The Riparian - Spring 2013 by The Rivers School

Riparian The RiveRs school • spRing 2013

• Miles Jacoby ’07: On National Tour • Conquering Math: A Collaborative Approach • Community Service: A Culture of Giving Back Spring 2013 • Riparian • i

Congratulations to Rivers’ NEPSAC Champions!

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After finishing the regular season as ISL Co-Champions, the varsity boys’ soccer team continued through postseason play to garner a second title— New England Co-Champions, in a double overtime shutout tie against Roxbury Latin. The team finished with an overall record of 16-1-3. Rivers’ varsity boys’ ski team returned home from the NEPSAC Championship races at Shawnee Peak in Maine with the championship title for the second year in a row. This year, however, they competed in Class B, while last year’s title was in Class C!

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Board of Trustees 2012–2013

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PRESIDENt: Clinton P. Harris

Honorary Trustees of the Corporation Term Trustees Benjamin R. Bloomstone Robert E. Buonato ’81 Louise Cummings ’98 Karen L. Daniels Howard G. Davis ’70 Robert J. Davis Ben D. Fischman Mark R. Florence Andrew N. Jaffe ’93 Stephen M. Jennings ii • Riparian • Spring 2013

Daniel A. Kraft Frank H. Laukien Hongmei Li Barbara V. Ligon Deborah H. McAneny Michael E. McGuinness James C. Mullen Geoffrey S. Rehnert Alan D. Rose ’87 Solomon B. Roth Laurie Schoen

Mark S. Schuster ’72 Laurie Slifka Richard L. Smith Steven J. Snider Michael P. Stansky Eric M. Wolf Life Trustees David M. Berwind Charles C. Carswell Stephen R. Delinsky

Peter A. Gaines G. Arnold Haynes Harriet R. Lewis Thomas L. Lyons Joel B. Sherman Frances B. Shifman William B. tyler ’43 Joan A. Vaccarino Cai von Rumohr Joan C. Walter Frank S. Waterman III ’41 Dudley H. Willis

Joan t. Allison Thomas P. Beal Richard A. Bradley Marie Fitzpatrick Louis J. Grossman ’67 Joshua M. Kraft ’85 Warren M. Little ’51 Virginia S. MacDowell Deborah S. Petri Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59 A. tozzer Spalding ’62

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vol. XXviii • numbeR 1

Riparian The RiveRs school • spRing 2013

vase by olivia Antonelli ’14

Editor

christine martin, Director of communications and stewardship writErs

hillary noble, Jessica isner, melisse hinkle PhotograPhErs

Tim morse, hillary noble, hailey miller, sandy swartz dEsignEr

Amanda Wait & David gerratt, nonprofitDesign.com PrintEr

signature printing & consulting, brian maranian ’96 hEad of school

Thomas p. olverson dirEctor of advancEmEnt

Janice h. hicinbothem associatE dirEc tor of advancEmEnt

marney hupper coordinator of ParEnt rEl ations

Amy Dunne dirEctor of alumni Programs

hailey miller

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Message from Head of School tom Olverson FEAtuRE:

Conquering Math: A Collaborative Approach FEAtuRE:

Community Service: A Culture of Giving Back FEAtuRE:

Miles Jacoby ’07: On National tour Campus News Parent News: Senior Parents Celebrate Rivers Artists Well Rewarded Ambassador Philip Goldberg ’74: Alumni Excellence Award Recipient Dave Davis ’70: Images of a Generation Honoring 25 Years of Service: Jeremy Harrison ALuMNI PROFILES:

Alan Ashenfelter ’05 Kate Smith ’10 Alison Goldberg ’92

Class Notes and Alumni Events In Memoriam ON COveR Faculty member Juliet chase bailey & miles Jacoby ’07

The RiveRS SChOOl 333 Winter street Weston, mA 02493-1040 781-235-9300 www.rivers.org

RipaRian: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.” The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends. to save on the cost of mailing the Riparian, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same household so that your home will receive only one copy. If you have reason to receive additional copies at your address, please call Chris Martin at 781-235-9300, ext. 230.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 1

Message from the head of School

Taking Stock By tHOMAS P. OLVERSON

recently read an article in The New York Times about the critical role self-assessment plays in the careers of “superachievers.” Authors Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield propose that a company’s ultimate success often rests with its leader’s willingness to examine and, if necessary, reset the company’s basic assumptions and goals. Self-examination is seen not as a sign of weakness, but one of courage and creativity. At Rivers, we’ve been doing our own “self-examination” this year as the first step toward re-accreditation in the fall. Faculty and staff committees have gathered information about current practices and policies that will be reviewed by an outside committee of educators who will make their own recommendations. I’ve been particularly interested in the results of the surveys completed by students, parents, faculty, and alumni as part of this self-study. As our “customers,” your responses are the true measure of whether or not we are fulfilling our mission to educate knowledgeable and compassionate leaders of tomorrow. Here’s a sampling of what we’ve found so far: More than 95 percent of the students feel that their teachers want them to succeed and provide the academic and personal support they need to achieve their goals. They find our program to be challenging, but say they’re able to pursue their individual interests and grow as individuals and leaders. Our greatest strength is our faculty—“engaged, passionate, good listeners, understanding but challenging,” to quote a few comments. Students also praise our strong sense of community—“safe, comfortable, tight-knit, accepting”—as well as our small class sizes and interactive classes. Parents agree wholeheartedly with their kids (which is nice to hear!) and add their own observations: 99 percent feel the Rivers program helps their children reach their potential, is developmentally appropriate, and recognizes different learning styles and characteristics. Again, the faculty is seen as one of the greatest

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strengths—“dynamic, accomplished, truly caring, able to balance nurturing and challenging, and clearly love teaching.” Alumni, especially those within the last decade, felt overwhelmingly that Rivers had prepared them well for college, with more than 96 percent rating the academic support and a respectful, nurturing learning environment as key. They rated their continued connections with both fellow classmates and former teachers as extremely important. So, when we have finally compiled all of our research, what will the self-study reveal? Do we need to reexamine any of our assumptions? Do we need to reset any of our goals? The study and surveys have already revealed areas where there’s work to be done—the need for new facilities and expanded diversity, for example. I look forward to the final step in this “self-examination” process when we sit down and create a new strategic plan for Rivers. As a community, we are committed to growing — as individuals, as educators, and as an institution. I’d like to think that we will be up to the challenge of taking this information and using it to shape an even better Rivers, fine-tuned to deliver a challenging curriculum in a supportive community, in step with the ever-changing demands of our times.

Rivers Welcomes New Trustee

aurie Slifka became a member of the Board of trustees’ Education Committee in 2011

and has been a volunteer for the Parents’ League annual fundraising auction since joining the Rivers community in 2009. Laurie and her husband Eric, who is president and CEO of Global Partners, have co-chaired the Annual Fund at Rivers. In addition to her involvement at Rivers, she has been a board member of Wellesley’s Junior Women’s Club and Friendly Aid Association. She is also on the Board of Directors of The Home for Little Wanderers in Boston. Laurie and Eric live in Wellesley with their two sons, Max, Rivers’ Class of 2013, and Colby, Class of 2016, and their daughter Claudia.

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Conquering Math: A Collaborative Approach By MELISSE HINKLE

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t’s not me against you,” Dan McCartney announced to students as he began one of his math classes a few years ago. “It’s me and you against algebra.” The opening statement resonated with students—from aspiring mathematicians to those intimidated by the mere mention of a function—and variations of it now launch many Rivers math classes. Replace “algebra” with “geometry” or “calculus” and you begin to understand the philosophy that defines Rivers’ math department. “I want students to know I’m on their side,” said McCartney, who chairs the department. “Not that the course is the enemy, but it’s an obstacle, and we’re going to get through it together. I’m willing to work as hard as the students are willing to work.” Math teachers at Rivers follow a seemingly simple equation in the classroom—introduction of material plus ensuring understanding of that material equals mastery—but the constant thought and planning that go into the execution of each step have resulted in an increasingly comprehensive and student-centric curriculum. Gone are the days of passive learning, with material being introduced to students sitting in rows of desks by a teacher lecturing at the front of the room. At Rivers, teachers are part of the classroom dialogue, students sit in pods and actively participate in class, and the student-teacher bond transcends the classroom. The strength of these student-faculty relationships at Rivers serves as a launch pad for learning. “We have connections with these students that aren’t just in the context of the math classroom,” said math teacher Leslie Fraser. “They share things about their lives with us.” “We like to say math is a contact sport,” said McCartney. “You have to get up. You have to experience things. Students don’t want to sit there passively. They want interactivity. I tell my students if I talk for more than 10 minutes straight, they’re free to leave. And they hold me to it!” Information is introduced to math students in a number of ways, with teachers still being the key experts delivering material. Faculty members are in a constant state of collaboration, discussing everything from classroom techniques that worked to high-level curriculum adjustments that will better prepare students as they advance in their math classes at Rivers. “My first year teaching, I went through a lecture and one of the students said, ‘Mr. McCartney, I don’t get it. I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” said McCartney. “Being a teacher, I was so thrilled to get a question like that, and I re-explained it a little more enthusiastically and in a louder voice. The student said, ‘Mr. McCartney, I’m not hard of hearing, I’m just hard of learning.’ I realized then that you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to learning.”

