first time in six years. The Boys’ team also was picked to place third at State and to lose the Region Championship to American Heritage, which was picked to win both the Boys’ and Girls’ Region meet and place second at States in pre-season polls.

However, both the Boys’ and Girls’ teams accepted that challenge and went on to have one of their best seasons in years, with both teams going 8-1 in dual meets with the only loss to Jacksonville’s Bolles. Both teams also won the District Championship, Region Championship, and were State Runner Up. The Girls’ team did have an extremely tough schedule, and there was no one “star” swimmer as in the past that we knew could win every race in every meet. But as a team, the Girls got more out of this year’s team than any year on the past, as they pulled every possible point from each swimmer and diver to gain victory in the tight dual meets against American Heritage, St. Andrews, Boca High, and to win the District and Region championships and be State Runner Up. They were really a team of overachievers.

The Boys’ team came on strong right from the start and demonstrated that they

were not going to settle for anything less than State Runner Up this year, as they understood that they gave away secondplace standing last year. Once again, the Boys were in total control at the District and Region championships winning both meets by a large margin and placing well in front of the third-place team at States. Thomas Veale won the Male Swimmer of the Year award for the second-year-in-a-row, and this marks the eighth-year-in-a-row that Pine Crest Swimming has won the High School Swimmer of the Year Award either by a male or female swimmer, which is the longest current streak in Broward County. Thomas Veale broke the school record in the 200 Free and was State Champion in the 500 Free, and the 200 Free Relay team of Marcel Bets Chart, Gotti Eisenberger, Descartes Holland, and Thomas Veale won the State Title and set a new school record.

One of the keys to our team’s success is the dual-meet schedule, where we look for the best competition that will meet us.

Having a 2A State Champions Boca High and Belen Jesuit on our schedule and racing 1A State Champion Bolles helps to develop the team for the championship season of District, Region, and State competitions. We are pleased that American Heritage and St. Andrews continue to be on our schedule, and we try to get the other top teams from Broward, Miami Dade, and Palm Beach counties to have dual meets with us but it is difficult to get some of the other teams to be on our schedule.

The team is grateful for the support it gets from the Athletic Department and School Administration.

n In other swimming news, Pine Crest School and members of Pine Crest School’s Swim Camp served as international ambassadors for a group of Russian youths visiting the Fort Lauderdale campus for an international swimming exchange. The program ran from July 16-30, 2010.

The U.S. Department of State’s SportsUnited Office partnered with the U.S. Olympic Committee to host the Russian delegation of 12 boys and seven girls, ages 13-16, four coaches, and one team leader. This Swimming Sports Visitor Program is carried out under the auspices of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s Education, Culture, Sports and Media Working Group.

Led by coach Jay Fitzgerald, Russian participants learned swimming techniques and participated in cultural activities alongside their American and international counterparts.

Participants in the program also took part in SportsUnited core sessions on disability sport and conflict resolution, and visited local community organizations. Coach Fitzgerald also traveled to Singapore to coach Zeineb Khalafallah of Tunisia at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games this summer.

Cross Country District Champs! n For the first time, Girls’ Cross Country won the District Championship. Hannah Montague (27), Arianna Garvin (28), Sophia Siciliano (31), Caroline Miranda (41), and Anne Marie McLaughlin (43) each finished ahead of most teams top-5 runners. Had there been a tie between PCS and Lincoln Park, our 6th man (Caroline) beat LP’s 6th man for the win. This is the first-ever Pine Crest Girls’ Cross Country District Championship.

The boys’ team, led by individual qualifiers, Jordan Gershman (5) and Adam Blyer (8), placed first by 3 points over Lincoln Park and 4 points over Archbishop McCarthy.

Jack Walker (17), Tim Baker (18), James Sahagian (22), David Saperstein (35), and Matt Moore (65) completed the victorious team.

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Arts DANCE

Coppellia, the Girl with the Enamel Eyes

Captivating Performance Scenes from Coppellia, the Girl with the Enamel Eyes

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Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

n The Student Cultural Arts Series presented the charming ballet Coppelia, The Girl with the Enamel Eyes. Seventy talented ballet students performed under Artistic Director Brenda Gooden, assistant directors Amy Cichoski and John Sheaffer. Following the ballet, the Founder’s Council hosted a special reception in honor of the students.

We salute our Pine Crest seniors who performed in this year’s ballet: Melissa Stephenson (Swanhilda), Cara Becher (Swanhilda), Sarah Goodman (Coppelia), Katie Bodner (Coppelia), Jordon Lefton (Guest Artist- Franz), Calvin Winchell (Dr. Coppelius), Akriti Ahuja (Harvester), Olivia Fabre (Couple Girl), Carleena Fiorenza (Swanhilda’s Friend), Alyssa Melo (Couple Girl), Elizabeth Pekarskay (Harvester Soloist), and Natalie Yezbick (Swanhilda’s Friend and Prayer).

THEATER

Theatre Arts Students Shine at Thespian Festival n Pine Crest Troupe 4483 represented itself well at the District 7 Thespian Festival at Coral Springs High School.

With 17 performers in attendance, junior Nicole Steinberg and freshman Elizabeth Frankenthal both received “Superior” in Solo Musical Performance, while “Excellent” was awarded to sophomore Emily Kidd, and freshmen Gigi Falk and Marissa Hecker.

In Solo Monologue, juniors Kilian (Kacey) Suchocki and Josh Aronson received “Excellent,” as did the Small Group Musical number featuring Emily Kidd, Carolyn Aguirre, and Marissa Hecker. Shanice Thompson received an “Excellent” for Playwriting.

Comedies Erupt at Fall Play n Pine Crest School presented two World Premieres and two Southeastern Premieres selected from the nationally-renowned Nantucket Short Play Festival this year. Four comedies commented on modern theatregoing, film noir detective movies, Certified Public Accountants, and bygone resort towns. Playwright and film critic Todd Wallinger was in attendance from Colorado. The Pine Crest/Nantucket collaboration has resulted in several published plays in recent years.

