The Rivers School
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333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040
Address Service Requested
2012–2013 Alumni Events at THE RIVERS SCHOOL
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
T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • FA LL 2 0 12
policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or
Tuesday, 12/18/12
October Friday, 10/12/12
4:30 p.m.
Homecoming Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Cross-Country Meet at Elm Bank, Wellesley Saturday, 10/13/12
1:00 p.m.
Homecoming Lunch and Varsity Games Tuesday, 10/23/12
New York City Networking Event with Tom Olverson and Jack Jarzavek at Libation, 137 Ludlow Street
6:00 p.m.
Pre-Thanksgiving Alumni Reception at LIR, 903 Boylston Street, Boston
6:00 p.m.
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.
Alumni Collegiate Dinner for Classes of 2009–2012 6:00 p.m.
Washington, D.C. Networking Reception With Tom Olverson and Dan McCartney at Lost Society, 2001 14th Street NW
Prize Winning Portraits A sampling of the student artwork that received First Place awards at the 2012 SISAL competition
11:50 a.m.
Alumni Hockey Game, Lunch, and Family Skate
May Saturday, 5/18/13
All Day
Alumni Day & Reunions Reunion Classes ending in 3 and 8 Honoring Jeremy Harrison for 25 years of service to Rivers
November–March Sundays, 11/18/12 – 3/3/13 Community Free Skate Alumni Hockey Games
Thursday, 1/3/13
Sunday, 2/24/13 9:30 a.m.
Veterans Day Ceremony and Reception Wednesday, 11/21/12
January
February
November Monday, 11/12/12
other school-administered programs.
Alumnae/Varsity Girls’ Hockey Practice and Brunch
Tuesday, 1/15/2013 7:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m.
Riparian
11:50 a.m. 7:40 p.m.
December Thurs.–Sat., 12/13/12–12/15/12 Holiday Basketball Tournament
Sarah Lamour ’17
Maria Burzillo ’16
Anne Armstrong ’13
June Tuesday, 6/4/13
8:30 a.m.
Alumni Senior Breakfast Thursday, 6/27/13
6:00 p.m.
• Roy MacDowell Retires as Board President
Boston Networking Event
• Young Alumni: The Post-Rivers Path
Stay tuned for more details about The Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid All alumni events are at The Rivers School unless otherwise noted. For complete details on these and other events, go to the Alumni page at www.rivers.org/alumnievents, or contact Director of Alumni Programs Hailey Miller at h.miller@rivers.org or 339-686-2246.
Brooke Stoller ’12
Sareena Kamath ’14 Lincoln Zaleski ’16
• Alumni Day and Reunions 2012 • 2011–2012 Annual Report on Giving
Congratulations to the Class of 2012 Andrew Ades, Syracuse University Thomas Arnold, California Institute of Technology Kelsey Bacon, University of Pennsylvania Samuel Birger, Vanderbilt University Kevin Bloom, University of Vermont Samuel Bloomstone, Lehigh University Arielle Bloostein, Case Western Reserve University Connor Bradley, Lehigh University Brooke Brennan, Clark University Katherine Bullion, Dartmouth College Matthew Burns, Connecticut College Jeremiah Campanelli, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Nina Ciffolillo, McGill University Page Cochran, Hamilton College, New York Kristine Corey, Boston University Taylor Cross, Norwich University George Crowley, Babson College Kara Cummings, Saint Michael’s College Frederick Daley, Wake Forest University William Duffy, Bucknell University Phoebe Erickson, Wesleyan University David Feldman, Elon University Janelle Ferrara, Yale University Luke Flood, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Summers Ford, Miami University, Oxford Nina Friedman, University of Vermont Sophia Friedman, The George Washington University Alejandra Gil, Middlebury College Reid Gilligan, Bucknell University
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Jennifer Gough, Boston University Caroline Griffin, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Aaron Hentoff, Brandeis University Elizabeth Hitti, University of Pennsylvania Juliana Hoke, Lafayette College Caroline Hubbard, Johns Hopkins University Rebecca Iafrati, Tufts University Jennifer Jasinski, St. Lawrence University Nicole Johnson, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Derek Kahr, Union College Griffin Kay, Dartmouth College Megan Kerbs, Union College Brendan King, Avon Old Farms Carson Knisley, Vanderbilt University Jessica Kraft, Emory University John Lawrence, Bucknell University Jonathan Levitt, Kenyon College Spencer Low, Babson College Nicholas Lund, Claremont McKenna College Erik Matthews, Berklee College of Music Meghan McAneny, Duke University H. Collin McCabe, Whitman College Meghan McEachern, Boston College Amanda McGuinness, Fairfield University Georgia McIntyre, Colgate University Robert McLarnon, Johns Hopkins University Tayra Melendez, University of Rhode Island Phoebe Melnick, Boston University Stephanie Merinoff, Boston University David Nagelberg, Ithaca College William Oldach, University of Connecticut
Kathleen Oppenheim, Northeastern University Duncan Orlander, Northwestern University Jaime Pearlstein, Emory University William Pegram, University of Rhode Island Winston Pingeon, American University John Pops, University of Richmond John Rautiola, Middlebury College Kyle Reardon, University of Rochester Juliana Rordorf, New York University Matthew Ryan, Ithaca College Ash’Shaquor Sandiford, Springfield College Drew Silverman, Emory University Ethan Silverman, New York University Emily Snider, Bowdoin College Melanie Snider, University of Chicago Emily Stanislawzyk, University of Vermont Brooke Stoller, The George Washington University Edward Sullivan, Lehigh University Matthew Tanner, University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Julia Taylor, University of Richmond Andre Tilahun, Lehigh University Conor VanDuzer, United States Military Academy Jeffrey Vaz, Colby College Daniel Walsh, Woods College at Boston College Ashley Weir, Bucknell University Chase Williams, University of Vermont Kelsey Young, Vanderbilt University
Every gift to the Annual Fund helps to bridge the gap of $8,000 between tuition and the cost of educating each student at Rivers. Where will your Annual Fund gift go? Your gift affects every aspect of the Rivers experience: • Curriculum Development – Interdisciplinary Department courses – New biochemistry and history curricula • Professional Development – 21st century classroom workshops – Coursework for advanced degrees • Faculty Salaries and Compensation – To attract and retain outstanding faculty • Co-curricular Activities – Resources for activities and trips – Leadership program training • Classroom Technology – Sets of iPads for every department – Apple TVs for classroom projection • Athletics – Year-round strength and conditioning program – Recertification for athletic trainers • Financial Aid – To help ensure socioeconomic diversity
Your participation counts. To make a gift, go to www.rivers.org/giveonline or mail a check or credit card information to: Advancement Office , THE RIVERS SCHOOL 333 Winter Street , Weston, MA 02493 1 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Rivers Online Networking Database Offers New Features for Alumni
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he Career Development Committee encourages alumni to take advantage of two new features on the Rivers website: job postings by fellow alumni and career mentor opportunities. Visit www.rivers.org, then click on RiversNet and log in as instructed. Job postings will be the first thing you see, but when you click on “Directory,” you can sort and see alumni in a variety of career and school fields as well as locations. Alumni may sort through the Directory to look for career mentors Stephen Lable ’90, to take full advantage of the Rivers network. Larry Glazer ’86, If you are looking to fill an opening at your place Greg Stoller ’87 of business, consider posting on Rivers’ secure listing service for alumni by sending the information to m.hupper@rivers.org. If you are willing to share your experience or expertise with other alumni as a Career Mentor, please let us know by sending an email to m.hupper@rivers.org and we will then indicate this on your profile. “The Boston and New York Career Development Committees have created a tremendous buzz in the Rivers community as more and more alums are connecting every day,” commented committee chair Stephen Lable ’90. “I encourage everyone to attend a CDC event in Boston or New York, to check out our online networking groups including the Rivers Linkedin group, and to make sure Rivers has your latest contact information.” Questions? Please contact Associate Director of Advancement Marney Hupper at m.hupper@rivers.org or 339-686-2247.
RiversNet
www.rivers.org Two new website features: Job postings by fellow alumni and Career Mentor opportunities
V o l . X X VII • N u m b e r 2
Riparian The Rivers School • FALL 2012
Editor
Christine Martin, Director of Communications and Stewardship Contributors
Melisse Hinkle, Associate Director of Communications Hillary Noble, Communications Assistant Photography/graphics
2 3 4 5 8 10
Tim Morse, Michael Young, Melisse Hinkle, Hillary Noble, Alissa McMahon De s i g n e r
David Gerratt, NonprofitDesign.com Printer
Signature Printing & Consulting, Brian Maranian ’96 He a d o f Sc h o o l
Thomas P. Olverson D i r ec t o r o f A d v a n ce m e n t
Janice H. Hicinbothem A s s o c i a t e D i r ec t o r o f A d v a n ce m e n t
Marney Hupper Coordinator of Parent Re l a t i o n s
Amy Dunne d i r ec t o r o f a l u m n i programs
Hailey Miller A l u m n i O u t r e a c h O f f i ce r
Christina Grady
The Rivers School 333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040 781-235-9300 www.rivers.org
Message from Head of School Tom Olverson Roy MacDowell Retires as Board President Clint Harris Named New Board President Welcome New Rivers Trustees F eat u re :
Post-Rivers Paths: Young Alumni Pursue 21st Century Careers F eat u re :
Water Curriculum Makes Waves in the Community Campus News INSERT:
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2011-2012 Annual Report on Giving: The Rivers School and The Rivers School Conservatory Hooray for the Annual Parents’ League Auction Reunion 2012 The Rivers Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid: A Hole in One Message from Alumni Council President Larry Glazer ’86 Student Representatives Share Their Voices Class Notes On the Waterfront: Networking News Run for Rivers Making Strides
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.
