The Blue & The Gray (Poly Prep's School Magazine): Summer 2012 by Poly Prep Country Day School

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Teaching & Learning Issue • Sixth Grade iPad Pilot Program • Dan Getelman ’08 Launches New Course Management Software Company • Nick Lee ’04 Returns • Ceramics at Poly • ...And Much More!

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Photo of 2012 Spring Dance Concert.

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Contents Board of Trustees

At The Helm: Headmaster David B. Harman

OFFICERS

From The Editor’s Desk

Scott Smith ‘75 Chairman

Don Getelman ’08 Tech Start-Up

David M. Womack P’14, ‘16 Vice Chairman

POLY PHOTO PORTFOLIO: The Classroom 2011-12

Kristerfor Mastronardi ‘95 Treasurer

10 Sixth Grade iPad Pilot Program

Grace M. Sawyer P’82 Secretary

12 POLY PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Special Reunion 2012

BOARD MEMBERS Robin L. Bramwell-Stewart ‘86, P’16 Michael Clark P’07, ‘14 Michael A. Correra ‘87 Elizabeth Comerford P’09, ‘11,’14 Charles M. Diker ‘52 Susanna Furfaro, M.D., P’13, ‘15 Karen E. Burke Goulandris, M.D., Ph.D., P’15 Jennifer Jordan Gorman ‘99 Andrew F. Gurley ‘55 Thomas H. Parker ‘65 John J. Regan ‘86 Robert G. Sabbagh ‘87 Phyllis Serino P’08, ‘13 Ellen Taubman P’12 Malcolm P. Travelstead P’93, ‘96 TRUSTEES EMERITI Clifford Barr, Esq., ‘48 Harry J. Petchesky, Esq., ‘55

14 Fourth Grade Study of Poetry Fosters The Imagination 18 POLY PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Athletics 2011-12 20 Kevin Roth ’86 on Poly, Teaching, Writing & Finding Your Vocation 24 Poly Ceramics — A Photo Essay 30 Nick Lee ’04 Returns to Poly to Teach 32 Monique Wilson ’05 Reflects on Teaching and Role Models 34 Louise Forsyth P’03 (History) on Muriel Spark’s Provocative Novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 36 CLASS NOTES 46 OBITUARIES 52 Beyond the Classroom: Notable Faculty Accomplishments 2011-12 54 POLY PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Commencement 2012

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From the Headmaster’s Desk by David B. Harman, Headmaster

eaching and learning occupy some of the most contested ground in our culture today. How we define, deliver, evaluate, and improve education is a subject of keen debate. This past year and a half at Poly—during screenings of Alfie Kohn’s documentary “Race to Nowhere,” Robert Compton’s films “2 Million Minutes” and “The Finland Phenomenon,” and the presentation by Dr. Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—we encountered some of these contemporary controversies. Concerned voices ask: “Do we give students too much homework, crowding out play and childhood?” Others counter: “Are we falling behind our global competitors by not challenging students enough in math, reading, science, and technology?” At Poly, with our track record of educational success, we are fortunate to be able to sidestep some of these perennial disputes. While we don’t “teach to the test”—a privilege that enables our teachers and students to engage in more individualized intellectual, imaginative, and moral interactions—Poly students do very well on the SAT’s and AP’s, as the Class of 2012’s performance attests. Still, we are not resting on our laurels. Part of my strategic vision for Poly’s teachers, coaches, and mentors involves encouraging them to inculcate 21st century skills: critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurialism; effective oral and written communication; accessing and analyzing information; curiosity and imagination. But Poly sticks by some old-fashioned values, too. Our dedication to nurturing character (a word some might consider a little dusty) and our commitment to providing students with ethical tools for “knowing and choosing” (to paraphrase poet John Milton) will not be sacrificed to educational trends. Character education is too deeply embedded in Poly’s DNA. And that is a good thing, if you ask me. We also remain rooted in our historical commitment to training the next generation of leaders and serving our community’s increasingly diverse families and neighborhoods. While we will augment opportunities for global learning and study abroad, our school is already more “global” than it knows. The wide array of languages other than English spoken in many of our families’ homes—and the international connection of many others—enriches Poly, in and out of the classroom. Our diversity also means we embody the term “glocal” (a combination of global and local). That is a benefit of “being Poly” that will help us enhance service learning, internships, advising, and cross-cultural interchange in the next two years. Of course, no one has all the answers about how to best foster teaching and learning. There is more than one way to be an outstanding 6th grade science teacher, Lower School Math Specialist, or Upper School debate coach. As any good educator can testify, after each class, you often come away muttering to yourself during an impromptu post-mortem: “How could I have conveyed the physics of rocketry better?” or “I’m not sure the kids understood my point about using evidence to support a thesis.” Education is exciting because it challenges both students and teachers. But I can promise that Poly is passionate about hiring outstanding faculty, developing each educator professionally, implementing supportive teaching assessments, and encouraging innovation. We can be proud of the Class of 2012—and proud, too, of all our students from Nursery on up—because our dedicated, creatively obsessed teachers stand behind our students to ensure they reach their fullest potentials as learners in—and leaders of—our increasingly “glocal” world.

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Summer 2012 Editor Malcolm G. Farley Director of Communications Associate Editor Rebecca Grossfield Associate Director of Communications Staff Writer/Photographer Linda Busetti Communications Associate Ilana Dubrovsky-Razam Associate Director of Development Communications Design FisherMears Associates Photography Linda Busetti Guy Devyatkin Ilana Dubrovsky-Razam Martyn Gallina Jones Rebecca Grossfield Poly Archives The Blue and The Gray: Poly Prep Magazine is published by Poly’s Communications Office. It features news from the Poly community of alumni, faculty, and students. Inquiries and submissions are welcome; send to the Associate Editor at rgrossfield@polyprep.org. For more information about Poly Prep, visit www.polyprep.org.

From the Editor’s Desk by Malcolm G. Farley, Director of Communications

elcome to the “teaching and learning” issue. While it may seem an obvious theme for a school magazine, we believe this is a Poly first. Great teaching and teachers have always been at the heart of the Poly experience, of course. Anyone who speaks with our alumni will be struck by their powerful memories of individual teachers who helped shape their minds and characters. Current students continue to join Poly’s outstanding faculty—most with advanced degrees and all deeply committed to teaching—in an intellectually challenging, yet nurturing learning community. Our goal is to open a window into this community and share the stories of some alumni who have made teaching and learning central to their adult lives. We are excited by the news you will find in this issue, ranging from a fourth grade poetry project to a profile of Kevin Roth ’86, who is currently the head of the “upper school” (Grades 5-8) at the Cathedral School in Manhattan. The increasing influence of technology on education (both at Poly and elsewhere) is evident through both Poly’s new sixth grade iPad Pilot Program (described in this issue) and in the new course software company, that Dan Getelman ’08 (profiled in this issue) is helping to lead. Our new Upper School engineering course, announced in this issue and offered in partnership with NYU-Poly, also heralds some 21st century changes to our curriculum. Our remarkable ceramics program, guided by the inspirational teaching of Yong Hwi Kim P’22, is featured in a photo essay here, as well. We also wanted to highlight how teaching changes over time and can alter the lives of individual students. As Louise Forsyth P’03 (History) explains in her meditation on Muriel Spark’s famous novel about teaching, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the role of the teacher is a complex and powerful one, culturally and personally. Monique Wilson’s ’06 moving piece on her Poly role model—and Spirit Award winner—Liane Dougherty P’06 ’12 (Middle School History Coordinator) suggests just how influential teaching can be since Wilson, herself, has chosen teaching as her vocation. Most of all, as you view our photos of Special Reunion 2012, Commencement 2012, and spring 2012 athletics, and as you review some of our faculty’s professional accomplishments outside the classroom, we hope you feel Poly’s stimulating “vibe” as a school whose mission is “to prepare and inspire the next diverse generation of leaders and global citizens to act with intelligence, imagination and—above all—character.”

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Poly Alumnus Launches New Course Software Management Platform

Dan Getelman’s ’08 Tech Start-Up, LORE, Plans to

Reinvent the Classroom By Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Communications

n June of 2011, three undergraduates at Penn announced they were taking a leave of absence from their coursework to focus on Lore (formerly known as Coursekit), their new course software management platform. Among them was 2008 Poly graduate Dan Getelman—a dual student at the Wharton School of Business and Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The decision was hardly random. Getelman and co-founders Joseph Cohen and Jim Grandpre had just raised $1 million in seed financing from IA Ventures and Founder Collective, all while coding software by hand from a dorm room on their Philadelphia campus. Much like Facebook, Lore considers its mission broadly. “We see ourselves as a business on the one hand,” Getelman says. “But we also see ourselves as creating a network of people who want to learn.” And Lore’s business model reflects these values. They don’t charge for the use of their software and don’t plan to. Getelman says it’s more about building this kind of platform for meaningful, education exchanges and making it available publicly. Dan Getelman ’08 4

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research a topic and come up with something. It was very independent.” Not surprisingly, Beiles, Getelman’s former teacher, describes him as an ideal learner. “He came to class each day, ready to begin the business of learning and was always thoughtful about the issues of the day,” she says. “He didn’t need to hear the sound of his voice, but was a careful and active listener. His ready smile brightened the room, and I would frequently look to him—to see his nod of understanding and connection.” As a person, she says, he is the embodiment of “integrity, modesty, respectfulness, and self-discipline.” Dan Getelman ’08

Lore combines the functionality of course software such as Blackboard with a clean, streamlined design. In contrast to Blackboard—currently the market standard—Lore emphasizes a two-way exchange, fostering community and learning amongst student and teacher alike. “You can post text, links, photos, videos on your class wall. That’s something that students are used to [in their daily lives],” Getelman says. “So, say you’re taking a US History class and you come across an interesting article about Abraham Lincoln. You might share that with your class, and someone else might comment on that, and through that interaction you’re starting that kind of organic discussion.” The software is also simple and efficient for professors to use as a course management tool, allowing a teacher to set up her class and syllabus, post assignments, and manage grading all in a user-friendly way. It is hard to believe that Getelman is only 21 this year—his drive, dedication, and passion for technology and education are inspiring. Not surprisingly, Getelman still has vivid memories of his own transformatory education experiences like the ones he hopes Lore’s software will foster.

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He started at Poly in the 5th grade, coming from PS 217 in Queens. Getelman says that it was actually AP Calculus with Alex Basson (Mathematics Department Chair) that inspired the current turn in his career. “That class was one of the most challenging that I had at Poly,” he says. “It just made me look at math in a different way. Also, there was the fact that he [Basson] was able to use programming to make his life easier— for instance, and it sounds kind of funny now—but the thing that comes to mind is he had created a program to generate homework problems.” For as long as Getelman can remember, he enjoyed programming, his interest mostly sparked by an early love for video games. By the time he

computer science course that I took my junior year. That class only had 5 or 6 people,” he says. “Then in my senior year, I took AP Computer Science with Mr. Isganitis—there were only two of us in the class, and we had a lot of one-on-one support. That was very unique to Poly.” Still, the most powerful moments in his Poly education came unexpectedly— for example, in Susan Beiles’s AP US History Course. “It’s probably the only class that I really learned the material for the class, and I can still remember things from that class,” Getelman says. “I think this actually goes back to what I liked about the calculus class. It’s important to have teachers that hold you to really high standards. There was a final paper for that class—I think it

“It’s important to have teachers that hold you to really high standards.” reached the Upper School, he had already been programming on his own for a while. “There was one

was 20 pages—something completely ridiculous compared to what I’d been doing in high school. You had to

Getelman also started running track and cross-country during his junior year at Poly. “I didn’t start doing that until junior year, basically because they made us do something,” he laughs. “I never really ran before and it was challenging, but it was the one time I really focused on something. I focused on my health and I ran every day, even over breaks, and I definitely got better at it.” When it came time for Getelman to decide on a college, the choice of Penn just happened he told The Blue and The Gray. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I did kind of know where I wanted to be and that was somewhere in a city, around the northeast,” he explains. Getelman discovered the Fisher Program in Management Technology at Penn that pairs the business and engineering schools together and thought it was interesting. He applied early decision. The kind of independent learning Getelman became accustomed to in Beiles’s class came in handy at Penn, too, where he felt “almost a step ahead.” During his sophomore year in college, Getelman rebuilt the school newspaper’s website, working with another Poly alum and then editor/chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian, David Lee ‘06.

Then, in the summer between his sophomore and junior year, Getelman was charged with creating a site for teachers to put their syllabi online. “Joe

with each other. That’s when I knew we were really onto something,” he says.

“...a small group of really committed people can do things that seem impossible.” [Cohen] and I started talking about how technology really isn’t used in the classroom,” he remembers. “At Penn we used Blackboard and something similar through the Wharton School. Both inevitably crashed during finals without fail. But more importantly, for me, it didn’t get to the point of the class, of the whole experience, and that’s the aspect of learning from one another—a classmate explaining something to you from a different point of view, discussing a subject further.” So Getelman began coming up with ideas. By the time spring rolled around, Getelman and Cohen had added Jim to their team and they were piloting their software in a few courses at Penn. “That fall—I was working, taking a bunch of classes and working on this with all of my extra time. I was also taking the coolest class on typography. What happened was that my professor was really trying to get students more involved and asked us to take photos of interesting typography we saw to share

Currently, the team at Lore is growing fast. This past year, they relocated to New York and opened their office in Tribeca. In the fall, they launched a pilot of 80 courses in a variety of schools, subjects, and locations. There was one pilot in Canada and one in Italy. In the spring, they launched publicly. Right now, the group at Lore consists of only 12. “We were four for a while,” Getelman says. Now that they’ve hired more young computer programmers to do the work of coding, Getelman can focus on more managerial aspects of running Lore. He says he spends most of his free time in the office. “Everyone we’ve added to the team is awesome at what they do,” he says. “Everyone really believes in our mission, and we’re all committed to trying to change how people look at education. That’s something really powerful. I really believe that a small group of really committed people can do things that seem impossible.”

