ALUMNI E-NEWS #13 • DECEMBER 2014
This is our thirteenth alumni e-newsletter and some people believe that number’s unlucky but we think it’s grand. Also how do you spell Chanukah? Hanukah? We can’t decide and we’d really like someone to just declare one of those better than the other so we can all move on. Either way, we hope your Ch/Hanukkah is swell and also happy new year! HEY THERE, DR. WOLLMAN The one and only Warren Wollman would easily rank high on a list of most fascinating teachers at any school, and also he’s a popular guy—several of you said in last month’s first-ever alumni poll that you’d like to read an interview with him. We are happy to oblige. This interview covers everything from Dick Cheney to genetic epistemology (which is a thing even though we didn’t realize it’s a thing) so really you should probably stop whatever you’re doing right now and read a little more about Dr. Wollman. Enjoy!. When did you start working at RSS and what courses have you taught here? I started by volunteering in the autumn of 2004 or 2005. I became part-time in January 2005. And what did you do for work before you started teaching our middle schoolers? I was retired. Before that I taught all levels from grade four to grade twelve at various schools. Before that, I taught physics and math at various universities, then taught science and math education courses. How would you characterize your own math classes? I suspect they are rather different from most others. I try to make clear how each topic is a natural outgrowth of previous topics; I make extensive use of patterns, hoping the students will recognize the patterns and describe them mathematically; my questions are usually “problems” in that something new is required to answer them; in 8th grade, about half the students’ work is carried on without my input (students learn from each other); finally, my choice of topics is often unconventional, particularly in 7th grade (number bases, modular arithmetic, imaginary numbers, very long multi-step geometry problems), but also to some extent in 8th grade (some 9th grade geometry with proofs; topics in trigonometry; relating transformations of equations and graphs). This year, I used iPads for the first time. The students, working in small groups, presented to the class new extra-curricular math topics in a booklet with pictures and sound on the SmartBoard. That all sounds pretty impressive and kind of intense. Nice work. What are the strengths of our math program at RSS? The math teachers and department head are exceptionally knowledgeable and creative. We share ideas on how much time to give to curricular topics, how to navigate a topic, how to write test questions, and how to evaluate performance. The staff has been remarkably talented almost without exception all the years I’ve been here.
We are sure Mr. Parente will like that answer. Let’s talk about life beyond RSS. What do you like to do besides teaching? When I was younger, in my 50s, I spent many many hours at the piano: Beethoven’s Pathetique, Brahms’ short pieces from his mature years, Schubert four-hand (two pianos) and Dvorak duets, Bach Partitas and some of book 1 of the Well-Tempered clavier, Mozart, Haydn, Ravel, Debussy, and even Gershwin! I also spent nearly as many hours playing tennis, racquetball, volleyball, softball, and basketball. Both the piano and the sports venues are offlimits now for physical reasons. The quality of my life has much diminished (alas, if not alack). Happens to the best of us, we hear. What’s your favorite place to eat in New York City? At the table of one of my oldest friends, a woman I became friends with at summer camp when we were both kids over 60 years ago. As for restaurants, I like any restaurant where my grandchildren are sitting near me. Years ago, I thought Uncle Tai’s (Chinese cuisine) was the best I had ever known west of Europe, a 4-star restaurant that folded when Francis Ford Coppola hired the chef for his personal use. Being rich has certain advantages.
Above, Dr. Wollman celebrates his birthday during a surprise party thrown for him by his seventh grade current students. Below, Dr. Wollman teaches.
Indeed. What are your plans for winter break this year? I usually go either to Pasadena to visit my California grad school roommate, or to Great Barrington to be with my sister and the three families of her sons (and other folks as well). This year, the family is convening in Chicago, but I will remain behind for health reasons. Next year, I hope to go to Cypress to visit former colleagues and friends from Geneva when I studied at Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology institute. I was there for three years; it took the entire first year to understand the words “genetic epistemology.” The truly best restaurants I have ever known were all there (but no longer, alas and alack). If we understood more of what “genetic epistemology” means then we’d probably ask a follow-up question about that. Instead let’s get to the real question weighing on many people’s minds. There’s a rumor that you once worked for the CIA. True or false? First of all, no comment. Secondly, I strongly advise you not to pursue this line of questioning. Thirdly, I have forwarded this email to the appropriate people. Finally, I have never tortured anyone – just ask Darth Vader … uhh…I mean Dick Cheney. Dick Cheney! Thank you for providing us with the first alumni e-news reference to Dick Cheney. That’s special. Meanwhile, many of your RSS students are older now and branching out on their own. Any advice for those folks? Actually, I don’t need any assistance entering old age. My first group of students just entered college in September; six at Harvard, the other three at outstanding universities as well. Would they have made it without me? Of course, but let’s keep this confidential. I hope to be around when they graduate.
