RCDS Fall News Sept. - Dec. 2014
Mini Bulletin
The Renovated Klingenstein Library Inside: New Initiatives on Campus Alumni Hall of Fame 2014
RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2014-2015 Board of Trustees
2014-2015 Alumni Executive Board
Lee H. Flanagan
Michael B. Lazar ’87
President
President
Andrea Sullivan
Rebecca P. Calman ’03
Vice President
Vice President and Co-Chair, Alumni Fund
Peter J. Crowley
W. Dyer Halpern ’98
Treasurer
Vice President and Co-Chair, Alumni Fund
Sarah Mariani
Lauren Fortgang Mandell ’87
Secretary
Secretary
Brad Asness Michael Cavanagh Karen Cohn Hillary Comora ’91 Edward Dunn ’83 Gregg Felton Allen Green Jeff Hammel ’87 Richard Kim Michelle Kroin Michael Lazar ’87 Tammy Levine Sanford Loewentheil Laura Mattson Eric Medow Dennis Parker ’73 Juan Pujadas Fernando Rivas Cindy G. Roskind ’90 Vik Sawhney Karen Sobel Lynne Wolitzer
Vanessa Kroll Bennett ’94 Michèle Lallemand Brazil ’92 Kristin Pisacano Casale ’85 Ashok Chachra ’95 Jonathan C. Goldstein ’99 Abby Kohn ’08 Evan M. Licht ’90 Richard A. Lipsey, Jr. ’85 René N. Lumley-Hall ’96 Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli ’92 Andrew S. Nathanson ’09 Jonathan Ostrau ’80 Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94 Joseph P. Ramsawak ’10 H. Oliver Smith ’94 Christine Grandolfo Stanitski ’91 Daniel Wallance ’00 Scott Weiss ’96 Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97 Alyssa Wohl ’06
Trustees Emeriti Edward B. Dunn Frederick A. Klingenstein Michael C. Murr Carmen Ribera-Thain ’75 Edgar Wachenheim, III
Ex Officio: Senior Class Representatives Jourdan Layne ’15 Malcolm Nash ’15 Ex Officio: Honorary Faculty Gil Castagna Ex Officio: Alumni Trustees Hillary Hoffenberg Comora ’91 Jeffrey G. Hammel ’87 Dennis D. Parker ’73 Cindy Ganis Roskind ’90 Ex Officio: Members Scott A. Nelson Headmaster
Lynette Gioffre Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
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Printed with soy inks on paper sourced from well-managed forests and recycled wood or fiber.
contents Renovating Spaces
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Diversity Day
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Fall Sports
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On Campus
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Headmaster’s Circle
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Fall Drama: Dracula
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A Special Gathering
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New Initiatives on Campus:
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Singapore Math in the Lower School
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Study Skills in the Middle School
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Peer Leadership, SET, and OPI Instruction in the Upper School
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AEB Update
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New Members of the AEB
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Alumni Hall of Fame
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Reunion 2014
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Thanksgiving Games 2014
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Class Notes
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In Memoriam
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RCDS mini Bulletin
Fall 2014
Editor: Susan Nelson Editor Alumni News: Lisa Hotte Young ’74 Proofreading: Lynette Gioffre, Consuelo Hager, Sarah Istwany, Eliza McLaren, Kelly Melandro Contributors: Ellen Cartwright, Alison Doernberg, Jay Gerlach, Jenny Heath, Sara Ingrassia, Daphne Mandell, Ali Morgan, Julia Wiener Photography: Pedro Garcia, Susan Nelson, Michael Pressman Photography, Todd Shapera Photography, Gale Zucker Photography Design: Chave Design, www.chavedesign.com
RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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Renovating Spaces
During summer 2014, portions of the RCDS campus underwent major overhauls. The Klingenstein Library was emptied of its floor-to-ceiling book shelves, and its spaces were reconfigured into an airy, attractive environment that features low shelving, areas for collaborative group work, study carrels for individual work, and small rooms with white boards for class work. One of the most visible changes is the abundance of natural light that now brightens the space thanks to a group of new windows. Both the Upper and Lower School Dining Rooms were renovated to provide expanded serving areas, new ceilings and floors, and air-conditioning. The Lower School Dining Room features ageappropriate tables, chairs, and serving counters. The Upper School Art Room also underwent a facelift, the first in quite a while. It now offers new cabinetry, floors, improved lighting, and freshly painted walls.
The Klingenstein Library now features lower shelves and group work areas, and is flooded with light.
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The Upper School Dining Room was updated and the servery has been expanded to handle larger numbers of students and faculty.
The Upper School Art Room is now lighter and brighter.
The Lower School Dining Room offers the youngest students age-appropriate tables and chairs and lower counters in the serving area.
RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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Diversity Day in the Middle School
Middle School Diversity Day is an annual event that features guest speakers, workshops, and large- and small-group activities designed to heighten students’ social awareness. The theme of this year’s Diversity Day was “Being Grateful.”
The main feature of the day was the screening of the film, Living on One Dollar. The documentary depicts the lives of four college students from the United States who research poverty by living in a rural town in Guatemala for two months on a budget of one dollar a day. After watching the film (and to the surprise of the audience), one of the filmmakers, Zach Ingrasci, hosted a presentation and Q & A session. Students enthusiastically applauded as Zach made his way to the stage. We encourage everyone to watch the documentary, which is available on iTunes (original) and on the livingonone.org website (educational version).
Filmmaker Zach Ingrasci spoke to the Middle School about his movie, Living on One Dollar.
Students then participated in a number of activities highlighting socioeconomic diversity, which is one of the “BIG 8 Social/Cultural Identifiers.” Students in Grades 5-8 were organized into mixed groups and asked to consider what is involved when living on a SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) budget. They were given grocery store circulars from the newspaper and tasked with planning a week’s worth of menus for a family of 3, spending only $165. They quickly recognized how difficult it is to live within such a limited food budget, as advisors helped them to understand the realities and challenges of limited resources and poverty in our country and worldwide. Hopefully, conversations started on Diversity Day continued at home. To watch a video about this year’s Middle School Diversity Day, please visit the RCDS blog, Wildcat World, on the School’s website at blog.ryecountryday.org/?p=3790
The Cedar Street Dance Company, RCDS’s Upper School ensemble.
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Students working on a Diversity Day activity.
The Upper School Ensemble and the Middle School Chorus performed.
The WildScats entertained with their a cappella arrangements.
RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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WLT
Fall
sports
Fall 2014 Team Records & Awards
Boys’ Varsity Cross Country Girls’ Varsity Cross Country Varsity Field Hockey NYSAISSA Tournament Champions 4th consecutive year
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JV Field Hockey
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Varsity Football
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JV Football
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Boys’ Varsity Soccer
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Boys’ JV Soccer
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Girls’ Varsity Soccer NYSAISSA Tournament Champions Girls’ JV Soccer
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Girls’ Varsity Tennis
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Girls’ JV Tennis
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All-League Recipients Boys’ Cross Country
Malcolm Nash ’15, Honorable Mention
Girls’ Cross Country
Acacia Dougan ’15, Honorable Mention
Field Hockey
Charlotte Cooper ’16 Emily Duarte ’15 Mariana Lee ’15 Zoe Verni ’15 Sophie Beshar ’15, Honorable Mention Kathleen Curtin ’15, Honorable Mention Emma Santucci ’15, Honorable Mention
Football
Hannes Boehning ’17 Derick Wallace ’15 Ryan Wolitzer ’16 Jared Jones ’17, Honorable Mention Eli Rattner ’15, Honorable Mention
Girls’ Soccer
Julia Massaro ’15 Elizabeth Mastoloni ’16 Taylor Regan ’17 Sarah Brodwolf ’15, Honorable Mention Sophie Brown ’15, Honorable Mention Samantha Kost ’16, Honorable Mention
Individual Honors Boys’ Cross Country
Coaches Award: Joshua Rivera ’15 Wildcat Award: Malcolm Nash ’15
Girls’ Cross Country
Coaches Award: Christine Campisi ’15 Wildcat Award: Acacia Dougan ’15
Field Hockey
Coaches Award: The Seniors Wildcat Award: Emily Duarte ’15 WNEPSFHA All-Star: Emily Duarte ’15, Mariana Lee ’15 NEPSAC All-Tournament: Emily Duarte ’15 Con Ed Westchester Scholastic Sports Award: Emily Duarte ’15 Journal News First Team All-Star: Emily Duarte ’15 Journal News Honorable Mention: Mariana Lee ’15 2014 Harrow Sports/NFHCA High School All-Region Team: Emily Duarte ’15
Football
Coaches Award: Ryan Wolitzer ’15 Wildcat Award: Derick Wallace ’15 NEPSAC Football Class C All-New England Team: Ryan Wolitzer ’15 Journal News All-County Honorable Mention: Hannes Boehning ’17, Jared Jones ’17, Ryan Wolitzer ’15 NYSSWA All-State Honorable Mention Class B: Ryan Wolitzer ’15 Golden Dozen Athlete: Derick Wallace ’15 Golden Dozen Honorable Mention: Eli Rattner ’15
Boys’ Soccer
Coaches Award: Blake Beber ’15 Wildcat Award: Jonathan Faxon ’15 WNESPSAA All-Star: Jonathan Faxon ’15 NEPSAC All-Star: Blake Beber ’15, Jonathan Faxon ’15
Girls’ Soccer
Coaches Award: Sophie Brown ’15 Wildcat Award: Julia Massaro ’15 WNESPSAA All-Star: Sarah Brodwolf ‘15, Julia Massaro ’15, Taylor Regan ’17 NEPSAC All-Star: Taylor Regan ’17
Boys’ Soccer
Blake Beber ’15 Luke Cappellano ’15 Jonathan Faxon ’15 Michael Karr ’16 Ryan Wilk ’15 Jared Yanis ’16, Honorable Mention
Girls’ Tennis
Coaches Award: Isabelle Brown ’15 Wildcat Award: Daphne Mandell ’15 RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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on
Campus Nicolas Wilmer and Leo Gomez.
In the Fall, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 25 seniors for their achievements in its 2015 Scholarship Competition. Congratulations to the ten seniors named Semifinalists: Sophie Beshar, Nathalie Chan, Lexi Curnin, Emily Duarte, Erik Hanson, Caroline Kimmel, Yana Lee, Hailey Nicholson, Riley van den Broek, and Austin Weber. And congratulations to the 15 seniors recognized as Commended Students: Sofia Aklog, Casey Berkowitz, Justin Chun, Bo Curry, John Ellis, Chase Goddard, Leo Gomez, Kyle Halloran, Melody Hsu, Daphne Mandell, Malcolm Nash, Thomas Ragucci, Ryan Sobel, Max van Paasschen, Nicolas Wilmer. Seniors Sophia Aklog, Leo Gomez and Nicolas Wilmer received further recognition: Sophia was named a Semifinalist in the 2015 National Achievement Scholarship Competition, and Leo and Nicolas were honored by the National Merit Hispanic Recognition Program.