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POLY PORTFOLIO: TEACHING & LEARNING 2011-12

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Poly Is 21st Century Skills and Creative

Learning Through Technology Innovation Comes to the Sixth Grade via iPad Pilot Program By Malcolm G. Farley, Director of Communications

Tony Wagner and 21st Century Skills Last academic year, during two presentations via Skype in the Richard Perry Theatre, Poly parents and teachers learned that re-engineering our schools is an urgent priority. In and of itself, calling for school reform is unremarkable. Claims of educational crisis are perennial. But the charismatic presenter at Poly—Dr. Tony Wagner, Harvard professor and author of The Global Achievement Gap and the forthcoming Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World—ranged far beyond handwringing over reading, writing, math, and test scores. Instead, he argued that we must radically rethink our curricula and pedagogy. Fostering “21st century skills” will be key—he contended—to America’s long-term competitiveness and the accumulation of intellectual capital in the knowledge economy. Wagner defined 21st century skills as: • Critical thinking and problem solving; • Collaboration across networks and leading by influence; • Agility and adaptability; • Initiative and entrepreneurship; • Effective oral and written communication; • Accessing and analyzing information; and • Curiosity and imagination Some of these skills were useful in prior centuries, of course. Others may be rejiggered labels for existing abilities. Still, Wagner has clearly identified a new constellation of competencies that will be as important in an “open-plan” corporate finance office as in a global e-community of epidemiologists fighting flu viruses. Significant intellectual ferment, requiring new forms of interaction and creativity, is in the air, too. Previously unrelated disciplines—literary criticism and neuroscience, for example— are teaming up to examine meaning and language. New forms

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of publication and broadcasting are shaking up everything from sitcoms to reference books. As the social production, organization and dissemination of knowledge changes, skills like the ones Wagner touts will count. One of the challenges for any school, however, is translating the abstract concepts of educational thinkers into effective, on-the-ground teaching and learning. How can you ensure your students are problem solvers? How do you teach initiative and entrepreneurship? Can you foster curiosity and imagination in a kindergartner in the same way you can in a senior? How will new media and computing facilitate 21st century learning? The Sixth Grade’s Bold New iPad Pilot Program Poly’s Middle School, our Information Technology Department, and the sixth grade teaching team are taking up Wagner’s challenge. This fall, they are launching a bold iPad Pilot Program for all sixth graders at the school. Designed to foster 21st century skill-building and technology literacy, the pilot will include giving each Poly sixth grader a 32GB Apple iPad, along with a stylus, keyboard, and case. Sixth graders will receive their tablets in mid-September after “Camp Poly,” an annual event in which sixth graders bond during a sleepover on Poly’s Dyker Heights campus. Teachers and administrators deliberately chose to delay distribution until after this experience to allow sixth graders time to adjust to their new grade. It will also allow students who are new to Poly, (approximately half the class), time to settle in to their new school before mastering new technology.

Stay tuned to The Poly Pulse (our weekly parent e-newsletter) and The Polycam (our monthly alumni e-newsletter) as we bring you periodic updates on the Sixth Grade iPad Pilot Program during the coming academic year.

Under the guidance of the sixth grade faculty, students will use their iPads in class and for homework, research, and collaboration. The plan is for iPads to serve as tools for both content consumption and creation. With the ability to project individual iPad screens onto a classroom Smartboard, teachers and students can also switch roles, potentially creating greater student engagement with, and “ownership” of, their own learning.

Training for Faculty, Students, and Parents

Training for all involved—faculty, students, and parents—will be key if iPads are to serve as pedagogical tools rather than expensive distractions. Earlier this year, math teachers attended a special conference to learn how to use iPads and educational math aps effectively. Many other sixth grade teachers participated in a late-spring New York State Association of Independent Schools seminar on iPads in the Poly Prep is excited to introduce a new classroom. Other related professional partnership with NYU-Poly (Polytechnic development for teachers will continue Institute of New York University) as we throughout the year. introduce a new course, Introduction to

Engineering Comes to Poly

Already, according to Apple, there are over 225,000 software packages, known as “apps,” for the iPad. More to the point, there are some remarkable educational iPad tools geared Engineering and Design, in the fall Teachers and Poly’s IT department will for students. Some apps enable of 2012. Upper School science students start teaching sixth graders how to the creation of photography and seeking a new academic challenge and use iPads and their apps as soon videography, both individually and exposure to the engineering disciplines as they receive them, of course. In as part of a networked team. Other (civil, mechanical, chemical, biological, addition, “form time” and study halls apps include Leafsnap, which helps and electrical) will excel in this lab-based, will enable further iPad training for students distinguish different species college-level course taught by a NYU-Poly students. Inculcating good digital of plants and absorb related botanical professor at their downtown Brooklyn campus. citizenship, Internet safety, and information. There are virtual dissection Students will explore the basic principles of e-etiquette will also be a key training apps, weather apps with historical engineering and design through hands-on goal. Finally, sixth grade parents meteorological data, math apps, and experiments and challenging labs—from will also learn more about the iPad astronomy apps that make use of the creating a hot air balloon to building a car pilot program—and damage and iPad’s internal “gyroscope” and GPS powered (in part) by lemon. theft insurance plans—during Sixth capability to synch its own star maps Grade Parent Night in the early fall. with the real world as you aim the iPad at a different portion of the night sky. Apps with audio features help teach Spanish or improve a student’s English grammar. Evaluating iPad Pilot Program Success iPads offer other practical advantages. As Ann Oransoff (Senior Technology Coordinator; Grade Six Advisor) points out, “Kids like to tinker and learn to exploit new devices and acquire new technical capabilities quickly. iPads are ideal because you can’t really ‘break’ them by tinkering with them.” iPads will provide support for different learning styles, too, giving teachers and students great flexibility. E-Textbooks on iPads offer a read-aloud feature. Sixth graders can either type or use a stylus. iPads also offer speech-recognition software. Moreover, the use of iPads for e-textbooks should also ease a physical burden on sixth graders. As anyone who has seen Middle Schoolers lugging backpacks as big as they are or pulling a rolling suitcase behind them as they move between classrooms, that is very good news. Finally, iPads may help Poly achieve one of its greening goals. Printing and paper usage, which have grown dramatically in the past several years, may start to diminish if the iPad pilot works well and spreads to other Poly grades.

Precisely because it is a pilot program, administrators, faculty, and technology staff will be scrutinizing the academic success of the iPad program very carefully. Weekly meetings, a major winter break assessment, and an end-of-year review are already on the calendar. Poly will seek student and parent input as well. In addition to its academic benefits, the sixth grade team will also examine other aspects of the pilot, including the number of iPads that get broken or lost and any class “down time” due to technology glitches. Such rigorous evaluation and collaborative assessment is itself a key feature of the best 21st century initiatives, whether in schools, business, or government. Still, as Charles Polizano P’18 (Director of Technology, Systems and Operations) told The Blue and The Gray: “There will be some obstacles along the way and issues that will need to be addressed on the fly. That being said, we hope to see this pilot thrive and become a successful program in our Middle School that provides a unique and innovative opportunity for our students.”

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POLY PORTFOLIO: SPECIAL REUNION 2012

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s r e t s o F g n i h c a e T , y l o P At

n o i t a n i the Imag udents t S t s e g n u o Y r u of Even O

atio tti, Communic By Linda Buse

ns Associate

To foster verbal imagination, Poly’s Lower School fourth grade teachers Pat Morris (4A) and Alison Flannery (4B) encouraged their classes to explore the styles and writings of poets, Langston Hughes, Eloise Greenfield, William C. Williams, as well as the Japanese poetic form, haiku. The students then wrote original poems in homage to the works they studied and later recited some of their original works at a Lower School assembly on April 27, 2012. Other illustrated examples were hung on third-floor hallway bulletin boards or displayed in classrooms for parents to view on the Lower School’s Open School Night. In a dovetailing of English and history curriculum, the students learned that Langston Hughes, who published his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, in 1926, was a major influence on the Harlem Renaissance movement of the 1920s. His love of music and his experiences as an African American man of the time shaped his poetry and influenced other African American writers.

famous poem by the 20th century modernist, William Carlos Williams. A medical doctor, Williams was influenced by his contemporary, poet Ezra Pound. Together, they became a moving force in the Imagist Movement, whose members wrote free verse. Morris’s class has also produced spring and summer haiku with illustrations that are exhibited on the hallway bulletin boards and within Room 4A. Based on a classic Japanese poetical form, haiku are usually written in three lines of about 17 syllables. Poly students start the process of writing poetry early, usually in kindergarten, Morris explained. By fourth grade, Poly students are working at an advanced level, “…using simile, metaphor, and personification…” Flannery noted.

The students were challenged to relate “The Blues” to their own lives, Flannery explained. The poem had to be presented in a historical context. “We had “Poetry gives students a different way to explain how much a dime meant back in the Depression,” to express emotions that they might have trouble Flannery said. The students also read the novel Bird in a Box by Andrea Pinkney, which gave them a feel for the 1920s, Morris said.

with otherwise, such as embarrassment,” Flannery added. “It gives them a way to explore their emotions.”

Another fourth grade project was modeled on the poem “Honey, I Love,” from Eloise Greenfield’s 1978 collection Honey I Love and Other Love Poems. Greenfield is an African American poet and children’s author born in 1929. Fourth gra de students explore the art of poet ry 14

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Morris, who celebrated her 25th year at Poly this spring, said her students also wrote “poems of apology” modeled on a

“Poetry gives students a different way to express emotions that they might have trouble with otherwise, such as embarrassment,” Flannery added. “It gives them a way to explore their emotions.” In her own succinct epigrammatic style, Morris summed up: “Sometimes the best poets are not the students who are the best prose writers.” continued... P O LY P R E P M A G A Z I N E : S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

The Original Poems Students Used as Models

Their e t a e r C o t n r a e L Fourth Graders ers t s a M e h t g in y d tu Own Poems By S orks pressed by the w

“The Blues”

Gray was so im e Th & e would lu B e Th we thought we , ts n e d u st ’s ry e ann too. of Morris and Fl udent originals, st e th d n a s rk o sw share the famou

s” “The Blue

ers of the Cla ss of 2 020

s S.

at you have h t r a e h u o When y y your dog to give awa o lose ever want t That you n t ve her a lo And you lo blues. That’s the spital s to the ho e o g r e st si When your thday on your bir u really sad o y s e k a m And it every year It happens bad! s, too and e lu b e h t That’s

“The by No

Blues

a D.

”

se of When my b cance r wh est friend en sh died e That ’s th was only e blu 3 yea W es. rs ol To m hen I had d y fam ily be to say g o That ’s th fore I w odbye e blu ent o es, to n o, and a trip bad!

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This is just to say I’m sorry I have neglected yo u for a few weeks . And now you are sh riveled up and abou t to die. I know I was supp osed to give you w ater So fresh and so co ld. But I was just so fo rgetful and caught up in work That I simply left yo u there sitting in th e sun So hot and so brig ht For all those days . Too bad Ms. Morris finally noticed

Memb

by Seamu

Becau

“Dear Plants of 4A ”

I love a

lot of th

I Love

ings, a w hole lot of thing Like My mom s ’s big an When sh d e squeez loveable es h I like th me tight I feel ugs e way sh all warm eg inside B I LOVE t ut, honey let m ives me kisses he way m e tell yo ut ym I love th om gives me big hat e way sh e gives m loveable hugs e hugs When m And y da Me and my brot d bounces me her on When he bounces the trampoline I burst o me way up high ut laugh ing And I like th fall on my back e But, hon way he makes m e ey let m e tell yo laugh when my u d I LOV ad b I love th e way m ounces me up h E y dad bo igh un And….. ces me up high

But it was too late To make you green again. Now I’ll have to ma ke little tombston

yn M.

By Kathr

sand on cool t o o f e r a B sky the dark in n o o m A full th home r long pa u o y s e id Gu

By Nicole

firefly Glowing y opens nd slowl a h e h t As sky s to the It float

At choice time With your Names on them: Spiky Chester Long Andrea Leafy Max Tiny Pupleishish Bloomimg Camy Green Allen Tall Fredric Purple Marda Perfect leaved Sam R.I.P.!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am very, very sorr y And hope you will forgive me. Ms. Morris, next tim e you buy plants Maybe you should ask Mr. Donovan to water them. Your Not-so-Green Thumbed Gardene r, Bailey

By Langston Hughes When the shoe strings break On both your shoes And you’re in a hurry That’s the blues. When you go to buy a candy bar And you’ve lost the dime you had Slipped through a hole in your pocket somewhere That’s the blues, too, and bad!

“This is Just to Say“ By William Carlos Williams I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold

“Honey, I Love,” by Eloise Greenfield I love I love a lot of things, a whole lot of things Like My cousin comes to visit us and you know he’s from the South Cause every word he says just kind of slides out of his mouth I like the way he whistles and I like the way he walks But honey, let me tell you that I LOVE the way he talks I love the way my cousin talks And…. P O LY P R E P M A G A Z I N E : S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

POLY PORTFOLIO: ATHLETICS 2011-12

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Kevin Roth ’86 on Poly, Teaching, Writing, and Finding Your Vocation How Life as an Educator and an English Teaching Career All Began with the 1992 Issue of The Polyglot. By Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Communications

“I

wanted to major in science,” Kevin Roth ’86 says. It’s a Tuesday afternoon in the middle of a May school day when we first speak by phone. He is soft-spoken but has the authoritative tone characteristic of a seasoned classroom teacher.