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 1
Message from the Head of School
Expressing Our “Life Force” By Thomas P. Olverson
T
his summer, I had the opportunity to read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. The story prompted me to think about Jobs and Apple, and the question “What makes an organization great?” I’ve spent a lot of time throughout my career thinking about this question and reading books and articles about the essential ingredients of great organizations—leadership, collaboration, management, marketing, strategic planning, and execution. But the biography of Jobs gave me a new slant. I came to the conclusion that perhaps the most significant reason for an organization’s greatness is the passion to bring an idea to life and the ability to find a means of expression for that idea. Apple’s greatness stemmed from Jobs’ obsession with bringing the marriage of technology and humanity to life—the functionality and practical work of computers married to a belief in creativity, elegance, art, design, and experience—the human dimension so antithetical to technology before Jobs. He was committed to finding ways to express this idea. In this regard, he had so much integrity that he demanded even the inside of the Mac be elegantly designed. This demand was the truest reflection of his passion for making incarnate his idea of the need to combine functionality and elegance in technology. Yes, Jobs wanted to beat Microsoft and other competitors, but the genius of Apple did not arise from that desire. Rather, it came from this passion to birth an idea. It was Jobs the artist, not Jobs the businessman or computer expert, who was the essential element in Apple’s greatness. The great dancer and choreographer Martha Graham wrote a poem that captures this concept so perfectly, and I quote in part:
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy A quickening That is translated through you into action And because there is only one of you In all of time This expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist Through any other medium, And be lost. The world will not have it. During the past year at Rivers, we have spent a great deal of time reflecting on what Excellence with Humanity means to us. What are we most passionate about at Rivers? We’ve distilled our thoughts down to five attributes that we use to define Excellence with Humanity—five areas that illustrate the “life force” of this idea: Excellence: We’re committed to maintaining high standards in and out of the classroom. Quality of Experience: It matters to us that our students are happy—that they gain a sense of self-efficacy and autonomy by facing the challenges we give them. Relationships: When we know and care about our students as multi-dimensional human beings, they will stretch for excellence and be willing to take risks. Innovation: We’re continually looking for better ways to live our mission. Character: We want to graduate great academicians, artists, and athletes, but we also want to graduate great human beings. At Rivers, Excellence with Humanity is OUR collective art— it is our creation and it demands that we seek its expression in the work we do. This is the mission and the promise we are committed to at Rivers.
Board of Trustees 2012–2013
Honorary Trustees of the Corporation
President: Clinton P. Harris
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 2 •Stephen Riparian Fall 2012 M.•Jennings 2 • Riparian • Spring 2012
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, Jr. ’87 Solomon B. Roth Laurie Schoen Mark S. Schuster ’72
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 Kenneth P. MacPherson ’42 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, Jr. 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
Roy MacDowell
MacDowell family at a Rivers football game
MacDowell family at the Athletic Center opening
Roy MacDowell, Jr. R etires as B oard P resident
By Christine Martin
W
hen Roy MacDowell took over the helm of The Rivers School in 2004, the school was entering a period of tremendous growth, and MacDowell was just the person to take command. He brought an extraordinary combination of strategic vision, business acumen, and hard work to the wide range of projects and proposals that faced the school, before retiring from the Board in June 2012. “Roy MacDowell is someone who knows how to get things done,” commented Head of School Tom Olverson recently as he looked back over MacDowell’s tenure. “At the same time, he does a very good job of making people feel included in the process, of valuing their opinions. So when you finish a project with him, you feel really, really good.” And there were many significant projects during the two decades he served on the Board, including construction of the MacDowell Library, MacDowell Athletic Center, Bradley Hall, and Campus Center, as well as major renovations to the rest of the campus. He was a champion of the need to continually upgrade the learning environment of the school through carefully chosen capital improvements. As an articulate consensus-builder, MacDowell spent hours working with various constituencies during the planning and construction phases of each project, joining his expertise in the fields of real estate development and land-
scape design with his commitment to enhancing every aspect of the Rivers experience. MacDowell’s involvement with Rivers predates the years that his sons, Roy III ’96 and Todd ’99 attended the school. His wife Ginny grew up in a Rivers family: her parents Priscilla and “Bob” Strauss ’34 became active when her brother Randy ’68 was a student, and they established the Strauss Dining Room in his memory after his untimely death. Ginny volunteered on many Parents’ League committees during their sons’ years here, and served as Parents’ League President before becoming an Honorary Trustee of the Corporation. The family recently celebrated another Rivers milestone with the graduation of their granddaughter, Stephanie Merinoff, in the Class of 2012. Throughout his tenure, MacDowell never lost sight of the true mission of the Board: to do what is right for the students. Whether it was a new athletic center or an improved compensation plan to attract and retain a superb faculty, his focus was always on what is best for the institution. MacDowell’s expertise and generosity altered the landscape of The Rivers School and his vision and leadership will continue to help shape its future for years to come. “Roy’s legacy is one of overseeing and leading the school in a real transformation, in terms of program, in terms of facilities, and in terms of institutional pride,” concluded Olverson.
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 3
Harris Assumes Leadership of Rivers’ Board of Trustees
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he Rivers community welcomes new Board President Clinton Harris, who became a trustee in 2002 while his son Will ’04 was a student at Rivers. He was elected School Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee six years ago, and brings a wealth of financial expertise and counsel to the Board. Under his leadership, the Finance Committee is committed to a sound financial model to maximize the school’s resources, improve the student experience, and increase financial aid availability. His wife, Meg Harris, also served on Rivers’ Education Committee for seven years. Harris is the founder and a managing partner of Grove Street Advisors, LLC in Wellesley, a private equity investment firm. Earlier in his career, Clint was a co-founder and managing director of Advent International, one of the world’s largest international private equity firms. Prior to Advent, Clint was a partner with Bain & Company. He also served for five years in the Navy as an officer on nuclear submarines. He holds bachelor of arts and engineering degrees from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard University.
The Harrises are longtime supporters of The Rivers School, including the MacDowell Athletic Center where they were instrumental in naming the balcony in Benson Gymnasium in memory of Will’s classmate, Ian Greenblatt. The family more recently honored Meg’s father by naming the Gere Math Center in the new Campus Center in his memory. Brewster Gere was chairman of the Mathematics Department at Hamilton College from 1950 to1969. “I’m very pleased that Clint Harris is taking over the Board,” commented retired Board President Roy MacDowell in a recent interview. “He is going to have a fantastic Board; a diversity of life’s experiences and qualifications is very important on a good Board.”
Rivers Welcomes New Trustees
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en Fischman is the founder and chief executive officer of Rue La La, a leader in the digital private-sale space. Previously he was the CEO of off-price e-commerce marketplace SmartBargains.com. In 2009, he led both companies to acquisition by commerce and interactive marketing services provider GSI Commerce which was acquired by eBay in 2011. Rue La La was then spun off into a privately held company and Fischman continues to serve as CEO. Fischman was the first entrepreneur in residence at General Catalyst Partners, a venturecapital and private-equity firm. He is also the founder of LIDS Corporation, which he established in 1993 while a junior at Boston University where he earned a bachelor of arts and communications degree. Ben and his wife Wendy have four children; sons Jake and Thomas are both Class of 2018. Stephen M. Jennings is the managing partner and a member of the board of directors of the Monitor Group, a global consulting firm. As managing partner, Jennings is responsible for the firm’s consulting business globally and has managed domestic and international projects and relationships in a wide variety of industries. In addition, Jennings is Chairman of the Board of Aspen Technology Inc., a member of the board of directors of LTX Corporation, and member of the board of directors of the nonprofit, New Profit Inc. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a MA Oxon degree from Oxford University where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics as a Marshall Scholar. Steve and his wife Monica O’Neil live in Belmont with their three children, James ’15, Anne ’16, and Marie ’19.
4 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Post-Rivers Paths
Young Alumni Pursue 21st Century Careers By Melisse Hinkle
Kelsey Clark ’05
Ande Nicoletti ’00
The Educator Kelsey Clark ’05 C o l l e g e : Yale University C u rr e n t : Eighth Grade English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher at Edward W. Brooke Charter Schools (Brooke Roslindale) Q: What has your post-Rivers path been like? A: I majored in English at Yale, but I also took four years of Chinese, so I did the Yale-China teaching fellowship. I went to China for two years and taught ESL, American literature, and some history at the college level. I decided teaching was something I really wanted to do. I applied to Brooke Charter Schools here in Boston. Last year, I taught sixth grade as an associate teacher, then I was hired to be an eighth grade classroom teacher. Our school is a no-excuses charter school. We have a lot of low-income minority students and students for whom the schooling opportunities they would normally have are not getting them to where we want them to be, which is college. Brooke is one of the top achieving charter schools and public schools in the state. It’s built around the idea that great teachers can close the achievement gap. Q: What excites you about your work? A: Middle school kids are still figuring out what academic subjects they’re interested in and it’s amazing to watch that discovery. They’re also figuring out who they are as people, how other people perceive them, and what their place is in the world. In the best moments, I get to have a big impact on the formation of their character. Q: What post-Rivers achievement are you most proud of? A: I think just doing the work I do. It’s interesting to learn about
Cara Nicoletti ’04
my students’ lives and to look at the problems many are facing, then come home from work every day and say ‘even if this was difficult, the general aim is to do something important and to help other people.’ Q: How has Rivers prepared you for this work? A: Rivers showed me the power many amazing teachers can have on a kid. My teachers at Rivers had such a huge impact on my life. I hope I can become a great teacher and have a similar impact on my students.