Dan McCartney and class

Leslie Fraser and class

“We like to say math is a contact sport,” said McCartney. “You have to get up. You have to experience things.” “We’re constantly thinking about the best way to present material to the students and make the classroom more dynamic,” said Fraser. “As faculty members, we share everything: the activities we do, the tech tools we find that helped—you name it.” One of these tech tools is Khan Academy, a series of online educational video lectures developed by educator and entrepreneur Salman Khan. Fraser and her colleagues occasionally use Spring 2013 • Riparian • 3

these video lectures to “flip the classroom” for some lessons, meaning students watch a video lecture screened by the teacher as homework, complete online practice problems at home to solidify the information they received in the lecture, then tackle much more difficult problems in class with the teacher there as a mentor and coach. “For certain lessons, this is a tool that helps students get the basics under their belt before they come to class,” said Fraser. “Then, we can use class time to dig into the hard problems. It’s also a resource that helps students study for a midterm or final, and many alums tell us they’ve continued to use it in college.” Fraser also notes general web-based research has inspired students to develop independent projects that involve “real world” application of mathematical concepts. Some advanced math students who finish Rivers’ traditional curriculum by the end of junior year choose to take classes like linear algebra and multivariable calculus through MIt OpenCourseWare, a set of online courses offered through MIt. A Rivers teacher mentors any student taking one of these courses and coaches him or her through problem sets. “I’ve had students come in after the AP exam is over and tell me they want to do some advanced material in the last few weeks before school ends, so I suggest one of these classes to them,” said Fraser. While faculty members have developed numerous innovative ways to dispense information to students, McCartney maintains the step that follows information delivery—ensuring understanding of the material—is often the most critical piece of the learning process. understanding is primarily reached by using group work, practice, activities, online animations, and online homework to promote interactivity, engagement, and involvement. “During group work, teachers become more of an observer, mentor, and coach, rather than a lecturer,” said McCartney. During this stage, faculty members often design problems that are better solved in a group as opposed to individually, so students have the chance to work together. They will call teachers over to ask questions and confirm accuracy. “It helps them find their voice, build their confidence, and encourages them to take risks,” said McCartney. “They start to understand failure is not necessarily a bad thing. Many times I’ll say, ‘What was your approach, how far did you go, when did you decide that was the wrong approach, and what did you do to go in a different direction?’” 4 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Understanding is primarily reached by using group work, practice, activities, online animations, and online homework to promote interactivity, engagement, and involvement. “During group work, teachers become more of an observer, mentor, and coach, rather than a lecturer,” said McCartney. Students use critical thinking skills to find the best way to problem solve and correct mathematical mistakes. Group work is facilitated by the average class size of 12 students. Floor-toceiling white boards and Apple tV-equipped classrooms provide the ideal canvas for practice problems. Students are often charged with completing practice work at the white boards and working through problems independently or in any size group they choose. McCartney and Fraser say it’s amazing to watch students work together, help one another, and solve problems in this environment. “Observing this practice also gives us instantaneous feedback,” said McCartney. “We can see exactly where each student is in the understanding process.” Further understanding is promoted through carefully designed activities. “The students make connections during this process,” said Fraser. “And it fosters respect for different learning processes.” technology also plays a role. Online animations are used to help illustrate trigonometry functions, create visuals for calculus concepts, and capture students’ attention. An online homework program called MathXL gives teachers the ability to tailor homework assignments by selecting problems for students to work on. As students move through the online problem sets, they can request help, get additional problems to complete, click on a link that will take them to the page in the e-textbook that explains the concept they’re studying, watch a video explaining the concept, generate a sample test, or even email the teacher with a question. For teachers, the program generates a digital dashboard that shows who completed the assignment, how long it took each student, and which problems were completed correctly or incorrectly.

“When I look at this dashboard, I know immediately how to spend the first 10 minutes of class,” said McCartney. “We used to have to collect hard copies of homework, and there was sometimes a delay in knowing what issues students were having, but this helps us address difficulties right away and use class time efficiently.” In addition to traditional assessments, such as exams, students demonstrate their arrival at the final stage of the learning process —mastery—by verbally articulating concepts and delivering explanations via written work. The methods in this step may sound traditional, but it is their execution and the integration of leadership qualities that make them part of the Rivers way. With an understanding of a mathematical concept and the fundamental leadership skills to articulate that concept under their belts, students who have achieved mastery during a lesson often display their achievement by voluntarily helping others in class and giving clear explanations during discussions. Students must also defend their thinking and concisely explain their thought processes in written homework. “We take an interdisciplinary approach in the sense that we teach students math is also about communications,” said Fraser. “The critical thinking that helps students get to the answer is as important as the answer. We want to know how you got to your conclusions.” The highest level of this mastery is exhibited in Rivers’ teaching assistants program in which advanced math students assist faculty members, helping to teach lessons in class and hosting extra help sessions for their peers. Validation that the journey through Rivers’ student-centric math curriculum results in excellence goes beyond anecdotal evidence. Of the 21 students who took Fraser’s Calculus AB class during the 2011–12 academic year and then took the Advanced Placement exam that spring (students who take Advanced Placement classes at Rivers are required to sit for the corresponding exams), 19 of those students received the highest possible score: a five. Fraser and McCartney, who are both Rivers parents, maintain the opportunities available to students serve as the foundation for members of the department to be innovative in their approach to teaching math. They site an admissions process that adds highquality students to the community, state-of-the-art classrooms in

the Campus Center, small class sizes, a school culture of excellence in which kids like learning and it’s “cool to be smart,” and an incredible amount of support from students’ parents. School-wide initiatives, such as a new daily class schedule with 80-minute blocks that has made it easy to break class up into segments, also support faculty efforts. teachers say they feel encouraged through relationships with their colleagues and professional development funding to take risks and try new things. “We want students to take risks, build character, and become lifelong learners,” said Fraser. “We expect a lot from them, and they expect a lot from us.” Each year, faculty members spend time mapping the math curriculum from sixth grade through senior year, noting skills that need to be acquired each year. They make annual tweaks based on what worked well and what didn’t. Then, throughout the year, they make minor adjustments to optimize the learning environment, support leadership skill development, and respond to student needs.

“We take an interdisciplinary approach in the sense that we teach students math is also about communications,” said Fraser. “The critical thinking that helps students get to the answer is as important as the answer. We want to know how you got to your conclusions.”

“Innovation is often seen as synonymous with technology,” said McCartney. “Our role as educational innovators is to, of course, look at all the technological tools available to us and decide which ones to use, but it’s also to look at our non-technological innovations: Which activities are we designing for our classes? Which problems should we use?” The Rivers way of teaching math is designed in part to help equip students with 21st century skills like collaboration, teamwork, and communication. McCartney and his colleagues are always aiming to give students a competitive advantage and a sense of self-efficacy as they prepare to tackle adulthood. “We hope it all started here at Rivers,” he said. Spring 2013 • Riparian • 5

Community Service A C u Lt u R E O F G I V I N G BAC K

By CHRIStINE MARtIN

very tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. sharp, Alex Gamez ’14 and Nate Johnson ’14 head off to pre-school. They spend the next hour—a free period when they could be getting a head start on homework—side-by-side with three- and four-year-olds at the Roxbury Weston Preschool, doing whatever activity the kids are immersed in. “I see this as a Big Brother type of relationship,” commented Alex. “I didn’t have a father or brother figure in my early youth, so I want to be a positive role model for kids. I love working with them, reminding them to respect their teachers and each other, helping to influence their mindset,” he continued. “I do that just by interacting with them one-on-one.” “Last October, we were all decorating paper pumpkins,” he recalled. “One kid thought his pumpkin had to look exactly like his friend’s. I encouraged him to do what he wanted to do, that it’s a good thing to be different. He hadn’t realized that.” “Helping out at Roxbury Weston so far this year has been an amazing experience,” agreed Nate. “I was honestly a little nervous and skeptical about (being) an assistant to the youngest students. However, their energy was infectious, and I continue to be envious of their enthusiasm for simple games and activities. “I soon realized that reading a book to one of the kids, solving a puzzle, playing ‘the teacher game’ (in which the kids teach me), or singing a song alongside them would have a positive impact on their day and reinforce my role to them as a mentor and friend,” he concluded. Last winter, Erica Chalmers ’14 and her classmate Maclaine Lehan ’14 organized a school-wide dodgeball tournament to raise money to support the construction of a school for girls in the Republic of The Gambia. The tournament raised more than $1,000 for the cause. “There’s another dodgeball tournament this year, and we hope to make it an annual event at Rivers,” said Erica recently. “With a

Nate Johnson ’14 and Alex Gamez ’14

6 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Ben Donahue ’06 in Tanzania

Erica Chalmers ’14, Yassin Sarr Fox, Maclaine Lehan ’14

goal of raising $10,000 to send 100 girls to school for $100 each, the tournament is a great start.” But the tournaments are the just the middle chapter in Erica’s commitment to improving the educational opportunities of girls in Africa. Since coming to Rivers, she has (1) organized the shipment of surplus school furniture from her hometown of Natick to a school in the Republic of The Gambia, (2) raised thousands of dollars to actually ship the furniture to The Gambia, (3) brought Gambian native Yassin Sarr Fox, head of Starfish International, to Rivers to talk to students about her own upbringing and education, (4) founded a nonprofit called Janga Yakarr— Educational Hope, to raise tuition money for girls at the school, and (5) made plans to expand the scope of her fundraising efforts both in the u.S. and abroad. Though she would be the last to expect it, Erica’s initiatives earned her a Distinguished Finalist designation by the 18th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards committee this year. “Coming into Rivers from another school, I found that here, if you have a passion, everyone wants to help you, from every office on campus,” she concluded. “We still had to go through the process to plan the dodgeball game, but there was the spirit of ‘let’s do what we can to support you.’” “We also want to expand to other schools,” said Erica. “There are five or six of us at Rivers, and we all have friends from other schools and activities. High school girls want to have an impact on the lives of girls in other countries.” Alex, Nate, Erica, and Maclaine are just a few of the many students for whom the 30-hour graduation requirement is just a drop in the bucket. Marissa Birne ’15 and Jen Lowell ’15

Upper School students in New Orleans

Middle School students at the Natick Community Farm

coordinate the student volunteers who partner every Sunday on campus with the Special Olympics soccer and basketball teams, the Heated Lions. Arianna Zhang ’13 founded the student-led performance group ENCORE that organizes performances of all types—jazz, classical, choral—at nursing homes or venues where they raise funds for nonprofits like Cradles to Crayons. Community service is as much a part of Rivers life as math or history, and indeed, its educational guidelines are as formalized as any academic curriculum. The program’s directors have worked with the Board of trustees’ Education Committee to outline goals for the future, integrating community service even more into the curriculum at all grade levels to help develop civic-minded students. The strength of the program, officially known as the Alan J. Bernon Family Center for Community Service and Outreach, was recognized last year by the national Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE) for the outstanding relationships Rivers has formed and maintained with community agencies. The goals for the student and agency partnerships ensure that service is not merely a one-shot, “do good, feel good” experience. The culture of service begins in Middle School, where elements of both the curriculum and advising program are tied to community issues and needs. The Natick Service Council is the focus of many of the hands-on projects students undertake, such as stocking the food pantry and helping with community farming. They also have an annual Martin Luther King Jr. servathon in which they perform needed chores for neighbors, are “sponsored” by family and friends for their efforts, and then vote on where the money will be donated. In the classroom, students study global issues such as water shortages, then design service projects to educate others or address the issues. They make decisions that have real, not hypothetical, results and gain a sense of personal efficacy. In the upper School—whether through large-scale efforts, like the Run for Rivers to benefit financial aid and the Special Olympics program, or more personal initiatives, like Alex and Erica’s—students are encouraged to choose activities that resonate with them and accelerate their own personal growth, while delivering valuable services to the local, national, and international communities. A new initiative coupling community service with the leadership program in Grade 10 is the RISE (Reflection and Introspection