Currently, Roth is Head of the Upper School (Grades 5-8) at The Cathedral School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. His education and English teaching career led him to many different jobs, none of them involving science. “My favorite class was chemistry at Poly,” he says. “I took AP Chemistry in 12th grade and my teacher, Ms. Stone, she was somebody that really got me thinking about the life of the mind. She

really made me believe I was capable of anything.” Roth went on to take an undergraduate, upper-level chemistry course at Columbia University where he earned his B.A.. He didn’t have, he found out, a passion for the subject. He did like reading, however, and majored in history before earning his master’s in journalism at Stanford University. “It was a one-year program,” he says. “They were going to pay for me, and I really wanted to go to out to California.” At Stanford, Roth discovered he actually had a passion for fiction writing. “With fiction, you can make stuff up,” he jokes. After Stanford, he did a short stint as a sportswriter, covering a minor

league baseball team. This was all just a year before he returned to Poly and took his first steps in front of a classroom. Initially, Roth was reluctant to pursue a career in teaching, but from the sound of it, it’s always been in him. “You know, I had some really classic Poly teachers,” he says. “Some of those great independent school figures.” Roth says his teachers were the epitome of the independent school world at that time: charismatic, sometimes off-thewall and wacky, definitely not by-thebooks people, but they got students excited about learning. More than 20 years after graduation, he rattles off a list of names with apparent ease: Mr. Thompson, Dr. Del Nastro, Ms. Donovan, Mr. Taubman. continued...

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Taubman told him Poly needed a yearbook advisor, but that he could also teach English on a part-time basis. So he came out to Poly and met with Taubman and then headmaster Bill Williams. Then he got a call from his old math teacher, Dorothy Donovan, wanting to know if he could teach ninth grade algebra, too. Roth says the Poly he came back to in 1992 still had a uniquely warm quality and was still “such a beautiful place” but had changed in significant ways. “When I was a kid,” he says, “the school was really white. It also still felt like a boy’s school that had girls going to it. By the time I returned, the school was genuinely diverse in all kinds of ways. Girls had voice, power, and autonomy. But there were still enough figures, enough people that carried on Poly’s values—it’s a nice blend of the past and present.” It was surprising to learn that the day Kevin Roth, a self-professed “super shy, super quiet” high schooler stepped back on the Dyker Heights campus, he had never once taught before— never even stood before a classroom of students. 22

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Ask any teacher about their first year in the classroom and the stories are similar. Roth says he encountered many of those first year trials, especially regarding classroom management. There was lots of calling out, there were complaints about grading. Plus, Roth was only 22, leaving just a marginal age difference between himself and his students. There were other moments, too, like during the first week, when Roth dropped his chalkboard eraser while wiping the board, only to cover a boy sitting in the front row (Harry) completely in chalk dust. Roth struggled especially with his ninth grade algebra class, a group of the

connection of teaching. So, he finished his thesis in two years and spent his free time teaching freshman composition.

The other piece of this, Roth tells me, was that there were a lot of young teachers at Poly in the early 90s. And within that community of fellow educators like Bart Moroney (Science), Sabina Laricchia (Science) and Harold Bernieri ‘85 (History), among others, they all discovered their footing as educators together.

After graduating Columbia and making his way as a freelance writer for some time, Roth came to the same realization that Taubman had probably had years earlier: Roth was a teacher. And when he reapplied to Poly for the 2000-2001 school year, he began to really open himself up to that idea.

Second semester of that first year, Roth taught a fiction writing course for juniors and seniors, where he developed his confidence in the classroom. And though Roth’s teachers stay firmly in his mind, his own teaching style has always been more interactive. “In my education, the emphasis was definitely more on the teacher as a lecturer, talking at you. In my classroom, however, I really wanted students’ voices,” he says. By his second year at Poly, Roth was teaching full time, with two advanced algebra courses, two English courses, and of course, the ever time-consuming “publication,” The Polyglot, to manage. Still, Roth wouldn’t call himself a teacher just yet. “I was completely wracked with doubt about it,” he says. He thought he might teach for a couple of years but knew he still wanted to write.

‘In my education, the emphasis was definitely

more on the teacher as a lecturer, talking at you. In my classroom, however, I really wanted students’ voices, he says.

’

weaker math students at Poly. Besides the classroom management issues, there was the subject at hand, one his students were really struggling with. “And I didn’t have a large box of tools to draw from to make it any easier,”

Three years in, he did just that, once again trading the clock tower for Columbia, this time as an MFA student in fiction. Columbia’s MFA program was three years, but Roth found he couldn’t “be alone as often as required by writers” and missed the human

“My third year back was when it kind of all clicked for me. I had a couple of magical sophomore classes that year, and I don’t know whether it was me or them or just the combination of us,” he says. Roth says his passion for teaching stems from the non stop human interaction in the profession. “There’s a lot of weight and value in everything you do,” he says. For him, dealing with kids each day on both an intellectual and emotional level always came naturally. “It was easy to feel a real sense of purpose,” he says. “I remember when I taught AP English; rather than offer students different theories, I really just tried to focus them on

becoming thoughtful readers. I wanted my students to feel comfortable offering opinions that might be wrong because otherwise you’re not going to grow as a thinker, a reader, a writer. Kids need to know that you care about them as people, too. They need that to feel safe in the classroom and once they feel that from you [the teacher], they will work hard and push themselves.”

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

And Roth contacted one of those, Peter Taubman, a “fantastic English teacher”, when he finally decided to leave the Bay Area and return to Brooklyn in 1991.

he explains. Still, he genuinely cared. Roth offered tons of extra help to his students and planned his lessons “ultra meticulously”.

‘...Kids need to know that you care about them as people, too. They need that to feel safe in the classroom.’ In 2001, Roth became the chair of the English department. Guy Devyatkin (Science) remembers Roth fondly as the only department chair to ever request a Middle School course. “He said it would help him better understand students’ trajectory,” Devyatkin says. “That’s the kind of educator he is.” When Roth left Poly in 2007, he wasn’t planning on leaving. An unexpected phone call led to his decision to branch out and try something new. “To be honest, I felt that if I didn’t go when the opportunity came up—I might never leave,” he explains. “I wanted to continue to grow as an educator myself.”

if I could, but my schedule just doesn’t allow it. I definitely miss that kind of interaction.” Cathedral is small though, only 291 K-8th graders, so Roth still spends a lot of time with students. As a hobby, Roth still writes fiction, too. And he stays in touch, when time allows, with his former colleagues at Poly and his students. “Poly graduates are everywhere. I just ran into a former student of mine this morning coming to [Cathedral],” Roth laughs. “Christine Capone—I taught her both in 10th and 12th grades— did you know she’s a doctor now?”

In his current role at Cathedral, he is no longer in the classroom. “For the first time in 20 years, I’m not teaching,” he says. “It’s weird, I would teach

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photo essay:

ceramics

IN THE CLASSROOM

TECHNIQUE

IN THE CLASSROOM

There are five basic techniques in ceramics: • Slabbing • Pinching • Coiling • Handbuilding • Wheel throwing SLABBING

By Ilana Dubrovsky-Razam,

Associate Director of Development Communications

INTRODUCTION Poly’s Dyker Heights ceramics program is one of the school’s “hidden” gems. But, while the large and recently renovated ceramics studio may be nestled behind the “Tall White Tower,” the outstanding teaching and the beautiful work students produce are no secret. What may be less well-known is the college-level ceramics facilities available to Poly students, ranging from potters’ wheels and high-quality clays and glazes to three indoor kilns and one outdoor raku kiln. Enjoy this photo essay as both a how-to guide for creating beautiful ceramic objects and a testimony to Poly’s commitment to excellence in the visual arts.

The process of slabbing involves using a pin roller to flatten and stretch a piece of clay. PINCHING

PREPARATION Meet Yong Hwi Kim (Visual Arts), Poly’s ceramicist extraordinaire. Each ceramics class begins with the pugmill, a powerful and fast continuous mixer machine Kim uses to combine the hardened clay with water, making it usable. Throughout the class, this pugmill is used to recycle clay.

The technique of pinching (shown) is used to shape the clay by lightly pinching with the fingers and slowly rotating the ball in the palm of the other hand.

Once the clay is removed from the pugmill, students separate the clay based on their project needs. 24

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IN THE CLASSROOM

Glazing is one of the final steps of the ceramics process, used to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof an item. A glaze is a coating fused to a ceramic object through firing. Following painting, students apply a glossy coat that melts onto the ceramic surface.

Coiling is a method of forming rope-like pieces of clay by rolling the clay on a flat surface or using a coil extruder, a tool used to keep coils consistently sized and shaped.

FIRING THE KILN

The coiling method is used to make fine strands of hair, as seen in the photo (above).

Once the ceramics pieces are complete, they are placed inside one of Poly’s kilns. Kilns are enclosed containers heated by electricity, gas, oil, or wood to temperatures ranging between 1500F to 2340F. The electric kiln (shown above) is one of Poly’s three indoor electric kilns.

HANDBUILDING

WHEEL THROWING

The handbuilding technique is an ancient pottery technique involving the construction of ceramics pieces almost entirely by hand. This student (shown above) is using the handbuilding method to craft her piece.

In the wheel throwing technique, a round, moist lump of clay is thrown down onto the pottery wheel head. The clay is then made even by forcing it to the center of the wheel and applying pressure with the hands. The thrower finds the center of the clay by moving a thumb across the lump until friction is no longer felt. The thumb is pressed into the center of the lump, widening the hole while the sides are pulled up and made thinner by pressure between the hands.

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In Poly’s outdoor raku kiln (shown above), the pieces are often pre-heated and set into a hot kiln. Most other types of firing begins with cold pieces, and the firing process can take days. Depending on the glaze applies, the finish can become a bright metallic or striking blend of colors and cracks. P O LY P R E P M A G A Z I N E : S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

IN THE CLASSROOM

GLAZING

COILING

IN THE CLASSROOM

FINISHED PRODUCTS

Teapot by Nicole Mora ‘13

Teapot by Willem Humes ‘12

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Octopus by Michael Bernardez ‘12

Fish by Samuel Chudner ‘13

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Inspired To Teach, Nick Lee ’04 Returns to His Roots Interview by Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Communications

For Nick Lee ‘04, as a student, the journey to Poly Prep each day did not take him far. He grew up just down the street from the Dyker Heights campus. But attending Poly started him on a path that will come full circle this fall when he returns as a ninth grade Geometry and tenth grade Algebra II teacher.

What about your courses? Did you have any favorites? I loved AP Art History because it was so different than all of the other classes I was taking. It was a class I really looked forward to. I took AP Bio with Bobbie Swain during my sophomore year. The science building [Marks Science Center] was new that year. Ms. Swain was tough, but that was kind of what I loved about her.

Where did you attend college? What did you study? As an undergrad, I went to NYU and received my BS in nutrition and food studies. After college I worked in restaurants for a few years. I was interested in organic issues that were just starting to be a big thing and food science and microbiology. What made you switch careers? I wanted something more rewarding. I realized that at the restaurant where I worked [as a maître d’hôtel], the days I loved most were those I was training new staff. So, I decided to apply to Columbia University’s Teachers College Master of Arts in Mathematics Education. Why math? Math is one of those subjects. People are always like, “Oh I was so bad at math!” Exactly. I think that’s why I really wanted to teach it. I always loved math. My parents own their own business. When I was growing up, my mom had all these little math tricks for pricing. Mark Twain was also a talent school—each student gets accepted based on a talent. Mine was math. In some ways I still struggled with my relationship to the subject.

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Nick Lee ‘04 being inducted into the Oasis Society in 2003.

What kinds of activities were you involved in? I was manager of the volleyball team—something I just sort of fell into. I swam. I played tennis. I was editor of The Polyglot—we were at Poly all day on Saturdays. It was like my second home.

Seniors recently made their Senior Plan presentations. Do you remember yours? Yes—I was just starting to get interested in food then. I did my Senior Plan around the theme of Americanized Chinese food. It was definitely one of those moments where I first started thinking critically about food.

Nick Lee ‘04

Q & A

Q&A

How did you end up at Poly? I came to Poly freshman year from Mark Twain [IS 239 School for the Gifted and Talented] in Coney Island. Both of my brothers were at Poly since fifth grade so it was a familiar place in some ways, but still very new.

Why? Part of what I was reacting to, and what I spoke about recently when I visited Upper School Chapel [on May 8], was the stereotype of Asians being good at math. I felt kind of embarrassed, like people thought it was natural. I definitely worked at it. Did you feel conscious of this as a young student? Not exactly. While at Columbia, I started reflecting more about the ways stereotypes—whether they’re socioeconomic, racial, whatever—affect students’ learning. How would you characterize your approach to teaching math? My approach is very discovery-based. I intertwine mathematical concepts and real-world applicability in my lessons. For example, in a lesson I did this past semester with my Algebra 1 class at the Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science & Education, I used the situation of wanting to buy two types of candy from a truck with only one dollar to explore [a mathematical problem involving] x and y intercepts and the graphing of an equation that could help us figure out the different combinations of purchasing candy available to us. What brings you back to Poly? This fall, I was student teaching ninth grade algebra at Millennium High School. In the spring, I was at the Columbia Secondary School teaching seventh grade pre-algebra. When I started looking for teaching jobs, I secretly hoped Poly was hiring. I visited a ton of schools, and one thing I was looking for was that real sense of community—do the kids rush out the door when school ends at 3 o’clock, or do they stick around? For me, the allure of coming back to Poly is that you can be an advisor and a coach, as well as a teacher. You participate in these different aspects of the community that really make it a place where kids don’t want to leave when the school day ends. P O LY P R E P M A G A Z I N E : S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

She enjoys the reflective approach of Achievement First and the atmosphere of young and passionate educators committed to closing the achievement gap.

