The Blue & The Gray (Poly Prep's School Magazine) by Poly Prep Country Day School

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THE STRATEGIC PLAN ISSUE Poly Through The Decades The Campus as a Living Classroom Imagination for Engineering What’s Next as Poly “Turns A Page”? And Much More!

1854

STRATEGIC TIMELINE

At the instigation of Mrs. Packer, Poly is founded in 1854 in downtown Brooklyn as the first all-boys independent school in the borough, and a “brother” school to Packer Collegiate, an all-girls school founded in 1845.

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1889 The school decides to separate its secondary school division from its collegiate division in 1889/90 to focus more effectively on its secondary educational program and students. (The former collegiate division has now become NYU-Poly).

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2014–2015

MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOLS 9216 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11228 LOWER SCHOOL 50 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215

OFFICERS Scott Smith ’75, P’14 Chairman Michael A. Correra ‘87 Vice Chairman Kristerfor Mastronardi ‘95 Treasurer Thomas H. Parker ‘65 Secretary Grace M. Sawyer P’82 Assistant Secretary

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BOARD MEMBERS Robin L. Bramwell-Stewart ’86, P’16 Cynthia Capone ’88 Michael Clark P’07, ’14 Jeanne M. Cloppse ’84 Elizabeth Comerford P’09, ’11, ’14 Charles M. Diker ’52 Jacquin Fink ‘54 Susanna Furfaro, M.D. P’13, ’15 Karen E. Burke Goulandris, M.D., Ph.D. P’15 Jennifer Jordan Gorman ’99 Nicholas Gravante ’78, P’20, ’23

Gary E. Hanna, Esq. ’84 Arnold F. Mascali ’84 Cassandra Metz P’21 John J. Regan ’86 Wade E. Saadi Jr. ’95 President, Alumni Board of Governors Robert G. Sabbagh ’87, P’27 Phyllis Serino P’08, ’13 Ellen Taubman P’12 Malcolm P. Travelstead P’93, ’96 Daniela Vitale-Howell P’20, ‘23, ‘25 Vincent J. Vigorita, M.D., ’68, P’96, ’99, ’15

TRUSTEES EMERITI (ex officio) Clifford Barr, Esq. ’48 Harry J. Petchesky, Esq. ’55 Grace Sawyer P’82

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THE

BLUE & GRAY

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PO LY PR EP MA GA ZIN E

FEAT UR ES

 Poly’s pre-1917

building in downtown Brooklyn, photographed in 1912.

02 Strategic Plan Timeline Learn more about how Poly has grown and thrived since its founding in 1854. 07 Strategic Change at Poly Headmaster David B. Harman P’04, ’06 reviews the first year of Poly’s new strategic plan. 08 “Noema & Noesis” Watson Fellow Efe Kabba ’09 travels the world to explore technology’s impact on human experience. 14 On Guard! Fencing returns to the Dyker Heights Campus.

Editor Malcolm G. Farley Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

Associate Editor Rebecca Grossfield Associate Director of Marketing & Communications

Staff Writers Linda Busetti William Rosario Marketing & Communications Staff Archivist Ann-Marie Werner P’06, ’09, ’11, ‘13

Design Kristen Winstead

Photography Linda Busetti Guy Devyatkin P’00 Martyn Gallina-Jones P’15 Rebecca Grossfield Poly Archives

20 A Backward Glance 7th graders meet Poly alumni and encounter change and continuity during “Poly Through the Decades.” 26 Q&A with Kate Newman Q&A with Fulbright winner and science teacher Kate Newman ’03. 30 Imagine This! Lower School enhances STEM education with engineering challenge. 36 A Living Classroom Renowned architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates reimagine the Poly campus as a living classroom. D EPA R T MEN T S

42 Student Achievements Last academic year, students continued to excel in and out of the classroom. 46 Faculty Achievements An impressive roster of teacher accomplishments. 48 Book Review Francesca Leibowitz ‘95 (English; Senior Plan Advisor) on Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. 52 Class Notes

THE BLUE & THE GRAY is published by Poly’s Marketing & Communications Office. Its mission is to offer long-form narrative, still photography, and graphics about Poly and the Poly community including alumni, faculty, and students. Inquiries and submissions— to rgrossfield@polyprep.org— are welcome. O N T H E C OV E R A Poly pennant from the 1930s and a fraternity symbol from Sigma Psi, founded in 1878.

For more information about Poly Prep: www.polyprep.org www.facebook.com/polyprep www.twitter.com/polyprep www.youtube.com/polyprepcds

66 Obituaries PH O T O SPR EA D S 12 Academics 18 Athletics 24 Special Reunion 2014 28 Character 34 Visual Arts 40 Performing Arts 44 Commencement 2014

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Poly’s Strategic

Timeline

All organizations that thrive and grow have a history of strategic decisions that shapes their success and helps them refine or redefine their mission, goals, and programs. Poly Prep is no exception. While “mind, body, and character” have remained essential to Poly’s DNA since its founding 160 years ago, the school has made big changes in how it sees and meets its educational mission during more than a century and a half of dramatic social and cultural evolution in Brooklyn and beyond.

1917 In 1917, as a pioneer in the “country day school” movement, Poly Prep moves to Dyker Heights, enabling the school to educate “the whole child” and its students to reap the benefits of after-school, co-curricular learning while still living within the “wholesome influence of home.” Major Capital Project: Dyker Heights School Buildings and 25-acre Campus.

1970 Starting in the 1970’s, Poly commits to expanding socio-economic diversity at the school via an increase in financial aid and scholarships. For the 2014-15 academic year, Poly’s financial aid budget totals $6.8 million, and approximately 27% of the student body currently receives some form of aid or scholarship.

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1977 Poly decides to go co-ed and admits its first girls in 1977 to create gender diversity among its student body. It graduates its first girls in 1979.

1980s Starting in the 1980’s, Poly decides to institute and expand a “no-fee” busing system that now reaches every borough except for the Bronx. This enables Poly to become more than a “Brooklyn” school and to recruit the best and brightest students from all over New York City. 1989 Major Capital Project: Richard Perry Theatre.

Poly students board the school bus in 1983.

A recent bus map, designed by Kuvonn Richardson ‘13.

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Poly’s Strategic

Timeline

The Anti-Bias Coalition (ABC) during a meeting in 1991.

Students complete a lab in the Marks Science Center, 2013.

1990s 1990 The school makes a commitment to ethnic/racial diversity starting in the 1990’s that has resulted in an expansion of the percentage of students of color at Poly today to approximately one third of the total. 1994 Major Capital Project: Jordan Center for Physical Education and Dance.

1995 In order to expand its offerings to include elementary education (Nursery to 4th grade) and to reach more deeply into northern Brooklyn, Poly founds its own Lower School in 1995 in Park Slope and buys the historic Hulbert mansion at 50 Prospect Park West.

1998 Major Capital Project: Dresher Family Squash Center. 1999–2000 Major Capital Project: Nancy & Edwin Marks Science & Technology Center.

Students and faculty from the defunct Woodward Park School, which had previously operated at the site, join Poly’s new Lower School that fall.

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2000s 2002 Major Capital Project: Joseph Dana Allen Library Renovation & Expansion.

2007 Major Capital Project: Steinberg Athletics Complex.

2009 Major Capital Project: Dyker Heights Greenhouse; Art Studio Renovations.

2002–2004 Major Capital Project: Alumni House. 2006–2007 Major Capital Project: LEEDcertified, awarding-winning Lower School Renovation and Expansion.

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Poly’s Strategic

Timeline

What will Poly’s next big strategic decision be? Commencement 2005.

2010s 2011 Major Capital Project: Mark Hindy ‘91 Baseball Training Center

Current Major Capital Projects: Alumni House Expansion; Jacquin Philip Fink ‘54 Center for the Performing Arts; New Squash/Wrestling Center; and new Girls’ Fitness and Locker Rooms

Projected Capital Project: Commons Expansion

2012 Major Capital Project: Middle School and Lower School Science Classroom Renovations

1928 dinnerware from Commons.

Baseball jersey belonging to team captain Charles McDermott, Class of 1922.

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Headmaster’s

Desk

By David B. Harman P’04, ’06, Headmaster

Strategic Change at Poly I am happy that this issue of Poly’s school magazine, The Blue & The Gray, focuses on our strategic plan and some of the positive impact it is already having on the Poly experience. From sustainability education and an opportunity for national leadership in transforming our Dyker Heights campus into a living classroom, to new capital projects that enhance our performing arts, athletics, and community service programs, to the inauguration of an engineering and team-building after-school opportunity at our Lower School, Poly is moving swiftly ahead on many fronts to adapt and improve our curriculum in significant ways. We hope to cast a spotlight on some of these new and proposed initiatives and—even more importantly—engage our audience in a process that must ultimately include them as well. Successful education is a partnership that extends far beyond the classroom. As a community that incorporates a series of overlapping and ever-widening concentric circles—starting with students, then expanding to include faculty and staff, then parents, past parents, and alumni—we must collectively ensure that Poly can fulfill a truly 21st-century vision of our educational mission. The cultural, political, economic, and intellectual challenges facing our students—today and for the foreseeable future—will place a premium on moral leadership and intelligent, imaginative citizenship, both local and global. Fortunately, these are the very goals Poly has set for itself and its students in the school’s mission statement. But they are not easy goals to achieve. Accelerating social change—and the almost dizzying technological revolution

of our time, from the medical to the financial, from the internet to our own homes—sometimes outpace our ability to understand, manage, and channel innovation for the greater good. As a school that aspires to excellence in academics, the arts, athletics, and character education, however, we have an obligation to respond to such changes institutionally. We must help our students start to understand and master the new world around us via a powerful, inclusive, and engaged liberal arts curriculum. Our new strategic plan is designed to do just that—provoke our faculty, staff, and administrators to think more creatively and entrepreneurially, look thoughtfully at the world beyond our safe and nurturing precincts, take stock of our current program and its strengths and weaknesses, and prioritize those enhancements we believe will benefit our students the most. In a fundamental sense, this process has been going on at Poly since we were founded in downtown Brooklyn in 1854 for what we would now call “strategic” reasons: to provide the same outstanding educational opportunities for boys as those already being offered to girls in the borough. Poly has changed dramatically since its founding, as the school’s strategic timeline, illustrated in the pages leading up to my feature, makes clear. These changes were the result of bold yet thoughtful decisions taken by the school’s leadership over the last 160 years to meet the changing needs of our students, families, and the community at large, while sustaining the school’s core values and its commitment to mind, body, and character. Our current strategic planning is a bit more formal than past strategic decision-making

may have been, but the spirit and, I trust, the outcome will be equally meaningful and successful. Specifically, our planning and consultation aim to create: a roadmap for action to enhance or “update” the Poly experience where needed; a set of benchmarks to evaluate our forward progress as an institution; and a means for garnering community support (when necessary) as we make specific recommendations for change or growth. Our three-year strategic plan, launched last September, is divided into three main categories: academics and programs; institutional advancement; and finance and operations. We formed targeted committees with representation from faculty, staff, and administrators to act as consultative groups to examine topics we thought particularly important, including 21st-century skills, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, teaching and learning enrichment and support, local and global humanities finance, human resources, and enrollment management—to name just a few. These committees met throughout the year, conducted research via peer schools and outside experts, administered internal surveys, deliberated together, and then forwarded a set of first-year recommendations in each of their respective areas to my executive team and me. We will be reporting more fully on our first-year recommendations later this fall, but in the interim we wanted to share with you some of our initial “results” and invite you to join us in a journey of exploration and discovery as we re-envision a better Poly for the decades to come. For more on Poly’s strategic plan—and strategic plan updates and news—visit www.polyprep.org/plan.

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Photo snapped by Efe Kabba â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;09 in Thailand.

THE BLUE & THE G RAY

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By Eugenia Xiao ’14 (Gray Key Society)

“

We can truly be ourselves in this world and make decisions that make sense to us when we pay attention to both our noema (where we are) and our noesis (what’s in our heads).

”

Noema & Noesis Do New Technologies Change Our Experience of Place? Watson Fellow Efe Kabba ’09 Traveled The World to Find Out. WATSON FELLOWSHIP Efe Kabba ‘09, a 2013 graduate of Pomona College, was one of 40 college seniors in the country to be awarded a prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for 2013-14, offering a $25,000 grant to conduct research outside the United States. Kabba’s research project, “Musical Swings and Other Digital Landscapes and Experiences,” originally aimed to examine how incorporating technology into specific environments can alter our experience of place. In an era when digital devices are becoming ubiquitous in our daily lives, Kabba wished to document—through different mediums such as videography and photography— how human beings experience both virtual and physical spaces. “I’m interested in projects and scenarios where the spaces we live in—and more importantly—how we live in them, are a priority

when developing and designing technology,” Kabba explained. “I want to discover how this progression is shaping and changing the way we interpret the world.” Kabba’s research relies on the famous philosopher Edmund Husserl’s ideas, specifically those related to ”being.” In her personal blog, “Being In the World,” Kabba states: “We can truly be ourselves in this world and make decisions that make sense to us when we pay attention to both our ‘noema (where we are)’ and our ‘noesi (what’s in our heads).’ Once we are able to look at our surroundings and our thoughts objectively, we are able to act with greater self awareness.” (Husserl introduced “noema” and “noesis” to describe mental processes that motivate action in his 1913 treatise, Ideas: General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology.) “I wouldn’t call myself a ‘techie,’ but I do

The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship enables graduating college seniors to pursue a year of independent study outside the United States. The Fellowship was established in 1961 by the children of Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM. Notable Watson Fellows include best-selling author David Grann, Tony awardwinning director Julie Taymor (The Lion King), and President of Southern Sudan John Garang, who joined the University Students’ African Revolutionary Front during his fellowship.

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1. Kabba dines with her JamHouse friends in Tokyo, Japan. 2. An interactive exhibit at TEI 2014. 3. Voice-controlled drawing software at TEI 2014. 4. Kabba on the streets of Tokyo.

enjoy learning about where technology is headed,” Kabba said. A media studies major at Pomona with a concentration in film studies and production, Kabba grew interested in human experiences that were altered by digital technology. During her fellowship, Kabba traveled to Montreal, Copenhagen, Singapore, and Tokyo. As she traveled, her project evolved. Tokyo, for example, was a unique cultural experience for Kabba. She lived in a “JamHouse” (a sort of youth hostel) with about twelve Japanese peers. But she found conducting research there problematic. “The language barrier was difficult. I got frustrated with not being able to communicate and connect with most people on a deeper level,” Kabba said. “Also, many companies are currently preoccupied with artificial intelligence.” In February, Kabba attended the eighth annual “Tangible Embedded and Embodied Conference” (TEI 2014) held this year in Munich, Germany. TEI 2014 seeks to provide “…a unique forum for exchanging ideas and presenting innovative work through talks, interactive exhibits, demos, hands-on studios, posters, art installations, and performances.” “It wasn’t exactly what I was researching,” Kabba said. “But it made me realize that there were other people who were interested in what I was doing.” After this conference, her project took a different turn. “I felt like the element in my project that was missing was interacting with people and spaces. I was really interested in how people behave in space,” Kabba said. Drawing on her own experience at Pomona, where she completed a number of personal film projects and an internship at JESS3, a marketing and advertising agency specializing in data visualization, Kabba decided to start a multimedia project, videotaping and photographing people and their interactions with technologically enhanced venues or built environments. “Different places tell us different stories about you. Even the grocery store you

like going to can reveal a lot about you,” Kabba said. One story Kabba documented was a product designer who was building a café for his university’s residential community. “I was attracted to photographing him because he’s not a professional carpenter, and he chose to take on this huge project mostly alone for very little compensation,” Kabba explained. “We clicked very quickly on an emotional level based on exchanging personal stories, so it was just as much about him as the space.” Another story Kabba documented concerned a friend she met in Berlin, who skateboarded on the runway of Berlin’s Tempelhofer Park, which was once a world-class airport widely used during the Second World War. “These people are not strangers to me. I have to have had conversations with these people, and they have to give a vulnerability to me,” Kabba explained. “For example, they may admit that they like a place because it gives them the chance to be alone. Everything I know about the person will be reflected in the photos and videos.” Kabba’s project is currently still in the experimental stage, but she hopes that her work will help others make sense of the connection they have to the spaces they inhabit—to find the harmony between their “noema” and “noesis.” “As I take photos of people and ask them about their space, it can be a point of reflection for them. Since this project, I have begun to think a lot more about why I like the places I go to,” Kabba said. At the end of this year, Kabba and other Watson Fellows will meet to interact and share their findings with each other. As her Watson fellowship travels have come to an end, Kabba has been able to better visualize her own future career, too. “I’ve decided now that I would not like to work in the typical work scenario. The biggest thing this year is to make plans to move to Berlin. It’s a really creative and amazing place. I think I will be applying for film school in the near future.”

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Digital Technology & New Environments Kabba named her project after a public installation in Montreal called “21 Balançoires.” It was a large swing set that doubled as a collective musical instrument where the public could create musical compositions digitally, based on motion and how many swings were in use.

MEET THE FELLOW EFE KABBA ‘09 Efe Kabba was born in Abuja, Nigeria. She was raised from age five in New York City and entered Poly’s Upper School after attending the Village Community School in Manhattan. She participated in plays and musicals during each year of Upper School. Her commitment and success culminated in her winning Poly’s Musical Theatre Award during her senior year. She played the lead role, Mother Courage, in Poly’s 2009 fall play, Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children. In 2013 she graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Media Studies. Her younger sister, Ovie, is a member of Poly’s class of 2015.