for Service Education) program. After a period of self-evaluation during the winter trimester, students are required to research and execute a personal service project that enables them to harness their strengths and express their leadership skills. Realizing that philanthropy is best understood by doing, Rivers Givers, which began as a pilot program with the Crossroads Foundation in 2003, has become a self-sustaining campus organization which raises and distributes $10,000 annually to local youth service organizations. Students request applications from agencies, review them, make on-site assessments before choosing which nonprofits to support, and then actually raise the necessary funds. From beginning to end, the students are in control of the process. Some of the most enduring service experiences are Rivers’ annual service trips, where the completion of a concrete project in an intensely different cultural environment leads to deep selfreflection and long-term impact. For more than a decade, Rivers students have worked with nonprofit organizations in Romania that provide care and support to abandoned children with disabilities. Others travel to New Orleans over winter break in the ongoing effort to rebuild the city, or to a Cheyenne reservation in Montana to help with various construction projects. “My interest in culture and communism was really sparked by my participation in the Romania service trip at Rivers,” commented Kate Smith ’10, Princeton ’14, as she considers law school and a career working on the legal side of a nonprofit. Other recent alumni have headed off after college to work for nonprofits around the world. Ben Donahue ’06 spent a year in New Orleans working for the St. Bernard Project, the organization that facilitates Rivers’ service trip. In a recent class note, Ben wrote that he is now “in tanzania, working on a community and agriculture development project in two schools near the city of Korogwe, part of the 2Seeds Network that address food and income security through educational initiatives, market research and access, and farmer organization and cooperation.” Clearly, the impact of community service on Rivers students doesn’t end at graduation. time and again, Rivers alumni credit the community service program for playing a key role in determining the future course of their lives. And that is the goal of the program—to be a life-changer. Spring 2013 • Riparian • 7

Miles Jacoby in Jersey Boys

Miles Jacoby ’07: On National Tour By HILLARY NOBLE

or the past six months, Miles Jacoby ’07 has performed on the biggest stages across North America—as a Wellesley native turned Jersey Boy. A recent Yale graduate living in New York City, he was cast as Bob Gaudio in the First National tour of the Broadway hit Jersey Boys and the role has taken him from Vancouver to Boston and back to San Francisco with a half dozen cities in between. Despite his professional success and travels across the country, he is quick to remember his roots on the Rivers stage. Before his big break in Jersey Boys, Jacoby spent a year in New York acting in off-off-Broadway productions at the Flea Theater, auditioning as much as possible, and learning a few difficult lessons about the sometimes tricky world of casting. “The first year is tough, but I think it’s about realizing that everything you’re doing helps you move toward your end goal,” Jacoby said. “The biggest lesson I learned in New York is that things do happen for a reason. You have to be very tenacious and you have to push through.” Propelled by this tenacity, Jacoby connected with a casting director he met in a class, sang for her, and she called him for an audition. The final decision for the role came down to him and a couple of other actors, and in the end, he didn’t get it. Luckily, the casting director called him back again—this time for a lead role in the Jersey Boys tour. They needed a young, tall, and talented singer to play Four Seasons songwriter Bob Gaudio, 8 • Riparian • Spring 2013

and the 23-year-old, 6-foot-4 Jacoby fit the bill perfectly. Weeks later, Jacoby was touring as the rookie cast member in one of the most popular Broadway musicals this decade—singing catchy Four Seasons hits nightly for energized audiences across the country. During the tour’s stop in Boston, Jacoby took time to visit his alma mater and spoke to current students about his experiences as an actor, including his acting debut on stage at Rivers. When he was in sixth grade, drama advisor Juliet Chase Bailey asked the 11-year-old Jacoby to play “young Pip” in the upper School’s production of Great Expectations. “It was my first time ever acting,” said Jacoby, who had already been on stage in several dance performances by that point. “It introduced me to the next step of performing and I remember just fall-

Great Expectations

The Odyssey

ing in love with it. Suddenly I felt like I had this artistic outlet that I wanted to explore.” As the son of English teacher Jennie Hutton Jacoby, his connection with Rivers began long before his initial days as an actor. “I grew up here,” Jacoby said. “I remember sitting in the back of my mom’s classroom as a five-year-old, eating Ritz crackers and listening to discussions of The Odyssey and the final chapters of The Great Gatsby. My mom clearly did not expect that I’d remember Gatsby’s final moments when I read the novel as her student 12 years later.” Later, as a Rivers student, Jacoby exceled in both academics and the arts. In between nurturing a love of science, playing drums in the upper School jazz band, and serving as a student adviser, he found time for starring roles in productions like Footloose, Merchant of Venice, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, among others. He was also the Massachusetts winner of the annual English-Speaking union National Shakespeare Competition and went on to perform in the national competition in New York City. “All these different elements and interests fed into my thirst for theater,” he said. “The fact that I was able to learn how to express

rivers faculty and friends turn out for Jersey Boys

Footloose

A Funny Thing Happened . . .

Shakespeare competition

myself as an artist in a well-rounded sense was really important.” Throughout upper School, the prizes he received were as varied as the roles he played. As a junior he was awarded the Harvard Club Prize and the Rensselaer Science Medal. Then, as a senior, in addition to being the graduation speaker and a member of the Cum Laude Society, he walked away with the Faculty, English, Performing Arts, and Science prizes. While at Yale, Jacoby performed in over 20 productions and workshops during his four years, and had five mainstage roles including the Wolf/Prince in Into the Woods, Jerry Lukowski in The Full Monty, and Roger Davis in RENT. He served as vicepresident on the executive board of the Dramat, the university’s dramatic association, and received one of the school’s top drama awards before graduating cum laude with distinction with a bachelor’s degree in theatre studies. Clearly, well-rounded is an accurate description of Jacoby’s experiences thus far—his acting career has already taken him from young Pip to music legend Bob Gaudio. At the close of the Jersey Boys tour, he will be back in New York ready to search for his next big role, whatever it may be.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 9

Campus News

Twelfth Night cast

Soccer Captains Bobby McSweeney ’13 and Matthew Dias Costa ’13

Varsi

Erin Barlow ’13 and Meghan Hornblower ’13

Nonesuch Players Present Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

The Nonesuch Players presented William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for four performances in November in the Black Box Theater. Among the cast were Ned Southwell ’13, tessa Kadar ’13, Meghan Hornblower ’13, Asa Phillips ’13, Louie Rabinovitz ’14, Zoe Weisskoff ’13, tucker taylor ’13, Vanessa torrice ’13, Erin Barlow ’13, Joel Miranda ’14, Emily Fraser ’14, Jack Hupper ’15, and Anne Armstrong ’13.

eight Students Recognized as National Merit Scholars

Eight Rivers students were recognized this year as National Merit Scholars for outstanding performances on the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test taken by more than 1.5 million students across the country. Congratulations go to Miranda Bachman ’14, Suzanne Burzillo ’13, Andrew Hill ’13, Carlton Jester ’13, tessa Kadar ’13, Adam Reid ’13, Andrew Xia ’13, and Arianna Zhang ’13.

Boys’ Soccer Named Class B New england Co-Champions

After finishing the regular season as ISL Co-Champions, the varsity boys’ soccer team 10 • Riparian • Spring 2013

continued through postseason play to garner a second title—New England Co-Champions. The Red Wings beat Brewster Academy 3-0 in the quarterfinals at home, then went on to defeat their ISL Co-Champions, Brooks School, in the New England semifinal game. In the championship game against Roxbury Latin, both teams were scoreless through two overtime periods, and the boys were declared Class B Co-Champions in accordance with NEPSAC rules. The team finished with an overall record of 16-1-3. The varsity girls’ soccer team competed in postseason play as well. After beating Williston Northampton and the Berkshire Schools, Rivers was topped 1-0 by Governor’s Academy in overtime during the New England Championship game—their first loss of the season. The girls finished with an impressive overall record of 14-1-3.

Debate Team earns Seven Best Speaker Awards at Fall Conference

Thirteen Rivers students participated in the Northeast Junior State of America Fall State Conference in November, along with 1,000 high school students from the East Coast. Rivers took home seven Best Speaker awards: Dan Corcoran ’13 received three, Arianna Zhang ’13 received two, and Suzanne Burzillo ’13 and Emily Fraser ’14 each received one. Rivers students helped plan the student-run convention and were

The robotics team celebrates

active participants throughout the weekend’s events.

eight Students Play at eastern District Senior Music Festival Eight Rivers students participated in the Eastern District Senior Music Festival at Boston Latin School in January. Of those, six also received All-State recommendations. They were: Vanessa torrice ’13, Chorus; Andrew Xia ’13, Chorus; Rachel Hawley ’15, Chorus, All-State; James Nydam ’15, Chorus, All-State; Joey Sack ’13, Chorus, All-State; Rhea teng ’15, Cello, All-State; Sammy Andonian ’16, Cello, All-State; and Nate Johnson ’14, trumpet, All-State.

Robotics Team Achieves Well-Deserved Success

The Rivers Robotics team—also known as the “Architechs”— were in the top four out of 16 teams in the first round of competition this winter. After the second round

Campus News

Into the Woods cast

Varsity Girls’ team wins the Holiday Tournament

Jack Hupper ’15, Joey Sack ’13, Vanessa Torrice ’13

Varsity Boys’ team wins the Holiday Tournament

they were ranked third, but received the wild card pick to go on to the state championship. Led by captains Ben Warwick ’14 and Carlton Jester ’13 as well as driver Griffin Green ’14, the Architechs were finalists for two awards: the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award which “celebrates a team that not only thinks outside the box, but also has the ingenuity and inventiveness to make their designs come to life,” and the Think Award, which is given to the team that best reflects the “journey” the team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season.

Rivers Wins Two Championships at holiday Basketball Tournament

After a competitive weekend of basketball at the 43rd annual Rivers Holiday tournament, the host teams earned a pair of

championship titles on their home court. The Rivers girls’ varsity basketball team topped Northfield Mount Hermon 60-38 for their fifth consecutive championship win, and the boys’ varsity team beat Pomfret 68-58 in the finals. Emilee Daley ’13 and Matt Prokop ’14 were named tournament MVPs, and Jennifer Berkowitz ’14 and Stephen Carangelo ’14 were selected for the All-tournament team. The girls’ team went on to play in the final round of the NEPSAC tournament in their first season competing in Class A, a testament to the depth of talent on the team.