National Merit Semifinalists, from left, Nathalie Chan, Emily Duarte, Caroline Kimmel, Riley van den Broek, Austin Weber, Sophie Beshar, Erik Hanson, Yana Lee, Lexi Curnin, and Hailey Nicholson.
Sophia Aklog
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Upper School students Zachary Silverman Guffey ’16 and Kate Kassin ’16 received recognition from the Student Research Award Competition as a result of papers they wrote last year. Both students developed research topics using primary source materials from the Rye Archives and completed research papers that they then submitted to the competition, which is sponsored by the New York State Archives. Zack won an Honorable Mention for The Yale Bowl: Yale University’s Stadium at the Forefront of College Athletics. Kate won a Certificate of Merit for The War of Captivity: A Journey Through the Life of American POW Richard Gedney. Dr. Strean presented the award certificates to them at Upper School Morning Meeting.
Dr. Strean with Kate Kassin and Zachary Silverman Guffey.
In September a group of intrepid Lower School students and their families braved the wilds of the Rye Nature Center to battle some tough invaders: mugwort and Japanese stiltgrass, two invasive plants whose presence makes it difficult for other plants to grow in the area. Students and families attacked the invaders with sheer strength and gusto, filling many tall bags with the unwanted plants. After finishing up their hard work, students participated in the first ever Rye Country Day School mugwort javelin toss! It was a fun and productive day for all. A day of service for Lower Schoolers and families at the Rye Nature Center.
Emily Duarte ’15 was named a winner of a Con Edison Scholastic Sports Award, which recognizes a local high school athlete “for setting an outstanding example of achievement and sportsmanship (both on and off the field) to the youth of Westchester County.” Emily was recognized for her outstanding performance in field hockey, her high academic achievement in the classroom, and her exemplary school and community citizenship.
Emily Duarte
RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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The Lower School Garden has been dedicated to Mrs. Shea.
The Lower School lured Barbara Shea out of retirement for a few hours when it honored her at an assembly in November. Thanks to Mrs. Shea, who retired in June after 23 years at RCDS as a teacher, Lower School Principal and Associate Head of School, there is a thriving vegetable garden in the Lower School that serves as an outdoor classroom. At the assembly, three Lower School students spoke about what they had learned from Mrs. Shea and what the garden meant to them. After a group sing-along, the Lower School garden was dedicated in Mrs. Shea’s honor.
Faculty and staff once again gathered for an evening of ceramics and socializing to produce bowls that will be auctioned off to benefit programs in Haiti. Thank you to the Faculty Staff Association, the Office of Public Purpose, and the Art Department for co-sponsoring the event. Teachers also had a “wear jeans day” to raise funds for the G.I. GO Fund, which helps veterans find jobs, go to college, get access to healthcare, and find housing. Thank you to all of the faculty at RCDS who live our motto: Not for Self, but for Service!
Faculty members Jay Gerlach and Mary Krasovic making Bowls for Haiti.
An Upper School physics class joined forces with the Pre-K students to learn about Newton’s Laws. Together, they built soda bottle rockets and launched them on the athletic fields. Pre-Kindergartners watched as their Upper School buddies launched the soda bottle rockets.
The annual Alan and Jacqueline Stuart Concert in Memory of Priscilla Liebman welcomed Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, “one of the nation’s premier flamenco and Spanish dance companies,” to the RCDS PAC. Their stirring dances were enjoyed by students in all three divisions.
Members of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana flank Headmaster Nelson and Jacqueline and Alan Stuart.
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2014
Headmaster’s Circle
Highlights of the report presented: The Annual Fund raised $3,980,688 – the ninth consecutive year over $3,000,000.
Reception
Over 96 percent of current parents contributed to Annual Giving, including 100 percent of Senior Class parents.
On a beautiful September evening, the Headmaster’s Circle Reception welcomed more than 200 guests who had made leadership gifts of $2,500 or more to the 2013-2014 Annual Fund. Many thanks to RCDS Board President Lee Flanagan and to the co-chairs of Annual Giving, Andrea Sullivan and Laura Mattson; to the Class of 2014 Senior Gift co-chairs, Lee Flanagan, Farrel Starker, and Kim Wachenheim Wagman ’84; to the Alumni Fund co-chairs, Rebecca Calman ’03 and W. Dyer Halpern ’98; to Ted Dunn, chairman of the Grandparents’ Fund; to past parents Tom and Patricia Lovejoy, who encouraged many former parents to support the Past Parent Scholarship Fund; to Ginny Black and Donald Kyle ’81 for their service as Faculty and Staff Gift co-chairs; and to Parents Association President Lynne Wolitzer, who supported and coordinated the PA’s successful fund-raising efforts. In his remarks, Mr. Nelson gave special thanks to Ginny Rowen, former Director of Development, who, upon her retirement in June after 25 years of service, had been responsible for raising almost $93 million for the School. She received a rousing round of applause and many congratulations.
Mr. Nelson thanked Laura Mattson (left) and Andrea Sullivan for their work as co-chairs of the 2013-2014 Annual Fund.
Meredith deChabert, assistant head of school and Middle School principal, with Sarah Mariani, and Kim Wachenheim Wagman ’84.
Ginny Rowen, former RCDS director of development and fund-raiser extraordinaire.
Lishan Aklog and Maria Fidalgo Rebecca May and Fernando Rivas
Jon and Nina Cheigh
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Dracula!
The Fall Drama
By Jay Gerlach
Halloween still lingered in the air as the darkened auditorium of the Dunn Performing Arts Center welcomed an audience with the haunting sounds and evocative lighting of its fall play, Dracula, by Steven Dietz. Unveiled in 1927, this highly theatrical adaptation of Bram Stoker’s original 1897 novel captured the audience’s imagination for two performances on November 21 and 22. The play follows the efforts of Dr. John Seward and Dr. Abraham Van Helsing as they attempt to save Dr. Seward’s love, Lucy Westenra, and her friend, Mina Murray, from the infamous Count Dracula before they too become vampires. Eleven student actors, 15 production crew members, and an assortment of faculty and staff members worked tirelessly to present a weekend of entertainment while they also learned the process of theater production. In the days leading up to opening night, the Dunn Performing Arts Center was busy and noisy with actors rehearsing, and stage crew members painting, hammering, and moving sets about. Lighting technicians tried to get each spotlight focused in exactly the right position, while make-up artists concocted a mixture of food coloring and corn syrup to serve as fake blood. The student costume crew was running around making last minute alterations. “I definitely learned that it is a team effort when working behind the scenes,” said Jourdan Layne, a senior, who served as the head make-up designer for this production and is taking an independent study course in stage make-up design. Before the final dress rehearsal, sophomore Keith Pagnani and senior Christine Campisi, who commanded attention as Dr. Seward and Lucy, were leading the cast in
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run-through of lines. “It’s exciting,” said Christine. “Knowing we have an audience tonight forces us to make sure we tell the story correctly as written by Mr. Dietz.” As the actors and crew began to arrive for the opening night performance, there was a palpable sense of community in the room. “We are all such good friends and to be able to do something creative together after school is such great fun,” shared junior Tiler Wilson. “I like the overall theater community at school,” he said. “Everybody is so supportive and accepting of [each other] and what they have to offer the show.”
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A Special Gathering Alumni whose children attend RCDS share a special relationship with the School. Some classmates now have children in the same grade, others were taught by the same faculty members who teach their children, and each has an appreciation of RCDS history that spans decades.
On Friday, November 14, Sue and Scott Nelson welcomed the alumni who are current parents for a lively evening of cocktails and hors d’ouevres, and the conversation quickly turned to shared memories. They were joined by current and former faculty, including Coach Gil Castagna; former Latin teacher David Tafe; former soccer coach and English teacher Dick Pike; former Director of Development
Ginny Rowen; Middle School Principal Meredith deChabert; Interim Associate Head Ann Sullivan; former coach John Sabia; and Upper School Principal Paul Wieman. The evening was punctuated with laughter as the alumni competed for gift bags filled with school memorabilia in a game of RCDS trivia. What year was the hockey rink built? Who is the former First Lady who attended Rye Country Day School? And what was the name of the longtime head of maintenance who lived on campus? Names, dates, and more were readily recalled. Whether they graduated in the1970s, 1980s, or 1990s, the alumni shared an appreciation of the education that RCDS offered them and now offers their children.
Deborah Miller Sindell ’89, Karen Miller, and Cindy Ganis Roskind ’90. Interim Associate Head of School Ann Sullivan with Sarah Dodds-Brown ’91.
Ben Moss ’93 and Ellen-Jane Moss with former Classics Department Chairman David Tafe.
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Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 and Loren Smith Dinger ’96.
Ross Zucker ’70 and Lee Fleischman ’74.
New Initiatives on Campus in The Lower School by Sara Ingrassia
Two years ago the Lower School adopted Primary Mathematics as its new mathematics curriculum. The Primary Mathematics series, also known as Singapore Math, was adapted from the Singapore Ministry of Education’s elementary school curriculum. Since the development of the curriculum in the 1980s, Singapore students have consistently tested well on the TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) assessment. Singapore Math was first introduced in the United States in the 1990s. At that time, only a small number of private schools were using the curriculum, but by the beginning of the 21st century, many high achieving public and private schools within the United States began using it. How is Singapore Math different than other math curriculums? The program is based on the concrete-pictorial-abstract (CPA) approach, which was developed by an American psychologist named Jerome Bruner. He believed mathematical concepts should first be taught through a concrete experience, leading into a pictorial representation and ending with the introduction of an abstract equation. For example, when teaching addition with regrouping, the students first use concrete circular number discs to represent two and three digit numbers. Next, the students view these discs in a pictorial representation in clearly illustrated textbooks and discuss what is occurring in the regrouping process. Finally, the abstract algorithm is introduced. The program also emphasizes a problem-solving approach that allows the students to use familiar context to understand abstract concepts. RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
Another essential component of Singapore Math is the bar modeling technique. This technique teaches students how to represent complex word problems with a pictorial representation, an actual bar that emphasizes partto-whole thinking. The teachers in second, third, and fourth grades have used this problem-solving technique with their students and have experienced great success. In Middle School, the bar model technique helps students transition to algebraic equations. Singapore Math also has a strong measurement unit. Last year, Debra Simpson, our Lower School science teacher, helped deliver the measurement instruction to all the grade levels. Mrs. Simpson was excited to link the science and math curricula and attended a workshop last summer that enabled her to further integrate science and math skills. One of the strengths in the Lower School is the cross over of skills between the classroom and the special area classes. Learning is deeper when it crosses disciplines. Overall, the Lower School faculty has been impressed with the progress our students have made in mathematics over the past two years. Since topics are taught to mastery, once students have a secure understanding of the concept, teachers are able to instruct at a faster rate. Concepts such as multiplication and division are being introduced in first grade, and the upper elementary grades are utilizing bar modeling to solve complex word problems that previously would have required a prior knowledge of algebra.