Sister Act: The Butcher and The Baker Cara Nicoletti ’04 and Ande Nicoletti ’00 C o l l e g e s : NYU (Cara) and Colby College (Ande) C u rr e n t : Butcher at The Meat Hook (Cara) and Cake Decorator at Sweet Tooth Boston (Ande) Q: What have your post-Rivers paths been like? Cara: I studied English Literature in college. I also worked in restaurants and coffee shops as a way to support myself. Eventually a couple of (very brave) chefs took a chance and let me into the kitchen. I immediately gravitated toward pastry and began working as a baker and pastry chef. After graduating from NYU with a degree in English literature and Latin (bet you didn’t see that coming, Mr. McVey), I considered getting a Ph.D. in Victorian literature, but I had fallen too in love with my life as a chef to leave it behind. I was working as the pastry chef at Colonie in 2011 when the chef decided to start getting whole animals to be butchered in-house. None of the cooks knew how to butcher so I took on the task, knowing a little bit from my grandfather who owned a butcher shop. Now, I do whole-animal butchery at a butcher shop called The Meat Hook. Fall 2012 • Riparian • 5
Ande: I majored in studio art and art history, then went straight into teaching art in the public charter school system in Boston. After a few years of teaching, I moved to New York City where I planned to wait tables for a year before going back to teaching. But I fell in love with the restaurant/food industry. I noticed the pastry chefs were doing something I knew I could be good at. I wound up getting an internship at a cake shop. I said I’d take a counter position and within a few weeks they were letting me bake. I graduated with high honors from a professional degree program in pastry and baking arts at the Institute for Culinary Education in 2010 and completed an externship at Daniel Boulud’s DBGB. Now, I’m a cake decorator at Sweet Tooth in Southie. In the meantime, Cara, who I lived with in Brooklyn, was following a similar path. Cara: We would come home after 14-hour shifts, covered in flour and absolutely exhausted. Having a sister who understands the industry, and someone to bounce ideas off of and inspire me is invaluable. Ande is my best friend in the whole world. Q: What are your proudest post-Rivers accomplishments? Cara: Getting a mention in the 2012 Michelin Guide for my salted caramel donuts, breaking an entire cow by myself in 45 minutes, and finishing my book proposal. Ande: Completing culinary school in a city like New York was a huge accomplishment for me. Q: You each have a venture you pursue outside your full-time job. Tell me about them. Cara: I create recipes for literary food scenes on my blog, Yummy Books. After college, I was missing my academic life terribly, so three of my friends and I started a book club. Whenever we would discuss a book we had read I would cook a meal from the novel. Soon, people not connected to the book club were reserving spots in my tiny kitchen to eat the words of their favorite authors. When I could no 6 • Riparian • Fall 2012
longer keep up with the demand, I started Yummy Books as a way to keep the tradition alive. Yummy Books has been written up in The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, Very Short List, The Daily Beast, Animal New York, The Kitchn, and various other publications. In March, I signed with a literary agent and officially submitted a book proposal to publishers as of September! My hope is that there will be a Yummy Books Cookbook in stores sometime within the next two years. Ande: Butterprint Bake Shop is my freelance company where I do cakes for people outside Sweet Tooth. A lot of the cakes I do are vegan or gluten free. My long-term goal is to open my own bakery and I’ve already started drafting a business plan. I would love it if Cara would move back to Boston so we could do something together. Q: How has Rivers prepared you for this work? Ande: Rivers taught me how to be independent and how to be a leader. Everyone had my back at that school and everyone wanted to see me succeed. Cara: I would never be where I am today without the incredible English teachers I had at Rivers. Not only did they prepare me academically for college and beyond, they fostered my love of literature and made me hungry to keep learning and pushing myself.
The Mobile Medicine Man Ryan Littman-Quinn ’05 C o l l e g e : Boston College C u rr e n t : Director of Mobile Health Informatics at the Botswana-UPenn Partnership Q: What has your post-Rivers path been like? A: Untraditional! I majored in business and marketing at Boston College, but I also had a minor in philosophy and I studied graphic design (influenced by the computer graphics course I took at Rivers). When I was about to graduate, my Dad sent me a tech newsletter that had a story about a startup called ClickDiagnostics.
Ryan Littman-Quinn ’05
They were doing software development for telemedicine using smartphones. I contacted them and ended up doing an internship there. So, I got into what’s called “mHealth”—using mobile technology in healthcare. Through my work, I met a doctor at UPenn. She had received a small grant to do a pilot in Botswana and asked me if I wanted to be the manager for that project starting in Janu- ary 2010. I was only supposed to be in Botswana for a few months, but things went well and there was a lot of interest in the ideas we were developing, so I keep getting contract extensions. I’m now the country director for a health informatics capacity-building program in Botswana. I live in the capital city of Gabarone, but I travel often for consulting work and conference presentations for UPenn. In the past three years I have traveled to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Germany, Belgium, Guatemala, and several regions in the U.S. Q: What excites you about your work? A: How technology can be used to improve people’s lives. Mobile technology is more of a convenience in the U.S., but in developing countries it can significantly improve healthcare for large populations
of people and make a big social impact. That’s what drives me. Q: How did Rivers prepare you for this experience? A: My overall well-rounded nature, which I developed at Rivers, has served me well: being able to adapt, communicate well with others, play pick-up soccer anywhere in the world, multi-task, and analyze situations and problem-solve through them. I think Rivers provided me with an environment in which I could develop those skills.
The Olympic Hopeful Jillian Dempsey ’09 C o l l e g e : Harvard University C u rr e n t : Student, Harvard University Q: What has your post-Rivers path been like? A: I was recruited to play ice hockey at Harvard. I’ve been fortunate to develop my skills under the winningest coach in women’s division one college hockey. I’ve also had the unbelievable experience of playing for Team USA’s national team, getting to travel to Finland, Sweden, and Calgary for some series and tournaments. I’m concentrating in Classics at Harvard and I’m proud of being able to balance such a rigorous course load with my hockey schedule.
Q: What are some of the post-Rivers accomplishments you’re most proud of? A: I’ve had wonderful success on the ice: ECAC Hockey All-Rookie team and AllIvy League second team (freshman year); All-ECAC and All-Ivy League second team honors, Harvard top scorer (sophomore year); 2012 Patty Kazmaier Award Nominee, All-ECAC first team, unanimous All-Ivy first team, Harvard top scorer and finalist for ECAC Player of the Year Award (junior year); and helping the U.S. Women’s National Team win a gold medal at the 2011 Four Nations Cup. This year, I will be a captain at Harvard. I’m hoping to lead my team to an NCAA championship title. Q: How has Rivers helped you get where you are today? A: Rivers prepared me academically for the time commitment and difficulty of college courses. The teachers, staff, and coaches made every day worth it because of their passion for what they do and genuine concern for me to do well. Q: What are your hopes for the future? A: I try to live in the moment and appreciate everything I have. Not everybody gets to live a dream: Mine is playing for the Harvard hockey team and for Team USA. My immediate hopes are making the Olympic team for the 2014 Winter Olympics and winning an NCAA championship title.
The Movie Maker Peter Litvack ’08 C o l l e g e : The George Washington University C u rr e n t :
Production Assistant at DreamWorks Animation Q: What has your post-Rivers path been like? A: At GW, I had two great internships. The Peter Litvack ’08 first was a marketing internship with the American Red Cross in a department called Celebrity and Entertainment Outreach. The second was with CBS Sports in Washington, D.C. Now, I am a production assistant at DreamWorks Animation, where I’m working on their new movie, ‘Turbo,’ starring Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Bill Hader, and Samuel L. Jackson. I am in the lighting department and help manage 40 lighting artists, five storyboard artists, and 10 technical directors. My work also involves computer programming and software development. Q: How has Rivers helped you get where you are today? A: If I hadn’t gone to Rivers, I would not have been able to get into GW. If I hadn’t gone to GW, I never would have had my internships and, thus, I never would have gotten this job. Rivers taught me how to budget my time efficiently, even when swamped with work. That’s probably the most important skill you can have in the movie industry. Q: Which post-Rivers achievement are you most proud of? A: Getting this job. DreamWorks Animation is one of the top work environments in the country. It is incredibly competitive to get into the studio, but once you’re in, you’re family.
Jillian Dempsey ’09
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 7
Water Curriculum Helps Sixth Graders Make Big Waves in the Community By Hillary Noble
Head of School Tom Olverson joins the “Water Walk”
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fter exploring several facets of the world water crisis in their humanities classroom all year, the smallest members of the Rivers community learned just how big an impact they could make this past spring. Sixth graders planned, organized, and executed projects to spread awareness about water issues in their respective communities and on the Rivers campus, proving that neither age nor size can inhibit the will to effect positive change. The sixth grade humanities curriculum, now spearheaded by Middle School teacher Scott Chelist, is entirely based on water issues from start to finish. Students spend the year learning about three major themes—power, conflict, and opportunity—and how they relate to worldwide issues like water privatization, sanitation, scarcity, and pollution. The goal is for students to better understand how water conflict shapes lives and landscapes. Students also spend time studying water in other disciplines outside the humanities classroom, which builds the foundation for the interdisciplinary work that occurs later in Middle and Upper School curricula. Last fall, Chelist was selected to present his curriculum at a conference run by Project WET, a program that provides resources for water educators. The conference, called “Sustaining the Blue Planet,” took place in Bozeman, Montana and was the first conference of its kind. Chelist was surprised to find that not one of his peers at the conference had heard of a water-based curriculum. 8 • Riparian • Fall 2012
“I was the only humanities teacher there,” he said. “Everyone else was a science teacher or they were from different water organizations. We’re doing something great here at Rivers that no one else is doing.” With the help of Upper School history teacher Ben Leeming and Head of Middle School Susie McGee, Chelist redesigned the curriculum around a series of core questions. He focuses on one question in particular—how can the actions of the few change the world for the many?—which he uses to demonstrate that his students have the power to positively impact some of the big issues they study in the classroom. Early in the year, students read a book titled A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Parker, which details a young Sudanese girl’s experience walking eight hours each day just to fetch clean water for her family. The book serves as a catalyst for students to empathize with those struggling with water-related conflict, and to start thinking about what they can do as individuals and as a group to help remedy these issues. At this point in the curriculum, Chelist hands the reins over to his students and encourages them to generate their own ideas and solutions. “They’re so used to being told what to do,” said Chelist. “Very few sixth graders are used to the idea of having control of their own understanding and their own learning. Water is a huge issue, but water is just the vehicle for them coming to understand something bigger about themselves.” Students are charged with the responsibility of developing an action plan to educate others in their communities about the world’s most pressing water issues. In early March, they begin brainstorming for individual action projects, as well as researching and writing to different water charities to request information or edu-
cational materials. Many students visit their former elementary schools to teach younger students about the world water crisis, while others bring brochures and informational materials to high-traffic areas like grocery stores or shopping centers in an attempt to share what they know about the water crisis. “I want them to understand the power they have, and that if they’re passionate about something, they can make a difference,” said Chelist. “I also want them to recognize that money can stop at some point, but awareness keeps spreading.” At the end of the year, students convene in Haffenreffer Gymnasium to present their final projects to the Rivers community at what the sixth graders call the “Town Square.” As they shared their experiences last spring, it was clear they understood the positive results of their efforts. “People definitely listened to us,” said Andrew Sullivan ’18, who went to the Natick Mall with educational materials to distribute to visitors on a busy afternoon. Caroline Magnan ’18 shared alarming water statistics with her neighbors and interviewed them on camera to test their knowledge about the world water conflict. She then compiled her interviews into a short documentary of sorts. “Everyone was so surprised by how far off they were on statistics,” said Magnan. “That’s why we need to do what we can to help spread awareness.” According to Chelist, the sixth graders never stopped pushing themselves to do better—to educate more people and generate new ways to spread their knowledge. “The kids deserve all the credit,” he said. “It’s really great for me to step back and watch these students come up with their own ideas.” Chelist has been consistently impressed by the student-driven initiatives he’s seen in the past three years of implementing the final project portion of the curriculum. “They take these projects and make them their own,” he said. “I don’t tell them what to say. It’s what they come to understand about the water issues that gives them
Right: Megan McNally ’18 teaches a class on water issues at her former elementary school.