MEET THE AUTHOR EUGENIA XIAO ‘14 Eugenia Xiao was a Gray Key Society member for four years at Poly. She assisted with many alumni outreach initiatives, including Special Reunions, and wrote for the Polycam, Poly’s alumni e-newsletter. She is a freshman at the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, and plans to study anthropology and journalism. Top: A family experiences the “21 Balançoires,” the installation for which Kabba’s project was named. Bottom: Two friends play at night on “21 Balançoires.” Images via photographer Oliver Blouin.

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Poly Academics 12

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Poly Is Outstanding Faculty, Visiting Experts, and Academic Excellence! Some highlights during the 2013â&#x20AC;&#x201C;14 year included: Upper School students studied Hamlet, explored engineering, learned to code, and became Spanish pen pals. Middle School students explored a local salt marsh and Lower School students learned about habitats and ecosystems at the Museum of Natural History.

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By William Rosario, Parent Marketing & Communications Associate

On Guard! Fencing Disappeared at Poly After 1924. Now It Has Returned . . . With New Goals.

Poly had a tradition of fencing that dated back to the early 1900s. The fencing team disbanded after 1924, however. Now, after almost a century, fencing has returned to the school, and Poly is rebuilding an old tradition with a new twist. This time round, fencing at Poly will be more than just a sport. Instead, it will also involve a partnership with Manhattan’s non-profit Fencer’s Club, one of whose goals is “… to encourage participation in fencing by all athletes regardless of

gender, disability, age and ability level, and ethnic, cultural and socio-economic background.” That means fencing will join wrestling and squash as Read about part of Poly’s character Poly’s wrestling education and commuand sqush teams in the 2013 issue nity service programs, www.polyprep. org/bluegray and will link Poly teachers, coaches, and students (as mentors) to highly motivated, talented teens across the city.

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“

Fencing is a sport that fosters self-discipline, self-confidence, a sense of tactics, and balanced athletic skills. There’s a high correlation between academic achievement and fencing.

Top: Poly Fencing circa 1920. Bottom: Current Fencing Club members practicing.

Steve Andersen ’71, P’13, ’22 (Associate Head of School for Advancement and Operations) noted that Poly’s partnership with the Fencer’s Club “…will enable us to provide co-ed opportunities to great kids at Poly—and kids from other schools—who are participating in a sport that fosters self-discipline, self-confidence, a sense of tactics, and balanced athletic skills. There’s a very high correlation between academic achievement and fencing, as well.” The “new” fencing at Poly is still gathering momentum, but Runako Taylor (Classics) is among those leading the charge. No

stranger to fencing, Taylor began fencing in college with CUNY’s Hunter College Men’s Varsity fencing team—competing in citywide and regional tournaments. Although Taylor was not hired to revive fencing at Poly—he teaches Upper School Latin—given his fencing background, he could not escape noticing photographs of Poly alumni donning fencing uniforms and masks on the display boards maintained by Poly’s Archives Office. He also spotted the school’s old fencing trophies in the Tower Gallery. At the same time, he came across new students’ comments about fencing on

”

their “favorite things wall” at the beginning of school. Meanwhile, Jackie Palmer P’19 had approached Headmaster David Harman P’04, ‘06 and Andersen about the possibility of reintroducing fencing to Dyker Heights. (Her daughter, Kristen Palmer ’19, won the gold at the Fencer’s Club Challenge Fencing Tournament this past December.) Amidst growing student interest, Taylor, with his fencing experience, seemed the natural choice to reinvigorate the fencing program as the new Poly Fencing Club advisor. Under Taylor’s guidance, the sport returned to Poly as a club this past year, with bi-monthly meetings on Wednesdays. Thanks to the support of Harman, Andersen, and parents, Poly’s Fencing Club has been well equipped with supplies and practice areas for their meetings. Kalif Jeremiah ’15 said, “I like the area we practice in—it’s a good space, closed off from the rest of campus, and I enjoy having our own fencing bags so that equipment doesn’t get mixed up.” Fencing challenges athletes to concentrate on a moment, respond to action, and impose their will. It is a dance where both competitors attempt to take the lead. Taylor explained, “Fencing is an important individual sport because its very nature helps a person channel their angst and frustrations into something physically rewarding yet

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FENCING ETIQUETTE Politeness in fencing is important. Before a bout or a lesson, a fencer should salute his/her opponent (or coach) as well as any officials or judges. At the end of the lesson (or bout), the fencer should salute the opponent, remove his/her mask, place it under his sword-arm, and shake hands with the opponent using the non-sword hand.

demanding. For many, fencing has not only become an outlet, but a recreational sport where you can literally spar with your opponent.” He added, “Called the Western martial art and physical chess, fencing is fun and very fast paced—a perfect sport for any young person.” Poly’s club is fortunate to have professional fencing coaches at every meeting. Coach Eli Schenkel, a Fencer’s Club member, helps train Poly’s fencing hopefuls. Schenkel fenced for St. John’s University’s Fencing Team and fences nationally on the US fencing circuit and internationally with the Canadian Fencing Federation. When Schenkel is away on competition,

Alen Hadzic serves as Poly’s substitute fencing coach. Hadzic fenced for Columbia University’s Fencing Team and is a fencer for Team USA. Alexander Fallone ’16 says, “I was not expecting a club to have such fun and knowledgeable coaches. I thoroughly enjoyed the coaches’ kindness and expertise.” With the help of Elisabeth Mansfield (Chair, World Languages) on club logistics and Coach Schenkel on training and mentoring, Taylor is able to hold regular club meetings. Meetings usually begin with a stretch, a lesson, and then practice. Sonja Lindberg ’16 says, “Stretching is fun, and

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FENCING BASICS

Left: Poly fencers showcase their skills in the Student Center. Right: Runako Taylor (Classics) demonstrates how to hold the foil.

I really enjoy fencing and partnering up for practice!” Poly’s Fencing Club primarily practices and studies with the foil. While Hadzic competes professionally with the épée, he says, “The foil is the best style to practice and begin learning fencing with because both the épée and saber follow rules that the foil style… requires. It is easier to transition to different styles of fencing if the fencer masters the foil.” Next year, Taylor hopes to continue building a fencing foundation here at Poly, creating a solid team that can compete with other schools and organizations around New York as the school expands its partnership with the Fencer’s Club.

The foil, sabre, and épée are fencing’s three main weapons. However, most fencers generally choose to develop their skills with one weapon. Along with the mask, the croissard and breeches are part of a fencer’s protective uniform. Until recently, women were permitted to compete only in foil, but now the USFA & FIE offer national competitions for them in épée and sabre. Women’s épée was added to the World Championships in 1989 and was held for the first time at the Olympic Games in 1996.

FOIL

SABRE

ÉPÉE

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Poly Athletics 18

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Poly Is Outstanding Athletes! Poly sports highlights during the 2013–14 year included: Varsity wrestlers winning 1st place medals at the Mayor’s Cup Tournament; the Varsity Baseball team earning a 4th straight NYSAISAA championship; individual NYSAISAA champions in track and field; school and Ivy League records broken by Poly swimmers; and a Blue Devils Varsity Football team which ended the season with an 8–1 record.

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By Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Marketing & Communications

A Backward Glance CHA N G E & CO NTIN U IT Y AT P OLY This spring, alumni made history come alive for 7th graders during a special “Poly Through the Decades” event.

There is no substitute for primary sources in learning how things change— and what endures—over the course of time. This past spring, 7th graders had the privilege of learning about Poly history directly from the people who helped make it. Over 30 Poly alums came to campus to speak at a special “Poly Through the Decades” event in Liane Dougherty’s P’06, ‘12 history class on the morning of Monday, May 19. Students traveled with their homerooms to different classrooms, where panels of alumni from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s discussed life at Poly during their decade. “I did this project 10-15 years ago,” Dougherty explained. “We don’t get to cover as much of the latter 20th century as I would like in our 7th grade history curriculum. So I came up with this idea as a way to examine the decades we didn’t get to.”

Some of the questions her students explored included: What was Poly like during the Vietnam War? And, what was the experience like for Poly’s first class of women? The preparation for the day began several months before. Dougherty first reached out to alumni she knew personally and asked if they would consider participating in the project. Next, she worked with Poly’s Alumni Office to identify additional participants. Each of Dougherty’s history classes was assigned three decades to research, including a particular decade’s international affairs, social movements, and pop culture. Students spent hours in the Joseph Dana Allen Library, where they browsed books on their decades. While they could use the Internet for photos, their research focused

primarily on library books, reference books, and encyclopedias. Each student ultimately came up with 50 facts about his or her assigned decade, which they wrote out on an index card. Next, students created posters and delivered an oral presentation to their peers. Before the event itself, students brainstormed and crafted 15 questions, five for each of their three assigned decades. The May 19 morning kicked off with breakfast in the Joseph Dana Allen Library. Then alumni guests broke out into classrooms where they hosted three 55-minute sessions of “informal, lively, and fun discussion,” according to Dougherty. The sessions did not have specific agendas. Instead, they followed the flow of conversation between alumni and 7th graders.

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JEOVANNA DESHONG-CONNOR ‘19

We are lucky to have a teacher as dedicated as Ms. Dougherty to plan such a wonderful event for us.”

In Room 103—for the 1950s—conversations centered on the current use of technology and its impact on personal interactions. “I worry about technology as much as I applaud it,” Arthur Rebell ‘58 said. The group of guests jokingly recalled the days of calling a girl up to ask her out for a date and “having to hear the sound of her voice.” Over in Room 114, graduates of Poly’s 1960s decade discussed that tumultuous era of change. “I think during that time period we really developed a healthy skepticism for our government,” Dr. Vincent “Skip” Virgorita ‘68 said. As a student, Lawrence DeMann ’69 felt sheltered from the changes occurring in the outside world. “It was almost like Poly was maintaining a status quo from a previous time,” he said. The group noted that the dress code was staunchly “anti-hippie,” forbidding long hair and the decade’s ever-popular Converse shoes.

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Memories from one session in the 1970s room—the Joseph Dana Allen Library—focused on the experience of going to college. The group agreed that it was rare, in those days, to visit a college campus before deciding to attend. “I remember not seeing my college until I stepped foot on [the Harvard] campus,” Lawrence Brandman ’78, P’16 said. The 1980s panel led discussions on diversity, including gender and racial diversity at Poly. After Poly admitted the first class of girls in 1977, Jeanne Cloppse ’84 (one of the earlier female attendees) said she felt a real pressure to show her parents “that I was really going to excel here and take advantage of the opportunities.” The alumni of this decade also noted a lack of racial diversity in their 1980s classrooms and just how much Poly has diversified its student body since then. This fun and educational day concluded at 11:30 AM, when students, teachers, and alumni headed back to the library for lunch, followed by dessert in the quad. The crowd enjoyed the opportunity to speak further with one another. Dougherty said the day was a big hit. “I do intend to do this project again,” she said. “But there was something about this group of students. I just knew they would really connect with these personal stories.”

LEUNG WAI LIU ‘19

It was really fun to find out what Poly was like back in the days and how it has progressed so much over the years from the sports, to how Poly is more diverse.” SYLVIA STAAL RIORDAN ‘19

It was so surreal to meet adults that had been in my position as a Poly student, no matter whether it was 20 or 50 years ago. I felt very lucky to be able to learn so much fascinating history about my school directly from the most reliable sources I could have asked for: Poly alumni. JOHN SANDS ‘58

We were delighted and gratified to see firsthand how wonderfully Poly has progressed to encourage creativity and independent thought appropriate to the 21st century without abandoning the values that have prepared so many decades of Poly alumni and alumnae for responsible citizenship and leadership in our communities. Kudos! HAROLD THEURER ’75 AND LYNNE THEURER ‘81

I hope they [students] received the overriding message that those who once sat in their seats look back with a certain sense of reverence on the entire experience. Above: Poly graduates of the 1970s, including Chairman of the Board of Trustees Scott Smith ‘75, P’14, in the Joseph Dana Allen Library.

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JANELLE CHEUNG ‘19

Being that my family immigrated to the U.S. from China not long ago, I didn’t know very much about the 1950s–1980s in America. However, thanks to this interesting learning experience, I was able to acquire much more information on the recent history of this country.

ALUMNI PARTICIPANTS 1950s Participants Dr. Marvin Sears ‘45 Mr. Lawrence Freundlich ’56 Dr. Paul Zola ’53 Mr. Arthur Rebell ‘58 Mr. Clifford Bernstein ’57 Mr. Harry Petchesky ‘55 Mr. John Sands ‘58

1960s Participants Dr. Vincent (Skip) Vigorita ‘68 Mr. Robert Aberlin ’62 Mr. John Artise ’65 Dr. Lawrence DeMann’69 Mr. Lawrence (Larry) DiGiovanna ’69

Top left: Guest speaker in the 1960s classroom. Top right: Students enjoy 1950s memorabilia. Bottom left: 7th grader listening as members of the 1950s Poly classes speak. Bottom right: All of the Decades Day alumni visitors gather on the front steps of the main building.

1970s Participants Professor David Troyansky ‘72 Mr. Vincent (Vinny) Pantuso ‘71 Mr. Lawrence (Larry) Brandman ‘78 Reverend Kenneth (Ken) Simurro, Jr.’75 Dr. Paul Gilson ’72 Mr. Harold Theurer ‘75 Mr. Elliott Rebhun ’75 Mr. John Madden ’72 Mr. Scott Smith ’75 Mr. Alan Ginsberg ‘76

1980s Participants Mr. Harry Bernieri ’85 Mrs. Laura Torrado-Malley ’86 Ms. Jeanne Cloppse ‘84 Mr. Michael Katz ‘81 Mrs. Lynne Theurer ’81 Mr. Manoj (Bob) Kantu ‘86 Ms. Martha Ginsberg ‘81 Mr. Glenn Stevens ‘81 Mr. Jamal Hayden ’87 Mrs. Cynthia CheswickCapone ‘88

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Poly Special Reunion 24

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Poly Special Reunion! Special Reunion 2014 on April 26 featured the Class of 1964’s 50th anniversary as well as the return of members of Poly classes ending in 4 or 9; awards to distinguished alumni during Convocation; and families enjoying a delicious barbecue and Taste of Poly out on the Oval. A member of the class of 1939, Robert Carpenter, was in attendance. Poly’s athletics teams won four out of five of the day’s game.

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By Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications

Q&A with KATE NEWMAN ‘08

Fulbright Winner & Science Teacher Reflects on Teaching, Sustainability, and Global Citizenship

As a senior at Duke University, Kate Newman ’08 knew she wanted to teach, a passion she had discovered while completing her Poly community service requirement as a tutor at PS 114 in Brooklyn. In addition to her oceanography and geology majors at Duke, she completed the Elementary Teacher Preparation Program. But Newman had also spent a memorable semester abroad in South Africa and felt the urge to explore unfamiliar cultures again. So she applied to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program. After receiving a Fulbright, Newman left North Carolina to teach in the quiet Korean town of Hwacheon, with a population of about 6,000, located in the country’s Gangwon-do province.

Why did you choose South Korea for your Fulbright? I had never been to Asia, so the idea of going to South Korea seemed really exciting. I knew I’d be able to work with elementary school students, which was something I wanted. Some of the teaching opportunities through Fulbright are in a university setting, but I wanted to be around kids.

What did you teach? I taught 5th and 6th grades at Hwacheon Elementary School. What was life in Hwacheon like? Very interesting. I was able to do a homestay for the entire year. It’s a small farming town, about nine miles from the North Korean demilitarized zone. The family I stayed with worked for

the local government. Compared to more cosmopolitan cities like Seoul, this was really rural living. Most people were very poor. Plus, the constant presence of soldiers is so different than anything you would experience in America. All of the tanks and weaponry—for the people who live there it is just so routine. By the time I left, I was fully conditioned to not think

anything of someone walking by with a rifle. How were your Korean language skills? My Korean was conversational, “I like this. I don’t like that.” Language was probably the most challenging part of my grant year. My homestay family did not speak any English. Most of the teachers

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The Duke Campus Farm Newman teaching 5th graders in Korea during an English camp.

at my school didn’t really speak English, so that was hard, too, in terms of trying to fully integrate into that community. How did you cope with those communication challenges? I had to really let go to an extent. I wasn’t going to master Korean in a year, no matter how hard I tried. But I found the easiest way to really bond with people was around food. Two of the older women at my school really enjoyed introducing me to new foods. Gradually, we were able to connect. Every Wednesday, they would come up to my room, and we’d go back downstairs, we’d eat and start talking, and it slowly became a group of eight or ten of us. I would write down recipes. It became a great opportunity for cultural exchange and growth. We were able to forge strong relationships without even speaking. What was your experience of the Korean education system? The Korean education system is largely dependent on tests. The emphasis is strictly on knowledge. There’s no concern

for problem solving or critical thinking—skills that are so valued in the United States— until college. This is even truer in some of the bigger cities. Because of my host family’s position in the government, my host siblings were highly motivated to succeed. My host brother was only in the 6th grade and already so stressed about the college entrance exam. He would wake up at 6 AM, then we would walk to school together at 8 AM. After school, he would go to tutoring at 4 PM, then walk to the library and stay until midnight. My host sister was in high school; she lived in a dormitory about ¼ mile from our house. Her parents had cameras set up so they could make sure she was studying. How did that factor into your teaching? It really influenced what I wanted to teach my students. I would have loved it if all my students could grasp linear equations. But if they simply developed the ability to persist when they faced a challenge in life, that was so much more important to me. If you can think critically and creatively, content knowledge is secondary.

When you returned to North Carolina, what did you do? I started reaching out to some of my Duke education professors. I knew I wanted to teach in an environment like Poly, a school that felt like a real home and valued you as an individual. I had always felt so challenged, engaged, and supported at Poly. There is something special about independent schools because students choose to be there. That kind of mutual selection creates a really nurturing community.

FOUNDED IN 2010, the Duke Campus Farm is a student-run, oneacre fruit and vegetable operation dedicated to providing the Duke community with fresh, healthy, and sustainable produce and to creating educational opportunities related to agriculture. Kate Newman’s 6th grade science students visit monthly to enrich their classroom curriculum.