Model UN Returns from New York with honors

Model uN advisors Bill McGinty and Amy Enright took a group of 14 students to Columbia university in New York City in January for a four-day conference—and returned with several honors. The highlight of the weekend was the performance of

Sam Berger ’13, who took home the Best Delegate award—the highest honor awarded —for his committee’s work on the Red Sox front office. Marissa Birne ’15 won a verbal commendation for her work on the World Health Organization, and Sam Stulin ’14 received the same honor for his work on the Battlestar Galactica committee.

Upper School Musical Into the Woods a Success

The Rivers School presented Stephen Sondheim’s fairy-tale musical Into the Woods to enthusiastic audiences in February. This magical adventure spins the Grimm fairytales, including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, on their head, intertwining them in a unique way. Director David tierney and Assistant Director and Musical Director Chris Holownia led the talented cast and live orchestra, including Julie Arnold ’13, tim Barns ’13, Marissa Birne ’15, Katherine Chang ’14, Sam Figueroa ’14, Ani Harlan ’15, Rachel Hawley ’15, Meghan Hornblower ’13, Jack Spring 2013 • Riparian • 11

Campus News Hupper ’15, Sarah Jarvis ’14, Ryan Johnson ’14, Jamie Juviler ’14, Dan McCartney, Kathryn Nielsen ’13, James Nydam ’15, Ope Olukorede ’13, Joey Sack ’13, Katie Sack ’13, Aimee Schechter ’15, Genna Schindel ’15, Alexa Sisitzky ’15, Sam Stulin ’14, Rhea teng ’15, Vanessa torrice ’13, Adrienne Vanderhooft ’16, and Zoe Weisskoff ’13.

Five Rivers Athletes Sign Division i National letters of intent

Five students have signed national letters of intent to play Division I sports in college. Emilee Daley ’13 will play basketball at Boston College, Ryanne Daley ’13 will ski for Colby, Nick DeSisto ’13 will play lacrosse at Loyola Maryland, Nicole Wilkins ’13 will play soccer at Northeastern, and Jake Willsey ’13 will head to tulane for baseball.

Community Service: Making blankets on Day of Consideration

roman fare at the Global Fair

Big Band performing at Wassail

Boys’ Ski Team NePSAC Champs

Rivers’ varsity ski teams headed north to Shawnee Peak in Maine for the NEPSAC Championship races and returned home with the Class B boys’ title for the second straight year. This was particularly notable since they move up this year from Class C where they have competed in the past. Cocaptains tom Barker ’13 and Dan Corcoran ’13 were joined by tom Corcoran ’15, Ben Freeland ’16, and Steve Richlen ’15. In addition, Barker and Richlen earned All-New England for their efforts in the giant slalom while Freeland came away with AllNew England for both giant slalom and slalom. Lindsay Burroughs ’13 earned AllNew England for her performance in the giant slalom on the girls’ team, which finished eighth overall at the championship event.

Diversity Celebrated and explored

Rivers’ Campus Center was transformed into a street bazaar one cold Monday evening in March, as students and parents hawked their fare—everything from steaming Indian curries to Roman pepper cakes—to appreciative families, faculty, and friends.

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The Global Fair, sponsored by RICA (Rivers Integrated Cultural Awareness club), showcased the richness and diversity of cultures and traditions in the Rivers community. Countries and cultures represented ranged from Japan to Guatemala, and from ancient Rome to present day New Orleans. Building on this visual and gastronomic celebration of diversity, the following tuesday was a more contemplative “Day of Consideration” when students and faculty engaged in workshops and service work throughout the day. Workshops ranged from discussions of stereotypes in popular music to hands-on art projects focused on experiencing loss. The goal was to allow a venue for students and faculty alike to engage in meaningful discussion about topics that are not necessarily addressed in the curriculum or in regular conversation among peers, as a jumping off point for future communication.

Big Band Receives Top Awards at Berklee and MAJe

Rivers’ Big Band took second place in the large ensemble category at the Berklee College of Music’s 45th High School Jazz Festival in March. The competition featured 3,000 students in more than 200 bands and vocal ensembles from the united States and Puerto Rico. All ensembles at the event, the largest in the country, were assigned to a class based on size and adjudicated by a panel of Berklee’s top faculty. In addition to the Big Bands’ award, trumpeter Jamie Juviler ’14 was selected to receive the Judge’s Choice Award, recognizing the best musician in the ensemble. Just days later, the Big Band received a Gold Medal at the MAJE Senior District Big Band competition, making them eligible for the State Final in late March. Jamie Juviler, Richard Oates ’14, and John Nydam ’15 also received MVP awards.

Parent News

Rivers’ Parents of Seniors Celebrate

he parents of the senior class gathered in the fall at the home of trustee Jim and Justine Mullen to reminisce about Rivers and look ahead to the highlights of the coming year. Head of upper School Patti Carbery shared words of wisdom about the challenges facing their children as they chart a course for the future.

Michael and Linda Paczkowski with Head of Upper School Patti Carbery Terry Taylor and Julie Berger

Jen Lu with Asa and Marnie Phillips

Laurie Slifka and Jill O’Connor Leo and Maryellen McGonagle with Sandy Swartz

Hosts Jim and Justine Mullen

robin Shaevel, rita Davis, and Peter Shaevel Math teacher Dan McCartney and Nancy Hyde

Jim Mullen and Hongmei Li

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 13

Rivers Artists Well Rewarded

ivers had a stellar showing once again at the 2013 Globe Scholastic Art Awards, with 37 of the 69 submitted entries being recognized. Seven students were honored with Gold Keys, 10 received Silver Keys, and 20 received Honorable Mentions. The Gold and Silver Key artwork is on display in the Massachusetts Exhibition at the State transportation Building in Boston until April 19, weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visual Arts Department Chair David Saul was pleased with, though not surprised by, this year’s results. “Rivers student artists earned more than their share of honors,” he said, “and Rivers will be well represented in the show—in all media—by both Middle and upper School students.”

Savannah Knisley ’15, Drawing, Self Portrait

Alicia Bellido ’17, Photography, Hands On

Patrick Hennessey ’15, Digital Art, Imagination Drive 14 • Riparian • Spring 2013 2011 14

Caroline rakip ’15, Drawing, Living Room

Stephen Newman ’13, Ceramics and Glass, Poltroon Poultry

In addition to the Gold Key entries pictured here, the following students were honored:

Alex Gamez ’14, Ceramics and Glass, Ritual

Emma Harrison ’13, Drawing, Flori and Nicoli

Silver Key Anne Armstrong ’13, Drawing, Luisa Caroline Davis ’17, Drawing, Seeing the Light Emma Harrison ’13, Ceramics and Glass, Herbal Enlightenment Jack Hupper ’15, Sculpture, Plaster Carving Kyle Katamba ’15, Drawing, Self Portrait Declan McCabe ’14, Sculpture, Box Sean McGonagle ’13, Sculpture, Band Saw Box Salvatore Sprofera III ’14, Drawing, Glasses Rhea teng ’15, Sculpture, Clock Christopher tomaselli ’13, Digital Art, Stained Steel honorable Mention Olivia Antonelli ’14, Ceramics and Glass, Under the Sea Andrew Aronson ’14, Drawing, Hat Back Jen Berkowitz ’14, Sculpture, Plaster Carving Maddie Branka ’15, Photography, Liquid Impact Austin Drucker ’13, Photography, Anticipation Molly Eden ’15, Sculpture, Puzzle Box Briggs Hupper ’13, Sculpture, Escape Sareena Kamath ’14, Sculpture, Plaster Carving Bruna Lee ’13, Drawing, Self Portrait Alec Long ’13, Drawing, Helfen Kate Longfield ’15, Printmaking, Houseplant Jennifer Lowell ’15, Ceramics, Cuttyhunk On The Dinner Table Mark Masiello ’14, Ceramics and Glass, Balancing Rocks Kate Mecke ’13, Sculpture, Porcupine Victoria Nedder ’16, Photography, Echoes Of Light Michael Paczkowski ’13, Drawing, Glacier Katie Sack ’13, Ceramics and Glass, Teapot Sam Stulin ’14, Ceramics and Glass, Striped Amber Lizzy Thayer ’14, Sculpture, Dot Box 15 Spring 2013 • Riparian • 15

AMbASSAdOR PhiliP S. GOldbERG ’74

2013 Alumni Excellence Award Recipient By CHRIStINE MARtIN

ivers’ Alumni Association will honor Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg on Alumni Day in May with the school’s Alumni Excellence Award for his dedicated service as a career member of the u. S. Foreign Service. For the past 24 years, Goldberg has served on the country’s behalf at some of the most politically and diplomatically sensitive posts around the world. In his current position as Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), he oversees the bureau’s primary mission: to analyze intelligence for the country’s top policymakers, including the President, with a focus on issues of relevance to the Secretary of State and the State Department. Here he discusses some of the highlights of his career: Q. After you graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and history, you served for seven years as liaison between the city of New York and the United Nations and its consular community. Why did that position appeal to you? a. I always had an interest in politics and government—not necessarily in foreign affairs, but an interest in the world, and I hadn’t traveled a lot, so it struck my interest. When I was in my early teens, my parents gave me a short wave radio the size of a television set, and I would listen to broadcasts from around the world, from Moscow, and Radio This and Radio That. And I read The New York Times and other newspapers —I was always kind of aware and interested in what was going on in the world. Things were very different then in terms of thinking globally. Now it’s so much easier with the Internet; then, you really had to look for information and be interested. 16 • Riparian • Spring 2013

demands put on me. But I’ve had a great time and continue to enjoy the work and learn something new every day. You held a series of positions—in South Africa, then in Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia —seven years overall in South America. Yes, when I took a course at Rivers with Mr. (Andy) Navoni in Latin American history, I never thought I’d live in South America for that long. Before my posting in Colombia, I went to school daily for six months to study Spanish. After three postings, I’m fluent in Spanish by State Department standards, meaning I can go on television and make statements and do business in Spanish. How did you end up in the Foreign Service? A little bit by accident. I had come to a fork in the road. I didn’t want to just go from one job to another. unlike this generation which is a lot more willing to change jobs, I wanted a career. So while I was considering going to law school, I also had a good friend who was applying to the Foreign Service, and he suggested I take the test with him. Then you had to take a rigorous written test, then orals, a background investigation, medical history, and so on. Recruitment was sort of like the way you’d hire a young executive in a company—they would expect you to spend your career with the company. Now the hiring process puts more emphasis on people in their late twenties or early thirties who have more experience, fluency in languages, and have lived overseas. So I took the test, went through the rest of the process, was accepted, and joined. Sometimes you have to go with your instincts. I definitely took a riskier choice in joining the service—moving every two or three years, having all kinds of different