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New Initiatives on Campus in The Middle School By Ellen Cartwright
Thanks to Neuroscientists, today we have much information to work with as educators in understanding the brain and learning. The path to learning seems rather straightforward: a student takes information in, processes it, and then demonstrates his or her understanding through various outputs. As we know through experience, how learning happens and what it looks like for each child and each brain is far from straightforward. Thanks to the digital world and an increase in curricular and extracurricular demands, the pace of information into the brain of a school-aged child is rapid and it is not going to slow down anytime soon! As a result, it is essential that students understand and become aware of how their brains can work efficiently and productively. The goal of a new study skills program in the Middle School is to help students develop metacognitive skills and an understanding of how their brains learn, which are essential in building the necessary foundation of good study skills habits. An emphasis is placed on executive functioning skills, such as the organization of information, tasks,
and materials, the planning and prioritization of workloads, time management, and self-advocacy and regulation. Developing good study skills habits takes time, and it is only through practice that students can essentially develop these skills. Students are exposed to various tools through activities, examples, and explicit instruction. I love working with middle school students because they always need the following questions answered: “Why do we need to know this?” and “So what?” They are like adolescent scientists in that they need proof, they need evidence, and they need to see that there is something in it for them before they are willing to embrace and engage in new solutions. It is our hope that by the end of their middleschool years, students feel empowered and in control of their learning. We hope they approach learning with a growth mindset, and they have the confidence and the tools necessary to be successful, life-long learners.
Science teacher Ellen Cartwright discusses how the brain learns.
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New Initiatives on Campus in The Upper School S ET
By Alison Doernberg
The Saturday Enrichment and Tutorial (SET) program is a tuition-free academic enrichment program whose goal is to improve English literacy skills for local public school students in Grades 1-4. SET, now in its eighth year, is held at RCDS for six Saturday sessions each fall and winter and serves over 100 students from local elementary schools. Over 40 trained RCDS Upper School student volunteers (or approximately ten percent of the entire Upper School student body) will work with the SET program this year. These RCDS students, known as SET Mentors, take a leadership role in all aspects of classroom facilitation and management. Experienced RCDS Lower School faculty members develop the SET curriculum, train student volunteers, and oversee the program. As part of RCDS’s public purpose initiative, SET is one piece of an innovative framework for sustainable community engagement and partnership-based service learning. Through their work as SET Mentors, RCDS students embody what it means to be part of such a partnership. These Upper School students not only have the opportunity to be in a lead teaching role in the classroom, they also are continually learning from the younger students they teach and take time throughout the year to reflect on the enduring reciprocal relationships they build with the SET participants. Each winter, as part of the reflection process, SET Mentors think back on their most memorable teachers at RCDS or elsewhere and consider the following questions: What made that person a good teacher? Why did they stand out in your mind? What are some ways that you aspire to be like that memorable teacher in the SET classroom?
The students’ responses to these questions are a touching testament to both the wonderful teachers within the RCDS community, and the profound ways that our students have internalized the values and attributes of their teachers in their own mentoring work with younger students. One SET Mentor noted that her chemistry teacher stands out because he is approachable and aware of each individual student in the room, traits that she seeks to emulate in her work with SET. “I believe,” she continued, “that getting to know my students is the first step to becoming a better SET Mentor.” “To me, teachers who genuinely enjoy their classes and understand their students are always the best teachers,” another SET Mentor remarked. “By trying to get excited about what we are learning, hopefully I can copy this.” Other SET Mentors noted the ways their favorite teachers related to students through a warmly approachable demeanor or a sense of humor, made students feel relaxed and in the classroom, and created an atmosphere where students were willing to take risks. These are all qualities that RCDS students seek to emulate in their roles as SET Mentors. By bringing the best aspects of their RCDS teachers into the SET classrooms, our student volunteers bring forward a wonderful added dimension to the mentoring relationships they create.
SET students check out books from the library to take home each week.
While their children are participating in the program, parents also work to improve their English skills through games, instruction and conversation.
Casey Berkowitz ’15 engages her class in reading and storytelling during their morning together. A Smartboard and iPad are just some of the technology that enhance students’ learning in the SET program. Upper schoolers Michelle Haut and Daniel Tanenbaum help students navigate a lesson using individual iPads.
RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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New Initiatives on Campus in The Upper School OPI By Daphne Mandell and Julia Wiener
“Voice – snap – point – look!” A group of welltrained Upper School students began using this technique in the modern language classrooms in early November. The rapid-paced, theatrical, and creative Rassias Method allows these student mentors to enliven and enrich the language curriculum in all three RCDS divisions. Professor John Rassias of Dartmouth College designed specific techniques that would allow mentors to shepherd beginning language students toward greater oral proficiency. These skilled OPIs (Oral Proficiency Interns) work in concert with a modern language teacher to develop drills and dialogues that strengthen our students’ oral expression.
This year’s OPI program kicked off with a hugely successful visit from an expert in Rassias training, Dr. Joel Goldfield, Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures at Fairfield University. He led the incoming class of OPI candidates through an intensive demonstration of a dialogue spoken entirely in Hebrew. The student-mentors re-lived their own first steps toward language fluency and could immediately empathize with their soon-to-be students. Dr. Goldfield not only instructed our student mentors in the Rassias method, but also taught them some Hebrew along the way. After more training and auditions, the new OPIs were ready to join the veteran student-mentors boasting a combined total of 36 OPIs for the current school year. So, if your children are modern language learners, ask them to be on the lookout for an OPI visit coming soon!
OPI instructor Blake Beber ’15 leads a Middle School class in Spanish drills.
Students in an Upper School French class anticipate being called on by OPI instructor Kate Kassin ’16.
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New Initiatives on Campus in The Upper School Peer Leaders Practice Skills to Help Others By Jenny Heath
Peer Leaders traveled to New York City to choose letters for Operation Santa.
Approachability, empathy, integrity, positivity, and passion. These are the values that Peer Leaders chose as their core tenets when they met for preseason training in August. These values guide their work as student-teachers, mentors, and RCDS citizens. Peer Leaders are juniors and seniors who are tasked with helping their peers navigate the waters of high school. They organize community events, teach weekly Life Skills classes to ninth graders, and act as role models and peer counselors. They aim to be advocates for their fellow students and to forge inter-grade connections. The Peer Leadership program, which has existed at RCDS since the early 1980s, is rooted in the belief that positive student-tostudent connections can teach powerful life lessons. Looking back on our own high school experiences, we probably remember fondly that older student whom we looked up to and emulated. Perhaps to a certain degree we still follow his or her lead. Peer Leaders take their responsibilities seriously; they must apply for the position and dedicate many hours to leadership training. As part of the preparation for their teaching and mentoring, Peer Leaders examine topics ranging from communication skills, to stress management, to drug and alcohol awareness, to appreciation of diversity and RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
diverse perspectives. They practice public speaking, careful listening, teamwork, and follow-through. Peer Leaders see themselves as works in progress, perpetually developing and sharpening important skills. In order to model good citizenship and deepen their understanding of community needs, Peer Leaders participate in a variety of service projects at RCDS and in the greater New York area. Peer Leaders take a comprehensive and hands-on approach to service. They start by identifying a need in the community, then plan how to best address that need, and finally execute their plan, paying attention to the finer, logistical details. They often collaborate with other individuals and organizations within the School. Peer Leaders help run orientations for new students and plan Mix-It-Up Day activities to foster new friendships and build stronger connections. They regularly give “Cookie Awards” and do “Random Acts of Kindness” to boost morale. They help facilitate all-school events, such as October’s Health and Wellness Day. The Peer Leaders look beyond the walls of RCDS, as well, and take on service projects that connect them to families in Westchester and the five boroughs. A perennial favorite is Operation Santa, for which the Peer Leaders head to the James Farley Post Office in New York City, where they www.ryecountryday.org
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New Initiatives on Campus in The Upper School Peer Leaders continued
read letters written to Santa from disadvantaged children and parents asking for holiday gifts. The Peer Leaders choose letters that include requests for clothing and toys and they raise money to fulfill these wishes. In December, the Peer Leaders’ Life Skills room turns into a veritable North Pole Elf Station, as they gather gifts and prepare to send them to the families.
When I asked members of this year’s group to identify the role they play in the community, their answers varied – “to give back,” “to be helpful,” “to be responsible for others’ well–being,” “to be authentic” – however, they were unified in that they all saw their role as that of servant leader. In their answers I heard echoes of our motto, Not for Self, But for Service.
Zoe Verni, Jourdan Layne and Patrick Neafsey, twelfth grade Peer Leaders, packed boxes of gifts to send to Operation Santa recipients.
Peer Leaders Jinjer Pearce ’16 and Paige Codrington ’15 wrapped packages at Operation Santa.
Making tough decisions.
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AEB Update The 2014-2015 Alumni Executive Board got off to a great start, welcoming five new members and two senior class representatives. Joining the Board this year are Vanessa Kroll Bennett ’94, René Lumley-Hall ’96, Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli ’92, Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94, and H. Oliver Smith ’94. Senior class representatives are Jourdan Layne ’15 and Malcolm Nash ’15. Meeting for the first time in the newly renovated Dining Room, the Board discussed priorities including developing a strong and accessible alumni networking program, reaching out to better serve college-age and post-college alumni and creating programming for them, and determining the best way for the group to stay connected between meetings. One immediate decision, based on the Board’s demographics, is to hold one meeting per year in New York City. Watch for news on these topics and more in your monthly Alumni Newsletter. If you are not receiving this by email, please contact the Alumni Office to update your email address: (914) 925-4525 or Lisa_young@ryecountryday.org.
RCDS Alumni Executive Board 2014-2015 Seated: Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94, Rebecca Calman ’03, Michèle Lallemand Brazil ’92, Christine Grandolfo Stanitski ’91, René Lumley-Hall ’94, Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97, Vanessa Kroll Bennett ’94, and Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli ’92. Standing: Lynette Gioffre, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, Oliver Smith ’94, Scott Weiss ’96, Dennis Parker ’73, Michael Lazar ’87, Jonathan Goldstein ’99, Daniel Wallance ’00, Jon Ostrau ’80, Faculty Representative Gil Castagna, Dyer Halpern ’98, and Lisa Hotte Young ’74, Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Affairs. Not Pictured: Ashok Chachra ’95, Jourdan Layne ’15, Evan Licht ’90, Richard Lipsey, Jr. ’85, and Malcolm Nash ’15.