Where are you now? I just completed my first year at Triangle Day School, a small pre-K through 8th grade school with only 18 kids per grade here in Durham. I teach 6th grade math and science. I’ve been fortunate enough to create a service-learning project with the 6th grade, connecting them with the Duke Campus Farm. This is a skill Poly also gave me, the ability to seek out places to learn, to recognize that learning is not confined just to schools or other places, but that we can extend learning beyond the classroom. Above: 6th grade students during a visit to the Duke Campus Farm.

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Poly Is Character! During the year, Poly students had many opportunities for character building and community service projects including several Upper School Blood Drives, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be a Green Neighborâ&#x20AC;? Day, Prospect Park Clean-Up Day, a Fun Run/Walk to benefit Keep a Child Alive, Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and community service workshops by eight local organizations.

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Poly 4th graders watch as their structure undergoes weight testing during the Destination Imagination competition in Brooklyn last May.

Destination Imagination (D.I.) is an organization that â&#x20AC;&#x153;encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus, and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts, and service learning.â&#x20AC;? For more information, visit www.idodi.org.

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By Linda Busetti, Parent Marketing & Communications Manager

Imagine This! Poly’s Lower School Enhances STEM Education as 4th Graders Tackle Engineering Challenge. Top: Poly students present their structure for “check-in” at the competition in May. Below: Teammates admire the strength of the Go-Go Squad’s structure.

EARLY ON SATURDAY morning, May 3, four For more on teams of excited Poly 4th Poly’s Lower graders arrived at the School science and math Berkeley Carroll School curriculum, visit in Park Slope to compete polyprep.org/ lowerschool in “The Tension Builds,” curriculum Destination Imagination’s Brooklyn Structure Showcase, an engineering challenge for which participating students at several area schools had been preparing for many weeks. Poly competed against five teams from Berkeley Carroll and four from Brooklyn Friends. Poly’s Lower School participated for the first time in Destination Imagination as part of the division’s plan to enhance STEM education for Poly’s youngest students. The Lower School also sought to expand opportunities for experiential learning, innovation, and team-building. As Lower School Head Larry Donovan explained, the project and competition “support...21st century skills of creativity, collaboration, organization, leadership, and communication.” Andrei I. ’22, one of Poly’s 4th grade participants, concurred with “Mr. D.”:

”Each student came up with a basic idea, and the team collaborated on choosing a design they could agree on.” Donovan, the 30 Poly students, and their team managers—Stacy Hunter P’15 (Technology), Patti Smith P’20 (Visual Arts), Heidi Zarou ’86, P’22 (Visual Arts), and Garrett Kennedy (4th Grade Associate Teacher)—had been working together since March. Managers were allowed to answer students’ questions, but could not suggest designs. Poly’s teams, The Polywogs, The Go-Go Squad, The Lucky Clovers, and The Dancing Aliens, arrived at Berkeley Carroll with their pre-built structures for the all-day competition. At 9:20 AM, the eight Polywogs brought their structure to the “check-in” table in the gym. Parents, siblings, and friends filled the bleachers and the judges sat in the front row. “Did you have fun?” asked Bennett Macaluso, one of the Destination Imagination judges. “Yes!” the Polywogs replied in unison. Jack C. ‘22 set the team’s structure on the table. As Macaluso confirmed that it

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Students spent weeks perfecting the designs, using balsa wood rods, glue, and fishing line.

OBJECTIVE:

MATERIALS: Balsa Wood

Glue

To construct a weight-bearing structure with a base of 7.5” to 9” and a weight of under 120 grams.

CHALLENGE PROCEDURE: 1. Design and create a structure.

Monofilament fishing wire

Round weight plates

2. Top structure with a board. 3. Add weights atop the board, until the maximum weight is reached— or the structure collapses.

met the contest’s specifications, he asked, “Why didn’t you use fishing line in the design?” and implied this addition would have strengthened their structure. At the far end of the gym, Jack C. slipped their structure over a pole in the center of a metal base. A vertical wooden block about 10” tall was set at each corner of the square base. Jack C. next placed a board (with a center hole) over the pole. It rested on top of the Polywogs’ structure without touching any of the four corner blocks. Jack C. chose a 2-pound weight and placed it carefully over the pole. Unfortunately, the Polywogs’ structure collapsed. The Go-Go Squad, the next Poly team, faced their challenge at 11:00 AM. A team member, Carly P. ’22, carefully placed the

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“

The project and competition support 21st century skills of creativity, collaboration,

organization, leadership, and communication.

”

wooden board atop their structure. One by one, Carly P. added weights as a judge made sure no corner of the board touched a corner block. The tension built! Carly P. added 25 lbs in total before the Go-Go Squad’s structure collapsed. After a lunch break, The Lucky Clovers headed to the entry table. “This is a very interesting design,” Macaluso said, impressed at their use of triangles in the 87.5-gram structure. Unfortunately, when Owain H. ‘22 placed The Lucky Clovers’ structure on the base, it was disqualified when the board touched a corner block. The Dancing Aliens were the last Poly team to compete. Their structure withstood the addition of four weights before the

board tilted and rested on a corner post. At 3:00 PM, the judges tallied the day’s scores and announced the overall winners: 1st place and 3rd place were two Berkeley Carroll teams; 2nd place was a Brooklyn Friends team. After the awards, Donovan thanked Berkeley Carroll for hosting the competition and announced that, next year, it would take place at Poly’s Dyker Heights campus. While Poly’s Destination Imagination pioneers were disappointed not to have won the competition, they and their team managers all had fun and learned a lot about engineering, generating new ideas, and teamwork. Stay tuned for next year’s competition!

THE DESTINATION IMAGINATION EXPERIENCE: LESSONS LEARNED At the Lower School a few weeks later, Poly’s teams met for a wrap-up pizza party in the Aberlin Dance Studio. Donovan asked each team to decide which member had been “the most thoughtful contributor” to their efforts. The teams chose Angelo M. ’22, Alessandra S. ‘22, Kai D. ’22, and Zoe P ’22, who all received special pins. The entire group then brainstormed three suggestions for next year, as follows: 1. Test the structure multiple times. 2. Think outside the box. 3. Give everyone a voice.

From left to right: A Destination Imagination appraiser checks the height and weight of structures. A competition judge scores a Poly structure.

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Poly Is the Visual Arts! Upper and Middle School students exhibited their artwork at the Winter and Spring Arts Festivals. Guest artists taught classes in ceramics and painting. Lower School students created puppets and painted reproductions of 20th century art on stools, which became keepsakes of their time at Poly.

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A Living Classroom Well-Known Landscape Architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., Propose Innovative Redesign Options for Poly Prep.

A 21st-Century Prototype for Urban Campuses What might Poly’s Dyker Heights campus look like after a landscape redesign transforms the grounds into a biodiverse, outdoor “science classroom” inviting exploration by students, faculty, parents, alumni, and visitors? Noted landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh—and grandfather of Poly students, Grace C. ’19 and Jack C. ’22—has some inspiring answers. In fact, Van Valkenburgh has taken up the challenge of the Headmaster’s Strategic Plan “…to help spark next-generation ideas, creativity, and a vision for the Poly of the future— and to develop a roadmap for implementing 21st-century change at Poly…” via reconceiving the landscape that surrounds the school. Van Valkenburgh believes that ”Poly has the unique potential to become a prototype for urban campuses as a ‘living laboratory.’ By investing in this vision, the school can leverage its environmental challenges while fulfilling its legacy of innovation and educational promise.”

On July 15, at the Brooklyn offices of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., (MVVA), three teams of interns presented proposals for such a re-design based on their study of the Dyker Heights campus. MVVA is a landscape architecture firm that “creates environmentally sustainable and experientially rich places across a wide range of landscape scales, from city to campus to garden” including parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hudson River Park. Founded in 1982, MVVA maintains offices in Brooklyn, New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Van Valkenburgh welcomed Steve Andersen ’71, P’13, ’22 (Associate Head of School for Advancement & Operations), Malcolm Farley (Senior Director of Marketing & Communications), Olivia Tandon (Interim Sustainability Coordinator; Science), and Poly Green Key interns Sam Lui ‘16 and Connor Pisano ’14 to MVVA’s downtown Brooklyn office. Also, participating were Matt Urbanski, Principal, MVVA; Joseph Bivona, Senior

Renderings from the proposals for a Dyker Heights campus redesign from MVVA interns.

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Designer, MVVA; Ben Wellington, Designer, MVVA; Billie Cohen of Billie Cohen Landscape Design Studio (Poly’s landscape architect); and Eric Rothstein, Managing Partner, eDesign Dynamics (Poly’s water ecology consultant). Three Teams of MVVA Interns Present on July 15 The first team, who called their proposal, “Learning Through Landscape: A New Curriculum,” suggested increased parking, a “series of paths,” “a roundabout near the Oval to make drop off of students safe,” remaking one of the ponds into “wetlands with a rocky edge,” adding plantings at the

entranceway where students arrive by bus, and the creation of a student-maintained arboretum. Their plan also included a day care center near the Oval. The Cambridge office team presented via teleconference. Their plan, “The Cascade,” featured a cascade from the upper pond to the lower pond with a deck overlooking the water. “We want to create a sense of exploration for the students,” the presenter said. “We want to maximize the experience on the east side of the campus,” the presenter continued. In their scheme, a day care center would be built at the far end of campus, near the main gate between the pond and a “buffer of trees” along the 92nd Street fence.

The third team presented their vision for a “Pedestrian Reclamation” of the campus. Their goal was “a pedestrian system… creating an opportunity to connect with the new biodiverse features,” including an “outdoor classroom with edible plants.” They proposed making “more areas open” by connecting the Oval with the two ponds to form an extended “front lawn.” Reactions to the MVVA Proposals “I want to thank all of you for your hard work,” Andersen said. “This is fascinating,” he added, remarking on the idea of a “front lawn” envisioned by an expanded Oval. This change would “…create more space,

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE INTERNS TOUR DYKER HEIGHTS CAMPUS ON JUNE 12 Poly had invited Poly grandparent and noted landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and about ten Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA) interns, many of them students in the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design where Van Valkenburgh teaches, to tour the Dyker Heights campus on June 12. The interns were divided into three teams and each team collaborated on creating a proposal for the landscape redesign. During the tour, Headmaster David B. Harman P’04, ’06 and Steve Andersen ’71, P’13, ’22 (Associate Head of School for Advancement & Operations) led the interns from the main building up the roadway past the two Poly ponds to the 92nd Street entrance where they stopped to consider the issues of parking, security, the water quality of the ponds, drainage, pedestrian traffic, and wildlife on campus. As they walked toward the old 7th Avenue entrance, the interns noticed the large number of geese on the hillsides.

Above and below: Steve Anderson, David Harman, and Michael Van Valkenburgh with landscaping interns on tour.

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VAN VALKENBURGH ASSOCIATES, INC. INTERN TEAMS PRESENTATION TITLE: LEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPE: A NEW CURRICULUM Alexander Cassini, 2nd year MLA* 1 Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) Paloma Garcia Simon, 3rd year MLA* 1 Harvard GSD Amy Motzy, 2nd year BLA** University of Michigan

PRESENTATION TITLE: THE CASCADE Hillary Archer, 3rd year MLA* 1 Harvard GSD Leandro Couto De Almeida, 2nd year MLA* 1 Harvard GSD Michael Keller, 2nd year MLA* 1 AP Harvard GSD Ivy Pan, 2nd year MLA* 1 Harvard GSD

PRESENTATION TITLE: PEDESTRIAN RECLAMATION Andrew Boyd, 2nd year MLA* 1 Harvard GSD Yufan Gao, 2nd year MLA* 1 Harvard GSD Maddie Schuette, 2nd year, BLA** University of Illinois

*MLA: Master of Landscape Architecture **BLA: Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

a goal of Poly’s ancillary and summer programs… The idea of an expanded lawn and vista is exciting.” Tandon said she liked the idea of a dock extending out over the pond surface to make student exploration of the ponds more accessible. She suggested planting taller trees to provide shaded areas that would discourage geese and praised elements in the proposals that created “a learning opportunity for everyone here,” including the proposed “outdoor classroom.” Lui said the new designs would “give students a better experience of Poly,” while Pisano liked “…the idea of the cascade between the two ponds” and that “all the schemes include ways to deter geese from the ponds and people from feeding them.”

Andersen stressed that the Dyker Heights campus should be a healthy place with “healthy ponds” and reiterated the importance of having the new landscape serve as an opportunity for science learning and sustainability study by students. “Sustainability is central to Poly’s mission,” he added. Lexi Van Valkenburgh P’19, ’22, Van Valkenburgh’s daughter, provided a Poly parent’s point of view when she suggested using the redesign to “make our campus more park-like” and “more reflective of the school’s academic identity and excellence.” Rothstein spoke in detail about the challenges facing the ponds and their water quality, and emphasized the need for “contiguous green spaces.” “Paths break up the ecosystem,” Rothstein said.

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MVVA’S TEN PRINCIPLES FOR DESIGNING THE POLY PREP ENTRY LANDSCAPE SEQUENCE SPATIAL ORDER–Create a framework for spatial cohesion and flexibility that positively contributes to the larger campus setting and accommodates both passive and active programming, including any institutional expansion. EDUCATION–Generate a programmatic agenda that supports the idea of the campus as a living laboratory with opportunities for research and exploration. ENTRY SEQUENCE–Choreograph safe, legible, and effective entry sequences that are distinct from parking areas and integral to larger connective networks.

But he added that Poly’s campus is “an oasis” in Brooklyn. “You have this rich landscape that no one else has,” Urbanski agreed. “This landscape needs to be reinvented, which is exciting for landscape designers.” As he generously promised to synthesize the best suggestions of all three presentations into a single proposal for landscape reinvention, Van Valkenburgh concurred with many of the comments made by others. He concluded by explaining that, “It’s ultimately through the campus landscape that we can achieve a long-term coalition between the biological environment and cultural communities at Poly.” Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting opportunity for the school to become a leader in urban “schoolscape” redesign and sustainability learning.

IDENTITY–Strengthen Poly’s ability to be recognized from the street as an educational institution. HISTORY–Engage users with site history by making iconic elements more prominent in the landscape. These include the historic entrance, the clock tower, the “Oval” commencement lawn, and existing topography. HYDROLOGY–Address existing water quality, storm water, erosion, and/or flooding issues on site. BIODIVERSITY–Establish conditions that support an ecologically diverse landscape in lieu of geese. VEGETATION–New planting strategies must consider the improvement of existing vegetation, including aging trees, and be low maintenance. PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION–Improve campus walkability and access through pedestrian circulation systems that incorporate the landscape and link directly to the school. VEHICULAR CIRCULATION AND PARKING–Accommodate peak traffic flows and current parking needs (including daily drop-offs and occasional events) in a way that supports all design principles.

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Poly Is the Performing Arts! Last academic year, Polyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talented singers, dancers, actors, and musicians were showcased in the Upper School musical, A Chorus Line; the Middle School musical, Guys and Dolls; an Afternoon of Student Choreography; the Middle/Upper School Dance Concert; the Lower School Concert; and during classroom instruction.

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Achievements:

Student

Aspiration, Excellence, Victory Outstanding Student Achievements at Poly (2013â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2014 Academic Year)

For more about the individual students who won academic, art, or public service awards, please visit our website at www.polyprep.org/excellence. For more about Poly athletics successes last year, please visit our website at www.polyprep.org/sportnews.

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I Achievements: Student I

At Poly, our students achieve many amazing things each day in the classroom, lab, art studio, rehearsal room, theater, gym, and on our playing fields, most of which necessarily go unheralded. However, we have provided aggregate information here (because space doesn’t permit us to list individual students) on some of the most notable student accomplishments, which already received recognition this past academic year.

College Results & Academics

•1 1 members of the Class of 2014 have enrolled this fall in universities ranked in the US News & World Report’s Top 10: Princeton (1), Yale (3), Chicago (1), UPenn (5), Dartmouth (1); along with 17 more who will attend colleges in the Top 25: Johns Hopkins (2), Brown (1), Cornell (4), Notre Dame (3), Emory (2), Georgetown (1), Carnegie Mellon (2), University of Southern California (1), and University of Virginia (1). •D uring the most recent PSAT/NMQST testing cycle, 2 Poly students earned prestigious nationwide status as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and 2 were named as prestigious National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists. •1 member of the Class of 2014 earned National Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar honors by receiving an average score of at least 4 on all eight of the AP exams taken. Sixteen students earned AP Scholar with Distinction honors (average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken). •2 Poly 7th graders earned perfect scores in this year’s globally administered National Latin Exams (NLE) and, among the 7th–11th grade Poly students who took the annual National Latin Exam, 26 earned testing honors for their high scores, including three winners of the Summa Cum Laude (Gold Medal), four winners of the Maxima Cum Laude (Silver Medal), and 19 winners in the Magna Cum Laude category. •A Poly Debate Team member from the Class of 2015 became the New York State Champion in Dramatic Interpretation at the New York State Championships, and two Debate Team members finished 7th and 9th in the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament.

•A member of the Class of 2014 won a first place award for her project “The Genotoxicity Potential of Nutraceuticals,” at CUNY’s New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF). •

Poly Upper School students were 2 accepted to U.S. Naval Academy summer programs, an important step towards earning an appointment to the Academy as undergraduates.

•A Poly 8th grader was selected as a National Teen Advisor to the UN Foundation that supports UN causes and programs. •A team of four Poly 7th graders was among four finalist teams that competed for the top prize in the national MATHCOUNTS Math Video Challenge at Walt Disney World in Florida. •A member of the Class of 2017 scored a perfect 6 in the March New York State Math League contest. Poly finished third in Brooklyn in the contest for the academic year.