You served from 1994–96 as the State Department’s Bosnia desk officer and were chief of staff for the American delegation and a member of the American negotiating team in the lead-up to the Dayton Peace Conference, where the leaders of Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia agreed to end the Bosnian war… That was probably one of the most satisfying times of my career, after having been the most depressing. I was in Bosnia for long periods but also working from here for Ambassador Richard Holbrooke who led the negotiations during that period, watching the terrible things happening there and the foreign policy paralysis in which we were talking but not doing anything. But then the situation changed on the ground and renewed will got us through the negotiations all the way to Dayton. It was hugely satisfying on a personal and professional level because it shows in this profession the difference you can make —even as a junior player I was involved in

something really important—a peace agreement. It shows why you go into something like this. For people who want to do international work, you can do very satisfying things working for NGOs or companies, but it’s unique when you represent your country. Later, I worked on the Kosovo conflict and was chief of mission there. I was on a more senior level where I had a bigger impact on something than at any other time in my career. So again, it’s the ability to have an impact that is really unique. You were appointed Ambassador to Bolivia in 2006 and ended up returning to the United States in 2008, amidst deteriorating diplomatic relations. How did that come about? I’ll give you a shortened version. Our attempt was to make the best of a bad situation, to see where there was a convergence of interests between the countries. What we were working on was not just the counter-narcotics issue; we had $90 million in assistance programs—some went to alternative development programs to wean people off coca growing, but there were medical and educational programs, a whole panoply. unfortunately when the government was faced with internal opposition, it claimed there was a conspiracy. This was not surprising given Bolivian President Morales’ historic antipathy for the u.S. and his close relationship with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. It’s a sad story, really. Our attempt to work with the government became a factor in why they thought we were trying to interfere in their affairs. It’s an object lesson writ large in many places around the world. Because we have an interest, because we’re active, and our foreign policy and embassies try to do things, sometimes our actions are misrepresented.

After being sworn in as head of the INR in February 2010, you also served for several months as coordinator for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution imposing economic and commercial sanctions on North Korea after their underground nuclear test in 2009. How do you feel now about being behind a desk and not in the field? That’s the thing about the Foreign Service, at least the political officers—you generally spend half your career overseas and half in Washington. Managing a bureau of the State Department as well as an element within the intelligence community now means having lots of different challenges and dealing with important national secu-

rity issues. You’re where the policy is being made and you’re with the top level policy makers, but it is different than being overseas. Most Foreign Service officers join the Service because we enjoy being overseas. I’ve actually enjoyed everything I’ve done in Washington, from working in the ’90s on Bosnia with Ambassador Holbrooke, then with Deputy Secretary of State Strobe talbott, to working more recently with Secretary Clinton on imposing sanctions on North Korea and as Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research. Working closely with her at the State Department and with officials at the White House and the entire government has been a great honor.

Join Rivers classmates and friends in honoring Ambassador Goldberg, faculty member Jeremy Harrison, and this year’s Rivers Cup recipient at the Reception and Dinner on Alumni Day, May 18, at 6:00 p.m. in the Campus Center. Contact Director of Alumni Programs Hailey Miller at 339-686-2246 or h.miller@rivers.org or go to www.rivers.org/alumniday for more information.

Nominate an Alumnus or Alumna

stablished in 2001, The Rivers School Alumni Excellence Award is presented annually by the Alumni Association to a member of the Rivers community who displays extraordinary achievement within their career field or through an outstanding commitment to social, political, or other volunteer causes. The purpose of the Award is to highlight the professional and volunteer achievements of alumni and in so doing inspire Rivers students to pursue their passions. When nominating a Rivers graduate, please include the following information: • Name and class year • Address, phone number, and email address • title, company, or industry • List of professional achievements and professional and civic commitments • Other information relevant to the candidate’s professional contributions Please submit nominations to Marney Hupper at m.hupper@rivers.org or 339-686-2247.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 17

“Kennedy to Kent State”

A story of freedom, rock and roll, despair, and the rise of a new age By SAM HIGGINS ’14, ASSIStANt EDItOR, The Rivers Edge

or more than twelve years, Howard “Dave” Davis ’70, Rivers alumnus and serving trustee, collected prominent images dating from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, which now permanently reside in the Worcester Art Museum as the exhibition “Kennedy to Kent State: Images of a Generation.” Davis’ collection brilliantly captures the essence of a bygone era in our nation’s history, promoting a powerful yet accurate depiction of the 1960s. Moreover, Davis intends to make this show available to the Rivers student body in order to expose the current and future attendees of his alma mater to this incredible display of American transformation. From the excitement of Woodstock and rock legend Bob Dylan to the graphic violence of the Vietnam War and the assassination of President Kennedy, Davis’ collection presents an enthralling array of photographs that retain astonishing moments from the time period. In an interview with the Edge, Davis remarked, “[The 1960s] was an intense period of dynamic alteration . . . Vietnam, the draft lottery, the hippie movement; everything was happening so quickly that these images became a way of chronicling rapid change in the world.” A number of the pictures in the exhibition are original prints from the 1960s. When a newspaper or a magazine wanted to publish one of these images, sometimes they would have to be shipped all over the world. In fact, the backs of many of the images are covered with stamps from a multitude of different publishing companies. Photography was essential in 1960s media—it was the most effective method of relaying breaking news. Images came directly from the front lines to the average

18 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Collector Dave Davis ’70 and reporter Sam Higgins ’14

citizen’s doorstep. It was a universal means of communication. Many of the images in the collection were not initially intended to be in museums—they were often taken on the fly and immediately sent to the press. However, over the years, these iconic photographs have developed an enduring significance. They are immediately recognizable, even to those who were not alive at the time the images were shot. These photographs allow people

to briefly transcend time and space and experience the world of the past. They are forever embedded into this unique chapter of American history, yet they continue to captivate and inspire people all around the world. Davis chose to present his collection at the Worcester Art Museum because it was the first museum to truly recognize photography as a fine art. According to him, “In some ways, images become just as important as events. Photo journalism can take a traumatic moment and make it into something beautiful.” Davis declares his favorite image in the collection to be the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. The famous picture depicts Kennedy on the ground, surrounded by a crowd, lying in the hands of a man crouching beside him. Davis proclaimed, “I love it because it really is an amazing photograph . . . although it is tragic

gins ’14

and devastating, it’s a beautiful photograph in and of itself. I look at it from an emotional standpoint but also as a work of art.” While assembling his collection, Davis established a specific criterion for the images he would use. He chose only images of people and events that made a distinct change in the world. He would not include someone simply because he was famous; he had to be iconic to the 1960s. Furthermore, he focused primarily on the united States because it was the location of many of the most important events of the age. The entire world was reacting to what was happening in our nation. The show focuses on events from this particular era because Davis has a very intimate connection with the 1960s. His display is not only a reflection of American history, but also of his personal growth as

a teenager. In the catalogue for the show, Davis commented, “I wanted the potential viewer to glimpse the time period of my teenage and college years, a difficult time of anyone’s life. My coming of age and my experience of adolescence took place amid the mayhem of a rapidly changing society.” Moreover, in an interview with The Edge, Davis recapped what it was like to be a teenager at an all boys’ preparatory school during a time of such radical change: “[It] was a safe zone. At Rivers, I felt isolated from all the pressure to do drugs and this new wave of freedom. I was at odds with everything that was happening…. It was like being frozen in time from the progressing world.” “Kennedy to Kent State” tells the story of freedom, rock and roll, violence, despair, and the rise of a new age. It is a most superb model of the 1960s and the journey of our great nation. In the catalogue, Davis wrote, “I present these photographs not to comment but rather to share my experience of the time. I am not a historian, but I was there. If you were there too, you will recall the impact and power of these photographs. If you are too young to have lived through the time, I hope you can take away something you have never felt before. This collection is a story, the story of coming of age.”

Additionally, Davis specifically requested that the museum grant special access for the pupils of his alma mater to this exhibition. In fact, in the written deed of gift, Davis insisted that the museum make the collection accessible to the students of The Rivers School. It is his wish to enrich the members of the Rivers community with his vivid interpretation of America’s past and to provide them with a variety of internship opportunities. He hopes to expose as many Rivers students as he can to his collection. Reprinted with permission from The Rivers Edge, October 31, 2012 EDItOR’S NOtE: Grade 11 students viewed the collection at the Worcester Art Museum in January. After a private tour of the exhibition with their United States History teachers, students enjoyed a question and answer session with Dave Davis. Grade 11 dean and Upper School history teacher Will Mills commented, “Coming face to face with some of the most poignant scenes from the 1960s will pay enormous dividends when it comes to the students’ understanding of the political, economic, and social complexities of the time period in their studies this spring.”

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 19

Jeremy harrison

honoring 25 Years of Teaching By JESSICA ISNER

eremy Harrison was simply supposed to end up at Rivers. It was fate. In the late ’80s, Harrison often passed by the town of Weston during his commute home from work. One fateful day, he stopped at a gas station along Route 9, and there in the parking lot was a Rivers van with Latin teacher John McVey at the wheel. “I went up and I said, ‘Are there any openings in the art department at Rivers?’” Harrison recalled. “And John said, ‘It turns out, there is one.’” Harrison interviewed for the job, but by the time it was offered to him, he had already accepted a position at Brimmer and May School. But fate was unwilling to free him from its grasp. “My commute was still the same, and I was driving home on Route 9 and stopped at the same gas station,” Harrison said. “The same Rivers van was there, and John McVey was driving. I went up to him and once again asked him if there were any openings in the art department, and he said yes.” twenty-five years later, Harrison is still at Rivers, a staple of a much expanded art department. On Alumni Day in May, he will be honored for his years of service to the Rivers community. “It feels funny sometimes,” Harrison said. “In some sense, I still feel like I’m one of the new teachers.” When he was hired, Harrison said he wasn’t the most experienced candidate under consideration, but there was one thing that set him apart. “I was told that I was the only one who engaged and connected with the kids about their artwork while I was visiting,” he said. And that special relationship with his students is what has kept him here for more than two decades. When it comes to his own artwork and photography, Harrison is inspired by land20 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Ardeche