THE BRAVO PARAGRAPH At least two RSS alumni are competing in big-time competitions soon. Jake Lerman ‘14 is heading to Las Vegas later this month for an international yo-yo competition. And Benji Hofing ‘13 recently qualified for two different fencing events at the Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City this February. Go get ‘em, boys! Meanwhile, both leads in Horace Mann’s recent production of Flaubert’s A Dream Play were played by RSS alumni: bravo Lauren Kady ‘12 and Spencer Slagowitz. Also at Horace Mann, speedy Jon Bleiberg ‘11 was named MVP of the school’s boys varsity cross country team. Props to Sophie Friedman ‘12 who recently returned from four months at the Mountain School, where she studied environmental science, helped harvest 6000 pounds of squash, and completed a solo, which means she spent three nights, alone, in the woods, by herself, alone, for three nights. Wow. Also wow, but in a more theatrical way: congrats to Bailey Landow ‘13 for her recent debut on stage with the Young Actors at Strasberg. We totally expect a shout-out when you win a Tony. Whatcha got, everybody else? Send us your news and accolades! REPRESENT REPRESENT Speaking of bravo, we are so proud of David Rothblatt ‘12, a junor at Stuyvesant who just this week graduated from the brand new youth ambassador program at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. David was one of six students selected from hundreds of applicants to join the first cohort. Over the course of several months, he and his fellow ambassadors underwent an intense examination of the events surrounding the September 11th attacks and will now mentor a new group of student ambassadors. Here’s a photo of David giving a tour at the museum.
EXPRESS YOURSELF We are also proud of the many, many of you who have put your beliefs into practice recently, particularly in response to current events in the U.S. No matter the specifics of your beliefs or our beliefs or anyone’s beliefs or whether and how those are similar or different, we are happy when RSS alumni get up and do something, especially when that doing is an attempt to make a positive difference in our world. Thanks for that. Keep it up. (At left, Layla Krantz ‘14 at a march in downtown NYC last week, holding a sign that says “My Friends Are Not Criminals.”) YOUR PARENTS ARE COOL (KIND OF A REGULAR FEATURE, THIS) Popular Mechanics published a cool profile earlier this month on the founders of Gadgetoff, “the world’s greatest screwball science fair,” and one of those founders is Dan Dubno, father of Zoe ‘09 and Teddy ‘11. Read it here, especially if you’re into engineering and robots and changing the world and the like.
HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (WHICH IS A FUNNY HEADLINE IF YOU GREW UP IN THE ‘80s BUT MAYBE ISN’T IF YOU DIDN’T SO SORRY NOT SORRY LOVE YOU ANYWAY SAY IT BACK) The latest issue of our middle school newspaper is out and guess what: you can read every single bit of it! You’re welcome. Also, please check out page 8, because that page features an article about not one but several RSS alumni. Yay, us! (Really yay, you, and also yay, middle schoolers - we’re impressed with their work.) THANK YOU, THANK YOU Speaking of the newspaper, alumni donors who made a contribution to RSS in May or June helped support The Mane Event with their gift. We think that’s pretty cool. For the 2014 - 2015 school year, we’ve received 12 contributions from alumni so far. Thank you so much. We hope that number keeps increasing. If you want to help us make that happen, by all means do. Every single gift matters, even if it’s five bucks.
Above, the front page of the latest edition of The Mane Event, our new-ish middle school student newspaper, which is awesome.
A SPECIAL NOTE TO OUR DEAR ALUMNI IN THE CLASS OF 2011 Some of our Class of 2011 seniors are starting to hear back from early decision colleges and so we have this message for them: Congrats to all of you. No matter what news you hear, whether it’s what you want or the opposite of that, we are confident that you will all every one of you find a good place to be next year, and we are equally confident that this next phase of your life will be important and awesome in ways you can’t even imagine yet. So hang in there, don’t let the stress overwhelm you, and remember we’re proud of you.
SPOTTED Last week we ran into Molly Stein ‘04 at a Moth storytelling event near Gramercy Park. This week we ran into Chloe Drew ‘01 on Amsterdam near the Steven Alan store and Taylor Levy ‘08 just south of the Chambers Street station in Tribeca. And you know what? We didn’t take a single selfie with any of those folks, though now we really wish we had. Maybe next week we’ll run into you. If that happens, don’t be surprised if we ask for a selfie. And if you happen to have one of yourself running into another RSS alum, then oh my goodness please share it with us. Okay thanks.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HANUKKAH
We didn’t make this video but we think it’s pretty fun and also here’s another that’s more of a classic and also happens to be the perfect length for a micro-break from studying for whatever final you have tomorrow (or helping you recover from last night’s office party if you’re one of our older alums). Happy Hanukah, y’all!
Ooh la la it’s RSS Instagram:
Rodeph Sholom School Office of Development Bryant Palmer Director of Alumni Relations 646.438.8657 www.rodephsholomschool.org