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MUSIC Students listed below were selected to perform with the Florida All-State Ensembles: Florida All State Orchestras, Fort Lauderdale These musicians successfully auditioned for the Florida All-State Orchestras. They will represent the school in Tampa in January: Seventh/Eighth Grade: Carson Poltorack (violin and viola) Ninth/10th Grade: Gabriella Itzler (viola) 11th/12th Grade: Jeesoo Han (violin)

Pine Crest Musicians and Singers Score Big at Music Competitions n Pine Crest Strings musicians on the Fort Lauderdale campus, who participated in the FBA Solo and Ensemble District Festival, performed beautifully and earned a Superior rating!!

Actually, no one from Pine Crest earned lower than an Excellent. Pine Crest earned a total of 58 medals. Each student listed below earned at least one Superior: UPPER SCHOOL Elyse Anderson (2) Manuel Arrillaga (2) Rahul Benda (2) Preksha Bhagchandani (3) Bronsen Bloom (1) Lauren Celentano (3) Alex Fox (2, including a Superior with Distinction, the very highest rating the FOA awards) Jeesoo Han (3) Gabriella Itzler (2) Alex Jaffe (3) Anna Kerr (1) Evana Nabi (1) Solomon Seckler (1) Laura Siciliano (2) Jonah Sternthal (3) Josh Yang (1) MIDDLE SCHOOL Andie Corban (2) J.T. Cowgill (1) Taylor Fistel (3) Alexandra Hauser (1) Rayna Lunn (1) Matthew Merrigan (3) Julian Munoz (3) Elexa Perlman (2) Carson Poltorack (3) Elizabeth Pozzuoli (2) Juliette Pozzuoli (1) Julia Sabra (2) Ari Srour (1) Phillip Swart (1)

Mikayla D’Ambra Katirina Delviscio Stefanie Grau Paul Krigger Indira Ramgolam Cassidy Robertson

ELEMENTARY CHORUS Mikayla D’Ambra Katirina Delviscio Stefanie Grau Paul Krigger Indira Ramgolam Cassidy Robertson

Florida All-State Band Ensembles, Fort Lauderdale Please congratulate the following Pine Crest band students who were selected to perform with the Florida All-State Band Ensembles:

MIDDLE SCHOOL ORCHESTRA Carson Poltorack

David Graff - Concert Orchestra Winds (9-10) Patrick Boyle - Concert Band (9-10) Sam Nemiroff - Honor Band

CONCERT ORCHESTRA David Graff Gabriella Itzler SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Jeesoo Han CONCERT BAND Patrick Boyle HONOR BAND Sam Nemiroff MIDDLE SCHOOL MIXED CHORUS Matthew Merrigan CONCERT CHORUS Cristian Abello Elyse Anderson MEN’S CHORUS Samuel Korntner WOMEN’S CHORUS Carolyn Aguirre Alina Edep Sibel Odabas-Yigit Isabelle Vrod

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Florida All-State Elementary Chorus, Fort Lauderdale Please congratulate the following Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest students who were selected to perform with the Florida All-State Elementary Chorus:

Pine Crest Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-11

American Choral Directors Association 2011 National Honor Choir, Boca Raton The Boca Raton campus’ Concert Choir and Middle School Chorus members successfully auditioned for the American Choral Directors Association 2011 National Honor Choir. These ladies and gentlemen represent the very finest musicians in the School, District, State, and Country. They will travel to Chicago, IL, March 9 - 12 for a series of workshops, rehearsals, concerts and recordings.

Children’s (Treble) Honor Choir, grades 4 - 9 Amanda Anderson - Alto II Tristan Cade - Alto II Jodie Kahan - Soprano II Alexandra Slusarenko - Soprano II Danielle Swords - Alto I Noa Weiner - Soprano I Ally Feeney - Soprano II

Middle School (Changed Voices) Honor Choir, grades 7 - 9 Jack Altman - Tenor I The Florida Vocal Association 2011 Middle School All-State Choir, Boca Raton Of special note - Soprano Jordanna Brody received a perfect 100% on the Vocal Performance portion; Alto Laura-Sky Herman was made “Control” - essentially, the standard by which all the other singers in her section are judged. They will travel to Tampa, Fl, January 12 - 15 for a series of workshops, rehearsals, concerts, and recordings.

Jordanna Brody - Soprano Sara Henry - Soprano Laura-Sky Herman – Alto Florida Elementary Music Educators Association 2011 AllState Choir, Boca Raton Students will travel to Tampa, Fl, January 12 - 14 for a series of workshops, rehearsals, concerts, and recordings. Pine Crest School once again has the greatest number of singers accepted to the Elementary All-State Choir from any school, public or private, in the State.

2011 All-State Choir Alexandra Stevanovich Brian Anderson Madison Mazer Samantha Printz Catalina Cole Ryan Baker Grace Luciano Eve Rosenthal Isaac Leifert Alexandra Slusarenko Noa Weiner Caroline Adkins

Alumni FEATURES

Dr. Brooke Bedell Slaton ’94: Toddler Toy Sparked Interest in Medicine

BY SARA GARNER ’11

n Brooke Slaton’s bookshelf says it all: Blink

by Malcolm Gladwell, a few Jodi Picoult novels here and there, a map and a stack of travel journals, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and of course an extensive collection of books on obstetrics and gynecology... you might know this scientifically interested, well traveled, and photography buff better as Dr. Slaton or Brooke Bedell, Class of ’94, a practicing OB-GYN in Coral Springs.

Slaton’s interest in medicine began early, since the day her mother handed her a mock medical kit at the age of three. “My mom knew I was going to be a surgeon when it took me three hours to make a spinach salad; everything had to be cut up just right,” Slaton said.

During her childhood in Key West, Slaton dissected the fish from fishing trips and took apart radios and TVs, wanting to know what was inside of everything and how it all worked. But in eighth grade, Slaton saw that she was really going to have to work to fulfill her dreams. “At orientation at the local high school they showed me the nursery, and I

don’t mean the plant nursery,” Slaton said.

Without telling her parents, Slaton went to the library to research boarding schools, wrote letters to the schools she was interested in, and was offered an interview at Pine Crest. Slaton finally told her mother the good news and asked her to drive her to Fort Lauderdale for the interview, disregarding her mother’s worries about the cost of a privateschool education. “After my day at Pine Crest, I said to them, ‘I want to go to school here,’ and asked for a scholarship,” Slaton said.

Soon after, Slaton was admitted and received the scholarship she needed, leaving home at 13 to join the Pine Crest community in 1990.