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Alumni Executive Board - New Members
Vanessa Kroll Bennett ’94
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René Lumley-Hall ’94
Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli ’92
Vanessa Kroll Bennett ’94
René Lumley-Hall ’96
Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli ’92
graduated from Wellesley College in 1998 with a B.A. in American Studies. In 2009, she received an M.A. in Jewish History from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Vanessa lives in New York City with her husband, Roger, and their four children, Samson, Ber, Zion, and Oz. She is the founder of Dynamo Girl, a new venture that promotes girls’ self-esteem through physical activity. Vanessa is a regular at the Alumni Greats soccer game at Wildcat Weekend and last year took home the MVP award. Vanessa and fellow Class Agent Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94 worked together on the 20th Reunion of the Class of 1994.
is the Chief of Staff of the Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (CFP&A) team at TIAA-CREF. René leads the CFP&A team’s strategic planning efforts and serves as the cross-functional lead to assist business partners with adopting new financial tools and approaches. René has an extensive background in Financial Services, having spent over seven years with Citi and Morgan Stanley across their Institutional, Consumer, and Private Wealth Management groups in and around New York City, Connecticut, and South America. Before her career in Financial Services, René was a Business Development Coordinator and District Manager for ChevronTexaco based in Puerto Rico, then moved on to the company’s Caribbean and Central American regional headquarters, where she managed executive projects and training efforts. She was and continues to serve as a Hermes Admissions Ambassador for Columbia Business School, sits on The Young Women’s Leadership Network’s Advisory Board and was selected to serve as a Corporate Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations. René enjoys Bikram Yoga, scuba diving, and snowboarding. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
has over 15 years of digital advertising and marketing expertise and was one of the pioneers in the online advertising industry. She joined DoubleClick in 1997, where she managed its corporate branding initiatives. She then moved into digital media sponsorships sales for the finance, news, and small business verticals. She later joined Yahoo, overseeing all aspects of ad revenue growth and packaging strategies. In 2004, Suzanne earned an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Fordham University, and then spent the next five years at Ten-Sixty Asset Management, a boutique investment advisory firm, where she oversaw hedge fund analysis and due diligence, and was responsible for running the firm’s daily operations. Most recently, Suzanne is home with her family, raising two beautiful children in Rye. She has become an active member of the Center for Hearing and Communication in Manhattan, where she is passionate about enabling resources for children with hearing loss. She helps support their marketing efforts to families and sits on the auction committee for their annual fund-raiser. Suzanne graduated from University of Colorado with a B.A. in Communications in 1996.
Malcolm Nash ’15
Malcolm Nash ’15 H. Oliver Smith ’94
Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94
Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94
H. Oliver Smith ’94
is a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, a publicly traded, global investment manager with approximately $60 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2014. She serves as Chief Human Resources Officer & Counsel. Robin regularly advises the credit, liquid markets, and private equity businesses at Fortress on a variety of international employment, compensation, separation, and equity-based arrangements. Robin graduated from Duke University summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and received her law degree from Harvard. She lives in Purchase, New York, with her husband, Aron, and daughter Jordana. Robin also serves as a Class Agent for the Class of 1994.
graduated from Williams College in 1998, and in 2004 received his J.D. from Emory University School of Law and his M.B.A. from Emory’s Goizueta Business School. He currently works in New York City as a partner at the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in the health care field and mergers and acquisitions. Oliver and his wife, Sarah, have four children, Lily (RCDS second grade); Ollie (RCDS first grade); Abigail (RCDS Pre-K), and Skylar- not quite old enough for RCDS. When not on campus with his children, Oliver is a regular at the Thanksgiving Alumni Games and this year celebrated his 20th RCDS Reunion.
came to RCDS in sixth grade and has enjoyed the many opportunities here from the beginning. As a senior, he was co-captain of the cross country team, is a Peer Leader, and co-president of the Environmental Club. Malcolm also loves playing trombone in the band and the jazz band and giving tours around campus. He is an avid reader and closely follows the news and politics. In particular, he enjoys his history and English classes, interests he is excited to pursue next year at Brown University.
Jourdan Layne ’15
Jourdan Layne ’15 has attended Rye Country Day School since Pre-Kindergarten. Her favorite classes have always been English and Choir. She is quite active in the Arts Department. She is an avid member of the Cedar Street Dance Company, a student dance troupe composed of the most dedicated dancers at Rye Country Day, and she played Rusty in the Student/Faculty Musical, Footloose. Jourdan is a Co-Executive of the Peer Leadership program in the Upper School. RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
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Alumni Hall of Fame
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The Rye Country Day community gathered to honor nine accomplished individuals when they were inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in October. Those inducted included the past two winners of the W. Lee Pierson Distinguished Alumni Award, as well as seven others who were nominated in the following categories: Athletics, Professional / Academic, The Arts, Service, and Special. To watch a video of the acceptance speeches, please visit the RCDS blog, Wildcat World, on the RCDS website, or at blog.ryecountryday.org/?p=2885
Liane R. Dorsey ’74 – 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner Liane is a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer with a distinguished career that includes numerous challenging overseas assignments providing assistance and relief to millions of refugees and displaced people. Her diverse postings include Pakistan to Chechnya, the Congo, Rwanda, the West Bank, and the Turkish-Syrian border, where her experience and expertise were utilized in strategizing, coordinating, and implementing humanitarian assistance to alleviate the human suffering of refugees and others displaced by violent conflict. While based in Uganda, she coordinated U.S. refugee assistance in nine countries in East and Central Africa. At one point, based in Washington, she coordinated relief and development assistance in numerous postSoviet countries in Europe and Central Asia. From 2000 to 2003, she served as Consul General in Scotland, where she was the face of the U.S. following the 9/11 terrorist disaster. Last year, Liane returned home from Turkey, where, as Senior Humanitarian Advisor, she directed U.S. efforts in support of Turkey’s relief program for the many hundreds-of thousands of displaced Syrians pouring over the Syria/Turkey border seeking refuge. Liane comes from a Rye Country Day School family. She, her sister, Cindy, and her brother, Alan, all were “lifers,” following their father, George (Bud), who also attended the School. Today, she and her husband and their three children reside in Washington. She graduated cum
Liane Dorsey ’74 and Headmaster Scott Nelson.
laude from Yale University with a degree in political science and then served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching high school in Zaire, now renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She went on to do graduate work at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and worked three-and-a-half years for the UN Refugee Agency before joining the State Department.
R. David Hosp ’86 – 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner David is a principal and trial lawyer in the Boston and New York offices of Fish & Richardson, one of the country’s premier intellectual-property law firms, where he specializes in media, copyright, and trademark litigation. He has pursued a legal career for the past 20 years, writes extensively about the law, and has lectured at both Harvard Law School and Boston College Law School. David has represented numerous nationally prominent clients in headline cases as high as the U.S. Supreme Court, and has been recognized for his work by a number of legal publications. In 2013, The Hollywood Reporter named
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him one of the most influential entertainment attorneys in the country. He is also known for his pro bono work with the New England Innocence Project, for which he represented Stephan Cowans, a man wrongly convicted of the attempted murder of a Boston police officer, who spent seven years in prison before he was exonerated in 2004 through the use of DNA evidence. David has also been acclaimed by book critics as an outstanding mystery novelist. His first book, Dark Harbor, was nominated for the Barry Award for best first novel in 2005. Since then six more of his novels have been
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published, including bestsellers Innocence and Among Thieves. His books have been translated into several foreign languages, as well. Mystery writing, he says, is his main hobby. He entered Rye Country Day School in middle school, later became president of the student council, captain of the hockey and lacrosse teams, a member of the Model U.N. Club, and was active in the Drama Department. He won the Drama Book Prize and starred as Nathan Detroit in the musical Guys and Dolls. He went on to graduate cum laude from both Dartmouth College and George Washington University Law School. David credits his days at RCDS as having a significant influence on his life and career. In 2010, his acknowledgements in Among Thieves noted “I would like to thank all of the teachers I have had over the years who nurtured my love of language, my appreciation for drama, my fascination with the law, and my curiosity about the world around me.”
R. David Hosp ’86
Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 – R. Adrian Walters, III ’91 Memorial Athletic Award Blair and her family can truly call Rye Country Day School a second home. Her father, Jan Endresen ’65, was the first to attend the School, followed by Blair, her sister, Leigh ’02, and her brother, Reed ’07. Blair, Leigh and Reed all were lifers, from Pre-K through Grade 12, and all distinguished themselves in sports, most notably squash. The line continues with Blair’s son, Winn, who is in Grade 1. Nina, the daughter of Blair and husband Edouard, is two. Blair, a nationally ranked squash player, also played varsity ice hockey before concentrating on squash, tennis, and lacrosse at RCDS. She was a captain of all three and also a winner of several school and all-league awards during her high school career. She went on to Harvard University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government in 2000, after an outstanding four years on the Harvard women’s squash team. She was the only freshman on the undefeated varsity team that won the national college championship in 1997, and she was individually undefeated. The team also won two Ivy League championships and a regular-season national title during her career. Blair was captain of the team and was named most valuable player during her senior year. While at RCDS, Blair was active in student government and was senior class vice president, editor of Crop, the student newspaper, a peer leader, Spirit Club coordinator, and a tour guide. Today, she’s a Grade 1 liaison, co-head of the Wildcat Den, a class agent, and a member of the Annual Giving committee. She served on the RCDS Alumni Executive Board from 2002 to 2008. She is also a member of the Rye Library Auxiliary Board and plays on the Apawamis Club tennis A team. RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 and RCDS Athletic Director Wendy Haft
After graduating from Harvard, Blair worked in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and later Barclays Capital. She started and captained a Lehman Brothers squash team that placed second in the NYC Squash Challenge. www.ryecountryday.org
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Michael C. Zody, Ph.D., ’86 – Academic/Professional Achievement Michael is Research Director of Computational Biology at the New York Genome Center, a collaborative effort by several hospitals and research organizations dedicated to further analysis of genomics and understanding their role in the complexities of medical problems and diseases. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in the field of genomic research, and played a major role in the sequencing of the first human genome, as well as in the sequencing of the first mouse genome. His trail to fame started at Rye Country Day School, when his family moved to Greenwich from Houston at the start of his junior year. His main interests at the time were in history and languages, not the sciences. But his studies of math and computer science helped turn his trajectory to programming, and the die was cast. He was a National Merit Scholar and went to MIT, where he received a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, and a master’s in metallurgy. To this day he has not taken a course in biology. “I’ve learned biology on the job,” he says. After MIT, Michael spent two years writing and publishing books on role-playing games. His first job in the sciences was as a programmer in bio-informatics at the Whitehead Institute Center for Genome Research, a not-forprofit affiliate of MIT. Whitehead was one of the leading members of the international group that drafted the first sequencing of the human genome. Michael was one of six Whitehead scientists in the East Room of the White House in 2000 when President Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the program’s successful completion. Michael was co-leader of the Whitehead team that was one of three organizations to sequence the first mouse genome in 2002. Later that year, he moved from Whitehead to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, another research affiliate of MIT, where he served first as chief technologist in genome sequencing and later as senior computational biologist in the Viral Genomics Group. During his ten years at Broad, he also earned his doctorate in medical science at Uppsala University in Sweden.