Monique Wilson ’05 on Becoming a Teacher and on

Her Inspiration: Spirit Award 2011 Winner Liane Dougherty P’06 ’12 (History) By Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Communications What Monique Wilson ’05 remembers vividly about being a student at Poly Prep is roaming the halls. During free

“We are always thinking and talking about what we can do differently

better,”

Wilson

says.

One

the

greatest challenges of teaching, Wilson explains, is the “metacognition that has to happen”—navigating a classroom of students while being both purposeful and deliberate in your interactions. As a teacher now herself, Wilson more fully understands the dedication

involved

inspiring

students.

During

Homecoming 2011, she spoke about the role of the teacher while delivering a speech honoring her own former Middle School history teacher, Liane Dougherty P’06 ’12 (History), this year’s Spirit Award Winner. Wilson’s speech is reprinted below.

heavy lifting, but structured her work with us in such a way that we were able to feel successful and develop confidence in our own abilities as leaders. Even after moving on to Upper School, my classmates and I could often be found returning to Ms. Dougherty’s classroom to talk, catch her up on our lives, or even just watch her at work with her newest set of students. As a teacher now, I see her work through a different lens. I think about great teachers, and their ability to build relationships with students, push them beyond what they see as their limits, and set students up for success so that they are encouraged to push themselves long after they have left your classroom. This is what Ms. Dougherty did for us. Giving to her students is what Ms. Dougherty does because it is just part of who she is. She sees the best that her students are, even if they haven’t quite shown it yet, and has a genuine love for helping students learn and develop into who they can be.

‘I think about great teachers, and their ability to build relationships with students, push them beyond what they see as their limits, and set students up for success so that they are encouraged to push themselves long after they have left your classroom. This is what Ms. Dougherty did for us.’

periods or lunches, Wilson and her friends often wandered into the English or History department offices where they spent time talking with their teachers—the doors were always open. After

graduating

Poly,

Wilson

majored in social studies at Harvard, an interdisciplinary major which enabled her to study history, economics, and sociology with a specific focus on breaking the cycle of poverty. As a Teach for America corps member, Wilson

began

her

apprentice

teaching at Achievement First East New York Elementary School, one of a network of charter schools in New York and Connecticut, where she currently teaches kindergarten. Wilson also completed her master’s in education at Hunter College in 2011 through Teach for America. 32

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Parents always say that you will never truly understand all that they do until you have kids of your own. I realized that the same is true of teachers. Only after becoming a teacher myself did I realize all that my own teachers put in and gave of themselves. This is not to say that I needed to become a teacher to realize how great Ms. Dougherty is. On the contrary, my classmates and I knew this very early on. Not only did Ms. Dougherty work hard in the classroom to ensure that we were academically prepared, but her true dedication shone through in everything she did outside of her classroom to add to our experience. I don’t think there is a person in our class who has forgotten our “Through the Decades” day, where Ms. Dougherty brought American history alive by bringing in a Poly alum to share their experiences in each decade from the 1920s to the present. I also saw Ms. Dougherty’s commitment through my time in the Middle School Senate. She was constantly thinking of ways to make the student body experience better—from toy drives, trips, service projects, and, of course, the many Middle School dances. Ms. Dougherty brought a plethora of ideas forward, and then guided us through the execution. She did all of the

Each time I come and drop in to see Ms. Dougherty since graduating, she always pulls me to see the most recent student work she has put up. She regales me with descriptions of her newest learners, telling me about how well this one debated, or that one’s unbelievable writing ability, or this other one’s spunk, in such a way that I am always drawn in, believing a world of possibility for these students that I have never even met. Beyond being excited about each new set of students, Ms. Dougherty always speaks about her teaching with the enthusiasm of someone who is doing it for the first time. Even after teaching for over 20 years, she talks about how excited she is to run the Continental Congress or teach World History. An email she wrote to me just a few weeks ago about her current switch back to sixth grade said, “what a treat to work with the young ones again!” The description of the Spirit Award says that it is given to someone who has exhibited exemplary dedication and commitment to excellence, and I am so proud that this year’s Spirit Award is going to someone for whom these two characteristics are such an integral part of who she is.

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REFLECTIONS

Commemorating The 50th Anniversary of

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark’s Classic Novel About Teachers & Education By Louise Forsyth P’03, History Department

any people came to know Scottish author Muriel Spark through the marvelous film version of her most famous novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, whose 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2011. Both the book and the film recount the problematic story of a charismatic and impassioned private girls’ school teacher in Edinburgh in the 1930s who takes a small group of what we would now call Middle School students under her wing, exalts them as “the crème de la crème,” and urges them to embrace the arts, notions of individual glory, and great destiny. These “Brodie girls” were marked for life, and in a wide variety of ways, by their encounter with this extraordinary teacher. I first encountered Miss Jean Brodie in Maggie Smith’s memorable incarnation some 40 years ago. Then I, too, was entranced by her, although it was all too easy to see her delusions and misunderstandings. She fulfilled students’ longing for teachers that will transport them into other worlds and with whom they can develop deep personal connections. Now, however, my teacher self finds many “red flags” in her character and conduct. First, let me urge readers who may have seen the film to read the novel, which is infinitely more 34

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complex, subtler, and intriguing. The film reduces the number of girls in the Brodie set, stresses her fascist tendencies, and ends with a confrontation between Brodie and one of her girls who had denounced her to the school’s headmistress. That never happens in the novel. Poor Miss Brodie goes to her death never knowing who betrayed her. Miss Brodie’s promotion of fascistic ideas is not the main issue in the novel; there they are seen alongside class, social, and gender issues in Edinburgh. The films ends with the girls walking out of school after the last day of the term, but in the novel we see the girls decades later and learn how Miss Brodie continued to haunt them. What is striking about the novel is the degree of intimacy and personal connection between the adults and the girls in the schools. The girls spend weekend time with Ms. Brodie and at other teachers’ houses, play golf with them, and have tea with the families of their teachers. The headmistress meets with the girls individually for tea and not too subtly tries to wheedle information from them. Parents are almost non-existent, nor do any complain about the influence Miss Brodie has on their children. The girls have all lived protected lives, away from the raw poverty of the less posh parts of their city. They fantasize in detail about the love lives of their teachers as a way of beginning to understand love and sex, even sometimes

writing these lurid Harlequin-like romances down. Miss Brodie filled her classroom with her personal passions, entrancing impressionable students and, while not teaching what she was supposed to teach, opened up her students’ aesthetic sensitivities and excited them about the idea of living a deeply felt life. These Brodie girls all came away with a large vision of life. Not having taught in a girl’s school, I cannot say how accurate Spark’s description is, but I do think there were more of those charismatic teachers when I began teaching at Poly 25 years ago, who often did little by way of teaching the curriculum, but shared their passions. In the History department, for example, Bob Morrison read the Tarot with his students, and Bill Thompson (after whom the “T Run,” which takes place during Poly’s annual Homecoming, is named) regaled his students with stories of his personal experiences in World War II. Both men were just this type of memorable teacher. There are many ways in which what might be called the Pied Piper model of teaching is deeply attractive to teachers. Every teacher, I am convinced, hopes to have a deep and lasting influence on his or her students, dreams of seeing his or her passions imbibed by them, and wants to enrich their lives. There is a bit of Miss Jean Brodie in all of us. But if Miss Brodie had been under my supervision when I was head of the History Department, I would have reacted more as the Headmistress did. For example, Miss Brodie told her girls to open their history books and say they were studying if anyone should come into the room and ask. Meanwhile, she would tell them, with poetic and impassioned intensity, about her lost love who had died in the Great War. Even at the time of the novel, she was getting in trouble since students had to take standardized tests, and now it is ever more incumbent on every teacher to teach the curriculum. There is less space now for the idiosyncratic teacher who dismisses the demands on students from the outside world. And whether it is on Facebook or Twitter or in the classroom, teachers are given much more narrowly defined parameters about relationships with students. Still, the lesson of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is deeper than that. She believed with ferocity that her vision of life, her ideas, her ways of relating to the students were all to the good—that in devoting her prime to her students she was giving them something deeply worthwhile. In fact, some of the Brodie girls are ultimately damaged by their experience with her: one goes off to fight for Franco in the Spanish Civil War and is killed in a train bombing; another dies in a fire; a third ends up as a nun renouncing Miss Brodie’s call for a vital life. This reminds all of us who teach how powerful teachers can sometimes be and how much care and modesty we must bring into the classroom. The novel still resonates deeply, 50 years after it was published, and like Miss Brodie herself, has had a lasting influence. P O LY P R E P M A G A Z I N E : S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

FACULTY BOOK REVIEW

C LA S S N O TE S

CL ASS N O TE S 1945

1937

Dr. Charles M. Plotz, the “Father of Rheumatology and Immunology,” received 11 Foreign Medical Societies Gold Medal American College of Rheumatology awards. He also shares that he “marched at Selma with Dr. King & Rev. Abernathy and once dined and slept in the middle of the Afghan desert at the compound of an Afghani Chieftain.”

1938

Dean Hatheway shares that his wife, Janet Horton, passed away in November 2010 “after 60 years of wedded bliss.” Family of all ages have been very supportive, especially his daughters, Lynn and Diane. “Life goes on as I continue to enjoy people,” he says. Raymond Hermann is still active in business with his wine and spirit distribution company, Charmer Sunbelt. He loves playing golf and enjoys a glass of good wine. The Honorable Howard M. Holtzmann, a Yale University and Law School graduate, is a leader in the field of international arbitration. He served on two major international tribunals, was a senior US member of the Iran-US Claims Tribunal in The Hague, and a member of the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts in Switzerland. He is editing a forthcoming book.

Dr. Saul Brusilow has Parkinson’s and is housebound. He says, “Poly saved my life.”

1946 SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1942: (left to right) Marvin Newman, Gilbert Feldman, Seth Faison, Robert Kilmarx.

Arthur Rasi ‘38

Arthur Rasi turns 92 soon. He lives in Sun City, AZ. Arthur and his wife, Emily, have two children (now retired), four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren scattered around the country that visit often. He adds, “Poly really prepared me well for life’s ride, for which I am most grateful.” Rockwell Staniford and his wife of 66 years live in Vero Beach, FL and return to the Connecticut shore for the summer. He reports, “We are in good health and enjoying our senior years. My Poly days were exceptional! I stay in touch with Dean Hatheway often.” William (Bill) Williams (Poly Headmaster from 19702000) lives with his wife, Julia, in White River Junction, VT. He says, “Life is good,

but for old age aches & pains. Will take a cruise up the Dalmatian Coast in July. We see our family in CA, FL, and nearby every so often. Here’s to Poly, Poly, Poly!”

1942

Dr. Larry L. Barr taught college-level psychology, was a school psychologist, and had a psychotherapy practice for years. He was Headmaster of the American School in Switzerland and Desert Academy in Santa Fe. “My wife and I have three sons and four grandchildren. We live in a senior community in Laguna Woods, CA, and are healthy and active,” he reports. Dr. Walter F. Engel, DDS served four and a half years in the US Public Health Service and over 56 years in private dentistry practice. He retired about two years ago.

GO GREEN WITH POLY!

To receive The Blue and The Gray via email instead of print, contact Associate Director of Communications Rebecca Grossfield at rgrossfield@polyprep.org.

T HE B L U E & T HE G R AY

Seth S. Faison remains close with his family. Over the years he served as a BAM Chairman, Brooklyn Institute Chairman, Brooklyn Hospital Chairman, Heathcare Trustees of New York State Chair, Poly Trustee and Vice Chairman, St. Francis College agent, Brooklyn Museum Vice Chairman, and Police Athletic League Director and Brooklyn Chairman. Melvin L. Fraiman received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sommerville, Massachusett’s Chamber of Commerce in 2007. Marvin Newman had six business careers and served as Quarter Master Second Class in the US Navy from 1943-46 in the Pacific and Japan for three months. He volunteers at schools discussing World War II and business endeavors. Favorite Poly tradition: “Playing basketball plus lacrosse on our undefeated team in 1942.”

1944

Edward L. Marcus, Connecticut Senator Emeritus and founder of Marcus Law Firm, currently serves on the board of trustees for the US Gems Foundation for IIMSAM, a global nonprofit founded to increase awareness of the challenges facing the world’s malnourished.

Dr. Sheldon Feinberg is author of Looking Back— And Sharing a Wondrous Life with You.

Charles F. Weymuller retired from Rochester Squash & Fitness, formerly the University Club of Rochester, in 1999, and has been an avid TV sports and classical music follower ever since. He and his wife, Carol, were inducted into the US Squash Hall of Fame in 2008. George F. Wildermuth is treasurer of PW Investors Group and Pine Island Park Association. He and his wife, Janet, have five wonderful children and 11 grandchildren. He says, “My blessings go to the marvelous Poly faculty who gave me an excellent foundation!”

Dr. Hugh Hermann ’46, wife Kerry, and their Labrador.

Dr. Hugh P. Hermann has been a physician in Woodstock, VT since 1958. He is also medical adviser for Suicide Six Ski Patrol and on the faculty at Dartmouth Medical School. He enjoys fishing and skiing in New England with his wife, Kerry. Hermann was past president of the VT State Medical Society, on the VT State Board of Mental Health, and named Woodstock, VT “Citizen of the Year.” David H. Oestreich, a retired national drug sales representative, now resides in Roslyn, NY. He has four boys and seven grandchildren, still plays tennis and golf, is an active member of Temple Beth Shalom and the JCC, an active theater-goer, opera, ballet and museum lover.