After Pine Crest, Slaton attended Dickinson College from 1994 to 1998, where she majored in Biology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology. She then attended the Emory School of Medicine from 1998 to 2002 and did her residency at the University of South Florida from 2002 until 2006. In 2007, Slaton moved back to Palm Beach County, so that in the future, her kids would also have the opportunity to attend Pine Crest.

Slaton now works at Omega Women’s Center in Coral Springs as an OB-GYN with a special interest in pediatric and adolescent gynecology and minimally invasive surgery.

“I love what I do, and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Slaton said. “Most types of doctors are taking care of sick people. I’m getting to be a part of the biggest day of people’s lives.”

However, when she’s not on call delivering babies late into the night or keeping her busy schedule of seeing around 25 patients a day (or starring on TLC’s A Baby Story, a show that chronicles a new woman’s pregnancy and delivery each week), Slaton is out pursuing her other passion: photography.

Recently, Slaton took a trip to Cambodia after seeing a picture from an orphanage on the cover of National Geographic. “I wanted to take that picture,” Slaton said. While at the orphanage, Slaton realized that this wasn’t just a good opportunity to practice her photography, but also a perfect chance to give back. She donated enough school books and non-perishables to the orphanage to fill up an entire SUV. “It was all about the smiles on their faces when I handed them a pen and notebook,” Slaton said.

In addition, every Christmas Slaton and her mother don’t exchange presents but send packages to their guide from a safari they went on in Kenya. Slaton says her giving back started at Pine Crest after she was awarded the gift of an education.

During her freshman year at Pine Crest, Slaton wrote letters to all of the donors who contributed to her scholarship. And, she received a thank-you letter back from a man she now calls her mentor, Buzz Tabatchnick.

“He told me, ‘Just do it for somebody else someday,’ ” Slaton said. “Pine Crest’s not just a place about numbers, it’s about being a good person.”

Slaton’s Travels The good doctor’s work has helped many people.

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ALUMNI

Backstage with Camille Carida ’87

BY SARA GARNER

n With more than 20 years of experience working in the entertainment industry, the multi-talented Camille Carida continues her career as an actress working in film, television, and theater and, most recently as a film director. Camille directed her first film Winner Takes All on the RED Camera. On directing, Camille says “I was a little nervous to direct because I’d never done it before, but I knew I had to take the challenge. I had a strong vision for the film and ended up loving the process. It was fun to be on the other side of the camera and help my actors create great performances. Also, because I’m the youngest of three and didn’t always get my way, I have to admit that I liked being at the helm.”

Camille says she can’t deny that this is a very tough business with a lot of rejection, but she loves it and always has. “It brings me great joy, and I’ve been fortunate to work with some really talented people over the years. I

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got my first theater experiences on the Pine Crest stage. Mr. Williams really believed in me, casting me in Gramercy Ghost, and then in every play from my freshman through senior years. When I was in grade school at Pine Crest, I would go up to the balcony and watch the big productions. I was mesmerized, and I would say to myself, ‘I want to do that.’ ” Camille attended Pine Crest from the time she was in Kindergarten and graduated in 1987. She was class president and Homecoming Queen and was also awarded the Miami Herald Silver Knight Honorable Mention Award for drama and community service that same year. She then went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa from Trinity College in Hartford, CT with a degree in Theater and Dance. “A lot of people who go into this business think they need to have a backup plan. My father, Dr. Robert V. Carida, Sr., always told me to pursue what I loved with blinders. He would say, ‘Don’t have anything to fall back on, or you will.’ ” Camille has extensive experience working in film, television, commercials, and theater.

She’s currently starring as a series regular in the role of Olivia Franchesca in the hilarious

web series Dumbass Filmmakers. Camille’s other work includes playing Meg Guttstein, the kooky wife of a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon in writer/director Maurice Jamal’s comedy feature Friends & Lovers and the barfly Loretta on Frasier opposite Kelsey Grammer ’73 and Anthony LaPaglia. She worked with comedian David Allen Grier on his TV show Chocolate News, where she got the opportunity to work with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire. She also appeared as Kendra’s etiquette coach on the E! reality show The Girls Next Door.

As a writer, Camille has written several screenplays and recently broke ground as one of the first female comic book creators with her newly published graphic novel LickIt Man, based on her short film. The film was accepted to six film festivals including the LA International Short Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Tromadance, and Arlene’s Grocery Picture Show where it was awarded Best Narrative Short and an Originality Award.

For more info on Camille’s current projects, please visit www.WinnerTakesAllthemovie.com and www.DumbassFilmmakers.com.

ALUMNI

Distinguished Alumna Shares Experiences: Paves Way for Future Generations

BY SUSIE LEDBETTER

n Distinguished Alumna Helene L. Kaplan ’49 graciously hosted Erin Sperry ’07 (recipient of the Coleman Scholarship her senior year) and me for lunch last fall in New York. We took this opportunity to talk about their shared high school experiences at Pine Crest and then at Barnard College. How different, how similar, and how much their alma maters have meant to their careers.

Helene enrolled in Pine Crest for her last two years of high school due in large part to Mae McMillan’s gracious welcome and focus on academics. Erin grew up in the Florida Keys and launched a computer search to find Pine Crest. Both were quick to credit strong teaching from dedicated faculty. They spoke fondly about how memorable and happy their years at Pine Crest were and how well prepared they were for college.

The lure of the Big Apple made Barnard the perfect fit for these two ambitious young women. It was fascinating to listen to them compare courses and college life as they both focused on careers.

Helene married right after graduation and while raising two girls went on to pursue a law degree, which led to a distinguished legal career.

She has achieved more honors than this magazine could dare to list.

But Barnard has been a lifelong commitment and her many years of leadership have brought significant growth and change to the college. Today, she is honored as trustee emerita and chair emerita.

Erin is now midway through her final year of undergraduate study.

She already has traveled extensively and she and her friends, with a grateful nod to Helene, have so many more options. As Erin explains it, “We spend hours of conversation imagining the myriad possibilities that are open to us in 2011. “I’ll audition around New York theaters to see what roles I get,” I’ll teach English in Russia,” “I’ll join the Peace Corps and head to China,” “I’ll work in finance downtown,” “I’ll take a year off, and then go to law/medical/graduate school.”