Michael C. Zody ’86
He is widely published in books and journals, and travels the world teaching others how to design experiments and analyze data from genomic research. The ultimate goal, he says, is to utilize technology in providing data to the personal physician/patient relationship in diagnosing problems and developing treatments. Somehow, Michael also finds time to stay in touch with his many friends at RCDS, play on an amateur ice hockey team, further his interest in studying history, play the guitar (sometimes onstage with a group), and play golf. He is particularly proud of advancing to the final round of the Massachusetts amateur public links tournament earlier this year.
Peter R. Golub ’70 – The Arts Peter is a noted composer of music for motion pictures, theater, concerts, and ballets, whose first taste of theater was delivering a single spoken line in a Rye Country Day School production of Our Town. He came to the School in Grade 9 and focused heavily on music and theater, and by his senior year was leaning towards composing. He credits RCDS teachers for “opening my mind” and helping provide direction for what became his career. Peter went on to study music and theater at Bennington College, where he received a bachelor’s degree, and
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at Yale School of Music, where he received both a master’s and a doctorate in music composition. His professional career started in New York theater during a leave of absence midway during his time at Yale. He has written the scores for numerous films, has composed four ballets and collaborated with prominent directors on many Broadway and off-Broadway productions. His latest is The Country House, a play starring Blythe Danner, which opened in October on Broadway. Recognition of his work has come in the way of a Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Classic Contribution Award,
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a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a grant from the National Foundation for the Arts Opera/Musical Theater program, and a Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts & Letters. He was also honored with a “best music” award from the Avignon Film Festival in France for his score of Stolen, a documentary film on the theft from a Boston museum of paintings by Vermeer and other masters. Since 1999, Peter has been Director of the Sundance Film Music Program. He teaches music composition at UCLA and also has taught at Bennington College and Reed College.
Peter R. Golub ’70
Andrea Horvath Link, M.D., ’85 – Service Her passion for medicine, tempered by a strong commitment to community service, has led to Andrea’s creation of “Healthy and Whole,” a trail-blazing program she manages at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She is a clinical assistant professor in Baylor’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. “As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor,” she says, noting also that volunteerism grew in importance with participation in “lots of community service” at RCDS. She was a good student who won several academic awards, served as editor of Forum, the current affairs publication, was a member of the chorus, and participated in school dramas and musicals. Andrea became a pre-med student at Brown University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and graduated magna cum laude. She was also named a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma XI, a science honor society. She was a Weigel Research Scholar at Stanford University Medical School, from which she graduated as an M.D. in 1994 and remained to do her residency in pediatrics. It was at Stanford, on her first day in medical school, that she met her husband-to-be, Richard Link, who is a surgeon and researcher in urology at the Baylor College of Medicine. The Links have two children, Kira and Jackson. After several years as a pediatrician, and guided by the “Not For Self, But For Service” motto of RCDS, she had a shift in clinical interests and spent three years working with incarcerated women at the Harris County Jail in Baylor’s Healthcare For The Homeless Jail Inreach Program. From her experiences in the Jail Inreach Program, she developed “Healthy and Whole,” an innovative and multi-modal program to help women recovering from prostitution and human trafficking. The program features wellness, health education, healing through the arts, peer support, employment counseling and psycho-educational RCDS FALL 2014 Issue
programming. It is the first program in the U.S. for women exiting prostitution that was developed as a partnership between a medical school and a residential treatment program. In addition to running her new program, Andrea also researches the psychosocial and medical issues involved in street-level prostitution, and lectures on the subject at national and international conferences. She points with pride to results showing that 80 percent of the women enrolled in the program have remained out of prison for 6 months or more.
Andrea Horvath Link ’85
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Shayla L. Titley ’98 – Service Shayla, manager of membership programs at the New York Public Library, has been a volunteer as well as a member of not-for-profit organizations all her life. “It just feels right to give back,” she says, noting that “Rye Country Day School did so much for me and got me on the path I’ve been on.” She most recently has served a three-year term on the RCDS Board of Trustees and six years on the Alumni Executive Board, the last three as president. Shayla still lives in her native Mount Vernon, where she volunteered at Greater Centennial A.M.E. Church and the public library. At RCDS, she was heavily involved in performing arts and athletics, but always with an eye on contributing to her community. Her first stage performance was in Trial By Jury when she was in Grade 7, an experience that triggered her participation in all theater productions during her four years in the Upper School. She was a member of the choir, the WildScats and Madrigals, and was the recipient of the Drama Award. She also was on the fencing and field hockey teams and won the Coaches Award as captain of the fencing team. Shayla earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where she participated in numerous musicals and drama productions and won prizes for play writing. She also served as co-chair of Trinity’s Black Women’s Organization. Following graduation, she studied in a summer program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and then spent three years at Trinity as assistant director of admissions. She returned to New York and studied performing arts administration at NYU, where she received her master’s in 2007. She worked in the development departments of the Manhattan Theatre Club and later of Playwrights Horizons while attending NYU, and then joined the New York Public Library in 2008.
Shayla Titley ’98 and Upper School Principal Paul Wieman
Shayla manages numerous events and projects for over 25,000 members of the library, but still volunteers at the Manhattan Theatre Club and at the Manhattan branch of Dress For Success, where she serves as a counselor and personal shopper for women who are re-entering the work force. She was the branch’s Volunteer of the Year in 2012. She also tries to make time to participate in the annual Festival Chorus at RCDS, perform on the karaoke stage, and do voice-overs for TV and radio.
Cary C. Fuller H’89 – Special Cary refers to himself as “quietly retired” after leaving RCDS in 2010 as Head of the Drama Department and teacher of Upper School English. His final official act was delivering the commencement address to the class of 2010. But he was a rare faculty member, having also been named an honorary alumnus, class of 1989, a designation seldom bestowed on a non-student. It was a testament to his popularity and contributions before leaving to teach in Florida for a year. He previously had taken a brief time out to work in Washington, D.C., and also taught at Athens College, in Greece, in a one-year exchange program. In total, he taught at RCDS for 41 years. Cary grew up in Washington, where he developed an interest in theater, stimulated largely by his family’s friendship with Jane Perkins and her son, actor Anthony Cary C. Fuller H’89
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Perkins. Anthony majored in theater at Rollins College, and Cary decided to go there, as well, after graduating from St. Albans, an independent school in Washington. He taught theater and English as head of the Drama Department at the Sheridan School in Washington for two years, before joining RCDS in 1967. He was a member of the planning committee for the Dunn Performing Arts Center that opened in 2000, and shortly after was named director of the newly formed RCDS Drama Department. He conducted an acting workshop and taught the Art of Comedy and several other courses in the-
ater, and also directed more than 60 theater productions at RCDS. Cary remains actively involved with RCDS alumni, particularly with his former students, many of whom are noted professional performers. He also is a member of the Headmaster’s Alumni Advisory Board at St. Albans School. In addition, he is a board member at both the Woodrow Wilson House, now a museum in Washington, and at the Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace museum in Wytheville, Virginia. Cary grew up in the Wilson House. His great aunt, Edith Bolling Wilson, married President Wilson following the death of Wilson’s first wife.
W. Lee Pierson – Special Posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame caps the career of W. Lee Pierson, a distinguished educator who served as headmaster of Rye Country Day School from 1979 to 1993. Lee is remembered for his inspiring leadership during a period of great expansion and change on campus, including several successful capital campaigns and the building of the Klingenstein Library and the Edward Dunn Performing Arts Center. In his honor, the W. Lee Pierson Distinguished Alumni Award is presented annually to an alumnus who has performed exemplary service to RCDS and to the community at large. Lee graduated from The Choate School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in education from Harvard University.
Over the years, he served as headmaster at several independent schools throughout the United States, and was a trustee on many boards, including those at Athens College, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Theater, The Windward School, and Phoenix Country Day School. From 1970 to 1973, Lee was Special Assistant to the U.S. Commissioner of Education, a position in which he helped promote racial integration at public universities in the South. Lee also was a faculty member at Athens College, in Greece, in the 1960s, and later served there as president for six years before coming to Rye Country Day School. A native of New Haven, Conn., Lee passed away in March 2014.
Dr. Pierson’s award was accepted by his son, Glenn Pierson ’86, and his wife, Andree, shown here immediately afterward with Headmaster Nelson.
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Reunion 2014 Alumni Soccer Game It was a small but dedicated group that joined Coaches Gil Castagna and Dick Pike on the field on Saturday morning at the alumni “greats” soccer game. Congratulations to MVPs Antoine Gobin ’07 and Robert Levine ’95.
Seated: Robert Levine ’95, Evan Licht ’90, Coach Gil Castagna, and Brian Rowe ’03. Standing: Coach Dick Pike, Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97, Antoine Gobin ’07, Dean Melitsanopoulos ’05, Andrew Mondschein ’94, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett ’94.
Headmaster’s Reception and Reunion Dinners The Pinkham Building Courtyard was a new venue for the Headmaster’s Reception, where alumni and former and current faculty gathered to socialize before the individual class dinners were held in the newly renovated Dining Room. Alumni arrived from across the country and around the globe, some surprising their classmates with last-minute appearances. Madeline McDavid ’04 came from Paris, and Chris Connelly ’89 arrived from his home in Geneva, Switzerland, earning them bragging rights as those who traveled the farthest.
The Class of 1989 was toasted as the Reunion Class that raised the most money for the Alumni Annual Fund, and the Class of 1964 claimed honors for being the Reunion Class with the highest participation in the Alumni Annual Fund. Special thanks go to the current and former faculty whose presence is so valued by the alumni, and especially to the Class Agents who tirelessly reached out to classmates through phone calls, Facebook, specially created videos, and Twitter. It is their work that brought a record number of alumni together to celebrate Wildcat spirit.
AEB President Michael Lazar ’87 (center) presents an award to the Class of 1984, the reunion class that gave the largest dollar amount to Alumni Annual Giving. Members of the class, from left: Peggy Mann Berenblum, Kim Wachenheim Wagman, Michael Lazar ’87, Carloyn Lese Goldberg, and Brent Forester.
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Reunion 2014
Former Upper School Principal Jim Godfrey H’95 with Steve Otis ’75.
The reunion dinner of the class of 2009. Seated: Lucas Prouve ’09, Michael Schumaker ’09, Joey Connor ’09, and Laura Pantaleo ’09. Standing: Jessica DiChiacchio ’09, Heidi Alpert ’09, Rebecca Diefenbach ’09, and Robert Halperin ’09.
J.R. Escoffrey ’89 and Debbie Coffina-Klein ’89 at the Headmaster’s Reception.
Daniel Wallance ’00 with former English teacher and soccer coach Dick Pike H’11. Jill Hess ’74, Howard Baron ’74, Andy Robinson ’74, and Ted Prince ’74 at the Headmaster’s Reception.
Malcolm Gray ’04, Patrick Reese ’04, Ruth Buckingham ’04, and Kyle Doppelt ’04 with Humanities Department Chair Richard Strean.
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Brent Forester ’84 with his wife, Kim Lewis ’86, at the Class of 1984’s reunion dinner.
The Shuman family at Reunion. From left, Andrew Nathanson ’09 with his mother, Audrey Shuman Nathanson ’74, and his aunt, Jane Shuman ’69.