1947

Richard K. Berg retired from his Washington, DC law practice in 1995. He and his wife, Hanne, have two children, Karen and Thomas, and two grandchildren. Since retiring, Berg has studied French and found that “despite nearly 40 years of disuse, the French grammar instilled by Mr. Desmé was still buried deep in my brain.”

Nathan H. Brandt Jr. worked for CBS News, The New York Times, and American Heritage magazine. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books on American history and two mysteries. Brandt received the Douglas Sootholl Freeman History award for The Man Who Tried To Burn New York.

SPECIAL CLASS OF 1947: (left to right) front row: John Greve, Otto Berk, James Blundell; back row: James Merwarth, Nathan Brandt, Peter Fyfe.

J. William Greve and his wife, Sylvia, have four children and 12 grandchildren. He received his MBA from NYU and worked in the investment business since 1953. Dr. William C. Purdy received his BA from Amherst College and PhD from MIT. He has worked as a professor at numerous universities including the University of Connecticut and McGill University. He shares that in June 1953 on his honeymoon, he and his wife, Myrna, ran into “Ken Lucas at our arrival at the inn in Buck Hill Falls, PA.” Richard S. Snedeker majored in aeronautical engineering at Princeton University in 1951. He worked as a research engineer for 40 years, retiring in 1997. He serves on the board of education and local planning board. Snedeker’s son is a professional musician, one daughter a teacher, one an international flight attendant, and granddaughter a professional dancer with the Trish Brown Group.

Otis P. Pearsall, an advocate for historic preservation in Brooklyn, delivered a speech at the 2010 Spring Fair of the Willowtown Organization, a neighborhood organization in Brooklyn Heights.

1952

Ludwig J. Abruzzo continues to practice law after 50 years, noting that he is “still trying to get it right.” He lives in Naples, FL and has five children, 16 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and two more on the way. He was “saddened to read Mike Roberts died, we had some good times both at Poly and after graduation while he was at Tufts.”

Bruce M. Dayton co-founded Multi-Financial Services, Inc., one of the first independent personal financial planning firms, in 1970. Since 2006, Dayton has been affiliated with LPL Financial. He is married to Gracia Parkhill, a watercolor artist. They have three children and seven grandchildren. He and Gracia have been active fellows of the Williams College Museum of Art and Skidmore CoIIege’s Tang Museum of Art.

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C LA S S N O TE S Lawrence C. Maslow has spent 30 years in management, first in textile maintenance and then in insurance sales. He has three sons—two are computer programmers and the third, a doctor. When he was at the University of North Carolina, he lettered in varsity track. Curtis S. Reis has traveled to all seven continents and about 80 countries. He has served as chairman of the California Bankers Association and was later named California Banker of the Year. He has been married twice, has three children, and six grandchildren. Joel J. Spector is enjoying semiretirement after practicing law for 50 years. He has two childen and four grandchildren and is an avid golfer who has scored three holes-in-one. Of his Poly years, he says, “varsity baseball, basketball, and football stand out in my mind as well as the outstanding faculty.” Rabbi Richard F. Steinbrink received the Community Caring Award of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Philadelphia. He has three children, three in-law children, and five grandchildren. He also is a part-time chaplain at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. He and his wife “enjoy Longboat Key in the winter and the Berkshires in the summer.”

T HE B L U E & T HE G R AY

CL ASS N O TE S

Landy Nelson’s ‘56 children: Son, Tom, and daughter, Sandra, deployed in Afghanistan.

1954

Owen O. Hoberman writes, “On November 19, Berkshire County alumni gathered for a mini-reunion at Herb Coyne’s ‘44, Southfield, MA home. Herb’s tasteful and impressive luncheon was enjoyed by Bruce Bernstein ‘53, too. The afternoon’s surprise guest was Headmaster Harman whose description of today’s Poly illustrated that the school has changed in many ways but that the excellence of its faculty and students remains constant.”

1955

Charles J. Hamm recently spoke with the Brooklyn Eagle about his life. After graduating Harvard, he went into advertising but later on switched into banking, with impressive results. He became the CEO of Independence Community Bank, which was eventually sold to Sovereign. Hamm has been an active philanthropist in Brooklyn. These days, he likes painting, boating, and traveling.

Dr. Stuart F. Mackler has taken two trips to Love A Child, an orphanage in Haiti, to perform surgeries and skin grafts, an experience he has found very rewarding. He plans to return in the future.

1956

Arthur M. Delmhorst has had a fruitful career in real estate. Sailing has been an enduring passion—for 30 years, he’s been the proud owner of a 32-foot sailboat. Among many other achievements, he’s been the chairman of the Columbia University Club Foundation, on the board of trustees of the First Congregational Church in Greenwich, CT, and has served as a Riverside Yacht Club trustee. Professor Justus D. Doenecke has an active life, partaking in sailing, bicycling, and frequent traveling— recent trips include Peru, Mexico, and Hawaii. To this day he remembers “the scrutiny of Mr. Lucas” and delivering a Christmas/ Hanukkah address in the Chapel.

Edward M. Fuller II co-founded Communispond Inc., which became the largest executive presentation skills company in the country next to Dale-Carnegie. He went out on his own after the company was sold in 1994. He and his wife, Mary, have ten grandchildren. Michael Heitner, Esq. has “a full life of practicing corporate, spor ts and entertainment law at a wonderful NY firm.” He and his wife ski in Stowe, VT, and Whistler, BC, Canada, sail on Lake Champlain, and are “joyfully following our two grandsons (ages 9 and 6).” K. E. Knutsen retired in 1996 and has volunteered at the Greenwich Historical Society, the Woodstock Historical Society and the Retired Men’s Association of Greenwich, among others. He’s written books on the histories of Innis Ardens Golf Club and Woodstock Golf.

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1957: (left to right) Clifford Bernstein, George Malin, Philip Hertz.

Dr. Neil M. Koreman practiced opthamology for 35 years and ran a multimillion dollar company for six. He and his wife, who was a dermatologist, retired eight years ago. They have two children and five grandchildren. He plays golf, tennis, swims, and also paints and travels. George Marks was a finalist in the 70+ men’s doubles held in La Jolla, CA. In June 2011, he and his wife, Bette Marks, traveled to several countries in Africa. They took wonderful photos, some of which have been donated to raise money for both local and African schools. The photos can be seen at www.georgemarks.com. Colonel Landy T. Nelson received the Master Parachutist badge for over 300 parachute jumps over the course of his army career. He shares that “I struggled with Mr. Richard Golding’s French III and IV. The army sent me to the Defense Language Institute to learn French and I graduated with honors... Today, I teach French as a hobby.”

Philip K. Perlman has an interest in the environment that led to his having over 300 nut and fruit trees. In the 1970s, he received Emmy nominations for a documentary on psychiatry. Dr. Michael R. Rosen is the Pfeiffer Professor of Pharmacology and Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia. He and his wife, Tove, recently travelled to Botswana. He says, “What do I do for fun? I live in New York, so I am surrounded by art, music, food, and Central Park—what more do I need? My kids and grandchildren live nearby and so we have time to enjoy ourselves together.”

1957

Clifford M. Bernstein does independent consulting in healthcare information technology after a varied IT career with stints at IBM and Exxon. He has three children and six grandchildren. His youngest son is headed to college next year, “and that will be our next big change.”

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1962: (left to right) front row: Jay Springer, David Corwin, Richard Spiegel, Henry Gardstein, Stephen Green, James Blumstein; second row: Robert Shack; Delmont Irving, Kennes Kasses, Robert Aberlin, Michael Brown; top row: Laurence Hauptman, Alan Hoffman.

1961

Kenneth M. Duberstein is chairman and CEO of The Duberstein Group, an independent strategic planning and consulting company. Duberstein previously served as chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan in 1988-89 and went on to have a variety of roles in the administration. From 2003-06, he consulted for the TV series The West Wing. He regularly appears as a commentator on network and cable news programs. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb has been a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for 40 years, focusing on nephrology. His wife is a prominent educator. Daughter Rachael is a member of the Obama administration. Son Michael served as the deputy director of communications for John McCain’s presidential campaign. He says, “Yes, Thanksgiving dinners are very interesting.”

Dr. Richard A. Legouri remembers Poly as “a great experience, a great school.” The Honorable Richard Linn was the first federal judge of the new millenium, appointed by Bill Clinton in 1999, after a successful career as a patent lawyer. In his spare time he reads, sails, travels, and mentors young lawyers and law students through the American Inns of Court. Good Poly memories include “introducing Ray Hamway to pizza by the slice.” Dr. Barry L. Musikant owns Essential Dental Systems, which develops innovative dental products. He has two sons. Julian is at Brown, and Gabriel is at Riverdale Country Day School. He plays basketball, though admits he moves more slowly. “I can’t believe I beat Kenny Duberstein as Soccer Captain. I enjoy reading about his Washington insights,” he says.

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C LA S S N O TE S Dr. Walter T. Rymzo Jr. practices internal medicine on Cape Cod where he has lived for 36 years. He has two sons, Ben and Matt, both married. Ben works in Cambridge for a consulting firm. Matt is currently teaching in Pebble Beach, CA. “I regret not having kept up with the activities and interests of my classmates. Medicine has proven to be a rather harsh mistress,” he says. Lawrence N. Schneider has lived in Florida for 10 years where one of his favorite activities is golf. David A. Scotto retired in 2005. All three of his children are married, and he has six grandchildren. His favorite Poly tradition was Nathan’s in Coney Island.

1962

Steve Green reports: “classmates Rick Spiegel and Ken Kasses came to Sedona, AZ recently. Ray Jabarra was unable to make it.”

1964

Robert W. Cort is currently partner and president of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC, a recognized global industry leader that handles the marketing, 40

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1972

Frank T. Strafaci, Esq. is a frequent lecturer on wills, trusts, and estates at Brooklyn Bar Association and for other sponsors.

Dr. Paul J. Gilson recalls Tuesday and Thursday dress down with fondness and remembers Myron Ruskell as his best mentor. Presently, he loves spending time on the golf course.

1970 SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1967: (left to right) Charles Dennis, Sheryl Stone (Wagner), Howard Wagner, Frank T. Strafaci.

sales and distribution for all Fox film and television programming on VHS and DVD, as well as video acquisitions and original productions.

1965

The Reverend Terry O. Martinson began his 40th year as the pastor of The Old South Union Church, United Church of Christ, in South Weymouth, MA. Based on his experiences leading a youth group of 500+ teens, he published a book: Youth Group Seeds—A Practical Guide to Growing a Youth Group.

1966

Rick Spiegel ‘62, Steven Green ‘62, and Ken Kasses ’62 in Sedona, AZ.

CL ASS N O TE S

Arlen R. Gunner shares a memorable moment from his recent Norwegian Epic cruise: “As we rapidly approached the Narrows Bridge, I looked over to the east and saw, from the unique perspective of the deck of a modern cruise ship, a large white tower with a black face and gold lettering ...I started singing ‘Far Down on the Heights Called Dyker.’” Dr. Richard H. Lewis is thriving in Arkansas where he has a general dentistry practice and is also on the

national board of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ); the URJ’s regional board; president of the board of the Jewish Federation of Arkansas; chairman of the board of the Henry Jacobs Camp-URJ; and on the board of the Just Community of Arkansas.

1967

Dr. Mark P. Jarrett is currently the chief quality officer of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) health system and professor of medicine at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine He was the director of rheumatology at Staten Island University Hospital from 1982-1999.

Richard H. Lutz lives in Britain with homes in Birmingham, England, and on the west coast of Scotland. He has met up with fellow classmates Alan Schulman and Steve Farrer. Richard owns RHL Media which acts as a consultant for firms in the UK, China, and the Balkans. His brother Bill Lutz ’70 lives in Monterey, CA. Richard has two sons—both live in the UK. His wife, Jane, is Scottish.

Dr. A. K. Saal is the medical director of CareGroup, the corporate parent of six Boston area hospitals, including the Beth Israel Deaconess, and he is also a practicing cardiologist. Before being named director, Dr. Saal was president of the Provider Service Network, a CareGroup -affiliated group that represents more than 3,000 Boston doctors in contract negotiations with insurers.

1971

Dr. Paul J. DuBowy is an environmental program manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers. He provides technical guidance for the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project on ecosystem sustainability, endangered species, and other environmental issues relating to river structures, levees, and tributary improvements for navigation and flood risk management along the Mississippi River.

William N. Fordes spent 20 years producing and writing at Wolf Films/NBC/ Universal Studios on the Law & Order franchise. “In all honesty, it was an excuse to go surfing in Southern California,” he says. Fordes is a seven-time Emmy nominee, was nominated twice for the Humanities Award, and was nominated for the Edgar Allen

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1972: (left to right) front row: Jerrold Newman, John Madden, Mark Abrahams; second row: Robert Gumer, Kevin Goldman, Brian Holton, Robert Couri; third row: David Troyansky, Henry Warshaw, James Wynn, Frederick Oberlander, James Hayden; top row: James Allen, Rollin Bush, John Beneke.

Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America. In his spare time, he likes to surf and practice jiujitsu. Lee D. Krantzow works as a copper trader for many years at Glencore Ltd. He currently works at K Consulting LLC, doing metals consulting. He has three children: Michele, Michael, and Ariele. Lawrence E. Merenstein is the chairman of three Omicom Group event marketing agencies. His plan is to retire in two years and return to college teaching. He enjoys bicycling, hiking, and photography and has a son, Louis, a freshman at Philadelphia University.