When asked what advice she would offer Erin, Helene was quick to encourage her to follow her deeply held convictions – to stay true to herself and her dreams.

Erin wrote me after our lunch, “I hope we don’t ever forget those who have come before like Helene; they have given so selflessly so that today we can continue the work to be done, create new opportunities, walk those roads less traveled and chart new visions.”

The three of us look forward to continuing the conversation...

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ALUMNI

Helping Women with a High Risk for Breast Cancer The book is for anyone out there who has had family members suffer from cancer and wondered… Am I next?

BY TONI MARSHALL

n In her insightful and informative book, Previvors: Facing the Breast Cancer Gene and Making Life-Changing Decisions, Dina Roth Port ’93 tells the stories of Lisa, Amy, Mayde, Rori, and Suzanne.

When she first met them, the veteran writer quickly realized that the sum of their trials, triumphs, and emotions made a compelling story that could educate others about breast cancer risk and help themselves to exhale.

“These five woment told me that they were previvors, which means people who have not had cancer but have a predisposition to develop it, and they had all taken steps to lower their risks,” says Roth Port, who graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism to embark on a successful journalism career. Roth Port worked as an editor for Glamour Magazine and Parenting magazines and has written for many other national publications. “However, while they had each

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other and organizations to lean on for support, there was no book they could turn to that addressed all the physical, emotional, and psychological issues they were facing.

“They asked me to write a book for previvors.”

Ironically, one of the women lived right around the corner from Roth Port.

“A mutual friend suggested she contact me to write the book, so we met for coffee, and immediately hit it off,” Roth Port says.

Then, within a week, I met the other four women at her house. Their stories were very sad – tragic in some cases – all of them watched their mothers struggle with cancer.

However, they decided that, if they could help it, they wouldn’t follow in their mothers’ footsteps.”

Roth Port decided to do some research about this whole new way of looking at breast cancer. As a health writer, she was shocked to discover that there are thousands of women living with high risk of breast cancer, but there were no books to give them the information they need to understand their potential to develop cancer and thrive, despite their apprehension of succumbing to the disease.

As a woman, she was angry. “I know

far too many women who learned that they were a high risk for breast cancer after it was too late,” she says. “Women deserve to know their risk and their options.”

Following her research, she decided this book had to be written.

Roth Port writes about the issues these women have suffered and continue to face.

All of their mothers battled cancer and three of them lost their mothers to the disease. She also interviewed more than 70 leading medical experts and interwove their five stories to make the facts come to life.

In Previvors, Roth Port walks readers through every issue they might face, including determining one’s own risk, weighing options, dating, marriage, motherhood, and body image. There’s also a chapter on insurance.

One chapter in particular stands out in her thoughts. “The chapter which explains why these women were living in such fear of cancer is very touching and moving- it brings me to tear every time I re-read it,” she notes.

“However, while the stories might be difficult at times, in the end they are all very uplifting and inspirational.”

Roth Port hopes her book will be a helpful guide to other previvors. “Breast cancer is the disease women most fear, but we can turn our fear into empowerment by learning our risk and the options we have to protect ourselves,” she says.

Roth Port resides in Boca Raton with her husband, Larry, their son, Zachary, and their daughter, Samantha, who is in kindergarten on the Pine Crest Boca Raton campus. She credits Pine Crest for inspiring her career and specifically recognizes Ann Birr and former English teacher Tony Jaswinski for developing, honing, and encouraging her writing abilities. Please visit her website at www.dinarothport.com.

Giving Thanks Dina Roth Port with English mentor Tony Jaswinski

ALUMNI

There Must Have Been Something in the Water

BY LYNNE KOREMAN

n Back in the ’70s at Pine Crest, there was clearly something in the water... four incredible openwater swimmers!

The “Triple Crown” of open water swimming includes the authenticated completion of three swims: 21 miles across the English Channel, 21 miles across the Catalina Channel in Southern California, and 28.5 miles around Manhattan Island in New York.

Pine Crest had three Triple Crown swimming alums: Dr. Scott Richards ’77, Scott Coleman ’72, and Gail Simmons Rice ’74. Dan Richards ’74 pushed

the number to four this past summer, joining this elite crowd.

Dan conquered the Catalina Channel in 2008. Following his recovery from a back injury, he set out to attempt the English Channel on July 20 of this year. Scott Richards and Scott Coleman accompanied him as members of his support team.

It was a clear and sunny day with not even a ripple in the water. Dan told his support team not to tell him where he was until he reached four miles from the finish. “Four miles for me is a little less than two hours in the pool,” said Dan. “I could do two hours in the pool in my sleep.”

When he reached the last half mile, both Scotts dove in and joined him for the end of the swim. Dan successfully completed his swim in 12 hours and 32 minutes. Since 1874, just a little more than 1,100 swimmers have successfully conquered the bone-chilling water in the strait between Dover, England and Calais, France. Dan’s English Channel swim makes Dan and Scott Richards only the second siblings ever to have successfully crossed both the English Channel and the Catalina Channel in solo swims. Lynne and David Cox were the first. However, the Richards are the only brothers ever to accomplish this feat. This duo has competed and helped each other train over the years. “This has always been and continues to be about the journey,” said Dan. “It began in 2006 watching and supporting Scott in his quest for completing the Triple Crown and unexpectedly morphed into my own open-water journey over the past three years.”

It was 2006 when Scott Richards asked his brother to help him prepare for the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. Dan was training for Scott’s attempt when he realized he might want to do an open-water swim himself.

Dan asked brother, Scott, to run his crew and assist with his training. The rigorous prepara-

tion included 4:30 a.m. swims sometimes lasting 3 to 5 hours each. He swam 25 to 28 miles a week to get ready. On his way to Dover to assist his brother, Scott Richards said, “l have to get Dan to swim around Manhattan Island so we can be the only brothers to do the Triple Crown.”

After his auspicious swim in July, Dan submitted his application for the 2011 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and will be one of the participants on June 18, 2011. Dan shared, “This will be my opportunity to join my three former Pine Crest teammates in a very exclusive club!”

Pine Crest has produced hundreds of swimmers and a myriad of accomplished open-water swimmers like Rice, Coleman, and the Richards brothers. The pool of swimming talent from Pine Crest continues to overflow today.