•U pper School students also performed community service work abroad in Cambodia, South Africa, Peru, Rome, Spain, and France. •A member of the Class of 2015 was accepted to attend the Youth United for Global Action Summit at Roger Williams University; while another won a Michael Lynch 9/11 Scholarship for college. Visual Arts

•A Class of 2015 student artist won a Silver Key Award for his painting, “My New York City,” in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Athletics

• P oly’s Boys’ Varsity Baseball team won a record-breaking fourth straight NYSAISSA championship and an eighth consecutive Ivy Prep League crown. • Poly’s Wrestling Team won both the NYSAISAA championship and the Ivy Prep League.

•A member of Poly’s Class of 2017 won a Silver Key Award in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition.

• Poly’s Boys’ Varsity Squash won the Ivy Prep League crown for the second time in three years.

•S everal of Poly’s Upper School students were published in Teen Ink.

• P oly’s Girls’ Varsity Tennis team won the Ivy Prep League crown and maintained an undefeated record throughout the season.

•A Poly sophomore was accepted into the Iowa Young Writers Studio summer session; and a member of the Class of 2015 was accepted to the University of Virginia Young Writers Workshop summer session. Character & Community Service

• L ast academic year, Poly students in all three divisions collectively raised more than $42,000 for hundreds of NYC-area charities while Upper School students collectively volunteered approximately 7,000 hours of community service.

• Many other individual Poly athletes won athletic honors including 1 student, already recruited to play football for Notre Dame, who was selected to the U.S. Under-19 National Team; 7 Track & Field students who won individual Ivy Prep League championship events; 5 Poly wrestlers who qualified for the National Prep Wrestling Tournament; 1 swimmer who broke 3 Ivy Prep League records in 2 relays and 1 individual event; 1 student who was named U.S. Squash High School All American; and 1 student who won the gold in the Fencer’s Club Partner Schools Challenge Fencing Tournament.

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Poly Commencement

CLASS of 2014

THE BLUE & THE G RAY

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Poly celebrated its 157th Commencement on Friday, May 30, 2014. Chairman of the Board of Trustees Scott Smith ’75, P’14, Annabel Newman ’14 (Senior Speaker), Headmaster David B. Harman P’04, ’06, and “a true Brooklyn original,” Steve Schirripa P’10, ’14 addressed the audience.

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Achievements:

Faculty

Outside the Classroom Outstanding Achievements by Poly Faculty (2013–2014 Academic Year) At Poly, our outstanding faculty, coaches, and mentors are central to the Poly experience, helping students to grow in mind, body, and character each day in the classroom, lab, art studio, rehearsal room, theater, and gym, and on the playing fields. But Poly faculty are busy outside the classroom, too. Some are entering new degree programs, earning new certifications, engaging in professional activities in their fields, attending or presenting at conferences, publishing, winning awards, or being named to endowed chairs and lectureships at Poly. Below, we have provided just a sampling of some of the notable faculty accomplishments this past academic year that took place outside the classroom. In October 2013, a group from Poly—including our Headmaster David B. Harman P’04, ‘06, Charles Polizano P’18 (Director of Technology, Dyker Heights Campus) and Stacy Hunter P’15 (Director of Technology, Lower School)—attended a conference in Cambridge, MA organized by the Online Education Symposium for Independent Schools (OESIS) that focused on dramatic developments in technology and education. The OESIS conference explored what we know currently about the use of technology in schools while gazing ahead at what the future holds. ¶ Sonya Baehr P’00 (Performing Arts) presented at the IDEA World Congress in Paris and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education annual conference in

Washington, DC. ¶ Sarah Bates (History; Upper School Dean of Student Life) guided the Poly summer study abroad trip to South Africa and attended a course at the Summer School for Comparative Conflict Studies in Belgrade. ¶ Jill Bolstridge (Performing Arts) worked as an acting teacher in a summer program for Grades 3-8 in Hawaii last summer. As Co-Director of the New York Chapter of the Children’s Theatre Company, Bolstridge led a group performance at the Newtown, CT memorial ceremony. ¶ Dana Catharine (Co-Director of Community Service; Classics; World Languages) was named a finalist in the Atlantic Avenue Children’s Literature Contest in Brooklyn. ¶ Marie Corkhill (Science) participated

in the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education Summer Program. ¶ Whitney Davidson (History) received a 2014-15 Livingston Family Lectureship in the Natural Sciences for “Epidemiology and the Social History of Disease.” ¶ Louise Forsyth P’03 (History) presented her peer-reviewed paper, “Teaching History by SKYPE: Problems and Pleasures” at the Annual Conference of the National Council for Social Studies. Forsyth taught her 2011-12 AP European History Class from London via SKYPE. Forsyth presented this year’s annual Kastendieck Lecture, “A Yiddish Socialist Paradise? The Romance of Birobidzhan,” on May 1 at Poly in the Gazzani Terrace. ¶ Dr. Angela Gittens (World Languages) and the African dance group she directs at the Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy in Flatbush, Brooklyn received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award at the White House. ¶ Marisa Gomez (English Department Chair) is Poly’s new Peter and Isabel Malkin Endowed Chair in English. Poly alumnus and philanthropist Peter Malkin ’51 endowed the chair. ¶ Molly Goldstone (Head Teacher, Grade 1A) attended the Math in Focus Conference in Valley Forge, PA to study the Singapore math approach to teaching. ¶ Dr. Annie Hauck Lawson P’10, ‘13 (Sustainability Curriculum Coordinator) presented “Poly’s Year of Greening” at the Study of Food and

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I Achievements: Faculty I

Society Annual Conference at Michigan State and at Universita Degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo, Italy. ¶ Deirdra Hazeley ’00 (Head Teacher, Grade 4A) was accepted as a resident artist at the Vermont Studio Center for the summer 2014. ¶ In partnership with Saint Ann’s School, Michal Hershkovitz P’16 organized Poly’s first ever U.S. History Teachers’ Symposium, with Yale, Dartmouth, Tufts, U. of Massachusetts, Boston, and New York University professors as well as independent school U.S. history teachers, enrolling over 50 high school history teachers, public and private, on June 21. ¶ Shannon Hummel (Dance and Movement, Lower School) and her group, Cora Dance, were chosen to participate in the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Professional Development Program. ¶ Mike Junsch ’71, P’94, ‘95 (Physical Education/Athletics) was named New York State Private School Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches’ Association of New York. Junsch, Poly’s Varsity Girls’ Basketball coach, received the same award in 2011. ¶ Javaid Khan P’24 (Director of Diversity) was accepted into the Leadership Institute for Educators of Color at Kingswood-Oxford in West Hartford, CT for the summer 2014. ¶ Yonghwi Kim P’22 (Visual Arts) and his wife Bokyoung Kim P’22 exhibited their artwork—his ceramics and her paintings-—in the Tower Gallery. ¶ Nick Lee ‘04 (Mathematics) attended the Anja S. Greer Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology at Phillips Exeter Academy. ¶ Three faculty members—Pat Livingstone (Form V Dean; History), Pam Pratt-Galik (Form VI Dean; Associate Director of College Counseling; World Languages), and Olivia Tandon (Science;

JV Squash Coach)—finished the New York City Marathon on November 3. ¶ Jamie Nestor (Classics) joined educators from around the country at the Institute for Ethical Education Leaders, run by the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education. ¶ Jose Oliveras and Diana Chery (World Languages) appeared in “Carmen Loisaida” at Teatro Circulo. The play is an adaptation of Bizet’s opera “Carmen” with themes of unrequited love, human trafficking, and illegal immigration. ¶ Jennifer Olson Walker (World Languages) visited a child in Bolivia whom she and her class have sponsored through Save the Children. ¶ Ann Oransoff (Senior Technology Coordinator) attended an intensive iPad workshop at Harvard Law School. ¶ Mandy Pabon (Science) traveled with Poly students to the Student Diversity Leadership and National Association of Independent Schools People of Color conferences in National Harbor, MD. ¶ Dr. Amit Prakash (History) received a 2014-15 Miles M. Kastendieck Lecture in the Humanities grant for “Counterinsurgency and Us: A Genealogy of a Practice.” ¶ Elizabeth Rapacchietta (Math Department Chair) attended the Anja S. Greer Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology at Phillips Exeter Academy. ¶ Kristy Raska (Learning Enrichment and

1. Sarah Bates (History) in South Africa. 2. Faculty and students at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference. 3. Louise Forsyth and family. 4. Jennifer Olson-Walker in Bolivia. 5. Olivia Tandon reports on research. 6. Dr. Angela Gittens.

Support) presented her Livingston Lecture, “The Brains Behind Brains: Neuroplasticity, Neurodiversity and Neuromarketing— Discerning Fact from Fiction,”on May 8 in the Gazzani Terrace Conference Room in Alumni House. ¶ John Rearick P’10, ‘14 (Senior Associate Director for College Counseling; English) studied the history of New York City during a professional development seminar sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Foundation. ¶ Ron Sarcos (World Languages) attended the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institute at Manhattan College in preparation for teaching AP Psychology at Poly in 2014. ¶ Nick Soodik (Form III Dean; English) had an essay, “Overexposed,” published on the website Narratively, which publishes New York City journalism and memoir. ¶ Olivia Tandon (Science) presented her original research project “Diversity Dynamics in a Unique Fossil-Rich Zone Within the Merchantville Formation of Monmouth County, New Jersey” at the Geologic Society of America’s Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. ¶ Catherine Welch (Form I Dean; English) traced the history of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Oxford and London, England. In the British Library, she saw the original manuscript, handwritten and drawn, by Carroll.

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Book Review

JUNOT DÍAZ’S

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Though I have long been conscious of our world’s staggering rate of change, it hadn’t hit me on a visceral level until one morning last fall. I walked into the living room to find my son, Julian, chatting with my sister in Florence, via Skype. Her bleary eyes, not to mention the time difference, made clear that it was Julian who had contacted her.

This meant that he had found my iPad, inputted the passcode (which I was unaware he even knew), opened the necessary app, identified his aunt’s avatar, and then “video-called” her. Julian had just turned three at the time. For me, this moment crystallized how the children of our rapidly evolving society are currently engaged in a kind of “time-lapse cognition.” Comparatively, I felt lumbering and slow. Bewildered, I did what I have always done when I am at a loss—I turned to books. Running my fingers along the volumes lining our walls, I stopped and pulled out The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. As I leafed through the battered, well-loved copy, I was overcome with the sense that somewhere in Junot Díaz’s rapid-fire prose and unflinching narrative lay

guidance. Somewhere between Patterson, New Jersey and Baní, Santo Domingo, within this trans-generational saga and the Dominican Diaspora, were clues as to how to keep pace. Because I teach fifth grade, I feel the need to make clear that Díaz’s debut novel is not, by even the most liberal standards, Young Adult Literature. (For what it is worth, I envision handing Julian a copy around the same time I hand him his first set of car keys.) That said, against the text’s backdrop of fever-pitched sexuality and kleptocracy-endorsed brutality, amid alternate poeticism and ripe profanity, lies the embodiment of 21st-century thought. The novel’s primary scope is to trace the ill-fated life of Oscar de León, a “ghetto nerd” obsessed with Sci-Fi and, as befits his Dominican male status (per the narrator),

with girls and love. The problem is that Oscar, who has “no hustle, no rap, no G... and most damning of all: no looks” (20), peppers his speech with Elvish and with words like “vertiginous,” leaving him utterly displaced in the rough, urban setting of his adolescence. Oscar’s personal displacement is echoed by the greater, pervasive displacement of being caught between two cultures, two languages, and two worlds— the First and Third. He and his sister, Lola, linger between history, as represented by filial duty, and the shining futures they imagine for themselves. Such themes are standard enough in first-generation American, coming-of-age stories. Beyond that, though, Díaz does everything in his power to sabotage the archetypal form of the novel and to leave us, the readers, feeling as displaced as his characters.

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I Book Review I

“

We must work to catch sight of the book’s purpose, behold its beauty, and piece together narrative fragments into a breathtaking, ineffable whole. Photo: Nina Subin

”

To begin with, Díaz switches points of view (from first, to third, to the rarely used second) as often as Oscar switches love interests. Moreover, the narrator’s identity and his relationship to the de León Family is not revealed until 169 pages in, although from the first paragraph his distinct voice is palpable, making him a formidable, albeit ill-defined, presence. Conventional storytelling can lull us into complacency. It can (seemingly) obviate our need to ask the very questions begged by this text’s lack of clarity: Who is this guy talking? What are his motives? Can I trust him? Díaz accentuates the notion of unreliability because the narrator, whom we later learn to be Yunior, a boyfriend of Lola, constantly reminds us that he is relaying events as they were told to him. We are being granted a second-hand (and often third or even

fourth-hand) account of the story. Layers of ambiguity and ample room for distortion transform the text into a narrative game of Telephone. Not only are the original message and its intent likely lost, but it becomes increasingly unclear how much that loss matters. The audience is confounded further when Yunior openly admits to lying to us throughout his narration. To suit his literary aesthetics or to preserve his own psychological/emotional fictions, Yunior knowingly alters facts and promulgates historical inaccuracies. As he puts it, there were some “detail[s] I couldn’t change, just like[d] the image too much. Forgive me, historians...” (132). Oh, Mr. Díaz, how could you? I thought we had entered into that implicit reader-author accord, the one in which I give you my time, and you give me a steady

lens through which to interpret your story. And yet, Díaz could—and he does. Again and again. Vis-à-vis inconsistencies in Yunior’s narrative style and diction, and through the use of copious, meandering footnotes, the writer continually undermines the authority of his novel and his own authority as its author. He points an accusing finger at us (quite literally, when employing use of the second person) and demands our complicity in filling in the text’s many ellipses and in covering its páginas en blanco with our own interpretations and conclusions. The effect is jarring, but in a story where pivotal events hinge on the atrocities of Trujillo’s dictatorial regime, the deliberate subversion of a novel’s dictatorial structure makes sense. What Díaz requires of us in this piece is daunting: we must code switch (not to mention language switch) unendingly. We must look up hundreds of allusions (unless, like Yunior, we are equally well versed in Dominican pop culture, the origins of eugenics among 19th-century French “intellectuals,” modern sub-Saharan politics, Ancient Greek and Roman literature, hip-hop references, contemporary Sci-Fi fan fiction, Taino lore, astrophysics, inner-city parlance...). We must tolerate a maddening degree of ambiguity, notwithstanding our deep engagement with the text. Mostly, though, we must work to catch sight of the book’s purpose, behold its beauty, and piece together narrative fragments into a breathtaking, ineffable whole. And such requirements, such active thought, and the assumption of such responsibility in making meaning are so very 21st century. Thank you, Mr. Díaz, for reminding me of what is needed to keep up.

By Francesca Leibowitz ‘95, P‘29 (English; Senior Plan Coordinator)

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STAY CONNECTED

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TO JOIN POLY’S GLOBAL ALUMNI NETWORK Attend one of our many fun alumni events, including: Homecoming 2014 September 20, 2014 Alumni Boston Regional October 17, 2014 Blue Devils Football vs. The Delbarton School November 7, 2014 Dyker Heights Campus Alumni Holiday Party December 17, 2014 Location TBA Oasis Night January 9, 2015 Dyker Heights Campus

Alumni New York Regional January 14, 2015 Location TBA Gala 2015 March 6, 2015 Location TBA Special Reunion 2015 April 25, 2014 Dyker Heights Campus UPCOMING EVENTS Alumni DC Regional Alumni Florida Regional Alumni California Regional Locations and Dates TBA, Stay Tuned!

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE? Contact Maria Dedato, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at mdedato@polyprep.org or by phone at (718) 836-9800, ext. 3090.

CONNECT ANYTIME—VIRTUALLY! Like www.facebook.com/polyprep Watch www.youtube.com/polyprepcds Tweet www.twitter.com/polyprep Link www.linkedin.com/company/poly-prep-country-day-school Web www.polyprep.org/alumninews Polycam www.polyprep.org/polycam

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Class Notes

I Class Notes I

F R OM THE ARC HIV ES

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I Class Notes I

1943

Stu Hodes and his wife, Helen, have been retired in Cape Coral, FL since 1987. They were tandem bicycle riders for many years and toured Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, The Netherlands, and France.

1944

Donald Wolf sold his small firm and finally satisfied his ambition to write for a living. Three moderately well-reviewed books of historical non-fiction were the product of that decision. He has been caring for his wife who, around 2007, was diagnosed with a degenerative neurologic disorder.

1945

Robert Gintel, a 35-year resident of the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, FL, was recently honored with his selection as the Grand Marshall of the area’s popular Irish Festival.

1946

Roy Fidler recently recovered from throat cancer and continues to travel with his wife, Carole. They visited Dresden, Prague, and Normandy in 2013; Corsica and Southern France in 2014. Two mornings per week he volunteers in the Marin County D.A.’s office, working on consumer protection and mediation.

1948

Jules Baum, MD continues to attend professional meetings and review manuscripts for possible publication. He has written an e-book, How to Live a Long Life with Poor Genes. He still plays tennis. ¶ Alan Roland is a psychoanalytic therapist. His play, Flight of the Ibis, set in the Golden Age of the Jews in the Umayyad Caliphate in 10th-century Cordoba, was performed at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset. The performance was followed by an interfaith discussion.

1949

Don Conover was part of a group of bullfight aficionados and had a book, OLE, published, which is now earning awards and recognition with book societies around the country. He is in regular contact with Malcolm Bell, Jeff Rose, and Johnny Howes.

1950

Joseph DePaola works in aviation consultancy but had to curtail travel due to mobility issues. He is just short of four million air miles. He and his wife, Joan, are enjoying retired life with nearby family. Most of his activity involves research at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Aviation Museum, located at the nearby Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport. ¶ Edward Wallach is a Professor in the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Wallach says he was “well prepared as a student at Poly” for his current work teaching, mentoring, writing, and researching.