the courage to educate others, even complete strangers.” Perhaps the most powerful display of the students’ resolve to take action was the third annual “Water Walk” on Waterman Field. Each year, sixth graders fill gallon containers with water from Nonesuch Pond and carry them for countless laps around the football field to empathize with the struggles they read about in A Long Walk to Water. This past spring, however, Shannon Daley ’18 made the water walk her own personal project and decided to involve and educate the entire Rivers community. In the weeks leading up to the walk, Daley met with administrators and made announcements in front of Middle and Upper School students at all-school assemblies. “I was constantly trying to figure out what I could do to make the event better,” said Daley. Her preparation paid off—the walk yielded the highest participation of any water walk yet. Upper School students, Middle School students, teachers, and even Head of School Tom Olverson showed up to take a few laps with the sixth graders. All who stepped onto the field left with a much better understanding of the world
water crisis thanks to the walk’s enthu- siastic organizers. “It was one of the first times kids our age were taken so seriously,” said Daley. “I learned that you really can make an impact no matter how small you are.” Daley said the best part about the water walk was seeing so many segments of the Rivers community united as one, and accomplishing her goal of spreading awareness. “Some people have to walk up to 10 miles for clean water every day,” said Daley. “The point of our water walk is to recognize that we’re not the only ones in the world. There are people who need help and we can do something about it.” For Chelist, the water walk was an iconic example of the water curriculum achieving its overall mission. Students had learned a tremendous amount about water conflict and its relevance to their world, but they also learned a valuable lesson about their own potential to advocate for a cause. “Individuals can do so much, and groups can do so much more,” said Chelist. “The water walk helped the students understand that. My hope is that they go on to seventh grade knowing what they are capable of accomplishing.” Fall 2012 • Riparian • 9
Campus News
Orchestra in Ottawa
Dan Corcoran ’13, Marissa Birne ’15, Maddie Bauer ’14
Rivers Debaters Earn Leadership Roles
Three members of the Rivers Debate team have been elected to coveted positions in the Junior State of America. Club president Maddie Bauer ’13 is serving as national director of debate, Marissa Birne ’15 is an expansion agent for the Northeast State, and Dan Corcoran ’13 is director of debate for the New England region. The Junior State of America (JSA) is the largest student-run organization in the country, with 1,000 student participants in the Northeast State and 10,000 student participants nationwide. JSA involvement spans from the national level to local chapters, like the debate club at Rivers. Participants elect regional student leaders to organize conventions, conferences, and political awareness events. As director of debate, Bauer will draft debate resolutions, help develop the “National Debate of the Month” for local chapters, update debate archives on the JSA website, and plan guest speakers for conventions. This fall, all three students attended a weekend retreat for the Northeast State to plan for the upcoming JSA year.
Orchestra Wins Three Gold Medals at International Festival
The Rivers School Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Quintet, and Quartet traveled to Ottawa, Canada’s capital city in May to perform in an annual international competition for student musicians. The groups returned home from MusicFest Canada with 10 • Riparian • Fall 2012
three gold medals in the Orchestra Division, after competing against 10,000 other student musicians who had qualified for the event. Winning the medals at the festival was the culmination of a tremendous year for Rivers orchestra students. The students were thrilled with the awards, but the most memorable moment of the competition was the spontaneous standing ovation they received after one performance, a reaction competition judges said is an uncommon occurrence at this event. Aside from an opportunity to perform at such a high level, MusicFest Canada also served as a way for Rivers students to receive valuable feedback and attend music clinics. During the last seven years, the orchestra program has grown from eight students to 25 students, all capable of performing at a highly professional level.
Rivers Receives National Recognition for Outstanding Community Relationships
Rivers was the first place recipient of an award given annually by The Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education, a national organization that provides resources and forums for ethical development in schools across the country. The award is assigned a new theme each year, and the 2012 theme was “Outstanding Relationships with Community
Agencies.” Rivers’ receipt of this award recognized the meaningful relationships students and faculty have forged with community partners throughout Massachusetts and the world. Director of Community Service Jeanette Szretter says this year’s theme couldn’t have been a better match for Rivers. The importance of building purposeful relationships is emphasized on a daily basis in the Rivers community, but a national award for outstanding service proved that this emphasis extends far beyond campus boundaries. In the award description on its website, CSEE highlights the long-lasting connections Rivers students have with community partners like the Massachusetts General Hospital Bloodmobile, The Romanian Children’s Relief Fund, Special Olympics, and the Natick Service Council. The description also mentions programs like Rivers Givers and Sages and Seekers, a program implemented by English teacher Mac Caplan to incorporate the voices of older generations in the classroom.
Rivers Artists Receive National Recognition
After receiving a record-breaking 51 honors in the 2012 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards in February, student artists surpassed another benchmark of success
Campus News this year. Four Rivers students were recognized with awards in the National Scholastic Art competition, an honor bestowed on less than one percent of 200,000 entries submitted across 50 states. Rivers students had only earned national honors in Scholastic Art four times during the last 25 years for individual artwork. In just one year, this number of honors has doubled. This year’s winners are Lindsey Ades ’14 with a National Gold Medal in Ceramics, Natalie Schoen ’16 with a National Gold Medal in Photography, Zach Bunick ’14 with a National Silver Medal in Digital Art, and Rachel Silverman ’14 with a National Silver Medal in Ceramics. In this year’s competition, 13,000 of 200,000 submissions were honored with Gold Keys on the state level, and 1,500 of these works earned national medals. The four Rivers artists were invited to a National Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June. Additionally, the gold medal artwork was included in an exhibition at New York City’s Parsons The New School for Design and a selection of these works are being showcased throughout the year in a national traveling exhibition.
Artists Garner 24 Awards at SISAL Competition
Rivers student artists were recognized once again for their outstanding work, earning a total of 24 prizes at the Small Independent School Arts League (SISAL) Competition this spring. This year’s competition was hosted by Dedham Country Day School and featured entries from 19 participating independent schools. Rivers students were awarded eight
First Place: All Mixed Up by Andy Ades ’12
first prizes, seven second prizes, three third prizes, and six honorable mentions, in all media, for work by both Upper School and Middle School students. The juried art show seeks to honor a variety of inspired artwork, providing an opportunity for participating schools to celebrate student creativity and self-expression in a myriad of artistic endeavors. (Additional First Place winners appear on back cover.)
Big Band Continues a Streak of Awards and Recognition
The Rivers Big Band was rewarded for a stellar performance in March with a gold medal at the MAJE Northeast District Big Band Competition. Jeremiah Campanelli ’12, Richard Oates ’14, and James Hotchkiss ’14 received MVP awards. The Big Band continued its streak the following weekend when it was awarded second place at Berklee’s High School Jazz Festival after competing against more than 200 schools from across the country. Hotchkiss and Campanelli were honored again with Judges’ Awards and Outstanding Musicianship Awards for their performances. Additionally, the Select 1A combo received Honorable Mention.
James Hotchkiss ‘14 Honored with All-Eastern Music Festival Nomination
As a result of his performance at the prestigious 2012 All-State Music Festival, James Hotchkiss ’14 was selected to play bass in the orchestra at the All-Eastern Music Festival. Hotchkiss received his nomination after high scores at both Senior District and All-State festivals. The All-Eastern Festival is held every two years and will take place next April in Hartford, Connecticut. Hotchkiss has been playing the bass for 10 years, and excels in the Select 1A combo, Big Band, and Friday orchestra ensembles at Rivers. Rachel Hawley ’15 also had one of the highest scores at the All-State Music Festival as a vocalist, despite the fact that ninth graders are not eligible for official All-Eastern selection.
James Hotchkiss ’14
In addition to singing, Hawley plays the trombone, bass, and tuba, and composes her own music.
Rivers Athletes Have Banner Year
Rivers’ athletic teams ended one of their strongest years ever in June, notching three NEPSAC championships and an ISL title. The Rivers varsity field hockey team won the 2011 NEPSAC New England Championship. The girls’ varsity basketball team won the Rivers Holiday Tournament as well as the 2011 and 2012 NEPSAC Championships. The boys’ varsity ice hockey team won the 2012 ISL Eberhart Championship and the boys’ varsity ski team won the 2012 NEPSAC New England Championship. During the 2011–2012 school year, Rivers had 29 All-Independent School League (ISL) athletes, 27 athletes received All-League honorable mentions, and three received All-League or New England MVP awards. Eleven athletes were selected for the All-New England distinction, two were named AllState, and six were named New England All-Star selections. Tayra Melendez ’12 was also named a Boston Globe All-Scholastic. Nick DeSisto ’13 was named to the elite All-Tournament Team in the Under Armour All-America Tournament this summer, one of just 10 individuals out of the 250 lacrosse players at the tournament. While his New England team lost to Philadelphia in the championship finals, DeSisto garnered the highest level of personal recognition as an All-Tournament Team selection. Only three players can be selected from each field position, and selections are made by the coaches of the opposing teams. Fall 2012 • Riparian • 11
Campus News
Middle School Girls’ Sports Teams Finish Three Undefeated Seasons
During a three-season marathon of success, Rivers’ middle school girls’ soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams racked up an impressive 40 wins, without one game in the loss column. A satisfying win over Nobles in the first soccer game of the season kicked off the string of consecutive victories and the team continued to improve from there for a final record of 9-0. After the undefeated soccer season came to a close, the girls’ basketball team continued the trend with ease, as one of the strongest middle school basketball teams in recent memory. The team’s final record was 19-0, and none of the 19 games was close. After a combined 28 wins between soccer and basketball, the middle school girls’ lacrosse team completed the trifecta of undefeated seasons. They demonstrated a combination of leadership and teamwork, ending a record-breaking year with a final record of 12-0.