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Reunion 2014
Class of 1969 David Doniger, Ann Haralambie, Jane Shuman, Barbara Morey-Matison, and Seth Cummins. Not pictured: Suzanne Jacobs Davidson and Maria Rabar.
Class of 1974 Seated: Carol Stark Fahey, Audrey Shuman Nathanson, Debbie Baum, Wendy Maurice, Jill Hess, Liane Dorsey, Lilli Scheye, and Lisa Hotte Young. Standing: Howard Baron, Peter Hirsch, Ann Scherm Baldwin, Gretchen Plowden Metzroth, Jaine Elkind Eney, Ted Prince, Eugene Kim, Andy Robinson, Brian Kabcenell, David Moore, and Lee Fleischman. Not pictured: Betsie Bremer Piussan, Harry Graves, Lynne Reichart Graves.
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Class of 1979 Seated: Cathi Schneider Lender, Lucy Klingenstein, Simon Benattar, Mary Liebman Blum, Serena Ritter Livingston, and Pat Rosenau. Standing: Karina Landegger FitzPatrick, Peter Ritchey, Adam Friedlander, Wendy Gorlin Tayer, Midge Kyle Iorio, Susan Burger, Micheline Roth DiNardo, and Robert Rothman.
Class of 1984 Seated: Barbara Saunders, Muffy Pederson Hazard, Laura Segal, Cathy Masinter Hildenbrand, Carolyn Lese Goldberg, Jill Garfunkel Dessau, Kim Wachenheim Wagman, and Peggy Mann Berenblum. Standing: Hugh Burns, John Carlin, Rob Barrett, David Rukeyser, Harlan Protass, Brent Forester, David Frydman, and Angelo Fazio.
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Reunion 2014
Class of 1989 Front row: Barbara McDaniel Brown, David Fisher, Garrick Gelinas, Hans Dorsainvil, Gillian Saunders, Derek Martin, Felicia Hoffenberg Taubin, Lynne White Caldwell, and Tim Silverman. Center: Jennifer Gans Margalit, Emily Lazar, Njeri Mitchell, Cary Fuller, Anthony Grandolfo, Nick Dunn, Nancy Berley, Debbie Coffina-Klein, Rebecca Chapa Harter, Stacy Hirschberg Eisner, Amy Oringel, and Roy Lapidus. Back row: Escoffrey, Doug Ganley, Jeremy Kroll, Jay Field, Chris Connelly, Ian Sacks, Jon Haas, Jodie Mesner Rego, Tim Horvath, Michael Metzger, and Debbie Miller.
Class of 1994 Seated: Donna Powell Owusu-Ansah, Vanessa Kroll Bennett, Nicole Maisel Feldman, Brooke Hudis Geller, Stacey Klingenstein Gonzalez, and Gail Kornstein Ridder. Standing: Christian DeGennaro, Jesse Redniss, Oliver Smith, Rick Pinkham, David Javitch, Jesse Bass, Andrew Mondschein, and Bill Kelsey.
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Class of 1999 Alex Valdes, David Roman, Devin Landin, and Jonathan Goldstein.
Class of 2004 Front row: Jillian Rosengard, Emily Hersh Pollack, Laura Ruiz Frattaroli, Jessica Peck, Kathleen Shannon, Susan Antonelli, Margo Otis, Taylor Brandt, Ali Burack, and Caroline Miller. Center: Rachel Reed, Stephanie Fleischman, Madeline McDavid, Ruth Buckingham, Amanda Pasquale, Adam Krasner, Bo Wulf, Lisa Bottomley, Barrett Goodman, and Niky Khanna. Back row: Patrick Reese, Hamill Serrant, Gwyneth Arnold-Starr, Matt Landin, Alex Peters, Malcolm Gray, Kyle Doppelt, and Joao Paulo Mattos Almeida.
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Reunion 2014
Class of 2009 Front row: Julia Lindon and Sean Bryant. Center: Gracie Konopka, Miranda Tecklin, Jessica DiChiacchio, Zoe Parker, Becky Lange, Susan Temple, Carole Mariani, and Marni Aronson. Back row: Denny Purcell, David Fertig, Anthony Carbone, Sandy Sternberg, Ben Baevsky, Jake Shulman, Mike Schumaker, Rebecca Diefenbach, Andrew Nathanson, Dan Russell, Lindy Knight, Michael Stewart, Jack Holland, Lex Cardone, Jena Goettisheim, and Farima Alidadi.
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Winter/Spring 2015 Alumni Events FEBRUARY 2015: Thursday, February 19 6:00 p.m.
Alumni Annual Fund Phonathon Princeton Club, NYC
APRIL 2015: Thursday, April 9 6:00 p.m.
Boston Alumni Gathering Boston College Club Register at ryecountry.org/boston
Thursday, April 23 6:00 pm
NYC Young Alumni Party - Classes of 2000-2011 Location TBD
MAY 2015: Thursday, May 14 7:00 p.m.
Alumni Executive Board Meeting Main Dining Room
Wednesday, May 20 6:30 p.m.
Blue and Gold Dinner in honor of the Class of 2015 Presentation of the W. Lee Pierson Distinguished Alumni Award Manhattanville College, Reid Castle
JUNE 2015 Monday, June 1 8:15 a.m.
Upper School Prize Day Athletic Center
Friday, June 5 4:00 p.m.
Upper School Graduation Athletic Center
For more information on all Alumni Events, please contact Lisa Hotte Young ’74 at
Lisa_young@ryecountryday.org or 914-925-4525
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Thanksgiving
By Lisa Hotte Young ’74
GAMES
They came, they played, and they celebrated their RCDS years on the courts and the rink. With coaches, family, and friends on hand, more than 60 people filled the Athletic Center on Friday, November 28, at the annual Thanksgiving Alumni Games and Reception. Headmaster Scott Nelson welcomed athletes representing over thirty years of RCDS sports history and made special mention of the coaches and former coaches who return every year on a holiday weekend to make the games so special: John Sabia, Frank Effinger, Gil Castagna, and Wendy Basketball MVP Andy Hennes ’06 Haft. They were joined by RCDS Athletic Trainer Steve Nor- on the court. man and Tom O’Grady, director of the Field House. Three sets of siblings graced the basketball court: Ian Baine ’11 and Will Baine ’08; Andy Hennes ’06 and Duncan Hennes ’05; and Adam Judd ’07 and Daniel Judd ’10, while brothers David Porzio ’99 and John Porzio’02 skated under the tutelage of Frank Effinger, with Gil Castagna in the role of referee. Jacob Marcus ’04 was here from New Zealand, and the youngest player was first-grader Winn Metrailler, who joined his mother, Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 on the squash court. As Coach Castagna noted during the MVP ceremonies, it was the first time that the hockey game has ever ended in a tie, thus MVP honors went to goalies Eric Herbst ’14 and Dan Lavsky ’99. Basketball MVP winners were Andy Hennes ’06 and James Hutchins ’08.
Basketball MVP James Hutchins ’08.
The coaches who make it all happen: RCDS Athletic Director Wendy Haft, Frank Effinger, John Sabia, and Gil Castagna.
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Coaches Gil Castagna and Frank Effinger with Hockey MVPs Dan Lavsky ’99 and Eric Herbst ’14.
RCDS Alumni Ice Hockey Team Front row: Goalies Eric Herbst ’14 and Daniel Lavsky ’99. Center: Andrew Collingham ’07, Chase Culeman-Beckman ’99, Michael Zody ’86, Michael Schumaker ’09, Ryan Blatt ’09, Geoffrey Exum ’03, Anthony Faustini ’13, Andrew Wiener ’93, Michael Pisacano ’87, and Ricky Lipsey ’85. Back row: Coach Gil Castagna, Rob Striar ’90, Tomo Yokose ’10, Michael Ince ’12, James Kissell ’13, Christian French ’91, Jacob Marcus ’04, David Porzio ’99, Jon Porzio ’02, Ted Heintz, Grade 10 Dean, Matthew Toth ’99, Scott Weiss ’96, David Dell’Aquila ’96, Sam Gordon ’11, Joe Forstbauer ’05, Coach Frank Effinger, and Larry Paredes ’86.
RCDS Alumni Basketball Team Kneeling: Michael Pfeffer ‘84, Nick Segal ’00, DJ Hennes ’05, Alex Gardner ’84, Max Bonnie ’01, Adam Sharaff ’07, David Duberstein ’03 and Ian Baine ’11. Standing: Coach John Sabia, Athletic Director Wendy Haft, James Hutchins ’08, Will Baine ’08, Peter Khoury ’00, David Lamont ’99, Joey Connor ’09, Andy Hennes ’06, Adam Judd ’07, and Dan Judd ’10.
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Class Notes 1939
Jane Pickett left school in the middle of her senior year to plan her wedding. Ms. Pickett’s wedding day was the same day she would have graduated from Rye Country Day. Seventy-five years later, her family contacted RCDS to request an honorary diploma, which they then surprised her with on her 93rd birthday. Check the RCDS News archive on the School’s website to read about it and watch a video.
1947
Ethel Albertson France wrote from her home in Brick, N.J., “Sam and I celebrated our 65th Anniversary in June, 2014. We have four children and their spouses, six grandchildren, one great-grandson, and one great-great grandchild on the way. It has been a good life!”
1963
Jane Wolfson Schraeter welcomed a new grandchild when her son, Eric Pitchal ’90, and his wife, Dennell, welcomed their daughter, Vivian Rose Pitchal, on November 19, 2014.
1968-50th Reunion
Eric Miller reports: “Having visited 22 countries this year to research a book on the international growth of El Sistema, I am pleased that the book will come out in 2016.”
1969
David Doniger, director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council, was a featured speaker at a new event on Wildcat Weekend: Alumni Making a Difference. This year’s topic was Sustainability, Community, and Engagement, and the group discussed climate change and sustainability from the national to the local level. Richard Perlman was disappointed to miss the 45th Reunion, but promises he already has the 50th Reunion on his calendar. Richard is an attorney in Longboat Key, Fla., and his recent submission for the American Bar Association’s Summer 2014 One Great Name contest took top honors for a County Bar Association. The family law program was titled, “The Gray Divorce Revolution … Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, when I’m 64??? Probably Not.” Not only was the name a winner, but the program itself was extremely well attended.
1970-45th Reunion
Composer Peter Golub, who is director of the Sundance Film Music Program, was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame on Friday, October 17, 2014. Classmates Amy Miller, Larry Romaine, and Ross Zucker were on hand to celebrate Peter’s accomplishments.
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Class Notes 1972
Marilyn Moran retired in 2014 and has left northeast winters behind. Marilyn has built a new home in Murrells Inlet, SC., and reports that she loves every minute of the warmer climes. Congratulations to New Hampshire Legislator Cindy Rosenwald, who has been named the New Hampshire House Deputy Democratic Leader. Cindy was also named Public Health Champion for 2014 by the New Hampshire Public Health Association.