Open Water Swimmers Left to right: Scott Richards ’77, Dan Richards ’74, and Scott Coleman ’72

Kelsey and Classmates n In this photo is a group of us from ’72-’73 who have become very close again in the last 18 months. We decided to reunite in NYC for a weekend in October. One came from Australia, one from LA, several from IL, FL, NC, MA, and NY! We packed in a lot into 48 hours, including front row cabaret tables at La Cage to see Kelsey Grammer ’73 perform. Kelsey knew in advance that we were coming so he arranged for a private room for us at a nearby bar for an after-show get together. – Julie Richardson Milunic ’72 In this photo: Devon Reiff ’72, Caron Mitchell Comin ’72, Donna Bixler Mowry ’73, Doug Rice, Suebee Bonnette Hesse ’73, Kelsey Grammer ’73, Julie Richardson Milunic ’72, Lenay Gore ’74, Susan Yerkes Cary ’72, Michael Vajen Lee ’72, Cathy Gross ’72, and Kathy Rice. Missing from the shot are Will Dent, Maxine Schy Retsky ’73, and Janet Weakley ’76

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Class Notes ANNOUNCEMENTS 1979

was one year to the day from when she finished Ironman Lake Placid – a 140.6-mile triathlon race. The family currently lives in New York’s Upper East Side where Lauren and Tyler work at hedge funds.

1997 Wayne Camard ’79 married Leigh Todd, on May 6, 2010. The newlyweds honeymooned in Africa.

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Stephanie Levin ’90 married Joseph Thomas Kraeutler on December 12, 2009, in the lobby at the IAC Building in New York.

Stephanie graduated from Tufts and received a master’s degree in education from the Bank Street College of Education. Joseph is a partner in Hasted Kraeutler, a photography gallery in New York, and he is a graduate of Elmira College.

Although they graduated from PCS two years apart, Nini De Braganza ’97 and Calvin Peterson ’95 met the old-fashioned way – in college, at a bar. They met in January of 2004 at The Grog House across the street from The University of Florida. Five years later Calvin proposed, and they finally tied the knot on October 16, 2010 at the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard. The wedding party was comprised of a host of PCS Panthers and lifelong friends including Maid of Honor, Inga Baekkelund ’97; Matron of Honor, Heather Barnes Truelove ’97; Best Woman, Lisa James ’95; and Groomsmen, Joey Walters ’95; Mike Smith ’95; and Rick McKenzie ’94.

Nini and Calvin currently live in Charlottesville, VA, while Nini completes her postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology at UVA.

1992 Sareh Beladi ’92 and her husband, John-Paul Lazo, welcomed their first child, Isabella Lazo, on July 10, 2010. Isabella was 6 lbs. 11 oz. and 19 inches. Sareh would love to hear from any alumni in South Florida, as she and her family just recently moved back to the Stuart area. sbeladi4022@yahoo.com

1996 Lauren Dachelet Garner ’96 and her husband, Tyler Garner, welcomed their first child, Blake Daniel Garner, on July 26. Blake was 6 lbs. 14 oz. Lauren said her son was born three weeks early, which coincidentally

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Pictured: Front row: Lauren Tosch ’98; Best Woman Lisa James ’95; Diane Barnes Frisbee ’94; Matron of Honor Heather Barnes Truelove ’97; Michelle Barnes ’88; Lorie Austin, Darcey Beth Austin ’01; Nini De Braganza ’97; Suzan Baekkelund, Maid of Honor Inga Baekkelund ’97; Krista O’Connell Promnitz ’97; Katie O’Connell Nitowski ’00; Betty O’Connell. Back Row: Jed Shank ’97; Brad Austin ’97; Groomsman Mike Smith ’95; Calvin Peterson ’95; Groomsman Joey Walters ’95; Groomsman Rick McKenzie ’94; Rohan Kelley ’58. Not pictured: Casey Barnes ’92.

1998 Becca Hirschman ’98 married Todd Klarin on October 10 in San Francisco, CA. Emily Hirschman ’02 was the Maid of Honor. PCS friend, Alison Moss-Fisher ’95 and her husband, David Fisher, attended.

Becca and Todd live in San Francisco.

Samara Warman Platt ’98 and her husband, Kyle, proudly announced the arrival of son, Anderson Jacob Platt, born on October 2, in Winter Park, FL. Anderson weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20.25 inches long.

Mikela Warman ’10 and Alexa Warman ’13 are so excited to be young aunts. Samara and Kyle both work for the U.S. Army, Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation. Samara is a Management Analyst, and Kyle is a Senior Program Systems Engineer.

1999 On July 24, Cady Kashner ’99 married Will Bowman in Woodstock, VT. Elisa D’Angelo Chelius ’99 and Julie Marx Michael ’99 were bridesmaids in the wedding. Ashley Pierce Clawges ’99 was in charge of the guest book. Cady recently earned her Masters of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts. Will and Cady reside in Port Jefferson, NY. China Ling Yee Kirk ’99 married John Robert Fanning on August 21, in Beacon, NY. The private ceremony was held in a beautiful field surrounded by mountains. The couple will host a larger, formal wedding in Duxbury, MA, on June 4, 2011. Jami Leilani Woo Kirk ’01 will be the Maid of Honor.

As the USTA NJTL Education Manager, China has dedicated herself to the nonprofit

IN MEMORIAM sector by providing free tennis and educational programs to underserved youth. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from NYU and is pursuing her MNA from the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. John is a professional musician, holds a B.A. from Notre Dame and a Masters from NYU. His music has appeared on Good Morning America, MTV’s Subterranean, and more.

2000 Kristin Ragland Gomez ’00 and her husband, Adam, welcomed their first child, Josie Kathleen Gomez, on July 2. Josie was born 6 lbs. 6 oz. and 19” long.

2001 New York Giant Kevin Boothe ’01 and his wife Rosalie, welcomed their first child, Dante Charles Boothe, on September 14.

Dante was 7 lbs. 7 oz. (“77” happens to be Kevin’s pro football number!) Kevin, Rosalie, and Dante recently attended the NYC Alumni Gathering at Angus McIndoe Restaurant.

Lindsay Zamis Whitledge ’01 and her husband, Mark, welcomed their son, Julian Finn Whitledge, on September 24 in Laguna Niguel, CA. Julian weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches long.