White Pine

Pico Mountain

Jeremy Harrison with ryan Bellavance ’15

scapes and the wilderness. Outside the studio, he is inspired by the same things. As a child, Harrison spent six years at a canoeing expedition camp in Minnesota, an experience that was so formative, it developed into a lifelong passion for the outdoors. It is a passion that Harrison passed on to his twin sons, Alex and Sam. When his kids were old enough, they attended

that same canoeing camp, and Harrison became a counselor. In 2007, following their graduation from Rivers, the twins and Harrison embarked upon an 800-mile canoeing expedition that raised $22,000 for the World Wildlife Fund. Initially, Harrison was skeptical about whether or not he’d be able to complete the journey. But after some needling and encouragement from a fellow instructor at the camp in Minnesota—“You’re not too old to do this,” the colleague told him— Harrison and his sons set off from the northeast end of the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest territories of Canada. Parts of the route were unique and seldom

Alumni Profile

A Red Wing Returns: Alan Ashenfelter ’05 By MELISSE HINKLE

traveled, but preparation and passion led to success—and the same can be said of Harrison’s success at Rivers. In many ways, the skills that helped Harrison and his sons complete that expedition are the very same skills that have made him so effective as a teacher. “I used to think this was a flaw,” Harrison said, “but I’m never too confident. I wanted to be really prepared for the trip. I didn’t have the kind of overconfidence that can lead to poor planning. There’s something about my personality that prevents me from feeling completely confident, so it helps me prepare and think about what I’m doing.” teaching art certainly isn’t easy. Often, students are either unaware of or insecure about their talents, which can make it challenging to nurture and encourage them— even the most promising ones. “It can be very intimidating for kids when they’ve got their blank sheet of paper in front of them and everybody’s watching and they have to do something,” Harrison said. “The fear is a very debilitating thing, and it’s very negative. What it usually does is make you physically tense, and it also makes you slow down because you’re trying to postpone your mistakes. That just postpones the learning because you have to be able to make those mistakes.” Perfecting the balance between being encouraging and simultaneously pushing students to produce their best work has been a career-long challenge, but at this stage, achieving that balance is what has made Harrison such a beloved and respected mentor in the Rivers community. “I’ve always tried to be the person who encourages my students and shows them that they have ability and potential,” he said. “When I believe in them, they can usually believe in themselves.”

Where has your post-Rivers path taken you? a. I went to Wesleyan university, played soccer there, and loved it. We won the school’s first NESCAC title and NCAA tournament games. After college, I trained for a year in preparation to apply to Officer Candidate School. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I wasn’t selected in 2010 and the application cycle is long, so I decided I needed to get a full-time job. I had been teaching and coaching parttime at Rivers, and I really liked it. I ended up getting a job at Bridgton Academy in Maine teaching math and working as the head coach of their Class A boys’ soccer program for two years. I had such a strong connection to the Rivers community, so when the position as assistant admissions director opened up, it was a no-brainer. An added bonus was the chance to be the assistant soccer coach. What excites you about your work? I’ve seen young people develop and accomplish great things in the face of adversity. I feel fortunate to have a part in that.

Rivers’ boys’ varsity soccer team became New England and ISL Co-Champions this past fall. What was it like being the assistant coach for that team? There is something special about high school sports. I was always excited to get to our next team event, practice, or game because it was just plain FuN. The guys worked hard every day, but they also had as much fun as any team I’ve been around. The last thing the players would say before every game was ‘family,’ and I attribute a lot of our success to how close the team became on and off the field. I look forward to keeping those bonds going through the off-season. Why were you so eager to come back to Rivers? I think the easy answer is that I had such a good experience here. I had so many opportunities to grow, learn, and develop as a student, athlete, and young man. I feel very passionate about what this place can do and what people can get out of it.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 21

Alumni Profile

Kate Smith ’10: Bringing Power to the People By CHRIStINE MARtIN

ow many of you have been inconvenienced by a power outage recently? Even the Super Bowl wasn’t immune this year. Imagine, then, if your entire community has been affected, and you don’t have the resources to move into a hotel and go out to eat while you wait weeks for the power to be restored. Enter EPICS and their Power in a Box project. Kate Smith ’10 and a group of fellow Princeton students recognized the challenges facing poor urban and rural communities in the wake of natural (and the occasional man-made) disasters when they set out to design and build a portable power system that could accelerate the recovery process. “The engineering project that I’m involved in at Princeton is a segment of a program called EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service),” commented Smith. “We’ve designed a portable, highly reliable wind/solar power system that collapses into a standard shipping container. It features a telescoping mast with the turbine attached to the top, allowing it to reach a height of 40 feet when set up but still be collapsed down into a 20-foot container. The ideal use for this system is in disaster relief scenarios, as it is portable, easy to set up with no machinery, and very reliable.” The project was entered into an Environmental Protection Agency competition in Washington, D.C., where the team won a grant of $90,000 to continue the project. EPICS is just one of the many activities keeping Smith busy these days. A dedicated former member of Rivers Givers, she’s continued her involvement in community service as a team leader for Princeton Business Volunteers,

22 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Princeton’s Power in a Box

which provides pro-bono consulting to nonprofits in the Princeton area. She’s also membership chair for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. As if that isn’t enough, she is currently spending a semester abroad in Prague, studying central European history. “I’m hoping to write my senior thesis on the ways that people retained aspects of their culture under communist regimes,” Smith said, “so studying abroad in Prague and getting to travel around central and eastern Europe will be really exciting. My interest in culture and communism was really sparked by my participation in the Romania service trip at Rivers, so I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the things we learned about on that trip from an academic perspective.” In terms of career goals, Smith is not certain at this point where life will take her. “That is something that I’m trying to figure out!” Smith commented. “I had a fascinating internship last summer where I worked with inmates on Rikers Island,

helping them develop re-entry plans for their release. That work got me really interested in the criminal justice system, so I could definitely see myself doing something in that arena after graduation. In the long run, I am hoping to go to law school and perhaps work on the legal side of a nonprofit. “Rivers played a huge role in both my academic interests and career plans,” she concluded. “My passion for history was really something that I discovered at Rivers, and my more specific interest in life under communism was a direct product of my involvement with the Romania trip. Rivers Givers also served as my introduction to the world of nonprofits and gave me a lot of great background knowledge on how nonprofits function. That has been really helpful to me both in my internship last summer as well as in thinking about the type of work I want to do in the future.” No matter where Kate Smith ends up, it seems likely that her passion for helping others will be central to her plans.

Alumni Profile

A history of Giving Back: Alison Goldberg ’92 By CHRIStINE MARtIN

or most people, philanthropy means writing a few checks to favorite charities, taking part in a fundraising walk, or helping out in a soup kitchen during the holidays. But for Alison Goldberg ’92, philanthropy is a way of life, her vocation and avocation. While she has been involved in a wide range of programs at a variety of institutions during the past 20 years, she has never lost sight of her goal to effect meaningful social change. After graduating from tufts university in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in art history and anthropology, she was awarded a fellowship with the Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program through the Congressional Hunger Center, a nonprofit whose mission is “to make issues of domestic and international hunger a priority to policymakers in the u.S. government, and to raise a new generation of leaders to fight against hunger and poverty.” For her field assignment, Goldberg lived and worked on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, before returning to Washington, D.C. for the policy portion of her fellowship. There, she worked at the Food Research and Action Center which was focused on the preservation and expansion of food stamp and early childhood nutrition programs. “I was on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation during the beginning of welfare reform, so there were many opportunities to hear firsthand about the challenge this community and others were facing because of a policy decision,” said Goldberg. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in city and regional planning at Cornell university, where she became involved in community-based projects

focused on food security. She returned to Ghana, where she had spent a semester abroad as a college student at tufts. There, she worked with a small community development organization to help gather input about the local food system. Around that time, her mother established a family foundation. “I attended philanthropy conferences and learned about how foundations operate,” she said. But she soon found that few family foundations were including the views of leaders in the communities where they were directing funding. She knew from experience that the people who have the money do not necessarily know where it can be most effectively spent. The ideal is to create a partnership between donors and the people they want to help, the real experts in the equation. Those in the field know where the resources are most needed, but the power to grant funds too often resides with the donor. Not only did Goldberg educate herself in the “best practices” of philanthropy, she went on in 2001 to establish Foundations for Change to provide training and resources to young donors and family funders interested in social change philanthropy. The organization soon merged with a similar group, Resource Generation, and Goldberg became its first donor education director. In 2007 she co-authored a “guidebook” called Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy: The Next Generation. Her message to young wealthy philanthropists: “Break the silence about money. Open up a dialogue with people who are working on the issues you care about to find ways to leverage your privilege and resources. take action for what you believe in. This goes beyond giving. Think about how you can make socially responsible investments and also how you can use your voice to support policies to create a more equitable society. ”

With the economic crisis accelerating in 2008, Goldberg and Chuck Collins at the Institute for Policy Studies established Wealth for the Common Good, a network of business leaders, high-income individuals and partners who advocate for shared prosperity and fair taxation—“the one percent” that wants an economy that works for everyone.” Goldberg’s general advice about how to get started with giving: “Get involved in an organization whose mission you believe in,” she said. “Work on a campaign. Volunteer in programs or at events—for whatever the issue is that interests you, whether it is the environment or community issues.” With two small children, Goldberg recognizes the need to educate even the very young about global issues. She recently wrote a children’s book about a young maple sugar maker who takes action to help the maple trees when she learns they are threatened by climate change. “Young people—even very young children—can encourage adults to change their behavior,” she concluded. “After he learned about climate change, a four-year-old friend of my daughter convinced his family to walk to school, rather than drive.” That is the kind of impact Alison Goldberg hopes every young person will have on the world around him or her, one small step at a time.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 23

The boston Network

he Career Networking Committee held an October networking event at Robert Half International in Boston, hosted by Bill Stewart ’85. The featured speaker was Gregory L. Stoller ’87, president of Coolidge Plaza, a Boston commercial and residential real estate holding company. A graduate of Cornell university in 1991 and Harvard Business School in 1996, Stoller also lectures at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and helps develop their entrepreneurship and international business programs. to network with fellow alumni, go to www.rivers.org/alumni, log in, and search based on class year, education, industry, and location.

Marc Stroum ’98, ian Meropol ’98, Bruce Clifford ’83

Lars Carlson ’85 and Bill Stewart ’85

Greg Cahill ’77, Stephen Lable ’90, Larry Epstein ’87

Brad Karelitz ’04 and Alexandra Krotinger ’04

Scott Prieur ’99 and Nick Petri ’02

Austin Hijar, Scott Osler ’98, Kristy Szretter ’97

Bryant roche-Bernard, Brian Davis, Dan Bloomstone, Masha Maystrovskaya, all Class of 2006 Greg Stoller ’87 24 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Student News Alumni News

Class Notes 1 9 3 5 Bob Achorn writes, “glad to still help represent our class. it’s thinning out, but that’s expected when you’re 96. best wishes to all.”