Vincent J. Pantuso Jr. has been married for 26 years to the girl he dated as a Poly senior. They have three children—the eldest married and currently in law school, the second looking to pursue her master’s in applied theater, and the youngest, a freshman in college. His favorite Poly tradition was “believe it or not—Chapel.” Dr. Louis N. Vogel, a dermatologist, originated Resverite-Anti-Aging Cream. He is the dermatologist to His Royal Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco. He enjoys bicycling, tennis, and photography and considers himself a “foodie.” He is the founder of Skintensives and managing director of Derm2Go.com. He looks back and finds “the concept that we had a James Joyce Club” noteworthy.

Brian W. Holtan is a contractor/small property owner in the Park Slope area. He splits his time between homes in Vermont and Brookyn. He has two sons, Brian and Todd. Brian, too, is an avid skiier. He says, “l’m definitely looking forward to attending our 40th reunion (has it really been that long?) & hope to see many of you there.” David L. Lewis graduated law school in 1976 and is presently a partner at Lewis & Fiore in New York. He’s taught law at several schools, among them Brooklyn Technical High School and Pace University School of Law. He’s also a member of the American Bar Association. Professor David G. Troyansky came back home to Brooklyn as chair of the Brooklyn College history department after 21 years at Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX. His daughter, Anna, is doctoral student in French linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin. His son, Aaron, played professional baseball in Europe and has had a series of internships with the Student Conservation Association.

Henry D. Warshaw has been married to Susan for 30 years, with two children, Jake and Elle, both in college. He was the director of Enterprise Bank and Trust for 15 years until 2011. He was on the Washington University board of trustees from 2009-11. He enjoys tennis, coin collecting, and travel.

1974

John R. Gallo writes, “In July, Messrs. Gallo, Messina, Harrison, and Hollister had the pleasure of a round of golf courtesy of Dr. Harrison at the Alpine Country Club in New Jersey. It was a wonderful day all around— outstanding weather and great camaraderie. Lou “Hybrid” Harrison demonstrated his superior course management skills and embarrassed his guests with a round of 84. The other scores are matters of national security and shall not be revealed.” Dr. Robert J. Rogers received the 2011 Alumni of the Year Award from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences/the Chicago Medical School. He is a clinical associate professor at the university and a student advisor. A board-certified internist and anesthesiologist, he practices in Los Angeles, CA.

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CL ASS N O TE S 1992

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1977: (left to right) front row: Ronald Zraick, George Spessot, Edward Katz, Kenneth Romano; second row: Richard Jaycobs, Paolillo, Guy Mangano, David Kochman; top row: Henry Camuso, Nicholas Squitieri, Michael Barrett.

1975

Glen P. Roven was a rehearsal pianist for Broadway’s Pippin while still in high school and has since been involved with many Broadway productions. He conducted the inaugural concerts of both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. A recent project, for which he wrote the music and lyrics, was Pandora’s Box (www. pandorasboxthemusical.com). Dr. Robert J. Soiffer, chief of the division of hematologic malignancies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recently saw his researchers make a major breakthrough, announced in Nature. They created a molecule that prevents cancer cells from “hearing” growth commands by blocking an abnormal protein found in children and young adults with NUT midline carcinoma.

1976

Dr. Ronald D. D’Agostino is a cardiologist. He has been married for 27 years and has three daughters. He is active and likes snowboarding, racquetball, basketball, and volleyball. He remembers Mr. Punao, his high school biology teacher, as his “first significant mentor” and “one of the top 10 most important people I have known.”

Henry Warshaw lives with his wife, Susan, in St. Louis, MO. He has two children— Jake and Elle, both in college. He served on the board of trustees at Washington University from 200911, was chairman of the alumni board of governors, and director of Enterprise Bank and Trust for 15 years. He remembers Poly’s “great teachers.”

1977

Cory C. Cuneo recently started a new position as director of security for the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. He camps, fishes, hunts, and

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SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1982: (left to right) front row: Lisa Anastasio Gabriele, Steven Leventhal, Carla Galtieri Ingargiola, Lisa Grieco, Lisa Ann Attanasi, Stephen Guerriero, Lori Ann Ferrara; second row: William Schiazza, Cindy Ormsby Doherty, Michael Solomon, David Zarou, Duke Reich, Sal Varano, Rose Sgarlato, Charles Ingulli, Jr.; top row: David Biro, Francis Bartone, Andrew Leventhal, Thomas Stern, Christopher Guido, Peter Sperry.

collects World War II militaria. He enjoys spending time with his childen. Alvaro E. Garcia retired from the New York State Police after 24 years and is now working for the FBI Evidence Response Team in Quantico, VA. Dr. Mark F. Lew is the vice chair of the neurology department and the director of the division of movement disorders at the University of Southern California.

1981

Stephanie Georges Comfort has lived in Denver since 1993. She has three children, Katie (13), Chris (12), and Charlie (9). She has led Qwest’s Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as the Strategy team, since 2007. Previously she was at Morgan Stanley and prior to that, Salomon Brothers. Her favorite activity is skiing with the kids every weekend in the winter.

Martin E. Valk graduated from Brooklyn Law School and earned a master’s in environmental law from Pace University Law School. He currently serves as the chief of the assessment litigation bureau of the Nassau County Attorney’s office. His proudest accomplishments, however, are as husband to Tara and father to Jacob.

1982

Dr. David A. Zarou “practices medicine in Denver, but would rather go fishing.”

1984

Saleem L. Arnuk is co-author, with Joe Saluzzi, of Broken Markets. In Broken Markets, these traders explain how, “An unrelenting focus on technology, hyper-short-term trading, speed, and volume has eclipsed sanity: markets have been hijacked by high-powered interests at the expense of investors and the entire capital-raising process.”

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1992: (left to right) front row: Bridget Carson-Scala, Ella Katz Schwartz, Angelika Shakhov Shein; second row: Bozena Malyszko, Debra Vaccarino Burns, Elisa Bomengo, Susan Bartley, Kristine Donnelly, Angela DeLeo Melkonian, Meredith Feivelson Basile; third row: Matt Walsh, Alexis Kulick, Matthew Roventini, Deana Di Dio Waddell, Jolene McAuley, Naisha Walton, Jennifer Safran, Tom Harvey; top row: Marc Savino, Keith Arbeitman, Ronald Minutello, Corey Modeste, Richard Naddeo, Marieke Kearns.

1987

Kimberly A. Minarovich works at a hedge fund and is also pursuing an exciting new business venture, Luxury Italian Tours (www.luxurytours.com). Since spending a college semester abroad, Kimberly has cultivated a deep love and appreciation for all things Italy. Her business works with clients to develop an itinerary specifically based on their interests.

Robert D. Nesbit attended Penn State on an ROTC scholarship. After graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the Army reserves. In 1994, he became a police officer in Mesa, AZ. He still serves in the military and has been deployed several times. He owns a company, Combat Skills, that provides training to military and police departments (www.combatskills.us). He has two children.

Colleen P. Kelleher Sorrentino has been working at her family’s investment firm, Wall Street Access, for 20 years, married for 17. She has two childen, Bobby, 12, and Caroline, 8. Her favorite Poly tradition was Chapel and Blue and Gray Day.

Sarah Kaplan Browne is a doctor and recently moved to Washington, DC, to specialize in infectious diseases and immunology at the National Institutes of Health. She and her husband, Eric, a high school teacher, have a 4-yearold son, David. She cherishes memories of hanging out in the fifth form room.

1995

Kate Bernstein, co-executive producer of MTV’s Made, recently won her first Daytime Emmy Award for her work on the show. She writes, “As you may or may not know, the series helps high school students achieve their dreams, so I’m constantly remembering Poly!”

1996

Latasha Edwards has a 21-month-old son, Chase, and is a vice president at ASB Capital Management. She has great memories of Christmas Chapel, Dr. Patterson’s reading of “There Never Was Such a Goose”, and singing “The 12 Days of Christmas.” Melissa A. (Caccavo) Harty is married with two kids. Amy Broadway Saggiomo recently moved with her husband, Brian, to New Jersey, where they live in Moorestown. She works at Atrium Pediatrics as a pediatric nurse practitioner, and Brian works at CB Richard Ellis as a commercial real estate broker. Their weekends are spent outdoors exploring Philadelphia or in the Pennsylvania mountains biking, hiking, and training their German shorthaired pointer, Greta.

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 1997: (left to right) front row: Tara Ariantkando, Costas Marinakas (Constantinos), Christina Pili; second row: Jason Teich, Richard Kando; third row: Jill Rudnick, Alexandra Kulick, David Alperin, Shruti Chakrabarti, Julia Kulp (Tejani); top row: Alfred Cazeau, Shaka King, Sean Fields, Andrew Katz.

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C LA S S N O TE S

CL ASS N O TE S Reid M. Ross spent five months in Tokyo working on an advisory project for Blackrock. In his free time, he had the opportunity to travel around Japan. He remembers, “Coach Stone taught us discipline on the soccer field. His teaching has remained with me to this day.”

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 2002: (left to right) front row: Catherine Biesty, Evangeline Arapoglou, Jonathan Bracci; second row: David Willner, Anthony Chilelli, Victoria Perrotta, Molly Dorkey, Chantee Parris; third row: Andy Mumm, Donald Smartwood, Tara Bhupati, David Baran, Matthew Keller; top row: Christian Zaino, Cameron Bossert, Michael D’Alora.

1997

Nicole Annucci Ghirardi has a 2-year-old, Andrea, and is pregnant with her second child. Since graduating from Poly, she has studied in Spain, traveled Europe and gotten her master’s in education. She has been teaching Spanish at Fontbanne as well as in the public school system for many years. Being a mother is one of her greatest achievements.

John Dumey married Morgan in September 2010. They will soon be welcoming their first child into the world. They live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Tara (Anant) Kando and her husband, Rich, welcomed their first little Kando, Nicholas Richard, into the world on June 17, 2010. Tara has been doing work with the Good Dog Foundation (pet therapy), running, traveling, and pursuing her interests in fine and decorative art and furniture design. 44

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Dr. Shruti Chakrabarti Ramesh finished her pediatric residency at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in NJ in 2007. Two weeks after graduation, she gave birth to daughter Shreya. ”The rigorous academics at Poly... gave me good study habits that allowed me to be pre-med at Bryn Mawr while also being extremely involved in extracurricular activities,” she says.

2001

Rudolf S. Hanja is in real estate. He started with Prudential Douglas Elliman in their TriBeCa office and has worked as a sales agent, selling and renting apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn, ever since. He loves the opportunites his job gives him to be an “amateur NYC architectural and cultural historian.”

Julian B. Holder graduated from West Point in 2005 and has been deployed to Iraq multiple times. He was nominated for the US Physics Team in 2001 and has received two scholarships from the American Physical Society. He has also received an Army Commendation Medal, a Bronze Star Medal, an Air Assault Badge, and a German Proficiency Badge. His favorite Poly tradition was Chapel.

Katherine Zinsser got her BA from Smith College in 2005. Her first job was as a wilderness counselor for teens in Utah. Since 2008 she has been working on her doctorate in applied developmental psychology. She will be getting married this summer and is excited to show Caitlin the fabulous Poly community.

2002

Jonathan H. Bracci runs a fence and ironworks company, along with a bungalow colony, in upstate New York. He recently opened up a Thai restaurant in Rockaway, NY, called “Thai Rock.” He just submitted information to the Guiness Book of World Records about possibly breaking the world record for singing upside-down. Alissa J. (Bello) McGrisken married her high school sweetheart, Ray. They have a daughter, Mackenzie. McGrisken made a career change to education where she can combine her passions by working with students in maritime settings.

Frank Nasso is credited as second-unit director and co-producer, as well as camera-operator, on Sing Your Song, a feature-length documentary based on the controversial life of entertainer and human rights activist Harry Belafonte. Sing Your Song was nominated for Best US Documentary at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Robert Redford personally introduced the film at the festival’s opening night. Margaret W. Van Dusen recently became a licensed architect in Louisiana. For the last four years she has been working in New Orleans at Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects, specializing in healthcare architecture.

2005

David Austin Cohen was married on May 21, 2012 to Mariann Uleberg. Both David and Mariann are graduates of Berklee College of Music. They live in Allston, MA, and work together at Equilibrium Guitars (www.eqguitars.com), their custom guitar business, in Somerville, MA.

2006

John A. Capotorto happy memories Christmas Chapel.

has of

Daniel Newman attended Georgetown where he studied with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Advisor Anthony Lake. He

learned Arabic and in 2009, took and passed the Foreign Service Officer’s Test. He plans to be part of the Service’s 159th Junior Officer Class. He credits Poly for helping “nurture my love of travel.” Krystina M. Zaykowski graduated from Bates College this past June and is working in New York City. She has “stayed in touch with two faculty members, Ms. Chase and Ms. FitzSimmons—the Internet is great.” She adds that “Elizabeth Semmens is playing professional volleyball in France.”

Diane Bernstein graduated from the New York Univerity College of Dentistry in 2010. She is currently working at Modern Dentistry as a general dentist. She was married on February 5, 2011.

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The POLYCAM Get the latest Poly Alumni News delivered to your inbox monthly. The POLYCAM features alumni profiles, campus news and event listings. Email Rebecca Grossfield, Associate Director of Communications, at rgrossfield@polyprep.org.

SPECIAL REUNION CLASS OF 2007: (left to right) front row: Nadia Ahmed, Elizabeth May, Janissia Orgill; second row: Richard Reitzfeld, Vera Shekhets, Deana Belvedere, Meghan Manning, Christina Sapega, Kathleen Boardman, Gabrielle DeAllie; third row: Stephanie Darand, Xiomara Trotman, Lucy Poe, Lisa Shushkovsky, Andrew Schrijver, Andres Ventura, Candice Clark,Benjamin Maer; top row: Benjamin Plotz, Kartik Raju, Lee Pollard, Edward Lord, Caitlin Wheeler, Alexander Donnenfeld, Daniel Dimant.