2002 Angelique Wille ’02 married Sean Mullin on June 12. The newlyweds live outside Philadelphia, PA. Sean teaches Ancient Greek

at the College of New Jersey, and Angelique is a curatorial assistant and Ph.D. student at Bryn Mawr College.

Diann Somsnit ’02 married her boyfriend of nine years, David Knapp, at the W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale on June 5, which was the couple’s nine-year anniversary. In attendance as a Friend of Honor was Ashish Kapila ’02.

The newlyweds live in Fort Lauderdale, where Diann is an Exercise Physiologist at Holy Cross Hospital, and David is a Fort Lauderdale police officer.

2003 Carolyn Rubenstein ’03 married Benjamin Ira Spoont ’04 on October 23 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, FL. Carolyn graduated summa cum laude from Duke University and is studying for a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Harvard.

She is the author of Perseverance: How Young People Turn Fear into Hope and How They Can Teach Us to Do the Same. Ben is an independent management consultant specializing in digital media strategy. He graduated cum laude from Duke University.

2004 Amy Schnidman ’04 married Stuart Coffey on August 7 in South Africa. Laurie Schnidman ’01, Bailey Blosser ’04, and Megan Hamilton ’04 were bridesmaids in the wedding. Amy graduated from Georgetown University in ’08 and works for Deloitte Consulting in their healthcare practice.

Stuart graduated with an honors degree from the University of Cape Town ’08 and works for the Academy of Educational Development. The newlyweds live in Washington, DC but try to visit Fort Lauderdale often.

Maureen Brown Staudenmayer ’61 n Maureen Staudenmayer (66) of Avon, CT, beloved wife for 46 years of William (Bill) Staudenmayer, passed away Sunday, December 6, 2009 at home surrounded by her family.

Maureen lived in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, for many years before moving to Avon in 1976. She enjoyed family time at their cottage on West Hill Lake in New Hartford, CT. Maureen was active in all of her sons’ activities as well as community volunteer work. She was also an accomplished watercolor artist. Besides her husband, she leaves three sons, Sean and his wife, Lisa; Randal and his wife, Lisa; and Peter and his wife, Elizabeth; two granddaughters, Samantha and Kaya; and a sister, Linda Merrill of Montreal, Canada.

Maureen’s husband, Bill added “she was a great person, and l loved her very much, and l miss her beyond words.

We had a healthy and good life, and we thanked God for that until Maureen found out she had stage-4 ovarian cancer. She did well most of the time, and she did survive for five years. We always had hope, but sadly her time here just ran out.”

Erik Amlie ’80 n Erik Amlie (46) of Fort Lauderdale, FL and Villa Hills, KY passed away on January 13, 2010 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Edgewood, KY. Erik is survived by his wife, Mary Jo Amlie, daughters Serena and Eliza, father Thor Amlie, sisters Berit Amlie Reiss ’81 and Kari Amlie Botek, brother Karsten Amlie, and his nieces and nephews.

Erik was a devoted and loving husband, father, brother, uncle, and son. His children and wife, Mary Jo, were his true loves. Erik will be dearly missed.

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Alumni Panthers Come Home n Homecoming 2010 reunited alumni from all corners of the country on Friday night, October 1 to celebrate this great PCS tradition. The festivities began with a Family Pizza Tailgate at 5:30 p.m. Former PCS football players and cheerleaders gathered at the 50-yard line for a special Pre-Game Recognition Ceremony. It’s great to be a PCS PANTHER! Pictured: 1: Corrie Stark, Jana Blackwell ’84 with Bill ’45 and Lisa McMillan 2: Alumni Panthers unite! 3: Jim and Valerie Hinton Berwanger ’81 4: Ashley Palmer Lindsay ’99, Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, and Stephanie Shank Correa ’87 5: Norma Goonen ’65 and Alumni Director Susie Ledbetter 6: Larry Osborne ’72, Dawn and Michael Cohen ’78 7: Ron ’85, Christina, Riley ’21, and Dylan Haligman ’23 8: Miles ’90, Anna ’23, Owen ’22, and Sara Knapp Medrano ’89

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Alumni/Varsity Baseball n This summer’s Alumni/Varsity Baseball Game didn’t disappoint. Check out highlights from the first inning... With senior Michael Pierson ’11 on the mound for the Varsity Team, the Alumni were held scoreless.

Robert Harvey ’06 grounded out to second baseman Harrison Meister ’11. Recent Williams College grad and four-year-starter Robin Allemand ’05 struck out to record the second out. Jon LoBello ’98, who pitched at Rollins College, then walked. Ted Karniewicz ’96, who played four years at Emory University, singled to left field to put runners at first and second base. Coach Semmie Taylor ’99, who played baseball at Hamilton College, then struck out to end the inning.

To read more, go to http://www.ftl.pinecrest.edu/athletics/sports_zone/teams/baseball/Alumni%20Information/alumni%20game%20schedule-results-10.htm

Fifth Annual Alumni Row n On Saturday November 27 the Pine Crest Crew Team held the Fifth Annual Alumni Row at the Kelley Boathouse, where 35 alumni returned for the annual race against the current varsity team. In a close and competitive race, the varsity squad edged out the alumni by half-a-boat length.

The Panther alumni came back from schools like Bucknell, Colgate, Cornell, Georgetown, George Washington, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Trinity, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, and Yale. It was a wonderful afternoon, and the Pine Crest Crew team could not be more proud of our Panther alumni!

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New York Reunion n In New York City, James Trezza ’80 hosted a record number of alumni at the popular mid-town Angus McIndoe restaurant. It was a great night of reconnecting, networking, and celebrating PCS memories and friendships. Pine Crest President Emerita Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, Director of College Counseling Marcia Hunt, Vice President of Admission Elena Del Alamo ’67, Upper School faculty member Barbara Lee Brogan, Upper School Guidance Counselor Estes Carns, and Alumni Director Susie Ledbetter welcomed everyone to this special evening dedicated to our very important constituency – our alumni.