SEND US YOUR NOTES Go to www.polyprep.org/ bluegray and click on “Submit a Class Note.” To get into the next issue make sure to submit your news by May 31, 2015.

SUBMISSIONS Inquiries and submissions to The Blue and The Gray are welcome. Please email Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Marketing & Communications, rgrossfield @polyprep.org. You may also mail submissions to ATTN: Rebecca Grossfield, Poly Prep Country Day School, 9216 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

ADVERTISE Every issue of The Blue and The Gray reaches thousands of Poly alumni, parents, and their families. Promote your business to a readership that is as discerning as it is intelligent. For availability, contact us by email at rgrossfield@ polyprep.org, or call (718) 836-9800 ext. 3950.

R EUNION

’49

’54

’59

Class of 1949: (left to right) front row: H. Dana Fearon, Malcolm Bell, Donald Conover, Frederick Hadad, Richard Greenberg, Robert Schoepflin, Daniel Reich; top row: David Kramer, Otis Pearsall, John Saeli, Peter Fauci, Jay Kane, Bob Magnus. Class of 1954: (left to right) front row: Jacquin P. Fink, Eugene L. Stoler; top row: Richard Felner, Jack Wasserman, William Schwartz. Class of 1959: (left to right) front row: Steve Lowenstein, Tony Sirianni; top row: Richard Farr, Ron Wilson, Paul Kraus.

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I C l as s N o t es I

1951

Peter Malkin, after 35 years as a director, has become Co-Chair of the Emeritus Board of Lincoln Center. In May he attended the graduation of his grandson at Yale, escaping Harvard, where 7 other grandchildren have attended. Another grandchild is at Stanford and one is at Wesleyan. Malkin wishes his classmates “All the best!”

1953

Eugene M. Wheeler (aka Tut) plays tennis and golf when possible. He was ranked #1 in the Northeast in the Men’s 75 Doubles.

1954

Eugene Flamm just finished a 4-year term as President of The Grolier Club, the oldest bibliophilic organization in the country. He is still the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center. His two grandchildren, Abbey and Charlie, attend Packer, maintaining their Brooklyn connection.

1955

Stuart Mackler serves as President of the Virginia Board of Medicine. The 61,000-member board licenses medical providers in 18 specialties. ¶ Michael Sussman continues to work as a massage therapist at The Glenwood Hot Springs, Spa of the Rockies. With 20 years of experience, he finds that the work suits him and keeps him active and fit.

1956

George Marks just toured Turkey and Greece with his wife, Bette. In Turkey, he toured cities including Istanbul, Canakkale, Kusadasi, and Marmaris. From there he took a ferry to Rhodes, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, and then Athens. ¶ Landy Nelson had the honor to promote his oldest daughter, son, and sonin-law to Army, full Colonel. Daughter Sandy McNaughton is serving as the Deputy Director of Nursing at the Army Hospital, Ft. Belvoir, VA. Son-in-law Clint Kirk recently took command of an infantry brigade at Ft. Jackson, SC. Nelson says he is “home safe after multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

1958

Stephen Hersh, after 48 years of treating patients, closed his clinical practice last summer. Now, his priorities are his wife, family, and clinical research. His wife of 45 years, children, and grandchildren are well. ¶ Edward Jeffer had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama and the King of Swaziland. He published another book, The Man Who Killed Happy Hour. ¶ Alan Newman released an iPhone/iPad app, Alan Newman’s Dynasties, published less than five months ago based on his prize-winning board game. The game is also being re-published in a deluxe board

game edition as Sun Tzu Dynasties by Europe’s Matagot. His wife, Dr. Newman, and the boys are thriving.

1959

Gary Mettler placed 2nd in The NYU Alumni Talent Competition in Oct. 2013.

1960

Julian Ferayorni has fully retired from his ophthalmology practice in Florida and has since moved to the Atlanta, GA vicinity. He enjoys golfing, going to the gym, reading, and driving. His two children live in California.

1961

John Delmhorst recently discovered a new avocation: ballroom dancing. He began taking lessons at a nearby Fred Astaire Dance Studio a year ago. He exclaims, “The hardest part was taking a recent proficiency exam where I had to dance four separate dances while remembering 26 required steps.” He passed with scores in the 90s with some 88s. ¶ Ken Duberstein was elected in November 2013 as Chairman, Senior Advisory Board, Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. ¶ Paul Feinstein is practicing law, working from Florida in the winter. He and his wife Martha have four grandchildren from two of their three daughters.

1962

Roger Freilich has been living in Florida for 38 years. He has retired from his work as an

RE U N ION

’64

’69

’74 ’69

Class of 1964: (left to right) front row: Ron Klempner, Guy Parisi, Eric Ruby, Fred Goetz, Morton Levitt; second row: Dan Leshner, John Cowin, Ken Gliedman, Bernie Mangiaracina, Marc Kunen; third row: Thomas Nostrand, Art De Angelis, John Smolowe, Don Crawford, Jay Rudolph, William Free; top row: Robert Herzdh, Jack Cavlev, Rob Schenck, Jon Axelrod, Robert Dresdale, Eric Palmer, Gary Westholm, Andy Salzman. Class of 1969: front row: Jeffrey Fiengold, Stew Fleisig, Howard Levine, Fred Robin, Sal Cumella, Joel Pfister, William Karp; second row: George A. Mastellone, Mike Rogers, Frank Jenks, Ed Gordon, Lawrence DiGiovanna; top row: Lawrence DeMann, David Koven, Mark Evans, Howard Levy, Richard Waldron, Phil Zukerman, Graham P. Purpora.

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I Class Notes I

oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He and his wife Carole are enjoying life, travelling, and spending time in North Carolina. ¶ Hank Gardstein is married to Elayne, whom he met at Bobby Mitchell’s basement party in 1961. He has survived stage IV melanoma for 12 years now and is enjoying life every day. He plays 4.5 competitive singles tennis and races sailboats. He loves the theater and museums, and has traveled widely. ¶ John Nilsen (Schwartz) was a part of IBM management for 30 years. He then transitioned to Lockheed Martin for nine years until he retired. He splits his time between Venice, FL and Ashburn, VA. He has three children (Karen, Darren, and Krista) and 10 grandchildren. In 1993 he was awarded a patent for Electronic Catalogue with IBM.

1964

David Drucker, MD lives in Denver and has a private practice of Ophthalmology. He and his wife of 43 years, Angel, have two sons and two daughters, four granddaughters, one grandson and another granddaughter on the way. ¶ Bernard Mangiaracina exhibited 20 paintings last January at the AFA Gallery in Scranton, PA. In August he will have a one-man show at the WhipWorks Gallery and Art Center in Windsor, NY.

1965

Bill Beery is slowly moving into retirement. He is currently a consultant on executive & organization development, and also serves as an Episcopal priest. He spent five months in the Bahamas on his boat this

many ways” since his time there. His latest CD “OLD LP” with guest artist Wynton Marsalis, can be found on iTunes.

1967 Bob Nelson ‘67 at Special Reunion 2014.

winter. He has a wonderful wife, four adult children, and four grandchildren. ¶ Roger Heymann currently owns a 16-person CPA firm in Rockville, MD. Two of his children have moved to NYC working at Neuberger Berman and TOD’S of Italy. His autistic son is 42 and doing well in a group home in Maryland. ¶ Terry Martinson retired in June of 2013 after serving as the pastor of The Old South Union Church in Weymouth, MA for 41 years. His retirement was shortlived, and he is currently serving as the interim pastor of The Federated Church of Edgartown, MA. He published a book titled: Youth Group Seeds—A Practical Guide to Growing A Youth Group. ¶ Andrew Mogelof, DDS is celebrating his 40th year in practice with his son, Scott, as his partner. He has five grandchildren and continues to enjoy dentistry. He hopes to see many of his classmates at their 50th reunion in 2015.

1966

Bob Telson, after 10 years in Buenos Aires, has moved back to Brooklyn. His son Dylan just finished 9th grade at Poly, which he exclaims “has changed for the better in

Charles Dennis is continuing his 2nd career as a videographer. He was recently hired as the director of photography for new Lucille Roberts Women’s Health Clubs commercials. He broke his own record for total number of days cross-country skiing in Prospect Park. ¶ Bob Nelson is a retired management consultant living in Glendale, AZ. This year, he enjoyed celebrating his 65th birthday with his classmates at Special Reunion, and the wedding of daughter, Nicole. ¶ Edward Schoenfeld is the Operating Partner/ creator of RedFarm, 2 Manhattan-based, top-rated modern Chinese restaurants. He is also the operating partner of Decoy, a Peking duck restaurant & bar on Hudson Street. A 2013 profile in The Wall Street Journal named him “The Big Cheese of Chinese.”

1968

Armando Cuellar is going on a nine-day scuba diving trip to the Socorro Islands in June. He says, “Except for the drought, all is well in California.”

1969

Eric Miller has now been owner and innkeeper of the Journey Inn in historic Hyde Park, NY for over a year. He misses Poly and Brooklyn Heights, but is now a country boy. “Life on the Hudson River in Dutchess County is bucolic,” he says.

R EUNION

’79

’74

’84

’89 ’79

Class of 1974: (left to right) front row: John Gallo, Hal Rose, John Karabatos; second row: Jonathan Nagel, Gregory Oussani, Louis Harrison, Eric Kipperman; top row: Anthony Sgartato, Nick Harris, Bob Messina, John Morris, Robert Trisciuzzi. Class of 1979: (left to right) front row: Stephen Herrow, Kim Dupee Kawachi, Fred Capozzi, Russell Delcone; second row: Smith Ferrara, Stephen Kochman, Elizabeth Bonina, Douglas Patton, Scott Greenbaum.

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I Class Notes I

1970

Samuel Parker had the great experience of working the shot clock for UCLA basketball this past season. He also hosted rounds 1 & 2 of the NCAA regional tournament. He came to Poly in March to watch Matt’s baseball team.

1971

Martin Kafina, MD says he enjoyed a terrific family vacation with his wife and two sons in Turks and Caicos this past winter. “The water was a majestic turquoise and we did lots of snorkeling, while getting some needed rest and relaxation, and visited an ocean Tiki Bar.” ¶ Vincent Pantuso and Steve Jimenez say “kids graduated, got married, made us grandpas. Sixteen of us are meeting for a weekend of fun in AC. Our slogan is 45 for the 45th!”

1972

Paul Malluk, for the last three years, has been the Theatre Director at Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas, inspiring young thespians in the tradition of his Poly mentor, David Winder. He still acts professionally, is an Oldies Radio DJ, and teaches and consults for various organizations such as the Utah Arts Council and the Screen Actors Guild.

1973

Frank Magilligan was just elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

1974

Jonathan Scott Nagel, in June of 2012, was appointed District Deputy Grand Master of the First Manhattan District of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. “How I have time for that and rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy is a real mystery,” he says.

1975

Guy Minoli just served as Chair of The New York Section of the American College of Dentists. He initiated a mentoring program that provides New York area hospital dental residents with teaching skills. Minoli maintains his affiliation with The New York Presbyterian Hospital at Weill Cornell Medical Center. ¶ Sherman

McGrew, after 31 and 23 years of service respectively, retired as a Lt. Col. in the US Army Reserves and as a Captain with the Waterbury Police Department in CT. He now works for the US Dept. of State at the US Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands. ¶ Elliott Rebhun was recently named editor-in-chief of Classroom Magazines at Scholastic. ¶ Will Stevens says after 20 years as a Wall Street executive, “the Lord called me out of the world.” He is currently with WaterStone, a Christian foundation empowering givers to maximize their impact through charitable giving solutions. He is also pursuing his doctorate at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary focusing on a biblical theology of giving. ¶ Joseph Wright, MD is excited to join the faculty at Howard University College of Medicine as Chair of the Pediatrics Department. He also serves on national advisory bodies, including the Department of Transportation’s National EMS Advisory Council, the American Hospital Association’s Maternal and Child Health Council, and is an Obama administration appointee to the Food and Drug Administration’s Pediatric Advisory Committee.

1976

Stephen Ianuzzi reports, “There was a small Poly Prep reunion going on in Red Bank, NJ at the Chris Georges’ residence. Chris and his brother Tommy, John Marino, Paul Nordhaug, Steve Ianuzzi, (all Poly grads) and their families, in addition to other college friends, enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend together.”

1979

Jeffrey Bamonte is the Sales Director of Novocure, a medical device equipment company specializing in glioblastoma brain tumors. ¶ Scott Josephs, MD is happily married with two children, a daughter at Columbia and a son who is a high school senior. After getting his MD at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, he completed an internal medicine residency at Beth Israel in Boston and then practiced internal medicine for 10 years. He is now a medical officer for a large national health services company. ¶ George Pearlman makes

pottery at his studio and gallery, George Pearlman Pottery, in Maine. Last year he had a show of his work at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC and continues to show his work all over the world. He lives with his wonderful family on the coast of Maine.

1983

Gregg Kaye was honored by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association as the 2014 recipient of the Andy Baylock Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented to a person who has significantly contributed to the betterment of New England college baseball.

1984

Robert Carvalho says, “Christina has selected University of Florida. Go Gators!”¶ Laurie Greenwald Saloman and her husband Mark have spent the last two decades in beautiful Basking Ridge, NJ, raising their kids. Their daughter Ariel is 17 and preparing for college, and son, Jonathan is 14 and starting high school. She has spent almost all of her parenting years working from home as a freelance health writer, focusing on disease prevention.

1985

Kenneth Fitzpatrick lives and practices urology in Chester County, PA with his wife Jeannine (Poly Prom date) and children, Kenny, Bridget, and Katie. They are all three-season athletes and driven students.¶ Eric Chaikin, after a good run as a documentary filmmaker, has been working with his father building Chaikin Analytics, which helps investors and advisors make more profitable decisions. His wife Marni is a proud owner of Pure Barre fitness studios, and their 3-year-old Liv keeps them on their toes. He sends his best to the Poly community.

1986

Harrison Wein’s first novel, The Life and Opinions of the Housecat Hastings, was recently published. It’s the picaresque autobiography of a cultured, erudite housecat, with echoes of Don Quixote, Tristram Shandy, and other literary classics. The book is available in print, as well as in Kindle, Nook, and other electronic editions.

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WHAT’S YOUR POLY LEGACY? NAME

John B. Madden, Jr.

GRADUATION YEAR

1972

UNIVERSITIES ATTENDED

B.A. Yale College; J.D. Harvard Law School

OCCUPATION

Attorney

MOST MEMORABLE POLY MOMENT

The 1971 production of “Guys and Dolls,” with David Winder as Stage Director and Joe Huffman as Music Director. My chance to play the bass drum in the Salvation Army Band! We worked hard under great direction and learned to show up on time and on key. I still sing every song every chance I get. My favorite is “I Got the Horse Right Here!”

WITHOUT POLY I’D BE

Without many of my best friends, without the lessons of great teachers.

WHY I JOINED THE JOSEPH DANA ALLEN SOCIETY (those in the Poly community who commit to making a planned gift to Poly)

It is vital that Poly remain accessible to as many students as possible regardless of their financial means. Support of the Poly endowment through deferred giving allows the School to accomplish this goal, and to keep tuition lower for all students.

MESSAGE TO WOULD-BE PLANNED GIVERS

It’s easy. Just tell your lawyer to include a bequest to Poly in your will. You will be “paying forward” to future generations the gift you received years ago.

For more on PLANNED GIVING at Poly, visit www.polyprep.org/plannedgiving For more on the JOSEPH DANA ALLEN SOCIETY, visit www.polyprep.org/jda Or, contact Associate Director of Development, Alumni Relations & Alumni Fund Lisa Della Pietra ‘86 at (718) 836-9800, ext. 6870.

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1987

Kenneth Hall is currently employed in the Client Services department of Quest Diagnostics, Inc. He has been with the company for 12 years. He is married, with one stepson. He and his wife also serve as leaders of the Worship and Fine Arts Department at their church, New Life Assembly of God in Farmingdale, NY. ¶ Michael Odian lives on a 20-acre farm in Maryland with his wife and two daughters. He has a busy equine sports medicine practice. He raises Clydesdales and Perecheron Draft horses on the farm.

1988

Armin Tehrany was recently re-certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopedics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. Together with his wife and two daughters, he celebrated his 25th reunion at Poly last year.

1989

Michael Kearns just completed his first year of graduate school in the MSW program at Howard University in Washington, DC.

1991

Lizzy Polizzi Somers lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons, Nathaniel, 12, and Andrew, 9. She just finished her 18th year at Merck and is currently a Project Manager for drug development programs.

1992

Todd Vitolo has been named by the Corcoran Group Real Estate to the Sales Team of the Year for 2013. Vitolo is based in Soho and has been with Corcoran for 10 years following a career in commercial litigation.

1993

Rob Conti, DDS has had a periodontal dental practice in Manalapan, NJ for the past seven years and also runs New Jersey’s only traveling haunted house, the Dark Carnival. He is expecting his third child this year on Halloween and currently lives with his wife Allison and their two children in Manalapan, NJ.

1994

Julia Donahue Moses, now a Copy Director at Time, Inc., married John Moses, a stand-up comic, in New Jersey on October 12, 2013. Poly was represented on the dance floor, with alumni including Corinne Tuccillo King, Roxie Herreros Richards, Samantha Perez, Stefanie Ferrara, and current Poly teacher Ann Lothian McCartney all attending. ¶ Jon Marrelli is a psychologist at Lutheran Medical Center. He is the Director of Quality Assurance and Performance

Julia Donahue ‘94 was married on October 12.

Improvement for outpatient mental health. He recently received a Presidential Citation for his work on health care reform by the President of the APA.