1 9 4 2 Ken MacPherson, brother of bob ‘42 and father of Doug ‘74, passed away on February 27, 2013. An active alumnus who served as class agent and on reunion committees, Ken was the recipient of the 1979 Rivers cup. he was a Rivers Term Trustee from 1969 through 1979, and also served as president of the board before being elected a life Trustee. Ken and his wife Abby, who passed away last year, had four children, 12 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

1 9 4 5 Moe Gordon, the brother of the late hugh gordon ‘41, and father of Albert ‘72 and John ‘74, passed away on February 6, 2013. While at Rivers he was the student council president and recipient of the hooper lawrence prize. he was awarded the 2002 Rivers cup and was a member of the board of Trustees from 1998 to 2001, serving on the Faculty enrichment and Development committees.

1 9 5 4 Michael Seligman was supervising producer of the 85th Academy Awards® telecast, marking his 36th year with the show. According to the Academy of motion picture Arts and sciences, michael has earned ten emmy® nominations, with eight being for the oscar telecast. michael received the 2004 Alumni excellence Award.

Moe and Ellen Gordon ’45 Bill Tyler ’43, Bob Cleverdon ’40, richard Dana ’52 at Veterans Day

Abby and Ken MacPherson (center) celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary with Betty and Bob MacPherson ‘42 in 2010.

1 9 5 9 Fred Pfannenstiehl wrote in the fall, “my grandson owen has entered Rivers in the 6th grade, class of 2019, which will be my 60th reunion.”

1 9 6 3 David Sutherland’s latest documentary is the Frontline production of Kind-Hearted Woman, broadcast on April 1 and 2, 2013. The two-part series examines the problem of child sexual abuse on native American reservations. over a period of three years, David filmed the lives of a 32-year-old divorced single oglala sioux mother and her two children who live on the spirit lake Reservation in north Dakota. David received the 2006 Alumni excellence Award.

David Sutherland ’63

Art Love ’52, Larry Colvin ’66, renny Little ’51 at Veterans Day

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 25

Student News Alumni News

Alumni Gather in NYC

ore than two dozen Rivers alumni from the New York area enjoyed the mid-October annual reception at Libation, where they caught up with each other as well as Head of School tom Olverson and former faculty member and alumni liaison Jack Jarzavek. In addition to this gathering, the NYC Career Development Committee also meets at regular intervals throughout the year. Mary Taggart ’02, Tim Ward ’03, Jared Gerstenblatt ’93, Grady O’Gara ’03

Ethan Silverman ’12, Juliana rordorf ’12, Melissa Benjamin ’11, Elliot Berman ’11, Anna Teng ’11

Shoban Pothula ’07, Jen Post ’07, James Wolf ’07, rachel Hunter ’08

Xander Kotsatos ’05, Emily Thompson ’02

Grady O’Gara ’03, Jack Jarzavek

Doug St. Amant ’83, Alex Chadis ’98 Tim Ward ’03, Xander Kotsatos ’05, Carter Cramer ‘03

NYC Career Development Committee

Tessa Drake ’06, Alix Parkinson ’07, Meghan McCarrick ’06

26 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Hillary Ain ’07 Pierre Bouvard ’79 Alan Breitmen ’88 Chris Burdick ’91 Jesse Comart ’04

Jared Gerstenblatt ’93 Nicole Hunter ’05 Charles King ’90 Alexandra Kotsatos ’05 Lawrence Meltzer ’82 Grady O’Gara ’03

Brian Snerson ’86, Chair Douglas St. Amant ’83 Mary taggart ’02 Emily Thompson ’02 timothy Ward ’03

Student News Alumni News

1 9 6 4 Rick english wrote, “2012 was a great year. The real estate business in nashville has exploded and nashville was named one of the top business cities in America in the nY Times. 2013 has also started off great with the birth of my first grandson, elliott. i had a total knee replacement in november and am finally doing better—the meds and anesthesia almost killed me.”

1 9 6 6 Si Balch, Court Dwyer, Rod MacPhie, and Tom Swaim and their wives met in the fall at Tom’s house, Tallwoods, on Tallwoods peninsula on lake maranacook in Winthrop, maine, for a minireunion of the class of 1966. After an exciting boat ride, a great meal was enjoyed along with some reminiscing and talk about retirements and other topics. bruce sedgwick, peter Foss, and others classmates living in new england were invited but could not make it. if there are other Rivers alumni/ae living in maine who would like to join gatherings in the future, please get in touch with Rod macphie or court Dwyer through the Alumni office or linkedin.

1 9 7 1 Former philadelphia eagles president Joe Banner was named the browns’ new ceo after the retirement of mike holmgren at the end of the 2012 season. Joe received the 2003 Alumni excellence Award.

1 9 7 3 Stanley Richardson emailed, “i retired from the u.s. navy as a captain this past year. i am now living in Kabul, Afghanistan as an advisor to the Afghanistan ministry of the interior, employed in developing an inspector general capability within the Afghan national police.”

Matt Sullivan’s wedding: Josh Coyne, Josh Dorfman, Scott Firth, Matt Sullivan, Chris Willis, Scott Mciver, all Class of 1993, with Dudley Willis (center)

1 9 7 4 Nick vantine wrote, “We just celebrated our 25th year on cape cod, and the 22nd year of my wealth management practice at boardwalk Financial. linda continues her interior design business here as well. carling graduated from the university of Delaware in 2011 and has relocated to nashville, Tn where she is employed in financial services with Jackson national. Daphne is a junior at cape cod Academy in osterville, and we are hosting an exchange student from hangzhou, china, who also attends ccA. Just after my mom passed away in April 2009 i got involved with sailing through a client and we’ve been racing together these past four seasons off cape cod and the islands aboard calypso, a pearson p35. The highlight of last summer was the 2012 Figawi Race Weekend to nantucket. i hope to connect with more ‘74 classmates as our 40th approaches. You can find me on Facebook and linkedin.”

1 9 7 6 Monty and Jo-Ann lovejoy recently hosted classmates Bob Golledge and Bob Finnegan with their wives, susan and Kelly, for dinner in concord. bob Finnegan has just moved back to the boston area.

1 9 7 7 Bob Finnegan, Bob Golledge, Monty Lovejoy, all Class of 1976

Jeff lowenstein commented after Alumni Day, “i wanted to thank all my classmates for making it possible for me to be awarded the Rivers cup last spring. Without the many years that we

Lisa and Matt Sullivan ’93 make a splash spent together in the classroom and on the ballfield at the Weston campus, leading to an endless supply of entertaining stories, my relationship with the school would not have been as strong. And with that bond firmly in place, my son, Adam ’10, and daughter, marcie ’16, have the opportunity to make their own memories.”

1 9 7 8 Chuck Warshaver wrote, “i am now the executive Director for playworks in phoenix AZ. We are a national nonprofit that reduces playground bullying and conflicts and improves school climate through fun, healthy, inclusive games and physical activity.”

1 9 8 6 eric Shapiro and his wife leora goren welcomed their son, elias Yoel shapiro, born on December 28, 2012.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 27

Student News Alumni News

Thanksgiving Tradition

ivers’ young alumni gathered in force for the Pre-Thanksgiving Reception, held this year at Lir in Boston’s Back Bay. An annual favorite for alumni returning to Boston for the holiday, as well as those working in the area, the reception was the perfect opportunity to catch up on the latest news and plans.

Alumni at Lir

Bridget Garsh ’00, Sofia Teixeira ‘00

Sarah Parkinson ’09, Alix Parkinson ‘06

Jonathan Salzman ’08, Steph McCartney ’08, Michelle Davis ’08, Carolyn Fishman ’08

Darcy randall ’08, Todd Seresky ’08, Jen Keefe ’08, Christine Chace ’08, Jake Whiting ’08, Katelyn Landry ’08, Brittany Hughes ’08

Laura Mahoney ’06, Meghan McCarrick ’06, Heather Lord ’06, Alix Parkinson ‘06

Ashlee Cushing ’07, Jen Post ’07, Kathleen Ball ’07

28 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Nicole Stenquist ’08, Derek Stenquist ’06

Meaghan (Walsh) Chace ’03, Katie Neff ’03, Scott Moriyama ’03, rich Chace ’03

Dana Amsbary ’05, Elizabeth Kohn ’05, Nikki Hunter ’05, Cristina Lepore ’05 and friend, Alex DeBlois ’05, Katherine Brustowicz ’05, Clark Winchell ’05

03,

end,

Student News Alumni News

1 9 9 3 Jake Cutler emailed, “i am currently living in london with my wife nicola. i have now lived here in london for the past five years. We have a 16-month-old daughter named Tillyah. i have recently accepted a new position with the commonwealth bank of Australia, based here in london. my wife works for Depuy/Johnson and Johnson selling medical devices. We are looking forward very much to returning to the states in the next two or three years. Any alumni traveling to the uK are welcome to contact me.” Andy and Tami DeAngelis recently welcomed isla elizabeth, joining two-year-old lucy paige and four-year-old grace.

Bryce Bartfield, daughter of Scott ’96

Jacob Sherman, son of Dan ’97

Natalie Townley, daughter of Lisa ’01

Naomi leon writes, “i have been working for another Rivers alum, John hoffman ’71, for about five years as a paralegal and together John and i are pleased to announce the relocation and new name of our firm. The firm is now hoffman law group and we are located in norwood, mA.” Matt Sullivan emailed, “my wife lisa and i were married on December 8, 2012 at the Red Jacket Resort in new hampshire. The photo is from sunday morning after the wedding: i’m wearing a tux and she is in a wedding dress—on the water slide! it was an amazing weekend.”

1 9 9 4 Brendon and Kristen Bates are the proud parents of Andrew, born on December 14, 2011. brendon continues teach at the carroll school in lincoln and finds time to work in a group at boston improv in cambridge.

John Cyr ’99 with Patti Carbery and David Saul

1 9 9 6

2 0 0 0

2 0 0 5

Scott Bartfield and his wife samantha welcomed bryce on December 27, 2012, joining twins cameron and skylar.

After working at model club, inc. for eight years, Tim Ayers has recently become the owner of the boston based talent agency. visit them on the web at www.modelclubinc.com

henry harrison was recently engaged and is currently in his second year of a ph.D. program in psychology at the center for the ecological study of perception and Action at the university of connecticut.