1973
Greg Triandifalou writes: “At the 2014 Arizona State Fair and I just found out that I won 4 first-place ribbons out of 4 entries in the photography competition/Pro Category (versus Amateur and Advanced Categories). The best I’ve ever done in the past is second place and I was thrilled when I won that!” Drew Wofford is a PhD student at the University of Miami and writes, “I am so thrilled to have had my paper on the “Civil Rights Activism of Leontyne Price” accepted by the North Carolina State University Graduate History Conference. This is a very different type of paper for me, and one which might signal a change of direction in my historical pursuits. I am very much looking forward to peer and professional commentary. It will be such a pleasure to return to NCSU, which will always be my ‘Alma Mater.’”
1974
Special thanks to Reunion chairs Dan Barr, Lee Fleischman, Jill Hess, and Audrey Shuman Nathanson, who organized a great turnout. Enormous thanks, too, to Laura and Duncan Hennes who hosted a fabulous pre-reunion party at their home on Friday evening. Dan Barr has had a busy and rewarding year. Dan and his wife, Karen, took a two-month sabbatical in 2014, traveling to Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, Munich and Nuremburg and spending the second month in Tuscany. Dan’s pro bono work came to fruition in the fall, when two court cases he led resulted in the establishment of gay marriage in Arizona and far-reaching health care reforms in Arizona’s prisons. On Saturday of Wildcat Weekend, Dan was inducted into the Silver Circle of the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his “contributions to the industry and his community over more than 25 years.” Liane Dorsey was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame on Friday evening, October 18, at the sixth Alumni Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction. Liane received the W. Lee Pierson Distinguished Alumni Award in May 2013.
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Class Notes 1975-40th Reunion
Emilie Murphy graduated from Fordham University on May 17, 2014, with a master’s degree in religion and Christian spirituality. Less than a week earlier, Byron and Emilie’s daughter, Nealy Nimocks ’10, graduated from Duke.
Emilie Murphy ’75 at her Fordham University graduation, with daughters Larke Nimocks ’13 and Nealy Nimocks ’10.
New York State Assemblyman Steve Otis spoke about the state’s work on sustainability as part of the Wildcat Weekend program, Alumni Making a Difference.
1976
Posted recently on the Facebook page of Yonkers Partners in Education: “Thank you to Elisa Trolin Owen, an extraordinary YPIE volunteer, for hosting a breakfast to raise money for our deserving students! We are so thankful for your commitment to YPIE and the students of Yonkers.” Thank you, Elisa, for exemplifying the RCDS motto, Not for Self, But for Service.
1978
William Reisner’s daughter, Megan, was named Miss Illinois Teen USA for 2015! Congratulations to David Terner and his wife, Ching Ching Lee, on the birth of their second daughter, Sophie Amelia Terner, on September 16, 2014. Sophie joins older sister, Chloe, who is four and a half.
1979
Midge Kyle Iorio is the executive director of Bedford 20/20, whose mission is “to lead, organize and promote a community-wide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020 and to create a sustainable community that conserves its natural resources.” Midge spoke at the Wildcat Weekend program, Alumni Making a Difference.
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Class Notes 1980-35th Reunion 1981
Barry Brinker Jones and her family have made a big move, from Hawaii to Maine. Barry writes, “After living in Hawaii for 17 years and raising our 3 children there, sadly it was time to leave. We have moved to Maine to be closer to my family, who relocated there from Rye. I am also officially an ‘empty nester,’ with two in college and one college graduate. I am enjoying my first autumn in 17 years, but I’m slightly apprehensive about the upcoming winter. I guess I need to go buy some socks!” Andrea Siegel has a new book out, SPLASH, The Careful Parent’s Guide to Teaching Swimming. The book focuses on teaching children who fear swimming or water, and is also an encyclopedic guide to teaching swimming.
1984
Just before Wildcat Weekend we heard from Tim Page, who wrote, “Hello RCDS people: I had hoped to come to the upcoming 30th high school reunion, seeing as I’ve been unable to attend any of the earlier ones because I haven’t lived in the US since graduation, spending most of my time in Scotland, England, New Zealand, and Australia. I am a biologist, living in Brisbane in eastern Australia, and I was thinking about coming to the 30th reunion. However life has intervened. My wife, Kaye, and I are expecting our first child in a few months’ time, making a trans-Pacific trip highly problematic, and meaning that we are going to be very old parents! Perhaps I can make it to the next one?”
Tim Page ’84 with his wife, Kaye.
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Class Notes Attorney Harlan Protass was featured in a New York Times article on July 28, 2014, regarding his client and an unusual change in sentencing. Read more at: http://nyti.ms/1lRU58x Harlan is a criminal defense lawyer and a partner at Clayman & Rosenberg in New York, as well as an adjunct professor at Cardozo Law School, where he teaches a seminar on sentencing law. Harlan and his wife, Charity Scribner, live on the Upper West Side of New York City, with their son, Simon, who was born in 2012. Barbara Saunders was thrilled to travel from Berkeley, Calif., for Reunion 2014. In September, after three and one-half years of study, Barbara earned her first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
1985-30th Reunion
Richard Eckrich wrote to us in August to say, “Ellen de Boer ’86 and I recently moved from Moscow, Russia, to Abuja, Nigeria, with our two sons. We enjoyed our eight years living in Russia and look forward to living in Nigeria.” Ted Hosp and Alison Scott Wingate, vice president of the Alabama Retail Association, were married on August 2, 2014, at Ted’s parents’ home in Charlestown, R.I. Alison and Ted live in Pike Road, Ala., with their four children. Ted is a shareholder with the law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, where his practice focuses on the legislature and government relations work. Ted was recently elected chair of the Alabama State Bar section on Elections, Ethics and Government Relations Law. He also serves on the Montgomery County Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program Board, the Alabama Law Foundation Board, the Board of the Federal Defenders - Middle District of Alabama, and the Access to Justice Commission. He is the Chair of the Seventh Project Association, a 501(c)(3) organization that raises money to help low-income students from Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District intern in the office of Congresswoman Terri Sewell.
Ted Hosp and Alison Scott Wingate on their wedding day with their children, L- R, James (8), Andrew (14), Jordan (12), and Knox (7).
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Class Notes Andrea Horvath Link, M.D., an assistant clinical professor at Baylor College of Medicine, was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame on October 17, 2014, in the “Service” category. Andrea was honored for her work with incarcerated women and former prostitutes.
1986
Ellen de Boer and her husband, Richard Eckrich ’85, moved in 2014 from Moscow, Russia, to Abuja, Nigeria. Noted Richard, “We enjoyed our eight years living in Russia and we look forward to living in Nigeria.” David Hosp was presented with the W. Lee Pierson Distinguished Alumni Prize at the Blue and Gold Dinner in May. In October, he was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame. Michael Zody, research director of Computational Biology at the New York Genome Center, was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame on Friday, October 17. Michael is a leading expert in the field of genomic research.
1987
Congratulations to Jed Hartman who has left Time, Inc. for a new position at The Washington Post, where he has been named chief revenue officer.
1989
Honorary Class of 1989 alumnus Cary Fuller was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame in the “Special” category in October. Meredith Klein Kosann has opened a new medical practice in Rye: Skin Focused Dermatology. Meredith specializes in both medical and aesthetic dermatology and considers skin health her top priority. Among the nominees for the 57th Annual Grammy awards are two performers, Sia, and Haim, who earned a combined total of five nominations. Emily Lazar, chief mastering engineer at The Lodge, mastered Sia’s charttopping single, Chandelier, and Haim’s debut album, Days Are Gone. Emily has also been nominated for Record of the Year for the mastering of Sia’s Chandelier.
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Class Notes 1990-25th Reunion
Evan Licht’s new start-up, Blade, is a charter helicopter service operating between New York City and the Hamptons. With an iPhone app, Blade clients can charter a flight for themselves or split the cost of the trip with others. From Eric Pitchal we heard this great news, “I am thrilled to report that my wife, Denell, gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Vivian Rose Pitchal. They are both doing well, and Eleanor is very excited to be a big sister! Vivian was 7 lbs., 9 oz.s and has quite the set of lungs, that much I can say for certain.”
1991
Dana Kroll Carlos writes, “David and I just had our fourth child and are happily living in Larchmont, NY.”
1993
Congratulations to Blythe Keeler Robinson,who received a “40 under 40” award in November from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Blythe is the President and CEO of Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Centers.
Blythe Keeler Robinson ’93 receiving her “40 under 40” Award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
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Class Notes 1994
Jesse Redniss’s newest endeavor is BRaVe Ventures. According to the website, BRaVE Ventures “is made up of three of the leading minds within social/digital media, technology, and investing who have joined together to provide strategic advisory and accelerator services to emerging and established players in the media, technology and entertainment sectors as well as incubate and invest in start-ups. David Beck, Jesse Redniss and Gary Vaynerchuk have formed BRaVe to drive the next wave of innovation and propel companies to leadership positions in this volatile and dynamic ecosystem.” Congratulations to Lucy Chapin and Andrew Schroth whose daughter, Sadie Dean Schroth, was born on December 12, 2014.
1995-20th Reunion
Congratulations to Winston and Karen Buck Warner, whose second child, daughter Amelia Louise Warner, was born on September 13, 2014. Amelia joins older brother Alexander, who is two years old.
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Amelia Louise Warner, daughter of Karen Buck Warner ’95.
1996
Nicole Granston completed the New York City marathon on November 2, 2014, with a terrific time of 4:44:48. René Lumley-Hall took two great trips at the end of 2014. In early December, she traveled to Israel with the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, and later the same month she and her husband traveled to Morocco to visit family for the holidays. Blair Endresen Metrailler’s athletic accomplishments at Rye Country Day and at Harvard were recognized in October when she was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame.
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Class Notes 1997
Wedding bells rang on September 13, 2014 for Jeffrey Lallemand and Teresa Bowen-Spinelli, who were married at Westchester Country Club. Teresa is an emergency medicine physician at Staten Island University Hospital, and an assistant residency director and the director of emergency medicine simulation there. Jeffrey is a vice president for private wealth management at the Maxim Group, an investment bank in Manhattan.
1998
On November 14, Noah Gittell spoke to the RCDS Environmental Club, AP Environmental Science classes, and other interested students and faculty about the benefits of a plant-based diet for personal health and the health of the planet. He encouraged students to be aware of the impact that animal agriculture has on the environment and to shift even partially to eating less meat. Noah is the east coast director of philanthropy for the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine and was one of four alumni who spoke at the inaugural Alumni Making a Difference program at Wildcat Weekend. Shayla Titley’s commitment to volunteerism, at RCDS and with numerous other organizations, was recognized on October 17, when she was inducted into the RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame in the “Service” category. Congratulations to Guy Turner, who has been named to the Class of 2017 in the Kauffman Fellow Program. This program “identifies, develops, and networks emerging global leaders in venture capital. Working full-time at a venture capital firm, Kauffman Fellows engage in a practical, 24-month apprenticeship including professional coaching, mentoring by senior partners, and quarterly sessions of industry and leadership curriculum.”