1995

Matteen Terrany is very excited to announce the birth of his son, Zen Xavier Terrany, born on November 8, 2013, and weighing just under 7 lbs. “Jasmin had an incredible natural birth at home in our bathtub and is doing wonderfully,” Terrany reports.

1996

Kristi Syrdahl is the Director of International Student Services at Elizabethtown College, where she advises on immigration matters, creates programming to increase campus

RE U NION

’84

’89

Class of 1984: (left to right) front row: Vincent Morisa, Jeanne Cloppse; second row: Ilana Zablozki-Amir, Kandace V. Simmons, Jennifer Yormak, Jonos Dan Rapino; top row: Gordon Jensen, Gary Hanna, Joseph Anastasio, Douglas Jabara, Arnie Mascali. Class of 1989: (left to right) front row: Matt Stewart, Nick Lunsiyun, Sabrina SchwartzwaldBeldner, Renee Lamara, Stella Moniaros, Margot Goodkin, Valerie Riso; second row: Mike Brody, Beth Cloppse, Stellene Volandes, Renee Ribellino-Fragoulias, Pam Hadad-Hurst, Jessica Mines, Marco Mancuso; top row: Michael Pollack, Jonathon Yormak, Michael Kearns, Brian Kalbacher, Billy Basso, Anthony Scotto, Chris Richardson.

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Lauren Sapega Akinmusuru ‘99 and new son, Xavier.

internationalization, and teaches. Syrdahl is married to Hernan Diaz-Egg from Peru and could not be happier! ¶ John Vavas says, “Nick Nakos ‘96, James Koutras ‘95, Nadia Mastromichalis ’94, and my brother, James Vavas ‘93 joined my Cycle for Survival team to raise money for rare cancer research. They rode in honor of my wife, Eleni, who was battling stomach cancer. Through the generosity of countless friends and family, including several Poly alums they raised almost $73,000.” ¶ Andrew McNally and his wife welcomed their first child, Hannah Genevieve, on October 4, 2013.

1998

Alexandra Brzozowski started a children’s clothing and accessory line called Cabbages & Kings NY. They support fair trade whenever possible. Their winter collection is all fair trade and hand made in Peru and Bolivia. They were fortunate enough to be able to travel the world a great deal, which is where much of their design inspiration comes from. ¶ Raymond Guarini is a Senior VP at

Meyers Associates LP, Investment Bankers. He has been working in the financial industry for 11 years and helped close numerous public and private financings. He is the proud father of a two-and-a-half-year-old son, Raymond. ¶ Lt. Joshua Rosenthal is currently deployed to Camp Buehring, Kuwait with the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade (HHC 42 CAB) of the New York Army National Guard. Upon his scheduled return to the United States this fall, Lt. Rosenthal is looking forward to relaxing and growing his government contracting business.

1999

Henry Greenidge is currently working as a transportation policy advisor at the White House Office of Management and Budget, and was recently admitted to the Maryland Bar. He is enjoying living in Washington, DC. ¶ Carolyn Razzano is a Major Gifts Officer at New York Presbyterian. She recently got married in Turks & Caicos and enjoyed having her Poly classmates Dana Triano and Jackie Benfante in the wedding. Harry Burstein P’99 served as officiant. ¶ Lauren Sapega Akinmusuru and her husband, Tosin, welcomed their first child, Xavier, on Sept. 10, 2013. She says, “Look out class of 2031 ... yikes!” ¶ Laura Terruso, while completing her MFA in film at NYU, co-wrote a script with Michael Showalter for an indie comedy Hello, My Name is Doris starring Sally Field. Terruso also holds an MA in media, culture, and history from NYU.

2001

Marissa Beck got married Saturday, July 12, 2013 to Nathaniel Gandert. Rabbi Jeffrey Gale officiated at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden wedding. The couple met in NYC in 2010, and recently moved together to Seattle, where Nathaniel heads the technology group at Getty Images and Beck runs a private practice in nutrition. ¶ Vanessa Gabb published her first chapbook of poetry, Weekend Poems (dancing girl press) and celebrated the second anniversary of the literary magazine she co-founded, Five Quarterly. ¶ Rudi Hanja, after a successful five years working at Douglas Elliman, partnered with his father, Siim, to join Brown Harris Stevens, the premiere luxury residential real estate firm in NYC. Representing buyers, sellers, and renters throughout Manhattan & Brooklyn. The two have consistently been top producing agents in the company’s Village office. ¶ Jennifer Tafuri graduated pastry school in 2011. She is currently the pastry chef of the West Village restaurant, The Marrow.

2002

William Atallah, MD, MPH is a urology resident at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. ¶ Jonathan Bracci engaged in many exciting adventures including skydiving, bungee jumping, riding a bull, swimming with sharks, zip-lining a rain forest, flying a helicopter, white water rafting, and scuba diving. He exclaims that he is also “engaged to the perfect woman.” ¶ Hayes Humphreys, after graduating from college, spent three years with KPMG in the Washington, DC

R EUNION

’94

’99

Class of 1994: (left to right) front row: Sara Schwlhmer, Shamik Mitchell, Polina Froymovich; second row: Arlene Koutras, Jodi Abatemarco, Samantha Perez, Sharol Finkel, Angie Banks, Jessica Schupak; third row: Stephen Macrina, Justin Ferrelli, Jaime Blanc, Charles Kwalwassen, Jon Marrelli, Nick Likourentzos; top row: Darren Methlie, Thom Bishops, Joe Pabon, Jason Goldberg, Roxie Richards, Nadia Mastromichalis, Rahul Sinha, Mike Nymark. Class of 1999: (left to right) front row: Elisabeth Fleming, Katherine Sciolto, Carolyn Razzano, Danielle Hatzipetros, Jacqueline Benfante; second row: Jan Cernuda, Mark Tortora, Henry Gereenidge, Jeffery Risman, Charles Guigno, Ulysses Pizarro; top row: Joe Lafemina, Sal Vaccaro, Joe Joe Bauroudis, Brian Flores, Steve Przybyl.

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office. He attended the University of Virginia Business School for an MBA. After graduation he joined a start-up microbrewery, Devil’s Backbone, as Chief Operating Officer. The beer is award-winning, and they are on their third brewing capacity expansion. ¶ Jeffrey Sackheim is the Director of Operations at Diamond Reporting, Inc. and a real estate salesperson at Charles Rutenberg Realty. He is also an investor in two companies, Brooklyn Winery, an urban winery and event space in Williamsburg, and Glamsquad, an on-demand beauty app, recently on Time Inc.’s list of top ten start-ups to watch in NYC.

2003

Vincent Campisi married Lauren Sheehan on March 1, 2014. He purchased a new home after they lost their previous apartment in Hurricane Sandy. In addition, he passed his engineering license exam and received a civil service promotion. ¶ Nicole Grillos works as an associate in theatrical casting and was married on June 21, 2014. ¶ Nandita Kripanidhi, after five years working in fashion as a photographer and writer, launched her own start-up in May 2014. SPELLBOUND NYC specializes in unique jewelry and limited edition apparel. She was married to Georgio Kougentakis on June 8, 2014.

2004

Anthony Terruso completed his MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design in 2013. He is presently employed as a Creative Technologist at Bartle Bogle and Hegarty, a global advertising company.

2005

Jasen Bell recently graduated with his MBA in the 2014 class at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Following graduation, Jasen will be relocating to Seoul, South Korea where he has taken a new position as a global strategist with the Samsung Group. ¶ Griffin Humphreys graduated from Lehigh as a civil engineer. He worked on the Third Avenue Bridge, connecting Manhattan to the Bronx. He now lives in Newfoundland, Canada working on an oil platform which will float into the Atlantic Ocean. This summer Humphreys traveled to Brazil for the World Cup. ¶ John Roelofs works for Wieden+Kennedy, an advertising agency in Portland, Oregon, making ads for Old Spice. ¶ Elisabeth Santana started EJ Blooms, a floral design company in NYC. Within the first year, she successfully secured floral contracts with Viacom, Brand Networks, the New York Historical Society, Equinox Corporate events, luxury residential buildings, and spas. She focused on establishing a dominant floral presence for startup to mid-sized level firms.

2006

Eva Lipiec just finished her first year of graduate school at Oregon State University, where she is pursuing a degree in marine resource management with a concentration on coastal hazards and climate change. She looks forward to spending another summer on the Oregon and Washington coasts and discovering all the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

2009

Jessica Taylor currently attends Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. ¶ Kyle Wynter-Stoner is currently living in Cairo, almost done with CASA, a year-long Arabic language scholarship. He will stay in Cairo and continue working as a librarian at the Contemporary Image Collective.

2010

Daniel Conde just completed his junior year at Wake Forest University where he is majoring in computer science. In addition to playing club soccer, he is a member of the on-campus TV broadcasting team, reporting on sports and other university related events. He is spending the summer working as an intern for Bloomberg, Inc. ¶ Will Hochman recently graduated from Colby College with a degree in economics. He is now an actor in New York.

2011

Brittany Nanan is currently in Switzerland studying multilateral diplomacy. She will be conducting human rights research in the Netherlands before going to Peru for a study trip. ¶ Emilie Ratajczak, after returning from studying abroad in Barbados in May, is looking forward to her summer internship at UBS Wealth Management and future career in this area.

2013

Carsten Bahl will be transferring to West Point, United States Military Academy, class of 2018.

RE U NION

’04

’09

Class of 2004: (left to right) front row: Shevorne Martin, Dana Lordero, Sara Smith, Devan Flahive; second row: Nick Lee, Pallani Cherukuri, Juliet Falchi, Sarah Sancana, Gemsa Babb, Alex Langsam; third row: Jacqueline Bylaly, Dominique Sharpton, John Giaimo, Lauren Sinswkovsky, Pan Picciardi, Kevin Carter; top row: Charlie Parker, Runako Gulstone, Bobby Underwood-Halpern, Julian Ahye, Tim Boardman, Naheem Harris. Class of 2009: (left to right) front row: Stephanie Caso, Maya Rose, LeeAnn Belvedere, Nicole Vanchieri; second row: Jared Hedglin, Peter Dutko, John Plotz, Anne Nevine, Meghan Reilly, Lorraine Reyes; top row: Michael Onah, Thomas Lavrendi, William Spinelli, Ben Kochman, Greg Dowis, Alex Goldfarb.

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Get to Know Your Poly Representative! Below is a list of your Poly class agents. Don’t see your year represented? Interested in contacting your class rep? Contact Maria Dedato, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, by phone at (718) 836-9800, ext. 3090 or via email at mdedato@polyprep.org. Dr. Charles M. Plotz ‘37 Mr. Dean M. Hatheway ‘38 Mr. Robert N. Carpenter ‘39 Mr. Gilbert H. Feldman ‘42 Dr. Russell M. Tilley, Jr. ‘43 Mr. Bernard L. Spence, Jr. ‘45 Mr. George W. Smyth, Jr. ‘48 Mr. Donald K. Conover ‘49 Mr. Stephen R. Ehrlich ‘51 Mr. Peter L. Malkin ‘51 Dr. Donald M. Zarou ‘52 Dr. Bruce H. Bernstein ‘53 Dr. Peter S. Liebert ‘53 Mr. Richard A. Merhige ‘53 Mr. Jacquin P. Fink ‘54 Mr. Harry J. Petchesky ‘55 Mr. Leslie J. Stark ‘55 Mr. Edward M. Fuller II ‘56 Mr. George L. Malin ‘57 Mr. Harvey E. Scheff ‘57 Mr. Mark L. Groothuis ‘58 Mr. Marvin S. Lerman, Esq. ‘58 Mr. Arthur L. Rebell ‘58 Mr. Norman Silberdick, Jr. ‘59 Dr. J. R. Wilson, Jr. ‘59 Mr. Stephen J. Pearlman ‘61 Mr. Robert E. Aberlin ‘62 Mr. Robert D. Shack ‘62 Mr. Douglas L. Crawford ‘63 Dr. Morton H. Levitt ‘64 Dr. Eric J. Ruby, MD ‘64 Mr. Andrew I. Salzman ‘64 Mr. John A. Artise ‘65 Mr. Thomas H. Parker ‘65 Mr. Mitchell G. Bernstein ‘66 Mr. Stephen F. Ellman ‘67 Mr. Frank T. Strafaci, Esq. ‘67 Dr. Salvatore J. Cumella, MD ‘69 Mr. Lawrence F. DiGiovanna, Esq. ‘69 Mr. Robert A. Arcaro ‘70 Mr. John Ferrari ‘70 Dr. A. K. Saal ‘70 Mr. Steven G. Goldberg ‘71 Mr. Michael A. Junsch ‘71 Mr. Vincent J. Pantuso, Jr. ‘71 Mr. Anthony F. Tagliagambe ‘71 Mr. M. Robert Gumer ‘72 Mr. James J. Oussani, Jr. ‘73 Mr. John R. Gallo ‘74

Mr. Hal M. Rose ‘74 Mr. Steven I. Froot ‘75 Mr. Elliott S. Rebhun ‘75 Mr. Kenneth R. Dashow ‘76 Mr. Charles W. Kreines, Esq. ‘76 Mr. Frank G. Sinatra ‘76 Mr. Henry F. Camuso, Esq. ‘77 Mr. Lawrence S. Brandman ‘78 Mr. Nicholas A. Gravante, Jr. ‘78 Mr. Peter H. Latson ‘78 Mr. Joseph E. Ferrara, Jr. ‘79 Mr. Richard S. Gravante ‘80 Mr. Martin E. Valk ‘81 Mr. Michael G. Solomon ‘82 Mr. Peter W. Sperry ‘82 Mr. Edward J. Antonio III ‘83 Mr. Claudio Caballero ‘83 Ms. Jeanne M. Cloppse ‘84 Mr. Gary E. Hanna, Esq. ‘84 Mr. Douglas H. Jabara ‘84 Mr. Arnold F. Mascali ‘84 Mr. Derrick I. Ades ‘85 Mr. Arthur L. Aidala ‘85 Mr. Christopher V. Della Pietra ‘85 Mr. John J. Regan ‘86 Mrs. Laura L. Torrado-Malley, Esq. ‘86 Mr. Andrew T. Brandman ‘87 Mr. Michael A. Correra ‘87 Mr. Robert G. Sabbagh ‘87 Ms. Stella Angelakos ‘88 Ms. Samantha L. DiGennaro ‘88 Ms. Erika Boccio Farrell ‘88 Mr. William Basso, Esq. ‘89 Mr. Marco Mancuso ‘89 Ms. Stella Moniaros ‘89 Ms. Stellene Volandes ‘89 Mrs. Danielle M. Sabbagh Basso ‘90 Mrs. Danielle M. Pannone Kelly ‘90 Mrs. Raquel M. X. Herreros Manning ‘90 Mr. Philip C. Kelly ‘91 Mr. Corey S. D. Modeste ‘92 Mr. Richard J. Naddeo ‘92 Mr. Matthew Roventini ‘92 Mrs. Lauren M. McNally Kelly ‘93 Mrs. Christine L. Kando Szabo ‘93 Ms. Marianne E. Bertuna ‘94 Ms. Jaime Blanc ‘94 Ms. Nadia R. Mastromichalis ‘94 Mrs. Lori-Anne S. Stelmark Brogdon ‘95

Mr. Kristerfor T. Mastronardi ‘95 Mr. Aamir A. Rehman ‘95 Mr. Wade E. Saadi, Jr. ‘95 Mr. Marc Calcagno ‘96 Mr. Andrew McNally ‘96 Mr. Nicholas Nakos ‘96 Mr. Andrew J. Katz ‘97 Dr. Shruti Chakrabarti Ramesh ‘97 Mr. Kenton D. Williams ‘97 Ms. Courtney Archer-Buckmire ‘98 Mrs. Shavonne D. Pegues-Gibson ‘98 Mr. Matthew Cronin ‘99 Ms. Danielle Hatzipetros ‘99 Ms. Carolyn A. Razzano ‘99 Mrs. Alexandra Maresca Azara ‘00 Mr. Raymund J. Lansigan ‘00 Ms. Johanna R. Rodriguez ‘00 Ms. Eileen Ahasic ‘01 Ms. Margo A. Rivera Power ‘01 Ms. Victoria Perrotta ‘02 Dr. Christian J. Zaino ‘02 Mr. Matthew Dresher ‘03 Mr. Robert Francis ‘03 Mr. David G. Herbert ‘03 Mr. John A. Polignone ‘03 Ms. Dina M. Atallah ‘04 Mr. Timothy W. Boardman ‘04 Ms. Akilah N. Jeffers ‘04 Mr. Francis Florio ‘05 Mr. Adam K. Garson ‘05 Ms. Juliette Pannone ‘05 Ms. Loretta Cacace ‘06 Ms. Kaitlin E. Donohue ‘06 Ms. Nadia Ahmed ‘07 Ms. Kathleen M. Boardman ‘07 Ms. Thana-Ashley N. Charles ‘07 Ms. Candice E. Clark ‘07 Mr. Elijah Frazier ‘08 Mr. Daniel Lempert ‘09 Ms. Anne Levine ‘09 Ms. Shannon Cohall ‘10 Ms. Emily Hochman ‘10 Mr. Terrence J. Hyland ‘10 Ms. Lauren E. Katen ‘10 Ms. Emilia C. Petrarca ‘10 Mr. Qadir Forbes ‘11 Ms. Morgan S. Mathiesen ‘11 Ms. Rolanda W. Evelyn ‘12 Ms. Ayisha McHugh ‘12 Mr. Christopher D. Patacsil ‘12 Mr. Ben L. Smith ‘12 Mr. Sebastian Andersen ‘13 Ms. Jacqueline M. Chirdo ‘13 Ms. Christine A. Croasdaile ‘13 Ms. Kiera French ‘13 Mr. Kuvonn K. Richardson ‘13