Faculty Members Pursue Enrichment Opportunities
This summer, the Rivers’ faculty enrichment grant program enabled 10 faculty members to travel near and far in pursuit of new learning experiences to bring back to the classroom. Whether it was science teacher Michael Schlenker’s visit to the largest physics
Fred Kosak 12 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Cathy Favreau
Susie McGee
Michael Schlenker
project in history, or Chinese teacher Fred Kosak’s week at University of California, Santa Cruz for a mandolin symposium, the most important souvenirs they returned with were firsthand experiences they can share with students and colleagues. According to English teacher and Grade 10 Dean Kate Wade, faculty enrichment grants encourage a hybrid of professional and personal development. Wade spent four days in picturesque Deer Isle, Maine listening to world-renowned presenters and lecturers at the Haystack Mountain Conference focused on risk, learning, and creativity. She says she learned a great deal about the art of risk-taking and how to better create opportunities for students to take risks in the classroom. Several grant recipients traveled overseas for their summer learning experiences. Middle School Latin teacher Cathy Favreau, whose curriculum is set in part in the town of Bath, England, explored the town’s literary history and learned more about the setting
of several books by Jane Austen, one of Favreau’s favorite authors. Kathy Dorrien’s trip to Spain may not directly impact her tutoring, but she enjoyed learning about the legacy of Moorish art and architecture in the region of Andalucía. She said the most interesting aspect of her trip was meeting other travelers and sharing her impressions of architectural sites with people from all over the world. Head of Middle School Susie McGee spent three weeks of the summer fulfilling a lifelong dream of driving the length of the Alaska-Canadian Highway. McGee drove thousands of miles through breathtaking natural beauty, stood on glaciers, kayaked through fjords, and sat in the co-pilot seat of a plane as it flew over the highest mountain peak in North America. Some of the most poignant takeaways from her adventures were the unique stories of the people she met along the way. She said her experience inspired her to be more deliberate in encouraging students to share their own stories.
Rivers Parents Hit the Red Carpet at the A nn u al A u ction
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he Rivers Parents’ League Hooray for Rivers auction, attended by 400 parents, faculty, and staff, raised more than $180,000 in support of student technology, professional development, and co-curricular activities. The producers of this year’s Oscar-winning event were co-chairs Ellen Ades and Jodi Slifka, assisted by honorary co-chairs Sandy and Jack Swartz. More than 100 volunteers transformed the MacDowell Arena with the help of a pair of roadsters, cameos by Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, and an abundance of glitter and glitz. Bidding was spirited for tickets to all manner of games and concerts, a photo shoot for a future star, and a coveted Boston Marathon number. By the final curtain call, more than $36,000 had been raised to support the dozens of co-curricular activities that help to round out the student experience at Rivers. “I’d like to thank the parents who secured more than 250 auction items, ran the silent auction tables, and decorated the field house,” said Coordinator of Parent Relations Amy Dunne. “The real winners tonight are the students who will benefit from this great show of generosity by the Rivers community.”
Lisa Dutile and honorary co-chair Sandy Swartz
Laurie Slifka, Tenney Cover, Carlota Taylor, and Ed Reardon
Roy MacDowell and Tom Olverson
Steve and Karen Sisselman with Linda and Lewis Robert Ben Fischman raises his paddle
Amy Enright pitches co-curricular programs Co-chairs Ellen Ades and Jodi Slifka Steve Jennings (left) mans a silent auction table
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 13
Alumni Day and Reunions 2012
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ivers alumni, ranging from recent 2011 graduates to members of the Class of 1942, returned to campus in May for the annual Alumni Day festivities. The weekend kicked off on Friday with “Back to Rivers,” an opportunity to take classes with Rivers faculty members Jim Navoni ’70, Michael Schlenker, and David Burzillo. On Saturday morning, a memorial service was held in Bradley Hall for former faculty member, honorary trustee, and Rivers parent, Mida van Zuylen Dunn P’70,’76, who passed away in November. Alumni and their families spent Saturday afternoon enjoying lunch, tours of the campus, men’s and women’s alumni lacrosse
games, and a chance to watch current Rivers athletic teams take on Groton in baseball and girls’ lacrosse. Celebrations continued into the evening with a cocktail reception, dinner, and awards presentation in the Campus Center. The Rivers Cup was awarded to Jeff Lowenstein ’77 for his longstanding commitment to Rivers, and the Alumni Council honored Westy Saltonstall ’61 with the Alumni Excellence Award and Art Love ’52 with the Distinguished Service Award. Assistant Head of School Jim Long and Director of Finance and Operations Bruce Amsbary were honored for 25 years of service to the Rivers community.
Rear, l to r: Renny Little ’51, Tom Navoni ’78, Will Cushing ’05, Ben Hudson ’70, Tom Grover ’67, Jim Navoni ’70. Front: Shawn Cryan ’99, Peter Gallitano ’82, Ricky Wright ’99, Ryan Daly ’05, Tim Gustus ’04
Lisa Raftery ’93 with Distinguished Service Award recipient Art Love ’52 Charlie Saponaro ’92 with wife Tannaz and their children 14 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Tom Nelson, Richard Kaneb, Toz Spalding, Dave Feldman, and Peter Morosoff, all Class of ’62
Matt Tobin ’90 with Rivers Cup recipient Jeff Lowenstein ’77
Lisa and Jim Long
Jon Wasserman ’88 with Bruce Amsbary
Carl Narcisse ’02, Karin Senior, Brittany Payton, Jordan Benson ’02, Chris Curtis ’02
L to r: Varsity lacrosse coach Susanna Donahue, Julia Williamson ’02, Melissa Dolan ’98, Allie Page ’07, Heather Ganitsky ’98, former coach Laurie Sachs
,
Greg Cahill ’77 with Alumni Excellence Award recipient Westy Saltonstall ’61
L to r: Keith Salustro, David Spalding, Chris Saunders, and Andy Arvedon, all Class of ’87
Fall Fall2012 2012 • Riparian • 15
Golf Tournament a Hole in One for Financial Aid
Stephen Tomaselli P ‘13 ‘18, Chris Barker P’13, Jon Guido, and Ben Howe P’07 ‘13 ‘16
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n May 21, more than 150 alumni, parents, and friends of the Rivers community turned out for the 12th annual Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid. The event raised approximately $93,000 in tuition assistance for qualified students, enabling them to benefit from a Rivers education. For the third year, the event featured both the traditional tournament at Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson and a concurrent Young Alumni Tournament at Stow Acres Country Club in Stow. The two groups convened at Charter Oak at the end of the day for a reception, live and silent auctions, and dinner. Head of Upper School Patti Carbery, the tournament honoree, was praised for her wisdom and guidance by former students Kate Machan ’98 and Heather Ganitsky ’98. The tournament’s success was due to the hard work of the Golf Tournament Committee, led by first-time chair Bruce Clifford ’83, P’16, in conjunction with the Daley family (Pat Daley ’84, P’13,’15,’18 and his brother Fred P’12, ’14,’16), who generously donated the Charter Oak course for the day. Tournament sponsor Bill Whittemore ’69 and many other donors also contributed to the day’s success. Capping off the evening was the drawing of two Super Raffle winners who will see the New England Patriots play the St. Louis Rams at Wembley Stadium in London.
Dan Lane ’04, Greg Gallagher ’02, Pat Gallagher ’04, Jeff Kline ’01, and Joe O’Malley
Heather Ganitsky ’98, Patti Carbery, and Kate Machan ’98 Bruce Clifford ’83 (second from left) with tournament winners Doug Wooldridge ’90, Niall Carney ‘89, Bob DeAngelis, and Mike Handler ‘90
Former Golf Committee Chair Matt Tobin ’90
Alan Rose ’87
Golf Committee Chair Bruce Clifford ’83
Bill Whittemore ’69 and Dave Raftery 16 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Brian Maranian, Steve Baldini, Scott Bartfield, and Tim Head, all Class of 1996
Message from Alumni Association President Larry Glazer ’86
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s the new president of the Alumni Association, I am honored to lead this special community that has been almost 100 years in the making. When I graduated from Rivers more than 25 years ago, I knew the quality of my experience—the rigorous academics, leadership skills, and friendships I developed—would serve me well both personally and professionally. Today, Rivers has built upon the traditions of “Excellence with Humanity” and remains true to developing students to be future leaders who possess integrity and perseverance. More importantly, Rivers continues to evolve. I am constantly struck by the innovative curriculum, the outstanding faculty who encourage excellence in the classroom and nurture the unique and outstanding qualities of their students, and the leadership that
is demonstrated by school administration, faculty, and students. As Rivers alumni, we serve the important role of offering support and mentorship to the current student body. The vibrant community we create allows us to remain connected and give back to the school. There are many ways to become involved —host an intern in your workplace, offer to be a mentor through the career development network, or participate in the Rivers golf tournament which offers important financial assistance to students to ensure the school remains diverse and accessible regardless of one’s financial background. You can also simply attend the alumni open skate sessions, sign up for the school’s alumni database, or check out Rivers’ Twitter and Facebook pages to share your news and learn about other alumni. And, of course, your financial support is always welcome!
By being involved in the Alumni Association and giving back to Rivers, we are supporting the academic and social wellbeing of our future leaders. We are also contributing to a healthy environment where current students can have as rich an experience as we once did. Personally, I have found the more I give, the more I get back in return. I am honored to serve as your president and look forward to welcoming you back to Rivers.