1999
Congratulations to Lily and Dan Berlin, whose daughter, Violet Duong Berlin, was born on December 16, 2014. The Berlins live in Morrisville, NC. Lily and Dan will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary in February 2015.
Lily and Dan Berlin ’99 with their daughter Violet Duong Berlin.
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Class Notes Congratulations to David Roman and McKenzie Mahoney, who were married on September 20, 2014, in New York City. McKenzie is a senior account executive in the media relations department of MSL Group, the public relations and strategic communications arm of the Publicis Groupe. David is a managing director in the global investment research division of Goldman Sachs in New York, where he researches medical technology companies.
2000-15th Reunion
Congratulations to David Leaf and Rebecca Karp, who were married on November 22, 2014, at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York City. David is a nephrologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and a researcher in acute kidney injuries at Harvard Medical School. Rebecca is a fellow in hematology-oncology at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston.
2001
Stephanie and Tim Schliftman are thrilled to announce the arrival of Lillian Margot Schliftman, who was born on October 28, 2014. Congratulations to Seth Weissman and Joseph Altuzarra, who were married at the Rainbow Room in New York on October 18, 2014. Seth is a founder and a managing partner of Weissman Equities, a real estate development company in New York, and is the founder of CityShares, a real estate investment firm in New York. Joseph is the founder and creative director of the women’s wear brand in New York that bears his name.
2003
Congratulations to Katie Michalek and Geoffrey Exum, who were married November 1, 2014. Geoff and Katie met at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, from which they both graduated. Katie is an associate in the risk management department at JPMorgan Chase in New York, and Geoff is a communications strategy supervisor at Generator Media & Analytics, a marketing and advertising agency in New York.
From left: Carly Exum, Geoffrey Exum ’03 and his wife, Katie Michalek Exum, Katie Exum McDavid ’06 and her husband Will McDavid ’06.
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Class Notes Special thanks to Steven Rosenzweig, who, along with Kimmie Behrman ’06 and senior class member Sofia Aklog, was a featured speaker in December at the annual Sackler Lecture. This year, the program focused on issues in contemporary Africa. Steven is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at Yale. To read more about this program, visit the RCDS blog Wildcat World on the website, or at: blog.ryecountryday.org/?p=5369
2004
Wedding bells rang on October 4, 2014, for David Thomas and Jean Sterling Evans, who were married at Cabin Bluff, a sports retreat in Woodbine, Ga. Jean is an associate at Lightyear Capital, where she specializes in investor relations and fund-raising. David is a senior associate at J. F. Lehman & Company, focusing on investments in the aerospace, defense, and maritime industries.
2005-10th Reunion
Max Reibman completed his Ph.D. in Middle East History as a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge in July, 2014. Dr. Reibman then joined The Risk Advisory Group as an associate in the company’s Dubai office, where he is a member of the Business Intelligence MENA team. He does due diligence and compliance work, in addition to political risk analysis, for some of the world’s largest banks, private equity groups, and oil and gas firms. He is a specialist in multi-jurisdictional investigations and regularly communicates with contacts and clients throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe in both Arabic and French. In October 2014, Adam and Cara Rock-Singer welcomed their first child, a daughter named Liora.
2006
Special thanks to Kimmie Behrman, who, along with Steven Rosenzweig ’03 and senior class member Sofia Aklog, was a featured speaker in December at the annual Sackler Lecture. This year the program focused on issues in contemporary Africa. Kimmie is currently working toward her master’s degree in public administration at NYU. To read more about this program, visit the RCDS blog, Wildcat World on the website, or at: blog.ryecountryday.org/?p=5369 Congratulations to Rebecca Wohl, who learned in October that she passed the New York State Bar Exam.
2009
Lex Cardone was on campus on November 24 to speak with students in Dr. Strean’s Economics and Politics course. Lex worked on Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino’s campaign for the New York State Governor’s seat. His insight into the campaign process and the terrific questions from the students made for a fascinating morning. James Grasso is living in Chicago, where he works as a financial analyst for Pearlmark Real Estate Partners.
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Class Notes 2010-5th Reunion
We recently heard from Deelan Ayhan who wrote, “The reason I’ve been so out of touch with email as of late is that I’m currently living and working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through a fellowship called Princeton in Asia. After graduating from Penn, I knew I wanted to pursue a more experiential perspective in the field of public health, and found the perfect combination of adventure, technical skill, and pursuit of passion. I am now working at Population Services International, a global NGO that strives to broaden the market for Reproductive Health services and provisions for women of reproductive age in Cambodia and throughout Asia, Africa, and South America. If there is any prospective high school-er who is interested or any in the field who I can chat with, that would be wonderful!” Nichelle Holmes has a new position as a marketing assistant with Brailsford & Dunlavey, a program management firm in Washington, DC. Zach Lattanzio has begun a doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Denver. His first field placement is with an organization that deals with issues of domestic abuse and sexual assault. The office is across the street from the Beaver Creek ski lift, so we hear that Zach is quite excited about his ski plans, too. Following her May 11, 2014 graduation from Duke, Nealy Nimocks has moved to San Francisco, where she is working at VISA, Inc. in a rotational training program. Nealy Nimocks ’10 at her graduation from Duke.
2011
Proving that RCDS connections are the ties that bind, Hadley Chu, Paul Fanto, and Samisha Bansal began their senior year at Princeton together with this great photo taken just inside the University gates.
2014
George Matelich is wrestling varsity at 174 pounds in his freshman year at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.
Hadley Chu ’11, Paul Fanto ’11, and Samisha Bansal ’11 at Princeton.
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In Memoriam Alumni
Ella Manny Place ’39, passed away on August 23, 2014. Ella was predeceased by her husband, John F. Place. Mary Walton Perry ’40, died on August 3, 2014, after a short illness. Following her years at Rye Country Day School, Mollie went on to graduate from Dana Hall School and Smith College. She moved from New York to Tucson, Ariz., where she lived for most of her adult life, and worked in the District #1 school system. She was a lifelong member of the Junior League of Tucson, The Garden Club, Grace Episcopal Church and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. She eventually relocated to San Antonio, Tex., to be near her daughter, Lynne, who survives her. Mollie is also survived by her sister, Allison W. Breiby ’37, a nephew and niece, and several great-nieces and nephews. Moira Whiting Walden ’41, passed away peacefully at her home in Galisteo, N.M., on January 11, 2011. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard T. Walden, Jr., and son, Robert Stewart Walden. She is survived by her daughters, Virginia W. Walden and Moira W. Walden, sons Howard T. Walden, III, Henry D. Walden and Daniel M. Walden, and three grandchildren. Lois Gordon ’42, of Kaycee, Wyo., passed away on April 19, 2013. A competitive athlete all her life, Loie, at various times, played tennis in the National Clay Court Championships against Althea Gibson and served as a winning crew member in several successful North American sailing championships. She also rode in various top-level horse shows, including Madison Square Garden in New York City. In 1944, she enlisted in the United States Navy Waves and was stationed at the Sand Point Naval Air Station in Washington State. Life and two marriages led her to Oregon, back to Rye, and ultimately, to her home in Wyoming. Loie is survived by her husband, Crow Gordon, her son, Spencer Smith, daughter Pam Jackson, a step-daughter, and three grandsons. Lynn Marx Silverman ’60, lost a 15-month battle with pancreatic cancer in May 2014. She is survived by her two children, Lisa Silverman ’85, and Tim Silverman ’89, as well as her four grandchildren, whom she loved very much. She was a life-long supporter of RCDS, and is missed by all who knew her. Nicholas Albert Major ’67, passed away in April 2014 after a long illness. A resident of Dallas, Tex., at the time of his passing, he had been a deacon of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Mr. Major graduated from The Lawrenceville School and The University of Pennsylvania, and is survived by his sister, Katherine Major, his niece, Linsay Firman, and one great-niece. Dorothy C. Ames ’77, died September 22, 2014, at her home in Lambertville, NJ. Dorry graduated from Wesleyan University with degrees in Music and English, and earned her MBA from the University of Connecticut. An avid equestrian, flutist, and book lover in her younger years, she carried this same passion and dedication into adulthood with fitness instruction, which she parlayed into her business, Functional Fitness, into her philanthropy, and also into her work with animals. Dorothy will be remembered for her joyful spirit, compassion, and love for her friends and family. She is survived by her four children, Michael, Kristin, Dillon and Quinlan; her three sisters, Ruth, Maggy and Joan; and, her beloved Jack Russell terrier, Gracie.
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In Memoriam Former Faculty/Staff & Friends
Dr. Emmy Lu Cutler Avizov passed away on November 21, 2014. Loving mother to Amanda Cutler ’16 and William Cutler-Avizov ’21, and devoted wife to Doron Avizov, Dr. Cutler is also survived by her parents, Paul and Rita Lu, and her brother, Dr. Peter Lu. Her passions were her children, husband, and medical practice. Listed year after year in Connecticut’s Top Doctors, Dr. Lu saved and enhanced countless lives and was regarded as a miracle worker in pain management and palliative care. The Honorable Mario M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York from 1983-1994, passed away on January 1, 2015. Governor Cuomo is survived by his wife, Matilda, his son, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo; daughter and son-in-law and former RCDS parents Maria Cuomo Cole and Kenneth Cole; daughter and son-in-law Dr. Margaret Cuomo and Howard Maier; daughter Madeline Cuomo O’Donoghue; and son Chris Cuomo. Mr. Cuomo is also survived by fourteen grandchildren including Emily Cole ’06, Amanda Cole ’09, and Catherine Cole ’12. Richard Hall Hosp, 72, passed away at home in Weekapaug, RI, on December 11, 2014. Mr. Hosp was a graduate of Brown University and received his MBA from Pace University, New York City, where he also taught as an adjunct professor. He was a Lieutenant in United States Navy and served aboard the USS Warrington during the Vietnam War. He was an Executive Vice President in the advertising and retail industries in N.Y., Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Chicago. He is survived by Martha, his wife of nearly 50 years; his son, Ted Hosp ’85, daughter-in-law Alison, and their four children; his son, David Hosp ’86 and daughter-in-law Joanie, and their two children He is also survived by and numerous nieces and nephews. Monty Kaufman passed away on August 29, 2014. He is survived by his wife, Lauren Ostrau Meren ’75, daughters, Lindsey Robertson and Kyra Kaufman, and stepchildren, Ilyssa Meren ‘06 and Maxx Meren ’07. Two grandchildren also survive him. Michael Roth passed away in December 2014. He is survived by his wife, Jeanny, children Bart and Micheline Roth Dinardo ’79, Catherine and Michael Zimmerman, and Jeffrey Roth, and four grandchildren. Yoshihisa Saegusa passed away on October 19, 2014, in San Francisco. He is survived by his children, Mari ’85 and Seisha ’88.
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