Pictured: 1: NYC group shot 2: Betsy Saunders Methany ’72, Reagan Hunt Crotty ’96, and Marcia Hunt 3: Mark Ledbetter ’96 4: Taylor Chaintreuil ’09 5: Rosalie and Kevin Boothe ’01, and baby Dante 6: Bryan Rubin ’96, Elena Martinez Del Alamo ’67, and Will Kluczkowski ’99 7: Brette Meyers ’00, Barbara Lee Brogan, and Frankie James Grande ’01 8: James Trezza ’90, Jennifer and Jonathan Weil ’88 9: Jessica Donner ’92, Gregory Mondre ’92, Seth Wilentz ’92, and Maya Arison ’92 10: Stephen Moss ’98 and Kevin Mogyoros ’99 11: Michael Vajen Lee ’72 and Liz Ansley Letzler ’70

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Washington D.C. Reunion n Fritz Brogan ’03 once again opened his terrific upstairs space at “Kitchen 2404” for our Washington, DC Alumni Gathering. Old friends, great food, and lots of happy memories made for a very special evening. Pine Crest President Emerita Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, Director of College Counseling Marcia Hunt, Upper School faculty Barbara Lee Brogan, College Counseling’s Ari Worthman and Matt Mettille, and Alumni Director Susie Ledbetter welcomed a great group of alumni.

All agreed – “same time next year.”

Pictured: 1: Evan Schwartz ’01, Lourdes Cowgill, Barbara Lee Brogan, Susan Ledbetter, Laurie Schnidman ’01, and Lauren Taney ’01 2: Lauren Taney ’01, Evan Schwartz ’01, Laurie Schnidman ’01, and Amy Schnidman Cossey ’04 3: Kirsti and Michael Kenneth ’00, Allison Drucker ’00, and Jessica Forres ’00 4: Max Thomas ’87, Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, David Meit ’86 5: Elisa D’Angelo Chelius ’99. Matthew Chelius, Barbara Lee Brogan, and Bruce Friedman ’90 6: Chris Wanka ’06, Megan Fleischer, and Matt Mettille 7: Elizabeth Maze Hileman ’98 and Jeffrey Hileman 8: Lauren Taney ’01 and Bradley Chod 9: Eve Jelstrom ’73, Roger Fleming ’74, Lenay Gore ’74, and June Gardner ’75 10: Edgar De Leon ’85, Carolina Panza Diez ’85, and Chris Diez 11: Marcia Hunt and Evan Schwartz ’01

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GATHERINGS

Boca Raton Campus Hails New Legacy Families n A legacy - a family tradition - continues as the next generation enrolls, and we CELEBRATE with our Annual Legacy Breakfast. This year, our Boca alumni families gathered for a little breakfast and a lot of smiles for our annual photo. Alumni families are cherished and honored as we continue to educate tomorrow’s leaders in the Pine Crest tradition of academic excellence.

We thank our alumni families for their trust and support.

Pictured: 1: Larry, Zachary, Samantha ’23 and Dina Roth Port ’93; David, Julia ’24, and Stacey Silver Halpern ’94; Farahnaz, Joseph ’20 and Guy Angella ’86; Jared, Caroline ’24 and Emma ’21 Svendsen; Melissa, Katie ’15, and Ron Gache ’80; Peter ’93, Peter ’20, and Caridad Wellington Perri ’93; Miles ’90, Anna ’23, Owen ’22 and Sara Knapp Medrano ’89; Ben ’23, and Ronnit Hamuy Stein ’93; Ronald ’85, Christina, Riley ’21, and Dylan Haligman ’23; Evan ’90, Stacey, Isabella ’23, and Julia Packer ’18; Tamara, Peter ’75, Leah ’17, and Logan Simon ’15; James ’81, Sydney ’15 and Simone Vreeland ’17; Barney ’86 and Justin Danzansky ’17 2: David Halpern, Stacey Silver Halpern ’94, Nicole Copulsky Hecht ’93, Ronnit Hamuy Stein ’93, Jason Stein, Samantha Port ’23, Gabrielle Hecht ’24, Julia Halpern ’24, Ben Stein ’23 3: Dylan Haligman ’23 4: Boca Raton Assistant Head of School, Scott Wing with granddaughters, Caroline Svendsen ’24 and Emma Svendsen ’21 (Mom is Sarah Wing Svendsen ’95.)

5: Ronald Haligman ’85 and Riley Haligman ’21

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GATHERINGS

Six Added to Fort Lauderdale Alumni Legacy Roster

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n The annual Alumni Legacy Breakfast on the Fort Lauderdale campus welcomed six new alumni families this fall. Alumni are our most important constituency and so we are thrilled to welcome the next generation to our growing family. The photos tell the story best. President Emerita Dra. Lourdes Cowgill and Head of School Dale Smith greeted more than 100, including alumni and families.

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Pictured: 1: Hannah Maister ’19, Frank Maister ’89, Leslie Maister ’92, Crane Gladding ’89, Kasey Gladding Hamaway ’91, Max Maister ’23, Chloe Maister ’20, Alexandra Gladding ’23, and Bryce Hamaway ’24 2: Edward Walker ’12, Cecilia Walker ’06, Dr. Edward Walker ’70 3: Meredith Gertz DiCarolis ’86, Kylie DiCarolis ’17 and Sean DiCarolis ’15; Amanda Gertz Stanley ’84, Peyton Stanley ’20 and Sydney Stanley ’19; Richard Gertz ’88, Taylor Gertz ’24 and Delaney Gertz ’22 4: Tony Correa ’87, Stephanie Shank Correa ’87, Grace Correa ’18, Antonio Correa ’22, Nathaniel Correa ’24 5: Jim Cowgill ’88, Ashlyn Cowgill ’19, J.T. Cowgill ’16 6: Jeff Blostein ’89, Lauren Blostein ’20, Zachary Blostein ’19 7: Judith and Jeffrey Keiser ’73 and William Keiser ’14 8: Charles Cassel ’81 and Chloe Cassel ’20 9: Suzanne Hollowell McCawley ’90, Samuel McCawley ’20, Patrick McCawley ’23, Evelyn McCawley ’24 10: John Harrigan ’90, Wendy Dickinson Harrigan ’90, Michael Harrigan ’23 11: Joey Walters ’95 and Leah Walters ’24 12: David Taub ’91 and Ella Taub ’22

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Lago Mar Resort and Club photo by flgirlinsydney www.@ Flickr.com. Marriott Harbor Beach Resort photo by ZaniShani @ www.Flickr.com

SAVE THE DATE!