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Calling All Poly Alumni! Help us find those we have lost touch with. Below is a list of Poly alumni for whom we currently have no contact information. Do you have contact information for these alumni? Contact Maria Dedato, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, by phone at (718) 836-9800, ext. 3090 or via email at mdedato@polyprep.org. Mr. J. D. Grundy ‘31 Mr. Frederick H. Rider ‘31 Mr. Daniel Shay ‘31 Mr. Robert F. Schneider ‘32 Mr. Frederick Wagener ‘32 Mr. Clinton H. Horrocks ‘33 Mr. Alric T. Pottberg ‘33 Mr. Harold B. Bretz ‘34 Mr. Joseph C. Isbister ‘34 Mr. Ian M. MacKenzie ‘34 Mr. Drew M. Valentine ‘34 Mr. Jack J. Jorgens ‘35 Mr. Henry M. Kraus ‘35 Mr. Joseph O’Sullivan ‘35 Mr. Wilson A. Rood ‘35 Mr. Norman L. Sirota ‘35 Rev. Horace G. Underwood ‘35 Mr. Arthur Borden ‘36 Mr. Robert P. Browne ‘36 Mr. Lawrence D. Gabbe ‘36 Dr. Lawrence K. Sweeney ‘36 Mr. John P. Atherton ‘37 Mr. Walter W. Ruhmshottel ‘37 Mr. Stuart A. Campbell ‘38 Mr. Walter D. Moore ‘38 Dr. Frank Canning G. Stahl ‘38 Mr. Melvin F. Wander ‘38 Mr. Albert C. Benedict ‘39 Mr. Charles W. Himberg ‘39 Mr. Willis G. Nealley, Jr. ‘39 Mr. Arthur Rothstein ‘39 Mr. Theodore P. Van Zanten ‘39 Mr. Warren S. Moscowitz ‘40 Mr. Henry F. Oetjen ‘40 Mr. Richard C. Shelley ‘40 Mr. Cornelius J. Sullivan ‘40 Mr. Richard W. Thompson ‘40 Mr. Berend W. Baas ‘41 Mr. David Wilkes ‘41 Mr. William H. Corwin ‘43 Mr. Stephen M. Rosoff ‘43 Mr. Theodore E. Solomon ‘43 Mr. John M. Behr ‘44 Mr. Francis M. Byrne ‘44 Mr. Allan M. Gerber ‘44 Mr. Paul N. Goldberg ‘44 Mr. John B. Hall ‘44

Mr. Donald P. Honig ‘44 Mr. Alvin Orgel ‘44 Mr. Stephen B. Packer ‘44 Mr. Sidney C. Shapiro ‘44 Mr. Marvin R. Socolof ‘44 Dr. David R. Taylor ‘44 Mr. Gerard Frank ‘45 Mr. Robert Geller ‘45 Mr. Edward K. Hampshire ‘45 Mr. Richard Howard ‘45 Mr. Robert Z. Rothstein ‘45 Mr. Richard Dorff ‘46 Mr. Lawrence G. Kassover ‘46 Mr. Norman S. Lerner ‘46 Mr. Desmond Murphy ‘46 Mr. Hendrik T. Rozenbroek ‘46 Mr. Jonathan Soloman ‘46 Mr. John Cook ‘47 Mr. Thomas Delyra ‘47 Mr. James Pell ‘47 Mr. Joel Press ‘47 Mr. Melvyn Weiss ‘47 Mr. Edward L. Wheeler, Jr. ‘47 Dr. Ronald A. Bushell ‘48 The Reverend James Keller ‘48 Mr. Richard Klein ‘48 Mr. Joseph J. Aiello ‘49 Mr. Norman Berk ‘49 Mr. Walter F. Prien, Jr. ‘49 Mr. Robert S. Topas ‘49 Mr. Robert W. Williams ‘49 Mr. Herbert J. Callister II ‘50 Mr. William E. Holmes ‘50 Mr. Ronald K. Howie ‘50 Mr. Warren A. Stokum ‘50 Mr. Lewis Boxenbaum ‘51 Mr. Rudolph G. Di Girolamo ‘51 Mr. David A. Duff ‘51 Mr. John R. Dunlop ‘51 Mr. Alfred J. Fitzpatrick ‘51 Mr. R. R. Prisco ‘51 Dr. Andrew M. Goldner ‘52 Mr. Warner James ‘52 Lieutenant Colonel Fred L. Koch ‘52 Mr. Steven A. Lustig ‘52 Mr. Quentin F. Moyles ‘52 Mr. Arthur M. Conning ‘53

Mr. Francis W. Patella ‘53 Mr. Harold J. Davis ‘54 Mr. Harvey S. Karten ‘54 Mr. Robert E. Loughlin ‘54 Mr. Michael Altman ‘55 Mr. Julius B. Moore, Jr. ‘55 Mr. Arnold C. Olson ‘55 Dr. Arthur Jaffe ‘56 Dr. Alan M. Fishman ‘57 Dr. James P. Kartell ‘57 Mr. Robert D. McNamara ‘57 Mr. Nicholas H. O’Neill ‘57 Mr. Gerald V. Wilson ‘57 Mr. Christopher R. Cresci ‘58 Mr. Bruce H. Henningsen ‘58 Mr. Richard L. Lehman ‘58 Mr. Roger G. Seidel ‘58 Mr. James T. Bakis ‘59 Mr. Timothy J. Sharp ‘59 Mr. Arthur Glickman ‘60 Mr. Peter J. Jensen ‘60 Mr. Robert Jensen ‘60 Mr. Andrew J. Razzore ‘60 Mr. Joseph Sessa ‘60 Mr. Charles D. Romano ‘61 Mr. Robert L. Amdur ‘62 Mr. Richard Cohn ‘62 Mr. Harry H. Hunt ‘62 Mr. John T. Page ‘62 Mr. George Panetta ‘62 Dr. Mark H. Stich ‘62 Mr. Andrew Fried ‘63 Mr. John A. Langdale ‘63 Mr. Joseph M. Lookofsky ‘63 Dr. John C. Luomanen ‘63 Mr. Howard L. Marren ‘63 Mr. John R. Perlman ‘63 Mr. Richard J. Perlman ‘63 Mr. Robert B. Holoch ‘64 Mr. Jeff D. Robinson ‘64 Mr. William J. Salica ‘64 Mr. Paul D. Bloom ‘65 Mr. Norman Bloomfield ‘65 Dr. Mark C. DiBona ‘65 Mr. Mark A. Foffe ‘65 Mr. Robert E. Hume ‘65 Mr. Eli S. Lieblich ‘65 Mr. Glenn A. Moyer ‘65 Mr. Harvey Prussin ‘65 Mr. Richard P. Neimark ‘66 Mr. Bruce W. Bender ‘67 Mr. Richard Garcia ‘67 Mr. Michael H. Gitlin ‘67 Mr. Bruce J. Katz ‘67 Mr. Richard H. Lutz ‘67 Mr. Martin Edelman ‘68

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Mr. James T. Iovino ‘68 Dr. Kenneth R. Kafka ‘68 Mr. Gary J. Levine ‘68 Mr. Andrew J. Melton ‘68 Mr. Joel P. Shapiro ‘68 Mr. Michael T. Bishoff ‘69 Mr. Steven D. Gantman ‘69 Mr. Jack I. Wagner ‘69 Mr. David E. Berman ‘70 Mr. Richard Penny ‘70 Mr. James F. Ross ‘70 Mr. Andrew S. Wolf ‘70 Mr. Paul R. Gooris ‘71 Mr. David Hilbrand ‘71 Mr. Randall S. Ross ‘71 Mr. Gregory D. Sipp ‘71 Dr. Carl J. Hirsch ‘72 Mr. Frederick M. Oberlander ‘72 Mr. Neal C. Schwartz ‘72 Mr. David J. Fishman ‘73 Mr. Howard Fried ‘74 Mr. Astor R. Phipps ‘74 Dr. Joshua Schwartz ‘74 Mr. Edward H. Weiss ‘74 Mr. Paul M. Giffone ‘75 Mr. Justin D. Jacobs ‘75 Mr. Frederick Saal ‘75 Mr. David R. Baldinger ‘76 Mr. James R. Carlopio ‘76 Mr. John F. Cleary ‘76 Mr. Norman Dion ‘76 Mr. John A. Harrison ‘76 Mr. Craig W. Nelson ‘76 Mr. Paul E. Daily ‘77 Mr. John P. Ho ‘77 Mr. Henry T. Rahming III ‘77 Mr. Robert A. Stackpole ‘77 Mr. Andrew R. Stein ‘77 Mr. Berry E. Watkins, Jr. ‘77 Mr. John Mazzarino ‘78 Mr. Steven Sacknoff ‘78 Mr. Marc Teitelbaum ‘78 Mr. John Thomas ‘78 Mr. Nikolas Tsargaris ‘78 Mr. Joseph J. Boolbol ‘79 Mr. Andrew D. Feldheim ‘79 Mr. George L. Pearlman ‘79 Mr. Matthew F. Vobis ‘79 Mr. Raymond Haboush ‘80 Ms. Lillian Kleinman ‘80 Ms. June C. Mahland ‘80 Dr. Steven G. Mautner ‘80 Mr. Keith J. McDermott ‘80 Mr. Charles Murphy ‘80 Mr. Richard Segal ‘80 Mr. Robert Somma ‘80 Mr. James W. Agrusa ‘81 Mr. John G. Lynch ‘81 Mr. Michael J. Farrell ‘82 Mr. Christopher A. Guido ‘82

Mr. Michael Derkacz ‘83 Ms. Alice S. Hornstein ‘83 Mr. John J. Illare, Jr. ‘83 Ms. Suzy Lee ‘83 Mr. Mark Berlanga ‘84 Ms. Lisa K. Biro Finn ‘84 Ms. Sandra J. Lind ‘84 Mr. Gregg Scaglione ‘84 Mr. Neil Abramson ‘85 Mr. Michael Boxer ‘85 Mr. Steven N. Kessler ‘85 Mr. Louis P. Lagios ‘85 Ms. Stefanie Spina ‘85 Mr. Vincent Costantino ‘86 Mr. Jude Eugene ‘86 Mr. Andrew Kadin ‘86 Ms. Jennifer Schere ‘86 Ms. Nicole M. DiMonda ‘87 Mrs. Christina Petropole Maiorano ‘87 Ms. Anne M. Walsh Meeks ‘87 Ms. Hallie D. Neuberger ‘87 Mr. Christopher A. Ross ‘87 Mr. Frank A. Volpetti ‘87 Ms. Heather Cyzner ‘88 Mrs. Angela Bouzalas Dres ‘88 Mr. Anton Graham ‘88 Ms. Sigall Kassutto ‘88 Ms. Bettina Baban O’Connell ‘88 Mr. Ian Rosenberg ‘88 Ms. Raquel Forsythe ‘89 Mr. Roger Gural ‘89 Mrs. Christina Lagios-Antaky ‘89 Ms. Bonnie Pavlo ‘89 Mr. Andrew Price ‘89 Mr. Michael Sanford ‘89 Mr. Ian Schere ‘89 Ms. Jessica Wilson ‘89 Ms. Tracy Akner ‘90 Mr. George Bechara ‘90 Mr. Kenyatta Belcher ‘90 Ms. Ginny A. Roth Cathcart ‘90 Mr. Ritin Chakrabarti ‘90 Mr. Thomas Chan ‘90 Mr. Thomas Cowhey ‘90 Ms. Camille M. Taylor Dowling ‘90 Ms. Amy K. Glassberg ‘90 Ms. Michele M. Higinio ‘90 Mr. Pavlik Lvovsky ‘90 Mr. David Mugrabi ‘90 Mr. Theodore Nadell ‘90 Mr. Neil Rameshwar ‘90 Mr. William J. Sharp ‘90 Mr. John Siu ‘90 Mr. Phillip Wong ‘90 Ms. Janeanne Galante Giglia ‘91 Mr. Randy Gindi ‘91 Mr. Michael Grossman ‘91 Ms. Stacy Klein ‘91 Ms. Jennifer Kotlyarsky ‘91 Ms. Shirley Wooh ‘91

Mr. Matthew Dulany ‘92 Ms. Bozena Malyszko ‘92 Ms. Ji-Young Park ‘92 Mr. Gregory Pontone ‘92 Mr. Dana Schneider ‘92 Ms. Angelika Shakhov Shein ‘92 Mrs. Rebecca Purow Taub ‘92 Ms. Tarin Brown ‘93 Mr. David Cavarra ‘93 Mr. James Fantaci ‘93 Mr. David Gandler ‘93 Ms. Nicole Henry ‘93 Mr. Nelson Ramos ‘93 Mr. Paul Sclafani ‘93 Ms. Keri Seidel ‘93 Mr. Marc Sottile ‘93 Mr. Krisna Surapaneni ‘93 Mr. Glenn Todd ‘93 Mr. Leo Turetsky ‘93 Ms. Anna Zhivotovsky ‘93 Mr. Angel Colon ‘95 Mr. Dan Constantinescu ‘95 Mr. Gregory Hollander ‘95 Mr. Vlad Kotlyarsky ‘95 Ms. Stacey Kupperman ‘95 Mr. Keith Miller ‘95 Mr. Adam Tappin ‘95 Mr. Benjamin Ahn ‘96 Mr. Ramstia Jaber ‘96 Mr. Matthew Richards ‘96 Mr. Jared Scotto ‘96 Mr. James Slukhinsky ‘96 Mr. Jonathan Somma ‘96 Ms. Dionne Wilson ‘96 Ms. Chiara Cecchini ‘97 Ms. Jessica Diliberti ‘97 Mr. John-Joseph Hayes ‘97 Ms. Maria Haymandou ‘97 Ms. Amber Cruzado Roberson ‘97 Ms. Jessie Winslow ‘97 Mr. Joshua Joseph ‘98 Ms. Michelle Chevalier ‘99 Mr. John A. Kalb ‘99 Mr. Nicholas Randazzo ‘99 Mr. Jeffrey Richards ‘99 Ms. Samantha Winslow ‘99 Ms. Nina Lisandrello ‘00 Ms. Raquel McFarlane ‘00 Ms. Jamie Scotto ‘00 Ms. Zoe Gillis ‘01 Mr. Timur Ten ‘01 Ms. Mei Li Zhen ‘01 Mr. Andre Alleyne ‘02 Mr. Daniel Green ‘02 Mr. Peter Harkins ‘02 Ms. Natalia Rovner ‘02 Ms. Lucia A. Wilkinson Sheehan ‘04 Mr. Kyle W. Bailey ‘05 Mr. Matthew Ladner ‘05

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Reunion 2014 Awardees ALUMNI DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Hon. Elizabeth Bonina ‘79 Hon. Elizabeth Bonina is a former Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Kings County. In addition to her time on the Supreme Court bench, Judge Bonina had a 15-year career as an Administrative Law Judge for the City of New York, including nearly six years as the Chief Administrative Law Judge at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. After leaving the bench, Judge Bonina joined National Arbitration and Mediation (“NAM”), where she arbitrates and mediates a wide variety of personal injury, motor vehicle, premises liability, sports and recreation liability, and labor law matters. Judge Bonina has been ranked by the New York Law Journal as the #1 arbitrator in New York State in 2013, and as one of the top ten mediators in New York State each year since 2010. She earned her B.A. from Villanova University and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where she was awarded the Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship and the American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Advocacy. For the past 10 years, Judge Bonina has been an Adjunct Professor of Business Law I, Business Law II, and Sports Law at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, New York. From 1991 to 1998, Judge Bonina was a partner and the managing attorney at Bonina & Bonina, P.C. Judge Bonina is active in many bar associations. As chairperson of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee at the Brooklyn Bar Association, Judge Bonina has lectured at various CLE programs. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association, as well as the co-chair of its Good & Welfare Committee. She is also a member of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Catholic Lawyers Guild, and the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association. Believing in the importance of “giving back” to the community, Judge Bonina

has served as a volunteer arbitrator in Small Claims Court. For over 20 years, she co-chaired the Brooklyn Toys for Tots Committee, collecting thousands of toys for deserving children and distributing them through local charitable organizations. Howard J. Levy ‘69 Howard J. Levy is an acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, a two-time Grammy Award-winner, a recording artist, a bandleader, teacher, and producer. After graduating from Poly Prep in 1969, Levy went on to attend Northwestern University. While in college, he developed the overbending technique, which allows harmonica players to play the chromatic scale on a diatonic harmonica. Levy won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones’ song “The Sinister Minister” in 1997. In 2012, he received a second Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for his song “Life in Eleven.” His jazz CDs “Alone and Together” and “Tonight and Tomorrow” both received 4-star reviews in DownBeat in 2010. In 2011, Levy released a classical CD featuring his own “Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra,” and recorded a reunion CD, “Rocket Science,” with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Levy currently teaches harmonica via an online school called the Howard Levy Harmonica School. SCHOOL SERVICE AWARD Nadia Mastromichalis ‘94 Acclaimed producer Nadia Mastromichalis is the founder of Radio Nads, where she provides full production services to radio, digital, and advertising agencies. Her diverse array of clients includes Ogilvy, Translation LLC, and DirecTV. From 1998-2009, Mastromichalis worked as a Broadcast Producer specializing in Audio Production for Ogilvy & Mather, one of the largest advertising companies in the

world. She was named Partner in 2008. There, her clients included IBM, American Express, Yahoo, Six Flags, and many more. Mastromichalis’s work has been repeatedly recognized as outstanding. She was a 2001 London International Awards Finalist for her Miller Lite Answering Machine, a 2004 Radio Mercury Awards Finalist for Yahoo.com Howard Dean, and a 2007 London International Awards Finalist for Yahoo.com Family Dinner. Mastromichalis earned her B.A. from The George Washington University in 1998, where she majored in international affairs and minored in electronic media. Since graduating Poly Prep in 1994, Mastromichalis has remained dedicated to her Poly community. She has served on Poly Prep’s Alumni Board of Governors since 2005 and is currently the Chair of the Events Committee, the group which plans all alumni events, including the Alumni Holiday Party, New York Alumni Regional, and Spring-intoSummer. This year, Mastromichalis led in the creation of a new event for Special Reunion 2014, “A Taste of Poly,” featuring local alumni restauranteurs. She currently resides in Bay Ridge with her husband, Sean, her daughter, Sophia Rose, and her dog, Sonny. ALUMNI LIFETIME DEDICATION AWARD Hal Rose ’74, P’04, ‘09 Hal M. Rose is the Vice President of Sales at Manhattan Labs, the premier service-oriented, high-quality independent clinical laboratory in the New York City metropolitan area. He is also the Managing Partner for Long Island Pathology, a physician-led diagnostic pathology laboratory servicing Long Island and the tri-state area. Over the last 30 years, Rose has been instrumental in a number of healthcare ventures, serving as Chief Executive Officer for Quentin Medical Laboratories, where he initiated and supervised the successful execution of one of the nation’s first office-based electronic laboratory information systems.