Student Representatives Share Their Voices
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eniors Kate Mecke, Michael Paczkowski, Jacklyn Sisselman, and Max Slifka, this year’s Alumni Council student representatives, will act as liaisons between current Rivers students and the council. With their far-reaching interests, they will provide insight into Rivers’ academic programs and co-curricular activities, giving alumni a true picture of daily life at Rivers. To highlight just some of their interests: Kate is captain of the field hockey team and a member of the Heated Lions basketball and Big Brother Big Sister programs. Michael is co-president of the Barbecue Club, is on the ski team, and volunteers at Drumlin Farm. Jaclyn is a member of Rivers Givers and captain of the ski and tennis teams. Max is a member of the Stock Club, and has organized a number of community outreach programs for Rivers. In addition to attending Council meetings, they will be helping the alumni office with phonathons and assisting at various alumni events throughout the year.
Michael Paczkowski, Max Slifka, Kate Mecke, Jaclyn Sisselman
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 17
Student News Alumni News
Class Notes
Class of 1962: Left to right: Dick Drury, Richard Edmonds, Bob Rand, Toz Spalding, Dave Feldman, Andy Moran, Peter Morosoff, Tom Nelson
1951 Renny Little wrote, “Great to see old friends and former students on Alumni Day—especially those in the Class of 1962 celebrating their big 50!”
1962 Dave Feldman is expecting his fifth grandson in September.
1964 Rick English emailed, “Thank goodness things are back to a sensible level in real estate after 2008. Wow! 2012 has been a huge turn around. Have first grandson on the way after two beautiful granddaughters. Just finished our Fall Ferrari festival here in Nashville, with over 75 Ferraris showing up. Things are wonderful in Nashville. The city is exploding, just a great life in the South. Best to all my classmates.”
1973 Barry Sloane has been appointed a Trustee of the Massachusetts General Hospital.
1974
Class of 1967: Rod Shepardson, Tom Grover, Lou Grossman, Charlie Collier
Class agent: Nick Vantine at nick_vantine@ boardwalkfinancial.com
1976 Elliott Birckhead wrote in the spring, “Sara and I will be married 28 years this June. Emily is at WVU in Morgantown and Hunter is at WV State in the Charleston area. I have been working for the State Mental Health Authority for nine years. Sara now works for the Bureau for Senior Services.”
1977 Jeffrey Lowenstein wrote, “Can’t believe 35 years have come and gone so quickly. Hope the next 35 go a little slower.” [Editor’s note: Jeff was awarded the Rivers Cup at Alumni Day in May.]
1986 Michael Mathaisel emailed, “In March 2012, I joined the Boston office of McCarter & English, LLP, where I am continuing my second career as a patent attorney. Many thanks to Rivers for helping me get where I am today.”
1987 Sean Cleary is working as the Head of Human Resources for the WWE. “Thankfully the role does not require any in-ring appearances!” He sends his best to Rivers Nation. Cliff Snider got married on May 5, 2012 to his wonderful wife, Kim. Classmate Andrew Arvedon was in attendance.
18 • Riparian • Fall 2012
CLASS OF 1972: Nick Petri, Jack Gosselin, Jim Crowley, Andres Morales, Roger Prince, Jeffrey Cohen, Al Gordon, Peter Fager, David Prince, Mark Berg, Roger Epstein, Roger Tackeff
1990
1991
Mike Handler is putting on a fundraising event called Cruise For Life, hosted through the Jimmy Fund. It is similar to the Pan Mass Challenge but for sailors. For more information, check out the website www.cruiseforlife.org.
Carolyn Kavanagh-Gaither emailed, “Hey Rivers! My family has been relocated to Lagos, Nigeria. Life here is exciting but full of challenges. Thankfully there is a huge ex-pat community in Lagos, mostly due to the oil and gas business, and there is no shortage of volunteer opportunities or travel. Our children attend the American School here and love it. Find me on Facebook or follow our adventures at www.teamgaither.squarespace.com.”
Student News Alumni News
Chris Dunn ’76 and family following the memorial service on Alumni Day for his mother Mida van Zuylen Dunn
Class of 1977: Jeff Lowenstein, John Rodkey, Bruce Keltie, Greg Cahill
Ian Meropol emailed, “Anna Rose Meropol was born on March 15, our first child and the first grandchild for Rivers faculty member Jeff “Doc” Meropol.”
1999 Class agents: Scott Prieur at Scott.prieur@gmail. com, Dave Garsh at dgarsh@gmail.com, Elissa Hintlian at elissa.hintlian@gmail.com, and Stephen Robb at getresults@robbenterprises.com. Todd MacDowell emailed, “Jackie Keefe and I were married at the Nantucket Yacht Club on June 9th. We had an amazing day with many Rivers alumni there, including Dave Lyons ’99, Scott Prieur ’99, Dave ’99 & Bridget ’00 Garsh, Brad Roblin ’03, Becca Roblin ’99, Elissa Hintlian ’99, Samantha Bailey ’01, Stephanie Bailey ’04, Sarah Bailey ’06, PJ Hendrick ’04, and my niece Stephanie Merinoff ’12. My brother Roy ’96 was my best man.”
2000 Class agent: James Bernson at james.bernson@ gmail.com. Paul Naddaff is currently a full-time graduate student at Bentley and working at Partners in Health as the User Experience Designer.
Class of 1982: Left to right: Lou Franchi, Dan Hurley, former faculty member and coach Bob Worden, Mike Zafiropoulos, Andy Ferguson, Larry Ford, Dan Rabinovitz, John Flahive, Paul Seeto, Ken Fox, Jeff Snider
1994
1998
Charles Banks married the former Regina J. Thomas, from Fresno, CA, on April 21, 2012 at Stewart Tabernacle A.M.E. Zion Church in Fresno. The couple honeymooned in Las Vegas, and will reside in Roxbury, MA. Charles is a 1998 graduate of Morehouse College and 2001 graduate of Boston College Law School.
1997
Class agents: Kate (McCourt) Machan at mccourtk @gmail.com and Spencer Godfrey at spencer godfrey@yahoo.com. Marc Stroum married Britney Sachs on August 25 at the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston, MA and many members of the Rivers community were part of the festivities, including classmates Adam Berezin, Matt Sherman, Ian Meropol, Jesse Greenberg, and Matt Williamson.
Class agents: Dan Sherman at sherman54@ comcast.net and Grant Hecht at ghecht33@aol. com. Shawna Fraser was married to Michael P. Nagle, a 1995 St. Sebastian’s alumnus, on June 2, 2012 at Cambridge Beaches Resort in Bermuda with their families present. They now reside in Scituate, MA.
Kate McCourt and Mark Machan were married on June 16 at St. John’s Church in Wellesley. Rivers alums in attendance included Heather Ganitsky, Lauren Movshovich, Elizabeth Leary, Kristen Culgin, Brooke Hegarty, all Class of 1998, and Mike McCourt ‘96.
Jen Taylor emailed, “Hey everyone! I have been living in Pacific Beach in San Diego, CA since August 2009. I recently started a great new job as a Customer Service Representative at a mortgage software/marketing company in Little Italy. I’ve become increasingly involved in dog rescue and hope to have a non-profit dog rescue in the future. I have also been working hard with my eight-year-old thoroughbred to try to get in shape for some jumping competitions in the next few months! I don’t make it home nearly enough to see everyone, but hope to catch up with some old friends this summer!”
2001 Class agents: Carolyn Bass at Carolyn.Bass @alumni.upenn.edu and Jonathan Karelitz at Jonathan.Karelitz@opco.com.
Class of 1987: Chris Saunders, Cliff Snider, David Spalding
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Student News Alumni News
Class of 1997: Peter and Sara Smith Nechtem with Dan and Jennifer Sherman Class of 1992: Charlie MacMullen, Jason Gorman, Sam Millen, Adrian Heney, Jeff Deutsch, Scott Cronin, Michael Needelman, Jim Kirk, Tom Woelfel, Steve Sugarman, Charlie Saponaro. Front: Sara Shea, Susie Ellis, Kelley O’Connell Tera Kull and her husband moved to Seattle. She is still working for Microsoft.
Charles Banks ’94 and Regina Thomas
Shawna Fraser ’97 and Michael Nagle
2 0 0 4 Class agents: Brad Karelitz at karelitb@gmail.com, Alexandra Krotinger at Alexandra.krotinger@ gmail.com, and Maggie Petri at mpetri@executive board.com.
2005 Class agent: Rachel Gorman at gorma20r@mt holyoke.edu. Chris Lemmons graduated from Suffolk Law in May and will continue working at Lawson & Weitzen as a Litigation Associate.
Shannon and Adam Staley ’01 were married in March in Austin, TX with many Rivers classmates in attendance. Gary Satow and Cory Savereid were married on June 30 in Charlemont, MA and Jason Medeiros served as best man.
2 0 0 2 Class agents: Charlotte Lewis at charlotte.r.lewis@ gmail.com, Jeff Kotzen at jeffkotzen@gmail.com, and Liz Weyman at weymane@gmail.com.
2003 Class agents: Scott Moriyama at scottmoriyama@ gmail.com and Marissa Goldstein at Marissa@ AronsonInsurance.com. Liz Chiu emailed, “I am living in Manhattan teaching kindergarten in Harlem. I was married last summer to Jerome Chiu, with whom I graduated from college. Hoping to visit Rivers in the fall!”
20 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Shannon Oppenheim is a fourth year medical student at Brown University and is applying for a residency in internal medicine this fall. She was recently awarded the Gold Humanism Honor Society Award.
2006 Class agent: Scott Barchard at s.barchard@gmail. com. Elissa Bullion emailed, “After working for Amec as an archaeological technician, I volunteered as a researcher at the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center at the National Museum of Natural History in DC. The following summer I worked on a Smithsonian archaeological dig in western Mongolia. This past year I took classes at Washington State University while working in the university’s ancient DNA lab as well as their faunal lab. I just got back from another summer in Mongolia (my third there), where I was working on a University of Pittsburgh project, teaching field school students and leading survey teams. This fall I will begin my Ph.D. program in anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, focusing on Central Asian archaeology and mortuary studies.”