1997 Dan and Jennifer Sherman welcomed Jacob Kevin on July 11, 2012.

1999 John Cyr was a guest artist in the bell gallery at Rivers this winter, and attended the artist’s reception in march (after being snowed out in February!) The exhibit included a sampling from his collection of photographs of developing trays owned and used by famous photographers, as well as landscape photographs of gritty industrial parks and surreally beautiful polluted waters from a nearby brooklyn neighborhood.

2 0 0 1 Adam and Shannon Staley are enjoying life in the Twin cities (minneapolis) after graduating with their mbA’s from university of Texas at Austin.

2 0 0 4 Cara Nicoletti blogged recently, “Today is a great today. After much patience and hard work and cooking and writing and stressing i am so excited to announce that i am writing a book! it will be published by little, brown and i could not be more thrilled. Yummy books has been my greatest joy these last three years and i never could have taken it this far without all of you.”Voracious will be an illustrated cookbook with 75 stories and recipes, inspired by classic and contemporary literature and the author’s own lifelong love affair with reading and cooking.

2 0 0 6 Masha Maystrovskaya became engaged to Daniel Dumanis on new Years. masha, who graduated from harvard in 2011, and Daniel, who graduated from northeastern with a degree in computer engineering in 2012, are childhood family friends. masha is currently working as an analyst at health Advances, a healthcare strategy consulting firm in Weston, while Daniel works at miT lincoln laboratory. A may 2013 wedding is planned. Derek Stenquist, currently a harvard medical school student, was a guest speaker in the upper school’s Disease in history class this winter. stenquist spent 10 months working for grassroot soccer, an organization that works to mobilize African communities to stop the spread of hiv.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 29

Student News Alumni News

d.C. Connections

ivers alumni from the classes of 1946-2012 took a break from work and classes to reconnect with old friends at the trendy nightspot Lost Society in Washington, D.C., just days before the inauguration took over the city. Head of School tom Olverson and faculty member Dan McCartney, both in town for an independent school conference, joined in the festivities and enjoyed the chance to catch up with former students and advisees.

Dean Edmonds ’72, renee richardson, Dave Lamb ’58

Jeremy Moskowitz ’08, rob Shanfeld ’07, Kat Gourinovitch ’09, Nick Jenkins ’07, Ari Comart ’07, Brooke Barron ’05, Hannah Shambroom ’07 Nick Jenkins ’07, Hannah Shambroom ’07, rob Shanfeld ’07, Kat Gourinovitch ’09

Left: Ari Comart ’07, Hannah Shambroom ’07, rob Shanfeld ’07, Nick Jenkins ’07

Sophie Friedman ’12, Dan McCartney, rose Friedman ’06

Girls’ ice hockey Celebrates 10 Years with Alumnae Skaters

ecent alumnae kicked off the holiday season by joining their Red Wing counterparts in MacDowell Arena to celebrate a decade of girls’ ice hockey at Rivers. Head coach Melissa Dolan ’98 and inaugural coach Kristin Harder led the girls through drills and a friendly scrimmage before heading up to Hutton Commons for brunch. Back, left to right: Jackie Bouchie ’10, Taylor Cross ’12, Nicole Ferrara ’11, Janelle Ferrara ’12, Brittany Mills ’08, Manya Steinfeld ’08, Andrea Schweitzer ’10. Front: Becca Nichols ’09, Julia Williams ’10, Katelyn Landry ’08, Carlie Tarbell ’11.

30 • Riparian • Spring 2013

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Student News Alumni News

2 0 0 7 Kadie Greenfield starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the fall for the second year in a row.

Jillian Dempsey ’09

Shoban Pothula has recently started working for Teneo capital as an analyst and is still living in nYc with classmate chris Whittier. Stephanie Shaw is working at the game show network.

2 0 0 8 Christine Chace emailed, “i am working for a shoe company called innov-8 that originated in the uK in 2003. it is a very small company (24 employees + sales reps) and has only been in the us since 2006. They are growing tremendously and i’m so excited to be apart of their rapid growth. innov-8 creates running shoes for off road, road, and fitness. They are very light and are good for those looking for minimalist shoes and getting as close to natural running as possible. i am an Account manager and handle over 150 different retailers in 11 different states.”

Derek Stenquist ’06 visiting rivers

Callie Bullion ’10 at Veterans Day

2 0 0 9 Jillian Dempsey, a senior co-captain for the harvard women’s hockey team, was named one of ten finalists for the prestigious patty Kazmaier memorial Award, presented by the usA hockey Foundation to the nation’s best player. This year harvard was ranked no. 2 and won the the 2013 ivy league championship. Jillian scored in each of the crimson’s first 16 games this year, resulting in a 30-game point streak dating back to last season. going into the ncAA tournament, she ranked ninth in program history with 148 career points.

On the Road Again for Financial Aid

he third annual 5K Run for Rivers will be held Sunday morning, May 19, during Alumni and Reunion weekend, for runners and walkers alike. Join students, parents, faculty, alumni, and a baby or two and help raise funds for financial aid support in memory of Ian Greenblatt ’04 and Ian McVey ’03. The on- and off-road run also features prizes, t-shirts, food, and music for all. For more information, contact faculty advisor Sam Poland at s.poland@rivers.org.

Spring 2013 • Riparian • 31

Student News Alumni News

s Av e T h e D AT e

June networking on the Waterfront Tia’s Boston 200 Atlantic Avenue, boston Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:00–8:00 p.m. Rsvp to Director of Alumni programs hailey miller at h.miller@rivers.org

Kyle Reardon ’12 Charlie Rugg was selected in the first round of the mls superDraft in January by the los Angeles galaxy! Will Sahakian plays attack for the men’s lacrosse team at manhattanville college. in the 2012 season he finished tied for the team lead in points with 26, second on the team for goals with 16, and leading the team for assists with 10. Kate Szostkowski is in nursing school at gWu and hopes to return to the boston area upon graduation in may. Kate voorhes, who is the society of Women engineers (sWe) high school outreach coordinator visited michael schlenker’s honors physics class to talk about what she enjoys about engineering. she is currently a student at Tufts university.

2 0 1 0 Jackson Brewer was the leading scorer for the Trinity university men’s hockey Team. midseason, he recorded his first hat trick and was named nescAc player of the Week for his accomplishments. Callie Bullion returned to Rivers for the annual veterans Day ceremony to speak about her experiences as an RoTc cadet working toward being commissioned as an officer in the u.s. Army after she graduates from middlebury college. now a junior, she is an anthropology major with a double minor in spanish and Arabic.

Adam lowenstein emailed, “During the 2012 summer, i interned with the D.A. show at 98.5 The sports hub. While interning as an assistant to the producer, i focused on analytical research as well as audio editing, podcasting, and administering caller interaction.”

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2 0 1 2 Arielle Bloostein writes, “i miss Rivers tremendously and have seen such growth in myself at Rivers, in retrospect. it prepared me incedibly well for college.” Taylor Cross finished off a stellar 2012–13 campaign as a defenseman on the women’s ice hockey team at norwich by earning ecAc AllRookie team honors. she finished the season with five goals and seven assists, leading all rookie blue liners in the league. Sophie Friedman is attending george Washington university and enjoying life in Dc! Kyle Reardon displayed his hardwood expertise for university of Rochester this year! Reardon and the Yellowjackets were ranked #1 in their conference.

Student News in Memoriam William A. Burnham ’67, october 5, 2012 Jeffrey l. Fruman ’88, march 12, 2013 Morris Gordon ’45, February 6, 2013 Kenneth P. MacPherson ’42, January 27, 2013 Winthrop S. Pike ’37, July 7, 2012

32 • Riparian • Spring 2013

Boston Career Development Committee Danielle l. Ain ‘05 Timothy m. Ayers ‘00 stephen J. baldini ‘96 William T. cushing ‘05 Robert n. Daley ‘82 glen e. Davis ‘89 Andrew m. DeAngelis ‘93 lawrence T. epstein ‘87 David s. garsh ‘99 lawrence m. glazer ‘86 marissa J. goldstein ‘03 paul g. holian ‘89 bradley s. Karelitz ‘04 Jeffrey s. Katz ‘95 stephen J. lable ‘90, chair charlotte R. lewis ‘02 Roy s. macDowell ‘96 michael R. mccabe ‘83 Jared D. perry ‘95 nicholas b. petri ‘02 bryant J. Roche-bernard ‘06 charles F. saponaro ‘92 April h. seligman ‘03 gregory l. stoller ‘87

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We Need You! Now’s the time to make a gift to the 2012–13 Annual Fund. Your participation counts!

Gotta Golf? put Monday, May 13, 2013 on your calendar for two great courses, one great cause. Join fellow alumni, parents, and friends for the 13th Annual Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid at charter oak country club in hudson, mA, with the simultaneous young

how will your gift help Rivers?

alumni tournament for the classes of

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hire and retain knowledgeable and dedicated faculty

1998–2012 at stow Acres country club

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Develop new courses and upgrade classroom resources

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expand its cutting-edge leadership and advising programs

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support its varied co-curricular and athletic programs

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provide financial aid for a diverse student body

in stow, mA. • Foursomes and individual players welcome • sponsors and auction donations still needed • check www.rivers.org/ golftournament for event details • Questions? contact Director of Alumni programs hailey miller at 339-686-2246 or h.miller@rivers.org

Your gift matters. each gift helps us give our students the true Rivers experience. go to www.rivers.org/giveonline to make a gift or mail a check or credit card information to: Advancement office, The RiveRs school 333 Winter street, Weston, mA 02493

tHE RIVERS SCHOOL

333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040

address Service Requested

Non-Profit Organization u.S. Postage PAID Boston MA Permit No. 10

Rivers admits academically qualified students of any race, religion, sex, disability, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally available to its students. Rivers does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability, color, ethnic, or national origin in our admissions policies, educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Please notify us if your phone number, mailing address, or email address changes so that Rivers can stay in touch with you and your family. Contact Lydia Gibson at 339-686-2239 or l.gibson@rivers.org.

S av e T H e d aT e S ! J o i n T H e f u n ! Monday, May 13 Rivers golf Tournament to benefit Financial Aid

Saturday, May 18 Alumni Day and Reunion Dinner 2013 Honoring Jeremy Harrison for 25 years of teaching and Ambassador Philip Goldberg â&#x20AC;&#x2122;74, Alumni Excellence Award Recipient

Sunday, May 19 Third Annual 5K Run for Rivers go to www.rivers.org/alumnievents for details or contact Director of Alumni programs hailey miller at h.miller@rivers.org or 339-686-2246.