REUNION WEEKEND APRIL 8 & 9, 2011

Make plans now to be here and celebrate a wonderful weekend of memories and fun with your classmates!

50th Reunion & Half-Century Club Saturday, April 9 Lago Mar Resort and Club

40th, 30th, 25th, 20th, and 10th Reunions Saturday, April 9 Marriott Harbor Beach Resort

For more information, please contact Alumni Director Susan Ledbetter at 954.492.6602 or susan.ledbetter@pinecrest.edu.

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Pine Crest Alumni Share Memories of Their Favorite Teachers Michael Barr ’81 As a “dormie” (1977 - 1979), we often needed “surrogate parents” of sorts, so we bonded with some teachers. One teacher was Robert Goodman. He replaced Mr. Madigan (Algebra) when he died. Mr. Goodman was a friend of the boys’ dorm. His name was appropriate because he was a Good Man. He would come over and take us to movies or for a bite to eat. I was only there for two years. But, I always remembered Mr. Goodman and was able to stay in touch with him on occasion...even today. He’s now an attorney in Ft. Lauderdale.

Another “parent figure” for me was Dave Neilsen, my diving coach. Dave was an amazing guy who had a personal stake in our well-being. He was a fantastic coach who complimented our performance before he gave constructive criticism. He always found something you did right before he showed you where you needed improvement.

I also stayed in occasional contact with him. I heard he passed away, unfortunately. I’m a better person for having known and been coached by Dave Neilsen.

storage room in her office as the result of an inhouse suspension. Since I was a bit of a scofflaw in high school, her “black belt” in “tough love” was exactly what I needed, and her timing was always impeccable. Looking back, she always knew how to build me up with her stern, yet deeply caring words, no matter how badly I had messed up.

I am truly grateful for Mrs. D and love her very much!

Monica Iachan ’00 Mr. Palmaccio, hands down. I hated calculus but looked forward to it because of the light and insight Mr. P brought to the room, and his subject, and his obvious devotion to his students.

Rich McQuillen ’95 Mr. Palmaccio, hands down. I’ve taken calculus with six different teachers at the different schools. He was so good; I learned so Richard Palmaccio much from his class; and I didn’t have to even do his homework. How do you teach a subject that is usually so hard for most people, and teach it so effectively? I got a 760 on my Math SAT... Thank you Mr. Palmaccio!

I also really liked Mr. Lawman. He was one of my science teachers. Physical Alfred Lawman Science II, I believe it was.

He was very animated and inspired. You could tell he loved what he did. You couldn’t be distracted or not pay attention in his class. He was captivating.

Lissa Lagoni Bartle ’79 Anne Rousseau was my favorite because of her great coaching style and encouragement of her girls. I have many great memories from volleyball, basketball, and softball.

Good memories. It was nice just writing them out here. Hope that helps!

Anne Rousseau

Marie Rhodes Hickman ’78

Robert Stanton ’92

Mrs. D! She has been the heart of PCS, a true example of discipline applied with unmistakable love and a deeply-held sense of caring. Her intelligence, wit, impeccable manners, dedication to her career, and passion for the school, along with her ability to remember every single student who ever roamed PCS’ halls, make her unforgettable and etched in all of our hearts!

Matthew Rosen ’87 I recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with Mrs. D and have been blessed with the honor of spending Mrs. D time with her on several occasions. I truly look forward to our time together, especially since it isn’t being spent in the old book

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and with my 1130/1380 SAT scores and my 2.997 GPA, I was conditionally accepted if and only if I raised my high school GPA to a 3.0. Lee Turner, in his role as my English teacher, held the card for whether I would be able to achieve the necessary GPA. Even the best of students had a difficult time with Lee’s Junior English class. Lee’s class was eye-opening to me.

Junior year he had his students execute two main projects: the first was a debate, the second was a term paper. The debate was that first, terrifying experience where everyone had to speak publicly in front of his/her peers. As a stutterer with a lisp growing up, this real public performance was a game changer for me. I can’t recall how I did it but around that time in my life, I worked past my stutter and began to feel comfortable with my public presentation skills. In retrospect, perhaps the confidence I gained in front of my peers at this required undertaking was the catalyst that helped me move past my fears and ultimately my stutter.

I still remember my term paper topic, “Compare and Contrast Beowulf and Gulliver as Mythical Heroes.” To this date, I have never put this much work into any endeavor. I still remember Lee’s handwritten comment on the cover as he announced my grade of an A+. “Barney, this is either plagiarized or it represents the most effort you have ever put into any academic endeavor, I will elect the latter.” I got an A in his class, and I went on to Georgetown, met my wife and her family… and you know the rest.

My abilities to write, present, and generally communicate are all a direct result of my Pine Crest education, including the very formative experiences I had in Junior English.

Leslie Shupack Bell ’84

Mrs. O’Donnell, AP Chemistry teacher. She opened my eyes to what being a student of life meant. Everything I accomplished in my academic career is in some small or large part due to her influence.

Barney Danzansky ’86 When I was a student there was a teacher, Lee Turner, who was tough. His persona wasn’t so warm; he was a military man and demanded military attention to detail. Not many private school kids really got him. They either loved – if you were a debater – or hated – if anyone else – his style.

Parents thought he was too strict and unrelenting.

To this day, I have a love/hate relationship with the memory of my experience with Lee.

Amzi Barber

I made application to Georgetown as a legacy,

Ray Sessman

I will never forget how Amzi Barber would pretend to be seriously mulling over some comment in AP US History while leaning back in his chair then suddenly jerk awake, and his comb-over would hang down. That man could teach!

And then there was Mr. Sessman in his Superman costume and something about having to break the “no bathroom rule.” Good memories.

Pine Crest Provides Our Students with a

WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY

Please join us in support of our School’s 2010-11 Annual Fund.

Your gift to our Annual Fund is a means of ensuring that Pine Crest remains one of the finest schools in the country.

Thank you to everyone who has made a gift thus far.

To make your tax-deductible gift, please use the enclosed envelope. You also may call Alisa Karten, Director of Annual Giving, at 954.776.2177; give on our secure Web site: pinecrest.edu/giveonline; or welcome a call from one of our dedicated volunteers.

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Making Progress Construction on the New Upper School Academic Center is in full swing. Builders expect to complete the project this summer.

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