Eliza Cohen wrote, “After two years in investment banking research in Austin, Texas, I spent the summer of 2012 cycling across the country —from Bar Harbor, Maine to Seattle, Washington —with Bike the US for MS. Bike the US for MS is an organization dedicated to finding a cure and spreading awareness for Multiple Sclerosis by leading cross-country bike trips; the 45-person team raised more than $238,000 this summer and completed eight service projects on the road as well for MS patients. Hope everyone in the Class of 2006 is doing well!” Ben Donahue emailed “I am working on a community and agriculture development project in two schools in the Northeast region of Tanzania near the city of Korogwe, as part of a larger network of projects called the 2Seeds Network that address food and income security through educational initiatives, market research and access, and farmer organization and cooperation. For more information, or to support, you can check out www.2Seeds.org.”
Student News Alumni News
Networking Event Kicks Off Summer
A
n enthusiastic crowd of Rivers alumni enjoyed the lingering dusk in late June at Tia’s on the waterfront, swapping business cards and sharing summer plans. The new Career Development Committee has made great strides this year, hosting a series of alumni events in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Key to their mission is gathering updated professional information from alumni to facilitate networking and mentoring activities. Go to www.rivers.org/riversnet and log in to view the Alumni Directory, become a career mentor, or utilize the network!
Alex Forse, Nick Petri, Charlotte Lewis, Caitlin Tierney, Tim Geary, all Class of ’02, and Christian Dallmus ’10
Larry Epstein ’87, Mark Balcom ’87, Dan Rabinovitz ’82, Stephen Lable ’90
David Montero ’92, Matt Tobin ’90, John Sforza ’89
Calling All Skaters
Mark Main ’05, Brad Karelitz ’04, Tim Geary ’02, Jonathan Karelitz ’01
Scott Moriyama, Abby Shoolman, Marissa Goldstein, Devon Ficker, all Class of ’03
Brian Ginsberg, James Lapides, Matt Robinson, Liza Warshaver, Cathleen Connors, Becca Duffy, all Class of ’09 with Sean McGahan ’08
Sharpen those hockey skates and join fellow alumni and friends on the ice at the MacDowell Arena on Sunday nights throughout the winter. Come every Sunday, or drop in when you can for some friendly competition and hearthealthy exercise. Games run 7:40–8:40 p.m. from November 18 through March 3. The season will be capped off with a complimentary Alumni Hockey Game and Family Community Skate on February 24, starting at 11:50 a.m. The season rate for the Sunday night skates is $210 and the drop-in rate is $25 per game.
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 21
Student News Alumni News
Groom Marc Stroum ‘98 (fourth from left) and pals sweep Britney Sachs off her feet
Louise Cummings ’98 with daughter Abigail
Todd MacDowell ’99 and Jackie Keefe
Ian ’98, Meg, and Anna Meropol
Becca Burns graduated from Wesleyan in May. She is currently working at Tufts Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital while she applies for medical school.
BJ Dunne is working as the men’s assistant basketball coach at Vassar College. Sam Perrone is living in New Orleans where he just completed his first year at Tulane Law at the top of this class. Derek Stenquist returned from Zimbabwe in May where he volunteered with Grassroot Soccer for the past year. He was excited to be back in Boston and begin his medical training at Harvard Medical School in August.
2007 Class agents: Hillary Ain at hillaryain@gmail.com, Chris Whittier at christopher.j.whittier@us.pwc. com, Nikki Schuster at nschuster11@gmail.com, and Kadie Greenfield at kadie.greenfield@conn coll.edu. Zach Barnett will be starting his Ph.D. studies in philosophy of cognitive science this fall at Brown University. Also check out a piece Zach wrote called, “A Senseless Conversation,” that appeared in Hacker Monthly at http://hacker monthly.com/issue-24.html. After working in Sales Operations at Enservio, Eddie Benjamin started his own company aimed at answering the question, “What’s going on?” in college communities through a series of social calendars. CollegeTempo allows users to view an
22 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Jack Birger emailed, “I spent the summer in Talloires, France, where I was working for the Tufts University European Center. Here, I helped to develop, plan, and implement educational programs, conferences, seminars, and meetings for the members of the Tufts University community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. All of this is done while supporting the image of Tufts University in the beautiful region of Talloires, France.
all-school calendar, local business calendars, as well as group and friends calendars. He’s betalaunching the app now at Colby College and plans to expand to other NESCAC schools in the near future. Check out his website at www. collegeTempo.com. Dylan Lockman emailed, “I am graduating from Santa Clara University with a MSEE and finishing my internship at IBM. I accepted a job as a consultant at Oracle and am moving to Chicago.” Miles Jacoby was cast as Bob Gaudio in the Broadway tour of Jersey Boys which is slated to come to The Colonial Theater in Boston this winter.
2008 Class agents: Steph McCartney at mccartney. steph@gmail.com, Jonathan Salzman at jonathan.salzman@duke.edu, and Jeremy Moskowitz at jsmoskowitz@gmail.com.
Michelle Davis graduated from Georgetown in May. She is now living in Boston and working as a content operations coordinator at Hill Holiday. She is looking forward to seeing her classmates at their five-year reunion in May! Meredith Grabscheid graduated from Wheaton College in December 2011. She is currently pursuing a dual master’s degree in accounting and MBA at Northeastern University and will begin her co-op in January. She is looking forward to seeing her classmates at their five-year reunion in May. After graduating from Brown University in May, Rachel Hunter moved to New York City and began work with Morgan Stanley as an analyst in the commercial real estate lending division. Molly Jarvis is working for Trinity Repertory Company. Ben Kitendaugh graduated from Bates in May and is working as a field organizer with Obama for America through November.
Student News Alumni News
Cory Savereid and Gary Satow ’01 with classmates Bobby Wright, Melissa Davis, Adam Staley, Jason Medeiros, Sarah Isaacs Lovett and Andrew Holt
Shannon and Adam Staley ’01 with classmates Lindsey Levick, Kate Kumler, Jason Medeiros, Gary Satow, Lisa Townley, and Andrew Holt.
Brittany Mills is completing her fifth year in engineering at Dartmouth and is looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion in May.
Zachary Weedon is living in North Bethesda, MD and since graduating from McDaniel is working as an accountant at Salter CPA and Company, LLC.
Gabe Perrone will be finishing a five year program at Tufts in May 2013 where he will receive his BS in mechanical engineering and MS in biomedical engineering. He is hoping to go directly into a Ph.D. program in September 2013 and is excited for the five-year reunion!
2009
Will Rasky is currently working as the assistant to the campaign manager at Joe Kennedy for Congress and will be finishing up his history degree at Boston College after the campaign. After graduating from Bryn Mawr College, Manya Steinfeld got a job working in the Psychology and Child Development Departments of DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad, a study abroad program for American college students in Copenhagen, Denmark. She will be returning to the US in August 2013 but sends her best to her classmates for their five-year reunion.
Class agents: Meggie Woodruff at meggie.woodruff @bucknell.edu and Becca Nichols at beccaanic@ gmail.com Molly Barstow returned to Morocco this summer to research urban refugees in the informal labor market, because in Morocco refugees (which is a legal term and entitles these persons to certain rights) are denied their rights as such. She wrote, “They are effectively treated as illegal migrants. My research is going to look into what impact being excluded from the formal labor market (and therefore driven into the informal labor market) has on refugees’ survival. From the previous research I did there, I already know that life for refugees is grim. But I’m hoping to get more hard data that could have implications for policy, or at least open NGOs eyes to what more they can do. I’m going to be turning this into a senior thesis for my Middle Eastern studies major and hope to get it published as well! I hope all is well at the Rivs!”
Run for Rivers
O
rganizers of this year’s Run for Rivers were thrilled by the success of the second annual race, which raised approximately $5,000 for the school’s Ian Greenblatt ’04 and Ian McVey ’03 financial aid funds. Brooke Stoller ’12 and Emily Snider ’12 reported that more than 60 runners and walkers, including members of the Greenblatt and McVey families, students in the Middle and Upper Schools, faculty, parents, and alumni, tackled the 5K course on local roads. The run also featured prizes, t-shirts, refreshments, and music that lent a festive mood to the race. Watch for details for next spring’s race at www.rivers.org/alumnievents.
Ben Donahue ’06 and Evan McVey ’05
Chris Clifford, Mike Swersky, Jon Fainberg, all Class of ’04
Fall 2012 • Riparian • 23
Student News Alumni News Class of 2002: Nick Petri, Jordan Benson, Chris Curtis, Jessie Houy, Julia Williamson, Caitlin Tierney, Erin Bigelow, Mary Taggart, Tim Geary, Steve Valair, Carl Narcisse, Jeff Hecht
Eliza Cohen ’06
ROTC Cadet Callie Bullion ’10
Nikki Kaitz spent the summer interning at Elie Tahari as a sales intern and is excited to return to Tulane for her third year. Leah Stansky spent the summer interning at Children’s Hospital in Boston for a quality improvement program and will spend her fall semester studying abroad in Denmark, before returning to Brown.
2011 Class of 2007: Back (l to r): Lauren Creedon, Brett Deware, George Lewis, Billy Duplisea, Shoban Pothula, Max Maguire, Kathleen Ball, Rob Shanfeld, Chris Whittier, Steph Shaw, Ari Comart, Will Quayle, Steve Rizoli. Front (l to r): Mark Eaton, Ben Woodruff, Gus Brewer, Sam Harrison, Meghan Hesselman, Jen Post, Adam Khaw, Dylan Macarthy, Will Kantrowitz, Ashlee Cushing Emily Creedon interned this summer in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs on the derivatives desk. “We manage risks for corporate clients through the structuring and execution of interest rate and currency derivative products. I’ll also be spending the fall semester of my senior year studying economics abroad in Paris.”