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Photos left to right: [1] Hon. Elizabeth Bonina ‘79 with Matthew Walsh ‘92. [2] Howard J. Levy ‘69. [3] Nadia Mastromichalis ‘94 and Headmaster David Harman P’04, ‘06. [4] Hal Rose ‘74, P’04, ‘09. [5] Dr. John Cowin ‘64 (left) with Dr. Eric Ruby ‘64 and Headmaster David Harman P’04, ‘06.

Throughout Rose’s leadership roles, he has been active in developing and implementing laboratory best business practices. Rose has been active in numerous professional organizations, including the New York State Clinical Laboratory Association, of which he served as Chairperson; the New York State Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, of which he is on the Board of Directors; the 78th Precinct Youth Council; the American Association of Bioanalysts; and the National Independent Laboratory Association. He has also volunteered with

the Sea Education Association for over 35 years and joined its Board of Overseers in 2008. After earning his B.A. in biology from Boston University, Rose received an M.S. in environmental sciences from SUNY at Stony Brook. Since graduating Poly Prep in 1974, he has remained very active within the school community. Rose has served on Poly Prep’s Alumni Board of Governors since 2004 and as its President from 2006-2013. He is currently the chair of the Networking & Mentoring Committee and a member of

SPIRIT AWARD RECIPIENT AT HOMECOMING 2013 David Higham P’07 Each year, the Poly Prep Alumni Association and its Board of Governors presents the Spirit Award to one member of the faculty or staff who has exhibited exemplary dedication to the school and a commitment to excellence inside or outside the classroom. This year’s Spirit Award winner is David Higham P’07, Richard Perry Theatre Manager and Technical Director. In September 1992, Higham first came to Poly Homecoming David Higham P’07 with as a freelance lighting designer to assist with the set daughter Cosi Higham ‘07. up of a fully functioning professional theater space in the Richard Perry Theatre. “Creating a working space in a brand new facility was really appealing to me,” Higham said. “But what I thought would take three to five years took ten, and then this became where I worked.” In 1993, Higham came aboard as a full-time technical director, responsible for the sets, lighting, sound, and managing the theater. In addition to his colleague Al Doyle, he was assisted by students participating in Tech Crew. After two years at Poly, Higham began teaching courses including Stagecraft and Set Design. Over the years, he has explored his interest in film, too, teaching a film production elective. In the meantime, his role at Poly has expanded as the number of productions in the theater grew with the addition of a freshman/sophomore play, a dance program, and Lower School productions. Higham also oversees outside rentals on the Dyker Heights campus, including community theater groups’ use of the Richard Perry, as well as film shoots and photo shoots throughout the campus. “I really enjoy coming to work each day,” Higham said. “I’m doing what I love to do and teaching it to students as well. It doesn’t get too much better than that.”

the Nominating Committee. Rose is also the Class Agent and Reunion Chair for the Class of 1974. He is the proud parent of two Poly alumni, Max ’04 and Maya ’09. AWARD FOR CHARACTER Dr. John Cowin ‘64 John Cowin, M.D. earned his B.A. from Gettysburg College in 1968 and his M.D. from The George Washington University Medical School in 1972. Cowin is an orthopedic surgeon in private practice at the Florida Musculoskeletal Institute in Leesburg, Florida. Dr. Cowin served both in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Air Force before launching his successful career as an orthopedic surgeon in 1978. He completed a fellowship in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. Last year, Dr. Cowin and his wife, Anna, were in attendance at the April 15 Boston Marathon to cheer on their daughter, Lynda, a breast cancer survivor running her 3rd Boston Marathon for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Cowin was across the street from where the second bomb exploded. The two bombs ultimately killed three and injured 264. Dr. Cowin immediately leapt into action. He was one of the first responders to help the wounded, including one of the three spectators who died. “His instinct was to run in the direction of the blast,” Dr. Eric Ruby ‘64, his classmate, said. “And if the goal of Poly is to foster the development of character, there is no better example.” Dr. Cowin is also the proud parent of two sons, David and Scott. His wife is a former Florida State Senator. Poly is honored to count Dr. Cowin among our alumni.

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1934

Salvatore M. Pino Jr., 96, died December 1, 2013. He was a retired Colonel in the Air Force Reserves who served during WWII and received a Purple Heart. He was an Assistant DA for 25 years in New York City and a professor of law at New York Law School. After retirement, he and his wife moved to Alabama. He is survived by his

son, Jim; daughter, Judith Ann; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1935

Albert N. Blanchard, 95, died September 13, 2013. He served as a gunnery officer during World War II and retired from the reserves with the rank of commander. He was also VP of Turner & Blanchard. He is

IN MEMORIAM THE HONORABLE JUDGE HOWARD M. HOLTZMANN ’38 Alumnus and Dear Friend The Honorable Judge Howard M. Holtzmann ’38 died December 9, 2013. He was one of the foremost international arbitration experts of our time. A graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, Judge Holtzmann made significant contributions to the development of international commercial arbitration. Among the many positions he held during his career was President of the American Arbitration Association, Member of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, and Vice Chairman of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration. He was a long-serving member of the United States Delegation to the United States Commission on International Trade Law. He was also an author, most noted for his seminal work, International Mass Claims Processes: Legal and Practical Perspectives, which he edited with Edda Kristjánsdóttir. Among his many awards were the Commander of The Royal Order of the Polar Star presented by the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Peacemaker Award, presented by the American Arbitration Association. Judge Holtzmann was a generous and passionate supporter of Poly Prep. He never forgot the extraordinary teachers who inspired him to leadership in the international arena. In 2011, Holtzmann made a $1 million gift in support of professional development for Poly faculty. More recently, Judge Holtzmann funded the “Facing History and Ourselves” curriculum in Poly’s History Department. The school is profoundly grateful for his vision and support. Holtzmann is survived by his wife Carol, daughters Susan and Betsey, stepdaughter Louise, stepson William, six grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. Poly conveys its sincerest condolences to the family on their loss.

survived by his wife, Shirley; his children, William (Julia), Betty (Lyle), David (Paula), and Mary; his nieces and nephews, Craig (Linda), Carolyn (Rick), Steven, David (Cindy), Nancy (Darwin); six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. ¶ George Farren, 96, died March 22, 2014. He was the last remaining member of the 101st Regiment Horse Cavalry and a captain in the rear guard military police unit attached to the 5th Army Headquarters of General Mark Clark during the German counter-attack at Salerno. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; four sons; four daughters-inlaw; six grandchildren, Elizabeth, Robert, Adam, Douglas, Caitlin, and Hudson; one great-grandchild; his brother; and several nieces and nephews.

1938

Arthur Rasi died September 28, 2013. He was a dedicated Poly alumnus and beloved classmate.

1939

William H. Dance, 92, died January 15, 2014. He joined the Navy in WWII and served as a lieutenant, junior grade on the USS Siboney, CVE-112, an escort carrier, in the final stages of the war. He also taught immigration law for many years at Wayne State University Law School and Detroit College of Law. He is survived by his brother, F. Esburn Dance; three children, Elizabeth, Theodore, and William; and three grandchildren, Olivia, William, and Sarah. ¶ Francis M. Flynn, 93, died July 16, 2013. He served in the Big Red One during WWII, the Army’s First Infantry Division, Company C, 1st Battalion, 16th Regiment. His service was recognized with numerous awards and citations, including a Silver Star for Gallantry in Action in Faymonville, Belgium in 1945 and a Bronze Star with “V” for Heroism in Ground Combat in Bonn, Germany in 1945. He is survived by his wife, Ingeborg; daughter, Tegan; and beloved dog. ¶ Jack C. Laflin, 89, died February 3, 2012. After graduating from Princeton University, he served as the alumni secretary for 27 years. He worked for many years as the sports

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editor for Channel 18. He is survived by his wife, Jo; step-daughter, Paula; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Shirley and Henry, and brother-in-law, Robert.

1940

Bernard S. Cayne, 86, died May 12, 2011.

1941

Theodore R. Jabara, Sr., 90, died February 16, 2014. He joined the US Army serving in Fort Riley, KS. He, along with Monroe Seifer and Arthur Meyer, formed Servico, building more than sixty hotels before selling the company. He is survived by his wife, Elaine; daughter, Janet (Dan); sons, Ted, Jr. and Richard (Lori); and eight grandchildren.

1942

John V. Hedberg, 89, died December 12, 2013. He was a long-time employee of IBM. He is survived by daughters, Andy and Kristen; son, Peter; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

1945

John M. Kirk, 86, died December 10, 2013. He was a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force. He taught astronomy at the Air Force Academy and served a combat flying tour in EB-66 aircraft in Southeast Asia. Some of his awards include two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Bronze Star. He was also a professor at St. Edward’s University and became the Dean of the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He is survived by his wife, Ann; three daughters; one son; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

1947

Robert H. Mahland, 83, died October 21, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Janet; daughters, June and Jeanne; and four grandchildren.

1948

Jacob A. Brody, 82, died April 22, 2014. He was a world-traveled epidemiologist, public health researcher, professor and

IN MEMORIAM ROBERT CHIARELLO ‘55 Alumnus and Dear Friend Robert Chiarello, Esquire, 75, of Chatham, and Center Lovell, Maine, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 1, 2014, in Fryeburg, Maine. Chiarello was a graduate of Dickinson College. He served in the Army, attaining the rank of captain. He received his Juris Doctor from Saint John’s University Law School and was a member of the New York Bar Association. Following law school, Chiarello became an attorney for the Federal Aviation Administration, before leaving to join his father in the family insurance business in New York City. He continued to preside over Joseph Chiarello & Co., Inc., until the time of his death. “Bob,” as he was known to friends, had a passion for aviation. He earned his private pilot certificate more than 50 years ago, flew regularly, and loved to share his joy of flying. He will be remembered for his selflessness, his generosity, his commitment to community, his love of family, his gift for storytelling, and his incredible hospitality. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Robin; sons, Joseph (Gina) and Stephen; daughter, Amy (Steve); his granddaughters, Grace and Madeline Barnett; and his beloved dog, Taxi.

administrator. He served as Dean at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois and as Professor of Epidemiology. He received honors such as his service as the President of the American Epidemiology Society, the Distinguished Service Medal of the U.S. Public Health Service, and the Lilienfeld Award. He is survived by his wife, Ann; son, Thomas (Amy); daughter, Eva (Scott); and five grandchildren. ¶ Ellis R. Mottur, 79, died September 3, 2013. He worked for the National Science Foundation and later with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, playing a key role drafting legislation that created the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment in the early 1970s. He is survived by his son, Alfred; a brother; and three grandchildren.

1949

Reverend H. Dana Fearon III died May 16, 2014 at the Princeton Medical Center. ¶ Richard Roob, 81, died June 2, 2014. After graduating from Hamilton College and Columbia Law School, he joined Benjamin Moore & Co. as a general counsel and was later elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. ¶ Ralph R. Westfall died on December 14, 2013.

1951

Samuel “Sandy” H. Laitman, 80, died March 13, 2014. He graduated from Williams College and earned an MBA and law degree at New York University. He served as a navigator-bombardier in the USAF Strategic Air Command. He practiced law at the New York-based firm Weil, Gotshal &

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE POLYCAM Get the latest Poly alumni news delivered to your inbox monthly. The Polycam features alumni profiles, news & events. Contact Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Marketing & Communications at rgrossfield@polyprep.org.

Manges. He is survived by his son, Andrew; daughters, Catherine (William), Elizabeth (Michael); and three grandsons.

1952 IN MEMORIAM ANTHONY N. ROMAINE Poly History Teacher, 1965–1974 Poly history teacher and coach Anthony N. Romaine passed away on April 22, 2013. Romaine taught history and civics at Poly from 1965 to 1974. He also coached Form III soccer, squash, and tennis during that time. Before coming to Poly, Romaine attended Hobart College and later earned an M.A. in American history from New York University. Upon retiring from Poly, Romaine changed careers, working in retail at Abraham & Straus for many years. He is survived by his brother, Art, and several nieces and nephews. A former student of his, Philip Sahadi ‘70, says, “He was a true inspiration to me and, undoubtedly, a number of others under his tutelage.”

Curtis S. Reis, 79, died February 25, 2014 from complications of heart failure. He attended Cornell University and later worked for the Bankers Trust Company. He was Senior Vice President of Crocker Bank. Reis later became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Bank in Culver City, CA. He is survived by his wife, Pamela; three children, Blythe, Perryn, and Kylie; six grandchildren; and a sister and brother-in-law.

1955

Jerome Albert, 74, died March 15, 2012 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He, along with his father, Dewey, founded Coney Island’s Astroland Park. He was also known for his charity work and received the Mayor’s Humanitarian Award. He is survived by his wife, Carol; son, Bradley (Amy); grandson, Tosh; and several nieces and nephews. ¶ Richard D. Piccini, 75, died June 18, 2013. Piccini was born in Brooklyn in 1938. He received an M.A. in Literature (from Brooklyn College) and Educational Supervision (from The College of Staten Island). During the Vietnam crisis, he served in the US Army reserves and was assigned the duty of company cook. He also became an English teacher at I.S. 88. He is survived by his wife Sarah; two children, Susan (Wayne) and Andrew; three grandchildren; six in-laws; and five cousins.

1957

Robert D. Wachs, 73, died December 2, 2013. He attended The College of William and Mary and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1964. In 1975, he helped found the Comic Strip, a New York nightclub that was the starting ground for acclaimed comedians like Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Adam Sandler. He is survived by his wife, Tess; his son, Scott; his daughter, Ilana; and four grandchildren.

1963

Warren J. Wilson died suddenly on July 1, 2014. Wilson graduated Princeton University and earned a PhD in physics from Harvard, with Nobelist Sheldon Glashow as his research mentor. He spent several post-doctoral years at Berkeley and the University of Minnesota before launching a career-long association with the Mitre Corporation. At the time of his death Warren was a principal senior scientist at Mitre. Wilson is survived by his wife, Beverly; two sons, Max (Marie) and Keith (Brigid); three grandsons; and his brother, James Ronald Wilson, Jr. ‘59.

1969

Reverend Edward J. Hansen, Jr., 61, died July

7, 2013.

2008

Ryan Halliday, 23, died on February 21, 2014, after a strong and courageous fight with leukemia.

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“Framed Hearts” Yonghwi Kim P ‘22 (Visual Arts)

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2014–2015

MEMBERS Steven Andersen ‘71, P’13,’22

Adam Garson ‘05

John Artise ‘65

Daniel Lempert ‘09

Alexandra Maresca Azara ‘00

Matthew O. Walsh ‘92 Chair, Awards Committee

Ayisha McHugh ‘12

Danielle Sabbagh Basso ‘90, P’21

Andrew McNally ‘96

Nadia Mastromichalis ‘94 Chair, Events Committee

William Basso ‘89, P’21

Denzel K. Munroe ‘14

Harold Bernieri ‘85, P’15,’19

Courtney Nolan ‘08

Marianne Bertuna ‘94

Talisa Ramos ‘14

Andrew T. Brandman ‘87, P’16,’20

Matthew Roventini ‘92

Jacqueline Chirdo ‘13

Andrew Schrijver ‘07

Shannon Cohall ‘10

John Verzosa ’00

EXECUTIVE BOARD Wade Saadi ‘95 President, Alumni Board of Governors, Nominating Committee

Hal M. Rose ‘74, P’04, ‘09 Chair, Networking & Mentoring Committee, Nominating Committee Martin E. Valk ‘81 Secretary of Alumni Board of Governors and Nominating Committee Chair

Christine Croasdaile ‘13 Lisa M. Della Pietra ‘86

Mr. Lawrence S. Brandman ‘78, P’16

Matthew Dresher ‘03

Chair, Fundraising Committee

Qadir Forbes ‘11

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Anitra E. Haskopoulos ‘96

STUDENT MEMBER Margaret S. Riordan ‘15

EMERITUS MEMBERS Samantha L. DiGennaro ‘88 Emerita Lawrence F. DiGiovanna ‘69 Emeritus Gilbert H. Feldman ‘42, P’83, ‘85 Vice President Emeritus Nicholas Gravante ‘78, P’20, ‘23 Chair, Fundraising Committee Emeritus Vincent J. Vigorita, M.D. ‘68, P’96, ‘99, ‘15 Emeritus Gary E. Hanna ‘84 Emeritus Paul Zola ‘53 Vice President Emeritus

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FROM THE AR C HIVES

Nonprofit Org U.S. Postage PAID WHT RIV JCT VT Permit 86 MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOLS 9216 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11228 LOWER SCHOOL 50 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215

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