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O B I TU A R I E S

O B I TUARI E S 1936

In Memoriam: Victor Samra ’59 Victor (“Vic”) Samra, Jr., of Bronxville, NY, and Kiawah Island, SC, died at his New York home on May 23, 2011. He was 69 years old. Samra graduated from Poly Prep in 1959 and earned a degree in business from American University in 1963. In 1964, Samra began a career in business as a trader at the New York brokerage firm Asiel & Co. In 1994 he retired from Wall Street after serving as a managing director of Lehman Brothers. He then pursued a new venture as the chief operating officer of First Marblehead, Inc., a student loan firm. He later became a managing member of Andover Brokerage in Garden City, NY. He retired from business in 2005. For over 34 years, Samra served on the board of Poly Prep, where he also held the position of chairman, and for 18 years he was a dedicated member of the board of Lawrence Hospital Center. In Charleston, South Carolina, he served on the board of the South Carolina Aquarium. At Poly, Samra was a member of the Tower Society, which recognizes

1928

David L. Marks died of natural causes at home in Minneapolis, MN on April 25, 2011. He was 99 years old.

1934

Rear Admiral Maurice Herbert Rindskopf, the youngest commander of an American fleet submarine during World War II died on

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alumni and parents who support Poly on an ongoing basis with substantial gifts, and the Joseph Dana Allen Society, members of which have made provisions for Poly in their estates. Victor Samra will be remembered as a modest and generous person who loved life and lived it fully. His greatest pleasure was spending time with his family and with friends, both old and new. He enjoyed exploring the world, always looking forward to new adventures, and in recent years he had become an inveterate traveler. Samra is survived by his wife Alexandra (Sherrer); children, Victor and Christina; their spouses, Laurie Maher-Samra and James Karper; grandson, Owen Samra; and was predeceased by his sister Lorraine Maloof. The Poly community mourns the passing of Victor Samra, longtime friend of Poly Prep, whose service and generosity to his alma mater has benefited Poly students now and for generations to come.

July 27, 2011 at his home in Annapolis, MD. He was 93. After graduating at the top of his class from Poly Prep in 1934, at 16, Admiral Rindskopf was accepted into the Naval Academy, where he was a star player on the lacrosse team. After retiring from the Navy in 1972, Admiral Rindskopf was a marketing manager for Westinghouse. He was

predeceased by his wife of 69 years, Sylvia Lubow Rindskopf in 2010, and by his only son Peter Eric Rindskopf in 1971. He is survived by his granddaughter, Amy Kathryn Rindskopf, her husband, James V. Schultz, and two great grandsons, Jasper and Ian Schultz of Winchester, MA, and by his daughterin-law, Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker of Sacramento, CA.

Ely Batkin passed away on January 19, 2010.

Sheldon Berdon died October 6, 2011 at the age of 92. Berdon was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and later President of Publix Shirt Corporation for many years. Berdon is survived by his wife, Joy; his daughter, Susan Maresco; his son, Frederick Berdon; his daughter-in-law, Karen (née Paige) Berdon; his daughter, Eileen Berdon Galen; and son-in-law, Peter Galen. He is also survived by his grandchildren and their spouses, including: Adam Shiffman (Malendia), Dan Shiffman (Leila), David Berdon (Nancy), Tracy Berdon Garber (Michael), Elizabeth (née Garnett) Levenson (Joel) and Michael Garnett (Sang Hee) and by his great-grandchildren including: Dylan, Riley, and Paige Garber, and Katie and Camryn Berdon.

1938

Frank J. Faruolo Jr., 90, attorney and a 45-year resident of East Williston, NY, passed away peacefully on December 2, 2010. Faruolo graduated from Dartmouth College, where he majored in political science, in 1942. Following Dartmouth, he enlisted in the army, serving in the United States Military Intelligence in France, Germany, and Belgium during WWII until 1946. He graduated from St. John’s University Law School in

February 1948 and practiced law in Brooklyn. He moved to Long Island in 1953 and began a law practice on Long Island in 1965. He was an attorney until the age of 86. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Lois. His first wife, Jacqueline Taliaferro, died in 1957. He was the father of Frank Faruolo, Donna (Ted) Gillen, John (Angela) Faruolo, Edward Faruolo, the late Thomas Faruolo; grandfather of Ted (Emily) Gillen, Jessica (Edward) Landon, Caroline Gillen, and the late Maryanne Gillen, John J. Faruolo, Mark Faruolo Nicholas Faruolo and his twin brother, the late Matthew Faruolo; brother of the late Anne Capra; brother-in law of James Capra; uncle of James Capra, his wife Linda Ransom, their son Jim Capra, and Anne Marie (Robert) Zenie. Dr. Donald Ottenstein of Belmont, MA died on May 4, 2011. For 55 years, he was married to the late Leah (Helpern). He is survived by his son, Paul C. Ottenstein; his son and daughter-in-law, John S. Ottenstein and Tibel Rubin; his son and daughter-in-law, Daniel Ari Ottenstein and Beth O. Fischer; and by his granddaguhter, Emily Ting Ottenstein. He was pre-deceased by his brother, George Ottenstein, and is survived by his sister-in-law, Susan, of New Rochelle, NY.

1939

Robert A. Moore passed away on November 4, 2010.

1940

Dr. Harry Balfe died on January 24, 2011 at the age of 88 in Wayne, NJ. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, CT and was a World War II Army Air Corps veteran who received the American Theater Ribbon, the Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. Balfe pursued a career in politics by volunteering on election campaigns for various political candidates, eventually obtaining a law degree at Catholic University where he earned a juris doctorate with honors. Balfe was a professor of political science at Montclair State University for 26 years, retiring in 1988. He was predeceased in 2002 by his wife, the former Judith Huggins. He is survived by his children, Jennifer L. Magazin; and her husband, Emilio of Totowa, and Thomas J. Balfe of Sarasota, FL; and his grandchildren, Logan Magazin and Landon Balfe.

1941

Theodore John Raffetto of Manasquan, NJ passed away on July 22, 2008. He was 86 years old. His son, Ted, shares that, “He always loved Poly Prep, and we all remember very fond stories of his time at Poly.” Following Rafetto’s service in the Army Air Force during World War II, he graduated from Lehigh University in 1949. He was the owner/proprietor of Raffetto Shoes, a Manasquan landmark since 1909. Ted is survived by his wife, Vera. They have five daughters, one son, 23 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Judson L. Streicher of Chester, NY and Delray Beach, FL died peacefully in his sleep on March 26, 2011. He was 87 years old. He was a proud alumnus of Poly Prep and Yale University. He served honorably in the US Navy in World War II. Streicher was a Wall Street executive, the senior member of J. Streicher & Co LLC, a family-owned and operated a brokerage business founded by his father more than a century ago, and a member of the NYSE for over 50 years. He was also a lifelong animal lover. Streicher is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dorothy Gale; a daughter, Katherine O’Brien; a son, James Streicher; and his Standard Poodle, Danny.

Paul M. Taffae of Boca Raton, FL passed away peacefully December 20, 2008. He is survived by his brother, Robert C. Taffae; sister-in-law, Anita R. Taffae; and nieces and nephews, Susan B. Mendik; Nancy B. Troy; Peter R. Taffae; Jessica Pack; and Joen Bettmann. After graduating summa cum laude from Poly, he did his undergraduate work at Rutgers University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and obtained his MA from Columbia University. Taffae was a writer and teacher. He served in the 75th Infantry Division during Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal of Valor and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

Rodman Sweeny, 87, of Hagerstown, MD, died December 10, 2011, in Boonsboro, MD. He was the husband of 67 years to Katherine Sue (Reese) Sweeny, Hagerstown, whom he married in May 1945. Sweeny was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, where he served in the US Marine Corps. He graduated from Dartmouth College. His advertising career with General Electric (International) Co. allowed him to travel the world. After his retirement with GE, he became the owner and operator of Quality Quick Print in Hagerstown for over 10 years.

1942

Dudley D. Campbell, Jr. died peacefully on July 11, 2011 with his family at his side. Arthur D. Emil died on July 6, 2010. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, during WWII, he served in the US Navy aboard a Destroyer Escort in the North Atlantic. Emil practiced law for 60 years. His greatest commitment in life was to his family. Emil’s first wife, Jane Allen Emil, with whom he had three children, died in 1973. Emil married Lydia Moffat dePolo on July 6, 1976 and welcomed her daughter into the family. He is survived by his wife, Lydia; his children, David, Jennie, and Suzanne; and step-daughter, Adrianne; their spouses; and their children.

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O B I TU A R I E S Stevens H. Weiss passed away in June 2008.

1943

Bevin Koeppel died on December 20, 2011. He was the husband of Maureen, father of Diane and Gerard, Elizabeth and Matthew Gandy, Victoria Williams, and the late Constance; grandfather of Jackson, Harry, Kate, and Harrison; brother of Louise Feldman, the late Selma Friedman, Geraldine Adler, Grace Gold, and Alfred Koeppel.

1944

Dr. Richard H. Sands, an orthodontist who practiced in Westport and co-founder of New-Conn Orthodontist Study group, died on February 10, 2012 at his home in Sarasota, FL. He was 84. Sands graduated from Amherst College and Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. He served in the Navy as a nurse and physician’s assistant at the end of, and shortly after, World War II. A lover of jazz and classical music, Sands was an accomplished clarinetist and saxophonist. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan; his daughter, Caren; his two sons, Gordon and Jeffrey; and seven grandchildren.

William Wallace III, of Upper Saddle River, NJ died on July 31, 2011. He is survived by his son, Andrew Wallace; and daughter-inlaw, Carla of Williston, VT; and his brother, Douglas Wallace of Brooklyn, NY. 48

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He was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy, and his sister, Ruth Wallace.

1945

Richard F. Brown passed away at home on August 18, 2010, after surviving many illnesses over the years. Predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Ruthie, they raised their daughters, Randi Ferraro of Norfolk, VA and Cynthia Wolf of Juno Beach, in Plymouth Meeting, PA. Brown was known for his great sense of humor, which he retained to the very end of his life. He had the highest sense of integrity and good sportsmanship, which he passed on to his family. He will be dearly missed by his daughters and their families. Thomas R. Farrell died on May 13, 2011 at age 81. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary; his children, Thomas “Tosh” (Laurie) Farrell of Webster, Catherine “Katie” Farrell of Honeoye, Megan Farrell of Buffalo, Maureen Farrell of Honeoye, Patricia (Dwight) Slocum of Springwater, and Ellen (Peter Yacobucci) Farrell of Buffalo; his grandchildren, Caitlin, Macie, Brendan, Shane, Cormac, Brett, Erin, Tosh, Margaret, Jacob, and Mia; by several nieces and nephews; and by many friends. Kenneth S. Hillyer of Viera, FL and formerly of Garden City, NY and Manhattan, has died of cancer. He is survived by his companion, Mary Lane Johnson; his

former wife, Joyce; his son and daughter-in-law Bruce (Bethany Robinson); his daughters, Holly and Hope; and his granddaughter, Alexandra. Hillyer received a BA from Colgate University in 1948. His career in the insurance industry in New York started at Home Life Insurance Co. in July 1949. He retired as Vice President of Sedgwick James in 1983. Austin Tobin, 84, of Southbury, CT., a legend in the municipal bond world, died May 9, 2012 after an illness of several months. A lieutenant in the Marines in World War II and a captain during the Korean Conflict, he graduated from Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School. He was a life-long student of history and government, and a connoisseur of art and literature. He is mourned by his wife, Nancy Becklean Tobin; his children with former wife, Elizabeth Stephens Tobin; Austin III and wife Rita; Farley and husband Alton Parks; John and former wife Nancy Feinberg; his grandchildren, Jacob; Austin IV; Nina; and his sister, Stacy Carmichael. He is also mourned by his stepchildren, Jennifer Conn Bonnar, Richard, Elizabeth, Robert Conn; and colleagues, David Abel and Tom Lanctot.

1948

Edward I. Barz died May 9, 2012 of esophageal cancer. He graduated from Brown University. He was a retired Lt. Commander in the Navy

O B I TUARI E S Reserve and had been vice president and national director of media research at Foote, Con & Belding and executive vice president of Simmons Market Research Bureau. His first wife, Dierdre Merrill, died in 1998. He is survived by his wife, Janet K. Marcus; two daughters, Pamela of Londonderry, NH; and Jennifer Barz-Snell of Salem, MA; a stepson, Adam Marcus; of Boston and six grandchildren. Ellis R. Mottur, 79, an authority on science and technology policy who was a top aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and retired in 2001 as a senior Commerce Department official, died September 3, 2010 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD. A longtime Democratic Party activist, Mottur worked on the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Robert Kennedy in 1968. He was a campaign liaison to the business and high-tech community for the presidential runs of Michael Dukakis in 1988 and Bill Clinton in 1992. He was a companion for more than 20 years of Inge-Lise Sheppard of North Bethesda. Other survivors include a son from his marriage, Alfred E. Mottur of Chevy Chase; a brother; and three grandchildren. Nathan (Nick) K. Trynin died November 18, 2011 at his home on Shelter Island, NY, where he lived with his wife of 33 years, Judith

Sutton. He was 81. The majority of his professional life was spent at Amerada Hess Corporation as a senior executive. Trynin was an appreciator of all cultures through his extensive international travels. His life was filled with family, many meaningful long-term friendships, and hobbies, including sailing and golf. A creature of habit and a repeater of a good joke, he favored filet of sole, chocolate ice cream and a gin martini, best enjoyed out at the end of his Shelter Island dock with his friend, Marvin. In addition to his wife, Trynin is survived by his sister, Kate Kestnbaum; his daughter, Jennifer S. Trynin; and son-in-law, Mike Denneen; his son, Thomas C. Trynin; and daughter-in-law, Robin Trynin; and his two grandchildren, Gracie Denneen and Sadie Trynin.