2010 Class agents: Leah Stansky at leah_stansky@ brown.edu, David Tackeff at dattack2@aol.com, Adam Lowenstein at adamlowenstein@comcast. net, and Shannon McSweeney at smcsweeney10@ yahoo.com. Max Birger emailed, “I am about to head into my junior year. I am a physics major and have been doing lots of science courses for pre-med requirements. This past summer I was an intern in an inpatient facility at a psychiatric hospital, and spent most of my time interacting with patients. I developed an appreciation for my own mental
24 • Riparian • Fall 2012
health as I became more comfortable around the full range of mental illnesses—bipolar disorder, severe depression, schizophrenia, psychosis. It was my experience on the floor this summer that made me decide to take neurobiology. Outside of the classroom, I am rock climbing and working as an EMT during intramural sports games. I am also hoping to start boxing, volunteering at a local ambulance core, and working at a lab. This is rather ambitious of me, but I think I can do it!” Callie Bullion wrote, “As a junior at Middlebury College, I have a busy year ahead of me. Academically, I’m pursuing an anthropology major with a double minor in Spanish and Arabic. However, I’m also heading into my third year as an ROTC cadet working toward being commissioned as an officer in the US Army once I graduate. As one of only three Middlebury cadets I’m proud to be representing Rivers alumni as I face this new and exciting challenge.
Class agents: Rob Costa at robert.costa@tufts.edu, Marissa DelFavero at mtd008@bucknell.edu, Will Corkin at will.corkin@richmond.edu, and Wendy Nicolas at wendy.nicolas7@gmail.com. Wendy emailed, “I’ve had a really busy summer working retail, and when I get back to school, I’m looking forward to officially declaring my major in biology and the potential of joining a sorority!” Stephanie Lie is a biochemistry and molecular biology major at Boston University. Over the summer, she worked in a lab at BU and lifeguarded at their pool. Pooja Mirchandani is premed at Northwestern with an economics major and a Spanish minor. She spent her summer working at a creative agency in marketing and shadowing an ob-gyn specialist.
2 0 1 2 Class agents: Billy Oldach at roldach@voltdelta. com, Andre Tilahun at andretilahun@gmail.com, and Emily Snider at emily.snider@comcast.net.
Student News In Memoriam Joan T. Cave, April 17, 2012 Harold E. Coughlin ’52, January 1, 2012 Eleanor P. Prince, September 28, 2012
Congratulations to the Class of 2012 Andrew Ades, Syracuse University Thomas Arnold, California Institute of Technology Kelsey Bacon, University of Pennsylvania Samuel Birger, Vanderbilt University Kevin Bloom, University of Vermont Samuel Bloomstone, Lehigh University Arielle Bloostein, Case Western Reserve University Connor Bradley, Lehigh University Brooke Brennan, Clark University Katherine Bullion, Dartmouth College Matthew Burns, Connecticut College Jeremiah Campanelli, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Nina Ciffolillo, McGill University Page Cochran, Hamilton College, New York Kristine Corey, Boston University Taylor Cross, Norwich University George Crowley, Babson College Kara Cummings, Saint Michael’s College Frederick Daley, Wake Forest University William Duffy, Bucknell University Phoebe Erickson, Wesleyan University David Feldman, Elon University Janelle Ferrara, Yale University Luke Flood, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Summers Ford, Miami University, Oxford Nina Friedman, University of Vermont Sophia Friedman, The George Washington University Alejandra Gil, Middlebury College Reid Gilligan, Bucknell University
1 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Jennifer Gough, Boston University Caroline Griffin, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Aaron Hentoff, Brandeis University Elizabeth Hitti, University of Pennsylvania Juliana Hoke, Lafayette College Caroline Hubbard, Johns Hopkins University Rebecca Iafrati, Tufts University Jennifer Jasinski, St. Lawrence University Nicole Johnson, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Derek Kahr, Union College Griffin Kay, Dartmouth College Megan Kerbs, Union College Brendan King, Avon Old Farms Carson Knisley, Vanderbilt University Jessica Kraft, Emory University John Lawrence, Bucknell University Jonathan Levitt, Kenyon College Spencer Low, Babson College Nicholas Lund, Claremont McKenna College Erik Matthews, Berklee College of Music Meghan McAneny, Duke University H. Collin McCabe, Whitman College Meghan McEachern, Boston College Amanda McGuinness, Fairfield University Georgia McIntyre, Colgate University Robert McLarnon, Johns Hopkins University Tayra Melendez, University of Rhode Island Phoebe Melnick, Boston University Stephanie Merinoff, Boston University David Nagelberg, Ithaca College William Oldach, University of Connecticut
Kathleen Oppenheim, Northeastern University Duncan Orlander, Northwestern University Jaime Pearlstein, Emory University William Pegram, University of Rhode Island Winston Pingeon, American University John Pops, University of Richmond John Rautiola, Middlebury College Kyle Reardon, University of Rochester Juliana Rordorf, New York University Matthew Ryan, Ithaca College Ash’Shaquor Sandiford, Springfield College Drew Silverman, Emory University Ethan Silverman, New York University Emily Snider, Bowdoin College Melanie Snider, University of Chicago Emily Stanislawzyk, University of Vermont Brooke Stoller, The George Washington University Edward Sullivan, Lehigh University Matthew Tanner, University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Julia Taylor, University of Richmond Andre Tilahun, Lehigh University Conor VanDuzer, United States Military Academy Jeffrey Vaz, Colby College Daniel Walsh, Woods College at Boston College Ashley Weir, Bucknell University Chase Williams, University of Vermont Kelsey Young, Vanderbilt University
Every gift to the Annual Fund helps to bridge the gap of $8,000 between tuition and the cost of educating each student at Rivers. Where will your Annual Fund gift go? Your gift affects every aspect of the Rivers experience: • Curriculum Development – Interdisciplinary Department courses – New biochemistry and history curricula • Professional Development – 21st century classroom workshops – Coursework for advanced degrees • Faculty Salaries and Compensation – To attract and retain outstanding faculty • Co-curricular Activities – Resources for activities and trips – Leadership program training • Classroom Technology – Sets of iPads for every department – Apple TVs for classroom projection • Athletics – Year-round strength and conditioning program – Recertification for athletic trainers • Financial Aid – To help ensure socioeconomic diversity
Your participation counts. To make a gift, go to www.rivers.org/giveonline or mail a check or credit card information to: Advancement Office , THE RIVERS SCHOOL 333 Winter Street , Weston, MA 02493 1 • Riparian • Fall 2012
Rivers Online Networking Database Offers New Features for Alumni
T
he Career Development Committee encourages alumni to take advantage of two new features on the Rivers website: job postings by fellow alumni and career mentor opportunities. Visit www.rivers.org, then click on RiversNet and log in as instructed. Job postings will be the first thing you see, but when you click on “Directory,” you can sort and see alumni in a variety of career and school fields as well as locations. Alumni may sort through the Directory to look for career mentors Stephen Lable ’90, to take full advantage of the Rivers network. Larry Glazer ’86, If you are looking to fill an opening at your place Greg Stoller ’87 of business, consider posting on Rivers’ secure listing service for alumni by sending the information to m.hupper@rivers.org. If you are willing to share your experience or expertise with other alumni as a Career Mentor, please let us know by sending an email to m.hupper@rivers.org and we will then indicate this on your profile. “The Boston and New York Career Development Committees have created a tremendous buzz in the Rivers community as more and more alums are connecting every day,” commented committee chair Stephen Lable ’90. “I encourage everyone to attend a CDC event in Boston or New York, to check out our online networking groups including the Rivers Linkedin group, and to make sure Rivers has your latest contact information.” Questions? Please contact Associate Director of Advancement Marney Hupper at m.hupper@rivers.org or 339-686-2247.
RiversNet
www.rivers.org Two new website features: Job postings by fellow alumni and Career Mentor opportunities
The Rivers School
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Boston MA Permit No. 10
333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040
Address Service Requested
2012–2013 Alumni Events at THE RIVERS SCHOOL
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
T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • FA LL 2 0 12
policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or
Tuesday, 12/18/12
October Friday, 10/12/12
4:30 p.m.
Homecoming Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Cross-Country Meet at Elm Bank, Wellesley Saturday, 10/13/12
1:00 p.m.
Homecoming Lunch and Varsity Games Tuesday, 10/23/12
New York City Networking Event with Tom Olverson and Jack Jarzavek at Libation, 137 Ludlow Street
6:00 p.m.
Pre-Thanksgiving Alumni Reception at LIR, 903 Boylston Street, Boston
6:00 p.m.
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.
Alumni Collegiate Dinner for Classes of 2009–2012 6:00 p.m.
Washington, D.C. Networking Reception With Tom Olverson and Dan McCartney at Lost Society, 2001 14th Street NW
Prize Winning Portraits A sampling of the student artwork that received First Place awards at the 2012 SISAL competition
11:50 a.m.
Alumni Hockey Game, Lunch, and Family Skate
May Saturday, 5/18/13
All Day
Alumni Day & Reunions Reunion Classes ending in 3 and 8 Honoring Jeremy Harrison for 25 years of service to Rivers
November–March Sundays, 11/18/12 – 3/3/13 Community Free Skate Alumni Hockey Games
Thursday, 1/3/13
Sunday, 2/24/13 9:30 a.m.
Veterans Day Ceremony and Reception Wednesday, 11/21/12
January
February
November Monday, 11/12/12
other school-administered programs.
Alumnae/Varsity Girls’ Hockey Practice and Brunch
Tuesday, 1/15/2013 7:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m.
Riparian
11:50 a.m. 7:40 p.m.
December Thurs.–Sat., 12/13/12–12/15/12 Holiday Basketball Tournament
Sarah Lamour ’17
Maria Burzillo ’16
Anne Armstrong ’13
June Tuesday, 6/4/13
8:30 a.m.
Alumni Senior Breakfast Thursday, 6/27/13
6:00 p.m.
• Roy MacDowell Retires as Board President
Boston Networking Event
• Young Alumni: The Post-Rivers Path
Stay tuned for more details about The Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid All alumni events are at The Rivers School unless otherwise noted. For complete details on these and other events, go to the Alumni page at www.rivers.org/alumnievents, or contact Director of Alumni Programs Hailey Miller at h.miller@rivers.org or 339-686-2246.
Brooke Stoller ’12
Sareena Kamath ’14 Lincoln Zaleski ’16
• Alumni Day and Reunions 2012 • 2011–2012 Annual Report on Giving