1950

M. Scott Brodie died on May 4, 2011 at his home in Charlotte, NC after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 78. He will be profoundly missed by his family, friends and colleagues in both the New York and Charlotte financial communities. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Roberta Jane Brodie. He was predeceased by his first wife, Gloria Sherman Brodie. He is also survived by his son, John Sherman Brodie of Manhattan; his stepsons, Stephen Symmes of West Palm Beach, FL and

LARRY HAYDEN

Master Teacher & Friend Poly Prep lost a beloved retired faculty member when Larry Hayden died on October 12, 2011. He was 86 years old. “Mr. Hayden”, as he was known to the thousands of students he taught during his 31 years at Poly, was born on May 5, 1925. At Poly, Hayden taught Upper School English and was the advisor to The Polyglot. He began his career at Poly in 1957 and retired in 1986. In a 1957 issue of The Polygon, Hayden discussed his new teaching position and a reading development course he introduced to students to foster reading skills, speed, and efficiency. Former students describe him as colorful and cheerful, with a witty, if somewhat acerbic view of the world. They also remember his famous spot quote tests in English literature during which he asked questions such as: “Who said ‘What, you egg!’ in Macbeth?”

Jay Symmes of Atlanta; and his grandchildren, Nicholas and Alexandra Brodie; and Christopher, Amanda, and Emily Symmes.

1951

Dr. Alan I. Burbank died September 18, 2008. He was a retired physician living in Windham, NH and Tucson, AZ.

As his many students through the years attest, he taught them vital lessons that have served them throughout their lives. He was an expert on many topics, ranging from English literature and the Duke of Wellington to the professional sports teams of Cleveland and The Ohio State University football team. A decorated combat veteran of World War II, Hayden earned his BA from Wooster College where he studied American literature and completed his graduate work at Columbia University in 1950. Before moving to Brooklyn, New York, he taught English and creative writing at Wooster College and The Gow School in South Wales, New York. He is survived by his wife Laurie, his son Jim, his sister Barbara, his daughter-in-law Kathie, and his grandson Jamal. Poly held a memorial gathering in Hayden’s honor during Special Reunion on April 27, 2012.

Peter E. Newman passed away after a short stay at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans on August 12, 2010. He was 77 years old. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Judith S. Newman; his children, Paul Newman and Nancy Newman Lehrman; his son-in-law, Douglas Lehrman; and grandsons, Michael and Eli. He is also survived by his sister, Nancy Martin of California; and sister-in-law Toby R. Spiselman of New York City.

1952

Peter Einar Hanssen, 76, died at St. Luke’s Hospital, March 20, 2011. He taught painting, drawing, and art history for 35 years at Kingsborough Community College, the Pratt Institute, and Marist College. A veteran of the Korean War, Hanssen served from 195256 as a crypto-linguist for the US Army. He is known for his abstract expressionist paintings, satirical drawings,

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O B I TU A R I E S and digital photography. Hanssen is survived by his wife, Daria Hanssen; and his five children, John Hanssen and his wife Jennifer, Elizabeth Hanssen, Julie Hanssen, Sarah Adamek and her husband, John, and Charmaine Allegra. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren; a brother, Richard Hanssen and his wife, Jane; a sister-in-law, Constance Pagano and her husband, Arnold; as well as cousins, nieces, nephews, and numerous friends.

1953

Allen Mottur passed away on January 8, 2011 at his home in Chatham, MA. He was the husband of Elizabeth “Libby” Mottur for 52 years. Mottur had a long and successful career as an international management consultant for various companies including Harbridge House; Allen Mottur & Associates; Temple, Barker & Sloane, and Arthur D. Little. Besides his wife, he is survived by his three children, Tom, Beth, and Peter; two daughters-in-law, Jennifer and Debbie; and his five grandchildren, Abigail, Nate, Andrew, Charlie, and Ryan.

1954

Dr. John A. Mussio, 72, passed away at his home, August 10, 2009. Dr. Mussio is survived by Joann, his wife of 41 years; and children, Jennifer, Alexander (and daughter-in-law, Jodie); and Lawrence and Adrian. Dr. Mussio graduated from Villanova University (1959) and New York Medical School (1963). Dr. Mussio completed his residency at Monmouth Medical School (New Jersey) and studied neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia).

Dr. William Z. Yahr, who developed the intra-aortic medical device, died on September 19, 2011. He was 74. Yahr attended Dartmouth College and then graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1961. In addition to his daughter, Harriette, Yahr is survived by daughter, Elizabeth Southard; son, Alexander Yahr; brother, Peter Yahr; grandchildren, Ashley and Ryan Southard; and his yellow Labrador, Shadow. His mother, Beatrice, died just days before her son.

1955

George R. Medley, formerly of Short Hills, NJ, passed away after a brief illness on January 26, 2011. Medley is survived by his wife, Ellen; children, Heather, Melinda (Brian), George Jr., and James (Sandra); and brother James (Glenda). Born in Brooklyn on November 15, 1937, George graduated from Poly Prep and University of Oklahoma and was a member of the University Glee Club of New York.

1957

Dr. Robert P. LaFiandra, 71, loving father and husband, enthusiastic gardener, and caring doctor, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family on September 3 3, 2011. He studied medicine before joining the Public Health Service and served in Chile, where he developed a love for South American culture. LaFiandra moved to Vermont for his residency in Internal Medicine and in 1970 opened his solo practice in Middlebury, devoting his life to the health of his patients, his community, and the profession. He is survived by his wife, Ann; his three children, Matthew, Andrew, and Alessandra; his two sisters, Annette and Alba; and a large extended family.

1962

Robert K. Flug passed away peacefully in his sleep in Portland, OR on July 7, 2011.

1964

Dr. Kenneth C. Hertz died on August 21, 2011 after a long battle with leukemia. He was 64. Hertz, who was subsection chief of dermatology at Baptist Hospital Kendall, specialized in the surgical and nonsurgical treatment of skin disorders. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, his medical degree from Harvard, and postgraduate training at Yale before finishing his residency in dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. A Miami resident for 35 years, Hertz served as president of the Miami Dermatological Society and as a board member of the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgeons. He is survived by his wife; children, Michael and Nicole; a brother, Paul Hertz; and grandchildren, Spencer and Lacey.

1976

Jordan Pfister passed away on February 26, 2011, due to protracted and escalating complications from chemotherapy treatment for multiple myeloma. More than a hundred friends, family, and Poly alumni, including Sam Elkind ‘76 and Greg Skillman ‘76, attended a celebration of his life on March 5.

Stay Connected! Join Poly’s worldwide alumni network. Attend Homecoming 2012 or another one of our many fun alumni events!

HOMECOMING 2012 OCTOBER 27, 2012 DYKER HEIGHTS CAMPUS R.S.V.P. to Maria DiNaso, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at mdinaso@polyprep.org or by phone at (718) 836-9800, ext. 3090.

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twitter.com/polyprep

youtube.com/polyprepcds

Notable Faculty Accomplishments (July 2011-June 2012) Below, we have provided just a sampling of some of the notable faculty accomplishments this past year that took place outside the classroom. Five faculty members — Guy Devyatkin (Science), Louise Forsyth (History), Michael McGrann (Classics), Jamie Nestor (Classics; World Languages), and Sayo Yamaguchi (World Languages) presented at a February 22 NYSAIS Conference in New York City. Lisa Ammirati (Science) was accepted into the prestigious Klingenstein Summer Institute at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Nick Armstrong (Performing Arts Department Chair) conducted the 2011-12 Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra season.

Notable Faculty Accomplishments (July 2011-June 2012)

At Poly, we are proud of our outstanding faculty, coaches, and mentors who achieve many amazing things each day in the classroom, lab, art studio, rehearsal room and theater, gym, and on the playing fields. But Poly faculty are busy outside the classroom, too. Some are entering new degree programs, earning new degrees and 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.

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Sandy Bornstein (Science) delivered the annual Livingston Family Lectureship on scientists in the movies on November 30, 2011. Diana Chery (World Languages) spoke at the Colloquium on Hispanic Literature organized by Latino Artists Round Table and City College on October 15, 2011. Her play, Bogotá Underground, premiered in Bogotá, Colombia, on April 10. Guy Devyatkin P’01 (Science) was appointed to a three-year term appointment to the William M. Williams Chair in Professional Development. Devyatkin also received a Livingston Family Lectures in the Natural Sciences grant for the 20122013 academic year. Dan Doughty (Middle School Performing Arts Coordinator) completed his second year of the Kodaly Certification Program at NYU. Caesar Fabella (History) received a fellowship grant by the Oxbridge Teacher Summer Seminar to study for a week in Paris.

Louise Forsyth (History) presented at the International Symposium of Social Studies Education at Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2012. Marisa Gomez (English Department Chair) began work on her masters degree in Independent School Leadership. She is part of the summer cohort in the Klingenstein program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Michal Hershkovitz (History Department Chair) received a Miles M. Kastendieck Lectures in the Humanities grant for the 2012-2013 academic year Christy Hutchcraft (English) took a fiction writing workshop with Jennifer Egan at The Summer Writer’s Lab through Long Island University. Maite Iracheta (Foreign Languages) wrote an article on cemeteries titled “La antitesis célibe” for the Mexican magazine Picnic which was published in the literary section of the AugustSeptember issue. Javaid Khan (Director of Diversity) received a Miles M. Kastendieck Lectures in the Humanities grant for the 2012-2013 academic year. Amy Kohn (Assistant Director of College Counseling; Performing Arts) completed her M.S. Ed. in School Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Patrick Livingstone (Dean of Student Life; History) spent part of summer 2011 at Phillips Exeter Academy attending a workshop on classroom discussion. Jose Oliveras (World Languages) served as artistic director of a Latino theater company, Teatro Circulo, in Manhattan, which he founded 18 years ago.

Charles Polizano P’18 (Director of Technology - Systems & Operations) earned a master’s in Instructional Technology from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. Pamela Pollock (Performing Arts) performed at the 92Y with Jazz Choreography Enterprises, Inc. on June 15 and continued to perform during the year with her dance company, Movement of the People. John Rearick (English; College Counseling) delivered his Kastendieck lecture on Japan on October 20, 2011. Rearick also received a threeyear term appointment to the William M. Williams Chair in Professional Development this spring and had his plays on Greek mythology produced by a sixth-grade class in Irvine, CA. Josina Reaves (English; Form V Dean) earned her Master of Letters degree from Middlebury College. Peter Rice (Science) participated in a three-day workshop on “Effective Classroom Management” sponsored by NYSAIS. Nick Soodik (English; Form III Dean) published his essay “A Frothy Goodbye” on the popular online New York City stories website, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood. Sayo Yamaguchi (World Languages) attended a week-long technology-based foreign language teaching workshop in Washington, DC; a three-day workshop on program management in Upstate, NY; and volunteered with a Prospect Park program about lifestyles of the 1800s during the summer of 2011.

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POLY PORTFOLIO: COMMENCEMENT 2012

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Tomorrow’s Assignment:

p e r P y l o P y c a g e L r u +__Y_o________ e r u t u F e h =T Help us fulfill our mission to prepare and inspire the next diverse generation of leaders and global citizens to act with intelligence, imagination, and — above all — character.

Make a Planned Gift Today. • Bequests

Poly Softball Team 2012

• CharitaBle Gift annuity • CharitaBle remainder annuity trust • retirement assets • life insuranCe

Alumni Board of Governors Executive Board Hal Rose ‘74, P’04 ‘09 President, Alumni Board of Governors Paul Zola ‘53 Vice President, Alumni Board of Governors Matthew O. Walsh ‘92 Chair, Awards Committee

CI ETY

JOS

A ALLE AN N

Nick Gravante ‘78, P’20, ‘23 and Nicole Bonica ‘93 Co-Chairs, Fundraising Committee

For more information and how you can join The Joseph Dana Allen Society, which recognizes those who make planned gifts to Poly, please visit www.polyprep.org/plannedgiving. Or, please contact Gabrielle Gilliam P’21, Director of Development,

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at (718) 836-9800 ext. 3240 or at ggilliam@polyprep.org.

Wade Saadi ‘95 Chair, Networking and Mentoring Committee Nadia Mastromichalis ‘94 Chair, New York Events Committee Gilbert H. Feldman ‘42, P’83, ‘85 Vice President Emeritus

MEMBERS Eileen Ahasic ‘01 Mark A. Ahasic ‘95 Steven Andersen ‘71, P’13, ‘22 John Artise ‘65 Danielle Sabbagh Basso ‘90 William Basso ‘89 Harold Bernieri ‘85, P’15 Marianne Bertuna ‘94 Timothy W. Boardman ‘04 Andrew T. Brandman ‘87 Lawrence S. Brandman ‘78 Francis J. Castellano ‘84, P’16 Shannon Cohall ‘10 Lisa M. Della Pietra ‘86 Samantha L. DiGennaro ‘88 Lawrence F. DiGiovanna ‘69 Qadir Forbes ‘11 Gary E. Hanna ‘84 Raymund Lansigan ‘00

Daniel Lempert ‘09 Anne Levine ‘09 Alexandra Maresca ‘00 Courtney Nolan ‘08 Lawrence D. Patton ‘82 Gerald I. Scher ‘49 Andrew Schrijver ‘07 Martin E. Valk ‘81 John Verzosa ’00 Dr. Vincent J. Vigorita ‘68, P’96, ‘99 STUDENT MEMBER Ayisha McHugh ‘12

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The Poly Classroom 1965: Miss Julia Bartel & 5th Grade Students